HeatherO

I have no regrets. It is the best money I ever spent. Now that I have made it through a few months, I realize I would have paid 10 times as much to start the journey to good health. Everyone gets a little nervous and has second thoughts towards the end. Even my husband asked me towards the end, are you really sure that you want to do this??? Yessss . . . now I know more than ever before it was the best decision for me. Best of luck to you and stay strong :0). What is the true cost of good health . . . well you have to consider what the cost of bad health is first. I drink lemonade, tons of Water, crystal light, tea, coffee. I no longer drink soda of any sort. I myself was a Dr. Pepper/Diet Coke a holic myself before banding (4-6 per day and a bad headache from caffeine withdrawal if I missed it). It was hard at first because it was a habit and I missed the bubbles. I know you can drink it flat and I did try to drink some flat diet coke. It tasted awful and I don't know why I ever drank it in the first place :0). Every place you go usually has non-carbonated beverages, even if it is only bottled water. I don't miss it now.

It is great that you can stick with it. It would be sooo hard doing liquids since September '07. By the way, why do you need to do liquids for so long?

I have a broken scale as well. I can change several pounds in a couple of minutes just by getting back onto it. It was the expensive, top-of-the-line, digital, lithium powered supposed to last eternally . . . it does last, the numbers are just wrong :0) Before I realized it was not working correctly (can you really gain 7 pounds, or lose 4 pounds in one day????), I was very upset about the erratic weight changes. It was thrilling to be down but devastating to be up. I bought a cheap standard scale with the little wheel for $7 bucks at Target. It works great. It never changes unless it is supposed to and seems reliable. I'm a happy camper now.

Congratulations!!! That is wonderful news. I am about 4 pounds away from joining you at the 50 pound mark. I can't wait. Closet shopping is the best, isn't it. I have also bought some new pants recently because I found that the weight loss is less noticeable when everything is big and baggy. New jeans have brought on a lot of remarks regarding weight loss. 50 pounds is awesome, specially considering birthday and clothing changes as well. Isn't it exciting that this is just one great day out of many yet to come . . . :0) Happy melting to you, la la lala la la :0)

I am only at slightly over 4 months and I am at 20.4%. That is 225 start less 179 current divided by 225 if I did it correctly. I did not answer the poll yet but will in a couple of weeks once I see where I am at. I feel really good about my weight loss so far :0).

I had redness and a rash started. I found I was allergic to the bandages that I was using at home. I started using latex free bandages which helped but still irritated my skin to a lesser degree. I eventually started using the much more expensive bandages which were like an absorbant pad in the middle with almost like a plastic tape covering the outside and this did not irritate my skin. Anyways, my issue was minor and easily corrected. However, please be sure that if you have pain that is not diminishing or growing stronger at those sites, or feel any heat or have other indications of possible infection, you need to see your doctor right away. Infection can be very dangerous and should be taken seriously.

I eat 3 meals a day. This includes an occasional snack every other day or so depending on when it is needed . . . usually afternoon or evening. I have really great restriction now and believe I am at my "sweet spot." I find that if I allow myself to get too hungry or go too long between meals, I start looking for something "fast" and then I eat too quickly which can cause me to pb very easily. If I am very hungry, I eat something like a low-sugar, low-fat yogurt, cottage cheese or maybe a boiled egg . . . which may seem counterintuitive because it is soft and will not fill me up for long. However, I found this to be an effective strategy because it takes the edge off until it is time for a real meal and even if I eat it quickly I can't pb. Also, these things are readily at my disposal so if I am hungry, I walk to the fridge and eat. No elaborate planning or cooking if I am very hungry. As I have been banded for quite some time now, I have found that my tastes have changed. I crave healthy food. Yesterday I was craving a salad with a little avocado and some sundried tomatoes (who is this strange person I have become, why am I not craving Cookies, ice cream, fries or chips????). Some of the old items I used to crave just don't do it for me anymore. I loved french fries in the past, and would have some every couple of days. I have had a couple of fries since banding and they taste bland . . . I don't understand what I thought was so special about them before. I think I have to be honest with myself in that I had a carb addiction, which eliminating processed carbs from my diet has essentially cured. Anyway, I don't even have to think about meals or Snacks now. I eat when I am hungry (and I make sure it has nothing to do with head hunger). My body tells me what to do, I get all of the triggers when to start and stop . . . and the weight just keeps coming off, albeit slow, but fairly steady. I have no doubt in my mind that the band is the best thing I ever did for myself. My only regret is that I didn't do it 10 years ago. Other than following basic bandster rules (which become ingrained and don't require "thought" after some time), I am not consumed by having to "think" about dieting all the time. It has become natural, which is the greatest blessing of all since it is what I have been missing for all too long. I was initially filled with some doubt that the band could "really" work for me. Even after banding and before restriction, it seemed too difficult in that I was too hungry and I was dieting again which has never worked for me over the long term. Restriction is here and all I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you to my wonderful band tool.

My doctor said 200 punctures. I don't think it is possible to ever get up to that amount of punctures to be honest with you. I have already lost half my excess weight and I am only up to 2 punctures. Even those that need a lot of fills to find the sweet spot, I have never heard of anyone going past 20 punctures. Once you get to maintenance mode and the weight is gone, you may only need to go in yearly . . . and you may or may not need a fill. So basically it seems as though the puncture life is significantly greater than what you could ever expect to use.

I have had the same issue. Even if it is not dumping, it feels kind of like it. I just figured my body was just telling me "i thought we made a deal to stop eating this crap . . . i have already made the adjustment so why can't you???" I have only had it happen once or twice. I avoid sugar and processed carbs like the plague now because they do a number on my stomach.

I would like to share my condolensces as well. I am very, very sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing the information with us.

Hello, I was just curious . . . why have you decided it is not for you? What are you looking for in a weight loss solution?

My TOM has become much more intense, and I am on the pill. I see a definite difference post banding. It is almost like the intensity has doubled. It is not the same issue but similar in that there is a definite hormonal difference post banding.

I agree with Julie. These boards are great. Who understands banding better than those who have been through it and can relate from personal experience. There are so many people out in the world who will offer strong opinions on topics that they are not familiar with. It is always best to do your own soul searching, being truthful with yourself and following your heart to the best path for you.

I typically weight morning and night. At first any gain would drive me crazy, but not anymore. I have since learned that my weight can fluctuate anywhere between 1 to 4 pounds in any given day. I also learned that I always gain 2-5 pounds during TOM that immediately comes off when it is finished. Because of these fluctuations, I never change my current weight values unless I have stayed at a certain weight 3-5 days in a row. I found that it was really depressing to post I am at # weight and find for the next several days I am a few pounds over. For instance, I have been at 179 in the morning for 2 days now, but I am not ready to Celebrate hitting the 170's until I have a couple more days in :0).

I did this a couple of times also during the liquids stage. However, I quickly became bored with it. It was never really all that satisfying but it did help to get cravings to pass. Once I was on mushies I didnt do it anymore.

It is great that you have been checked out with the upper GI to help rule out some major problems and have come out clear. I would also have to wonder if you are just too tight. I find that when I am sick or uncomfortable with the band, I tend to keep getting sick and uncomfortable daily until I take a break and go back to liquids to give my stomach time to relax. Perhaps you should try doing a day or two of liquids, day or two of mushies and try to ease your way back into eating in case your stomach is just irritated. It can be a cycle in that irritation causes pb or vomiting that causes further irritation . . . and on and on it goes. When was your last fill and did it coincide with when you started to get sick?

Mine was similar to yours. I felt really good about it because it helped to ensure that I healed properly. It is important to me that my band last a lifetime so I wanted to give it every opportunity to heal in place. It was tough but I am happy I followed through.

Your shoulder??? I have never heard of that before. I am having a hard time imagining a shoulder port considering our anatomy and the placement of the band around the stomach. If you dont mind sharing, I am very curious. It sounds painful to run tubing under your breast tissue. Was there much pain in your chest area post banding? Is it a low-profile port? Is the port area raised so that you can visibly tell where it is without feeling for it? Perhaps you can tell in the post-banding scan/x-ray if the tubing is routed under your ribs in the same location where you are feeling the tenderness. I am also interested to hear what the physician has to say. If your port is not in that area than it could not be the same situation that I have experience with. I hope you get a good explanation and feel better soon.

I had it in the beginning. I still have it from time to time after doing something different or more vigorous in my abdominal work-outs than usual but it has become rare. It was never bad pain, just discomfort and I worried a little about it at first. I did ask my doctor when I first had it. She mentioned that the port is stitched to my abdominal muscles and it could be that new exercise is causing that soreness because I am working those specific muscles. The issue has pretty much gone away. I went from being completely sedentary to daily, vigorous exercise for at least an hour. No soreness lasted for more than a week or two at most and was always minor. If you notice any redness or swelling or the pain becomes more intense or long lasting, you will need to get it checked out. Otherwise it may not be that big of a deal.

I am still certainly up for a get together with all takers. I am from the East side, Mayfield Heights area. I would be happy to travel somewhere more centralized in Cleveland. It would be really nice to have a group going. Courtenay, did you finally get banded? I havent heard anything new and I wonder how you are doing. Shawna, hows it going so far? We were banded 2 days apart so we are very close as far as time spent in the journey. I still would love to get together. IAmTess, I am so happy you have decided to join our losing team :0). I hope everything is going well with the surgery. Our start weight was only 1 pound different so we started from a similar position. I am currently down to 179 (have to update my stats). Please let us all know how you are doing once you are back online.

Kendra, I stumbled across your thread for the first time today. I am so happy to hear everything is going so well. You will be in my heart and prayers :0). I am looking forward to following your progress back on the road to health.

Congratulations!!! I am also starting to really notice NSV's now that I'm 4 months up. I can't wait for our next ones to keep on coming :0)

I have never had problems with pills post lapband, and I have excellent restriction now. I take a daily pill and just make sure to drink a cup of Water after. I do take chewable Vitamins because vitamins can be incredibly huge. You may find that you don't have a problem with reasonably sized pills as long as they are not a "prohibited for banders" medication.

Congratulationsss!!! Nothing beats closet shopping after your down a few.

I hope it has loosened up for you. I have to say that being on liquids for a day after a fill is important. I have found that I can PB every day if I don't take a day to let my stomach relax by going on liquid/mushies. For some reason, my stomach is sensitive in that PB's beget more PB's even on food easily tolerated. A PB irritates my stomach so it is like my band tightens up considerably and I have to readjust. When I originally thought I was too tight, I realize now and have since learned by experience that I was just not careful enough. I can eat solid Proteins without a PB, stay full and I feel I have hit my sweet spot. If I ever "goof" up by eating to fast or too much where there is a PB, I definitely take a day to get my stomach back to normal.