Search the Community

its definitely NOT a PB... ive been really nauseated lately and it was dry heaves then throwing up. i'll put a call into my band surgeon tomorrow morning. im just going to eat mushies (3 bites of DD's pancake this morning). i went in for an unfill a few weeks ago and she took too much out (done without x-ray assistance), so i'm actually going in for a slight fill Tuesday. thanks!

Wow, your lucky.... I wasn't allowed to eat cottage cheese until my 4th week out (I had to do liquids for 3 weeks)... hang in there.

My doctor decides based on how much weight I've lost. He put off my first fill because my loss was really fast. When it slowed down he gave me a small fill (1 cc), and said if it wasn't tight enough to come back in four weeks for another 1/2cc. He did ask me about my restiction level before he decided on a small fill. I'm glad, because after about 10 days, the fill kicked in, and I have had to force myself to eat to get in 800 calories since Thursday. No slimes or PB's; 2 golf balls. I'm just not hungry. In 2 weeks since that fill, I've lost 8 lbs. I trust him.

I called my doctor's office the week before Thanksgiving and asked how i needed to go about making an appointment for my first fill. The lady told me that the longer I can do it on my own without a fill the better. I am still losing weight gradually and I am still eating small portions, but I don't know if it is because of the band, or because I am using self-control. Has anyone's doctor told them this? Should I wait? Have a blessed day! Lesley

You should have a followup appointment around 6 weeks out at which you can then discuss with your doctor if a fill is warranted. Most people need to go through 3-5 fills before getting properly restricted. Then, a new fill should be given a good 4 week try to see if it's working (restriction isn't really a "feeling", it's more a result...proper weight loss (1-2lbs/week on average) and your sensible bandster meals (3-4 oz solid Protein, 1 serving (1/2 cup) nonstarchy veggies and up to 1 serving (1/2 cup) starch if there's room) are making you full (full = not physically hungry anymore, not discomfort/tightness/about to puke/stuffed) and not get physically hungry again for 3-4 hours. No office person on the phone should be refusing to let you have an appointment. Even if you're still losing, if you're experiencing hunger and lack of satiety, you need a fill. Proper restriction results in both things. Nancy -156

Well it is official on dec 11th I am going under the knife. For me it was prettty quick. I m 6'3" 335 lbs my insurance aproved me within 1 week the whole process took about 4 months start to finish mostly due to the wait time between doc visits. I have been going to the gym and getting ready no soda or cigarettes in about 1 week. My goal weight is 230 by the end of next year and then try to get down around 200 in the end. I am 27 and finnally starting to feel like I have a chance to be a normal weight. ...... Anyway thanks for the support.

Your weightloss is fine. 23lbs in 2 months is great. I lost around the same amount in that time. You need to remember that with the band your doctor expects a weightloss of 1-2 lbs per week.

Anyone have this problem before? I was fine until I sneezed this morning & I'm 5-6 weeks out from surgery. Not a sharp pain, just a dull ache. Hoping I didn't damage my sleeve!!! So much to do today & a little worried.

roro, welcome. As usual Whippledaddy has written what I would have written had I but the gift of expression he has. I saw myself in what you wrote. I, too, lost 100 pounds and gained it all back and hated myself. I, too, settled for less because I didn't think I deserved more. For me, the surgery itself was very simple. It was a day procedure, I went home that evening. I never had any pain. I took a week off work, but I could have gone back sooner if I needed to. But having a week off was probably a good idea. Leatha is right. Research. Don't look to friends or family members for advice. If they have never been fat, they know nothing. And even if they have been fat, they may be at a different stage of fatness than you are. Meaning perhaps they have not hit bottom yet and realized they are powerless to fight this without help. For me, being banded has been both a physical and a spiritual journey. The physical part involved learning to work with my band, rebelling against the bandster rules, but eventually realizing they are there for a reason. Losing a lot of weight, stalling, then losing quickly again. Learning that even with the band, I have to eat right and exercise, the difference being that with my band to help me, I will never regain the weight and all my effort will not be for naught. The spiritual part of the journey has been much more interesting and rewarding. I am not yet near my goal weight, but my life and my relationships have changed dramatically. I no longer battle depression and self-loathing. People treat me with the respect I deserve. I have never had to demand respect. There is just a subtle change in how I present myself and people respond to it. I no longer feel old and like I am just waiting for the end. I have hopes, dreams, goals. And a lot more physical and psychic energy with which to make them happen. Honestly, I could go on and on, but I'll restrain myself. I researched for two years before I decided to have the surgery. Your research does not have to take that long, but please read until you understand how the band works, what changes you will have to make after the surgery, foods that you will no longer be able to eat. Learn the bandster rules. Research your surgeon. Etc. I wish every obese person could have what I have with the band. But it is a very personal decision. Good luck with your research. Nancy

RoRo: What to expect? You can expect to hate yourself if you don't do something. You shouldn't hate yourself for losing weight and gaining it back. That's what happens. Very few people have a problem losing the weight. The problem is losing the behaviours, and emotions connected to the fat. Morbidly obese (doesn't the word "fat" sound better?) people have such a small chance of keeping weight off that it is statistically impossible. Has it been done? Of course. Every rule has it's exception. You can expect to lose and gain a few more times in your life, if you keep trying this way. Don't be so hard on yourself. Do you expect to be perfect all the time? Sorry, none of us are. Everyone here has lost and gained, and then looked in the mirror and saw a face they hated. Everyone. It's a tough decision. Discussing it with family and friends will be educational, but not helpful. Especially if they're thin. You will encounter all sorts of reactions. Few will be helpful. Some might even be harmful. Listen to yourself, and your troubled heart first. Look at your feelings and you will know what you need to do. Then, come here. Because whatever you decide, the people here will understand. We've been there. If you do decide on surgery you can expect more to happen. The unsolicited comments of family and friends will be your gift. They won't hesitate to tell you horror stories (mostly urban legend), or to seem to criticize. You'll talk to your family doctor. Get him/her to write a note asking a WLS surgeon to see you. You'll see that surgeon. You'll be sent for a battery of tests. If you are trying to bill insurance they will be contacted. You may have to fight for your rights with the insurance company, or you may have to pay your own way in this journey. If you are a good candidate, and if you are determined, you will move on. If you've decided that you are worth the effort, that you truly are a person who deserves a better life, the surgery will be scheduled. You will be mildly sedated then anesthetized. You'll wake up a very short time later and you'll have a new friend. You won't have as much pain as you think. Some in the shoulder, neck or back from gas. You'll be encouraged to get up and walk, use the bathroom, sip ice chips. You'll recover. You'll have to watch what you eat for a few days or weeks, gradually working back to regular food. When you're healed enough you'll be given a fill, a painless procedure that causes "restriction" thereby reducing the amount of food you can consume. That fill may have to be adjusted over the next few weeks. Don't be in a hurry now, this is a life commitment to health and happiness you've made, not a moment's whim. Your loss will mirror your gain. The pounds will drop as gradually as the sun rises. You'll find the beautiful core of you, hiding deep within your protective layer of tissue. There will come a time when you weep still, but you'll weep for joy, and for the lightness of being that comes when this burden is lifted from your spirit. You'll slip up from time to time. Backslide. But thanks to your band you'll not slide as far down that slippery slope as before. Minimal damage. No strain. You'll come here often, and read, and laugh, and maybe even cry a bit. You'll read someone's story and recognize their pain as your own. You will be in awe at how many beautiful spirits can gather together here. Then, one day, you'll answer a question from someone new, someone full of fear and hope. Someone who's afraid to hope for a better way, a better life, a better shot at all that life offers the thin. And you'll realize it is you who is gaining from this, from telling others what to expect. So you will have come full circle, and paid it forward. Good luck. There is a lot of info in this place, and you'll be able to research to your heart's content.

From what I understand it is very difficult to slip your band. Keep in mind too that your stomach is swollen from the surgery and the tightness in your chest may be related to that as well as the air still trapped in your cavity from surgery. The first few weeks I was very aware that something foreign was in me, and eventually the feeling you describe went away. If you are able to swallow 1/2 a pill your are probably doing just fine. Of it were stuck you would probably regurgitating the soy milk and pill.

I have been at my goal weight for almost 2 years but have put on about 6lbs over the last couple of months due to having to have a partial unfill. I am still not back at my optimum restriction level so am having to fight the desire to snack when I shouldn't. I need to knuckle down and do something proactive to get the weight off. The problem is that I have had a really easy ride so having to think about what I eat, log calories etc does not come naturally.I got the band so that i could give up dieting and that is what happened so to now have to consciously think about dieting is really hard. I was playing around on a couple of sites this morning to try to calculate how many calories required etc. I entered my info on 1 site and the results it came back with were that to lose 6lb I should not go under 1200cal per day and that it would take me until Jan 4 2013!!!! Well maybe I should give up now(joking). I am wondering if anyone else has used 1 of these sites and also come up with a ridiculous calculation. I am going on away with my husband for 4 days next week for a much needed break before he starts a new job so won't be watching my intake too hard then. I think the best plan is probably to try to stick to around 1000 cal per day, get off my ar*e and do some "exercise"(which I hate) and try to log honestly what I am eating. I go back to see my Dr mid June and am hoping he will bring me up to a reasonable level of restriction again then. We are treading a fine line between me actually being able to feel like I have a band and my reflux recurring. I live in a small country town where the nearest gym is 40min away so I can't join a gym - the motivation and the cost to get there a couple of times a week whould be prohibitive. Yes I could theoretically walk or run as that is free but it is seriously freezing here at this time of year. I think my only option is to dig my exercise bike out and use that.

Hey everyone! I'm new to this site but I really need some help! I've been post band since 4/2012 and I've lost 75 lbs I was up to 85 lbs but had a setback.. but I have a problem that happens all the time, my band seems to tighten itself.... it will be fine and then all of a sudden it is hard for me to eat anything... and it doesn't get better even if I baby it - so I'd go get adjusted if I had to. But this time it's different. .. I have the worst acid reflux ever and it's been 2 weeks and it hasn't gotten better despite all my OTC effort (prilosec, Zantac, pepcid, tums...) nothing has helped... I can eat, but it hurts! I have a pressure that radiates from my stomach to my back.... it's a tightening pressure and suffocating feeling. Is this normal? Is my band tightening itself? Any advice?

Hi Stacy, I had my band done in Mexicali Mexico in April. I too have a 10cc band but it is my understanding that my band will only old 4cc of saline. I currently have 2.28 cc filled. I have felt full a couple of times and it is very uncomfortable and you run the risk of stretching your pouch. You should only eat until you are satisfied not full. For most 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups of food is all you should eat. If you continue drinking with your meals you will eat more. The point of not drinking is so your food will sit in your pouch and make you feel satisfied. If you drink with food it washes the food down to your lower stomach where you wont feel satisfied. It is hard to get used to not drinking but it is necessary. There is very little I can actually eat at this point without PBing so I try to stick with what I know to be safe for me. I am totally unable to eat meat since my last fill last week. Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help. Banded 4/17/09 First fill 5/30/09 1.6 cc Second fill 7/10/09 .6 cc

I hope I am not driving ya'll crazy with my posts about all of my issues BUT you guys are all just too good and I am just such a nut. So long story short....banded...reflux...prevacid...better...fill...sore throat but no problems getting things down...rested all weekend and did liquids....throat is better (not sore)...now there is a lump in my throat...BUT it is a.m. (I hear it is normal to be tight during early in the day.)...so I am eating some yogurt with no problems....and I begin to think...that maybe I pushed it a little too much last week with eating. I think I ate too much which is maybe what made my throat sore. My head is SO much bigger than my stomach (for once). So I am going to try and take it slow...but I also have fear that I am too tight. What is it like when you have good restriction? Too tight? How much is too little? (because, let's face it, it all seems too little to me) I have been a MASS quantity eater all my life. Sorry to bother you all again...I am just really trying to get this thing figured out. p.s. A little over 1/2 way done with the yogurt and feel pretty full

So, like many of you have mentioned here....my first fill didn't really "kick in" until about a week after and then hoo boy did it kick in! Wowzers. I used to scoff when folks here would say "I ate a few forkfuls and was STUFFED". I thought "yeah that will never be me". I'm here to testify....:hand on bible:...it's true. WOW. I humbly bow before all you amazing bandsters and your generosity with your experiences. I have learned much from you and will do my best to continue to pass on my own experience. Wow. :full: What a concept!

Well, Ive only had the band for a bit over a week..but Honestly, I dont feel anything but a feeling of being satisfied..which for some reason is enough to stop me from eating anymore, when it didnt before. I have gotten full once..and even then it wasnt painful..it just told me when. You learn you need to take small bites..and listen to your band. I can eat about 1/15th of what I could before and feel satisfied. If your worried about overeating, remember take it slow and watch the signs. Its different for everyone. My partner feels a tightness near her sternum. I dont.. Anyway, keep in touch and let us know how it goes. =) -Kendra

I thought about it for a couple years, finally went to a free seminar, had my first consult, and next week I get scoped from both ends. Ewww! I am really hoping for a surgery date in May. I have submitted to insurance but will do it regardless. I love this sight. It's soooo encouraging and full of information. I'm in Tacoma, Washington and Dr Oh will be my surgeon. Anyone from around here?

There was a health fair at a local mall yesterday and it was broadcast on the radio. I caught bits and pieces but it starting me to thinking. When you're overweight all you do is think about losing the weight. HOw the extra weight effects EVERYTHING you do. I was recently diagnosed with pre-diabetes. Something I have been so aware of. I have a strong family history of diabetes...I don't want it. I'm also headed toward hypertension. My life is a little hectic right now and as a result I eat, which leads to me to where I am. I weigh 290 pounds, my BMI is 52.2 I've begun to have little strange things happen...I know they are a result of the stress and extra weight and a little thing called age! :rolleyes So I'd like to do something about it. Lap band was actually suggested to me by a good friend a few weeks ago. I didn't really think about it then. After listening to the broadcast yesterday though...I'm strongly considering it. The risks are what concern me. Flipped ports, painful gas, vomiting, numerous adjustments, weight GAIN....is it worth it...it's like listening to a infomercial for medication that has more side effects than what it's treating!!!! Just wanted to say hello, intro myself and take a look around and take a peek at success stories and not so success stories.

Yeah you don't wanna rip your innards. Be very careful. Call and ask your doctor. I'm not allowed any exercise for a least 6 weeks after surgery. Heal first then worry about the wl.

sweets have always been my enemy - my new trick is to go in my closet and look at all the great clothes I am still trying to fit into. I then try to drink some Water and have a healthy treat - such as a 1/3 cup of nice low cal ice cream or a cooked apples with cinamon and some vanilla low cal ice cream. I try to make sure that my treats are good for me, fruit based, but still satisfying that basic need for something decandent and totally good. Good luck - don't beat yourself up over this - just admitting it is half the battle. Cookies are so good and so bad - DH complained about not having any treats so I went on a 3 week cookie baking spree. Not too good - so I just tried to put them away and give them away. Take care - Nancy

1. Momto1plus1.......241...............238..............229...........9 2. TxArcher...........360........Last week, 357......???...........12 3. Hungryforchange...227.5..........225...............215.5.......10 4 shortgal ............. 198............195................192...........3 5. Hollyberries.........298............293................285........... 8 6. Tyman311..........167...........168................150............17 7. Trixie.................264...............255..............244......... .11 8. plump_princess.....237.............233..............227........... 6 9. Foofy ................249............244...............237............7 10. wnt2lose..........236............233.8...........225.............8.8 11. BarbBee...........284.............278.............272..............6 Woo hoo!!! We are doing it!!!! Keep up the great work!

Cindy, I was hopeful this fill would give me some restriction, but this morning I was able to eat 1 and 1/2 packets of oatmeal. Hope is fading. I will have to rely on willpower for another two weeks! The only thing that helps the weight loss seems to be the two days of liquids following the fill! UGH! Why do we need the magic feeling of being FULL? It's like searching for the holy grail, trying to get restriction. I have been avoiding social situations so I don't over eat until I get a fill that works (even for a bit) but I cannot continue this forever. My life lately is all about the two weeks until the next fill arrives and I was sore after this last fill so in a way I dread them. Hope and despair all within a couple hours!!!

name ............starting# ......current#.........goal#.......togo# 1. Momto1plus1.......241...............238..............229...........9 2. TxArcher...........360........Last week, 357......???...........12 3. Hungryforchange...227.5..........225...............215.5.......10 4 shortgal ............. 198............195................192...........3 5. Hollyberries.........298............293................285........... 8 6. Tyman311..........167...........168................150............17 7. Trixie.................264...............255..............244......... .11 8. plump_princess.....237.............233..............227........... 6 9. Foofy ................249............244...............237............7 Checking in.

Name Starting# Current # Goal # To Go 1. Momto1plus1.......241...............238..............229...........9 2. TxArcher...........360........Last week, 357......???...........12 3. Hungryforchange...227.5..........225...............215.5.......10 4 shortgal ............. 198............195................192...........3 5. Hollyberries.........298............293................285........... 8 6. Tyman311..........167...........168................150............17 7. Trixie.................264...............255..............244......... .11 8. plump_princess.....237.............233..............227........... 6 9. Foofy ................249............244...............237............7 10. wnt2lose..........236............233.8...........225.............8.8 11. BarbBee...........284.............278.............272..............6 12. Longhorn..........211.............206.............199.............7 13. Steph...............203.5..........197..............188.5.........8.5 14.kristin1031..........256............ 249..............240...........9 15. MarieGabrielle.......268.............261...............256............ 5 16. Skinny_Jill..........195.............190...............180...........1 0 17. Pattypoo1........202..............198...............192...........6 18. Teresajo...............212..............209..............205.......... ..4 I better step up the exercise, I've only lost one pound since the 10th.