MaryfromMI

Today marks 3 years ago today that I have been banded. I cannot believe how much has changed in 3 short years. Even though I would love for my weight loss to be more, I know for an absolute fact that I would not be where I am today without the band. It's even a little scary to think about where my life would be. In the 3 years since I have been banded I have graduated college, became a RN, moved from the country to the big city, and have a life that at one time I only wished I had. All I need is a good man!!! lol, that is another story in and of itself. But I just wanted to share with everyone my post that I put on my facebook page today and hope this can give a little hope if someone is struggling or need reinforcing of how much of a life changer the band is: January 4, 2010-I made a decision to stop simply existing and start living. I made a choice to change my life. Up until that point, I had been too scared of judgment and other people's opinions to take any risks or have any fun. On this day... 3 years ago, as cheesy as it sounds, was the first day of the rest of my life. 2012 was the most fun year I have ever had and only hope 2013 can come somewhere close. Today is a day that I Celebrate not how far I have left to go, but how far I have come

I feel like I have a lot going for me. I'm 23 years old, a nurse, have my own apartment, car, pay my own bills. I have lost 50+ lbs since my surgery and have more confidence now than I have ever had in my life. I do get more attention from guys, but they all seem to be douchebags or at least 20 years older than me (No, really, the majority of attention I get is from older guys and I don't really know why that is). I have been told by so many people to not go looking for boyfriend material in a bar, but I don't know where else to go! I just feel really lonely and feel like I am at a good place in my life and want to share all these new experiences I am having with somebody. So does anyone have any advice as to where I can meet a good, decent guy?

The only people who know that I had surgery are my parents and I had my surgery a year and a half ago. First, I did not want any sort of judgement from anyone and second, I didn't want to be a "posterchild" for weight loss surgery and be labeled as a "success" or "failure." My brother just got married last month and it was an opportunity for a lot of people to see how much weight I lost because I wore a very form-fitting bridesmaid dress, so I received a lot of questions about how I did it. I didn't lie to anyone, I simply said I watch what I eat which is completely true. It has been easy to keep this secret, except when I get a stuck episode in front of people. I just go to the bathroom and wait for the pain to stop, lol.

I started losing my hair about 9 months post op and it was due to the stress on my body from the surgery even though I never really felt the stress. Initially I related my hair loss to stopping my birth control pills and I had my thyroid, hormones, and everything in between checked before I ended up at my dermatologist where he decided it was most likely the stress and shock of going through surgery. The bad thing about it is that I had very fine hair to begin with so my hair loss was starting to get noticable. I would have clumps of hair fall out in the shower everyday. My dermatologist has me on aldactone right now which helps prevent hair loss, I take biotin vitamins, and I am also on rogaine. I still have more hair fall out everyday than the average person but I do believe it has slowed down and I do notice some regrowth, so I think things are starting to turn around.

Stepped on the scale this week and it read 195.4!!! I had been at 203-206 for so long and 199 was just staring at me on the scale mocking me for so long and I finally am on the other side of 200! I am so excited :-) I feel like my body has been at a stand-still for a long time too, but this week I noticed my stomach looked a little smaller, so I tried on my American Eagle size 12 goal jeans and they are a little bit looser than the last time I put them on. Hopefully in a week or two I will finally be able to wear them in public!

I actually just wrote something like this in my journal not so long ago and when I saw this post I decided to share them. Some are small and may seem insignificant to some but the small ones are things I never thought would happen to me! Some changes since my surgery: 1. Not having a "X" in front of my shirt size-I even wear size medium scrub pants! 2. Being able to wrap my hand around my wrist (I have always had huge wrists, couldn't even wear watches without extenders). 3. (Goes along with #2)-Can fit my watch strap comfortably in the second hole. 4. Can wear shoes without the "W" behind the size and can wear high heels!. 5. Not needing a plus-size graduation gown when I graduated from nursing school. 6. Seeing with my own eyes that I have collarbones without having to shrug my shoulders to see them (For a while I wasn't even sure I had collarbones because they were nonexistant)!! 7. My double-chin is almost gone! It still peeks out in some pictures, which I don't like, but I can now take pictures and not have to worry about sticking my chin out so the double chin goes away. 8. I can button up a pair of size 12 jeans! 9. I am getting attention from the opposite sex, which has never AND I REPEAT NEVER has happened before! It is almost strange to me because I do not know how to act at all. 10. My brother is getting married in June and I am really really close to thinking I am going to look beautiful on that day.

I know how you are feeling and I see that we are close to the same age so I can really relate and to this day, the only people who know that I had surgery are my parents. I remember the day I sat both of them down and told them that I needed to change my life because I saw the road I was headed down. I thought they were going to try to talk me out of it, but they actually did the complete opposite and were proud that I decided to make such a big decision. They saw my struggles and how hard I had tried to lose weight before, so they saw the surgery as a good thing. I did have to educate them though about everything related to the surgery.

I don't think being on your TOM would be a factor in whether or not you get a catheter, because it's dealing with 2 different holes (if you know what I mean,lol). It is up to your doctor and what protocol they go by. I had a catheter in after my surgery because my doctor makes it mandatory to stay overnight at the hospital but I got it taken out that day because I was up walking around 15 minutes after being back in my room. I made sure to ask my surgeon about the catheter before hand so I wouldn't be surprised when I woke up from surgery.

I also have BCBS and my first doctor visit with my PCP to get my referral was August 21, 2009, and my surgery date was January 4, 2010, so it was a little over 4 months. I did not have to do a supervised diet because BCBS of MI allows the 6 month diet to be waived if your BMI is over 40, and mine was.

The only people that know that I had surgery are my parents. I haven't told anyone else about it because I really don't think it is anyone else's business to know and I also do want any negativity coming my way. Sometimes I want to tell everyone because I think it would be easier that way now. For example, I know it looks strange when I get up in the middle of a meal when family is over to go in the bathroom because I am stuck and I am sometimes in there for 10+ minutes. Because I am scared of getting stuck when I am around other people, I just don't eat much during those meals, and people have started to notice because they have made comments to me that I don't eat anything. I just don't want to be the "staple" or prototype for lap-band® failure or success for the people around me and I don't want to be judged for the choices I made. I also don't want my surgery to be seen as taking the "easy" way out, because it has been anything but easy and I have done all the work! So when people ask me what I have done to lose the weight, I just tell them I changed my diet and exercise BECAUSE IT'S TRUE!

I am slowly coming to the realization that I will never hit my "sweet spot," and here's why: I have 7.75cc in my 10cc band. I have "restriction" in the AM and early afternoon, meaning I get stuck very easy with any food that has any sort of substance. All I can really eat at those times is soggy Cereal (which I like so it doesn't bother me) and mushy foods like pudding and applesauce. My band is looser in the evening, but I do get stuck if I don't chew well, which is usually my first bite. The problem I am having is that I am not hungry for around 4 hours like I am supposed to be, but I can eat WAY more than 1 cup of food, and I never really feel full or "satisfied." I am either able to eat way too much or I get stuck on the first bite, I have no in between. I find that I only get a "full" feeling sooner if I eat some sort of carb, like bread, which I try to stay from anyway. For example, today for lunch, I ate a taco, and wasn't able to eat the whole thing, because with about 4 bites left, I was "full," but I also got stuck on the first bite because of the taco shell. But for dinner tonight, I had a piece of fish, 1/2 a baked potato, and about 5 pieces of asparagus and I could have ate so much more! I'll admit that for dinner I have even been able to eat a whole hamburger, and not feel full unless I eat the whole thing! I shouldn't be able to even eat a bite of a hamburger with all that bread, let alone the whole thing! I just feel like I have no other options because I know I don't need another fill because I get stuck too much as it is already, I probably actually need a little unfill, and I don't know what to do. My weight loss has also come to a complete standstill as well. Has anyone encountered this, especially having so much Fluid in my band and still being able to eat so much?

I had my third fill just over a week ago and have a total of 7cc's in my 10cc band. I admitted to my surgeon that I was getting a little frustrated that I have to have so much in my band and am still not at my sweet spot. I asked how can some people be restricted at 3 or 4 cc's and I am at 7 and still not at my sweet spot? He said that it was because I am not as big and don't have as much weight to lose (even though my goal is to lose close to 100lbs). Does anyone know why this is, or have you experienced this yourself? I feel like my band is going to have to be "topped off" before I even get to my sweet spot!!!

Hey Trixie-I had surgery at Covenant in Saginaw. After reading everyone's responses and seeing that what I am going through is "normal", I called to make another fill appointment because the good restriction I had for the first 8 days after my fill is now gone. My doctor does fills every other Friday, with this Friday being the next appointment. They told me there was no openings for this Friday and I can't go the next fill day because I have clinical (I am in nursing school) until later in the day and have to drive 1 1/2 hours to get the fill, and couldn't get an appointment late enough. On top of that, my insurance starts over in June, so I wanted to get all my fills in while I had my deductible paid, and don't really have the money right now to pay the $120 for a fill, so I put my name on the cancellation list for this Friday and hopefully I will get a call! If not, I guess it's back to pure willpower, which has gotten most of my 28lbs off in the first place...

So, I got my 3rd fill on April 30th, just over a week ago. I have 7cc's in a 10cc band. I finally thought I found my sweet spot, and I was so happy. I would only take a few bites and be full, and I was getting stuck more often when I didn't chew well or when I overate, so I assumed I was where I needed to be. Today, when I ate though, I noticed that I wasn't getting the same "full" feeling that I was with the same amount of food I have been eating for the last week. I feel like I am where I need to be when it comes to how long I am full between meals, but not when it comes to the amount I can eat at a meal. So do you think I need another fill? My insurance starts over again on June 1st, so I am trying to get to my sweet spot before then, so I don't have to pay for the fills. Thoughts please!

Did you ask your Dr.'s office why they thought you didn't have to do the diet? I was in a similar situation. I have BCBS of MI and every time I called them to find out information, I was told I would have to complete the 6-month diet. Then when I went to my surgeon's seminar, the insurance coordinator said that because I had a BMI over 40, I did not have to do the 6-month diet. She said that the 6-month diet rule had been changed for over a year for my particular insurance. And still, even up to my surgery day, if I would have called BCBS of MI, they would have told me I would have to do the 6-month diet. The insurance coordinator said that a lot of times with insurance companies, their information they are going off of is out-of-date, and the surgeon's office actually has more up-to-date data than the insurance company.

I had pain similar to this and I asked my doctor about it at my follow-up appointment. I would get a stab of pain between my port incision and the incision close to my belly button. My doctor said that it was the tubing of the port causing that pain.

I am a little over 2-weeks post-op and I have a question about the amount I can eat. I am in the soft food stage and my nutritionist says to eat 3/4c for every meal. For the first 3 days, this amount of food was fine, but after that, I now don't feel "full" at 3/4c, I feel "full" at probably closer to a cup. My question is, do you think I am doing any damage at eating that little bit more until I feel full and does feeling full, I mean that physical feeling of being full, a bad thing? Could it stretch my stomach even though I haven't had a fill yet? I completely understand why this phase is called BANDSTER HELL!!!

Hello, I was just wondering if anyone has or knows anyone who had Dr. Ringley as their surgeon. He practices out of Saginaw, MI and I believe operates at Covenant Hospital. I am considering him to be my surgeon as my PCP has said he is a very good surgeon. I am attending one of his seminars on September 8th and am just curious what other's experiences with him and his staff were like. Thanks! :thumbup:

I was banded on Monday, January 4th. My surgery was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. and had to be there at 6am. I was taken up to the admitting floor, weighed, and had to take a pregnancy test. After that, I had to wipe my whole body with these disinfectant wipes and put on the gown and compression socks. The admitting nurse came in, asked me a bunch of questions, and then at 7:30, I was taken to the pre-op floor. Right before I was taken to the pre-op floor was when I started getting nervous. I did shed a few tears, but a lot less than what I thought I would. After that, things went pretty fast. On the pre-op floor, I met all the people who were involved with my surgery. I then got my IV, and that was an event in and of itself. I have really good veins. I have never been poked more than once when getting my blood drawn or getting an IV. But for some reason, my veins were not cooperating. I must have been poked at least 8 times, which equals 16 times because they gave a numbing shot each time they attempted an IV. The nurses said they could get in my veins okay, but when they tried to get the catheter in, my veins would explode. They said it was probably due to dehydration, so by the time they actually got the IV started, I literally had blood trailing all down my arm and pooling on the floor. My arms and tops of my hands are now covered in bruises and I look like a drug addict with all the track marks! Anyway after the IV situation, I was given a lovonox shot, and given relaxing medicine. I remember looking at the clock and it was almost 8:30am when they took me back to the OR. They had me scoot over to the operating table. The nice ladies who were prepping me were asking me lots of questions to keep me calm and comfortable. The last thing I remember is the oxygen mask being put over my nose and thinking that the mask smelled bad.... I woke up in the recovery room and I think I must have been whimpering, because the nurse asked me if I was in pain. I then think I started talking some nonsense, because I think the nurse said I asked something about having 2 livers, and she had to tell me people only have 1 liver LOL. I think I was trying to ask her if my liver was shrunk enough. I remember seeing that it was 10:30am right after I woke up. Anyway, it was around 11am when I was taken to my room and I was up walking by 11:30. Usually my surgeon requires that people keep their foley catheter in until that night or the next morning, but because I was up and moving around so fast, I got mine taken out in the early evening. I think having the catheter in was more painful than the actual surgery, so when I finally got that out, I was walking all over the place! I got 4 hours sleep that night, due to the fact that I could only sleep on my back, and since my IV was in the crook of my elbow, every time I bent my elbow, the IV machine would deep because it made the tube kink. The next morning I had an Upper GI done to check for leaks. There were none, and I was discharged by 3pm.

I just had surgery on Monday, January 4th, and this was my first surgery ever, so hopefully I can help you out. I wouldn't really describe what I felt after surgery as "pain." I would describe it more as "aches." I never felt any sort of shooting pain, just some intense aching, but to be honest, the aching I experienced was constant from Monday night into Tuesday evening. I am sure the pain level is different for everybody, but for me, if I had to measure on a scale of 1-5, my pain level never got over a 3. I did get morphine while I was in the hospital, but it never seemed to take care of the aching feeling in my stomach, especially around the port area. I experienced a little gas pain in my diagphragm area and in my back, but I made sure to be up and walking within the first 30 minutes that I got back to my room from recovery, and it made the gas pain go away. The first night of the surgery, I had to sleep on my back because my sides were too sore to sleep on, but the next night, the aches subsided on my right side, the opposite side of my port, so I was able to sleep on my right side. Today my aching stomach has been a lot better. Getting out of bed was a lot easier and I haven't taken any pain pills today. I still get uncomfortable, but when that happens, I just walk around my house a little bit and I feel better. I was told throughout my stay at the hospital that I should bounce back pretty quick because I have my age on my side, and you should to. Just try to go in with a positive attitude, you'd be surprised how much that helps!

I am having surgery on Monday, so tomorrow is day 10 of my liquid diet. The first day of the diet was pure torture. It was like I was going through food withdrawl, but looking back on it now, I realized most of it was in my head. My relationship with food also became very apparent in those first couple of days and how much I really enjoy eating good food. I will give you some advice though to hopefully make your liquid diet easier. For the first couple of days, make sure you eat every 2 hours and don't wait until your stomach is growling to eat because when I did that, nothing filled me up and I wanted to eat everything in sight. After a couple days, your body gets used to the diet and it will become easier. The Protein shake that just made your stomach growl louder a couple days ago now miracuously fills you up. I went from eating every two hours and still having a growling stomach to only having 3 SF carnation instant breakfasts, a yogurt or cottage cheese, and some SF Jello everyday. Also, drink lots and lots of Water. And if you feel the need to chew something, chew gum! It's a liquid diet and it sucks, but it does eventually become bearable. Hope this helps!