MountainMama

Ladies, how many of you have experienced missed periods with your rapid weight loss? I finally caved and took a pregnancy test today, which was negative thank goodness, because I was nine days late on my period. I think my husband was going to :puke: I am normally very regular so I knew something wasnt Kosher. I know that the rapid weight loss can cause the missed periods because of hormonal shifts, I was just wondering if it is pretty common side effect and alot of you have had it happen as well.

I gave birth to my 3rd child in January of 2012 and have been complacent ever since. During the pregnancy I had to have half of my fill removed and never had it replaced. During the pregnancy I gained 60 pounds and have managed to hold on to 35 of them, all this time later. I am a self pay and never really find the money or time to go get it filled again, which when I think about it have just been excuses. I am not proud to admit this but a family member who had VGS has surpassed me in her weightloss journey and jealousy has brought me back to the place I was before WLS. I am disgusted that her success has sparked so much jealousy in me. I am very proud of her and thoroughly happy for her because I know exactly how she feels but so disappointed in myself. I plan of using this to turn myself around, starting today. As of today I am starting over. No excuses, no more envy, taking accountability for myself and asking for help. I cannot allow myself to stay where I am because that means I am not moving forward or upward. Thank you for just being here to allow me to put it in writing because saying it in my head with no one watching is just not the same. May 13, 2012 - 206 lbs June 13 Goal - 198 lbs

Name, real or screen~ Melissa Goal weight for April 29th~ 190 Weight on April 1st~ (March 24th) 202 lbs Age~ 35 Dietary goal for April~ Follow the rules Exercise goal for April~ Exercise daily for at least 30 minutes Personal goal for April~ Avoid self sabotage Date banded~ April 29, 2010 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~ 77.5 lbs What is your favorite part about spring~ The smell of the cool morning air when I open the door to go to work. I look forward to being part of this challenge. I need some accountability to someone other then myself, that doesnt seem to be working since having my son 2 months ago.

Congratulations! I am in complete agreement with the first reply. You are going to do great as long as you listen to your body and band. I just delivered my son on 1/29 and everything about him is perfect! Losing weight can now be my focus again, before it was about a healthy pregnancy. Good luck!!!

Hello ladies. I know you all will be able to help if anyone can. I am 18 weeks 4 days along. I currently have 6cc in my 10cc band ( have had it at 6cc since August of '10 ). During the day I can still eat and drink fine, no problems at all. HOWEVER, at night I am waking up literaly choking on reflux. I figure if this keeps up I will have aspiration pneumonia in no time at all. I have stopped eating and drinking after 7pm and that has not helped. Do you all think that I need to have some of my saline taken out? I dont understand why I am fine all day long with my band, but the nighttime is turning into a nightmare. Any ideas or suggestions?

Hi again ladies. I appreciate you reponse. I think I am going to go get some saline taken out. I have been having a little success with OTC meds as well, but it still isnt quite cutting it. I am nervous to get some out because I am able to eat and drink now but have been maintaining my weight. I feel safe where I am at with weight and the nutrition standpoint for the baby, so my nerves are on edge about getting some out because of this reflux. :confused_smile: I am very fearful of my weight starting to climb after I do it, and I do not mean just baby weight, I am petrified of starting to add back the "extra". Anyone else going through this?

100 pounds are gone forever!!! This morning I dragged my unmotivated butt onto the scale thinking, "tomorrow is my surgiversary and I will not have met my 100 pound goal because my weightloss has slowed to a near STOP" whoa is me.... well instead I got on one day before my surgiversary and voila!!! 100.5 pounds are gone. :success1: I think that I floated off the scale but I am not sure, I cant really remember clearly because I think I momentarily got hysterical,lol. I just wanted to post my unending happiness on here so others can be given the hope that yes it is possible. We all do the best we can and still have days that we feel that the end is never going to be in sight, well it can happen! This has been one of the hardest things I have done in my life. I didnt take the "EASY" road as some like to think and judge, but, I did get the tool I needed to take my life back. Congratulations to all of us who have had the nerve to demand that we deserve better than to just settle for being overweight and unhealthy.! You all have given me many days of motivation and I want to do the same for those starting out, feeling stuck or just having a bad day. YOU CAN DO IT TOO!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH LBT, you are so wonderful!!! :thankyou: :thankyou: :thankyou:

My latest NSV was sending a pic of myself in 2 different dresses to my mom to see which looked better. When she showed it to my niece to get her honest 11 year old opinion, my niece replied "The black and white one looks better, besides who is that anyway?" That made my day. :woot:

Weight loss charm bracelet? I am thinking of a couple of possibilities, but can you tell me what is your bracelet like? Sounds like something I might like to do for myself.

Hello there and congrats to all of you future April Bandsters. I had my band placed April 29, 2010. It has been a wonderful, occasionally challenging, frustrating, joyful, self discovering and celebratory year for me. I found that the lapband was the best possible decision I could have made to regain my health and my life. I hope that all of you have as wonderful and successful year as I and others have had. Your new life is about to begin. Do not be afraid; stay true to yourself; follow your instincts but ask for help when you aren't sure about things; give yourself time to learn how to utilize your new tool; allow yourself the chance to make mistakes without coming down too hard on yourself; don't forget that the band isn't a miracle cure because you are going to have to work at it, but most I think you need to remember to be proud of yourself, proud that this month you are doing something for you and you are going to take your life back. Welcome, and best of luck to all of you!

First off, congrats on your doing so well, you should be very proud of yourself. As far as your mentioned fears, I think most of us feel this way. We have had ups and downs so many times in our lives fighting this weightloss battle that we never really get the fear completely out of our heads. I received advice from one of my doctors regarding clothes. As I was losing weight and I went into my doctors office for a follow up in a suit that was definitly too big. He looked at me and said, "I think its time to get rid of all your too big clothes. Keeping them will only give you a ready made wardrobe to fit back into. You would be surprised just how much motivation you will find to keep losing if your clothes start getting tight again and you have nothing bigger to fit into." I have gotten rid of all of my fat clothes as I lose. I have family who can use them so I box them up immediately and send them off. Even with the clothes gone though there is still the fear. I dont think I will ever be over it entirely. But then again a little bit of fear can be helpful in motivating us to work hard. You have come this far, keep up what you have been doing and celebrate your successes!

Her name is "Smidge" because she only lets me eat a smidge of this or a smidge of that at any given time. :lol2: I love being banded, it has been such a wonderful blessing.

Congrats! Reaching these smaller goals makes getting to the big one seem so much more do-able. I hope that you continue to do so fabulous!!:woot:

weight - 279.5 height - 5'7 bmi - 42 co's - high blood pressure, stress incontinence, joint pain, depression ins. - Federal BCBS All of my co's are gone or on there way to being totally gone. The band has changed my life in so many great ways. I hope your journey goes well and the band does for you what it has already done for so many of us here.

I too am one of those people who watches the videos on utube of before and afters looking for what the light at the end of the tunnel will be. Thank you for adding to that inspiration. Congratulations on your success!!

That is awesome isnt it?! I work a med/surg unit as well and someone who I haven't seen in a few weeks said "whats up thin mint?" That made me feel good because I cant see my weight loss unless I am looking at pics side by side. Congrats, and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment!!

In the same boat with you all. I can remember one time, at my heaviest weight of 325, walking past a bus shelter and seeing my reflection. I had taken extra time to get ready that day and actually said, "man I look good today!" My mom who was with me at time looked at me and said, "I am a good mom because I have given you GREAT self esteem." Looking back, I really did think I looked good because I wasnt seeing myself for what I was looking like to everyone else. Lord knows there are very few pictures of me at my highest weight because I "knew" what I really looked like and didnt want pics to be around for all time showing people that. Yet, in my ever head I convinced myself that it wasnt what it really was, to protect myself emotionally. So glad to be where I am today!

I look at things a little differently then some of you. I feel like my family should not suffer because I could not keep my mouth closed. I still buy them the indulgences that they like. They did not go on diets or have to get a tool as wonderful as the band is, to lose weight so I don't take out my shortcomings on them. There are times it is verrrrry difficult to see something I really want to eat, and ocassionally I do eat some, in moderation. With all that said, those of you who do things differently are just doing what works for you and you all should be proud because they numbers on your tickers show how well its working for you. This journey is different for everyone and the way we go about doing is different as well, but as long as we get the desired results its worth it. It is funny to me how I look at food now. I used to look at it and not care what or how much of it I ate, all I was concerned with was how good it tasted and how much more I could have. Now, its like I am looking at a calorie, the bigger the number in my mouth means the smaller the results number on the scale. It was a difficult decision to make, getting the band, but I see now that it was the best thing I have ever done for myself.

Congratulations on your surgery. Hope all is well and you are doing great. :teeth_smile: This site was a God send for me as well. Anything I could think of that I felt like I needed to ask, miraculousy had a thread about it somewhere. I continue to come almost daily and read up on other peoples successes, slips and methods for using their band. Good luck and welcome to the best support place there is!

Last night I went to my daughters school for a family night. When we got there they were putting on a skit from a book that the kids had read and wanted the children to participate. The woman running the skit said will you be the momma skunk?, I stood there for a second and the word YES was out of my mouth before I knew it.:thumbdown: Well, my role was to be the momma skunk to my babies, which my daughter was one of, and teach them how to spray what we are aiming at. SOO, I had to aim my big ol' butt and shake itttttt.:tongue2::eek: The kids were laughing and having a good time and they started doing it too. It was a lot of fun. In the car on the way home my 6 year old daughter said, "Momma that was really fun. I feel really happy." Well, I got all teary eyed because I thought to myself, how much silliness and fun have I caused her to miss out on because I know full well that 65 pounds ago I would never have gotten up there in front of all those people and did that. I did my best to blend in, forget stand out and shake my butt! Having that time with her and knowing that her comment was genuine is the best thing that has come out of me having the band so far. I look sooo forward to all the memories that we are going to make since I have gotten this wonderful opportunity to start over! How about you guys have you had anything similar happen?? A moment that you realized you are begining to do things you would never have done before?

I always vomit after surgery and I too made it a point to get the scopalamine patch behind my ear. As soon as I opened my eyes after surgery I asked for my phenergan to keep from getting nauseated. I asked my nurse how often I was allowed to have my antinausea meds and was sure to ask for them when they were allowed to be administered again, even when I didnt need them just to be sure I didnt get that horrid feeling. As far as pain went, I did take the oxycodone my doc prescribed because I am a big baby and have a terribly low pain tolerance. The good news was that I only had to take a few as the pain was much more tolerable then I expected. My husband surprised me with a trip to TN the DAY I was released from the hospital. I got in all the walking my little heart desired and I think that it was the best thing that could have happened. I will give you my opinion as to how this journey has been for me. If I had to do over again, I would take tons of nausea and lots of pain if I could have been guaranteed the results that I have had with this wonderful tool. Like you I have children that I wanted to be healthy for, a wonderful husband that I want a long partnership with and a life was good but I wanted it to be great . I have gotten all of these things and it hasnt even been a year yet. I have far to go still but it was all worth it and then some. My only regret was not being able to have this life changing surgery a long time ago, as I have been overweight since childhood. Research, go to support groups to hear people stories, talk to your insurance and continue to find places where you can hear all different takes on WLS. It isnt for everyone but it was just the right thing for me. You will do what is right for you, good luck !!

and I have finally found the numbers on the scale to be below 200! I was in tears this morning when I got on and it read 198.8. I feel like I have won the lottery, yet I dont think any amount of money could make me feel any better than this very moment. To know that I will never again weigh over 200 pounds gives me such a piece of mind and lighter load on my shoulders. We are awesome, we struggle every day to beat the demons we carry and this tool is helping us every step of the way. I dont care if people say it was the easy way, for me to live a longer, happier and healthier life it was the only way!

Add me to the list... I too need to get back into gear. I finally broke into onederland in November but have only lost 1 pound since then, using the holidays as an excuse to stray from the plan that has been working so well for me up until then. I am going back to NY to see my family in April, all of whom havent seen me in a very long time. I plan on getting myself back on track to show myself that I can follow through with what I set my mind to AND to show them how much better I look and feel. WE WILL ROCK OUR BANDS IN 2011 !!! Happy New Year to everyone!

Hi there. Previous poster was right, you should not feel your arm as hot to the touch or be having continuous pain. It could be a sign of infection but could also be a sign of a blood clot. I would give your surgeon a call and see what they think you need to do. I would not wait around for it to feel better. Better to er on the side of caution and nothing be wrong. Let us know how things go.

I do not know if it the same for medicare/caid as it is for private insurance but things like; stress incontinence, migraines, joint pain, depression, diabetes, sleep apnea and hypertension were all comorbidities. The list of comorbidities that my doc had was even longer but off the top of my head I cant remember them all. Check out and see if you can find what the list of comorbidities for that program is. You may be surprised to find that you do have some. Good luck. :smile2: