hungry4help

people, people... 5 french fries, a few bites of stolen easter chocolate, a mouthful of pickes?! can't we come up with worse?! heh! :huh2: for my own part... i was pretty good up until tonight. order me up some thai food: mixed apps (2 shrimp parcel wrappers, 2 veggie dumplings and 2 curry puffs) and a few tablespoons of coconut curry chicken and brown rice. um, i think i need another fill. oy. now for the disclaimer: despite all that, my calorie count for the day = 1300ish.

hi k_pdoski... whoa. who is your doctor? sounds like someone our yet-to-be-banded friends might want to avoid! sorry he was so clueless with you!

thanks, evansmom. i'm hoping the next fill will require fewer needle pricks too! as for feeling my port... there's a lump just below my main incision which i thought was my port. but according to my docs, it's really just a little swelling from surgery. go figure. ever since that was pointed out to me, i have noticed the lump getting smaller each day. meanwhile, i was told not to do strenuous ab work. (heh, like i was looking forward to crunches?!) i have switched to sitting on a physioball at the office tho. that's significantly helped my pre-op back pain and it seems like an easy enough thing to do to develop my core muscles. now, if could only see my core muscles! alas, maybe this time next year. on that note... i can't believe it's been almost a month since i was banded. lord, how time flies!

hi drtifg...i lost about 10 pounds pre-op and most of the rest was in the 2 weeks post surgery. during the 3rd week, i lost and gained the same pound. that said, i worked out nearly every day and really upped my activity level. (walked a mile a day, went to a couple of spin classes at the gym and played tennis (doubles) 3 times.) all of that led to an additional 3 pound loss as of monday. still, i feel you're pain. i'm as hungry now as i was before surgery. i've really only managed to keep my portions in check by reminding myself that i did have surgery and that if i overeat at this point, i will likely do myself an injury. when i'm really hungry, i drink more Water, or eat a wedge of laughing cow light cheese, or leave my desk and take a walk around the block. trust that restriction will come and we'll get through this period. you can do this and your band will help you, if not right now... then very soon.

sadly, i'm not feeling much restriction either. had my first fill last thursday which brought me up to 4ccs in a 10cc APL. frankly, it doesn't even feel like band. sigh. am not scheduled for another fill until 4/10 and that feels like a really long time. meanwhile, i'm just trying to keep portion sizes reasonable and working out with regularity. i know it's different for everyone, but when is it reasonable to expect a feeling of restriction in a 10cc band; 5, 6, 8ccs?

thanks, specialk. it's great to see how many of us there are!

hi evansmom... glad you're doing so well. good luck with your upcoming fill. i got my first fill last thursday, go figure. (wrote about it earlier on this thread.) sadly, it was not a great experience. but i'm pretty confident it will get better. they had a lot of probs finding the "sweetspot" of my port. the result, i got poked -- a lot. it hurt for a couple of days, but am all better now. funny thing is, it's taken a few days to feel any added restriction. i'm definitely full faster than i was before the 1cc add, but i can clearly use another cc. luckily, i'm skedded for another fill on 4/10. my only bit of advice: ask for the a little local anesthetic, just in case they have a prob locating your port. hope all goes well! and good luck to everyone getting filled soon.

hi all.. hope you're doing well. i posted this on the master thread, but just i'd add it here too. "hi all... was banded on 3/3 and got my first fill today. yup, it's earlier than normal. but part of the reason i chose my doc was that he was a bit aggressive than most and also because he doesn't charge for fills--ever. on his advice, i tested my tolerance this week with solid food. (fenton, as a foodie you might appreciate my dinner at ouest last night: casarecce Pasta with fennel sausage and braised pork) don't worry! i had the appetizer portion. but i digress... i've read elsewhere on these boards that fills are fairly easy and painless procedures. while mine was pretty much pain free (thanks to a little medication), it wasn't easy. my surgeon doesn't typically do fills, instead he has associates do them. they're all pretty competent, but the one who handled my fill today had the darndest time finding the center of my port. i could feel the needle sliding off its rigid edge of. it was an odd, but not a painful sensation. anyway after 10 pokes, she called in the other doctor who did manage to find the port and add 1cc to the 3ccs they put in during surgery. it took another 10 pokes! it didn't hurt at the time, but now that the pain med is wearing off, i'm feeling a little sore. ouch. the obligatory cup of post-fill Water went down fine and i'm hoping the added boost will chase away the hunger pains i had been feeling while also helping me finally get out of the 270s! wish me luck until my next doctor's visit in 2 weeks!"

hi all... was banded on 3/3 and got my first fill today. yup, it's earlier than normal. but part of the reason i chose my doc was that he was a bit aggressive than most and also because he doesn't charge for fills--ever. on his advice, i tested my tolerance this week with solid food. (fenton, as a foodie you might appreciate my dinner at ouest last night: casarecce Pasta with fennel sausage and braised pork) don't worry! i had the appetizer portion. but i digress... i've read elsewhere on these boards that fills are fairly easy and painless procedures. while mine was pretty much pain free (thanks to a little medication), it wasn't easy. my surgeon doesn't typically do fills, instead he has associates do them. they're all pretty competent, but the one who handled my fill today had the darndest time finding the center of my port. i could feel the needle sliding off its rigid edge of. it was an odd, but not a painful sensation. anyway after 10 pokes, she called in the other doctor who did manage to find the port and add 1cc to the 3ccs they put in during surgery. it took another 10 pokes! it didn't hurt at the time, but now that the pain med is wearing off, i'm feeling a little sore. ouch. the obligatory cup of post-fill Water went down fine and i'm hoping the added boost will chase away the hunger pains i had been feeling while also helping me finally get out of the 270s! wish me luck until my next doctor's visit in 2 weeks!

frances... i totally feel your pain. i've lost and gained the same pound for the last two weeks. i so want out of the 270s, which i am about every other morning. but just when i started getting frustrated, i remember how disappointed i was with the constant gains i'd racked up in the last year or so. happily, my first fill is scheduled for tomorrow. my doc put in 3cc during surgery and i'd felt some restriction. but i could pretty much eat anything after about 2.5 weeks after surgery. hopefully bring me up to a 4cc fill will help get into the 260s and lower. fingers crossed. good luck to all the newly banded and to all those awaiting their first fill.

hi penny, am glad to hear fixing your port wasn't too serious an affair. still, i'm sorry you had to go through that tho. am wondering however, how did you know that it flipped? do you recall the sensation when you think it happened or was it just a general soreness/inflammation? hope you're recovering well.

totally hear you, evansmom. i'm at a standstill too. am happily down 25 lbs since mid february, but only managed to lose half a pound in the last week. that's despite the fact that i've been sticking pretty close to plan and played tennis and went to the gym 5 out of the last 7 days. sigh. i have a feeling that my body is just rebelling a bit from the lower calorie intake. it hasn't been easy tho, hunger is back and i'm definitely able to eat more and more. is this bandster hell?! at any rate, i'm skedded for my first fill this thursday. yipee! hopefully that i'll start to feel that magical "restriction" feeling. i haven't really experienced that since the middle of last week. hope everyone is doing well. and thanks to everyone who posted yummy "mushies" recipes. they saved me during this phase.

i was banded by dr. roslin and lennox hill hospital in nyc and part of the reason i chosen them was that they don't charge for fills -- ever. heard a rumor that similar policies were true at bariatric offices that are considered "centers of excellence." anyone here know if that's true?

hello fellow new yorkers... i heard rumor that some restaurants in new york offer baritric sized portions if you call ahead. has anyone here been to such a restaurant or know of a master list of them? thanks in advance for your help.

thanks for visiting, juli. i was definitely one of the lurkers you mentioned. i've been scanning the "upper classman" threads for several weeks, so that i can glance into what my future may and may not look like. reading what you all have posted has made me a far less anxious woman. that said, i'm entering bandster hell. my urge to eat is back, tho i'm trying hard to define head hunger from actual hunger. i haven't gone too crazy, but am very much looking forward to my first fill. i'm lucky tho, i'm skedded for 1 cc add next thursday. it's on the early side, but one of the reasons i chose my doc was because he tends to proceed aggressively with patients who are recovering well. thanks again. hope everyone out there is doing well. and fenton, keep up the personal diaries! they're fun and informative.

totally hear what you're saying. i did the exact same thing before surgery. i think i ordered from all the menus in, yes, my entire menu drawer. (hey, i live in nyc where everyone has a takeout drawer in their kitchen!) ultimately tho, i knew the less i weighed, the less dangerous my surgery would be. remembering that really prevented me from getting as crazy as i could have gone. good luck with your pre-op prep. see you on the other side.

thanks, juli. i'll keep an eye out for any all nyc-based bandsters. and if any of y'all come to the big bad city, please feel free to drop a line.

hi everyone... just got banded on 3/3 and am glad there's an lgbt group here. i pop into this thread from time to time, but rarely write in. am doing pretty well considering i'm two weeks in. managed to play tennis (doubles) on sunday and monday nights. damn, after shuffling about in my apartment during the first week, it was fun to finally hit a ball! the hunger pangs are beginning again, but i think most if it is just head hunger. a rethink is clearly needed and so is a fill! my first one is scheduled for a week and a half. am looking forward to it and to eventually eating real food. is anyone in the nyc area? would be great to hear from some local bandsters.

thanks darla... i will definitely try those. would also love to know how you jazz up routine Protein shakes. i've added some berries to mine, but i'm getting bored of those too. sorry to keep complaining, just one of those days. a little boredom is a small price to pay for a healthier future. thanks again

i've got the lap-band AP and my doc filled at surgery with 3ccs. i'm seeing him at the end of next week and he plans to add another 1cc. am feeling like i could certainly use it. my hunger pangs are back and getting stronger. sigh.

hi everyone... glad to hear everyone's two week anniversary was going well. as for me, i'm near normal again. am back to work and played a little tennis (doubles) on sunday and monday. was really good to hit a ball! even managed to work out some with elastic therabands. the fitness consultant at my doc's office recc'd them as a good way to get some strength training during the post-op period when we're not really supposed to lift more than 20-25 pounds. biggest problem thus far is the drudgery of mushie foods. i don't mean to bitch and moan, i really miss chewing. that and the fact that my hunger is back. i guess i need to get creative with mushie-stage recipes and get a better sense of whether my hunger is in my head or if it's in my newly banded tummy. anyone got great recipes?

hello 3/3ers... am getting back to normal too, tho still not as flexible as i was pre-op. went back to work last week and was thanking god that i've got an office door. was a relief to shut myself in, unbutton my pants and lean back in my chair when my belly started feeling sore. and then there was, um, the gas. oy. walking has been incredibly helpful for the soreness, the gas, and for getting me out in the world. have been to the gym a couple of times and managed 45 minute sessions on the treadmill. got clearance from my doctor to play tennis tomorrow. am sure i won't be at my best, but it'll be nice to hit a ball. the relative inactivity of my post-op recovery has me crawling out of skin and i can't wait to hit the court. but the biggest event of the week: last night, i got to eat some real, honest to goodness salmon! yum. lightly seasoned with salt pepper a squirt of lemon and lime and stuck in the george foreman. damn it was good! weight loss has slowed post op. have lost about 12 pounds in the last two weeks. have been obsessively weighing myself each morning. i know that's not the sanest thing to do, but i can't seem to help myself. in other news, my first fill is in two weeks. am experiencing decent restriction now, but i can feel how that might loosen up between now and then; doc says i'm prolly still a little swollen. in the last couple of days i've actual felt hunger again, especially during the witching hour of 3-5pm. have been satisfying it with Protein shakes, but i'm really getting sick of liquid food. sorry for the long post. hope everyone else is doing well.

i played a lot of tennis before surgery and my doc actually said i could start hitting after 2 weeks. it's been 8 days and despite what he says, i'm just not feeling up to it. however, 4 days out of surgery, i was up and trying to walk a mile or two a day. my two cents: listen to your doctor *and* your body. best of luck to you.

whimsy, was the sauce and ricotta any good? i'm so over this full liquids stage and that sounds really good. thanks in advance.

1 week post-op and i'm in the puree stage. * 1 scrambled egg with milk * about 6oz of chicken chowder from Hale & Hearty that i'll further puree with a hand blender. (if you don't have one, get one! they're awesome.) * Protein drink for an after snack *dinner is still tba. might do cream of wheat or somesuch.