Search the Community

Nope i lost about 60+ without the band, and i was banded on 4/23/09 and have lost about 10 since the band and now i am stuck , the scale is not moving.

Hi Jason, I was banded on 2-12 with a HH repair. I am just now getting back to LBT as it has been a long recovery and certainly one I didn't expect. I don't think I have seen any posts similar to mine so I thought you might like to know what mine was like. I was banded with the medium size band (10) and had the HH repair in the AM and was feeling pretty good by afternoon. My surgeon requires a barium swallow test the next morning before release. I knew I was tight but the barium slammed me shut. I had severe swelling in the chest/abdominal cavity. I spent the next four days in the hospital on an IV not able to swallow anything, including saliva. I was very uncomfortable because the only tolerable position was sitting up straight. Beds are not made for sitting and chairs are not made for sleeping. My first few days at home while a blessed relief from the hospital were worrisome because I still wasn't getting enough fluids and I was vomiting 2-3 times/day. I always felt like I was extremely full all the way to the top of my throat, I had a lot of pressure on my chest, and I had that overfull belly feeling: all a disincentive to drink anything. The liquid pain and nausea medication made me sick so they weren't much help. 7 days after surgery I had a break through with hot tea, finding that was going through. For all that time, the only thing I consumed was Water. I am doing much better now but my one week off work extended to two and I am only working half days this week. My surgeon told me that he debated about putting the smaller band on me but chose the medium sized one. He also offered to replace my band for a bigger one (while I was still hospitalized) but I decided I was already a couple days down this road so I would see it out and I am glad I did (even though my misery index was running pretty high). I know many people on this board have had both the band and HH repair without any significant side affects so I am sure I am an extreme case but I am sure I am not the first or the last extreme case. Good luck with your banding and HH repair, I believe you have a lot of confidence in your doctor and he seems to be very cautious about what he promises you. Good Journey, Terri

I am past the sipping stage now with no pain or discomfort and 10 days out. I don't drink big mouthfuls but much more than a sip and will stop if I feel 'full' I was a little shocked about how quickly I was able to increase the amount of Water I could drink. Must admit to being worried about that pre-op as I used to drink a lot of water every day.

Hello everyone! I had surgery Nov 21st 2011.. I am 47lbs down.. I have lost a total of 19 inches. I have been stuck at 213ish for 2 months.. I feel like I am still seeing the weight loss but just not on the scale. Anyone else have this experience? Thanks,

(((((((((((hugs)))))))))))) when i was not restricted these were some of my journal entries: 12-4-03 I HAVE HAD A REALLY HARD TIME TRYING TO STAY ON TRACK. IT IS EASIER WHEN YOU CANT EAT BUT A TINY AMOUNT. YOU DON'T OBSESS ABOUT food. NOW ITS ALL I THINK ABOUT!!! I NEED TO BREAK THIS CYCLE. I NEED SOME RESTRICTION!!! I WONT REACH MY GOAL OF 275 BY CHRISTMAS. MAYBE BY MY BIRTHDAY? IT IS FRUSTRATING TO SEE PEOPLE LOSE HUGE CHUNKS WITH BYPASS WHILE I AM STRUGGLING IT JUST SEEMS AS LONG AS I AM ABLE TO EAT HUGE AMOUNTS OF FOOD I DO. AS LONG AS I CHEW WELL I CAN EAT TILL THE COWS COME HOME. WELL NOT WITH THE CORRECTION ADJUSTMENT BUT I CAN STILL EAT WAY MORE THAN A 1/2 CUP MORE LIKE 2 CUPS...NO FOOD BACKING UP, NO PB, NO GOLF BALL PRESSURE, JUST ME GORGING MYSELF 1-23-04 SOOOOO i had my swallow study yesterday and i was told my band is fine. it has not slipped and my pouch is not stretched. so what gives??? my dr's PA (physicians assistant) told me just stop eating at a half cup. well hello if i could do that i wouldn't have gotten to 350 lbs. i told her why don't we do lunch one day so you can see me eat!!!! I AM NOT BAND BASHING HERE. I LOVE MY BAND. WITHOUT IT I WOULD HAVE GAINED BACK ALL MY WEIGHT PLUS SOME. IT JUST DOESN'T SEEM TO BE WORKING FOR ME AS DESCRIBED. 2-23-04i don't know what happened to me today. i had 2 scrambled eggs for Breakfast 32 oz Water lunch- i had to go run an errand so i decided to pick up a can of chicken breast meat. well they had the 12.5 oz can on sale so i bought that thinking I'd be able to eat that for the next FEW days... i ate the whole can in 30 minutes. then you would think i would have stopped but i had brought a salad for lunch originally so i decided to 'pick at it'. ITS ALL GONE TOO. so here i sit stuffed from the bottom stoma up to the top. i feel absolutely HORRID. NAUSEATED. GROSS. my salad was a spinach salad so not only am i FULL but those natural fibers are making me bloated to boot. i know partly why ate that...i guess i wanted to 'test' my band. i have 4.1 cc's in a 4.0 band and still no FUCKING restriction (that was for you Jonathan) unless i eat solid meats. i have been to my dr too many times, had the swallow study and was assured everything's fine' well if it was I WOULD NOT PHYSICALLY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO EAT ALL OF THAT!!!!! i just know for sure that i will have REALLY WORK my band along with dieting until my insurance changes and the band is covered again. Unless i want to sue my dr i don't have any other options. i knew this before i have known it since Jan 1. i just made a PIG of myself today. well thanks for letting me vent. i know for 100% sure that i never want this feeling (stuffed pig) again. michelle on a good note i didn't have hardly any carbs in my food and was Protein first but my god a days worth in one sitting... i ended up FINALLY getting restriction month 7 of banding heres a post 2-3 months AFTER getting restriction and losing 40-50 pounds... June 19, 2004 weight 236!!! still doing the atkins diet till i reach 199.9999 do i miss food? no i eat all the things i love. i only eat things that are 'treats' now when they are PERFECT before i would eat a 2 day old donut that wasn't even the flavor i liked. now i haven't had a krispy creme in MONTHS but i will have one and when i do it will be from the K.K. shop when the hot light is on and i will enjoy that sucker!

wasabubblebutt, and all, You are correct. A "destroyed" metabolism isn't a good description. I believe it is that you can slow your metabolism way down by bad dieting habits over the years. Eating certain foods and no exercise and your metabolism will be slower then a person who eats good food and exercises. Most of us on this forum probably have slowed our metabolism down to a crawl before the band. The minute you "diet" your metabolism crawls because most of he time your body thinks it is in starvation mode. And I was NOT discounting what she said just because she was 19. But to say "I know it all" is a common example of a 19 year old point of view, and the fact that certain parts of the brain do not mature until 25 (like the part that says 'look before you leap because you may not like where you land') is a fact (at least in the latest 'discoveries')). So, age does have to do with perspective on things and giving advice. I do not believe that the person is unintelligent or anything like that. You know, what you said is true, IF a 15 year old is going through what we are...but that could NEVER be the case because we are NOT 15. And she is NOT 45. I didn't have this done at certain ages because i was not 'ready". You have to exhaust all avenues first. surgery is and should always be a LAST choice. (although i am NOT promoting "dieting" but a change of lifestyle). She would have to have a change of life style AFTER the band anyway, or she will just get fat again or not lose much to begin with). All i am saying is that in the teenage years, IF she made the other changes , truly made the other changes, she probably would not need the band, because having bad habits for 10 years is not as bad as having them for 30 or 45 years in some folks cases. Most of us have found the dedication after the band, because it helped us with discipline (pre-op diet even started this) and we learned nutritional information (some in classes pre-op and from this forum, and in general as we have become more dedicated). Yes, the feeling full helped, but it is alot easier to keep to 300 calories until dinner then it was before the band because i eat better food to fill that void (yes the void is smaller). But, I could eat ice cream at lunch instead of my fat free yogurt that is 60 cal. i could eat that snickers instead of the fat free pudding that is 100 cals for snack. But again, we are not 15. When I needed to lose at 15, and even 20, 25, whenever i felt i had gained, i would have discipline and ate less and worked out more. At one time, I had a gym for he weekend and a gym for during the week. I got fat when I stopped watching what I ate, stopped working out and got a sit down job, and all the self esteem issues were smothering me all at once. I should have taken care of those self esteem issue FIRST, when young, and paid attention more to me so that as i got older and life didn't go my way, I could have handled it better. I believe, and I truly do, that a teens self esteem needs to come from within FIRST, then deal with the body issues. I got the band, because I dealt with the "me" first. Or I wouldn't have been successful, thus far. I realize that each of us is unique and do not have the exact same issues as all bodies are unique. Some heal quicker, some heal slower etc. But the one thing that is most common is the lumping of age groups. As a rule, 15 year olds will lose easier then 25 year olds. 15 year olds will run rings around 35 year olds. easy? no. easier? yes. The band is good, but surgery isn't. I don't believe, and this is just MY belief, that at 15, such a young age, not even really out of puberty yet, body changing so dramatically still, one could explore all avenues honestly and wholeheartedly and still come up with surgery as the only answer. Would you let your child get lasix surgery done at 15 (IF you could get a doctor to perform it at that age)knowing her eyes haven't fully developed/grown? Why should her stomach be so different? Because we are sensitive to it? Because we made mistakes as youths (and it wasn't NOT getting the surgery) so why should she? I will shut up now,, (I know you are saying (finally lol)) and will not reply no matter what (lol).

That's not fair. You can't discount everything someone writes because of age. Sometimes younger folks have it together quite well. I believe the person you are writing to does have it together, she merely disagrees with you. As I do. Destroying your metabolism? Not possible. It is quite literally impossible to have a destroyed metabolism and live through it. It's another dieting myth. Yes, it is harder to lose weight at 45 vs. 19 for many people but that isn't due to a destroyed metabolism. Having a band does not change your metabolism, it changes the quantity of food you eat. If what you say is true, a band would do you no good whatsoever because you could eat 12 calories a day and still gain weight. If people could just lose weight and get healthy on their own, people like you and me wouldn't need a band. For WHATEVER reason, (call it anything you wish, no self esteem, lazy behaviors, no will power, chemical imbalances, biological issues, physical problems...) it doesn't happen. Sometimes people need help and these issues are just as real for teens as they are we old folks at the ripe old age of 45. To say someone should just try harder because while they have the same exact problem as you and I, they are younger so they need to suffer through it the way the rest of us did is just simply morally wrong and unfair. We should want better for younger people, we should want them to learn from our mistakes, not their own. Not when it can be prevented. It is NO easier for a 15 year old to lose weight when they have the SAME problems as you and I as it is for you and I. I sincerely believe you called this one wrong on several levels.

Hey Robgoblin87, for 19 you sure are one smart kid! Jx

I had my first fill on 10-10. It was awesome and instantaneous. Just right and worked quite well. At my 6 month check-up we discussed another fill because I did feel I was starting to 'empty out' more rapidly and occasionally experiencing hunger between dinner and bedtime. Unfortunately, my port had flipped so I didn't get that second fill until I had my port revision last Thursday. Again, it seemed everything was fine, I was on liquids a day or two and then seemed to eat 'normally', but on the 4th and 5th days -- I'm barely able to get 1/4 of my usual Instant Breakfast shake down. Literally one or two bites at a meal and I am full for several hours. My Fluid intake is WAY, WAY down, too! I remember hearing a long time ago that sometimes it takes a day or two to know how the fill "took". Any ideas on what this is? Did this fill just take a few days to "take"? I don't think my port being moved would cause swelling near the band to make restriction more severe....but what do I know!! I'm happy with the weight loss, but dubious how long I can subsist on what I'm able to get past the band right now. Ah, banding -- it's a journey, not a destination, eh?

Hi, I was banded June 29 just one month ahead of you. It sure is a learning sort of journey for me. I have had my second fill and I have 5 cc in a 10 cc band already. I have a lot of restriction at this point in my journey. I pushed back my third fill because I do not eat that much now and what I do eat takes me about 30 minutes to do so. I really enjoy the food I put into my mouth now even though it gets cold. You are losing well too. I have lost 50 pounds and I go back to weigh in on October 5th. I am sure I have lost more. I do not own a scale and that is a good thing. Blogging can be fun. hope to hear from you again. imaluckydog

I started in a 26 and am now a 16/14. I started buying "lots" of clothing on Ebay. I would buy in lots for super cheap and only wear those I like. When I started to get into more mainstream sizes I went to Salvation Army and got some nice brand names for cheap. Lately I have been getting some super clearance deals at JCP and sears. I try to have pants in black, blue and brown and a pair of jeans. I get lots of tops because they are cheaper and seem to "last" longer-for several sizes. My plan is to sell my old clothes on Ebay this summer to raise funds for my new permanent wardrobe!!!! My original size goal was 14 but now I am thinking about a 10.

I say take it one day at a time! Otherwise you will fail before you begin. I have been fighting my addiction since April 10. I know I can eat foods that I'm not suppose too. Been trying real hard not to. We all have to remember this band is only a tool. It can't do all the work. We have to do whatever it takes. We all know we have to give up some foods. Ask your self ......healthy or fat? I'm choosing healthy. I want to be around for awhile!!!!!

Thanks so much Holly. Hey I forgot to say...they weighted me right before going into surgery. I have lost 10 lbs being on the pre op liquid diet....i'll have to figure out how to change it on my ticker some other day. Right now it's off to bed with me. Take care all!

I've learned the hard way <HR style="COLOR: #d1d1e1" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->Just thought I'd post a few things I've learned after having the lap band installed. I hope you dont mind me putting my spin on your cool post! 1. You get hungry after a week or so. I was absolutely ravenous, but I found ways to eat Protein and still managed to lose 9 pounds in 2 weeks. >>>>>>I was never hungry.. and if I got a hunger pain here and there it didnt bug me.... (this was the same before the band, but then I was eating wasnt I..lol) >>>>>>>>I got kinda hungry for the first time in february and march when my band was too tight, my fill doctor was out of the country, and I went days without eating.. I am usually good for three days max.... this was three days, then a week,. then two days, on and off for two months... I did get hungry! but it takes so little to saticecy those pains.. (to me) I had to have steroid shot to open me up... Then it was time to pig out before I was back to choking again.. (pig out on Soup and candy and chips, lol) 2. You really need to chew your food a whole lot. I got hungry and didn't chew enough and, boy, that hurt. It helps to wash the food down with Water. >>>>>>>>>from day one, I had no problem chewing my food to death...I felt like a pro. (i never told anyone that before, lol) Now a days, I chew a while and get sick of it and spit it out.. its easier. I know what the pain is.... thus the chewing pro! Oh and I drink with almost everything I eat. I dont find it washes the food down, it actualy limits my food intake.. I dont like filling my pouch with solids, it feels weird. I rather eat less and be able to drink! 3. Plan on throwing up at least once. I was doing just fine and got a piece of food stuck. So I drank some water and that went down the wrong tube so I was coughing and carrying on when I just burped up the food. It was just like a baby burps. Unfortunately, I did it on the carpet. This would be most embarrassing in company. >>>>>>Thats a PB, I had one on pills for 9 hours and on my saliva for 30 more hours. I dont do it. 4. Don't pick up heavy stuff for at least 4 weeks. I picked up a couple of cases of Dasani water and sprang a leak or something in my stomach. It hurts a bit, but I suspect it will go away in awhile. >>>I dont remember any recovery at all.. I think and think and NOTHing.. I had glue residue. And little red marks.. 5. Yard work is probably not good for a month or so after the surgery. >>>what surgery did you get? 6. Deviled eggs are good and they go down well if your family doesn't eat them all. >>>YUM, and low carb! 7. Buy stock in the Dasani water company.>>>>I do, (but I dont drink water, its gross) My four kids drink 4 cases a month.. 8. fruit juice mixed with water is good. >>>>Thats like getting your cocain mixed with cutt stuff...(bunk dope) ... I am addicted to juice. UNCUT, lol 9. You can drink if you want to expend the calories. I drank some brandy and lived to tell about it. But it's fattening. >>>>Drinking alcohal has not changed at all for me.. It does not affect me more or anything like that.. 10. You can poach anything -- pork chops, chicken, beef--just let it boil enough and you can eat it. >>>>>>>I need a cook! 11. My sweet tooth did not disappear. I have a piece or two of candy though and am satisfied. I find chocolate mints do the trick. >>>I eat more candy now than I ever did before. 12. Taking care of one's 86 year old mother after surgery is a real pain in the wazoo. >>>My mom is 49, I thinkk.. please dont remimd me she may get bent someday. 13. It is wise to have a Cadillac or other luxury car after surgery. It hurts less, and the air conditioner is good. (I bought a Cadillac on eBay and love it.) >>>>>>>>>>>>yeah, and a private jet too.. 14. Excited dogs are not good when you first come home. One of my dogs jumped up on my stomach which was pretty bruised. He meant well. >>>I was laying on my stomach the first night and these other banded ladies were all freaking out about it.. (hey at least they could walk around and sip gatoraid while I was still gagging on ice chips) 15. It is probably better if your cat does not bring in a field rat to live with you while you are recovering. Our rat seems to be doing well and is healthy so far. Of course, I feed it and give it water. Okay, I'm a severe animal lover. I hope to capture it in my net and put it outside. This is much better than discovering it's innerds on my beige carpet. >>>awwwww, I coulndt live without my animals 16. A person can tell if he/she is full if he/she pays attention. If one doesn't pay attention, pain can result. >>>>>>>>I dont call it "full".... but I agree.. 17. It is difficult to make oneself exercise if one hates exercise like I do. I still haven't managed that, but my friends are lobbying for me to sign up at the fitness center. I figure I can do the low impact aerobics which consist of waving one's arms around. I may sign up for yoga which doesn't involve heavy lifting or jogging on a treadmill. I might be willing to walk sedately on a treadmill, but the exercise freaks always expect so much. >>>I cant imagine ever being into excersize.. maybe DO something thats active and excersizes your body.. BUT plain ol excersize in a gym... not for me.. (?) 18. Expect your metabolism to change. I have been waking up at ungodly hours like 5:45 a.m. I have spent many years arranging my life so that I could sleep late, and I wake up early! This is disgusting. I hope my metabolism returns to its normal laziness soon since I'm on vacation. I will wake up early when I go back to work. >>>I dont notice metabolism. Its a mystery to me. These are just a few of pitfalls of the lapband that I have discovered. Stay tuned for new developments >>>haha that was fun... have you seen the "you might be a bandster" thread its hillarious

Hello I was banded on 08/31 and was out for a week exsactly. I just took the pain killers the 1st 2 days, I follow my docs instructions and walked from the moment I woke up,by Tuesday I felt perfectly fine no pain. I just weight myself and lost another 10lbs, have lost 25 in the last 3 weeks, 15 during the 2 weeks shakes and 10 the week after surgery so excited. You will be fine, just follow the drs instructions.

I have been there-very recently. I went through the same thing last week. I was banded shortly after you, on 12/31/10. I did great-up until last week. I had a lot of stress going on, and began coping with it as I always had-eating. I had no restriction, and was eating a lot at night. I didnt' have any willpower to stop, and kept eating even though I wasnt hungry. Granted, it wasnt the sheer volume of food I used to eat, but still it was constant grazing, which makes it difficult to get back to healthy eating habits. what i did to break the cycle was to get myself back to the gym FAST. I started going back to the gym after work, on my way home, so there wouldnt be excuses. having something to do kept me from coming home and snacking prior to dinner. This week, I have been back in the gym, coming home and preparing dinner and then after dinner, putting gum in my mouth and 'closing" the kitchen. Lights off, no reason to be in there. with these little tricks, I am back on track and ready to go again. I am not sure if this advice will help you, but I was really crying out for help last week. I understand the difficulty that you are having, and just remember, you had great willpower when you were on the pre op diet. You were working for either avoiding the open surgery(shrinking the liver with the pre op diet), or were just very motivated as the change in your life was just around the corner. Find something that drives you as it did then-whether it be exercise, a new pair of jeans, or take up a hobby that keeps you busy in the evening. Idle hands feed the mouth, it seems lol. I hope this helps, and hopefully at your appointment tomorrow they can give you either some tips or some idea on what is going on restriction wise, Keep us posted and good luck.

My Gallbladder flared up for maybe 10 years before I finally had it taken out. At the end I was throwing up every night for a month. It was my own fault though. I was petrified of going to the Dr and getting surgery. By the time I finally went to the emergency room, I had a high fever, my gallbladder was gangrene and had perforated and had gone septic. I was admitted and had it removed as an emergency surgery. I was hospitalized for several days for what should have been a one day affair. The Surgeon said it was "one of the grossest things he's ever seen" ... Now since he's a doctor I imagine he's seen a lot of gross things but I didn't ask him to elaborate. I understand that many doctors are conservative and do not operate until they are certain that recurrences of the attacks are inevitable. Sometimes dissolution of the stones works and sometimes patients never have a recurrence... but where you've already had two attacks so close together, hopefully they'll just take care of it expediently. Good luck!

Hi North Ms Sleevers! I thought all of you who are using Dr. King would like to see his work, I was sleeved on June 18, 2012, starting weight (first photo) 334.9, second photo (today) 215 lbs, that's 120 lbs lost in 10 months, 37 lbs to goal! I'm rooting for everyone to have the same success! Sent from Gaye's iPad Mini using VST

I'm a week out from gastric sleeve surgery. Down 10 since last Monday (35 total since September yay!) A few days ago I noticed my hair is already falling out at an alarming rate. I know this is temporary but I'm nervous. Does anyone have any tips to slow this down? Strengthen your hair? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Haven't been banded yet, but it IS possible to have children with PCOS. In fact, it's possible to have several. I have three daughters, 11, 10 and 7. :thumbup:

my insurance is 90/10, my out of pocket expenses were 245.00 to the surgeon...and 1450.00 to the surgery center where im having the procedure done...so almost 1700.00...

I'm day four of my full liquid, low fat, pre-op diet. I'm hanging in there! Have NOT cheated:-) Three more days to go! Scheduled to be at the hospital at 7:10 am Tuesday!!! I am sooo excited!!! Also have lost five pounds so far the last four days. So glad I work the next three days and made plans to keep myself busy so the next Three days don't drag:-)

A make over can involve color or highlights, new cosmetics, new clothes to go with your new attitude. If you have long hair and it looks good and you don't want to cut it short, who says you have to? the over 50 thing is silly to me. Who made up that rule? Lots of cookie cutter women with the "graduated wedge/bob thing". At any given event at my son's school at least 10 women have some version of that haircut. I should know I had it at one time too. Looked nice, but what a pain in the tush to keep up with. Just because it is popular, doesn't mean it works for everyone or is everyone's taste. Live and let live, I say. I think short hair can be sexy and that touseled long bedroom hair is to die for. Halle Berry looks better with short hair and Christie Brinkley and Jane Seymour (over 50) both look amazing with their longer hair. I'm certainly not a movie star, but my hubby loves my hair longer. I'm in my late 40's and it is to my middle back. I have been blessed with thick, wavy hair and why should I cut it because someone said as I am getting closer to a certain age I should? Guess what is the best about your thread? We're all losing wt and feeling good and want to shed the old fatter image. I say go for it! New haircut, just a trim, new color, new clothes...any and all can make us feel terrific and in the end, isn't that what we should want not only for ourselves but for other woman as well? Strut your shorter perky do, flip your long hair, enjoy your classic bob.......and enjoy every second of this experience. I wish all of us a successful journey !

I am curious to see who watched a video of an actual VSG before you had the procedure? I am a nursing student & have had one surgery prior to this when I had my gallbladder out 10 years ago. I wasn't afraid of surgery & the procedure went fine. Since then, I have been in the OR a few times in nursing school & have seen open heart surgery while I was 2 ft from the patient's open chest. Now that I am (hopefully) getting the VSG, I found myself feeling nervous about the procedure in a way I had not before. I went back and forth with the idea of watching a video of the procedure to take the mystery away. We fear the unknown & all that I finally decided to watch one last night & I am SO GLAD that I did. I already feel better! AM I NUTS!? The consensus among my friends was to NOT watch it. They all thought it would be scarier. What do you guys think??

I'm 19 and I'm having surgery on the 7th of July. And I am definitely not lazy. I've played sports my whole life and have danced. Having this surgery is the only way i am going to lose the weight I need to in order to live a healthy life. This decision was in no way easy. The only people that know are my parents and my sister and brother.. I don't know how my other family members would react but at the same time it's my life so who cares if they think negatively about it.. Good luck everyone!