GettingHealthyAgain

Barbara - You give me hope! I'm still trying to get to a good fill level, so it feels good to hear from people for whom the band has been so successful:-)

Hi Celeste - You sound like a world traveller! How great! I just wanted to respond to your sense of feeling like a runt - I can relate (from past experiences of losing weight), and wondered if you've thought of taking any self-defense classes, or weight-training classes, to increase your sense of yourself as strong and able as a non-overweight woman? I think the weight helps shield a lot of us from a sense of vulnerability, and it's a challenge to find a new way to feel protected without it. But it's possible. Have you ever noticed how strong women just exude a "don't mess with me" air, and nobody does? That ability to stand strong and defend oneself can come from inside, without the extra weight as a deterrent/shield. I've picked up some of that ability just in the course of getting older and tougher with age, not feeling that I have to be so "nice" in all circumstances. It's a big topic, and an important one to address. The weight and overeating serves a lot of functions, and we've got to find alternatives in order to be comfortable without it - just need to make the journey as fun as possible:-). Julie

Hi niche - I also found that I was treated differently when I was at a "normal" size - at least, by strangers. For one thing, there wasn't the sense of standing out or being unusual in any way - it is always hard to know how much of that is my self-consciousness, and how much is people really thinking, "my, she's large!" I could blend in, almost felt "in disguise" (I wonder how long it takes for that to go away, how long it takes for the smaller size to become part of your identity?). And I was single then, and the world of dating was my oyster:-). Had a lot of fun with that. Enjoy! (and be careful!)

Sleepyjean - One of the things I enjoyed about losing weight last time (9 years ago, using Phen-Fen) was that I could finally shop at the used clothing stores and find clothes that fit. Seems that getting down to a size 14 or 12 or 10 put me in the realm of "most people", so I could fit into their hand-me-downs. It was fun because I could try different styles without the stress of spending much money. Otherwise, I was like you - overwhelmed by the number of clothing stores to chose from. I visited some of them, and could spend hours trying things on, getting a sense of what fit and what my body looked like - it was so new. Julie

Hi Kato - Hopefully we'll both get to that ideal fill level soon, and then going through the surgery and everything will seem like the best thing we ever did! That's what a friend's fiance told me, two years after she had the lap band surgery - she was at her goal weight. I need to call her and find out if she went through this long stretch of frustration before getting to a good fill level. I'm still trying to get a reply from the doc as to whether I can get another fill now, rather than having to wait another month...it's a 6-hour round-trip drive to go in for a visit, so don't want to make an appointment if getting a fill isn't possible. Regarding whether it's normal to feel hungry when all you're able to consume is liquids - yes!!! The only time that I wasn't hungry when on liquids only was the first few days after the surgery, and presumably that's because there was so much swelling. Well, hopefully in 3-6 months we'll both be losing weight steadily and happy as clams:-) (where does that expression come from? hmmm...the only other expression that comes to mind is "happy as a pig in sh*t", but I don't think either of us wants to relate to that one, either the "pig" part or the "sh*t" part (don't know what the rules are here re profanity, hence the use of asterisk) Okay, I'm off on a tangent....better go back to work!:-) Keep us posted, Kato!

Congratulations, Simmah Oz! I interested - why was this the hardest 9 months of your life? Surgical complications? food rules/limitations? ...? Please say more! Thanks,

Hi Maysters! I'm glad I found you guys. From looking at the weight loss to date for people with a similar starting point (my start weight was 219), I'm not so terribly slow at the weight loss as I thought - currently my weight ranges from 202 - 207, despite having had two fills. Now at 1.5 ccs in a 4 cc band. But I have very little restriction, just some difficulty with bread (I try to eat only whole-grain), and need to chew meat really well. Yay! for all of you who are losing so quickly! That must be so exciting! I'm hoping eventually that I get to the right fill level and can start losing again (can you tell I'm getting a little bummed?).

Hi Susan - Trying to think of any more possibilities. Are ulcers etc. still an issue? If so, seems like that could change your sensations of hunger and fullness in some way. Since you have to eat frequently in order to not feel nausea or pain, that implies something out of the ordinary is going on inside that is short-circuiting the effectiveness of the lapband - the hunger sensor isn't getting switched off for some reason. I could imagine that having an ulcer or similar issue might mess with the signals the brain is getting from the stomach. I understand that the drug Acomplia has recently been approved for use in much of Europe, and is expected to be approved in the U.S. soon. That drug's supposed to help people experience satiation more easily. Maybe that avenue might be effective for you, since it sidesteps the stomach. Keep us posted on what you find out. Hope you can get it figured out! Good luck! Julie

Hi Princess - what's this about the longterm band option resurgery and the ticking timebomb? I haven't heard about needing resurgery...why would that be necessary? Julie

Hi Susan - I just got banded on May 24, and got my second fill this week, but still only 1.5 cc in 4 cc band. Still have very little restriction, so am hoping doc will let me get another fill sooner than the originally planned 6 weeks. All that by way of saying that I'm not in "the sweet spot" yet. However, part of the reason that I got the band is that a friend's fiance was banded 2 years ago, and is now at her goal weight, and she was full, satisfied, on very little food. For example, she said that she occasionally gets cravings for potato chips, but 10 chips satisfies the craving, instead of 1 or 2 whole bags. So there's at least one real person who is satisfied much more easily with much less food. She said the most difficult behavioral change was not drinking with meals. I believe you when you say you know what diminished hunger is, because I also had that experience when I was on Phen-Fen. I ate, felt satisfied with very little food, and stopped eating because I didn't want anymore food, and lost weight almost effortlessly ("almost" because I plateau'd at 165 lbs, and needed to really kick up the exercise to continue losing weight). Once you know what it's like to be free of the constant cravings, once you know it's possible to feel satiated, it's hard to settle for anything less, because anything less feels like such a constant battle. It's exhausting. I'm hoping that when I get to the right fill point I'll have some of the freedom from the food battle again. I hope you do, too. Well, I don't have any helpful advice, but did want to let you know that I personally know of one person for whom the lap band worked as advertised:-). Julie P.S.: I also get rather tired of being told to "stick to the diet", since (1) most of us know the lapband diet guidelines and know a tremendous amount about dieting in general, and (2) the point of getting the lapband was to make it easier to "stick to the diet" by helping us feel full easily and hungry less often...so if the lapband isn't doing that, it's not helpful to be told to stop eating so much....I didn't need to go through surgery to be told that I should stick to a diet, that's the same advice we all have been hearing all our lives...grumble, grumble....okay, sorry, wanted to get that off my chest.

I'm about 2 months post-surgery, have had one 1cc fill, and have lost 14 lbs. I've got very little restriction currently, so am going in for another fill next Monday. Hope it helps me feel full faster! Julie

Hi Diva - my doctor's office says that when looking at the statistics, it's important to remember that the complication rate varies tremendously depending on the experience of the doctor doing the surgery. My doc's office (in Fresno, CA) reports a much, much lower complication rate than the general average. Plus, we need to know more about what was considered a "complication" - are they talking issues that require hospitalization, or just discomfort, like PBing? Julie

I believe that all five had the lapband surgery, but the Today show host referred to it as laparoscopic gastric banding (I think)...isn't that the same as the lapband? Julie

Bettina - Yes on the list of all the diets and dates and weight loss and exercise programs. Fortunately the doctor had a checklist that included at least 50 possibilities, and I had tried most of them. Ditto on the phen-fen! Only problem is that I don't think any has been manufactured legally for years, so quality control and expiration dates would be a concern. Julie T

Hi Rachel - I also had no luck on Meridia, as have mentioned a number of other folks. If you don't have high blood pressure, phentermine might be a possibility, if you only need to lose ten pounds before surgery. Phentermine only remains effective for about 2 weeks before you develop a tolerance and it becomes ineffective, and there can also be withdrawals such as tiredness and headaches when you stop. And, yes, phentermine was one half of the now infamous phen-fen (which I LOVED! It was heavenly freedom from the desire to overeat...but then I didn't develop heart problems), but the fenfluramine is the drug that was taken off the market, and phentermine is still totally legal and available. Another possibility is Acomplia, which is now available in Europe and England, and is presumed to be close to approval in the U.S. by the FDA, but just when that will happen is anyone's guess. Don't know how you feel about flying to Europe.... A question: why do some docs require patients to lose 10 lbs before surgery? My doc didn't require a pre-surgery weight loss. Seems odd to require people to do the very thing that they've been unable to do and are having the surgery in order to do.... Julie T

Hi - It's actually a relief to read your posts about this subject, since I'm having the same experience. I had surgery May 24, and about 3 weeks after surgery, started being able to eat quite a bit without feeling full. Had my first fill (1 cc) at 4 weeks, a little early, because I was getting ready to leave on 2 weeks vacation, and my doc was then going to be gone for 5 weeks, and I was afraid that if I waited until he got back, I'd have regained the 12 lbs or so that I'd lost since being banded. After the fill, I felt a bit of restriction, such that I lost 2 or 3 more pounds while on vacation, but now have regained those. Will be getting my next fill on May 31. It is indeed nervewracking! I too wondered if the band had slipped or busted or has a leak. Trying to be patient, remembering what I've read that for some people it takes 2 or 3 fills to get adequate restriction. Just so looking forward to only being able to eat small amounts, so there's not the worry about gaining weight, and hey, getting to lose a bunch of weight! Patience, patience... BTW, this is my first post here, so hello! I'm so glad to have found this group. My doc's office has an on-line support group, but most of his patients have the RNY bypass, so they're losing 50 lbs in the first two months, and have a different set of concerns and worries. I needed to find more lapbanders! So thanks to you all for being here and sharing, Julie T. And here's the stats: Dr Felix, Fresno, CA 5/24/06 224/207 or so/135?