herghost

Oh yea, very well put. And every day is a new day. I agree that going to the dr. fill or no fill, is beneficial and also helps to keep me on track. I find that there are times I'll be contemplating eating something and knowing I have to go to the dr. will ask, do I really need this? Then I reward myself with a pat on the back for getting past that moment. Hang in there! It is well worth it, no matter how slow! Sue Stenzel

My story is similar to Heather's. I'm 11 months out and have struggled periodically and then get back on track. You know, it took a long time to put the weight on, it's not gonna disappear overnight (darn!). Head hunger is a whole different ballgame than physical hunger. I told my Dr. at the last appt that I think he banded the wrong organ, whould have put it on my head! You're probably not doing it "wrong" just learning a "new" way of living. That's what this is all about. It is a journey and not a quick fix. The posts here have given me many ideas and I'm glad that others are struggling like me. You can do this! Sue Stenzel

Hi I too worried about the long term consequences. I work in a nursing home and we struggle daily with the elders losing weight and not eating. I wondered what would happen to me if I ended up in that situation. But then I thought, geez, I'm young (53 yrs old), and creating so much risk of health problems more serious than eating, that I decided to go ahead with it. I'm 11 months out, have struggled but doing ok. I've had no problems requiring invasive anything. I do have the sliming, and throwing up at times, but so far, so good. I am walking better, am off my diabetic meds, almost off my blood pressure meds, am more active, more likely to go out and participate in a physical activity. My clothes fit better. For me, the benefit was much greater than the risk. That is a personal decision for all of us. When I'm older, and need to put on the weight, I want everything chocolate! :wink2: Good luck to you! Sue Stenzel

HI Hang in there, it's easier than you think. The Dr. will determine the amount of fill you need based on a lot of factors. I have a 14cc band and my first fill was 2cc. What was wierd is that I didn't feel the restriction until about 2-3 weeks later. The fills after that were the same. I'm 11 months out and haven't had a fill for about 4 months. It took about 6 months to get to the sweet spot. But it was also a learning experience the whole way along, and still is. I have had the band overfilled. The Water the Dr. had me drink after the fill took about 5 minutes to go down, it should go down right away. Fortunately, they wouldn't let me leave the office until Dr. took some of the Fluid back out. That was my last fill. I am losing again, and can tell that I'll probably need a fill in about another month or so. Someone posted once about "our fickle band". That is the truth! Sometimes I fell full right away and sometimes not, on the same food. So, you are now embarking on the next part of the journey, learning your new pouch and recognizing the band "talking" to you. good luck! Sue Stenzel

I like the attitude of adjusting thinking along with eating habits. That was a nice response to Brenda. Brenda, I don't know if what you're experiencing is normal or not, but I'm right there with you. I go for a fill today and am lookng forward to more restriction. I can eat 6 ounces of steak, a baked potato and about a cup of salad before I feel full. I will say that I have noticed lately that I feel full sooner and longer when I eat protein first. I was straying off track and eating carbs sooner in the meal than I have been lately. I'm liking the change that I am fuller sooner. And all I'm doing is eating better quality protein (like chicken, cottage cheese, steak (on occasion), deli meats, etc). I don't get the feeling as much with scrambled eggs. Hang in there Brenda, it's a process we're going through. If it was a miracle, we'd all be ecstatically happy, wouldn't we! Sue Stenel

Wow! I can relate to what you all are saying about eating and wanting more. I am finding that within the last week, I am doing more PBing and belching. If I wait a bit, I can go back to my meal and finish it. I've gotten away from focusing on low carbs, and can tell the difference. I eat carbs, and I am looking for food constantly. I did very well the first 2 months after I was banded (8/30/07). Then after my first fill, I ate like there was no tomorrow and gained 10 pounds. Now with my 2nd fill, I'm noticing changes more this last week than I did previously. Can't eat as much, some foods get stuck when previously they didn't. I'm due for a fill next week, and am looking forward to it. I have a 14cc band with only 3.5 cc in now. I wish he'd just put in about 5cc and get it over with. Thanks for the insight from you all, you rock! Sue Stenzel

Hi One of the instructions my doctor gave me before surgery is crush pills for life, or convert pills to liquid. It probably won't resolve the issue you're dealing with right now, but maybe it will make it a little easier to crush your meds until this latest issue subsides. After a fill, my doctor recommends mushies for a day and then cautiously resume solids. I think with a fill, especially when you're close to your sweet spot, there could be the potential for some swelling and it needs to go down. Hope this is the case for you. Sue Stenzel

You know, the band is not a magic thing that all of a sudden the lifelong issues we've struggled with will go away. I wish. ONe of the things I decided when banded was not to be a slave to the scale. When I was in weight watchers, if I had gained weight or didn't follow the diet, I would skip the meeting or not eat the day before. How dumb! I realized that skinny people have the same issues we do, they overeat sometimes and have to watch it after that. So, I only weigh in when I go to the dr. office. I celebrate wearing clothes I couldn't wear before. If I get off track (and last month I not only got off track, I derailed in a big way), then look to today as a new day. I guess I want to let you know Denise, that we all struggle with food issues and will continue to struggle with these issues. That's why we ended up getting banded, we needed a tool to stay with us (can't skip weighing in with the Band, it's ALWAYS there!). Hang in there girl! You have lots of good company! Sue Stenzel

Thanks for the info. That makes a lot of sense. Puts my mind at ease. I just looked at your before and after pictures, AWESOME! Way to go!

way to go! Awesome committment and that you followed through! Some days, that is very difficult but, one day at a time, eh? I've heard others talk about the walk thing, that it's hard in the beginning but after a while, you HAVE to. Interesting discussion on the artificial sweetners. I'll work on that. I did better yesterday, stuck to 3 meals and only protein snacks. So, that's a step in the right direction. Sue Stenzel

I don't think hubby is trying to sabotage me, just doesn't think about it. I told him what my issue was (can't resist high carb foods) and told him I couldn't have it in the house. So we'll see how things go. I like Blue Bunny creamsicle and the raspberry bars. But I do have trouble leaving them alone and eat 3 or 4 at a time. So....the popsicles are a better choice for me also. I heard it takes 3 months to learn a new habit! Would that include learning not to eat sweets? Everybody, thanks for the encouragement. Sue Stenzel

the discussion of refined sugars speaks to me. I havent' been doing well and only have 2 fills completed, haven't reached the "sweet spot". I find that once I eat high sugar food, I want more, more, more. And, I can't control it, if it's in the house, I want to eat it. Had a discussion with hubby this week, do not bring that kind of food in the house, can't resist it. Didn't help, came home with pie within a couple of hours :-( Sue

Creatinine isn't a measure of something in your blood or urine, it is a measure of kidney function. Sometimes medication can make this go high or a number of other factors. Having a high creatinine does NOT mean you have to go on dialysis, that is a last resort. Sometimes dialysis is done but is temporary untiol the causing problem is fixed. It means there is something going on that needs to be evaluated. Hang in there and I hope that all goes well for you. Sue Stenzel

I got a fill on Monday, my first fill was 1.5cc. Dr. aspirated .2cc and said there was air in the system. He then injected 2cc. I do feel more restriction than before, but still able to eat quite a bit of food. Just not sure what is going on with this fill. My band is the 14cc band. Sue Stenzel

Glad to see the conversation about fills. I had my first fill over a week ago, and for about 2 days, I could feel some restriction, and then back to eating without any restriction. I have a 14cc band and he put in 1 1/2 cc the first time. Does anyone do anything like pouch loading? Drinking 8oz of fluid before eating, then eating your meal and not drinking fluids for 1 hour afterwards. Do you notice if that has any help prior to getting to the "sweet spot?" Sue Stenzel