outside*looking*in

I had lap band in Feb 2010 and a few weeks ago had a Gallbladder attack in the middle of the night that sent me to the ER. I just had it removed on Thursday of last week.:grouphug:

I have had 5 fills (banded 2/3/10). I am up to 7cc in a 9cc band! I am not at that "sweet spot" but I can tell some little changes are happening with the band. I am down 39lbs since surgery. I had to have my Gallbladder out yesterday so my weight is up a little today with fluid retention. Hang in there. You did not say how many cc's you have?

So I am going to have my Gallbladder removed on Thursday. In my research I keep finding that people who have had theirs removed, complain about weight gain in the following years. Are there any bander's out there who have had GB Surgery (after the band) and are you having a difficult time with weight loss now????? Anything I should know???? Thanks for your replies and advice.

Here is what I can remember from my experience (banded 2/2010). I was EXTREMELY TIRED for over 2 weeks. To the point that I would start to put away dishes or walk across the room and want to lay down. I did not have too much gas like others experience. The pain was tolerable and moved to just tender by the end of the week. I did not have a problem with the incisions. I am an at home Mom and I could not have imagined trying to go back to work real soon after. Not because of pain but because of lack of energy. I get to go on Thursday and have my Gallbladder removed so I am sure I will go through some of this all over again:ohmy: Best of luck and hand in there.

Kelly Turner Kelly Turner is an ACE Certified personal trainer and health and fitness writer from Seattle, WA. When she’s not training clients or glued to the computer, Kelly enjoys working out, cooking, and writing. If you would like to contact Kelly, please email her at kellycturner@hotmail.com. Follow me online Blog: Every Gym’s Nightmare WOW! a Personal Trainer writing about the woes of weight loss surgery. No agenda there! Especially from someone with a past eating disorder. She obviously did NOT do her research and why would she as she is not a REAL journalist! I find it funny that many people who write a blog consider themselves journalist just as many who like to exercise can take a few "at home courses" consider themselves personal trainers! I suppose she is also a 5 star chef! Ignorance is bliss and unfortunate. I am going to go eat my half serving of fat free plain yogurt and work out now!

Just to follow up. I saw my surgeon today and I do not have to have my band unfilled. In fact I got .5cc today! Thanks for the replies. I go in for GB surgery next Thursday.

All I can say is that your story is similar to most on here. The only regret many of the band patients have is that they did not do it sooner. I did it 4 1/2 months ago at 38 and YES after dieting since the age of 11, I WISH I had done this sooner! It is still work but it definitely helps you stay in control. I do not have proper restriction but have not been able to eat anywhere near as much as I used to in one sitting. Be warned though, you can fail at this by eating the wrong foods, amounts and not helping the band work for you, so make sure you are ready to commit to this! Everyone gets discouraged. I look at the before/after pics to inspire me. Good Luck!

Hi - I posted a few days ago and heard back from 2 ppl (THank You) I am definately going to have my GB removed :smile2: I just want to hear back from anyone who has had to have their GB out after they have had a band put in. How would you compare the recovery? Did you have your band emptied and have to start over with fills? Any questions you would ask the surgeon? Thanks for the advice, info and help.

Thanks for the reply. I have to go see my primary I guess and have him refer me out to the surgeon. I definitely do NOT want anymore of those attacks! That was some kind of pain. I also don't want of have to start over with the fluid in my band. I guess I will get more questions answered tomorrow after a few phone calls. Thanks again.

So - I am at 6.5cc and finally starting to feel a wee bit of restriction. BAM! I woke up early (2am) Saturday morning with horrible stomach pain and a searing pain in my back. Went to E.R and by 1pm the next day they FINALLY diagnosed it as gall stones. Blood work looked good, CT looked good but they finally showed up on an ultrasound. So, they contacted my lap band surgeon and he said to make an appointment and EXPECT to have to have my gall bladder removed. Has anyone had problems with their Gall Bladder and been able to keep it but do some other treatment? If you had surgery, did you have to have all of you band Fluid removed and if so, how long to get back to where you were pre-surgery?

I went to OG a few weeks ago. I had some salad and something that I had never tried. It was a Grilled Chicken with citrus apricot sauce and it was served with steamed broccoli and tomatoes and some asparagus. It was really good.

I was having a problem waiting the hour after eating to have something to drink. What I discovered was that I would nibble on more FOOD since I was not allowed to have water! duh.. then the light bulb clicked on as to why I doing the extra nibbling. I WAS THIRSTY!!!! The nurse at the doc's office actually SUGGESTED chewing gum to get me through the 60 minutes waiting time. It works and I stopped nibbling & I have something to wet my whistle.

So- my sister &family are coming for a visit this week. She, like me, has struggled with her weight most of her life. I have always been the heavier of the two of us (still am). I guess about a year or so ago she started this pre-package soy diet plan from her local hospital. She did great and was really looking good and then life happened and she gained back 20+ lbs. Now, she is back on her "diet food" and is bringing all of her meals with her and says that is all she will be eating. Not long after I got the band, I realized that I will no longer refuse to celebrate life, events, birthdays, ect... having to be excluded food wise. I can have a little of whatever and not worry about. I may go up and down a few lbs but I have a great tool to help me keep it under control. I have been on a plateau for 2 months now and although it is frustrating, I am not devastated and know it will pass and I will start dropping lbs again. I will not yo-yo but make healthy choices and enjoy those treats once in a while. I am glad I will be able to take vacations in the future and not have to take "diet" food with me. I hopefully can learn to make great food choices from what is available to me.

I really TRY not to drink with meals and I am normally successful with that. However, sometimes I just have to take a sip and what I have noticed since my last fill (now at 6.5cc total) is if I take a sip after I have eaten most of my food it actually HURTS going down. But taking another bite of food dose not??? Like maybe the liquid is having to squeeze past the food? This only just started after my last addition of 1cc. Hopefully this means I am getting closer to restriction because as time goes on it is getting harder and harder for me always eat the right things and my weight loss has been at a stand still for the last 2 MONTHS!

Hi all! Hoping someone will see this thread. I believe I am in Bandster Hell! Here are the stats. I was banded on 2/3/10 I have lost 31lbs since. I have 6.5cc in. I am thrilled with the weight lost so far but honestly I have been up and down the scale with the last five lbs for almost 2 months! I get full at about 1 cup or 5oz food. I try to eat well having my protein first then fruit or vegis the way my doc wants. I have never had a pb/slime/throw up episode. I don't take just a few bites and feel full or even satisfied. I do make myself stop at the 5oz limit. I have increased my exercise. If any of you out there have "restriction" or are at the "sweet spot" did you feel like this or have doubt that you would ever get there? Did you notice right away that you hit the right amount in your band? I have had a 1cc increase at the last 3 fills and each time walked away feeling no different and hoping that the next month will be that magic #. Did you notice that the scale started moving when you hit that mark? Thanks .......just getting band crazy here!

I think I may have had my first somewhat "stuck" incident yesterday. It was on my second bite of chicken. It felt to hard to go down, then I got hard hiccups and I had to spit some of the chicken out (felt like it was stuck in my throat). Then my chest hurt a bit, I kept having to hiccup and my mouth started water so much I had to spit a few times. It only lasted a few minutes though and I was back to normal. Would you describe that as stuck?

I have been banded for 4 months now. I do not have restriction but do get full on about 5oz of food. Although sometimes I feel I can eat more. I have been having a problem with slowing down and chewing, chewing, chewing. My question is this: Is the purpose of all of the chewing and taking pea size bites to slow you down OR to not get stuck? I still take normal bites and chew normal. I hope I am not making a mistake thinking that this is mostly necessary for restriction. I feel like a am constantly learning with this thing. I go for another fill of 1cc this week which will bring me up to 6.5cc. I HOPE it brings me to the level I need to be! My weight loss has been at a stall for the past 6wks!:tongue2: Thank You in advance.

I had my surgery about a month after you. My first fill was 3cc, my 2nd was 1.5cc and my 3rd was 1cc. For a total now of 5.5cc. I asked my doc the last time I had a fill if there is an average spot where people start to get to that sweet spot and he said that he usually see's it happen between 6.5 to 8.5cc on his pts. He said on my next fill I will get another 1cc and should be "knocking on the door of restriction". RIght now I feel as though I am in the wrong neighborhood! The first two fills I had I felt absolutely NO change. With my last fill I felt like I was starting to get a full sensation back after eating about 4-5oz. Unfortunately I was starting my cycle at the same time so it could have been bloating! I am back to being hungry even after 5oz. I go for another fill next week so I am keeping my fingers crossed. Your doc seems a bit conservative with the fills(so is mine compared to others). Will he bump up the amount if you ask?

What to expect???? Well - expect it to be your own experience. Different to some similar to others. I was sore and tender but not really in pain. What I was ~ I was VERY TIRED. I had no energy for weeks. I did not have gas pain as many others did. I have learned in these few short months since my surgery is that I am ALWAYS learning, adjusting, re-learning. Head hunger vs. real hunger Hungry or just thirsty (now I chew gum waiting for that 1 hour after meal drink) Am I being honest about my eating (now tracking online with myfitnesspal.com) Am I still sticking to my docs rules (different for everyone) What is that strange sound coming from my stomach? How come I feel full and then I burp ~ and the fullness is gone? When am I ever gonna poop:blushing:? What! loose stool - where did that come from? Scale is steady now it is stuck - oh look it's moving again - oh look, it is stuck again!:thumbup: Did I eat too much? Oh crap did I ruin my band??? Panic - no - everything is fine. I need a fill. Maybe I'll be that lucky person who gets restriction on that first fill!! Nope - three more fills later - still no restriction, but I WILL get there! Truth is, it has been a roller coaster. I am glad I am on it. I continue to learn daily. I continue to have struggles. I continue to have some successful days. I continue..... You will go through a lot of ups and downs but along the way if you can learn to enjoy the ride, you will be just fine. We will get there. See you at the finish line. Best of luck!

Hi - I have lost 27.5lbs since surgery. I feel like I am finally knockinf on the door of restriction. I am up to 5.5cc in my band and although I am not restricted, before my last fill I was getting hungry in between meals and not filling up on 1/2 to 1 cup of food. I was starting to allow little cheats here and there and before I knew it I was "cheating" more than staying on plan. Part of that was that I was not tracking and not visiting LBT. I feel a bit better with my last fill and can't wait for my next. I have not had an episode of PBing, getting stuck or even "slime". I still can eat normal bites and don't understand why I have to sip so I take a normal sip. Is it only when you have restriction that the small bites and sips are truly important? Exercise for me is not regular. No excuse. I wish I could go off by myself and use exercise time as a meditation time. But, not in this house. I am stay at home mom and the only time to myself is when I am sleeping!

I love this show.:thumbup: I have been very interested in the therapy part of the program and try to see where it may apply to me. Last night as Tenni asked them to remember their childhood, it had me thinking, before I knew it I was eating something I should not have and I knew I was not even hungry. LIGHTBULB!!! My husband first noticed about 11 years ago that I use food to deal with stress and emotions. We were discussing my recent phone call with my mother (who informed me that my step-dad was leaving her) and I was cutting up cubes of cheese and eating it WITHOUT even realizing I was doing it! I have also noticed that I do use food, t.v, computer, ect...to numb my mind and not have to think about things. I noticed this on a 10 hour road trip where I did not have these things to distract me. Before I knew it - I was thinking about all sorts of relationships that have caused me pain. Maybe I should see a therapist! :thumbup: I also wish we could have a WFN in my area.

May sound silly ---but --- I can finally Hula Hoop! I must have lost just enough off my hips to keep that darn thing up for about 40 rounds! :smile:

Okay - so I have NO restriction! I have had two fills and I am going for my 3rd tomorrow. The thing is, for the past two day I have had a little trouble swallowing (not painfull) I just seem to have noticed a tightness in my throat area that comes and goes. I am expecting my period any minute and I am wondering if this is giving me a little restriction and since I have not had restriction, I have nothing to compare it to. I have no problems eating ANYTHING!. Previous to this happening I felt like I could eat more than before! It just kinda feels like when you are trying NOT to cry and you get that funny feeling in your throat. Could be sinuses? Any suggestions, words of wisdom from long timers, advice??

I have been heavy all of my life. I am fortunate to NOT have any of the medical complications that are common for obese people, although, I am sure it was just a matter of time. I was on a cruise(like my 8th one) and just was not having any fun. Everything seemed to be about eating and then if it was not about eating it was about how uncomfortable I was feeling in my clothes or how I was unable to do things. I no longer even thought of trying things. I had gotten to the point of just not bothering because I knew my size would not let me. I was missing out on life. I am tired of not doing, not going, not socializing, not fitting. I have delt with that for the better of 30 years and now at 38 I am going to start doing things I did not think I could or actually could NOT do. I had my surgery in on 2/3/10 and so far I have lost 27lbs. It i a great start and I am happy with my progress so far and guess what............I NOW CAN HULA-HOOP WITH MY 12y/o!:thumbup: I have lost some weight in my hips and it helped me to finally get it. It was a good decision but a hard one since I had to fork over $18,000 to do it!

I was banded 2/3/10 and was GLAD I stayed overnight! Not due to complications of anything but I just was sooooooo tired that I COULD NOT STAY AWAKE! I was out of surgery by 9:30ish and pertty much slept 'til the next morning. I remember getting up a few times (they made me) and of course them coming in to check the bp and respitory stuff but not much else. I was tired for 2 weeks after with no energy! Of course, I also read on here where some people go back to work the next day or so!:thumbup: