BetsyB

Sounds like a great loss to me!

Everyone is so different---some people are hungry right away, swelling and protein or no. Some never need a fill. Please don't feel as though there is something wrong with you if your experience does not fit this.

I agree with Jaqui. The band is as close as you're going to get to magic, in terms of weight loss. It is the tool you need. Skip the other stuff--if it worked, none of us would be here.

The "old you" was comfortable; it was what you knew. Change is difficult---even positive change. People literally have to get comfortable in their new skin after shedding so much weight. And we are confronted with things that are very different---and maybe not quite what we anticipated. But you'll get there--just like you get there after getting a haircut that is different than you imagined or ... any of a bazillion other things that require a getting-used-to-it period. It's a whole new reality for you--so it will take time.

I have no idea! I don't remember. It was protein---I can tell you that. But that's because Protein was the basis for my postop diet. No idea what it was. I did spend lots of time thinking about it beforehand, but ...well, clearly, food begins to take a different significance farther down the road!

Bypass and sleeve don't take care of the mind issues. You have to tackle them, no matter what procedure you've had. I agree that support group can help tremendously--both in helping you tackle these issues and giving you support as you do. It's really helpful to spend time with people who are a little farther down the road than you are---to see real evidence that those who have similarly struggled SUCCEED. You WILL succeed. It's a process. You will develop a new relationship with food as you develop restriction. (In the meantime, you've had a really good loss!)

I have no problem with gelcaps or powder capsules. I do have trouble with solid tablets/pills unless they are small or dissolve very quickly (no time-release pills or caps for me!)--and have my doc substitute liquids for those as much as possible. But I have good restriction, and take a couple of ginormous gelcaps each morning with no trouble. Warm liquid helps ensure they dissolve before they need to work their way through my stoma :rolleyes2:

It gets better---truly! Hang in there--walk as much as you can. A heating pad (applied to your back, not over your incisions) can be comforting. Don't be shy about taking pain meds if your doctor prescribed them; there's no need to tough it out. I think a lot of us sort of forget the pain---it's kind of like having a baby. We're so glad with what we GET from the surgery that we minimize the discomfort. So don't feel as though you're unusual--just know that soon you, too, will feel lots better!

Take a deep breath :rolleyes2: First, if you're experiencing terrible heartburn, let your doctor know; s/he can help you with that. Secondly, no--you didn't damage your band. Your doctor recommended a particular diet postop, but there is tremendous variation from doctor to doctor and some (like mine!) start patients on solids very shortly after surgery. While it's best to follow your doctor's instructions because s/he knows you best, most doctors don't really tailor specifically to each patient---unless s/he knows that there is a problem. So do give your doc a call so that s/he can address your discomfort and give you the green light to advance your diet, give you alternatives, or explain the rationale for sticking with his/her current recommendations.

This is a surgery for which the plastic surgeons I've talked to really, really prefer that their patients achieve their goal weight first. The lower the BMI, the better the result. If you are researching docs who have photo galleries online, take a look at the brachioplasty pictures. The patients who just have excess skin have far better results than those who have a a good deal of fat removed, as well.

Sadly, it may take even longer; most people don't approach restriction with the first fill. It is difficult during this period---but I tried to approach it like any of the forty gazillion other times I'd been hungry on a diet. With one difference: I knew it would be the last time I'd be hungry in the name of weight loss. It was hard, but I ate as though I had restriction, even when I didn't. Each fill took the edge off a bit more, and it got easier and easier. Some people will tell you it's not a time for weight loss, that it's a time for healing. That's perfectly reasonable, if it's the route you want to take. It's up to you--I liked getting a good head start on the loss. Practicing the new habits made it easier for me to eat carefully once I did have restriction. But as with everything, there's more than one path to the destination :rolleyes2:

65 pounds down is AMAZING. As is your ability to pinpoint specific things you need to work on. Not enough Protein and too many sliders? Simple fix. When you add back in adequate dense, solid protein, you won't have room for the sliders. (If you have trouble with dense protein some of the time, or need a protein boost some days, you can add a Protein Shake now and then as needed.) Not enough Fluid? This is another one, that if addressed, will help you address the slider issue. Make it a non-negotiable---get a one-liter Water bottle, and make it a rule that you will have 1 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. Then, add other fluids as they find their way into your life (protein shakes, etc.) It doesn't sound to me as though you're way off track---and it seems as though you have a good handle on things. You'll get there!

Congratulations! It's always so much fun, fitting into smaller places that were once too snug. (I was happy to use an airplane bathroom recently--seriously, it was a thrill. Ah, simple pleasures!)

I only have thrown out one canister: of Syntrax nectar Roadside lemonade. I use the Inspire line from Bariatric Eating. I'm not wild about the two flavors mentioned above, but their dutch chocolate is very good, and I like the Pom Razz Sangria if mixed with Crystal Light lemonade. Their flavorless PURE powder is the best I've tried--I rely on it a lot. The flavored ones are intended to be mixed with just 4 ounces of liquid--if you find them bland, and mixed with more, that could be the reason. That said, my post op tastes have changed enough that I use far more--I mix the dutch chocolate with about 8 ounces of almond milk, and the Pom Razz with about a liter of Crystal Light lemonade.

At 2.5, there isn't as much lifting involved as there is with a younger baby. If s/he is able to climb up to your lap, climb into bed, etc., I would not expect to need help for more than a day or two. My doctor did have a lifting limit for the first few weeks postop---but I think I would have been able to work within that limit when my kids were toddlers. The first couple of days, though, you won't be feeling terribly well. It's not horrendous by any stretch of the imagination--but it is nice to have someone around to help.

I'm already investigating plastic surgeons. Exercise can improve the appearance of the musculature under the skin, but it doesn't reduce excess skin.

Panties off---and theoretically, no sanitary napkins or tampons. BUT--I had my period, used an Instead soft cup (which I use, anyway)---and my bleeding was therefore contained. I had no problem at all, postoperatively, dealing with my own hygiene needs--no difficulty removing and reinserting due to abdominal pain, or anything like that. I'm a former RN--and know that the bleeding would not have caused a single eyebrow in the OR to raise. It really is a total non-issue to medical personnel. (In fact, it's really common for women who are not menstruating to begin during or shortly after surgery--so they do see it a LOT.) But for my OWN comfort, I chose to do it this way. It made me feel as though I was in control of at least one thing when I was otherwise out of control.

I would have a talk with the doctor. Mine doesn't just gauge the need for fill by how much I've lost---I lost very well with NO restriction, but it was because I was dieting. He knows this. So he gauges the need for fill on (a) how I feel--if I am hungry too soon after eating (and am not eating sliders), then I need a fill; (:cursing: his observations of the level of restriction on fluoroscopy; and © how well I'm losing. IMO, a doctor who makes fill decisions solely on weight loss is missing a HUGE part of the puzzle.

I really like the Inspire line from bariatriceating.com

I have a lot of trouble with pills (getting stuck), but capsules made of powder in Gelatin capsules don't cause me any trouble--I make sure to take them with plenty of Fluid (warm helps), and they dissolve before they have to go through the stoma. Gelcaps are the same way; if I have a warm drink, they're a-okay. Solid tablets/pills are a real problem for me. I've asked my doctor to switch me to liquids as much as possible, but when that's not possible, I just crunch 'em up and get them down the best I can :cursing:

I'm 50+ pounds away from my goal, and people are already telling me I'm getting too skinny. Clearly, I am not. I am, however, very different from what I was even six months ago, and by comparison, I'm "skinny." People are resistant to change. And it's true that my eating habits have, in fact, created a loss for some people. They no longer have the eating buddy I once represented. I recognize that that is a loss---but it does not in any way obligate me to them. At this point, I just kind of laugh and tell people who comment that I'm getting "too skinny," "Yeah, tell me that 50 pounds from now, and maybe I'll listen." I do anticipate that I'll get more flack as I get closer to goal. But as long as my BMI is in the right range, and I'm physically fit and eating properly, I will chalk up the responses of others to their OWN old tapes. People like to maintain the status quo--if my weight loss rocks their boats, they'll have to find something else to balance out their shaky vessels.

I ladled warm meat sauce over ricotta cheese and sprinkled with a little Parm. I skipped the pasta altogether (and still do)---but this tastes just like lasagna, without the noodles :cursing:

I've consistently lost at the same rate since banding---and consistently done the same things. I do bump up my exercise as my body becomes accustomed to what I'm doing---I use my body bugg to gauge whether a workout is still doing the trick for me.

I, too, am sorry for the loss of your relationship. I agree, though, that it sounds as though you're making positive changes. I am facing the possible end of my marriage. I can't attribute it to the band, really---but I can credit the band for helping to give me myself back. Along with reclaiming myself, I've reclaimed the sense that I deserve far more than I've been given in this relationship. I don't know whether my husband will meet the challenges. I do know that I will be fine, either way. If it does come to divorce, the logistics will be the most difficult aspect for me at this point. It feels GOOD to love myself enough to stand up for what I deserve (even though it feels crappy that I've spent so many years settling without it).... Yes, positive changes---no matter what the outcome, really. Hard, but growth in the right direction.

The hair loss is believed to be due to an interruption in the growth cycle caused by the trauma of surgery. (It often happens after childbirth and other 'traumas,' too.) Hair is typically lost daily, in small amounts. After surgery, we hold on to hair for a period of time--that usual, daily loss does not take place. And then a few months later, BAM! It all comes out, plus some. It's normal and expected--and still freaks you out when you see the hair in the shower drain! Hair loss can be due to nutritional deficiency, so it's a good idea to make sure you're getting enough Protein. Biotin and zinc are a good idea, too. Using a shampoo/conditioner such as Nioxin can help. But most hair expert say that doing these things, while they can't hurt and might help, usually mostly just make us feel like we're doing something constructive as we weather the normal loss that occurs after the growth cycle is knocked off kilter. I'm six months out. I did lose a fair amount of hair (having it short helps--not as noticeable, except when wet)---but it seems to have tapered off. Thank God!