SoccerMomma73

Okay, over all, you're health is worth more than $600 but darn that sees steep....it wouldn't have stopped me, but I'd have had to whine about it a bunch anyway.

I'm 48 hours post first fill and in absolute heaven. I know it's likely temporary but I'm savoring every second while it lasts..and now I'm remembering why I had this surgery in the first place. I had a little breakfast around 7, had a nice little lunch around 12:30, ate what I wanted without problem and was very satisfied, at a little dinner around 6:30. I got a teeny bit hungry around 5:00 but was driving home and had nothing to snack on so just drank my water and was fine....this is how is should be. Just enjoying it instead of worrying how long 'til my next meal... I do realize I'll likely loosen up over the next couple days but it was so nice to have this time to revive me and remind me how it will be someday soon on a regular basis. Good luck to all of you starving before your first fill, I hope you get at least a few days of heaven like I have!:thumbup:

Just tread water and do the best that you can until you get there...and you will get there, it just seems like eternity those last couple days. Remember the big goal, a week is nothing! You can handle it and you'll do great. Good luck, I'm cheering for ya!

WooHoo!!! You go girl! It's so nice to hear someone ready to enjoy life, I hope your husband is ready for you to dance him into the ground!

My five year old son says I burp like a pirate now...I think he's proud of me! And ya know, there's just not really any way to stop 'em, I've tried!

My first was yesterday too and while really minimal pain over all, it was WEIRD....Yes, I watched, yes I'm a freak, they had me sit up and then put some in, took some out, I kept looking at this little port thing sticking out of me thinking well that's just freaky...but all in all it was a piece of cake. Majorly cool that they can do that!

An awesome self discovery I'd say! I'm a chewer...I miss chewing and am ready for something a little more substantial!

Or in the band as the case may be. That was one of the weirdest things I've ever felt! It was a piece of cake but felt very very odd. I apparently have a 14 cc band now complete with 4.4 cc of saline. I'm on liquids for 2 days then mushies for 2 days then I get to take the next step up and start MEAT...ground meat but still, meat, woohoo!! I have restriction today and would love love love it if it stayed with me but am guessing I'll be like most everyone else and lose this wonderful feeling of fullness in the near future. Next fill (if needed) scheduled for Feb. 15, my doc will not fill before 4 weeks, even if you're starving won't do it. Life is good, on to the next stage of the journey! WOOHOO!:w00t:

Or in the band as the case may be. That was one of the weirdest things I've ever felt! It was a piece of cake but felt very very odd. I apparently have a 14 cc band now complete with 4.4 cc of saline. I'm on liquids for 2 days then mushies for 2 days then I get to take the next step up and start MEAT...ground meat but still, meat, woohoo!! I have restriction today and would love love love it if it stayed with me but am guessing I'll be like most everyone else and lose this wonderful feeling of fullness in the near future. Next fill (if needed) scheduled for Feb. 15, my doc will not fill before 4 weeks, even if you're starving won't do it. Life is good, on to the next stage of the journey! WOOHOO!:thumbup:

Connor is 5 1/2 and is the light of my life. He was 5 days old (yes five days old) when, err, the police called and told me there was a warrant out for my husband and that they felt my son and I were not safe...That was the day we left and the last time we saw him so it's been just the 2 of us since the beginning (with grandparents to help, thank God). It was an interesting beginning but we are awesome, he's my side kick and I am apparently the most awesome mom in the whole wide world if he is to be believed. He has been hysterical with this surgery, held my hand when I walked down stairs, kissed my tummy to make me feel better...he's a good kid, AND was starting to get a little tiny bit chubby so this has been good for both of us. And now...it's time to take care of me! All I can say is keep working towards your goal. I'm still new at this (first fill today WOOHOO!) and just can't wait to see what this year holds for me. I've had days that weren't easy and bandster hell is a pain in the butt but it's so worth it! Good luck with everything, I'm very proud of you for taking the time to start taking care of you!

My office Christmas party was smack dab in the middle of my 2 week liquids, I e-mailed my nurse and said "hypothetically, if I went out to dinner and had a drink or two would there be any issues?" She responded "hypothetically there wouldn't be any problems so hypothetically enjoy yourself but get back on the diet the next day". I love her :thumbup: I also cheated with celery, cauliflower, and egg whites...the egg whites (I take the yoke out due to calorie content) filled me better than anything....I behaved better post-op.

My questions would be fill related. How often can you have a fill, does he/she allow variation from patient to patient or is it a set 4 weeks, 6 weeks, whatever between. How do they determine how much to put in, again, a random number? Or do they work with you while filling to see what makes you feel resistance? You want someone who will work with you and isn't stuck with a set formula of we do A then B then C....Good luck!!

The staples of my full liquid diet and the only things that kept me from starving TO DEATH were the greek yogurt (that i hated but could add a little splenda to and tolerate), pureed bean soup, and then another woup that consisted of homemade chicken broth, fat free refried beans, salsa, and some low fat sour cream pureed to heck (at times I added cheese to this but usually didn't). The refried bean soup was so good my five year old ate it as much as I did! You can do it, you'll get there! (but if it doesn't get better call your surgeon and see if he cares if you move to mushies early)

Wow, you and are are twins in the relationship department! My weight issues date back to childhood but I too married a man who later decided he wanted to quit his job and sit at home (this, naturally, was announced AFTER I got pregnant, not before). We divorced (he actually ended up going off to prison, not a nice guy) then died from uncontrolled hypertension at the ripe old age of 39....So I too am living the life of single mom with no support....Can you say STRESS??? Anyway, good luck with your appointments, it's all worth it in the end for a healthy you!!

My first fill is scheduled for tomorrow! YAY!! When I got home Friday I had a message on my answering machine to remind me (like I could possibly forget this appointment) and telling me to call and reschedule if I was sick, had a cold, rash, or open sores. I have none of the above but I do have 3 small scabs right along the incisions (5), I e-mailed my doc's nurse (whom I absolutely adore) to make sure this wasn't an issue today and she said it might be, to come on in anyway but not to be too disappointed if he wouldn't do the fill until they were totally gone. So now, I'm ANXIOUS...they don't look infected, they aren't red or draining or anything and are fairly small (the width of the incision and at the longest 1/2 inch long), but can't be picked off, lord knows I tried! Anyone ever had issues with this? Due to scheduling issues at work I won't be able to make it back to the surgeon's office for 2 weeks if they cancel me...The thought of 2 more weeks without a fill...OY! Keep your fingers crossed!!!:smile2:

I'm doing a low fat cheese stick late morning and low fat yogurt late afternoon to keep me from binging like a mad woman....Fill tomorrow! I don't expect perfection but I hope there's at least some restriction, right now there's essentially nothing

Less than 48 hours until fill time. I'm back on a self imposed liquid diet, just kinda queasy and not feeling great (likely related to the amount of GUNK my head is creating draining into my stomach). Hang in there everyone, it will get better!!! For one brief moment last week I thought "I should have gotten the darn bypass" but no, no, I'm glad I didn't, just ready for a little restriction.

Lap band is more work at first, but recent articles I've read show that long term weight loss can be as good with a band as with a bypass and in some cases band patients keep the weight off better. Now, these are band patients who follow the rules (at least most of them) and get their fills when they need them. My mom had a bypass MANY years ago before they realized how many Vitamin deficiencies, etc were associated with the surgery and before they followed you so closely. She has had multiple episodes of anemia, some really serious, but she's kept the weight off...because she works her butt off exercising to keep it off. I have multiple patients both lap band and bypass who have gained every ounce back and then some. I have multiple patients, both lap band and bypass that you would never believe were ever obese...it's all in what you do with the surgery....neither is a magic bullet (dammit) and you still have to work to get where you want and stay where you ....I know I'm no help! Sorry I chose a lap band mainly because I'm willing to exercise and eat healthy and I feel like I just need a little help to tell me when to STOP...and I feel like it's a safer surgery with less long term risk.... GOOD LUCK!!

Funny enough I got a surgery date before I ever went to my surgery consult. I met him on 12/3 and surgery was on 12/16....they scheduled it as soon as my insurance company gave the approval (I had to do his seminar, a support group meeting, and the dietician's meeting-actually conference call-before they would submit to insurance)...I guess I got lucky!

I go Tuesday for my first (surgery date 12/16) and I'm SOOOO hoping it will at least take the edge off and decrease my hunger...I'm not expecting a miracle and to have it perfect this very first time (though it WOULD be nice) but I'm hoping I can at least feel something with this fill....anxiously awaiting!

Good luck with the process and your surgery. I would encourage you to investigate the lap band further before making a definite decision. I'm a family practice physician assistant and have at least 6 (probably more) patients who had a gastric bypass, lost a bunch of weight, and now weigh more than 300 pounds...they just ate and ate until everything was stretched back out and now it's like they never had the surgery. Yes, the lap band diet is tougher butyou're likely to be healthier in the long run....Again, good luck with everything!

I didn't find this site until I was 2 weeks post-op and googled,2 weeks post-op from lab band and STARVING...I spent almost a week convinced I had done the wrong thing and woud be miserable forever then discovered this freaking "bandster hell" is totally normal!!! I wish the doc, the nurse, the nutritionist, someone had mentioned I'd go from full to starving in a matter of days, it would have put my mind at ease...They also gave me the impression that 3-4 oz of fluids would fill me and I wouldn't be able to drink/eat more, not so.... Other than that I think they actually prepped me fairly well. Good luck with your decision!

Mushies are heaven, thankfully I got to start 'em 2 weeks post op. You ROCK for sticking to liquids so long! My doc doesn't allow scrambled eggs until 8 weeks post op, he's had people get stuck multiple times on them apparently. My first mushies was a bowl of bean soup with a variety of beans, carrots, potatoes and a few saltines in it. It was like a little piece of heaven in a bowl and I was STUFFED for the first time in a month. I lived off it for most of a week actually. I've also been doing a lot of ham spread, put a chunk of turkey ham (or regular ham but the turkey variety is better for you) in the food processor 'til it's chopped to bits, throw in a couple boiled eggs (I take out the yolks, again, carb/fat content) then mix in low fat mayo and mustard. Spread on melba toast or low fat wheat thins (my new best friend)...fills me up and loads of protein between the ham and the egg whites and my 5 year old son LOVES it (says it looks gross but tastes yummy). Those plus string cheese and yogurt make up the majority of my diet right now. Good luck, enjoy your first good chew!

Gas pain is a bear. I didn't pass much on the lower end but eventually burped like I'd never burped before, for days in a row (err, in fact am still burping more than I ever had and long and low...not nice girly burps) and oh my goodness did I feel better. Gas-x and walking saved my life. It's not the worst pain in the world, but it is miserable, and it does pass

Waiting sucks, sucks, sucks! But it's so worth it Good luck, it'll be over before you know it and you'll be on the other side!