Toddy

Eight pounds from goal weight! That's great. Now you probably ought to start thinking about changing your screen name!

How much have you got in your band? I've read on here that everybody reaches restriction at different levels of fill. I've not heard of anyone being completely full; if that was the case, seems you wouldn't be able to eat at all.

I've got to agree with Derby, it's time for personal accountability. Most of us have had rough Patches, but you need to accept that you've been making the wrong choices and recommit yourself to getting back on track and being successful. That's one of the things that I love about the band, you may fall off the wagon, but that band is permanent, so all you have to do is make a conscious decision to jump right back on the wagon and not let excuses derail you again! Good luck!

I have to agree with tfm, it's time to celebrate. When I was in the green zone I had to steer clear of bread -- not a big loss for the great results I was getting. I had an "incident" of my own doing and had to have some of my fluid removed. I've had one fill since then and am still not even near the green zone. I'll be glad when I get that first signal that tells me I'm there again!!!!

Doesn't sound like a slip to me. If you've been around people with a stomach virus, that sounds like the culprit. However, it's always better to err on the side of caution and see your doctor.

To tell or not to tell is an interesting subject!! NONE of my in-laws know. Heck, in the past when I have lost large amounts of weight, they never even commented. When I told my mother she was concerned, but very supportive when I explained everything to her. I wasn't going to tell my sisters, but got stuck at one meal and ended up telling them. One sister (who has always struggled with weight, too) was okay, the other (weighs 105 soaking wet; went right back into her tiny shorts right after giving birth) was appalled! I wasn't going to tell my friends either, but they all know know now and they've all been amazingly supportive. The one I thought would be the most judgmental is actually having WLS this fall after she completes her six month diet requirement!!

I absolutely love my band because, No. 1, I physically cannot eat as much as I used to. If I'm in a buffet situation, I usually end up putting a lot more on my plate than I'm able to eat. If it's a social situation, I have to eat really slow, and chew really well, and it takes me just as long to eat my tiny portion as it does everyone else to pig out, so I'm not just left there to twiddle my thumbs. No. 2, when all the pigger-outters get up from the table, they're all moaning and groaning about "oh, I ate too much, I feel miserable. Me? I ate just enough and I feel great!! One month after being banded I went on a girls' trip with six friends that didn't know I'd been banded. Of course, as part of our trip we had to go to Paula Deen's buffet. It was just as I described above. I ate just as long as they did, but I ate only a fraction of what they did; they were all miserable; I felt great! The best part? Everybody was so busy eating and talking, no one even paid attention to what I didn't eat and never would have guessed that I'd had WLS!!

One of the things I like about my doctor is that he didn't show any obvious preference for which WLS was best for me; he asked me what I wanted. He did want me to watch a video on lapband and vertical sleeve. I did recently ask him if his wife/daughter were going to have WLS what would he recommend. He said that it depends on the individual and how much/how fast they want to lose. He also said it depends on the co-morbidities an individual has. For example, for someone with diabetes, the sleeve or gastric bypass would be the best surgery for them. My surgeon did offer lap-band with plication, which I declined. If I could do only one thing differently, I would definitely go for the plication!!!

I'm curious, too. I love protein bars when I don't have time for a meal, or I just need to bump my protein up for the day. I've been eating the Atkins for the low net carbs, but I'm going to look into the Pure, because it looks they have considerably more protein!

This sounds more like a "productive burp" rather than actually vomiting. With a productive burp, you are regurgitating the food before it goes through the band and into the stomach. Vomiting is a forceful expulsion of the food from your stomach and back up through the band. I've only vomited once since being banded. I'm not sure and my doctor isn't quite sure of the mechanics of what happened, but shortly after vomiting I ended up with such intense chest pain that it sent me to the ER thinking it was a heart attack -- not an experience I ever want to repeat!!

We had insurance with BCBS when my husband was employed and they paid 100% for my wls. When DH got laid off, I applied to BCBS for a HIGH deductible plan and was turned down because of my lapband surgery, even though I had already been taken off my super expensive acid reflux Rx and my high blood pressure Rx. Ironic, huh?????

Being dehydrated can cause a lot of various side effects. While I don't think it will particularly hurt your band, it does hurt your health. You should really try to get in more fluids, particularly water or flavored water. Be proactive about this; don't wait for an emergency situation to arise because then it may be too late.

If you tell them before the surgery they'll probably be all negative and try to talk you out of it. You know, everybody knows somebody that knows somebody that knows somebody that's died from this surgery!! (I'm thinking they all must know the same person because the mortality rate is pretty low!) Anyway, if you don't tell them, it will probably come out after the fact. I have found that after the fact was better for me because people are somewhat less negative since you didn't die in surgery, and they see you walking, talking and acting like a regular person that just happens to be losing weight.

When you find a local doctor to do your band maintenance, see if they can recommend a support group. It sounds like you got banded without a lot of information that is very necessary to be successful with a band. This site is a great source of info, but it doesn't replace doctor's orders. It sounds like pretty much everything you're experiencing is pretty normal, but you really need a medical professional you can call upon.

The swallowing is getting easier because the post-surgery swelling is going down. Before my third fill I had no restriction and could eat anything; the trick is to NOT eat bad stuff or in bulk just because you're able to. Between surgery and having enough fill to have restriction is a good time to practice the new eating skills you have to have when you do finally reach restriction.

Take smaller sips and smaller bites and give it some time. If you ever get to the point that you can't keep liquids down, then you need immediate help. Otherwise, you may just need to work on your band eating skills. I know it takes me a while to learn to eat with each fill. Don't drink carbonated beverages or eat things like soft bread.

It's one thing to not be supportive of your CHOICE, but the tell your child???? WTH is he thinking???? What an unbelievable thing for an adult(?) to threaten to do. I'd have the surgery; I'd lose the weight; I'd be looking at my options! Sorry to be so harsh, but I see a lot of domestic "situations" in my line of work and it absolutely kills me what some parents will do to their children!

I had this happen last week. My doctor took out 4 cc's of my total of 6 cc's. It opened my wide up and I could eat anything without any feeling of restriction. Fortunately when he started the refill this week, he did a pretty good fill, I'm not sure of the total, but it was enough to feel a little restriction again. Hopefully next month I'll get the rest back.

This is a really good blog of a banded couple you might want to follow. She doesn't post very often right now, but she was very active for a while and had some great tips, etc. http://happilyafterlapband.blogspot.com/2011/12/journey-starts-here.html

I've never seen anything that says popcorn will be a problem... however, it just seems to me that it would be a problem so I avoid it like the plague! I think I've had maybe two pieces at the movie just out of reaching into the husband's bucket by habit... and then I think "no, no, no"! It's kind of like soda, I know I can swallow it, but I bet I'll end up paying for it!

I don't realize I'm in trouble until it's too late. After having to have a 4 cc unfill last week, and finally getting some of my precious fill back this week, I'm vowing to be the most compliant bander there ever was. I don't want to play around with "so what if I get stuck, I'll just urp it up" anymore!! Now it's time to baby my band and take care of it so it will last for a long, long time!

I was a heavy smoker and quit it will be 20 years ago this November 9. I can only speak from my experience as someone that loved smoking and was young enough when I quit that I hadn't yet started experiencing any bad side effects. I think the best way (the only way for me) was to quit is cold turkey. You can't have cigarettes around you; you can't be around anyone that smokes. Set a date certain to quit. The night before clean out every ashtray and destroy the butts, because an addict will dig through the garbage to get that fix. My husband quit at the same time using the patch. At first I was resentful because he seemed to have an easier time; however, after I got through the "bad times," he was still struggling along on the patch. It ended up taking him a couple more years to actually kick the habit. I am now physically nauseated by the smell of cigarette smoke. One thing I know for sure: If I ever break down and take that one draw off of a cigarette, I may as well go an buy a carton. It's an all or nothing thing for me.

Wow! This post is... I'm not sure. I can't relate. No one ever told me I was worthless...just the opposite. I had affirmation from both of my parents (although divorced, but amicable) about how proud they were of me, even though I never did anything exceptional or even special. I've always associated my food issues with happiness. It's kind of like the saying, I don't drown my sorrows; I celebrate my happiness. I equate fun, food, family. I guess we all have different issues... but they're all still issues.

I'm with tmf, give it a few days as long as you are able to keep liquids down. I had a lot of problems eating when I hit the green zone, but then I actually learned how to eat. Small bites, chew until it's almost nothing, swallow, wait a bit before taking your next bite. If it works, you should be good as long as your follow the eating rules. If you're doing everything right and still having problems it sounds like you'll definitely need a little unfill. When I'm in the green zone, I even have to sip Water, not guzzle it like I used to.

I didn't feel anything until my third fill and didn't reach the green zone until my fourth fill. It's different for everybody.