B-52

I took a week vacation...no one knows to this day...

depends upon how much belly fat you have...it is anchored to the abdominal muscle wall, below the fat layer....I no longer have any fat or loose skin so it sticks out like a golf ball right under the layer of skin...very noticeable...people ask me all the time, especially at the gym, what that large lump is and I simply say I had surgery there once. You can even see the tubing coming out the side..... /

You are in the very, very early stages....you have a great deal to go through and learn...but do what you can, don't sweat the small stuff...and evntually the band will do as it was designed to do, as long as we don't get in the way and interfere.... BTW...I felt nothing, and the whole process was turning out to be a big mistake and waste of my time...until 8 weeks and 2 GOOD fills later....then the 3rd fill 4 weeks after that...since then I have been in heaven...does not get any better, or easier than this, in my case.... I have not needed or wanted a fill since that last 3rd one, and that was over 2 years ago...I'm still in Lap-band heaven! So Patience!

"I had my band empty for about a year after becoming so resentful that I couldn't eat "normal." " I came to realize, which was not hard to do for me, that I was fat...Morbidly Obese because I was eating Abnormally.... not Normal...... Yes, the way I eat now is night and day from the way I used to eat....there are certain foods I chose to give up....it is now impossible for me to overeat, I can only have small portions....it has become the New Normal for me...I'm used to it now and don't give it a second thought or effort anymore on my part.... Having reached my optimum weight, and having my body fat% down into the "Fit" range, I will say that this new lifestyle has taken on a whole new "Normal" I drink beer, I am not afraid of potato chips, Cookies, ice cream, candy or cake...(from time to time, not all day as before)......I don't count calories or measure portion sizes...wasn't always that way, especially in he beginning....but now...it is the new me... I have many friends who are thin and fit....they indulge in many things dieters would never see themselves eating or drinking....it is because they have a certain lifestyle....it is the BIG PICTURE that counts....a life of eating less and mostly healthy, with the occasional indulgences and partying....and a life that is active to burn calories...they are all involved in something...cycling, running, climbing.....the little indulgences here and there mean very little in respect to the entire big picture...the New Lifestyle..... They can do it out of will power resulting in healthy habits....I needed surgery to develop resulting in new habits...but it is all about change.... Having this WLS for me, was only a step, not the end in itself......another phase to get to anormal weight and health.....now that I am there....there is a WHOLE NEW LIFE AFTER LAPBAND that many if not most people on this forum cannot imagine possible....but it is there...I'm living it everyday.... So yes...the band WILL change your eating, and your life...accept it...there is a big surprise waiting on the other side...whether it take 12 months or 3 years....it's what it is all about....and the lap and will get you there, but it takes change.... Everyday I read posts here fro people who back down, resist change......it us their choice...not sure why they would elect to have major surgery if they want things to be as they were and in their comfort zone....

Fortunately for me, the band will NOT let me eat one single thing in that "Bad" meal image, except the tomatoes and onions........Bread? = No,..... Red meat? = No Mas!....., French Fries? = not a chance! It's hard to be bad when you're banded.....

Good for you!!!! THAT's what it is all about!!!! I hope everyone reads your story.

People on this forum post pictures, tell their life's journey with obesity, diseases, even family matters, or love affairs...all kinds of info is contributed.... And ANYONE in the whole wide world can log on and read - view what we freely post about ourselves... Twitter or anything else for that matter is no different...you post it...anyone can read it.... If you go to your "Profile Page" and check settings, you will see Facebook and twitter options there... Stop and think how popular facebook is, and ask yourself how did Mark Zuckerberg make so much money, since you do not pay a fee to join facebook? Does not matter what your security lockouts are set to, all your information is being sold off to big brother....your "likes" what you "read" where you "Travel", "Music" "Friends" "Education" it's ALL there......and it is available to those willing to pay for it.... I was trying to locate a old College buddy once...all I had was a name and hometown....I could not believe the trail of information I was able to collect on the internet, through his work history, his children, home sales, mortgages, permit applications for home improvements, Taxes, you name it...finally right down to home address, phone #, a picture of his home from the street view, and also a photo's of him. And I'm not a hacker...it was all there, just follow the trail....and it was very easy.

For me, one of the best days with the band was when I learned to be set free from counting calories or traditional dieting...ever again. Came in conjunction with settling into life in the Green Zone, where my portions are set (small) and I only need to eat good healthy foods... I also exercise a lot, and stay very active...so it would appear what little I do eat, and drink in the day, I probably burn the majority of it off....I used to go crazy worrying about this and trying to sty on top of it....

I had a beer during the day cleaning the garage, the 2 Bloody Mary's when we went out last night for dinner.... You have to know your band, see the big picture, and know yourself. I never did it within those first few months where I was still getting adjusted to the band, and vice-versa, and I fell into that "Groove" where everything started to happen naturally. Also at that time I leaned not to count, and set free from counting calories and dieting anymore.

Anything we voluntarily put out there on the internet is open game to everyone......we freely gave it up.... I know at my Dr.'s office, (Bariatric Weight Loss Center), I signed a release giving them permission to use pictures they taken of me....but then that's all about HIPPA, I have release forms signed when I use images of my patients for illustrations, in-services, teaching etc, or I have to use black marker over their eyes/faces.... I have a friend who operates an Institute in Sweden, and travels worldwide giving lectures, he is still using many of my slides of patients, most photos were taken over 25 years ago....but again, he has their faces blocked out with marker, and is only interested from the neck down.

I do....and my Dr. Puts together a little kit with the syringe and needle, when I tell him I'm leaving the country.......just in case I get violently sick with vomiting, I can perform a complete un fill rather than risk a major slippage, somewhere there is no immediate, competent medical help. Then I would be in big trouble with a slippage, or worse, away from home. I should add, my port is right there under a thin layer of skin....don't need to search for it....a one armed blind person can hit it on the first try. But like anything else, talk to your Dr. About it if you feel it may be needed.

I had a Heart Attack about 6 years ago, followed by cardiac Surgery.....pretty serious stuff, many of my peers, ex-classmates, are no longer with us.... I have friends in the same boat as I...some go to the gym everyday, others take it easy and try not to get over worked or stressed.... And I have developed my lifestyle since then..... Is it my place to tell the active Cardiac Patients they better slow it down or they can do themselves some harm?... OR is it my place to tell the inactive ones to get out there and do some cardio on the treadmill? Either way, the answer is OF COURSE NOT! Their lives is none of my business....I couldn't show my face at their funerals and face their families if I did...either way...but on the internet people have anonymity and no consequences..... So what can I do? Not much, except share what I do, and what my Dr. has told ME what I should or not do......NOT be a self appointed expert telling people what they can or cannot do....or how it all works and how it does not work.... I'm not sure what's worse...the people telling other people what to do? or the sheep that blindly follow..... For me it's simple...I use the "Ignore" feature.....

Check out this article....I will say for myself I found it liberating when I stopped using a app about 4 months after my surgery....now I know why... / / http://www.huffingto...l?utm_hp_ref=tw

I had the problem, as most people do with the lap band.....I found I could not eat anytime near bedtime, and I had to give up on the hot-spicey foods I used to eat...it's one thing to eat something spicy hot and have it diluted in your large stomach...it's another thing to have it concentrated and UN-diluted in a small area... I even have to tell them to make my Bloody Mary's a little mild.... Again, another practical lesson learned and lifestyle change....have not had any reflux problems in over 2 years now.

I was so pleased and appreciative of the Staff at my Surgical Center, that the day after my surgery I ordered a large gift package of fruit and bakery goods and had it delivered to them from a high end store here in NJ.....It was LARGE and the BEST, cost me about $300 but it was worth every penny.....(plus it helps when you need follow up care)

Every Dr. is different and has a different treatment plan....I also know with my Dr., he judges a patients tolerance and either goes easy or aggressive....I had only 3 fills, one month apart, starting 30 days after surgery to give me adequate restriction and put me in the Green Zone....so 3 moths after surgery I was finished getting my band adjusted, and that was over 2-1/2 years ago...... I also noticed when speaking at support groups, other patients said their treatment plans - fills, where much more different...so I keep my mouth shut when it comes to saying what is right and what is wrong, and realize everyone is different and has different tolerances.

I see people everyday struggling to loose weight and I want so much to tell them my story....but the unwritten rule in a gym is that everybody has their personal space and one should never invade it.... If I happen to make eye contact, I may give them a quick "Thumbs Up" as to say good job, keep it up....but that's about it. I quess it's true everywhere else....people are entitled to their "Personal Space"

In my experience, I can drink right up to eating with no problem,......drinking while eating, since my portions are dictated by my band, and I eat so little to begin with, I do not want liquids to take the place of food......drinking after eating, since food is in my pouch passing through, If I suddenly add Water it increases the volume of what is already there...causing great pain (Pouch dilation? Possible slippage?) and since it is now over filled, it generally comes right back up ...not always desirable.....Dr. said wait an hour after eating, but I too can also tell when it is safe.....for me it is usually 20-30 minutes.... There are people here that say they can drink while eating with no problem, or that drinking will wash the food down....remember, the band is adjustable and not everyone has the same experiences with food and the pouch/band, restriction, Green Zone etc, etc........when I was first starting out I could do just about anything, and "The Rules" did not seem to make much sense........now I have to be very careful and follow certain rules or else! And drinking while eating is definitely one of them.

I have never felt full after lap band surgery.....I simply cannot continue, and/or loose all interest in continuing.....if I was even hungry in the first place....

My last fill I could not get anything down for at least 2 weeks.....first few days I even felt water restriction.....slowly graduated from liquids to heavier liquid type foods to mushies, etc..... For me, I'm glad I stuck it out...I did however have to re- adjust my foods and eating habits to co- exist with the band....as I had to do with every fill and new level of restriction. That was 2 - 1/2 years ago....everything has been peachy ever since with no additional fills since....but that last one was doozy, but definitely did the trick......and well worth it for...I cannot be happier the way things all turned out. I did call my Dr. Within that 2 weeks and he reminded me that this is what I had asked for....getting to the Green ASAP....and said to continue the eating plan I was on.....but then my Dr knows me, and knows I was aggressive with all this.... People are always saying they eat too much, are always hungry, and NEED a fill....I always say "Be careful what you ask for"

Had my 6 month appointment today...could not have gone any better....asked me one question about my band, if I had any complaints...I said no and that was all there was to it.... Eventually the Dr., the staff and I hung around behind the glass and had a fun time comparing things like our running habits, what playlists we listen to...eating before or after a workout, and what to eat...etc... The PA and NUT, who are relatively new to the staff, maybe a year, were pumping me for information they can share to their patients... and they were telling me some of the questions they get everyday...sounded EXACTLY like this website......(but I didn't say anything) It was good to hear them say I was one, and in some regards the best success patient they have ever had with the lap band.....not just for the weight loss, many people do that, but for the total physical transformation...even the staff was there when I first walked in the door over 3 years ago say they don't recognize me when I come in now. Next appointment in 6 months...they waved me off when I pulled out my Credit card...said I don't have to pay for those visits anymore... I'm saying this because the band is THE BEST.....THE EASIEST.....and most FANTASTIC thing I have ever done for myself.....I do not regret one thing. And I have a new life and a new body to show for it...what else can I ask for?

Understood...you would have to spend down your money to qualify...and nobody likes that is they help it.

Can you drink water?? Not to wash it through, but I have found when truly stuck, water will not pass through and will only come right backup...bringing with it what was sitting there blocking the way...

What is your insurance now?? If you can't work and your only income is alimony, why are you not on some public assistance such as Medicaid?

I cannot eat breakfast...and have not for almost 3 years now.....I do go out with my Wife for breakfast, but I will just drink coffee and maybe nibble on some toast.... As the day goes on it becomes easier....so I can eat a late breakfast, say around 10am, but even then not a lot of food...still early in the day. My Wife fully understands, and is happy I am thin and healthy.....and still alive....