La_madam

I can only speak for myslef, it makes a big difference. If it didn't I would not of lost 100 + lbs, but my head and my band were a team.. Right now what you are feeling is normal, it has only been a few weeks, the first 6 weeks is not about weight loss!!! Did your doctor NOT tell you this??? This time pre-fill is about healing, any weight loss you have is a bonus! There is a grwat thread I started here sometime ago it is called for struggling new bandsters ..do a search for it at the top of the page and read it! It will help you...Relax, take a deep breath but I agree with Vinesqueen, solids this soon is not good, I was not allowed solids for 6 weeks. I wil lsay this though,,, the band is not a magice wand, even when it is filled it will not do all of the work, you have to do some of the work, your head and your band have to be a team and work together, even with the best of fills there are ways to eat around the band if your head is not into this...Good Luck to you :girl_hug:

I am one of those people who lost their band due to erosion. I sold my convertible mustang to have this surgery and I will tell you this , I would do it again in a heartbeat. The band gave me the tool I needed to lose over 100 pounds. It has been 10 months since my removal and as of this morning Iam 2 lbs less then when I had it removed. The band did it's job for me, the rest is up to my head doing it's job since Iam flying solo now.

You are still recovering fro mhaving a baby in April? Did you have a C-section? I too have 4 children, run my own bussiness( restaraunt) and coach boys baseball, it is possible to get back on track..but often times we find excuses..I know this first hand, it took me 10 months after losing my band to stop making excuses and join weight watchers so I would not gain this weight back. I have faith in you that you wil find your way back..soon

First of where you are at and what is happening to you is normal. You went from liquids to mushys, there will be a gain,I had one and another one from mushys to solids most likely. Do not fret. I am suprised your Dr. told you that you would lose weight rapidly in the first month, most if not all doctors I know who do the band will tell there patients do not worry about weight loss during the first 6 weeks. The first 6 weeks is not about weight loss but about healing. You have no fill, the band is designed to work best when it is filled. Any weight loss during the pre-fill phase is a bonus. This is a journey not a race you have plenty of time to lose wieght, it has only been 3.5 weeks focus on healing first. I have a great thread for you to read that I personally wrote, maybe it will help you , hang in there, the weight loss will happen read the link below http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=9148&highlight=for+struggling+new+bandsters

I have been where you are right now but Iam here to tel lyou that you do not have to give up food...I still was able to eat the things I ate pre band with my band and I lost over 100 lbs, I just ate less of it. I never deprived myself there were just times with my fill levels I could not eat certain things but by that time I was so happy to have lost weight that it was worth it. A good fill level does take away the obsession of food, it did for me anyways. There were times I never thought of food and had to make myself eat ...what you are feeling is normal but you have come to the right place for your fears and to get support. Best of luck to you...

What an inspiring post! Congratulations to you...Iam very happy for you..be proud You are an inspiration !!!

Well for starters Welcome back, being here will help..I have no band anymore and I still come here and it helps me so much. Go back to basics, you can do this. What is your fill level right now? Could it be you need a fill to rejuvenate you, a fill always got me back on track and rejuvenated me. You are fortunate to still have your band, use it to the best of your ability, you could be like me, bandless and struggling. I started weight watchers to get me going again. I love the accountability of having to weigh in every week with a real live person and for $12 a week it is so worth it to me, maybe WW is something for you to think about to get you going again, if for nothing else just for the weekly weigh ins. Just a thought. Hang in there and remember you can do this

There is an old saying "Just because you can , does not mean you should", this is where the band and the head have to work together as a team, the band is not a cure all, we still have to do some of the work. I used to always say to myself even when I did not feel satisfied that I needed to stop eating because I knew I had enough food to survive nutritionally. I now eat only when Iam hungry, not when I think Iam hungry like I did pre band and without my band now this is a battle but a battle I am winning.

the band will help with your diabetes.

these side effects are minor compared to the major side effects of the GB in my opinion, I was not willing to have Dumping or to have my intestines rerouted or malabsorption issues my entire life. I'll take golfball or pbing any day of the week, not to mention with the GB there is the risk of pouch stretching two years out, then weight gain starts again, withthe band it isalways adjustable, no dumping, no rerouting of my intestines, no dumping. yes it may be a slower weight loss then the GB but to me in the long run it is worth it, plus the slower I lose the less flabby I will be. My DH said NO to the GB also

you have to remeber also everytime you PB you may swell so if you try to eat solids again it will be difficult, many doctors tell their patients that after a pb you need to do liquids for 24 hours to reduce any swelling from the PB, if not it becomes a vicious cycle...also I agree if you are pbing more then once a week you need to have some saline removed. You risk slippage with pbing that often, did your doctor not tell you that. Having as little as .2 cc's removed can make a huge difference in being able to eat solids without pbing and still give you enough restriction to lose weight but eat solids. Be wise, take care of your band, you want it to last. I know my doctor would tell me I was too tight if I was pbing that often. to me it sounds like you need to give your esophagus a rest for a day or two though since the VG band usually takes longer to get restriction and more then 3cc's of fill..it may just be you are irritated from all the pbing. I once had a horrible PB episode and did not do liquids for 24 hours , I just continued to eat and let me tell you I wished I would of listened because I got the worst case of esophagitis which then forced me to do liquids for 2-3 weeks.

well today was my first official weigh in at weight watchers and Iam happy to report I lost 6.4 lbs in one week. happy happy me

Well first off a hard boiled egg for any bandster is difficult to get down with or without a fill in my opinion. Also many bandsters are much much tighter in the mornings then in the evenings, it is easier for food to go down in the evenings then in the mornings. Here is a good site to read on fills Read it , it will help you to decide http://lapbandtransformation.com/Adjustments.htm

You are a perfect example of why people need to follow instructions from their doctor and not eat solids before they are suppossed to. Iam sorry you had to go through this but pleased you posted this info I hope all newbies read this and learn from it. I am an Ortiz patient also, they are the best, Dr. Ortiz and his staff saved my life with a very dangerous surgery other then doing my band surgery, I owe them for a lifetime. I hope you are on the road to recovery, I wish you lots of success with your band.

Lexapro for reflux? Isin't Lexapro for depression? My DH takes Lexapro but not for reflux

my youngest son who is 12 hasthe same problem, I use a foot powder in his shoes and I spray his feet with a foot odor spray.. I know for my son I have to literaly stand in the bathroom and watch him wash his feet with soap and water, he seems to forgetto wash that particulat part of his body. Maybe you can get her a new pair of shoesfor her camping trip that will take thesmell away for a week or two anyways.

If I could of I would of..it is that simple. The band was the one thing that worked for me and I did not get discouraged and quit like I did with so many others diets in the past.

Congratulations from one Ortiz patient to another. I wish you lots of success with your band !

For me all I can say is that when i had good restriction my obsession withfood was gone, I could go all day without thinking of food and sometimes have to make myself eat.

Get her in here, if she is having a rough start, this is the place to be, there is so much support here. I could of never been so successful with my band if it were not for LBT and it's members. We are a family here Congrats to your wife, & she is lucky to have you and your support

When I was banded and tight in the mornings, a cup of hot coffeee or hot tea would help to open me up a bit. It is true what your Dr. told you, mine told me the same thing

I get moody and bitchy, and this full moon will be worse since I also have PMS on top of it

Of course you can eat all you want if you are eating soup, all of us can even with the best of fills, liquids go right thru the bans, wait and see how it goes for you when you eat your solids like a piece of white chicken betyou wil lfeel differently, of course you are hungry, Soups do not stay in the pouch they go right thru. Also there are a few of us here who their fills take 3-7 days to kick in and most Dr.s know this too so many Dr.'s will not give another fill unless you have waited out 2 weeks from your previous fill. You can not go by how your wife feels with her new fill..everyone is different. For the recordwhen I had my first fill I felt no difference unti la week later then BAM WHOA NELLY, I had restriction..hang in there do not rush it, give it atleast a week, solids may make a difference then soups

Relax, during surgery they fill you up with all kinds of fluids, you are bloated and full of gas as well. I bet you have lost all of the excess they filled you up with during surgery. Did you weigh yourself right after surgery to see if you had gained or are you gfoing by what you weighed pre surgery? ..When I had bowel obstruction surgery by my band doctor, I had not eaten or drank a single thing 3 days prior to my surgery, when I got home from surgery I had gained 15 lbs...all of it was fluids from the IV's it took 3-5 days for my body to release all of that crap, do not worry, you just had surgery, your body may be in a little shock..

I made it through day one and I had to make myself eat to get in all of my 24 points ..why is that? yesterday I could of eaten a horse, today getting in my 24 points was a chore. Here is what I ate today 2 egg whites Breakfast 1 pc of dry wheat toast Breakfast Snack banana 3 slices of swiss cheese lunch 2 slices of turkey Lunch Snack Banana 1 fat free yogurt dinner 1 string cheese Dinner 1 granola bar Snack all of that equals 24 points