ssankofa73

Hummingbird, You're right on the money with that one. When you get the proper restriction you need (and everyone's body is different) that's when the chain reaction begins.

Jenna, I forgot to ask you....How is the weight loss going this far out from the revision?

Thank you so much for your response. I know its been a while but I had another surgery plus other family illnesses that got in the way. I'm trying hard to get back on track. I'm going to look up Dr. Buchin.

Thanks Dotty! I made it through day 2 with only a little slip up. By the end of the night I was famished so I opened a can of sardines that I bought for day 3 and ate 1 sardine with 2 olives. Not too bad. I didn't totally go off the deep end. I lost 3.5lbs in 2 days!! Its probably Water weight but it sure feels good! This morning I had a bottle of water, went for a 20 minute walk with my dog and I'm about to make a Protein pineapple smoothie using whey protein, almond milk, frozen pineapple chunks, sugar free ice cream, crushed ice and benefiber. How did you hold up yesterday?

I wish my doctor and his PAs had told me about the signs that I had hit my elusive "sweet spot." I only found out about these signs a few months ago and realize now that I pay attention to see if they happen that they've been there all along for at least the past year. In a way, I feel duped.

Three weeks of only liquids has got to be very hard. I'm on day 2 of the 5 day pouch test and I'm struggling through it. While going through the liquid phase see if you can come up with some soup recipes or higher quality canned soups. I've been living on the Progresso and Chunky Campell's soups for these 2 days. Add fat free cottage cheese and benefiber to them to help out with the protein and to keep the food moving through your intestines. You can find recipes on this website. Make the soups for your family a few times a week so that you won't be as tempted. Let me know how you do. Good luck. I'm rooting for you.

Thats a great way to look at it notturningback11

I'm in Long Island (about 15 minutes outside of the 5 boroughs), single and been banded for 4 years this month. Question.....Have you ever told someone you were dating that you have a LapBand? If so, How long did you wait to tell them and what was their reaction? (This might need to be its own thread).

Dating in your 30's can be tough. I only had the nerve to ask a guy out once (back in my 20's) and got shot down too. I never did that again because the rejection was too painful for me. I don't know how men do it. I've done online dating, meeting guys in volunteer organizations at parties, BBQs and at clubs. I don't date a lot but being social around men is good practice too. I've met some great people and some not so great people and many times have felt like giving up but the fact is this......even when I don't feel like putting myself out there, I still do it so I can at least have the opportunity to meet men. Here's some advice. Give yourself a few weeks to lick your wounds, heal up and get back out there. Smile or make eye contact with every guy you meet, including the cute guy on this thread who asked you for your picture. It may lead to more and even if it doesn't, it will be good practice for you. I'm about to take my own advice. Hi NYsLegend78! ! You were probably good looking before the band. Don't kid yourself. You are gorgeous.

Oh good. I'm glad you're able to power through it. I'm working my way through day 2. I had a bowl of Trader Joe's Creamy corn and roasted pepper soup with crushed tomatoes and fat free cottage cheese (for protein) mixed into it around 4 but I got hungry (most likely head hungry) about 15 minutes ago but didn't head for the fridge. I'm about to down some water to stave off the hunger. The support from this website helps so much.

I think my pouch is most likely dilated right now because I've gained weight and I can eat tons of food. The liquid and mushies stages for the next 2 weeks will probably help your upper pouch to reduce its size and decrease its flexibility so that it won't be so easy for it to stretch out during each swallow. I'm doing the 5 day pouch test to see if it helps any. I'm 1/2 way through day 2 and I can already feel a tiny difference in my satiety level. You're Dr's plan sounds like a winner but it will be tough on you if your like to chew like I do. Yesterday was the worst for me but today I'm not missing chewing. Good luck!

I had the surgery in 2007 and still haven't gotten anywhere near my goal. I started gaining an embarrassing amount of weight back that I'm not candid enough to discuss here. Bob, you are a brave soul! I'm with you and everyone else on using the 5 Day Pouch Test and I'm on Day 2, feeling upbeat and hoping for some good results ( already lost at least 1.5lbs in 1 day..its probably water weight but so what! lol). This thread is super supportive. I hope to read good news from Banded Bob and everyone else.

Hi Kiely, I'm glad to see that you're doing better. A lot of what your RN listed for you to eat is included in the 5 Day Pouch Test. I'm on Day 2 of the the pouch test and it seems pretty good.

Jenna, Who implanted your lapband? Does DR. Buchin take other patients who were implanted by different dr's or were you the exception? Everyone, My revision was pushed back due to unrelated complications. Now I'm thinking that I should go to a different DR for my revision.

If you contact the Dr. at NYU within a couple of days let me know how it goes. I'm getting nervous about my revision and wondering if I need a 2nd opinion.

I too, like to understand things from a scientific point of view when it comes to my body so I question my Dr's staff regularly. One of the PA's in my Dr's office told me that there are rugae on the inside lining of the stomach that help us to digest food. The rugae has lots of folds and bumps that connect via sensory neurons to the pituitary gland and when they are stimulated by the food that we eat the pituitary glad releases hormones that tell the hypothalamus that we have eaten so the body can begin to do its job of using stored energy (fat), carbs, nutrients, etc. When we drink liquids, the rugae doesn't get stimulated enough to start the message sending process to the pituitary gland and other parts of the brain. Liquids pass by the rugae too quickly and have very little viscosity so it doesn't rub up against them enough to start that chain reaction. When you eat solids that have been chewed up and mixed with saliva it forms a thick and heavy bolus. The bolus has the viscosity needed to press against that rugae long enough to start sending messages of satiety to parts of the brain. It takes the average person about 20 minutes for the entire chain reaction process to occur but only takes a minute or so for it to get started by the rugae in your stomach. Please let me know of this explanation helps anyone. Reading the original article (which is lapband gold) and typing out this info helped to remind me of why the lapband AND paying attention to my body's signals are of the utmost importance.

Now that's an employer that TRULY cares!

Dr. Geiss' staff are nice but VERY conservative when it comes to giving fills. The best ones to to go are Mariam and the youngish PA with long brown hair and glasses. They actually listen to you. I had to be firm with the the others and tell them I knew how my body felt and that 4cc was not enough for me. I finally had to set an appointment with Dr. Geiss himself in order to get clarity on my situation. I'm getting my old 4cc band removed and having it replaced with a 10cc band to get more restriction. 3cc in a 10cc band will give a little restriction the 1st few months after surgery but you have to step it up in order to continue the weight loss. My friends told me that they felt good restriction around 7cc into the fills.

Fedz, We need to talk ASAP!! You and I almost have the same exact story!! Dr. Geiss banded me in July 2007 and I have lost 56 lbs. He implanted the 4cc band at that time. That 56 lb weight loss came with exercise, weight watchers, weight gain and loss, etc. I'm not going to give up so I decided to have a revision done in November because my band is maxxed out to 4cc. I got fill after the fill with some restriction but I never got that "sweet spot" feeling that many banders talk about. There's no room for anymore fills with my current band. We REALLY need to talk. I want to give you my phone number.

emcdougall, How fast you go back to work really all depends on how you feel but remember its surgery that cuts holes through your muscles to get to your internal organs. You may need some time to rest up. Good luck to you.

Hi guys! Future Fab, I'm having a band revision on the 11th! Good luck to the both of us...and to everyone else as well. Tonkabelle, I would say to you, hey don't worry about the "what ifs" but I know that's easier said than done. I'm worried about it myself and I already know what to expect. Due to the fact that you told us that you are bipolar, one piece of advice I can give is that you should do this with the help of counseling/therapy. Don't try this without it because even though naturally thin people think this is a quick fix....it's not. The band is only a piece of the puzzle. There's head hunger, emotional eating, that "food tastes so good I just want another bite even though I'm full" eating and other stuff too. I've been there but its not a bad place to be because when you get support from your DR., his staff, people you trust or those who are anonymous, like your new friends on LBT.com, you are surprisingly in good hands. Just be weary of the folks on here who act like they are "bandier than thou" (the ones who lost all the weight & think they are experts at it all).

That curry chicken with apricots dish sounds GOOD! Recipe please!! I drank a cup of tea 15 - 20 minutes before din din then I had 2 ribs and a 1/4 of a slice of cake (maybe 2 square inches big, no icing).

The liquid diet phase is amazing when you are able to follow through with it. To prepared for surgery I lost 10 lbs in 10 days on the liquid phase. What makes it livable is knowing that its short term and preparing you for the best choice may have ever made in your life.

Dr. Geiss did my original surgery with a 4 cc band and will be doing my revision with a 10cc band. I'm hoping for stellar results this time around.

Its sad to know that it only takes 1 person to hijack a thread..... On a more positive note.... I plan on having a band revision to change from a 4cc band to a 10cc band. Has anyone had any knowledge or experience with this?