barbie1978

ok so even though it's only been 2 days and i have definately felt hunger (which i was terrified of), i've been ok. I haven't gone crazy with eating at all and I've gotten in LOTS of liquids! I need to go easy and stick with mostly mushy foods and liquids so that my irritation can subside. I go for my barrium swallow friday and then my fill the following thursday...

i think it's a completely personal choice. I have no problems talking about my band at all! That issue has not come up (havent' been on a date since being banded), but if it needed to be said, i'd just say it. I'm proud that I made the choice to do something to get healthy. And I can talk about it for hours Now i'm NOT saying that if you dont' tell someone that you're ashamed of it. Not at all! I just feel that each person has to make that choice as they see fit. If you want it to be the first thing you tell someone, great! If you don't want to tell someone until you think...well let's be honest, until there might be some bedroom action when your scars will be visible, then that's your choice too LOL Either way, you only need to tell someone when YOU feel it's necessary

I was banded by Dr. D in july of 2009 in Rochester (don't know why it's not listed under NY)...he's is absolutely the BEST!! Please let me know if anyone has any questions about him....you would be lucky to be his patient!

hi! I'm moving to Las Vegas in the next few months and I'm looking now for a bariactric surgeon. I had my surgery done here in Rochester on 7/7/10 by Dr DiBenedetto and he's amazing! My appointments are ALWAYS with him. He's always very busy but unless you need to come in for an un-fill on a day that he's in the OR (like yesterday) you always see him. So this Dr Atkinson, you pretty much never see him after surgery? That concerns me....

hey July bandsters!!!!! 7/7/09 here and I've been away from the boards for awhile..stopped coming because no one was here! Glad to see us coming back! Here's my biggest issue..i also posted this in another forum so if you've already read it, that's why Since my last fill in September I have been at 10.5cc's in a 14cc band. It was my sweet spot! I was never hungry, I could only eat a very small amount and I'd be satisfied for 4-5 hours, and I was losing easily. No getting sick at all....but that all changed as of last wednesday/thursday. I had a stomach bug and since then I have not been able to eat ANY food. Even if it was a tiny amount, mushy, and i ate it slow (and even if it felt ok going down)...one hour later it was back up and all liquid ...plus every night i was not sleeping because of acid reflux. It was waking me up and I'd get sick..THEN i could sleep...i needed to sleep and knew all of that was bad for the band..so i had to go in yesterday. The other doctor in the practice (my surgeon was in the OR all day) explained that after a bad stomach bug (ie vomiting) and/or upper respiratory infection it's common for your stomach to become inflamed and unable to tolerate anything...which means you NEED an unfill to be sure you don't hurt yourself! I only wanted like .25cc taken out..he took out 3! I wanted to cry right there...I completely understand WHY it had to be done but it's frustrating at the same time. Now I have to go to a bairum swallow next friday to make sure i'm all clear..THEN on the 23rd i can go back and be filled back up...only i don't think want to go back to 10.5...i think 10 or 10.25cc's is plenty for me. But what's the most scary part about it all? I'm now down to 7.5cc's (which i haven't had this little in my band since this time last year) and i'm HUNGRY...and I can EAT. And it's only been 24 hours since my unfill! It's scary...very scary at how quickly you get hungry. I'm trying not to stress and I'm staying away from foods I know I can't eat when my band is at it's sweet spot. But OMG i'm going to have to work really hard the next 2 weeks so that I can at least maintain until I get my fill back.... Since surgery I'm down 52 total....and just in this past year (jan 2010 till now) I've only had 3 fills....one if feb, one in may, and my latest in sept as i said above....i've done really well with my fills and I know that 10.25-10.5cc's is my 'sweet spot'...i just need to get back to that..AND i need to exercise...i've slacked so much! I'm fine with the eating...but i'd be down so much more if i just moved my ass

Has anyone had an unfill yet? Tell me about it....oh btw..it SUCKS... i just had it done yesterday:( Since my last fill in September I have been at 10.5cc's in a 14cc band. It was my sweet spot! I was never hungry, I could only eat a very small amount and I'd be satisfied for 4-5 hours, and I was losing easily. No getting sick at all....but that all changed as of last wednesday/thursday. I had a stomach bug and since then I have not been able to eat ANY food. Even if it was a tiny amount, mushy, and i ate it slow (and even if it felt ok going down)...one hour later it was back up and all liquid ...plus every night i was not sleeping because of acid reflux. It was waking me up and I'd get sick..THEN i could sleep...i needed to sleep and knew all of that was bad for the band..so i had to go in yesterday. The other doctor in the practice (my surgeon was in the OR all day) explained that after a bad stomach bug (ie vomiting) and/or upper respiratory infection it's common for your stomach to become inflamed and unable to tolerate anything...which means you NEED an unfill to be sure you don't hurt yourself! I only wanted like .25cc taken out..he took out 3! I wanted to cry right there...I completely understand WHY it had to be done but it's frustrating at the same time. Now I have to go to a bairum swallow next friday to make sure i'm all clear..THEN on the 23rd i can go back and be filled back up...only i don't think want to go back to 10.5...i think 10 or 10.25cc's is plenty for me. But what's the most scary part about it all? I'm now down to 7.5cc's (which i haven't had this little in my band since this time last year) and i'm HUNGRY...and I can EAT. And it's only been 24 hours since my unfill! It's scary...very scary at how quickly you get hungry. I'm trying not to stress and I'm staying away from foods I know I can't eat when my band is at it's sweet spot. But OMG i'm going to have to work really hard the next 2 weeks so that I can at least maintain until I get my fill back....

I get that sometimes, and it's ALWAYS from eating too much. The first time it happened it was not right away...i was uncomfortable and thought it was just one bite too much. But as the food settled more it became so painful that i almost went to the emergency room because I didnt' knwo what it was. I decided to take a shower to see if it would help and just before i got in the shower, i ended up vomitting from the food being stuck..and INSTANTLY the pain went away. That's how i knew what it was from. It's happened only a few times in the last year and a half (maybe 3 total) but it's aboslutely a sign that you've eaten too much...HTH!

nope, no matter what you should NOT be throwing up all the time...and if liquids won't go down either? You need an unfill! Yeah it sucks..i just had it done yesterday But last week I had a stomach bug and since then I have not been able to eat ANY food. Even if it was a tiny amount, mushy, and i ate it slow (and even if it felt ok going down)...one hour later it was back up and all liquid ...plus every night i was not sleeping because of acid reflux...i needed to sleep and knew all of that was bad for the band..so i had to go in yesterday. The other doctor in the practice (my surgeon was in the OR all day) explained that after a bad stomach bug (ie vomiting) and/or upper respiratory infection it's common for your stomach to become inflamed and unable to tolerate anything...which means you NEED an unfill to be sure you don't hurt yourself! I only wanted like .25cc taken out..he took out 3! I have to go to a bairum swallow next friday to make sure i'm all clear..THEN on the 23rd i can go back and be filled back up...only i don't want to go back to 10.5...i think 10 or 10.25cc's is plenty for me. Anyways..my point being that you can permanently damage your band and need another surgery if you keep getting sick! As much as we don't want them, GO GET AN UNFILL! Even just .25 will help you....

Thanks! Everytime i feel bad that it's not more, i stop and remember how i havent been able to lose even 10 in years, and the scale keeps moving now, so yay!!!!!! :thumbup: <---wow, 12cc's? Tell me more...and what'd this 5 day test??

i just had a fill almost 2 weeks ago...my first fill since APRIL!! I had great restriction after the April fill...and that's when i truly learned to SLOW DOWN...lol I still only occasionally have a pb/vomit issue but rarely now....(tmi? lol) Anyway at this last fill i thought i needed a small fill..he thought i should have one full cc so now i'm at 10.5cc's....and WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!! Omg, i only get hungry if i've gone way too long w/out eating, i can eat VERY small amounts and be staisfied for hours, plus there's lot of foods (mostly breads) that i can't eat anymore. And i'm OK with that! I'm 15 months post op, down 50 pounds since surgery, and i have amazing restriction..so i'm losing more! :smile2:

CONGRATS!!!!!! I'm at JUST about 60 lost...and i'm loving that! My one year BANDiversary was 7/7/10...at first i was disappointed but then i go "holy crap, i've lost 60!"...lol I'm still working...need to work out a lot more..that's my only issue. As far as the band itself, im at my sweet spot! YAY! Inches are FLYING off still...is it that way for you guys too?

ok food getting stuck SUCKS...i was adamant that it wasn't going to happen to me...but after this last fill i am at my sweet spot and have leard (the hard way...many times over) that i need to SLOOOOOOOOOW down. For me it really hasn't been too many bites...it's way too fast and YES, you will know RIGHT AWAY.... Here's what else sucks (hey we're being honest here)...when it comes back up! Especially when it doesn't all come up right away. In the past month that has only happend twice that it took awhile for whatever is stuck to fully come back up..and quite a few times in teh past 2 weeks that it's come up right away....tonight has been a difficult one for me....things have been coming up for the last 4 hours....from a TINY wrap....chicken is becoming a NO NO unless it's chicken salad with LOTS of light mayo.... It sucks, it's gross, but you learn from it....or at least you should. But as gross and not fun as it is...bringing it back up is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY better than suffering to see if it will go down.... And don't bother drinking pineapple juice after you eat...you WILL bring food up if you try to drink ANYTHING.....

Miss Sammy...ok i know it's frustrating, but IT TAKES TIME!!!! I'm 11 months out and i just got a really good restriction and started really losing again IN APRIL...i'm at my sweet spot now, but i just got there..and my surgery was July 7, 2009. It sucks when you want/expect it to happen quickly and much easier...take everyone's advice here. Really look at what you are eating and how you are exercising...i was totally lying to myself and wasn't working out like i told myself i was...which is PART of why i wasn't losing well...the other part was that i could EAT...if your doc can't/wont help more than what he is, find a new one! Just because he did your surgery doesnt' mean he has to be your doc forever... Look around for a new doc, talk to a therapist/nutritionish, really really watch what you are eating and how you are working out...goodluck!!!!!! And it WILL WORK FOR YOU!!!!!!!!

Congrats on getting to ONEderland!!!!!!!!!!! I'm doing better after this last fill (finally!!!!) and I am only15 pounds from ONEderland1!! What did you change up that got you there?

last week i went for another fill and he gave me a big one...from 8.5 to 9.5 and WHAT A DIFFERENCE! NOW i feel what i've read about on here...i can only eat very very small amounts of food...most pasta and bread is a NO NO..anything starchy really. I stay away from crap food but the one time that i had it (with a bus full of people and we only stopped at McD's) i coudln't even eat all of my small fries..i used to eat a large fry and then more of whoever else didn't finish! YAY! I'm SO excited to have such good restriction! Plus i'm down 6 from last wednesday :thumbup: Be patient! Do what your body says..mine said it could handle more and i got it..and now my band is really REALLY working!! :thumbup:

yes!!! I don't 'eat' all of mine either..i do love tuna though... however, i found MUSCLE MILK LIGHT...it's 100 calories, NO SUGAR, and 15g of Protein. I usually have one in the morning and sometimes in the evening... Once in awhile i will have a Protein Bar if i need something quick and small...but the ones i like are not low in calories....they taste like a fricken Reece's PB cup...yeah...lol they're called Supreme Protein Bars and they come in 2 sizes...200cal for 15g protein, or 30g protein for 400....if i haven't eaten a lot of calories by the end of the day i'll have one..but they're REALLY good and i will totally overindulge so i usually only buy the small ones...

1. COMFY CLOTHES!!! Like loose fitting sports bras or those tanks with ''built in'' bras...i LIVED in my lose tube top (it was a 24....VERY lose) and XL yoga pants that i had cut to knee legnth... 2. LIQUID TYLENOL...most likely you won't need your pain meds..i NEVER used them, even in the hospital. The only med i got besides tylenol was some anti-nausea meds (it's all i wanted..i requested NO Rx meds unless i was in a lot of pain and asked for them after surgery). They also make a PM version of liquid tylenol..obviously to ONLY use if you are not taking any narcotics 3. sugar free popsicles! And Luigi's Lemon Ice...oh so yummy... 4. ice packs 5. a big comfy pillow or body pillow...not very comfortable sleeping without it. When i finally was able to sleep laying down (i spent the first 3 days in a recliner), i kept a pillow slightly tucked under my right side, where my port is. I felt like gravity was pulling down on everything and once that pillow was there it was great support GOODLUCK!!

Congrats!!!!!! It's the best thing you'll ever do :bored:

ok so here's my question..what's the difference between vomiting and PB'ing AFTER a stuck episode? Like a lot of people, sometimes i get excited and one of the bites is too big or not chewed well enough and i'm in pain but it ALWAYS goes down..well not last night! :thumbup: That was my first PB (i think)....i went walking outside for fresh air, breathing deep, praying for it to pass with no luck.. at one point i just yelled "GO down or come up! I DON"T CARE!!! I just want the pain to stop!"...and about 10 seconds later stuff came up...it was weird because it was definately not vomit..it just kind of poured out (sorry, it's graphic)...that happened 3 times and then at home it sounded more like a vomit but it still wasn't...it was just the chewed food.....that was about an hour afterwards...THEN i felt better... So was it a PB or vomit? I'm still assuming it was a PB?

it's all happened to me too..had my first "bring it up" incident last night...NEVER AGAIN!

it's normal!!! :redface: My surgeon made sure i fully understood that inches would come off first..i lost 30 pounds in the first few weeks after surgery (which was 7/7/09) and then the scale just stopped...however, by 6 weeks out of surgery, i was down 4 inches on EACH MEASUREMENT of my torso..chest -4, hips -4, bust -4, waist -4...so even though the scale wasn't moving anymore my clothes were still getting way too big and everyone kept saying how much smaller I was getting...but i was getting frustrated at the same time because as THRILLED as i was, i wanted to see that damn scale MOVE DOWN! Now i'm 7 1/2 months post-op, i've had my 4th fill in January and i'm LOSING EASILY AGAIN!!!!!!! :redface: After each fill i would drop a few pounds the next day and then the scale would just stop again..this time i dropped 8 pounds in 3 days and it's slowed down but i'm still losing!! Dont' get discouraged...the scale WILL start moving again! Just try to believe everyone when they tell you that they see the difference...it took me awhile to really believe it but i do now!

LMAO unfortunately it's absolutely normal! I remember those first few days just thinking "WTF?" every time i went to the bathroom...i mean, like you said we're all on an all liquid diet at that point so how is that possible? HA! Don't worry...

DON"T PEEL THEM!!! My surgeon was VERY strict on that...he said they will come off when i was healed...well i will say that one of my incisions the glue was rising up so after about 2 weeks i just 'scratched' it off...big mistake. Most of it was not ready and that incision expanded...mind you, it did not open, but instead of having a little line for an incision like my other ones are, it's the size of my thumb :thumbup: That's what happens when you take it off before it's ready....