Sarah8807

Ok so I was on the Obesity Help website earlier just reading through different blogs and it seems like there are A LOT of blogs on people having to get their lapbands removed because of erosion, slippage, etc...This really scared me...Some of these people were only two years out of surgery and their bands had already eroded (sp?)....One person on there (who has the sleeve) kept talking about what a lousy product lap band and realize band's are....I am not yet banded (surg date oct 5) and I know that these things do happen...but does anyone know of the rate at which this happens? When I asked my surgeon how long lapband will last he said it would outlast me! If that's the case why are so many people having to get their lapbands removed?...

I will be one week post operation tomorrow!! The first few days were hard but nothing impossible. I stayed in the hospital 24 hours (for my insurance) and then went home the next morning. I did great in the hospital. I had some nausea right after surgery because I started moving around a little too quick. . They gave me something for the nausea and it made me sleep for about 2 hours and then after that I was great. No problems started until early the next morning after leaving the hospital. I started getting really sick. Trying to drink water and couldnt keep anything down. My surgeon leaves a little in the band (about 1cc) when he puts it in so I thought that it was that. So I went into the hospital at about 6 am to get checked out. They made me do the x ray/barrium (sp?) swallow. I could see were the fluid would sit on top of my band and then SLOWLY go into my stomach. The nurse didnt think it was the band but still did an unfil just in case. After that I was given some liquid loritab. And thats when I realized that the medication was defianetly making me sick! I quit taking the loritab and got some liquid tylenol. Much better Im still on a liquid diet. Pretty much all liquids. I've been eating soup, popsicles, yogurt, protein shakes, and jello. I'm somewhat satisfied. There are times though that I am defianetly still hungry. I've been trying to stay hydrated as I know that does help some with hunger. I really can't complain though. I've been on this liquid diet for about two weeks (one week prior to surgery to now) and Im down about 20lbs!!! I go to see my surgeon tomorrow so I am curious to see when I can go up to mushies! I am craving some cottage cheese. My biggest advice to anyone not banded yet and doing the pre-op diet is learn to LOVE IT! lol....Its hard....and you will be very hungry...but it's worth it!! Why are we all here???? To lose weight!!! Good luck to everyone

I havent been on here for a while and thought I would post some things. I'm almost 2 months post op and down 28lbs as of this morning. I'm not seeing a huge scale change but I was also not putting in 100% effort either. The holidays were...well the holidays. lol. So yes I did induldge a bit. I was excited to know that there was a limit to what I could eat and ran into a couple times where I ate too fast or too much and it was extremley uncomfortable. I started off Monday back in the right direction. I'm eating a lot of protein and eating very little of anything else. I've been doing a lot of diced up meats and cheese, chicken, string cheese, squash, and other meats. My diet is not very exciting but when I stick to it, it seems to work. I got down to 31lbs lost before the holidays. I would like to be down atleast another 10 if not 20lbs by the new year. I am learning a lot about myself. I really love my lapband. I have had 2 fills already and I have another scheduled for next week. I have 4.1cc's in my 10cc band. Anyone that is reading this that does not have lapband yet just know that this is not the "easy" way out. ANY WLS takes effort. And yes, some may be a little easier at first than others but in the long run its up to us to keep the weight off. I cought myself a couple of times eating things that I use to eat and then I would ask myself, Why did you have surgery? Just because you have lapband doesnt mean your obesity is cured. I wish. But that's not how this works. If you put in the time and effort the weight will come off. If not, than there is really no point in having surgery. I feel very motivated right now and have been doing well sticking to my diet. I do have days though where I am not as motivated. The nice thing though lately is that the more fills I seem to get the more I cant just eat without thinking about chew chew chew. Or else I have extreme pain. So I love that my band holds me accountable. My doctor also would like to see me have less than 30grams of carbs a day....Has anyone else been asked to do this? If you are new to the whole counting calories thing that is like two string cheeses! So if anyone has any good ideas for high protein/low carb foods please LET ME KNOW :-) Have a great day!!!

Hello everyone ...So I'm just wondering what everyones post op diet looked like? I was told to do 2 weeks liquids after surgery...then mushies at 3 weeks...and then solids a week before my fill...so far I have stayed true to most of this. Im almost at week three and Im pretty much doing full foods now. I went to see my dad who lives about 3 hours from me and wasnt very prepared for my stay so ended up eating regular food. But I stuck to all protein. Like when they have speghetti with meatballs I had one (semi large) meatball. I also had some scrambled eggs...chicken breast...cottage cheese...and soups...today I had some shrimp and scallops for dinner and a peice of chicken breast from mcdonalds for lunch. Everything is going down good. (there is nothing in my band) and the only time I feel any restriction at all is on the morning. I hope I didnt ruin anything for myself my starting full foods early but I did and its actually seemed to help me with my weight loss.... I was stuck at a loss of about 20lbs for about a week and after coming back from my dads I thought for sure I gained weight but I was actually down a total of 24lbs now. Im able to sleep on my sides again and the pain is very minimal at this point. I am feeling MUCH better going into my 3rd week post op. Good luck everyone! And if anyone knows...Why does every surgeon have a different pre and post op diet regime??

I am about one and a half months post op. So far Lapband has been great for me. I'm still down about 25lbs and I'm happy with that. But I've been stuck at the same weight for a while it seems. It seems like I will go down a lb and be there for a couple weeks then maybe go down another lb. So I'm hoping that the fill I get today will help speed things up a bit. I feel like I can still eat whatever I want to (but I try not to). I have 1.5 cc in my 10 cc band. The only time I feel stuck is in the mornings. So I usually try to eat something light like yogurt. I feel like my weight loss would accerlate more if I planned out my meals more and worked out more. So that's my plan. I am going to the store tonight and I am going to get some small tupperwear dishes that I can start putting all my things in. I notice that when I am prepared for hunger I dont make a foolish decision. I have started walking too. Right now I'm doing about a mile 3 times a week. And I could probably bump that up a bit. Looking forward to this fill and hope Im not too tight Very curious to see when I will be in the "green" zone.

Ok so I had to post this because I was so excited!...Yesterday my fiance and I went shopping for a pair of jeans for me. Most of the things I was wearing before surgery look really baggy and weird and some of the things I saved before I gained weight are still too small. I started before surgery at about a size 24 jeans. And those were a little tight. So...we went to the store and I'm looking at all the jeans and I thought maybe Im about a size 22 or 20 now...(just fyi down 26lbs)....so that was the size I was looking for. But I ran across a pair of Old Navy Sweatheart jeans and they looked like somehting I could wear. So I looked at the tag and saw that they were a size 18! I though wow...I will try these on but they are probably too small....but they werent!!! I was so excited. I was stuck at 269 for about two weeks and now down to 267. Still have a ways to go, but hey im happy! Going in for a fill next week. A little over one month post op and very happy with the results so far! :D:D:D:D

Today is one month post op for me! Everything is going pretty good. Im down (as of this morning) about 25lbs. I was at the same weight for about two weeks though and I think because of being back on a liquid diet for my fill I've lost a couple extra pounds ....The fill was....NOT bad at all. It was nothing really. The nurse started by putting 2 cc's in my band and the barium swollow drink was sitting in my throat for quite a while before going down. So she took some out and im at 1.5 cc's. Yesterday I did liquids all day. Still feeling kind of hungry. Today I had some chicken stew that I made last night and OMG...chew chew chew....I never had problems with chicken before my fill but earlier it felt like there was concrete stuck in my chest. I had to drink something to get it to go down. So im being very cautious of what I'm eating and trying to remember to chew chew chew and not drink with my meals. The not drinking with the meal is the hardest. Although the chicken did get a little stuck I still feel like maybe I need more in my band. Last night I was starving and today I'm ok....but not where I would like to be...I guess I am just getting use to the whole lapband thing. It's really hard to tell when im satisfied and/ or full. So...not sure if I should go get more in the band or just wait a few days to see where Im at. Everything otherwise as far as pain is great. Really cant feel anything anymore. My port was very easy to get to according to the nurse and band looked good on the x ray. Best of luck to everyone!!! Any advice on how you got to your green zone would be apprieciated! :-)

Hey girl! I'm about where your at with the weight loss. I got a fill last week and I felt restriction for that day but then the next day still feel like I have very little restriction. I scheduled another fill for next week. I did the same thing with the stuck feeling. I ate some butternut squash way too fast and omg it sucked! And dry meat is not my friend either!! Thanks for keeping us updated. Hope your fill goes well

Keep submitting your paperwork to the insurance. If you meet all the requirments they have to approve you. I think by law they can deny you 2 or 3 times before they have to submit it to a doctor that is not with their company and most of the time it's approved at that point. If not contact ObesityLaw. They are partially funded through allergan (part makers of lapband) and everyone I have seen go through them has gotten approved. DONT GIVE UP!!

Don't be scared. :-) I am one month post op and lapband does not do all the work for you. I have changed the way I eat (although occasionally I've had a few treats) and I think it would be really hard to live with lapband if you didnt change the way you eat. Like carbs and things like that a lot of banders have trouble with and cant get them down, but I've had a little and had no problems. So it's no gaurantee what you will be able to eat. Lapband is not the easy way out and does take a lot of effort if you really want to lose the weight. It's more than just portion control. :-) I know how you feel though. It is a little dishearting knowing that I may not be able to eat some of the foods I use to love...but at the same time I am greatful for that because those foods I "loved" are what put me in the boat I am in now. I have more than 100lbs to lose and to me thats just crazy! A whole person! So in a way I am greatful that the lapband does not tolerate certain foods and that I have had to change my lifestyle for it!

Last night my fiance and I went out for my birthday dinner. I was a little nervous to see how me, alcohol, and my band would do...Also I havent drank anything in almost 2 years so I really had no tolerance to alcohol lol....The beggining of the night went well we had some drinks and everything seemed to be going good...Then we for some reason thought it would be a good idea to order some highly fattening appiteziers...After those were gone more drinks....I felt ok but major head ache when I left. Nothing really set in until I got home. As soon as I walked in the door I felt extremely ill....I tried my hardest not to get sick which made it even worse. I dont know if it was the alcohol or the crappy food choice that made me so ill but either way it was not worth it. I was down to 269 and today up to 271 so im not happy about that. Alcohol is wasted calories and then when you top it off with dip and many fried things it obviusly is not going to help with any weight loss. I am very excited for my fill next week and have been getting back on track today by having my protein shake for breakfast. Last night really made me realize that lapband wont do anything without your commitment to it...Feeling a little guilty...

Thank you ladies. Yes I am back at 270 now so Im a little happier with that. My fill is Tuesday and I cannot wait! lol. Never thought I would say that....lol

Thanks for the positive encouragment! I have been doing much better today and getting back on track!! I am really interested to see what this fill will be like because so far there has been nothing that I have eaten that has not gone down...I still try to make the right food choices, I guess Im just a little suprised after knowing so many people that cant have breads, rice, or any type of carb without getting sick.

I am very excited for my first fill! I'm 5'8 and started my journey at 293...I am now 269 (goal weight is 150) and 3 weeks post op today. I started my pre-op diet about 2 weeks before surgery and lost a lot of that weight in that time frame. I am now eating full foods. A lot of protein from meats, cottage cheese, string cheese, sugar free pudding, yogurt, veggies, soups, hummus, some lean cusine meals. I feel like I could keep eating but stop after my serving is done. I havent really been sitting down and eating 3 square meals a day. More like 3-5 mini meals. I've also been a lot more thirsty than normal...I had my first really uncomfortable feeling the other morning. I guess my band was a little tight because I ate some meat and OMG...I thought I was having a heart attack! I felt extreme pressure and so much of it in my chest. I immedietly stoped eating and was fine in about 5-10 minutes. I do feel tighter in the mornings so I am trying to just stick to my protein shake and coffee for breakfast... I am really anxious to see what this fill is going to bring. My surgeon says I should feel full longer and at times may not be hungry at all. I feel hungry a lot now so I hope it works out for me. I would love to hear about everyone else's first fills if you don't mind sharing?

Sorry hun! :-(...Does your doctors office typically numb anyone? My surgeon sprays this stuff on my stomach and all I feel is preasure...I hope next time is better for you!!

Thane, It was hard to tell really. I guess I just got really sick of putting everything in a blender so I though I would try something thats not too hard. I started with cottage cheese. That went down great no problems. Then i had some scrambled eggs. Everything so far has gone down fine. The ONLY time (so far) that I have had problems is in the morning. I cant eat much early in the morning. So I just stick to protein shakes or maybe yogurt. Brenda, How much weight have you lost? Is your band a 10cc? Thats great that you do mini meals. I think I prefer that too. It is weird how the band affects everyone SO differently... Good luck to both of you!!

Thanks Mickp24, I think that you are right in some ways. I really want a fill though becuase for the last week I've hardly lost anything and Im starving. I feel like I could eat a buffet if I wanted to. So for me I would just like to have some sense of fullness and not be so hungry

Does anyone know what Im talking about? The little weight thing that shows how much weight you've lost and how much you still have to lose...its usually under your name when you write in the forums or blogs? I want one...lol...Cant figure out how to get it on my page.

I was reading some of the forums online about flipped ports...It really freaked me out. Just wondering if anyone knows what the chances of this happening are? I have got up a little fast and sat down the wrong way a couple times since surgery and it really hurt around my port area (trying to be as careful as possible...) and Im sure Im ok...but It just made me wonder how easy or hard is it to flip your port?....

Thanks!!!!

Great blog!! I have only been banded for almost two weeks but I feel like I can already relate to you about this. My biggest fear before I got banded was the slippage or erosion of the band. My surgeon assured me that the rate of either of these things happening was less than 1% of patients. He also told me that when your band does slip it is usually because of what your eating. Before I was banded and he told me this, I thought hey no problem! As long as it doesnt fall apart on its own surely I will be able to control what goes in my mouth. I have no regrets to getting banded but I think I went into it with a false sense of security. Like I wasnt going to be hungry anymore lol. I have not gotten my first fill yet so I cant really complain. But because there is nothing in my band I am hungry. Almost the same as I was before I was banded. I know that when I start getting fills things will get easier, but a lot of what I do now is simply me and not the band. Anybody that says that band itself is an easy way out is an idiot and has not idea what we put ourselves through for this. Like I said before I have no regrets, but yes I think we all worry about failure. I think voicing it and being honest about it though helps to hold us accountable. Good luck to you!!!

Just wondering if anyone is in or around Kansas City MO? Looking for someone to workout with and somone that is going through the same thing I am. I love this online community but I would really like to meet more people around me that have Lapband. I've always heard to surrond yourself with people that are on the same bus as you!

I went to the surgeon today for my one week follow up. Everything is looking good. I had to have the fluid taken out of my band (about 1cc a day after surgery) so I really dont have any restriction that I can notice yet. I have been on a liquid and pureed diet for about two weeks now (one week prior to surgery to now) and was really excited because for some silly reason I really thought I was going to be told to move on to the "mushies" food stage....WRONG! lol I am on "pureed" foods for another week and a half!!! Ugh....Trying to stay positive. I am also trying to tell myself that I will not be on pureed foods FOREVER. ...So I was mainly doing soups with nothing in them such as tomato soup but got a little creative and was told as long as I puree my food to the consistancy of baby food i'm good! So I thought I'd share with you ..... Today I made homemade chili...very simple and it's actually still really good when you blend it to the point of no return! I prefer homemade chili verses canned chili. It tastes A LOT better. I also put a little skim milk in when I blend it because my chili is pretty thick...I would be happy to share the recipe if you want it. Yesterday I made homemade butternut squash soup...Also another pretty easy recipe that is pretty satisfying...again, if you want the recipe just ask I also REALLY like Amy's Organic soups... My fav 3 are the split pea, lentil, spanish rice and red bean. All of the soups are delish but these three are still very good pureed. I buy these soups at Wal Mart, but I would think you can buy them at almost any groccery store... These are a few of the things that I really like (as much as you can like a pureed diet )...Please feel free to share your recipes or things that you like that are pureed!!