lisacaron

I think I understand what you are trying to say/ask. For me the band does not take away my hunger, but it does help to curb my hunger. I am able to go 4 hours without looking for a snack or a meal. It does not stop me from overeating, I stop myself when I feel that "full" feeling or that soft stop which for me is a deep sigh and a hiccup. If I push it too far, the band lets me know I have REALLY over eaten and I am uncomfortable (not stuck) just uncomfortable with the amount I have over eaten. Like filling up a bottle too close to the top and then trying to put the cap on, with out spilling. I pay attention to those feelings, so that I don't get to the point of having to vomit, or PB or feel stuck. I have pushed myself to that point a couple of times because the food was so good my mouth just wanted to keep eating it even after I was full. Now I don't do that. Once I have that signal if I have to walk away, or pour Water or something over the remainder of my food so I don't graze at it that's what I do. Until you get the right amount of fill it's easy to eat more then that one cup of food. Depending on the type of food you eat and if it's lubricated in sauce or condiments. Learning about our bodies and what makes us eat, when and why we choose to eat what we do is the test. Once you get all the signals your body is giving you it gets a little easier. Dealing with the head hunger of cravings, and mouth hunger cause it tastes so darn good...those are harder to cope with and factor into this new banded life. I hope that helped...

You just had major surgery. Your body is healing right now. It will take some time for your body to fully heal and you a little bit of weight gain is normal due to swelling and excess gas. Keep following Dr.'s orders and taking care of yourself. The weight will come off. Now is the time to focus on healing, and eating mechanics. Your doing great! Keep up the good work!

SC- You need the two weeks off to give yourself some time to heal. This was major surgery, and of course you are going to feel the effects of that. The nausea and sick feelings will soon ebb. My hunger returned rather quickly after surgery as well, but I was more tired then hungry the first few days. Once I was able to transition to mushy foods I was that much better as far as hunger and cravings went. My husband wasn't so hungry, and he stuck to his shakes for a longer time as they made him feel more confident. Set up a schedule, treat yourself like a newborn babe. Give yourself some nourishment every half an hour in small medicine cup doses. Try some warm decaf tea, and some sugar free ice pops they help you get the fluids in and they soothe your insides as well. The warm liquid will help open up and relax the pouch and the ice pops help the swelling of the stoma. Use an icepack at the port site, and a hot Water bottle under you shoulder/back or lower belly to help with gas pain. To move it and pass it...walk walk walk. Burping and farting are allowed! Find a guy and laugh it up with them as you toot your horn! Take your pain meds, and rest. If you are not feeling well and really can't get any liquids in, call the surgeon you don't want to dehydrate. Feel better, and reach out when you need to there are many good people here that will be happy to offer support and encouragement.

Manda, This is a decision you are making for yourself, and that really does not have anything to do with your husband. We all need lots of support and you are obviously not getting that at home right now. You could of course get that from your support group as well as from this forum and friends. I would however seriously consider looking deeper into what's going on with your husband he obviously has very strong feelings that have changed your course of action once before. If this were to keep up, it can cause hard feelings and upset on both sides as you will be resentful, and so might he thus impacting the relationship in a negative way. If your surgeon's group has a therapist it might be good to bring your husband in for an open discussion with you. So he can address what might just be fear of the unknown, and what sounds like some insecurity on his end. What I have learned is that this decision is a personal one, you are the one that must commit to the band, and it is very much like a marriage, including the ring around your tummy! Support from loved ones and family is always great but sometimes we have to think of our own well being and make the decision to move forward or not based on what's best for us. The best we can do for family and loved ones is to help them understand our decisions. Best of luck on your decision and your journey.

Pretty much the same here. A few more questions about eating mechanics making sure we are getting Protein etc. Fill is different for my husband and I as far as CC's I am a bit ahead of him. He's at 4.2 in 10cc and I am at 5.5 in 10cc. I have had one missed port injection, but my port is not as close to the surface as my hubby's. It doesn't hurt slight pin prick and it's all done.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery! I was excited for my surgery day as well. You will do great!

Lauren, don't be terrified of what another experiences. We are all different. If you feel that this is the right thing for you and you are 100% committed to the change and effort it requires of you then it will go well for you. Try not to go into surgery with anyone else expectations, or experiences on your mind. Have confidence in your own decisions, and go from there. The first day is the roughest, remember to walk walk walk, sip slowly medicine cup sizes when you are able to have fluids and to treat yourself with some gentleness and love after. If you are tired rest. If you are gassy walk and well...fart. (trust me the first one feels awesome!) Warm liquids like decaf tea helped me so much, as well sugar free ice pops. For the site pain, an ice pack at the port site and a hot Water bottle for the gassy belly are a God send. Pick up some Gas-Ex strips, and your going to be golden. The strongest pain killer my husband and I took was 2 Tylenol. That's it, we were banded at the same time and we made it through, and so will you! Best wishes for a speedy recover to you!

Hi MZ, Congratulations on your decision to make such a positive change in your life. This is a great forum for finding lots of information and advice along the way. All the best as you begin your journey!

I have the fitbit one and my husband has the fitbit flex. The PA at my surgeon's office had the UP by Jawbone and she hates it. The Up does not measure your steps if your hands are stationary. For her it's when she is pushing her jogging stroller with her son. She can run 2 miles and the Up doesn't measure a step because her hand is stationary. I suggested she try putting it on her ankle but it is not calibrated to measure from that perspective it's looking for the arm swing. The fitbit one is awesome, as a woman I love it because I can hide it in my bra, and no one see's it or knows its there and I can wear any watch or bracelet I want to and still track my steps. My husband as the flex since he wears shorts alot there isn't really a place to affix the one or the zip clip. The fitbit one tracks your sleep habits as well as elevation for flights of stairs climbed in the day. I don't think the zip does all of that. The flex tracks all your steps and sleep but does not track the elevation, or stairs climbed. I hope all of this is helpful! Congrats on reaching Onederland and purchasing a tracker as a reward!

I also have a sweet tooth, I try to use the chocolate Protein shakes to off set my cravings. Or some skinny cow fudge bars, or skinny cow ice cream sandwiches. Even some of the Protein Bars are good for you, and they help me with my sweet craving. I look for the ones that are 150 cal or less and they are pretty satisfying for me. I know that medication can definitely affect cravings. My step son is on similar meds, and sometimes he is like an eating machine that we can't shut down, and it is a side affect of his medication. Your doing amazing so far! Sometimes a little head hunger is not a bad thing, we need to treat ourselves with love and listen to what our body's are trying to tell us. You may be needing something and your body craving old food choices might be it's way of letting you know there is a deficiency somewhere. Keep doing what your doing cause your doing great!

I'm sorry to say that I think your surgeon made a mistake in banding you in the first place if you were not 100% committed to it. I can't imagine going so far as to have surgery only to want to go back in for surgery again. What does that solve? It is only going to make you more uncomfortable, and your poor body hasn't even had the chance to heal from the first surgery. It's just unnecessary punishment and abuse of your already hurting body. In my opinion maybe you should see the psychologist first before jumping into another surgery.

I too am losing slowly, but feeling very good about it. I know that these pounds are gone for good. They are never coming back again! Slow and steady wins the race for me You are doing amazing!

Baygirl, your surgery looks awesome and so do you! Thanks for the inspiration!

Hi Caitlin- The first few days can be a little rough after surgery. your body is trying to process everything. Filtering out the anesthesia and having something new inside that wasn't there before. Take it slow and be gentle with yourself. If you have pain meds take them, and rest. Try sipping some warm tea, and/or sugar free ice pops. Those things worked the best for me. Get up and walk around so your body can release the gas that's been put in, and even though it's uncomfortable keep taking deep breaths to clear your lungs. An ice pack on the belly near the port will help you feel more comfortable as well. If you are still feeling bad this weekend give your Doc. a call for some peace of mind. Feel better soon!

Yeah I'm thinking that constant heartburn is not a good thing. My Dr. always asks me if I have any of those feelings. I hope not to ever have them. I remember how they felt when I was pregnant...it's not a feeling I'd like to experience again

Sylvia, If you have a heavy job you are going to need to take the time to heal. You don't want to go through all this and then have a problem because you didn't give yourself the time to heal. I know work issues are tough, and it's hard to be home when you are the only earner. This is a major surgery so make the time for it and the healing to follow. If your co-workers are understanding then you are not burdening them. You need this for you and think if one of them needed something as big as this..would you cover for him/her and not make them feel badly about it? I bet you would and chances are so will they. Working from home is great. The first few days you might not be at 100% but at least you are able to be home and rest. That's the key.

Kinda...liquid in liquid out sorry to say. Give it till tonight/tomorrow morning and then move on to mushy foods and you will feel better. Remember to keep hydrated with H2O

You just had a MAJOR surgery. Your organs are swollen and you have a fair amount of gas in your body at the moment. Your lungs and your diaphragm are going to need some time to get back to their normal output, and the diaphragm is probably feeling the pressure of the gas and swollen organs right now causing the uncomfortable pain you have, BUT you want to keep taking those deep breaths to clear any fluids out of your lungs. Pretty T is right you should be drinking only clear fluids the first day, and possibly the second with slow tiny medicine cup sips. Warm fluids help, as well as ice pops (sugar free of course) Moving on to Protein shakes, and then yogurt and light broth like Soups. Every Dr. and office is different but no matter what you should always find out as much information from as many sources as you can. This is not a simple surgery, like an endoscope this was major surgery and it will take days and weeks for your body acclimate. You should feel a bit better every day. Walk around, and slow down the eating for now. Give your body time to rest and heal. Do some research and call your doctor so that you have more peace of mind.

If you have a desk job you could be back to work in a couple of weeks. If you have a job that is more manual labor or requires lifting you will need to take more time. I went back to work 10 days after my surgery, and though I was pretty well healed and feeling really good I wish I had taken the full 2 weeks off in hind sight. Gathering information is the best way to help you learn and make the most informed decision.

The pre-op can be rough, but you don't have your band just yet so there is some learning curve. Tuesday will come fast, don't ruin all the hard work you have done to get this far. Try to make some tomato Soup with some cheese in it, or even some pizza sauce with a sprinkle of cheese. You will be able to eat pizza again. It's not the best choice, and it may take a few weeks but you will be able to enjoy a slice now and then. If you really MUST have it, you don't have your band yet so you can go head and have that slice, but stop there and get back to the diet and stick to it till Tuesday. You will be glad you did Best of luck to you!

I just had my blood work done also, haven't gotten the results yet but it's good to know that it's not something to stress about if the numbers are wacky.

My soft full feeling comes as a slight hiccup. At that point I know I am full. Sometimes I will have a deep sigh, and then the one slight hiccup and then I know I must stop right there because the next couple of bites are going to push me over the edge of full to uncomfortable.

Once upon a time many years ago. 7 to exact. I lost 40 pounds. It was a rough time in my life, I was getting a divorce, starting a new job, sick and broken. (No really I had a tumor on my ovary and a broken foot!) So many things were happening in my life at one time, that food and eating it didn’t seem to matter much to me. Having a broken foot I was hopping around on crutches everywhere I went. I got my cast on and started that new job that Monday morning. I had no choice, I was getting a divorce after nearly 20 years of marriage and I had 3 kids to care for. There was no time for self-pity!!! (Truth be told there is always a time, and you find it locked in your bathroom or your bedroom and you cry it out and steel yourself again to get through the next day.) Wonder Woman didn’t cry, she battled and battle I did. Then a few months into it, I met the most amazing guy. He seemed to understand me on a level that no one ever had, and as time went on we grew closer and closer. We have been through so much in our lives, and so much more in the last 7 years that we have gone through together. Finally this last year on 10/11/12 we said our vows and married each other. So happy, in love and satisfied with my life my love of food and all things SWEET returned with a vengeance. My Sweetheart shared that love with me and together we gained weight. I gained back the 40 pounds I had lost and then some! At the time I was married last year I was at my heaviest weight ever. I did not let that stop me from buying a wedding gown, or two OK so I had 3! (We had 2 weddings and one celebration brunch when we returned) I never felt out of place in my skin, though I did feel bloated and uncomfortable, even a little sick and lethargic at times. I was happy, we were happy. Today, as my 1 year anniversary approaches and I am 30 pounds lighter, I looked in the mirror as I got ready for work this morning. I put on the diamond necklace my husband bought me as an anniversary gift. It came on this short 16” chain and when he bought it for me I thought that will never fit my fat neck! I’ll have to get another chain when he’s not looking. I put the box away until I could get that chain, but today I slipped it on and it fit great! It sits right at my collar bone and it looks amazing. I looked in the mirror, and I felt “thin”. Don’t get me wrong I still need to lose another 100+ pounds, but for the first time…truly the first time even though I had lost weight before, this time I felt I might really be thin again. I have truly lost the weight! Well and truly lost it! Those extra 30 pounds of me are gone and gone forever. I feel as though a layer has peeled away. I feel lighter, in body and in mind. I am looking forward to shedding more and more of myself in the months ahead. I am ready and committed to losing it. I’m ready to break free of all that has weighed me down all these years. I still love my sweets, as does my hubby. Only now we take the time to make better choices and substitutions for those sweets, and make the space to enjoy a little indulgence on occasion. The sweetest indulgence for me today is the diamond necklace I wrapped around my neck that sits so perfectly and winks at me from the mirror with the knowing that it’s only going to get sweeter and sweeter!

Thanks B- I have been trying to motivate myself to get my arse up early enough to work out before getting ready for work. 5:30...I get up begrudgingly at 6:30...working my way to 6...and then 5:30 and I'll be there! I am so NOT a morning person.....I'll have to work on it!

Congratulations! I feel you! I can't wait to reach that milestone, I know I will definitely be crying like a baby, I don't think I've seen Onederland since I had my last one...18 years ago!!!!