SoccerMomma73

Congrats on taking charge of your life! Having the lap band is an interesting little voyage. Surgery and recovery were (at least for me) a snap. I'm just over a month out and lost 12 pounds pre-op and 19 pounds post-op. I chose the lap band because I felt like my biggest obstacle to losing weight was hunger....My portion sizes were outrageous and I felt like if I had something to help me control that then I could lose weight. I don't mind working for my weight loss, I don't mind eating healthy and exercising, I just can't handle starving all the time. And so far, so good. I do not regret my decision one bit and am anxious to see how far I go with the weight loss in the future! I will warn ya it's not easy, you have to think about and watch everything that goes into your mouth and the first weeks, if you're like most of us, you'll be starving, but it's temporary. If you're like most of us too you won't lose as much weight initially as you would with a bypass but if you work with your band you will lose the weight and you know the saying, slow and steady wins the race.... Good luck with your decision, we at LBT love to talk so any questions or concerns just drop us a line!

Seriously yes it's a big deal! I started 30 pounds under you and have lost 29 so you're almost passed me! Congrats, and you totally rock!

You could also have some inflammation/swelling from the pill incident. I'd recommend sticking with liquids for a day or two and that should go down. I take 2 chewable flintstones a day (doc suggests the flintstones, go figure). However, my doc has told me not to worry about pills and so far I haven't had an issue, guess I'll keep an eye on it in the future!

FYI my doc (Baker) has you go back on full liquids for 48 hours after a fill then mushies for 48 hours after that. After my first fill last week they told me to go get a smoothie and hang out in town for at least an hour in case I got too tight and needed a little removed. (next time I'm taking a yoplait yogurt smoothie with me...I was about 2 hours late getting filled and hadn't had anything except a protein shake about 9 hours before and had started to get shaky and needed to get a little something down but didn't have anything with me except water...you life, you learn!) Every doc is different but I thought I'd let ya know! I'm in Cabot and so glad to hear from a few of you in AR! Congrats to everyone with how well you're doing!

I found on the pre-op I could do little more than go for a short walk after work...just wasn't enough fuel to run off of, if I did more I got dizzy, tunnel vision, etc. My pre-op consisted of all the nasty shakes (HMR) my heart could desire, SF popsicles, SF jello, broth, water, crystal light, and the ONLY solid anything I was allowed was pickles...there were many, many pickles in my life, just so I could chew. Some of the other docs pre-op isn't so bad but I recommend if you're cut down to <750 calories a day you take it easy and don't over do it. Good luck! It sucks but you can do it!

Hey guys! I'm from Cabot, Dr. Baker did my band on 12/16 (Dr. Gibbs did my gallbladder 2 years ago and LOVED him). I've had 1 fill and am chugging right along. Surgery and recovery were uneventful (just how you like 'em) and I'm starting to get the hang of this whole band thing. Somehow I keep hoping I'll wake up in the morning and magically be thin! Unfortunately it's not that easy but the band absolutely helps. Good luck with everything and feel free to drop me a line if there's anything I can help you with, I know I had a million questions as my surgery date got close!

I go from hungry to not hungry...once I hit the "not hungry" phase I have to stop...two or three more bites and I immediately go to the horrid chest pain and "oh my God I'm going to die" phase....I never actually feel full any more....I'm used to shooting for the "full" feeling and had several rounds of the nasty nasty chest pain before I caught on. Hope this helps!

I've been laughing at other people naming there bands but have decided since it's a part of me forever I might as well...I'm leaning towards Steve....don't ask...it has to be a male, I'm not sure why, but it has to be, and Steve is a simple, strong, decisive name :-P I'm not sure, I haven't written the birth certificate yet

I felt the "flush" as they put the saline in too and it was totally BIZARRE!!! I told my nurse practitioner it was like a big worm wiggling and she thought I was a freak....okay, maybe I am a freak. Isn't it nice to not be starving???? and Congrats on the progress.

Someone should really start a scale whore support group!!! Hi, I'm Christie and I'm a scale whore....:thumbup:

Mine was 2 weeks of shakes, shakes, and more shakes. For excitement I was allowed broth, SF jello, SF popsicles, and the standard water and crystal light. The ONLY solid allowed was pickles....go figure...I ate pickles out the wazoo. It was miserable and I fought it tooth and nail. I took my normal BP meds and yes, at time was weak and shaky, a little dizzy but adjusted.

So that's what "stuck" feels like. O-U-C-H String cheese as you're running out the door in a hurry and not paying attention is a bad combo, luckily it passes momentarily, after scaring the poo out of my 5 year old son...but I don't want to ever play that game again thank you very much.

So that's what "stuck" feels like. O-U-C-H String cheese as you're running out the door in a hurry and not paying attention is a bad combo, luckily it passes momentarily, after scaring the poo out of my 5 year old son...but I don't want to ever play that game again thank you very much.

I'm new at this and just got my first fill a week ago so this all may change. But at this point if I get "full" it immediately turns to a chest pressure/shoulder pressure I'm in misery kind of feeling. What I've discovered this week is that if I eat until I am no longer hungry and feel satisfied and then stop at that point then I am good for several hours. If I take 2 or 3 more bites I'm in misery, which, again, lasts for hours. Depending on what I ate that satisfied feeling may last anywhere from 2-4 hours. I no longer feel "full" like I did pre-band, it's either hungry, not hungry, or stuffed to the point of pain and misery.....so I'm shooting for the "not hungry" feeling. I know my restriction is likely temporary since I just got my first fill last week but I'm working with it while I've got it and trying to take advantage of it. Hope this helps a little! Good luck, you'll find that restriction, sometimes it just takes time.

Yup, an average is just an average. I know 2 people who have had a band for 1-2 years, 1 has gained 15 pounds, one has gained 30 pounds....I know 3 others who have lost more than 100 pounds each (and are within 25 pounds of a "normal" weight). Everyone is different and I see a lot of people going in to this thinking they will just magically lose weight without working for it and when the weight doesn't just fall off they give up. The 2 that haven't lost weight don't exercise and have every excuse in the book for why they eat the way they do....I feel bad for them, but there's nothing anyone can do until they are ready to be proactive about their health and do the work they need to in order to get where they want to be.... Losing weight isn't easy, but the band certainly helps. For those of us who could eat and eat and eat and never get full the band is almost like a little bit of magic....Okay so it's actually aversion therapy, if you eat too much you get pain/nausea/etc and you hate that feeling so you stop eating too much...but it works. And throw in healthier foods instead of junk (which is easier when you're not hungry all the time) and a bit of exercise and there ya go! Good luck with everything, I know it's hard but it is so worth it!

OMG, I'm so sorry you've had such a tough journey but glad you're getting back on track. I'm new to this and just figuring it out myself so I don't have a lot of advice. I have discovered that when I get home from work in the evening and start dinner I tend to be ravenous and have a hard time not nibbling on everything I can get my hands on, so, I've started eating either a 4 oz container of low fat yogurt or a string cheese as I'm leaving the office....it's not enough to fill me but it's enough to keep me from feeling like I'm starving and nibbling on everything. Once I'm "hungry" I'm virtually unstoppable so I'm trying to avoid getting hungry. (I've had 1 fill and am doing well but obviously not at my sweet spot just yet!) Good luck with everything, we're pulling for ya!

When you stand you take pressure off your abdomen which is going to take some pressure off your stomach/band too....I'd go with the post above and stick with liquids for a couple days then mushies while things get back to "normal" if you continue to have problems or have true pain you need to call your doc. (and congrats on the amazing weight loss!)

Miralax was my best friend the first couple weeks :w00t:

The whole not being hungry thing was a bizarre exeperience for me too. Loved every second of it...and then....at 4:00 a.m. on day 7 I woke up STARVING TO DEATH and stayed that way until I could start mushies at day 14....then it turned to not starving but a little hungry a lot....Then I got my first fill and am now day 4 from that and back to the Not hungry thing....It's awesome! But sadly will probably pass too in a few days. Maybe you'll be that lucky bandster that never goes through bandster hell and just stays full all the time! If you do hit it just keep in mind that it is temporary and it's all worth it! GOOD LUCK!!!

Oh God, I'm a scale whore too...

I'm new to this and still not on a regular diet but I've already experienced what you're talking about...we went out for mexican at work yesterday and I had a bean burrito...no chips, no beans, no rice...just a bean burrito. While it was yummy I was very melancholy over the whole thing. Not that I am coming even remotely close to regretting getting a band, oh no no no. Love it beyond words (so far)...just hadn't prepared myself for a mourning period for food...I suppose I should have realized this beforehand since food has been my best friend and source of comfort for 30+ years....Still worth it though. Had to retire my first pair of fat pants this week and it was awesome! (I'm 1 month out today from my surgery).

I didn't find this web site until a couple weeks post op and NO ONE at my doctors office mentioned that I'd be starving to death a week post op....I was starting to think I'd made a mistake and would always be starving to death until I found you guys! That was a really tough time for me. Pre-op I knew what I was getting in to and there was a definite date where it would be over....They're both miserable but neither will kill ya, you just might think it will :w00t:

I work in a family practice office and spend the day walking back and forth past 2 sets of scales....then throw in the set at home. It's killing me. I decided this Wednesday to put the scales in my house up and only get them out every Wednesday morning to weigh...yeah, they're still sitting there and i'm still weighing daily and thinking about weighing again every time I walk by....There has to be medication for this!!!! BUt so glad to know I'm not the only addict.

Welcome to the band, burp your heart out and walk your bums off!

My doc would let us add 1/4 cup fruit as long as you pureed it 'til smooth. The only reason I survived those nasty shakes was by adding SF jello and/or SF pudding...add ice and blend 'til smooth and it's almost not terrible! Enjoy!