howdybooth

I'm with you Galthom. I leave the doc's office after a fill tight..........and I don't get tighter over the weeks or months...........What does happen is I decide I want something - that I know I can't have because of the band - but I eat it any ways and boom......problem! Then my tummy is swollen and tender for some time and I have to baby it.......then back to no problems. Banded 11/09 Lost 70 pounds 4 fills for a total of 6 cc in a 10 cc band

I'm looking at getting my panniculectomy in the next few months. I am estimating that to take off another 15. Is your insurance paying for that? I've been pretty lucky and everything has been pretty much shrinking as I've shrunk.....so really no saggy tummy on me. But boy oh boy to I have the wavy are flapping in the breeze. I do yoga 2-3 time per week and you can see the muscle, it's just that fat on the bottom. My insurance doesn't pay for any cosmetic surgery. Heck - it didn't pay for my band!!!!

I thought that was how they were all done.......if you're not drinking as you get the fill - what are they basing the fill on? I've even noticed that father/son bariatric doctor team out of Houston, Tx do the fills with them sitting up and drinking water.....

trieger, now that you are down to your last 40 pounds, are you finding it coming off slower? I've lost 70 and only have 40 to go and was pretty much losing 2 per week and now - about 1 - 1 1/2 per week. Just wondering if any one else seemed to be slowing down once they got within 30-40 pounds of goal weight.....

My surgeon does not beleive in keeping you on liquids or restricting you to so few calories......so by day 3 after the surgery I was on mushies.....with that being said you must follow your doctors advice. But think of it this way......if you could have stayed on liquids and 500 or less calories per day, would you have needed the surgery? The being tired is also just your body recovering from surgery! I hit a real slump about 4 months after my surgery and thought I was most likely low on iron....but I wasn't......just the old body adjusting, because I'm fine now. Banded 11/09 - down 70 pounds - 40 to go!

Mel Mel - just keep doing what you are doing......don't go over board on supplements.....remember GNC is in the business to make money. I personally can tolerate Myoplex Lite - it's the cheapest at Walmart. I drink one every morning - I don't love it, but I don't hate it......I tolerate it! LOL Your depression/anxiety meds can cause you to not lose weight, also needing a fill can cause you to not lose weight. I don't know how much more weight you have to lose, but mine has slowed down now that I'm down to my final 40 pounds. Hang in there and don't let this become another factor in your anxiety! It will get better - just always eat Protein first - even if it means no room for anything else.

Mel Mel - go to your local Sally Beauty Supply and they will help you with the right type of shampoo/conditioner/leave-in. I'm right at 10 months out and I've lost 70 pounds - but really no hair loss that I can remember. But - I was afraid of losing my hair and I've always made sure I got my protein in first - daily. Maybe BetsyB is right and it's just something that happens to some people.........Good Luck.

Btrieger - I come from a very large family and my mother and 2 sisters had what is basically the sleeve and 2 sisters had the bypass. Only one sister has the dumping problem. With that being said: my mom lost and kept the weight off and eat very healthy; one sister with the sleave gained everything back plus more and is thinking of having the band; another sister with the sleeve has kept the weight off, but doesn't hardly have a tooth in her head - too much vomiting from over eating; my two sisters with the bypass have both lost 200 pounds, but struggle to keep it off! I wasn't ever over weight until the last 10 years and to be honest, portion control was my biggest issue - not the foods I ate. So maybe that's why the band works for me. I wish I could have just cut out soda/milk/cheetos/cheese burger to lose weight - but I didn't eat those foods......so I spent $9,750 of my own money to have this surgery......and maybe that too contributes to the band working for me also!

Nancy - you are correct and said that very nicely! I think we were all trying a lot of tough love! Everyone one of us must make our own decisions at the end of the day!

Btrieger: Yes she does and it isn't pleasant to be around!!! Hey looks like you're doing an outstanding job with your weight loss. Congrats!

Rsilversea......my sister had RNY and has dumping and it's pretty awful. She gets very, very gassy and runs to the bathroom non-stop with diarrhea. She had her surgery 10 years ago this month and has lost about 180 pounds. She went from 400 to 220 – most of it lost during the first 18 months after the surgery. She now struggles to keep her weight down; she’s around 235-240 right now and is considering going in for the band. Like a lot of RNYs, she’s discovered that she has stretched out her stomach and can eat more food. My hero is a gal where I work. She has gone from 335 to 145. It took her about 2 ½ years, but she’s kept is off. And if she starts getting were she can eat more, she goes and gets a fill. That’s what sold me on the band over RNY.

Blue - I have the Lap Band AP, but I'm not sure if it's L or S - but it holds 10cc and I'm at about 7 cc. My surgeon doesn't just do bariatric surgery - he's a general surgeon and the banding is only 5% of his business. He's very easy to talk to and allows me to be as aggressive with my fills as I want. My first fill was 2.5cc, my second 3cc, and my third with 2cc, but I had to go back and have some removed the next day……just too tight. From April, May, and June I was going great and then just stopped losing. I was still tight, but I'd lose 2 than gain 4. Then from one week to the next I went from tight to feeling like I was wide open. So I did get another fill last week, only .6cc and I'm tight again. But - I'm 49 and I've started having problems with hormones, which my doc was very common with women and losing weight. From what he told me, estrogen is stored in fat and as I've lost fat, I've lost estrogen and I'm just not producing it as much as I did in my younger days.....the joys of getting older! Any way - with the bump I got last week, I'm down 7 pounds this week and I don't believe it's all because of the fill........I think it's part of it’s hormones and not retaining fluid this week!

Blue_Eyes - it looks like the two of us got banded pretty close to the same time.....mine was 11/16/09. I started at 290 and I'm down to 225 as of today!!! I actually managed to gain 7 pounds between my surgery and my first fill in January. Been pretty steady since then.

Just ask for a more aggressive fill........my surgeon is all about what I want. Just remember, with an aggressive fill you will be VERY tight. 2-3 bites of anything and you are full for 3+ hours. But you must also remember that the lapband isn't a fast weight loss surgery - it's slow, but steady.

My surgeon is different from others……I was allowed mushy stuff starting on day 3. You might want to try some fat-free refried beans – they are still my fav! Add a little cheddar cheese and it’s a delis meal. Also – if you just can’t eat, just make sure that you are drinking fluids! You can go a long time without food, but not without fluids.

Then I suggest you post on those sights.......you asked those of us that have had lapband.......we gave you our answers......you didn't like them and got hostile. We can't help you. And please - don't you be so judgemental! We are stuggling every day ourselves to keep on the right track - it's not any easier for us than for you. Not one of us that posted an answer has been lucky - we've worked our butts off!

You aren't going to like this, but neither of the other options are going to help you if you don't change your eating habits. I know two women with the DS that have started gaining back their weight.......I know another that has kept her weight off, but lost most her teeth from throwing up because of over eating. As for the by-pass - two people I know have gain back most if not all the weight they lost........you must face the fact that if you don't change the way you deal with food, nothing is going to help you. With that said - I feel confident that you will go ahead and have major surgery. Sorry to sound negative, but I think you are looking for someone to agree with you and I just can't! My own sister is now looking at getting the band - after by-pass, because she still has a bad relationship with food and can no longer lose weight. She went from 415 to 230, but since she is only 5 foot tall - she is still very over weight...... Good luck with your decision.....

My doc say there isn't any reason to not have sodas. I have one every couple of weeks and they aren't diet!

So, just when I think I have this banding thing down, something changes! I got my last fill at the end of April, which was my 3 fill since I was banded in mid November. I've had really good restriction - can't hardly eat what I call my "bad" foods (breads, pastas - all the things that greatly contributed to my need for a band! ). I've been doing great on the weight loss - 2 lbs per week. Then during July I started this up and down stuff so that basically I'm at the same weight I was at the begining of July. Then Monday, I'm suddenly loose! I can eat breads, organge chicken, etc. Small amounts, but still more then I need to be eating. So, I've scheduled another fill! It just is so strange to me that I go from having good restriction to barely any restriction! Has this happen to anyone else?

Had mine done 9 months ago.......got to the hospital at 6 AM and was home by 11 AM. The only thing I work up feeling was woozy and thirsty!! So don't make the mistake I did and start gulping down any liquids.....that's really the only time I hurt. Later I realized that pain is the same pain I still feel if I eat too much. Of course you are sore........but really - nothing that the pain meds can't take care of.........and Knaroz is correct - don't plan on sleeping on your stomach or left side for awhile. Most doctors place the port left upper side of your body, next to your ribs. Good luck - you'll be fine!

Franky Gee - any of those things listed will be fine! I love and still eat a lot of fat free turkey chilli with shredded cheese and fat-free re-fried Beans - but then again, I live in Texas so those two things are daily staples here! I was banded 11/09 and didn't have my first fill until 1/10 (because of the holidays and my surgeon having surgery) and I managed to gain 7 lbs!!!! Just remember - most surgeons don't do fills for the first 4-6 weeks after surgery to allow your tummy to heal and during that time, the opening between the two stomachs is pretty wide open and you can eat just about anything - just in smaller portions. It's a pretty rude awakening after that first fill when you eat 3 bites and your done, but after all - that's why you choose the band. I'm currently 9 months out and I've lost 65 pounds and I keep my band tight and I'm hardly ever hungry! So hang in there!

Esin - I think some of these folks with problems are the minority.......most of us do just fine - as long as we follow the rules. I personally can't eat most meat unless it's very moist.....too dry and it will stick and I will be uncomfortable. I also can't eat too late or I will have problems with acid reflux - which I never had before. I recently got another fill (only .6 cc) and I'm tight again. I'm back to 3-4 bites of food, chewed very well, and then I'm full and not hungry for 3+ hours. Am I always satisfied? Hell no, but that was pretty much why I was over weight to begin with....... I recently had someone tell me how "lucky" I was to have the band. As I sat there a few minutes, staring at her, I finally said, "yea, I'm real lucky. I just had one chip, with some queso with sausage, and now I'm full for the rest of the evening - I'm real lucky". Sometimes eating isn't just about satisfing your hunger.....it's also a social event that we now can't participate in. But in the end - I'm ok with that! When people see how sucessful I've been with the band and ask me if they should have it, I tell them only if you never want to eat another hambuger again........and that's just a fact you have to live with. At least while you are losing the weight. Banded 11/09 - 290 lbs Current weight - 225 lbs

Got my fill - only .6cc this time - smallest fill I've ever had. Now I'm nice and tight. Back to 3-4 bits and I'm done! I stay nice and full and never hungry....once again, I have to remind myself that I need to eat otherwise I start filling weak! Already lost 5 pounds in 5 days! Back on track again.....wooohooo!

You guys are in for a rude awakening if you're already "cheating"! It is true that right after surgery your stomach will be swollen and you won't really feel like eating, but.........all Doctors are different when it comes to your first fill and as the swelling goes down, the opening between your little stomach and the rest of your stomach gets bigger.......and you can eat more food and worse - any type of food! Some of us even managed to gain some weight before our first fill. I saw one post where a woman says she's at 8cc on a 10cc band and she has only lost 1 pound.....in 6 months! That means she is eating all the wrong food - cheating! My suggestion is to stick as closely to the diet as you can - and try a Protein drink with more protein!!! I still drink the Myoplex Lite (20 grams of protein) for breakfast since I can't really eat first think in the AM. I've lost 65 pounds in 9 months. BTW - I was afraid that I couldn't stick to a liquid diet for 10 days before my surgery so I started the liquid diet for 2 meals per day 4 weeks before my surgery! Then the 10 days full liquid was an easy tranistion. Good Lucky!

Hope you really didn't mean 3 plates of pasta!!! That's extreme! When you say you can eat anything you want except most breads and some meats, then what are you eating? When I'm tight and losing, I can't eat any breads and very, very little meat. If you are eating chips and slider foods you will not lose weight - no matter how much less you eat now compared to before the surgery. The band doesn't work miracles.......you've got to help it by eating the right foods. You could have 10cc in a 10cc band and still not lose weight if you aren't eating correctly.