MissBS

It was driving me crazy too. I decided to just weigh once a week - I do it Friday mornings. I'm sure my weight goes up and down thousands of times between my weigh ins, but spending that much time worrying about the ups and downs was a big waste of time. Good luck to you. Becky

I felt no restriction after surgery. No restriction after fills 1 and 2. I got my third fill December 18th, and that one has made a BIG difference. I felt it when I started eating soft foods/mushies. I am having to adjust to it, and follow ALL the rules that I wasn't too good about practicing before I got this restriction. Everyone is different - some feel it right away and then it loosens up, some don't feel it for awhile and then it tightens up. I know my band is a moody thing :wink: but I love it. We are learning to live together....one day at a time. Becky

I thought mine was under or near my biggest incision.... but it's not. When I went to get my first fill, they put the needle in about 1 inch down and 1 inch to the left of that incision. I was surprised. Obviously I can't feel my port. Becky

I do not regret getting my band. I would do it over in a hearbeat and only wish I had done it sooner. Best decesion I've ever made. I feel soooooo good!!!! Becky

Hi. Thanks for your post. Just wanted to say that I love Daily Plate too. It really does make you realize that some things you thought were so good really aren't. It is a great way to keep track of calories, protein, etc. Good luck to you!!! Becky

I agree. I had my third fill on December 18th and was VERY tight. I had problems IF I did not take TINY bites, chew LOTS, and eat VERY slowly. Lots of PBing!! It has been a little over 3 weeks now and I am feeling much better. I can eat most things but boy do I have to follow the rules. MY BAND HAS SPOKEN. I was going to go and get an unfill, but decided to wait. I was able to keep liquids down and did ok on mushies. Now I am back to eating solid proteins. I am not as hungry, feel full quicker and longer, and I'm so glad I waited. If you are having problems keeping liquids down, I would go get an unfill for sure. Good luck to you. Becky

Hi. I felt good after 7 days and almost great after 10. I went in at 8, had my surgery about noon, and left the surgery center about 2. I felt pretty good and did not want to stay overnight, which was fine with my doctor. Some doctors require an overnight stay. I was close enough that if any complications had come up, I could have gotten treatment quickly, but I did fine. Everyone is different and so are recovery times. It also makes a difference what kind of job you have. I wanted to get up and move around - laying around was ok for a day or two, but then I felt better when I was moving/walking. Good luck to you!!! Becky

Hi Shonia. I was banded on September 19th, and I am so happy that I had it done. I was self pay, so I just scheduled an initial consultation with the surgeon on August 13th. They did their tests on me (blood work and ekg), and scheduled my surgery for Sept. 12th. It was a bit delayed because I had it done in Houston and we were there when Hurricane Ike hit. I feel sooooo good. I have much more energy and my doctor just cut my blood pressure meds in half and said that she thinks I will be off of them in a short time - YIPEEEEEE!! LBT is a great place to learn about the band. I read a lot of posts and asked a lot of questions before my surgery, and I felt so ready when the time came. I wasn't even nervous when they wheeled me into the OR. I've made some really good friends here!! It is so nice to talk with people who know exactly what I've been through, what I am going through, and can help me to be prepared for what is to come. If I can be of any help to you, please feel free to send me a message. Good luck to you!!! Becky

Hi Cori. Welcome to LBT and congratulations on getting your surgery date. It will be here before you know it. I am excited for you!! I was self-pay too and it is a much easier and shorter process. It sounds like you've got a wonderful support system and that is so important!! I have a family that has helped me too - we are lucky, aren't we? I have high blood pressure and just this week, my doctor cut my meds in half and said she doesn't think it will be long before I am off of them completely. Most of us have some medical issues and losing this weight and being healthier is what it's all about!! Good luck to you. Keep me posted on your progress. Becky

Hi Mattsmom. Welcome to LBT - you are going to love this site - I do!! I'm not an expert by any means, and I haven't even been banded that long myself, but I will try and help you. *I think the pain you are feeling is still the gas. Mine lasted about a month and I still could feel it every now and then after that. Seemed like when I was stressed, it would reappear. It will go away..... it just takes longer for some than others. *Since you have not had a fill and are not feeling much restriction, it is easy to eat more than you should. But... since you are doing so well with your weight loss, you might want to continue to eat smaller portions (whatever your doctor recommended). You might not get a "feel for the band" until you feel restriction (after fills in most cases). *I agree.... it is hard to "chew" mushies, and that might not be necessary. BUT... you do want to practice taking small bites, not swallowing them too fast, and taking time between those bites. Believe me - although it is not necessary now, you will be glad you practiced later when your band is tighter and you are feeling restriction. I did not do these things and I am having a harder time now because of it. Once your band is tighter, you will HAVE to take tiny bites, chew chew chew, and stretch your meals out to about 30 minutes. I do now and I wish I had worked on it more before I got to this point. *You probably have had nothing get stuck because you haven't had a fill... but... I'm sure there are people who have had issues with food getting stuck even before a fill. It goes back to small bites, chew a lot, and don't eat too fast. *Again... until you have restriction, it is probably not necessary to sip your beverages... BUT... I have to do that now. Everything goes down fine IF I take it slow. If I rush my eating or even my drinking, I can run into problems. So, you might just want to get in the habit of not drinking too much too fast. I hope that this helps you. I had my 3rd fill on Dec. 18th and that is the day that everything changed. I felt nothing different after my first and second fills, but this one... WOW!! I am not very hungry, I really can eat 1/2 c. of food and feel full, and I am satisfied for a long time between meals. I read posts of others saying that, but I wondered if it would ever really happen to me. It did and I am a very happy camper. But.... along with the joy, I am having to RElearn and learn how to live with my band on a daily basis. Good luck to you!!! Keep up the good work and take good care of yourself. Becky

Hi Matthew. Welcome to LBT. Thinking about the band is where we all started. This is a good place to come and have some of your initial questions answered. Then if it is something that you are seriously considering, you will be more informed, and can then discuss it with your doctor. Keep reading posts and asking questions. There are a lot of nice people here that will share their knowledge and personal experiences with you. Good luck to you!!! Becky

Hi Wayno. Welcome to LBT. This is the right place to be. You can get lots of information here and meet lots of nice people. Most of us have been on that same plane trying to squeeze into that same seat and that same seatbelt. It is not fun. Congratulations on making the decision to get the band. Keep reading posts and asking questions. Good luck to you and keep us posted on how you are doing. Becky

I had clear liquids for a week, liquids for a week (creamy soups, protein shakes, etc.), soft foods/mushies for a week and then at week 4, I moved to solids. Every doctor's instructions are different. Did they give you paperwork that tells you what and when you are supposed to drink/eat?? For sure you need to check with them and follow their instructions. Good luck to you!!! Becky

Hi Debbie. You are lucky. I dreamed about your pre-op diet when I was on mine. I had 3 weeks of protein shakes for breakfast and lunch and 6 oz. of chicken, fish, or turkey and veggies for dinner. And I even had it better than some - at least I got to have a "real" dinner. Every doctor is different and there are almost as many pre and post-op diets as there are doctors. Just follow your doctor's instructions. The reason that some self-pay patients don't have to have a pre-op diet (or do have a shorter one) is because when you pay for your surgery yourself, the process can go VERY quickly. I had my first consultation with my surgeon on August 13th and scheduled my surgery for Sept. 12th that same day. It was quick but I still had time for the pre-op diet. Good luck to you!! Becky

I felt NO restriction after surgery. First fill - still nothing. Second fill - nothing. Got my third fill December 18th and WHOA BABY!! (Total 5.9 cc's in 10 cc band) Now things are definitely different!! I am not hungry - can really only eat about 1/2 cup at meals and it keeps me full until the next meal. I do have one piece of advice - practice taking TINY bites, chewing and chewing and chewing, and making your meals last about 30 minutes. I didn't do this because I had NO restriction and it didn't take me long to figure out that tiny bites, lots of chewing, and long meals were not really necessary. Now that I have restriction, if I forget to do those things, I am PBing. I'm HAVING to do them now. I would be doing better now if I had practiced more before I got this fill. I too was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to feel any different. I'm a happy camper now!! Good luck to you!! Becky

Of course you need to check with your doctors, but I say get everything done that you can now, and then after you have the baby, you will be ready to have your surgery. Congratulations on making the decision to get the band and a GREAT BIG CONGRATULATIONS on getting pregnant. Take good care of yourself and good luck. Keep us posted!!! Becky

Hi Mlfull. Welcome to LBT. You will just love this site. Just keep reading posts and asking questions. The people on here are so nice. I spent a lot of time on here before my surgery and by the time I was wheeled into the operating room, I was not even nervous. Sounds like you are doing great. I had my surgery done in Houston - who is doing yours? Good luck to you and take good care of yourself!! Becky

I think right now your focus should just be on healing and staying hydrated. You can worry about the protein when you get to the solid food stage. Of course you can try to get in some protein, but I wouldn't be stressing about getting the full amount this early. And just practice eating/drinking and taking breaks between each bite/sip. It is hard to do when you are just drinking your meals. Again... just focus on healing and feeling better. If your doctor told you that you need to be getting in 55-65 grams of protein now, you might ask him for suggestions on how to do it. Good luck to you!!!! Becky

Hi mom. Wow - you are doing great!!! Keep up the good work. My first fill was Oct. 24, second Nov. 20, and third Dec 18. They were just about a month apart. The "Post Adjustment" paperwork from my surgeon states, "You need ample time to adjust to your new fluid level. Please understand that we cannot add fluid for the next 2 weeks." Each time I have gone, they have told me to come back in a month. I do have to fly from Albuquerque NM to Houston TX for each fill, so I really couldn't go more than once a month... $$$$ Becky

Hi. Just wanted to share my fill experiences with you. I have a 10 cc band. My surgeon put 2 cc's in at the time of my surgery. (Sept. 19, 2008) First fill was Oct. 24th. They took out 1.8 cc's to check (normal that it was a tiny bit less she said), put it back in, and added 1.5 cc's (total - 3.1 cc's) I felt NO restriction after this fill - not even RIGHT after. Second fill was Nov. 20th. They added 1.5 cc's. (total 4.6 cc's) Still felt NO restriction after this fill - not even right after. Felt a tiny bit after about 2 weeks, but not much. Could still eat anything I wanted... but didn't. Third fill was Dec. 18th. They added 1.3. (total 5.9 cc's) Oh boy is this one different!!! I was on liquids for a day, but when I moved to soft foods/mushies on the second day, I could feel a big difference. Been on solids for 2 days now and I am not very hungry, get full fast, and don't get hungry between meals. :thumbup: Finally. Just in time for holiday temptations. Have my fingers crossed that it will last. I may not be at my sweet spot, but I know I am much closer. NOW... my tip for the newly banded and anyone without restriction yet. Practice taking small bites, chewing lots, and eating slowly. Before this fill, I KINDA, SORTA, SOMETIMES practiced the little bites and the chewing, chewing, chewing, but I didn't eat slowly - I knew I didn't have to do any of these things because I had no restriction. Well now I HAVE to take the tiny bites, chew a LOT, and eat VERY SLOWLY. My band has spoken!!!! I have had some PBing incidences even though I was taking very small bites and chewing them up well because I was not eating slow enough. A couple of those will slow you down - that's for sure!!! I don't have to choose whether to follow the rules or not now - I HAVE TO.... and that is ok... certainly worth it!! Good luck to you all and Happy Holidays!!!! Becky

Hi Mickey. Welcome to LBT. This is a great place for you to be. You can read lots of posts, ask questions, and meet nice people. But the final decision is yours. Making the decision to have the band was an easy one for me. I was not healthy, not happy, and had tried and failed at every diet that there is. You need to think it through and be ready to make the changes in your lifestyle that it takes to be successful. Looking at your questions/concerns.... and only my opinion of course... 1. I kinda knew what to expect by the time I had my surgery (thanks to my research and LBT). I had many of my questions answered and my concerns addressed here. 2. I too HATE to vomit. I have not vomited since I had my surgery. 3. I am not a gourmet cook by any means and I don't think you have to be to lose weight with the band. It does take some planning and some experimentation with food, but once you get it down, it is not difficult. 4. From reading the posts here, and the research that I have done, I would say, in most cases, the band works if you work with the band. It doesn't work for everyone - some people do have complications and some people are not willing to make the lifestyle changes it takes to make it work. It sure is working for me. I have lost 52 pounds - 16 on my pre-op diet and 36 since my surgery on September 19, 2008. I feel so much happier and healthier. I have a lot more energy and am wearing clothes that I have not worn in a long time. I hope to be off of my blood pressure medication very soon. I love my band!! Good luck to you. I hope you find the answers that you need to help you make the right decision. If I can do anything for you, let me know. Happy Holidays!!! Becky

That seems like a lot to me too - but I'm sure he knows what he is doing. I have had 3 fills and I now have 5.9 cc's in my 10 cc band. Good luck and take good care of yourself. Becky

I too forgot about it one day and drank a cup of tea at McDonald's with a straw. Didn't realize it until I was done. I didn't feel a thing. I don't think my doctor even mentioned it, but since reading it on here I just don't do it. Becky

Welcome Dafina!! Congratulations on your upcoming surgery. What a wonderful Christmas gift to give to yourself. I struggled through the pre-op diet too - most of us who had to be on one did. I too was worried about my liver, but it turned out to be fine. Not sure what kind of shake you are using, but it is probably ok, even if it may not be the best - and "the best" varies from doctor to doctor anyway. LBT is a great place to come and ask questions, read other people's questions and answers, get needed support, and just a good way to stay out of the kitchen. Good luck with your surgery. I'm sure you will be fine. Happy Holidays and keep in touch. Becky

Hi Just Banded. I had my surgery done at True Results in Houston too. Who did yours?? I am very happy with my doctor and the treatment that I've received there. If anyone is considering True Results, I would highly recommend it. Becky