JennBand08

while a little fear before going under for any procedure is normal, if you are having true doubts, maybe you should think about it further. A year ago at this time I went through all my preop testing and had a surgery date scheduled for June 20th. And then I panicked and thought OMG what am I doing? I hate throwing up, why would I have a surgery where people typically throw up? And a friend of mine had a bad experience with her band. I was just scared. So I cancelled my surgery. I called my insurance and found out that my approval was good for 6 months... I took the summer to try one last time to lose weight on my own. Joined a gym.. and guess what? Like every other time.. it just didn't happen. So.. I called my surgeon, went and talked to him again and discussed my fears.. and scheduled my surgery for September 4th,2008. And that time, I went through with it and am SOOO happy I did. I LOVE my band. It was the best thing I've ever done for myself. And..the best part.. my biggest fear... the throwing up.. hasn't been a problem at all. Yayy. I chose lapband because it was less invasive, and because I didn't want the weight to come off quickly and leave me with hanging skin. I had also read alot about the malabsorbtion and hair loss bypass patients can suffer from.. and I just wasn't ready for that. Good luck to you...

I had Lapband surgery on 9/4/08 with Dr. Neil Floch @ Norwalk Hospital. He is a wonderful surgeon. He took his time with me in the weeks leading up to surgery making sure I understood everything. He was patient and understanding when I got cold feet and postponed my surgery for the summer. There was never any pressure at all. His office staff was great and his bedside manner is fantastic. I felt very well cared for and never felt like I was bothering them with my questions or concerns. (and I had a lot) His staff is very friendly and helpful and helped me schedule appointments that fit my schedule. I cannot say enough about how wonderful this man is, he truly listens to me at each appointment and shares my success with me as I lose weight.

Oh that is the worst! I know how frustrating that is. Kudos to you for getting your exercise in early in the mornin though.. I sure struggle with that. I need to get into a routine of just knocking it out in the morning that way I'lll not have time for excuses! I just got an iPod touch, I still have to figure out how to make a playlist so that I can group good workout songs together. I hate fumbling with it while I'm on the treadmill, I swear one of these days I am going to go flying off! LOL

I had such a hard time with the texture of the Isopure protein water. The special K water has that same slick taste/texture. I tried diluting it but then it was just more of a chore to get it all down. It is wierd that some notice the slick texture and some do not. Guess I am just one of the unlucky ones.

Congrats to us all for our 6 month Bandiverary! I'm doing okay.. weight loss is slow.. I plateau'd for 6 weeks.. but I finally broke down and got another fill and seem to be back on track again. I struggle with left shoulder pain still.. so I was hesitant to get a fill as I've heard the tighter the band the worse it can get. I am learning what triggers it and trying to adjust accordingly. It's all a learning process. Niecey.. why are your daughters having trouble with your weight loss? I have a 13 year old daughter and she is just thrilled for me. She can't wait til I can shop @ Hollister/Abercrombie/Juicy so she can steal my clothes.. LOL. (though thats really unlikely since those really aren't my style, but don't tell her that). My daughter does get envious that I am able to eat less though, I know sometimes she worries about her weight and gets upset with me if I say anything about her food choices... I just have to be very careful about how I say things to her. Well.. glad to hear we are all doing so well. Terri, I'm glad you dont have a slip, and hope you are feeling better soon. You guys should come in the lapband chatroom more often.. it's fun!

If you are continuing to lose 1-2 lbs a week it sounds like you are doing fine. Why would you want to mess with that if you are on a losing streak? I could see if you were stalled, but if you are losing, that's a good thing. Average weight loss per week in every thing I've read IS 1-2 lbs a week, so you are right on target! Hang in there.. if you are still finding it difficult though, talk to your doctor again.

Great post! I think another thing to mention is not to get too hung up comparing yourself to others on here. Sure, it's great to compare notes with those that had the same surgery date as you, but so many get hung up on comparing exact # of pounds lost. Everyone is different, every body type is different. And some have more to lose, less to lose, etc. I say this because it was something I struggled with in the beginning, and still do sometimes. It's hard to see someone with the same surgery date and if they have a much bigger loss than me to feel discouraged. I'm a slow loser too.. averaging 1/2-1 lb/week. But hey, that is still around 52 pounds a year!! Nothing to scoff at! Slow and steady.. this tool is with me for the REST OF MY LIFE.. its NOT a race.

Glad to hear it! I'm stalled so heading in for a fill on Friday. I hope it gets me back on track too! Way to go!

The reason some women find they can orgasm from that way is because it shares the back wall of the vagina. So you can feel the penetration on the vaginal wall too. And also all the nerve endings. If you are focused enough you can have an orgasm from being touched anywhere. For years I believed in the EXIT only mentality. But as I've gotten older I guess I've become more open minded and want to fully explore my sexuality(why not?) So gradually over the years we have worked up to that, starting with an occasional finger or toy. Eventually we progressed to anal sex. Not something we do often.. but on rare occasions I do enjoy it, but like everyone said, you have to go slow and trust your partner. I find a glass of wine or 2 beforehand really helps me relax. Or a hot shower with your partner.. I like to make sure its really really clean before I have any kind of anal play. Otherwise I wouldn't be relaxed enough.

I struggle with the exercise too. I just watched a youtube video from Dr. Connie Stapleton- she counsels bariatric patients on life after surgery. One of the things she talks about is exercise and making it part of your life. She says just accept it may be something you will never enjoy, but that you simply have to do, like getting up early for work, or brushing your teeth. So.. I've been trying to implement that into my life, and telling myself that it is just something I do. Some days it works.. some days it doesnt. I wish I had a magic secret to report that makes exercise easier! This thread had some good suggestions though, I'll definitely be trying some of these things myself.

Yes, it is likely band related. It can be leftover from the surgery, or it can be from gas building up near your diaphragm. It's called referred pain, you can try Gas-X, but it doesn't always help. I'm 5 months out and unfortunately I still deal with this weekly. It's getting a little better now that my band is looser, (but now it makes me afraid to get a fill). I hope yours is short lived and just leftover from surgery. Good luck.

I eat these too. I've used them to replace my craving for potato chips. It works some of the time.. lol! I've never had Edamame fresh/frozen, how do you prepare it?

Aw Linda.. what your feeling is normal. On here I've heard them refer to it as 'buyer's remorse'.. but I promise you it goes away. I struggled with the Isopure too.. I made jell-o with it, that was the only way I could get it down. Drinking it straight up I just couldn't handle the slick consistency. Others have also mentioned diluting it, or mixing it with Crystal Light. I found those tips after I was already onto full liquids, but hopefully they will help you. Good luck.. it will get better.. really it will.

I have found that now that I don't have as much restriction, I am not having the shoulder pain. I am torn because I am eating more now and know I need a fill, but I do not want the shoulder pain to return. I don't know if I should just go for a tiny tiny fill or just try to learn to live with the band as it is. I gained a half pound last week. My first gain. I can eat about 1 1/2-2 cups of food. Well, unless its meat, then I do seem to be able to eat much less. But I usually have meat and something else, veggie or carb. I don't get that FULL feeling though and find myself taking "one more bite' over and over again knowing if I eat too much I will get the shoulder pain. I fear the shoulder pain more than getting stuck or PB-ing!! Maybe just .5 cc? What do you think? I've only had 2 fills and have 4cc's in a 10 cc band.

What a great thread, some great information here. I just wanted to add that the Muscle Milk brand protein powder is Lactose free and mixes nicely with water, and is sweetened with Splenda. (since someone had mentioned protein powders not being Lactose free)

I see that alot of people get the Left shoulder pain, but I don't see alot of results in what to do to make it go away. I get it if I am really hungry, or if I overeat. Although, now I am getting it so often, I don't think it has to do with overeating, but with eating AT ALL. I've slowed down, I've eaten smaller amounts, still I am finding I have the pain at least 3-5x/week. It is so frustrating. Has anyone found anything to make it more bearable??

I have this problem too quite often. Like the other poster, I use Miralax for a few days on/off. I've just bought some benefiber though to add to my waters. Maybe that will be enough that I dont' have to use the Miralax anymore hopefully. I eat a lot of veggies too, so was completely suprised by the constipation. But it seems to be a common complaint of bandsters. Good luck!

I use Muscle Milk Cookies & Cream. 32g protein, 300 calories, no sugar, lactose free, I mix it with 10oz of water. I drink this for breakfast and it hits the spot.

I cannot even imagine getting a plane just hours after your surgery. I'm sorry to hear you had such a rough time. I was required to stay one night, and actually ended up staying TWO nights. I coudln't drink water, I was so full and bloated feeling. It was awful. When my doc placed my band it was loose so he put a small amount of fill in it (as he often does with some patients.) But it was too much for me and he had to come and unfill me. Since it was nighttime by then, he wanted to make sure I that was all it was keeping me from drinking, so he kept me another night. Next morning I woke up, had tea, had some jello and felt like a new person. Was home by noon. Hope your recovery is smooth sailing from this point! Keep an eye on that fever, definitely!

My doctor also doesn't advise drinking carbonated drinks. That is one thing I am glad about when I look back at the awful 2 week preop Optifast diet. At the time it was absolute hell, but it broke me of my soda addiction prior to surgery. I do miss it sometimes if I'm eating something salty, but since I can't drink with meals anyways, the urge passes. I never ever thought I'd be able to give it up... but here I am.. haven't had one since August 15th. I hope if you do drink it you let it sit out a bit so that the carbonation doesn't stretch your pouch or cause any erosion problems. Good luck

I take a multi-vitamin for Lapband patients made my Celebrate Vitamins. ( celebratevitamins.com I think). And then I take a Viactiv chocolate chewable for my calcium. And I found a small Omega 3 fishoil at a healthfood store. Oh.. and I take Biotin too.

I've only had 2 fills. I lost 10lbs after the first one(in 6 weeks) and then 6lbs after the 2nd one. I thought about getting another fill when I was at doc appt today, but I really don't think I need it. I do have restriction as long as I follow the band rules and eat solid protein first.

Try not to get discouraged while you are in 'bandster hell'. Just remember that you are learning how to eat again, and that you don't have the restriction you will have eventually. Take this time to learn to chew well, and to eat meals without drinking. That was the hardest aspect of all of this for me. I just came from my Doc's office and was discouraged that I had only lost 6lbs this month. My Dr. reminded me that it was the holidays, and that bad habits aren't going to go away overnight. He said I was being wayy to hard on myself. So.. just hang in there, and don't be too hard on yourselves either. Make sure you get your protein and drink your water. The rest will fall into place once you have proper restriction.

Hi.. Can I start tomorrow with Leslie? I'm scheduled to get a fill on Friday, so that would fit right in. But maybe I should just wait and see if I really do need it? I had my 2nd fill 6 weeks ago and have gotten stuck twice. But it was in situations where it was really my own fault (busy at mall not focused on chewing). I do feel restriction sometimes though. I don't know.. I'll ask the doc what he thinks and go from there. I do know I indulged in christmas fudge and potato pancakes a bit more than I should have though... So count me in please!

Hi All. It is nice to come back and see how others banded the same time are doing. I struggled through the holidays too, but didnt gain. I'm losing slowly and sometimes get frustrated, but I know if I exercised more I'd have more success. Soo.. it's kind of my own fault! My total weight loss is now 32 pounds. I was hoping to hit 40 by my 40th birthday, but I don't think I'm going to make it. (Jan 5th) I'm getting there though..