marfar7

I did exactly the same thing almost 3 yrs ago. I ate just like preband for almost 5 mths (after my 4 weeks liquids) after being banded. I could still eat a large Quiznos sandwich, a bowl of broccoli cheese Soup and still have room for Cookies. After my 3rd fill, the magic started happening. I could barely eat 1/4 of s small Quiznos sandwich! The lbs started melting off. I really didn't even try all that hard. I ate the same things - just much less. Good luck to you! Marci

I've been banded for almost 3 yrs - no pre op diet required. In fact, the night before my surgery was spent at Outback eating ribs! I just had to be NPO after midnight. I guess my liver was fine - he never said anything about it. Good luck! Marci

You guys have really great doctors if you don't know where your port is! Wait till you lose some weight - it'll become very pronounced. I can see mine thru my shirt. I could always feel mine tho - even before I lost any weight. Marci

Who said you can't have alcohol after being banded? I've been banded for almost 3 yrs now and enjoy an occasional glass of wine or margarita. You just have to watch the calories. There's nothing about the band that would preclude alcohol. Except that it lowers your inhibitiions on eating crap! Enjoy one in a while! Marci

I've been banded for almost 3 yrs now. I can eat about double my daytime portions at nite. No clue why. Except that since my body has been up, bouncing around all day, that it "knocks" it loose somehow (I know that doesn't really make sense). I used to eat my dinner around 9 pm. The past year or so, I've been eating earlier - around 6, so it leaves alot of extra time for snacking. I notice that when I don't eat after dinner, I slowly start losing the last 12 lbs I have to left to lose (which is the hardest to lose, btw!). If I could just keep my hands outa the frig and cupboards.... Marci

Thanks! Always so nice to hear! Marci

I met my now-husband almost 2 yrs ago, after I had lost about 80 of my 105 lbs from the lapband. I started dating (I was widowed at 40) when I'd lost about 50 lbs. I told my now-husband about my lapband on our first date (coffee in a restaurant). He had recently also lost 80 lbs on low carb diet and I was proud that I had lost 80 lbs also. When we became intimate, I showed him where my port was - now he calls it my "contraption". He was very good when I told him about my surgery. He's very supportive and proud of my accomplishment. I'm not 60 (I'm now 45), but I think dating is dating, no matter how old you are. Now, I felt really comfy with my now-husband to tell him on our first date. Most of my dates I didn't tell them the first time. If I ate a meal with them, I usually told them. I've never had a bad reaction from telling anyone. Good luck to you! Happy dating! Marci PS: I met my husband on Plenty of Fish (the free dating site!). I paid $250 for a year of EHarmony and never met anyone. Paid $130 for 6 months of Match.com and had coffee with 2 men. Went on Plenty of Fish and had many dates! You might try it. It's a large site

Over the past 3 yrs, I've found the only way out of a stuck episode to to throw up the food. But...I will say that got me into trouble. After throwing up about 3-5 times a week for 3 yrs, my band slipped. Still wreaking havoc on my band. I don't advocate throwing up at all. Haven't thrown up in a couple months now. I just make sure to eat much slower. Marci

Also have to go with sleeveless dresses and tops. I CAN wear them now, but I still have some back fat. Since I have a 7" belly scar from an open chole in 1993, I don't think I'd ever be seen in public in a bikini (plus I just don't feel comfortable in them, whether I looked good or not). I have lots of tanks that I wear a short sleeve jacket or sweater over - but wouldn't wear them out in public alone. I have less than 10 lbs till goal, so not sure if I'll ever even get there. I guess they look ok, I just don't feel comfotable in them. Good luck! Marci

I've had pancreatitis before - it's EXTREMELY painful. I think that if you hd something wrong with your pancreas, you'd know it FOR SURE. In 1994, I had my gallbladder out. For 2 yrs following, I experienced tummy pain when eating meat or anything really. They did the scope and found nothing. Finally got an ERCP (an xray that they put s scope down your throat and shoot die into your bile duct) and spilling of the dye onto my pancreas caused pancreatitis. I remember writhing in pain in the ER begging for pain meds. They had to wait till my labs were back to see if that was the cause. Spent 6 days in the hospital, NPO, on major pain meds. They told me that once you have it, you'll have a chronic pancreatitis forever. About 5 yrs later when I was stationed in Germany (Army), I came down with severe stomach pain that was exactly the same. After a nite spent in the hospital, I was fine. I've never had any other problems with it. Just wanted to let you know that if you have pancreas problems, the doctor probably wouldn't have let you go home. You'd be in a lot of pain also! Just an FYI... Marci

Why wouldn't you be able to sleep on your side? I think I slept on my side the night I spent in the hospital after surgery. I don't do well on my back either - but when you have severe reflux you have no choice... Marci

I don't think I've ever heard of no popcorn or gum from my dr. I chew gum daily, and I LUV popcorn. Don't eat it very often cuz it's a slider for me. I can eat a huge tub of it without feeling a tad bit full. Ugh. I don't think I've ever accidently swallowed a piece of gum either - even as a kid. Unless you chew like 10 pc's of gum at a time, I don't think the wad would be big enuf to not slide thru. But follow your dr's orders! Might I add: BE PATIENT! Thats my biggest word of wisdom. You didn't gain your weight overnite and it's gunna take a long time to get it all off. I went into my band journey thinking that it would just start falling off right away. Didn't happen. Didn't start losing anything till 5 mths post op when I actually got restriction. I guess I could've white knuckled it and weighed and measured my intake during that time and lost, but the reason why I got the band in the first place was so that I wouldn't have to diet again. And I don't. Good luck! Marci

I cross my legs all the time too. For years, I was too fat to cross my legs -so now that I can, I DO! Marci

I haven't had a Protein shake since I was able to eat real food. I didn't like them either. I know I probably don't get enuf protein in my diet, and I really drink them occasionally, but like u, I can't gaga them down So no, if u get enuf protein in ur diet, u shouldn't have to drink the shakes. Marci

I have to agree. You probably wont feel much restriction after your first fill. It also took me 33 fills (about 5 mths) before I felt restriction. I lost maybe 4 lbs during that time. I didn't measure my food or count calories and I ate just as much as before my band. The 3rd one did the trick for me tho. The lbs startingmelting off.. Good luck Marci

I WISH I would have lost my boobs first! I've lost over 100 lbs and only lost 1 cup size (started at 248 and a 44$DD. Down to 146 and 40DK). Im still top heavy. I wear an 7/8 on the bottom and an XL on top. I wish Id lose more of these boulders! Marci

U se Torani all the time. Right now I have sf coconut. The only place I've found this particular flavor is at food 4every Less. The stats r: Serving sz: 2 TB Calories: 0 Fat: 0 Sodium: 5mg Carbs: 0 Sugarts: 0 Protein: 0 Really its like adding splenda to ur coffee. I luv the syrups! Especially sf coconut and sf caramel Marci

It also took me 3 fills to feel any differrence. Good luck! Marci

About the port visibility: At first, when I weighed 250, you couldn't see my port. I could just feel it on the left side of my stomach. As I started losing weight, however, the port stuck out more and more. Now that I weigh about 150, the port sticks out - you can even see it through clothing. It doesn't bother me a bit. My husband calls it my "contraption". Unless you're looking for it tho, you can't really notice it. Good luck to you! Marci

I started having severe nightime reflux at Christmastime. I let it go for 5 mths before seeing my dr cuz I was afraid he'd take it out and I'd gain all my weight back! In May, I went in a they found a minor slip (instead of resting on it's side, mine was flattened out). They took out 1/2 of my fill and let me rest for 4 weeks. The reflux went away. In June, he put in 1cc without doing another xray. 2 weeks later, upon my complaint that I didn't have enuf restrcition, he put another 1cc in. I then went out of the state on vacation. About 3 nites later, I started the severe reflux again. I just saw my dr again yesterday and they found it the same as May on the xray. He took the 1cc that he gave me last time out. And I'm fine now. I guess that 1cc just brought me to where I had symptoms. He treats the symptoms, not the xray. I hope your band is fine. What are your symptoms? Marci

I'm hoping mine rectifies itself without further intervention. He took 1/2 of my fill out in May, hoping it would go back in place. Then started slowly refilling it a month later, without a followup xray. After my 2nd fill (making it 8cc), I started having really bad reflux again. Thus the appt yesterday, when looking at my xray, my band hadn't corrected itself. But I've always been able to eat and drink fine. I go back in a month to check it again, unless my reflux hasn't gone away, then I'm to call right away. I actually brought my suitcase with me, just in case they decided to do surgery, I live 3 hrs away. I was glad when he decided to not do surgery. Can't imagine being on the 4 week liquid diet again. And this time, I'm married, not alone. I'd have to watch him eat while I drank my meals! I hope I don't lose my band too. Thanks! Marci

Hey everyone, Well, had my appt yesterday for the slip I STILL HAVE from May. It never changed. Even with the unfill and refill. I had 8cc in my 14cc band and since I'm able to keep down food and liquid, he didn't see a reason to empty my entire band. He said he's treating my symtoms, not my xray. So he took out the last 1cc fill I got about 5 weeks ago - the one that took me back to the horrible nightly reflux. Anyone else with a slight slip who's dr just unfilled a little, hoping it'll go back into place? Last nite, I was able to eat ALOT of dinner, thinking I'd lost all my restriction. But today at lunch, my restriciton was back. Thank God. And I slept like a baby last nite. But I just don't see how it's gunna move back into place by itself. It hasn't moved at all since my May xray. I'm a little paranoid, but feeling so blessed that I'm not losing my band. Anyone out there with a dr like mine? Who doesn't really freak out at slips (unless they're bad ones that cause me to not be able to keep anything down)? He seems to think it'll pop back into place on it's own. Marci

I think your insurance also looks at your co-morbititiys when accounting for the payment for the lapband. Even tho arthritis isn't listed as one, per se - I'm sure your arthritis gets better at a lower weight. My insurance said "a bmi of >40, or >35 with at least 1 co-morbitity. I have a spinal problem that requires me to take a few different meds everyday. Some of those meds are notorious for making you gain weight. But I think they mean like a lb or 2 - not 100. I don't seem to have any problems anymore with these same meds. I've even cut down on my antidepressants - to 1 a day instead of 3 of them. Cut down on my blood pressure meds too. Thank God! Just wanted to tell you that I think you have a chance at getting the lapband paid for even with a BMI of <40. Make sure your dr puts in your record how your arthritis would benefit you at a lower weight. Good luck! Marci

Actually, to be honest, Im sometimes jealous of the amount of food other people can eat. Especially on holidays. Its not like Im drolling over watching people eat, cuz I seriously have no more interest in eating. I just sometimes wish I would drool a litte. Does that make sense? It doesn't really to me!. But, no, normally it doesn't bother me to sit and watch others eat. Usually by the time Im done eating, my husband and friends are waiting on me to finish so I don't usually watch others eat. Good luck! Marci

For me, the green zone is where I eat about 10 bites of any given food (never measure or weigh anything) and I'm full. By full I mean I can't eat another bite. I was at the green zone after my 3rd fill unti about 8 mths ago, when I lost 100 lbs and had to have another fill. It's been so so ever since. I'm really seeking that same "zone" again, as I still need to lose about 15 lbs. Good luck! Marci