Success in lapband

Lets all Celebrate our successes And I definately think that eating only 1 piece of pizza verses the whole damn thing is a HUGE success! Congratulations on that NSV (and sharing it)! I also think that not gaining this week (but not losing either) is another huge success. I think these are successes BECAUSE it is in the direction of my goal, it may not be the bulls eye right this moment but it is FAR closer than it was 8-12 weeks ago. Some days the glass is 1/2 empty and some days the glass is 1/2 full. Seriously it REALLY depends on how satiated (hungry) I am at that moment. Life is always so much sweeter when I am not hungry and when I am hungry the sweetest smelling rose stinks! Lighten up on yourselves, slow and easy. WOW!!!!! Obviously some of us is experiencing alot of hunger right now.

So if you are going to cheat, try and cheat with Proteins.... You will always be able to eat chips/cookies/chocolate, even at restriction, they just have a way to get through the band with no problem for everyone.

HEAR YEA HEAR YEA!!! I HAVE HIT RESTRICTION! I love the fill nurse FINALLY. I still at every meal THINK that I won't have restriction BUT I STILL HAVE IT! I am sooooo tickled to death. Alot of the wrong foods slide right through the band BUT if I eat the right foods (solid proteins) I have restriction. At last..... Lets get this party going!!!!! Yahoo.

Girly: I almost PM'd you because I had not "ran into you" lately since the last post I read on you was that you were in shoulder pain and considering going to see the Dr. That shoulder pain should subside sometime in the next few days, and really I think the "cold" weather we are having is keeping with you longer. It is a nerve that needs to heal; try a heating pad a few times a day even if it is not hurting until the pain goes away completely. Are we planning on meeting for coffee or lunch still? What part of Reno do you live?

Can I share something???? One of the NSV for me was, (if you read my posts I am a slow loser) BUT I have more self confidence and self esteem than I ever had had in my life. You maybe can understand when I share with you that I would avoid any situation that involved seeing people that had not seen me in awhile or meeting people for the first time after we had met over the phone etc. because I could see it in their face the (OMG) this person is not who I thought she was over the phone or look how much bigger she has gotten. I will write more later...

I wish I could write this in BIG BOLD HUGE LETTERS. But without jinxing myself. I THINK I HIT RESTRICTION!!!!!! If this feeling stays I will be in heaven! My last fill was only .2 and I think made all the difference in the world NIGHT AND DAY difference. But again I am really skeptical right now; we will see what happens but I am very excited, and very hopeful..... YAHOOOOOOO Girlygirlz; Yes I think we are about the same size; I would love to get together, what part of town do you live in???? I am praying somewhere by me.... I live in Donner Springs off Rio Poco and McCarren Reno

Ladies and Gentlemen: I dont think I have seen it posted BUT (no pun intended) Get yourself some baby wipies, it certainly helps with the personal hygeiene. You will love them and never give them up!

Yes what you are going through is normal. As a matter of fact I looked at a picture 2 days post of and I looked like a huge balloon because of the bloating. The shoulder pain is from the gas they used to inflate you; to do the surgery and it usually settles in the shoulder before it subsides. Try a heating pad and I can't remember the other homeopathic remedy (look on this website for ideas). I remember kinda that the shoulder gas pain came and went inconsistently for about 2 weeks, then completely was gone (thank god!). But you did it!!!!!! Yahoooooo!!! Congrats! Sincerely! Best thing you probably ever did for yourself right? My port also hurt a little for awhile so I pushed it in while I walked to subdue with the ache. Update on me? I think I hit restriction (but I always say that after a fill) Your next issue will be possibly that you are going to be hungry and anxious for a fill and you must wait 4-6 weeks for a fill and you are going to be nervous your gonna gain all your weight back. ~Hang in there~you will get there. !!!!!!What an exciting Christmas present to yourself!!!! I am sooooo excited for you. ~Write me back ~with your update. How tall are you? If you are 5'3 or thereabouts do you want some of my clothes? What size do you currently wear?

Tomecia 25: How did you get it for $249 ???? The cheapest I found was 349 less 50 discount from 24hour. I always admire people who can get a better deal than me; but I was curious where you found it and where I did not look. Fun, fun, fun! We are "somewhat" using a pedometer and we had 16000 steps shopping for Christmas. I am wondering if the pedometer is reading wrong because I did not "feel" like I walked that much.

I looked HIGH AND LOW for a promo code for a discount on the body bug because truthfully it was out of our budget. I was not able to find a discount anywhere.

Merry Christmas to me; Merry Christmas to me and so on and so on.... I ordered my bodybugg! And now I am getting SO excited. I know it will keep me accountable to "move my butt off my office chair". If this means anything to you guys: it was all thanks to this group talking about the bodybugg! What can I say I am a groupie!

Dootson; I "have" sleep apnea and "had" sleep apnea before the surgery, I sleep with a CPAP at night and every single night. My surgeon required me to take with machine to the hosp and spend the night, ONLY for my well being, he did not make one more penny on me for that requirement. I suggest that "be happy" that your Dr. wants you to be healthy and alive after surgery. Maybe this second sleep study will go better because you know what to expect. Good luck ~ I would do it over again in a heart beat.

Katerzz Thank you for your note. I called Western Bariatric today and left messages for the Nutritionist for that class. I was VERY food consciencious today and really am going to make a HUGE effort on eating more "dry" foods and less sauces with my entrees; maybe there is too much "juice" or liquid associated with what I am eating. I am also going to DO variety eating, which to me means different foods a couple times each day. I bought whey protein from Walmart so I am going to do a 25 mg of protein shake tomarrow AM. However with the liquid theory I am concerned that I might get hungry before lunch...(we will keep notes) I am not KNOWINGLY cheating! Well sometimes OBVIOUSLY by eating chips from mexican restaurant and cookies etc. but on a whole I am not intentionally eating in a fashion to "cheat" the band. Yes dry crumbly goes down just fine. I sure hope the liquid thing is the answer. I will keep you posted; thanks for the eye opener!

I noticed tonight that "sometimes" I can eat very little and get very full very quick. For example tonight we ate out at Chop Stix~I don't usually have intentions on eating smaller portions because I usually just eat "normal" portions. AND it is always after-the-fact that I notice that I ate a smaller portion and stopped eating. But back to dinner~we ate at Chop Stix and I ate some of those dry puffy white air noodles they serve with eggrolls, I dabbed the noodles in hot mustard (my band loves hot and spicy~onions, tabasco, salsa, hot mustard) I liked spicy before but NEVER like this. I then ate 1/2 eggroll, a couple bites of vegtables, a few bites of chicken and 2 steamed shrimp and a bite of a cookie. I was full and on the way out to the car I thought "hey" hmmmmmm that went okay~ So does anybody ever eat stuff that they can eat very little of and they get full? I want to start to eat JUST THAT LIST! Or does anybody have a list of the items that they can eat unlimited quantities of? Possibly I am eating the wrong foods. I am going to search on Lapband a food list. Katerzz No I usually do not drink protein shakes because they told me to NOT drink my food, even though I could absolutely entertain the idea to have Keva juice daily. Bulls eye sugar free with 2 scoops of protein powder would suit me very nicely, but I heard that would be a no-no. Let me know your thoughts~I am open for any suggestions/ideas/thoughts. I am not making this up I swear! And I am not sneaking pure sugar and wondering why this does not work. I don't experience restriction and I am hungry so therefore I eat.

Well it is 1 week post cruise and I have to still lose 5 more pounds. What the heck was I thinking? I am looking VERY FORWARD to my next fill (I think in all reality I may be experiencing some restriction) When I drink tooooooo quick I can TOTALLY feel really over stuffed until some of the water drains into my bigger stomach, so there has got to be a band there. So I am hoping that maybe exciting times are coming!!

FUDGE!!!!! And do I mean "fudge" and lots and lots of it! I went on a 7 day cruise and I thought/and prayed my band would kick in and protect me from the 24 hour buffets. Well I hope I did not gain as much weight as I would have without the band. As a whole.... typically "unbanded" people gain 2+ pounds EACH day they are on a cruise. OMG! I did notice that my pants don't fit so I am not planning on weighing in for a couple weeks. I am pretty excited to get my next fill, hopefully that will be the "magic" fill; that will be my answer I am looking for.

I have never felt restriction after a fill and move VERY rapidly back onto solid food and have only ever ever ever been "stuck" once. That "once" was right after surgery 2-3 days and I totally forgot that I was "banded" and I ate cold fried chicken. It was my first experience of getting stuck and it scared the hell out of me and I was in alot of pain. But I spit, spit snd spit and it passed... ~pam

Sherilyn: I email people all the time (2-3x per week) with a personal email that is a "touchy" subject matter. And I have gotten personal private emails as well. Hmmmm do you know that person who emailed you? If not I am thinking probably some spam using this forum somehow to do spam broadcasts. (I hate spammers) See the above message on how to remove the option to allow people to email you. As I recall the sender can not see your email but can send you an email through this system.

So Girly: I think "just knowing" what size band you have inside of you is good information. And I really don't know if the surgeons can tell you what size band they are going to use until they see what they are dealing with inside. When we lose weight we will also lose weight around the spot of which they put the band (I am assuming) I assume the spot where they put the band is NOT "spared" from having fat around it just like everywhere else on our body. So therefore when we lose weight, at one point or another, that spot will have to shed the fat inbetween the band and the outside of the stomach. So I can remember having several "last suppers" prior to starting the liquid shakes. The liquid part of these process was the hardest thing for me. Where/who did you see for your disorder with your food relationship? If you are interested maybe after banding if you feel you could benefit from our group you could join us. It is VERY eye opening! I am the oldest in the group, it seems that the younger generation is more aware of food disorders. But regardless of age and weight our food relationship issues are the same. But!!!! Maybe all you need is a little help from your band. I look back at all the Feb 2007 and Mar 2007 banders and am SHOCKED at how fantastic they are doing, and how very different they look. OH!!!!! Buy your shakes early because they are usually back ordered and take a while to ship. I noticed your profile does not offer any pics or insight on you. Can you fill us in? I know you are 45! Kids? Work? Married? Overweight all your life or just "x" years? Tried any big steps like this before? Inquiring minds want to know.... I got more from lapband.com than the local support groups.

So Girly: I think "just knowing" what size band you have inside of you is good information. And I really don't know if the surgeons can tell you what size band they are going to use until they see what they are dealing with inside. When we lose weight we will also lose weight around the spot of which they put the band (I am assuming) I assume the spot where they put the band is NOT "spared" from having fat around it just like everywhere else on our body. So therefore when we lose weight, at one point or another, that spot will have to shed the fat inbetween the band and the outside of the stomach. So I can remember having several "last suppers" prior to starting the liquid shakes. The liquid part of these process was the hardest thing for me. Where/who did you see for your disorder with your food relationship? If you are interested maybe after banding if you feel you could benefit from our group you could join us. It is VERY eye opening! I am the oldest in the group, it seems that the younger generation is more aware of food disorders. But regardless of age and weight our food relationship issues are the same. But!!!! Maybe all you need is a little help from your band. I look back at all the Feb 2007 and Mar 2007 banders and am SHOCKED at how fantastic they are doing, and how very different they look. OH!!!!! Buy your shakes early because they are usually back ordered and take a while to ship. I noticed your profile does not offer any pics or insight on you. Can you fill us in? I know you are 45! Kids? Work? Married? Overweight all your life or just "x" years? Tried any big steps like this before? Inquiring minds want to know....

I spoke with my surgeon today and made sure he understood of my concern about the fill nurse telling me I was at the end of my eligible fills. One of his questions to me was could I eat a hamburger? I said I "could eat 2!" however, I also said I won't because I KNOW "if" I ate 2 hamburgers it would not get me to the results I wanted and thus I would use up all my weight watcher points in one meal. But it is not that I could not eat 2 hamburgers. He also asked since being banded have I ever been through 1/2 of what I thought I wanted to eat and had to push back from the table because I was "stuffed". I think I laughed at him out loud! Laurie the fill nurse said sometimes it takes a couple weeks after a fill to feel the fill results. That kinda is indifferent to any theory I could ever come up with but whatever~ My surgeon said he will okay 2 more fills of .25 each before we say he is not going to do anymore fills for me. (Thank god) He also said there are some people who never really feel restriction. ~~~~hmmmmmmmmmm (that would suck!)

So Girlygirlz Your just getting "started" and your probably thinking "started"? I am finally "getting there". I absolutely 100% would do this 100% again~and every Monday morning if I had to. The surgery is a "snap" and Dr. Sasse is "the best"; that is NOT to say the other Dr's are any less but I love Dr. Sasse!!! There always has to be a "sore loser" (OH I mean SLOW loser!!) and that probably put me in that catagory. However I am sure if I excercised and was more active in my weight loss I would lose quicker. However, if we lapbanders "could" have done this on our own; we would have too! I think the bottom line is that the Dr. put in a BIGGER band than what he thinks and I need more fills to get to a restrictive state. I am calling Nurse Laurie right now to discuss this theory. After my surgery; my Dr. noted that he did not "note" down the size of band implanted; I am the curious type and distinctly remember thinking it was "no big deal" that he "guessed" 2 weeks later and after the fact about which band he put in. NOW... months later when they tell me my band is "full" and I am not feeling restriction, I am rethinking how important that the dr. did not know which band he put in really was. Keep up on your Water, and walking was the key to my virtually cake walk easy painless surgery recovery for me. Don't lose sight of my words: I would do it EVERY Monday if I had to; to get these results!!!! My self esteem is up which is a big step in the right direction....

Uniqueone wrote: So..Pam, how are ya doing today? You have sounded more up since you got your fill. Let me know how it's going for you. During this time of year, my main thing is I HAVE to stay away from the sweets..which, of course, I love!!! I did not want to appear "down" but I have been told before that I come off as "intense" when I write and speak, so am not surprized by your concern~ but sorry if I appeared like that. I go to a eating disorder weight loss group and our "leader" referred me to a book called "Intuitive Eating" by Evelyn Tribole. I will start thumbing through it tonight and keep your abreast of what I think. I might have only lost 18 pounds in 8 months and would have liked to have lost more than double than that and really expected to have lost double that, but I have not gained the 5-10 pounds that I would have traditionally gained in the last 8 months. And...When I look in the mirror I like the progress I see so far. I don't feel that I am "starving myself" like I have in the past on numerous diets previous to lapbanding. I think I would be losing more weight quicker if I excercized daily; but I have not made that a part of my daily routine yet. I am trying mindfully to watch and observe what and how I am eating. I was a REALLY big eater, cosuming alot of food, thank goodness that I really excercised prior to lapbanding (personal trainer 3x week) because looking back at the amount of food and binging I use to do, IF I had not excercised like that I would have been 500#. I am going on a cruise to Mexico ~leaving Thursday and will be back the Monday after Thanksgiving. My coworkers were surprized I wanted a fill prior to going. I am concerned of the amount of food I could consume with all the buffets on board the ship. Sweets are a downfall of mine as well. I can eat a whole pound of See's and then be shocked its all gone! I am guessing for me it is more than just phsyical eating I think the emotional eating plays a part for me as well, I just need to investigate in other areas.

Well, the restriction did not keep up, BUT I am eating more solid foods, so that might keep me fuller longer... But I really think I was feeling restriction.... I swear I think I was. Maybe a little too late though. But I am going to use this as my "case to be heard to Laurie the fill nurse". I am not a "big" "beef" eater and I definately usually don't eat mashed potatoes. BUT listen to this: I was in costco this weekend "grazing" on the "samples" and ate a bite of Harris Ranch pot roast with a sample of garlic mashed potatoes and I am telling you "sample portion size", and I was "good". NOT full or anything but definately could feel the "had some food in my pouch feeling". Possibly just possibly I should eat foods that have less liquid in them; maybe there is something behind the liquid theory. I guess I have been leaning toward more liquidy foods~steamed vegtables, refried Beans, Soups, Keva juice Protein shakes, green beans, oatmeal (drink it from a cup). So I am going to experiment a little bit. But I am also going to try and negotiate ONE MORE FILL from Laurie before giving up on me~I am telling you the first 24 hours after that fill was almost as good as ---! I felt like one of those skinny bitches that eat 3-4 bites and push away their plate and say "oh my gosh, I can't eat another bite~I am stuffed" I was on cloud nine! Thinking my life was going to be incredible, and I had such high hopes. The eating disorder group therapy is very insightful! I think that helps me on a very different level. I am the only one in the group that has lap band. It is AMAZING how similar (almost mirroring) that me ( a heavy person) can have the same exact eating disorder issues that a skinny person has~what I mean is; same body image issue and same "triggers" for having the food attachment problems. ~very interesting...

Anybody who has felt restriction, please help me understand this... I THINK I am feeling restriction after 6 fills! I pray to god it is not my imagination... Yesterday I got filled (bad emotional day) and then last night I ate 1/4 # of a hamburger patty and I did not want to eat anymore and furthermore it took me a REALLY long time to eat that. Today I have eaten so far: 1 egg for breakfast+1 bite of scrambled eggs with coffee lunch: 1/2 South Beach Protein bar (nibbled on it most of the day) Keva Juice~diet bulls eye (small with 28 grams of protein) then for dinner I am going to attempt to eat a lean cuisine spaghetti with meatballs. Tonight I am sure I am going to eat a weight watchers ice cream (tradition in my house) How do you KNOW when you have restriction??? I mean obviously when I slime or "get stuck" I know I have something that is causing restriction but I am talking about the other restriction. Do you guys feel any other restriction? Am I the only one who is waiting for this magical feeling that I THINK I am suppose to experience? Does anybody elses pouch ever feel "cold" or "wet" (not ice cube cold just not "warm" (isn't that wierd?) Inside my "stomach" does not feel wet but my pouch has a different sensation. It will be really cool if I finally reached restriction after the emotional fill on Friday~being told it was to it's capacity. And you know after thinking about this since yesterday. I kept asking Dr. Kozar and the fill Nurse what size band I had in me and Dr. Kozar said he did not "note it" in my records (and of course I was just asking for information purposes) but maybe just maybe I got a bigger band then what they think and therefore that is why Laurie (fill Nurse) thinks I am at capacity and maybe just maybe that is why I have not experienced restriction like other people. So with that in mind I am going to email Nurse Laurie on Monday or Tuesday (because traditionally your suppose to be on liquid for 24-48 hours after a fill, and I don't want to get reprimanded for not following the rules. But I am going to pass this "idea" by her and ask her "if" my theory is a probability. And my Monday/Tuesday I should know for certain IF I am experiencing restriction. I SURE HOPE SO.