Juliat

So soon after the surgery, you still maybe swollen in the tummy area. This can also make you feel full and you won't be hungry. The hunger feelings may come after you have healed a bit and the swelling goes down. But, I've heard some people say that they were restricted right after surgery, but it maybe possible you are too. I was like you for about a week and then they hunger came hard. Then I was in bandster hell for a couple months until I started getting my fills. Good luck to you! Julia

Name, real or screen~ Julia Age~ 41 Weight on April1st~ 194 Goal Weight for April 29th~ 185 Exercise Goal for April~ Walk more... maybe do a little elliptical Dietary Goal for April~ Keep on pace Personal Goal for April~ Not be so hard on myself and quit thinking I'm fat Date Banded~ September 28, 2010 A day I'll never forget Total Weight Loss Since Banding~ 31 #s

It's very common and you shouldn't worry. The port is stitched to a muscle, so it's going to take some time to heal. Mine hurt very badly for the first few days and then it started easing up. I still every now and then get a pinch from there. Take care! Julia

^^^^ Nice!

People like this lady in your post never know about the people they make fun of. I believe in karma for sure and I know this lady will get hers in the end. I always think that when someone makes fun of me or does something hurtful to anyone else. There's no telling what made this woman do what she did but most likely she's probably has some serious issues of her own. People like this like to make themselves look better by making fun of someone else. But, your post is so inspirational. You've been through so much and can submit such a wonderful post. Keep up your great work and keep strong Julia

If you have medical expenses that are over ~5000 dollars, then you can write them off. Did you self-pay? I'm not sure about folks who have insurance, but I was able to because I self-payed. Also, I took out money from an IRA to do so and was able to put that it was for medical which took care of the 20% penalty I was going to have to pay. Julia

I call it my "LapBand hot flashes" It usually goes away a few minutes (maybe 15) after it starts. I have no idea why it happens. I always think it's because my stomach is working hard trying to get the food it knows is up there dangling in my pouch My imagination running away from me. Julia

You may still be able to eat like you did before the band, but one thing I do suggest is "practice" eating really small bites and going slow. Because when you do get to restriction and you haven't trained yourself, the lapband is going to do the training for you with PBing and sliming. I wish I would have done that because now at restriction, I'm learning the hard way But like Elfie said, get away from those wings. Julia

Me, Julia - Down 2 pounds this week

Excellent! Good for you

I have a big ass too and unfortunately a large stomach to go with it. I guess it's going to be hard to get rid of the stomach and leave my luscious rump.

This is Julia! Down 1 pound this week

Excellent and great job! Thank you for sharing with us.

Me, Julia! Stayed the same... Kind of disappointing after having such a great last week

Tortilla chips and some sort of dip. I LOVED those and was able to eat them up until my last fill. I was so desperate to continue to eat them that I kept trying even though I would have a horrible stuck episode after another. Finally the last episode was so bad, it caused me to start having nausea every time I get around them.

Their Ecoli treats - Oh my... I laughed out loud.

Thank you Joan! It's been a while since I've seen that 1 in front of my weight.

Down 5 pounds to 198! Yea! Onederland

Don't get discouraged... I was feeling like you after my 2nd fill because I could eat what I wanted and gained 4 pounds But, now I've had 4 fills and up to 7.1cc in a 10cc band and now losing weight. I was thinking that I had spent all that money (self-pay) and had all that pain for nothing. It will happen and you will get where you need to be. Don't worry about the nurse. Ask your doctor if someone else can do the fill because the person isn't helping. If they are only putting a certain amount in your band, they should be explaining why and talking you through it. Remember, you're the patient and it's your body. No one else should have control over it or make you feel like you don't know what you're talking about. Take care, Julia

I have the sketcher shape-ups and I do like them alot. I walk about 2.5 miles during lunch and before I got them, I would have this pain in my lower back. Now, I feel I have better posture walking and no more back pain. Also, my calves look HAWT!! What I did was go into the shoe store and tried them on, but went walking around the store for several minutes to see if they weren't going to hurt. People were looking at me like I was crazy, but it really helped with my decision to buy them. Best of luck to ya! Julia

I'm in! Name, real or screen~ Julia Age~41 Weight on February 28th~ 201 Goal Weight for March 31st~ 190 Exercise Goal for March~ try to walk longer and further each time I go Dietary Goal for March~ maintain my calories Personal Goal for March~ I will hit ONEDERLAND! Date Banded~ 9/28/10 Total Weight Loss Since Banding~ 22 pounds

I'm so glad I am not the only one. I told the RN who was doing my fills and she said it wasn't related to the lapband. I tended to disagree because I really never had the problem before. It's really so embarrassing, especially because I work around a lot of guys and I'm out 'tooting' them. Anyway, there are a couple of over the counter products that help with gas. Some are just 1 a day pills and some you take after eating or before. I found one pill for IBS (Digestive Advantage) that helps with flatulance but it hasn't stopped it completely. But better than what it was before. Julia

Great for you! Keep up the great work I'm so excited for you and can't wait to get there myself.

OMG! This has been happening to me a lot for the last couple of weeks. I did research on this board and they call it the 'first bite syndrome'. When I go to lunch with others, I tend to forget that I have the band and start eating normally and not thinking about bites, speed or any of that. I would get stuck so bad . It would hurt so much and my coworkers don't know about my surgery (I have a new job). It really got embarrassing because I would try to act like nothing was happening and try to talk all the while having the worst pain and sliming all over the place All I kept hearing was 'Are you alright?' So once I read that this was actually something that did happen and others were having the same problem, I started to really try to concentrate on how I took those first bites. I made sure that they were half the size of what I was doing before. It's hard to control something you are so used to doing and especially when you are distracted. But, it's worked so far and I haven't had another incident. Julia

Actually, mine did this too but it didn't quite work out the way it seemed. They filled it until the barium went through and the amount in my 10cc band was 5.5cc's just like you said. Even though they did it the same way for the next couple of fills, I didn't feel restriction. I did have to go back 3 times so far. But, I liked the way this happened because I had to get used to the way you have to eat with the band (smaller amounts, little bites, etc). And, I actually still did experience bandster hell in between my first and third fills. I just had my fourth fill and hopefully last. I'm now at 7.1cc's. The last two fills were about .6cc's a piece so in mine it seems the closer I get to the sweet spot, the amounts are getting smaller. I'm still glad they did it this way cause I hear the stories about people having to go so much and only get small amounts at a time. I actually dislike the process very much so the less I have to do it, the happier I am . Good luck to ya and keep us updated. Julia