rottie69

Well, I guess I would have looked at him and said " DAM, well thats good news, cause I just hate working out,,,looks like you do too." Sorry, I tend to be a wicked smart ass and speak way before I tihnk about what im saying,,LOL. Take car and have a good night!

Hey, I was banded on sept. 16th, 2009. Total loss so far is 47.5 pounds, ya I know im with ya on the slow weight loss. But we can do it. sorry about the struggles the first year, specialy the loss of your dad. Take care.

Hi! I had my realize band done in 2009. If I had known my insurance was going to approve the sleeve in the following year I would have waited!!!!!!!!!!! Its the surgery I wanted and couldnt get approval for. SO I went ahead with the band. BOY was I disappointed to see that Cigna approved the sleeve barely a year later!!!! We are all very different , but I would have loved to get the sleeve.

OHNO! The S word!!! SLIMFAST. Really? I hated that stuff. I tried Shakeology, from Milliondollarbody.com, it costs 99 bucks and you get 30 drinks out of it. If I didnt have that I tried a whey protein from GNC I cant remember what its called now. Slimfast had too much sugar in it for me and barely any protein. I think 10 grams compared to what I was getting in other things. DIdnt make sens to me to be drinking lo protein when it was supposed to be high protein. I also asked if I could have greek yougurt , 14 grams of protein and very thick, Doc said yes, I still use it today. The goal is to get some fat off your body,,,mainly around your liver I believe. Dont be any more miserable than you have to. Contct your Doc and tell them SLimcrap just isnt working for you.

Hi everyone! Heres my 2 cents. Maybe a little backyard or redneck,lol. If I fill my oil resevoir with out the oil plug,,my oil leaks out fast and I need to put more in. IF I put an oil plug on loosely, my oil runs out,,but not as fast so I still end up putting more oil in more often than I want to. SO, I put the oil plug on tight,,,the oil stays in for a much longer amount of time and I only need to fill it when it absolutely needs to be filled. BUT If I put tranny Fluid in instead of good ole oil,,,my bike wont run at all and It wont matter how tight the oil plug is. My Band, will help me eat smaller portions as opposed to big ones, it will help me stay full for a longer period of time as opposed to being hungry every hour.. I have to make the right choices though, Protein versus, cake, chips, Cookies, buttered taters, french fries and hot dogs, pizza and pie. SO, I combine my Band with my mind and make sure im full when im done! Hope this helps!

Hi, I have a realize band. It was put in at EMMC in Bangor Me. Its been 1 1/2 years since I was banded so I cant remember if its the C or not, I can tell you it holds a total of 9cc's, and I havent had a hard time with it. No slippage, no erosion. I have a total of 8.25cc's in it and finally got good restriction. That doesnt mean it will take you that much to get restriction. I also like it because the port has a much lower profile than the lap band. There are definately pros and cons to both types but I cant complain with mine. PS, I guess im off to find out which one I have now,lol. You made me curious. getting old,,,losing my memeory. Take care and good luck!

HI! I wear jeans everywhere, they are the ones that rest below my belly button so im safe,lol. I lay down with a small pillow under the small of my back. Doc numbs the area with a tiny needle. Tiny pinch, not painfull. She then puts the fill needle in , draws all of the saline out to make sure its all in there. Then injects the whole lot right back in , with the new amount included. She has NEVER missed my port, nor has she ever had to look for it, thank god. That would be a weard feeling. I have a 9cc realize band with 8.25cc's in it. Good restriction. Hope this helps a little, good luck!

Good Morning! Welcom to "bandster hell". Bandster hell is the time between your surgery and the fill that gives you restriction. You can eat ALMOST normal. Its frustrating and discouraging. You feel hungry when you follow your prescribed diet and you some times slip into old habits. Lets face it, it is VERY hard to just stop years and years of old habits. But you need to try. Trying wore me out,,and I gave in many times before i was finally at good restriction. I did not get restriction on my first fill. Some very lucky people do get it the first fill. I didnt get my restriction unitl my ,,,,,,,,,oh gaed,,,,,11th fill. DONT get discouraged by my number of fills though. We are very different people and will react differently to each and every fill. From now unitl you get restriction, practice. Practice chewing your food until its mush, practice not drinking 30 before and 30 or more after a meal. Practice, excercising, walk, get on a Wii, go to the gym, swim in a pool, lift some light weights. Practice distracting yourself when you get the feeling you want to eat when you shouldnt or if you get a craving. I found the band only works for me if I pay attention to it and im 1.5 years out. If I eat like the band isnt there I get into trouble. Stuck or full too fast. Honestly I dont like my band , BUT I like what its helped me achieve. Keep your chin up, make good food choices, fill up on a solid Protein with a vege or fruit,,,,PRACTICE not piucking up the muffin, chips, Cookies, cake, buttered potatoe or mac and cheese,,my favorite,,lol. Good luck,,let us know how you do.

Hi! Give yourself some time, and you will see a difference in your skin. It may not go back to perfect but it does get better with time. Your weight came off faster than it went on so your skin needs a little bit of time to catch up. Congratualtions on your 80 pound loss! I have 34 more to go and ill catch up to you. Im 42, so im worried about the loose skin thing too. So ive made it a point to go very very slow in the weight loss.

What a horrible experience! I am almost 1.5 years out and I havent had any stomach virus yet. If I know someone has it, I avoid them like the plague! I knew it would be bad and this is the first story ive actualy seen someone write in detail of how it played out. PLEASE,, I do not want to go through this at all. Very happy that you didnt have any slippage and didnt need any more surgery. Good luck to anyone going through it!

Imagine! We NEED to EAT to LOSE weight !!!!! Isnt it amazing? I love it! I find that the biggest thing that makes me gain weight right now is if I eat something salty . I can garauntee the scale either A. wont budge. or B. goes up a pound or so. So many people think im nuts when I tell them , your not eating enough to lose thats why your gaining.

I LOVE IT! Beer is a wonderful drink,mmmmmm. Sadly I can ONLY drink one now!!!!!! Too full after that first one,lol. So I make it a good beer, like Molson, or michelob, something dark and rich. I used to also drink Whiskey and coke,and now I cant tolerate the coke! So I tried it with Sprite and it made a difference, but again, I can barely get one in and then im full, or bloated or whatever you call it,lol. Oh, I have to say I loooove Dr Malleys take on the whole stretch your pouch with carbonation! I was so glad to hear that. Summer and the heat will be here soon, a cold beer now and again will be great.

Hi, Glad your still working it and eating well. When the band goes in, its looks like a long tube, once its in there they snap it together to make a little circle around you stomach. Ive only heard of it rarely coming apart. My doc, has never had to look for my port, but its also not turned or flipped. It lays flat, and is very easy to feel under my skin. I was lucky my weight was very well distributed through my body and I actualy had a relativley flat fat tummy, if that makes sense,lol. I couldnt imagine having them having to look for it. Im wondering if the nurse has ever missed? It does happen. Does she take all the saline out before she pushes the new saline in. My doc puts the needle in, withdraws all the saline, checks the amount and pushes the whole lot right back in. She doesnt have to take the needle out to do this and it only adds a few more seconds to the whole thing. It took me more than a year before I got to restriction. It was frustrating and a long process. But my doc would only do small fills every 6 weeks. ONce I reached restriction in the 2nd week of January this year, I lost 14 pounds in the past month! I had my band put in in september of 09! I am finally 199 and 47 pounds down . Hang in there. Also ask your nurse or Doc, why its taking so long and double chekc the amount in your band. Its so simple to pull it into the syringe and confirm whats in there. B

Hi people!!!!! I have to say that once a week I like to have a treat. Whether its chicken wings from pizza hut, or 4 piece chick nuggets with small fry from mcdonalds, or maybe a slice of homemade pizza. I have to really chew my food so I get to enjoy it that much longer. But it helps. Right now, I have lil tiny mini bites rice crispy squares in my cupboard, I allow my self one at a time. I tihnk they are 1inch by 1 inch. Im losing weight and I dont over indulge on my treats. I make them last, most times its that little bit of flavor I need, to get rid of the craving. It works for me, but it may not for others. I found that if I deprived myself of some of the good things I like it made this all that much harder. BUT I will say, I do not eat my mini treats before my meal. Its either in between of right after.Also, when I eat out at my weekly treat spot, its ALWAYS a kids meal with no drink. I drink my Water 1/2 hour before my treat. B

Hey Scoobie. I hear you on soooo many levels. I just got restriction after 11 or 12 fills. I am at 8.25cc' in a 9cc realize band. I was so frustrated each time I went in, only to come out feeling like I hadnt been there at all. I would lose a little and gain a little, and so on and so on. Same ole same ole until my last fill, Finally I got restriction. I was at the same place you are right now and thought there was no way I was ever going to get it. This last one was a wake up call. I had reverted to old habits, eating too fast not chewing my food well enough. Eating stuff I shouldnt have been eating. Probably due to alot of frustration too. WELL ive stopped all that or I suffer with the consequences. Questions? Does your Doc take out all the saline to make sure its still there? Is the Doc DEFINATELY hitting the port? I always knew because when the needle came out I would feel a little tug at the end of it. Has your Doc checkd to make sure your band is still buckled properly? What band do you have, lap or relaize? I hope you hit the jackpot like I did, its very frustrating to get this far and still not have any restriction? What are you eating for foods? No sliders right? They go right through you. Solid Protein,,,and enough to fill you up? Probably questions you have already answered , just asking. Let me kow how you do. I hated being so close to FULL and not getting the sweet spot. B

WOw, you are doing very well on your menu, mines similar to yours. Breakfast, 1 scrambled or boiled egg, with tabelspoon of cheese. Snack, Protein bar (200 cals 13 grams protein) lunch, rolled turkey or ham with swiss and mustard. Snack, either greek yogurt or string cheese and nuts. dinner, meat and veges (chicken and broccoli, or steak and cauliflower, or pork and cabbage,,etc.) I find my meals very very small, sometimes not being able to eat the whole egg or the meat rolls at lunch. It takes me an hour to eat my Protein Bar, so im good on the hunger scale. Lots of Water. Weekly treat helps keep it all in line for me. I do get on the scales more often than I should but I seldom gain,(since my last fill anyway) alot of times I stay the same,,,stuck,,lol. Then BAM it drops like 4 or 5 pounds. Keep up the good work, your going to get there.

Hi everyone! I have a 9cc realize band, it was put in sept 09. I didnt get restriction until 12 fills later! My doc, did fills ONLY every 6 weeks and most were small ones. 12 fills later I FINALLY have restriction, 8.25cc's in my 9cc band. I was extremely frustrated but my Doc was stubborn and would only do small fills, no way would she go higher at all. I wanted to pull my hair out at the end of it all and then I finally got what I needed and its been smooth sailing since,,,,it took months and months of bandster hell to get here but im here. Hang in there and keep doing what your doing, it will happen eventualy. Take care everyone!

Good Morning! Great replies from everyone! Thought I might add my 2 cents. I was banded september of 09 and made it a point to take this weight off SLOOOOOWLY. Im doing it, im under 200 and started at 246. I want it all to be off 3 years from my band date. Ok, I know, im weard, lol. At this rate it will be! I dont do the Protein drinks, they tend to go right through me and im hungry a short time later. I do have a Protein Bar once a day. Usualy in between meals. I eat 5 very small meals a day. I found one that was decent in calories and high in protein and low in sugar. I t kinda takes me back a bit. Im going to age myself here. When I was around 5 or 6 my Mom used to eat figurine bars. Anyone remember them???? Well when I bit into this bar it went alllll the way back to 5 or 6 years old and sneaking into the cupboard to steal moms SPECIAL food! The name of the bar is Power Crunch protein bar. it has 200 calories, 13 grams of protein, 5 grams of sugar and 1 gram of Fiber. I only eat the choco Peanut Butter ones and they go down pretty good. I can only eat half at a time, so I stretch it out over an hour or more. I also work construction so this is perfect for me when we are on the road working. Its a wafer type bar and I LOVE it. I do eat alot of protein and good veges at my regular meals, eggs in the morning, I can get 1 down, and rolled turkey or ham in the afternoon with some swiss inside, dinner will usualy be anything meat,,and some broccoli, cabbage or cauliflower, etc. If Protein Bars arent you thing you could try some greek yogurt too, 14 grams of protein! Or some Nuts,,mmmmm one of my favorites. OH ,PS I have a 9cc realize band and it has 8.25cc's in it. Have a great day everyone! Becca

Thats it? A sad face? What happened? How did he/she just disappear? I would be livid! What do you do now? Where do you live? When were you banded? So many questions. LOL, you were a little,,ummmmmm, short on your info. The computer is a wonderful tool, just like your band, jump on it and see what you can find as far as other surgeons or fill centers to help you along. Maybe someone on here is close to you and could give oyu some suggestions. Give us some more info on your situation lets see if we can help. It really sux that you can find your surgeon.

When I woke in recovery I was asked if I had pain, I told them no. I didnt get pain meds until my 3rd night home, and that was only because I twisted and the port was immediately on fire. So I guess I would have to say 0 for the surgery itself and 3 for the port pain 3 days later. The port pain only lasted 2 nights and it was only at bedtime that I rtook half of a percocet.:thumbup: I was very surprised that I had no pain after surgery, HAPPY to be exact.

I cant eat corn on the cob! I love it too, and I live near a farm that has the best corn on the cob.:smile:

Hi. I am almost a year out and I have the realize band. My weight stalled about 1 month out. I can ONLY get fills every 6 weeks! That sux. My band hold 9cc's. I have 7.25cc's in it!!!!!!!! Barely any restriction. This last fill gave me a little bit of restriction but I still need another one. I walk on my treadmill and have started eating for the band instead of for me. I am starting to lose but get hungry within 2 1/2 to 3 hours so still need some more. When I asked my doc why I needed sooooo many fills to get to restriction she told me I was one of very very few people who have this problem. I dont have as much fat around my stomach as others thats why it is taking so many fills. I go back for another fill in a month but hope to be below 200 by then. A small fill is all I need to bring me to my sweet spot. Let me now how it goes for you. I have no pain when I get a fill, my doc uses a tiny needle to numb the area then does the fill, absolutely NO PAIN! Dont be nervous it goes so quick.

YAY!!!!! Isnt it awesome!!!! We are getting smaller!!!!!!!!! Im into my 4th week of P90X workouts:tt2:, and although I have only lost 1 1/2 pounds im getting smalller:wink:! SO, what that tells me is that im building muscle. And we all know that 1 pound of muscle is SMALLER than 1 pound of fat! My jeans are going on better, even just out of the dryer! By the end of the day they are falling down. My sweatshirts are bagging off me. SO intead of a 5 pound weight loss maybe ive gained 3 pounds of muscle and burned some fat! More muscle means stronger bones, better metabolism (more calories burned:biggrin:) and more energy! IM HAPPY! OHHHHH! My belly has a FLAT spot on it!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!! My butt looks higher!!!! YAY!!!!!! My ankles are BONEY!!!!!!!!! LMAO!!!! Does it get any better than this!!!!!!??? Soon, we will see the scale move in the southern direction. It will al balance out in the end.:thumbup:

Hi Erin, Im glad you finally went to see someone and got meds to help. I noticed someone saying you are too young for kidney stones, not true. 20 or 40 it doesnt matter you can get them. Christmas day I woke up to pain and nasuea. Peeing a little here and there and always feeling like I had to go. I figured at 41,,could be a UTI so I started drinking Water ,cranberry juice and eating small meals. I went to a friends for Christmas dinner and was miserable, the pain wasnt as severe but I was still hitting the bathroom every 20 minutes or so and feeling miserable in between visits. I went to bed that night with little pain BUT was wide awake at 5am with sharp pains in my lower right , ovaries? NOT, within 20 minutes I was an absolute mess and begging my husband to do something, I was on the floor on my belly trying to get the pain to go away. My husband took me to the ER,,scarey thing is the pain was so bad I dont remember the ride. After 3 pain shots into an IV and an abdominal CT scan it was determined to be a kidney stone. OUCH! I was sent home 5 hours later on percocet, flomax and filtering everything coming out. It came, phew, what a relief. I went to a uroligist 3 days later and when he found out about my band he immediately told me to DRINK water more often! He said that a problem with some people who get the band is that they tend to feel full longer and dont drink as much as they should. He said that will lead to kidney stones in some people, no matter what their age. I drink alot more now than I did before that visit. Im glad your feeling better.:thumbup: My stone was made up of Protein and 2 MM.