velvets143

I have a Polar monitor- it has a strap that goes around your chest so that it can accurately monitor your heart rate and calories burned. It works with most of the machines in the gym- if you see the Polar logo on the display it will automatically pick up the monitor, making your calorie counts more accurate. It was a gift from my husband about 2 years ago, I use it almost everyday and never had a problem. I dont know what he paid for it. Good luck

I used an ice pack on the port incision, where I had the most pain, from the time I was in PACU. I think that helped more than the pain meds. I used it on and off for a few days. A note of caution to all- Ice or Heat, only supposed to be 20-30 minutes on and 20-30 off. Do not leave it on continuously or you could burn yourself or get frostbite.

I was also told no and there was an incident that I drank sprite and it was not a pleasant experience! As soon as it hits your stomach it fizzes up and comes RIGHT back out. Not worth it

I had my gallbladder out about 6 months after my banding. It is pretty common due to the rapid weight loss. Didn't set me back at all- had my surgery on a Friday and was back in the gym by sunday

I am doing very well. I am thrilled with the progress, i have had the ups and downs but no real complications. The problems I have experienced have come from my own doing, lesson learned and take it as a kick in the ass for doing the wrong thing:-) My Dr. is Dr.Cussatti in West Islip, very highly recommend. Also, if your in Ronkonkoma I absolutley LOVE my gym- Team Extreme boot camp on the LIE service road- they have helped me so much and will push you further and further. Check them out- it was great for me- I could not stay motivated to exercise completely on my own- I needed that push:-) Good Luck and enjoy the journey

I'm in Ronkonkoma, banded Nov. 2011, down 110 pounds;-) good luck to all

I know when I did karate they had rib protectors. Might work? Check martial art supply stores- look at Century.com or some place like that. Good luck

Hello all! I am banded just over 2 years ago and have done well but struggled these last few months. Old habits sneaking in- craving sugars and sweets and carbs!! Was losing motivation and really needed an ass kicking! I go to the gym EVERY day, i do boot camp classes and I love it but my favorite thing is kickboxing. I had started kickboxing when I was 17 and really got into it, even was teaching at a karate school. Sadly I taught my last class when I was 6 months pregnant with my oldest and then I really started having weight issues, 3 kids, no time for exercise, crappy habits, all caught up with me;-( Finally had enough and got my big ass back into Krav Maga and kickboxing, even at 300 pounds I was there and doing it. Now banded and 120 pounds lighter I will once again be Teaching kickboxing starting in February. Im excited and a little nervous- havent taught a class in 10 YEARS!! Ill Theres plenty of women in the gym in better shape then me but they asked me to lead:-) ill let you know how it goes

THanks all- Today was the day- taught my first class- wasnt bad, wasnt great. I was a little nervous, as expected but there was only a few people there. It was helpful that its a really small class, all people I know and amm comfortable with. Unfortunately today was a half day for the kids so everyone had to leave early so we did a 45 minute class rather than a full hour but it wasnt bad- always room for improvement

Hate to be the cliche but the band is an instrument, success depends on you- I am happy with my decision and happy with the results. Any difficulty I've had has been due to myself, eating the wrong thing usually. We're all going to make mistakes and binge on something we're not supposed to have;-( It's the overall decisions you make EVERY single day to eat right and exercise that determines success. My band is just the kick in the ass I need. Good luck to all and congrats on everyones positive progress.

I do bootcamp classes regularly. I absolutely love it! The bootcamp is always something different, and everything is modified to your level, as you progress they push harder. I have also done circuit training, it was a good class but it was set up as timed stations, moving from one to the next, one would be a fast cardio then the next a weight training- I was always active before lap band and now I like to do a variety of exercises- I jog, do bootcamp, kickboxing, High intensity, and weight training Whatever you find that you enjoy, stick with it- good luck

I do martial arts and kickboxing- I have not had any problem with my port. I think its more a matter of your comfort but as everyone has said I would let you doctor know. The only thing that actually hurt was when I was laying on my stomach on a medicine ball on rolling it from your upper abdomen to the lower- basically like taking a rolling pin across it_ Not adviseable:-0 Have fun with the BJJ PS- I think the port is placed in the abdomen because it is easily accesible and relatively close and in a straight line from the stomach.

I really needed a Kick in the ass to get me back on track. Was having trouble and got away from everything I knew I was supposed to be doing. Tried to justify it because I was still exercising but the scale wasn't hearing my excuses. I felt like crap when it was time to go for my appointment, embarrased to go in and show a gain! Had to go back to the beginning- tracking everything Im eating and drinking, keeping track of when I ate so im not drinking to close together, no carbs, everything like I just got my band. Also I changed my exercise- signed up to run a 5k, etc. Hard to find the motivation but you can get there_ Good luck

Been a while.... Feeling completely lost. I know what Im supposed to be doing, just cant get myself straight. Got through my first year and a half without any real problems, lost 115 pounds, felt good. Then started having problems seemingly out of nowhere.Have been having continuous problems the past few months with nausea and vomiting. Went to my surgeon, did the upper GI TWICE, went to GI, did the endoscopy and colonoscopy- showed only minor diverticulitilis. Still having on and off vomiting but i guess its a little better- had ALL of my fill removed last month and now I have GAINED 6 pounds. So discouraged, have been throwing up for so long and I guess i figured if im going to throw it up anyway whats the point? Obviously that was incorrect since I gained! Still getting nausous with just about everything I eat. I am exercising EVERY SINGLE day and I love it but I have completely lost control of my diet and im struggling. Cant get myself back on track and I really feel that nobody is listening. My surgeon didnt find anything so sent me to GI, GI found nothing and sent me back to surgeon. My friends try and be supportive but their suggestions range from "you deserve some cheat time, you have done so well" to "just get the band taken out, you look great and you lost all the weight so you dont need it" Well obviously I do since Ive had all my fill out for a little over a month and gained 6 pounds. Supposed to see my surgeon next week and I really dont want to go:-( Feeling like such a failure

ok so a quick update- still not able to eat- was vomiting even liquids since Sunday afternoon. Having mild intermittent pain _ going back to DR tommorrow.

Im about 2 years post banding- lost 110 pounds- have been exercising like crazy and pretty much sticking to the rules. The past month or so I have not been able to tolerate any solid food-chicken, chopped meat, cold cuts, nothing! Living on Protein shakes and bars. Went and had the upper gi- showed the band is at the ge junction at the left diaphram- no gastric pouch is noted and the angle is 70%- everything I have read says this is a slipped band- my surgeon says the esophagram was fine. I really think he didnt read the report and isnt listening to me. I am completely crushed, I trusted him and he just blew me off- took the fill out of my band and told me to come back in a month. Another month of me puking up everything I eat, eating nothing and feeling like crap.;-( Im getting fed up and im going to wind up having the band out permanently Help me- What does this report mean? Should I find a new doctor?? PS- I already had my gallbladder out so its not that

I attempted to eat some BBQ chicken last night- did not stay down- thank you for the suggestions- I can't take feeling like this anymore- I chose this dr because he seemed to actually care and be really good- he's always been great with me- I really want to take the report and hit him with it. So angry at him...:-(

Sorry don't know what happened- He didn't tell me the results- i really think he didn't read the report

I had 1 cc removed last week and was still vomiting- attempted to eat a meatball with sauce yesterday and got through about half of one before I was in pain and throwing up:-( went today foe follow up and he took out the rest of the fill(another 1 cc), have not tried to eat but I have lost 3 pounds in the week and I had a protein shake a little while ago and felt like it was going to come right back up- If the band is fine then it's fine bur I got the results of the upper gi myself- he didn't

OK i had my band placed just about 2 years ago- lately ive been having problems, vomiting every day for about 3 months, was in complete denial that it might be a slip. Convinced myself that i was doing it to myself, eating too much or too fast, knew damn well that wasnt the case but I tried. Finally told my doctor and he ordered the upper GI, which showed my band to be at the level of the GE junction with no pouch, meaning the band slipped upwards towards the esophagus. I have to go see my dr tommorrow and find out what he says about it but everything says that it means surgery:-( Has anyone had this- can he leave my band and just reposition it?? what kind of recovery am I looking at?? What about the insurance?? I have a few girls at work that are pregnant and due in about 7 weeks. Need to take care of this now and get back to work, I was only off for 3 weeks with my original banding. I am so upset about this, I knew that at some point the band would have to come out but was hoping it would be years away. My job is going to go crazy! This will be my 4th surgery in 2 years( banding Nov '09, gallbladder May '10, shoulder July '11) As always, thanks for any info and support.

OK- yes, gross! Tengles- you said you drink some diet coke??!?! On a good day soda causes instant vomiting for me, I cant imagine it helping when your feeling stuck.

Ok, I am just looking for some suggestions, opinions, ideas, whatever... I was banded about a year and a half ago, have done well with it, lost about 110 pounds:-) Had my last adjustment in Feb. added about 1 cc to bring the total in my band to only about 2.5 ccs, did fine with the adjustment About a month ago I started tolerating less and less and vomiting at least once a day. I also noticed I was having random sharp pain on my R side. It comes and goes. I've already had my gallbladder removed but that is the same place Im having pain. I am able to eat, not getting that chest pain or stuck feeling but a few minutes later I get very nausous and vomit. I have an appointment with my surgeon on tuesday, I just feel a little stupid going to him for a problem that comes and goes. I feel great as long as i dont eat. Again, just looking for opinions, suggestions, your experience, I cant see how it could be a band issue if im having pain on my R side

I know this is a hard adjustment and they are looking more into the sleeve. As with anything there are complications and difficulties, we all struggle at times. Unfortunately this is the problem with support groups, a lot of people discussing their troubles, looking for support, can mislead others into thinking there are a lot more problems than its worth. I had my surgery a year and a half ago, i did great through the first year, lost 115 pounds. Since January I have been struggling, up and down the same 3-5 pounds. I could say Im having problems butwhen I really looked at it, Its not a banding problem, its a motivation problem. I am doing this to myself, i absolutely know the rules and I chose to break them and the penalty for that was me making myself sick, not feeling well, and not losing the last few pounds. We all rely on eachother and our surgeons for support but you have to take ownership of it as well. I am solely responsible for what I eat, how much I exercise and if and when I cheat. If i choose to lie to myself or anyone else about it then this was all for nothing. Look at everything we all had to go through just to get the band put in- none of us are weak or quitters- keep working and be honest about it and you'll get there

I've had to change up my exercise routine a bit. I am now doing boot camp classes 2 -3 times a week plus jogging a 5k twice a week as well as my kickboxing twice a week and conditioning 2-3 times a week. Right now I have a hurt shoulder so I am limiting the amount of weight training im doing but increased the cardio. Next appt May 16th