isaviolinist

Congrats to you!! Just remember to take it easy, give your body a rest, and let yourself heal! Good luck on your new journey to a healthier, happier you!! Keep us posted!

Congrats! June 18th was a really good day, I agree!! Glad to have a band buddy that is similar in age and also date!! How tall are you? I'm just under 5'3. My goal weight is around 130 pounds. My doctor is not really conservative as far as fills I think but I didn't have any restriction after my first one (5cc's). I'm on my last day of liquids right now from my second fill this past Tuesday (2cc's for a total of 7 cc's) so I don't know if I'll have any restriction yet (my doctor always does 3 days of Clear Liquids and 2 days of full liquids after a fill), but Im REALLY hoping for some. I really would like some help with my portion control at this point. Also, I have the Realize Band C (which holds 12 ccs I think, maybe 13...I cant remember now!). I started my preop diet in the very beginning of June (I had a 3 week preop diet, because my surgery was postponed for a few days) and since the beg. of my preop diet I've lost about 57 pounds.

Hey I'm 27 (was 26 when I got banded) and also had surgery on june 18th of this year! How are you doing with your band??

That was not the case for me, but just wanted to let you know that I'm wishing you luck and sending good thoughts your way!! I really hope it works out for you and that your surgeon's office can help you out :frown:

Parmesan cheese is such a good idea!! What kind of things do you put it in? Will it work for things like crab cakes or salmon burgers? And do you just use the powdered kind that you can get at the market? I hear everywhere that pork rinds are good for a bread crumb substitute, but unfortunately I don't eat meat (just seafood) so I can't use them. I'm hoping the sesame seeds work and I will DEFINITELY try to the Parm cheese. That sounds amazing! Especially for the crab cakes!

For me, post-op diet wasn't any worse than pre-op. I just focused on eating Proteins and staying away from the bad stuff and it was fine. I definitely was eating more than 3/4s of a cup, but it was solid Protein.

I've had 2 fills so far and I was starving after both. But thats because I don't eat anything on the day I'm getting a fill, and then for 3 days after fills I'm on clear liquids so I am always starving during that period. I had a fill 3 days ago, and I just had a protein shake - my first non-clear liquid in 3 days and boy did it taste great lol! I'm on full liquids now, for 2 days but that will be fine since at least I can get in my protein and won't feel like I'm so hungry all the time!

I agree with Restless. 82 pounds is amazing and you should probably evaluate your history with dieting, weightloss and regaining weight. If you are one of those people who diets and loses a lot, just to regain all of it back plus more, then the band is probably a good option. But if you can do it without surgery, then go for it!

Why do you not have the information you need to get in touch with your doctor directly? I have my surgeon's office number, cell phone number, and email. I emailed him a few weeks ago on a Sunday and he called me within 30 minutes of the email. On a Sunday! Seems like you have an irresponsible group of people in your surgical team. If I were you, I'd find a new doctor ASAP. Additionally, your surgeon's office should be concerned about getting sued for malpractice. If they performed a procedure on you, and you have serious complications as a result of neglect on their part, thats a law suit. Good luck!

I chose to stay overnight. My surgeon gave me the option to stay or go home since I was looking very good after surgery. But I was concerned that, should there be any complications, I wouldn't have the proper care at home. And I definitely didn't want to make a return trip to the hospital. I also wanted them to be able to give me IV liquids since I was drinking probably 30cc an hour only. I was worried about dehydration. I had a private room (thank goodness) and my fiancee stayed overnight with me (they got him a rollaway bed). If you have a choice, try to stay.

It varies person to person, but the majority of people don't feel any restriction before the first fill when the band is empty. I felt a little restriction for the first 3 days post-op with my liquids, but when the swelling went down, I had no restriction at all. And actually I didn't have any restriction after my first fill either. I just had my second a few days ago, but am still on liquids so I don't know how much restriction I have now. You may or may not feel like you have restriction, which is why its called 'bandster hell', but just be careful with your food and portion choices. This part of being banded definitely takes some will power and self control. And just focus on healing. If you lose some weight, its a bonus (and if you are careful with what food you choose, it is very possible to lose weight without restriction...I have lost 30 pounds since my surgery without restriction through good food choices and exercise). Good luck!

Good luck and give us an update when you feel up to it!

Thats so great! I get so inspired reading success stories on here! Really gives me (and Im sure a lot of other people) much needed encouragement!! Can't wait to be that close to goal!!

Congrats! Good luck with your surgery and stick around - there is so much information and support on these boards!

I was banded 6/18. I've had two fills (second one was yesterday) for a total of 7ccs in my band. I'm on liquids right now, so I don't know if I'll have any restriction but I'm really hoping for some. I've lost about 50 pounds so far since my preop diet in the beginning of June.

Congrats! That is great news :thumbdown: When will you schedule your surgery date?

I haven't tried them (I try to stay away from high sugar foods), but I was actually thinking about making my own meal-replacement/protein bars. You can google "homemade protein bar" or something like that, and get a bunch of recipes. Let me know if you find anything good!

I have the Realize C band (the new realize band). This band is actually bigger (as far as the amount of saline it can hold) than the lapband. Here is a link to the Realize C information: REALIZE Here is a link to a tanle which compares lapband and Realize band (the old Realize band, not Realize C) Compare Adjustable Gastric Bands - LAP-BAND vs. REALIZE Band

Congrats! That is great news :thumbdown: As far as the time between when you meet for the initial consult with your surgeon and getting your date - well it all depends. Have you done any pre-op testing yet? If not, you'll probably need to get that done (including psych, nutrition, probably some pulmonary, sleep study, etc.). Depending on your schedule, and also the way your surgeon's office schedules things, that could take anywhere from 2 days to months to complete. It just depends on the individual circumstances. And then, it also depends on how booked your surgeon is. If your surgeon has immediate openings (or openings in the near future) then it won't be too hard to find a date that is good for you and him soon. But if hes booked solid for the next 6 months, and he is the surgeon that you feel most comfortable with and with whom you'd like to do your procedure, then your date will be when he has one available. It is all very individual. But congrats on jumping the insurance hurdle! Its a big one!

You can be a success story! I posted this in another thread a minute ago, but basically, I just was saying that, although I have been eating more than .75 cups of food since I don't have restriction, I load my plate with ONLY Proteins. And I have gotten rid of the bad carbs in my apartment too so the option to eat them is not there. This way, I might eat 2 cups of food, but its 2 cups of Protein only. Sometime, for variety, I add some green veggies (I love broccoli). I am hoping with this fill yesterday, I will have some restriction, but if not, I'll just keep plugging along the way I have been. Good luck with your surgery!

This is not my issue, but a friend of mine knows someone who goes to overeaters anon with her that had this issue. This particular person had lapband, would binge, and then throw everything up. She is very seriously addicted to food. She started going to OA and is doing MUCH better now. It is really unhealthy and can lead to complications with the band and other things.

I just had my second fill yesterday. I'm still on liquids so I don't know if I have restriction with this one yet, but I didn't have any restriction with my first fill, and also didn't have any restriction after surgery with no fill. I was definitely eating over .75 cups of food per meal, but what I did to make sure that I was getting the "biggest bang for my buck" was to literally have a meal with nothing but protein. So my meals would only consist of tofu, seafood, beans, etc. This way, if I was going to eat 2 cups of food, at least it would be solid protein. Ocassionally I throw in some broccoli or a salad for variety. I felt satisfied after my meals, and satisfied for longer. I got in my exercise and still ended up losing during the 'bandster hell' period. I'm hoping that period is over now, but even if its not, I'll just keep doing it that way. I would suggest getting all of the "bad", trigger food out of your house and if you feel you want to eat more go for the protein or healthy green veggies. I also log my food, weight and activities online so I can see whats going in everyday (including the percentage breakdown of how much fat, protein and carbs makeup my diet) and how much is being burned off. Plus, I like to look back at my previous weights. Its very encouraging to do that when you're feeling down. A really good pick-me-up! Good luck and be patient!

Congrats on your first fill! How much do you have in your band? Even if you don't have restriction yet (many don't after the first fill...I didn't), don't be discouraged and just continue to do what you are doing! And make sure you keep making follow up appointments for additional adjustments with your doc. Also, congrats on your amazing 81 pound weight loss! AMAZING!

SIZE 6!!! WOOOOOWWWWW! I'm so impressed and inspired!! Congratulations to you:) I really hope that I will be that successful! I can't wait to post before and after pictures at some point in the, hopefully, near future. And to hopefully be a single-digit size!! You look amazing - you should feel so good about yourself! Beautiful!