RestlessMonkey

If you meant me...I'm not in therapy now! LOL I WENT thru 11 months of behavioral (no lying on the couch and spewing angst for this chickie...altho it works for some) and that led me to the band! :thumbup: (Not an emotional eater, not a depressive eater...mostly just an eater! LOL) But the point is no one gets hugely obese without something in the old brain/food continuum going haywire. It can only help to see if we can explore that and "fix" any breaks or loose connections we find!

??? I've lost weight wonderfully using the protein shake (EAS Carb Control AdvantEDGE shakes) my doc uses for pre-op diets. If something is labeled "not for weight loss" that doesn't mean you can't lose weight while ingesting it, just that it isn't formulated to be a total meal replacement or used solely in a diet. It may have too much fat or other components of some sort (the one you describe) to be considered "dietetic". I think my protein shakes are a marvelous meal replacement and find them indispensible.

Lucky you! However, while one does hear of the occasional more "in depth" psych consult as you've described, by and large most of them are the rubber stamp sessions that Headhunter alludes to. While I did answer 500 MMPI type questions, my personal psych meeting was all of 10 minutes. It was ok for me...I'd done just under a year of behavioral therapy on my own and was ready. But sadly, psychiatry/psychology isn't a hard science (although it's trying!) and the psych consult for WLS seems to vary as widely as the pre and post op diets the docs give us.

The answer to this is...maybe. Some people do mourn the loss of "food" inasmuch as they can't overindulge like they did in times past. I agree that a good therapist can help you decide if the band is right for you, or if indeed ANY weight loss surgery is right for you. While the band usually can be successfully removed, no one should get it lightly. Any surgery is drastic and any weight loss surgery requires big changes on the part of the patient. You are smart to question this now. Of course, whether you end up getting surgery or not, using food to soothe and comfort isn't the best coping mechanism one can have, so some therapy would be useful any way...IMHO!

I walked very very soon after my surgery...an hour or two? (husband is an RN, I was a student, I KNOW how important walking is post op, so I was ON it! LOL) but I still wouldn't have been ready to go back to work that soon. I did have surgery on Fri and went to class on Tues afternoon...but failed a VERY basic math test. (it was one of those where later the teacher asked me for the answers which I did IN MY HEAD and got right...why on earth I wrote down the wrong ones is anyone's guess!) so...we may "think" we're good to go and may be misinformed a little! LOL Time is good after major surgery.

Hopefully someone with a similar condition will answer your post; I don't have your issues (Lord knows I've got them, LOL, just not yours! :wink: but I wanted to say you can still "binge" even with good restriction, if you choose to binge on foods like "slider" foods that go through the pouch easily. You won't be binging on steak. pizza, or chicken breast, but you could binge on candy, shakes, chips, Cookies and so on. So essentially NO the band won't physically stop a binge if you are determined to overeat. That doesn't mean, though, that you'd necessarily be unsuccessful...with a therapist etc it might work for you. Have you asked a good reliable bariatric surgeon for input? S/he should also be able to guide you; possibly a different bariatric surgery (or the band, or none!) is right for you. Whatever...good luck. I think you are smart and courageous to try to get your disorder under control and I wish you all the best!

Mine has. I find myself preferring foods based on how long they keep me full. I fortunately can still eat anything (including white bread, dry poultry, etc). I still enjoy food very much but I think about it WAY less. I don't weigh or count or portion out a little of this or that. I just choose filling things, eat till I'm "satisfied", then am good for about 6 hours. I feel in control now, that's the biggest difference.

Sorry for your divorce...but I would think better at age 26 than after 26 years! :wink: Hang in there; get another fill if you need to tweak it, and don't let this defeat you. good luck!

You answered this in your thread name...Maybe????? I at almost 1 year out CAN drink beer, light beer is easier than a regular one, and it's not the same. sadly. I have to be careful and really pace myself, monitor my stomach, etc. Kind of like what beer ISN"T all about! LOL But maybe.

I love love love my band. I'd almost rather lose a limb than my band. (note I said almost LOL) Loss was slow slow until I got restriction and then BAM! (it's kind of like when you're young and wonder what it's like to be in love and the "grownups" tell you you'll know...and when you are, you do? Restriction is like that. Once you hit it life is never the same! LOL) I agree with the other posters who say it's the best thing they've done, wish they could've done it sooner, etc. It's wonderful.

Call and ask them for clarification...that's your safest course. Because I was told the straw thing applied to full liquids, not thin. Each doc is a little different...each post op diet is different. If you are confused, other patients probably are too. Call and get exactly what they want you to be drinking! :wink:

I breezed through my surgery like a champ and I can still say there's no way on earth I'd have been ready to work a new job on the Monday after my Friday surgery. You should talk to your supervisor/boss. Tell him/her you're willing to come in but don't want to do a poor job either (and what if you are in pain and need the more powerful prescription pain meds? They'll think you're loony!) Let your boss make the call. For me, I'd rather have an employee honestly tell me what she was doing, and why...and have her/him take a few days off, rather than come in and perform poorly.

Released estrogen shouldn't make you unwilling to have sex. Is it possible you're just, well, basically unsure about yourself as you are losing? The band focuses our thoughts on our weight and makes many of us hyper aware of it...then as you lose a chunk, (as has cindie) you are "different". (not bad...just "different") It can take some people a while to adjust to the newer smaller body and to feel comfortable. If it's problematic, ask your surgeon or your psych. consultant. For me, the opposite is true. Weight goes down, libido goes up! :wink:

Since the band was only approved for use in the USA in June of 2001 it's not shocking you don't "hear" about people having one longer than 5 years. However, erosion is very rare. If you're concerned, discuss it with your surgeon. S/he can give you current stats etc.

No, thank God. That would drive me nuts. To each his own, I guess! :blushing:

My restriction was just for 2 weeks.

My doc said that we'd all need a good multivitamin (that's not uncommon...even un-banded people would usually be well advised to take a good multi!), a calcium supplement (don't know if that's everyone or just women) and we might need b-12. That's IT. We're given (most of us) some type of prescription pain med post op but that is very short term.

Well it took me 5 1/2 years plus; it won't take you that long! You can't compare yourself; it's not a race.

I guess it depends on how you look at it! LOL I've WANTED the band since about 2003 (tricare didn't cover it back then) but changed my mind about 1000000 times until July 2008 when my PCP FINALLY said "you need to do something drastic" YES! LOL I went to the seminar my surgeon held on 7/10 and had my first band attempt 8/11. Insurance approval took just at 48 hours.

Sorry I can't help because I have Tricare Standard and my process was really fast! BUT i will say that many people say the 6 months flies by ... so hang in there. Just get going on it; it'll happen for you!

Ok good luck. I know I have the 14 cc band and I KNOW we're all different but right now if I had 8 cc's I'd be dead! LOL

I'd call. I don't remember (if you shared it!) your band size but 8 cc's is a LOT. Especially as close to surgery as you are. Give them a buzz and see what they think...you shouldn't feel things in your throat and you seem pretty even-keeled. I mean, you MAY be a drama Queen but you don't seem that way in your posts; you seem to really think things through and be pretty calm and practical, so if you think you may be too tight, you probably are. BUT it probably wouldn't hurt you to see how you do overnight, either. You know best! :wink2:

Sarah I don't know what time it is where you are (I can barely keep track of my OWN time zone) BUT.... I think you need to call and tell your doc. You probably need a wee bit removed. Take care of yourself, chickie! :wink2:

I hope you don't mind if I post here because I have the lap band, not the realize band.... with that caveat, may I say that the statistics are really against you losing/keeping weight off on your own? I think around 5% are successful with diet and exercise alone. Especially those of us who have to lose more than 20 pounds or so. I personally gave WW a true hard try and lost only to gain it back in a year. Like the other posters who think of the band as a tool more for maintenance than just weight loss, I agree. Now if I am frustrated and WANT to overeat, I can't. If I get bored "making healthy choices" well, so what? I do agree that I could make a concerted effort to gain, by drinking milkshakes and eating candy bars and chips, but I've never been THAT self-destructive as to intentionally TRY to gain! And with the band, it is SO darned easy to, once you have restriction, just eat something filling and then forget about food for the next 5 hours. I will NEVER be as fat as I was as long as I have the band. I can say that with 100% truth and conviction. This thing is a miracle, to me. It took a LONG time for me to get to "the sweet spot" but now that I am there...hallelujah! :wink2: If it works as well for you, you will never spend an instant looking back in regret.

My preop diet was like yours, except NO NO NO Snacks. period. I've done it again, though, with my surgeon's full approval and oversight, just to get things rolling for me finally. May I say that it is about 1 MILLION percent easier to do when you have good restriction? Anyway good luck! :wink2: