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So, I'm the "evil one" that started the first "pissed off" thread. I was having such a hard time....only a month or so out from surgery, having had hardly anything to Celebrate or any progress, so I just wanted to know what other people were feeling and if they were on the same emotional rollercoaster as I was. As much as I hate to admit it, being angry and sad is part of the emotions I've felt about this, as well as the good ones. I am so encouraged by your post....I am hoping when I am two months out in a few more weeks, I will be doing as good as you are emotionally. It is so helpful to hear about people's stories in which they had times which were hard and emotional, but they've eventually worked through that and are glad they got banded. I am excited to reach this point as well. Thanks to everyone for their honesty!!! (Sorry if I opened a negative can or worms....I was just frustrated, feeling alone, and wondered if I was the only one feeling it....)

I had my first "stuck" experience last night. Have 5 cc's in a 10 cc band. Was eating some baked fish....took too big of a bite too fast and didn't chew. Stupid. It can back up after 2-3 minutes. Then, woke up at 2am unable to go back to sleep because of how sore my whole stomach area felt sore, and don't know what is going on. I feel so sore that I am scared...I took some Tylenol, but that didn't seem to help much. It feels similar to what it used to feel like after the flu and vommiting a lot. Is feeling sore after getting stuck normal? Help! I'm feeling kinda scared!

Is anyone else NOT weighing themselves? I was banded on 9-4-09 and had my first fill last week. After surviving Bandster Hell (and thinking I'm still in it somewhat due to hunger and little restriction), I have decided NOT to weigh myself at this point. My reasoning... Because there are so many lifestyle changes I'm trying to make (i.e. eating protein, going to the gym, chewing, eating slow, having a positive attitude), that the possibiliy that I'm not losing weight like I'd hoped seems to difficult to deal with. I feel overwhelmed with learning the whole band thing that I don't feel ready to deal with the disappointment and feeling like a failure this early on. Anyone else not getting caught up on numbers? I feel like I should be weighing myself all the time.... Thoughts?

We all know that Protein is a must with the lapband and in helping cope with hunger. And, we all know pretty much know what protein is. But, I was wondering what people's personal protein suggestions are. Are there things that you eat that help you stay full longer? A particular kind of protein (or combonation) that tastes really good? I am running out of ideas about what to eat that is protein dense, but tastes good and keeps me full. What works for you guys??

If this makes you feel any better..... Not only did I not lose weight before my first fill, I GAINED weight!! What you are going through it normal, but being treated that way is not! You know what you are supposed to do with diet and exercise....use all the angry enegery at your doctor to pour into your new lifestyle. That, and a few more fills, you will be great! Keep up the great work! You deserve to love yourself more than you are right now. Do NOT let some dork doctor make you feel so badly....he is insensitive and needs to learn a better way to doctor people.

Thank you so much for your honesty here! I feel like my dr. didn't explain ANY of this stuff to me, but I am especially mad about the hunger. I had NO idea what to really expect, and I feel that I was a bit mislead. THANK YOU for your post!

Hi everyone! I have been reading through the most recent posts, and the issue of hunger comes up a lot. I was just wondering what everyone's doctor have said about why hunger is worse after being banded. I asked my ARNP who does my fills when I got my first fill last Friday about why the hunger had been so much more painful after the band, and why it was harder to control. I told her that in my experience, I had not really ever been hungry before the band, but afterwards, it was TERRIBLE. She didn't ever really give me a reason? Has anyone heard from their doctor why we bandsters struggle so much with hunger post-band??? Just curious...

So, just thought I'd post my "adventure" for the night....all off which revolved around my lapband surgery. I do NOT want to buy more clothes right now, as I will be losing weight in the next few months. So, in order to leek out another few months of the same dress clothes, I decided I would just dye my faded black business casual pants back to pure black. I thought that having the shiny and black again would make them look "new". I do not have a big enough pot to dye them on the stove, and I just bought a new washer and dryer, so I didn't want to dye them in there, for fear of turning the inside black. So, I thought the next best thing would be to run a scaling hot bath and dye them in the bathtub. Well, it worked out fine and dandy, until I went to rinse the tub, and realized that I had turned my white tub black! What a stupid stupid stupid thing to do! Why did I not put two and two together when I decided I did not want to turn my white washer black? Well, needless to say, 45 mintues of scrubing my tub with bleach has left the bottom 2 inches a light purple. Sigh....But, my arms got a great work out! Anyway, just thought I'd share my "dumb moment"....I can NOT believe myself! Ugh.... Oh well, at least I saved myself $50 on another pair of black dress pants! Hope you are all well!!

Just as I predicted! They look brand new!!! Hahahahaha...I am STILL, several hours later, laughing about my momentary lapse in judgement. And, everytime I take a shower, I will see the purple stain, and it will be a good reminder of the progress I am making with my band!

Good question, one I wish I could answer. But, when I got my first fill on Friday, the ARNP that filled me told me, when I told her that my Protein bars weren't helping the hunger, that in order for Protein Bars to be effective, they need to have at least 15 grams of protein. But, she also said if they have more than 12 grams of carbs, you might as well just eat a Snickers bar. I had not heard this....and I'm looking forward to hearing what other's respond about their carb intake.

Oh no! I can understand why you are feeling so discouraged! Especially with not feeling restriction. I just had surgery about 5-6 weeks ago, and I just have my first fill (5cc's in a 10cc band). That has helped a bit, but before I was so miserable...hungry all the time, eating as much as I did before surgery, not losing weight, etc. Total banster hell! What does your doc say? Can't they fill your band a bit more? I would think that they would be working closely with you at this point to help you through this... Just remember, you made a huge decision, and you should be proud of yourself for making this committment. I think once you start walking tomorrow, you will start to feel more positive, and hopefully that feeling will snowball into something bigger and better for you. Keep your head up....this is NOT an easy situation to be in. But, if I were you, I'd call my dr. and demand a fill! Ha You're doing great!!!!

So, I was wondering if anyone else is having problems with nighttime hunger? I'm talking about being woken up 2-3 times per night with horrible hunger pains that can not be ignored. I was banded on 9-4-09 and go in for my first fill tomorrow, but for the last 5 weeks I've been having huge problems with waking up at night due to the hunger pains. At night, it feels really hard to get control of. If you've had experience with this, what things have you eaten, done before bed, or anything else that has helped with nighttime hunger? I JUST WANT TO sleep A FULL NIGHT! I have a super stressful job, and have been falling asleep during the day when I meet with clients because of the lack of sleep. Also, I am trying to eat as much Protein as possible, and while that seems to help with hunger during the day, it doesn't seem to be helping at night as much. Help?????????? Thanks!!!!

I understand your struggle. Just remember, you don't own ANYONE ANYTHING! This is a very personal decision, and quite frankly, I think you made the right decision to keep quiet--especially since you know there are specific people (like your sister) who will judge and make comments. Also, I think we live in a really crazy world in which such a HUGE deal is placed on weight and weight loss. It's kinda creepy that people feel they have the right to know other people's private health business. Think of it this way....if you had had another medical procedue, it would NOT be okay for people to ask personal questions about the details. I don't think the LapBand should be any different. You need to do what you can to protect yourself. This journey is hard enough without having to be worried about people saying mean things. Keep up the great work, and just keep focusing on yourself!!!

How frustrating!!! First of all, I totally admire you for continuing to stick with it! This is NOT an easy decision we've all made....and just because you are not moving as fast as you'd like, or as fast as other people does NOT mean you're a failure!! How much exercising are you getting? That is one thing that I am really discouraged about. I have zero restriction right now, so I am having a hard time not eating the same foods that I loved before surgery. Also, I'm not really doing much exercise....so I feel frustrated too. But, I know that there are things that I could do better that would make my progress go faster. Just do what you can at your own pace. Remember: we didn't become obese overnight....it took years of bad habits to get to this place. So, expecting to lose all that weight really quickly can be unrealistic. Stay strong. This is a huge commitment. Just be proud of yourself!

Hey Aber.... I am exactly the same as you....can eat the same portion size as before, have zero restriction, and have a hard time "willing" myself not to eat crap food. Plus, I'm getting pessimistic knowing that even after my first fill on Friday, it will take a couple of more fills before I get to the point where I simply can't eat those crap foods. Thank you SOOOOOOOO much for posting this. Your honesty is very helpful to me...I've been feeling so ashamed at feeling like I'm failing. It's been really hard, and I almost feel worse about myself after surgery than before for the exact same reason that you posted on here. Also, thanks to everyone else for responding! Reading all of these thoughts has been a life-saver (or maybe a self-esteem saver...). Thanks!

Hi! I got banded on 9-4-09, and this has been a bit harder than I anticipated. Emotionally, I'm up and down, and I just feel like I can't get my emotions under control. I think initially, I was feeling really overwhelmed with this decision, but when I decided to go ahead with the surgery, I felt like I understood the commitment. Now that I'm banded, I realize how much harder the lifestyle changes are than what I anticipated. I am following the plan (or at least I think I am). But, if I mess up and eat too big of a portion, I just feel so guilty and get upset at myself. Or other things like that. I understand that this is a huge learning process, and I'm not going to get everything right the first time, but I just feel like I'm being too hard on myself. Also, another component of feeling overwhelmed emotionally is that since being banded, I've been at my parents house (I'm only 25) recovering. Today I had to come back to my own apartment which is in a different town. I live alone, work a really emotionally difficult job, and haven't made any friends. I think that I'm just feeling really alone... Anyway, just was posting this to see if anyone else has felt like they are on an emotional rollercoaster after being banded, or if anyone else is alone and trying to do it with no one's help. Thanks for your thoughts/support!!

How wonderful! Congratulations! What an inspiring post! I have been feeling a bit discouraged since I was banded on 9-4-09, because it feels like I will never reach the point where you are at now. Again, congratulations, and thanks for posting this to keep encouraging those of us who are just starting out!!!

Wow, I totally relate to what you said!!! Especially the being single but having a ton of support. I am "single" (even tho I have a "boyfriend" of 3 yrs-who lives almost 2 hours away). My family has been so supportive, my friends have been great, and the boyfriend has just been so wonderful. But, for some reason, I still feel totally alone and isolated, especially now that I'm back at my own house. I have always been someone who would rather be hanging out with other people than alone, but....before the surgery, I was able to deal with evenings after work alone, coming back to my house after seeing friends and family out of town. But, now that I'm banded, the lonliness has felt overwhelming. I think you had a good idea about losing my "friend"-food. I had never really thought of myself as an emotional eater (but, who isn't?), but I feel a tremendous sense of loss over food, sweets, and diet pop. But, I need to spend some time thinking about how much this is connected to my emotions about being alone. Isn't it weird that I can have the best friends and family and support, but still feel like I'm lacking something? And, why didn't I feel this way before the band? Anyway, thank you so much everyone for all your encouragement! I had NO IDEA how much just reading responses from you guys would help!!!

I had to laugh when I read your reply! You would not know the amount of time I thought about posting a thread about being an emotional wreck. I finally got to the point where I decided, "Well, if people think I'm being a baby or they don't care, then I won't really lose anything, plus they wont' know who I am." Thanks for the encouraging words. I would LOVE to go to a support group, and wish that I could go to one through the hospital I had my surgery at. But, I live several hours away, and can't make it to the meetings. I was thinking about maybe going to Weight Watchers meetings just to meet with other people trying to change their lifestyles. Thanks again for your kindness!

I had the same experience....a ton of pain at the port site. It felt like they had cut through my ab muscles at that spot, which made it very sore to get up and down. It would even hurt when I would breathe deeply. This soreness from that incision, PLUS the gas...I was miserable! They also wouldn't give me more pain meds, so I had a really hard first week. One thing that was annoying for me was that I thought I would feel just fine after 2-3 days, and that I could return to work. Just know that everyone recovers at a different pace, and just take it easy and get the rest and relaxation you need. (One thing that I found really helpful for the gas was to take long, SLOW walks...that way I didn't breathe too heavy and make the port site hurt.)

Thanks! I'd never blogged on here before...I've gotten lots of help from just reading other people's posts. But, I figured that today was a good day to get some feedback! One thing I haven't read much about on the blog is about being alone....and doing it all on your own. Living in a place where you don't know anyone, have friends or family, etc. And, how to cope with that. Thanks for the "hug"!

I feel your frustration! I was banded on 9-4-09, and I had HORRIBLE burping issues for the first 6-7 days, and then it got a bit better. I am still burping, but now only after I eat or drink. And I've found that the slower I eat and drink, the less I burp. (I wish that there was a "one-size fits all" answer for these questions!)