Jess527

I just found out I am pregnant, and I had the lapband surgery on August 23, 2011. It hasn't even been 5 months. I am nervous about whether or not I should have all of my Fluid removed and I would just love someone to talk to!

Hi all, I haven't been on in a long time, so I just wanted to check in and see how everyone is doing. GG I saw you are doing better, that is great!

I just found out I am pregnant, so I guess I will be getting an unfill and not getting filled again for over a year. So, good luck to everyone and I hope you all continue on your weightloss journey!

First congratulations to everyone who is exercising and losing inches, it takes so much will power for me! I am not exercising like I should be, but I am also seeing my clothes fitting different even though the scale has not moved much in the last week. My pants are getting baggy, but I have not lost anymore weight.

Yes congrats healthwoman, that is a great!

I have a question for all, in the past week and a half I have started losing my hair at masssive amounts. I am afraid it will become noticeable by the end of the month if it does not slow down or stop. I am taking my vitaband chewables...are there any other supplements out there I can take to help stop the hairloss before it becomes noticeable?

Thanks GG, good luck on getting more Protein in...I find it very hard to do. I did have some "cheat days" over the holidays, but thanks to the lap band I didn't gain any weight! This morning my scale put me at 193 and Dr. scale this afternoon (fully clothed) put me at 195.5. 5 pounds lost since the last weigh in at my doctors. I am feeling good, liquids for one day then soft food for a day or two. My in-laws will be here Saturday, I am happy I got the fill so I will not have to worry about weight gain. Usually a visit from family means eating out every single meal and trying all of the places here in San Antonio they have seen on the food channel. I am going to work on trying to get more protein in as well. As for the getting stuck, I have learned/decided no more pills in the morning, and maybe liquid or Protein Shake for Breakfast. Only real meals will be lunch and dinner..

1100 calories, huh? My fitnesspal tells me I should get 1200 and when I eat under that I usually lose better.

Well good luck to all out there over the holidays, I KNOW they can be hard!

GG, let me know how tomorrow goes. Maybe you can put my mind at ease before I see the PA Wednesday. Plus, after losing my job and insurance my fills cost my $150 every fill, not fun. Just happy my surgery was 100% covered, it makes these fills a little less painful on the pocketbook.

I have an appointment Wednesday, and I am wondering if I should get a fill. I haven't really lost any more weight in the last two weeks, but I haven't been making the best food decisions. I am worried I will be too tight and wont be able to eat anything at all...Right now I can basically have anything as long as I chew it, I havent had a PB in (I think) 2 weeks. Most of the time I was having them within an hour or 2 of waking up and trying to eat. I keep going from 193 to 195 when I weigh myself. However, I cannot get down big pills and I am also worried if I get another fill I wont be able to take the pills I am taking now (my B1 pill). Just looking for some support from my August bandsters, I know I havent been on in a while but Im still here

Also wanted to say thanks LisaAnn for the support, I hope you are able to keep foods down now.

Thanks GG, you always seem to know what to say! I stayed away from the chocolate and had some low fat string cheese. Surprisingly no yogurt in the house, I will need to rectify that situation. I calmed down and my hubby and I decided he is just not allowed to tell me what I am doing wrong. (Like eating too fast, or too big of bites.) I think we came to a happy medium.

As for the beef and bread it makes sense, especially since the bread was really dry.

Hi Jess,

I think some people have trouble with beef. It also might be the combination of the beef and bread. I stay away from bread unless it's toasted. I've heard it swells after we chew it and gets gooey.

Go ahead and vent. That's why we are all here. Don't go eat chocolate! Remember, we are all trying to stay away from the old habits. Go kick your husband or something. (just kidding) It's hard to sympathize with our plight unless you have been in our shoes and our spouses, while well intended, sometimes don't say or do the thing we need at the time. Love him anyway and don't hold a grudge. Believe me I've been there and done that and have the t-shirt too. Greek yogurt might feel good on your throat. Hope you are feeling better by now.

Blessings,

GG

I am so FRUSTRATED! I need to vent...I had a PB experience again this morning, well it wasn't actually morning, but I had just woken up. I tried to eat a roast beef sandwich and I got stuck. I hate that feeling, it is one thing that I wish I could eliminate altogether. I thought I chewed really well, I guess not. Well my husband wasn't in there with me, and he started giving me a hard time when I told him what happened. (45 minutes of going back and forth from couch to bathroom incase a burp wasn't a burp, and grabbing at my chest like it was going to help) I guess I just wanted him to feel bad for me, and I got no sympathy what so ever. All I want to do is eat chocolate or something I know will go down with no trouble at all. My throat actually feels swollen, and I still haven't eaten a thing.

Does anyone have any advice? I feel like I am a raging B!tch right now, and I want to take it all out on the wrong foods!

SO frustrated. I tried to eat a bean and cheese Breakfast taco this morning and couldn't finish it because I got stuck. I proceeded to chomp down 4 papa enzymes and nothing helped...I thought they were the cure all until this morning. Sometimes I just forget to chew 45 times before I swallow, lol.

Needless to say papa enzymes are not the cure all when you get stuck.

Hi Kelly,

It's papaya enzymes and they are supposed to help if you get a "stuck" episode. I think they must help with digestion quicker than normal. A lot of banders say they really work. I got mine at Walmart and they are chewable tablets and we can chew at least 4, 6 if we need them. The ones I got taste like a sweet tart and are actually good.

You're right. We are all still in the early stages of our lap band journey so try not to get discouraged when that scale doesn't move. Different Dr's tell us to do different things so I'd just stick with the program your Dr has you on as far as snacking.

Blessings,

GG

Sorry to hear, let us know how it goes.

Forgot to update but found out that port not flipped. And when I called the nurse she said that the doctor was hitting himself in the head because after I left he remember that he put in a low profile port (which I did not know) and they sometimes are difficult to access. I go in for another attempt for a fill tomorrow. And I am scared because the last episode was a little painful. I hope all goes well and I leave with a much needed fill. Well wishes to all and thank you all for your continous support! Much Love. :thankyou:

Kristen, you cam get them from Walmart, small bottle $4 says papaya enzymes has 100 pills in it.

Papya enzymes...thank you! Sometimes I feel like they are a miracle. I haven't been stuck in 2 days, well a day and a half. Chewed some when I started getting that stuck feeling.

Glad everyone is doing well! Chich, glad the unfill went well. I am not having as much trouble getting food down, but I am choosing different foods then normal. I couldn't eat much Friday so I broke down and had a fun size candy bar, some wine, and a snack size doritos bag. I was still under my 1200 calories. I have to say it was frustrating. chicken just doesn't want to be good to me, and neither does chopped beef. The meats are so hard, I can only get like 2 bites and I get the chest feeling. I will have some mashed potatoes for dinner tonight...wish I could just take a Protein pill! Plus side, I'm down 197.4!!

Ms. Lady I am sure the fill will help, just a minor set back...just remember one day at a time!

S2b, wow...3 days liquids and 3 mushies?! My PA says 24 hours liquids, 24 hours mushies then off to regular. Of course I forgot on my 2nd fill and went straight to the chicken. Maybe I should try your 3 day thing, couldn't hurt right?!

Definitenyl no clothes! Thanks all for the congratulations, it is appreciated...and congrats to Chich for reaching it is as well.

I am having trouble eating more than a few bites of solids these days, I feel like I am seconds away from being stuck when I do. I wonder if I am too full, or eating too fast (I am chewing like crazy)? We will see, I will give it a few more days and see how I feel. I would just like to get more chicken down, so I can hit my minimum calories for the day at least.

Just curious when and how often everyone is weighing themselves and do you wear clothes when you do? I personally prefer no clothes but kinda feel like I am cheating.

Thanks GG, that was super motivational! I need to get that book.

GUESS WHAT, like you said, I hit ONEDERLAND!! Woohoo, it was this morning, and my scale says 199.5. I feel like a new me

(Yesterday the doctor's scale said 200.5 so disappointing, but my husband reminded me I was fully clothed)

I got my second fill yesterday, and I am up to 7cc's in a 10cc band. For some reason, last nght I was so hungry (I had only eaten 160 calories all day because I didn't want to eat before my fill) I decided to have chicken. I totally forgot, until this morning when I woke up, that I am supposed to do liquids for 24 hours then mushies for 24 hours after fill. (I wish they would have reminded me) No wonder I could only eat 2 small bites of chicken and I felt like I was one sip of Water away from being stuck. Needless to say, I am on liquids today.

I also received my labs back, and they said my B1 is low. Anyone else have this problem? I went to try and get thiamine (b1) from Walmart yesterday, but couldn't find it. I guess I have to hit GNC. My PA said this could cause memory loss that is irreversible if it gets too low. Also, I had too much uric acid in my system...which can cause gout. This is from having a high Protein diet and not drinking enough Water. So, EVERYONE drinks those 64 ounces!

Well, good luck all!

[quote name=ncgg-5' timestamp='1319558810' post='1677954'

Hope everybody had a great weekend. We got back home yesterday from the mountains and I am down another pound. Yeaaaah for me. My pre & post surgery total is 17.8 in 10 weeks, which is ok, of course I'd like more. But, the good thing is I am loosing inches and my skinny jeans are now too big.

There have been a lot of good comments lately on "stuck" episodes. Keep up the sharing. You never know when something you say will help another Bander. Thanks Jess for that informative article on slippage. Hopefully none of us will experience it first hand.

Kristenaz, I've been eating a vanilla Oikos Greek low fat yogurt at night with about a teaspoon of Agave Syrup in it for a bedtime snack. It's 160 calories but worth it to me. Sweet and yet it has Protein. The other good thing about having dairy at night is it helps you sleep. I take a water soluable Calcium right before I go to bed every night and in 15 minutes I can hardly hold my eyes open. That's why people have a warm glass of milk to help them sleep, (Yuk, on the warm milk)

chicholious, you are a hoot arguing with the nurse. You go girl! My Dr will only do 1/4 cc. for me at a time. That's like a drop, but I trust him and will do what he says.

Before I got banded I did a lot of research and ordered a book from Amazon called, Bandwagon by Jean McMillan. it is an excellent resource guide and I highly recommend it for all of you. She is a fellow bander that lost 89 lbs. One of her chapters is about being positive and the power of positive thinking. I needed to reread this. No more complaining from me anytme soon. Maybe some of you see yourself there too.

From her book.

After years of failure, there may be a small illogical part of you that does not believe you have enough desire, skill or knowledge to succeed at weight loss. We tend to self sabotage with thinking like this.

Jealousy, comparing yourself to others that have lost more weight. Instead: we should congratulate ourselves for he 25 lbs we have lost.

Consumed with fear or worry, "I had reflux last night - what if my band slipped". Instead: take positive actions and call your Dr.

Negativity, focusing on what's wrong instead of what's right. "I can't succeed because my restriction isn't right". Instead: focus on how much better restriction is now that I've had a few fills.

Procrastination, "I'll start making better food choices on Monday". Instead: do it today.

Giving up easily. "It's just too hard to keep up the weight loss effort". Instead: do it one day at a time.

Mental deafness, "why does my Dr keep harping on more exercise?" Instead: consider that he is trying to help you, even if you don't like the advise.

Feeling worthless, "I don't deserve to succeed at weight loss". Instead: be your own cheerleader, if you don't do it who will?

Denial, "We're getting pizza because my kids need it" . Instead, Who really "needs" the pizza?

I believe that my attitude drives most of my success in life. Positive attitude yields positive results.

We can do this!

Blessings,

GG

Yes, the boobs definitely get smaller. I am two months out and you can already tell, in fact they were one of the first things to go. I usually lose weight on my face and then around my lower section like legs and butt. With this surgery I lost in my face first and all in my upper section.

Which Protein shake are you drinking? I like the EAS AdvantEDGE Carb Control chocolate Fudge, but I do not know anyone else who likes them. (My husband says they taste disgusting, maybe I am just used to drinking them).

I went back to work on day 5, and I did not have a hernia surgery, but I was still sore especially getting up and down from my desk. Walking around was easy, but getting out of my chair and sitting in my chair all day was agony. Every day it would get a little better, I hope this helps.

Hi guys,

I am 5 days post op (banded 10/21/11) and today is the first day that I am starting to feel "better" . I returned to work on Monday and noticed that by noon I was feeling pretty lously, anyone else feeling bad by the end of the day? I guess what I am wondering is I also had a hernia surgery while they installed the lapband, could this be the cause for "hurting" more then what I thought?

I am doing well on the post op diet with the exception of the Protein Shake, the ones that I got are HORRIABLE, any one have any sugestions on changing them out?

That is good that you have restriction, at 6 cc's (my 1st fill) I could eat any food after a week or two. I just got filled to 7 cc's (2nd fill) and I can definitely tell the difference.

I can understand not telling everyone about the band, because they think it is like gastric bypass and that you should be losing like crazy. But, for some reason, every time someone comments my weight loss, I just blurt out I had lapband surgery. It is weird, I thought I would want to keep it to myself more but people's reactions have been pretty open after I tell them. I also make sure to tell them that the band is a tool, and that I should only lose 1 to 2 pounds a week with it.

Good luck on your journey, and I hope it gets better after you have your 2 days of liquids and mushies.

I had my second fill on Oct 17 and by fri when I had real food, i have a lot of restrictions

I have already almost vomoted three times as I don't feel full and keep eating then wel it feels like it's al going to come back up. I know this is what I wanted (to be able to only eat alittle not to throw up or gag) but when I first experiencied it I was sad. On sat was out with frinds and they wanted pizza . I figure I will eat ½ a slice enjoy it and be ok. Well no I had breakfast about 3 hours before and apparently it had not digested yet.

I took one tiny bite and is was ok , I took a second and felt like I was going to throw up on the table on my friends

So I stop eating and wait for it to pass… apparently you could see my discomfort as my friends keep askinging are you ok

Now the last thing I want to do is talk while trying not to throw up. I finially manage to say Im fine just went dwn the wrong side…my friends response was to get me a glass of water…which I can't drink … I pretend to and it does finally pass

So now I am sitting looking a almost a whole slice and I don't want it at all

I kind of pull it apart , pretend to eat some and push most of it under my napkin

I felt sad that I could not eat with my friends but at the same time happy that I wasn't hungry

Noone there knew about my band so I couldn't say anything …this is the hard part about hiding the band

I still am not going to tell anyone else (other than doc only 2 friends know)

I spoke to the office this morning and they say it's normal I ate too much too fast

They recommend going back to liquids for a day then mushies for at least a day before I try real food again. if not come back and they will take some Water out but at 5 ½ cc in a 10 cc band I should not be that tight

On the bright side I am not hungry at all

I knew this would be hard but mostly concentrated on the mental part

And the not eating things I love but know are bad for me not my body's response to all this .

I know it will get better in time but it is harder than I thought

This should be for a fill, if you need one. They will ask you if you are in your "green zone," if you aren't they should fill you.

I have a question. I was banded. August 16th. I had my first fill October 1st. I notice a lillte more of a restriction, but not much. So far I have lost about 26 pounds.

After my first fill my Dr. Said to make an appointment and come back in 3 weeks. I didn't think to ask what this appt. was for and was given no special instructions like I had with my first fill, that was done under the scope.

So I am just wondering if this is just a check up I am going to or do you think I could possibly be getting another fill ? I sure hope I get a fill. I live an hour away. I would hate to drive there for him to look at me for 5 minutes just to leave again.

I could call of course. Just curious what everyone here thinks.

Thank you !!

I had been wondering about slipage, and today I received a newsletter from my doctor's office. It had this Q A at the end, thought I would share with everyone.

What are the main signs and symptoms of a band slip/prolapse and what type of testing can be done to determine if I have this type of complication?

A band slip (more correctly described as a gastric prolapse) is the term used when a portion of the stomach below a gastric band abnormally migrates or "slips" through the device and causes the band to become partially or completely blocked (see picture). The term "band slip" is not really accurate because the band itself doesn‟t actually slip or move. A slip will occur in 2-3% of patients who have an adjustable gastric band.

While there are a number of proposed causes of a slip, what seems to be clear is that they are most common in patients that vomit on a regular basis. This vomiting can be due to poor eating habits (eating too fast, eating too much, not chewing well, etc) or from having the band too tight.

The most common symptoms of a slip are pain when eating (especially solid foods), frequent vomiting after eating, heartburn, and a nighttime cough. Many patients with a slip will also find themselves gaining weight because they turn to "soft foods" like mashed potatoes, Pasta, and ice cream because it goes down easy and doesn‟t hurt. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, especially if it is on a regular basis, you should be seen at the office.

If there is concern that you might have a slip, you will most likely be asked to have an x-ray study to evaluate your band. You will be asked to swallow some Fluid (contrast) and we will watch it go through your band which lets us see if you have a slip. If you do have a slip, the most common treatment is to remove Fluid from your band to see if the "slipped" stomach goes back down to where it should be located. If removing fluid from the band fixes the slip, then the band can be slowly refilled starting 2-4 weeks later. If a second slip

occurs once the band is filled again, it generally requires an operation to reposition the band. Occasionally a slip is so severe that taking fluid out of the band does not help and the patient must immediately be taken to surgery to prevent major injury to the stomach. Hallmark symptoms of a major slip are severe and worsening abdominal pain and inability to keep any fluids down including your own saliva. If you experience any of these symptoms, call us IMMEDIATELY!

The bottom line when it comes to slips, like most things in medicine; an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Make sure you follow our dietary recommendations (eat slow, chew well, don‟t overeat, etc) and keep in mind, vomiting is never normal after weight loss surgery! If you find yourself vomiting on a regular basis, make an appointment to come in and see us so we can figure out why and keep you safe on your journey back to health.

I say keep losing until YOU are happy, that is what counts. About 10 years ago I went on weight watchers and in total lost about 30 pounds (at that time, that was all I needed to lose)...once I had gotten down 15 pounds people told me I didn't need to lose weight, and why was I dieting? I told them because I am trying to get to my goal weight. You have to get to where you can be happy, all the people in the world can tell you how wonderful you look and how skinny you are, but until you reach your goal...I say keep going! BTW congratulations!

Side Note-Dieting is a way of life, 10 years later and I found myself 113 pounds heavier than I was at my "goal weight." This time I will get it off, and keep it off.

Banded April 25, 2011

Starting weight: 250lbs.

Current weight: 175lbs. Down 75lbs.

Although I have lost 75lbs. and I def am in smaller clothes, I dont ever really feel like I look "thin." Don't get me wrong, I know I have lost alot and I def look like I have but people say I look skinny skinny and believe me I dont. I guess this is the mental block some bansters go through. I currently weigh 175.. my personal goal would be 150. I tell people I have about 25-30 to go and they look and tell me I am crazy.... should I listen to them and stop and just maintain or should I keep going and actually be the skinny person I have never been?? My husband said I shouldnt lose anymore and just focus on toning up. We workout hardcore so I am very athletic built. I am just confused what I should do.

Thanks, that was helpful info.

I've been told that the band will slowly stretch the first few fills and that's one of the reasons they need to adjust. my doc also said you might have some swelling when they do the first couple of fills and then as the swelling goes down there is more room again. He did mine with a xray machine too and put 4cc's in at first then had me drink barium and it wouldn't go through so he took out about 2 cc's - it was kind of cool to watch!

I have 4. 1 large 1 inch incision where my port is off to the left of my stomach a few inches from belly button. I have 3 incisions across my upper abdomen, those are all pretty small. I have been using mederma, and the nurse said they looked really good, we will see with a few more months out.