Crishell

Hey Lukvinke. I'm from Dinwiddie too but currently living in Petersburg. l had surgery at St. Mary's 1/19/07. I deal with Commonwealth Surgeon's. My surgeon was Dr. Amy Martin but she has since moved out of state. I now see Dr. Bautista. I have had no bad experiences thus far besides a tilted port which makes fills time consuming. Janine, nurse practitioner, is great.

For the past 3-4 months I have averaged 1 pound a week. Very slow and frustrating but i try to look at it as better than gaining. Earlier on I did lose more. I have noticed less weight loss since I started working out 4x week at Curves and riding bike on average of 4 miles per day to get exercise and tone up. I have lost way more inches and appears like I have actually lost more pounds than I actually have. I am new to this exercise & metabolism thing and discovered that muscle weighs more than fat so as I lose fat and gain more muscle, my weight loss has decreased. But I feel better and my blood sugar has normalized so I try to focus on that and not the actual pounds. I had become a Scalezilla and I had to stop obsessing about that because left me depressed and frustrated. Don't give up.

I get them all for the variety (Smart Ones, Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice and South Beach. SB tends to have more protein and less carbs which is good but not as much variety as the others.

I finally have my insurance approval and I want to have surgery mid-January. I have my psy eval on 10/23. What should I expect? Does anyone ever fail it?

I was on mushy/soft diet weeks 2-5 after my surgery. First week was all liquid and I did not go out, not that I felt like it anyhow. While on mushies, I would order mashed potatoes, grilled chicken (chewed very well) or whatever soup they had that I liked. Once i graduated to regular foods, I was able to go out more with my friends & family. They have pretty much gotten used to my new eating habits- what I can or cannot have, no drinking while eating (although I will sip from time to time), chew well and that I now eat at a slower pace than them. At first, I was kinda hesitant because I thought I would feel out of place but they have been very supportive and understanding. But I have learned which restaurants have a variety of things that I like and that I can eat. Now, I have no problems. I usually ask for a to go box early on in the meal and put some of my food in it that way I kinda have a headstart and I'm not sitting at table with a plate of food that is not disappearing like theirs. My friends still tempt me from time to time with ordering desserts but they are getting better. I think I have actually helped some of them to evaluate their eating habits.

My goal is to totally get out of Lane Bryant too. I went in there the other day and one of the sales associates that seems to always be there commented on how much weight I had lost. I was wearing 26/28 tops and 26 bottoms and now get 18/20 tops and 20 bottom (now rather loose). I told her that my dream was to get away from that store for good. I am 5'6" and weigh 257 as of this mornning. On day of surgery 1/19/07 I was 304.

I get poked at least that many times too, Lauraj23. Apparently my port is tilted and nurse practitioner has hard time aligning the needle with the hole in port. At first she thought it had totally flipped. I have only had two fills and both have had to be under fluoro. My soreness comes from the many sticks and pressing as well. I'm usually so happy when she says "I got it" that nothing else concerns me.

It's so good to know that I am not alone. Seems my 40ish# loss is about average for about seven months out. I weighed this morning and I was down another two. I currently weigh 258.8 and my weight on surgery day 1/19/07 was 304. I just want to get to 250.

I'm in the same boat. Over the past four months I have been very frustrated with my weight loss. My mind is geared towards pounds and that's what is recorded when I go to the doc for my followup appointments. Sometimes i have to make myself not weigh because it only frustrates me especially when that time of the month hits and the water weight kicks in. My weight loss average over the past four months is one pound per week. Although that is like the minimum that my surgeon wants me to lose, to me that is not much considering all the changes I have made. I have been looking at this digit on the scale too long and it's time for a new one. But, I have lost a lot of inches and while the scale to me is barely moving, I can see the difference in the summer clothes that I just bought as recently as June. So i try to focus on that and not obsess with the scale. But it is VERY hard.

I am no where near skinny yet but alot of my co-workers, friends & family will refer to me as that because of the difference they see in me.I am blessed to have alot of supportive friends and family. It's been six months since my surgery and I have lost 50 pounds. I was a size 26 bottoms and 26/28 tops on surgery day and now I am wearing 20 bottoms and 18/20 tops. It has not been easy. As alot of people can attest, there been many frustrating and disappointing days and I know there are more to come but i have no regrets. I have had two fills. I am told that my port is tilted so my fills take an incredible amount of time, always under fluro and with many sticks. I am in a plateau right now and that is very aggravating but i work hard to not let it get me down and use it as a reason to give up. I still have cravings and binges at times. BUT, I have noticed that my thinking has changed and I am developing more will power & discipline. I actually take the time to think about what, when and why I am eating something (most times) before I actually eat it; especially if it is a snack. I am going to Curves 4 times per week and working out, sometimes I do extra and actually feel guilty when I have to miss a day and actually MISS it when they are closed on Sunday. Sometimes when I am up late at night I will do some cardio just to have something to do. Sometimes, I will catch myself and I have to laugh at myself because last year this time I would have never exhibited any of these behaviors. I started my journey September last year and by the time I had my actual surgery, i had already lost 20 pounds so I have really lost 70 since September. It feels good to not have to automatically get the biggest size even Lane Bryant carries and not having options if something happens to be cut smaller. It felt good to finally have to go and buy new bras and panties because they too get too big. I, still out of habit, go to the 26's and it feels great to come back to my current reality as saw ha, good-bye 26/28.Sometimes ,I will try on some of my old clothes and I am astounded at how baggy there are, falling off of me and I can remember wearing them. I am finally getting to the point where I can part with my old clothes as I plan to never fit them again. Has been very difficult for me to part with them because I have been overweight all my life and a size 26/28 is all I have known for 20 years since I started college. It feels good getting compliments from men and women. At my current weight, I am 5 pounds less than what I recall putting on my paperwork when I got my driver's license at 16 and I will be 39 on 8/14. While it is definitely not easy and I have my thoughts of failure, I look forward to hopefully graduating from that size 20 and losing the next 50 pounds.

I was banded 1/19/07. I got first fill on 4/11 and second on 5/23. Started feeling good restriction after the second but I think that I may need another soon.

I just celebrated my six month Bandiversary. Have not lost any hair.

Don't get frustrated and lose focus. I do know what you mean. I have lost forty since my surgery 1/19/07. I just got back from a cruise last week. I had bought some new outfits and a new dress for Captain's night. I was so excited, thought I looked good because the weight loss is noticeable. I had the ship's photographers take a few pictures. I was totally shocked when i saw those pictures. I still looked huge with a fat back and roll of fat around my stomach. I refused to buy any because i was so upset. I held my tears in because i didn't want anyone to see. My mom ended up buying one of the pictures (without me knowing at the time). She said I looked fine but I don't believe her and I never want to see that picture again. I don't know if a different dress or pose would have made a difference but the pictures i saw of me where not the one's I invisioned. I even criticized my flabby arms not celebrating the fact that my arm is flabby because I have lost weight. Then I thought about it and wondered to myself, what in the world had I looked like in December prior to the surgery? Tried not to beat myself up or lose focus but I just anticipated some nice pictures. I did end up going back and buying one. I am adding it to my personal picture journal. Hopefully by next year's cruise I will really be able to see a difference and remember to wear something with sleeves .

I had my second fill 5/23 and i have noticed differences. I am tighter first thing in the morning so I have to wait awhile, just drink some decaf coffee before I can eat anything. It's usually close to lunch sometimes before I can really eat anything.There are certain foods that I used to could tolerate before fill #2 that I can not now. I can no longer eat any kind of bread (even toast), no steak and chicken breasts are out unless it has some gravy or someting . It takes me longer to eat now because I have to go slower and have to chew even more. I can feel the food more in my throat as it goes down and I have to be more aware as to how much I am putting in my mouth at one time. I have PB'd off of tuna and even scrambled eggs since this last fill. Didn't really kick in until a week or two after the fill and continues now even over a month later. Just have to take your time, really really chew and pay attention to how much you are putting in your mouth at one time. Also no dry food.

I can tolerate lean ground beef the best. No bun. I used to could eat a toasted bun but after my second fill, that is no longer the case (for calorie and carb sake I would just eat one side when I could) . Steak is out for me now too. I have tried a Ruby Tuesday burger and also one from Applebee's but no fun without the bun. Might as well have meatloaf.

Same here. I was banded 1/19/07 and I have lost 40 pounds. My doctor and nurse practitioner tell me that this is excellent but it just doesn't seem fast enough to me. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for that loss because it could have been less. I had my first fill on 4/11 and the second on 5/23. According to them, I have good restriction and I think I do too. I have reached a slump and it is aggravating. Trying to lower my calories, up my fluid and exercise and it seems to be helping. Don't have my next followup until 8/13. I will see if a third fill is recommended then.

I'm not afraid of being thin. I have never been what is considered thin in my entire life so I dont know what that means (not even as a kid). My fear is the fear of failure. I don't want to fail at this. Losing enough weight to drop clothing sizes and see a real difference in my face is new to me and that is scary but I want it to continue. I am just getting to the point where I have given some of my old clothes away to a cousin. I was holding on to them just in case I needed them- again. I want to lose weight and be healthier for me. I've tried so many times. Added to that is the stress of knowing that alot of people know I had this surgery (friends, family, co-workers). While those closest to me have been supportive, there are others who are just pretending they are happy and suportive and are waiting for me to start regaining. I want to be an good example to motivate others to lose weight as well as give the haters something to talk about.

I have had two fills now (4/11 & yesterday). I had a very hard time with the first one which was under fluro because it was the first. Apparently my port is tilted so that it is very hard to align the needle up with the hole in port (bull's eye). After several sticks, they were able to get it. The nurse practitioner tried to do the second one in the office last week but couldn't so i was scheduled to do it under fluro again yesterday. Still the same problems with not being able to see the bullseye. Then she thought that the port may be totally flipped. She said that sometimes as you lose weight, the fat and your insides shift so can cause port to tilt or even flip. So she took pictures and showed to the surgeon and another person to get a second opinion. The consensus was that my port was not filipped but at a very awkward position. She said that it is not anyone's fault and that sometimes it happens. She anticipates that it will get better as I lose more weight. I certainly hope so because I don't want to be the problem child and hate to get future fills or they hate to see me coming because I am "difficult". They were nice and all but i know it is frustrating for them as well as me. Then my blood sugar dropped from all of the sticks and stress so i had to lie down for awhile. They finally got it yesterday. I was a happy camper. I'm a little sore today from all the sticks but was worth it to me. Not trying to scare anyone, just sharing my experience. Just goes to show you that anything can happen and that it is indeed a journey. I have lost 40 pounds and alot of inches since January 19 and i have no regrets.

Ok here goes- 1. Day of surgery 1/19/07, I was a 304 pounds. Today I am 264. I was size 26/28. Today I am an 18/20. After 20 years of being the same dress size. I have more options and I am not the biggest size most stores carry. 2. My blood sugar average is currently 134 and hemoglobin A1C was 6.4 compared to no where near that before my surgery. My endocrinologist wants me to stop taking my blood sugar medicine, monitor my levels for a few days and if need be take only half a pill. 3. I workout at Curves 3-4 times per week after work as compared to coming home snacking and watching Oprah. And sometimes I even go on Saturday morning and feel guilty when I miss a day due to work or other obligations. 4. My mom and I are now practically the same size and it is driving her crazy. Although she is happy for me. 5. I can look in the mirror and see that my face is smaller and I am indeed smaller. I try on some of my old clothes for extra reinforcement. 6. I finally have to buy new bras. 7. I got in a regular Misses dept. size XL shirt in Khol's (so I had to buy two). I finally got a pair of Levi's jeans.

I am very happy, no regrets. I have lost 40 pounds since having surgery on 1/19/07 plus loss alot of inches. I am exercising at Curves 3-4 times per week and using treadmill at work. Gone from size 26 pants to size 20 (and now they are loose). Also from 3-4X and 26/28 tops to 1X and 18/20. My port is apparently tilted a little so they have to work a little harder to do my fills (have had two) but other than that, I am doing fine.

I had my second fill yesterday. I have experienced the same thing with gboth fills-woozy & hot. Felt like I was gonna pass out. My blood sugar dropped from having to have so many sticks and not being able to eat for couple hours prior to the fill. My port is tilted so it's hard to align up the needle to the port. Not as bad yesterday.

I agree with everyone else. People don't know what's involved with lap band surgeryand don't know the difference between it and gastric bypass. I have had a few people saying negative things and trying to be the food police when they see me eating something that they "think" I shouldn't be. But I have luckily had more support than negativity. I cannot educate all the ignorant people in my family/at work and trying to correct them constantly is nerve racking. I have just learned to ignore the negativity and focus on myself and what my surgeon's office says. Although it can be hard, I am not letting a bunch of ignorant folks sidetrack me. I have also started attending my local support group for weight loss surgery which has been very beneficial. I have an aunt and couple of cousins (who, by the way, would all qualify and need the band themselves) who are the main negative people in my life. Instead of acting ignorant, they should be asking me about my experience so that they can have it too. I think some folks also act and say ignorant negative things because they are jealous.

I used to have problems with gas. Have you tried Beano? It worked wonders for me. It's on the shelf with Maalox, Gas-X etc.

I want to get a tatoo. Have been thinking about it for a while. I want a butterfly (not too big on my upper back/right shoulder area). I feel I am a butterfly since having my lap band surgery. I have one issue. I found out during my pre-op testing that I was diabetic and I have been on a small dose of oral meds once a day for it since. I go back to doc for follow-up on 5/23 for the diabetes. He anticipates that as I continue to lose weight, I will not need any meds. So far I am doing great. I have lost 33 ponds. I am leary about getting a tatoo with my diabetes diagnosis. Don't know if it could cause a possibe reaction or interfere with healing. Has anyone diabetic had a tatoo after finding out you were diabetic?? Did you experience any problems?? I paln to ask my doc at my appt for his opinion but wanted to see what you all thought.

I havea good friend who is interested in lap band surgery. I have been telling her about my lap band journey. She recieves dialysis 2-3 times per week for kidney failure. She told me that her kidney doc said it was ok her to get banded as she needs to lose a certain amount of wait to get on the donor list for a kidney. This doc is just her kidney doc and I am not sure how much he knows about weight loss surgeries. She is on fluid restriction and I would think that the amount of fluids we are supposed to drink daily is way over her limit. Not to mention I am sure that she would have some dietary issues. Are any of you aware of any dialysis patients being banded?