kacee

The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. If it hasn't worked by now...it's not gonna. Period.

Just hit my mini-goal of 175 for my California trip in 2 weeks. I am STOKED! I've just bought a bunch of new clothes, had my hair done, my nails are all grown out and polished beautifully. I think one of the biggest kicks I get is when I see someone I haven't seen for over 5 months and I watch their jaw drop. My whole DAY can revolve around that look!!!! And you know what else? It just goes to show that everything is RELATIVE. Thirty years ago I would have been APPALLED if I was sitting at 175....I would have been in the depths of depair and probably crawl under a ROCK somewhere! I actually stand in front of the mirror NAKED now! And literally for the first time in my LIFE I'm going "NOT BAD OLD GIRL!!!" How you feel about yourself is 100% how you feel about life. People tell me I am BUBBLEY!!! Happy camper doesn't BEGIN to describe my attitude!!!!

Lawanda...your band is not even working yet. You may or may not be getting some residual restriction just from the band itself, but I know before my first fill I had a voracious appetite. Your first fill should be about 30 days after surgery (some doctors wait a little longer but I think 30 days is typical). I think they are conservative on the first fill. Most people don't notice much of a change. I noticed NOTHING. I went back shortly after and they did it again and I got a LITTLE restriction, but nothing to write home about. That being said, it WAS restriction and it DID cause me to alter my eating habits a little. I wonder now if they just kindof slide you slowly into restriction so you can get accustomed to the feel and how your body reacts. I think if I had started out with the restriction I have now, I may have been in a world of hurt with the learning curve. This way, you kindof slowly ease into the restriction and it's not such a shock to your system.

My 4th fill two weeks ago was PERFECT!!!! They gave me just a skosh and it was magic. I wish I could bottle and sell this feeling. However, BECAUSE I am now at the optimum restriction, I am actively losing again, so that means this will start to slowly loosen (damned if you do, damned if you don't!). I hope it lasts more than a month and a half this time, but I finally know what a GOOD restriction is, what it feels like and what to expect. Before, I was just kindof feeling my way along....

Boo Boo, I think you are a classic case of "Results Not Typical". And no, they are probably NOT used to seeing such a success story as you. He should be thrilled because you are a classic advertisement for the band!!! He should be applauding you and showing you around to his prospective patients! Some people just don't know a good thing when they see it!

Yep....if you are flouro'd and the barium goes through easily, there's not much room for arguement. When it happened to me they all just shrugged and filled me up!

Also, as you lose, that restriction is going to ease up as the fat pad diminishes around your stomach. I am EXACTLY at my sweet spot now, but I've also lost about 3-4 pounds since that fill and I don't anticipate it will last more than a month, since I am actively losing.

I got a Tribest personal blender (check this link... Personal Blender 200 - Excellent Kitchen Blender! ). I love it. I also like the fact that you can buy each piece separately...including the motor housing...so you don't have to buy a whole new "set" if the thing goes out on you down the road. I've had mine for four months, use it daily and LOVE it.

I crushed for about the first 30 days. Then I broke them in half for a little while. I am four months out and have been taking my meds (actually several at a time for the smaller ones) whole for two months. Not a problem for me at all.

I think also has a lot to do with the temperature of the liquids you are trying to get down. I have herd from a LOT of people that drinking something cold can really be difficult on you. Warmth relaxes the tissues. Then it makes sense that if I get up first thing in the morning (when I am ususally tighter) and drink something COLD, it may feel like it doesn't want to go down....

And you are how old? Well, I've been checked and have zero blockage after 45 years of bodily abuse. A lot of it is diet (cholesterol, etc.) and some is genetics. I really wouldn't worry about it. Your doctor is just being cautious.

If you have any negotiating skills, I think I would definitely approach the surgeon for a LARGE DISCOUNT on the next procedure.

If you have the money, there are also Life Coaches who specialize in post bariatric surgery lifestyle changes.

You can do that....or you can probably find a few support groups in your area. A lot of the surgeons have organized their own support groups that meet regularly. The thing is, with a support group you are going to find that you are not alone with your questions....MANY lapbanders are emotional eaters and going through the same thing. Like Alcoholics Anonymous, sometimes it is just what you need to be with people who are walking or have walked in your shoes.

Can you eat while you are at work? If so, maybe you should try to eat something about an hour before you get off. This is a typical problem with people who work first shift too......going home about 5 pm and grazing. I have a co-worker with the same problem and she is now trying to eat a mini-meal about 4pm.

You will probably feel nothing from the first fill...most people seem not to. Some folks start feeling it after the second fill. I just got my 4th and when I got my 3rd I felt "really close" but it disappeared when I lost another 10 pounds and I went back in for the 4th. I am now "just perfect". I wish it would stay, but I know as I lose it will loosen again. As you lose the weight, the fat pad around your stomach shrinks and the band gets looser. Initially, it is a little trial and error. Some people have a delayed reaction a few weeks after their fill and it gets tighter THEN. Mine seems pretty stable. The thing is not to expect too much from the first two fills and you won't be disappointed. I hit my sweet spot at 3.5 months post surgery.

When I got my 4th fill 2 weeks ago, the nurse said I should feel liquids hesitate a nano-second before going down. I'm not sure why you can feel the liquids hesitating more than solids, but I can. I am finally at my optimum spot. It feels wonderful!

Nope. My genitals aren't much of a brain bucket for me (however, now that I think of it...logistically speaking they'd probably fit women's a little better than men's) I keep my brain lovingly nestled in my purse by my side. I take it out when I get home from work and place it in a jar by my bed where it lays in sweet repose until sunrise.......

So, my questions to all of you are: 1. Do you regret having the surgery? Not in the slightest! 2. Have you had any complications because of the LB? Nope. None. 3. Is there anything physically you can't do anymore because of the LB? Stuff my face with a cheeseburger and french fries in 3 minutes flat.... 4. What foods and drinks are off limits now or can you not handle because of the LB? No drinks. Have even had carbonated drinks without any problem. As far as foods...I steer clear from breads right now because I have a GREAT restriction, but before this I COULD eat bread. Nothing is off limits if you can successfully get it down. 5. Have you had any negative side effects? Yes. Horrible side effects....my checkbook is smoking and my bank account is depleted from all the new clothes I have purchase in the last three weeks after dropping 40+ pounds! :biggrin1:

I went through the same thing about the fill two weeks ago with my surgeon. He walked in, saw how much I lad lost since the previous fill and said he wanted me x-rayed (flouro) because he didn't think I needed a fill, I had lost so much. I told him I DID need a fill and he said "You either do not need a fill, or you are very very good!" and I said "I am very very good!" and he said "We'll see..." Well, the barium went right through me and the nurse said, "Oh yes, she definitely needs a fill!" and I looked at him and said "I told you so!"

Thank heavens I was a self-pay. I've dealth with insurance companies enough to know that this was going to be a potential nightmare, and bottom line they probably would not approve me anyway.

I wouldn't sweat the stress test. A lot of folks have to have one. I didn't, but only because I had already had one about a month before I decided on the lapband. And the sweating....uh, I haven't met many overweight people who DON'T sweat up a storm.

Maybe it's just me, but 1500 calories sounds like a huge amount. I cannot go over 1000-1100 MAX without my loss stopping completely. I'd give it about 3 weeks and then go back for another fill. I didn't get decent restriction until my 4th fill. Uh...how many lapbands has this doctor done? I agree about going to another doctor for a fill, if there is any way to do it.

Where the heck are these surgeons PUTTING your ports? I thought the idea was to have them up towards the surface and accessible. I think I would be getting a little ticked at my surgeon about this. It was HIS job to place the port in an accessible area. If he could NOT do that he should NOT have done the procedure. I personnaly would have a bone to pick with the doctor who did the procedure. BIG TIME. I don't think I would let them blame it on "how you are built". That's like a mechanic saying he can't put decent tires on a car because it's a "Ford...Chevy...whatever". It makes ZERO sense.

Walking, Heating Pad, Gas-X (regularly), Pain meds. Do it all. This too shall pass. I had virtually ZERO discomfort from the surgery site. ALL my discomfort was from the gas. I think it was pretty much gone in about 2 weeks. Welcome to bandland! You're gonna LOVE it!