Humming Bird

Great thread! Here's my 2 cents........ I pretty much agree with everyone who posted. I was self-pay as well and almost have my surgery paid off! Wooo Hooo! I think I will get it paid off in 2 more payments. I have been making large payments when I can so it won't cost me so much in the long run.....like any credit card. I have been banded for 18 months. I have had nothing happen that I would consider a complication. As Spartan said, I have had a couple of mere inconvenience type things along the way. Of course I fear complications that could happen, but I can't live my life around what "could" happen. I consider myself and my band a success. I lost 100 pounds in the first year and it has slowed down to about a pound per month since. I am at a normal BMI now and only 5 pounds away from my original goal. I consider myself one of the lucky ones where the band has been like magic. I really have not worked hard at it. For me, the hardest thing has been the hit to my bank account paying off the surgery. I wish you the very best

I feel all worn out and used up.....ugh I've been swamped at work all week with a busy patient schedule and closing down one office while moving supplies, instruments, patient charts and everything else to another office ...... writing letters....calling patients....... working on my day off....... I just want to curl up and sleep for a few days..... I have more of the same happening Monday.... I'm getting too old for this crap.

I'm not sure I would call your post the lapband bible unless you are an expert. Most of it is basic and helpful. I also have shoulder pain that continues 18 months post-op. I think many bandsters get it very wrong when they tell others it is gas and to take gas-x for it. One thing I would add, and it's just my opinion, PB (productive burping) is used way too often when actually the person is throwing up. IMO productive burping is more like the feeling of an actual burp or an acid reflux type reaction. It happens when I have taken a bite or two too much. It's that burpy thing that happens when I don't pay attention to my full signal. If I wretch and something (slime, food, foam) ends up projected in the toilet, trash, or along side the road ..... That is throwing up.

41.3% for me !

The BMI calc on the site I just looked at says 5'7" and 118 pounds is a BMI of 18. That is underweight. Blondie4, are you going to go get a tiny bit of Fluid taken out? Keep us updated. I hope you go talk to your surgeon and start feeling better about it.

Many bandsters have the feeling of "oh my gosh, what have I done?!" or "it was a big mistake" in the beginning. You are still in the healing stage. Give yourself time to heal. Get your fluids in the best you can and get plenty of rest so you can heal. Try not to set yourself up for failure with negative thoughts about all the things that could go wrong in the future. Focus your thoughts in a more positive direction. ........... things like how much better you will feel about yourself when the weight comes off ...... like how much better clothes will fit ........... Give it a bit of time and give yourself an attitude adjustment. I wish you the best. Hang in there awhile.

I think of my stomach as an hourglass. The hole (stoma) where the sand goes from the top of the hourglass to the bottom is very small. My food stays in the top for awhile and I get "full" on small amounts of food. Without a fill and proper retsriction to make your stoma smaller, your food passes from the top part of the hourglass to the larger bottom part very fast. It only took me 2 fills to reach my "sweet spot" or "green zone". I am very lucky and have a very good surgeon doing my fills. Some people have to have quite a few fills before it happens for them. Liquids should always pass through easily.

Leigha, The quilt pics should show up in my blog under "hobbies help" and in a friends only album in my gallery. Councilor, and the others who have recently joined the thread, just jump in any time you want. That's how the vets of the thread have always done it. If you get busy and can't keep up with following the thread, it's ok. Sometimes it's very active and other times, not so much. The more you post the better we all get to know each other.

I think I am more afraid of plastic surgery than I was of lapband surgery. Maybe it's because of all the horror stories in the press over the years related to plastic surgeries gone wrong. I would like to find someone who has done many procedures on people who have had WLS. I don't want someone who has straightened many noses or given women with "A" cups big "D" orbs. I want to start with my arms. They are driving me crazy. The excess skin on my upper arms is very bad. If you have had excess skin removed in the Colorado Springs or Denver area, please tell me about your surgeon and the procedure ....... cost?, recovery time?, time off work?.............

I've heard so many different sizes ...... the size of a golfball, shot glass........... The most common one is 1/2 cup. Fills do not change the size of your pouch, they only change the size of the stoma. With each fill the stoma gets smaller, so it takes food longer to go through. Overeating can change the size of your pouch.

I agree with the above poster. It is not normal at all. I hope you get in to talk with your surgeon very soon, like today.

revised? replaced? not reviewed.

:seeya: checking in..... It's been a rough week with my job situation and I've been exausted when I get home and slow down for the day. I lost another pound. It is very strange that in the past when I had stressful times in life I always gained weight and now I lose weight. My mom was thin her entire life and she used to get even thinner when she dealt with stressful things. Maybe my metabolism is changing to be that of a thin person! My mind is still having trouble catching up. I watched the new 'Biggest Loser' the other night. When the people got on the big scale and showed their fat bodies to the world I felt like I was as big as they are. It was a strange and sad feeling. I'm 5'7" (most people think I'm even taller) and I now weigh 155 lbs, but when the 250-300 lb people stood on the scale I felt like I was about that size. :piggy: :out: Melody, I'm sorry the shoulder pain is still messing with you. It sounds like it isn't as bad as it was a few months ago? Mine still messes with me off and on, but not too bad. I use a pain patch on it about once a month and that I can live with.

I don't think any of these studies about breakfast include the lapband. It is a different ball game. A bandster with diabetes would be even a different ball game. We all have to find what is the right way for our own situation. There is no way I can eat anything solid for breakfast. I used to drink Protein shakes on the drive to work and I really need to start doing it again because I do not get enough protein with the food I eat. There is no way I can "over eat" at lunch or dinner. My band simply will not allow it. Note to self : Start drinking your shakes again dummy! You do not get enough protein!

I was 44 1/2 when I got banded and I just turned 46. I hope to stay banded for the rest of my life. I hope I don't have to get it replaced, but if it comes to that I will. I think that genetics play a huge role in my obesity and if the band were removed, my body would quickly start packing away the fat. As the years pass and I reach the ages of 50, 60, 70, I want to live those years thin! I am used to eating tiny meals at this point and I can see myself continuing to eat this way for the rest of my life. My weight was dragging me down in so many ways. I feel uplifted now and want to keep that feeling more than anything. I can't stop the years from passing, but have found the solution to feeling better about myself as I age.

For me it is about restriction and getting the proper adjustments to be at my sweet spot. I would say the band has done more than 85% of the "work".

Welcome to LBT! You will find much info and support here and plenty of people in your age range. In my case the band has worked well. I lost 100 pounds in the first year with very little effort on my part. I think if the weightloss happened any faster I would have had complications like malnutrition and major hairloss. (I had these with the band as it is) I wish you the best on your weightloss journey!

The cost to have a tiny bit of Fluid taken out should be the same as a fill. I think a complete unfill would be too drastic and send you into yo-yo land. I am also 5'7" and would be way too thin at 118 lbs. Are you still only eating "diet food"? If so, give yourself permission to stop "dieting". Give yourself credit for the weight you have lost. Contact your surgeon and work out a plan with him/her.

1) Learn to stop eating one bite before your full signal 2) chew food completly 3) life does not revolve around my band or food 4) don't make it harder than it needs to be

I have had my band for 18 months now and love it! I do not regret it at all. I lost 100 pounds in the first year with very little effort on my part. Now about a pound per month drops off as I am close or at goal. I am very sensitive to many of the foods known to give bandsters trouble. I can not torerate eggs no matter how they are cooked, but I don't miss them. I have trouble with dense meats, but work with it eating things like chili. I can not eat bread, Pasta or rice, but those are the things that helped me get obese. I have replaced those things with more whole grain type stuff like oatmeal and reduced fat wheat thins. You don't know how you will react to many things until you have the band in place and get it properly adjusted. I am 100% happy Yes, many oldtimer bandsters don't post here because things are going great for them and they are busy with the new thin life. It gets to be boring for them talking about fills and explaining what PB means. They just don't bother posting after awhile.

I have fibro and it can be severe at times. I find the biggest help for me is keeping my stress level down. When my mom died I went full blown fibro for months. I know it's easier said than done, but keep the stress level as low as you can. There are times when I take some NSAIDS for it. Ask your Dr. of course, but I don't think it's a problem with the NSAIDS if I don't take them often. I also think my weightloss has helped.

I finished my first real quilt and was trying to figure out how to post pics in a thread to share with friends. Spending time doing some sort of hobby helps me stay away from too many snacks. I guess for now all I can figure out is how to post pics in my blog or an album.

Glad to see you back Tracy. It sounds like you are getting all the kinks worked out and are doing well with the band. Here's to a great 2011!

Welcome to the thread newbies. Melody and others who I told about the quilting, I finished the quilt. I couldn't figure out how to post pics in a thread so I posted them in my blog. The pics make the quilt look a bit crooked, but that is just because I had it thumbtacked over my front door to take the pics. The quilt turned out very nice and I'm proud of how it turned out. My sone loves it and that is what matters. Now I'm trying to figure out my next project to keep me away from grazing.

SpecialK, You have done so well and I love your attitude about the new year!!!