Sept. 2010 Bandsters !!!

[BUNNY7 3]

Hi everyone!! I am so proud of everyone, I wanna cry!! We have been through alot and ya'll are so upbeat.

I wanted to ask a question. I was banded on 09/11 and the area where my port is, is still tender. I can't lean over to tie my shoes without some pain, or lean down to pick up something off the floor. Do you think something might be wrong? Or is everyone else still tender. I hope my band hasn't slipped or something? I don't want to go back for more surgery now, I still haven't gotten paid from my job since Sept 09... What do you think. My next appointment is Nov 2nd. I'm still walking on the treadmill though.

:thumbup: I think it's normal as most people seem to mention this for quite a few months. I also feel pain if I twist my body or lie on my stomach when I sleep. The only thing we have to be concerned about is if there is redness around the port or if the pain is excruciating generally. These are good questions to ask though and ultimately your doc is the one to talk through it with you.

[LisaA 1]

monica thanks for the tip

bunny I missed the thai links, what were they, I don't see them but my computer is going really slow, maybe I'm not far enough back.

One thing about the whole commenting on weight loss, so there is this person, so two people in my work place have lost a lot of weight in the past year, being and over weight person I definately notice, always comparing myself type of thing. But I never once mentioned it. I can't put my finger on it. It's funny, there is this innner dialoge that is like, "don't mention weight, - not sure why- can't put my finger on the reason when I self analyze- it feels sort of like, maybe it will draw attention to myself- I'm sure folks notice my huge weight LOL- maybe it's linked to my own fear, in the past cycle of constant try and fail with weight loss- that people will jinx me if they mention something- when deep down inside I always felt certain I was going to fail. I don't know what I'd do if I lost 151 lobs and someone said did you lose some weight- I sort of do that with guys that say shave a giant beard off, I'll be like, did you get a hair cut or something. I don't know. It's an interesting bit really. For a culture obsessed with weight there are some strange unspoken rules that some follow and others don't. There is also a peice that I've heard the other end of conversations, 'about' people with big weight loss. And that is sometimes in my area anyway, skinny people often say, oh I think they are too skinny, maybe they have some sort of eating disorder. So I always think, the longer it takes for them to notice or say anythihng the longer it will take them to say that sort of thing behind my back. LOL>

[mytrice 0]

Sorry everyone I don't know how to start a new thread. Yesterday I went to the doctor for my 1st adjustment. But sad news my port may have flipped and now I have to wait until Dec. 10. 2010 to have the doctor check with a x-ray. I was told to be happy because I have lost 35 pounds since my band day Sept 20. But I can not help but feel SAD. I don't remember anything happening to my port site. I'm have a hard time with this. Has anyone else had this problem.

[sourmissg 0]

Mytrice, I'm so sorry to hear that you was not able to get you adjustment. I know that have to be upsetting, but you hang in there things will work out.

[Chris2010 1]

mytrice, Congratulations on the 35lb loss! Sorry about the port thing but try to focus on the positive. We're proud of you.

[lifesaver4 0]

hi september bandsters! i had surgery sept 17th and did not have too much difficulty, started having hunger by week3. i got my first fill oct 20th, 5cc in 14cc band. at this point i have only lost 9 lbs, i keep thinking maybe i am doing something wrong, i have read so many of your posts and most have lost way more? i am sticking with mainly Protein for all meals and Snacks. the day i had my first fill it felt like someone slammed me in the chest, now i feel no restriction, and i don't go back till nov 18th, i thought weight loss would be much more by now. do you have any suggestions? so frustrated!!:wink2:

[missjoany 0]

:wink2: I think it's normal as most people seem to mention this for quite a few months. I also feel pain if I twist my body or lie on my stomach when I sleep. The only thing we have to be concerned about is if there is redness around the port or if the pain is excruciating generally. These are good questions to ask though and ultimately your doc is the one to talk through it with you.

My appt is on Tues. I called "on call physician" today and he thinks it's possible my port had flipped and I might need surgery to correct it. Will let everyone know as soon as I have the Xrays, etc. The only exercise I can do right now is treadmill and am having a difficult time even leaning down to tie my shoes. With all the hassles I had with no pay and no disability for 1 1/2 months, I sure hope I do not need surgery. Will have to catch up on my reading tomorrow. Have to endure another day at work, sure was painful last night. But only one more day till my appointment.

[missjoany 0]

hi september bandsters! i had surgery sept 17th and did not have too much difficulty, started having hunger by week3. i got my first fill oct 20th, 5cc in 14cc band. at this point i have only lost 9 lbs, i keep thinking maybe i am doing something wrong, i have read so many of your posts and most have lost way more? i am sticking with mainly Protein for all meals and Snacks. the day i had my first fill it felt like someone slammed me in the chest, now i feel no restriction, and i don't go back till nov 18th, i thought weight loss would be much more by now. do you have any suggestions? so frustrated!!:wink2:

I am losing 1-1/2 pounds a week which is what is recommended. I also count calories and stay between 1300-1400. Are you counting calories and Protein as well? But 9 pounds is awesome!! How long would it have taken you to lose that much without the band? Think of it that way, and you can see you are making great progress. I have not had a fill yet, not sure if I need one. Alot of it is willpower too.

[stateofzen 46]

hi september bandsters! i had surgery sept 17th and did not have too much difficulty, started having hunger by week3. i got my first fill oct 20th, 5cc in 14cc band. at this point i have only lost 9 lbs, i keep thinking maybe i am doing something wrong, i have read so many of your posts and most have lost way more? i am sticking with mainly Protein for all meals and Snacks. the day i had my first fill it felt like someone slammed me in the chest, now i feel no restriction, and i don't go back till nov 18th, i thought weight loss would be much more by now. do you have any suggestions? so frustrated!!:wink2:

At least half of my weight was lost before surgery, when I went on a strict low-carb diet for over a month before my surgery date. Most of the rest came off in the two weeks after surgery. I've had a couple of weeks of no loss in there, followed by a sudden drop and then another week of plateau. For some reason my body seems to like to hold on, drop a bunch at once, then hold on again.

It's hard to compare these things, you know? It probably has to do some with age, with starting weight, with activity level, and with calories. I started at a high weight, so losing might be easier for me right now than someone who started closer to a 40 BMI. I'd say most days I am under 1000 calories, and a good number of them right at 800. Even if we're doing the same things, all bodies are different and lose at different rates.

I can understand why you feel frustrated, but try to think long term. If you keep working the band, you *will* lose weight. It might come off slowly, but it will come off.

[LisaA 1]

Mytrice- wow that is so terrible, I'm so sorry, why can't they get you in sooner, seems like they ought to make you a priority since it's their work that has turned defective. great job on the weight loss. if you want to start a thread you have to go into a category first, and be logged in, and there should be a thing once in that category to start a new thread

lifesaver4, my weight loss is not very fast either. and it comes and then goes. a few things people have told me is that for some folks have too low of a cal per day can cause your body to go into stop metabolism mode- just store everything as fat. depending on your size and your activity, I think many recommend like 1200 or even more if you are high activity. so if your cals are low try raising them.

journal is is important, I use myfit day, it's a free online thing.

Also- I've been told by another nurse to shoot for 1200 per day, with once a week 1600 and once a week 1000 - to sort of shake things up - the metabolism can get into ruts.

But importantly 1.5- 2 lbs per week is what you should be averaging-

I understand your frustration though, my surgery was Sept 27 and I have lost 10 lbs since then, but gained 2 back. ugg.

[MyOwnLife 0]

Hi all. I'm a September 2010 Bandster also (9/2/10), plus being older than a lot of you (I'm 59). I was Banded on 9/2/10. So far I've lost 39 lbs. I haven't had a fill but had two "unfills" (one the day after surgery and one a week later). Doctor said my band was very tight after surgery and he didn't want to put anything in as long as I was losing. I seem to be at a plateau also since I haven't lost but a pound in three weeks. I'm walking almost every day (not a lot but some); I put in 33 miles in October. Wish I had a gym to go to, but I work two jobs (day job as school secretary and night job at home as medical transcriptionist) so I get my walks in either early in the morning or late evening. I'm thinking I may have to get a fill before Thanksgiving. Hopefully everyone can make it through that without too much trouble.

[shellyh 0]

Hi All, Your all doing so great !! congratz! I know by my doctor and family /friends and Co-Workers they are all so proud of me but I'm not so happy with myself LOL I've lost about 30 lbs up and down since a week before my surgery which was 9/20/10. I went for my first fill on friday last week and I feel NO restriction what so ever:crying: Yes i'm doing ok on Portion Control and trying but heck, if i was good at all of that prior then i wouldn't have had surgery to begin with. I know my doctor only put in 2cc's he told me and he said everyone is different so lets see how that works and if we need to put a little more.. then in 6 weeks when you come to see me we will put more in. But i don't want to wait 6 weeks. I want restriction right now ! I know banding is a much slower weight loss then bypass and i know my reasons for choosing it over the bypass ( mainly my osteoporosis and the fast no obsortion from bypass) but come on lol So i've read some of your blogs about the fills and is it safe to say that it sometimes takes 1-3 fills before you feel that restriction and i should be patient and just stick to a diet plan until then? Another major issue for me is exercise . I know i need to pick it up so i'm gonna work on that for sure, but what about the fill?

[missjoany 0]

Hi Everyone!!

I found out a HUGE secret!!! How to help us get the “hurt”, “discomfort”, “pain” feeling go away when we get food stuck!!! Are you ready…? Papaya Enzymes chewable Tablets!!!

I had an episode the other night and ran to the internet to see what I could do… I read about these tablets and how they help break down Protein. So I went to CVS Pharmacy and found them in the Vitamins section. I bought them for $8.50 for 250 tablets. The bottle says to chew 3 at a time, but a person on YouTube says 4 will do the trick. So last night I had another stuck incident and I got the 4 tables out… and in less than a minute I was normal. No more pain, hurt or anything!!! I waited about 3 minutes and continued eating normal… slowly and chewing a lot more and had no more problems. I am so excited and couldn’t wait to tell you guys about my experience =)

Here is some info:

What Is Papaya Enzyme?

BySabah Karimi

Papaya enzyme is a potent mix of proteolytic enzymes derived from the papaya fruit, and offers several health and digestive benefits. The enzyme can speed up certain chemical reactions within the cells, and also breaks down certain types of protein. Papaya enzyme, also known as papain, has practical and medicinal uses. People can enjoy its benefits by eating raw papaya fruit or taking a papain dietary supplement.

I put some tablets in a zip up baggy to keep at the office and another one to keep in my purse… just in case. I hope to not have any more incidents, but if I do… I will be prepared!

On a non-scale victory… I put on my first size 16 today (Friday jean day at work). At pre-op I was a size 22 and 268 pounds. Today and only in week 5 post-op I am down 35 pounds (233) and happy… I started walking this week and noticed a 3 pound loss, so my friends… walking is my best friend right now.

I hope this little secret helps you in any way. Have a wonderful weekend and stay focused, NO Halloween CANDY!!!

Moni

WOW you sound so proud and happy!! I can feel it from here!!!!!!:thumbup: Yea walking is about all I can do, but its a start. No one has noticed my 23 pound loss yet, but that is ok, I can. I will definitely look for your "little secret" at my CVS. And I chose to work on Halloween so I would not be tempted to buy any candy. Of course folks brought in cupcakes, etc, but I wasn't even tempted to go over and see what the "spread" was.!! Yeah. Tomorrow I have an appt to check that pain at my port (mine is on my left side). Keep your fingers crossed its not a flipped port, and just over use. -

[LisaA 1]

Oh MissJoany, I am thinking of you, I hope you haven't flipped either- I wonder if you do need surgery if your insurance will cover it- some times I've read that people that were denied coverage for the surgery, had luck when things went wrong? I don't know. So did you never get your disability paperwork figured out- like did your doc never turn that paperwork in. I might consider trying a different doc if that's the case, and his port flipped, and he doesn't offer you any help with paying to fix it.

Well hopefully none of that will be the issue. good luck

Lisa

[sourmissg 0]

Missjoany: I sorry to hear you may have to have surgery to repair your port, hope thing work out for you.Today I had Dr. with my surgeon appointment today, I'm down another 2.7lbs. He did not say any thing about when I will get my first fill. But he did say I'm doing good with the weight loss.