lapbandchic73

I have discovered Hickory Smoked Bacon Jerky by Trails Best, with the Duck Dynasty folks on the package. Each oz. contains 11 grams of Protein, 1 carb, and 8 grams of fat.
Talk about getting your chewing fix!

I have a question..Iv only had 2 fills. How much was you getting when you was getting your fills before you got to the green. Was you getting like a full cc or just a .5 or .4cc when you went. I went in and got my 2nd fill. And She took me from a 2cc to a 5cc. Well that was way to tight. So I went in and had her take out 2cc. Now I dont feel any restriction. The scale isnt moving.I feel like Im still watching what I eat. But Iv seen gain instead of loss. So I called today to see about gettin another fill. But what should I get??? I dont by any means want to get to much then have to go back there and have some taken out. Defeats the purpose...any suggestions?
But Im so happy that you have finally gotten to your green spot. Best of luck to you.
lapbandchic73

Well Im ready to get to the green zone. Paying for these fills is breaking me. But hopefully this one.and one more and Ill be done..($500 later..augh)
Really wish you the best..I know its all worth it..Just getting there..

I am definitly learning when Im hungry versa when Im bored. I know this sounds gross..but I eat tuna daily..2-3 times a day.. It satisfies me, Im good for like 4-5 hours after one can. Not sure Im suppose to eat a whole can, but Im not full when Im done. I just satisfied. And as far as only eatting a cup. I have to make myself stop at that. Cause I could definitly eat more. But I step away from the table, start cleaning up from the meal..then see if Im still hungry or satisfied.
I go this Thursday for another fill. Which will be my 3rd one. Im at 3cc of 10cc band. I had prior had a fill and I asked if she would give me more than normal due to the face I had lost my insurance and was paying for the fills out of pocket now. So she did..and OMG..let me tell you..she took me from 2 cc to 5cc. WOW! Way to restricted!! Couldnt get anything but liquids down for a week later. Went back, had some taken out to bring me to 3cc..Thinking I need to just inch up to 4 see how that goes for a while. But Iv been a platueu for about a month..So..Im ready to get this thing tightened.
Best of luck to you BeachBish...were all here for you while your taken this journey..We totally get it.
lapbandchic73

Well Im ready to get to the green zone. Paying for these fills is breaking me. But hopefully this one.and one more and Ill be done..($500 later..augh)
Really wish you the best..I know its all worth it..Just getting there..

Well Im ready to get to the green zone. Paying for these fills is breaking me. But hopefully this one.and one more and Ill be done..($500 later..augh)
Really wish you the best..I know its all worth it..Just getting there..

Hi - I haev a 10cc band...went to a 7.5 then had to go back down to 4 and now I'm back up at 5.5...?!?!?!? :/

I get a little, quiet burp when it's time for me to stop. If I ignore it, I get the big, wall-shaking belch that clears a room....and some unhappy minutes to boot. So, I have learned to slow down and listen to my body.

I've been banded 11 months, am green, almost at my goal and I haven't felt any of the soft spots. I just sorta know when I'm done and if I eat after I get that feeling, I'm sorry afterwards. Everybody is different.

nothing like that has happened to me either, but I do hiccup or burp when it is time to stop. so maybe those are my triggers. are you doing anything different when your eating? I am learning to slow down really alot and when I get those hiccups it is time for me to stop...even though I might not feel I am done...they tell me I'm done. hope you know its different for everyone!!! glad we could chat!!!

I am definitly learning when Im hungry versa when Im bored. I know this sounds gross..but I eat tuna daily..2-3 times a day.. It satisfies me, Im good for like 4-5 hours after one can. Not sure Im suppose to eat a whole can, but Im not full when Im done. I just satisfied. And as far as only eatting a cup. I have to make myself stop at that. Cause I could definitly eat more. But I step away from the table, start cleaning up from the meal..then see if Im still hungry or satisfied.
I go this Thursday for another fill. Which will be my 3rd one. Im at 3cc of 10cc band. I had prior had a fill and I asked if she would give me more than normal due to the face I had lost my insurance and was paying for the fills out of pocket now. So she did..and OMG..let me tell you..she took me from 2 cc to 5cc. WOW! Way to restricted!! Couldnt get anything but liquids down for a week later. Went back, had some taken out to bring me to 3cc..Thinking I need to just inch up to 4 see how that goes for a while. But Iv been a platueu for about a month..So..Im ready to get this thing tightened.
Best of luck to you BeachBish...were all here for you while your taken this journey..We totally get it.
lapbandchic73

Iv heard of people saying that they start yawning and also their nose starts dripping when there eatting. And sayin that, thats a sign that youve found your "Soft Spot"? Can someone please explain this to me. Cause Im goin on 4 months since my surgery and nothing like that has happened to me.
Just wondering..
lapbandchic73

Iv heard of people saying that they start yawning and also their nose starts dripping when there eatting. And sayin that, thats a sign that youve found your "Soft Spot"? Can someone please explain this to me. Cause Im goin on 4 months since my surgery and nothing like that has happened to me.
Just wondering..
lapbandchic73

Wow! You got 3cc's at once? Your doctor seems pretty aggressive. In that case, I might stick to liquids for an additional day or two. That's a huge adjustment, you should be a little more gentle with yourself and be mindful of your food choices.

I wish I were your dog ...

Im not on liquids but you are making me hungry...lol I'm gonna remember this for my next fill...and the 24 hour liquids afterwards...

ok, dumb question coming....what is ribs broth? lol

It's been 2 days since my un-fill. I'm feeling so much better now that I can eat and drink. No stuck episodes, sliming or PB'ing. I still get a strange pain when I swallow but it passes once the food goes by. (maybe a small hernia?)
I am definitely not as tight as I was and could possibly use more restriction but am good for now. I limit my portions even though I could easily eat A LOT.
Since I got used to eating later in the day I now have to make sure I STOP eating after dinner now that I can eat again throughout the day.
I've been logging my calorie and fat intake and have been able to stay under 1200 cal and still be satisfied. Retrain the mind, retrain the body…..

I can breathe again!!! It's amazing how a slight .5 cc un-fill can make you feel so much better.
I didn't realize that being too tight was causing me difficulty breathing! Not like short of breath but I just wasn't inhaling as deep as I used to.
Before we started the doctor had me do a barium swallow, he felt that it flowed adequately through the band. I said yes at this time of the day (after 4pm) I am just starting to be able to drink, I'll be able to eat around 6 or 7pm. But anytime before that I can't even drink Water so essentially I am getting dehydrated throughout the day until after 7pm then I chug Water and am up all night going to the bathroom. NOT FUN! Plus who wants to eat at 7 or 8pm and go to sleep less then an hour later because they have to be up at 5am!
It took a while for the Doc to find my port (he wasn't my normal Doc). He had a short needle, I laughed and asked if he really thought he could access my port with that. (I still have a good amount of tummy bulge). Of course being a doctor he said sure. He couldn't, and came back with a huge long needle. I said that'll do the trick. He looked at me like I was crazy. I have no phobia of needles. I am a trained phlebotomist and I knew that needle was too short. LOL
So after 4 pokes he finally got my port, and was able to withdraw some Fluid. He had me do another swallow and said .5 cc's looks good. (I said before we started that I'd probably only need .5 removed).
It's funny how we know our bodies best yet doctors think we don't. He was nice so I'll stop bashing him.
My son was there (he is 10) and thought it was super awesome to see the inside of me!
So I will see how I do in the morning. Will keep my portions in check, especially now that I don't have to depend on slider food to get nourishment!
Oh, funny when I got home and stepped out of the car I stood up I let out this gigantic burp! My husband looked at me and said "Your feeling better huh?" I hadn't been able to burp like that in over 2 weeks!
To be able to breathe and burp, wonderful things!!!

I echo all the above posters' comments. Remember: our goal is to keep our bands for life, which means respecting them. I suspect much of the failure rates for lapbands are due to keeping them too tight. But I understand your fear. I'm now up 2 pounds from the day I had my partial unfill; that's one pound a week. I'm hoping this is just the normal thing happening when you drop a lot of weight under abnormal circumstances (you know, like when you have the stomach flu and are thrilled to see you lost 5 pounds...5 pounds which comes back on once you return to your normally-scheduled program). I know that I lost around 5 pounds in the two week period my stoma had closed up, so I guess this weight gain is just the rebound of that. I know I'm sticking to my usual diet, although with larger portions because I'm hungry all the time. I'm still not touching any of the stuff I stopped eating the day I got banded: bread, Pasta, white carbs in general.
My goal is to maintain my loss until I get my band filled back to my optimal level. I'm freaked out by this gain, but watching things closely because I sense this will even itself out and I'll maintain the weight I was at before this little complication set in. But I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say I really really miss having my band at the proper fill level. I am very depressed being back in the dieter's mentality of always thinking about food.

Believe me, I know the feelings. I have had two unfills (one before I even left the hospital after surgery). And I understand your fears of gaining weight. But it is nice to be able to sit in my car with the seat belt on without pain. That's how tight my band was.
Tomorrow I am supposed to get a fill as it was scheduled a month ago. I will probably show up with a gain or at best, maintained. Previously, I was losing insane amounts of weight. I'll be honest -- I don't think I was learning anything except how to eat mushy foods.
I hope you feel better; Get it checked out.

Overly tight bands cause more band complications than anything else. Don't gamble with your health. Have a little taken out.

I got a fill 2 weeks ago and it was a really aggressive one ( 0 cc to 2.5cc!) I told the doc I was tight he said to give it some time since I haven't been filled for over 2 ½ years I would experience some inflammation.
I have not been able to eat during the day until after 6 or 7pm and even then it has been tough. I get stuck more then eat and slime and I have developed a pain in my chest when I swallow, so I figured it's not inflammation but I'm too tight.
Off I go to get an slight un-fill tomorrow I'm just apprehensive because even though I'm too tight and that is not good for me and my band I have lost 7 lbs in 2 weeks!!
I guess I'm afraid that if I'm able to eat again I'll just gain the weight back. When I really should focus on eating better (albeit less) and exercise more.
I think just saying this makes me feel better. Thanks for listening

No, you aren't crazy. I'm still working very hard to figure that out myself. I think there's a fine line between feeling satiety and feeling full and it's difficult for us to distinguish the difference because we're so used to continuing to eat until we feel full. I know for me, personally, if I stop when I no longer feel hungry but don't feel full yet, I have this overwhelming fear that I'm going to be hungry again in just a few hours so I eat more. I'm working hard to find the right place and the right feeling but it's difficult. After my last fill, I was getting what I recognized as a "soft stop" when eating my meals but since the fill settled and the swelling from that fill has gone down, I am not experiencing that as much. I think I may need another fill but I'm pretty sure I'm very close to the green zone at this point. Just keep working on it and paying attention to your body. You will figure it out as will I.

I don't think you are crazy - AT ALL! In fact because I have recently been both unrestricted and restricted so much that I couldn't even get Fluid down I can tell you that there is a very fine line between the band working and not working... all in MY opinion and experience.
That said, at 7 cc's I was still very much able to eat quite a bit albeit I am a pretty compliant patient so eating what I'm supposed to be eating but still able to eat more than a cup a sitting - then at 7.5 I was definitely feeling like "ok, this is how the band is supposed to work" in that I was only able to eat less than a cup especially earlier in the day but by days end (when I personally need the most restriction) I was still able to eat over a cup of food at a sitting. So, I went in for another fill really believing that I'd never get restricted enough - boy oh boy - I learned the HARD and DANGEROUS way where I was so tight I couldn't eat or drink anything and nearly collapsed my esophagus. Now I'm back to 4cc's and WIDE open - like I can eat a hamburger from Fudruckers open.
I've got to wait 30 days to be able to get a fill again - but now I know that my sweet spot is somewhere near 7.5 and I'm hopeful that doc will get me back there next fill. Even if he gets me to 7.0 I'll be happy. Also, I have learned that not eating before the fill and eating fluids the next 24-48 hours after a fill is VERY important b/c of swelling that may not occur right away - I'll definitely will not eat solids until a few days after a fill b/c I believe that me eating solids after a fill contributed to the trouble I got into last month.
This is probably too much info - but to offer some commiseration I don't think you are crazy I just don't think you are adjusted to the level you need to be at with your band.