LAP-BAND Surgery Forums

What would you consider a normal amount for a fill? Today was my first fill and my doctor grave me a 1cc fill. Just wasn't sure what amount was normal or is it more MD specific?

I just had to share that I tried a new recipe, for a casserole today and it was pretty good. It's a zucchini-tomato casserole, using cheese (you can use whatever kind you want like low-fat I'm sure, but it called for shredded cheddar), seasonings, milk (I use skim milk), eggs (I guess you could use egg substitute equal to the three eggs) and baking mix. I used 1/2 the cheese and added some diced onion and jalapeno. Of course, I can only eat such a small portion, but that way it will last me awhile. How many meals will I get out of this for just barely $5 on ingredients? Several and that is Awesomesauce. Anyhow, the cool thing is now that I've made this, I know it w…

I need help getting back on the right trak. Of course, I know what I should be doing. I was banded in Nov. 09 and lost weight very slowly only about 30lbs. Now I've gained 20 of that back and I believe I need an adjustment, because I am making poor nutritional choices. I can't even eat half a sandwich, but I can eat a lot of ice cream and candy.... I am embarassed to go back to the doc's for an adjustment. Should I be? Has anyone been in this situation? I went to our local meetings for about 6 months, everyone was losing enormous amounts of weight. Not me, I got discourage. Please help me. Let me hear your story. Thanks so much and God bless to all! Terri

I'm full of questions this morning, too much tea already:-) The thing I love my most about myself is my hard head. Yep, this hard head of mine is full of determination. I'm determined to be healthy for the rest of my life. I'm determined to keep going even when the road gets bumpy, I'm determined to find the good in ALL situations, because I truly believe everything happens for a reason! HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!!

I woke up thankful and excited this morning to find that most of the new clothes I purchased a couple of months ago and have only worn a few times are already too lose....TIME FOR A SHOPPING WEEKEND!!!:-)

I promised I would keep everyone updated with my fill I had yesterday, so here it is. I got to the office at about 12:30, signed all my paper work, then got brought up to the 7th floor where I would wait until it was my turn. My doctors office only does fills certain wednesdays of the month, so there were a few other people there waiting to get filled, too. Well, about an hour and 15 minutes later, it was my turn. I walked back to the room where 3 lovely women greeted me. I lifted up my shirt and tried to stay as calm as possible, since i was on the verge of an anxiety attack. The doctor stuck the needle in and removed all (if there was any in there) Fluid, so she …

Was out to dinner with four friends last night. I have the band, and another friend is newly sleeved...about three months out. No one at the table knew either of us had WLS and I was a little concerned for my sleeved friend as this was newer to her. The first thing I did was pick a restaurant that was known for it's fish. I knew she and I would be able to eat fish without any issues. Then I suggested last night that we order dishes to share and all agreed. I knew this would allow us to take what we wanted rather than have a full entree sitting in front of us. Well...it worked out great. First of all, no one (as usual) was paying attention to how anyone else was eati…

A little history first...i got my band in May 2008....within 2 years, I went from 331 to 155! But then started to have problems and found out i had a hernia and some scar tissue, so had to get unfilled and have surgery and start all over again..in the process went back up to 245 :-( I'm currently down to 214 and started having some issues again with a lot of things coming back up. After a doctor, who after i asked him if he did routine 5 year blood work and tests, told me that unless there was a big problem, he didn't do those tests because he didn't want to find something!!! Needless to say, i am now in the process of transferring to another doctor! In order to do th…

Went to Dr yesterday and got a fill, 4cc. Didn't get one last month and gained a couple pounds, yucky! Lot of bleeding with this fill, got my shirt all bloody. Don't know what happened to bleed like that

Hi Banders, I've heard of fills feeling less tight after they "settle in" a few weeks after adjustment. But my band feels tighter than it did right after my second fill two weeks ago. It's harder for me to eat solid Protein for Breakfast and yesterday I barely got three small bites of a pork chop down at dinner and felt it immediately. I know mornings and meats like pork are common for banders to feel more restriction. I'm just puzzled because right after the fill I didn't notice this. Also, certain foods just go right down, like salads and bread and I tried popcorn too. I need to watch out that they don't become sliders for me. After this fill two weeks a…

Hi! I am 3 days out from surgery. Yesterday was bad....I did a lot of crying and had a lot of buyers remorse. Today was better, a hot shower and a short walk down the street made the difference. I am craving food that I know I can't have like bread and sweets. Sticking with the protein shakes and soup. How is everyone else doing?

This is a good recipe i thought i would share: sugar free Fudge: 16 oz. Low fat cream cheese 1/2 c. Splenda 2 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate , melted 1 tsp. vanilla In a mixing bowl beat cream cheese , meltdd chocolate, splenda, and vanilla. Pour in 8 inch baking pan lined with foil. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Makes 16 squares. 1 fudge square = calories: 108; fat 8g; carbohydrates 6g; protein: 5g;

Winter time is the best time for soup and this is one of my favorite soups. This is the one time that I will eat meat. 1 pound of Hot Italian Sausage 1 Pound of Mild Italian Sausage 1 bag of lentils 2 containers (large) Chicken broth 6 potatoes 3 large carrots A handful of Kale Season to your taste Garlic minced, seasoning salt, onion powder Remove casing from sausage and fry in pain, draining any grease off of it. I usually put it in my strainer and wash it off to get most of the grease off. Cut up potatoes fine as these will be the thickening of the soup Dice up carrots Place all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on high for about four hours or until…

hey all! welcome to the group! ROLL CALL where in jersey are you? where did you have your surgery? when did/ or are you going to have your surgery? Hi i'm ashley i am in ocean county .. i had my surgery at southern ocean county hospital on april 22, 2011 and currently down 100 lbs!! look forward to getting to know all of you please invite your friends and get this place hoppin

so, other than sf popsicles, fudgesicles, and sf pudding, i havent really had anything sweet for awhile, even pre-op. i try not to have these every night, or even a few times a week, because they do trigger my sweet tooth. well, it was my T.O.M. (sorry men), and i was CRAVING something sweet and chocolaty, and i knew these wouldn't hit the spot, so i made up a recipe that was AMAZING, plus it had 10 g of protein. again, this isn't something i will eat every night or even every week, because it triggered my sweet tooth, but i had a very low carb day and just went with it: 1/2 quest bar brownie 2 T of nonfat cool whip drizzle of SF caramel I cut the quest bar in hal…

Ughh the more I lose the more it sticks out. Been at goal for about 6 months. Down to 18% body fat. Actually can see the beginnings of a 6 pack under all my loose skin and now my darn port is more prominent than ever. Planning on skin surgery in November but it seems so far away. Does anyone who is super fit with low body fat have pics of a tummy tuck after surgery and experience with a the port being moved or a lower lying replacement? I'm curious if I'm actually going to be able to pull off a bikini or working out in a sports bra after without someone wondering what the heck is that huge lump in the middle of my awesome abs lol.

Just seeking info on Lincoln Surgical Associates in Lincoln, NE. Specifically info on self-pay, post-op care, fills etc... Any info would be appreciated Thanks!

Was just wondering how much weight everyone lost on pre op diet (opti fast) please say starting weight, how many weeks u were on it and weight lost, I started at 120kg at 117.1 a week on

My band is an amazing tool!! I've lost 80+ pounds in 10 months! I'm 11-15 pounds from my goal. Many of my co-workers are doing the plexus diet. I'm just wondering how it works with the band. Does it work with band? Have you tried it?

Yesterday we celebrated my son's bday at a nearby waterpark. As I'm setting there on my chair soaking up some rays, I happen to look over and realize the diving boards staring right at me. I remember thinking to myself yeah right you can't jump off that, everyone will stare at you and laugh. Then I realized, hey I'm NOT 289lbs any more, it was almost as if I had forgotten my size now, so with a happy smile on my face I jumped right out of my chair made my way up the tall ladder and took a splash off the high dive....man was it fun especially when I realized that people weren't looking at me thinking this lady is going to drain the pool .....haha. As silly as this may …

Hello. The last two fills i've had, my Dr. told me my band got really loose. He needed to add 2cc's. He wants to check me again in 3 weeks, to make sure nothing is wrong with my band. Has anyone experienced this??????

I am 2 yrs 7 months post-banding. I hit my goal over a year ago, losing 100 pounds. in the past couple months i have had A LOT of stress & have been struggling with stress eating and eating when I'm depressed. I have gained about 20 pounds back. I know I have adequate restriction, as I have not had an unfill & if I don't chew good enough or eat on occasion fast I get stuck…so I know the retraction is there. However, I eat more than I should & my cravings are out of control. I've heard it's possible to stretch the pouch & I think I have done this. How do I shrink it back? Do I start over with the basics of 1 week liquids, then mushies, so forth?

Hello all. Joined the forum a while ago and was having problems and seeking help but then never came back on. Here is my story. I am a UK bander, had my surgery in 2007 at nearly 340lbs. My medical advice was to follow liquids for 4 weeks then purees for 4 weeks then transition o to proper food and that's where the nightmare started. I just dont know how to use this tool and I got little or no support from my provider. Did keep having fills and got to 8 ml in a large band and definitely had restriction and but I started to eat slider foods. I lost about 30 lbs through the liquids/music's but then started gaining and have basically not lost anything. Then a few yea…

It's like a love/hate relationship I have with my band -- UGH! Damn if I do (with restriction) and Damn if I don't (a looser band). I will tell you, after having a restrictive band year in and year out...sometimes it get OLD...at least for me. With my old band, I had kiss a@@ restriction and lived with that for years, until I had saline removed and I honestly (welcomed it) because I was sick and tired of getting food stuck, slimming, etc. chewing, etc. When my surgeon removed some saline back in 2012 due to a hiatal hernia and back pain when it was filled optimally-- I felt FREE.. a release from (lap band jail)...LOL.... I felt so free, I went wild....I ate a Five…

Hello, Just curious if anyone finds that their band gets tighter a few days after their fill. I seem to see no difference right after my fill but about 3 or 4 days later I am not hungry at all. I would think you would feel the tightest right after a fill. Just wondering if anyone else is having the same results.

So I had between 5.5-6 ccs and wasn't totally where I wanted to be and I went in for another fill today. Now I'm between 6.5-7 ccs. Out of a 10 cc band. My dr said I seem pretty tight so make sure I chew everything really really well. Just wondering if anyone out there has finally found their green zone with a higher amount of fluid.

So I'm on round 2 of being in the green after having a baby and I realized I didn't get our scale when we moved. I'm seriously considering not getting another one and just weighing when I go to my check ups. Anyone else not weigh on the regular?

Who has got it? Who doesn't? Is it inevitable? I did not realize before my surgery that it is pretty much inevitable, especially because I am looking to lose a little over 100 lbs. this scares the crap out of me! Especially because of my overnight work schedule it makes it a little more difficult to get my butt to work out than it would for someone who doesn't. I don't want to have cosmetic surgery. I do have age on my side but I already have the body of a 45 year old woman at 23 years old (not joking). I'm going to try to make more of an effort to at least get my booty outside to walk up the hills on my road if I can ever wake up after my shifts! Anyway... Please share h…

Just had to let you know...I had been in so much trouble with Vitamins since my lapband (november 2012) but few months ago I found the Zinzino balance shake. I live in scandinavia and it has been on the market here for a while but now available in the USA as well. This shake is full of vitamins and the biggest focus is getting balance between Omega 3 and omega 6 in the body, by doing that our bodies are more able to get rid of any swelling in the body. By drinking one per day for few months I´m free of joint pain and depression, I get all the vitamins I need without chocking on the pills and my energy level is higher than ever You can also buy it as an oil...like fish …

I don't want this to come off wrong! So I've been at my "goal weight" for a little while now. People have been saying to me, "omg your so skinny" and " don't loose anymore weight". Well of course I don't see it. I haven't exercised in 2 weeks and I've been trying to eat more in hopes of maintaining my current weight. Well I've lost another 5 pounds. I'm not complaining but I'm lost. I really don't want to get an unfill because I feel like it is perfect where I am now. And the past couple days my "pouch" feels irritated. So I think I'm going to stick to mushy and liquids for the weekend. But I'm not really sure what to do at this point. I don't want to lay off the protein …

I just got a fill today and he told me he hit a small vein and that I would bruise. Now it's a hard ball near port site. My hubby is an MD and said don't worry it's a hematoma but I want to hear your experiences. Thanks!

I have been having alot of pain around my band. I heard the more you loose you can feel it more when you touch your stomach. The last few months I have had dental work and refused to take Lortabs so choose Goody powders. Is there a possibility that my band has slipped or even erroded ? I need to make an appt. Does anyone know how they check for that without doing any type of surgical procedure?

I

Am so proud of my self, been on my pre op diet a week today and had my 30 the birthday Saturday night, yes I ate a couple of little appetisers but did not go stupid and I didn't drink! Since then the house has been full of left over appetisers, cake, lollies, chips etc and not once have a caved in and ate them, not even a nibble! I've lost almost 4kg so far! Hoping for 6 before surgery

It finally happened to me. I'm down 35 pounds since surgery (jan 22). Today I tried on 2 pairs of my old jeans (size 14) and they fit. Woohoo. Seriously love the feeling of not being afraid to get dressed and see myself in the mirror. And not only that it gives me such motivation to continue this journey and get to my goal of 150. I have 47.5 and half pounds to go and I know I can do it!

I got the lap band May 8.. I'm going to get my first fill today... What should I expect? I am hungry all the time. will the fill help out a lot with that? Please let me know how you felt with your first fill..thanks

Im 3 weeks out from removal surgery. Eating well & healthy while still loosing weight. This last week I added weights at the gym in addition to daily cardio. Im so excited about salads and veggies. My incision s are healing well and pain is gone. So happy to be getting back to healthy.

What is your secret? Tell me what you eat in a day to get in all your recommended protein! I need to get some new ideas on getting in all this freaking protein! Please share your meal plans!

The numbers are only part of this journey. I find myself still struggling with body image and self esteem as many others on this forum do. Was at PT last night and the therapist has been working with me for two years so he knows what I looked like before being banded. I was looking at myself in the mirror while doing my exercises and was not happy with what I saw. My slacks looked baggy and the blouse looked like it was hanging...along with what else was hanging if you get my drift. I'm just so super critical of myself so I've no idea why, but I suddenly blurt out that I'm only a few pounds from half my starting weight and when he asks how I feel about that, I a…

Can't believe I am writing this but yes I haven't pooped in like 5 days. Maybe more. It wasn't till yesterday when I realized I hadn't really gone and to be honest the numbers on the scale were going up!!! I follow everything to a tee!!! I'm a lap ban angel. Anyways this is totally embarrassing and gross to talk about but I am pretty uncomfortable. I have been taking a powder laxitative since last night so only a little came out. Gosh so gross to admit. But I'm at a point where I need help. I don't want to get impacted...I think that's what happens.... I'm only 25 and to be honest I don't think over ever been constipated before.

Yo lapband peeps. I have a question I hope someone else has an answer to. At times, when I seems to be bloated (and I have not even eaten much at all today), my stomach protrudes and is distended. My port REALLY hurts. I am trying to get down some Water and get unbloated. Made myself a fruit and veggie smoothie for dinner. I am so uncomfortble. It's like I am carrying around a big ole watermelon in my belly and I need to hold it up to keep from hurting. Ack! This doesn't happen often, but it does from time to time. Any ideas as to why and what to do? thanks!

I had my 4th fill yesterday. This was also my 6 mo appt. I'm done about 30 pounds. (10 pounds since my last fill). I had 1cc put in, so I'm up to 6 cc. I still don't feel "green" yet, because I still get hungry between meals a lot, and don't aways feel full after the portion I'm supposed to eat. 2 questions: 1. I passed out during my fill yesterday. As soon as he put the needle in I started getting dizzy and hot. By the time he was done with the fill I was out! This never happened to me before during a fill, but the doctor said it's normal. Has this happened to anyone before? 2. Why does the doctor say to only do liquids after the fill, then soft, the solid etc. Why…

Does anyone else ever get a charlie horse around your port? Ya know, like during the night when you wake up and your calf hurts and contracts and you have to get up and stretch it out? Some call it a charlie horse. I get that around my port from time to time, that muscle contracts and hurts...really hurts. It goes away just like in my calf. But, I wondered if anyone else experienced it and what you do about it. Thanks!

Hi All, I am getting so bored with lunch and really need some new inspiration. I am fairly tight in the morning and don't eat much if anything. So by 1:00 or so I am getting hungry, but am having such a hard time coming up with new quick, easy and healthy lunches. I'd love to hear what others are having for lunch. Thanks!

Could someone please tell me what NSV means? have seen it but have no idea what it means. wish they had a glossary of these for some of us newer folks...LOLRH...just learning alot!!! thanks

I had a dream journey with the band, no surgery problems and my weight loss was text book. However, a year on and I don't know what to do. Except for breakfast which is. Usually porridge topped with yoghurt and seeds everything else I eat seems to come back. I would say not everything because I am only losing weight weight (and believe me I don't want to lose more) very slowly 5lbs since Christmas. I went back to the surgeon and he took 1cc out it made no difference. I am afraid to take out more because I don't want to put weight on either, and I am not even convinced that this is not my fault. I ask myself did I eat the wrong thing, did I eat too fast? Is it my fault? I …

Day one of the test for me. I'm not eating great but I am way below my daily calories. Starbucks is my FAVORITE liquid protein. Can you tell? lol! Breakfast: Starbucks Tall Peppermint Mocha, no whip (200 cal/10 pro) Lunch: Chocolate pudding w/ unjury protein (140 cal/9 pro) Dinner: Bean and Bacon soup pureed (152 cal/15 pro) will have later tonight... Snack:Starbucks Tall Peppermint Mocha, no whip (200 cal/10 pro) Late snack:Chocolate pudding w/ unjury protein (70 cal/4.5 pro) So far so good. How is everyone else doing?

hi...i'm starting the process of possibly having the lap band surgery. I'm wondering what is the average recovery time to get back to work. Would like to know how much time I would need to take off from work.

Hubby and I traveled this weekend to watch my 2nd to the oldest get hitched. Normally I don't do pictures, but I smiled through wedding pictures. Also, though I'm not the bikini type, I did get into some short shorts and bikini top (not ready to show that off yet☺️ So I wore a tee over it.). I went into a swimming pool in public for the 1st time in 30 years.

I've been slacking, at a plateau...I want to get back too the rules, but can't really remember them....what rules did ur Dr give u, no straws and 30/30 is all I remember...please share ur rules