jenslapband

Isn't it so wierd how our brain sees the food and wants it soooo bad that we get ourselves in trouble? It is such a hard thing to overcome. After all I have been through this past week I have decided that when I can start eating again (not for another two weeks) I am literally going to take a 1/2 C. measuring cup with me everywhere. I don't care if I have to put it on my key chain. I am going to measure out 1/2 C. of whatever I eat and set it aside. My brain just isn't getting it and although sometimes I time it just right to stop when I feel full, it is those times that I take just one or two extra bites because I'm not paying attention, that are setting me back. I can always eat another 1/2 C. after a couple of hours - that is what I have to remember when I feel like I am being deprived. This is hard - and they say it is the easy way.....ha, just try to go through our year in our footsteps!!! Yay, us!

Thank you everyone for your kind words, prayers, etc. Now when I talk about vomiting, keep in mind I mean the full-fledged, muscles totally contracting and coming from the pit kind of vomit. I am not talking about PB or a spit up of food. Josie, if you are vomiting every couple of days and you are absolutely sure you are not eating: too fast, too big of bites or too much, then you are too tight. It is NOT worth it to be too tight. If you can't get the amount of food in that you need it will slow down your metablolism anyway and you will stop losing as much and might gain. I have vomited a couple times since January, I then started vomiting about every other day a couple weeks ago and my doctor and I wondered about my gallbladder. We ruled that out and then between Thursday and Friday, before the emergency surgery I vomited about ten times. Ironically, this is not what made the stomach prolapse through the band - it was from something (vomiting possibly, they aren't sure) that happened awhile back. They are still quite perplexed over the whole thing. I feel better today although pretty weak. My brother took me to a job interview that I have had planned for about two weeks and I was able to function as a normal person. The weight is just falling off at this point but I am going to be really baggy since I can't exercise - I won't complain, I promise. I can always build the muscle later. Wow, I still just think over the last couple of days and can't believe all that has happened. We can do this, especially together. We will reach our goals, we will be healthy. We will extend our lives and the quality of our lives. Go January Bandsters!!!!!

Hi everyone, I had the weekend from HELL!!!! On Thursday and Friday I vomited everytime I ate. I left work early on Friday and while sitting in the parking lot of the ER I paged my Dr. He met me inside to do an upper GI. Nothing would pass. I ended up having emergency surgery Friday night. My band has slipped and my stomach had come up through the band. I had this huge tube down my nose and had to have an upper GI twice a day until the liquid would pass. When it wouldn't the liquid would be sucked out through the tube. I've had a drain in my stomach until today. It was so scary and painful. I have to be on clear liquids for three weeks. I don't know what will happen after that. So, basically I had the entire surgery a second time this past weekend. I had to pay for the original surgery and will probably get the bill for this one too. Oh my God, I hope I don't lose my house over all this. I am feeling so selfish suddenly - and very scared. The doctor said he has NEVER seen what had happened to me and he has done thousands of these surgeries. I will write more later - love to you all, please say a prayer for me, I have never been so scared in my whole life. Jennifer

Hi everyone! I wrote a big entry yesterday and it didn't work, how weird! Anyway, Tulip, I don't know how much I have in my band total but the amount they took out at my last tiny unfill was .5 and I will go back in a couple weeks, after the swelling and irritation has healed, to have .25 put back in. Sula you are doing great - good job!

I feel so much better after getting my small unfill. What a difference - but I still have restriction. So, the lesson here is: if you lay down and food/liquid chokes you - you are too tight. If you get acid in your PBs - you are too tight. If your esophagus starts to sting, burn or hurt - you are too tight. If solid protein hasn't "passed" through the stoma or band opening within three hours - you are too tight. My esophagus feels pretty normal this morning. I am hoping I won't have to have an upper GI to check it. When I got the unfill on Friday I was told that if it didn't feel better by Monday I would have to but I don't have any pain now. Thank God! It was scary to have the unfill - I thought I wouldn't have restriction and gain weight but the damage we can do to our band and body is far more important than continuing to be too tight. One more lesson I guess! I hope everyone is doing well, I'm sure many of you are busy, busy getting the kids back to school. Sunshine, I am thinking about you and your surgery - hope all is well with you. If you lived close I would bring you and your family dinner! Jennifer

It is the middle of the night and here I am. When I lay down and fall asleep I choke. This has been getting progressively worse since my last fill. I need a tiny, tiny bit taken out. I also have a cold, probably because I can't get good sleep! and that has me all congested so I feel like I am drowning! Sula, thank you for your kind words, I appreciate it. Sunshine, I'm so sorry to hear about your knee! Thank God you have lost so much weight and are so healthy now. Can you imagine having to go through such a major surgery before the weight loss and exercise? Good luck to you, we will all be thinking of you and anxiously waiting to hear how you are. My bike has been broken and the pool I swim at is closed for two weeks for maintenance. Usually I would have been thrilled at the perfect excuse not to exercise but instead I am kind of lost! I have my trusty treadmill. I will try to download some pictures. One is my before picture - yikes, extra ugly because I don't have any make-up on, and the other is about a month ago. Before&Current.pdf

Hello everyone, Yesterday was the monthly seminar that my surgeon gives for people considering surgery. As an established patient I volunteer to go and talk to anyone who might have questions. I had someone say to me (who is also a patient) "Hi, are you thinking about having surgery? Which surgery?" I was so mad, sad, stunned, frustrated. I'm sure this person didn't mean to be offensive but the way she worded her question was terrible. I just smiled and said, "I am already a patient, I had LapBand surgery in January." I have been so depressed - people are so careless and can be so rude! I am down 55 lbs. I went to a dietician for a "private lesson" last week and she said I am doing fine and am actually ahead of the National Average of weight loss for LapBand patients. Although I feel like I am losing the weight kind of slow, my skin looks good as I build much needed muscle so I try to remember that. I average about 1,500-1,800 calories a day, exercise about 20-60 minutes a day and she said that is definitely perfect. She thought I was at my "sweet spot" as far as fills because I can eat solid foods but not much! My Protein intake averages 100-120 g per day and she said that was plenty and to be careful not to go any higher. She encouraged me to increase my Metamucil (or any Fiber supplement) to twice a day since I can't get in enough fruits and vegetables. She was adamant about taking my Vitamins and Calcium (I am post-menopausal.) I was getting severe cramps while swimming and she told me I needed more potassium. I am trying to eat a half of a banana per day and a couple of prunes. I also drink diluted Gatorade or Vitamin Water before and after swimming and that has helped a lot. Hopefully, these tips can help some of you - I thought it was a very beneficial appt. This dietician is so awesome...her motto is "all foods, fit." In other words, there are no good or bad foods. That is nice since I have really struggled with a binge disorder and the minute someone tells me I can't have something, it seems to be all I want. Love to you all! Jennifer

My scale is from Avon also and it is really good. It can show you how hydrated you are and also your body fat. I only use it for pounds and it is the same even if I get on it a couple times in a row. My new goal is to make exercise - even if it is only 15-20 minutes - as routine as brushing my teeth and washing my face is. I would never go out in the morning without brushing my teeth and I would never go to sleep with make-up on so I'm hoping I can use the same discipline for the exercise every day. Then if I also go for a bike ride, additional walk or a swim, that will be even better!

Hi everybody, it is great to get caught up on all the posts! Sunshine - what a difference! You look so healthy and strong! I am so proud of you and very inspired! Thank you for posting those pictures, they really show off what the excercise is doing in addition to the weight loss. Sula, Enterprise...everyone you are such motivators - thank you! I needed a fill and while waiting for my appointment I was careless and started to gain a couple of pounds. I got my fill and have lost the pounds I gained. I have a terrible sweet tooth and also have a tendency to eat too much then PB some out. I have to stop that. It is bad for the esophagus and just a terrible habit. I need to pay attention to what, how much and how fast I am eating. I need to use my tool as it is to be used. I'm so glad I read everyone's successes, I feel renewed! ((((hugs to everyone))))

Hi everybody, I just got caught up reading everyone's posts - congratulations on the weight lost and inches lost but mostly on what has been learned. Reading what you have gone through and how you have changed it has really been an inspiration for me. Thanks! My 6-month anniversary came and went and I am still at about 50 pounds. I feel like I am still losing inches but I go up and down with the same 4 pounds. I need to kick up my exercise to get the loss going again. I am having a garage sale tommorrow and as I got out all the clothes that don't fit I had mixed emotions - the money I wasted vs. the excitement that I will never wear that size again. Then I came across my biggest pair of jeans that barely fit me before my band. I put them on. Wow, that was something - rather an emotional experience. :think I need to get another tiny fill. I can eat too much and I can eat things that I shouldn't be able to get down. I just got a decent bike and loooooove going for rides (I like it better than walking because the wind blows and I don't sweat as much - ha ha!) Well that is all for me, great job everybody! :eyebrows:

Loser28 - for me I wanted to do the exercise perfectly so I never started!! Well, how ridiculous, what in the world does anyone do perfectly!! So, I did 10 to 20 minutes when I could. Sometimes it was/is 3 times a day, sometimes it was/is 3 days a week. But I try not to judge myself. Everything counts toward better health, more muscle, additional weight loss. As far as a slipped band I, too worry about it but thus far haven't had any justification to worry. I have had lots of things stuck, even yesterday had to go in and have an emergency unfill to get my lunch to pass. I was sure I had screwed the band up but my doctor's office wasn't worried and just said to take it easy until the inflammation goes down, then come back in to get filled. I don't even know why my lunch got stuck, I didn't do anything foolish, it just happened. I do know someone whose band slipped, she had her surgery about 5 years ago, didn't use her tool correctly, ate too much, too fast, drank alot of alcohol and didn't get her protein in. Hmmmmm, suddenly she threw up EVERYTHING she ate and drank and they found that her band had slipped. So, I guess the moral of the story is that if we give it our best, do what we are supposed to and only have occasional problems it should be a success!

Just checking in. I come and read what everyone posts but I don't post often. I was down about 50 but went to a conference and didn't have as much control over what I ate and gained 3-4 pounds. It will come off in the next week or two so I'm not going to worry about it. We had to walk a lot at the airport, between classes at the conference and between the east and west tower of the hotel. I don't think I would have been able to do it without this weight loss. I was amazed. I also fell off of my chair, went down hard on my back and head and could actually walk after I got up and the day after. If that would have happened a year ago I would have needed an ambulance. What a difference 50 lbs and my exercise has made! You are all such an inspiration and I am thankful for my bandster friends everyday! Keep up the good work!

I'm home for the long weekend too. I have about 47 pounds off and am exercising like crazy to be at 50 by next weekend. I am going to see my mom and dad and really want them to be able to notice. Besides, 50 just seems like a big number! 60 will be my half way point but if I lose 100 I will be the happiest person alive! I went through clothes this weekend. It was so nice to get rid of the clothes that I wore "just because they fit." Not because I liked them or because they looked good, only because they fit. Bye-bye forever!

Are you sure you are eating often enough? My Dr. wants his lapband patients to eat 5-6 meals a day, 75% protien and 25% fruit or veggies. When you do this you are rarely hungry - physically. He also says to only eat carbs WITH protien. Realistically, 1/2 of a Whopper Jr. with only half of the bread isn't so bad. Don't beat yourself up about it. Try eating more often and stick to good dense protien and see if it helps with the physical hunger. Good luck!

Shesha - how frustrating! To go through all that you have, pay the money and have something wrong just when you are getting your momentum up. How are you doing? I am doing well, after my second fill I figured out it was too much and I actually STOPPED losing any weight so I went in and had a little taken out. Then after a couple of weeks I went back and had half of the amount taken out put in and I seem to be doing fine. I am on my way to 45 lbs. I can't believe this is actually working sometimes! I am glad I'm not losing any faster in a way because I am already getting baggy skin...but I am also very out of shape and almost 50 yrs. old. I try to keep my focus on how I feel and I feel GREAT! I am doing things (yard work, stairs, etc.) I have struggled with for the last 5 years!

I had something get stuck yesterday - bad. It went on for hours...I PBd about 5 times. It was the worst ever! I don't think I ate too much or too big of bites but I do think it was what I ate. It was really soft chicken meat but it was mixed in with peanuts, celery pieces and water chestnut pieces. I think one of those things got stuck in the opening and they are not things that soften with time. I will never eat those types of things again! Oh my it hurt. Ruined my entire Saturday. Then I was lightheaded because I hadn't had any liquids or food while I was going through all of that. Still learning I guess!

Everyone is doing so well! I have lost about 32 lbs since my pre-op weight. The weight loss has stopped right now but I am due for a fill on Tuesday. I know that I have too many high cal/fat foods during the week but since I struggle with an eating disorder as well, I try not to freak out about things at this point. It will come off, and it isn't about the NUMBER for me, it is about unlearning all the horrible habits, rituals, etc. that I had developed. I do feel better physically already and look forward to how it will feel to do stairs, walk and work in my yard when even more weight is off. I'm very excited for that!

Shues, I don't think I am to ever drink alcohol after being banded. Maybe that is just my doctor. The endoscopy was very easy...didn't feel a thing and it is very quick.

Hi! Wanted to check in, wish all upcoming bandsters good luck and let you know what is going on with me. I did the dumbest thing on my pre-op diet, hopefully I can keep others from making the same mistake. I was on liquids only but made the mistake of having almost no carbs. Everything I drank was sugar free. Well, I ended up with a migraine the night before surgery. I couldn't take anything for it and then vomited over and over and...It was so terrible. I finally paged my doctor who told me to take an Ocycodone that I already had for after surgery and one of the suppositories for naseau. That all helped. I feel good since my surgery. I am getting about 50 grams of protien in a day and am walking for 30-45 minutes. I divide the protien and exercise into 5-6 increments over the course of the day. I get to start on mushies on Sunday because I am doing so well. My doctor specifies mushies as low-sugar yogurt, refried beans, cottage cheese and eggbeaters. YUMMMMMMMMMMM!! I never thought I would be so excited to eat those four foods!! I still have to blend any chunks out of the mushies. I'm not going to weigh myself until my check-up. I am trying to stay focused on this as a HEALING time and to pay attention to how the band feels and what it feels like to eat my protien, etc.

Remember, when at first we don't eat our body goes into starvation mode and slows our metabolism down, it is a survival thing from when we had to hunt for food. It is a huge shock to our bodies and sometimes there is no weight loss.

Hi, I just wanted to tell everyone that I am home - ready to nap in my own bed!! I had to spend the night because I have sleep apnea (thank goodness it didn't cost more.) I feel great - not as painful as I thought it would be. I will give the juicy details later. Thanks for your positive thoughts and prayers!

SEPTEMBER 2006 - Although I have been heavy most of my life I have also been fit and active. I lost control after a sequence of events kept me inactive and I just couldn't "catch up" or get ahead again. In 2001 and 2005 I had major surgeries that had to be performed abdominally. That meant six weeks of sitting (and rotting!) twice. On 03/01/02 I fell and thought I had only broken my arm really bad. That was the least of my problems. I had also torn my rotator cuff, damaged my hip and my lower back. Although my weight didn't fluctuate a lot, my health began to spiral out of control because of the lack of movement in my life. After years of physical therapy, a splint worn at night to straighten my arm, a permanent tremor and several procedures on my back (that weren't successful) I knew I was headed for a wheelchair. I truly felt hopeless. I felt like I was in quicksand...sinking, sinking. Each diet was just money spent to feel like a failure. As a last resort I began attending a class at the Eating Disorder Center of Denver to help with the times that I was still binge eating. I figured I would start there. Their program, "Mindful Eating" was quite profound. It then occurred to me that if I combined what I learned there (the mental tool) with the LapBand procedure (the physical tool), I could possibly succeed at getting the weight off. I did alot of research. I attended a seminar given by Dr. Snyder and was amazed by the statistics showing how hard it was to lose weight once you had reached a morbidly obese BMI. I remember crying during the entire seminar - finally feeling like someone understood my battle. It was so comforting knowing that there was scientific proof of how hard losing weight was and that people like me weren't a bunch of misfits who just ate all day like we are so often portrayed. What impressed me the most at that seminar was when Dr Snyder said, "I am not here to do a sales presentation, I have enough patients. I am here to educate you. Whether you choose me as your doctor or someone else who is qualified, all I ask is that you are safe and successful. PLEASE don't try and cut costs by going to Mexico." He was completely sincere. Next I made my appointment with Dr. Snyder. He started me on my "to do" list to prepare for the surgery. I went to my primary care doctor and they did my lab tests. By this time I found out that I would have to pay cash for the LapBand procedure (my insurance is United Health Care) so anything my primary care physician could write a referral for or help me with, she was willing to do. OCTOBER 2006 - I went to my psychological test - wow! I was absolutely honest with the therapist so that she could give me the most helpful recommendation possible. It was hard telling some of my secrets but I knew I had to, in order to help plan my success. I went to the pulmonary specialist, Dr. Pluss and the GI specialist, Dr. Seigel. They treated me as well as Dr. Snyder. I was so impressed. Is this how patients are supposed to be treated?? It was new to me!! Dr. Pluss found that I needed a sleep study for sleep apnea and Dr. Seigel found I had two small ulcers when he performed my upper GI. No wonder I didn't feel well! I went to my nutrition class and I read every bit of information I got. I stopped by a GNC and picked up several different Protein sources and found my favorites. Every medical professional I've met has raved about Dr. Snyder. One of the things said was, "he has compassion, brains and great hands, that is very hard to find in ONE doctor." Hmmm, my first roadblock. I was hoping to get a second on my house to pay for the surgery. With the housing market the way it is and my house only being three years old, it hasn't appreciated like I had hoped and I don't have the equity. NOVEMBER 2006 - I got my loan. I feel wierd though because I didn't tell the truth about the reason I needed the money. I think that was what was causing problems before but I'm not sure. I finally said I was putting hardwood floors in my house and suddenly I was able to get a loan. Interesting, isn't it? Since this process took so long I guess I should wait until after January 1st to have the surgery that way I will be able to use $2,400 of flex money. I am ready NOW, but I guess I have to be responsible - that is a lot of money I can "save." I don't even care that I can eat one more time at the holidays. All I care about is that if I had the surgery right now, I could have a nice chunk of weight off by January 1st. NOV/DEC 2006 - I finally have an official date for my surgery. It is January 2, 2007. I feel like throwing myself on the floor and crying out of relief. I am finally relieved that the end of my misery and passive suicide is over - excited that I am getting the final tool needed to succeed at this elusive goal I've never been able to attain - permanent weight loss. I feel like this is my last chance at a quality life - I hope it isn't too late and I'm not too sick emotionally, mentally or physically.

Thank you all for your support! I am getting excited for tommorrow - not nervous definitely excited. It is a new beginning and I am so hopeful finally!

It is my second day of clear liquids only. My surgery is in the morning. I don't feel nervous or hungry although I am a little spaced out. I am curious to see how the surgery goes, how the band works and I feel like I can actually succeed - positive attitude always helps!

I just picked my Mom up from the airport today. She is here to help me during and after surgery - thank GAWD!! We just did some before pictures and I am going to take my measurements. (ewwwwwww!) Cindy, thank you for your wisdom in this thread - I enjoy reading what you have to say. Audree, I'm glad you went out and had a good time. Angy12314, I'm sorry your family views this as elective. I am sure your Mom is scared that something will happen. Once she sees that you are okay and getting healthy I hope she can be more support.