LAP-BAND Surgery Forums

Where is everybody ? :cross-eye

I went to a support group the other night and we discussed setting up goals and non-food ways to reward yourself for reaching said goal. I have started working on a list of goals for myself, may be a nice little project for other people that are banded or soon to be banded. Starting weight 377 Goal 1: 350 - Pedicure Goal 2: 300 - Facial ( I have a gift certificate I am holding on to for this! ) Goal 3: 250 - Full body massage (another gift cert from a patient :banana ) Goal 4: 200 - All new sets of scrubs for work in normal girl sizes Goal 5: 175 - 2 new outfits that are NOT from Layne Bryant :laugh Goal 6: 160 - This is my goal weight, I am 5'9" and have a …

I have been banded since 6/8/05, my first fill is scheduled in 5 days. I have had no problems at all since banding. I have slowly introduced "problem" food like bread, Peanut Butter, and corn on the cob all with success. Twice this week I had chinese food (different items each time) and both times I had horrible heartburn. I have had chinese food before this with no problem. I have been craving chinese food since being banded because I ate alot of wonton Soup while i was on liquids for 6 weeks (my dogs got the wontons). Now, all of a sudden, I have this heartburn. So, my question is, what food gives you heartburn?

MAN! I've read all the threads here and heard ya'll say that your band gets tighter around "that time of the month". Not me, I actually feel like I have LESS restriction and I want to eat EVERYTHING. UGH! My first period post band was the week right after surgery so I was on liquids and I don't think that was a good test. I'm now five weeks post op, it's that time again and I can cram A LOT down my throat. I know, I know, just because I *can* doesn't mean I should. Sheesh, my PMS cravings are BAD today. Plus I'm retaining so much Water I could be an aquafer. SHEESH! :grumpy: Anyone else get loose with PMS? What tricks do you use to get through it?

Don't you remember all of the hype about it is "the most important meal of the day?" Well, I never eat breakfast now because I'm not hungry til about noon. I figure calories saved calories saved. What's you take on it?

Lately I've been hearing a lot about new studies liking anxiety to obesity. Cortisol, I think, is the name of the chemical in the body that is responsible for keeping the fat on nervous wrecks. I have a long-term history of severe anxiety disorder. Right now, my anxiety is 100% under control unless outside forces sneak in or if I abuse alcohol or caffeine. For example, I'll be having a perfectly normal day, but my boss could raise his voice and set my anxiety off without warning, and I'll be left with my heart pounding and hands shaking (which is lame considering I couldn't give a rat's ass what my boss thinks since he's clueless.) Even 1 cup of coffee is too m…

While I've had my fair share of NSVs, I've fallen back into some old habits and just had one of the NSDs (non-scale defeats) that I used to hate so much. Okay, I'll admit it... as a morbidly obese woman, I used to drop food on my shirt all the time. I notice thin woman rarely have stains on their clothes. I just ate dinner and did pretty well "bandwise." But as I was putting the food away, I had to shove one more bite in, which left sauce slopped all over my fresh-out-of-the-dryer white t-shirt. Had I only stopped when I was full I'd still be smelling Downy fresh.

Hi there! I was banded just a week ago (Thursday, July 21st). I'm at the non-clear liquids stage (cream soups, yogurt, Atkins shakes, plus gatorade, jello, broth). I've been back at work since Monday (desk job). I've been logging my intake and am getting between 500 and 1000 cals a day. Starting yesterday, I've been getting lightheaded even though I'm eating til full and drinking enough water. I'm not running a fever, the band seems to be fine. Has anyone else experienced this? I am not diabetic and do not have high blood pressure.

I was told by someone that once you have the lap surgery that you can no longer have soda pop of ANY kind ...... not even diet. Is this true?

Hi, I had surgery two days ago and it was a breeze compared to the esophagus spasms! Did anyone ever have these, it's horrible ? I can't sleep more than two hours and I wake up with them. The doc says it's normal and to keep drinking - but knowing it's going to hurt everytime I drink or burp - it's tough! Any tips or suggestions ?

Hello Everybody, Swirlgril posted a question about what we do to reward ourself when we reach goals. In non-food ways. Anyway there was a couple of banders who mentioned trips so I though a thread about neat trips for rewards would be a fun thread. So anyone out there who has been to some neat places post it here and let the rest of us know. Then we can dream and maybe keep ourselves motivate. In the meantime we can each save for our own special trip. If you have a link or a special picture include it so we can look at the place. Joyce

Can anyone tell me a little bit about erosion? I am planning on having my surgery in August and I'm trying to gather as much information as possible. I have read where erosion is a possible complication but do not know what that means? Erosion of what? Your stomach? Your lapband? And how would you know if there is any erosion (side effects or symptoms)? Thanks everyone!

http://www.floridabandsterbash.com/

I'm so discouraged - I had my surgery on July 26th. On the morning of my surgery I weighed 259. Today (2 days post op) I'm up 7 lbs to 266. I know that they pump a lot of Fluid into you during surgery, but I think that would have dropped off already. I don't feel puffy and I was well hydrated when I went into surgery. Has anyone else had this same experience? I was on liquids for 7 days pre-op, and I'll be on liquids for the next 3 weeks. I had my hopes up for a big loss over this period, but maybe I'm being unrealistic. On a positive note, the surgery went great and I feel pretty good. I'm tired and a little sore, of course.

HI ALL! I AM NEW TO NAPLES, FL AND IN NEED OF A FILL DOCTOR. ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED! PLEASE RESPOND SOON. I HAD MY LAST FILL IN APRIL AND IN NEED OF ONE SOON. THANKS! JANINE DECKER

Hi everyone I am waiting to attend a mandatory seminar on Aug. 13th - a must before I can even get a consultation with the surgeon. Anyways, the wait is driving me crazy!! I love reading everyone's posts and just want it to be "my turn". My question is-is there anything I can do at this point to make the whole process go faster?? My PCP is willing to give me referals to any Dr's I need to see, but can I, or should I do anything this early on? Thanks for any suggestions. Lisa

Hi everyone, I have been browsing your website for days. It's full of knowlekge. I was banded friday and the gas is still killing me plus I hanv't had a bm since thurs. nite before surg. Is this normal? Also, i can only get down 1 bottle of water in a day. I've been trying to walk, but probably not enough. I was going to go back to work today but put it off one more day.

How do you all deal with the boring, frustrating, annoying, time wasting pesky little plateaus. Now I know I should'nt moan because I have now lost 56 pounds, I was banded on Jan 29th and lost most of that weight (39 pounds of it ) in the first 8 weeks. Since then it has been really hit and miss. I had my 2nd fill approx 6 weeks ago and I cant honestly say I am feeling hungry or overeating and I am doing plenty of exercise so what could I be doing wrong ?? Ta Gaynor

I haven't lost any weight in about 5 weeks so I was getting bummed. But I can Celebrate my NSVs. Last Friday I squeezed into size 14 jeans!!! And managed to breathe good enough to ride 250 miles in them. Last year I worked really hard for 6 months to lose weight and bought 5 new suits. Then my dad died and I regained the weight plus more. I never got to wear the suits. I still weigh 7 pounds more than I did then but I wore 2 of them this week!! Hope everyone has a great weekend.

I went for my second fill yesterday. I have felt no restriction what so ever from the first fill. When they were checking how much saline was there they found none. Either it did not make it in the port the first time or they said I might have a "leak". This time they put in 2 cc (in a 4 cc band) and I immediatly felt it. It was the strangest feeling. Anyway, that was to much, could not even drink water, so they reduced it to 1.2 cc. Has anyone else had the problem of it "not being there" after you had a fill. Also, I guess I have a problem deciding what is restriction. Is it when you feel "full" immediatley after eating about 3/4 ounces of food or is it feeling …

Hello everyone. Good grief, it says I haven't visited this site since 7-26-2003. That was BEFORE my surgery! Anyway, I am here hoping to find the strength to catch up with the wagon I "jumped" off of about a year ago. I won't even begin to go into all that has happened in my life in the last year, and the bottom line is, I had surgery 8-22-03, at a high weight of 345. I have moved almost 8 hours from my surgeon, and haven't seen him in over a year. I have not had any luck finding a surgeon to take me on. I guess I got discouraged and I am guessing that I've put back on a large, very large, portion of the 100 pounds I'd lost. I don't think my band needs to be adjus…

Hi my name is Kelly and I live in Illinois. I had my band done on July 18th, and I am down about 18 pounds, but now I am hungry and I can eat some normal food. I see my surgeon next week, but I don't like that I can eat and get hungry.

They need a years worth of documented medically supervised history of weightloss. Does anyone know how detailed it has to be? Thanks for your help, I feel so depressed now.

http://www.floridabandsterbash.com/

Hi, I'm 18 years old and have had my band for exactly one year. After a recent fill up, I began having problems with sleeping. I have vomited in my sleep before, and sometimes I will wake up with the sudden urge to run to the bathroom and vomit, having not eaten anything since the evening before. This happens even if I go to bed without discomfort from food. I have also been experiencing uncontrollable coughing in my sleep (at times to the point of vomiting). This cough goes away once I wake up and go about the day's business. Occasionally I have trouble breathing, and friends tell me I make terrible gurgling and choking noises when I sleep. I was thinking that I could be…

Hi All, Just wanted to let you know, my doc is performing a live web banding on 7/29 @ 4:30. I will try to attach the link. My doc's name is Ashley Vernon. The pictures of her performing the surgery on the preview, are from my surgery on 6/29. How cool, I am on the web!! http://www.or-live.com/BrighamandWomens/1372/

I Just Came Home From An Amazing Concert!!!!!! I Won Tickets Off The Radio Today To Go See Def Leppard And Tesla..it Rocked!!!! It Started At 730 Pm And Went Until 11pm!!!!! Pour Some Sugar On Me.......yeah!!!!!! Im Kinda Deaf Now Too!!!!

I am feeling somewhat discouraged and I hopefully someone out there will have some answers about this... I know three people that have had bypass surgeries - their weight is falling off. I, on the other hand, got my band in Feb. and have only lost 30 lbs. Everytime I talk to my bypass friends they want to know how much I have lost, etc. and we compare notes. One of my friends had her bypass done around the same time I had my band and she has lost double the weight I have. I don't think I can take another fill because sometimes I do throw up and my band is restricting the amount I eat. What is the deal? I want to lose more weight like they are.

Went to my dr. appt. today, and got the great news that I have lost 16 pounds since July 13 (consultation)! OMG! Now, I do expect that to taper off a little, of course, but it's a great jump start. AND, I am approved to go on to the mushy food, since I have done well on full liquids and have had no nausea. So I tested it gently with Cup-a-Soup, cream of chicken for lunch. I am really looking forward to Stouffer's spinach souffle for dinner. So, all steristrips are off, the port is where it should be, I'm moving along, and I'M SOOOO HAPPY! I just want to thank all of you who have made this beginning of the journey so much more fun and so much easier! I want to hear …

Yipee! I am down 40.5 lbs!!! Happy, Happy, Happy!!!

Well, tomorrow I have my surgery! Im so excited and yet scared to death. Yes, I know that thats normal and everything will be fine but there is that little voice in my head that says "Are you crazy???" I am just thankful that I have this opportunity and I am detemined to make the best of it. I just couldn't imagine doing something this drastic and messing it up! Thanks for all the wonderful information you all posted on here..I learned soooo much!

I am a long way away from this now, but am dreaming.....I'm curious about what a bandster orders from restaurants - all kinds of restaurants. Do you always order off the children's menu? (I noticed lots of high fat foods there....but?) Order a regular entree, but bring much of it home? I'm curious about everything from going out for breakfast to dinner....What do you do about the bread? Thanks for helping me out with your ideas! Amy

Hi, I would like to know from anyone who is post-op who has sleep apnea how was it treated while you were in surgery and post-op, if you had to stay overnite in hospital? Thanks.

While I was at a support group for bandsters last night in NJ I mentioned a cookbook for weight loss surgery patients. Here is the information for all who want it. title: Eating well after Weight Loss Surgery, Over 140 Delicious Low Fat, High Protein recipes to enjoy the weeks months and years after surgery. Author: Patt Levine. this book is great because it tells you what and how much you should eat from each recipe whether you have the band, bypass or the switch surgerys. It also advised you of what portion is approiate for people who have not had the any weight loss surgery so it make sit easy to cook one meal for the whole family. An added bonus it lets y…

Okay so here's the story. I am scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning at 8am. My surgeons office calls me yesterday evening around 5pm at work and tells me they have the wrong insurance listed for my Primary. I have Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Dakotacare. Wellmark is my primary. Dakotacare agreed to cover the lap band procedure no argument. Well now the surgeon's office tells me that Wellmark denied the claim or whatever and now Dakotacare may not cover either because they(Dakotacare) is my secondary insurance! Dakotacare may refuse to cover because my Wellmark refused to cover the procedure. The surgeon's office is waiting on a call back from Dakotacare to se…

okay okay..i know im crazy posting this!!!! seriously, what is your one little dirty wish or fantasy when you reach goal?? you know what mine is? i want to get a picture taken off me professionally in some really sexy lingerie and high heels laying down on a white couch. then i want to blow it up to a huge poster size and put it right in my living room above my couch for all the world to see!!!! is that naughty and conceited or what?? i already said it is all about me these days...do you think people will mind? hahahaha come on...your turn!!!!

Hi Everyone, Surgery was a breeze but these esophagus spasms are unbelievable! It feels like I'm having a heart attack everytime I swallow or burp. I haven't been able to sleep more than 2 hours at a time, the pain is bad. The doc said it's normal, to drink and walk - but I don't want to drink when I know how much it's going to hurt when I swallow. Has anyone had this ? How long did it last, I'm on day two and it's the same amount of pain. I don't have any other pain, maybe the esophagus is a diverson from the incisions - but honestly there not painful at all compared to swallowing. :sick

I guess that means after 2 fills my band is working. I ordered a small burrito at Baja Fresh after eating 1/3 I felt it trying to come up. I attempted to keep it down but just not happening. I reached for a few napkins and up came sum of my lunch. I then decided to eat only the inside of it and leave the flour shell for the trash can. I felt full and yet did not eat much at all. Kind of gross but I was glad to see it did its job.

Hey guys. How are you all doing? Me, Well, like the header says, In a funk and sorta scared. I am going thru a lot of stress right now...Im getting it from all ends...There are situations with in my marriage, my mother is not well and has to go for a cardiac catheterisation.(Spelling??), shes my ONLY baby sitter, so I can't get to the gym, I can't get to support group...and I feel like all I wanna do is eat and lay down somewhere. I have been doing all right with curbing the eatting...however, I just had some crumb cake...I am throwing the rest of it out. My mother bought it for her house, but she couldn't resist it, so she gave it to me to give to my husband...and now …

Is there a list of foods to avoid or to kinda watch for newbies? If not, can we make one ? Thank you !!!

I CAN't BELIEVE IT!!!!!!! Tomorrow I become and official Bandster!!!! I feel like I'm holding my breath. Everything is coming in on me at once. All the emotion all the worries. I sit here writing to you feeling my stomach hit my thighs. My chest expands they keep my my arms spread, my whole body is something that i have come to not be comfortable in yet, yet............. there is a part of me that wants to talk myself out of it. Now all my questions are hitting me. Will i be ok with the anesthesia, did i loose enough, will they cancel the surgery, can i handle the food restriction for 2 weeks, will i loose my commitment, will every continue to be supportive??? Oh boy…

Can someone tell me what PBing is ? doesnt sound fun. Someone said to go to info but I cant find it. HHHHEEELLLPPP!

hi! I'm in Utah for a couple of weeks while my mom goes through chemo. I've been banded for six weeks now and am trying to get my first fill while I'm in Utah since we are in the process of moving from Washington to Texas and I don't have a dr. in Texas yet (and I won't be there until the end of August). I've called Dr. McKeen's office for two weeks now and have left a couple of messages but haven't gotten a call back yet. Do Dr. Alldredge or Hansen do fills on people that have been banded in Mexico? I'd really like to get a fill before I leave on three weeks worth of business trips. I'm just getting frustrated and would love to know where I can get a fill whil…

HELP! What is going on? I am wretching and dry-heaving and NOTHING is coming up, but I can't stop it! My head is spinning.... Today, I had: 1 Protein shake for Breakfast (I had to drive 2 hours) 1 "energy" drink 1 liter of Water 1 Cup of Potatoe & Bacon Soup (lunch) More water... and then..... vomit, vomit, vomit and NOTHING - then like hour after dry heaving - actually started to vomit "stuff" up! HELP!

I just thought I'd pass on some information I have. Today at 1:30pm Eastern time they are showing a live Lapband surgery if anyone is interested in watching it. I can't wait to see it myself. Oh ya, you might want to go to the site a little early because you might have to download there video watcher thingy. http://www.or-live.com/ If you go into their archives they also have many bypass surgeries.

everytime I step on the scale I cant see it... everytime I look in the mirror i can see it... Yes im down 33 pounds.. and cant feel it, see it.. nothing... So I was at a size 32 i was sick of wear shorts that looked like i was wearing a shirt.. so I tried my size 28's on.. (for size) lol.... and OMG they went on and even more exciting... they buttoned and zipped up.... whats crazy about that... I still want to think of myself as worthless... just tonight im to happy to even think of that. I just had to share with someone.. and after i told my hubby.. you all were the next on my list... by the way He said " i bet your sexy in those smaller shorts" hahahahaha i told h…

Last night I was cramping and it's about that time of the month, so I took a couple of midol and went to bed. Well, about 1AM I woke up with the same discomfort and passed a little gas and took some gas-x and decided it was the beans I had for lunch. I was also reminded of Lisa's post about when she went to the emergency room and the doc told her it was just gas. Boy, I believe that to be true now. Anyway, long story longer.....I woke up early this AM and still felt bloated and weird. I took a pregnancy test and it was "+". That's right...a band baby on the way. Yes, it's too early to be telling people. I go to the doc the afternoon to confirm everything and then …

Hi there- I have researched galore on the lapband and decided it was for me. I spent months getting my husband to agree. I went to the siminar offered by the dr. here and went in for my consultation. The surgery (that I've been crying to have) is now scheduled for Sept. But all of a sudden I'm getting really scared and ready to back out. I know I need the help- I've tried every diet before and have never been successful, so why do I think I can do it on my own now- I've only gained consistantly over the last several years. I read about the PBing and the learning and it scares me to death. I keep thinking this will change me for life- part of me loves that, part of …

.. step on the scales when good ole Aunt Flo is visiting?? LOL .. never fails, I'm feeling great, then I get on the scales and my good mood goes right out the window. Guess I'll learn one of these days. ::end vent:: This vent was sponsored by Tampax and Mother Nature

For the past 2 weeks I didn't follow the diet, and ate whatever I want, whenever, and had no problems (i think because i'm not filled enough/may have a leak). Anyway.. Today I finally realized I paid $13, 000 for this and I had better get into healthy eating. After 2 weeks of eating footlong subs, mcdonalds, ice cream, what not.. I had my half cup of potatoes and chicken. I ate this, and then I had these LOUD gurgling noises coming up and slimey ness coming up.. it's still happening, and this is why I'm posting because it's driving me nuts.. i'm not liking the feeling. Anyway.. i've never had a problem with potatoes or chicken before and now i'm spitting up sl…