Albany GA bandsters - speak up...

[georgia girl 35]

Oh, I go for another fill tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed that this is "the one". Thanks everyone!

[jbrad71629 2]

Pamela

The first week in Feb is great for me. Good luck on the fill today!! I hope you get the right restriction this time.

Mia

I know exactly what you mean about always quitting. A few years back I went to a dr. that gave me diet pills. I lost alot of weight but as soon as i stopped taking them I gained every pound back plus a few. Since then I have always felt like a failure and have let it get to me anytime the diet didn't work overnight, but this time is different I can do it!

Being anxious about your surgery is normal, the day of my surgery the nurse kept laughing at me saying I looked like a little kid waiting to go to Disney world. You will be great you have just the right attitude to do this.

Take care everyone!!

[mia31771 0]

Feb 7th is good for me! Thanks for all the encouragement everyone!! Only 8 more days! You guys will have to help me find something I can eat only two weeks out. Maybe I can order some Soup and eat the broth of it.

[mia31771 0]

I have a question about fills with Elizabeth- does she feel for the port or use the flouroscope?

[jbrad71629 2]

Mia

She feels the port, no flouro. BUT she seems pretty good she takes her time and explains everythign and tallks to you alot. I really liked her.

After my post op visit at ten days DrB went ahead and moved me to mushy food so you may have more of a selection than you would think for our meeting. If not Soups are aways a good choice. Take care I have to go to work and get off this computer!!!

[nip50 2]

Feb. 7th should be good for me also.

Georgia girl - how many fills does this make for you? I'm still on my first, keep loosing just enough so they won't give me a fill. I'll try again next month. I seem to be cycling - one or two weeks I won't loose an ounce. Then I'll have one or two weeks where I loose 4 or 5 pounds per week. Right now I'm at one week with no loss again. Hopefully I'll cycle back to loosing again.

[georgia girl 35]

Feb. 7th should be good for me also.

Georgia girl - how many fills does this make for you? I'm still on my first, keep loosing just enough so they won't give me a fill. I'll try again next month. I seem to be cycling - one or two weeks I won't loose an ounce. Then I'll have one or two weeks where I loose 4 or 5 pounds per week. Right now I'm at one week with no loss again. Hopefully I'll cycle back to loosing again.

This was my 4th fill and I definitely feel some restriction since my fill. I'm having to slow down on my liquids. I have a total of 6ccs in my band now. I told Elizabeth today, that I usually feel restriction for a few days and then it is gone. She told me not to worry, that until we hit my "sweet spot" it would be that way. I was worried I might have a leak or something. She said that if we don't get to my "sweet spot" soon, she will withdraw the Fluid to make sure there is no leak. I'm hoping this fill will do the trick.

I tend to lose in spurts as well. I don't know why, but I've read that a lot of bandsters lose this way. I only lost 2 lbs since December 20th. At least I didn't gain. lol

[jbrad71629 2]

Pamela

I am glad to hear that you feel some restriction. I go for my nest fill on the 22nd and I hope it ends up being my sweet spot. Elizabeth doesn't think I will need very many. She seems to think I am going to have an easier time getting to where I need to be for some reason. I have 4cc in my 10cc band and I think I would be happier if we could just fill it up and work our way backward instead of the other way around. Take care.

[mia31771 0]

Feb. 7th should be good for me also.

Georgia girl - how many fills does this make for you? I'm still on my first, keep loosing just enough so they won't give me a fill. I'll try again next month. I seem to be cycling - one or two weeks I won't loose an ounce. Then I'll have one or two weeks where I loose 4 or 5 pounds per week. Right now I'm at one week with no loss again. Hopefully I'll cycle back to loosing again.

Nip,

I was told with self pay we get 6 a year- This is scary seeing how many other ppl have gotten. Especially since they don't use flouro. It just seems that flouro would show them a more accurate picture of the amount of restriction, I wonder why they don't use it. It only seems like a guessing game if you dont actually have the person drink the barium and show the amount flowing threw the stoma on a screen. Dont you think? How much are the fills after you get to your 6th one? anyone know? I may be worrying myself over nothing but I've just shelled out 17 grand and I would hate to just play around with fills. I want each one to count.

[mia31771 0]

On a positive note, I'm down 11 lbs! Go Me!

[georgia girl 35]

Jeannie- I'm so glad I am feeling some restriction. I'm really having to sip my liquids right now. I'm sure it will relax some in a few days. I like being tight, I don't always make the best food choices and this way if I eat something bad, at least I'll only be able to eat a little. lol

Mia- Congrats on the weight loss, you're doing great! Maybe I can ease your mind a little on the fills. I had a talk with Elizabeth today and expressed my concerns about not hitting my sweet spot yet. She seems to think we are very close. She was telling me about a doctor from Australia (he is one of the best lapband surgeons in the world). He has had the lapband for over 8 years, which is longer than it has been legal here. He said that once you hit your sweet spot, you won't need another fill for probably 6-8 months or even longer for some. I was relieved to hear that. Apparently, over time, some of the Fluid can evaporate from the band and you'll have to have it topped off now and again. Hopefully this helps to ease your mind. I really don't think you will need more than 6 fills a year.

[mia31771 0]

Jeannie- I'm so glad I am feeling some restriction. I'm really having to sip my liquids right now. I'm sure it will relax some in a few days. I like being tight, I don't always make the best food choices and this way if I eat something bad, at least I'll only be able to eat a little. lol

Mia- Congrats on the weight loss, you're doing great! Maybe I can ease your mind a little on the fills. I had a talk with Elizabeth today and expressed my concerns about not hitting my sweet spot yet. She seems to think we are very close. She was telling me about a doctor from Australia (he is one of the best lapband surgeons in the world). He has had the lapband for over 8 years, which is longer than it has been legal here. He said that once you hit your sweet spot, you won't need another fill for probably 6-8 months or even longer for some. I was relieved to hear that. Apparently, over time, some of the Fluid can evaporate from the band and you'll have to have it topped off now and again. Hopefully this helps to ease your mind. I really don't think you will need more than 6 fills a year.

Pamela:

I'm so glad this fill is giving your restriction!!! Thanks for easing some of my worries. I guess I am SO worried because I have spent so much money and I would hate for this to fail, I'm determined for it NOT to fail and I'm just fretting over every detail. I was on a few boards yesterday and read about some woman who was a year out who had GAINED 10lbs and she was saying it was all because she was a binge/overeater type person and that if you were she advised not getting the band. Well I KNOW I am, so that got me worried. I guess until I get some weightloss in I need to avoid forums like that. I have to get into the mind frame that the band will only do part of the work and the rest is up to me. I must admit, I won't lie and say when I first began this journey that I thought all I'd have to do would be to have this surgery and I'd be skinny for life after about a year, but I'm realizing that I still have to make good choices, STILL HAVE TO EXERCISE (which I'd rather be beat than do), and I still have to fix the issues in my head that make me eat when I'm not hungry. But you know what, I can do it, I'm doing it already without the band so I can make it until I get the band and get restriction! I'm already exercising and making good food choices. I'm on my way and I shouldn't let scare posts like that intimidate me or make me doubt myself. I just gotta keep on, keepin on as cheesy as that sounds!

[georgia girl 35]

Mia

I am a binge eater too. I'm not going to lie to you, until you get good restriction, it's going to be hard. Since being banded, it's turned more into a night-time snacking problem for me. There has been a time or two that I've binged, since being banded. But the binges were nothing compared to past binges.

To be completely honest, I thought that this surgery would "fix" everything and I wouldn't have to work hard. I soon found out that was not the case. Something in the back of my mind was telling me that this would be easy. I knew from researching this surgery, that people said they still have to work hard, but I don't think I could truly believe that until I experienced it first hand. But I'm hoping now that I have some decent restriction, things will get a little easier. It's definitely a lifestyle change and I think eventually we need to face the reason why we turn to food. It's something personal that's different for everyone, but I think it's necessary so we can move past it and get our life back, at least for me anyway. Keeping a positive attitude is going to help you out a lot. So, even if you think it's cheesy, keep on keepin on! lol

[mia31771 0]

It's so hard to overcome it all, I guess the most important thing is to start back at it, even when we do slip up. Like tonight I had a bbq chicken dinner from bbq pitt tonight and I ate the skin off the chicken and some BBQ Sauce. I resisted the potato but I had cole slaw and salad and I know I wasn't supposed to. But I'm walking two miles tonight to try and offset my moment of weakness! So back at it I go!

[georgia girl 35]

There's no way we can be perfect all the time. Don't be too hard on yourself, I don't think you did that bad. BTW, I loooove BBQ Pitt, but I haven't been there since being banded. They do have quite a few selections that are pretty healthy. Our lifestyles definitely can't change over night, it's something we will have to work really hard at. Good luck, you're doing really good.