Allison0927

trust me it gets a lot easier as each day goes by - you get used to it and your stomach shrinks so you're less hungry. A lot of people on here put something up on the fridge so you can "cross off" each day that goes by - or a sign that says i can do anything for "x" days and then countdown the days! best of luck to you - the 2 weeks of "hell" is nothing compared to the success after - i'm 2 1/2 months out and down 44 pounds - well worth the pre-op diet!!!!!

I've been pretty open about the whole thing - particularly now that people are starting to "notice" the weight loss (sad that it took 40+ pounds for anyone to notice anything but hey - it is what it is). Not one person has expressed anything but encouragement. What goes on behind my back may be a different story but to my face it's been nothing but positive. Two of my husbands best friends who I am also very close with both made comments to my husband that he better prepare himself for what is coming (me getting thinner - getting more male attention etc.) and both made comments to him about watching out as I may have "loose skin" as a result of the weightloss. Needless to say I promptly reamed them both out. Frankly, I was always a very confident person even at my heaviest - with each pound lost my confidence grows even more. At this point, if anyone made negative comments to me or told me I should have just had more will power etc. I'd just stare at them and say "yes, and?" LOL. Congrats on your success and keep up the GREAT work!

the not eating rule - i'm told - is more about "healing" from the fill than weight loss. If you eat after a fill - you may be somehow hurting your stomach but it would not mean anything much to the whole weight loss or gain thing - just like any other day as far as eating/weight go.

I am so glad you wrote to tell me this - I thought I was going crazy. Last night, for example, my husband, son and I went to favorite mexican restaurant (that also has some American food on menu). I had the veggie/pinto burger - took off the bun and just ate the burger and the cheese on it. I was still hungry when finished BUT i took just a few sips of Water (did not wait the 30 mins this time) and low and behold - i was full. Not uncomfortable - but full for sure. I easily pushed the fries away and did not try even one. I didn't want to - the drinking of just those few sips (maybe 3 ounces or so) did the trick. I was telling a friend - that if this works WITHOUT stretching my pouch (always my main fear) then I have found a loophole or something and this is the key to success. Now, with that said, I've only had 2 fills - only 2.5 ccs of saline (or 4 ccs depending which day you ask my surgeon per my original message), of a 12 cc band - and perhaps I will get this full feeling from eating alone at some point. But, until then, I am happy that the little bit of water seems to be doing the trick. I don't understand why either - since if water is mixing with food in the pouch before hitting the main stomach - that means there is actually food still in the pounch - and I would have thought that food in the pouch alone should be causing the satisfaction/fullness.

what about a taxi? it would be worth it not to have to move the surgery - best of luck to you!!!

Ok - i had surgery july 5. All has been very well - no complications - down about 44 pounds including 2 week pre-op diet. The surgeon is great (center of excellence, nice guy, very experienced) EXCEPT he can never give me a "straight" answer on how much saline is in my band. He claimed there would be a "little" in at surgery - at first follow up appt. he said there was none in at surgery. At first fill appt he said he gave me 3ccs, what he called a "good/large fill" then at second fill appt he said there were 1.5 ccs in the first fill. He gave me 1 cc more at second fill. The not so straight answers are frustrating but i have not pushed it yet because at this point - to me - it does not matter - everything is going perfectly - and we are no where near the fill line and believe me if i wanted to push for more answers i am not shy about doing so. That's not why i'm writing - but if anyone else has experienced that "jumping around" from there surgeon i'd love to compare notes. As of this day, after 2 fills, i still feel i can eat everything and anything - which i know is not that unusual as it may take several more fills to feel real restriction. I don't eat anything and everything and have been sticking to a lien cuisine size or smaller - been losing weight and all is well. Mostly will power up until this point. I wouldn't even know i had the band except for what i'm about to say - and i have not seen anyone else on here comment about this so i thought it was unusual enough to ask all my fellow bandsters if they have ever felt this. I feel no restriction/saiety (sp?) satisfaction at all while i'm actually eating. Admittedly i do not always take 30 minutes to eat, but i have slowed way down and take smaller bites etc. However, after i wait the requisite amount of time to drink (my dr.'s office says 30 minutes - i've heard of others saying 1 hour - i try to wait 45 mins as a compromise) - i am IMMEDIATELY full as if i just ate a huge meal. In fact, i'm uncomfortably full - even if i just only drank 6-8 ounces, for example. SO, it's the combination of eating then the drinking that is causing my fullness/satisfaction. After this second fill, that feeling of satisfaction - many times but not always, can last about 4 hours. Anyone else find that the "restriction" only works AFTER waiting the correct amount to drink and then taking those first drinks? Just curious. If so, anyone experience that but then later, after more fills, experience that same fullness/satisfaction on the food only - before the drinking later??? just curious.

good luck - you will do fine!!!!!

i was banded july 5 - have had 2 minor fills - feeling a little restriction but not too much (2.5 ccs in a 12 cc band) barely any restriction yet - i can chug water no problem - i'm guessing i won't be able to when i get more fills????

my big one was the one causing me problems too - was not bleeding and was not smelling bad - but you could tell something wasn't right with it - it just was all red around one end and there appeared to be some puss or something inside it but not oozing out or anything. Anyway, my surgery was on July 5 and i did not have my first follow up until around july 23 (due to surgeon vacation). He knew right away that one of the stitches was irritated or had inverted or something - so he took the tweezers and removed it (kinda hurt). Ever since then the end of that scar has scabbed over - i'm really hoping it diminishes over time as i am like you i hate scars - but i will say i am down 40+ pounds so i will take the scar in exchange LOL. Best of luck to you.

I think you'll be ok - just don't do it again. my pre-op diet was 3 Protein Shakes a day plus two lien cuisines per day. It was hard but i never cheated once - thankfully mine allowed those lien cuisines - not sure if i could have done two weeks liquid only but i like to think i could have - who knows for sure. Again, i wouldn't sweat it but then again i would recommend not straying again just to be safe.

I weigh every day - like the others first thing in the morning after using bathroom - naked just before i get into the bath or shower (LOL). I even take out any hair scrunchies because you never know how much they weigh (double LOL!) My philosophy is for years i avoided the scale and that's how i got into this mess. Even though i am momentarily crushed when the scale is up - especially if i've done everything perfectly right the day before - i still say that weighing every day is what i HAVE to do to stay on track. BEST OF LUCK TO US ALL!!!!!!!!!

I was banded july 5 - on aug. 5 or thereabouts (just prior to my first fill) i experienced an odd pain i'd never felt before. It was a dull pain that persisted for about 4 days. the best i can describe it is if you drew a square around my upper chest. the pain seemed to move from one side to another - sometimes sharper sometimes very dim. but it was there for the 4 days. I went for the first fill and told surgeon about it - we were both perplexed - i am otherwise in perfect health. he opted to do the first fill under flouroscopy (with a little nudging from me). he was convinced it was not the band but to appease me he wanted to rule it out., we did the flouroscopy the next day and everything looked normal - and he did the first fill of 3ccs. that day i still had the pain - dull and dim but there. After that day i've never experienced the pain since. very, very strange. i'm convinced it had to do with the band - even if nothing "looked" out of place/wrong. I was going to follow up with my primary care dr. but since it went away i haven't. best of luck to you - if you haven't had a fill yet or have another planned soon - insist on flourscopy - it was quick and painless - and BONUS you get to see your own band as the dr. fills it (LOL) BEST OF LUCK!

NICE!!!!! GREAT NSV!!!! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!

Best of luck to you fellow July 5 bandster! Please keep us posted with how it goes - it could happen to any of us at any time. Also, did he/she say what caused the port to flip???

Good post - sometimes we all need to cut out the BS plattitudes (sp? LOL) and give each other a good stiff kick in the behind!!! Well said....

nice to meet you - keep the blogging up!

I am here to tell all you newer bandsters (like me) that there is potential relief from bandster hell after only one fill!!!! I had my first fill 8/10 (was supposed to be 8/9 - was feeling strange pain for 3 days prior so dr. opted to do flouroscopy fill on 8/10 - turned out all was well with the band equipment and pain has since gone away). My band was empty at surgery and the dr. put in 3ccs on 8/10. From about one week after surgery until the fill I was starving every day on 800 calories with a healed/normal stomach. Well - I did not expect to feel any relief/restriction off only one fill - as many on here say it takes 2-5 to get good restriction. But, guess what? I'm feeling restriction - following all the rules - and I'M NOT HUNGRY FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!! So - I'm here to give everyone in bandster hell hope - the first restriction CAN give you at least some relief - and I hope it works that way for you too (we all know everyone's different). BEST OF LUCK TO US ALL ON THIS JOURNEY!!!!

I hear you - i'm 5+ weeks out - down about 30 and have really not exercised much at all. I have, however, stuck meticulously to the 800 calories per day. I will exercise for sure if i hit a plateau to kick start the weight loss - but for now i'm losing based purely on the calories. BEST OF LUCK TO US ALL ON OUR JOURNEYS!!!!

Great news - best of luck on this journey!!!

i tell basically anyone that i have the band - keeps me accountable just like michael said. maybe i will change my tune if i hit a plateau and people may be wondering why i'm not losing - but so be it. for now i'm losing and people are starting to slowly notice and i'm not going to lie when they ask how i'm doing it 80% diet and 20% surgery! BEST OF LUCK TO YOU AND US ALL IN OUR JOURNEYS!!!!

I had my first fill today too - clear liquids today, solid liquids tomorrow, mushies Friday. I don't know if I could do 2 days of clear liquids - this day's almost over and i'm already dreaming of protein shakes tomorrow! YOU CAN DO ANYTHING FOR TWO DAYS JUST KEEP REPEATING THAT TO YOURSELF!!!!

Well, had my first fill today! Was supposed to happen yesterday (Aug. 9) but three days prior, I woke up with a dull pain in my torso (not sure exactly from where) and it continued as a dull ache until Tuesday. I opted to wait until Tuesday to talk to the surgeon since I was already coming in then and I hear so much on these forums that the emergency room staff oftentimes have little to no experience with band patients and routinely tell you to go see your surgeon rather than "mess with" the band. The pain was not excrutiating but I still knew something was "off" and I assumed it had something to do with my band since I'm otherwise healthy and that is the only thing that was "different" about me lately. In any event, I suspected the surgeon would not fill me in the office as had been planned after he heard about my pain (and I don't blame him). After going through my symptoms he was perplexed as to why I was feeling pain. The band was "too new" to have slipped or eroded (I was banded July 5) and there was no saline in it at all since surgery - so he did not know what was causing it. At first he said he would schedule me for a barium swallow - but then I suggested a flouroscopy fill and he agreed. Luckily I was able to do it already this morning. I was joking with him Tuesday that I was "starving" and debated telling him about the pain because I was so eager to get the fill. In any event, we did the flouroscopy and he found no problems with my band at all and filled it with 3ccs (I forgot to ask again how many ccs my band holds - will ask next time - I'm assuming 10 or 14 ccs). He did not numb the spot but the needle prick only hurt for a couple seconds so it was not too bad. I'm hoping with a 3cc fill I will feel restriction but only time will tell. I'm on clear liquids today, solid liquids tomorrow, and mushies Friday, after which I can do solid food as tolerated. I'm glad to know there was no saline in the band leading up today as that explains why I have been SO HUNGRY since healing a couple weeks after surgery. I'll keep you all posted after Friday and let you know if I can feel any restriction. BEST OF LUCK TO US ALL AND THANKS FOR THE REPLIES AND SUPPORT!!!!

That is insane for one group of WLS folks to look down on another. I certainly could have had any type of surgery I wanted and chose the band. I'm also a highly educated professional married to a very high earning professional. NO ONE looks down on me and gets away with it (LOL). Seriously - that's just crazy drama. Those people need to get a life. We are all in a unique group who should support one another no matter what type of surgery we had. We have enough occassional judgment from outsiders (lifetime thin people; people who disagree with anyone having the surgery, etc.). I wouldn't give it a second thought if I were you.... BEST OF LUCK TO US ALL IN OUR JOURNEYS!!!

for most people gas x or any other gas meds will not help because the gas is trapped in your torso not intestines - they say to walk - that is the only thing that helps but that never helped me - only time helped. i had the worst gas pain between days 3 and 8 after surgery - after day 8 it completely went away. trust me there's a light at the end of the tunnel - it WILL go away soon - best of luck to you!

Thanks for the good luck and happy early birthday to you!!! Wow - our start weights and weight losses so far are pretty close - best of luck to you!!!!!!