Jodi_620

My surgeon explained that we do not have any nerves in the stomach tissue itself so you cannot feel the actual band around it. You will feel new sensations, typically while eating but most of that is felt in the esophagus.

I will eat the low-cal frozen dinners in a pinch. It seems like the Weight Watchers is all Pasta and starchy foods and Healthy Choice is pretty good but most of my favorite meals just have too much food for me. I usually go for the Lean Cuisine meat and veggie options, they are not like my own home cooking but they are not awful either. Not to be preachy but I agree with others that although there may not be any visible problems from your hubby's current diet, all that processed chemical laden food is likely causing problems you can't see just yet. If it were me, I would try and start making fresh meals and encouraging him to eat healthier which will benefit both of you in the long run. It is cheaper too!

I "CAN" and have eaten regular hand-tossed style pizza but it can be uncomfortable which takes the enjoyment out of it. I have no problem with thin/crispy type crust. Most times we buy whole wheat tortillas or flat bread and make our own using healthier ingredients; we prefer our own homemade pizza anyway. Before adding the toppings, I lightly spray both sides of the tortilla or flat bread with olive oil and it crisps up nicely rather than getting soggy, making it easy for me to digest.

No, that is the first time I've heard that warning. As a matter of fact, I was instructed to carry Water with me everywhere and sip all day to keep hydrated. In the beginning you certainly want to be mindful. But as time goes on you will adjust to band life and learn to read your band. Sometimes I am tighter and know to be cautious not to chance it in a potentially unsafe or inconvenient situation. I am not sure if you are saying that you were told that you can't lift for a year but that certainly was not the case for me. I was told no lifting for six weeks but basically to listen to my body and stop doing anything that was uncomfortable or painful until the sutures healed. After about 4-5 weeks I was back to my old self and able to pretty much do anything I did pre-band. I was only told that most people can't tolerate bread. Sometimes I can and sometimes I can't but most times I find that it just isn't as enjoyable with the band. food that you may or may not tolerate well will vary from person to person but bread definitely is a common one.

I agree, and also the top of your stomach where the band is placed is behind your liver. Your liver actually had to be moved out of the way in order to place the band. Not sure you could possibly be feeling your band through your liver.

I think the band helps us physically which leads to mental changes. I also think that part of the mental change comes from the fact that I did something so drastic and expensive and I just couldn't let myself fail. Like most people I was overweight not only because I ate things I shouldn't and didn't exercise enough but because I ate too much and ate all the time. I don't do that anymore and THAT is the band not me. At proper restriction I can't graze all day and pig out at my meals anymore. The band is about no longer being hungry. But for me it is also about no longer being able to overdo it. It does take away any enjoyment or comfort in overindulging (if there every truly was any). As a lifetime dieter I also think that the fact that I lost faster with the band played a huge role in it. Many times I had sucessfully lost some weight pre-band but besides being hungry on most diets, the loss was slow and eventually I would get frustrated and give up. With the band I lost most of my weight in the first 9 months. The smaller I got the more encouraged I was to go on. Not eating foods I shouldn't is pretty much me not the band. I was a lot more restrictive on types of food during weight loss phase; to be sucessful you have to be. Again as a lifetime dieter, I knew which foods I needed to avoid. Now that I am at goal I still avoid the processed unhealthy stuff but I eat most anything now within reason. I have learned that the bad stuff just makes me feel bad and my body is more satisfied on the good stuff. Excercising is me, not the band but going through the surgery gave me the kick in the butt I needed to get off the couch. As the weight went away the energy increased. And I have learned that a good workout makes me feel good.

It sounds crazy impossible to me! I can drink as much and as often as I need up until my meal. I am to take small bites and chew well but no timing is needed between bites. I am to stop eating after 30 minutes and wait 30 minutes to drink.

Fudgesicles are great, they satisfy the choco craving in less than 100 calories sugar free. And I do eat chocolate from time-to-time. I go for the low sugar dark kind it is a healthier choice. I allow myself most foods in moderation choosing the healthiest version.

I suppose that is an issue I should deal with at some point. I was fat for 40 of my 42 years of life and though I have not been overweight for two years now, I still have never known the feeing of not being fat. I still think fat, I still feel fat. It is hard to explain what I see in the mirror. I look pretty good I know, I get compliments, men notice me all the time. I know that I am no longer fat but I still feel that fat girl inside me. People comment about how thin I am and sometimes I actually get annoyed as though I am still that 240 pound woman and they are just making fun of me. I feel better physcially and I know I look better but some days I just don't know how to get my mind to forget that fat girl and embrace the new me.

The reason my surgeon gave for quitting was that smokers have reduced wound healing. My surgeon didn't require that I quit prior to surgery and I smoked right up to the night before. As I did before and after others surgeries with no healing problems. However with the Lap Band surgery I also had hiatal hernia repair and after the surgery my diaphragm was so weak I could barely draw in enough breath to speak a couple words, full sentences were impossible and even walking across the room left me breathless. There was absolutley no physical way for me to draw in air the way you need to to inhale cigarette smoke. This lasted at least 5 days, it was a blessing because thanks to that experience the 30th of this month not only brings my 3-year bandiversary but it marks 3 years as a non-smoker. May you have the same fortune!

This is common and nothing to get to worried about. Your body has gone through a shock both with surgery then sudden weight loss. Continue what you are doing with the biotin and make sure you are getting enough protein then just give it time. The cycle is 3 months. Typically loss starts within 3 months and ends after around 3 months. Your loss sounds like it is peaking, your surgery was in January so it should slowly end soon then start growing back by July. Your hair will probably thin a bit but you will not go bald, something my surgeon said he has to assure just about all of his patients of. As long as you take your supplements and eat right it will grow back.

According to my doctors guidelines yes, that means you are not quite there yet but getting close. A slight fill just might do the trick.

I wasn't given any instructions to eat more when I was finished losing weight. I just kind of drifted into a place where I was happy with my weight and I no longer needed to get fills or track calories, fat grams or carbs. I stopped losing weight at that point. I eat what I want, three meals a day and an occasional snack here and there, of course I still aim for the healthier choices as much as possible and exercise. I track my weight regularly and if weight sneaks back on I adjust calories and increase exercise as needed. My weight drifts up and down 5 pounds, if it goes beyond the five pounds and I find that I am eating more then I go for a fill. I've needed one fill since I reached maintenance. If you are continuing to lose weight and are losing too much then you probably need a bit of an unfill.

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Me too! My Mom and co-workers kept telling me that while discouraging the surgery. The silly opinions don't end after the surgery either. A big pet peeve for me now started about the time I got down to 150. Some people smaller than me would act all alarmed and tell me I am losing too much weight. It is always presented as though they are concerned for my health. One woman in particular is about 135 pounds and 5'9". She started showing concern about the time I got down to 150 pounds on my 5'4" frame. Maybe she meant well but it offended me. Why is it unhealthy for me 5" shorter to be 150 but her weight is healthy? Now that I weigh even less than her she seems very bothered rather than concerned. It is silly how that scale number means so much to her. I pointed out to her that I am shorter and though I weigh less I still don't and never will look as thin as her. She is a runner, tall with a stick-thin, straight up and down figure-no curves, no breasts, ho hips. Whereas I am short, curvy and have breasts...I'll never look as thin as her, I just don't have the same frame. I am perfectly happy with that so why can't she be?

During the first 6-8 months I didn't spend much time in the green zone before needing another fill. It tooke three fills for the band to really start working then I would lose around 10-20 pounds and need another fill. After 9 months and into maintenace I was finally able to go long periods of time without needing adjustments.

According to my fill doctor that is perfectly normal.

Yeah, my fill doctor did the barium swallow thing at six months then printed a picture of my stomach with the Water passing through for me to keep. I still have it hangning on my fridge...pretty cool! You won't have to go through all that for every fill, will you?

Since the purpose of the Lap Band is to keep you from feeling hungry and knowing that my weight problem was not that I was always hungry but that I just always ate whether I was hungry or not. I was not sure how or even if the lap band would work for me. I would definitely touch on grazing, head hunger, emotional eating etc. what the band does to help with that and what is required from you to deal with it. I sort of resented the fact that at my seminar they made the surgery sound too much like a breeze. The surgeon and some of the patients spoke and they talked about how people come home and feel great and go right back to work. I am by no means a big baby when it comes to pain and I agree that compared to other surgeries, this one was one of the easiest but there was discomfort for a while, nothing I couldn't handle but because they made it sound so easy I was not prepared for it. I did have hernia repair too so I don't know how much discomfort was added by that. Like I said I am not a big baby and the discomfort definitely was worth the results but I just would have preferred that they be more realistic on what to expect so that I could have been better prepared.

LOL, that is for sure!... I have a space heater under my desk as I type this and everyone else thinks I am crazy! But then again it is nice to no longer be embarassed and dripping wet with sweat for the entire summer.

I would never go through a surgery without telling my husband. There are risks with any surgery and financial implications a spouse should be in on such a big decision. What if there are complications? As others have said there is a stringent pre-op and post-op diet. To be successful, your enitire lifestyle needs to change I can't imagine how you could hide that from him. And you will need someone to be there for you during recovery, not just overnight but for a few days. Getting up and down, bending, lifting will all be pretty uncomfortable for a while. The added stress of trying to hide this (and at least in my case, guilt) would have had a negative effect on making it through this process as well. If your husband can't be supportive or honor your wishes to keep this private then that is another issue. But my advise would be to work that issue out before taking the Lap Band on. I was embarrassed too and so afraid that I would put the two of us through this cost and risk and fail at the weightloss. My husband was surprisingly supportive from the time I made the decision through the costs and is quite happy with the results. I credit to my success to having that wonderful support system.

No, it is not ok to move forward. You need the sutures that hold your band in place inside to heal before proceeding, not following the guidelines could cause slippage. First, are you sure the rumbles are not gas? That early on, I had a lot of rumbling and pain that was actually gas; both instestinal and abdominal (the kind pumped in during surgery). I know what you mean about the Protein shakes, going on 3 years since my surgery and I still gag at the thought of them. Talk to your doctor and let them know you are hugry, they may have some suggestions. One I can remember is rather than buying ordinary broth, buy the chicken noodle Soup and strain out the meat, noodles and veggies. It may sound strange but that broth is more filling, just enough protein and carb residue to make it so.

My port is about 2 inches above and to the right of my belly button. A good way to really feel it is to lie down on your back and lift both your feet up a few inches, doing so uses the right abdominal muscles to push the port forward making it easier to feel.

Congrats!

3 years later and I still remember that day and like you I was excited and apprehensive all at the same time. It really is the first day of the new you! At times it will be a rough 15 days but take it one day at a time and stay strong and it will be over before you know it and you will be so proud of yourself when you make it through. Turn to your closest support person and come here when you need a pep talk, feel free to message me; I am near a computer most of the time...I wish you the best!