maries

had 2nd fill last monday. another 1cc to 2cc for a total of 3cc. since this weekend, have had a twingy pain in area of lap band and a tiny bit of left shoulder pain. have not had pain in either area since surgery. is this normal? should i be concerned and call doctor's office. HELP!!!!

had 1cc added to band on monday, oct 25 for a total of 3cc in a 10cc band. felt ok until the weekend when i started to get a twingy pain in the area of the lap band (left side). my left shoulder is also a tiny bit sore. is this normal?? i'm not sure if i should call doctor's office. help!!!!!

i definitely believe that stress tightens tghe band. i lost my dad in sept and since the week of the funeral i have had many instances of throwing up because my band will not allow food to get down easily. i haven't been adjusted so i'm pretty certain it's all about the stress. most days i am ok, but on my 'blue' days, the band is definitely not my friend!

i was always a big coffee drinker -- but now i just have 2 cups in the morning and sometimes another late afternoon. i've had no problems whatsoever drinking reg or decaf coffee. as others have said, liquids go down pretty easily. i think drinking the hot stuff in the morning also helps to loosen up the band. i can never eat before the coffee.

i had my first pb after eating reheated chicken breast meat -- will never do that again!! doc said to stay away from reheated chicken and if possible just eat the dark meat (jucier). i have tried chicken tenders lightly griled and they are more tender than just the breast. for my chicken fix, i buy 99% fat free ground chicken breast and make it into patties adding onion, bbq sauce, grated cheese etc. it makes it tastier and jucier. i usually grill it and add lots of ketchup. it goes down easier and most importantly stays down. as far as fruit goes, i have a problem eating plums. i guess they are just too dense for me. i stick to melons -- they go down very easily!

had barium swallow 2 weeks after surgery and won't have another for a year, unless i have problems. my surgeon does not use flouro, but does do the water test. so far so good. i've just had one fill so far, and it was a breeze.

i did the overeating thing very shortly after surgery -- i managed to find 'bad' fods that would go down and stay down. the good news is that i haven't done it in a while and i am so happy with my weight loss and more importantaly how much better i feel, that the need to binge hasn't surfaced again. right now i'm kind of in bandster hell, but i am just taking it one day at a time and concentrating on how loose my clothes are getting and that helps me get through the bad days. good luck!!!

banded on june 28th. first fill last week (aug 5th). felt a pinch when needle went in and that was it!! DID NOT HURT!!!! whole procedure probably took les than a minute including drinking water to make sure band was not too tight.

i was banded on june 28th and was shocked at how little pain i had. i was uncomfortable in the hospital , but pain was never bad enough to ask for meds. left hospital same day as surgery and did take pain meds that nite because i wanted to sleep. never needed meds after that. gas pains were bad on the 2nd day, but i used gas x and walked around my house ALOT. on wed i felt good enough to take a short walk around my neighborhood and that really got rid of the gas pains. i just had liquids 3 days prior to surgery and i think that helped with the quick recovery as well. i stayed home from work for a week, but i probably could have gone back sooner. i was soooooooo bored by thursday! anyway, i was also a nervous wreck before the surgery but it all turned out extremely well. good luck!

i was banded on monday, june 28th and went back to work the following tuesday (after 4th of july holiday). i really could have gone back on july 1st -- by wed i was feeling great and by thursday i was bored to death!!! good luck!

one of my favorite stores is dress barn and my personal goal is to shop on the 'other' side of the store!!! 2 weeks post op -- 10lbs gone since surgery -- 24 from pre-op. still a long way to go but a good start. reading other inspirational posts really helps. congratulations everyone!

i just had surgery on the 28th. at my pre-op appt my surgeon specifically said he doesn't believe in making band too restrictive so that it causes problems. his feeling is that if you want to lose weight quickly and more easily, then have a gastric bypass. i have not had any problem since my surgery and am wondering how a doc and a patient could allow a fill so tight that you can't swallopw saliva!!! wouldn't you know that before you left the doctor's office??? again, i am a very new bandster so maybe i am naive?? also, the thought of fill parties is just disgusting. without passing judgement, do-it -yourself fills sounds as abusive to the body as the overeating that caused you to need the band in the first place. additionally, i have read posts where people have gotten bands with only 40- 50 lbs to lose. my ins company won't even consider it unless you are 100 lbs or more overweight or have a very high bmi. i'm not judging, just wondering-----

getting banded tomorrow and turned 55 in april. lost 19 lbs pre-op and changed eating habits dramatically -- already feel 10 years younger. age is just a number!!! good luck and good health to you.

i'm getting banded tomorrow and i am to be on a liquid diet for only 2 days and then start progressing to individual pureed foods - only an ounce at a time. pureed for 2 weeks, soft solid for a week and then slowly solid food chewed really well. anyone else with that kind of plan??

i'm being banded this coming monday and to prep for surgery i've been using muscle milk light in chocolate flavor. of all protein drinks i've tried, this tastes the most like real chocolate milk, is not gritty and does not smell or taste vitamin-y. since i am so fussy about textures and smells, this is a perfect fit for me. congratulations on your weight loss -- i'm down 17lbs pre-op and am so pumped about continued weight loss with the band. i wish you continued success!

am getting banded on mon, the 28th and while excited, anxiety about the surgery is starting to get to me. i've already lost 17 lbs on low carb diet (1 meal per day) and liquids the rest of the time. i did have a strong craving for ribs yesterday and in a moment of weakness, i gave into it and purchased a rib dinner to go. normalky i would inhale the stuff, not so this time. i ate half (and it didn't taste as good as i was anticipating) and threw the rest away. so even though i was 'bad', i felt encouraged that my new eating habits are kicking in. i think the craving really came more from my anxiety than an actual need for the ribs. anyway, only 5 more days till surgery. my doctor is allowing me to have all liquids and one light dinner meal, however, i've decided to go with all liquids on sat and sun. good luck to all my fellow june bandsters. i'm looking forward to hearing about your results!!

i am being banded on june 28th and i too went thru the whole binging on favorite food thing for a few months. anyway, for the last month, i have really been watching what i've been eating. i stopped all carbs, pasta, bread, rice, potatoes, etc. and have concentrated on proteins and vegetables and fruit. i lost 10 lbs. last week i was on a one week cruise to bermuda and again, was very careful and lost another 4 lbs. i've also been exercising every day. i have really lost my craving for the carbs -- and they were always my biggest downfall. on sunday my husband wanted pasta which i made but i didn't eat nearly as much of it as i usually did and while i enjoyed it, i would have been just as happy with chicken. i have my pre-op testing this friday and then i will be on total liquids until surgery day. i won't say its been easy, but i see a light at the end of the tunnel and i think that is what is giving me the motivation to stay on track. i am concerned about not feeling great once i start eating solids after the surgery. i am terrified of vomiting and having food get 'stuck'. but i will try to take one day at a time and enjoy my shrinking figure!!! good luck t all my fellow bandsters, esp the june ones!!

i know what you are going thru. i started this process last august and am being banded on june 28th -- almost a year later!!!! i'm having surgery done at columbia-presbyterian in nyc. they have a metabolic weight loss center. they will provide you with names of providers (nutritionists, psych eval, etc.) so they are very helpful in that way. my ins required 6 months of weighins and i didn't know that until september so i didn't have my last weigh in until feb. it was my primary caretaker on long island that was so difficult about writing a letter for me and i battled with them to get all i needed in a timely fashion. once i had all my paperwork and test results together and sent to columbia it was sent to ins co immediately and i was approved in less than 2 weeks. getting an appt with surgeon (dr marc bessler) was what took so long-- couldn't get an appt until may -- but did get the june date for banding. whew -- that was a long winded story.!! what i really want to tell you is that i too was getting depressed throughout this long process. i too kept gaining weight. but now that the end is in sight, i have been motivated enough to drop 11 lbs so far( without starting liquid diet) and i am nervous and excited about the surgery. i see a therapist weekly to discuss my frustrations and fears and that has also helped me to get to a good place. good luck and be patient. i highly reccoment columbia if you do decide to switch surgeons and facilities.

i was approved for surgery about a week after papers were submitted. had to wait till ALL tests and 6 month weigh-ins were complete before ins approved. only after that was i given an appt with surgeon. i am using dr marc bessler at colombia- presbyterian hospital in NYC. he is a hard man to get an appt with-- but he is suppossed to be the best, so i was willing to wait. it still seems like my surgery is eons away, but i know it will be here before i know it. have lost 9lbs over the last 2 weeks by cutting out all starches and breads ( my favorite things in the world!!!!) and substituting 1 protein drink for one meal daily. also, no eating between meals, small protions at meals and lots of water.

i'm getting banded on june 28th. hooray -- i started this process last sept. it's been a long road and i am SO READY!!!!!

when i told my surgeon that i was concerned about the pre-op diet, he said instead of doing all liquids -- i could eat a light dinner of chicken and non-starch veggies. i am getting banded on 6/28 and to prepare for that, i am already replacing one meal a day with 'muscle milk light' and eliminating bread, rice, pasta (bad carbs) etc. i figure this will ease me into the period right before surgery. i started this plan on monday and according to my scale, i am already down 3 lbs. this is definitely doable!

when you say the food 'gets stuck' what does that feel like and what do you do about it??? i'm getting banded june 28th.

good luck and congratulations. i started this process last august and i will be banded on june 28th (my ins company threw a few obstacles in the way and then it was difficult to get an apt with the surgeon i wanted to use). anyway, if the road gets long, as mine did, just keep plugging away. now that i am so close, i am very excited and nervous. use your 'waiting time' to look deep inside yourself to make sure you are ready to make the changes this new lifestyle requires. i am 100% committed now, but i wsn't so sure at the beginning.

i'm getting banded june 28th and you guys are making me a little nervous!!! please post back when it gets better!!!