LAP-BAND Surgery Forums

Today is the first chilly day of fall here and I'm gonna make the family grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner tonight. I feel brave enough to try a half of a grilled cheese sandwich....wish me luck

This has been nothing but a nightmare. I'm miserable and really just want this to be over. I was banded 9/11/13. I know it's only been 5 days but I'm miserable enough to just stop. I can't stop crying. I just want my life back. I am wondering if I just made the biggest mistake of my life doing this. I was not prepared to feel this way. The thought of eating anything makes me physically nauseated. But I'm starving. These feelings of internal havoc throughout my body... Is it worth it. I'm not so sure this is for me anymore... What do I do...

I want to start by saying I was banded in Mexico with a 4cc Allergan band and in 9 months have lost 100 pounds and am at my goal weight as of this week (yeah for me). However, tomorrow I will have it removed and hopefully revised to a newer band by a surgeon in the US who I have seen for aftercare these last 9 months. I have been unfilled for over a month now because was having problems with keeping food down and I still do not have any relief. Today barium swallow showed nothing getting through the band. Not even a trickle. I am not sure if my insurance is going to cover revision but hoping for the best possible outcome. So I am eating humble pie right now because I ha…

K, so after a very bad period of time in which i had to have the fluid removed due to it being too tight, I have reached a point in which I cannot get back to where I was. I had lost roughly 70lbs. And was doing great, felt great, and was starting to look great. I went in for a routine upper g.i and the barium I drank dripped through like an I.v. So they said they wanted to remove half and then see why happens. Well what happened was I now weigh more than I did before the surgery, I am so disgusted with myself it's unreal. I work out, I thought I was eating better, I even tried the joe cross reboot program. Lost 10, gained 15. So I pretty much have up. But after realizing…

Getting Banded in the morning don't know what its going to bring but I am so ready for the next chapter in my life.

Recently got a fill and now at 5.7 cc of 10 cc band. I can't get solids down but before I start getting the "you are losing weight the wrong way" is it possible that it needs time for swelling to go down.... Or something else that is contributing? It has been 2 weeks and some days are much better than others --- just want hear about experiences and please no judgement as I am just trying to learn what the green zone is.

Found a new Drink...... I'm very picky about energy/protein drinks. Monster now has a few new ones. Muscle Monster Energy shake.... vanilla.... OMG DEEEELISHHHHHH http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=153780821&page=1

sorry, but I am just full of dumb questions!! I am very good about not eating any more than one cup of food at a meal. It's a rule I won't break. But today I am going to try salad for lunch. So I have some chicken breast I will use, plus lettuce. But since lettuce is so "puffy" (for lack of a better word!), how do you measure that without only eating like 4 pieces of lettuce because that's all that would fit in a measuring cup?? Do you smoosh it down? Thanks in advance!

Any ideas for good on the go breakfasts with protein?

I am four weeks post op and on a solid food diet. I can (physically) eat anything right now. My nutritionist gave me a calorie range of 750-800 calories a day, and I have been very good at not going OVER. But a lot of days I find I am way under. Like today, it is 8:15pm, and I have only eaten 452 calories today. I also walked 2.5 miles. I feel like that just isn't a lot of fuel!! If this happens to you, do you try to increase the next day, or do you have some kind of snack, or what?? Any advice is appreciated!

Went to see my surgeon today, everything was ok, I have another week of liquid diet and then to solids, no smuchies for me ...from liquid to solid as per his own words. So the schedule for my fill is November right after my Birthday...so excited, I will be able to enjoy my night out with my sister and girlfriends in Atlantic City, NJ! It seems all the healing meditation worked... Keep positive, fill your life with love, harmony and peace!

Im just waiting on approval from insurance. Does anyone have healthfirst? If so what are excuses they can use to deny the surgery?? Please help i really need this surgery.

I'm really sorry if this is the wrong place. This is my first post. I was banded nearing 2 years ago in february. I have lost 60 pounds and have another 20 to go before I think I'll finally feel good about myself. I hadn't been keeping up with the fills and so for the past year I had been between 145 and 160. I've been able to maintain my weight at 145 since I recieved a fill 3 months ago and I plan on getting another in a month. Around the same time as my fill I noticed that there was a bit of discomfort in my port area (this was before the fill which made the fill really uncomfortable and I noticed the doctor had to do a lot of moving around to find the hole). I hadn'…

Hi! I am 7 years post band and I was banded in Mexico I have just recently relocated to Connecticut and I am looking for suggestions on doctors in CT who will fill a Mexican placed band! Ty!

I am just 8 days post op. Went back to work yesterday, and today they bring in Panera bagels for breakfast, my favorite. Baked ziti for lunch. And to top it off cake pops. How oh how to ward off these temptations????

Let's start with the "yay!": I weighed in this morning at 248.2!!! I have been dying to get under 250 for about 4 months so that was so exciting! Now, to the nay : Will I ever learn not to eat in the morning, especially gulping it down???! Not feeling well this morning due to migraine issues (I'm blaming it on the tropical mess), I drove through Starbucks to get a tea. Then, I see that they have new menu items, one being a whole wheat spinach deliciousness. I order it which probably would have been fine if I ate normally but, no, I inhaled it (probably since I hadn't eaten much in the last 24 hours due to said migraines). I get to work and spend 15 minutes regur…

Ugh! It is official,,,I have gained back 30 of my lost pounds...I have been working to get my band refilled to a good restriction and apparently I need a little more. I don't know what my obsession with food is lately but I'm back in the mindset of waking up and promising not to make bad choices or eat too much and by the end of the night...boom I did it again. I was hoping to be able to use self control and not have so much in my band, but I guess that's not going to work..I was so happy when I got to shop on the regular side of the store and dang it I want to stay there! I am still proud that I don't weigh 314 any more but I was down to 170 and I am out of onderland to…

Free my tea last night I have felt discomfort and felt sick. My band was making funny noises. I think something is stuck. I think it was the skin off the jacket potato I had, any ideas please?????

I miss beer. That is all. Thanks for listening. Shelly

I will probably be banded in October 2013. I am looking for someone to see me through the pre-op diet and post-op life style process. I have been going through the process since May of 2013. I am currently waiting for my insurance company to approve the surgery. I am a first grade teacher from Connecticut and am 27 years olds. I live with my boyfriend and my dog Buster. I have no children and basically live for my job and my students. I am having a hard time understanding the dietician and the stupid weight watcher like point value system diet she wants me to follow (the government plate crap). I need someone to talk to when I want to eat instead of eating. Thank yo…

I had my surgery in 2008 I have stayed stable at 157l lbs from the 225 that I weighed before at 5' 1" I was huge. Now I my medical insurance does not cover any WLS issues even though I paid for my surgery in another state. I am in need of a doctor to unfill me because I can barely eat anything healthy now and I feel horrible. I used to go to the Fill Centers in Clearwater although I live on East Coast but I understand they closed now. I need a doctor that isn't going to charge me arm and leg to unfill me. Please help!

Since banding, I've found a few foods that just don't go down right. Tonight's discovery was couscous. Humble and seemingly innocuous, the first three small forkfuls went down just fine and then pow! For the next 15 minutes I'm strolling around the house jumping up and down, trying to make it go through. Finally, I decided enough was enough and swallowed a tablespoon of olive oil to grease the skids, so to speak. Couscous = no-no. You?

I live in Akron. I'd love to have a nearby buddy.

I live in Akron. I'd love to have a nearby buddy.

I live in Akron. I'd love to have a nearby buddy.

I live in Akron. I'd love to have a nearby buddy.

My pre-op, low-carb (20 or less per day) starts tomorrow and I'm scared!! I got some Atkins shakes for breakfast and am planning on salad with boiled eggs, cheddar cheese, and baked chicken for lunch but aside from that I don't know what to eat and I'm on a budget. I'm super busy so quick-fixes are a plus. Ideas please!!

My wife had lap band surgery in June. She has lost 70+ pounds as of Sep 8. For the last 2 weeks she has not been able to keep anything down except liquids. She had a esophagram last week. The barium was not able to pass through the band except for a few drops. The doctor conducting the test said he thought the band was too tight. She told them she has not had a fill done yet. This is true. She hasn't had even one fill. The band has not slipped. Her surgeon said that perhaps the band is too small for her stomach, however he wants her to wait a month to see if the band will loosen as she loses more weight. I don't think she can't wait that long. If band was going …

I just wanted to let you know that it is DEFINATELY worth it to convert the band to the sleeve. There is no more worrying about slipping, or leaking. The surgery was even easier then the lap band surgury. I had the lapband for 4 months and realized it was going to be a lifetime of problems. With the sleeve, most of the stretchy part of the stomach is removed so you don't have to worry about stretching it much and also you have a natural feeling of full. There is no heart attack feeling when you eat too much. I've also lost double the weight in 4 months then I lost with the band. I am so happy I made this decision.

Iv been bad for about 2 years now n eat a lot of slider food and just fell off the wagon having my son 2 years ago.. I'm always hunger so I'm sure I stretched my band a bit and I wonna do the band test I think its 5days liquids but I was hoping someone could help me with the liquid menu .. N no I can't go to my surgeon I lost my health insurance n have no money even for a visit. Please any advise on starting over what liquids I can do

I just wanted to share my profound disappointment with the bariatric team at NYU. I had a lap band w Dr Ren a year ago and had a successful outcome. 2 weeks ago I had an unrelated surgery and developed post op complications. My surgeon needed to speak w Dr Ren so he called, I called, may parents called, all asking Dr Ren or the resident on call to call us back. No one EVER called back. I let them know I was a fellow physician here in NY. I let them know i was having a surgical emergency. No one called back. I even in desperation told them that I was a self pay patient and oir $20k I felt I deserved a phone call. Nothing. My surgeon had to unfill my band and I couldn't…

Hello, I'm 19 and I was banded 10/4/13. I wanted the Lap Band since I was 15 years old. I have struggled with my weight all my life. When I was 14 years old I was put on the depo shot (birth control) and It was THE worst mistake ever. The depo made me gain around 80 pounds. Then through high school and all the stress and bullying my weight just kept going up. My highest weight was 326.6 pounds and that was in December of 2012 which is when I first met with my surgeon Dr. Michael Baptista. I started on the low carb diet and immediately saw a decrease. . . but then when my psych elvauation came It turned out I wasn't "stable" enough for surgery. Which looking back I COMPLET…

I'm having my surgery on October 2nd. I would love to find a buddy that can help me through the first few weeks.

Just got banded this morning- good luck fellow October '13ers! I noticed a lot of you commented on the pre op diet.. I did 5 days of 3 17oz muscle milks, 1-3 fat free yogurts, and a few sugar free Popsicles and some sugar free jello (per day)

How many of you have gotten approved for surgery based on bmi alone and have no comorbidities? I have state insurance so thatd be medicare right? Im worried that Ill go through the whole proccess and get denied over and over

Anyone else have weird dreams since there surgery about eating too much or the wrong foods? Or is it just me?

Very excited, but loathing the pre op diet. Any good alternatives to Optifast? It makes me wanna puke. All of it!

How are all the October bandsters doing? I have 10 days until my surgery. Seriously struggling with the liquid diet. I feel a bit lost. Don't know what to pack, should I cook and freeze meals for my family. Uggghhh! I need a checklist. Anyone else feeling like this?

MY first fill is still 3 weeks away but I have several questions that I am hoping someone. An help me with. 1. Does the doctor discuss your opinion regarding amount of the fill? If I want less restriction as I feel I am doing well is this considered? 2. Does the process hurt? Do they put you out? 3. After the fill how long before you know if its too tight ? 4. Do most people feel ill after their fill? Okay that's all my current questions. Thanks !

I would like to hire a dietitian to help me create some menus. I am having trouble finding anyone in my area, and my surgeon does not have any recommendations. Please send me names and contact information if you have someone you recommend. TIA!

Got a fill 1 week ago and I think im too tight.. again. I'm throwing up everything i drink. And now im throwing up and nothings comes out because nothings left in there. It's hurting my throat. I heard drinking something warm can help loosen the band a bit. Is it normal to switch lap band doctors? My doctor is just too far to continue going to him. I know I need a unfill tho (●_●

For the first time since I was banded on 9/11 I over did it. I ate dinner fine. But it's Sunday. It's football season. And after dinner I sat down with my hubby to watch some football, and even though I was still satisfied from my dinner two hours before, I decided to snack. I ate about 1/2 of a soft pretzel....counted the calories and was juuuuuust over for the day, but I walked two miles this morning so what the hell?? Anyway, I was FULL! Like thanksgiving dinner full. It was the first time I did that, and I don't want to do it again!

My cat likes to curl up on my lap and use my soft belly as a pillow (and to knead). Lately I've noticed he's been having trouble getting comfortable because there is less of a belly! He's kind of a runt but can put his arms around my waist now, lol. Even my mom noticed when she visited last week. This was not something I thought about 50 pounds ago, but I'm not complaining!

here is a picture of our fatboy am looking for other (bikers) who have had the band (i also had plication)

I am officially one week post op I have only lost 1 pound:(... I see ppl saying how they have lost 15 poinds in just 10 days after surgery whats going on with me! I dont feel any restriction at all n I cant have my firdt fill till im 6 week post op its kind of depressing to say the least....advice please help

Im only half way but this morning someone said to me' "who is that hot tall chick?" And it was me!! Omg!!! I can honestly say right now I'm literally on cloud nine! So, YAY!! And I really needed that today too!

My my sister and a couple of my cousin got nosy and went through my Instagram page and noticed I have many lapbanders on my page so, they confronted me and ask if I had one. I decided to come clean and say no but soon. Now the questions start!! Omg! I just want to live my life! They ask me questions like have you just tried exercising? Or have you tried this diet or that diet? Wth? If I had not tried every diet and failed I would be doing this. I'm even getting some cold shoulder from my sister. She is 12 years older and have gained weight but still looks good. So I don't get why I can't look good with her and why she feels she is owes to be comfortable in her own skin an…

I saw this recipe on FB and decided to twerk it, oops...the Miley Cyrus in me came out...I meant 'tweak' it, LOL Neiman Marcus style dip 1 cup of plain nonfat Greek yogurt 1/2 cup of fat free sour cream 8 ozs. of 2% shredded cheddar cheese 8 slices of turkey bacon, cooked and finely chopped 5-6 green onions, finely chopped Mix together well and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve with veggies, crackers, etc. The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of mayo, 8 ozs. of shredded cheese, a jar of Hormel bacon bits, 5-6 green onions and a package of slivered almonds. It was delicious!!! Serves 8 Nutritional info per serving: 131 c…

This is one of those things that still gets me- I am full, but i want to keep eating. I mean, that's how i've been my whole life, how do you change such a long-standing habit? Any insight would be appreciated.

I'm going back and forth about getting the band or sleeve I really dnt want my stomach cut and dnt want to take lots of pills for the rest of my life then I look at the band like the risk factors r lower and I can get it removed just thinking of getting the band today any one going to Depaul I dnt have a date set still have to the end of this month to see the doctor for insurance