soon2bskinny

Good luck in your journey to the other side. Bunches of Hugs!

Thanks Alexandra. I learned on Tuesday while nosing through my chart at my OB-GYN (yearly physical) that I had weighed in at 342lbs that last time I was there in December. I knew I had been in to see my family doctor in February (surgery in April) but had not asked how much I weighed (quit looking or asking long ago). I called the nurse and asked her to look at my chart for me and she told me I had weighed 341lbs. So if that is the case that brings my total weight loss to 68lbs!!! Yippee for me. I put on pants tonight that I haven't worn in four years. My hubby was mad because he thought I had been shopping and spent money. It was almost as good as shopping! My niece, who lives with me, is fourteen and her and I both can get into my pre-band size 34w pants. I have taken pictures but don't have a scanner. I will post them soon I hope. I want to be 250 by my company's Christmas party on a riverboat. I have never been because I could never find anything half decent to wear. This year I am going and am actually excited to look for something. Although next year might be more fun.

Alexandra, I waited two months for my first fill. It is hard to keep your chin up but just remember that you are still not eating the way you did pre-band and you will probably never go back to that again. So even if you never get a fill at least those pounds are gone forever. Your time will come but in the meantime enjoy what you have already accomplished, which is a great deal.

They perform the surgery at Hamilton Medical Center in Dalton, GA also. I have my fills done there but I had surgery in Mexico. I am assuming the cost for cash pay is about the same. The doctors here are wonderful and I am glad they agreed to do my follow up care. I paid $6500 for my surgery in Mexico and about $500 for travel expenses. Best of luck with your insurance and surgery.

Mine is directily above my belly button and is deep. I can only feel it when I am lying down. I am happy with the placement because when I lose more weight it will not stick out. I have seen some who's stick out like a horn.

Congrats Bobby, I had my fill done on the 17th of last month. Things have changed alot for me. I can only do about 1 cup of food and the fill has limited my food choices. I used to eat bread, rice, and lots of other things I shouldn't. Now I cannot eat any of that unless I want to vomit. I hope yours goes as well. And I hope everyones restriction lasts a while. This was my second fill and I now have 7cc in my 11cm band that holds 10cc. Who did your fill? I had Dr. V something or other and it took him 35 minutes to stick my port. It wasn't a very good experience. I believe I will ask for someone else the next time. Good Luck!

I have since had a fill and that sure put a stop to my eating fast and not chewing. I had yet to experience the vomitting I here everyone talking about until I had my second fill. I cannot eat the things I could eat pre-fill. Not saying this is such a bad thing, just hard to get used to. I could eat bread and that is a big no no now. I can say I will miss my rice (although I know I didn't need it to begin with). I cannot eat anything solid without chewing it for a long time. If I do not then it gets stuck and feels like I am having a heart attack or at least as close as I could imagine it would feel. Once you have experienced that kind of pain a few times then you learn to slow down and chew properly. I am not complaining though I love the restriction I have now....I only hope it lasts.

A girdle is just a pair of panties that is mostly made of lycra and is designed to hold your gut in. I have worn a girdle for the past 15 yrs. I do not wear regular panties out of the house. I find that since my stomach fat hangs if I wear a girdle then of course I am not jiggling and it also helps with my back pain. Kind of like a bra for your belly, LOL! Hope this helps.

Alexandra, I too was that way about six weeks after surgery. I however waited until I was 10 weeks post op to have a fill. I have the 10cm band and my first fill was 4cc. I always felt like I was eating too much pre fill and was ( I guess) expecting some kind of miracle after my first fill. Well, that miracle didn't happen! About two weeks after my first fill it was as if I had not been filled at all. I am not trying to be negative but please don't expect it to fix it all. I had my fill on June 11th and by the end of June was right back to eating way too much. I was so depressed that I just continued to eat (and it sure wasn't protein). I knew I wasn't eating no where near what I had pre band but it was still way too much and I couldn't seem to stop. Sometimes it takes more than one fill to really get the ball rolling. I only lost weight for three weeks after my first fill and I fought very hard after gaining about 12lbs to get it back off. I have since had another fill and am happy to say that I have dropped another 6lbs since then. I have perfect restriction (for now). This fill is quite different from the first in that I know I cannot push it to the limits as I could after the first one. I guess somewhere in all this rambling I just wanted to say to not expect your first fill to do the trick. Good luck and I hope all goes well.

I finally got my fill. I have lost 3 lbs since the 17th. I am very restricted now. There has never been anything I couldn't eat and now there are a few things that won't go down. I have never vomitted but tonight I did. It was horrible and I can't figure out if it was the amount I ate, that I ate too fast, or if it was what I ate. I had refried beans with cheese and a mini-taco (home made). I am not sure....maybe it could have been the lettuce or the taco shell. Anyway, I will stay away from both anyhow. This was my first solid food since my fill. I hope the vomitting doesn't last, I don't know if I can handle that. I have the 11cm band and I had 4cc my first fill and I got 3cc this time. It took the radiologist 35 minutes to stick my port. My port area is very sore and hurts more when I eat. He said it kept moving everytime he touched it. It made me sick and I felt like I would pass out because he took so long. I am glad it is over and hope he doesn't do my next one. The first one was over in about ten minutes.

Hey Bobby, Yes, I just had a fill on the 17th and it was $620 at the office and whatever the radiologist charges. But since you had your surgery at Hamilton then it shouldn't be that much. Does your insurance pay? I cash pay for mine. Congrats on your daughter's birthday. I have a few more years before I get there. I have custody of my 14 yr old niece, my son will be 12 next month, and then I have a daughter that turned 5 in June.

500 calories is not much. Maybe you need to up your calorie intake? Are you exercising? If so you may be gaining muscle, which weighs more than fat. I gained also and worked hard to get it back off. I now have a second fill and am very, very restricted but I love it and have lost 3 lbs in 4 days. Maybe you are retaining Water....are you getting at least 64 ozs??? Is it that time of the month? I eat like a horse around that time. Could be lots of things. Don't give up, it is only 2 lbs. Keep us posted.

Well, I drove all the way to Nashville (3 hours) to have my second fill only to be told that the nurse in Dr. Morton's office could not do it. I had spoken to her twice on the phone and she told me if she could not find my port she would send me to the hospital to do it under x-ray. When I asked how much she told me she didn't know but the hospital would bill me. When I got there on Thursday she was delayed in surgery, they had already called and tried to reschedule and I refused because I had driven so far. She couldn't feel my port but I don't believe she tried or desired to. I can feel it when I lay down so I am sure she could have. She said it was too deep to do it in the office. I respect that and it did not upset me but the fact that she didn't tell me over the phone that they charge $350 to do the fill at the hospital and the hospital charges $450 really made me mad. Especially considering I had asked her that over the phone and she knew I was driving a long ways to boot. Anyway, I have been terribly depressed. I now have a fill scheduled in Dalton for Wednesday but I hate that it costs around $800 to do it here. I was sure looking forward to paying the $150!!! Hopefully this will last me like my last one. It has been three months since I had a fill but it has been about three weeks since I have needed one. I will ask for an aggressive fill this time. Perhaps 4cc since I have the 11cm band. I only got 3cc my first fill. Wish me luck! Thanks for all the support!

Thanks Beebly, but I live in Chatsworth, Georgia! I plan on attending the Bandster Bash next year in TJ. I got my fill in Dalton, close to here on Wednesday so today I am doing mushy stuff. Seem to have lots of restriction so far will know more in a day or two. Thanks again for your help.

Going for my second fill today. I have the 11cm band and my first fill was 3cc. It has been 3 months since that fill and I am long due another. Wouldn't have waited so long but it is so expensive here that I haven't had the extra money. I put back on most of the weight I had lost, which wasn't much since fill anyways. I have since lost it again but it has been very hard with no restrection. Wish me luck!

I did the same thing while I was watching her show yesterday. Maybe between all of us someone will let us know what she really did.

Okay now I am confused. I heard her say it was reversible so I assumed it was lap band............but her website www.sharonosbourne.com says that she had gastric bypass. I was not aware that bypass was reversible???? Who knows!!

She is one her show "The Sharon Osborne Show" right now as we speak. She had lap band surgery because she was talking about it being reversible. She is now speaking with a young girl who is 16 and had gastric bypass and lost 45lbs in 5 weeks. I love Sharon too. This show is great.

I too went through the same thing. I lost down to 280lbs and then gained right back up to 292lbs. That was 12lbs!!! I need a fill (has been three months since last one). For one I was depressed because I didn't have the $800 for a fill so I knew I was eating too much. And because I needed a fill I fought hard to not eat more then I knew I was supposed to and it wasn't working. While it was no where near the amounts pre band it was most certainly too much. It has taken me a month to drop those 12 lbs back off. I am not back at 280lbs, thank God! I increased my Water, started measuring food again, and stopped snacking. I still have not mastered eating slow and taking small bites but maybe I will get there soon as I know this would help a lot. I wish you the best of luck but you've done it once, don't fret or thinkg too much about it just do something about it. Keep a journal of everything you put into your mouth. Maybe that will help. I think sometimes we eat and don't realize it because that is what we are soooo used to. Hope all works out and the pounds start falling off again soon.

Well, I drove all the way to Nashville (3 hours) to have my second fill only to be told that the nurse in Dr. Morton's office could not do it. I had spoken to her twice on the phone and she told me if she could not find my port she would send me to the hospital to do it under x-ray. When I asked how much she told me she didn't know but the hospital would bill me. When I got there on Thursday she was delayed in surgery, they had already called and tried to reschedule and I refused because I had driven so far. She couldn't feel my port but I don't believe she tried or desired to. I can feel it when I lay down so I am sure she could have. She said it was too deep to do it in the office. I respect that and it did not upset me but the fact that she didn't tell me over the phone that they charge $350 to do the fill at the hospital and the hospital charges $450 really made me mad. Especially considering I had asked her that over the phone and she knew I was driving a long ways to boot. Anyway, I have been terribly depressed. I now have a fill scheduled in Dalton for Wednesday but I hate that it costs around $800 to do it here. I was sure looking forward to paying the $150!!! Hopefully this will last me like my last one. It has been three months since I had a fill but it has been about three weeks since I have needed one. I will ask for an aggressive fill this time. Perhaps 4cc since I have the 11cm band. I only got 3cc my first fill. Wish me luck! Thanks for all the support!

Thanks Glenda, I guess the frustration has passed now. I have an appt. for Wednesday and although it is a lot more money I am just happy to be getting a fill. I haven't lost any weight in about three weeks. I am more than ready to start losing again. Thanks again for everybody's support.

Congrats. I too remember being very excited when the scales dipped below 300. It don't remember when I actually weighed and found I was over 300 but I am sure it has been a couple of years. I am working on the 250 mark now and hope to accomplish that by the end of the year. I know we are not supposed to be so attentive to the scales but it doesn't lie. If you've worked hard to lose then you want to see it in writing, or at least I do. I lost a bunch when I first had surgery and then again after my first fill but then I have gained some back and lost it again to make me right back to almost what I weighed before I had my fill. It is very frustrating but at least it wasn't back for long. I am having my second fill on Wednesday and hope that will jumpstart me again. Most bandsters say that it takes a few fills to find the sweet spot and I sure hope I come out smelling like flowers this time. So 17lbs is a big accomplishment. Would you have lost it and kept if off without the band? If your like me then the answer is no. I was amazed at how quick I lost what I had gained back. Just a little more discipline is all I needed and it fell right back off. Thank God! Sometimes we just need a few good words of support from our friends.

Thank you for your kind words. I know it is terrible how much they charge. Of course, if the doctor had done my surgery it would be much cheaper. As if I need some reminder that my insurance wouldn't pay. I have checked into going back to Mexico but I am going to spend about the same for the travel expenses and have to take time from work. Thanks for the suggestion though. I do plan to go back for my 1 yr Anniversary though.

Great news. Good luck in your weight loss journey!

Welcome and Good Luck in your weight loss journey!