HeatherO

I am happy to hear that you you are doing better and caught the infection in time. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

I am going to state my honest opinion about this but I don't intend to hurt anyones feelings. It is true that band does not help everyone, but it does help most people who have it. However, you have to have some basic level of commitment to the new lifestyle. You don't have to be perfect (and none of us are perfect) but you do have to try to eat healthy and make the right decisions more often than not to make it work. It is very possible to eat around the band with the best intentions of "I'll really start tomorrow, but today I have excuse __, __, & ___ why I will not do it today." If you are on month 4 or 6 and you have not even started attempting to eat healthy and follow recommendations, it would be unfair to say of course the lapband will do the work for you and you will automatically have great success. If you really want to make a change in your life, if it really is important for you, you need to take personal responsibility and ownership of where you are . . . and start making decisions that support a healthier you. It doesn't mean follow the diet perfectly, it means taking the steps, even if they are small steps to start with, in the right direction (drinking more Water, getting exercise in whatever form is comfortable as long as you are moving, attempting to eat healthier for most meals according to your docters recommendations). As within anything in life, you have to put something into it to take something away from it.

Hang in there, we are all rooting for you. We have all been in that same place as well, after liquids with no restriction. It will pass quickly enough.

It is really hard to say. If you are very uncomfortable or if it doesnt loosen up in a week or so, get a very slight unfill. You dont have to have much taken out to make a big different. Just so you know, if you have pb'd much since your fill and did not go on liquids, you may have some swelling that will not go down until you go through the liquid stage. You may also want to revisit eating slooowwww and the chew to goo principles of bandster life. If this does not help a slight unfill may definitely be in order. Good luck.

Hairloss is common for WLS patients between 4-6 months out although it does not affect everyone. I have not seen it yet but I know it might be coming for me as well. Keep Protein levels high, caloric intake in your doctors recommended range, use Biotin and make sure you are getting Vitamins in and it should help. I expect I should start experiencing some hairloss because when I was pregnant I lost a lot of hair. I have been really careful on my intake so I am hoping it will not happen. I gues only time will tell.

Just because there is low income housing near would not cause me to discount the doctor or hospital. As long is there is safe parking with appropriate security it would be fine for me. My choice would be related more to the skills of the doctor and hospital. If the doctor had a solid reputation, lots of experience, good bedside manner and the hospital environment was safe, why not go there? I have more of an appreciation for people who choose to work in economically depressed areas. Everyone is entitled to good healthcare. As far as scandalous looking folk are concerned, what was it about them that looked so scandalous? Was it their clothing, vehicles, skin color, etc? I dont like making generalizations about people I see on the street with no knowledge about who they are or what their lives are like. Have any of us not felt the sting of being judged in some way based on our weight?

How aggravating. Good luck on Tuesday, hopefully you will have a more successful non-appointment ;0)

I was out of control with my eating too. Now, I am finally in control. Hunger is not an issue anymore, unless it is head hunger. It is sooo much easier now than before. I was a consistent overeater before. Now I cant overeat. I never grazed much but when I did eat, I wanted to eat alot. I love my band and only regret I didnt do it sooner.

I really think two weeks of liquids will help. I am really happy that it was just dilation, which is very treatable, and not a slip. Good luck.

I did my first abdominals 4.5-5 weeks out and I had soreness for several days. I was uncomfortable and worried. It is definitely too early for abdominals. I am definitely interested in hearing what the doctor says. Hopefully you feel much better tomorrow.

Just hang in there a little longer. This diet wont last forever. You just need to get back on the wagon. Once you are banded, it will be a easier in that you will not be hungry much at all during the liquid phase.

Not drinking is hard for me as well. I don't eat sweet things anymore and things are a little more salty/spicy. This always makes me want to drink and I have to really force myself not to do so. Drinking when I work out is hard as well. I want to drink a lot but I am uncomfortable unless I am taking sips. I have a tendency to want to gulp when exercising. It is such a catch 22, I have to drink tons of Water every day to get my quota in, but I can only drinking when I least want it :0).

All I can say is, stick with it for a week and it won't be that big of a deal. It is amazing how quickly your body adapts. The first workout just about scared me away as well . . . my heart rate was up way high and I started questioning my sanity in choosing to run. It is so worth it and you get in shape quickly this way. It gets sooo much easier.

I lost almost everything above my waist. From the waist up I do not look overweight at all. From the waist down, I am still carrying a lot in my but and thighs. I also have a bit of a stomach as well but it is more skin than anything. My lower stomach is looking a little flap like now - a little melted looking. My thighs look bad. Sometimes I think I will never wear shorts again without ps. Maybe not even after ps, because I am white as a ghost with freckles and I really stand out :0). I never realized that I would lose differently in different spots. I don't remember gaining it this way. I have been working out like crazy and my arms look pretty good. I have a little excess skin there, but nothing that looks abnormal. I also was always so paranoid by my stomach in the past, but it looks relatively flat in clothing. My bubble but is still exactly that only smaller . . . even a lot smaller it is still out of proportion. Really, I don't care so much :0). I'll take my bubble butt and flabby thighs anyday over the 50 + pounds I have lost. Thank you, thank you, thank you my wonderful band.

What are the things you have read that are making you nervous? Most of us have gone through a phase doubting if we made the right decision. I can tell you now that I am 5 months out and have lost more than half of my weight that I have not regrets. It was the best thing I have ever done for myself, only a shame that I didn't do it sooner.

I have a desk job. I had surgery on Friday and went to work the next Tuesday. It was ok but I was really tired. There were times were I felt like I could have taken a nap on my desk. I also couldn't concentrate well enough to focus on anything much more than mundane, repetitive tasks not requiring a lot of thought. I think it is entirely possible to do it. However, you should leave yourself open to the possibility of taking a little extra time and/or leave early if necessary.

I had the same problem my last fill and found the fill was great, I just had to adjust. I found I had to go slower and chew more than I was used to on the previous fill. When I had the first pb, I did not go on liquids and so I kept pb'ing. After I spent one day on liquids, one day on mushies and then revisited bandster rules for eating slow and chewing well, I found that I had actually found my sweet spot. Pb's beget more pb's if you dont let your tummy relax a little afterwards.

Your options are pretty open. I actually found something I could eat at McDonald's by the way. A grilled chicken patty is perfect if you don't have many choices on where to go. Sometimes I will take a grilled chicken salad but I dont eat the dressing. You want to be careful after flying or if you eat in the car. You can be a lot more tight after flying. Having something get stuck in a car is not a pleasant experience either. However, if you are 5 weeks out and have not had a fill yet you may still be relatively open and not have much of a problem. Options are really pretty open. I have found that many restaurants have cottage cheese or similar items that are easy for me to eat in a pinch. Even a little oatmeal or eggs for breakfast work well. You may just want to get an extra plate and share what your co-travelers having if it is a family member. You can't eat much and portions are oversized everywhere.

It is normal to be nervous of course. If your surgery is anything like mine, and it will be, other than the night before and day of jitters, when it comes time to the actual surgery, you fall asleep fast. You don't even have time to think about it. It is almost like you close your eyes, open them and it is done. Recovery is not bad either. You won't be in pain because you will be medicated. You may be tired and sleep alot, but that is no big deal. I never finished my pain pill prescription if that tells you anything. I was only going to take the pills if I was feeling really bad . . . it didnt happen . . . other than being tired and a little sore I was just fine. Giving birth is a lot scarier and more intense. If you could make it through that, being banded will be a walk in the park . . . close your eyes and open them it is already over with minor discomfort and fatigue.

Other people have done this as well. You can also find other threads regarding this issue. If you are feeling relatively OK, then I don't think you did any permanent damage. However, you are still healing. It is dangerous to eat regular foods before giving your stomach a chance to heal Cola is not recommended for bandsters at all because the carbonation can stretch the pouch and will feel really uncomfortable if you have restriction. It is best to eliminate this from your diet completely (some people will drink it flat a little further into their journeys, but for some reason flat diet pop tastes really terrible to me). Definitely go back on your doctors post op diet and stay on it until you are done. By allowing yourself to heal completely, you are increasing the likelihood for better band health and success in the future. So you made a little mistake, the world hasn't ended and it is time to get back on the wagon and make the best of it. :0)

If it is the same feeling that I had, it is completely normal. I still get the feeling from time to time, specially early in the morning when the first thing I ingest is something really cold. I also notice I have a lot of small relatively silent burps but it seems par for the course with banding. I noticed that if it ever made me feel uncomfortable, I could force a burp to come and sometimes a big yawn helps. If it ever becomes really painful, definitely call your doctor.

Perhaps you can contact them directly. I have never heard of band failure in this way before.

Name................. Current........... Goal......... Lost HeatherO...............172..............155.............0

While your waiting on what the doctor says, you should definitely follow your instructions for wound care that you got post surgery. The site needs cleaned and bandaged.

Mine have been 2-3 times as bad post banding.