Amoud

For the past few days my stomach hurts. I feel it when I take a deep breath or push on it. It doesn't matter if my stomach is empty or full but it does seem more uncomfortable when I eat something. I haven't gotten stuck in the past few days or vomitted, and I am sure my band hasnt slipped as I am having no issue with eating. I did do a great deal of heavy lifting moving around furniture but thats about it. Should I be concerned? Has this happened to anyone else?

I feel you, I gained 8 on our last cruise (a pound for each day).

I am at exactly this stage, but I let it go on far too long. I havent lost a pound since July last year but had no difficulty gaining 10 back. I blamed our summer cruise, then the Xmas holidays. I am so unmotivated I could cry and to top it all off I am having a hard time squeezing into my lovely new post 50lb clothing. I am scared of my Dr, my nutritionist and just about anyone else I have to tell I gained 10 lbs. After I could barely sit down today in one of my favorite skirts, and spent a very uncomfortable day out with friends I have decided to come back to LB talk and get back on "the bandwagon" Hello everyone, my name is Amanda and I am a self-destruction addict:) food and laziness being my favorite forms of abuse.

I must say I have fallen off the "band wagon" as I have not been to this site since August. I am at 6.5 CC in a 10 CC band and have very little restriction (occassionally if I swallow my food whole I get stuck :wink:) This can indeed be frustrating, I have gained back 10 lbs of my 50 lbs weight gain and completely hate myself. I am taking the initiative to go for another fill on monday but hate that I have let it get this far. I am embarrased that I havent been committing to my band the way I should and this shame has put me into the mindset that I want to loose what I gained before I go back to my Dr and admit failure (it sounds so stupid as I type it). Hang in there and I hope you hit your spot soon. It is frustrating past the point of tears to go through all this to only feel you will never acheive your goal.

I tried to call already, but this is the start of the weekend here, thanks for the info, I will give it a few days (cant hurt right)

Oh my.... Congrats on the pregnancy, you must be ohhh so excited. I loove your blogs (I emailed you a while back and said so :biggrin:

I got my second fill today, another 2 cc (yeah!!). I went to another Dr for my second fill as my surgeon was not aggressive enough with fills and I was feeling defeated. My first Dr said 24 hours, this one said nothing (he had to rush out of the office after the fill and when he asked if I had any questions it didnt cross my mind). Whats the average time after a fill to start eating again?

Perfectly normal, I didnt feel hungry either until about 2-3 weeks out (I was on liquids a month). I wouldnt worry about your vitamin and nutrient intake and such, you are taking your vitamins, drinking your shakes. It is ohhh so important to follow your post op diet. You have probably read it a million times but your tummy needs to heal. You dont want to possibly damage your band, or start off with poor eating habits right from the get-go. I know it is only a bit of mashed potato and gravy, but eventually your appetite will come back, and you will start eating more and more of these kinds of things which will only set you up for dissapointment. Also, if you are not really hungry.... why eat? As you mentioned you are getting your requirements.

I just got back from a month long vacation (11 days cruise and 3 weeks back home at Mom's) and did not step on a scale the whole time. I must admit I ate anything in front of me but am now dealing with the reality of gaining almost 9 pounds and feeling remorse for all the hard work it took me to get that 9 pounds off (I still have no restriction). Just a bit of ranting, I can't believe I did this but oh well, hind-sight surely is 20-20.

.....correction, my fill date was June 10th..... My 4 month bandiversary

Hey everyone, As of June 10th, my 4 month Bandiversary, I have lost 47pounds. I have had 1 fill on June 18th, with 2.5ccs in a 10 cc band. I don't feel any restriction, and have no problems eating anything. I could swallow a chicken leg without chewing hehe. I won't go for my next fill until sometime in September. I can't wait for my band to help me out a bit more.

I love this post!!!!! Everyone has something to add which is all the more motivating. Here are some things I wont miss about being fat: 1 - People asking me if I am pregnant 2 - Everyone assuming I can eat half the buffet, and the sneers and under the breath comments as I approach a buffet 3 - Snarky comments from my in-laws 4 - Not being able to shave my legs in the tub without pulling something 5 - Getting winded from climbing a flight of stairs 6 - Obsessing about what and where I am going to eat next There are so many to list !!

Mine has gone up substantially as well. Here in Qatar we have major inflation, and any of he low fat, sugar free, organic, and foods imported from Europe or the US foods I have started to eat are at least 3 times more expensive. I havent had a fill yet so I can still eat a pretty good lot of food, I just have to make sure the quality is good. Imagine, I pay about 8 dollars for a box of weight control or lower sugar oatmeal, and about 8 dollars for a 20 pack of the splenda water bottle juice packets. I couldnt bring myself to buy it first, but after being deprived of just about everything I liked I felt I should splurge a bit as I think without the luxury healthy alternatives I would have never lost a single pound.

Onederland is wonderful!! It is when you get down under 200 pounds (in the 100's).

You will feel alone in the weeks after the band, but you are not. Trust me coming here realy helps. Days after my surgery I was literally considering outtin my hand down my throat and tearing the band out (I know it is physically impossible but trust me I was not rational at the time). It is true, I was on 4 weeks liquid post-op and never felt better in my life. I have lost great, but hit a plateau in March and list nothing for a month and am now at another plateau and the scale hasnt moved for 2 weeks. I must admit I am lazy and havent been exercising so to not put the weight back on before my first fill has been a challenge. We are here for you, chin up, if I can do this you can to. So many of us have self doubt, times of weakness and days you just want to throw your hands up and quit but you will be motivated by your initial loss, and remember... loss is loss, no matter how fast or slow it may be.

Same thing happened to me, but when I stopped loosing weight I stopped loosing for more than a month!!! I had gotten down about 25 pounds or so and from March third until the first week of April I didnt loose a single pound. I upped my Protein in a major way I wasnt able to eat enough so Istarted on Protein shakes (from around 40gms to 80-90gms) and the weight started to come off again. It may be the protein, it may not, we are all different but try playing with your diet a bit. Add more protein for a week or so, if it doesnt work try adding more fibre also. Congrats on the weight loss so far, keep me updated on your fills (I havent had one yet either so we should be sailing once we get some restriction).

Hey Salam, 2kg is a loss, not a gain, stay optimistic I am in Qatar, and things run here about the same as they do in Dubai. I was banded Feb 10th and you really have to make your own effort here to get proper aftercare help. My Dr. here told me their sucess rate with the band was just a little over 60%! I was shocked and he told me it was all down to patient committment and that the band was a simple cure. My psych was optional also, and after having some experience with psych here in Qatar through a friend I also opted not to go. My Dr. also said most people get upset when they are referered to psych as everyone states "I am not crazy, I dont need psych". I got referred to a nutritionist, who basically told me I couldnt eat anything for a month after the band and that I would have to chew my food a lot (he was not of a lot of use). I stopped seeing him and did all my research online and here at lap band talk and I have been doing very well. You can go to a private nutritionist, try the Al Ahli hospital (we have it here also and the care is top rate). I also got a great site from another banderster here in Qatar www.caloriecount.about.com where I log my food so I know approximately how much I am eating a day and try my best to stay at around 1200 calories a day (except for Fridays where I eat whatever I want but still try to make an effort not to over do it). Hang in there, coming here to lapbandtalk is a great place for support, encouragement and to find a vast amount of info to help you use your band as a tool.

Salam Salam You are in the Middle east for sure, and I am going to start guessing that maybe you had your surgery at Hamad? Correct me if I am wrong,

Hi Sunflower, I was banded Feb 10, 2008. Take a look at my ticker. I also dont exercise very much (bad bad girl) and my first fill should be June 18th. I think it is all down to your commitment to your band, and a new healthier you.

My best NSV was being able to shave my legs sitting in the bath without pulling something due to forced contortions!!!!

I have the same thing going on here, except I was banded Feb 10, 2008 and my surgeon wont fill until mid June (he insisted on the end of June but I will be on vacation). I totally hear you on the struggling part, and I am actually getting to a point that I am scared to eat, and I am very cautious on what I am eating. I have slipped up a few times and over ate, and the thought of throwing it up crossed my mind but I was scared to slip my band. I AM STARVING TO DEATH LOL (i dont actually believe I will die though). Keep up the good work, and I hope you get a fill as this struggling is not fun. I really hate it when people say that we have taken the easy way out by getting the band...

Thanks for the replies, feels good just having someone thinking about my situation enough to give me a thought :rolleyes2: I have a nutritionists and all is good, I am also self pay, hence the feeling of annoyance Keep up the good work all

I am going a little crazy and can't figure out what to do. I was banded Feb 10 and went for my second post op visit March 31st. I was oh so excited as I thought I was going to get my first fill. In total I lost about 31 pounds and was feeling great, although I hadnt lost an ounce since March 3rd or so. I was so dissapointed when I found out that my Dr. will not give me my first fill until the end of June as he said he wants me to change my mentality toward food before my fill, and apparently gaining weight in this time is a big no no. I feel desperate, like my progress has stopped and I am torn between staying with my Dr. until he fills me in June or going to another clinic. I must say, my Dr. is great, gave me the best care pre-op and did a wonderful job with the op but I am so frustrated by this. Anyone else have to wait over 4 months for a fill? If so what was your Drs. reasoning?

I also suffer from constipation (much more than before the band). I know I am not getting enough Water, but to help 'move things along' I have started to mix milled flax seeds or wheatgerm into my Protein shakes. I hate the thought of taking meds daily and flax and wheatgerm have other benefits as well. I have also started sprinkling them on top of my cereal (oatmeal is the best) and a few other foods, it will all depend on your taste. Milled flax seeds carry 22% protein and around 28% fiber. They also have a load of other benefits (Flax Seed Nutrients, Nutrients In Flax Seed, Flax Seed Nutritional Content)

Hi Everyone :biggrin2: Just wondering, how do you guys cope when you get an intense craving, or feel desperate and weakened by it all. I try to curb cravings by drinking a Protein Shake and waiting for a bit to see if the craving is still there. If it is, I indulge the craving but just a bite (maybe 2 :biggrin:) When I feel I am at a low point, I log into to lapbandtalk.... you are all an inspiration.