lizzie_07

Well, since I'm in complete agoney and cannot do a thing about it I figured I'd write on here. I just drove 1 1/2 hours for my 4th fill giving me a total of 7.2cc in my band. On the drive home I was hiccupping for at least 30 mins. Ever since I keep getting a stuck feeling combined with an awful pain in my chest that is almost unbearable (even though I've had nothing to eat or drink). I had to pull over 3 times to throw up during the ride home. All that is coming up is the spit that obviously can't get through my band. I've had to try to not swallow my spit in order to prevent myself from throwing up even more. So here's where it gets fun...the nurse who did my fill is at work now and cannot defill me until the morning. My aunt is a nurse and is willing to do it but i cannot find any places that sell or even have the proper needle. I called emergeny and they said I can wait there and MAYBE someone will be willing to do it, but she cannot say for sure that anyone will be willing because they are unfamiliar with the band (I had my surgery a 2 hour flight away). So I could wait 5 or more hours in emerg for nothing. Anyway, It's my own fault because I told her to put extra saline in and she put in what she thought would be ok since I had almost no restriction. Little tip, DON'T DO THAT. I hope none of you ever go through this because it is such a horrible feeling. I'm done venting... =) 12 more hours and my fill nurse will be off work....it's going to be a long night

I thought it might be nice to have a seperate thread for the newly banded people to tell how their surgery went, how they are feeling, concerns, etc. since November is only 2 days away. We will all be going through a similar experience at the same time so it'll be nice to know we're not alone in this and to get advice from each other. Good luck soon-to-be bandsters!!!! =)

Name..............Start...........Current..............Goal........ To Go Lizzie_07.........233...............224.....................220 .........4 Osangriared.....252...............245.5.....................232 .....13.5 Skinny_Jill.......180...............175.....................168....... ....7 Sades.............197...............197.....................185....... ..12 kandiceb..........187...............175.....................175....... ...0 shortgal............183..............175....................175....... ....0 TxArcher..........328..............315......................308....... ...7 Peaches11........217..............208.....................199......... 10 Momto1plus1.....223..............212.6..................210......... 2.6 zippykat...........173..............167.....................160....... ...7 Trixie...............219.5...........209.....................199...... ..10 wnt2lose..........219..............213.6...................209...... ..4.6 plump_princess....215.............206.....................199.......7 Mariegabrieleee....250............250......................239...... 11 Foofy..............239.5............236.....................230....... ...6 Shalee04..........196..............187......................185....... ..2 Hollyberries......267...............257......................254...... ...3 CindyG............215...............210......................199...... .11 MollyBrown......258...............251.......................245....... .8 lindata............189?.............185.......................180..... ...5

I don't think any of us can say someone NEEDS lapband surgery. We all know that the lapband is a personal decision and is not for everyone. Some people may be able to find a different solution that works for them. Some may be content with their current weight even though others may suggest they need to lose a few pounds.

Name..............Start...........Current.................Goal........ To Go Lizzie_07.........233...............228.....................220 ............8 Osangriared.....252...............247.3.....................232 ..........15.3 Skinny_Jill.......180...............175.....................168....... .....7 Sades.............197...............197.....................185....... .....12 kandiceb..........187...............176.....................175....... ....1 shortgal............183..............177....................175....... .....2 TxArcher..........328..............318......................308....... ....10 Peaches11........217..............208.....................199......... .10 Momto1plus1.....223..............215.4..................210........... 5.4 zippykat...........173..............167.....................160....... ...7 Trixie...............219.5...........209.....................199...... ....10 wnt2lose..........219..............213.6.....................209...... ..4.6 plump_princess....215.............209.....................199........1 0 Mariegabrieleee....250............250......................239........ 11 Foofy..............239.5............237.5...................230....... .7.5 Shalee04..........196..............189......................185....... .4 Hollyberries......267...............261......................254...... .7 CindyG............215...............212......................199...... ..13 MollyBrown......258...............253.......................245....... ..8 lindata............189?.............185.......................180..... .....5 I just got back from vacation. I thought I gained weight but I've lost half a pound...no clue how that happened! Final exams are done so I have nothing stopping me from going to the gym everyday again.

Name..............Start...........Current.................Goal........ To Go Lizzie_07.........233...............228.5.....................220 ..........8.5 Osangriared.....252...............251.....................232 ..........19 Skinny_Jill.......180...............176.....................168....... .....8 Sades.............197...............197.....................185....... .....12 kandiceb..........187...............178.....................175....... ....03 shortgal............183..............179....................175....... .....4 TxArcher..........328..............320......................308....... ....12 Peaches11........217..............208.....................199......... .10 Momto1plus1.....223..............217.2..................210........... 7.2 zippykat...........173..............167.....................160....... ...7 Trixie...............219.5...........215.....................199...... ....16 wnt2lose..........219..............213.6.....................209...... ..4.6 plump_princess....215.............210.....................199........1 1 Mariegabrieleee....250............250......................239........ 11 Foofy..............239.5............237.5...................230....... .7.5 Shalee04..........196..............192......................185....... .7 Hollyberries......267...............262......................254...... .8 CindyG............215...............213......................199...... ..14 I don't think I'm going to make my goal, but we'll see how close I can get. I'm going on vacation friday so thats going to make it a little more difficult.

Hey Dianne, Sorry you had to go through the same thing. You described it way better than I did! lol It's hard to explain the pain, discomfort, and panic you feel but it's definitely something I never want to experience again. One benefit: You'll need much less saline in your band to reach restriction. I'm at 4.8cc and the band is perfectly tight. Before my overfill I was at 6cc and wasn't restricted at all. So hang in there. It won't set you as far back as you may think. Good luck!

Linda - I feel like at this point I have been on every spectrum of the restriction scale. From being able to eat however much I want to not being able to swallow my spit. And in the time period in between being way too tight and now, I have been a variety of levels of restriction. So it's going be be slightly confusing to try to think back to how I could eat at various levels....I know restriction is different for everyone and I am definitely not a pro at this yet, but I'll try to explain from my perspective...(I have a final exam in 6 hours that I should be studying for but here I am...lol) After I had 2 defills and the swelling went down (it took a week), I found that I was at a similar restriction level as you described. I could eat a fair amount (more than I would have liked to be able to eat) but if I was not really careful (which I wasn't), I could get stuck or pb very easily. I had a fill a few weeks later, and at that point I had the restriction I described in my first post. It sounded to me like the restriction everyone else had been talking about. I could eat maybe 1/2-1 cup of food, depending on what it was and the time of day. Instead of being punished by getting stuck or pbing, if I didn't pay attention to the way I was feeling while eating I could feel the food backing up into my esophagus. Someone above described the same thing I think. I found at this level of restriction, the backing up came before I ever knew I was full. Oh and the fullness lasted 3-5 hours usually. At this point, my restriction is slightly less, but I actually like the level I am at. I can eat anywhere from 1/2 to 1 1/2 cups of food depending on the time of day and what it is, and it takes a lot for me to get stuck or pb. I no longer get that backing up feeling, and hiccups, etc. or a feeling of fullness are my signals to stop. The fullness lasts 3-5 hours still (sometimes 6 if I have a bit of a larger portion). I feel like I can eat a substantial meal at this level of restriction. Eating 1/2 a cup of food every 3-5 hours did not make me feel that I was giving my body all he nutrients it needed. So for now, I'm going to stay where I am. If I need a little boost, I'll go back to the tighter restriction I had before. Hope all this made a slight bit of sense. I'm sure restriction feels different for everyone.

Just adding Linda Name..............Start...........Current.................Goal........To Go Lizzie_07.........233...............231.....................220 ..........11 Osangriared.....252...............249.5.....................232 ..........17.5 Skinny_Jill.......180...............178.....................168....... .....10 Sades.............197...............197.....................185....... .....12 kandiceb..........187...............178.....................175....... ....03 shortgal............183..............182....................175....... .....7 TxArcher..........328..............324......................308....... ....16 Peaches11........217..............208.....................199......... .10 Momto1plus1.....223..............220.6...............210.............10.4 zippykat...........173..............167.....................160....... ...7 Trixie...............219.5...........215.....................199...... ....16 wnt2lose..........219..............217.....................209........ 8 plump_princess....215.............211.....................199........12 Mariegabrieleee....250............250......................239........ 11 Foofy..............239.5............237.5...................230....... .7.5 Shalee04..........196..............193......................185....... .8 Hollyberries......267...............264......................254...... .10 Lindata............189...............189.....................184..........5

Hey Linda, We've been using the original thread (4 pages long) to post our progress so I'll add you to that. Good luck! I hate challenges too because I tend to never reach my weight goals on time.

That's the EXACT way it is with me! That's why I ate so horribly over Easter. The chocolates and chips were there, so I ate them. The band didn't stop me whatsoever (and neither did I, clearly). I went to the movies with my mom the other night and told her I'd have a couple handfulls of her popcorn, thinking I wouldn't be able to eat any more than that. Well I ate more of her popcorn than she did! Then I'll try to eat some fresh fruit and I'll only be able to have a few bites. It's very interesting. I have to avoid "bad" foods completely because I can't control myself and the band doesn't control me well enough around most of them. Oh, and yes I think that is what they mean by junk food goes down easy.

First pb?? Gee Linda, you should feel proud you lasted this long! I had my first pb sometime in december lol. It's definitely a learning curve the closer you get to restriction. It's weird, but I find that I pb and get stuck less now that I've reached restriction. Not sure why that is or if it's that way for everyone. I just get discomfort if I overeat or don't chew well. I suppose I pb on occasion, but I very rarely get stuck.

Thanks guys =) Linda - I think dying my hair brown helps to make me look like a different person lol. That before pic (taken last summer) is what made me decide that I needed to do something drastic. I didn't realize I had gotten that big. I haven't lost that much yet but it's nice to see people can notice a difference in my face.

Hmm this solves the problem...my ideal look:

My best friend is around my height and is my goal weight. We have very similar shapes I think (hour glass), except she's the slim version. I'm striving to look similar to her, except I'll have more excess skin and cellulite unfortunately. I'd post a picture of her but I think she'd kill me lol.

I suppose I could just show you before and after headshots for now...but the after shot was taken with a webcam which I find more flattering, so I'm not sure how accurate the comparison is...

Wow! Everyone looks great! I don't have any recent after pics so maybe in a few months I'll be brave and post them.

Wow Hollyberries!! What an inspiration! You look absolutely beautiful. Just imagine where you'll be in another 5 months. Keep up the great work =)

Sheesh, that was confusing!. Ok, this SHOULD be right. If your numbers are off, change them. Name..............Start...........Current.................Goal..........To Go Lizzie_07.........233...............231.....................220 ..........11 Osangriared.....252...............249.5.....................232 ..........17.5 Skinny_Jill.......180...............178.....................168....... .....10 Sades.............197...............197.....................185....... .....12 kandiceb..........187...............178.....................175....... ....03 shortgal............183..............182....................175....... .....7 TxArcher..........328..............324......................308....... ....16 Peaches11........217..............208.....................199......... .10 Momto1plus1.....223..............220.6...............210.............10.4 zippykat...........173..............173.....................160....... ...13 Trixie...............219.5...........215.....................199...... ....16 Shalee04..........196..............196.....................185........ ..11 wnt2lose..........219..............217.....................209........ 8 plump_princess....215.............213.....................199........14 Mariegabrieleee....250............250......................239........ 11 Foofy..............239.5............237.5...................230....... .7.5 Shalee04..........196..............195......................185....... .10 Hollyberries......267...............264......................254...... ..........10

I think somewhere along the way the cutting and pasting got mixed up. Some people's numbers are off in the current list (ie skinny jill). hmm..

Name............Start.............Current...............Goal... ...........To Go Lizzie_07.........233...............231.....................220 .............11 Osangriared.....252...............249.5.....................232 .............17.5 Skinny_Jill.......180...............180.....................168....... .......12 Sades.............197...............197.....................185....... .......12 kandiceb..........187...............187.....................175....... ......12 shortgal............183..............182....................175...... ........7 TxArcher..........328..............328......................308....... ......20 Peaches11........217..............208.....................199......... ....10 Momto1plus1.....223..............220.6...............210.............1 0.4 zippykat...........173..............173.....................160....... ......13 Trixie...............219.5...........215.....................199...... .......16 Shalee04..........196..............196.....................185........ .....11 wnt2lose..........219..............219.....................209........ ......10 plump_princess....215.............213.....................199......... ....14 Mariegabrieleee....250............250......................239........ ......11 Foofy..............239.5............239.5...................230....... .........9.5 Well, I gained more weight over Easter than I care to mention lol. Damn chocolates! So I'm just happy to be below my start weight for this challenge. Hopefully next week I'll have a better number to post.

This is Parker and Pug and Snoopie the Beagle =)

Oh boy, Easter may kill any weight loss this week....not off to the greatest start..

Great job!! I'm curious, what size were you at the beginning of all this? Judging by your weight loss you must have dropped quite a few sizes. Amazing work!

I was banded on Nov 2. I've had 4 fills, then 2 defills (too tight), and 1 fill after that. I'm currently at 4.6cc. I've reached restriction but may need a slight adjustment in the next few weeks. I've lost 27lbs which I'm not happy with, but I finally have my head in gear so I think things are going to start changing.