La_madam

Carolyn I got real tight a week after my first fill but it did taper off. I also notice that the week of my period I have a tightness in my chest that seems to go away 3 days in to my period. If you can eat and drink with no problem maybe it is just your body adjusting to the fill. I also notice when I have a stressful day I get real tight. The strangest things affect my band and my restriction level.

Hi Paula There are some doctors who do prescribe diet pills for their patients before their firs tfill. One ofthe girls I had surgery with is going to a different doctor then our original surgeon for her aftercare and he gave her phentermine. My PCP als gave me a 30 day supply of 15mg phentermine in case I needed them before my first fill. I only had to take it once though. Good Luck and I hope your first fill makes a difference for you..mine sure did!

4 is fine with me here on the west coast...

Congratulations SIssy...you are on e of the lucky ones to get your insurance to pay 100% I have Blue Cross of California and no way do they cover the band yet besides I was told by my PCP that I would never qualify even if they did.. even though I was 100 pounds overweight with a BMI of 42 I was in perfect health..blood pressure normal..low cholesterol..no heart problems or diabetes or sleep apnea or arthritis or joint pain. Hard to imagine being 100lbs overweight and my PCP tells me I'm as healthy as a horse so I self paid but do not regret one single penny of it! You are very fortunate..that is great you had no expenses out of pocket...

I have the lap band and I'm at 1.1cc's and it is doing me just fine. I could not even imagine being at 3cc's I think I would be totally closed up! Everyband and everybody are different though..

I'm with you Darcy...I have YET to officially PB but have had many episodes of the awful golf ball feeling in my chest that last 5-10 minutes. I have been lucky that the food has passed everytime but is is SO painful..I have come to the conclusion that it is hard for me to eat and talk at the same time or to eat when I'm famished and my tummy isa growling becasue those are the times when either I do not chew well enough or I eat too fast. Well Lisa now you know your band is really in there and working, it's funny though how things you are used to eating since being banded can one day just casue so much pain don't you think? P.S> I came back after the Tuna incident but you had logged off..It was around 4:30 so I figured you were leaving work to go home

Happy Birthday Leatha Hope your day is filled with love happiness and smiles

Just think..by this time next year you will probably be at goal just needing to lose 80 pounds...Congratulations on your upcoming date..I practiced chewing, small bites and eating slow the entire month before surgery I really think it helped me prepare for now. Good Luck to you

Penni You're looking good..Keep it up! Great Job!

Whippleddaddy You are an awesome man! You remind me of my husband. He is so much like you. He loves me at whatever weight I am at. He is so supportive of my band journey. He is the most comapssionate and loving man I have ever known and no matter how much weight I lose there will never be a man who will love me like he does ..this I know for fact. So I'm staying right here and I look forward to my thinner days ahead so he and I can enjoy our future together. Your wife is a lucky woman to have such a wonderful husband in you. And congratulations to your wife. What an accomplishment she has made losing 260 pounds. I'm sorry to hear of her pain...I too understand that, my husband has had 3 neck surgeries for disc problems and is not needing back surgery but refuses since he has had such bad luck with his neck surgeries. He is on pain meds probably for the rest of his life (the fentanyl patch) and he sees a pain management doctor once a month and also recieves injections .He is in constant pain daily. My husband is 6'1 and weighs 198 . He has never battled with his weight.. I wish you both success and happiness. Thank you for sharing your story..

You have to just do it for you and no one else. Once they see the results they will come around. I'm fortunate enough to have the most awesome and supportive hubby ever along with my 3 boys. I laughed so hard yesterday..my youngest 10 was in the kitchen making lunch and I was smelling tuna fish from my bedroom and hearing all sorts of banging and clanging ..a few seconds later he comes into my room with 2 tuna sandwiches..one for me and one for him (now you you have to picture this in your mind). My boys know my portion size is the size of a child if not less so in comes my son with 2 sandwiches he hands me mine and it is made on the tiniest piece of bread and his is a full size sandwich..he took the bread for my sandwich and cut it down to a quater size piece of bread. I thought it was so cute that he took the time to first think of me and make me the sandwich second to cut it down to a size he thought would work for me but unfortunatley I just ate the tuna out of it, cant do bread these days. He felt bad that he had forgotten I cant do bread ... My hubby is so great he totally understands this band thing he often reads Jessi's book in the in the bathroom when he is doing his business if you know what I mean, man would he die if he knew I was telling all of you women this LOL oh well...It took him awhile at first when I was first looking into this but I kept drilling it into his brain, I would read things to him and show him pictures of men and women who have had the surgery and are at goal. I drove him crazy for a good month about the band with all the info I was gathering but it has helped him to be understand and to be much more of a support system for me. He is great! He is 6'1 and weighs 198- wet! Hang in there your hubby will come around and so will your mother once they see the results and how great you feel . My kids love how it has changed my life and how much more active I am with them... Good Luck to you

I agree..How about Sunday evenings at around 6:00 pm (california time) so its not too late for every one else on the other coasts?

Great News Penni Glad your home and everything went well for you!

Oh Moreen I'm so sorry to hear of your troubles. May I ask what were your symptoms other then PBing and why did they take out the rest of your fill? Were you still PBing with just 1 cc? How are you feeling now with a complete unfill? Are you able to eat OK? I would not take too much stock in what the radiologist says but listen to your doctor the endoscopy on 8/3 will give you answers, until then try not to let it get you down and think possitive and I will send you possitive vibes your way too..please let us know what happens on 8/3. Any support we can give you please do not hesitate, lots of women here are very knowledgable..I'm just 3 months out so I still a newbie but many here know there stuff! Good Luck

Hi Maureen and Welcome You have found a wonderful support group here ...everyone here is so supportive and knowledgable. We all are very kind and caring...some of us are very funny too (Derlarla) . You will be sure to get some good laughs here. No one will ever make you feel uncomfortable for any questions or opinions you have so don't be shy jump right on in and get your feet wet And Congratulations on your band and weight loss. you are doing awesome!

Sissy I was also told that if you are losing 1-3 pounds a week then you do not need a fill. If you plateau for 2-3 weeks then it is time to schedule a fill. I had my first fill of 1..1 cc's on June 7th and I 'm losing 2 pounds a week. So I will not schedule a fill until I plateau for 2-3 weeks. Everybodys fill ammount is different. What will work for me may not work for you or vice versa. SInce you just had your first fill you may be good for a month or so..sometimes it takes a few days for the fill to kick in also. Mine took a week.

Sultana most anti depressants will cause weight gain. I was on Paxil for 1.5 years when my son and mother died andI gained 65 pounds. It is true once you stop taking prozac you will see some weight loss. Most of us overweight people take anti depressants becasue of depression due to being overwieght but I have found once I have started losing weight my issues with depression have diminished greatly. I no longer take paxil . I on occassion take an anxiety medication Xanax. Hope your fill works for you...

Hi Minda and Welcome! This site is great...all the people here as so supportive and knowledgeable..we got a few funny ones too who will make you laugh on a regular basis (delarla). Glad you found the site...keep coming back and postin'and readin' We are all LBT Junkies here

Hi There, Not to worry...we have all been where you are at. It is NORMAL Pre fill is the phase to heal and adjust to your new band. Once you get your first fill you will see a difference at least I did with my first fill..Pre fill stage is not really for weight loss it is after you start getting fills that you will ove your band and see it working for you. Hang in there it's SO worth it !

Damn Girl can I take a look in your closet when I come to Vegas..I need me a pair of those jeans! WOO HOO DELARLA !!! Way to go girlfriend! Hey by the way are we going to have a clothing exchange while we are in Vegas? I have alot of clothes I no longer fit into (18-20) Since we all range in the size and weight department I got no problem donating my old clothes that no longer fit. We may look like we are in Vegas for a week though with the extra luggage we will bring to cart all of these clothes..anyone interested let me know I will pack some of my stuff!

Hang in there Darcy!!! Just a few more days and then you can jump on

Hey Penni Sending you possitive vibes for tomorrow. Hope all goes well ...we all will be thinking of you and keep that tongue in your mouth and the drool rag handy!

Hi Debbie Congratulations on taking the step to having your band..you will love it! My port is placed on the lower left side of my stomach and it is sutured, my doctor sutures it so it has less chance of flipping, at least that is what I was told. SO far so good..no prot problems other then a little pulling feeling every now and then which I was also told was normal. Good Luck to you

Tina You will love Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Martinez ..they are great doctors and hotties too. They both speak perfect english and so does their entire staff. Don't worry about a thing Mama Ortiz (Dr. Ortiz's mother) will take great care of you from the time you arrive until the time you leave. Everything on your list is everything I was told to bring and did. Oh except the book, I was told too but forgot but wish I had. Good Luck you you and let us know how it goes for you. Ortiz also has a new board for his patients to post I dont know if you are aware of it but here is the address www.lapbandforum.com it is very similar to this forum but all of Ortiz patients. However anyone can join I believe.

Thanks Leo for the encouragement about plateaus I agree with you. Just go with the flow. I look at it as long as I'm not gaining I can ride through those plateaus. I haven't really hit one yet since being banded but have had many over my years of dieting.