Overjoyed1

This is good to know, I got a picture of my band and a pic of the x-ray after the barium swallow. I think I must have some type of fill because very little keeps me going. This week I start the mushies, so glad to be able to have yogurt!! Yum, yum.

Yes my doctor added 2.2cc during surgery. I didn't know until my first fill this week. Honestly, Im glad he did add fluid because it gave me time to learn what my "full" sensation is like before I started solid foods. My transition went very smoothly. Had .5cc added this week. My nurse did explain to me the reasons some patients have fluid added during surgery. Partially due to the original fit of the 10cc band which can differ person to person. Also during the barium swallow immediately after surgery, any leakage can be detected. Other reasons as well. Im feeling great and loving my band!

Congratulations! I'm at 50 pounds since Jun 18, 16 pounds since Aug 6 band day.

I went to the doctor today and I've lost 11 lbs in the past 5 weeks. That puts me at a total loss of 32 lbs!! Can't believe it!! I'm so excited! My journey began June 28 th (the first day of my pre-op diet) and now 2 months later I'm celebrating 32 lbs gone!! That's the weight of my 2 year old....lol! Sooo excited to be on this new journey!!!

I'm sure it's a combination of the post op diet and recovering from surgery. It sounds like you were doing an awful lot when the fainting spell hit. Slow down. I know you probably feel better but your body still has a lot of healing to do internally. People don't realize the enormous amount of energy your body uses when trying to heal itself, especially from surgery. Couple that with the fact you're likely nutrient deficient right now, it's little wonder you felt like you were going to pass out.
Slow down, give your body time to recover

Sounds like an advertisement
Marci

Didn't we get Lapland so as to not do these other fad diets anymore. I know I did. Pretty much at goal and will not be falling for these anymore. Hopefully I am done waisting my $$ on this crap :-)

I love this post!!! Sometimes it is the little victories that mean the most!! For example, I went to a wedding on Saturday night and wore heels ALL night thru dancing and walking, etc and my feet didn't kill me (I'm talking for over 12 hrs!!) or the other night when my husband hugged me from behind and told me I was getting sooo skinny he felt like he was gonna crush my ribs. Love these little victories!!!

my name is sylvia... and i love my band! lol
i was banded 7-2-12... so about 6 weeks ago i'm down 38 pounds (that includes pre-op and post-op)... and here are a few little victories that make me smile and love my band...
1- people that dont know about the band have FINALLY commented about how 'great' i'm looking and how i've lost weight. (i had been a little down lately because i felt like no one noticed!)
2- i'm fitting into clothes that haven't work in YEARS! pants that i love and kept in hopes of one day fitting into them... i can FIT INTO THEM!!!!!!!!!! one in particular that made me happy was a paid of tommy hilfiger trouser jeans that i LOVED. and when my now husband and i started dating about 3 years ago, i wore these pairs like once or twice and he loved them and asked me to wear them more cause he liked how they looked on me. well... they were already a little tight and getting tighter (as i gained more) and were too uncomfortable to wear! SO i always had some excuse as to why i didn't wear them (i wasn't about to tell a guy i just started dating that my pants were too small! LOL and , yes, eventually i told him they were too small! and by the time i was banded, i couldn't even get them UP to my waist... much less close them!) so last night i go and try these and other pair of pants on and they all close!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! mind you, they are a little tight, but they CLOSE. and in another month or so... they will fit well!!
3- i'm learning to eat to live... not live to eat! i still love food and appreciate it... but its not an obssession (usually). i have been able to say no to certain things and to learn to stop when i'm full and be ok with giving part of my food over to my husband because i'm getting full. (i may or may not have growled/scowled at anyone trying to share my precious food in the past) love it!
4- my husband sees me walking around with pants that are now huge on me and calls me 'thin' (who, ME?!)
anyway just wanted to share these because i'm so excited!
what are you're little victories that make you love your band?!

thats hard to deal with Im sure, but this is the time you should be relying on your new eating habits. the smaller bites, amounts. the lapband is a guiding tool for us and we need to rely on ourselves and not so much on the band. Hope things work out for you!

The other big piece to the weight loss puzzle is to get your exercise in at least 4-5 days a week. I can be compliant with my diet, but if I don't burn the additional calories, it does stall my weight loss.
Never forget that this is a journey, and not an event. Patience will help you get through...
Best wishes...

So happy for you! Take it easy. Wishing you a smooth recovery!

Hi everybody I'm home and banded today at 1:30pm pst. They released me to home at 7pm. The surgeon also repaired a hiatal hernia at the same time. I didn't released earlier because the surgeon was in surgery and no other doctor would release me. The pain I'm experiencing is under the breast bone and its the hernia that was repaired. Very little gas pain so far. Sitting with a heating pad for a bit before I try and sleep some.
Cheers! I'm on the other side now. Hooray and thanks to all for your concerns.
Richard

Mine's named Magic...........

I named mine Gertrude (gertie for short) about a month ago!! haha

I call my band "big ang" BC its like having a reallt tall big n strong friend that makes or in my case force u to stop overeating..lol....when I get hungry n want to conquer all foods close by..."big ang" steps in n stops me....so did anyone else give their friend the band a nick name? If not.what would.u call it
Sent from my SGH-T989 using LapBandTalk

Congratulations again. Praying for your mind to be at ease and that you have a smooth start to your recovery! My biggest suggestions: 1) Follow your health care team's instructions 2) Walk! Walk! Walk!

Congratulations again. Praying for your mind to be at ease and that you have a smooth start to your recovery! My biggest suggestions: 1) Follow your health care team's instructions 2) Walk! Walk! Walk!

Does anyone else absolutely love their Lap Band?
I was banded on July 27th. Very new, I know. I feel great. Almost completely back to normal. First 3 days, mostly laid around and slept. Then started getting energy back. I started on my pureed food, last Thursday. I'm up to about half a cup of food per meal. A little less sometimes. I eat slow and try to pay attention to how my stomache is feeling. After eating, WOW, I have no appetite , whatsoever, until my next meal. I'm eating 3 meals a day. No Snacks. I still have Protein drink for Breakfast and then two pureed meals. Incredible! I think for the first time in my life, I am lasting until my next meal with no thought about food or being hungry or having any cravings. I'm sitting at night, watching tv, reading, using computer, whatever, no snacking whatsoever. And I don't feel like I could snack if I wanted to. I am very satisfied with my small meals and the thought of eating more food does not interest me in the least. I am praying that this will last. I keep expecting to wake up ravenous. I'm praying that I don't. I have had no nausea or vomiting episodes at all. I can drink Water freely, with no problem. My food goes down good, I just need a small amount. Twice, I probably overdid it by maybe one or two bites and had an uncomfortably full feeling. Not pain. Just like I had overeaten. I'm trying to really learn that first feeling of when I have had just enough. I have never eaten more than half a cup at one meal.
I have lost 19 lbs. in 3 weeks. That is my two weeks of pre op protein and one week and 2 days of being banded.
What has everyone else's experience been like this early into it. I'm thinking this is really going to work for me.!!!! Yea!

It gets better. The first week of my pre-op was so hard. I think I was going through carb withdrawals! It was HORRIBLE! I'm a week and a day post-op and I can look back and say it was worth it. By the second week, it wasn't too bad and this past week, I've been able to sit and drink my Soup while the family chews their dinner and not really miss it.
Keep at it, my friend! It is worth it in the end!

any of the fruits are good my favorite is the hawanian delight and strawberry bannana. I couldnt do any of the veggies. You are just better off cooking your own sweet potatos and mushing them yourself.

I've noticed a pattern in my thinking over the past few months...that my "head", and my perceptions of self have not kept pace with the reality of my weight loss. Though this is common treatment issue in dealing with individuals with eating disorders (i.e. anorexia nervosa, who believe that they are physically much larger in size than they really are), I never thought it would also be an issue with people in the process of going through significant weight loss.
I've had some difficulties with my thoughts regarding my weight; my automatic thoughts have not always been up to date with the actual number...I've become aware of myself thinking about my weight, and reverting back to the pre op weight I was at. Instead of a "onederland" number, I catch myself thinking of a number which begins with a "2".
I've had an extremely difficult time with purchasing clothing in smaller sizes...recently I needed to go shopping for some capri pants which were the correct size to fit me well, and I had shrunk out of everything which I owned. I was shopping with my sister...who encouraged me to look at misses sizes, and she humored me with allowing me to take in the identical capri's but in a plus size. The misses size was obviously a better fit and my correct size, and so that's the size I ended up purchasing...but it took every ounce of willpower for me to not also purchase the plus size.
The same debate with myself is ongoing as I shrink into a smaller sizes...as I automatically look for a larger size, and if I don't find it I resist choosing to try on a size smaller just to see if it will fit. I've been pleasantly surprised several times when the smaller size was actually the one to fit.
I can "see" the evidence that physically I am smaller; I no longer have to adjust the seat in my car to get in, I fit comfortably into restaurant booths, my mobility has increased, and the size on the clothing tag is a smaller number. But I continue to be challenged with the automatic thinking which places me back at the beginning of my weight loss journey. Eventually I know my "head" will catch up with the rest of me...just another part of my journey.

Hi everyone!
I wanted to post about my recent experience with a too tight band. Please don't be afraid of an unfill. Being too tight is NOT the answer to losing weight rapidly!!
I had been banded nearly 4 years in November 2011 when I felt I needed a slight fill. It had been a year since my previous fill. My weight had gone up just a few pounds, and I felt that I was eating more. I had an upper GI with food to be sure of my band’s state before proceeding. This is something my surgeon insists upon after the first year. We agreed on a slight fill of 0.25cc.
Things were fine for the first couple of months. In February 2012 my band tightened up. I was having a hard time getting any solid foods down. In March after fighting with my band for a while, I called to see my surgeon, which requires a preauthorization from my insurance company. They started the request. After a couple of weeks I still hadn’t heard from them, but my band calmed down. I let the request ride. In early April I had a non-band related medical procedure. I had a complication from the surgery called Sepsis. A horrifying blood infection with a fairly high mortality rate. After two trips to the ER and two weeks in bed barely eating, I managed a slow recovery. I lost an additional 10 pounds during that illness. As I recovered and began eating, my band was still very tight. I was vomiting several times a week due to food getting stuck. My diet was very limited, and I was hungry all the time. I contacted my surgeon again, and I asked my primary care doctor for assistance in seeing my surgeon. My insurance denied the request, and then changed their minds…whew!
I got the Upper GI fluoroscope with food. A grand experience, bologna sandwich dipped in barium, yummy! During the test, I drank some barium, things were fine, and then I did a few small bites, all well. The radiologist said to take a big bite. This was 9:00 o’clock in the morning. A great time for a sandwich for a bandster. A big bite, I asked? Yes, a big bite. Ok, but have the trashcan nearby. As I swallowed and the sandwich hit my pouch, I knew it would not go down. Then he asks if I could take another bite. “Another bite?” “Yes.” “Only if you want to see it in reverse!” “Ok, maybe not. I think we have enough information here.”
It was determined my band was too tight, as not much went down. I saw my surgeon a week later. I was down 12 pounds from my last visit with him, 10 of that due to the Sepsis, only two pounds lost due to my band being so tight. I got a lecture about waiting so long to be seen (7 months from fill to that point). The lecture continued on to say he understood that we get busy, but bandsters should not ignore aftercare. He said I was very lucky to have not dilated my pouch by waiting so long. I have never been one to ignore aftercare. I explained all of the above, and then he understood what had taken so long. I explained I was not afraid of an unfill, that is why I was there. I understand the ramifications of having a band that is too tight.
So, now negotiations began as to how much to remove. I wanted half my previous fill removed, about 0.1cc. He chuckled and said that amount is not what he had in mind. He was thinking 0.5cc!! WHAT? That is DOUBLE what was put in! He said that he felt I needed that much removed because I had been tight for quite some time. If I’d had any dilation, we’d have been talking 2-3cc. Seeing the dazed and scared look on my face, he assured me that after a month if all was well, he would be happy to refill. I could live with that. We did the unfill, I made an appointment for a month later.
With the 0.5cc removed, I was able to EAT again. Solids went down easily. Bread is on my menu. Meals last several hours. I don’t snack, because I am able to eat a sufficient amount at meal time to keep me satisfied. I have to use just a tiny bit of self-control when it comes to stopping my meal. Which is a basic bandster rule. I monitor if I am no longer hungry, then stop eating. Not am I full, but am I satisfied? I have not been stuck once since the unfill. It has been about 6 weeks now.
Before my follow-up I decided that I would not get a fill. I rarely get on a scale these days. I’ve been maintaining my weight for over two years, so there is no point in obsessing over the scale. I knew I hadn’t gained much during the month. When I got to my appointment I was up about .6 pound. Different clothes, time of day, food in stomach, Fluid level. That was NOT a gain at all.
My surgeon was delighted to not give me a fill, and to hear that I can eat anything, but I am NOT eating everything.
The moral of this story is that getting an unfill is not a bad thing. You SHOULD be able to eat. I am now, once again, eating amounts of food similar to what my normal weight friends eat. That is the way it should be, for me. 1500-1700 calories per day is a good level for maintenance for me. Your doctor may have a food plan for your to follow, and of course, you should do so. But two to three bites does not make a meal. That is where I was. During the time I was too tight, I lost a whopping two pounds. Not really worth the risk of a dilated pouch, or a slipped band from all the vomiting.
I will see my surgeon again in two months. If my hunger levels or my weight change, I’ll consider a slight fill. For now, I am good here.

It depends on the insurance company. I was recently banded through Cigna. If I had lost more than a certain % of weight, I would have been denied because they would conclude that I could lose the weight without surgery. However, some other companies require you to lose a certain amount of weight to prove that you ARE disciplined enough to have the surgery. The insurance specialist in your surgeon's office is probably familiar with the philosophy for each company and can possibly give you more insight on what will get you approved.

Bucket List: Go to Lane Bryant, try on the smallest size & find that its too big! Ride go carts with my son. Wear heels without ankle pain. Get GOOD seats to a comedy show at the Improv without fear of the comedian using me for fat jokes!