Newbeginnings

HI all, I was going to Dr F but was referred to Umass to Dr Kelly because I had a large hiatal hernia. It is about 4 hrs to get there and he wanted to see me for a minimum of 6 mos before allowing me to go back to Dr F. It has now been almost a year and I am still going down there. I love my dr and although it has been kind of a disappointing year in weight loss, I don't have any problems getting an appointment and getting in on time. they have about 4 fill dr's there. I didnt think i had any restriction until a wk and a half ago. then Dr k gave me an upper gi and then a fill and now I think i finally hit the sweet spot. I have lost 5 lbs so far. My surgery was March 30 and I have had 5 fills. I had the realize band and it has about 10 cc's in it which is close to maximum. I usually do 2 miles on my treadmill every day and am trying not to eat the wrong stuff. the problem is the crap like chips and Cookies slide right thru and the Protein and good stuff get stuck sometimes. I still wouldnt have changed a thing and havent had any acid reflux since dr K fixed my hiatal hernia the same time he placed my band. good luck to you all on your journey. waiting for the surgery is only a part of it. then comes the waiting game to see when you will get restriction. believe me you will wonder if your band is working before you finally get restriction. Kathy

Hi All, I am glad I found this thread. I live in vt and was supposed to have surgery with Dr F but he referred me to MA to U-mass to a specialist because I had a hiatal hernia. I am supposed to be referred back to him in 6 mos and it almost time. Now after reading these posts, I'm not sure I want to. i have appointments every 6 wks and although its a pain to drive 3 hours they are great down there. I had my surgery on March 31 and have done great. I have a realize band and it holds around 10-11 cc of Fluid and so far i have 9 cc's in there, I have lost 35 lbs and wished i had lost more. This summer i have stayed the same which in itself is a miracle. I used to be the biggest yo-yo dieter there was. I have been taken totally off my diabetes meds, my blood pressure is great, i feel great, and have no regrets. I just started writing down what I eat and exercising every day and have lost 3 lbs this week. I know it was me not helping my band more than it was my band failing me. Leese, I live in washington, its great to know someone is right in barre. good luck to all you guys just starting out. I know its hard to decide to do elective surgery but its really not that bad. Newbeginnings

HI All, I am glad I found this post. I was banded in March with the realize band and lost 35 lbs right off. I went in last week for my 4th fill and the doctor told me that my band holds 11 cc's and I had 8.5 in there and he told me i was reaching the max for fills. He did end up giving me 1/2 cc so i guess i have 9cc's in there. I was sad because he said if this doesnt kick in soon i am going to have to look into other weight loss surgeries. On one hand, I am smaller than I have been able to get in years and happy about it. On the other hand, i thought i would have lost more weight and have more restriction. I guess they have never put this much fill in anyone. That makes me feel like a freak. I did get mad at the doctor and say" this is going to work. it already has, i am off my diabetes meds, my blood pressure is great, and I'm maintaining my weight within a couple of lbs, something i have never been able to do, so I know it is going to work" He is the new fill doctor and the surgeon who did my surgery is very supportive and tells me all the time it is going to work. I have to be honest and say i havent been exercising and measuring my food. I am going to start that today. I will never give up on becoming healthy. good luck to you all. I totally get the frustration because I have been there too. Newbeginnings

I took a plane ride to grand junction, co and it is a small airport with small planes. I took my seat, they only had 1 on 1 side and 2 on the other. I couldnt get the seat belt to fit and was too embarrassed to ask for an extender so i tucked it under my belly and pretended to be fastened in. I was so scared waiting for an alarm or something to go off saying "the fat lady in seat 5 doesnt have a seat belt on" Not to mention if there was turbulence and I had happended to fly out of my seat on top of someone. I survived and no alarms went off. I have not wanted to fly since but now after being banded on March 31, I am going to be ready to fly anywhere.

Hi Nicelee, I was banded on March 31 and after 2 wks, I felt like you do, that I could eat anything. I told my docter that I didnt even feel like I had a band. He said"thats because you havent gotton a fill. When you get a fill, then we will put the hurt on you" he has a sense of humor. I was scared thinking my band wasnt going to work. I had my first fill on May 8 and still don't have much restriction. I am hoping the one on June 12 will be the one to make the difference. I have heard it sometimes takes 3-4 fills to get good restriction. I know I eat less than before the band and I think they fill you slowly so it isnt such a big change all at once so I am trying to be patient and do this in small steps. I know exactly how you feel because I felt the same way. I wanted to feel full with hardly any food like I did on the liquid diet the first 2 wks. I know I will get there again. Good luck and hang in there. It seems like you are doing great with the walking and all Newbeginnings

HI Andrea, I wanted to tell you to click on my tickerfactory.com where my dragonfly is, make your own ticker, then copy it and go to my account, then edit signature, and paste it there, you can also copy and paste the shrinking shamrock as well. hope this helps. Newbeginnings

HI shrinking shamrocks, congrats on all the great weight loss. I was banded on March 31 and lost 10 lbs in 2 wks on the liquid diet. Since then, nothing but getting a fill on May 8. Our new life begins..... Newbeginnings

HI clover, I was banded on 3/31 and it really wasnt that bad. The worst part was the 2 wks liquid diet. I hated that but did lose 10 lbs in 2 wks. I woke up feeling sick and having alot of shoulder pain but they gave me something and the sick feeling went away. I too struggled with backing out. I think we all have at some point. I kept thinking of how many times I had tried to lose and lost and gained it back. I knew I didnt want to keep doing that and waste another 10 yrs of my life. I had also gone thru way too much to get there to back out. I slept like a baby the night before my surgery and got up and drove myself the 4 hrs to get there and never had a 2 thought on wheither i was doing the right thing. I stayed 1 night and was hooked up to a morphine pump so I didnt feel much pain. the next day i was driven the 4 hrs back and my stomach felt like i had done about 1,000 situps so it wasnt as bad as I thought it would be. I really don't have any restriction now as I have yet to be filled but i think they fill you slowly so you can get used to the new way of eating. Good luck to you and think about how far you have come and where you want to be in the next couple of years. I knew this wasnt a magic pill but I figured it would help balance out the playing field. newbeginnings

Hi everyone, a good friend of mine pointed out this thread and I have to tell. I was banded on 3/31 and had 2 wks of liquids. I was perfect until the end and then thought "it has to be liquid huh" and I melted some cheddar cheese and ate it. It was so good. then i was scared and told my sister. she said" i would have melted some chocolate in the microwave and eaten that instead" Boy what was i thinking. cheese????? New beginnings

Hey no fair, some of you guys get to eat cottage cheese and yogurt. I usually don't care much for that stuff but now I cant wait to eat it. I was bad yesterday and sucked on an orange. I didnt eat any of the pulp or anything but man oh man did it taste good. I have already pulled off all of my steri strips. They were bugging me. I think the port is under the longer straight incision if i had to guess. I haven't been able to feel it yet LOL but maybe by May 8, my first fill, i will have. I just think its there because of all the great people on here said it hurts the worst and the longest where the port is. I might go back to work next week. I am getting kind of bored hanging around and i think it will help keep my mind off food. Is anyone nervous about eating real food or getting their first fill? I am. I'm afraid that i will eat my food too quick after going without so long and get it stuck Newbeginnings

HI Artypants, I had my lap band on march 31 and am doing great. the worst part is when you first wake up. I was kind of sick but they gave me something and it went right away. then you will be really thirsty. It really isnt that bad. i am almost all healed up. the worst part if not being able to sleep on my tummy yet. oh and doing the liquid diet. take that puppy one day at a time. i am counting down the days until i can do blenderized. Its hard to believe i didnt think i could eat that stuff and now 8 days in i cant wait. I have already lost 9 lbs and another girl that had surgery on the same day has lost 16. This is awesome and the best part is your not hungry. My stomach was growling when i went in from not eating from the day before. I havent felt that way or heard growling since. Alot of girgling going on in there but nothing like hunger pains. Good luck tomorrow. Let us know how you are doing. Newbeginnings

Hi all, Its cool all of us on here. wow mom, great weight loss. I have lost 6 lbs and thought that was great. roster, i know what you mean about the belly thing. i think its the gas that does that. You are tough to go back to work so soon. My dr wants me out 2 wks-1 month. hey who am i to argue? LOL Luckily i work for the government and have alot of time saved up. How was your first day back to work roster? do you think we should go back on a monday where we will have to go 5 days or start with a partial wk. what do you do for a living? My cuts are all healed up and hardly hurt except below the big long one. I would assume this is where my port is. I cant wait until i can sleep on my belly again. Has anyone been able to do this? What are you all eating? Sorry your hungry roster, i havent really had that problem. My big thing is cooking for my family and having to drink sf carnation instant breakfast. man i will never drink that stuff again. I like my Soups in hand but am getting sick of tomato which i think is the only one that doesnt have stuff in it. I have been eating sf popcycles but like the idea of the fruit bars above. My family says i havent been as bad as they thought i would be. I even went grocery shopping for them. 7 more days guys and we start the mushies. Yahoo Newbeginnings

wow you look awesome. who is your dr? I just got banded and think i will need a tummy tuck too. Newbeginnings

Hi all March 31 new lapbandsters, I had my surgery at 1:30 pm on the 31, stayed one night and got home tues at 7 pm. I am doing great. How are you all doing? Does anyone think this is easier than they thought it would be? the hardest part for me is cooking supper and watching my family eat it when I am sipping on a s.f carnation Breakfast shake. I know this too will pass. I have lost 3 lbs so far. How about you guys? I was up 2 when I came home, probably because of the iv fluids so if i count that its actually 5. I had wicked right shoulder pain when I first woke up. did any of you get that? I am so glad to have it over and ready for this new life. things are looking up. I am eating about 800-1100 calories a day. How much are you guys eating? I did do 1 mile on my treadmill this am and felt alot better after. My tummy feels like i did 1,000 situps. How would you describe it? Hope you all are doing great. You can send me a private message if you want. Newbeginnings

HI Mike, I was just banded this last monday and am doing great. I too had a ton of people against me getting the band. I finally learned to pick and choose who i told. My husband was against it too but like your wife came around and said he would support me in whatever i decided. I was so nervous until the night before my surgery. Then I was calm and determined to do this. People leave you alone after they see you are really going to do it no matter what. I had one person say they didnt think i should do it, then after my surgery I heard them say"if Kathy comes out good from this I might have it done" go figure. My parents were really against it but I figure they love me and were just scared of something new and surgery. You do whats in your heart. you know what you want and go get it. I know its scary to think of surgery and changing your whole way of eating but thinking about having diabetes and having a stroke isn't too much fun either. I have already lost 3 lbs in 5 days. thats more than i could do in a month without the band and the best part of it is I'M NOT HUNGRY. thats the best. I finally feel like I am in control for once. Hang in there dont let people's ignorance keep you from doing what you feel is right Newbeginnings

I took my dad to lunch for his birthday and as we were leaving he said" you wont be able to eat like that again when you get that strap on your belly. " I said " thats the point dad" Or this one before i got banded. my mom said her boss said i shouldn't get the surgery" Right after my surgery i called my mom and she said her boss said if i come our good she might get wls. Whats with people. Like we dont second guess ourselves enough wondering if this is the right thing to do without people trying to scare the crap out of us. Newbeginnings

Hi Cj, I was just banded 3 days ago and feel great. It is very odd to eat like 800 calories and not be hungry. when i went in I told the surgeon "my stomach has been in charge for 42 years now it's my turn" I was so nervous wondering if i was doing the right thing and then thought" i have never managed to lose weight and keep it off" and even if i did there is only like 5% chance of not gaining it back. so i decided to improve my odds. It wasnt that bad the worst part is when you first wake up. I felt sick to my stomach and had very bad right shoulder pain. i was hooked up to a morphone pump and then life was good. haha. I am walking around doing housework 3 days post op and other than feeling kind of week and my tummy itching like crazy i feel great. I keep telling myself that this is what i wanted for so long. I cooked supper last night for my dh and it was very hard not to pop something into my mouth but i went in the livingroom and drank my milk shake. Take it one day at a time. Its doo able. New beginnings. I finally got mine

Hi everyone, i had to stay one night and got home last night around 7 pm. it was a long 3 hr drive home but I was so glad to be home. I am a little sore but doing great. when i first woke up i had wicked pain in my right shoulder but thats gone away now. I am drinking and taking meds fine. I did take a little nap today but am feeling better every day. good luck to you all and a speedy recovery. newbeginnings

Hi all, I know there were quite a few of us getting banded tomorrow. i want to wish you all good luck and a speedy recovery to our new journey. I havent been that nervous today. I am so ready. I cant believe it is finally happening. I have to stay one night so will post again as soon as i can. Let me know how you all are doing. I will be thinking of all of us shrinking shamrocks. Our new life begins tomorrow. :cursing: Newbeginnings

Hi Hiedismiles, I too am having surgery on the 31. Dont be so hard on yourself. so what you cheated. I dont even have to be on a liquid diet until the day before my surgery. Wow 12 lbs in 7 days. I would say the dr would be proud of you for that. I havent lost any but knew i wouldnt . I am just trying to be good and not eat everything in sight because I know I probably wont be able to eat some things after monday. I am nervous but excited and keep saying to myself "this is what i have wanted and waited for for over a year" So try to behave yourself today, tomorrow and sunday and dont even say anything. Your liver has been starved down in 10 days. they just dont want you to eat a huge meal the day before your surgery. good luck and keep me posted. maybe we can check up on each other when we get back. Newbeginnings

Hi tjveggie, I'm not sure what I am going to do but would like to go out on sat night. I was thinking of chinese though. I am on liquid diet on sunday also then off to Ma on monday morning for the long 4 hr drive. I hope i am not first thing in the morning or we might stay overnight down there. they will let us know on friday what time mine is. good luck to you and all the others going for monday the 31. We are on the way to a new happier heathier life. good things are going to happen for us. newbeginnings

Hi Tjveggie, Yes its hard to believe its only 1 wk away now. DO you know what time you are being operated on? I find out this friday. I went for my bloodwork and chest xray last fri. I guess its down to the wire now. I am getting pretty nervous and people keep asking me if i"m really going thru with it. Hello this is what i have wanted for almost 2 yrs. Everyone keeps saying i'm not going to like it. I look at it like its time for a change and i'm going to give it my best shot. I want to be one of these people on here that say I love my band and the only regret is i didnt do it sooner. How are you handling the nerves. Newbeginnings

Hi all, I figured out how to do the ticker thing. You go to Trying To Conceive Ticker and then click on track weight then you can pick whatever ticker you want then click on next and pick the slider thing, after you get it all done right click, copy and then go to your account, click on edit signature, right click paste and then click on save signature. I hope you can understand my directions, I'm not too computer literate. Kathy new beginnings

HI all, I am so glad my dr does not require a liquid 10 day diet but I have to do 10 days after so don't hate me yet. Can u believe it only 21 days from tomorrow. I want to lose 90-100 lbs but anything under 200 will do. I just want to be under 200 so if i gain a few lbs i wont ever go over 200 again. Let me know if you figure out how to do the ticker. I had one but now I fiddled with it and now have the shrinking shamrocks namedown and lost my ticker. Mom22b I see you are having yours done at Boston. I am at uMass in worcester. I have dr Kelly. He is supposed to be very good. How big is your hiatal hernia. i have to have mine fixed too. Kathy Newbeginnings.

Hi all, Wow that is great that we all are having our banding done the same day. We will have to keep in contact and see how we are doing and keep each other sane before the surgery. Are you guys scared? I'm not scared of the surgery just worried about the after. The unknown. We all need to lean on each other and get thru this. I was thinking it was never going to happen. I was all set after going through all the tests, and losing 5% of weight, and sleep apnea and everthing else they do when they found out i have a hiatel hernia so instead of getting my surgery last nov i had to get referred to a specialist but it was so worth it even if i have to drive 200 miles one way. I have to stay overnight one night because he is fixing my hernia the same day and i have so far to travel. where are you all from and do you have to stay overnight? I just counted the days, 23 . YIKES. that isnt much time . what have you done to get ready for this. I have to get my list and buy all the stuff i am going to need after just in case. good luck to us all and keep in touch. Kathy (newbeginnings)