Bandista

Thanks every one! The thing does feel like such a bother, especially traveling. And I think it's just not fitting properly now so I will look into that. Maybe this is just the incentive I need -- new sleep study at 180 or something like that. My husband calls me Aqua Girl. I have grown used to the white noise but I hate that hose.

My surgeon doesn't share the amount of the fills but I know he is of the small frequent fills school of thought. I have had seven now! I was getting worried that I wouldn't have enough room in my band at some point but they laughed and said there is plenty. So that's good. He says he doesn't want me obsessing about the amount because it's meaningless. And of course we can't really compare because some people have plication or a band that was primed at the time of surgery, etc. The question for me is whether I have satiety after an appropriately-sized portion and whether I am not hungry again for four or five hours. The closer one is to the Green Zone the more necessary it is to listen very closely for all the signals. I figure my body tells me. Getting this last fill was a big decision because I DO NOT WANT TO BE TOO TIGHT. I weighed all the options, talked it over at my six-month check-up with the LB coordinator and then made an appointment with my surgeon for that seventh one. Now I'm watching very carefully as I don't want it to all of the sudden feel tight -- or if I have symptoms such as reflux, etc. I will be right back in there getting a tiny unfill. Good luck to you! So glad we have this forum as it can be a complicated process. Have a great weekend!

Hi there, I know no one really has the answer to this question as we are all so different. I may have had sleep apnea for my whole life for all I know; certainly I was never a good sleeper, even as a child. But I'm feeling like now at nearly 50 pounds down it is behaving differently. I have experimented with a couple of power naps without the thing and I don't seem to be waking up bolt upright like I used to if I tried to sleep machine-less. Any one out there who has given up their CPAP care to share what the signals are that the body may be ready to sleep on its own? What a thing that would be! And do I really need to go back for another sleep study -- I didn't mind it but I'm not sure if the data obtained is really as useful as monitoring over time. Maybe thirty more pounds and I can ditch it? Feedback welcome!

Hi there, sending best wishes and I know this can be a difficult time. The hoopla from prepping for the surgery itself is gone, the initial weight loss slows a bit and our bodies need to get used to a whole new mode. Re: fills, my surgeon was looking for two things -- satiety after a tennis-ball sized meal and 4-5 hours before being hungry again. I had the first one but not the second so we kept going. I'm so happy I proceeded with small fill after small fill until reaching the green zone. Of course every one is different but it took me six to get there and when the sixth appeared to wear off I went back for a seventh. And I am some one who is very paranoid about a too-tight band. I need to be able to glug my Water and feel like I am eating less not because of any kind of physical restriction, etc., but because my appetite is dimmed. That's the way the band is supposed to work. No sliders! Having that appetite turned down is a wonderful relief. Yes, I could still stress eat -- go back for more before the interval has elapsed, etc. -- but I am able to resist now and that is something of a miracle. You will get there! It's early days and I think this is the hardest time from all the posts I've read from the people who have gone before us.

I don't have any carbonation per surgeon's instructions but no problem with alcohol or caffeine. I am a big tea drinker and I enjoy a drink or two some evenings. I don't feel deprived -- at all.

Protocols vary so much from surgeon to surgeon. Some people have no pre-op, some are all liquids, some include a meal, etc. Find out what your surgeon prescribes. I lost a chunk and was happy because I knew it wouldn't be coming back again -- unlike any other weight I'd lost previously, which always did come back, with some extra of course. We have similar stats and my insurance required a 40 BMI no matter what so my pre-pre-op involved some gaining. I wish I had fudged an inch on the height measuring -- slouched -- as the whole BMI thing was such a stress factor for me.

Hi Bee, I think it's very natural to get nervous as the date gets closer. And if you have a pre-op diet that can being a lot of things roaring up to the surface. I wrote my fears down -- some were things like will I be able to eat out in restaurants, will I be able to cook for dinner parties, will I have to give up cheese -- all those ways I loved food in my life and I was worried I'd have to give things up. But I didn't. I still love food, just in much smaller amounts and at appropriate intervals. I was very excited about the surgery but I had never been an overnight patient in a hospital before. Once I got there, every one took such good care of me. And I felt well-prepared for the surgery because I had read so many posts here on the forum. I skipped anything that sounded negative from the title -- just leap-frogged right over those as I didn't want to get fretting and of course on a big forum there are going to be people with issues or axes to grind. Band problems generally have to do both non-compliance and I knew I would comply -- otherwise why go through it all? I also took advantage of a therapist to talk things through with. I really copped to my issues with food in a new way -- I didn't lean on excuses but admitted to myself that I had a problem with eating. I needed the band to dim my appetite so I could make good decisions. It worked! I have never been so happy and at peace with food. Best wishes to you -- we have all been where you are now and it's not easy. The waiting can be really nerve-wracking. Maybe get a journal and list all the reasons you want to do this, all your goals, your fears -- and have a friend take your measurements as those are so fun to have later.

Now I have King Cromson's Elephant Talk going through my heàd -- "I repeat myself when I'm under stress, I repeat myself when I'm under stress........" -- but that's better than an announcement about Jesus as I was afraid this post would be about. If we are ranting here, I find it annoying when people announce they are praying for some one who posts about a hard time, etc. Sweet Jesus, take it elsewhere! As for new people posing same questions, I agree @@CowgirlJane that each person is enthralled in their own experience and looking for direct feedback. I got so much information ahead of my surgery from reading a zillion posts, but I also asked a lot of questions and am grateful for the people who answered/responded. The reiteration actually helps me remember where I came from and what I'm doing. When I tell my experience I'm telling myself something again, too.

Such a great thread. Life can get overwhelming at times. I love the idea of giving the behavioral issues child the "job" as your trainer. Maybe you could pay him or her fifty cents a "session" and up the stakes. Also sometimes I've made a game with myself out of finding the furthest possible spot to park the car. Do you watch movies? We got a peddler that works sitting down or as an elliptical standing up. There's that whole world of Wi also, though I've never tried any of that. You are on the right track knowing you need this. Here's a mantra: I choose myself first; every one benefits. I choose myself first; every one benefits.

Hi Rose, glad you got to touch base with your medical professionals. Good luck with pre-op -- I was so happy to lose weight that for once I knew was never coming back!

@@HealthyNewMe -- I didn't know this, fascinating! I think they won the lottery, too, with you as a participant.

WOWIE-ZOWIE you look great! Beaming health.....congratulations and thanks for the inspiration this morning.

Hmmmm....wondering if I could do this -- and I'm not very competitive!

So happy for you!

I cant handle High Fructose Corn Syrup, etc.-- that's what makes me feel sick. Or Sucralose (Splenda), blech.

Hi there, so happy for you to be showing up for yourself and your family in this way! I have no advice except to research like crazy, let things resonate and be patient to with the process, really. And since you're due in November this will all work out perfectly timing-wise -- get ready to rock and roll! I chose the band because this is right for me. You will find out what's best for you and do it. Best wishes -- so glad you're here on the forum!

Tracy -- so excited for you! The way I looked at it that was twenty never to be seen again. I am six months out and so, so happy with this decision. Good luck for your big day. I found an excellent sense of humor a good thing to have on hand -- the gown and gurney (I had never been an overnight patient in a hospital before), the ridiculous forms, etc. I felt like every one was there to take care of me. I walked ASAP after surgery -- every time I thought I had to pee (that is me at 52) I walked up and down as much as possible. Over-rode all signals for lazing out and just went for it, up and down the halls. Then at home next day round and round the driving circle. I really feel like this gave my body the signal HEY WE ARE SERIOUS and kicked everything into gear. Wishing you the very best!

I remember the anticipation of my first fill. Mine are not done under fluoroscopy either, but I like to think that is available should it ever be needed (I did have fluro the morning after surgery, so I know they have that but don't know how billing works as radiology services are separate, etc.). Anyway, this is how it goes for me. We chat for a few minutes then I lay down on the table with my arms up in the air. The surgeon feels around for the port then uses a needle to numb the area. It really is just a pinch. Nothing. The fill itself is really quick and all of the sudden he is handing me an arm to help me sit up. I drink a glass of water to make sure everything is going down well and that's it. There is a bandaid and I react to that so am careful to ask for paper tape. I generally have some bruising after a fill -- I bruise easily -- but there is no pain whatsoever. Good luck to you -- you are doing great!

Interesting, but I need an interpreter! Is that 61% weight loss statistic correlated to the weight for our heights on BMI charts? I am definitely noticing the BP result already. My other issue is apnea, and I am excited to see this resolved in so many of the patients in this study. I want to lose that friggin CPAP machine!

Fills are such an individual thing and all about listening to our bodies. To me this is a great thing -- to be in sync with my body again is a wonderful relief after two decades of being in some kind of battle, feeling betrayed by my body, etc. My surgeon is also of the small frequent fills school of thought and it took me six to get to the Green Zone. Recently I felt like I had fallen out of my Zone -- just hungrier, more capacity, my old restrictive behaviors setting in -- so I got another fill on Monday. I don't really feel it right away. For me it seems to take about almost a week. I will be carefully assessing how I'm feeling, whether I am able to eat real foods chewed well -- no sliders. It sounds like you are doing really well @@IvonneBX -- keep in mind that this is a time that can be difficult. All the excitement of the surgery is over, things are coming together, the body healed but until the Green Zone is achieved it can feel like a diet. Don't worry -- you will get there! And don't forget how far you've come already. Pat yourself on the back. It's going to be a fabulous summer of weight loss and toning. New chapters in our lives!

I wondered what the gloving up was all about, yikes. Funny to picture the interviews before the show, "now, who here feels comfortable handling a human stomach specimen on national television?" No wonder they all looked so freaked out! As for the forty pounds, when I went to my six-month checkin with the LB program coordinator at the hospital she said that I have nearly reached the goal set by my surgeon. This was the first I had heard of this goal. My own goal is 148, one hundred pounds down from the 248 that I started with. Turns out they use statistics to predict a goal of their own. Well, I now look forward to exceeding that goal because I have no intention of stopping at 190. And that's ten pounds or so away as it is. Maybe my 148 is too ambitious -- I won't know until I'm getting closer. Hopefully this is giving me just the grit and determination I need for getting off this next chunk. No complacency even if the surgeon might indicate "mission accomplished." Just bringing this up on this thread because of the whole forty pounds to lose focus on the Dr. Oz show. Many of those women would probably like to lose a lot more than that. We'll take what we can get but why stop there? Thanks for the link, @@Alex Brecher -- don't have TV so would have missed this.

I filled the prescription for pain medication but did not use it -- narcotics have side effects like constipation that I did not want. Also I like having a clear head and when on medication it's easy to get all involved in feelings, including feeling that it's bigger than it is. I compared the discomfort to dentistry and bad cramps and felt like it was better than either of those -- this helped me keep it all in perspective. The walking really, really helps tremendously. And I was just so excited that the incisional pain was really just something to be gotten through. I felt well-prepared mentally. It's not like being sick or being in the hospital because of an accident or something -- for me I was getting something I really wanted and that made it worthwhile. Hope some of this makes sense -- rereading it I'm not sure but I hope you get the idea. Mind-set, head in the game -- you are choosing yourself and your healthy future and that is a beautiful thing. When it hurts getting in and out of bed, etc., just remember that. And the old "this too will pass" works well, too. The discomfort is temporary but the increased health and weight loss are so worth it.

Hi there, it sounds like your surgeon wants to take it a bit more slowly this time to protect you from going too far too fast. Do you have a goal weight in mind? The 150 was too low -- maybe the two of you can discuss what the goal should be and then align strategies. I suspect she just wants to make sure you're not rushing the process and risking the whole too tight again thing. Just know that you're doing great -- you're back on track and the scale is headed in the right direction!

I totally agree with TMF. I just saw my surgeon again -- a five-minute check-in and quick fill were all that is needed but I love it that he is there for me. On-demand. You definitely want a doctor you like and many surgeons are not cut out for the kind of after-care that a LB surgeon gives. I chose the band because I did not want anything more drastic. I like it that the band is reversible should that ever be necessary and especially that no part of my stomach has been cut out. For me, the band works great. The dimming of the appetite helps me make good choices. The weight loss is a little slower than it is with a Sleeve, etc., but to me the loss has been very healthy. Just about fifty pounds in six months. I did not anticipate the elation I feel -- the relief of having the appetite monster off of my back is really something. I was not unhappy before but I feel so much more joy and confidence now. Best wishes to you with whatever you decide. You are choosing yourself and your healthy future -- put yourself first and know that you deserve all good things. That is a very powerful thing.

Brant, this is terrific! So happy for you. What an accomplishment, especially in this period of time. I have plication-envy, lol. That scale is going down, down, down! So great that it's summer now, too -- for me this is a great time for being more active, etc. Best wishes to you!