BANDIT GIRL

I am on the side of telling. Although at times I have regretted telling people when people are in my mouth when I am eating. I don't think anyone should be ashamed of having surgery. You have worked hard to get the weight off plenty of times as we all have with no permenant success. You are not taking the easy way out as I have heard (mostly people who've NEVER had a weight problem) say. This takes just as much hard work as doing it without sugery but with real results. If I didn't have success or end up gaining it all back I am the only one who has to pay for it. I don't feel like I have to answer to anyone but myself. It really doesn't matter how we lose the weight as long as we do it healthy and the we feel better, resolve our health issues and look better and gain self esteem that we all deserve to have. You all are doing a potentially dangerous thing to help you get to your wt loss goal so be proud of yourselves! Just do what you have learned and what the Dr. has said and you will be successful! I wish you all luck!

Good luck you guys! The liquid diet was hard the first couple of days but it got easier.

i feel your pain. i have lost 100 lbs and need to lose 30ish more. i am stuck too. these last few are determined to hang on. i think i may have gotten comfortable at this weight. good luck to u! hope you find what works for u!

Bubbly, you ought to ask whoever is saying these things how many times they've been on WW. That oughtta shut them up.

that is a good point!!! i cannot believe what they said to you! i used ww quite a few times and did have some success off and on. i don't care how people choose to lose their weight......doing it in a healthy way and getting healthy is the point and end result. that person obviously has a problem with food too or they wouldn't be using ww.losing weight with wls or any other method is not easy and requires work. we of all people should know as we have tried countless times before turning to wls. and this is work. it wasn't always easy making the right food decisions to get to 100 lbs. you don't worry about other peoples opinions. you made the right decision for you. keep up the good work!

The biggest thing i can remind you of is that it takes the fills to get you to your "sweet spot". You are not a failure nor should you feel like one. You have just begun and this surgery is a process. One fill at a time. This surgery requires work along the way and a little will power too. Just hold fast and keep up the good work and you will get there! Good luck!

congrats!!! what complications did you have before and how far did you get in your weight loss with the previous band?

Well hello everyone! My name is Della and I am from NSG with Dr Fontana. I have the Lapband version of tha band and it holds 10cc's. I am at 6.75 I think...lol I have had 5 fills to get to this point. I have had some sort of restriction at every fill just didn't always last. As I got more fills They lasted alot longer. I was at my sweet spot for six months with the fill before last. I got my last one and am totally there again so far. I have lost 95lbs so far andmy surgery was 8/4/08. I am completely happy with my decision so far and know I could not have donethis on my own! I can say to you all who have been struggling to keep up the good work! It is so worth the hard work when it actually pays off.

I totally agree with HH. My surgeon at her seminar only showed her individual statics and success and not success. She did show a map of the obese percentages as released by a firm (I don't remember who) but that is all. Everyone's experience seems to be different and yours will be too. To me, it seems that it isn't even about what you put into it or don't put into it. Your own physical makeup, medical history, genetics and stubborness will decide the experience for you. I plan to put everything I have into it and I have so far. I don't know what the future holds but I have given myself a good shot at it and I want the best outcome obviously. If down the road I have problems I will have to face them when I get there.

I have been banded for a year on the 4th of this month. I have to agree with greytz. I will deal with any problems I may face due to my band when and if I get there. I am very happy with my decision thus far. If I didn't have the surgery I would have delt with some type of health problem due to my weight and even early death. So this seems like a good trade off to me.I weighed 305 at my highest and 299 the day I started my pre-op diet.I have lost 95lbs so far and want to lose another 40 or so. This has been a journey but not as difficult as I thought it would be. I have struggled here and there with food cravings and probably always will. It does take very hard work and you have to be willing to do that work. It is not an easy fix for any of the weight loss surgeries. They all require hard work and dedication for the rest of your life. My sister had gastric bypass and is doing very well with her choice. She is 1yr and 3 months out and at her her goal weight. I recommend this to anyone who is willing to do the work. I love my band!!!! Good luck!

Restriction for me is just getting full quicker....the same feeling you normally feel when you're full just alot sooner. So you have to chew really good and eat slow so you avoid getting that horrible overfull feeling and possibly pb'ing. I tend to feel a tight feeling in my upper stomach where the band is from time to time also especially in the mornings. From retaining Water.< /p>

I've got a 10cc band and filled with 5cc's at this point. I have great restriction and have since Feb. When I got my last fill. I am getting hungry in the mornings now though and am thinking I may need a tiny tiny fill. Just to take the edge off. I'm thinking about food too much and I no likey...lol This was my 4th fill in Feb. I was banded in Aug o8.

According to my surgeons office they go by your bmi. Your muscle mass has nothing to do with it. If your bmi is 40 and above you don't need to have any comorbidities(weight related health problems) to qualify and if it is 35-39 you do. Such as Diabetes,sleep apnea etc. That is a national qualifier. Good luck with your decision.

Hello everyone! I am just excited and wanted to share my little experience. Yesterday I went to the pool in my bathing suit in public for the first time since I was a kid!!! I really enjoyed it! I still have some weight to lose and I am by no means perfect but for one of the first times I felt normal! That is priceless!!!!:thumbup:

I agree also. I did research and kinda had my mind made up to do the lap band but my dr would discuss both and felt that the band was a great option for me. If he had thought the bypass was better he would've suggested that instead. I would totally think you should be able to discuss both options with the dr to get a better outlook on both. good luck!!! BANDSTERS RULE...LOL

Hello....I have not had any problems with acid reflux but I am only 9 months out. I am at 6cc's in a 10cc band. May I ask how long you have been banded??

Well lemme be the first to say Dr Fontana is my surgeon and he has saved me!!! I think what we he did for me is wonderful. I realize that I had to do all the work after but without him and his great group of people doing what they do I would not be where I am today.Thanks to him!!

Most likely the reason this is happening is you're probably eaiting too fast and or not chewing enough before you swallow. You have to remember that even though you haven't had alot of restriction yet you still have a band around your upper stomach which i'm sure causes a very little restriction and with some fills you have some restriction even though it may not be alot. I would just suggest to take smaller bites,slow down and chew,chew,chew. Good luck!

I do notice around that time i am retaining more Water that i feel more tightness than usual. I don't have any problems eating or vomiting (thank god). But you may be a lil too tight and when you're retaining it causes you to be too tight. Maybe you need a slight unfill. Good luck!

So hello everybody!! It has been a while since I have posted. I wanted to see how everyone was doing. I hope you all are doing well and having success. I have lost 78 lbs. as of today!! I am very happy with my journey so far. I have had a few times where my wt loss slowed down a little, but i had my 4th fill in feb and so far I think I have hit my sweet spot. I am at 6cc's. I really haven't had any problems and hope not to. I will say i feel my band more at 6cc's than I ever did before. I just feel more slight tightness. I always did but not as much as now. It doesn't hurt at all just a small amout of tight pressure. I am glad though cause it reminds me it's there. I know there are risks and complications that could happen even to make me have to have my band removed, but i do not regret my choice to have this surgery one little bit. I will deal with whatever happens as it comes. I am so much happier about myself and have much more self confidence and let's not even talk about the physical aspect. Physically I feel GREAT!!! I am able to run up the steps at my apt complex!! Never thought I would ever be able to do that. And I jog on the treadmill!!! So to anyone who is considering this surgery......Please think it through and make the best decision for you. And make sure you know the good and the bad. I can say to you, i recommend this to anyone who can't lose it on their own. It still takes work.....you CANNOT just eat whatever you want and expect to still lose. It is defintely a tool so use it properly and watch yourself change! Now don't think for one minute that I never eat the wrong foods or drink something I shouldn't but I maake sure I make the right choices 98% of the time. That is the only way to make this work. So good luck to you all and thanks again to all of the people who post here.....it really has helped me soooo much!

I have the Lap Band. My Dr chose this over the Realize Band because he felt his patients had better outcomes with weightloss. He does use both.

It's funny you say that about the air and stomach making all sorts of noises since surgery!!! lol!! I was banded 9 days before you and i have that too. I will be laying in my bed after just waking up and it's quiet in the room and laugh too about the noises. And I seem to have ALOT more gas than i ever had before.

Hello everyone! I was just wondering how everyone is doing? I hope you all are ok! And everything is peachy! I am doing great so far at 2 1/2months out. I have had 2 fills so far and it is working for me. I have lost 41lbs including 13lbs from the pre-op diet. The fills really didn't hurt and I was so shocked. My Dr. got it on the first try both times. He doesn't use flouro, he feels for the port by pressing on my port area. I am not hungry hardly ever and I have restriction so far. Hopefully it will last and I won't need too many fills. I have been eating alot of fish(tilapia) and chicken. This really isn't as hard as I thought it would be. "so far". I wish everyone good luck and hope you are all ok and doing well! ttyl!!!:tongue_smilie:

Okay, I am the biggest needle phobic! does it hurt to get a fill? How do they do it?:thumbup:

I think everyone is different, but I have heard alot of people say it doesn't hurt and for me my first (have only had one) didn't hurt at all. I was shocked! I don't like needles either and was nervous but no pain. My dr said it was because there are not as many nerves in that part of the skin as like in your hand for instance. Good luck , hope it goes well for u!

congratulations to u both!! i know the feeling of getting the final approval and knowing you are finally there!! good luck to you guys!!:thumbup:

Banded August 5th.Surgery went well. dehydrated after, had to stay overnight for fluids. Very little soreness. Very little gas.Very little appetite. Each day get`s better.

congrats!!! one day after me!!! hope everything is still going well for u!!!!:embaressed_smile:

Well guys, I am now 6wks out from surgery and have had my first fill 1wk ago. I am doing and felling great so far! The fill was a breeze!! I hope they all go that way. It really didn't hurt ! I was sooo surprised. And he got it on the first try! Yeay Dr Fontana! I was starving before my fill. My appetite had come back with a vengence. But since my fill I am very rarely hungry at all. It really does work! I have lost 26lbs as of last wed. I only weigh myself once a week. I don't want to get bogged down and obsessed with the scale. I am very happy with my decision thus far and do not regret it one bit. I hope all continues to go so well from here on out. I hope everyone is doing well in band land!!!! :embaressed_smile: