general_antiope

That nurse just fed you a load of crap. The band sits on a nerve that send full feelings to your brain. It takes that nerve 20 minutes to tell you you're satisfied when you are unbanded. I dont know about you but i can destroy lots of food in 20 minutes which is why I was morbidly obese!!! When you're banded and filled properly, the nerve is almost always being touched, so you DO NOT feel the same kind of hunger as before, and when filled right you CANNOT eat the same size portions as before or you will get food stuck and feel horrible. That horrible feeling is called restriction. If you don't feel a struggle or tightness when eating or drinking, you don't have the right fill period. There are a few people who CAN eat anyway past those feelings. Those people are at serious risk for band complications. The majority of filled bandsters feel an unbelievable freedom and joy at having hunger controlled and warnings from overeating . For most people, this is all we need to lose weight rapidly, to make better choices, and to leave food addiction behind. I wish I could slap medical professionals who give misinformation. A lot of them tend to be nurses. They are not doctors!

Good luck!!

Is he operating at NYU (Tisch?) Looks like I'll get to meet you in recovery Dr. Ren (Dr. Fielding's wife!) is replacing my band 2/4 as well. Maybe we'll meet up doing our laps around the floor! That's what we did the first time, mandatory walking...maybe it's changed now, I don't know.

I'm really not sure what you just said. But you asked for help. I've been banded for 8 years and am speaking from a lot of first hand experience. You being a martyr and calling yourself bad is not going to solve your problem. Perhaps you should try talking to your doc if you don't feel you're getting the answers you need?

I completely missed these forums - I'd put together a Feb 2013 Group - hehe. Doh.

I lost like nothing until 4 months after I was originally banded. I just could not control my hunger. But once that magic fill hit, BAM! I lost a shedload

I can completely sympathize. I don't have PCOS but I have had the most aggravating issues with my band for 8 years now! Constant hardware malfunctions, and I keep thinking I'm screwing up, I'm embarrassed, etc. And I've almost gained everything back. I force myself to be positive and to NEVER GIVE UP because I know this works, it's worked before, and it will work again. The one thing you wrote that jumped out at me...avoiding your doctor. This I'm gonna harp on, because I did the same thing. I would be so humiliated to go back to my doc when I started having a leak (and didn't know it). I stopped feeling restriction so slowly I didn't notice it. That happens when you stop thinking about food But I let years pass before I went to see what was wrong. My doctor told me I was ridiculous for being embarrassed. She said "I am here to help you! The band works, PERIOD, there is no "you get used to restriction"...if you are hungry, you simply don't have the right fill." THen we found out I had a slow leak. I wasted so much time not getting it fixed. And I realized that the emotional part (embarrassment) is still a leftover of our brainwashing. Aren't we told that we're lazy, weak, gluttonous for being obese? God that's horrible. And it's true that most people think that of us. You have to consciously throw that crap out, it is useless and TOXIC to you as the extra pounds you're carrying. Tell yourself today: The doctor is there to help. If you don't like your doctor, look for a new one. if you can't get a new one, rip the band aid off and ask him/her about it. Tell him/her you're feeling embarrassed or down on yourself. I guarantee the doc will tell you that it's his/her job to keep you in the green zone, and if you're not there, they will work with you until you are. If your doc still has attitude, you may need to just advocate for yourself more. I'm glad you're getting the barium swallow. It SOUNDS like your band may have a slow leak. The mechanics of the band aren't magical. You don't ever "lose" restriction feelings if your band is filled and working. They will always be there. You haven't missed your window to lose weight...take it from someone who has had nothing but issues with the band thought it was THEIR fault! Not my fault! And it's not yours. Your job is to push and push until you feel the right restriction. In very rare cases, perhaps the band isn't going to work for you, but that's unlikely. And of course there are other options. But the odds are in your favor of getting back on track. Message me any time.

You won't feel anything - even when your band is tight. They don't fill you during surgery, your body needs to heal (and sometimes your stomach will get inflamed from being manipulated during surgery). After you get your first fills (4 - 6 weeks post op, depending on your doc) you will DEFINITELY feel different the first time you try to eat! But it's a good thing you're feeling normal.

No, belching and productive burping are two different things. Belching, you know what that is. PBing is when air gets trapped while you eat or you have something "sort of" stuck and you burp out food/liquid. It's not the same as throwing up, which is far more intense and empties your whole stomach. It sounds like you're not following the band rules. It's telling you what to do....slow down, calm down, eat small bites. If you keep ignoring the band, you are setting yourself up for some heartache (band erosion, for example. Band slippage, for example. Remaining obese for the rest of your life, for example). This will work. Surrender to the process.

Right on Carolinagirl....Negativity is a symptom of hating oneself. Haven't we all done enough of that in our lives?? I sure have. Bring back the belches, I wanna sound like a trucker and look like a hottie

Bayou, lmao "hot mess" .. that could describe me in any coordination-required class And I love the idea of small spoons and forks! It was never mentioned to me, but this second time around I'm going to do it. I've been unrestricted so long I'm basically starting over.

Spaness, I LOVE that quote, totally stealing. Thank you. LOL. asr2468, Yes, when I was banded I was scared out of my mind. But I could no longer live the way I was living and be happy. I was so off track with my life it wasn't funny. For me, getting the band was the only way I wanted to keep on living.

PrettyGirlJey congrats on taking control of your life and health!! I've been down the band road before, it was the best decision I ever made. Due to rare complications (just constant leaks and a disconnect) I'm getting rebanded, but I will go through this again and again to keep my band. Did I already mention it was the best thing I did for myself? Haha. What a journey. You will succeed as long as you WANT to succeed. The band gave me that extra edge to make better choices. I can't see straight when I'm hungry, and just having that hunger controlled and the portions slowed down was the magic for me. best of all, I love not always thinking about food, or being insecure. It really is amazing all the benefits you get from this surgery, and not JUST in the numbers on the scale! Keep us posted about your progress!

You've been through a lot before even getting to this point. There's so much ahead of you, too.What are your fears about your pending lifestyle change?What are your expectations about how this is going to change you - your life - your family and friends? Your job?What are your goals in getting this surgery? Is it to lose a number of pounds, or co-morbidities, or get to a certain size?

I don't have any "before" pics at 296. I burned them all - I am not that person and it never made me feel good to keep them. I like to focus on the positive. Here I am in 2007, around 192. Lowest weight. I was in 14's. The thinnest my face has been SO want to get back there. Here I am in 2010, after my skin removal surgery. This was not the lowest, but was the smallest I'd been (size 12 pants, L/XL shirts in "NORMAL" sizes). I was about 205. NOTHING feels like a flat belly! It was absolutely worth it. (please ignore goofy smile, I was being "sarcastic" lol) Here i am 2 months pregnant (and yes, getting married, LOL). My band was still working. I thought I would only gain 10-15 lbs max. Here I am 9 months pregnant with mah cutie pie! And about 260

This thread is home to all your pictures! Post your before shots, your before & current, or before & after.

My name is Kate. I live in the Philly suburbs. Rather than post a long paragraph about my journey so far, here are the highlights: Banded in 2004, 296 lbs, size 20 1 year later, was at 192, size 14 Stopped losing weight, took 6 months to realize I had a slow leak Continued getting fills and played with the same 20 - 30 lbs until 2009 2009 had major skin removal - breasts, arms, belt lipectomy (13 lbs of skin removed) 216 Had leaking port replaced in the same surgery 1 year post op, weighed 205, size 12 Was pretty happy and intended on losing the rest "someday" but enjoyed flatness and ability to eat in moderation Maintained for 2 years March 2011, major leak, no restriction April 2011, tube replaced (up to 210, worked hard NOT to gain, proud of 5 lb net gain) Feb 2012, first pregnancy April 2012, tube disconnected, zero restriction. Bad abdominal pain, nobody able to diagnose. Gained 65 lbs in 6 months (275 with baby at heaviest) (guess who was tired of fighting food? now add pregnancy hunger...) Dec 2012, saw lap band surgeon - verified band disconnected, no erosion. Now 255 Replacement scheduled Feb 2013 Want to get to 150 this time!

Rather than have some topics in the main forums I thought I'd start our Feb 2013 group home here. I'm poking around the group settings getting myself acclimated. Please jump in and introduce yourself here!

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/groups/show/124-february-2013-bandsters/

Group created http://www.lapbandtalk.com/groups/show/124-february-2013-bandsters/

added you all! I'm kateland there.

BTW, I've been looking for the Feb 2013 "group" here on LBT - does anyone want to start one so we have more than just one topic? I can start the group if you want.

Jennifer - Dr. Ren didn't say where, I'm assuming the left side (as opposed to the right where I have it now). To make things more interesting, after I lost the 100 lbs, I was in a unique position to get some skin removal surgery, even though I hadn't hit goal yet. So I went for it. During that surgery they removed 13 lbs of skin (!!) and replaced my port with a low profile one. It was a different doctor placing the port , so I wonder if he put it in in such a way that when I got pregnant, it stretched the tubing which became disconnected. They pulled my belly so tight! I can imagine that's why I had a disconnect.

Look at that smile!! YEAH! Congrats on your success How do you feel 7 months post op? Any non scale victories?