Woodstock girl

I wouldn't lie to anyone. I just wouldn't disclose my personal medical conditions to anyone. If they ask, tell them you are on a diet - that's the truth! If anyone asks directly if you had weight loss surgery, and you are uncomfortable talking about it, I would just say, "My, aren't you the nosy one!" or "Why do you want to know?" It really is nobody's business if you don't want to talk about your weight loss and I see nothing wrong with telling someone it's a sore spot and you would rather not talk about it.

My husband and one friend are the only ones that know. So many people who don't have this problem can be judgmental. I've heard people say that weight loss surgery is taking the easy way out. There's nothing easy about it! We all have our reasons for doing this - most of us have tried everything else without success. To me its a very personal thing that I don't care to share with acquaintances.

Right now, I am thinking I'm at the sweet spot and won't need another fill unless something drastic changes. If I'm still this tight by Monday, I will ask them to take out 1/10 cc to try to fine tune it. It has taken me 6 hours to eat 1 small piece of toast with peanut butter and a small amount of protein shake. There's no way I will be able to eat anything else for a couple of hours and by then it will be 4:00 and I have barely eaten anything. I worked out with my trainer this morning and am trying to lose the weight. I've gotten used to not having sugar anymore and i actually like that Truvia that is made from the best part of stevia. It doesn't taste bitter. My natural doctor told me to stay away from Splenda because it is a neurotoxin. I can't wait to have my blood tested to see how low my sugar and cholesterol are now!!

I have no idea what that could be from this far out from surgery. Have you tried stretching your shoulder? Stand in the doorway with your hands on each side of the door frame and lean into to it to stretch the front of your chest and shoulders. Then bring one arm across your body in a hug and hold it to stretch the back of your shoulder. If that doesn't help, perhaps a chiropractor??

Astrasmom, since you just had your fill yesterday, you can expect some of the swelling to go down in the next few days so you won't be quite as tight as you are now. Then you will be able to determine if you really are at the sweet spot. I had a fill Wednesday - it was soooo tight that I couldn't keep down water that night, but every morning feels a little better. I will probably know by Monday if I am at the sweet spot.

I agree that the lap band is more expensive in the long run. You've had a lot happen in a short time!! So sorry to hear about your port. Your doc sure charges a lot for fills - mine are $70.

I'm sure you are right Denise.

I guess I should just be happy with what I have.

Since you are going to the gym so much, you are probably replacing fat with muscle. Muscle weighs the same as fat, but takes up less room in the body, hence the drop in sizes. You have lost 36 lbs! That's a lot of weight!! And you are gaining muscle which will help you lose more weight. I agree with the others that you should keep working the program, watch what you are eating and stay away from bad carbs such as sugar and flour. Eat more complex carbs from fruit and veggies. Don't give up - it will happen. We are all losing weight and working the program at the same rate -- one day at a time!!

I'm going to baby it for a while longer and see if it relaxes a little more. If it does, I am pretty sure I will be at the sweet spot. If it doesn't relax a bit by Monday, I will ask the doc to remove 1/10th of a cc.

The malabsorption and permanent alteration of my stomach is why I didn't do bypass. I'm sure I will like my band more when I feel better. This is the hardest fill I've ever had. Neither bypass or band is a cure - it's just a tool and we have to work the program in order for it to work. Both procedures have pros and cons.

That's how I feel too. I so wish I had gotten bypass! I hate this band, truly I do. Of course, once I'm not feeling so sick, I will probably love it again! lol

I'm off sugar, but I still wish I had gotten bypass. As one lady said, when you are trying to get something unstuck or vomiting because you started eating before your stomach was ready for real food, it is a good wish.

No, I would have gotten gastric bypass. The reason is because I am a sugar addict and with the bypass, you absolutely cannot eat sugar without vomiting. We were talking about this at our support meeting last week, and many of us agreed that bypass is better for sugar addicts because you can just about eat anything you want with a band, including sugar. Another reason is because I cannot stand the way I feel after having fills in my band. The feeling of everything stuck in my throat, the nausea, yuck. Plus there is always a chance of the band eroding and having to have another surgery to get a new one. More insurance hassles. With bypass, the weight comes off faster too. So knowing what I know now, I wish I would have had a bypass. I realize not everyone agrees with me though. I'm losing weight with the band,

For me, it was about 4 months from my first appointment to my surgery date. Had to jump through the hoops with all the appointments you mentioned. I had already fulfilled the insurance company's requirement of being on a diet for 6 months prior to my first appointment, so this made getting approved go much faster.

As you lose weight, the port position will change. My doc tells me exactly which way he can get into it and for me to tell him next time. This helps a lot. I'm tight right now too and have been teetering on having a small unfill. But I think I will see how I do. Other people say you swell when you get a fill and this makes it harder for several days. My doc also told me the restriction comes from how much they put in your band at one time. He gave me 2 cc once and it was too much of a restriction, so he took one out. The next fill, he only put in 1 cc and I felt no restriction, then 1.5 the next time and I barely felt anything. Like you, I have been able to eat anything, but trying to use a bit of self control and not eat bad things. Also discovered if I don't exercise, I don't lose. I had a fill yesterday and this time the doc bumped it up again on the amount, and I feel soooo tight. I couldn't even keep down Water last night, but that's better this morning, so I guess a little swelling went down overnight. I'm going to play it by ear and try to enjoy my new restriction. Restriction is what we want, right? If it's a little uncomfortable and slows us down, that's a good thing, I hope. Talk to you doc about this issue.

That should definitely help. You will be starving by the time you get to regular food again! lol

Why do you have to wait so many days to go back on regular food? My doc just tells me to drink liquids for 24 hours after a fill, then back to regular. However, I have a feeling that this fill will change my regular, which is good. I've been eating too much because I didn't feel a restriction.

I feel a little better this morning. Still very restricted, but not having hiccups or vomiting. I guess some of the swelling went down overnight. Water is staying down now, so will try a little protein shake. If it stays down, I will not have any fill removed and try to love my new restriction. I lost 3 lbs yesterday. Hard way to do it though!

So far water is not staying down. So I guess I will call them in the morning.

Wish I had known that too. It's hard for me to get that much protein, but if I had known about this, I would have tried harder to get more.

I am having a hard time holding liquids down tonight. It has only been 5 hours since my fill, and I am having a bit of vomiting. The vomiting actually makes me feel better. I'm thinking I'm a little too tight, but maybe it will get better in a couple of days as the swelling goes down. What do ya'll think?

Everything you are feeling is normal. Also don't be surprised if you start hurting in your left shoulder - this is from the gas they blow up your belly with, and the pain will go away after a few days. Good luck with your weight loss journey!!

I have Cigna through my husband's employer, and it paid for everything. They required me to be on a diet for 6 months before they would approve.

I have 4 or 5 fills and I think I am about 7 or 7.5 cc. Had a fill this afternoon and am very restricted right now. Having a lot of belly noises, hiccups and burps. Slowly sipping protein shake. Tried a couple bites of baby food, but it came back up. I'm not ready to say I am over-filled because I haven't been feeling any restriction. I have no problem eating pasta, rice, or bread. Bummer.