DELETE THIS ACCOUNT!

She's doing well on it, but we were warned it can take 4-8 weeks for it to take full effect. In the meantime, she's taking Flexeril and Ibuprofen. Pretty much toughing it out. She's not had any adverse reactions whatsover so far, so that is a huge relief.
They won't give her pain meds either. I've actually given her half of my Vicodin before because she was in so much pain.
Hang in there Donna, you can do this

If I could hug each and every one of you I WOULD. Thank you for your responses; they were, for the most part, things I ALREADY knew, but I guess I just needed to HEAR it again to drive it home.
Missy, I know the band's job is not to physically make us not eat, what I meant by I can eat more than a cup is that sometimes I'm not totally satisfied with that little bit of food... Although that might be a "head" thing, and I'll probably sort through that issue as I learn more about being in GREEN. Thanks for all the info
Nana, I don't ever want to be near RED. I was there once after an aggressive fill, and I ran to the emergency room the same night because a sip of coffee almost killed me. Yes, I need to slow down. I noticed that all the times I've found myself in trouble, it has been times when I'm eating right before I leave the house, or when it's almost time to pick up the kids and I haven't had lunch yet, or when we are going shopping and its getting late...
I also have to start using my TIMER again. I had it set for every four hours and I wouldn't eat before it went off. I need to start doing that again. I definitely know I'm not TOO tight, as I'm able to eat dense food with no problem, as long as I take my time.
B-52, I have 6.5 in a 10 band and its probably my 6th or 7th fill (I lost track). It sure does feel like a balancing act. I hope I have this all figured out soon. I'll start with eating slowwwwwer. Thanks again to all of you for helping me figure out I DON'T need another fill (for now) and that I am, indeed, at GREEN!! Now I just have to learn how to really work this to my advantage. XOXOXOXO

A WLS friend of mine, Tom B., posted a great article on his blog yesterday: 10 Cold Hard Facts about Weight Loss Surgery. I highly recommend reading the article no matter where you are in your WLS journey. Tom states those 10 facts quite plainly, but not in an accusatory manner - more like a good friend who's answering you honestly when you've asked, "What's it really like?"
Here's a link to the article:
http://beariatric.com/2013/12/16/10-cold-hard-facts-about-weight-loss-surgery/
Jean

Actually, that study is incomplete because it doesn't take patient failure/non-compliance into consideration.
When a patient is compliant with their surgeon and the band rules, the band is just as effective as other WLS and failure rate is only 5%. http://www.futurity.org/weight-stays-off-long-after-lap-band-surgery/

No reason to feel frustrated till your band is adjusted property. It's not really a plateau till it's at least a month. What you're feeling is normal for many who come here but it's just fear from past experience. Let it go. If you're an emotional eater don't dwell on what you can't control. You're still in the "out of your control" phase of the journey.
7 lbs is a lot of weight although it's mostly Water weight at this point. And, I only lost 12 lbs the first 4 months. I too was frustrated and pissed off. But it got better just like everyone said it would. Chin up!

Missy:
I'm sorry to hear about your daughter. She is in my prayers.

You look wonderful- and very happy! This is such a great picture!!

Actually, that study is incomplete because it doesn't take patient failure/non-compliance into consideration.
When a patient is compliant with their surgeon and the band rules, the band is just as effective as other WLS and failure rate is only 5%. http://www.futurity.org/weight-stays-off-long-after-lap-band-surgery/

She's doing well on it, but we were warned it can take 4-8 weeks for it to take full effect. In the meantime, she's taking Flexeril and Ibuprofen. Pretty much toughing it out. She's not had any adverse reactions whatsover so far, so that is a huge relief.
They won't give her pain meds either. I've actually given her half of my Vicodin before because she was in so much pain.
Hang in there Donna, you can do this

She's doing well on it, but we were warned it can take 4-8 weeks for it to take full effect. In the meantime, she's taking Flexeril and Ibuprofen. Pretty much toughing it out. She's not had any adverse reactions whatsover so far, so that is a huge relief.
They won't give her pain meds either. I've actually given her half of my Vicodin before because she was in so much pain.
Hang in there Donna, you can do this

My daughter takes Flexeril and only takes it before bedtime, too. It does make her drowsy. However, I've taken it and only had a mild drowsy effect. I suspect if I took it regularly, I'd get used to it.
I take Baclofen for muscle spasticity, cramping and pain. It too is a muscle relaxer but it doesn't have nearly the drowsy effect.

Recently I met a lady who truly inspired me. I admit I at times have not been as sympathetic to people who were extremely obese. At first I didn't see myself in their category, then it became clear to me that I was and I was thoroughly disgusted with myself as well. I had the band due to this disgust and the knowledge that I was becoming disabled due to my weight and the knowledge that people saw me as a fat middle aged woman who had no control of her eating. I was finding it more and more difficult to get around, I was getting short of breath and my body ached in places that I didn't think should ache. My fat even hurt. That sounds wierd and when you tell someone thin that fat can hurt they look at you like you're crazy. But my fat physically hurt. I was ashamed of my reflection in the mirror, the store entry doors and even hated my own shadow. I didn't ride my bike anymore because of what people might think. I had become obcessed with my weight and was starting to stay home except to go to work and back.
Last week I met a lady that told me she weighed 300 lbs. She is pregnant and stated she had gained 8 lbs since being pregnant and that she had weighed 292 before getting pregnant. She commenced to tell me she had the lapband and had all of the Fluid taken out to give her baby the nutrition it needs. Secretly I was thinking, "well it wasn't working for you anyway". I've been losing weight slowly and have had this fear that one day the scales would just stop moving and I'd have the extra weight that would never come off. This has been a mental battle for me. So when I see people who have failed the band, it reenforces that fear in me. Anyway, I saw the same woman again yesterday and we started talking a little. Come to find out, she started at over 600 lbs. Shes not sure of the actual weight because she would have had to go to freight scale to get an accurate weight cuz her docs scales stopped at 600 lbs. I was instantly ashamed of myself and was truly inspired. This woman had lost over 300 lbs with the band. I gained a respect for her that I did not have going in. And as we talked, I realized she was a smart, inspiring lady. I'm sure she was this at 600 lbs as well. I gained a respect for her that I didn't start with. Not because of her weight loss, but because I got to know her a little.
Isn't it a shame that we cant look at people as they are until we get to know them. I've met beautiful people and thought they would be likable just to find that the only ones that could like them is themselves and I've met others that I probably wouldn't have given a second glance as a friend and liked them very much when I got to know them a little. I'm sure this happens when people meet me as well as I'm not necessarily that easy to love either. I spent time on my knees last night asking forgiveness for being judgemental and asking for more compassion and empathy. This lady opened up and told me how mean people had been to her while she was extremly obese and how it had made her someone she didn't like and had also made her get the surgery to turn things for herself. As a result of the weight loss she was able to get pregnant something she had given up hope for. So the ugliness did play a role in helping her, but its still sad.
I just wanted to share this. I think it's easy for us to fall in this trap. I'm just glad I realize this and will work as hard on this as I do on losing my excess weight. I just wanted to share. If ever I've hurt any feelings on this board, please forgive me, I don't want to be that person and that has never been my intention.

I had a fill yesterday and don't know if ill be able to keep it and if I do will probably be my last. Before this fill I was able to eat a whopper jr and be satisfied. I am aware that this is not the ideal food for me but my surgeon and I agree that I should be able to lose and maintain without giving up everything albeit the weight loss may be slower than some. It fits my lifestyle. Point is, I don't want to give up my meats, breads, fruits etc that I hear people talk about here. I don't want to be limited to shakes in the morning or a 7 day a week slave to the gym. If I had wanted to live such a strict life, maybe I could have forgone the band. Yes, we do have our emotions and we all learn to deal with them in our own says and sometimes damnit, I want a sleeve of Cookies. Thank goodness the band won't let me have a whole sleeve and my conscious stops me even shorter. That being said, I'm still losing weight and yes there is a "wagon" I could fall off of if I'm pnot careful. I will not have my band cinched ltry to control every part of me. I'm still a fat person in heart and head and this is something I will try to change. I read somewhere that it takes about 2 years for the mind to accept the body's weight as base. I don't know, I've yoyoed so. Much I never stayed down that long. Stay strong everybody, holidays are a rough time of year for a lot of people for a lot of different reasons.

if we didn't have food issues and didn't have emotional problems with food as our crutch, we wouldn't be overweight and needing wls. i am and will for the rest of my life have to deal with the mental side of food. so far wls is winning. but i can't tell you that at times it really is a struggle. i want those bag of chips in the worse way. especially when i am being misunderstood. i get a i'll show you attitude and i can do whatever i want chip on my shoulder. sometimes the mind thing is more painful than getting stuck. and right now my household is under unbelievable amount of stress and illness. i have headaches everyday and cry most days but thank God my band is working. i haven't given into the strong urges to eat something crunchy and salty.but i want to lose weight this month, i didn't last month.

I never attacked anyone. You came onto this thread spreading complete scare tactic BS. What's worse, you clearly don't understand what you're reading at all. I came on here to offer the OP advice and try to help- which is a heck of a lot more than you did.

Once again, you're citing incomplete studies that don't take patient compliance into consideration. You can't fault the band for patient error and carelessness.
The fact is, as stated in the study I posted, when the patient does what they're supposed to do there is only a 5% failure rate.

Actually, that study is incomplete because it doesn't take patient failure/non-compliance into consideration.
When a patient is compliant with their surgeon and the band rules, the band is just as effective as other WLS and failure rate is only 5%. http://www.futurity.org/weight-stays-off-long-after-lap-band-surgery/

If it were me, I wouldn't get the fill. You sound like you're already in the Green Zone.
Remember, just because you can eat more than a cup of food doesn't mean you need a fill. It means you need to stick to band sized portions and be aware of when you're satisfied. The band isn't meant to physically stop you from eating anything. The saying around here is "just because you can eat more doesn't mean you should".
The band will tell you that you've had enough by means of no longer being hungry. Some people even have soft stops. But if you want to eat more than a cup, you can and will, regardless of Green Zone. Many people end up too tight by making this mistake and end up with complications and slips because of it.

I track every single calorie I eat and never eat more a cup of food per meal. For me, this has been crucial to successfully losing weight with the band.

If it were me, I wouldn't get the fill. You sound like you're already in the Green Zone.
Remember, just because you can eat more than a cup of food doesn't mean you need a fill. It means you need to stick to band sized portions and be aware of when you're satisfied. The band isn't meant to physically stop you from eating anything. The saying around here is "just because you can eat more doesn't mean you should".
The band will tell you that you've had enough by means of no longer being hungry. Some people even have soft stops. But if you want to eat more than a cup, you can and will, regardless of Green Zone. Many people end up too tight by making this mistake and end up with complications and slips because of it.

You look stunning! Congratulations!!

You look wonderful- and very happy! This is such a great picture!!

You look stunning! Congratulations!!

If anyone wants to know if the band works the answer is YES, YES, YES

My kids wanted pictures of us this Christmas.. probably been at least 25 years since I had any pictures done of me.. but we did it and I am so pleased that I look "normal"... gotta go today and get frames for them... Another NSV cause without my band I would not have had pictures taken...