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Blog 85870
 

2nd Stage Here I come!

So, I had the long awaited dietitian appointment today to learn about the 2nd stage foods of this process. We also talked about head hunger verses real hunger and dealing with appetite (mind) and hunger (stomach). Really interesting and informative.   We as lap band people have a lot to deal with, realize and change. I mean, with this 2nd stage, they want me to start off by eating 1/4 cup of pured food 3 times a day. My head is telling me that that is not enough food!! But in fact, it should be for the new stomach size. We will see how it goes.   Also, this stage starts the no drinking 15 minutes before I start eating and wait 1 hour after I finish eating to drink again. Plus, they want me to take 20-30 minutes to finish my mini-meal.   So, I came home and made oatmeal. Easiest and fastest thing I had on hand. I dutifully measured out the 1/4 cup of oatmeal, looked at the clock and began taking tiny bites. I took the full 30 minutes to finish and was actually thinking by the last 10 minutes that I wasn't even that hungry and questioning whether or not to finish. Well, I finished all but 2 bites of the 1/4 cup and waited my 1 hour to have a drink. It felt goooood to get something of a solidish consistency in my mouth! I really enjoyed the oatmeal. Its been 2 hours and I am still satisfied. Not so bad.Now, I have 20 days of this stage before I move on to solids!!   A couple of things that might make things easier that I learned through this site and blogs is to have little bowls and baby/kid utensils. It looks like a lot more food when placed in a smaller container and the bites have to be small when eating off a small spoon!   Oh...and i am now down 10.5 pounds since surgery (March 29). Still losing but just a lot slower. I am going to have to pick up the exercising now that more calories are going in.
Jilly29

Jilly29

1
Blog 52574
 

Two pounds in two days!

I will never understand why it is, but my weight really does seem to come off in spurts w/the band. And, I'm happy to see that I'm having another weightloss spurt right now... two pounds in two days! Woohoo!!! :thumbup:   My restriction since my last fill seems to be holding strong. I am actually eating out of custard cups now. And, not because I am trying to limit my portions (my doctor doesn't have any rules about how much you can eat - just that you should not eat for longer than 20 minutes). But, if I take more than a custard cup full, then I get too full before I'm done and have to throw some away. And, I absolutely hate throwing food away! I know I gotta get over that, but for now its easier to eat out of the custard cups.   Anyway, I'm just so happy w/how the band is working for me now. It is so truly amazing. I'm almost never hungry and even if its been 5 hours since my last meal, I only feel a little hungry. I used to get so ravenously hungry my stomach would actually be in pain and I would get so irritable if I went too long without food. Even the weightloss aside, its really cool that I can just go go go without really needing food. I know that is not the point of the band, but for a busy mom, this is so very convenient. :cool:   The best thing about this last fill, though, is that I've totally lost my fear that this band won't work for me or that I won't be able to lose as much weight as I want. For the first time, I just can't imagine that it won't work. Add up the facts that I am not hungry, I am satisfied on very little food, and I am loving my exercise routine (Jazzercise) and there is just no way I won't succeed. This is nothing like any other diet I've been on because YES, I can embrace this as a lifestyle. I'm actually enjoying the journey, not just white-knuckling through it as a means to an end.   I think this might be what they call the 'Sweet Spot'!
adagray

adagray

1
Blog 75823
 

Supposed to have a fill yesterday....BUT

I met with my doctor a little over a month ago and ended up not getting a fill...he wanted me to see the nutritionist and then come back (my weight loss has been very slow so he wanted me to meet with her so we can figure out how I can eat better)...so my apt. was on April 8th at 8am..but I never had a chance to go see the nutritionist becuase of my work schedule...I had to beg to have someone cover my shift just to be able to go to my apt. yesterday morning. So...the night before I noticed that I didn't have any messages on my machine confirming my apt. for the next day...but wasn't too concerned. So the next morning I get up, get ready and am at the doctors office right on time...only to have them look at me (confused I might ad) as to why I am there....you see, the doctor only meets with patients on Wednesday's and Thursday's (but only at certain times of the day)...so the girl that made my apt. had screwed up my time and the doctor wasn't in the office yet. So she told me that I could wait an hour or so until he was able to come in (but how did I know that he'd even be there in an hour or that he'd be able to see me when he got in)...plus I had to get to work so I wasn't able to stay. So I was very discouraged because I was looking so forward to getting a fill...but I've decided not to stress about it and I'll make another apt. when I'm able to. I'm going to concentrate on exercising and eating better.
Sara09

Sara09

2
Blog 88147
 

Denied

I have been fighting with my insurance for almost a year trying to get insurance to approve the LAP-BAND®. Was just denied for the 2nd time today! EHHHHHH I am so frustrated and I do not know what to do???? Any suggestions? :thumbup:
arends1

arends1

3
The Sweet Spot
 

4/9/10 To My Followers...(part II)

When I moved the blog the end of January I made a deal with myself...I'd get rid of my funny pics (I thought that was the only reason people followed me) and if people were still interested and if I was still getting comments and emails about writing a book, then I'd try it...yes, you heard that right. To make sure I didn't chicken-out, the week I moved the blog, I told my DH what I was planning...he was very surprised, but he'd support anything I do. More shocking to me than rapidly reaching those 100 first followers (and the horror of the before pics) was that the very first week on Blogger I got comments again about writing the book...the very same day I got an email from one of my LBT friends, Diane about writing a book...it was like I was getting signs...I told her the above and that I was going to try it...something about saying it committed me to the process. I told a few other friends who had contacted me (one was Lena, my LBT supporter and a published author, thanks GF) who supported the book idea as well. I spent my extra time January researching book writing, and making several outlines and then writing a few portions.   Here's the thing...by February I had so many Followers that I was finding it impossible to read/comment on others blogs and write the book. I decided that I was new to Blogger and that I needed to show the same support to others that I'd done on LBT so people could get to know me and so that I could give the support that was the reason I moved here. By March I could hardly keep up with all the blogs (on LBT there a lots of bloggers, but most of them are more like 'posts', short questions), here there are so many wonderful articulate bloggers and I wanted to read and support them all.   I've gotten three months into this blog move and now I've want to keep the promise that I made. I hope by now that you know me and that you know I don't want to stop supporting you, but I need to devote more time to this. I hope you won't desert me if I can't be giving you the support you need all the time. I'm not going to disappear, and I plan to keep blogging…I'm hoping to ask for your help with portions of the book (like TOM and post-band TOM changes…hysterectomy here). I want your opinions because I so value them. I don't want to represent just my opinions, but all the ways that others approach their band journey as well...as you know there are lots of choices we have to make along the way and no one way is the right way...just knowing all the choices would have helped me a lot.   So here's where I am now...I hope that I still have your support and for those of you that don't know me well yet, I hope you'll believe me when I tell you what my friend Diane told me last night when I was freaking out over what my new Blogger friends might think...that I'm doing this for all the right reasons. I really feel so blessed to have my LB and especially to have all the support and knowledge I've gained along the way. I really want to try and pay-it-forward to as many LBers as I can and that's the reason I'm trying this. After a little research I can tell you it's going to be a very long process (maybe a year), that 99% of book ideas submitted never get published (but I'll give it my best shot), if you want to make money being an author is not the way to do it. You know it would be a very limited audience of we LBers, and again, I'd just be thrilled to ever get this published.   I'll need your help and support more than ever along this new path I'm taking. I know by the time this is finished most of you will be at maintenance and won't need this information, but I hope you feel like I do that this LB journey has been such a learning experience that for the newbies just starting a book that they'll be able to relate and turn to might just make their journey a little easier. Thanks as always for listening. Here goes that 'publish' button...
Band_Groupie

Band_Groupie

2
The Sweet Spot
 

4/9/10 To My Followers...(part I)

I'll apologize now for the book length of this post. I have to break it down into part I and part II. It's the hardest post I've written yet. I'll thank you in advance for reading it…thank you.   I seriously didn't even know what a blog was until I stumbled upon a section of them on LBT as I was beginning my LB research. I think blogging is kind of like our LB journeys...we all have to figure out what we need and what works best for us and do it. I started my blog the same way I started my LB journey...I had to learn to put me at the top of the list for once. I selfishly (allowed myself to take the time) started a 'journal' (blog) for me where I could document my journey and research things I was interested in along the way. Journaling is something I've tried to do at several other points in my life (yeah, my whole family had gratitude journals one year), it always ended as fast as it started, but it intrigued me. I looked at the blogs on LBT and it seemed like a 'safe' and tiny place where only a few people even commented on blogs, so I really expected to just be writing for me. I can't tell you how surprised I was when people started to comment and how much I appreciated all the things I learned from other LBers helping me. It soon became such a wonderful and unexpected support system for me and when I got Banded, I tried hard to pay-it-forward and be there for others. There are a group of us that are/were long-term bloggers there, but mainly there are/were lots of soon-to-be or newly banded bloggers needing help and support. The comment I loved to get was that 'whenever I need help, I know I can count on you to answer'. I was so thrilled by my LB results even at that point and all the support that I'd gotten...I felt like I had been saved and helped in so many ways that would impact my life forever.   I've tried to be honest about my happy, but not so perfect life and my not so perfect LB journey. I write whatever I'm feeling that day and I try to write with the same voice I'd be speaking to myself with (yes, some days I talk like a crazy person, and I have lots of days where I just want to laugh, but that's me too). I think the biggest compliment people can pay me in my blogging is for them to say that I've said something they've been feeling, they've learned something that will help them, and that they feel like they know me...because you know what? They do.   As I came to my Blogiversary last Fall I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I wanted to continue paying it forward, but several other Blogger's on LBT had been encouraging me for awhile to move to Blogger (and so did others on other WL sites I visit now and then) and they told me that I'd be able to reach more people looking into the LB (Kathi was my main Blogger promoter, thanks GF). I was a little nervous about it as I knew that others were following me on LBT (even though there weren't 'followers' I could see by page hits that I had over 70,000 page hits in a year). Let me stop and say here, that I'm just stating facts…anything that might sound like a 'brag' is SO not me (most know that I'm a super humble person), but you never know how things come across when you write. Anyway, as the Holiday's drew near I looked into it more and decided that it was a good idea and I'd move the blog after the New Year.   I made another big decision with my blog move. I decided I'd move my blog without any of the funny pics I loved to use that made me laugh. I decided I'd focus more on my LB journey and less on my day to day life and the silliness that is me (no, not taking that completely out, but there was a point to all this seriousness I'm getting to, so hang with me here).   I know this is the scariest blog I've ever written (oooo spooky). I'm not a woman who generally gets scared about what I do (OK, you know I am scared of the dark still, but I have no control over the Boogie Man...yet). I've given presentations in front of hundreds of people and never batted an eyelash. I think I've shared that in the past, I've sometimes had trouble pushing the 'publish' button when I've gotten a little deep here, but I've learned over time to trust that the people who love me may not always have the same viewpoint, but they'll respect my honesty and that I've shared mine...and more times than not, more people than I'd ever imagine feel the same way and were grateful that someone articulated it. Let me say that again...I've learned to trust my readers...that's important...I don't feel scared anymore publishing any post...except now I'm nervous again...just a little.   I'm wondering if those that have been following me for a long time have seen at least a little change in me since my move over to 'Blogger'. Maybe it's just me, you know how we tend to magnify things when we know we're hiding something (yes, I have been). You see I know that there has been a change, because I know there's been one.   You see, I decided with the move that either my blog would peter out or I'd be trying to do something more to pay-it-forward. Let me go back and tell you that from the very first weeks of my blog I had people sending me private messages telling me how much they enjoyed it, or felt the same way and soon I was getting lots of messages telling me that I needed to write a book (again, I'm just stating the facts). I was flattered, but laughed it off saying I'm no writer, but thanks for the support. Here's the thing, even a year later I was regularly getting Private Messages, emails or Comments with people telling me they'd read my whole blog start to finish and that I needed to write a book (many during their recovery and let me just say...reading my year of blogs is a big feat...I'm sure it's longer than any book...you know I can't describe unpacking the gauze in my belly button without five paragraphs LOL...it totally amazed me how many people did this).   I started to think that maybe there was a need for more information out there from a Bander's perspective. I've looked at the LB books and all of them are written by Drs.; there's one that's written by a LBer and her Drs. but a lot of it is also from a medical perspective. I think you'd all agree with me that this LB journey has been so much huger than any of us originally thought it would be...I've gotten so much more from others going through their journeys than any LB Dr. will ever know (unless they have one). I think there's so much more that can be shared that would help newbies just starting out than what our Docs tell us. The fact that I had so many people reading my whole blog tells me that there's a need for this information out there.
Band_Groupie

Band_Groupie

2
Blog 89462
 

My starting journey....

In the middle of March, I requested to see my PCM. We were going to discuss the Lapband procedure and see if I was a candidate. The best new I got from him, was that I am and he is one board. He did everything he could to get me to the closest surgeon he could, but I can say that it helped that I did my homework. I have read so much and am so excited. After a few Tricare snafus, I finally got my referral to an obesity surgeon in Miami (I am in Key West) and made all the arrangements and appointments. I am seeing Dr. Anthony Gonzalez in Miami. He is a fantastic surgeon and his office staff is very helpful. They allowed me to go to a psych eval here and I did the nutritionist, seminar and first consult March 22 and 23rd. It was a nice little getaway as I went to Miami and stayed by myself while my DH stayed here with the boys. Insurance took a little longer, but alas...I HAVE BEEN APPROVED. I have to get preop tests done here in Key West, but I am scheduled for surgery on April 29th. I look forward to the end of my overweight journey and the beginning of my healthy one! K:lol:
kellyjoiii

kellyjoiii

1
Blog 71925
 

Update on my progress

Well,,, all I can say is it's S L O W!!! On one hand, I'm sad that it's not going faster, but on the other hand, I'm eating ice cream and chocolate way too much sometimes. It's hard to break 19 years of bad eating habits and the band doesn't curb those cravings. If I had given MORE thought to getting a more detail surgery, I might have considered the sleeve. But it is what it is and at least I'm going in the right direction,,, be it slow or quick,,, I'll get there,,, by October of this year, if I want to be at my goal, I need to buckle down and try to get 13 pounds per month off. I can do it IF I work out! Wish me luck!!!!
MyBandJourney2009

MyBandJourney2009

3
Blog 83628
 

Plateau

I hit a plateau about 3 months ago and I am still struggling. I have lost 86 lbs. in less than a year without one single fill. So I decided it was time for a fill. My doctor decided to do it under flouroscopy. He put in 3cc and I went home on liquids for a couple of days. The first day was fine, but on the second day I started having trouble getting fluids down. I called the nurse and she said come back in right away.   So they decided to take some of my fill. They took out 1cc, so I'm down to only 2cc. Well, guess what? I can eat anything and as much of it as I want, just like before the fill. Maybe I have a weak constitution, but I need the band to restrict what I eat. If I don't have that, I'm going to eat more. That's why I got the band in the first place. Yeah, maybe years from now I will be trained to eat smaller portions all the time, but for now, I need a tool, re: the band.   I called the doc's office back to schedule another fill and they said it had to be 4 weeks from the last one. So I can't get it until April 20th. I already know that 3cc was too tight, so I'm going to ask for .5cc and see how I do with that. It's not that I am overeating and gaining my weight back, I am just not losing right now and I have 30 more lbs. to go to reach my goal. Wish me luck!:thumbup:
dizlizd

dizlizd

3
Blog 85309
 

Doctors appointment. Any Ideas?

I had an xray (while having my belly covered with a vest) and the doc said the band is still in the right spot.   I dont know what that means!!! So if its not a band slip, why does it hurt 30 mins after I eat, for about 1 hour???   I have 3.5ccs in my band, and the doctor removed 1cc. He was hoping that my pain would go away with this, but after eating later (mashed potato and cheese) I am still having pains.   I dont feel more restricted, I dont feel less restricted. I just feel pain 30 mins after food. The unfill didnt change anything. I dont want to be afraid to eat anything, especially when I'm pregnant and need to eat well.   Any suggestions??
amanda3t

amanda3t

1
Blog 82799
 

Yep, my insurance co. still stinks! 4/8/10

In today's mail I got two letters from the insurance company. One was the written denial of surgery...the other was the approval of one pre-op test & a few office visits.   Cute.   The approvals were done about a week ago, but the denial was entered um, yesterday. Yep, 24 hours later I'm actually holding the mailed letter in my hot little hands.   So they drag their feet on mailing approvals, but are all over it *thisfast* when there's a denial. Super!   I really hope it's going to be straightened out quickly & as smoothly as can be. I don't know if I need to call the doctor's office or insurance company. If so, what do I say? I don't know if someone will call me...or if it won't be addressed until my next visit & I get reamed by the dr when I go for my endoscopy.   I can totally see it happening, given what I've read and been told about my surgeon's bedside manner. I'll probably get blamed for telling "Karen" to fax the surgical request over. Yeah. Like I can *make* someone do that. I never asked anyone to do it.   It was a matter of:   Me: "Hi! I'd like to try & schedule some of the pre-op appointments if I could."   Karen: "Are you approved?"   Me: "Yep. I mean, I think so."   She asked for my last name & pulled my file.   Karen: (Indignant) "NO! You are NOT approved. You are only approved for the consult, endoscopy, and office visits. None of the other things can be scheduled until you have insurance approval for surgery."   Me: "Oh. Does that include the nutrition class too?"   Karen: (Still indignant) "YES!"   I mentioned my sob story about my DH being on pre-deployment vacation & I was hoping to squeeze in any of the pre-op appts if possible while he was available to watch our child.   Karen: (High & mighty) "And when were you expecting to have surgery?"   Me: "I was hoping to be able to do it mid to end of July, if possible."   Karen: (As though she was thinking out loud) "Ok. We're scheduled out that far. Let me fax the request over to them." (Irritated sigh)   Me: "Oh, ok. Thank you."   We hung up.   Grrr! So much about this whole process is bothering me...a lot. (As you can probably tell if you've been reading my blog. :thumbup:)   I know it bothers me deeply because I want this surgery soooo badly & there seems to be very little I can do to move the process along. Heck, there seems to be very little I can do to even get straight answers.   Hard to stay positive.   I'm prepared to fight. I've had to fight this insurance company before on prescriptions. I did win that battle.   Just wish I didn't have to fight. Why can't it be a remotely smooth process?
desperate4aband

desperate4aband

1
Blog 82362
 

2cc fill... 3 months! progress

Well I have definitely not been posting on here like I would have like to. All I can say is this 20 credit semester is really starting to catch up to me!   Just to briefly update on here It has now been 3 MONTHS since my surgery!! I cannot believe how fast the time has gone by. I have been extremely busy and I suspect that is why time seems to be racing by.   At this moment I am 38 lbs down since my surgery date. It is amazing to me that I could have been carrying around that much excess weight. I really don't notice a difference much in how my clothes fit or anything yet, but I guess I really didn't expect to until I hit at least 50 lbs. Looking at pictures though I can see a difference and people have started to ask.   I have had 4 fills so far but the 3rd one I do not think actually went into my band. So last week I had a 2 cc fill under fluoroscopy to make sure everything was reaching my band ok. I can definitely tell the difference with that extra 2 cc s in there and I feel like I am doing a lot better because of it!   I hope to see more progress especially now that the weather is getting so nice and I can spend more time exercising outdoors! I hope to keep update a lot more frequently but easier said than done. Until then...
Mary Ash

Mary Ash

2
Blog 89625
 

timeline for fills?

I am just wondering what other people have encountered with their surgeons timelines for filling? My surgeon is an aggressive filler, starting at 2 weeks post-op. Since insurance tends to only pay for the first 3 fills, he likes to start sooner and his goal is to get the first 30lbs off with those first 3 fills. I'd like to hear how other folks have dealt with their fills. My first one is next Thursday and I'm 8 days post-op today-down 11 pounds.
anabel

anabel

1
Blog 85309
 

Oh no! Woohoo! Help!

So, since Sunday I had pains in my stomach. I ate food at a restuarant for dinner. Rice, Tofu, and some onion and mushrooms. Later when I stood up to leave, the pains hit. At first I didnt know why I was hurting. I thought it was a bad case of gas (I sometimes have gas pain in the evenings). Or even, I ate too much.   But I kept getting stomach aches. So I thought, I'm due for that time of the month, so must be that. When it didnt come, I decided to take a pregnancy test. It came up POSITIVE. I took 4 of them, all the same result. I couldnt believe it! we tried for 6 months before I decided to have the band, and nothing happened. I thought it was because of my weight, and I wanted to do something about it. We stopped trying to have a baby, with the goal to lose about 20 or 25kgs before trying again. Isnt it funny the minute you stop trying, it happens??   I'm more than happy about the pregnancy, but I feel it just isnt the right time because I was so focused on my weight loss. I know I can lose again after birth, but I really wanted to get a fair chunk off before having another baby. BUT that being said, I want this baby more than anything, so my weight problems can wait!!   So I thought I had found the reason for my stomach pains, but still I havent. I dont think its cramping, I feel it really is my band. I notice more and more it happens after food. Doc was closed yesterday and I barely ate because I didnt want to be in pain. I took all my vitamins and supplements, but I cant keep going like this. So, I'm going to the docs now to get it checked out.   Please cross your fingers for me that it isnt a band slip. I dont know how I can deal with that right now!!   On another note, I'm down 13kgs/28.6lbs since feb 13. I'm currently weighing 92kgs/202.4lbs. I'm so close to my 200 goal, I'm sure with a little morning sickness, I'll make it soon!!
amanda3t

amanda3t

4
Blog 61243
 

3 weeks from 1st fill...report :)

Ok So, 3 weeks ago I had my first fill...   I have lost 6 more lbs!! FINALLY. lol Years fat, want it gone overnight. ha ha.   I am at 243...I dont even remember being this weight. Haven't started working out--been so busy catching up on life I guess. Lots more energy, hardly taking any naps had to take one almost everyday before.   I still feel like I EAT too too much, but obviously it is working ok. I am very happy about it.   Have not re-visited the medication issue for my pre-surgery issues. But got blood taken today so will know in 2 weeks.   I hope you are all well, happy and healthy. Hugs, Baggy pants. :thumbup:
Hotenuf2

Hotenuf2

1
Blog 1964
 

Let the good times roll!

Had my post op appointment today. It was great to get those staples removed and get rid of the drain...and I have no leak! YEH!!! I'm down a total of 20 pounds and I've already been able to discontinue my blood pressure medication. Not only that, my feet aren't hurting nearly as much when I walk...I'm thinking the rest of this ride is going to be a blast. :scared0:
deletedsally

deletedsally

0
Blog 89040
 

Two Weeks Post Op

Only two weeks post op and I am down 20 pounds. I am on my second phase, which is purred foods. I never thought I would eat purred tuna, but today I made a 'tuna salad' with tuna, 1/2 stalk celery, 2T Kraft Miracle Whip Lite and 1T dill relish. Put all of that into my Ninja food processor and whizzed away!   I ate 3T of the tuna with 6 Trisket Crisp crackers, chewed well and it was wonderful. I wish I could have put onion in it, but they don't want us eating onion until the fifth week.   Anyway, I think I might reach goal this time. At this rate, it will not take me very long!   Ethel
ethelinga

ethelinga

3
Blog 82709
 

Update Giby97, 12 weeks Ups and Downs w/Scale

Well it's been 12 weeks now, and I am averaging 2.83#s loss a week. Of course there are days that the scale moves down and then back up again, but that's ok if the end result is a loss at the end of each week. Concentration is the key for me so now I am contemplating a vigorious routine beginning this weekend--even in the rain. Stress is a factor too that must be dealt with, and the past two weeks I did that. Now that I am through an inspection-passed, and caught up on planning the next three months at work, I am relaxed and relieved and will concentrate more on my weight loss. Currently I am at 109 kg's from 123.1 kg. 24 Apr will be my date of my 4th FILL, making it 8cc's in a 10cc band. Yes I planned my 4th FILL, I acutally delayed my FILL from May purposely to see if i could loose more on my own, with two weeks to go, I am sure I will loose some, but it's time to get my next FILL. Probably this will be my last FILL for a while as I will go through the spring and summer months with much activity. 100 #s loss goal is attainable in one year--will honestly try. Good Luck to all other bandster's, stay positive and let's help one another with our progress reports.
Giby97

Giby97

2

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