general_antiope

It's so much easier to belittle, mock and put down a person or idea than to understand them or try to think of a solution. I expected better from people who have spent a good portion of their lives being belittled, mocked, and put down by other people. Surprising. I'm pretty offended. If the subject bothers you, kindly keep your negative attitude to yourself and stop following the thread.

Shel, I had anxiety and anger when I lost 100 lbs. I would get unsolicited attention from men and would be so angry I would cry. I felt invaded and powerless - all cause someone whistled at me. It did go away, but it is a process!! I think you are right on with getting the mental/emotional support. Dirich, your feelings are not only normal but valid. You should be anxious, you should worry you might fail! It helps you set the right habits from day 1. This is not a guaranteed success. This isn't a magic wand, you are responsible for your weight loss. But the fun part is, there is no diet that (for me) was as easy or as successful as my band living. You will start to see food differently as time goes on. This isn't like other diets you've done because the food addiction hasn't ever been addressed. The band helps you become uninterested in food which is a whole world away from "eating less calories." Everyone can eat less calories and lose weight, but for us, we need something to help us stop focusing on food. The band does that through crushing hunger and preventing overeating (or slowing it down with pain and throw up). Like a previous poster said, this is a great solution because of the number of people who keep it off long term. None of the other diet options out there (food only) have this kind of success rate! Good luck and keep the faith.

I got dizzy from not hitting at least 1000 calories a day. This wasn't acceptable as I am on maternity leave and often out with my 4 month old! I started on mushies early and feel a million times better. I would ask your docs if you can start in on thick liquids, something that allows you more variety and calories.

OK onamission I made you an admin. Feel free to start new topics, pin some, etc Thank you so much for the help! You can edit my posts too (specifically thinking of the Surgery Dates thread where I try to keep up with past and pending surgeries) I'm going to be MIA tomorrow (out with family) but if you PM me any questions I can definitely answer you from my phone. Have a great Sunday!

I am also still super bloated in my abdomen! Today I felt worse, actually, in my lower belly (intestines) so I took gas X and stayed on soup all day. Had mild nausea, too, but after a short nap felt better. My baby girl was up a couple times last night and I am just trashed exhausted. My husband is still sleeping a lot from his bout with a virus this week and I've definitely been doing more than I should! Today he gave me a break and I feel better having rested more than be on my feet. I felt hungry for dinner so I roasted a very small chicken thigh and pureed it with 1/2 cup mashed potatoes. Ahhh, totally filling and low calories. I'm still low in the calories area so I'm currently drinking Special K's protein water (pink lemonade). Shockingly good Only 5g protein and 5g fiber, but I'll take it!

Thanks!!

The math will owe you - always! And after a sudden 14 lb loss your body is probably panicking thinking its in danger. I imagine my body's moaning over the lack of cheese and bread and putting up a toddler tantrum by not letting go of the fat stores that its been raiding to keep itself running. i just have to wait it out - toddlers will cry themselves to sleep eventually Don't lose faith, the lack of weight loss, if your intake is what you say, is just temporary. This is all normal and ill say it one more time because it will always be true: the math will owe you.

I just got rebanded after my initial surgery 8 years ago. My band hasn't slipped so much as constantly sprung a leak from every part possible. After two fixes I had a disconnect. Lost 100 lbs and then after pregnancy gained 50 back. So far so good. I'll let you know how I do this time next year

This scares me a little. I am happy that you feel great, though

This!

You can't heal from any other conditions or issues on 600-800 calories. That is starvation mode ... deliberate anorexia. Your body needs a lot more than that just to carry out basic daily functions, like at least 1500-2000. THat's why the starvation threshold is about 1000. You gotta keep the lights on, or the whole place blows.

Yes Gas X works! Just banded on 2/4 and same thing, pain meds did nothing for the gas pain. Walking, Gas X, and shedding your embarrassment about farting and belching, lol. You won't care once a good one comes out and the pressure eases! I was moaning in happiness, lmao.

Awesome!! It's crazy how fast you bounce back, isn't it? People would say the pain was 90% gas and 10% incision, but right after surgery I was inclined to believe something went Horribly Wrong, I was so in pain, LMAO. And then walking and farting...well...now I feel amazing. It makes me laugh every time.

I did go through this the first time I was banded. I thought, holy crap, I had something foreign implanted in my body that has screwed me for life (or as long as I kept it in). But as I healed from surgery, and the band completely melted into the background (before my first fill) I started going back to my previous habits and did not lose weight. I then got angry because I thought it, like everything else I ever tried to do, had failed. But once I got the magic fill, the entire world changed. Literally. I lost 100 lbs effortlessly. And I could not love my band more, and I've had 8 years of leaks and disconnects!! I was just rebanded on Monday, finally...and no regrets this time. I know what's in store for me....a size 8 for the first time in my life!

Great advice already on this thread - the purpose of the band is to restrict your volume and speed on solid, healthy food. Liquids and mush are not the goal of band living. If, after 3+ years of being banded, you are in this place, it is not a good place. But I don't know your history (as you skipped it) and I wouldn't presume to diagnose you Definitely keep us posted, it's helpful to know what others are going through.

Why yes we are I agree, restriction number has no standard! It's different by person.

That wasn't what I meant - it's silly for someone to not know what is happening in their own body...OP said the doc doesn't tell her what he's filling. That's problem #1. If she's had multiple fills and months and months later still is feeling no restriction, she is perfectly empowered to ask for a bigger fill (if doc agrees with it). I'm saying this should not be a one way relationship, doctor to band. It should be a three way conversation.

I started out 8 years ago telling people about the band. I was excited, I had researched the hell out of it and answered/resolved a lot of my fears, and was adjusted (pun intended) to the idea. For the most part, I got positive or no comments, but very few negative comments about my decision. Once I was banded, and losing weight, it started to become less novel and more of an everyday tool. Nothing exciting about that. It's like that sparkly pink ink pen that you coveted as a kid lost its magic once you started to write with it...and write...and write...! The same thing happened with the band. I loved it, it worked, but it was a harsh master and would ruin events if I didn't follow the rules. It would make me decide whether I wanted to go out on a given night. It became so big and familiar to my friends that it practically needed its own chair at the table. My friends would ask if a restaurant was okay, what could I eat, and basically make a fuss with the best intentions that became, frankly, tiresome. But the band got boring around food, too. The novelty of eating tiny amounts like I had one of those enviable "bird like appetites" in public waned. There I was, talking, nibbling at my meal, eating healthy for the band (but under-eating to the rest of the world) and the waitress would come over and ALWAYS ask me if everything was okay. It got embarrassing after a while. I would start out by joking that I was a slow eater and a fast talker, then moved to asking for a doggie bag at the beginning of the meal and pretending I wasn't hungry, and finally started "sort of" lying and saying I had an issue with my esophagus and had to eat small meals and quantities. Explaining the band to complete strangers was just too exhausting and time consuming...and I became embarrassed again explaining myself to waiters in front of the same coworkers and friends. It's like the band was this huge elephant in the room. (lol) For me, though, the sparkly pink pen had lost its luster and it was just a writing implement. There were more interesting things to say and learn and do rather than discuss my digestion and caloric intake. I think this turning point of my relationship with the band had it good and bad parts. The band becoming every day and boring was great because it was working in the background, and I respected it, and we both were happy. But it was so unbelievably easy to start forgetting that yeah I might need calories but it DID NOT need to be a chocolate chip cookie. That's when you start learning how to eat around the band, because the sheen of respect has worn off. I want to remember this going into my rebanding.

MsMaui thank you for posting your story. I think its important for people to know what kind of experiences are out there. Some complications are because of the band, some are exacerbated by the band, and some have nothing to do with the band. It's not clear from your initial post where you were coming from with respect to the above three purposes for posting about complications. it may have been helpful if you included that. I noticed the same thing in your other thread about "Thinking Of Revising to VSG good info". The point of the post was vague and it is natural to think the worst when the poster doesn't clarify. It came across as misleading and possibly deliberate. As far as your problems, that's just awful and I'm sorry you've dealt with it this long. And I'm sorry you're losing your band but it doesn't sound like it is compatible long term with your existing conditions. I hope VSG or whatever you choose is a better solution and this stops being a negativ issue in your life. There's too much great stuff to experience without being hindered by pain or even Internet arguments. Best wishes.

Demand to know your cc's. refuse to leave the office until YOU are happy with the restriction. He may be filling you too slowly - if you felt the right restriction before, accept no substitute. Be your own advocate! You shouldn't be hungry.

Congrats!!

As I see it... Some people come here and want the easy answer and not have to look it up themselves, or call their doctor. And other people here want to force their experience as the experience everyone else should have. (Kind of like how you're saying you don't need guidance, because you're self sufficient, so this whole idea is ludicrous; but that isn't everyone else's personality. People have different needs). Yeah, it's infuriating and annoying sometimes to see the dynamic of clueless newbie and pushy "non veteran", yes. But that doesn't mean those two kinds of people should be left to fend for themselves when this entire forum is about education and information. There needs to be some structure to complement the freedom of speech. Alex, I think some of the biggest areas of content that might need a committee for answering questions are: 1. Lap Band General Info 2. Forum Help (navigating, tips and tricks, signatures, tickers etc) 3. Pre and Post Op Banding The other forums seem to be self-explanatory and may not need such moderating. The three subjects above seem to be where most of the contention occurs between what kind and quality of help people are getting.

Jill, bring stretchy clothes a size too big, an easy pullover T shirt or a zip up/button front. The key here is comfort - you will be very bloated with air. I bought a thin cotton stretchy bra too. Because of where the incisions are, sometimes bras irritate them. I also brought slippers. THere was no way in heck I was leaning over to tie on sneakers