crzytchr

1. Would you do it over again? Right now, in a heartbeat 2. How long post-op until you feel normal again? Do you ever "forget" you had the surgery done? about 2 weeks, I forget I have had surgery until I eat. If you can forget you are banded after you begin getting fills, it is time for another fill.:rolleyes2: I keep my band loose enough that I eat basically what I want, just less of it. 3. Are there any foods you CAN'T eat post-op? )I heard veggie and fruit skins, pastas, popcorn?) meat that is dry and I haven't tried lettuce 4. Do I need to give up coffee and soda? I have not had a soda in 18 months, but I do drink coffee, because my surgeon said not to drink it because it causes hunger. It has never caused me to feel hungry, so I drink it. 5. Do you deal with heartburn or reflux regularly? Nope, only if I eat too late 6. Can you have this surgery and NOT tell your whole family, friends, and co-workers? I might could have, but if you tell even 1 person, others will find out. I do not keep my band a secret. 7. How is it you DONT lose weight immediately after surgery? I think many do not, but I did lose. I put the amount of food I was supposed to eat in a 4 oz container and ate only that. I chewed slowly and carefully and by the time I finished I realized I was satisfied. 8. What type of band do you have and are there any differences in the manufacturers? Lapband and I am not sure how different they are but the Realize band is shaped differently. Check out alex's thread about it. 9. No liquids with meals, whatsoever? Not even once, unless you consider a small amount of skim milk in my cereal. 10. Post op diet consisted of? Clear liquids 5 days, full liquids for 2 and then I was allowed to move to mushies on day 8 11. Anyone have a doctor they can recommend in the LA, Ventura area? Nope, sorry, can't help you there.

You have 9ccs in a 10cc band. Go get another fill. As crazy as it may sound, you may just need a little more. My friend and I were also banded in July '08. I need very little to feel restriction, but my friend banded two weeks before me, now has 8ccs in hers and had 7ccs within the first 3 months of having surgery. I have only had two small fills and will still get tight if I have any added stress. We are just different. I have lost 93 lbs so far, but I probably started off a lot heavier than you, therefore had a lot more weight to lose. Please don't compare you weightloss to others. You have lost and kept off 50 lbs in the last 18 months. That is great! Heck, if you did that without any restriction, then that means you are a LOT better than me!nJust go back in and get that fill that you need. Sometimes just a small amount makes a HUGE difference. Good luck and let me know how it goes!

This is exactly my approach. I have my band looser than most people. I can eat most any food I want, and I do. I just eat less of it. I did not get banded to starve or drink protein drinks for the rest of my life. I followed your blogs at the beginning and then for some dumb reason, stopped reading. What was I thinking?! You are one smart cookie!!!

You have indeed had a horrendous year, and yet you survived it and sound stronger for it. You can do this. You can do anything you put your mind to. You didn't let any of this break you. Think about that. It sounds as if you are already making positive steps in the right direction! Start journaling your food intake so you can see exactly how much you are eating each day and check your Protein intake to see if you need to make any adjustments. If exercise is painful because of your foot injury, try to see if you can participate in Water aerobics or just walk in the water. You have an excellent start to your weightloss, keep it up!

This is why I tell. I worked with someone who did just that. She was dropping weight and looked good. I was VERY overweight and wondered what she was doing. When I inquired she would look at me and grin and say "I am just eating less and exercising." This made me feel like huge failure because I just couldn't seem to keep off any weight that I lost. A couple of months later my coworker next door to me told me that the lady mentioned had been banded. BTW, she confided in someone who told someone else, who told someone else, etc...If you tell one person, it's probably not going to stay a secret. Please if you decide to keep it a secret, be VERY selective with who you tell. People at work will talk. So, I decided if my sharing my banding journey with someone could help them, and having the control to tell myself, rather than other talking about it, helped me decide to not keep it a secret.

Just adding Bobbie and putting Lisa in order. Name***********Starting******Current********Goal******ToGo Astrasmom.............254...............254.................170............84 Babe.....................265...............265.................199.... .........66 BetsyB..................226.6.............226.6..............109...... ......117.6 BobbieND..............224...............224.................175..... .........49 Brigette.................198...............198.................150.... .........48 crzytchr.................217...............217.................180.... ... ......37 DANA36.................233...............233.................160...... .......73 ericanda1973..........198.5............198.5..............130......... .....68.5 HummingBird..........204...............204.................150........ .....54 Jennih...................232................232................130.... .........102 Lisa65...................174.5............174.5...............145..... .........29.5 lotzasunshine.........247...............246.4..............175........ ......71.4 newdicarlo.............187...............187.................135...... . ......52 RandaPanda...........194...............194.................150........ ......44 scoutmama............270................270................180........ ......90 SNDYCNRD.............207...............207................140......... ......67 TARASGIRL.............305...............305................225........ .......80 TeriLu....................250...............215.................150.. .... ......65 TIGGER71G.............224...............224.................130....... ......94

Name***********Starting******Current********Goal******ToGo Astrasmom.............254...............254.................170............84 Babe.....................265...............265.................199.... .........66 BetsyB..................226.6.............226.6..............109...... .......117.6 Brigette.................198...............198.................150.... .........48 crzytchr.................217...............217.................180.... ... ......37 DANA36.................233...............233.................160...... .......73 ericanda1973..........198.5............198.5..............130......... .....68.5 HummingBird..........204...............204.................150........ .....54 Jennih...................232................232................130.... .........102 lotzasunshine.........247...............246.4..............175........ ......71.4 newdicarlo.............187...............187.................135...... . ......52 RandaPanda...........194...............194.................150........ ......44 scoutmama............270................270................180........ ......90 SNDYCNRD.............207...............207................140......... ......67 TARASGIRL.............305...............305................225........ .......80 TeriLu....................250...............215..................150..... .......65 TIGGER71G.............224...............224.................130....... ......94

I was 40 when I had this surgery and it was the first surgery I had ever had. I was TERRIFIED! Everything went as planned and I am ecstatic about my progress so far. Being banded was the best thing I have ever done for myself. Even though I did this for me, it has had a positive impact on my relationships in my life. If you are ready for this, don't second guess it. Do your research, attend seminars until you find a surgeon you are comfortable with and have confidence in and move forward. Good luck!

I am going to add Tigger back on, because at some point she was dropped. I am also adding newdi on. Name***********Starting******Current********Goal******ToGo Astrasmom.............254...............254.................170............84 Babe.....................265...............265.................199.... .........66 BetsyB..................226.6.............226.6..............109...... .......117.6 Brigette.................198...............198.................150.... .........48 crzytchr.................217...............217.................180....... ......37 DANA36.................233...............233.................160...... .......73 ericanda1973..........198.5............198.5..............130......... .....68.5 HummingBird..........204...............204.................150........ .....54 Jennih...................232................232................130.... .........102 lotzasunshine.........247...............246.4..............175........ ......71.4 newdicarlo.............187...............187.................135....... ......52 RandaPanda...........194...............194.................150........ ......44 scoutmama............270................270................180........ ......90 SNDYCNRD.............207...............207................140......... ......67 TARASGIRL.............305...............305................225........ .......80 TIGGER71G.............224...............224.................130....... ......94

On my full liquid phase, what saved me was cream of chicken soup. I heated it with added skim milk, instead of water. I then added a little sage, garlic powder and pepper to it and it was so tasty, my 16 year old took it to work for her lunch.

Prior to my surgery, I was in pain daily. I woke up every morning hurting and had swelling in my ankles and feet every evening. I have asthma and used an inhaler almost daily. All of that is gone now. Heck, I don't even know where my inhaler is right now. I feel so much better. All of the weight I have lost so far, I lost without exercising. I am joining the gym tomorrow, so I can finish my weight loss journey. I eat 1200-1500 calories per day, and I have almost every day since about 4 weeks post op. I have fairly good restriction and can eat most any food that I want, I just eat less of it. I need more willpower with my band not real tight, but I don't want my band to rule my life, I just want it to help me out. Keep researching and reading up to help you decide if the band is right for you. Once you have made that decision there are a few things you can start doing to help your transition be a little smoother. Start cutting down on sodas, since you aren't supposed to have them after you are banded. Try to cut down on the amount of liquids you drink during your meals. Also, practice taking smaller bites and chewing your food well. Good luck!

You look amazing!

Hello zobee...Count me in. I am joining Anytime Fitness tomorrow and will be walking everyday. Oh, and I was watching my Glee DVDs last night also..about 4 episodes!

Big nasty episode a few months back. It resulted in quite a few suspended accounts. Not pretty. Sorry

That sounds ok for the amount of food. How much time do you think is not long? If it is 4 hours, that is about right. Start journaling your food amounts and see how many calories you are consuming each day. If you aren't hungry and don't eat very often, it is possible that you aren't eating enough each day.

It seems that many bandsters eat cereal, but to be honest, cereal for me is a slider food, because it DOES just go through the band. I would say if you eat it, use very little skim milk and try to limit it to once a week. I LOVE Special K with skim milk and banana and do eat it, but only once a week.:smile2:

Well, I find that I have good restriction, but I am definitely not too tight. I can eat most foods that I want, just a lot less of it. I feel that if you can eat the entire 6" sub, bread and all, you probably need a LITTLE more restriction. If you insist on a fill, it should be very small, maybe .2ccs. Talk to your surgeon and voice your concerns, but I also feel like he does, I didn't have this surgery to have it rule my life and not allow me to eat. Examples of my eating if I go out: Chilis: pre-band: 1/2 order of skillet queso and chips; 1/2 order of a chicken quesadilla and probably a dessert. Now: 1/4 order of skillet queso and cup of chili, no dessert Pizza: pre-band: 3 slices of a large regular crust pizza Now: 1, sometimes 2 slices of a thin crust SMALL pizza Cracker Barrel: LOVE THE BISCUITS pre-band: 2 or 3 biscuits prior to my entree; then 1 entree Now: 1 biscuit, then 1 fish fillet and 1/4 c mashed potatoes

Nope. I have lost over 90lbs and the only difference is I don't HAVE to have a wide width.

I agree, there could be a leak, or they may not even be hitting the port at all when they give him the fill. He needs to make sure they withdraw the Fluid already in there before giving him his next fill to check and make sure the correct amount is in there.

My doc doesn't have me cough or even do the "crunch" that many talk about. The PA just gently pushes and then does the fill. My port is easy to feel also.

Unless you are on your post op liquids or mushies, you aren't cheating. I eat pizza almost every week. The difference is I eat 1, sometimes 2 slices of a thin crust small pizza instead of 3 of a large regular crust. Pizza is not the enemy, overindulgence is. I eat whatever I want, I just make sure I eat 1200-1500 calories per day and get my protein grams for the day.

I also thought she wanted a man just like him.:biggrin:

From what you just said, you sound like you do have the kind of restriction I keep, even now. It is perfect for me and what I consider it my "sweet spot". I can eat most any kind of food I want, just a lot less of it. I haven't eaten an entire hamburger since being banded and I don't want to. You may want a little more restriction during the beginning of your journey, but not much more. Those little stuck episodes are a sign you have some restriction already. Any tighter, and you will have to restrict the kinds of foods you eat and you may begin to pb, which isn't good. If you are still this restricted when you go to the doc for you fill, please be honest with them. You probably don't need any more than 1cc. Tell them the amounts you eat, how you feel when something is "stuck" and they will help you decide what to do. Good luck and please keep me posted.

I wish I could give you a set answer, but there really isn't one. Some feel it right away, like I do. Others it can take days or even a week or two. My stomach has an immediate reaction to being "messed with". I know right away. This is good and bad. I had restriction just from having the band placed (good), but also become a little tight during times of stress (bad). This also means, that barring any problems, my band will last me for years, because it isn't anywhere close to being full. After almost 18 months, I STILL only have a total of 2ccs in mine. Do you have any restriction now? If so, you may want to consider doing the smaller amount they suggest. The worst thing you can do is rush restriction and become too tight in the process. This will depend on how often your dr will give you fills and the number that are included in your surgery cost. If they don't restrict you to the time frame or number of fills, I would definitely go slower and go every two weeks until it is "just right". Take it as slow as you have the patience for...Good luck!

I don't know if that is what happens, but I know ports can flip. I have been banded almost 18 months and still will get a funny pain sometimes if I bring my leg up too high:rolleyes2:. It feels like it "squishes" the port. It isn't necessarily painful, but it doesn't feel good. This may be similar to what you are experiencing, but it is painful for you, since your surgery was recently. Call your surgeon to see what they say.