montynic

Congrats on reaching Onederland!!! Glad to hear you are doing so well. Keep up the great work.

I lost 28lbs on the pre-op diet and have not lost a single pound since my surgery on 4/1. I have had 1 fill (5cc) but do not have any restriction whatsoever. My doctor requires 6 weeks between fills, so my next one is not until 7/8. At this point, I would be ecstatic to see a loss of even 1lb! Congrats to everyone who are dong so well. Keep up the great work!

First of all, you are not doing anything wrong. You are not alone in your frustration. I understand it completely because I have been there. In fact, the only difference in our stories is that I live in Grass Valley, CA instead of Idaho (but I still have the snow problem). I was banded on 4/1. I lost 27lbs on my self-inflicted pre-op diet, which put me at 298 on surgery day. Since that day, I have not lost any weight. In fact, I have gained and re-lost the same 15lbs over and over again. As of this morning, I am at 298 again. I have never experienced restriction. Today was my first fill (5 cc's) and I'm hoping that will get the scale moving. I can definitely feel the difference already. I am having to sip beverages more slowly and it felt like my migraine medication almost got stuck this evening. Restriction is the key! Make sure to get enough Protein. (I average 100-110g protein per day and 800-1,000 calories.) If you are looking for low-calorie, high protein meals, bariatriceating.com has excellent recipes. Hang in there!

I was banded on 4/1 and don't get my first fill until 5/27. I can hardly wait! I am so hungry!

Hey Froggie D! I know, it seems like I have fallen off the face of the Earth these days... I am in the process of opening a nonprofit counseling agency and have been so busy that I haven't even checked any of my social networking sites this week! I am doing well. The scale still has not moved, but at least I finally feel normal again. I am able to sleep on my sides and/or stomach and am able to roll around in bed without pain. I am still learning how to bend and twist without feeling an oddly painful sensation internally from my port placement. I have an appt tomorrow to hopefully advance from mushy foods to normal foods. My incisions sites are hardly noticeable and have no pain. I am anxious to resume normal activities, but my doctor does not allow that until week 6 post-op. Glad to hear you are doing well.

Congrats on your success! :ohmy: Your before and after pics are an inspiration to me! I am 5'5" and have almost the exact same starting and goal weights as you. Although, the 175 goal was set by my doctor and I wouldn't mind going lower than that. If you don't mind me asking... Do you have much excess skin? Did your cup size change significantly?

I had surgery on a Thursday (at 9a) and planned on returning to work the following Monday, which would have given me the evening after surgery and 3 full days to recover. I am 26 and my job is not strenuous at all (I'm a therapist). Had it not been for the large hernia my doctor repaired, I think I would have felt well enough to return to work on Monday. However, I ended up not returning to work until Wednesday because I was still suffering from horrible chest pains when I inhaled and was only able to take very shallow breaths, which left me dizzy and weak. Good luck!

Hello E'sMommy and congrats on your upcoming surgery! Only 2 more days! Good luck on your journey!

Welcome mishie09 and congrats on your upcoming surgery! If you haven't done so already, you should check-out the April Bandster Bunnies social group... there are quite a few of us who have had (or are having) surgery this month. Your story sounds very similar to mine... I was banded on 4/1, 2 days before my 26th birthday. I researched the band extensively and wanted it for several years before I finally reached a point in my life where I could, in fact, go through with it. With grad school complete, the messy divorce behind me, and almost 2 years of a stable relationship and drama-free life under my belt... I decided 2010 was the year for me! Good luck on your journey!

As you know, all insurances are different. I learned at my initial informational session that doctors and Centers of Excellence charge a "program fee" (the $8,500 out of pocket you are facing) to patients with certain insurances. For example, I have Blue Shield PPO and was not required to pay a program fee. However, if I would have had Blue Cross, I would have been facing a program fee. Are you sure it has to be done in CA? There are Centers of Excellence in OR (I only know that because I have family in various parts of OR that have had surgery at Centers of Excellence). If your insurance requires surgery to be done at a Center of Excellence in CA, I would recommend calling around and finding the most inexpensive program fee. Since you are already having to drive all the way to Chico, have you looked into Sacramento? There are several Centers of Excellence to choose from in Sacramento and it is only an extra hour or so from Chico. If surgery has to be done in CA, what does that mean for your post-op appts and your fills? Will you have to come back to CA for those as well? Good luck!

I would suggest calling your doctor's office and speaking with the nutritionist... That being said, I was banded on 4/1. For me, my hunger pains are best described as the feeling that my stomach is turning-in on itself and digesting itself; my stomach rumbles loudly and I feel twisting/turning/gurgling inside. My full (or too full) pains are best described as a tightness in my chest, the feeling that I have a golf ball in my throat, and pain when I inhale. So... the question remains, are you hungry or full? I don't have any restriction yet and am able to eat more than 4oz in one sitting, but I try to stick with 4oz. To do that without getting hungry, I found that I need to eat "thicker" foods, such as scrambled eggs, tuna salad, egg salad, oatmeal, mashed bananas, or chili/bean soups (pureed). The thinner foods seem to go right through me and leave me hungry. Hope this helps! Good luck!

I truly believe all the doubts, fears, thoughts, etc are perfectly normal... I had them before surgery, as did everyone else I have talked to. I was banded 4/1. The closer the date came, the more doubts I had! One of my biggest ones was that I am only 25 yrs old and am voluntarily implanting a foreign device into my body that will be there the rest of my life, as in, the next 60+ years... then I realized that I will get more enjoyment out of those years if I am thinner and healthier! I was also afraid that it might not work, but I figured that I have tried everything else at this point, so this surgery was my only option left. Granted, some people are more successful than others, and everyone loses weight at different rates... I just keep telling myself that the lapband is not a cure, it is a tool for me to utilize, and I will only be successful if I use the tool properly and follow the rules. I have had several surgeries and this one was definitely the slowest and most painful recovery, BUT I had a massive hernia repaired (one of the largest the doctor had ever repaired) which was the main source of my pain and delayed recovery. Good luck to all of you who have not been banded yet. All the second-guesses, fears, doubts, etc do eventually subside!

I also have PCOS and have experienced a great deal of change in my hormones, despite the fact that I have been on the same BCPs for the past 12 years (which have been successful in regulating my periods). I started my period 2 weeks early, during the 3rd week of my pre-op diet. Then, I started my period again when I was 1-week post-op. I had 3 days of normalcy and started my period again this morning. Grrr! My Ob/Gyn says it will take some time for my body to adjust, but assures me that my hormones will stabilize and my pills will once again make my period regular. As for the PCOS symptoms, my hair growth has increased substantially, so I am going to ask my doctor if he will give me a prescription for aldactone to manage the excess hair growth.

Hi Rebecca~ Welcome and congrats on starting your journey. My name is Nicole and I was banded on 4/1. There is a great deal of helpful information on this site, as well as a large number of supportive individuals. You should join the social group: April Bandster Bunnies... there are currently 89 of us in the group who are all having surgery in April. Remember, you are not alone on this journey. Good luck!

My doctor said no more soda... ever! The carbonation can stretch the pouch and/or cause slippage... even 6 months down the road.