happy2lose

Mandze90, Don't panic, I don't think any of us were able to get all of our protein in the first week after surgery. It's kinda hard when all you can have is clear liquids. Once you can have protein drinks it gets easier.

I had very, very thick hair to begin with but when I say handfulls, I mean literally handfulls. When I shower there was a big wad of hair left on the drain, then when I comb my hair out there was hair all stuck in the comb. When I blow dry, hair all over the counter and all over the floor as well as a lot on the brush. I would estimate my loss around 50%. I have long hair down to just below my bra strap. Since the hairloss just stopped, I went and had my hair trimmed yesterday so now it looks a little healthier. It is most noticeable behind my bang line. Looks like I am balding, otherwise the loss really isn't visable to the naked eye, just mine. I had three previous surgeries and never experienced hair loss before. I believe it has something to do with the trama to a vital organ (stomach being banded) and nothing to do with lack of nutrients. Just my opinion though! Either way, I am sooooooo relieved that it has stopped and equally relieved that I am seeing some new growth. The point of this thread is that I just wanted to let those of you who are experiencing hair loss know that is will stop eventually. Donna

timmmers, I have not experienced what you described but I have experienced dehydration and blacking out. It is equally as frightening. Have you ever had your blood sugar checked? It sounds like you may have Hypoglycemia. It sounds like you are looking and feeling great. Funny thing for me is that I still feel very fat and when I look in the mirror I see a fat person. Everybody tells me how great I look and I sometimes wonder if these people are just saying this to keep me motivated. I really don't need people to do this because I am every bit as motivated as I was the day of surgery. I really just want honesty from people and when I can't see the change in myself, I can't help but wonder. You are doing great! Keep up the good work!

Set you mind on hitting the weight loss game hard come Monday (Jan 4th). Try and minimize the damage until then by only allowing healthy foods to cross your lips. It is also very important to keep exercising. You are both doing great so try not to stress too much over a small gain.

Zinc is available where Vitamins are sold. I don't know if zinc really helps or not though. I have always managed to get all my Protein in daily. I really don't believe lack of protein had anything to do with hair loss.

I started taking Biotin when my hair started falling out. It really didn't seem to make any difference at all. Recently, somebody told me to try taking Zinc. I started on the zinc a few weeks ago so not sure if the zinc had anything to do with it stopping or if it was just time to stop. Either way, I'm really glad it has stopped because I could not afford to lose much more hair. Thank you so much AZ for the compliment. I'm not so sure I deserve it though because there have been times when I wasn't so nice or positive. Happy New Year!

I began losing my hair at 4 months post-op. It finally stopped around 8 months and is finally growing back. I was beginning to worry because I have lost about 50% of my hair. Lucky for me, I had a lot of hair to start with.

It's very common for weight loss to slow down or stop completely in the first few months. Just keep doing what you are doing and it will start up again.

Don't know, maybe you should ask your doctor. It's posts and responses like these that make me not want to help.

Don't beat yourself up over it! Figure out why you did it and take action to make sure you learned from it and don't repeat the same mistakes. The holidays have been tough for me as well. I'm actually afraid to get on the scale after eating everything I wanted over Christmas weekend. Today I will get right back to business and work it off and make corrective efforts not to repeat the same actions.

Congratulations on the gift of prolonging your life and making the quality of it so much better. Before you know it you will be thinner, happier, and healthier. Donna

Everything you described is normal so please try not to worry so much. What you are going through with hunger now is perfectly normal. So normal that it has a name "bandster hell". Until you start to get some restriction through fills you will feel very hungry. This is the time when will power is much needed. Try and drink all the Water because it does help some to starve off hunger. Just follow your post-op instructions and don't eat anything you aren't suppose to. This is the time for healing and following your surgeon's instructions. It will only take you a fill or two before you start to feel better. Gas is normal. Some have it more than others. You can use Gas-X as needed. Hang in there! It does get easier and before you know it you will be down 40-50 pounds. Merry Christmas! Donna

Try doing another day or two of liquids to see it the swelling goes down. You may be fine and not need an unfill. If after the liquid days you are still having trouble then go in for the unfill.

Mary, All you can do is your best. You will feel stronger every time you pass on the urge to eat junk. Hang in there, once the holidays are over it will be much easier.

I have lost many things along with the 87 pounds lost so far. 1. Lost the shame I once had for letting myself go. 2. Lost my relationship with my sister who is now so jealous she doesn't want anything to do with me. 3. Lost my huge appetite for food.

Yes, I totally agree with this. You will be fine and you will be adding more calories as your appetite dictates.

You should loosen up a little over the next couple of weeks and you will become accustomed to taking smaller bites over this period as well. Be prepared to notice that you are tighter during certain times of the day then others. The band is a very fickle tool but you will adjust.

There are no guarantees in life. We all take risks but this risk is much better then the known outcome of obesity :tongue:

Mary, I hope your surgeon released you to work out. We don't want you to hurt yourself by doing too much too soon. You just have to find the strength within yourself to say no. Don't give in to your urges. It is the practice of walking away from it that will make you stronger in the future.

I don't know about the studies or the denial but I have lost 87 pounds in the past 8 months with my band and hope to make goal at 12 months. Guess I beat the odds!

If binging is your issue, I suggest you also research the sleeve procedure.

What you describe is completely normal. My band is the same way. When I PMS my band also gets very tight. It sounds to me if you are eating much less after your last fill then your band is doing it's job well. Now it's time to sit back and watch the pounds drop off.

If your doctor and his staff are not meeting your needs then by all means, change doctors. It is important that you have all the support you need on this journey.