La_madam

Alex I think alot of us who have been obese most of our lives get into ruts where we stay close to home and do not want to be seen..I know for me it is true. We have a perception of ourselves even when we have lost the weight. I was just saying today to a customer of mine who commented on how good I look with the weight loss that alot of overweight people still see themselves as being overwieght regardless of what the scale says. I look in the mirror and see NO difference even though I have lost 62 lbs..It is strange how we percieve ourselves sometimes..but you need to go today and hold your head up high and be proud of the job you have done, you owe these people no explanation if you do not want to..If they ask I'm sure you will come up with an answer that you are comfortable with. GO HAVE FUN>>BE PROUD!!!

Hi Lauri I feel your pain, it wasnt too long ago that I had my share of family tragedies in a BIG way and in a very short period of time...many of the people here on the boards know of my story. .. I just want to say, Im still here surviving and the band is the best thing to happen to me. I battled weight porblems most of my life too like many of us here but my family tragedies just sped up the weight gain..Its not for us to ask why things happens to us , it is for us to just deal with & accept( that is hard sometimes I know) But .. We will never know why things happen to us like they do .. as my mother always told me " Everything in life happens for a reason" I know it is rough .. but they say what doesnt kill us only makes us stronger. I'm a firm believer in that. You will survive all of this ...and be a better person because of it. What Kathy said in her post is so true..follow those words...Hang in there~

Hi Welcome! You have come tothe right place to make friends encouragement and information. This site is loaded with all of the above. Have you had your sirgery yet? Or are you still researching it? Either way this site Rocks! We are like one big happy family..lots of love here..lots of laughter too. Penni & Delarla will keep you laughing all the time Hope to see you here often

Its too bad your Dr's discouraged you to got to Mexico. The band Dr. I met with here in California is the one who reccomended Dr. Ortiz to me. Dr. Ortiz was the Dr. who trained him. More Dr.'s in Mexico have more experince and have placed more bands then most Dr.'s in the US. The hospital I stayed at was very nice and very clean, the hotel I used was a 5 star hotel, and the was no language barrier with the hotel, the hospital staff, Dr. Ortiz or his entire staff. I understand your frustration because my insurance does not cover the band either and even if they did I would of had a hard time getting approval, I was basically a healthy fat person. No co-morbitities whatsoever from my weight. After researching it here in California and seeing how much it would cpst for a self pay here in the states and after Dr. Ortiz coming highly reccomended from a US Dr. ...was sold and went to Mexico and do not regret it for one single second! Today is my 7 motnh anniversary from surgery and I have lost 62lbs as of 11/1.

Hi, there is another woman here on this board with the same auto immune disease you have, her name is Delarla, you should PN her , maybe she can help answer some questions for you anyways..Welcome to the site. This place has so much info and so much support. We gots lots of love here ..we are like family...you will surely get answers to almost any question you have band related here. Hope to see you here often

Lisa..you crack me up! I have no plans this weekend but work. My husband and youngest son are in Parrump Nevada for the weekend so it is just me and my 12 yr old but he broke his foot so he cant do much What are you doing this weekend crazy lady? And (((BIG))) congrats to you on your weight loss at 6 months.....my 7 month anniversary is tomorrow. I'm trying to get into one-derland but my dreaded period is knocking on the door ..hopefully not this coming Monday 11/8 but the following Monday 11/15 I will hop on that scale and see a miracle right before my eyes

Dr Kuri is a very experienced surgeon..he is very kind and caring to his patients, His aftercare is very good too..Chosing him you get the best of both worlds, you get a very experienced band doctor and the price is right... I have heard all good things about him. He has a yahoo group..it is called Original Southern California Bandsters most if not all of the members have been banded by Kuri and will be very helpful to you.

I farted like any normal person and burped like any normal person pre band But I have noticed since banding that I'm constantly gassy ..farting all the time. I know alot of you can relate but one other thing I have noticed and have paid close attention to is I do NOT burp anymore..I'm thinking that it could be why Im always so gassy with a rumbly tummy. The gas only escapes from one end (my butt) now not (two my mouth and butt). Do any of you have a hard time burping now that you are banded. I just do not burp! I have also noticed that if I go too long in between mealsand wait until my hunger is out of control I get horrible gas cramps..anyone else experiencing this? It makes for me eating alot less when I'm starving cuz the gas cramps are so uncomfortable. Isint this a great topic ..I feel like I can share anything with all of you

Kathy in a couple of months come back and tell me if you can eat the same as now especially if you are losing 1-3 lbs a week:) Hopefully then you will understand..or maybe you will be the minority and keep your current fill level unti lyou get to goal weight..it does happen but rarely...It is confusing..I was in the same boat as you in the beginning but once I had my first fill , 2 months later stopped losing and could eat more I finally got it!...

Why are you freaked out about Mexico. I was a self pay and went to Mexico, it is 3 xs more money here in California then what I paid for in Mexico not to mention one of the 3 Drs. here in Cali that I saw one of them told me about Dr. Ortiz since he was trained by my mexican doctor on how to do the surgery. Lots of us here on this site went to Mexico, this is where they were taught first and all the Mexican docs train the US docs. Most Mexican docs have placed more bands then many of the US docs. Here is a link to my doctors new book and some info about him, his facilities , who he has trained, info all about the band etc.. www.lap-bandforlife.com There are several outstanding docs in Mexico Kuri Ortiz Rumbaut Rodriguez Just to name of few that are very experienced..No reason to be freaked about Mexico Danyielle, they all have beautiful. clean facilities and most of them speak English with English speaking staffs.. I can tell you that I looked into 3 Dr.'s here the lowest being 18,000 the higest being 22,000 I paid 8995 for mine in TJ I know cheaper is not always better but experience is always better and "most" Mexican docs are more experienced then "most" US docs

Hi I saw your post on Lapbandforum.com web site. I was the one who replied and reccomended this site for you. My name is Michelle. Welcome! This place is so great. You will get all kinds of support. Any questions you have, you will get many answers and replies. Lotta love here, we are like one big happy family. Watch out for Delarla & Penni though. They will keep you laughing constantly!!! Lots of veterans here who can help you and lots of newbies too who can help you. We all help eachother any way we can, emotionaly physically , Great group of people here!!! You wont be dissapointed you joined!

Great NSV Michelle..Isint it great?? I got a couple too.. 1. my hubby was folding the laundry and he got to my panties and aksed who's they were he was so shocked at how small they are now. Every time he folds the laundry he makes a comment now. 2. My hubby and I were doin the nasty and he was having a hard time concentrating and he had this funny look on his face I asked him whats worng and he told me I felt so different that he could feel my hip bones , my rib bones and my butt bone, he said it felt so different that he kept thinking he was with another woman and cheating on me.

Damn how did I miss the Fat O Gram job offer..it was right before my post. Anyway I would like to apply for a possition Please. Anyone who really knows me...knows you do not want to piss me off :angry . (I think thats why my poor brother is still single 37 and living with me , hubby & the kids)

I think it is almost the same..with fluoro it is almost like an x-ray machine you can see your port and your band and Ortiz has you drink barium so we both can see it trickle down to give him more of an accurate fill ammount. Gives a better guide to your restriction for example he would not go tighter then 2'cc's on my last fill by how slow the barium was going through, if it goes through faster he will fill more but slowly as he wayches it pass through until i he feels it is a good fill level for you. He was right on the money with both my fills...not too much but just enough

I'm feeling ya Penni...1998 was a bad year for me with loss. I am so sorry for what you are going through ... be strong it is so easy to eat for comfort. 1998 with all my tragedies I ate for comfort for an entire year and it got me in this mess of being obese. Not that I have not battled my weight all my life but I had lost 100lbs and kept it off for 5 years until 1998 when my mom & son died 10 days apart and my little one had cancer. I spent all of 1998 in hospitals eating crap food constantly! Hang in there, things will get better

Fluoro is the only way to go! Seeing my little band and port in place where they should be and watching that barium trickle down gives me such a sense of relief. I'm forever thingking my port has flipped or my band has slipped. Thanks for all this info Alex..It definately makes sense.

You guys are all making me feel guilty so I had to ride the bike for 4 miles. Been about a week since I have exercised..ya happy now?

Some people have said it takes a week to 2 weeks for their fills to kick in. My first fill took a week to kick in ...my 2nd fill was instant restriction. Also some people need more then one fill to notice a difference This site is a good site to see if you are adjusted properely..sometimes it is an attitude adjustment we need more then a band adjustment. I know it is for me right now. I have scheduled my 3rd fill in 2 weeks but in the meantime I'm working on my attitude and seeing it it makes a difference. I have gotten lax on my food choices, water & exercise. http://lapbandtransformation.com/Adjustments.htm

As we lose the band loosens I have seen a pattern with my 2 fills. I seem to lose 20-25 lbs with each fill then I notice a increase in my appetite and my weight loss slows down. I have scheduled my 3rd fill for Nov 15th .This is why the 9cc Inamed band( which most of us Inamed bandsters have) is designed to hold 4cc's and this is why you do not get 4cc's all at one time. 4cc's at one fill would completely close most of us up if we have a 9cc band. Some of us like Teresa do great for months (6 months in her case) without a fill but as she mentioned she is noticing she can eat more and her weight loss has slowed down. The band loosens as we loose is what I was told by my Dr. Here is a good site on how to tell if you need another adjustment http://lapbandtransformation.com/Adjustments.htm It is very helpful

Hi Samy Have you had surgery yet? Or are you looking into having surgery? Either way this site is a great site for lots of helpful information. There is so much support here. As you can probably tell by our posts that you have been reading, we have so much love for eachother and are like 1 big family. So Welcome! I hope you stay around and become part of the family.

Here is a great site to look at too see if you need a fill. It is very helpful http://lapbandtransformation.com/Adjustments.htm. For me I know I need a fill when I am eating more Or If I have not lost 1-3 lbs a week in 3 consecutive weeks I have my 3rd fill scheduled for the 15th in 2 weeks but I may cancel it. I made the appointment when I hit a tiny plateau last week but my weight loss has started again, however I am eating more the past few weeks. I just need an attitude adjustment more then a band adjustment. So my goal is to work on that the next 2 weeks! Does your Dr. only do 1/2cc at a time? Most docs do not have a set fill ammount becasue every patients fill level is different. My first fill was 1.1 cc's and my 2nd fill was .9 cc's to make a total of 2cc's I have been at this level for almost 3 months now.

Bright, you have done great losing 70 lbs in a year. I bet you can honestly say that if you had NOT gotten your band you would of not lost 70 lbs in a year with any other diet right? We all have our bad days. I feel you when you say you struggle. I think we all do. I'm 7 months post op and the last 2 weeks I have been obsessed with food & chocolate which is why I have only lost 1 lb in 2 weeks. I know I need a fill , I can eat more and I tihnk about food more often throughout the day. I was told by my Dr. that I have a 9cc band which only holds 4cc's, your Dr. may be right when he said if you were filled with 4cc's at time of surgery you would of been closed up. It has the capacity to hold 4cc's over a period of time as you get your fills and as you lose. I am at 2cc's and it has worked great for me for the last 3 months I lost 22 lbs with that fill level but it is slowing down again and I eat more so I know it is time for another fill. My fills have lasted 2-3 months with a weight loss of 20 -25 lbs with each fill. Don't beat yourself up over this. You are successful! You will get to goal...it just takes time. My Dr. told me one thing that sticks with me "This is not a race, it will take time" he is so right. We are doing it the healthy way losing slowly. Hang in there Bright, maybe find a new Dr. too, one that will make you feel good about your band and weight loss. You do not need him to make you feel bad. Also , my first fill did not kick in for well over a week, maybe this is the case for you. Give it some time to kick in....Good Luck to you

Scott have they checked for slippage. There was a woman who had surgery the week before me and was still in the hospital by the time I went in for mine we were released the same day, she was experiencing the vomiting, could not even sip water. They ran some tests and found that her band had slipped right after surgery. Usually when you cant keep down liquids without vomiting (not PBing) but vomiting ..I was told it is a good sign of slippage. If you havent asked your doc about this..do so. I hope you get answers soon..hang in there

Hi Alex, my name is Michelle and I am a chocoholic. I have been tryingsince Thursday of last week to get this monkey off my back,I had 1 slip up on Halloween night and ate a mini milky way from my sons candy bag. Lucky for me I have posted on my fridge a sheet with all of the fat and calorie counts of those darn little mini halloween candy bars..so it helps to keep me in check whenever I go to grab one..did you know that 1 M&M has 4 calories? We all have our monkeys. I'm glad to see you are trying to get your of your back too:) Good Luck!

Scott has he checked your band for slippage? There was a woman in the hospital when I had my surgery. She had hers the week before me but was still there when I went in formine a week later due to the same thing you are explaining and she found out after days of vomiting that the band had slipped right after surgery. I do not want to alarm or scare you but has your Dr. checked for that yet? Usually when you cant keep even liquids down it could mean slippage. Ask him about that if you all ready haven't a barium swallow may detect that or an endoscopy. Hang in there. Keeping you in my thoughts & prayers