VABandster

Patty...yes, I can totally feel my port!!! And if I sleep on my stomach too much at night, it tends to be tender in the AM.....or if I am bending over too much, i can feel it and sometimes it causes pain.... I wonder sometimes if its too close to the surface, but most of the time I don't notice it....and at this point my belly is still too fat to really worry about it!

Siyah, I"m sure the computer knew what to do! It did when I used TurboTax So I am really struggling this week!! Yesterday I ate like a friggin PIG!! I had ice cream, a cookie, and cheese and crackers for dinner!! Not to mention some chips/salsa and 1/2 of my frajita chicken at a mexican restaurant for lunch!! I know...in the scheme of things, that was still not even close to me on a REGULAR Day prior to the band....but now....I feel like a whale!!! And the scale this AM didn't help.....it was up 4 pounds from 2 days ago!! :faint: I called my Dr.s office yesterday to see if I can get in on Feb. 19th for a fill under fluro and they're supposed to call me back today and see if the Dr. can fit it in b/c he actually has to schedule it through the surgical center across the street from his office....Keep your fingers crossed b/c I don't know how I'm going to keep this weight off if I don't get another fill soon!!!! My best friend is in town this weekend and we're celebrating her B.day....so even more evil temptations there...UGH!!! :help: Hope you all have a good weekend and that your scale is moving in the right direction!

:cry Hey gang....well, it looks like some of you are struggling, just like I am! yesterday I ate like a friggin PIG!! I had ice cream, a cookie, and cheese and crackers for dinner!! Not to mention some chips/salsa and 1/2 of my frajita chicken at a mexican restaurant for lunch!! I know...in the scheme of things, that was still not even close to me on a REGULAR Day prior to the band....but now....I feel like a whale!!! And the Scale this AM didn't help.....it was up 4 pounds from 2 days ago!! :faint: I called my Dr.s office yesterday to see if I can get in on Feb. 19th for a fill under fluro and they're supposed to call me back today and see if the Dr. can fit it in b/c he actually has to schedule it through the surgical center across the street from his office....Keep your fingers crossed b/c I don't know how I'm going to keep this weight off if I don't get another fill soon!!!! My best friend is in town this weekend and we're celebrating her B.day....so even more evil temptations there...UGH!!! :help: I hope you all have a great weekend!! And For those of you that have restriction.....:clap2: LUcky you!!! Kirsten

Geesh NAT....sorry to hear your fill was such an ordeal!! :-( You got a really big fill for the first fill though! I only got 1.65 in my 10cc band on my first fill!! I definitely need to back though b/c Its either not there anymore or it just wasn't enough the first time..ugh...I'm still trying to figure out when I can get back there. BK...I know what you mean!! I am always afraid of stretching my pouch too! Especially now that I feel like I can eat way more than I should! That's why I want to do my next fill under fluro so I can make sure it's all ok in there!

GOOD LUCK SHEILA!!!! I'm sure everything will go smoothly!!! :mad:

Happy Birthday Ibrahem!! I know the feeling of lost restriction....I thought I had it for the first week after I got my fill, but now feel like I can pretty much eat everything and anything! I had a breadstick at lunch yesterday with no problems....that right there should tell me I need another fill!!! STEPH...Yes, I xcountry skiied when I was Much younger....It is exhausting!! Its really like running in the snow, except you're kinda sliding if that makes any sense...but it's a GREAT workout and once you get into the grove of how to move! Let us know how it goes :mad: SIYAH...I got my taxes done too and got a great refund this year!!! I deducted my surgery b/c I was a self pay but I thought you could claim the entire amount, but you can really only claim the amount above and beyond the 7% of your earned income....but hey, it was still something! Ok, time to get to work....talk to you skinny ladies later!!

NAT...sorry to hear about the 'pizza incident', but glad the horrible feeling has gone away!! I'm with a few of you on the wondering if I'm eating too much wagon!! I've been tracking my calories and I seem to be hovering around 12-1300 a day...which according to my calculations I should be losing 1-2 pounds a week, but I'm not budging!!! I'm eating mostly proteins, although yesterday I did have a breadstick at lunch with my meatballs (a sure sign I need a fill probably b/c the bread didn't stick at ALL!!).....it's so frustrating!!! I"m going to call today and see if I can get an appt. for my 2nd fill on Presidents day since I have that day off....and I'm going to ask to do it under fluro so I can get as tight as possible w/out being TOO tight! UGH....you know how they say 'bandster hell" is before you get your first fill?? I DON"T THINK So!! I think it's AFTER your first fill when that fill isn't working!! :-( Oh....and as some of you may remember, I went out w/a friend for happy hour the other night. She didn't seem to notice the weight loss, but commented via IM yesterday that I "look happy" LOL....so maybe she does notice something is different about me, but can't put her finger on it?? I went to lunch w/another old coworker yesterday and he said something similar, he said I seem "radiant" and that I "look good"....so that was a nice little boost to my ego!! :mad:

Annie, It's not really a BIG Needle...just a long one! Seriously...don't worry about it. It won't hurt! Its just a weird sensation, that's all!! I'm still wondering what real restriction feels like....I sometimes get a feeling in my chest like something is sitting there...but am not sure if that means I ate too much or just enough to be full but not overfilled?? I'm really concerned that i'm going to stretch out my pouch by eating too much :-( Anyone got any reasurrances??

NAT...you crack me up girl!!! I'm sure your fill will be fine tomorrow.... KAY...glad you're back!!! And congrats on another great loss! I need to stop stepping on the scale every day...and just weigh once a week, but its so hard! especially when I'm trying to figure out if I need to go back for a fill yet b/c I think I'm eating too much! I do NOT want to gain!

Oh yeah...I TOTALLY did the last meal thing too...except mine was during Thanksgiving AT My Moms house (and she always makes TONS o' food!)..so I think I gained about 5 pounds right before I started my preop diet! lol

OFFER.....no, I did not get any Fluid in my band at the time of surgery, but my surgeon did the kind of fill w/the needle in and filling it up, having me drink while the needle was in so I felt restriction when he got to 1.65 so he left it there...although now I kind of wish I'd gotten 4 to start! Oh well...i'll go back in a few weeks and try again! STEPH...wow...onederland! I can't WAIT Til I get there....but I still have a long way to go! Congrats on almost being there!! I was watching Good Morning America on ABC this AM and actually saw a COMMERCIAL for the Lap Band!! I was amazed! I'd heard some other people talking about it, but hadn't seen it.....I have a feeling its going to be the new thing to do! LOL Glad I got mine done now before everyone else jumps on the bandwagon!

BMAN....GREAT POST!! I totally agree w/everything you said!! I use myfooddiary.com to track my calories and it tells me for my height/weight I should be consuming something like 1400 calories a day to lose 2 pounds per week, so I figure I'm a little bit under that, I can usually get to 1200 pretty easily these days, so I'm on the right track! I also think it helps to go up and down calorie wise to trick your body a little bit....and that's probably why your scale was down 2 pounds after having 1100 calories yesterday!! CAROL....your friend is definitely in my thoughts and prayers..I can't imagine losing a child! On a side note...i was watching Good Morning America on ABC this AM and actually saw a COMMERCIAL for the Lap Band!! I was amazed! I'd heard some other people talking about it, but hadn't seen it.....I have a feeling its going to be the new thing to do! LOL Glad I got mine done now before everyone else jumps on the bandwagon!

I did the same preop diet Mark did (Low carb/high protein) and lost 10 pounds in the 2 weeks prior to my surgery. I was/am a carb addict though so maybe that is why I had more success b/c I cut out ice cream and pizza and all the other stuff I had eaten way too much of previously! As Mark said....the purpose is to shrink the liver which has to be moved in order to place the band...it just helps the surgeon lift it, is my understanding. On a side note...i was watching Good Morning America on ABC this AM and actually saw a COMMERCIAL for the Lap Band!! I was amazed! I'd heard some other people talking about it, but hadn't seen it.....I have a feeling its going to be the new thing to do! LOL Glad I got mine done now before everyone else jumps on the bandwagon!

Wow...that is awesome that you haven't needed a fill since November Drew! Was that the fill you had done under fluro?? I think when I come out in Feb. I'm going to ask for Fluro so I can get as good of restriction as possible. I'm 3 pounds away from the #30 mark...and am hoping to get there by the 28th...so I can say I lost 30 # in 2 months!! Then my goal after that will be 10# per month....although I know some months may be more or less....depending on my restriction. Its weird...some days I feel very littlre restriction and other days (like today), I feel a lot more restricted!! that is one thing I wish about the band...is that it was more consistent! But other than that I'm doing good.....a bit depressed that my former coworker didn't notice my weight loss tonight when I saw her for dinner (hadn't seen her since the end of Nov.), but that's ok....I Know I'm losing weight and that's what matters right!?? :huggie:

Dee...sounds like your Dr. does his fills the same way mine does! Glad to know I'm not the only one sitting up w/a big needle sticking out of my belly! Offer...glad you finally got your fill! I have the VG Band too, but I only got 1.65 in on my first fill! I feel like some days I have restriction, some days I don't!! Today, I ate only 2 chicken fingers from McDs for lunch and was full....but at dinner I was able to eat shrimp and Ahi Tuna and a few bites of bread! UGH!!! Although I suppose having them while drinking martinis was NOT a smart bandster move on my part.....back to good behavior tomorrow though!! :huggie: Glad to hear we're all starting w/the fills......would love to hear what you all feel like your "restriction" actually feels like! Does it feel like a pain? Does it feel like something sitting in your chest cavity?? Mine doesn't feel painful, but I do definitely feel it 'sitting there'......

Man, you guys must be mindreaders!!! I'm going out to happy hour tonight w/a coworker from my old job...she hasn't seen me since the end of November (right about when I started my preop diet)...so I'm down 27 pounds since then and all I'm wondering is..."Is she going to notice"???? It seems that everyone else around me must see me too much so they don't notice the change. Even my ExH, who used to always notice every pound up or down hasn't said anything, although that may just be due to his jealousy that I'm losing and he's not LOL I keep thinking I don't have restriction, but then today...at lunch, I went to McDs b/c I was running around, and I got 3 chicken strips and was only able to eat 2 before I felt full!!! I saved the 3rd one for later in the afternoon when I got hungry and had that as my 'snack'......Weird...I guess when I do slow down and concentrate on my eating (I was very careful to take 20 min to eat the 2 strips), it really works!! Although Like I said, I'm going to Happy Hour tonight, so I may have some problems there Anyways, Steph....and Sweethot...Hope your first fills go ok!!! Let us know...

Machele, Congrats on getting your band date!!! You'll have to check back w/us and let us know how everything goes!

STEPH....don't worry about your eating today. sometimes its good to 'shake it up a little bit' calorie wise. Just make sure Every day isn't a 1400 calorie day!!! My past 2 days were in the 1300s....so I'm really working to make sure that today is not another one!! I want to keep it around 900-1000 today. makes my body wonder what I'm up to!

BMAN...sounds like you've got great restriction!! Congrats!!! Hopefully it'll last longer for you than it did for me!! I only felt it for a few days and then it seemed to dissapear.....I've heard some people say the first fill gets absorbed into the band b/c it's so dry...I hope that was the case w/me...I'd hate to think I have a leak THIS early!

I had my first fill and I am convinced it has been absorbed into my body b/c I can eat way more than a 1/2 cup!! I am going to figure out this week when I can go back for a 2nd fill and I think this time I'm going to ask for it to be done under fluro so I can get as good of restriction as possible!! OfferRocker....I take a small pill every day and haven't had problems with it EVER...even right after my surgery! Not sure how big your pill is, but I think as long as you take it w/a little Water, it should slide right down no problem! SMJ...Welcome!! I actually just yesterday saw an ad for those scales somewhere...they look cool, but the scale I have now works just fine and I'm already obsessed enough as it is w/the number, I hate to think of what I'd be like if I had to think about how hydrated I am, how much fat I have, etc! LOL But I'm sure it's a good scale! If you get one...let us know! BEXLEY....yep...sounds like you need a fill!!! Just remember the first one may not change things much so you still just have to try and live by the bandster rules regardless. Hang in there and let us know how it goes! MAURDAN...Makes sense!! I was just curious about how many people who have the surgery in MX go back there for fills....I think I'd be going locally too. Not much to report here other than I don't feel like I have much restriction!!! I need to schedule another fill ASAP before I start gaining weight....I have only 3 more pounds to lose before 2/28 to hit my first mini-goal.....I'm gonna do it!!!

Maurdan, I wouldn't worry about having alcohol once in a wihle...as you said, the reason most people tell you to stay away from it b/c of the empty calories, that's all. The only thing I've found is that since we're not supposed to drink when we eat....it makes it difficult to drink wine at dinner, etc....so I really don't drink as much as I used to b/c I can't! I'm curious....are you going back to MX for your first fill or do you have someone locally you're following up with?

Mark, I know we're supposed to be drinking clear liquids for the first week, but I did make Protein shakes (i.e. chocolate flavored Protein Powder mixed with water) my first week just to keep my energy up and I think b/c it was virtually Water, it was pretty close to clear I just know I didn't have any real dip in my energy and I attribute it to the protein. So if you're adding it to your broth, that should be just as good! Isn't the snow GREAT!! Gotta love it!! Shesha.....I hope my PATRIOTS see you at the Superbowl!!

Mark...just a suggestion....I'd start getting in at least a Protein shake or 2 a day asap so that you can get your engery back.....that is probably why you're feeling so blah...... My port incision was the only one that gave me any problems too....it was kind of oozy for a few days but then seemed to dry up.....I loved the tape stuff he put over it so I could still shower etc! Unfortunately I turned out to be allergic, so I had to load up on Benadryl until about the 5th day when I took them off and replaced them with Tegaderm, which is basically the same type of bandage, just different chemicals in them I guess..... Anyways, glad to hear you're doing well! Thanks for checking in w/us!

Bandiva...I'm sure it'll be fine!! I had to fly to get my first fill and everything went smoothly. Hopefully you have a day or two before you come back so if you need an unfill before you head home you can get one. But I doubt you'll need it!! Most first fills aren't that restrictive.... Good luck!!

Here's the link if anyone needs is: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/december-bandsters-january-t28482.html