Yvette1026

Congratulations and I think we all had lastmealitits, it's perfectly normal.. Enjoy it, but remember it'll still be there for you after the surgery.. just in MUCH smaller portions lol

Congratulations and yes it's a pretty simple and painless process by day 3 I was back to normal. Welcome to the other side! Gum and flavored toothpicks helped me.. I know people will say no to the gum because of the air but I chewed it with now problems.

Ok my dear, I've read a couple of your blogs and I have to reach out and encourage you to renew your mind to all of this. Until you do, it won't work! 1.) Weight loss and gain is personal, there's no need to seek other people's approval or acceptance. 18lbs is GREAT, it's 18lbs closer to goal and 18lbs less fat than you were. Men, especially Dad's opinions mean a lot to us, but remember the only opinions that matter right now are yours and your health professionals. From your posts it seems like you're just now starting to realize the "fat" of the matter.. yes I said fat, in place of fact. It seems like you're just now truly starting to see yourself as fat which is a GOOD thing, even though it doesn't feel like it is! When you're able to look at yourself with such a critical eye, it will serve as motivation to do something about it. 2.) Renew your mind. Ok so you're fat, you don't like the way you look in pics, you think the band is going to fail you, there's "no way it'll help you lose 100lbs". Stop right there my friend...can we say self-sabotage? When you speak defeat, you've already lost. You might as well eat twinkies and ice cream - they slide right through. So I urge and encourage you to renew your mind to a positive mindset. Take everything day by day, meal by meal, choice by choice. You didn't gain this weight overnight and you're certainly not going to lose it over night. The band is a TOOL, we hear/read it all the time and that's true. It's a tool to HELP YOU, but if YOU aren't ready for the help it won't do YOU any good. I really think you're at a pivotal moment in you're journey. You're awakening to the new you, change is never easy and it's so much easier to just give up. But YOU CAN DO THIS! Just think of it this way... just like in life, your path is yours and yours alone, your lapband journey is the same. Don't compare yourself to others, do what works for you and live your life. You didn't report the multitude of pounds you gained to anyone, so why report what you lose to anyone? Let them see for themselves. Yes the fact is, the bigger you are the more you have to lose for people to notice, but let them notice...Just go on with your days going down your path and doing what's right for you. Remember the only approval you need is yours and it'll feel SO much better when those "Wow you're really losing weight huh?" comments and compliments come your way because they'll be real and honest, not fished for or charity out of seeking approval. Stick to what works for you and in a year or so's time when you've lost that 100lbs and everyone is ooo'ing and ahh'ing you'll have nobody to thank but yourself. Do this for you, nobody else. Renew your mind...renew your mind....renew your mind! Accentuate the positive!

Yes when I'm in my week of PMS...I either eat EVERYTHING or nothing...I try to go with nothing so I don't pack on the 15-20lbs I know I have packed on in the past during that 1 week of time. I totally understand how you're feeling.. I haven't tried the pouch test yet but I'm going to try it soon.

Hot tea/coffee or go to the ER. But use caution going to the ER they will usually unfill you completely.

Well congratulations on making the BEST decision you could ever make for yourself! To answer your questions: It varies depending on your insurance on what to expect. Typically a visit to the dietician will go over your diet, meaning what you eat and what you should be eating. The nurse will check your vitals, the psychologist will make sure you're mentally stable to have the surgery and have the mental/emotional support system necessary post-op to be successful. It's great that you joined the gym today, now just form the habit of going. On to the next thing.. you're drinking soda and sweet tea and being diabetic. You're only harming yourself, and each drink takes moments off of your life. That sounds dramatic but that's true. With the band, you WONT be able to drink soda, it will be very uncomfortable for you, pressure and gas pains. The sweet tea, I drink myself. HOWEVER, I limit myself to no more than 2 a week and if I make it at home I make it with Agave Nectar which is MUCH better for you than sugar. Think about those two children you have and think about what's best for them and know that you're making this awesome decision not only for you but for them as well. Eating healthy is not hard once you get into it, the benefits pay off. The minute you start seeing results the more motivated you'll become. Also fills do not hurt, most dr's numb you first. The pain is minimal, I was back to normal and pain free by day 3. Off all pain medicals after a day and half. If you've had two kids this is NOTHING It only takes your body 21 days to form a habit good or bad, so if you can work on forming good habits you'll be just fine! Again congratulations.. You truly are on the path to your new life. I'm 6 months post op and I would do this surgery again in a heartbeat.

Congratulations! I feel you on the monthly thing... my monthly appointments are ALWAYS during "that time"..sigh

They're talking about things like eggs, tuna salad, refried beans, etc.. that you COULD swallow it without chewing but you would still want to chew it to break it up and make it basically slide through your band with ease.

The band is supposed to ASSIST you with losing 2-3 lbs a week. 10lbs in 28 days is AWESOME! That puts you at the high end of losing for the month. Sounds like you're doing all of the right things if you've lost that much in a month. And you can have a cookie or two just not the whole dozen. Trying to omit things totally will set you up for failure. The band is a tool, use it wisely Best wishes!

It's unfortunate but you're positive and doing well. But thank you for your candor on this topic. I had NO clue it was this serious that the "stretched pouch" was just something they said to try to make sure we're eating right. I had no clue in all the 5 yrs of research I did, that this was a real and true possibility. Thank you for sharing and hopefully preventing others from going through this.

Congratulations! Isn't it such a great feeling?

Without knowing what you're eating its hard to say. I know there's some that prescribe to the diet after lapband method but I'm not one of them. I got this so I can eat normally, just in controlled portions. I lose 2-4lbs a week eating whatever I want, but I make sure to eat balanced meals that provide me with the necessary calories and protein that allow me to continue to lose. I'm not so sure that WW can really provide you with the special needs of the Lapband, but I don't know for sure and if it works for you, GREAT! I can tell you though, that weekly weighins aren't always helpful, I make it a point to only weigh myself once a month because as women our weight can fluctuate dramatically from week to week. Also you mentioned you're working out.. it's quite possible that you're gaining muscle which is GREAT. That's the catalyst you need get you to the next level of fat burning. At month 3 I had lost 74lbs post op at month 5 I gained 40lbs back in muscle in month 6 I lost more weigh for a total of 43lbs lost since surgery. At first I was devastated but when I realized my body NEEDED that muscle gain to lose more and not to mention although the scale is up my sizes are down *BONUS* It'll all even out... I would say if you're doing all the right things and you're not seeing the scale move it's one of 3 things: 1.) Not enough calories - Starvation mode as you said. 2.) Not enough or too much protein 3.) Muscle mass weight gain. Hope the visit to the nutritionist is helpful to you! Best wishes!

You know the saying there's two types of people in the world, those who see the glass half full and those who see it half empty. You have to take the posts the same way. There's people who choose to focus on the negative and post their complaints and/or dwell on the slight pain and feel sorry for themselves. This surgery is not painful, the first couple of days you have "discomfort to pain" from the gas but it's nothing to write home or blog about. I laugh to myself every time I read a post about how awful it is and the woes me posts. This is THE BEST thing you could ever do for yourself. I would do this surgery again in a heartbeat. The initial wakeup for me was a lil' rough only because my nurse was annoying and I had mine done outpatient; so they were rushing me out the door before I was ready. Once I got home and the twilight wore off I was fine I just needed sleep and to walk the gas off. Within a day and half I was off all pain meds, I never took the nausea meds - didn't need them. I firmly believe that the bulk of this is mind over matter. I told myself I would be well and I was, no vomiting, no side effects, no pain, etc.. Go into with a positive outlook and you'll have a positive outcome! Best wishes to you!

lol..how cute is your 8 yr old? But it's all a learning processing. Each fill will bring you something new, things you could eat before with no problem will suddenly get "stuck" one fill and not the next. Everyday is a journey with this but it's a journey I'm happy to take. At 6 months I'm still learning what my band can tolerate, last night I had posole soup (Mexican pork & hominy soup) and my favorite dessert. I went there for dessert so I tried to save room, which about 4 bites left I was FULL but I kept going.. I paid for it by being uncomfortable all night and now I'm "tender" in my band area.. so today will be nothing but shakes, soups and popsicles but MAN was that dessert worth it! LOL All of that being said.. it DOES get better, you'll learn more and more everyday. From reading your posts it seems like you've doing well! Keep up the good work!

This was an error on the side of your Dr's office.. Aetna requires sleep studies for approval. They shouldn't have submitted you without having one. Go get the sleep study and they'll resubmit you'll be approved after.

Is what I find myself saying about food all the time almost on a daily basis! Something that once almost ruled my life is now so far removed. I eat because I "NEED" to now instead of because I WANT to, don't get me wrong I still enjoy a DELICIOUS meal and cooking but prior to my surgery I never understood how people could say "Oh I forgot about that" when it came to food. Like bringing in something like donuts or mcdonalds to work, the people who take a bite or don't even open it and just leave it on their desk for the day. I would always say something to them in a joking manner to let them know um HEY it's there and YOU need to eat it! But now I'm that person. I don't get it, but I am. Food no longer rules me and it's SO liberating. I keep finding things in my bag that people have given me like candy, chips, snack bars, etc... I just throw it in my bag and days later I'm like "Oh yeah..." Yesterday I was at a festival and I didn't go to ANY of the food booths *GASP*, even the one vendor who was giving away FREE cake.. yeah I know.. CAKE.. and I LOVE CAKE.. This morning, I woke up a lil' hungry and was like MAN I FORGOT ABOUT THAT CAKE!!!! lol It feels SO good, so so good to just be you and not you with food. To be able to eat a few bites and put something up and know it's ok if you want more it's there if not, that's ok too. I spent so much of my life consuming food while it was obviously consuming me. This is just AMAZING! So glad I did this for myself!

Eat mushies that are high in protein bean cups, chicken salad, eggs, etc.. they'll satisfy you and keep you feeling fuller, longer.

lol well maybe try some cream of wheat or mushies.. I ate them on day 3, I know everybody is different. Listen to your doctor, but I definitely felt better after my 3 tablespoons of "food" lol

Awesome! Glad to read that you're doing well!

People who experience this, usually move to mushies and feel better almost instantly. (I moved to them on day 3, everyone varies, but listen to your doctor.) something like cream of wheat, etc... might make you feel alot better. Also how much protein are you getting in your protein drinks? It may help to double up. I expected this so I loaded up on redmeat before my surgery to get through the inital days but again, I ate mushies on day 3. It was only 3 tablespoons of food but I did instantly feel better.

Call back and tell them you need to come in. My surgery was quick, easy and pretty much painless. By day 3 I was back to normal. To be two weeks in and still having that much trouble I would go in and speak with them, especially since you're vomiting which can cause slippage.

So today is my 6 months of being banded. I had my regular appointment yesterday and we did some extra things to make sure everything is ok as well. I have a clean bill of health. The band is working wonderfully, I got another fill which puts me to just over 8ccs in a 14cc band. I'm 7lbs shy of my 6 month goal which was to lose 50lbs, but given the weightloss rollercoaster I've been on with the shedding pounds then gaining muscle at this point I'm just excited to be losing and to see the results in my body. When I shared what has going on with the sliming etc.. we discussed what I was eating each time, and then did a barium x-ray to make sure the band was working and not leaking, etc.. Everything looked great, it was so interesting to see it actually "work" in my body. After we decided to do a small fill to aid in my upcoming PMS eating... and today I feel great, had some eggs and even a porkchop today. - at separate times of course lol Other than that everything is great, this is still the best thing I ever did for myself... it's amazing to me to think and know that in 6 months time I will have another 50+ lbs to have lost a total of 100+lbs. It's amazing to me, makes me just want to shout and run on that like I was in church! God is SO good, none of this is possible for me without Him! Hallelujah! :sneaky::confused: This whole thing has just been awesome!

Aww thank you so much! I find you inspiring and follow you as well! Thank you again! - wish I could hug you from here! lol