JustGav04

Hey everyone. I hope everyone is doing well on their journey! I, unfortunately, am not. I got banded 4/09. The first few months went well and I lost about 35-40 lbs. But then my partner (of 4 years) passed suddenly and I kind of lost it. Basically my band became the least of my worries. I never even had 1 fill. I resorted back to old and horrible habits. I up and moved and detached myself from everyone and everything. :frown: I gained back about 10-15 lbs and pretty much stopped exercising. I am SO disappointed in myself, but when I got banded I was happy, motivated, and everything was going well. I NEVER contemplated suicide, but I am just extremely depressed. I'm sure I totally screwed up my band past the point of no return. I am too ashamed to even contact my surgeon's office after being gone basically 9 months, even though I recently moved back to the area. PLEASE PLEASE I am begging anyone that can help me out! I've gotten a lot of help and treatment regarding my loss over the past year. I feel I am ready to return to the care and attention I gave my band when I was first banded. I have the tools, but I have NO idea where to go from here. Thanks and good luck to everyone else!

Thanks guys! Haha...I consider young I guess more of a generalization...sorry! I know I've seen 80 year olds who are in better shape than me! Maybe they are the young ones :rolleyes2: I am starting to feel a little bit better about this whole thing! You're right about empty calories. I'd rather save them for nutrients and food, rather than a drink or two. I'm 2 weeks post-op and just added in the low fat cream soups and well blended no sugar added, diet yogurt. Not feeling too much restriction (maybe I've hit Bandster Hell?), but I've been doing my best to stick with it! Definitly looking forward to August...hopefully I can buy a cute summer dress!

Hey everyone! I was just banded April 9th and I've been losing. I haven't been able to get to a scale in the past few days, but since surgery I've lost at least 16 lbs! :wink2: Anyway, I'm 23 and really need help with a few things! 1. How does everyone who is young and still going to bars and nightclubs cope with the situation? ALL my friends are thin and gorgeous and we all love going out and dancing and having a few drinks! Being not even 2 weeks post-op clearly I'm not drinking, but in the future how does everyone deal with it when they go out? My brithday is in August and I'd like to go out and have a few drinks (non-carbonated of course!). What are some suggestions? 2. My friends and I are huge Pens fans and with it being the playoffs we like to watch the games outside the arena (when available), or at a restaurant or sports bar. The problem is this incorperates tailgating and places where sometimes Soup isn't even an option. I've brought in my Protein shakes, but it being a restaurant sometimes I feel self-conscious. Sometimes we go out with people who I don't really know and I'd rather them NOT know I have the band. How do I handle this situation of the restaurant not having anything I can get and handling my post-op diet in front of others? Thanks! My stomach is starting to really heal and I'm feeling myself getting hungry a lot more. I'm sticking to the diet so I don't mess anything up, but sometimes it's SOOO hard, especially being 23 and having such thin friends who love to go out and drink and just have fun! I don't want to be left out, I'm just struggling! THANKS AND HOPE ALL IS WELL FOR EVERYONE!!

1. LEARN TO IRISH STEP DANCE!!! I've been OBSESSED with Riverdance since I was 8! :crying: 2. Stop dressing like such a tomboy and shop at Wet Seal, Forever 21, Express, Charlotte Russe, Jones NY&C, and Cache just like the rest of my friends! :crying: 3. Plan a trip with my girlfriends to the beach! Complete with binikis, spa day, and laying out! :rolleyes2:

Hey guys! HORRAY PENS!!! 1-0 in the series! My diarreha FINALLY subsisded Wednesday afternoon. I drank some warm broth and decaf tea and that really helped. Ate some Jell-O too. Butterfly what REALLY helped me with the gas pains was walking with my hands above my head (sounds funny and looks funnier) and getting dissolveable Gas-X strips. Also a heating pad on my tummy helped a lot too. But walk as much as comfortable. As for pain, I took my pain meds (liquid Percoset) for 2 days post-op, but they made me tired and nauceous. I switched to liquid Rapid Burst Tylenol and it has worked even better than the narcotics...for me at least! Good luck everyone!

Banded 4/9 and down 12 lbs! Granted I know that has a lot to do with the 2 day pre-op liquid diet and afterwards most of it is Water weight but I'm still happy! Today I walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes at a slow, but comfortable pace. The rest of the day, until about an hr ago, I had horrible diarrehea. The nurse said that could just be from the anethesia and CO2 getting completely out of my system and also the Barium swallow on the 10th. I'm hoping all that is gone by Wednesday so I can go to the Penguins playoff game against the Flyers! GO PITTSBURGH PENS! :thumbup: Hope everyone else is well!

Just got the call today!!! APRIL 23RD!!!! :biggrin:

Definitly can relate to a lot of these! Being 23 (5'2"-216lbs) with skinny, tall, gorgeous friends makes me feel like a big blob of icky-ness! Especially when their tiny 130lb 5'6" frames feel the need to diet because they feel "so fat"! :party: 1. During student teaching having one 2nd grade class call me "Miss Sausage" (in front of my super skinny co-op) 2. Having the lady at the cosmetics counter ask me when I was due (nope, not pregenent!) 3. Going out to eat and feeling like the waiter/waitress is judging me if I get anything other than a small salad with non-fat dressing 4. Going to the mall with friends and having to walk around Forever 21, Wet Seal, banana Republic...basically anywhere other than Lane Bryant...and know that I will never be able to fit in their clothes. And getting questioning looks from the employees (or they just ignore me) 5. Sitting down a little too hard on a wooden chair and breaking the leg (in front of my friend)...mortifying! 6. Being in a bar, a few differnt occasions, and having people bump in to me and say things like, "Move your fat a**" or "I don't want to dance with the fat one"...I cried on a few occasions! 7. Getting stuck in an XL top at WetSeal (Idk why I thought I could pull it off)...having to get a friend to help me! 8. Going to Cedar Point and being too scared to ride a few of the rides because of the new weight limit restrictions. Too embaressed to see if I could fit! I've gone through my 6 months, met with my surgeon, had my psych and nutritional consult (passed!!)...now just waiting to hear from PPO Blue so I can get the rest of my tests (Upper GI, ets...PPO Blue requires you get "preapproval" before you get these other tests). I hope I get banded soon!!

Thanks for the inspirational replies everyone!! I have my 5th/6th meeting on Jan 21st and then I'll be done with meetings/classes in February! If my insurance company (Highmark PPO Blue) approves the Bariatric Surgery Center at Magee Women's Hospital says the surgery is ususally scheduled the next month! I ask because 3 months post-op will (HOPEFULLY) be around June/July and I'd love to maybe be down a size or 2! Thanks again!! Good luck to everyone!!

Just in general, how much weight have you all personally lost in 3 months? Just curious!! Thanks!! :wink: