Kalipso2

i went by myself too! i went to 2 or 3 info sessions before i found my doctor. my surgery was almost 3 years ago but i don't remember feeling weird but now that you mention it, i might have been the only person that was alone. eh, it was worth it in the end! once i made my decision, it was pretty quick too. gives you less chance to chicken out : ) good luck!

well, that certainly doesn't sound like a doctor who is looking out for your best interest! yes, he should be tough on you for not following the "rules" but he should be just as supportive. i mean, obviously YOU know you haven't been following the plan so why doesn't he HELP you instead of turning you away?

each and every one of us has a different lifestyle and i don't see why yours makes a difference towards you losing weight.

i'd either make an appointment to see your original surgeon or find someone else!

some people can eat bread (or pizza) just fine... i'm just not one of them. i can eat the crust if its crunchy and i can eat the cheese and toppings. people just look at me funny when i take 2 pieces of pizza, eat the crust of one piece and the cheese off both of them and throw the rest away... so its just easier to just skip it.

i've been open and honest with everyone... friends and family... everyone has been supportive to my face but i don't know what they say when i'm not around. they know i can't eat a lot so they let me graze off their plate during happy hours and such. i'm almost 3 years post-op so i can drink a cocktail or 2 if i want but i have to decide whether i want to eat OR drink because with the band its too hard to do both!

some people have "lied" by making themself a half inch shorter than they really are or use ankle weights when getting weighed in for the first time so you appear heavier.

i think its healthy to set goals but try not to be so hard on yourself! i too am almost 3 years post-op and i haven't reached my goal yet... but i'm okay with that because i still look and feel good. i've had to work for every single pound that i've lost. it hasn't been easy but that just encourages me to keep it off! i have about 3 more pounds to go before i'm considered "normal" on the bmi chart and it will probably take me a month to lose those 3 stubborn pounds... but i WILL! keep up the good work... you'll get there.

i don't have a husband or significant other but i do have a meddling mother... which is worse i think lol

before i started this journey i told everyone that this was for ME. i didn't expect their eating habits to change because mine were going to. so at birthday parties they still order pizza even though i can't eat it. i either eat before i go or bring my own food. it took awhile before my family saw i wasn't going to combust just because my eating habits are a little strange now.

just last night my family went out to eat for my brothers birthday. i had my mom telling me "eat slow" "take smaller bites" "should you be eating a baked potato?" ugh!!! it drives me nuts lol

before my surgery i also wondered if i'd be able to feel the band around my stomach... and the answer is no, you can't feel it at all.

the port, on the other hand, you can feel. you can see the port on some people but i don't think mine is visible unless i pull the skin on my stomach.

i think of my port scar and the port itself as my "war wound" and i'm proud to have them. when i'm anxious about eating or how i look in a certain outfit, i run my fingers over the port and it just reassures me that i've done the right thing.

there are times that my jeans will push against the port but i just readjust things and i'm fine. also, my desk at work is at the same height as my port so if i sit too close to my desk i can feel the port. nothing too bad maybe just a sharp pain but it goes away.

i had the same thing happen to me after i was first banded. what a SCARY feeling it was being woken up by choking on your own stomach acid!! i seriously thought i would choke to death!

it took me awhile before i told my doctor but after a slight unfill everything was fine!

no, its not crazy. a lot of people go to mexico to get banded BUT you need to make sure you have a follow-up care doctor near your home that will handle all your band adjustments. you need to find the follow-up doctor BEFORE your surgery in mexico. a lot of doctors don't like taking on band adjustments that they didn't do themselves.

yep, my feet got smaller! all my shoes were way too loose about 6 months after surgery and i had to buy all new ones!

i'm 3 years post-op and i feel 100% better.

the only time i feel anything is if my jeans push against or under my port while i'm sitting... or if i sit too close to my desk at work and lean against my port.

other than that, i don't have any feeling of being banded.

my initial goal weight is the highest weight to be "normal" on the BMI schedule... which is 145 for me. right now, i'm 7 pounds away from that goal.

once i'm there i'll see how i feel. I may want to go down to 140.

i'm sorry to hear that you're struggling but i think we all struggled in the beginning too... at least i know i did!

unfortunately, it takes awhile before the cravings and the temptation to binge go away... but it DOES get easier, i promise!

you'll get used to the small portions. don't deprive yourself of occasional treats. if you're craving something, just eat a bite or two and throw the rest away. at least that's what i do.

my surgeon just asked that i come in with an empty stomach. i tried to schedule my fills early in the morning because of his request.

good for you for going getting back on track!! you've come too far to give up!

i went into the surgery with a relatively low BMI and i've had to fight for every pound that i've lost. after almost 3 years i'm struggling with the last 7-10 pounds to get my BMI to "normal". i thought i'd have no problems with the surgery and the weight would just fall off without any problems. i was wrong. i was over-filled for too long and spent a lot of time throwing up as well as having some wicked acid reflux before i gave in and got a slight unfill. i'm scared to death that i'll gain the weight back. i've lost weight so many times in the past and gained it back so why should this time be any different, right? i'm hoping i'm in the right frame of mind now to be conscious of my food intake and to watch the scale VERY carefully!

i can not begin to tell you how many "last meals" i had before my surgery!! i literally ate at all my favorite restaurants thinking i'd never be able to eat out again. so, you're not alone!! you probably won't snap out of it until after your surgery when you realize that you CAN still eat most of your favorite foods, just a lot less of it. while my favorite food is pizza, my band won't tolerate all that bread so i eat the best part of the pizza... the crust and the toppings.

i'm almost 3 years post op and just 5 pounds shy from my personal goal weight. this past summer i went to my family doctor for a routine physical and she ran some blood tests. one of the tests came back for low Iron. i took an Iron supplement for a few months then stopped because i felt that i should be at a normal level. i just went in again for a routine exam and had her test my blood. i just got the results today and once again, my iron is low.

i thought because my periods are always really, really bad that was the reason for the low iron but i made sure i went in between my cycle to get an accurate reading. here are my levels:

hemoglobin 10.5 (should be between 11.5-15.0)

MCH 24.5 (should be between 27.0-34.0)

MCHC 30.3 (should be between 32.0-36.0)

Iron, Serum 19 (should be between 35-155)

Iron Saturation 5 (should be between 15-55)

Ferritin, Serum (should be between 13-150)

i don't know what any of it means. i just got a letter from my doctor in the mail saying to start taking iron supplements. some of the research online said to eat leafy green veggies and red meat. i don't eat those at all. will i be stuck on supplements forever? has anyone else had any problems with their iron levels?

i did tell my family and close friends before i got banded but i didn't tell any of my coworkers until people started noticing that i was losing weight.

when you eat lunch or go to happy hours, it is kind of hard hiding the fact that you eat so very little. it's helped me save money too because all my friends let me eat a few bites of their meal or appetizer so i don't have to order a whole one myself!

i've been extremely lucky... i have VERY supportive friends and family!

the cost of my surgery included (2) years of fills... which ended April 2010. thankfully, i haven't needed another fill since then but if i do, my doctor charges $100 for any fill or unfill.

i have a 10cc band and currently have 4.4cc right now. it took me numerous fills and unfills before we got it just right!

i didn't lose any of my hair the first 2 months after surgery. i thought i was one of the lucky ones that wouldn't. well, 3 months after my surgery my hair started falling out. my hair dresser made a comment but i had already noticed.

i knew it wouldn't be permanent so i didn't do anything about it and just let nature take its course. i have very thick hair so i wasn't overly worried. it all grew back!

no, i don't think i would have waited either. personally, i think i got a good deal to begin with. my surgery cost $12,900 with 2 years of free fills under flouroscopy. if i had wanted cheaper (at that time) i would have gone to mexico. what it came down to is i wanted my surgeon (who i trusted) and i didn't want to wait!

ooohhhh.... popcorn isn't the best thing to eat so soon after surgery!! its really hard for the stomach to digest. at least it is for me!

i agre with Mel... see if your surgeon's office will work with you to either change your height or get re-weighed wearing heavier clothes or ankle/wrist weights. i know, it sounds like cheating (and it is) but you shouldn't be denied just because of 1 BMI point!

each doctor is different. my doc told me no soda or alcohol for 3 months post-op. i drink diet soda now... 1 or 2 cans a day... and my stomach gurgles like its hungry when it passes thru the band. i get a lot of funny looks lol

you should be fine with the V8 because there aren't any carbonation bubbles in it and that's what you want to avoid.