Ravenesqued

It happy at all. 5 years out and I gained my weight back. I'm at capacity on my band even a little over. How are you all doing? Any suggestions? My doctor even seemed surprised that I haven't had any complications and surprised I can drink water do fast at the new fill.

Hello Bandsters! I would like to know if anyone out there is at capacity on their band or close to it? I have a 9cc band and my last fill was at 8.2cc's. I still have another 50 pounds to go and wanted to know if anyone is at or almost at full capacity on their band. Is it working? how do you feel knowing that this is it and there are no more fills available?

So my Master Cleanse Lemonade Diet was successful for the 1st 6 days then I had to get off of it. The thought of drinking that again makes me want to gag. I did however lose 11 pounds and only gained 4 pounds back due to water weight. All in all it was successful. I only have 2 cc's left in my band to be a capacity and have only lost 45 pounds in 2 years. I havent really gained or lost in almost a year so I needed a real jumpstart. Do you know anyone who is at capacity in their band?

Hey September Samurais!! Well it has been over a year for us and I have to tell you that I am not as happy where I am in my weight loss as I should be. I am already at 8cc on a 9cc Realize Band. I have to make this work...so I was thinking of doing the Liquid Protein Diet for 2 weeks like we did for Pre-op. Just to jump start my metabolism and lose an easy 15 pounds to get me motivated. Would any of you like to join me? We can check in every day or every other day. Start with a week then see if we can do more? Let me know!:tt1:

Hey Terri! How the heck are you doing. What a bumpy year for us in the lap band world. Glad to hear that you are doing well and up and running again. I haven't been online in ages. I am not losing as much as I wanted to but 45 pounds down not too shabby. Hoping to lose more soon.

Its been 10 months since my surgery and I have only lost 33 pounds in that time. I just got a fill this morning and am at 7.8 in a 9 cc band. YIKES!!! I asked the doctor if she thought doing the pre-operative liquid diet again would give me a head start and she said, Yes. So, I would like to know if anyone out there is stuck like me and would like to do this with me? today is my Day 1 but I will be there to support you too. Let me know. I am hoping to be at least 10 pounds dropped after the 2 weeks. :smile:

Terilyn, So good to see you here again. I have been gone for so long. That is excellent news and so proud of you. I know we had some hurdles and learning curves but looks like its really working for us. Keep me up to date.

Okay, so I went out for brunch and had some pasta. Not crazy or anything out of the ordinary. About 20 minutes after eating I was walking in Target and felt a little discomfort at my port site. I would take a deep breath and I felt a little pressure at the site. I was imagining a large amount of food trying to push through the stoma but couldn't wait to leave just to sit down. Once in line to purchase items it just diappeared and no discomfort. Have any of you experienced this? what was it? I was freaking out that my band slipped or something and it was pulling at the port. ARGH!! once I let my imagination go there is no going back. I tried searching the threads here to no avail. Any advice or experiences welcomed.

May I ask, is it safe to do crunches and sit-ups with the band? I am concerned that I am going to slip my band by these exercises. Please advise.

I was hoping to be double the amount of weight loss that I am now. I am 35 pounds down since September but since then had to have a second surgery and a car accident. Still not able to exercise yet so hopefully once I get that started I will really start to lose. Hope you all are doing great and good to know i am not alone.

Hi pttcarol, I hear you have to be patient. I had surgery on 9/10 and I lost 30 pounds and had 5cc's 3 weeks ago and I am still the same. It will take more time until we find our sweet spot. I have not exercised yet because I got in a car accident but will hopefully soon. You did a good thing to take control of your weight give it time and be patient.

Jodi, Thank you for the advice. I really needed to hear that. I need a fill so bad. Only 2 more days left. Glad to hear that you understood and I will take your advice.

Hi Speck, Wow! 48 pounds off! that is awesome. I need to lose the same amount you do and I also had surgery on the same day. I had to have a port replacement so that put me back a few weeks. I have 2cc's in my 9cc band and just gained 5 pounds of my 30 pounds I lost. WAHH!! I see the doctor on Monday and decided not to go on the liquid diet until after the fill. You are doing great! It might be water gain but go ahead and do the 5 day pouch test just to get the head start.

Okay, I thought I was doing great! I was due for my 2nd fill at the end of December but because of the holidays all the appts. at my doctors were filled up. So, I go in next Monday, Feb. 2nd. I went on the scale this morning and thinking I might've lost an additional 6-10 pounds I gained 5. OMG! is this normal? My first fill was 2cc and obviously I might be on track if it wasn't for the holidays. Should I worry? go on a liquid diet for myself before the 2nd fill? or just make sure I do not wait too long for a fill. Please advise.

Phentermine! I love that stuff! I was on it for a few weeks in my late 20's and lost 40 pounds. Back in that day it was Phen/Fen. I have tried it about a year ago and it makes me depressed and gives me nightmares now. Weird how it does an opposite effect now. I wish you luck and remember to eat. You should have tons of energy now.

28 pounds and holding! that includes pre-op liquid diet.

Hello Sept. Samurai's, well guess what? I was admitted into the hospital after a failed 2nd fill. This time the doctor tried to fill me instead of the P.A.'s - Remember what a mess my first fill ended up being? So, the doc found my port no problem but could not extract saline it was just air. So, I decided to make another appt under fluoroscopy. Before I left I was to drink Water even though I had no saline injected. OMG! I could'nt drink the water it came back up and for the first time I had the pressure and heart burn feeling and ended up PBing. The pain did not subside and I was sliming and I was scared. The doc admitted me into the hospital for a port replacement. What had occured she thinks is that since I had 2 P.A.'s and Dr. Le Port trying to locate my port for the first fill and guessing on how many cc's they put in when my 2nd fill occured it pushed the saline from the first fill 6 weeks ago down to the tube near the stoma. This obviously was too much for me. I had surgery 10:30a.m the following morning and was told that I had 10cc's in a 9cc band! What the @#%? I was closed up with 2cc's in my Realize band and now 4 days post-op and recovering well. How many of you have had to have a port replacement since September Surgeries? have you had a fill since then and was everything okay?

Teri, my fills are 6 weeks and will be forever. I have heard sometimes it takes up to 4 weeks to really feel the fill. I don't understand that but its what they told me. 6 weeks is fine with me 4 would be better but I know I need one because I am in bandster hell.

Thank you for that. I feel so much better knowing that I wasn't supposed to lose too much between fills. I just don't want the doctor to say I have lost enough and not give me another fill. I go in at 3pm today and I am a little anxious. Just drinking liquids till then.

Hello September Samurai's!! Well, I received my first fill (remember my "1st fill fiasco friday for me"?) It's almost time for my second fill and I am quite nervous. I also would like to know how much y'all have lost between your first and 2nd fill. I have only lost between 4-7 pounds it fluctuates daily with me. I know that it is better than losing but its driving me crazy.

My first fill was yesterday afternoon. I was excited and nervous and came here to read on what to expect. Well, I arrived and chit-chatted with the PA for a few minutes and then proceded to lay down so he could find the port. He numbed the area and all was good. After a few minutes I was asking did you find the port entry? he said no. Several minutes passed and I am trying to keep my cool and not gross out or get worried. He said he was having difficulty. Then responded to me that he needed to get a new syringe because he had extracted blood into the syringe. GROSS! I am still trying to keep it together. He told me to relax and sit upward, push my stomach out, suck my stomach in, pretend to do a sit up etc. He called for reinformcement and went to the "go to" guy. Which was another PA who had me do the same thing but wanted a new syringe. So this is syringe #3. By this time I was freaking out and I would say it has been half an hour. I asked if this was going to happen every time and he assured me, No that once I lose weight the port would be more prominent. The 2nd PA suggested that I might even have to have another procedure to replace the port. What the...? They saw my fear and went to get Dr. Le Port (Fountain Valley Regional Hospital). Well, they left me alone!! I sat up and noticed the syringe still stuck in my abdomen. The horror! it isn't even Halloween yet. I am trying so hard to keep the tears back and just keep taking breaths and my stomach is falling in sync with my breaths and I can feel the syringe moving. So, the Dr. storms in and gently takes hold of the syringe the PA's are talking at the same time and the Dr. says that he has seen this occur before. That because the Realize band is Low pro and low pressure that it is diffiult to extract saline. What the...? again. So, the first PA had injected some saline when he attempted and the 2nd PA injected some saline into the port when he attempted and the Dr. had injected saline when he attempted and no-one was able to tell me how many cc's I had in my 9cc band. ARGHH!!! I drank 4 gulps of Water and on the 3rd I felt the bubble, the heartburn feeling and I was happy that I did have some restriction. So, the Dr. thinks I might have a kink. I proceded to have X-rays and the Byreum (sp?) drink and sure enough it showed restriction. I hand delivered the x-rays back to the surgeon, ate 5 Wheat Thins sips of water and all is fine. But now I am still scared thinking that in 6 weeks I have to go through this ordeal all over again. (This whole ordeal lasted 3 hours). They said that as I lose weight the port will be more prominent but come on give me a break how much can I lose in 6 weeks? 5-10 pounds. Is that really going to make a difference? What are the chances that I have to get a new port? Anybody else have difficulty the first time and now its easy breezy? :smile:

Please read Salome000 post earlier today. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f178/warning-77964/ Hers was a little bit more than just red. But please read.

HI Nicci, Well guess what the same thing happened to me on Saturday and Sunday! not as painful as Thursday's episode. Well, I woke up and still had the same pain - it did not go away with GasX or Tums. I thought for sure I had done something to the band. I called the doctor this morning and told him everything I was eating and drinking and he feels that I am eating too much. Since I have the Realize band and no fills yet I am eating too often. I have been drinking with my meals as well. So I have not been very good at satiety. I am now on liquids and mushies for the next 2 days until my tummy gets back to normal. I am still very sore and my abdomen all under my bellybutton is very sore and tight. It feels like someone scraped my inside. OUCH and gross.

I am in so much discomfort now typing this and hoping it is gas. How do you know? I am 4 weeks post-op and I am on solid foods. I just went shopping all day today and putting things away and then WHAMOOO! I keeled over in pain. I tried laying down and nothing sitting up feels a little better. I am unable to pin point the pain. It feels all over and when I take a deep breath I feel sharp pains under both my breasts and an ache in my mid section. Please tell me this is gas and not a slipped band. I experienced no gas when I got out of surgery. T:huh2:

I love Smooth Move!! if you don't like the taste of black licorice you will not enjoy the tea. I have had it several times when I was on my crazy Lemonade Cleanse Diet. You must steep it for 10-15 minutes before you drink it. It goes down kind of chocolately and taste licoricey big time. No cramps at all.