ABLOND

I have had 4 fills over the past 5 months and now I'm too tight - and honestly each day is different for me. In hindsight I wish that I would have just spent some more time on my 3rd fill to understand life in the day with the lapband in the green zone - b/c I almost believe that I was there and then I went in for a 4th and I'm in agony now headed to docs this morning for an unfil with hopes that I'll get back to my 3rd fill self... so I hope that this rambling doesn't confuse you more - but honestly it's a personal thing this "green zone" - but if you can eat 1/2-1 cup of food and stay satisfied for 3-4 hours I think that you are close.
WARNING - you don't want to get over filled - take it from someone who is learning the horrible hard way oh - and not that this matters too much b/c we're all different but I have 8 ccs in my band presently and will likely go down to 7.5

2muchfun, thanks for the satiety signals...nice to know what to look for....I need to work on the "I'm not hungry, but darn that was good and I'm gonna eat 2 more (ok maybe 3) bites...I know that's a learning/changing habit that I need to work on.....

Some bread I can eat, like toast, but give me a biscuit and I think I'm gonna die when it gets stuck...cause it always does..lol Rice, yelp gets stuck too....I've never thrown any of it back up, but it has me walking the floor with me rubbing my hurting chest wishing I hadn't eaten that bite... I'm at 5.5cc and I was expecting more...I just got another CC on Wednesday..I can tell a slight difference, but still expected more. Oh well maybe next fill

2muchfun, thanks for the satiety signals...nice to know what to look for....I need to work on the "I'm not hungry, but darn that was good and I'm gonna eat 2 more (ok maybe 3) bites...I know that's a learning/changing habit that I need to work on.....

This sounds like so many of my past stuck episodes. I still have one like yours every 3 months or so but after all this time(2.5 years) I've learned to slow down but still make a mistake now and then. Now I can feel one of these coming on after a couple of bites and just stop. And, like you, it takes a couple of minutes for the food to work it's way through.
I've never found that my stoma swelled up after one of these stuck episodes and I usually try to drink ice cold Water to avoid any inflammation.
No need to be scared, just be careful and try to avoid distractions in the future. But, it'll probably happen again, only next time, you'll know how to handle it. Oh yeah, don't do this at a restaurant. Folks will assume you're having a stroke or heart attack

I can eat bread. I have to be careful and still eat small though.
If you're looking for the band to stop you from eating bread or carbs, that's not how the band works. The band helps you feel satisfied with smaller portions of food but it's quite easy to eat around the band with bread, rice, potatoes etc.
The band is not a restrictive tool like the sleeve. The sleeve literally will not allow you to eat more than 4-6 ozs since that's the size of your stomach. Adjusted properly, the band will allow you to eat one or two bites at a time before you get stuck. If it's not adjusted to the green zone yet, you will remain hungry and be able to eat more food.< /p>
Your lower stomach is still the size of a small cantaloupe but the pouch is only about 2 ozs. If you drink with meals and wash the carbs through, you can eat till the cows come home.
Are you looking for satiety signals like burping, runny nose, hiccups? Do you feel that food is sometimes unappealing? Those are the signals you need to look for. Full or food stoppage is not something you want.
tmf

Some bread I can eat, like toast, but give me a biscuit and I think I'm gonna die when it gets stuck...cause it always does..lol Rice, yelp gets stuck too....I've never thrown any of it back up, but it has me walking the floor with me rubbing my hurting chest wishing I hadn't eaten that bite... I'm at 5.5cc and I was expecting more...I just got another CC on Wednesday..I can tell a slight difference, but still expected more. Oh well maybe next fill

@@ABLOND thanks!

I was banded on 1/17 and I have lost 26 pounds in 8 weeks. I did not have any fill in my band for the first 5 weeks... The weight loss is slower but there is nothing wrong with that as far as I'm concerned...I will tell you something I wasn't aware of and that is until the band is "adjusted/filled" properly, you are more or less just on another diet. Now with that said, I wouldn't have changed my mind and had the sleeve or gastric bypass for all the quick weight loss in the world...lol Just be prepared so that you aren't disappointed...you will hit the "green zone" and the weight will come off. Welcome and good luck.

Beautiful story from a beautiful person. You remind me of why I started this journey...you remind me - well - of ME.....thanks for sharing.

03/19/2014
Today I decided to do the lap band surgery. I am very fortunate because my mom will be funding my success. Which means that I really need to start my lifetime change. Right now she is in a nursing home and hopefully will return home on the 24th.
I have signed up for my seminar on April 10th in Lacey, Washington.
8 years ago I did research for the gastric banding because I worked for the state and they did not cover the surgery. After about 3 appeals, I was so disappointed that I just gave up. Shortly after that I quit my job at the state and decided to work at a casino. 2 weeks later the gastric bypass was offered to the state employees. Well now I am rediscovering the surgery. My mother is getting older and she said she wants me to enjoy my 8 grandchildren a little bit longer. So here I am telling my story from the day I decided to get the surgery. I will always be grateful to my mom for setting me in motion. I love you mom.
So here we go:
I am starting at about 350lbs and the weight limit to have it done here in Olympia Washington is 350lbs. So with that in mind, I have decided to start curbing some of my sweets, Pasta, rice and bread. Now I don't have a problem with the rice or even the Pasta but will have a little problem with the bread and a big problem with the sweets. I do pretty good on a monthly basis but because I had cancer of the cervix 7 years ago. I had my uterus removed which I think put me into menopause. Anyway for some reason a few day of the month I really and I mean really crave sweets. I can sit and eat a whole bag of gingersnap Cookies, or eat 3 or 4 candy bars or even a box of poptarts in one sitting. So tonight I am looking at things to throw out to start my journey.
I will try to update every day to keep me accountable but if not at least once a week. I am taking care of my mom and also my 98 year old uncle that is also in a nursing home so sometimes I have a very busy schedule.
A little about my family:
I got married 5 years ago to a man I met on the internet and he is my world. He tells me all the time he loves me just the way I am. I have a daughter that is 37 and twins that are 27. My oldest daughter has 4 boys and my youngest daughter has 3 boys and one girl on the way. My son has no children at this time. He is working on his career. I love my grandchildren very much and want them to be proud of their grandma. My father passed away 10 years ago and my stepdad passed away September this year. I have a sister and brother that are older than me and I have written off because of the things they have done to my mother since she has been in a nursing home. But that is another book in itself. So at this time the only other people that know about my journey is my hubby, my youngest daughter, my mom and now YOU! Thanks for being here.
I think that is more than enough for tonight so I just want to thank you all for being here and being supportive. It will be a journey that I want to remember everyday.Pictures will come later when I get enough confidence.

I'm a self proclaimed carb junkie. I find myself following a high Protein low carb way of eating and it agrees with my band. I stay away from crackers and breads because I know that those are my kryptonite and if I started eating them it would be a slippery slope.
Also, I don't let myself veer too far off of my food plan. I'm sure that will change when I'm in my maintenance phase!
Nothing gets me more motivated than watching the numbers drop on the scale or pulling my skinny jeans out of my closet and being able to wear them.
I agree with the statement that people know what's wrong with their diets. I did! I just cant wrap my head around why someone would go through the process to get WLS if they weren't truly committed to taking the weight off. SMH! It's such a drastic measure.
I'll also admit in the beginning I was worried because I had/have so much weight to lose I wasn't sure I could do it with the band. To hell with that! Again, I will say how important it is to keep up your appointments with your WLS office. Even if I don't think I need a fill its just an accountability thing for me. And, I again SMH when people are having issues but haven't seen their Dr. in months. Why not? That would be the first thing I'd do!
TGIF. I hope everyone has a fantastic day!

I don't see any good Protein until 1 chicken thigh at 6:30pm.....I'd be hungry all day! Even with the one chicken thigh, that's no where near the amount of Protein I "eat" per day.
I usually start with 20-40 grams of protein within an hour of waking. Usually Protein shake or Liquid Protein. Keeps me satisified until lunch.
lunch is deli meat, grilled fish, tuna salad, or lentil Soup (homemade!). Maybe some cheese or cottage cheese and a few crackers.
dinner is solid protein. Fish/chicken/occasionally crock pot pork or beef (rarely). salad, green veggie, sometimes potato.
I eat fish/seafood probably 10 times a week. My fav solid protein source by far.
Lots of liquids.....coffee all morning, Water, crystal light lemonade, Powerade zero, etc.

Beautiful story from a beautiful person. You remind me of why I started this journey...you remind me - well - of ME.....thanks for sharing.

Hudson was born Feb 9th at 7:23am btw!!!!

Just returned from seeing my doctor. Ultra sound shows that the band did NOT slip!!! One relieved girl here...thank you all for the advice and for being here......

My WLS support group yesterday had a plastic surgeon as the guest speaker. Although skin removal and other procedures may be a distant goal for me, if ever, I went to listen. I'm so glad I did. Occasionally, insurance may pay for a panniculectomy (removal of the stomach excess skin), but only if the excess skin is causing medical problems that have been documented and treated, unsuccessfully, by your primary care physician over a period of months. Translation... Don't attempt to treat rashes or sores or moisture issues from excess skin without your PCP's help, prescriptions, and documentation. Make a paper trail, and if the skin continues to cause problems, you will have a starting point to be able to request insurance to pay for that kind of procedure in the future. Many of us just deal with it on our own from embarrassment. Think proactively!

Green at last, green at last. Thank God Almighty, I am green at last. I'm with you. I had my sixth fill last week (banded in August 2013) and now I can feel a change. I have to pay much more attention to the signals now because I can feel some restriction. I have not vomited once since surgery and have no intention of starting now.

You know how "you just know it" when you meet the "right" person, or when you're having a great day? No one can explain it to you or describe it to you, except through their own experience...... But, when you experience it, "YOU JUST KNOW IT!" That's how being GREEN is for me.... I read about it ( a lot), I heard others talk about it (a lot), I researched it (a lot), but now..... I JUST KNOW IT! And now I know why I NEEDED to wait these few months before I found MY sweet spot. For me, I needed my brain to catch up with reality. I don't think I was ready (mentally) for the truly small portions I am now eating. Thankful that "I'M GREEN AT LAST!"

bread is a big no no for me

When I get something stuck, I usually have a pain in my chest & I start sliming. The saliva in my mouth gets so thick that I can barely swallow it. When this happens, I know what's stuck has to come up. If I don't start sliming, I can usually tolerate the chest pain & get the food to pass through my band on its own. I do not recommend drinking Water if you have something stuck. This has NOT been a successful practice for me. Of course, everyone is different.
I have particular trouble with raw veggies, cooked mushrooms & certain types of rice. I think that's about all in terms of specific foods. I can also have a stuck episode if I eat too quickly & swallow something too big to pass through the band. In this case, it could be ANY food.< /p>

Thanks all, just trying to take everything in as much as I can and prepare for anything that happens. So good to chat to people that have experience, thank you

Thanks, I am having the battle with my body of my life! Waiting for the bloated weight to go away too. That should be what, 10, 20 pounds I can blame on my period, lol.....but seriously go away period!!!!!

Many things can cause fluctuations in the band, it could be that because we tend to retain Water during our TOM that the band will be tighter, just as it is in the summer when it's very hot out. It's crazy how sometimes your band is screaming at you and sometimes you wonder if the damn thing is still in there.

Even if by chance they missed the port completely, it's just saline and the body would absorb it pretty quickly. They would know if they missed it immediately. When you hit the floor of the port, it's hard like a rock.