steph_co

I was a skinny kid. I started gaining weight when I hit Jr High and found a la carte dining in the cafeteria, vending machines, and I started getting rides home from the bus from older friends (it was a mile from the bus stop to home). I gained weight actually pretty slowly. Took about 4 years before I got onto my first diet...the summer before my senior year of HS and I got onto Atkins and lost about 40 lbs (no idea...I didn't weigh at the beginning). Looked awesome, slowly gained the weight back over the school year. Yo-yoed my way on up the scale from there. Thank God that's all over.

Capina - There seems to be a big difference between doctors as to what diet they put their patients on. I haven't heard a concrete answer yet as to why that is. I was on a 3-day pre-op clear liquid diet and that's it. Regardless of what you read on here, follow what your doctor recommends 100% because your doctor is going to be the one accountable for you...not anyone on this board.

Gees, LH...I'm sorry to hear that. Another operation...but you're right that would be the least of evils. LOL - I'd be thinking the same thing about the weight. haha...keep up the positive thinking.

You can find doctors in your area through the Lapband website. That's how I found mine when I was first investigating. Then you can call around to ask questions about price and such. My doctor was Dr Brown in Denver, CO. I paid $10,850 at the time, but his price is now down to $9,900. That includes 3 months of fills post-op.

Thanks for that great response, Amanda. Your comment about the belly button cracked me up. Very true. Thanks.

I also wondered for a couple of days afterwards WTH I had done to myself. I was in pain and that's all my mind could focus on. But I kept telling myself it would pass (which it did!) and I was on my way to some great weight loss (which I am!). Just hang in there. It'll get better!

Well, if screaming on the inside while they're wheeling me into the OR room counts as freaking out, then count me in. LOL I so bad wanted to just say, "Nevermind! I change my mind! I don't want it that bad!" I knew I wouldn't be able to live with myself the next day if I did that, though. So I bit the bullet and went through with it. Best choice I ever made.

I've heard this concern a lot. From shoveling snow to just turning too fast seems to cause it. Since the port is sewn into muscle, it's definitely going to take longer to heal. I'm 3 months post-op and still occasionally feel like I have a stitch in my side (haha...pun not intended) where the port is. There's no way to know if you've torn a stitch until you go in for a fill and they are able (or not) to insert the needle into your port. Just take it easy.

I haven't read all the response, so perhaps this has already been mentioned. Yes, losing weight without the band is possible. But keeping it off is another matter altogether. So your friends/family have seen you lose weight before and they've seen you put it back on. Wouldn't they like to see you keep it off this time? That's the whole point of losing the weight. And beyond about a 35 BMI to lose weight is more difficult and next to impossible to keep off. I have dieted before. I've lost weight. I want to say the most I've lost on my own was 40 lbs and that was back in HS. Since then I've yo-yoed my way up the scale. With the band, I've not only lost more in one weight-loss endeavor than ever before, but when I've slipped in my eating habits, it hasn't been near as bad as it has been in the past. I know that this time will be for good and it is certainly a relief.

So, I didn't want to, but I guess I'll post about my 3-weeks' long struggle over here. I am a bit embarrassed and ashamed of myself, but I figure this can be kind of therapeutic getting it out there. (And also to show how incredibly imperfect I am.) It all started when I hit my Valentine's Day goal of 188. I had weighed myself on like a Monday or something and then DH weighed himself on like a Wednesday or Thursday and he was 189. I was SO elated because for the first time since being with DH, I weighed less than him! (He has gained weight since we met.) I weighed myself the next morning and I was up to 192.5. HELLO. Can you say beyond pissed? Not only was I now back into the "obese" category, but I weighed more than my husband. He also weighed himself that day and he had lost like 3 lbs. Now, keep in mind that I HAD been eating right - he eats junk. So who DESERVED to lose those 3 lbs? ME. I was so upset with everything and everybody. (I want to interject at this point because I KNOW that there will be the customary responses, "It was probably Water," "It was one of those day-to-day fluctuations," "I don't freak about the scale until I see the same number 3 days in a row," "Was it that TOM?" I know all of these things and no, it wasn't that TOM. But trying to talk reason to me in that very moment in time would have been like trying to talk an arachnophobe into picking up a spider. The mental reaction was that strong for me. I know all of the "reasons" that the fluctuation could have happened, but that's not the point of this post. So moving on...) So it sparked off 3 weeks of not eating so good. I say it that way because there WERE days that I was relatively good, others not so much. There at the end, the 3 last days of it (I think it was this past Sunday, Monday, Tuesday) were really bad. I think by that point I had spiraled down far enough that I felt REALLY bad about myself and I just plain didn't care. I ate more than I should have, I ate plenty of carbs and sugar, I ate more often than I should have, etc. No, I don't need a fill. Trust me. I ate through the pain sometimes. Well, I renewed my commitment yesterday to do right by my body. I started up taking my supplements again, I ate good foods all day long. I had an emotional reaction to something and ate two bowls of Cereal. Good heavens. I felt like this was never going to end. I have numerous reasons for wanting to get thin. I wrote a big old blog entry in my personal journal and reviewed all the reasons why I deserve to be thin. I do realize I get to seek some counseling. That is one thing I have told myself before I got the band that I had to set up. I haven't yet. I really think it would help me tremendously. I think the part that keeps me from doing it is trying to find the right counselor. If somebody could just shove me in the right direction of the perfect counselor, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But it's not going to be that easy - I guess I just have to suck it up and get out there counselor-hunting. Anyway...onto the good part of this whole thing...and also the part that I very much do not deserve. I weighed myself this morning so that I would know what my new starting point was going to be. I'm back down to 188. I have no idea how or why. Other than that the band really DOES keep me from eating as much as I used to be able to. What feels like a binge now would have been next to nothing before the band. I get that feeling of fullness much easier and quicker so it really isn't possible to shovel in as many calories as I used to. I am a self-pay for this band and yet I still don't feel I deserve it when I have spent the time that I have abusing it. But I do feel like I'm back on track, now. I'm back at work today and I think that helps when I'm starting back on the road to eating healthy because my mind stays on other things and food is not readily available - I have to go buy it. I'm starting up on South Beach Diet right now - it has always produced great results for me before. I'm hoping to lose 10 lbs by the 4-month bandiversary on March 15th. I hope my story can help somebody. It really isn't that easy putting this all out there. It can be hard admitting major weakness. But I guess it's no secret that I had to be doing SOMETHING to put all that weight on in the first place.

Banded 11/15/07. I have 6.5cc in a 10cc band. Have lost 45 lbs so far. Only a 3-day pre-op clear liquid diet that I lost 3 of those lbs on. So 42 lbs is post-op.

I was just under 37 BMI when I got banded. I realized after 10 years that there was no way for me to maintain weight loss or even to get down to a decent weight on my own. I could give in to the surgery and get healthy, or I could keep worrying about not being "heavy enough" and I'd get there eventually. Better to do it now before you get heavier. Best decision I've ever made.

There's a member here named FairyFacade (Laura) that had a flipped port. She said she'll be back to post on Thursday. You could try PMing her then.

My first fill took me to 4.5 cc and I can tell you that it helped me none whatsoever. I was starving pretty near all the time. My 2nd fill took me to 6.5 cc and it was a HUGE difference. I can last about 3.5-4 hours after eating before I feel hungry. And I can eat a whole lot less. Even with that, I STILL stalled on weight loss. So don't feel bad. It'll get better. This whole thing is a journey. As I've heard people say before, this isn't a race. You'll get better with more fill.

I felt normal around day 10. Still had port discomfort, though - that lasted several weeks. I couldn't lie on my side until about 3 weeks out and I did try a pillow under my tummy to help and it didn't at all. It'll get better - hang in there!

Around day 10 I felt normal...like I hadn't even had surgery. The only long-lasting effect was the port discomfort.

LOL...I took a 3-hour car trip home after having my surgery. And I take a 3-hour car trip home after each fill. When I was headed home from surgery, I had to stop every hour to get out and walk a bit. My surgeon and staff were well aware that I live 3 hours away. I think it's whatever you're comfortable with.

I'm a picky eater, too. I'd say it's most important to get your Protein, so as long as you are getting your doctor-recommended amount, I wouldn't worry too much. You can always use Protein shakes to supplement. As for people wondering why you're eating less...just say you're trying to make better choices. With you eating with other people a lot, I would make sure to practice the bandster eating techniques so that you don't feel pressured to eat at their pace and end up in pain - THAT might be obvious. You might want to start now whenever you are around them. Cut your food in small bites, chew-chew-chew 30 times, no liquids with meals. Hopefully if it becomes second nature by the time you get the band, you'll be able to get through the meal without trouble. Make sure to not load down your plate, either, or you'll feel the pressure to finish and that can also be painful (eating too much). There are many things you can say...trying to eat better, not really that hungry, going out for a big dinner with the family that night, etc. I mostly just eat around DH, but we go out to restaurants and it's not obvious that I'm banded. Just don't let the pressure to eat like other people get to you! That has kicked me in the rear more than once. As to the hungry question during liquid phase. Hmm. Thinking back, I don't really remember being terribly hungry. I think it was because of the swelling. And really, you can drink to your heart's content while on liquids, so if you feel hungry again, go get something else. Protein goes a long way towards satiating hunger, so make sure you get your protein shakes.

I got the Kelo-cote gel because of the inspiration from your scar stages pic, Banster. I had an allergic reaction, or something, and I'm not allergic to anything. It caused two of my scars to bubble up worse with yellow pus until they popped and then the scar was wider than when I started. I know reactions aren't common for everybody, but I would highly recommend trying this on one of your SMALL scars first. As soon as I stopped using it, my scars calmed down.

Age, height, gender, exercise, caloric intake, metabolism, genetics...they all have a hand in how fast you lose weight and EVERYBODY will be different. I was banded 11/15/07 and I've lost 45 lbs so far...only 3 of which was from the 3-day pre-op Clear liquids diet.

If you managed to read my post, you will see that I quoted exactly whom I was talking about. Two posters are referring to ONE CERTAIN DOCTOR. Guess I'm the only one paying attention. I am certainly up for good discussion and no, it doesn't have to be about Lap Band. OBVIOUSLY - based on my first post in this thread. What gets me is people thinking they are being sly or some garbage with the name-dropping. I just hope nobody is stupid enough to not see the advertisement for what it is. This thread sounds exactly like what Wasabubblebutt talked about in her thread about patient coordinators. It just makes me angry when people will abuse a message board like this for their own purposes. And no, I wasn't referring to you or I would have either used your name or quoted your post.

*snort* Gee...is this an advertising thread, or what? Considering this newest "supporting poster" has only posted about LASIK, either. Is advertising allowed on this board?

I go out to eat a couple times per week. No PB problems, no sliming...and I do have good restriction. Just eat slow and if necessary, STOP and let things pass. I eat out with my husband and while he DOES know I have the band, nobody else in the restaurant does. The server may just wonder if something was wrong with the food because I eat so little of these HUGE portions they bring out. :thumbup: I haven't had any alcohol since getting banded...I think I'm afraid of stalling my weight loss.

I do fine with capsules. I take a B complex, pomegranate, and grape seed extract. I do a chewable vitamin that tastes pretty good. The only thing I have issues with is the glucosamine. I break it in half and STILL feel like it's going to rip apart my insides. I have to fight to not PB it. But those are pretty big. A tiny pill like a BCP would not be a problem, at all. I also take Tylenol when necessary and can down 3 of those at a time and not even notice them.

That's who I used. Are you going to self pay? I LOVED the medical center where I had it done - the staff was incredibly responsive. They called me the day after and when I didn't answer, they left a message and called me the next day. And they sent me a card. LOL It kind of made me feel good that it felt like there were people out there wishing me well on the whole thing. I do like his office staff. I have a bit of a gripe with the receptionist - she can be a little short on the phone (I'm not the only one who thinks so), but she is okay in person, I guess. I LOVE the doctor and his NP is great (Allyson - she does the fills). I think the social worker that does the psych evals was wonderful - she seems to genuinely care about people and isn't just putting on a show. The nutritionist who puts on the nutrition class is a little argumentative, but the other nutritionist is great. Haha...I gave you the downlow on the staff. :thumbup: Just a heads' up, I guess. Being a self-pay, Allyson was aggressive with my fills and I surely appreciate it because my next scheduled fill is going to be out of pocket, but I may not need it if I stay at this level of restriction (6.5 in 10cc).