Kalipso2

i'm a low bmi bandster and was told i needed to be on the pre-surgery diet but i just couldn't stomach the food they gave. i didn't lose any weight but being self-pay my doctor probably didn't care.

for me, it isn't so much that the food is stuck (meaning there is no pain)... i just know i've eaten too much and feel the need to get it out BUT its food that is still in the upper portion of the stomach. and yes... what you're explaining CAN cause slippage! of course, the goal is to never eat too much or eat foods that get stuck so the risk of slippage would be small. i think you're okay though...

ahhh shaunda, there are people out there exactly like us. yes, i said us because i used to feel the same way as you are right now. i was banded in april 2008 and lost a majority of my weight within the first 6 months and like you, i would eat until i threw up. i was okay with that because i was still able to eat the foods i wanted even though they didn't agree with my stomach. what "woke" me up was the fact that i started having extremely bad acid reflux. i would literally wake up choking on my vomit. i finally went back to my doctor and he noticed that my band was too tight and was close to slipping so he removed a good 2cc's out of my band. i did gain some weight during the next year while slowing getting fills to tighten my band. i'm at the point now where i don't throw up as much as i used to because i know its wrong. (and i think deep down, you know its wrong too) your vomitting is most likely what caused your 1st band to slip. this 2nd band will do the job its intended if you let it. maybe you need more of a fill until you get that full feeling again? listen, i grew up binging and purging but i chose to use laxatives to purge. i was taking up to 15 pills a day to get rid of the food i ate (this was pre-lapband). i knew i was hurting my body but i didn't care. i wanted to lose weight... and i did... but when i would give my body a break and stop taking the pills i'd gain weight back. instead of getting professional help, i chose the lapband. i stopped taking the pills and found it easier to vomit after meals but i got scared of my band slipping and since i'm self pay too, i knew i'd never be able to afford getting it repositioned. right now, i have my good days and my bad days. sometimes i go weeks without feeling the need to throw up but then a craving hits me and i slip. my band doesn't allow me to eat hamburger meat or pizza anymore (it causes me to throw up) but sometimes the craving is just too great. just this week i gave in and had a hamburger and i paid the consequences of a sore stomach for 2 days afterwards. just know, you are NOT alone. PM me if you'd like to talk more!!

congratulations! i'm SO hoping i can get to 139 too! unfortunately, at my 2 year check up in april, my surgeon told me i was most likely at my lowest weight which was 173 at the time. he said i had lost 60% of the weight and i was considered a success and sent on my way. i wasn't happy with only losing 60% of the weight and was pissed that my doctor thought 173 was okay. 7 months later, i'm down an additional 13 pounds and i'm content where i am now but i'll still strive for the additional 20 pounds so i can be happy instead of content!

i've been banded for 2.5 years and my band still gets very tight when i have my period!

i NEVER thought i'd become a shopping addict. i've always worn baggy clothes and clothes that are black or brown. now i'm wearing form fitting outfits that are bright and vibrant... just how i feel!

i'm not sure if family and friends try to sabatoge on purpose... i just think a lot of interaction is spent around food in general. there are a lot of people (unlike us) who are able to have a bite of this and a piece of that. we can't and they just don't understand. so try not to take it personally... just smile and say "no thank you!"

i asked my dietician about this since i'm a former WW gal myself and i was told no, No, NO! not to focus on points but to focus on amount of protein and carbs instead.

i think there are a lot of people that have had to adjust to not being able to eat certain foods and it IS rough! i can no longer eat bread so i miss pizza and grilled cheese and breadsticks and.... i can go on and on. even 2+ years post-op i still miss those foods... but i've learned to adapt. now i just eat the toppings off the pizza which is the best part anyway!

i chose 5. i used the pain meds that were offered to me so the only pain i had was sitting up and then laying back down. the only major pain i had was waiting too long between the pain meds. i was being released from the hospital and had a 4 hour drive home. i was waiting to ask for my last dose of meds for right before i was leaving.... stupid move on my part. as long as i stuck to taking the pain meds every 4 hours i was fine...

my story isn't really about being embarrassed... it's about me realizing i wasn't as strong as i thought i would be. i planned in advance to spend the night in the hospital even though i had the choice to go home the same day. i thought i was going to go thru the surgery with flying colors so i packed nice pajamas, a book, my cell phone, nice shower gel, blow dryer, curling Iron, make-up, etc. almost like i was staying over at a hotel! needless to say, i never got out of my hospital gown. was too drugged up to read. used a wash cloth instead of showering. put my hair in a ponytail and wore the same clothes home as i did when i went in. plus, every time i had to go to the bathroom, i had to ring a nurse because i wasn't able to get out of bed on my own.

when my family orders pizza, i eat the crust off 1 slice and the cheese off 2 slices and that satisfies my craving!

i'm 2 years post-op and yes, you CAN stretch your pouch because i have... i even have the xray to prove it! my band was too tight and the food was sitting there too long. thankfully, i was fully healed and my band did not slip but it can and does happen if you're not careful. since having a slight unfill, i feel like i'm at my "sweet spot". i eat enough to where i feel satisfied. i don't throw up from eating too much and my pouch is back to its normal size. a typical eating day for me is: breakfast: Protein shake made with 12oz of skim milk (i'm not a big Breakfast eater). lunch: small salad (about 1/2 cup) with chicken or turkey (1/4 of the breast) dinner: 1/2 chicken breast with 1/3 cup of a veggie. snack: pudding cup, or 100 calorie ice cream bar, or a couple of crackers

Before I actually had my surgery it was: 2- Had some concerns, but was satisfied with my research. Being 2 years post-op I would have to say I wish I would have: 3- I hesitated but felt it was an efficient way to get healthy again.

i weigh myself every other day. if i gain one day i make sure i adjust my meals the next.

i admit... i didn't give up diet soda pre-surgery but i did post-surgery. i figured i'd go thru the caffeine withdrawl while i was in pain after the surgery. i had to go 6 months post-surgery without carbonation and it was TOUGH! i counted down the days 'til i was able to drink my diet pepsi again. thankfully i have a surgeon who allows carbonation... some don't!

luckily i can eat chicken... otherwise i'd be screwed because that is basically the only Protein i like besides eggs. try dipping your chicken in a low calorie/low fat sauce or not cooking it as long. the sweet spot is a gray area... i always thought my sweet spot was just finishing a meal without throwing up. that's not it. to me my sweet spot is knowing that swallowing one more bite will make me throw up... knowing that feeling. does that make sense?

i'm 2 years post-op and i burp just fine : )

to answer your question... if you eat more food than your pouch can handle, you throw up. i did have a problem with a dialated pouch from eating too much but i was also vomitting a lot too.

i don't know about size being a factor... i only had to lose 80 pounds total to be considered "normal" and i was banded with a 10cc band. i only have 4.4cc right now and can't tolerate being any tighter. at my highest i was at about 5.2cc and threw up after almost every meal.

yep, that's what i usually do... switch something up whether its eating different food or changing my exercise routine. good luck!

i was also told not to think of post-surgery as "dieting" when i asked if it would be okay to join WW after surgery. they consider it a lifestyle change. eating healthy, low fat, high Protein foods since you won't be able to each a lot of anything. always eat your protein first (so lots of chicken, turkey, fish/seafood). if still hungry add in a veggie. some people can tolerate red meat but i'm not one of them. most of us can't eat bread and you should stay away from Pasta (or carbs in general). hope that helps!

i was a skinny child... people used to joke that i'd blow away if it were too windy. in high school i wore an "average" size 6 and my older sister and i used to share clothes. my earliest memory of me gaining weight was when i was 21. i used to go to mcdonald's every morning for a sausage mcmuffin (or 2). one night my boyfriend was driving my car and dropped me off in front of a store while i ran in for a minute. when i got back into the car, the entire passenger seat and floor was covered in mcmuffin wrappers. i used to hide them under the drivers seat and he found all the wrappers. he asked me what the hell i was doing and it was like a slap in the face. from that point on i gained weight each year. i'd tell myself... i'll diet when i can't fit into a size 10 jeans. then it was size 12... 14...16... i knew i had to put an end to it. here i am now... almost 39 and fitting in a size 10 jeans! i'm not at my goal yet but still working towards the size 8!!

getting put under for my lap-band surgery was the first time for me and i was just as scared as you. i had never even had an I.V. in my hand before. (i think i was stressing more about the I.V. than being put under!) while i was waiting for my turn in the surgery "waiting room" i asked for something to calm my nerves... how funny is that?! they told me i had a half hour wait before i could have anything and no more than 5 minutes later i was being wheeled into the operating room. i'm not sure why my surgery got expedited but if i had been wearing pants i probably would have peed them : ) i got wheeled into the room. i saw my surgeon for a minute. one nurse took one arm off to the side, another one to my other arm. they put the mask on my face and i don't think i took 2 breaths and i was out. next thing i knew i was in the recovery room being woken up by annoying nurses. i just wanted to sleep! oh and i thought i had to pee. i guess i was still nervous enough to want to pee my pants that i didn't have on! seriously though... being nervous is expected. everyone is nervous beforehand. i even filled out a living will and a DNR just in case something bad happened. (my mom wasn't very happy when i handed her THOSE papers!) just consider that day the beginning of your new life!

i'm probably one of the few who have mixed emotions about my band. i'm 2 years post-op and still struggle every day with eating. i thought i had done enough research and i thought i was ready but i'm i'm not 100% sure i would do it over again if i had the opportunity. i've had a lot of problems since being banded. i was over-filled and was experiencing severe acid reflux. i would literally wake up choking on my own vomit. even after i got somewhat of an unfill, i still had bouts of throwing up from over-eating which caused the top of my stomach to dialate... folding over the band, which can cause the band to slip. i think i'm FINALLY at a point where i'm not over-filled, have no more acid reflux and don't throw up after meals BUT that doesn't stop me from WANTING to keep eating. you have to learn to listen to your band and not your brain... its like having the devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other... your band will tell you when you're full but your head tells you the food tastes so good so keep eating. after 2 years... it's still a struggle. BUT i am happy with my body. i'm no longer in a deep depression. i love shopping now. i'm not embarassed walking into a bar. i just feel good.