La_madam

Halloween is my favorite day of the year. I do not have many fond childhood memories but my mother always made halloween special. So I do the same now for my kids, we go all out decorating our house inside & out. Something about the smell in the air during Halloween time..

When were you banded? 4.6.05 What was your weight ON DAY OF SURGERY? 265 What is your weight now? 170 What size do you wear? 8-10 How tall are you? 5'5

I had 3 fills thefirst year. Then was unfilled right after my one year makr and since have had 2 fills. No more fills for me. This 1.5 cc's is just right and Iam close to goal weight. I'm riding it out

Good Question..that is my fear..being filled to almost capacity or to capacity and still not near goal. Fortunatley for me I am almost at goal and only have 1.5 cc's in my band. Lets see what kind of replies this thread gets. I'm curious to know

Alatina, I wish you the best. I hope this fill works for you. Thanks for answering my question

Doesnt it make you nervous that you are at 3.5 cc's with 58 more lbs to lose? You only have .5 cc's left of room.

Good Luck tomorrow, I hope it all goes well for you. Don't let your Dr. get you down..like Vines said "You are in charge"

Alatina, what size band do you have? I ask because if you have the 9.75 inamed band that holds 4cc's I am curious to know how that feels being filled over half way to capacity. Iam going to assume here you have the 4cc band sicne you stated thatwhen he had you at 4 Water would not go down. Myself personally I have always been in fear of being filled like that so newly out of surgery. I would hate to be almost at capacity in my band and not any where near my goal in fear I do not lose and can not go any further with my fills.. I hope this fill works out for you and you notice a difference and can start losing again Best of luck to you....wishing you lots of success, take it slow the first day back on solids.

Lisa Lisa Lisa.. Oh My God! You look fabulous. What a weight loss ..AMAZING What is your secret for such fantastic success? Details please Iam so happy for you

I'm glad you are getting counseling, you had come so far to let "attention " have you go back to where you were. I hope you get to the root of your issues and find success again with your band You have found a great site here at LBT there is loads of support

Hi Fran, Im so sorry to hear what you had to go through, but Iam greatful for your post, this way there will be no more heresay about it. Thank you for sharing your story as painful as it might of been to do so.

Gitana You are right choice is a great thingand research is SO important so after doing my "research" I found that the J&J band is not yet approved in the U.S. so for me to have a Dr. take care of me in the event of an emergencyhere in California was not possible, none in my area are trained with the J&j band. I do go back to Tj for my fills and aftercare, but many U.S. Docs are not trained with th J&J band so I opted for the Inamed band Does you friend go back to Mexico for her aftercare? Does she have a U.S. doc lined up that knows the J&J band in the event of an emergency or does she live close enough to Tj to get their quickly in the event of an emergency.

I personally like the Balance Gold Bars for my chocolate cravings, they have 14 grams of Protein and satisfy my chocolate craving Here is a link for them http://www.balance.com/products/default.asp?product=gold I do not drink Protein drinks in the morning, no liquid calories for me, the only time I have a Protein Drink is when Iam on liquids after a fill

I also have the same thing in my fridge

Jello is liquid, does your Dr. not know that??? Protein drinks will give you more energy. Have one, it will not hurt you, it is liquid, grab a ready made in the can serve it over ice.I was feeling thesameway until I added the Protein Drinks then I felt much better 6 weeks on liquids does seem like a very long time, mine was only 3 weeks. I think alot of us doubted our decisions while on the liquid phase, we all missedfood, but trust me it does get better. Just hang in there you will see and you will look back on this and be greatful you followed though and did not give up!

Trish is it like a side ache, like the kind we used to get from running too fast when we were kids? I used to get a pain like often for the first 6 months after my band Could it be your gallbladder Here is a great link with gallbladder info..many who loseweight fast have problems with their gallbladder. http://www.markfuscomd.com/gallbladder.htm

I have OCD took paxil for it which was my demise with my weight gain I can relate to you very well, their is no drawer or closet left uncleanedin my home. I have 3 boys and peoplecan not believe how clean my house is.. Like you Iam always on the go Plus the fact we can no longer eat out of boredom like we did pre band makes boredom even more difficult

I went to Mexico and it was the best thing I ever did...I would still be fighting my insurance company 16 months later..

SOme U.S. Dr.'s have strict guidlines they follow for fills, it may be only giving .5 cc's at a time or waiting a certain ammount of time between fills or both. They really want you to work with your band and not rely on it to do all the work where as Mexican Dr.'s give fills more frequently and more aggressively. It all depends on the Dr. Here is a good site to read about fills, it will help ansewr your questions http://lapbandtransformation.com/Adjustments.htm

Esmeralda, my band sister got pregnant 4 months after her band surgery and had 2 fills prior to her pregnancy , she was never unfilled and had a beautiful healthy baby boy. She is a member here, her names Vtobon, send her a PM she will be glad to answer any questions you might have.

SOme bandsters arefortunate to have restriction with the placement of the band, I had it for 9 weeks post op. COnsider yourself fortunate and go with it for as long as you can, if you are losing without a fill do not rush it. Even with my fill level right now,, somedays I feel like I have zero restriction and can eat anything then the next day it is back. Fickle bands we have. One of the main rules of a bandsters is to eat Proteins first, the veggies & salads, then fruitsand then carbs if you have room. Hare proteins keep the pouch full longer. Keeps you less likely to be hungry so soon

You are normal, you have not had a fill yet, the fills are what gives you restriction and make you eat less. The band was designed ot be filled to work at it's best ability.With no fill it is only normal ot be able to eat anything and everything in large quantities. Yes tell your Dr. you were eating real food in the event something is not right with your band. ( which I m sure it is fine) The liquid phase is designed for you to heal and for your band to anchor in so it has less chance to slip. If you eat too soon after surgery you are at higher risk of slippage since the digestion process of real foods is a work out in your stomach with all the churning and turning it takes to digest. My Dr. required 3 weeks of liquids also he beleives it is very important for the band so set into place sort of anchor into place and have some time to build up scar tissues , makes it less likely for it to slip in the beginning. I was also told that he first 6 weeks post op should not be about weight loss but healing. Any weight loss during the 6 weeks post op period is a plus! We have the rest opf our lives to lose this weght. It did not come on overnight and it is not going to come off over night either.

How exciting Esmeralda...I agree with Vera, everything happens for a reason Congrats

If going to Mexico for surgery, cheaper is not always better. It is very competitive in TJ. So if it is a couple of thousand dollars less with another doctor, you need to ask yourself why. A couple thousand dollars extra to have a more experienced Dr. in TJ is well worth it in my opinion. I could of had mine done in TJ for alot less but I feel I went with the best Dr. in TJ. The extra I spent was well worth his expertise, and how many bands he had placed. Just my 2 cents.

I will not be weighing until the last day of the Challenge, Monday, Labor Day. I'm hoping to be at the century mark by then