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Hey there people!! I was banded in July 2011 and have felt great since!! I haven't lost much weight since Thanksgiving because I have only had one fill and it lasted about 6 weeks before I went back to normal. Had to cancel the last two appts. due to my work schedule. ANYWAY...my problem is port sensitivity. I have had a habit for years of resting things on my belly which is now where my port is. ( under my left breast/rib cage) It feels different from when I originally had it done so I was scared that it has flipped or I had a hernia. I think I ruled out the hernia because I don't have any bulging or soft spots around it. It's almost like I pulled the muscle that it's attached to and it feels like a bruise all the time. Is this normal or should I be worried that something is wrong?? I will be asking my DR once I get back in the office but just thought I'd try all of you first. Please let me know...Thanks!!!

I am 5 months banded and didn't drink for the first 3 months. What I have realized is that I can have a couple drinks (cranberry and vodka with twice as much cranberry) and I feel buzzed until I use the restroom. As soon as I pee, I sober up!! haha...with that said, I can get drunk about three times a night. Pace yourself...On NYE I drank one beverage and did a shot of 100 proof (didn't know it was) at about 1030 and by 1115 I didn't know where I was. It took hours for it to get out of my system. Just take it slow and DO NOT DRIVE!!

I did liquids for a week and a half and had such heartburn from it that I couldn't take it anymore. I decided to do mashed potatoes and noodle soup four days before my two week check up which was when I was supposed to start mushy foods. I felt so much better after I put some consistancy in my belly! Do small bites and if it settles well do some more..but don't over do it, throwing up is NOT FUN! good luck!!

The hiccups are usually from excess air in your belly..do NOT use straw, smoke or drink carbonated beverages and you'll be fine! I don't ever get the hiccups and I rarely burp. BUT I do rumble..all the time. I can be hungry or full it doesn't matter. I think it's because the food actually can move since I am not so full all the time. I have been banded for 3 and a half months and I dont' regret a second of it!! Good luck all

You are not alone!! I have been a night eater for as long as I can remember. That was one of the main reasons as to why I couldn't lose weight in the first place. Once I had surgery about 3 1/2 months ago all of my cravings stopped because my body completely changed how it craved food. Well once I started eating "real foods" again, it was game over lol. I work second shift so breakfast isn't until 11am lunch around 3pm and dinner, anywhere from 9-1am!!! I did this for quite awhile and realized I wasn't losing weight. After two weeks I decided it was time to switch it up. I started eating a protein bar for breakfast after the gym at 9am then I would snack all day long! Veggies, peanuts, a salad, etc. Then I would eat a decent dinner around 7:30 at work then when I get home from work at 11pm I will munch on chips and salsa. I started losing again thankfully. Just remember to eat small meals all day long to keep your metabolism up and you shouldn't crave as much at night! Good luck

Okay folks, I have almost lost 50 lbs and I feel AWESOME!! I can honestly say that I am very happy with how my body looks right now. I still want to lose another 50 but my confidence is going up everyday. I was not very faithful to working out for the first three months after surgery, which in turn caused me to have sagging skin ;( I haven't had any kids but I look like I have now because of my lower belly being so flabby!!! I work out 3-5 days a week now and I don't know enough exercises to get this to tighten up. My doctor told me that I was young enough and didn't have enough excess skin to worry about plastic surgery but now I am starting to wonder! My breasts are sagging as well which causes you to see the stretch marks, please help!! I want to do whatever I can to tighten up my mid section!! Thanks for the help!!

Mine was more on the mental side. I have fought depression since I was about 16 but I was heavier before than. I can not remember weighing less than 220 lbs all the way back to high school. Once I started college it was all about drinking 5 nights a week and eating taco bell or waffle house at 3am every one of those nights. I gained 60 lbs in college. I have tons of amazing memories, but the weight was always a nightmare. After college I moved to NC felt like I was slowly dying at 275lbs so I kicked it into gear and lost 60 lbs. Once I felt the missing of family it brought on guilt of leaving parents and 12 yr old brother...over a year I gained all 60+ back and was at 279 at surgery. I have always been an emotional eater. Didn't matter if it was boredom, loneliness, eating because I knew no one was there to see how much I ate. Guilt, depression, and not loving myself is why I am/was fat. Thank God for counseling

I haven't been banded nearly as long as any of you folks, but I think I can give a little advice on the mentality of the surgery. I knew that 90% of my eating was in my head. My doctor would not do the surgery until I was in counseling first because I was an emotional eater and had issues with coping (boyfriend passing) along with abandonment. I was in it for 3 months before surgery and I truly believe that my success thus far is because of that! I needed to find myself again and realize that I was worth living a better life. I needed to get past all the bullsh*t in my life and focus on myself instead of everyone else around me. It took lots of tears and I was scared to death!! With that said, I really believe that therapy is a necessity with any bariatric surgery. I would tell every single person that decides to do this to talk to someone before the surgery happens to make sure they are strong enough to deal with the changes and figure out why they got to 200 or 300 lbs in the first place.

I understand how you are feeling!! I just got my first fill on Tuesday and I was scared as well. I lost about 3 lbs a week for the first two months then I started to plateau. I had two weeks where I stayed the same and that's when I knew I was ready. I went to the doc and explained how much I was eating and how guilty I felt for eating as much as I was. It wasn't bad food or even over-eating, just more than I was used to for post surgery meals, he said yup..you're ready! Two weeks later I had a fill. Since Tuesday, I have had some heartburn and had to start eating slower and chewing better, but I haven't vomited AT ALL since surgery. Once you start to realize what you need to do it's not hard to go back to those first two weeks post surgery. You'll be fine!! If you are still losing I would maybe wait..once you stop losing for two weeks or more I would say you're ready. The longer you go without losing the longer it takes to get it off!! Good luck!

Hey JoJo, I had my first fill yesterday and it was much easier than I had expected!! When my band was put on it had 2.5 cc in it already(which I didn't know) and now I am at 4 cc all together. I definitely notice a difference. I am finally eating once cup at a time. I did that for about a month but gradually got to regular meals over the last three weeks. My doctor told me to do liquids for two days and mushy for two more days then back to my regular diet. I did liquids yesterday and soft foods today and prolly will tomorrow then will go back to my normal diet. I just ate slow and small bites to make sure it didn't make me sick. I have a problem with lots of liquids giving me bad heartburn so I don't tolerate it well..haha. Four weeks of liquids in the beginning traumatized me!! Good luck with your journey...it sounds as well as mine!

Mine is under my rib cage on the left side but more to the middle of my belly. I was surprised at first because I was expecting it to be on the left side more than it is...but I haven't had any problems. I can feel it, you can't see it and the only issue I have had was at work because I am used to resting clipboards on my stomach and now that its much smaller I put it where the port is out of habit. It'll ache every once in awhile but it's self inflicted lol....I am glad mine is where it is.

I am in North Carolina and I had mine in a surgery center. Got there at 6am, went into surgery at 7:45 and was out at 8:30. I sat in recovery for a little over an hour and was headed home by 10:00 They made sure I went pee and was able to walk/talk/drink before I left. I was loopy and achy the first two days but after that I felt better everyday. The center even called me to make sure I was happy with my services about 5 days post op. EVERY single person there introduced themselves to me, shook my hand and made me feel like I was their number one priority which is what I needed because it was my first time having surgery...ever. I wouldn't change my experience for the world!!!! Good luck!!!

The only thing confusing me in this thread is that we are all here for the same reason and that is a decision to better our lives in ALL aspects!! We all have this in common so why let it also tear us apart?? If you don't understand the questions, then ask questions..no need to be so harsh in the process. I come here to give advice and get it in return. If I don't like the topic then I don't respond..maybe some of you should do the same.