YoungBlackAndBanded

mine's below too!

It's also be interesting to see what you are eating, and how much. Also, how much exercise are you getting in?

I'm blogging as well. I was following a lot of blogs when I was in the "deciding" phase....not that I'm 3 weeks post op, it's been a great support system for me!

I'll be looking for your blogs! Check mine out if you want!

That's fantastic!

I agree with the user who mentioned the support group. The support group I attend has a really big clothing exchange program....and you should be able to get the basics.

I'll also be relying on the collection of smaller clothes...at least until a point.

I believe Water and other thin liquids move straight through your pouch (unless there's food in there...like right after you eat). So my answer would be no, granted that you're not drinking a huge amount after a meal.

I would say it depends on your doctor. I know my doctor was willing to 'work' with patients if it was that close. I fortunately (or unfortunately) was at a 42 BMI so it was 'easy'.

If you're only 5lbs away from being above a 40 BMI, you may work with your doctor. to either bump up your weight or lower your height an inch or two....that should do it.

Honestly, this is something that could change your life forever! I think it would be worth your while to put together the supporting documentation about your co-morbidities.....you'd regret it if the claim went in and you were denied due to insuffiecient evidence.....

I was banded on June 18. I weighed myself today and I was down 8lbs. I'm getting my appetite back and starting on mushies so I feel like I will gain that all back. I want to make sure I'm on track. I feel like all I can think about is food and my next Protein Shake. I don't get my fill for another 3 weeks, and I want to ensure I see some progress. Any suggestions for a newbie?:ohmy:

Hey, I understand what you're talking about. I was banded the same day as you, and up until a couple days ago was down 17lbs (including the loss on the pre-op diet). Well I saw my first little gain yesterday (I started mushies on the 25th) and of course I freaked out, since I was used to the downward trend over the past 3 weeks!!!

I KNOW that this first month is for healing, and pre-banding it sounded logical. BUT I can't help but get worried, especially since I'm feeling 100% again, that this will be just a temporary fix, and all the weight will come back.

Just keep reminding youself (as I do) of what you know, how this process will go. I know I have to give myself a mental check a couple times a day. I guess this freak out session is just part of the process....it'll soon pass.

Hi everyone. I am getting banded on July 7th. I have a very specific question. 10 days after surgery, I will need to get into (and out of) the backseat of a small, two-door car. It is a Toyota Yaris and the front seat slides up to make more room to enter and exit.

My question is, by ten days will I most likely be ok with the twisting/bending required to to do this?

Thank you!

~hiddnstar:confused:

I was 10 days post-op yesterday, and was back to feeling normal. I think I was back to feeling 100% at about 6 days out.

This is seriously weird. Just got an email with a reply to this thread from Savvy to herself which has now disappeared!

LMAO!!! Me too. I think she realized that the post, where she was pretending to be a supporter, was submitted under her name.

Such a shame....

Gosh this was my first post way back in January. I can say to all of you, thanks for easing my worries! My wonderful tool is working like it should be, still needs a bit of tweeking, but I am losing steadily about a pound or two per week. Closer to the pound, but so long as it goes away I dont' care!

It has been work, but oh so much easier since I am not feeling hungry. I do battle the head hunger, but I win out about 98% of the time!

Today is a birthday party for my youngest DD. I had a fill on Wednesday so I am still on liquids and maybe mushies if I can tolerate them today. The best part--I don't even care about the food. I am not hungry and the old stuff I used to eat really no longer appeals to me.

Next challenge Disney World...My guess is with all that walking I'll be fine, and since my tastes have changed I am not worried about eating things that are over the top in calories!

I think this is FANTASTIC on so many levels!!!! Just 5 months ago you were worried about not being able to lose with the band....look at you now!!! Inspiration!

Betsy...what do you do to burn that many calories a day? WOW!

I think she meant exercise + what your body burns daily just by living.

I try to stay between 900-1100

I didn't know they had smaller ports. I only know of the Realize port and the LAP-BAND® port. I have the realize band and the port is pretty flat. I can't see any protusions, but I can definitely feel it. I worry about other people hugging me and feeling it. I'm still at the beginning stages of this process. Haven't had my second fill yet, but I'd love to know more about smaller ports that don't protrude.

Thanks for asking the questions.

D

I believe for the realize band there is only one size port, but the lap-band has two.

Perhaps I would take the guidelines more seriously if they didn't vary so much from doctor to doctor, practice to practice and manufacturer to manufacturer. It would also help if my doctor hadn't proved to be more of a LAP-BAND® mill than a caring practitioner. I imagine those with a sheep mentality are the most successful being banded - you know, those folks who take direction without question. Unfortunately that is not who I am. I also think that for many of us, if following a diet were the issue we wouldn't be banded. food is my drug of choice, as I have to imagine is true for many. This takes long term behavior modification - with any luck the band is a tool that aides in that modification, not another obstacle. I have to admit to not being as prepared as perhaps I should have been. However, no matter the preparation, no one can tell you exactly how the band is going to feel in your body. I am not going to whine about a slip because I drank soda, any more than I would whine about a slip because I was vomiting meat that was apparently too tough. This is trial and error. There are many allowed foods/beverages that can be problematic and are patient specific. And... my banded dietician told the group that she never gave up her Diet Coke.... Mixed messages much?

If there are any folks that have been successful without being saints I would love to hear from you. I have found that this has been far more challenging & frustrating than I ever anticipated.

Thanks.

I tend to SOMEWHAT agree with some of the things you said. There are A LOT of variations from doctor to doctor. For example some doctors have their patients on an after fill diet. My doctor requires no such thing. So which one is right???

At the same time, I chose my doctor because I believed him to be the best, and most competent to do this surgery so, I will follow his advice. There is a saying that goes "if you do what you've always done, you will get what you've always got".....I've dieted on my own with no success, so I am choosing to follow the advice of a professional who has been around the block a few times.

I'll also say, there is a difference between taking advice without question, and taking advice from someone who knows more than you. I don't believe that lab banders that follow their doctors advice are by definition 'stupid'. Perhaps they are educated patients who have done thier research and are working with a professional they trust.

You need a fill but you also need to learn to slow down and chew properly first. As you say you seem to be suffering with user error.After a fill the problems will only get worse.

I would call what you are doing PBing even if you are not actually burping. Vomiting comes from the stomach not from above the band.

Also don't expect a reall small amount of food to be able to keep you full from one meal to the next. that is a fairly unrealistic expectation and can lead to being too tight. To stay full you need to be able to eat a reasonable amount of food. You may also find that you need a healthy planned snack inbetween meals - i know i do. I cannot go from lunch at approx noon to dinner at 7pm without eating something inbetween.

This is suprising to me! I haven't been banded yet, but I was under the impression that a small amount of food WOULD keep me full from meal to meal. Was your experience different earlier in the game?

My husband wanted to go the the buffet with his friend so I said we could go. I dont like going to buffets ever even before I have been banded. But I wasnt paying full price for something I wasnt going to eat.. The woman at the register was very rude ,.. she didnt understand what my card was for or what I was even asking. Some people can be sooooo ignorant.. Needless to say I havent eaten out and used the card since. But I dont eat out anyway.

This is the first time I'm hearing about the card, but UGHH that would be my nightmare, for the waitstaff to not know what it is, and cause a huge disturbance!! I feel for you....

Why not just ask the administrator who is organizing the contest? If they say WLS patients are allowed to enter than enter, if not, then just continue losing on your own!

As long as your follow the rules they have set out, whether it's theoretically 'fair' or 'cheating' won't matter.

I'm with you, I'm on day 5 and am not doing so well. I must admit I did 'cheat' once with an animal cracker, but I'm not beating myself up about it.

My surgeon has me on a liquid diet limited to 800 cals. How I get those calories are up to me, but they highly reccomend Protein shakes. I've been doing three shakes a day and a Soup for lunch with Water to drink.

There is NOTHING good about this stage, except maybe when it's over!!

Good luck!

According to my doctor, gallstones are common in lapband patients. If you are female and obese your chances of developing gallstones is increased. Also, if you experience rapid weight loss your risks are increased. I'm not going to pretend I know the morphology of how gallstones form, but it is something that is common in WLS patients.

I hope to get below 180 by next year (65# lost). That was my HS weight, and although it was heavy, I still felt pretty good. I think that's reasonable!

Hey guys I'm blogging too! There is such a wealth of knowledge out there in the blogging world I had to be a part of it!

This to me highlights your clinics lack of "banding training". They should have told you before surgery that the band has no (or very little) Fluid in it when it's placed during surger, and the initial restriction you feel is due to swelling.

Like another poster said, what you're experiencing is 'bandster hell'! It will pass. Your goal during the first 4 - 6 weeks should not be weight loss (although for most if does occur), but instead healing, making sure your band heals properly so it will work as expected later on.

good luck.

I get on here often, but there isn't really a section that I want to contribute to. Mainly...I would just like to hear how your day went as you progress thru this new change.

How often do you think about this? Did you encounter someone today that made you feel good about your decision?

I went to a Women's Expo this weekend. Some guy wanted to sell me some stuff for a few hundred dollars that would do everything in a matter of 6 weeks. I have never believed in doing anything short term. I only believe in life style changes. He told me that I was wasting my time with LAP-BAND®...but wouldn't it be wasting my time more with a temporary 6 week program?? It really pissed me off. I've always been an active athlete.

Anyway...that is my rant for the day. I hope you can share your ups, downs, and discoveries of the day.

Hey! I'm with you, I like to know the daily stuff, but do come on here to find answers to some questions I may have. I would suggest (if you aren't already) following some blogs (blogger.com has some fantastic ones). There are alot of banded gals (and guys) on there, and you can follow thier journey! Here are a couple of my favs....

Chronicles from Band Land

Once Upon A Time...In the Land of cheese and Sunkist

Just a thought.

Only a real idiot would do that. If somebody looks forward to and enjoys gorging themselves then they should not even consider LAP-BAND® surgery.

Eating like overstuffed hogs is what got us fat in the first place. We either want to change or we don't.

That was a little harsh!

Anyway, if you look at the band as a lifestyle change, then I don't believe it does you any favours to unfill just so you can overeat. You can still enjoy the foods on your vacations, just less of them. I would find this even MORE enjoyable as you'll have a lot less guilt (and weight gain)!

I find that journaling is a good way to lay out, in black and white, what you have comsumed. I tend to stick to pretty much the same foods, and am still in the pre-op phase, but I'm looking at lap-band as a life change, and not as a fad diet. Therefore, I'll journal once in a while, maybe when I'm introducing a new food, but I definately don't plan on making it an everyday occurance, it just feels too 'diety' for me.