Kalipso2

I've only been banded for 2+ months and I already LOVE my band!! I've never been complimented so much in such a small amount of time. I love how much money I'm saving on groceries. I love not sweating after only walking 100 feet. I love the fact that I sleep SO much better at night. My list could go on and on and on... Can you imagine what I'd have listed if I had been banded a year ago???

i just talked to my dietician this past week because i was afraid i wasn't eating enough. i have a slimfast at 8am, string cheese at 12pm, slimfast at 3:30pm and about 4 ounces of chicken around 7pm. she said i'm getting the Protein i need so isn't overly concerned about the low calories. i'm not hungry and i feel good so it's working for me.

What an awesome birthday present, Heather!!! You've worked so hard and i bet all that struggling had to be worth it when you got on the scale this mornin, right?

i have the lap-band and had 1.5cc left in the band during surgery. it's really not a lot to feel any restriction though.

i was self pay too. i thought about it long and hard too. it's going to take me 6 years to pay off my surgery but it is SO worth it!!

feeling hungry 2 weeks or so after surgery is absolutely normal! the swelling in your stomach has gone down and now you're left with no restriction since most doctors don't fill a band during surgery. you're in Bandster Hell right now... this is the hardest part of this entire journey.... you're banded but not restricted. go in for your first fill. chances are you might not feel restriction even then. sometimes it takes a few fills before you feel any restriction so you need to stay in contact with your doctor. find out how often you can go in for fills. my doctor does them every 2 weeks i think. don't get discouraged yet!!

i'm not sure how to respond to this... i started the process in March... got banded in April... 1st fill in May and 2nd fill in June. during all this time, i've only seen my surgeon twice. the 1st time was during my initial consult and the 2nd time was the day of my surgery. BUT, he is an excellent surgeon and i did a LOT of research on him. even though i've only seen him twice, he's answered numerous emails from me. yes, i was a little put off at first by never seeing him again but... he's a surgeon, not necissarily a fill-giver. his practice is extremely busy and you have to make appointments at least a month in advance but i've never waited for more than 15 minutes... ever!

shoot, everyone slips. i had a doughnut 2 weeks after surgery. just because you're banded doesn't mean you're brain has changed it's habits yet! don't feel guilty and don't beat yourself up! tomorrow is another day! it's better that you fed your craving instead of holding it in and then trying to binge on an entire cake a week from now!

i was banded on 04/21/08 and i've PB'd more times than i'd like to say... all completely my fault until i got the hang of things. i went from the pre-op liquid diet to the post-op liquid diet to mushies then had my first fill which put me back on liquids again for 3 days. by the time i was able to eat real food i was ravenous as well as a little restricted and i went off the deep end. i learned pretty quickly what i could eat and what my body will no longer handle. i also learned that just because i'm banded and my body doesn't allow me to eat more than a 1/2 cup at a time, my brain still thinks the food looks and smells too good to stop. that has been a very painful lesson since my 2nd fill 3 weeks ago. hopefully now that i'm listening to my stomach and not my brain my PB'ing days are over!

i've only been banded for a little over 2 months and i've already learned how to eat around the band. i've had a couple of set-backs by binging on chocolate bars BUT i want to lose this weight SOOOO friggin bad that my want to be thin is stronger than my want of bad food. you're going to slip and cheat but you just have to get right back on plan the next day!

congratulations on the band AND the no smoking! that's real dedication to a healthier lifestyle!! i don't know what kind of slimfast you're drinking but after my surgery up until my first fill i drank the slimfast optima milk chocolate. not supposed to drink that now because its too high in sugar and carbs but you should be okay until your first fill. put the can in the freezer for about an hour and i swear it tastes like a milkshake!!

OMG... i took a picture of my incisions about 3 days after my surgery and the belly in that picture was NOT the one i left with... lots of gas! lol i live in cleveland but was banded in cincinnati by Dr. Curry. congrats on your new banded life!

yep... it's what i've heard at least. i think they can do a blood test to see if you've been smoking but i've never heard of anyone actually getting cancelled. maybe it's a scare tactic?

my reason of getting banded probably is the worst reason.... growing up i was skinny. my parents used to say they were afraid the wind would knock me over. through high school i remained thin... a size 6. after high school i started gaining weight. i would tell myself if i got up to a size 10 jean i would diet. then it became a size 12... 14... 16. it didn't help that i would binge and then take laxatives to lose weight... sometimes up to 15 in one day. i didn't believe they would hurt me so i ignored my therapist and doctors worries. i was forever comparing myself to other people. why is my sister smaller than me and she had 2 kids? wow, i'm the biggest person at work! it was all about self image and self conciousness that sent me to the lap-band. i tried the laxatives. I tried Weight Watchers. I tried going to a nutritionist. i always gave up. now, no matter how good the food looks, smells and tastes, i know i can't over-eat. it has been a constant struggle, especially during the past month since i have great restriction! it's amazing what happens when you really listen to your body and what it tells you!

i don't think you'll have to lose 35 pounds in 2 weeks.... that's way too unhealthy. they just want you to lose as much weight as you can on the liquid diet so it helps them during surgery by shrinking the liver to make it easier to install the band. go by your march weigh in weight. i'm not going to lie though... the pre-op diet is VERY difficult especially since you know you still can eat if you want. the 2-4 week post-op diet isn't much easier. i don't know how much weight you have to lose but my BMI was relatively low and i have less than 100 pounds to lose. i failed miserably at my liquid diet. i actually gained 3 pounds! it was a stupid risk to take but too late to change now. be strong!

i want to be able to cross my legs without having to grab the leg and pull it up!

you will get hungry... the band won't stop that... everyone gets hungry eventually BUT you'll go longer periods of time between eating. you'll eat less and get full faster.

hi, my name is kris and i'm a food addict lol i was just "crying" to my mom because food smells and looks SO good and i'm physically satisfied after a few bites but my head wants to keep eating. i SO want to keep eating but i know if i eat one more bite i'll end up PB'ing in the bathroom. maybe try calling your doctor to see if you can move up from clear liquids to full liquids? the slimfast optima milk chocolate saved me from going crazy! i put it in the freezer for an hour and it tastes like a milk shake AND stops the hunger for 3+ hours. stay strong!

my first suggestion would be.... do NOT watch the live surgery. i'm usually pretty good with shows like "Trauma in the ER" but I couldn't watch this video... i made it thru 2 minutes before i realized i really didn't want to watch how its done! i can understand your nervousness. i went into this with never having a surgery before... never having an IV before but it's the best thing i've ever done for myself! i'm not sure if you're spending the night in the hospital but that first night was the worst. you don't know how to get out of bed without hurting. you don't know how to lay back down without hurting. you're afraid of doing something wrong. In the end, everything will be just fine. i was scared about the breathing tube but i was more afraid of being awake during the surgery and them not knowing. let me tell you... once they put the oxygen mask on the next thing you'll know you'll be waking up in recovery! i don't think i was fully prepared with the lifestyle change.... after 60 days i'm still not used to it. my head tells me to keep eating... the food tastes SO good but the body says... no WAY, you're done! just remember... everyone has been thru what you're feeling and i'm sure most of us didn't take a xanax but if you do plan on taking them I would call your surgeon first to make sure he knows about it!! good luck!

i had my surgery on a monday and planned to go back to work the following monday but i just didn't think i was ready so i went back on that tuesday instead. tuesday was a rough day. i probably should have waited until the following wednesday or thursday. just listen to your body... if you feel fine then go back but if you don't think you're ready, take the extra time!

i agree... it probably is your port. my port isn't located right under the incision. it's located about 2" above the incision. i had port pain for about 30 days after surgery.

my friend had the sleeve done a week before i got banded. her doctor was going to leave her stomach the size of a banana but decided to make it the size of a hot dog. yes, she has lost a lot of weight in a short period of time but it's not reversible and there is the issue with dumping just like with gastric bypass.

yes, that is absolutely normal. the port incision will hurt worse than the others because the port is there and it is stitched to muscle. i had port pain for about 30 days after surgery. when you get the okay to exercise the pain will still be there but you have to exercise around the pain. i'm over 60 days post-op and i can still feel my port and will always be able to feel it. it's funny because i rub it all the time because i think of it as my "life line". when i eat too much it sticks out even further and i feel like an over done turkey!

i recently went out to dinner with friends from work who didn't know that i got banded. i didn't drink and that raised eyebrows. i ordered boneless buffalo chicken bites and could only eat 2 of them and that raised eyebrows too. when i got the bill and i had to pay $10 + tip for something i barely ate i got pissed off and ended up telling everyone i was with that i had the surgery. they said the next time i could just eat off their plates!

i've been able to feel my port since day 1 after surgery. when i eat too much my port really sticks out and i feel like an over done turkey.