angelburch

I had lapband in January of 2007 and lost 50lbs over one year. I stayed about the same in 2008 and then in 2009 started having some issues, and at the same time moved from Texas to Arkansas. I couldn't find a Doctor in Arkansas that would take me (since I already had the surgery), so I had to see my Doctor back in Texas. When my problems began, it was after my last fill, and I couldn't eat ANYTHING, and was continuously stuck. I began to lose weight again, but also was having major spasms in my esophagus. When I was finally able to see my Dr. in Texas, he completely emptied my band and we left it that way for 4 months. Needless to say, I ate everything that I hadn't been able to eat for the last 18 months. In September, after X-rays and other tests confirmed that my band was fine, we started from the beginning and began filling again. Right now, I have some restriction (very minor), but my eating habits are horrible. I've completely forgotten how to eat as a bandster. My weight gain has stopped and I've held steady, but obviously I am not losing. It came to me early this morning that I hadn't utilized this website in a long time, and that I needed to get back here. I would love to have a mentor who can help me get back on track, and focus on the things that are important . . . my health!

It's been too long since I last journaled. Let's see . . . I'm down 25lbs (hooray), and I'm starting to feel better. My energy is up a bit more. My DH's Dad died last week, and we went to Lubbock for the funeral and was there for 4 days. I ate everything people brought . . . and there was a lot of it. I have zero restriction right now, and don't know what "full" means. Thankfully I go for my first fill this Wednesday, and I am going to ask for an agressive fill. I am tired of losing weight so slowly. I was up 2.5lbs due to all the food in Lubbock (also started my period). As of this morning I am back down 2lbs. My DH and I worked really hard in the yard this afternoon (big wind blew down a dead tree), cutting and chipping away. So at least I got in some exercise today. He wanted to sit and relax all day, but when I do that, I EAT! So I insisted on getting the tree taken care of today.

It's been too long since I last journaled. Let's see . . . I'm down 25lbs (hooray), and I'm starting to feel better. My energy is up a bit more. My DH's Dad died last week, and we went to Lubbock for the funeral and was there for 4 days. I ate everything people brought . . . and there was a lot of it. I have zero restriction right now, and don't know what "full" means. Thankfully I go for my first fill this Wednesday, and I am going to ask for an agressive fill. I am tired of losing weight so slowly. I was up 2.5lbs due to all the food in Lubbock (also started my period). As of this morning I am back down 2lbs. My DH and I worked really hard in the yard this afternoon (big wind blew down a dead tree), cutting and chipping away. So at least I got in some exercise today. He wanted to sit and relax all day, but when I do that, I EAT! So I insisted on getting the tree taken care of today.

Well, I'm down 20lbs as of this morning!:clap2: I have said goodbye to the 280's and the 270's. I weighed this morning and it said 261. Just another week or so and I can say goodbye to the 260's. My clothes are starting to get loose. I love that I can take my jeans out of the dryer and put them on and not have to suck in my tummy or jump up and down trying to get them on. Also, I can now tie my tennis shoes without standing up! I know that I will have made it when I can sit on the bed and bend my knee to bring my foot up on the bed and tie them then. That's what I'm waiting for! I'm still on mushies until Wednesday. I did have a slice of smoked turkey breast yesterday (shaved slice), and it tasted so strange. I had my DH try it and he said it tasted normal. I guess my taste buds have changed since all I've had is liquids and creamy and mushies. So, what do I want to eat for my very first "real food"? I have no idea. I'm a little bit nervous about eating regular food (Is that normal?), but I have no restriction so far. My first fill is on 2/21, and maybe then I'll feel restriction. My band holds 5cc's so hopefully it won't take very many fills to know what restriction is. I'm looking forward to it. I was home sick yesterday with sinus problems, sore throat, and didn't want to risk making anyone else at work sick. There are several there that already have this, and they don't have a problem with sharing their germs. I have been taking Advil Sinus and Cold medicine, and don't have to cut the pills in half. Once I get a fill, I'm sure that I will need to do that. My DH has been so patient and so supportive that tonight I'm cooking salmon for dinner. I'm going to spray it with Olive Oil, but some sliced Roma Tomatoes on it, and some fresh Rosemary, wrap it in foil and bake. He's eaten out at fast food restaurants ever since this started, so he wouldn't eat in front of me. He feels self-conscious doing that, even though I've told him it's not a problem. My BFF DH is getting lapband on Thursday and has already lost 16lbs! :clap2: I am so happy for him. Of all of us, he will probably benefit healthwise the most. He's on a insulin pump and takes a lot of other medication, so it will be great to have him healthy! I owe a lot to my BFF and her DH. Without them, I wouldn't have had the courage to do this. They are such a blessing! We tell people that we are family by choice. You can't choose your family, but you can your friends . . . but they're more than friends. Thank GOD for them.

Well, I'm down 20lbs as of this morning!:clap2: I have said goodbye to the 280's and the 270's. I weighed this morning and it said 261. Just another week or so and I can say goodbye to the 260's. My clothes are starting to get loose. I love that I can take my jeans out of the dryer and put them on and not have to suck in my tummy or jump up and down trying to get them on. Also, I can now tie my tennis shoes without standing up! I know that I will have made it when I can sit on the bed and bend my knee to bring my foot up on the bed and tie them then. That's what I'm waiting for! I'm still on mushies until Wednesday. I did have a slice of smoked turkey breast yesterday (shaved slice), and it tasted so strange. I had my DH try it and he said it tasted normal. I guess my taste buds have changed since all I've had is liquids and creamy and mushies. So, what do I want to eat for my very first "real food"? I have no idea. I'm a little bit nervous about eating regular food (Is that normal?), but I have no restriction so far. My first fill is on 2/21, and maybe then I'll feel restriction. My band holds 5cc's so hopefully it won't take very many fills to know what restriction is. I'm looking forward to it. I was home sick yesterday with sinus problems, sore throat, and didn't want to risk making anyone else at work sick. There are several there that already have this, and they don't have a problem with sharing their germs. I have been taking Advil Sinus and Cold medicine, and don't have to cut the pills in half. Once I get a fill, I'm sure that I will need to do that. My DH has been so patient and so supportive that tonight I'm cooking salmon for dinner. I'm going to spray it with Olive Oil, but some sliced Roma Tomatoes on it, and some fresh Rosemary, wrap it in foil and bake. He's eaten out at fast food restaurants ever since this started, so he wouldn't eat in front of me. He feels self-conscious doing that, even though I've told him it's not a problem. My BFF DH is getting lapband on Thursday and has already lost 16lbs! :clap2: I am so happy for him. Of all of us, he will probably benefit healthwise the most. He's on a insulin pump and takes a lot of other medication, so it will be great to have him healthy! I owe a lot to my BFF and her DH. Without them, I wouldn't have had the courage to do this. They are such a blessing! We tell people that we are family by choice. You can't choose your family, but you can your friends . . . but they're more than friends. Thank GOD for them.

It's been way too long since I journaled. So things are going along just fine for now. I don't have any restriction what so ever though, and that's frustrating. I have lost 16 pounds and that's good. I'm on mushies, and on occasion have had some things that really aren't on the "mushy" phase, but seem to have no problems eating anything. My 1st fill isn't until Feb 28th, so I will have to wait until then I guess to figure out what "restriction" means. I have a Vanguard band that holds 5cc (according to the doc). I can tell my clothes are fitting bit better, and I recently downloaded the "FitDay" program on to my computer which lets me track EVERYTHING. It let's me see how many calories, fat grams, vitamins, and protein I've had that day. It even tells me how many calories I should have in order to lose the weight I want to, by my due date. That way if I eat anything above that, then I know I won't lose. I'm feeling good, and even though I had some fluid build up around my incision (for the port), the doc removed it and I felt immediately better. I have even been able to sleep on my tummy now! Even had sex for the first time, and it was GREAT. Apparently not being allowed to have things gives you a better perspective of when you can :clap2:

It's been way too long since I journaled. So things are going along just fine for now. I don't have any restriction what so ever though, and that's frustrating. I have lost 16 pounds and that's good. I'm on mushies, and on occasion have had some things that really aren't on the "mushy" phase, but seem to have no problems eating anything. My 1st fill isn't until Feb 28th, so I will have to wait until then I guess to figure out what "restriction" means. I have a Vanguard band that holds 5cc (according to the doc). I can tell my clothes are fitting bit better, and I recently downloaded the "FitDay" program on to my computer which lets me track EVERYTHING. It let's me see how many calories, fat grams, vitamins, and protein I've had that day. It even tells me how many calories I should have in order to lose the weight I want to, by my due date. That way if I eat anything above that, then I know I won't lose. I'm feeling good, and even though I had some fluid build up around my incision (for the port), the doc removed it and I felt immediately better. I have even been able to sleep on my tummy now! Even had sex for the first time, and it was GREAT. Apparently not being allowed to have things gives you a better perspective of when you can :clap2:

I had my surgery on 1/10, and now the area where my port is hurts even more than it did after surgery. There is a lump directly under my incision site that is a little bigger than it was before. Has anyone else experieced this?

I had surgery on Wednesday and was back to work on Monday. I have a desk job, but still requires a lot of getting up and down and walking. I left 1 hr early on Monday because my port site was a bit sore, but today I made it all day. My input is to take as much time off as you can. The better care you take, the quicker you'll heal, with less chances of complications (back pain, port site pain). I knew one lady at our office who had it on a Monday and was back on Friday.

Well, so far, so good. I've lost a total of 14 lbs! I am so sick of "cream soups", "mostly clear liquids". I can't wait until next Wed (1/24) to sink my teeth in to . . . you go it, "Mushies". Oh yeah, refried beans from Taco Bell and Ojedas, mashed potatoes with gravy, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, and mac n cheese . . . here I come! I went back to work yesterday and had to leave about 3pm as my back, and my port were really sore. Luckily, I had gone in really early due to the ice and so my boss said "You need to go home", and I said "Okay, I will". Normally, I would have said no thank you and stuck it out, but I was really sore. So I came home, put the heating pad on my port incision and slept for 2.5 hours. Today, being the 2nd day back at work, I made it from 7am - 5pm. I am still a little sore - not as bad as yesterday - but I also took my liquid tylenol to work and swigged it as I needed it. It helped. This friday, my DH gets his lasik surgery (goodbye $3300 ), but he has wanted this for so long. He deserves this! So now he will be able to see how really SEXY I look once I've lost all my weight :clap2: . My 2 week post-op visit is the 24th, and I can't wait. I have lots of questions, such as "Why I don't feel any restriction yet -- is that normal with a 10cc band"?

Well, so far, so good. I've lost a total of 14 lbs! I am so sick of "cream soups", "mostly clear liquids". I can't wait until next Wed (1/24) to sink my teeth in to . . . you go it, "Mushies". Oh yeah, refried beans from Taco Bell and Ojedas, mashed potatoes with gravy, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, and mac n cheese . . . here I come! I went back to work yesterday and had to leave about 3pm as my back, and my port were really sore. Luckily, I had gone in really early due to the ice and so my boss said "You need to go home", and I said "Okay, I will". Normally, I would have said no thank you and stuck it out, but I was really sore. So I came home, put the heating pad on my port incision and slept for 2.5 hours. Today, being the 2nd day back at work, I made it from 7am - 5pm. I am still a little sore - not as bad as yesterday - but I also took my liquid tylenol to work and swigged it as I needed it. It helped. This friday, my DH gets his lasik surgery (goodbye $3300 :scared: ), but he has wanted this for so long. He deserves this! So now he will be able to see how really SEXY I look once I've lost all my weight :clap2: . My 2 week post-op visit is the 24th, and I can't wait. I have lots of questions, such as "Why I don't feel any restriction yet -- is that normal with a 10cc band"?

I weighed this morning and was down 10lbs. As of 2 days ago I was only down 6lbs. So that's 4lbs in 2 days. I'm not sure I'm okay with that, but it would seem that I don't have a lot of choice in the matter. I'm feeling really good today. I am working on trying to walk with my shoulder's back. For some reason, when I do that I get weird hiccups. They're a little painful, but I'm sure it's my muscles having a little spasm or something. I will also finish up the laundry. What to say about food. I am not hungry, but when I do eat (drink - still on liquids), I have no restriction what so ever. I can drink as much as I want. I have tried various different soups, and pureed them in the blender. I'm not a smoothie person since I'm not a fan of cold drinks or the texture's of them. I drink Isopure Protein drinks (they're clear), for my protein rather than a shake. Once this weather clears out (icy roads), I'm going to the Vitamin Shoppe to talk to them about a protein powder that I can use to help. Today was the first day that I didn't wake up at 4am with my tummy gurgling and making odd noises. I actually slept until 5:30! I go back to work tomorrow (thank God), and hopefully will have a good day.

I weighed this morning and was down 10lbs. As of 2 days ago I was only down 6lbs. So that's 4lbs in 2 days. I'm not sure I'm okay with that, but it would seem that I don't have a lot of choice in the matter. I'm feeling really good today. I am working on trying to walk with my shoulder's back. For some reason, when I do that I get weird hiccups. They're a little painful, but I'm sure it's my muscles having a little spasm or something. I will also finish up the laundry. What to say about food. I am not hungry, but when I do eat (drink - still on liquids), I have no restriction what so ever. I can drink as much as I want. I have tried various different soups, and pureed them in the blender. I'm not a smoothie person since I'm not a fan of cold drinks or the texture's of them. I drink Isopure Protein drinks (they're clear), for my protein rather than a shake. Once this weather clears out (icy roads), I'm going to the Vitamin Shoppe to talk to them about a protein powder that I can use to help. Today was the first day that I didn't wake up at 4am with my tummy gurgling and making odd noises. I actually slept until 5:30! I go back to work tomorrow (thank God), and hopefully will have a good day.

Today has gone well. I went to Wal-Mart with Hubby, and then home for a nap, and then went to pick up my car (long story). Got back home and have rested, walked, rested, and walked. Not really hungry, but taking in water and was able to get down a creamy chicken soup at hand. Don't feel any restriction, or gurgling. Just taking it nice and slow. I will continue to focus these next 6 weeks on healing, and then start focusing on using the band.

Today has gone well. I went to Wal-Mart with Hubby, and then home for a nap, and then went to pick up my car (long story). Got back home and have rested, walked, rested, and walked. Not really hungry, but taking in water and was able to get down a creamy chicken soup at hand. Don't feel any restriction, or gurgling. Just taking it nice and slow. I will continue to focus these next 6 weeks on healing, and then start focusing on using the band.

I've been up and about most of the day. Went to Wal-Mart with DH to buy a few things. I bought some liquid tylenol so I would have to take the liquid hydrcodone. I don't like the stuff the Dr prescribed because it makes me feel groggy and a little sick to my stomach. The liquid Tylenol helped alot. My tummy feels like I've done about 500 situps, but other than that, everythings going well. I was able to drink a Creamy Chicken Soup at Hand today, and have continued to drink water. Trying to focus on healing first, and can work on the weight loss with the band later. Hope everyone is feeling better, and let's keep those that are getting banded today and tomorrow in our prayers!

I got my band 1/10/07 at 7:30am. I was home by 10:30. I am feeling good, only had to take some liquid hydrocodone twice. I've not had any gas yet, but I've been walking at least every hour for about 10 minutes. Up and down the driveway - we have a really long driveway. I'm up right now because I'm tired of sleeping. My back is sore from laying in bed so much, however, I still feel a little sleepy from the anesthesia. I got the 10cc Vanguard band so I'm going to do a little research on it. Will journal more later. Thanks for everyone's prayers -- I really felt them.

I got my band 1/10/07 at 7:30am. I was home by 10:30. I am feeling good, only had to take some liquid hydrocodone twice. I've not had any gas yet, but I've been walking at least every hour for about 10 minutes. Up and down the driveway - we have a really long driveway. I'm up right now because I'm tired of sleeping. My back is sore from laying in bed so much, however, I still feel a little sleepy from the anesthesia. I got the 10cc Vanguard band so I'm going to do a little research on it. Will journal more later. Thanks for everyone's prayers -- I really felt them.

Well, it's 3am and if I stay in bed another minute I think I'm going to cry. My back hurts from sleeping so much, even though I've been getting up every hour or so to walk. Can't seem to get anything down but tiny sips of water. For my 1st day of banding I consumed 6oz V-8 juice and about 1 1/2 pint of water. I'm taking baby sips of a chocolate low-carb slimfast now. Don't have the foggiest clue how much my tummy will hold, but I'll figure that out. I got the 10cc Vanguard band, so I'm going to do some reserach on it so I can become familiar with it. So far, no pain, just a bit tender, and best of all . . . no GAS. I'm sure it will show itself, but just not yet, and I'm gonna enjoy it.

Hello everyone. Just a quick post. I was banded at 7:30 this morning and home at 11am. I have been up walking every hour or so, and also napping. No pain of any kind (YET), just some soreness around my port incision. I'm so glad to now be on the band. I'll post more tomorrow.

In about 12 hours from now, I'll be rolling into the operating room. Yes, I am scared. I am scared now about the surgery. I KNOW I will be alright, but still, it's a fear I wasn't really expecting. However, I know a lot of people will be praying for me, and I'll try to update everyone as soon as I can. I am also EXCITED, as I am 12 hours away from ending all these years of being obese. As of tomorrow, I will be on my way to being healthier, slimmer, trimmer, SEXIER me. I spoke with the Pre-op Nurse today, and the anesthesiologist is supposed to call me later tonight. I am anxious to speak to him.

In about 12 hours from now, I'll be rolling into the operating room. Yes, I am scared. I am scared now about the surgery. I KNOW I will be alright, but still, it's a fear I wasn't really expecting. However, I know a lot of people will be praying for me, and I'll try to update everyone as soon as I can. I am also EXCITED, as I am 12 hours away from ending all these years of being obese. As of tomorrow, I will be on my way to being healthier, slimmer, trimmer, SEXIER me. I spoke with the Pre-op Nurse today, and the anesthesiologist is supposed to call me later tonight. I am anxious to speak to him.

Hello All! Well tomorrow's the day. I have to be at the surgery center at 6:15am, and surgery is at 7:15am. Please keep me in your prayers, because NOW I am very nervous. I spoke with the Pre-Op nurse earlier today, and the anthesiologist is supposed to call me later tonight. I'll make sure the mention the "gas" thing to him and see if he might be able to help. I should be home sometime around noon tomorrow, and depending on how I feel, I'll touch base. Tomorrow, I join the band!!!

Today was so much better than yesterday. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I was so glad to be at work on Monday. Being on clear liquids on the weekends, without much to do just flat out sucks :faint: Well, only 36 hours left to go, and then I will be in surgery. What are my fears? -- My fears aren't of the actual surgery, it's of the "great unknown" afterwards. Each person's experience is so varied, that it is impossible for me to predict how mine will feel. Will I have a lot of gas pain in the shoulder? Will the gas pain be in my shoulder blades or back? Will I have very much gas pain? Where will my port be and how long before I can sleep on my tummy? I'm a tummy sleeper and I don't think I'll be able to sleep very good until I can roll onto my tummy. What if I don't have any restriction, what if I have too much restriction and can't eat. What if I can't figure out how to use the band? What if What if What if. Being the type of person where any action is better than no action, this is probably going to be the worst part for me. Waiting for the surgery, waiting to heal, waiting to figure this all out. Waiting for my new life to begin. After 3 months of anticipation, what will take it's place once this is done? Questions, Questions.

Best of luck and let us know how you're doing afterwards!