mjsafari

If you don't see or talk to your family everyday, don't feel pressured to tell them. You are only in the hospital over night and are almost back to normal in a few days. When the weight starts to come off or they notice how you eat, just say you have made the decision to eat healthy and lose weight and that you would appreciate their support. I really wish I hadn't told my family - my sister who had bypass 25 years ago, started right out saying it won't work. My Mom of course chimed right in with her, since she is older and had bypass, she must know everything. Never mind that I am nurse and made this decision after a year of research. Well they both had to shut-up after my husband lost 75lbs in a little over 2 months, but I am sure they are just waiting for me to fail. Sorry not planning on it. Wal-mart - yes everything does get around there! My husband is a CSM, he tried everything not to tell, but personnel wouldn't let him have his FMLA without specifics. He did NOT tell any of his managers, but someone came up to him the other day and said, I heard you had surgery on your stomach and proceeded to tell him all about the people they knew who had the band or bypass. With his weight loss it is hard to deny that he had something done, so he didn't say anything at all. If you know in your heart this is the right decision, then it is no one else's business. Tell them or don't, just don't worry about what they have to say. I have had to say this to a couple of people: Would you question surgery if it could cure an alcoholic or drug addict? Easy way out: Major surgery, general anesthesia, diet and exercise for the rest of my life - ya' that sounds easy.

I can tell you from my husband's experience, he has to drink hot liquid before he can eat anything. He was banded in May and has not had any fills, he has been sliming since about 2 weeks out. He will fix coffee or tea before he eats or orders it when we are eating out. After the hot liquid he can usually get food down, he has been able to eat meat, but it has to be very moist.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f93/june-2007-bandsters-33199/index162.html Be sure and join us on the June 2007 board. Everyone is having very different levels of success.

does your surgeon have a nutritionist that you could talk to? They may be able to suggest a change that would help. I have had success without exercise, but it is quickly becoming apparent that won't last. If you aren't exercising, that may be something to consider. I would suggest reviewing your sodium intake, you want to keep that low so the water you are drinking will flush through your system versus being retained. Maybe replace the soup with a protein, so you are getting at least 45-60grams per day. Some one had posted once that you need to get in at least 1000 cals or your body will go in to starvation mode and stop your weight loss. Keep looking around, I am sure there are more suggestions on here. Good Luck!

April - What are you liquids? If they aren't low cal, low carb, you may want to consider a change. My husband and I used SlimFast low carb protein drinks with success pre-op. For snacks between protein, we had egg drop soup or just chicken broth, and SF/FF Popsicles. We also did not have any carbonated soda - even sugar/calorie free. We drank mostly water, but had iced tea with Splenda or Stevia sometimes. Hope this helps! Good Luck

I can't say enough nice things about Dr. Malley. He is great and really cares about his patients. Congrats on your decision and you are definitely making the right choice in a surgeon.

KarenB - thanks for info on the photos. I am been thinking about taking some. I have one of my husband and I pre-band that I need to scan in and have new photos next to. I think that will help. Congrats on your success! You are an inspiration! RubyJane - GREAT JOB! Keep it up! Stories like yours help those behind you to keep going. Erin - thanks for the encouragement. I have been looking for NSVs, because the scale can be very frustrating!

Thanks BetsyJane - my BMI is so high because I am only 5 foot tall. Amazingly I had no co-morbidities, but since it was high, I was approved by insurance very quickly after my 6 month supervised diet. It is amazing how much better I feel even after only 45lbs. I definitely feel like I am on the right track - time will tell, but it feels great right now!

HazelBunny - BIG congrats! I am a little frustrated because even after 45lbs I haven't changed clothes sizes - but things I have fit better. I put my favorite pants on today. The were snug around my legs even when I was standing up, but I noticed today that they have movement - YEAH! I recently tried some clothes on at Fashion Bug and was disappointed that I am not a 24 yet - but I have pretty much been in denial that I was anything over a 24 anyway, so I have to accept that and keep going. I also noticed today that my seat belt fits better and the steering wheel doesn't rub my belly when I drive! It is happening, but not fast enough for me!

There is definitely ALOT of goods and bads on LBT. I felt like I knew every possibility out there before I got my band. I had a fill last Monday and could not eat or drink anything without pain. I knew this meant I was too tight, but because of info on here that some people loosen up after a couple of days I waited to get unfilled. BUT I only waited 3 days - when I couldn't get anything in, not even liquids, I knew I needed an unfill. I didn't wait until I PBd. I had 1cc taken out and am fine now. I do get the full feeling - golf ball in the esophagus, but that is my signal to STOP eating. If I pay attention to that I won't PB. In fact even being over filled I have never truly PBd. My husband on the other hand has PBd alot. He does have to be conscious of what he eats when he is out. BUT that is because he has had restriction from day 1 and has not needed a fill at all. He has first bite syndrome. He slimes without even having eaten. I knew how to explain and help him through all of this because of the information available on this board. He is working through all the issues and loves his band - how can you not with 75lbs lost in a 2 months! Our surgeon's nurse said - he never got a change to "learn" with his band, he has had to deal with all the possible issues from the beginning. But he is dealing with it, is feeling great, and would be happy to tell anyone about how great the band is. I am very sorry that the OP is having so much trouble, but glad that she still loves her band. If she listens to the advice given, gets an unfill, I think from personal experience, she will feel a whole lot different. I hope she posts how things turn out for her. It is a journey not a race.

For your sweet tooth, I would highly recommend this if you can find it. We get them at Wal-mart. You cut 6 bananas in half, insert the stick, then freeze the bananas for one hour. Warm the bag of chocolate up in hot Water, pour in to a shallow bowl and dip the bananas. Nutritional facts: 60 cal, 5g fat, 4g carbs (in the chocolate) They also come in strawberry and Peanut Butter.

Suzzane - Sorry - the only single chief's fan I know is my niece - she is a hotty, but she is in California! I can't wait for the season to start! Darr - I am not going to promise the feeling will pass - I felt crappy most of the 2 weeks I was on the pre-op, so much so I cheated. I don't recommend that though, I almost didn't get my band, because my liver was still large even after losing 11lbs. My surgeon is great though and got me done. I kept reminding myself that this was not my permenent diet, I had 38 years to eat anything that I wanted, and my kids need me! My body fights hard when I don't feed it carbs, so looking back I probably should have thrown a regular protein shake in sometimes, instead of the low carb ones to help will some of the headaches and hunger.

Suzanne - others on here have mentioned tightening up, even 2 weeks after their fill. I think it is smart for you to have the doc check it out. I am extremely tight after my fill on Monday, but have decided to wait and see if it loosens up. I have another appt. in 2 weeks, so I will see how it goes. I got about 1/2 a package of oatmeal down this morning. Definitely have the tightness in my chest from the first bite, but if I wait between bites, like I am supposed to, then I can get some more in. No sliming or PB's for me either - Knock on wood. I don't want to do that, I have watched my husband do it! Insub - I think we can talk about anything here and someone else will have experienced the same thing - especially on this thread!

If alcoholics or drug addicts walked around with their addictions showing - would anyone dare to make fun of them? Does anyone make fun of an obvious anorexic they pass on the street? NOPE - then why is it acceptable to make comments about overweight people? My husband won't tell me if someone gives me a look or a whispered comment, because he knows I will be right there in their face. I really don't care what people think about me, but I do care if they think it is okay to say something - especially if there are children around. Are they teaching their kids to hate everyone different from them or just fat people? Okay now I am on a tangent - I will step off!

I missed the opportunity to say Hi to both of you then! I was there yesterday also - 5Jacks - I came in not long before they called you, with my little blonde haired girl! I must have just missed Tracyinks also! 5Jacks - I was wondering how long you had been banded because I heard you say you were getting a fill, I thought you looked like you could be at your goal! I see you are down 71lbs from Jan - Congrats! Your boys were very quiet while they waited for you by the way. Mine went in with me and watched everything the Doc did.

Back from my 2nd fill today. When I drank the water after the fill it kind of sat in the back of my throat. I didn't feel like it was going to come back up, just that is was sitting there and then trickling down my throat. Doc asked if I wanted some out, but I said no, I would like to see if I can work with it. I forgot to ask how much he put in - he said all of my previous 4ccs were there. I had a Campbell's soup at hand, Velvety potato, when I got home. It has gone down, but I am only able to drink 1/2 of it. I feel full, but still hungry, because it is my TOM! This is a very hard time for me - I am always ravenously hungry the first couple of days. Hopefully this fill will help that!

Weight Loss - 39lbs since pre-op Clothes - no change in size, but what I have fit better Food - before today, not enough restriction, so I had to make the choice to stop - definitely understand, "I will just finish that". I had my 2nd fill today, so I hope to have a better stop now. I have tried really hard to make good choices, but if I want something I eat a little of it. It helps not keeping junk in the house. Emotionally - good this week, I was a little angry when my mother was here visiting - she kept asking my husband why it was working for him but not me! Like 35lbs in 4 weeks wasn't good enough. I finally said something just before she left - when was the last time you lost 35lbs in 4 weeks? She called yesterday to say that she and my sister were clothes shopping for me, because they knew how much it was going to cost me to keep replacing clothes. I said you guys keep saying this isn't going to work, so why would I need new clothes? I know a snotty thing to say, but they have not been very supportive. Now I am determined to prove them wrong!

My husband and I were both approved by Aetna PPO - so there is hope. Remember though that your employer may be setting the rules for each surgery and can even exclude it, so as someone else mentioned, you may want to get your HR involved. I think what helped me the most was a letter from my GYN. If you don't see a family doc regularly, but you see your GYN every year - ask them for a letter of recommendation and have that chart sent over. She had documentation on all my fertility and PCOS issues as well as a annual weight.

I have yet to have anyone say anything about my weight loss. My mother kept asking my husband why it was working for him (down 68lbs) and not for me, when she was here on vacation. Even my wonderful husband has not said anything. I hadn't noticed much change in how my clothes fit, but I have been wearing shorts and big t-shirts for 4 weeks now. I started back to work this week and can button all of my scrubs! I have been wearing them open with t-shirts under them for a long time even though it is against our dress code. I had to replace a couple of buttons, so I could wear them - didn't matter before. I think I will be able to wear my old clothes for quite awhile, but I am starting feel like I don't have to pull them down or rearrange them to cover something up. At 5'1" I will probably have to lose 150# before anyone will notice, but as long as the scale keeps moving in the right direction I am happy.

You got the AP (Advanced Platform) band then. The balloon goes all the way around and it is easy to open and close. The small holds 10cc and the large holds 14cc. I have the small AP.

I agree with Glinda - I was thinking just us Junies. I look around some, but only read the June page daily. Whatever is cheapest works for me. ME

I haven't been to Vegas for 10 years, so I can't help with where to stay. We stayed at the Sahara when we got married and it was nice then. I would vote for late spring - April, May for a 3 day weekend.

Went for my first fill today - nothing to it. I had lost 11lbs since my post-op appointment - Dr. Malley said that was great. I told him I was hungry quite often though. I have been trying very hard to control my portions, but the other day we went for Breakfast. I had 2 eggs, hash browns and 3 sausage links. I knew then I needed my fill! He said if you are eating breakfast you need a fill. He had me lay down, probed for a second on my abdomen, said you will feel a little stick, then he injected 4cc's of Fluid. I really didn't feel anything. We were talking the whole time, so I am not sure if he used local or not. He said I didn't have much in my band from surgery, so most of the 4ccs will be to prime the tubing between the port and the band. I go back in 2 weeks for another fill. He will aspirate at that time to see how much fluid is still there and add more if I still don't have enough restriction. I sat up and drank some Water. Everything went fine and I was out of there. I am to be on soft foods for the next couple of days and then back to normal food. Since the AP band is so new, they don't know exactly how fills will work with it. I may get some restriction for awhile and then it will go away, I may get all the restriction I need or none at all. No need to say what I am hoping for, but I haven't felt any difference yet. Here's wishing everyone has easy fills like mine!

SimplyMe - I agree, on mushies and liquids, I didn't feel like I had any restriction, but on solids I do. I had a pork chop yesterday and WOW, was there a definite stop and I was full for a long time. I have the new band also. My husband has the new band and didn't get his first fill, because he has so much restriction. He is down 56lbs since preop in May. Janine - I am sorry you are having issues with meat. That is what seems to keep me full, so I am glad to eat it!

Another satisfied Malley patient here! He is very quiet, so if you are looking for a lot of conversation, he is not the guy. He will answer any question and give you good advice though. He is a very good surgeon and well thought of by the staff at Menorah, so that says a lot. I mentioned how quiet he was to one of the nurses when I had my surgery - she said he is quiet unless he thinks his patient is not getting what they need. He was the first surgeon in town to get the new AP band also, since he is a proctor for Allergan he had them in May. My husband was one of his first patients to get one and he made sure they had one for me when I had my surgery in June, because he knew how much I wanted one.