bdbmamaw

I know your pain! I have not lost any weight in the past two months! But, I have been working out and I'm seeing better definition in my shoulders, legs and waist. My arms are much smaller too. I went from a size 20 to a current size 14. But I have to wear a belt because my pants will fall down if I don't. I just let the hem out on two new pair of slacks (because I'm so tall) and I just need to Iron the hem before I can wear them. Size 12!!!!

So just do what I find it sooo hard to do. Ignore the numbers and love the mirror. (But I still weigh myself every morning... sigh!)

You're doing great!!!

It was awesome meeting everyone there! It was good to hear about everyone else's experiences with the band. crod, you and Janice are such an inspiration. You guys just make me want to succeed even more. Thanks for the invite.

If anyone else can make the next meeting, you should definitely do it! Some of the best 2 hours I've spent in a long time! :wink:

Rapid weight loss and losing hair go together like Valentines and hearts. It's more common to lose than not. But it's ok. Take a deep breath... let it out slowly... it WILL grow back. It is not permanent Hair loss. It's just scary as hell!!! I have heard of hair getting pretty thin, but nobody going bald so far. So hang in there, continue doing what the doc says and you will come out the other side. With your normal hair and a smaller body!!! Even my hair dresser says that the worst cases she's seen from her WLS customers always have a turning point where the hair comes back in. You're gonna do great!

Did you get the vit D from a health food store?

I got them at Walmart. They are in a little green bottle and the gel caplets are really, really small so they go down fine. I hope this works for you. It seems to have worked for me. But you should also get some blood work done with your doctor in case it's something else. Keep me posted.

My sister (who is not banded) has been losing tons of hair lately. I told her she should see a doctor and get some blood work done as you can actually see her scalp now because her hair has gotten really thin. She went to the doc and he did blood work and said she had a Vitamin D deficiency. She did some research on the internet and, sure enough, it will cause Hair loss.< /p>

Anyway, I was experiencing some hair loss (4 mos post op) and my hair was thinning. I would have a lot a hair in wrapped up in my fingers every time I ran my hands through my hair. And I was getting worried. But i get loads of Protein, so I'm having a hard time believing that's my problem. So i started taking 1000u Vitamin D3 (per my sister's recommendation) and within a week my hair loss has slowed down to almost no hair loss. i can comb my hair now and only have 2 or 3 strands in my comb. It certainly wouldn't hurt to try it too and see if it works for you. Let me know.

I've also heard that when flying can cause problems with the band. Cabin pressure or something. I've heard that you shouldn't eat before or while flying. It could cause you some problems, so I would opt for driving.

I ended up in the ER with the kind of pain you are talking about. Under rib cage and in the back. They ran CT scans, etc. and found nothing wrong. The pain would subside some when I was laying down but become very intense the minute I was upright. Come to find out, I was not drinking enough Water. They put in an IV and filled me up with fluids and the next day... NO PAIN. I started drinking 4 bottles of Water a day (even if I had to force myself to do it) and I have not had the pain since. I still got some gas pain in the top of my shoulder, but this pain was not the same. It was intense! I wanted the band OUT! I could not even stand upright because of the pain. The dr actually thought that a stitch might be catching on something inside. Thank goodness it was just dehydration.

I don't know if yours is the same, but try drinking 4 bottles of water today and see how you feel tomorrow.

I havetalked to people who have lost and gained back, and those who have lost and kept it off. The difference is that those who kept it off followed the guidelines. Not one person who gained could say that they did, indeed, follow the guidelines. And their advice? You guessed it... follow the guidelines. That's not always easy, but that is what this site is for. And, Julie.Ann, you are the inspiration that gives me the strength to say 'No' to the things not good for me. Thank you for sharing! You look awesome!

Hang in there everyone! We can do it!! If you've slipped up, just get back up and start again! We Can Do It!!!

Hey newbie. I'm from Deer Park. My daughter is a nurse in Baytown. I got banded on Aug 25th. Love, love, love it! I have lost 30 lbs so far. My doctor says to keep it down to 5 lbs a month. And I seem to be succeeding.

Anyway, stay in touch. Would love to know what hosp. you work at. Wouldn't that be a hoot if you know each other!

When I went to my urologist for my problem before my band, he said to wait until I loose some weight after the band, as this could definitely improve the problem. And tho' it did improve some, I am scheduled to have prolapse surgery on the 16th. My sister had to have it and several friends and they say they have no more problems! You might want to see an urologist and let them run tests to determine the cause of the problem. Good luck!

You are so creative! Where did you get your map? Awesome idea, girl!!!

I ended up in the ER with a lot of pain that would double me over when I moved around. No pain at all if I was laying down and not moving. Found out I was dehydrated. They filled me up with fluids via IV and the next day I was pain free. I now make sure I get my 64 oz. of Water a day and I have been pain free since. It was hard drinking that much at first, but now I crave the water if I don't get enough. If you think you're not drinking enough, try upping your water intake to 64 oz. I noticed the difference by the next day. Hope you get to feeling better.

tuna is harder to get down than fresh grilled fish for me, but everyone is different. Good questions on the above post. If they don't apply, try grilled flounder or catfish. I don't have any problems with these.

Hey Bandits! I am 5 weeks out and have lost 25 lbs. Was scheduled for a fill, but we cancelled it as I am not having hunger issues and I'm losing at a good rate (I should hit between 5 and 10 lbs a month). I'm hoping I'm one of the lucky ones that don't need fills. Not betting on it, but it doesn't hurt to hope... Glad everyone's is still hanging in there!

Hey, think of it this way .... the creeps made fun of you but who's doing driveways for a living? The best revenge is living well.

LOL! I love reading your posts, Cathy! You have such a wonderful way of responding! I couldn't agree with you more on this...

I should have been doing this, so I guess I'll start now.

Bandit...............WK1.........wk2........wk3.......wk4.......wk5... ....wk6.......wk7.......wk8

formerfatchick....262..........260........252........244.......242.5

abbypoo............275..........266........263........261.......

jennyr1222.........265..........263........260........255......249.... .245.....243.....240

missK................241..........231........228........223.......219. ......217..........217...........216.........215

morphiend..........238..........229........222........

Tripletmomma.....327..........323........319........312.......310..... ..305......307

Threeboys3........250..........247........243.5.....232.......

Ariscus99...........342..........320........317.......313

MaggieGT...........264..........260........253.......252........249

MrsPeterson07....219..........

shouldbeworking 219...........209........206.......205

bdbmamaw 226...........218........210.......204.......201

I am almost to 'One'derland!!!!

Please note that these can only be considered cheating if you are following a Protein only or low carb diet. In Australia we do not follow the high Protein regime and therefore eating these things is not regarded as cheating. There are lots of people at the support group that I go to that have lost as much or more and they did it following a diet that includes all food groups.So please do not think that you have to exclude these foods to be successful - it is not true.

Sorry. I need to clarify. Our doctor says 'no' to bread of all types and rice. When I said she did not cheat, I meant she did not go against her doctors advice. Please listen to your doctor and follow his instructions.

hi bdbmamaw

good post!...thanks

who is your doctor?

josie

My doctor is Dr. Wilkenfeld in The Woodlands. Got my band at the Physicians SurgiCenter near the Medical Center. You?

The group meets about 55 miles from my house, but when you live in the Houston area, that's not far. It was worth every mile, so don't let the 25 stop you if you can go. It was fun actually sitting down face to face with some fellow band'rs. And the really neat thing is, it consisted of patients that have had their bands for years to a woman who only had her for 2 weeks. There were ladies who were single, married, had lots of support from family and friends and then those who had little support. It was really diverse. If you go, let me know how you liked it.

My doctor's office has Support Group Meetings the 2nd Thrusday of every month. So I went to this last one and learned a lot! They had two speakers... One was a lady that had lost 94 lbs. (She looked great! ...and had kept it off for 5 yrs) The other was a lady who had lost 60 lbs and gained 60 back. We spent the entire evening asking them both questions. Why did it work for one and not the other?

Well, the lady that re-gained said that ice cream goes down that hole really easy! She couldn't eat a lot, but what she ate was full of calories! She is now joining Overeaters Anonymus to help her pinpoint the problem that is keeping her from being successful. She is getting back on the 'band' wagon and determined to lose the weight again.

What was interesting, was the first lady said she only did ONE thing to lose the weight and keep it off. She DID NOT cheat, ...ever! Even though they say you can eat wheat bread, she did not. Even though some say you can eat rice, she did not. Even though you CAN eat ice cream, she did not. She simply made the right choices, because she knew if she even cheated one time, she wouldn't be able to back up and she would start craving the bad, just because she knew she could.

People, I want to be just like her! She looked fabulous! So here's to us!!! Hang in there! SUCCESS, here we come!!

Wow. That's really interesting about feeling the upper / lower stomach separation. I was suppose to have my first fill today but they cancelled it, as I am still losing .2 - .6 lbs a day. But I love reading all the experiences to help prepare for my first fill, whenever that comes. Thanks for sharing. Listening to all your experiences, I'm not dreading it anymore. Glad the pain wasn't bad.

I 100% agree with Cathy! You need to get your 64oz of Water daily! I ended up in the ER with bad dehydration and in a LOT of pain because of it. I keep a bottle with me at all times and I drink with a straw. It goes in a lot quicker and easier that way. And it's true... once you get use to drinking it (about a week for me), you'll crave it when you don't get it. I don't use any flavoring, as my tastes have changed, so I just drink plain water, but flavors are fine. Good luck, girl!

This was a tough one for me. I ended up in a LOT of pain because I neglected this rule. I now drink 4 16oz bottles of Water a day. One in the morning before brkfst, one before lunch, one before dinner and 1 before bed. I use a straw which helps a great deal. At first I felt like I sloshed every time I walked. But now if I miss a bottle, I crave it. It has gotten much easier over time. So hang in ther and it should become 2nd nature before long. Good luck!

About 1 1/2 wks after my surgery I started feeling intense pain every time I was in an upright position. The pain would vanish instantly whenever I laid down. I thought maybe a stitch was caught on something and it pulled when I sat up. Doctor sent me in for a CT Scan at the ER. Everything looked perfect. They took a urine sample and found out I was really dehydrated. They pumped me full of liquids and sent me home. The next day I felt wonderful. No pain at all. Found out that the pain was caused by the dehydration. I drink 64 ozs of Water a day now and feel on top of the world. Have lost 23 lbs in 4 weeks, no hunger, no need for my first fill at this point and doing great! I love this thing! I don't even know it's there. Just make sure you get your water!!!! It was hard to drink that much at first, but now I crave it, if I don't get the required amount in. If you choose to go ahead with it, just plan on being really strict with yourself and follow the rules. :biggrin:

I'm 4 week post and I have no hunger at all. I eat because I know I have to. I was scheduled for a fill on Wednesday, but I called and talked to the dr and was told to cancel since I am still losing a pound every 3 days. It's a good rate for me and since I don't have any hunger, it's easier to choose good foods. He said that if that changes, to call and re-schedule. I drink tons of Water between meals, so that might help with my non-hunger state.

So I would call you doctor and see what he says.