chasingadream

The weeks after lap band surgery are for healing…and that really means sticking to your doctors orders especially when it comes to diet. Yup, that liquid diet just plain old sucks but it is done for a reason. From how you said it above, it seems that you were a little premature on eating those mashed potatoes. I would call your doctor in the morning and let them know what you ate and let them be the judge of what is going on... Please be careful and give your body time to heal…that is what this period is for! Good luck.

I am a teacher and went back 7 days after surgery. It's doable….I was a little tired but each day got better and better and right back to my old self.

I stopped using mine a few months back. I tried it but it kept falling off…I think like @@terrydumont46 said I think I needed it adjusted…so after many nights of it actually waking me up I just stopped and feel ok….my hubby says I'm much quieter…. I don't feel tired like I used to before using it. I am going to go see the pulmonogist for a follow up and to ask about having the sleep apnea test again just to be sure…..its on my to do list. Good luck @@Bandista

Call your doctor…that is what they are there for. Everyones experience and pain level are different. Reach out to the people who know best. Let us know how you make out….good luck

This is your decision to have or not have WLS…and it is a BIG decision. One that should be made by you and you alone….since you are the one that must go through it and live with it once the surgery is completed. Hopefully you have support that can listen to your concerns and help along the way). Your friends have no idea what it is like to live inside an overweight body, at least thats been my own experience….you need to do this for you…and only you know if its right or not. You said you have been trying with your mom for 2 weeks (am I to guess it is a diet??). If so any diet or even WLS will not be a magic wand and the weight will just not fall off in 2 weeks time. We did not get overweight in 2 weeks and it will most definitely not come off in 2 weeks. You must have realistic expectations to be successful. Wishing you all the success in the world…you can do it! I am 8 months post surgery…I consume about 1000 calories per day (some days more and some days less--but never more than 1200). As for exercise…i have bad knees and back so I do walking only….Have never liked the gym. It is all working for me…it is a very individual experience!

Plication is when they fold the stomach in on itself and stitch it so that your stomach is much smaller. Its like the sleeve without actually stapling and removing the stomach. (looks like a banana when done).

Yup..lap band with plication…its been a great experience so far. Yes, port was very sore after surgery and for a while…just be kind to it. As for it being noticeable after weight loss….even after losing 92 pounds I still have a lot of fatty-ness in the belly section so mine is still hidden. Although I do feel it more now. I do feel it more after the weight loss since when I wear jeans now the waste band isn't as forgiving as the stretchy waste bands I was so used to….not painful just a bit annoying on some days. All in all…i will take a little annoyance at the port site to feel (and look) as great as I do today….what a difference. Good luck to you!

@@Sharpie Just ordered a sample of single bars and got free shipping at Quest site…can't wait to try them….thanks for the info!

@@Sharpie I've only tried the pure Protein because i could never seem to find another that was lower calories and higher protein(pure protein is 20 and 200 calories)…these sound yummy will have to go get some and try them…thanks!

I second @@lisacaron when it comes to these boards…. I almost backed out too because of what I read on here…I was panicked and having such anxiety. So I went back to my doc and asked all of my questions and had them answered and knew for sure I was in the best hands possible. Had my hubby for support who said he would have never supported me if he didn't think it was a good idea to have WLS. Then I stopped reading so much or at least focusing on the positives. Yes, its surgery and lots of things can happen….and lots of things can go just as they are supposed to. Try and look at the glass as being half full…it helped me a lot. I had my surgery 8 months ago and I've been so happy with my results…best decision ever. Some hard work involved and thats okay….its been worth it every step of the way. Best of luck to you…and hang in there!

love my pure Protein bars….20g protein 200 cals….peanut putter and chocolate chip are my favs also soft baked chocolate and vanilla 190 cals and 17g protein…. they are DELISH!

Sorry to hear that this has happened to you. Don't beat yourself up over it not "working"…if you had heard of band intolerance before would you really have thought it would/could happen to you! ? You didn't purposely have the band not work…. You did all the right things to make yourself healthier and for some reason this was not meant to be. I know that is no consolation but I would like to believe that there is something in the future that is meant to help you with your struggle…right now it is just not the band. Wishing you much luck and success and hoping you find some peace and answers to help aid you with your weight loss efforts.

Wonderful article…thanks! I realize every day that my WLS is a full-time job on top of the full-time job I have as a mom, wife and teacher. But I am worth it and I will work at whatever support I need to continue to learn and change and grow and SUCCEED!

Welcome to an amazing place with some truly amazing people. I've had such support here and have even met several of these great people in person and have now forged some new friendships. There is nothing like a place to come where everyone knows your name ….and understands your weight loss surgery and the journey you are on. I went to my primary care physician (PCP) and told him I had enough of being overweight (which has been all of my life)…and being the biggest I ever was at 280 pounds I told him I was thinking of weight loss surgery…specifically lap band. For me, I didn't want my stomach removed or anything re-routed. My sister has had gastric bypass and I saw her recovery and the struggles she had with anemia and Vitamin deficiencies and now I see her putting the weight back on. I know every WLS is different, with successes and failures…but those were my reasons for lap band. My PCP gave me the name of a surgeon and there was no looking back from there! I went to a seminar where the doctor explained all of the surgeries and then had my consult appt. At that time, he though I would be a good candidate for lap band and he was also performing an additional procedure as part of research study called plication (which is just like the sleeve but they sew the stomach to look like a banana without actually removing anything)….So I have lap band with plication. I was and still am an emotional eater but in such a different way now. I eat all foods…I do not feel deprived or on a diet. There are some foods that make me feel uncomfortable like some Pasta and triscuits, so I choose to stay away from them…..I no longer am dieting and for the first time in my life I no longer let food control my life. Am I perfect…NO…do I always make the best food choices…NO…..do I do the best I can each day…YES. I have lost 92 pounds and feel (and some say look) like a new person. I have more energy and am able to finally keep up with my 4 and 7 year old. I have energy that some days I don't really know what to do with. It was the best decision I've ever made. My advice is to research ALL weight loss surgeries….speak to your doctor…they are the best ones to tell you which surgery would be the best for you….be open minded and to research all that you can! Good luck and keep us posted!

I have the band with plication as well. My cravings and hunger are much more at bay…not gone but better….since I've never had just the band I don't know the difference. I have yet to need a fill and it may be do to the plication keeping me fuller longer…they can't say for sure. But I know a few other people who had the band with plication and had bandster hell from the beginning and had fills to help them find their green zone. Everyone is so very different you just never know how it will make you feel…its so very individual. i love my band and plication….I feel very blessed to have had the success I've had so far. But it is no magic bullet…that's for sure!

@@Lori Voss Green Hope you begin to feel better and get to the bottom of the problem…Please let us know…. @@Short and Chunky I remember reading your post about your experience before. How are you doing/feeling. How do you feel with just the plication. I also have the band (still unfilled) and the plication and often wonder what if? I feel like it is my plication that has really kept the cravings at bay and me feeling satisfied to the point of not needing a fill. Although the doctor cannot totally say this is the case they feel it "could be" the reason…I know everyone is so different. Just wondering how you have been doing.

You look AMAZING!

I smile , say thank you and try to get away as fast as possible….lol….seriously!!! I posted a while back on just this thing. You and I are similar in our stats and our weight loss right down to the 22/24 into a 12. I had someone tell me at work that I don't need to lose anymore weight …and yes another 40-50 off is in my plans. It becomes quite annoying, not only the comments on the loss but how I look and my choices for losing more. And I still have people commenting loudly about how I look even though I've had the new properly fitting clothes for a while now. The hardest comment for me to hear is that I look like a "totally different person" …that one gets me. Like you said, we are not any different….just somewhat slimmer…and I too am battling the saggy-ness and beginning to look into the possibility of skin surgery….somewhere down the road. So on top of the comments…good, bad and ugly (as I called them in my post)…I have to figure out how I feel with what I see in the mirror most days…. As for coping….I just keep on moving with a very big smile on my face ….that is my only suggestion….although sometimes in the back of my mind Im thinking…please just shut the hell up and don't ask me what "my secret is" or how long it took or what I'm doing….those are as bad as the comments….. ….hence the big smile ….thanks so much and move it, move it, move it! I figure it has to get "old" soon enough. Best of luck on dealing with this and if you come up with anything good please send it my way!

I understand you dont want it to happen again but you may want to find out why he wants you on clear liquids. I know my doctor said liquids was to give all those stitches and swelling time to heal. You many even want to call and let them know that you "slipped up" with the all liquids….even though you feel like you are ok…it couldn't hurt to let them know. After all, they are the doctors and you are on clear liquids for a reason. As for you feeling badly that noone else is on liquids for that long…try not to compare yourself to others…it leads to lots of disappointment and frustration, in my opinion. Everyone's lap band experience is different and for some its easier than others but we are all so different and we have to know in our hearts why we chose this journey and what we truly want to get out of it….. Im only 8 months out and Ive had easy days and hard days and I have no one to answer to but myself. You will have the same decisions to make and they are not easy but it is definately doable….

For me this has been a journey…yes, I hope to get to the finish line one day but until I do this is my journey. And not just a weight loss journey. This little trip of mine has helped me see so much more about myself and what I can accomplish. It's helped me look at my life and really figure out what is important and why I want what I want. I was banded almost 8 months ago and feel very fortunate to have take 92 pounds off of my 5'4" frame. Never in my wildest dreams would i have thought it was possible. I look in the mirror some days and say "wow, look at you"….."look what you've accomplished". Other days, I see some saggy-ness and other days I say "you need to finish this time". Being a perpetual weight watchers member from the age of 16 (now Im 44), Im happy to no longer be a dieter. This is not a diet…I am not deprived of anything….I enjoy all foods and there is nothing I cannot eat. Some foods I choose not to eat because they make me feel uncomfortable but it is MY choice not to eat them. I love being free of the food monster that has plagued me my entire life. I am happy with what I've accomplished and I know what I must do to finish my journey and move into the next phase of keeping it off. I will be a winner this time and I will reach that finish line one day…until that day comes I continue to move forward one day at a time making the best choices I can for myself…treating myself kindly and loving the new me.

Don't beat yourself up …whats done is done….however…. You just had surgery and your body needs time to heal…your doctor put you on a clear liquid diet for a reason….do you know what that reason was???? I know its hard and it really sucks but its done for a reason….please be careful you don't hurt what's trying to heal. If you have any problems please call your doc ASAP.

I was banded in NY about 8 months ago but the process is a bit overwhelming no matter what state you are in. Just make a list of all of the tests and appointments you need to do and check them off one at a time as you complete them. Make sure you are well aware of ALL of your insurance requirements right from the beginning so that you are not blindsided when you think you have it all under control. Especially if you are required to complete a supervised diet (some are…I had to have a 6 month one). Otherwise…just take it one day at a time and one test/appt at a time…and believe it or not a surgery date will be here before you know it. Best of luck to you!

@@prettyandbrwn A wise woman from this site (CarolinaGirl) always says…a loss is a loss whether its the scale moving down or your clothes falling off (she says it much better)….just because the scale isn't moving doesn't mean you aren't losing. You just said your clothes are falling off…there's your proof. Don't be a slave to the scale or you will set yourself up for a lot of frustration and disappoint, in my opinion! My doc (and I know each one is very different) told me the first 6 weeks after surgery are for healing and getting your mechanics down. I was told not to worry about ANY weight loss the first 6 weeks and you have already lost 15 pounds….way to go! One thing I always try to remember…as I try and race to get all this extra weight off is this…it didn't come on overnight and it surely is NOT coming off overnight. WLS is our tool it is NOT the magic cure we are all hoping for. It takes work and time…plain and simple. Take each day as it comes and be as successful as you can and the weight WILL come off…for some fast, others slow…for some easily and others a bit more difficult….but the important thing is that it will come off if you stay the course. Good luck and cut your body some slack!

About day 10 I really started feeling like myself again. It is a healing process and takes some time. The port takes awhile longer. Hang in there…and yes, there is an end in sight and a wonderful beginning to so many great new things. Feel good…follow docs orders and heal up….your lap-band journey is just beginning! Best of luck to you all! It is an AMAZING journey!

Life is good…no, actually life is GREAT! The weight loss has been good. I needed to basically buy a new wardrobe of size 12/14 pants and 14/16 shirts….even my feet lost 1/2 a size and the wide width! I never in my wildest dreams would have thought I would have had these results…and as many say, I wish I had done it sooner. Trying to make the best food choices I can…although that is sometimes a challenge but I don't deprive myself and I think that is why I'm so happy. I LOVE that I have lost the diet mentality I've always had. I'm out and walking, walking, walking and loving it. I try to change up my route to keep it fresh. I've never been a gym person so walking will just have to do it for me. I am beginning to think about having some plastic surgery done….going to begin my research and see what can be done….I know its early but some things are beginning to bother me more now as I get closer and closer to goal…. Otherwise, the family is happy and healthy and I have nothing to complain about! @@PuraVida37 You're doing awesome and @@NewMeDebbie You look wonderful! And yes, finding those body parts again is so nice. I have learned that I had a lot of fat on my butt…since now sitting on bleachers at my sons baseball game is just painful…but I will take it…better than the alternative!