screeden

Been there, and it is no fun at all! had mine a few weeks ago with family at a nice restaraunt. LOL! Water pouring out of my nose, as i am gasping to breath. i pushed two people out of the way to get the bathroom. Nice huh! it usually only takes once and you learn your lesson.

alot of people don't notice any restriction with their first fill. i didn't get a good restriction until my 3rd fill and with my 4th a much better restriction. How much are you eating? how much was in your band before your 1st fill? and how much did they put in? i always ask how much they are putting in so i can keep track. i only got 1/2 cc this last time and with my weight loss, i am now in the "sweet spot" and will probaly only get 1/2 to 1cc each time.

OH yeah, most definitely. they say the optimal weight loss is 1 to 2 lbs per week, that is 8 to 10 lbs per month. Totally doable. i have lost 33 lbs in 4 months and my goal is to lose another 40 by the end of the year. Just keep up the good work and know that you can do this!!!

I am so sorry that things are working out for you like you had hoped. Did you have the hospital resubmit to the insurance? they should have, even when they bill wrong, they should have corrected it. what was your insurance supposed to pay? Sometimes you have to get ugly with these insurance companies and hospitals.

i do hope things work out for you. Can you go back to your doctor, sounds like you do not have a full fill if you are able to eat more than 1 1/2 cups of food at a time. i have 9cc in my 14cc band and i am in my green zone, but everyone is different.

It's been two yrs since my surgery and although I lost only 30lbs, I've gained 20 back. I've given up because evidently this is not going to work for me. I was told I should feel full with 1 to 1/2 cup of food and that has never happened even at full fill. I'm drinking the Protein, but I have to admit I am very discouraged and then that makes me more prone to eat what I shouldn't. IF I could have seen some promised results without have to work like a dog to get those few pounds off, I think I would have felt better about it. I can't exercise due to dibilitating arthritis, but looks like consuming 800 calories or less would have done something! And then add that it cost WAY more than I was promised because the hospital billed the insurance company wrong. Instead of owing $2000, I ended up owing $7000.... which I don't have. It's just a very depressing situation.

I felt like a million bucks the first 6 months, and then it's been down hill from there. I know I probably need couseling to help me sort this out, but with that whopping bill looking me in the face, there's no way I could afford to go to counseling.

I'm glad you are having better results. I just wish I had been told that this doesn't work for some people so I wouldn't have gotten my hopes up so high.

junestar6

I can understand you being scared especially since you had already dealt with cancer and not being able to eat then. Just take it slow, eat mushy type foods, like Soups that are soft. eat slowly and go from there. one step at a time. you are going to do fine. you want the weight to come off slowly, 1 to 2 lbs per week as the skin's elasticity can catch up with the weight lost. when you lose alot super fast, you get the saggy skin. have a friend dealing with that now and she has to have it removed. 10 lbs in one week is great. keep it up and you will do fine.

I think you need to call your doctor right away. Something is not right, not sure if it is acid reflux or not. very well could be, but needs to be treated asap. hope all is well

It is normal. you are going to miss your fav foods knowing you will not be able to have them anymore. when i was on my preop diet, i went to a cookout and i gorged myself, ate it all and did not feel one bit guilty. LOL! i knew i would wake up the next day and start all over on the diet again. and i lost 6 lbs in 2 weeks. you have lost 50 lbs in 3 months, that is awesome and successful you will do fine.

did you maybe have a blockage? i know if i eat hard boiled eggs, i have to dice them up and chew up alot.

not sure what else it could be.

i take viactive chews for Calcium and Vitamin D, flinstone chewables multi Vitamin, 2 times daily.

Hello all, I went to my first consult yesterday and I am not on the pre surgery diet to lose 10% of my weight before surgery. I do have an questions about Vitamins that my surgeon wants me to take after surgery. I need a to take a multivitamin with mineral and Iron, Bitamin B complex with extre B-12 and a calcium citrate withBit D (500 mg). I don't want to spend an arm and a leg buying these so does anyone have any suggestions on where I can start?

what? that is ridiculous. pap smears have nothing to do with getting a lapband. I didn't realize the band wen down by the whohaa. lol

anyways, talk to your gyno's office and ask what they do in this circumstance.

You are the only one who can decide it is right for you. That being said, do alot of research, talk to everyone, know the good and the bad of the lapband. It took me over a year to decide to get it done. I gave myself that long to try and lose it myself, and i only lost 15 lbs in the time. I ate decent, i worked out 5 days a week, but after getting the lapband, found that my problem was i was eating way too much. i am still amazed at how little i eat now with the band. You do have to use the "tool", that is what i call mine. It is a tool and if you don't work with it, it will not be successful. It is one leg of a 3 legged stool, diet and exercise are the other two legs. without those 2 legs the stool falls down, meaning the band failed. It is not an instant fix and i think alot of people think that is is. It is a lifestyle change, and so is the gastric bypass. You don't eat right, you won't have success. I had mine done 4 months ago and i am still liking it. I am down 33 lbs now and have lost 3 dress sizes. You need to attend a seminar and consult with a surgeon and go from there.

good luck in your decision.

i personally love breakfast but am not hungry in the mornings, so i have a Protein Shake every morning to get my Protein in. I use EAS vanilla at Walmart, i add milk and i can get 28 grams in my shake. i do 12 ounces of milk to one scoop. i know GNC has some good protein mixes. If i am hungry in the morning, i have some oatmeal also. for lunch, i usually have tuna or chicken on a lettuce wrap.

hope this helps.

I am 4 months out and am still amazed at how little i eat compared to before. i went out to eat last night with my youngest son and we ate mexican food. i ate half a chicken enchilada, some rice and Beans and was full. it is great huh. took the rest home, will be eating on that for days. LOL! i have finally learned to cook less now, so we don't have tons of left overs like before. you are doing good, don't get impatient because you did not lose today. it will happen. your body is getting adjusted to eating soft foods now instead of the liquids. it was probaly absorbing everything you were taking in. it will get better. just keep at it

I like Isopure, but i mainly use EAS from Walmart, i get the vanilla. 20 grams and when you add milk to it, get about 28 grams. i drink one every morning as i am not hungry at all in the mornings.

sending well wishes your way.

thank you so much for posting that. that made so much sense to ready. i will keep that one in my notes for when i get discouraged.

awesome

Hi Pam,

I've been reading anything I could get my hands on regarding lapband for over 2 years now. I found this website right before I was banded on 7/26/2011. After 33 pounds lost and 4 weeks of being banded I noticed I was feeling hungry for the first time and was even able to get more food down. This worried me and I found a post here that gave me another understanding of the band. I hope this helps you. http://www.lapbandta...ls-and-refills/

I didn't have to do the psych consult but the waiting around to see if you are approved seems to take forever and is it hard and nerve racking to sit and wait. That is great that you have support. I feel no one can be successful without support, and that goes for just about anything. You have to do this for you! It took me over a year to finally decide this is what was best for me. I was watching my kids one night sleeping and it hit me that i had to do something now to get healthy and live a long life, to teach them healthy habits for life. I don't want them going down the same road me or my husband went down. He is now thinking of doing the lapband, he has seen how much i have lost and is amazed and a little jealous too LOL

good luck to you and wishing you success and i hope that you are approved. It is a lifestyle change, the lapband will not do it for you. you have to do the work too. I think of it as my tool to help me and i work with it. it is one leg of a 3 legged stool, diet and exercise are the other two legs.

I would email ya, everyone needs support for this new journey. when did you have the band put on? i had mine done in april and have lost 33 lbs now. yes it is hard, but i know that i have to do this for me, and for my kids, to be around for a long time. you have to make wise choices every single day.

you can email me at slcreeden@gmail.com

Oh wow, i am so sorry for everything you have had to go through and that the band did not work for you. Are you having to take steriods, i know that they can make you gain weight.

you have to do what is best for you and i agree with you that people need to to alot of research for themselves before any surgery. i waited for 1 1/2 yrs before i decided to get the band. i had given myself that long to try and lose weight and i only lost 15 lbs in that time, so i went to another seminar with another surgeon and decided that is what was best for me. it is your decision not anyone else's.

wishing you the best and hope that things get better for you.

I know you don't want to hear anything negative at this point because I was there four years ago. I haven't lost any weight probably gained a pound or two. Frustrated and depressed because I still feel like the same failure I was when I had the surgery. Some people have success with this band but believe me if you are an emotional eater or like sweets it doesn't work. You have to get your head right first. The surgery won't do that for you. I also have an autoimmune disease called sjogrens and they still did the surgery. Six months afterwards I started gettting a skin problem. My hands looked like hambuger meat. It was on top of my feet and toes, elbows. I went to a couple of family doctors, two dermatologists, three rheumatologists.. After a year finally was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis. Another autoimmune disease. Now taking Embrel and Methotextrate injections every week. It not only is a terrible skin disease but also disforms your joints like rheumatoid arthritis. I am not sure why and if it was just a coiencidence it came after my surgery but I have been researching the band and have read some people have come down with autoimmune diseases. I am in the planning of having this band removed. I am really afraid to have another major surgery to correct my mistake but I have to find out if the band is causing my problem. I am not telling you to not get the lapband I am just saying do alot of research. They have alot more information about lapbands years down the road. No matter what you do to lose weight it always comes down to two things. Diet and Exercise. You have to do this with or without the lapband. Let me know what you do and whatever you decide I wish you success with your weight problem.

Cheryl

you need to call your doctor to make sure. kind of sounds like maybe gas pains, but i am not sure.

sounds like you need a fill. if you are eating more like you used to, you have no restriction and need to be filled. try writing down what you are eating to make yourself accountable. sometimes seeing on paper what you are eating makes you realize you are making bad choices. hope this helps.

Hello,

I am an April bander. i just found this page tonight, been on here for awhile now. I had mine done April 21st and so far have done well with it. i have vomited one time, and i will not do that again, making sure of that. learned my lesson. LOL

i am down 33 lbs now and love it. i am also down 3 dress sizes. my pants pretty much fall off now and i love that.

i started working out again after lagging for too long, i do Gilad 5 days a week for 45 minutes, plus lots of walking. i am doing yoga now too and i feel great. i am still amazed at how little i eat now, mentally i want to eat more, but know that i should not.

i am sure she didn't even think about it being all your favorites. You can't expect everyone to alter their lives too along with you. She was probaly sick of not having something bad for you too. i don't expect my family to not eat something i like or used to love and can no longer eat. yes it is frustrating, but that is life. the cravings will get better as you are able to eat more foods. the tempations are going to be everywhere you go and yes it sucks, but you have to deal with it and move on. you didn't do this surgery for nothing.

yeah, congrats to you. welcome to your new journey.

people noticed me when my scrubs were super baggy, had to go buy new ones as my pants were about to fall down and my coworkers were making fun of me. LOL

i noticed my in my face and my clothes. i have lost more inches than pounds. sounds like you are doing great. congrats on the weight loss.