WalterBrian

Hello All, I was banded 8/8/07 by Dr. Emma Patterson in Portland Oregon. I followed pre-op and post-op instructions fairly closely. When the first two weeks P.O. were over and it was time to experiment with real food( sort of)...something with a little taste and SOME texture. I expected to FEEL the small ouch. At 4 oz./meal I was starving so I went carefully to 8 oz. ( not counting soups where I sometimes had as much as 12-16 oz. to get comfortably full)...what I felt at 8 oz.( and very occasionally a bit more) was absolutely NOTHING...no pressure...zero..If I didn't have scars to prove it, I'd believe there was no band. I found the as yet unfilled 10cc port. Does anyone else have NO apparent restriction with the AP band? It is a surprise to me. I am following an approximately 1000 cal./day diet regime, but the band is/would allow much much more. What is new for me is the conscious chewing to make ~200 cal. take ~20-25 minutes to ingest. If I could have done this consistently I wouldn't have needed the band. Though it may sound silly, I'm looking forward to the band saying "NO" as I typically swallow a huge unchewed something....a lifetime pattern of eating. For at least once,. I'd like to "feel" the presence of the small stomach, competing with my old two liter one. It's just over a month since I went on the pre-surgical diet and 22 days since surgery and I'm down ~27 pounds..I'm pleased but I'm ready for the eating monster in my head to start telling me to inhale the horizon( when I start eating real foods with taste and texture). It is a battle that will be endlessly repeated. But for me, it is do this or die. I'm surely one of the oldest new bandsters on this board...72 and smiling!

Well not really...more of an education. The first few days, I could "feel" the restriction...and that was good. It was what I wanted..no unlimited eating. Then I went on a short road trip with rest stop stops for brief picnic style meals. I reverted to old style eating( ie: fast and unchewed) and had repeated upchucking( the PB's) not fun and PAINFUL. I hope I'll learn from these and chew carefully even when hungry..in this case too hungry. Once I got back home, everything got back to normal...slow and steady eating without problems. What a drag..telling my girlfriend "excuse me" so I could go barf. It started with burping that kept escalating...no fun! In each case within a few hours, with tiny sips of water, everything restored to pain free. ttyl, Walter

Hello All, First fill today...3cc. and I could feel the restriction immediately. They wanted to see water go down. A mini gulp felt different..went down slowly..a little scarey. The bad part is back on liquids for two days. That stinks after enjoying real foods for a brief while. On Saturday, I'll try real food(soft) with company coming. I'll put food on my plate and fake eating my usual amount( normally huge). I hope I wont get into trouble with my new "filled" state. The good news is I've only 100 pounds to go(lol). Walter

Hi all, It's nice being amongst all you "kids". I haven't yet found anyone more senior than I am on this site. I was banded on 8/8/07, just under a month ago. My next birthday( December) I'll be 73. I've thought about a surgical approach since 1991 when my oldest daughter had the stapling option( one way!). In recent years my health was rapidly degrading, all weight related ills. Since a July 26 visit, and was given the option of a surgery in 12 days (8/8) to today..I've lost nearly 30 pounds. Two things are true. I'm blessed with a good metabolism and I've been very careful with counting calories. I feel NO restriction as my AP band unfilled gives no sense of it's presence for me. This is distracting; and I'm looking forward to my first fill on Sept.6th. I don't want pain, but I'd like to sense that it is there. I've got a hundred more pounds to lose to catch up with my younger sister( only 62) who was banded ~ 16 months ago. We are very competitive you see. My birth certificate says I'm pretty old, but I'm looking forward to going dancing after I get a bit lighter on my feet. ttyl, Walter

Hi, Makes no sense to me either..at ~25# overweight, I can't imagine an insurance company approving it...or her even wanting surgery for that small a change..Funny...it IS the surgery that could give her acid reflux...not cure it! I'm doing well also, banded on 8/8/07 and awaiting my first fill..no restriction felt with my APS band. Walter

Hi All! I met with the surgeon on 7/26. I accepted a short fuse to surgery on 8/8/07. She wanted me to lose weight (10#) in this time. Being fortunate in losing weight easily, I lost ~18 in just 12 days, Of course I understand that most was water. This produced major blood chemistry foul up( creatinine haywire) so they kept me in the hospital an extra day to rehydrate me...I'll stop digressing. I felt a bit ill for a week..now fine, I drink 8 oz. of skim milk milkshake twice a day, a soup meal once a day, an nonfat yogurt (8oz.) once a day and a too sweet slimfast/other equiv., once a day...and plain water( really hard to get it down in small sips.) I've ignored recommendations and just went back to coffee..life not acceptable without it! The thing I do is change the order in which I have these during the day. It is beyond boring and is enabling to keep the eating monster asleep. BUT...my clothes tell me I'm melting nicely. I've never in my present pre-fill days ever felt a sense of FULL (breastbone sensation)....zip! I'm looking forward to mush starting 8/22 but somewhat nervous about waking up the beast in my brain with TASTE...texture comes two weeks later. But for me at age 72, it was do this or die...vanity not a component of my actions. Good luck to all. I'm very competitive with my sister who lost >130# in the past ~16 months.( Lap Band) I've told her I will beat her by at least 1#! (lol) ttyl, Walter