♥LovetheNewMe♥

I am banded and I pretty much do the same thing as my friend who had the sleeve. We have compared notes on eating and pretty much have the same restrictions. She gets the same stuck feelings as I do if she eats to fast or something that does not agree with her. I share a lot of my entrees with my husband or eat off the appetizer menu. Some times left overs are just not what I want the next day. Honestly if I did not tell people they would not know I had surgery, but I am very honest and open especially when they keep insisting I should drink with my meal. Hope the sleeve is working well for you.

Don't beat your self up, I am sure you have done enough of that for years. Just because you decided to have the surgery does not mean that your brain is going to get on board. I am almost 1 year post op and still have days that old behaviors creep up on me. This is a process and it takes years to unlearn bad behavors. So forget about today and start fresh again tomorrow, remember we are what we eat. Soooo, cook the veggies and the lean proteins and learn to enjoy them.

I am almost at my 1 year point and have lost over 70lbs. lap band my not be for everyone but it was the best option for me and I have no regrets. There are side effects to everything, including weight loss surgery but I took my odds with the risk and benefits of lapband compared to a continued life of obesity. The internet will tell you just about anything you want it to pro and con about weight loss surgery. Even this web site has hundreds of people who have struggled with the lap band, but they also struggled or struggle with their obesity. You and only you can make the right decesion for your weight loss journey, not a blog site, a friend or a doctor but you, You need to make the best sound decesion you can based on what facts you have and than make your decesion work for you. Good luck on your journey but please know this is a journey and not a get thin quick solution, it takes dedication and determination becasue the band can only be a tool in your weight loss.

Dear “I want to Live”, Your story tears at my heart. I am 55 and I know exactlywhere you are coming from. It is sad what we do to our selves with food, butnow you have made the commitment and want to make a change in your life. The lap band has been a god send to me andhas helped give me the kick in the pants I needed. I had tried many diets and succeeded only tofail again, over and over. My MD wantedme to have the gastric sleeve because he feels that exercise has to be part ofthe regime with the lap band. I have bad knees, decreased cartilage and just asmall step from a total knee. (One of my motivations for wanting to loseweight) I opted for the band because I was afraid of the sleeve, but that was apersonal choice. I lost very well with the band for the first 50lbs but startedto stall and bit the bullet and started exercising. I joined curves because itwas low impact cardio and I could gradually build up my resistance. I wish Ihad joined a gym now and worked with a personal trainer but oh well. (Anotherstory) Have you thought about discussing with your MD starting a pulmonaryrehab program, I know all people have heard of cardiac rehab but there areprograms out there for COPD patients to help them with exercise. The key to your exercise is learning to breathethe proper way, your lungs are not as compliant as normal lungs and learning tobreathe my help you to do low impact cardio, yoga or stretching. If you can donothing else than walking short distance in the beginning and graduallybuilding this up will help. You really need your exercise program monitored bya physician, so if you do not have a pulmonogist as one of your MD’s I suggestyou pay a visit to one. If you have stopped smoking your lungs should gain backsome of there compliance over time and exercising should become easier. You mayeven be able to use an inhaler prior to exercise to help open up the airway. Onelast comment, Do not compare your weight lose Journey to anyone else. We alllose differently and at different speed. Do not compare how much fluid you havein your band to someone else; everyone has a different “sweet spot”. Bottomline we are all individual and what works for one may or may not work forsomeone else. Read the blogs and take away what works for you, it helps. Goodluck on your journey, with commitment and a positive attitude you will succeed. LovetheNewMe!

I just want to say, could we please have an auto save to our posts as we type. I just spent 30 minutes responding to a blog only to have it lost due to accidently hitting the back button. so frustrating, I will try again later. Am I the only idiot out here who does this grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes on the vitamins. I take, a multi vit, calcium, biotin, and Omega 3. I started the multi and calcium immediately, I did not add the biotin till about 6 months,(my hair was falling our really bad) I wish I would have started the biotin in the beginning. I do all chewable vitamins either gummy or the regular chewable. I do not do well with swallowing large pills. They seem to set on top of my band. I also take prilocex. I stopped taking for about 3 months but had to restart because of heart burn, but I will say my reflux has greatly improved but saying that gas-x was my best friend for months and sometimes I still need to use it.

Well fellow banisters I had my knee surgery today and now am back on my road to success. I started my journey today at 8am, I woke up this morning, nervous and scared and THIRSTY! Boy was it a long night, why is it when you know you can't have anything to drink you fine yourself wanting it the most. I arrived at the outpatient surgery center a head of schedule at 1045am. They took be back at 11am, checked my vitals, (nurse concerned because my pulse was only 44, I had to reassure her that this was normal because of my medications) They did a pregnancy test, I had to laugh and so did she when I told her I had already given birth over the past 11 months to a 75lb toddler. She looked at me like I was crazy, so this will be our little joke. I had 2 mg of Versed around 1:15, (what a wonderful drug, it allows you to relax and not remember or care what they are about to do to you) I was so humbled by the support of my friends and co-workers at the hospital, the all descended upon with their support and prayer at my bedside before surgery. I knew the moment the arrived that God had sent them to me to help me to relax and take away all of my anxiety. It feels so wonderful to have friends that support you, they have been such a blessing through my journey this past year and I know with out their constant support and praise this would have been so much more difficult. I woke up in the recovery room around 2:15 and was not prepared for the pain I was having in my knee. Not sure what I thought but I honestly thought this was going to be a piece of cake because I had so much pain prior to pain. My knee was on fire and it hurt all the way up my other thigh. But there was my nurse "Janie" she was so compassionate, she place ice on my knee, raised my head, and was so concerned over my pain and wanted to fix it. She gave me ½ mg of Dilaudid and 150mg of Toradol; she monitored my v/s frequently and finally after 15 minutes had my pain under control. I must admit I was nervous to take the narcotic, Dilaudid because of what happened post op with my Lap Band but Janie was so understanding and compassionate that I knew she would make sure I was well monitored and safe. I was discharge to the care of my husband around 240pm, now that being said. I know none of you know me but I am not used to being cared for, I am the care giver and make a lousy patient. He brought me home, placed me in bed, went to pick up my RX's and made sure everything was in my reach. (He had to go back to work and left me in the hands of my son Michael) Michael was wonderful, he waited on my had and foot all evening. He made my dinner, Chicken Picatta, vegetables and bread. I was so nauseated still and unable to eat but a few bites, I opted to take another phenergan and take a nap. I work around 9:30pm and was finally able to take in some food, but of course the finicky band like always only allowed me to enjoy about a ¼ of what I would normally eat. But it is what it is and it tasted wonderful. Awake again, pain about a 4, so ice, a pain pill and more liquids for me. I am so excited that I can again get busy in the very near future with my exercise program (however that looks) so I can seriously loss this last 25 lbs. Thank you to all of my bandster family and all of your support these last few weeks. I have been so fortunate in my journey with Lapland and want so much to help any of you struggling with your weight loss. I do not have all the answers but I can lend you support and tell you that being positive even in your darkest hour will help pull you through and help you to remain courageous and true to your journey. Remember this is for "YOU" and about "YOU" be true to "Yourself". YOU and only YOU know what you put in your mouth! Make this a lifestyle change and use your band to assist you during this transition. I dedicate this POST to my new found cyber friend "Arnetta". Please know that I believe in you and I know you will be successful. These first few weeks are hardest but you will find your inner strength. Prayers and cyber Hugs to all of you! Diane

I wanted one also, so I poured one in a glass and allowed it to go flat over night. It tasted awful and it make me learn to appreciate other drinks. I was never a big water drinker but I have learned over time. Giving up a Diet Coke was probably one of the single hardest foods to give up. It has been over a year now since I gave up carbonated beverages. Honestly i still miss them but it has been so worth it and not worth the risk of stretching my stomach. My motto "No pain No loss" Good Luck!

Glad your doing well, and yes the first few days are really tuff! My doc gave me tylenol 3 also and I had a lot of nausea so I had phergan and than zoforan. I think the nausea and gas were worst for me. First day I felt great than day 2 and 3 I thought I was going to die. lol but I didn't. Get some rest. stay well hydrated, take your pain meds and keep moving. You are on your journey now. Good Luck!

Congratulations! The power of pray wins again. Never give up on what you want, believe in your self and the power of God, he does have a plan for us all. Sometimes we may not be patent enough to listen but the answer is there, just may not always be what we want. Good luck you will do awesome!

Annie....the first few days and weeks after surgery are tuff. You are eating little, barely enough to keep your strength up, I never thought I would ever be able to take in more that 500 calories. I rested a lot in the evening and was thankful I had an office job now instead of working at the bedside like I used to. Gas X was my friend and I took it with most meals becasue I had so much gas. My first solid food was hot and sour soup from PF Changs and Ahi Tuna. I could have eaten this several times a week and actually did until I got sick of it. Take care of your self, get plenty of rest and drink plenty of fluids. Your energy level will return and soild food will be a new adventure. Good Luck!

Pain was not that bad, most of the pain is from gas. I had more nausea than pain and Gas-x and Pherergan and Zoforan were my best friends, I took very little of the pain medication. Good luck and keep us posted.

Congratulations!

:Dancing_biggrin: Ok I am going to pretend this little guy is the sexy green M & M. ( I just love her) So excited for you, :hurray: I knew it would work out, never under estimate the power of of postive thinking and prayers. :Angel_anim: This is the best news I have heard all week and I know you are on cloud nine. I will be checking on you this weekend. Big CyberGroup Hug.:grouphug: Let the celebration begin !!! :party:

Yes you can have hard candy in moderation, sugar free of course.Pre diet is tuff, probably the tuffest of this journey. If you are on liquids make sure you are drinking the shakes, protein keeps you from being hungry. Hang in there, the light is at the end of the tunnel and it will get better.

I eat when I'm hungry. If I am not hungry I do not eat. Most days I eat 3 meals a days occassional 2 meals and 2 snacks. The key is not the amount of meals you eat but learning to not graze and eat only when hungry and eat the right balance of protein, fats and carbs. The band is just the tool that keeps you from getting hungry as frequantly and if you eat right you should be able to go 3-4 hours between meals. Good luck!

It is worth it, don't let others experiences scare you. Listen to your doctor and his staff and you will do fine. Good Luck!

I checked out your new blog and it is great, I joined so I could follow your journey. Good luck!

I know it happens but mine still functions but is tilted and I can only have fills under fluroscopy. They tried an unfill in the office and it did not go well. Has your surgeon said the port is defective?

Keep up the good work. The preop diet is one of the worst experiences. Your are doing great and only a few more days to go until the surgery.

Congratulations! Your dedication will help you so much with your lap band journey. I really hope this works out for you this time. Keep us posted.

Sara, I went to this web site(http://all-about-lapband.com/problems/failure.html) and this is what I found. But remember that unless you read a true medical study it is only the opinion of a lay person. Lap band was my choice because it seemed less invasive than the alternatives of gastric bypass or gastric sleeve. If you are really concerned over the erosion factor or failure discuss this with your surgeon, no physician wants his patients to go into a procedure with a lot of doubt and concerns. I guess in my OPINION, the benefits out weighed the risks. Anytime a human has something foreign implanted into their body there is a risk of failure and complications, but we all know and there are plenty of studies to support this. Obesity kill! The complications that come along with being overweight far out way the complications of the lap band. The band and any weight loss surgery is a personal choice and remember everyone will have an opinion but also remember we are each individual and how our bodies respond is individual. Good luck with your decision and good luck with your weight loss. The band was my choice and I have no regrets, yes some days it is tuff but I would rather have my ups and down with my band than to continue to be overweight. Talk to your surgeon, when I had surgery I was more concerned with his complicatons rates than lap band failure. Remember please these are only my opinions and have no scientific backing. Lap Band Failure Are you looking for information on lap band surgery failure rates and long term success rates? Lap Band surgery has only been in existence a relatively short time, approximately 10 years. Initial results with lap band were very positive with respect to weight loss and morbidity. Not many long term studies have been done. Here are the results on one eight year study. The study defines failure as losing less than 25% of excess weight. Average age of the patients was 38 years and included 50 men and 270 women. ComplicationPercent affectedGeneral Complications33.1% Erosion9.5%Slippage6.3%Port Problems7.6%Thirty three percent, fully one third of all patients developed complications such as erosion, slippage, catheter or port problems. Twenty two percent of the patients required reoperation to fix failures of the lap band. Now for the disheartening results, only about 60% of those banded that don't have major complications maintain an acceptable excess weight loss in the long run. That means of those without complications only 4 in 10 are going to be successful. Did your doctor tell you that? Did youask him? In five years 40% of lap bands fail and only 43% have lost 50% of excess weight after seven years. The study concludes that LGB (Laporoscopic Gastric Band) should no longer be the surgery of choice until they figure out a way to either screen out those that have complications or eliminate the complications. The study indicates other longer lasting procedures should be used. If you would like to read more about the study, here it is. A reader writes regarding this study... OK, as somebody who has been banded 6+ years, I have to say that at least 60% of the people I know who were Banded around the time I was Banded or soon after no longer have their Bands. I know that if I post something like this in the General forums... I get a lot of hands over eyes and mouth saying "no no no ... that can't be true..." because most newly Banded people do not want to hear this. I can't find any concrete statistics from Inamed/Allergan.. nor do I think they keep them (or want to keep them)... but I did find this study: lap band faiulres. Lap band is the better choice in my OPIONION hands down. Good luck with your surgery. http://all-about-lapband.com/problems/failure.html

Today is around 5 weeks since I hurt my knee and had to stop exercising. I must say it has been a very frustrating month. I have been doing therapy 3 times a week, now for 3 weeks and seriously there is little improvement. Not sure what I expected, "I think miracles". I guess my saving grace is that at least this did not happen at the beginning of my journey and I had already made progress. I have managed to maintain my weight loss and have even lost a few pounds. But I so much miss exercising, every time I see someone jogging or walking it makes me sad and makes me realize how much we all take for granted. Lap band surgery has given me back my life, I have so much more energy and has helped me re-build confidence in myself. I never realized how much being overweight had effected all aspects of my life. I wonder sometimes why I needed the lap band and why I could not have wrapped my brain around learning to control my portions myself. It took potential life altering health problems to shake me to reality and do something about my weight gain. The band truly is my friend and makes staying on track so much easier. I have thought many times over the past few months about getting a fill in my band so I would be able to lose weight faster. Patience has never been one of my attributes. I have always wanted instant gratification in what ever I did. I am glad I made the decision to work with the band instead of letting the band do all the work. I still have those days when I get stuck and PB, but they are usually because I fail to follow the rules and that is when I reflect back and realize if the band was not there to stop me I would easily revert back to bad behaviors. I honestly think I have found my "sweet spot" I can eat what I am suppose to eat, I rarely feel hunger, and food is not my main thoughts. I do occasionally splurge and allow myself a treat of a miniature chocolate or 100 calorie snack. The difference is I count these in my total daily calorie count. Yes guys I am one of those OCD people that has to count calories, I realize some think we should not have to do this but, I still do not trust myself, or maybe it is not trust but the fact I know myself and I know how easy it is to say: oh, that little bite won't matter, and a couple of desserts later your pants are too tight. I know a lot of you are still struggling to get to the place where I am. Don't give up on your self, each and everyone of us is work the trials and tribulations that we are going through. Believe in your self, because if you don't believe in yourself you can not expect others to. Don't let small roadblocks or set backs take away your focus. We all have common ground, this is a life journey and not a vacation from food. This is us building confidence in ourselves and learning to trust our selves alone in a room with the "evil" that lives inside. We all have our own demons to fight and all of our journeys are individual, we can't compare ourselves to one another and we all have to hold each other accountable. I am approaching my 1 year anniversary next month and I so wanted to be at goal but I know that I will not be there. But you know what? That's OK. Seriously, it is! I am pleased with my progress and realize that I will get there. So, I guess what I have learned most of late, is I have changed. I have moved from Diane the closet eater to Diane the obsessive calorie counter. I have always read that when you give up one addiction you usually develop a new one, well thank you God my obsession is managing my weight loss. So for all of you out there that are still struggling to reach that place where you are happiest, remember the happiness may not always be found in a number you reach on the scale but a happiness from within yourselves.

Remember nothing ventured nothing gained(except #'s) It nevers hurts to stand up and fight for your rights. You just have to get to the right person. You are worth the fight. Hosptials need to be consistant, if you know of this friend who had this procedure and they allowed the 500 down payment and a payment plan than TELL them that. Hosptials have to have consistant rules and fair billing. All persons on billing have to be treated the same. If you started this process before they changed their billing practice and you were given your info prior to that than you need to push and push hard to make them honor their VERBAL committment. Do not cancel the surgery and do not cheat, remember if you cheat no one loses but you. This will happen, power of positive thinking. Arnetta can do this, and all of the hard work and frustration will be worth it. hugs, Diane

Normal feelings, My second and third day post op were my worst. Honestly it took my weeks to gain energy and months to learn to eat. I finally have hit my sweet spot, I have only had two fills and believe me everyone is different. It does not matter how much is in your band, You are morning the loss of everything, and how it used to be. Now as you start this journey you have to think before you eat, in the beginning it is difficult but if does get better if you learn to use your band and not expect the band to do the work. I have never regreted my decesion, I will be at one year next month and have lost 72 lbs with about 25=30 to go. You can do this, in the beginning I lived on this web site, it was my connection with people who really understood how I felt and without their support it would have been much harder. It will get better believe us.