MountainMama

Congrats!!:smile2::thumbup: I am so glad for you. I am battling these last few pounds to get into one-derland myself and am excited just being this close, I cant imagine how it is going to be when I get on the scale that wonderful morning and it says 199.X ! So once again CONGRATULATIONS and keep up the good work!

LOL, that made me crack up. I have gotten a smile from a random man at the grocery store and that in and of itself felt great. It had been a very long time since someone other than my husband noticed me and that simple smile made me feel better about my appearance to others. I dont count on those things to make me feel good about myself but it certainly helps boost the way am I already starting to feel. GO US!

My SIL had bypass in December '09 and tried to tell me all that her doc had told her about how the band was no good because the weight loss was too slow and so on. Well, I had my band in April, a mere 4 months after her surgery, and she is down 115 and I am down 70. I do not think that 70 pounds it too shabby considering that the weight loss is going to be too "slow" for my liking. I find it ironic becausemy SIL is always in a round about way asking things like, "So how are you doing with the band? Are you still losing? What are you down to now?" etc.etc. etc It kills her that I weigh less than she does now and I used the band instead of bypass. She does not take into consideration how much heavier she was than me when she started, but she has definitly made this into a competition for herself. I dont look at it like that at all. I am glad to lose the weight slowly and am okay with not losing faster, this sure as heck is faster then I excpected to lose in the first place. I think that some people may actually mean well, to a point, when they spout off stupidity. A lot of them have seen us fail so many times before that they, in a strange way may be trying to soften the blow of possible recurrent failure even after the band.

I recently went out to dinner with my husband and had stopped at JCPenney to buy a shirt before we went out. I broused the plus size section and took a few 1x shirts to try on, imagine my surprise when they were too big. That meant that I actually had to go into the "normal" size section and look there. When I tried on my new selections and they fit, I was standing there literally crying in the dressing room. I was totally full of different emotions. I was so happy that I could shop in a regular store, thrilled that I looked good in a regular XL, afraid that I will fail and end up back in the plus size section, terrified that I would have to admit I have never been able to follow through with anything. It is scary to change. I have failed so many times that it is just a part of me and I am afraid of doing it yet again. BUT my attitude is slowly changing as I shed the weight and change my habits. Now I say no to a piece of Halloween candy just because I dont want it, when before I know I would NEVER have said no, I stop and think "Hey you just said no thanks and meant no thanks,PLUS you arent fixated on that now." Changing is hard but I am learning to welcome it with open arms .

Bread is not my friend,I havent been able to eat a sandwich bagel or pbj since banding in April.. Yet i can eat dark toast and crackers, go figure. The rest of the time if I have stuck or "slightly" stuck episodes it is because I have eaten to fast or have not chewed thoroughly.

Thank you guys for sharing your stories. I feel so glad for all of us that we are starting over, yet I feel sad for us that we have allowed what other think to influence us for so long. I knew that the lapband would change the way I looked on the outside but I cant tell you how happy it has made me that it is changing me on the inside too. Self confidence is something that I thought I had, fat and all. Now I know I was so wrong, it was a show to have people think I was stronger than I really was. The real confidence is just starting to come to the surface. This board has been such a wonderful link to what this journey is about. You guys rock!:thumbup::woot:

My moment wasnt so much embarrassing as it was funny. I am a nurse and work on an acute care floor of a hospital, well when I got banded a "code blue" was called on a gastric bypass patient in the next room in the middle of the night. Well, dead asleep I sort of heard the code being called and when I was awake enough to fully understand what was going on, I jumped up out of bed with my legs still strapped into my SCD's. I JUST missed smashing my face into the wall as my tangled legs tried to get to the code blue. I was at work in my sleepy headed fog, not recovering from surgery myself, so I had to get to that code,lol. I yelled out in pain, and my nurse stuck his head in the door and asked if I was okay. I quickly told him that I was in pain and he said he would be back, they had an emergency. It was almost an hour before my nurse was able to come back but that was quite okay with me. As for the bypass patient, he was okay, thank God.

I stayed overnight in the hospital and was glad for it. I respond poorly to anethesia and didnt fully wake up and act coherent until about 3 in the afternoon, my surgery was at 10 in the morning,lol. My husband said, "finally, i thought you were never gonna wake up." I utilized the time at the hospital to be waited on. I had my liquids delivered, my pain meds given IV and was able to rest knowing I didnt have anything other then feeling better to worry about. Had I been home that first night I would have been having children running all over, a dog barking and a husband yelling at this kids and dog to leave me alone lol. My nurses were wonderful. They came in very quickly after I rang out to them and they never took long when I needed pain or nausea meds. For me, the only thing about being in the hospital was, its just not as comfy being in someone elses bed then it is in your own. Recovery is different for everyone, after that night in the hospital my husband, the kids and I all piled into the car and drove from West Virginia to Tennessee to visit family. I was sore and tired out more quickly then normal but I think all the walking I did was beneficial. I just kept my pain meds handy. As far as my incisions, I left the steri strips in place until they came off on their own in the shower. I had no dicharge or problems from them at all. Talk to your doc about what he/she thinks is right for you. There are reasons that some are kept over night more so then for others. You may well be able to do a same day surgery. Good luck to you!

Oh my goodness, I am feeling the pain with yall. Literally. I was banded 4/29/10 and for the past week have been getting so bloated, gassy and boy it hurts. I am drinking some bigelow mint medley tea right now because while I was pregnant it helped calm my stomach. I am not sure what the problem is because I am not doing anything different then I have been all along. I do not like this at all. I am thinking that I may start taking beano to try and cut it off before it starts.

Hi all, just finished my labor day challenge successfully and thought that I would try to stay on a roll by joining the HOHOHO challenge. I am in to drop 25 pounds by christmas.:thumbup:

Hello everyone, congrats to everyone for our continued weightloss and successes on this challenge. I was able to pass my weightloss goal of 15 pounds by 3 pounds and am thrilled with that :w00t::w00t: This challenge helped keep me focused because I didnt want to fail. Thanks for posting it and helping keep me in line. :thumbup:

Hi there all you April bandsters :w00t: Its good to see this thread pop up to the top so we can check in. I am doing okay here just a little bit tight with this last fill. 6cc's in a 10cc band, but I am trying to hold out to see if it loosens up a little bit. Seems that I can eat okay one day and the next I cant really eat much of anything. Keeping my fingers crossed for it to loosen instead of having to go get an unfill, but I will if it doesnt let up. I hope to see from a few more people to see how everyone else is fairing. This has been the best decision I could have possibly made. I havent been on BP meds in a few weeks and at a blood drive at work yesterday my BP was 102/63!! I was very excited! I still have a ways to go but I am taking it as it comes. Keep up the good work everyone!!:thumbup::hurray::wub:

Although I do agree that people around you shouldnt have to change their habits, I do feel that a little bit of support is warranted. Having the fast food right under her nose is not very nice especially since they are only eating it because she isnt cooking at this time. With all that said, my advice is to try and take this time to realise how much effort and change is in your future. I am only banded since 4/29 and learning more of my strengths and weaknesses daily. If your family isnt going to be more considerate, chalk up your willpower to stay on liquids as a mini victory and hold your head high. Good luck on your journey.

What in the world causes that?! I had a fill today and my sinuses were draining like crazy. It took a minute for my Water to drain after the fill and as I was driving home my sinuses started draining in droves. Any ideas?

I have been overweight since childhood and always thought I was "healthy" for my size. You would think being a nurse I would have known better,I was just deluding myself. In January I was diagnosed with hypertension and sat there in disbelief. When it finally hit me that I was not "healthy" and that diabetes was just around the corner I needed to do something. LAP-BAND® has been so helpful already, I know that it is the best decision I could have made.

Hey there everyone. I was hoping to get a few opinions here to help me out. I am going on vacation in two weeks, I currently have 4cc's in a 10cc band and do not have much restriction yet. I have been will powering my way through over eating and doing my best to make good food choices. I have a fill appointment two days before I leave for vacation and at the last two visits my doctor has put in 2cc each time. My question is, if it were you, would you try adding 2cc more or 1cc more even if you were able to get down your Water easily at 2cc? I am afraid that I will get stuck or need an unfill while I am away. If it were you what would you do? TYIA

Hello DonTony, congratulations on your decision and welcome to the best support center in the world. This message board has been a God send to me. There is an answer for every question you can come up with and the people here are wonderful. I see you are from Howard Beach, I grew up in South Ozone Park but live in the beautiful hills of West Virginia now. Eat a slice of New Park and a prosciutto sandwich at Gino's for me before you get your band. :rolleyes2: MMMM no wonder I am fat, growing up there with all that deliciousness. Good luck!

We were banded on the same day. I had my second fill on the 9th. So far I got stuck once but I have to admit it was my fault. I didnt chew properly and paid for it. This fill has showed me that I needed to slow down and be more aware of myself when I am eating. I too can still eat what I want, with the exception of sliced bread, but I am trying my best to make Band and health smart decisions. Give yourself the chance to be alert to the small changes you will feel after this fill. And be smarter then I was, CHEW when you come off the liquids. :tt2: Good luck at your fill.

I am jumping in, hoping to boost my slow weight loss with a bit of self imposed competition. 15 pounds is my hope by Sept. 6th :thumbup:

I like to take eggplant and slice them fairly thin, coat in eggwhite, dredge through italian style bread crumbs and bake in the oven on 350 until golden/dark brown. I eat them as is but my husband thinks its a sin to eat eggplant without sauce and mozzarella cheese dripping from it. :smile:

Just curious, how long did your port area stay "swollen" looking? I was banded on 4-29 and the area where my port is still has an appearance of puffiness. No pain or reddness, just puffy and sticks out further than the other side of my stomach. I know I am still healing, just wondering if this will ever flatten out?

I have only been banded for a month but not been nauseas at all. I do however get very sick and nauseas from anesthesia, so preop I made sure to let the anesthesiologist know. He placed a scopalamine patch behind my ear. Post op, as soon as I felt the slightest wave of nausea I let my nurse know so I could get my phenergan as soon as it was due. My nursing staff was superb. They did not take long to administer any meds when I let them know I had the need. There is no need for you to feel nauseas :smile2: or be in pain :thumbup: after your banding, so speak up when you feel it.

That is awesome! I think maybe he was enjoying the fruits of you labor without much chatter :thumbup:

I am so glad with this choice. It has definitly been a work in progress trying to change my eating and the way I think but so far I would not change this for anything. I had my first fill yesterday. I do not respond well to local anesthetics so the prick of the needle was somewhat bothersome but after that all went well. I had 3cc'c placed in an empty 10cc band. When I tried to sip on the Water I was stuck. My surgeon removed 1cc and all was good. I go back July 9th for my next fill. I am sure that this will be a long and trying road but we are all so awesome. We have made the choice to live longer and healthier lives with the help of this tool. GO US!:thumbup::thumbup:

Hello all. I was banded on 4/29 and am finally feeling better. Able to roll over, bend over or get off the couch without a tugging pain at my port site. I am starting to notice that I am getting hungry fairly quickly after eating now, so I am looking forward to my first fill on the 21st. I havent lost anything in a few days but received my first compliments when I got to work, YAY! People who I have not seen in a number of days said that they can see the difference in my face already. Lets keep up the good work and keep up with all the great support!:laugh: