PennyLane

quick update from me: we seem to have finally (last month) gotten the fill to a level that is not too tight and where it is effective--there was a little difficulty with that and i wound up having most of the fill taken out in early december because it was so tight and my stomach was swelling making it tighter. anyway, through all of that my weight held steady at -15lbs (very frustrating, but at least it wasn't a gain) and now a month later, i'm -25lbs! i'm very pleased, and while i still feel bad that i wasn't able to be this successful much earlier, i know that this is a process, not a race and that as long as i keep working at it it will work out! so i just got below 250 (a nice landmark), and am 2lbs away from being under a 40 bmi. i've lost 4 inches off my waist and my face looks much thinner. so hooray for me!

Well I'm just frustrated with myself because I'm only 20lbs down from pre-banding but I have to remind myself that just because I haven't done it yet doesn't mean I won't. Just need to get the right fill and work harder at it. I guess I'm just embarrassed, really, but it's such a counter-productive feeling that I need to move past it, you know?

Well the scale hasn't budged since that second fill which is frustrating but also really weird because I'm wearing a smaller size. I'm trying to not let it get to me. I know what I've been doing right, and what I've been doing wrong and am actively, daily working to correct it. I had a third fill that brought me up to 5.5cc and I felt fine in the office and that night but the next morning was a big no-go. Just a sip (admittedly a too large sip) of Water caused me to PB and I stuck with liquids and soft foods all day and attempted to eat a soft-ish dinner (ground turkey taco type filling) but my body was having none of it. It was quite uncomfortable. Friday morning was even worse so I went in for an unfill because they were concerned that all the PBing would irritate my stomach, making the band tighter and I'd need to go to the ER over the weekend. So I'm down to 4.9 and feeling pretty much exactly as I did at 4.5 which was a noticeable difference from pre-banding but only a slight noticeable difference. So who knows what's going on? I really need to refocus toward exercise (has gone out the window the past few weeks) and try and figure out where to improve my eating. It's difficult sometimes to remember that just because I CAN eat the whole meal doesn't mean that I SHOULD. I'm generally good at stopping at the "satisfied" feeling but more often than I should I keep eating until "full", which at this point with my loose feeling band is really not much less food than pre-banding. So...sweet spot? Who knows? I suppose it's somewhere between 4.9 and 5.5. But maybe that too-large sip of water on the day after a fill really did me in. I can't totally control the band fills but I CAN control my diet and exercise and I just need to figure out how to take more ownership of it I guess. Sigh, I really thought this would be a little smoother than it has been so far, but I need to remember it's not a race, the band isn't even "working" really for me yet and that with work I'll get there. (It doesn't make it any less frustrating though).

Hi, all! Long time no post. I have had QUITE a hectic few months. I think the last time I posted I'd just found out that my landlords weren't going to renew my lease on my apartment (where I'd lived for 3 years)--this happened just about one week post-op. I eventually found a new (and arguably better) place to live and just had to wait for my move in date which very inconveniently fell right at the beginning of midterms in early October (I'm in grad school). The move was basically a nightmare and long story short, I was without an operational kitchen for the first three weeks I lived here (no fridge, no stove), which left me at the mercy of local takeout places. I actually did fairly well with this--I generally stuck with a local Greek place and had their omelette of the day and stuffed grape leaves (the kind stuffed with ground lamb not rice). I've only had two fills so far (Sept and Nov--missed Oct because time just slipped away from me) and as of mid-November have only really held steady at my pre/post op diet loss which isn't ideal but it's not a gain (and I was sort of expecting a gain based on the kitchen situation). Oddly, though, while the scale didn't move I started fitting into older, smaller clothes so who knows what that's about. I'm just following the rules as best as I can and I try make smart decisions generally. I have NO idea how I'm doing weight-wise since the Nov fill, I've decided to not weigh at home. I'll find out next week when I go in for fill #3, but my guess is that this one has been good. I've noticed changes in my body and clothing fit so it's probably good news :rolleyes2: What else happened? Thanksgiving was a big crazy gathering which necessitated 4 tables to accommodate all the family members (there were other family events happening that week) and then I immediately went into finals. In the middle of finals, I got called in for a job interview and was offered the job the very same day. I started the job about 10 hours after finishing my last exam and have worked there for a week now. Grades started coming in today and I have As in 2 out of my 3 classes and expect an A- at the least from the third. This job (paid internship really) is only funded for 2 months, but funding may be extended by the incoming Congress (it's a Congressional position) so I may be looking at next semester of full time employment and full time academic study, which will be insane but (hopefully) manageable. My plan all along for the band was to approach it "slow and steady" and make it just another part of my life rather than a focal point of it which may not be the best approach for a fast success but it's really just the way that makes the most sense for me and my life. Exercise has been happening but without a plan and focus, which I had been planning on spending Christmas Break fixing, but this job came kind of out of nowhere. This weekend I'm going to sit down with a schedule etc and really Iron out a plan of action because what I'm doing now isn't really cutting it. I DO hope that my efforts start to see a payoff (and that I can really apply myself more consistently in the exercise department) soon. So that's my life! Sorry for the novel-length post--I've been really busy. I feel like I can finally come up for air and revisit you all!

Thanks, all for the responses I feel better now, and have modified what I've been eating to the softest of the soft foods for now just to be safe. Sorry for taking so long to respond!

A friend of mine who lives in Vietnam has had serious trouble getting a job because she has acne and doesn't look "Vietnamese enough" (she's from the far northern part of the country where peasants of Chinese ancestry live) according to some interviewers. Standards may be different for foreigners there, I don't know. Things are just really very frustratingly different in that part of the world, not that it makes it alright or anything. I was only living there for a few months and I knew I wouldn't be able to take it much longer than that.

One thing to keep in mind about the band is that part of the reason the estimated weight loss for the band is lower than the bypass is that you do still absorb everything you eat, whereas with the bypass you don't. You can still eat a small volume of food that is calorie and fat laden and/or drink high calorie liquids (that aren't stopped by the band) and you will still "get" all those calories. Basically, the band (to a greater extent than the bypass in my opinion) is really just a tool to help a new lifestyle of diet and exercise work, not to do the work of dieting and exercising for you. Bypass, because of the malabsorption issue is less like this, however I have heard that over time, the stomach stretches and the body gets used to malabsorption and that's why the weight regain happens. With the band, if you're going to be successful you have to make a total lifestyle change, which I think will be the key in keeping the weight off permanently. If you are unable to make that change, though, the band might not work for you. Also, something to read about bypass is "dumping syndrome". I never considered bypass at all (for various reasons of safety, pregnancy, permanence etc) but if I had, I think that this would have been the deal breaker for me. Hope that helps

At first I was going to try to suggest that maybe it's the parents' way of controlling what kind of toys/clothes are given to their child (I know a lot of people who don't want certain things in the house like battery operated toys, or plastic stuff, or things affiliated with a particular "brand" like Disney Princesses and things etc) but I think if that's the case they should do the "your presence is present enough" thing (getting pretty popular at children's parties I hear). You're totally right, that is really tacky, especially if everything is so expensive. You can report them here (or just read the site, it's hysterical at some points) Etiquette Hell -Penny

Oh, I'm definitely going to figure out what happens here next. And wish bad tenants, too, or those who don't stay long. I honestly was planning on staying here until I left the DC area altogether, or until I got married (and maybe not even then, this is a perfect sized apartment for a couple--I'd just have to marry a short man or one who is good about ducking to get around the apartment!). There probably won't be any problems because the complainer in chief has moved out, but oh well. This was all for the best. I didn't hear from the new landlady today to sign my part of the lease and give her the deposit, which worries me slightly but she could have been busy. My dad signed his part and faxed it in (need a co-signer because I'm a grad student now and the income level isn't exactly what it used to be), but she wouldn't have offered the lease if she wasn't planning on following through....right?

Did they give you a fill on your surgery day, Goober? What did you eat that made you PB? Mine is totally open and loose--I feel like nothing's really very different and I couldn't get anything stuck if I tried. As for my challenges, it would be paying attention to the no more than 1 cup of food in one sitting rule (still on post-op diet). That's been tough, not because of hunger but because of habit. I'll fix a plate and realize that there's too much and set aside only about a cup to eat but then when I'm done the rest of it seems to call to me to be eaten. I have to get it out of my face then. Also, exercise. I've been having a lot of port pain and some serious personal life drama (mostly resolved now) so I've had a hard time getting my motivation up this past week. But I resolve to at least walk around the neighborhood for 30 minutes a day, if for no reason other than to keep in the habit of doing something, anything "exercise" related daily. For me, the battle is mostly mental, and forming a habit. Once the habit is there, I'm good to go. I'm considering joining a Masters swim team (masters just means "over 18") because I was a competitive swimmer my whole life until college. Seriously, I was on the "tyke team" which starts at age 5 or 6 and kept going until I was 18. I loved it and was in pretty good shape, too :thumbup:

Yeah, I know. That's why I'm so worried that not doing the right things now will make me have problems later. It didn't occur to me until now, when I saw someone one here mentioning pureed foods, that I don't have a pureed food part. I knew a while ago that a lot of people go liquids-purees-soft-solid but I just forgot once I'd been through the post op plan with my clinic over and over again. So now I'm worried. Interesting...I hadn't heard that one. Do you know what those new guidelines are? It's weird that the lap band's site itself has the "old" guidelines. Or maybe that's just a "what to expect" not a "users manual". Ack, I don't know. Today I've only been doing things that would go under "pureed" so maybe I'll just stick with that for a while--better safe than sorry. I do feel guilty for second guessing "the plan" though. Man, I am a mess :tt2:

Well, I don't know about mushies--people seem to use that term for everything. I guess I'm trying to say that there is no pureed food stage for me, which gets me nervous. The lap band site says 2 weeks liquids, 2 weeks pureed food, 2 weeks soft food and then solid food (didn't know about this site before, someone pointed it out to me when I asked): Lapband.com - The First Few Weeks After Surgery Apparently this used to be what everyone did, but now docs are making the post op diet easier so that patients actually stick with it but also because some people choose their doctor based on the post op diet. Outside the US they still do it this way, and only US statistics on band slips are on the rise (I've been talking with a very knowledgeable band veteran about all this). I guess I just kind of don't get it--why everyone's instructions are so different when it seems like there is good evidence to support that the correct post op plan is a factor in preventing slips in the future. I'm just frustrated and worried. I could be a professional worrier, you know. Ack this is maddening.

Wow, guys, that sounds really bad! I do know there are bad tenants out there (I've encountered them) but it really is crazy the things people will do. A friends father is a landlord in another town in this area and they have a 13 page lease....it's actually famous among my friends because pretty much everyone has rented something from him at some point before--usually right out of college. Anyway, I saw it once and was laughing at the stipulations in there (can't remember specifics but I'll ask) thinking that he must be the most paranoid man on earth. Nope, they said. All of that comes from specific experience. He has a million crazy stories, apparently. But I'm just not one of those people (as far as I know anyway...this whole thing has started to make me worried that I'm some horrible tenant that no one would want). I always pay on time, and have never complained about a thing. Only times I've ever called them is when my toilet was broken (and I couldn't fix it) and when a window air conditioner needed replacing because it was blowing hot air--in three full years. I'm not silent but I'm not loud (I play music while I'm cooking, and am often up late and need to walk through the apartment). I used to smoke in here, but had I known anyone was complaining would have stopped immediately...I....I don't know what else you could complain about me about. Oh well. What's done is done. But good news.... I'm off to sign a lease! In a building kind of like the one I'm in now. Not nearly as old or historic--this one I live in is 220 years old and on a cobblestone street while the new place is (I'm guessing) just over 100 but age and historic factor were never the issue, I'd have moved into a brand new construction just as easily--I'm just pointing out the differences. Anyway, it's a converted townhouse, one apartment per floor. On the same street, but 6 blocks up. I have the ground floor this time instead of the old attic which is different but nice. I loved living up here even with the 4 flights of stairs because it's cute and pokey and the ceilings are slanted and it feels very cottage-cozy. But with the ground floor, I have no more grocery issues (planning shopping trips around weight and size of purchases is not fun), and "possession" of the little backyard area--mostly a patio with paving stones but some dirt areas in which to grow things (the landlady said, when I asked, "oh please do...I'd love for someone to get some good use out of this"). It also comes with a parking space in the alley behind the building which is a godsend around here. Where I live now is very close to the river, bike trails and the tourist stuff so getting home past 7pm means a loooong time circling for a space, and moving the car at all on weekends in summer usually means parking in a parking garage when you get back because there's no point in even trying. I have the parking enforcement number in my cell phone to report when things get bad (it's supposed to be 2 hour parking only for everyone but residents. That never happens). Size wise it's practically identical--one bedroom plus a den that many people choose to use as a bedroom (here that wasn't possible because of the location of the only bathroom so the den is a den). It's about $150 more per month than I figured they'd raise my rent to this year had they renewed, and $50 more than the kind of ugly one bedroom I looked at farther away and on the busiest intersection in town (all of this includes utilities too). Because it's share-able though, and I've given the option to several friends of mine who are looking to move to this part of town, my costs will actually wind up lower than they have been in 4 years.... So basically....I'm still sad to leave but this will be a great move physically and financially. I love this place and this couple of blocks (the waterfront, the cobblestone etc) and my neighbors (not the ones in the building--the ones who love up and down the street) but I can easily come down for visits. Hey, I can plan my daily walking regime to come by here :tongue:. I've been spending the afternoon researching shade-loving plants and debating climbing roses (for the fence not the house) or jasmine :tt2:

Quick question, guys (because I've gotten myself all worried that my post op diet isn't conservative enough)... What was/is your post op diet progression like? Mine was 2 weeks full liquids (anything that can go up a straw plus yogurt), then 2 weeks soft foods (anything that can be mashed with a fork, and normally wouldn't require much chewing except now chew chew chew, this includes things like tuna, eggs and ground chicken/turkey) and then a slow progression onto solid foods. No mushy stage and now I'm all worried that this could lead to complications down the road, but even more worried that this means I don't trust my doctor, which then means I don't trust my own decisions which all in all means that I could see this whole thing (the band in general) as a wrong decision/mistake. Sorry, I have warned everyone I'm neurotic as hell right?

How much do you think stuff like this is affected by advertisement of the band(s) to the general public? Like how many people see the commercial and only get the "you'll lose weight" part out of it, search for "lap band" on the internet and find an inexpensive surgeon in the Google ads? Now, of course these people should know better than to make medical decisions based on TV commercials, Google ads and price alone but.....yeah...people should know better than to do a lot of things they do, you know? Those ads don't show anything approaching the nitty-gritty of banding, and perhaps some people just think "oh, I'll eat less because I won't be so hungry" and think they understand the procedure. Not to defend this type of behavior but sadly, I see how it is totally possible.