Ladybandito

You may want to get some blood work done at your regular doctor, and in the meantime, eat some carbs instead of protein before your workout. I had a similar experience, and turned out I was a little low in iron (anemia). Felt so, so much better with a small supplementation!

Honestly, lots of times I'll just have something sweet (about 5 dark chocolate covered peanuts or something). When I was active-losing I would have a sugar free ice Popsicle (they take a few minutes to eat and solve both sweet and liquid). And if I have a sweet craving that I want to quelch and not give in to for some reason, I will munch a large dill pickle. It works, and only a few calories!

Hi Sha, I am also in my 50s, had my surgery about 2 years ago. Like you, I struggled with my weight but was successful (like a yo-yo) in dieting. As you get older, I was just so tiiiiiiiiireed of doing that, and I felt if I really let myself go I could be 350 in no time flat. I had had enough. I also opted for private pay here in the US. I am close to Mexico, but chose a center of excellence because I believe strongly in the success that follow-up after surgery brings. I am a band patient and currently at goal with my weight. I just wish I would have done this in my 30s! As for missing food, that has not been a problem for me (I was afraid of that too). I believe I now eat like a "normal" person, and I'm satisfied ... Truly ... With those portions. It is the part that has made WLS surgery successful for me, where no amount of dieting ever was. I wish you all the very best. The liquid diet is very temporary, so keep that in mind. It also makes you feel "lighter" and healthier very quickly, so that is a plus to hold on to. Again, it is temporary, so enjoy the the "cleanse."

Thank you for the post. I am always curious to read about long-term complications and any information that can be shared is valuable. It is also another reminder that all WLS are major operations. That said, I don't think anyone can have band surgery these days without knowing about the possibility of erosion --we just never want those statistics to include us! I was reading back on some of you're earlier posts and saw where you had very bad pain in 2009, but I didn't see the outcome of that? Was that an earlier slip? It sounded scary too. I am so, so sorry you are having to go through this, and I hope a full recovery is swift. Please continue to post through your healing .. You have been an active member and I would like to hear your thoughts.

Hi Everybody! Had my 2 year check-up today, and when the nurse came out to get me, she said "well, look at you, skinny!" Lol. Then when she was weighing me (down 7 pounds from last time ... 5 or 6 months ago) she whispered, "Did you get new boobies?" I almost fell off the scale! No, I told her, I just always have worn loose fitting clothes because of my rolls and so no one could really see their shape! Hahaha! Then, the surgeon's PA came in, also complimented me, and asked that I consider speaking at the next seminar! He said the band doesn't always get the good press it deserves and that I've utilized it to 100% capacity and it's a story that should be shared. He also suggested that I am at a perfect weight now and to not get too skinny. Whaaat? That just sounds so weird to me, coming from a doctor, but he's right. Any extra fat I have on me would really need to be cut off with plastics, and I'm not considering that at my age, so I've been good with where I'm at for a while now. Since I'm so small-boned, I could weigh less, but I am tickled with where I'm at ... And it has been relatively easy to maintain. So, enough of blowing my own horn ... How's everyone else doing? Nicki, that's a bummer about the insurance. I am a private pay all along, so I'm used to it. It's $65 for a doctor visit, or $100 (I think, it's been so long) with a fill, too. As for any possible complications, they said they would refer me with a code that would be insurance-coverable ... Not as band-related. That is what you would want to have done, as well (Heaven forbid that ever happening). Being private pay is one of the reasons I have been so adamant about taking it slow and easy. I am looking for photos to post on here, can't seem to find many "before" ones (never liked to keep them around), and I have to figure out how to get them on my iPad so I can download them!

That's great!!! Lol

Wow. Glad you are OK after that ... And lesson learned!

Awesome post. You are SO going to rock this!

Wow. Wow. Wow. Beautiful. Healthy. Proud. Love it!

Banded 2-1/2 years ago, down 68-71 pounds depending on the day!

My, my ... This response is a little like the pot calling the kettle black. It is a "rude" and "self-absorbed" response to a veteran bander who has much to share with folks here ... And who offered, yes, his opinion in a kind way. I agree with him, by the way, but like we say ... That is MY OPINION. No one on here is a certified expert, including you. But thank you for your opinion, although it could have been much less insulting to a lot of us.

Interesting. Spicy no longer works me, either, but when I ate spicy pre-band, I mean it was HOT spicy and I loved it. I no longer can even tolerate pickled jalapeños like from Taco Bell. :-(

Oh, I just saw where doc offered unfill, too. For my opinion, I would wait a bit, if you can.

Really, really be careful with your first bite of anything solid, regardless of day or time. Sometimes I will be fine for days (new fill or not) and then take that first bite and ugh. You may be like me (a bit unusual it seems, by other posters; I am tighter in the evening and not as much in the morning. So be open to that possibility. Remember, now, to go back to liquids, mushies, for another day to let the irritation settle down, because that has closed you up a bit more. If your doc said to try and wait it out, I would do that. If you find liquids to be a problem, get an unfill pronto.

Hahahaha, Thx for The Friday funny!

Congratulations to you, and well said! I, also, was astounded by how much I really ate pre-band, lol. Wishing you continued successes.

LMAO!!!! I thought this same thing when the thread was about 10 posts shorter, but I didn't want to be a "downer." But seeing your post in print made me laugh out loud! Thanks.

Nice blog!

I was originally approved for RNY. I chickened out at the last minute, and convinced myself I could get healthy on my own. I gave it a good, good fight and kept about 50 pounds off for a year. Then the clothes started getting tighter again. I was miserable, my self esteem was in the gutter, and my self-talk of disgust was something no one should do to themselves. I literally thought about food my whole waking day (what I ate, what I didn't eat, what I was going to eat, what I couldn't eat). It was vicious, when I think about it now. I walked into my appt with the band doctor, not at my highest weight ever, but at my lowest emotional state ever. I explained that I was just so tired of dieting, and even though I was not at my highest weight ever (which was no where near where I felt my 'potential' weight could have been if I really let go), I was exhausted trying to hold back from gaining. He said he could probably help. And he did. Thank God.

I, personally, do not feel deprived with my band lifestyle. I'm not sure what it does, scientifically, but it certainly dims my appetite and I do feel satisfied now with what I eat. I do indulge every now and then on a cookie or cake, or whatever, so I don't feel like I am 'forbidden' from foods. It's really a sense of freedom from dieting! Of course, every now and then I miss having a soda or a Corona or a double shot of espresso, none of which I partake in, but it's not the 'deprivation' feeling I used to have with 'diets.' The other amazing thing I've noticed is that when I do eat a high sugar or 'fattening' item, I don't bound right in to eating everything in sight anymore, and the scale doesn't go up 10 pounds in a week!

Whoo-hoo! Great post!

Yes the gas pain eventually goes away, although I still have much more passing of gas than I ever remember pre-band. As for success pointers, I would say: -- Follow your doctor's outline -- focus on solid foods (when permitted) and not liquids -- Drink loads of water -- Walk more than pre-band every single day, and add formal exercise 3-7 days a week -- Eat slowly and chew well -- Focus on protein foods -- Follow up frequently with your doctor; participate in a support group (locally or at least on here) -- Measure out your foods until you are proficient at "eye-balling;" use smaller utensils and plates/bowls.

Dmh, yes! And I forgot to mention that throughout all of those diets, I felt "deprived" in one way or another. I still look at other diets sometimes too, and then remember that I am at goal already with the lapband, lol.

So true. I lost ALOT of weight on MANY of the diets I tried. I could lose, just not for long. And what I lost in 3 months could be gained back in a week, no joke! Among those I've tried: Jenny Craig ... Grew tired of the packaged food quickly, and was discouraged by the very slow losses. New Direction and Optifast ... These worked great, as they were liquids only; gained it all back as soon as I went back to work. The Diet Center ... I did this plan a couple of times. It worked extremely well the first time (back in the late 80's) and I thought I could stick with the new eating lifestyle forever; I couldn't. Atkins ... Also worked well, but same issue as above. Diet pills ... They were ok when I was younger; less tolerance for them and less results as I got older. Plus I would get too snappy. Hcg ... Actually would work well, just could never stick with it long enough to get to goal. Nutrisystem .... See Jenny Craig above, The Beverly Hills Diet ... Does anyone remember that one? Or am I giving away my age? Lol. Anyway, I fainted and gave up on that. Those are just my majors, lol. I had tried probably every diet out there before being saved by the band. My biggest NSV with the band is the freedom of mind from the dieting mentality I lived with every day since my teens.

You know, neither one of these reactions sounds desirable nor optimal. Green zone? I'm thinking you both sound kinda red. Be careful, please.