khunt719

I go for my second banding (first one unbuckled) on March 14th. My pre-op diet starts on the 1st so I am enjoying all that I can for now. Not excited about going through surgery again but not excited about being fat for the rest of my life either.

I was banded 9-28-09 and since then I lost about 20 lbs, I told the doctor that my stomach didn't feel the same because I gained 30 lbs, so he did a barium swallow. He found out that my band unbuckled. So I go back into surgery 3-14-11. Thank God for insurance. Wish me luck.

I got 2 cc's in a 10 cc band my first fill. That was last Oct. I have gone back every month since then for a fill and go back this coming Tuesday and should be at 9.5 cc's. I want to be as tight as possible so I stay full the longest, that is my goal. The weight hasn't come off like I wanted it to but I didn't use the band like it should have been so I gained at first and ate what I wanted. I should go for a barium fill to see where I am at. Maybe for my last fill. My surgeon does the water test. I lay down on the table, he has me hold my legs up, finds the port injects a pain killer, waits a minute and then does the fill. I sit up and drink about a 1/4 of a cup of water and if it stays down I make my next appt for one month out. It's a wonderful process, very quick, painless and easy. Wouldn't want it any other way.

Right before surgery I had the Mirena IUD put in so I don't have a period or pms anymore so I never had to deal with it after having surgery. But if you are craving salt, eat some mashed potatoes. I used to love mashed potatoes when I was on mushy foods. That and apple sauce were my weakness.

After surgery, I just wanted to eat everything in site and felt sad when I realized that I could only drink it. I didn't use the band the way it should be used and gained weight for 6 months after getting it. After reading on this site, I came to understand how I should eat and what to eat. But in the beginning I was still using food to cover up any sadness, happiness, depression, gladness, excitedness, any feeling I had I used food to comfort me or to celebrate. That is how my family has done it for years. I had to come to the reality that I had to change the way I looked at food and couldn't eat myself happy anymore. That is when the band started working for me. I think the sadness comes from losing the friend (food) you have come to rely on.

I have been banded since sept 09, I haven't lost much weight but try every month to at least lose 1-3 lbs like the surgeon wants. I have 9cc's in a 10 cc band and go for another fill this coming Tuesday. There are days when I can eat a horse and others that I can't even eat because I am so tight but I would rather just drink protein shakes and not eat then to eat everything in site. So I'll take the chance to get stuck by eating healthy foods and just chew well and hope it goes down okay. I've only had a few stuck moments and thought I would rather die but it is so worth the pain than being as fat as I was. I'll take the feeling of puking and the watering of the mouth anytime. It sucks but it is better than where I was before surgery.

It's Vegas for me. Get my fill on Tuesday and leave on Sunday for the Sin City. I'm not afraid of anything. My husband and I plan on sharing a meal so I won't get too full. I'll be at 9.5 cc's in a 10 cc band. So I hope nothing goes wrong but should know how I feel by Friday before we leave just in case. Good luck to you.

NO barium just water. About 1/4 of a cup and then I am able to leave the office if it stays down. I usually take a few swallows and then leave because nothing ever comes back up.

The hospital told me $500 for the psyche eval, the nutritionist and the follow up. I did 6 months doctor supervised at $15 a month co-pay. I was denied. So I asked for a refund and was given $250 back. Went to nutritionist for 6 months at $40 a visit and was approved. The hospital wanted me to pay back the $250 for follow up but since I did that through the nutritionist I didn't have to pay anything except the $40 nut visit after surgery. The hospital wanted me to go to their group sessions and the nut. I probably should have since I wasn't very educated and didn't lose for 6 months following surgery.

I didn't lose anything pre-op so don't be discouraged. I had to gain 30 lbs to be at the weight it took to get approved by insurance and then to not lose any was a blow to my self-esteem. Thankfully I have lost it and more. Just take your time and don't think about it. I weigh myself 3 times a day and that helps me to determine if I am going to eat that day or just do protein shakes, I know it isn't healthy but I can't stop.

I told my pcp when I got the band and thankfully she forgot because after 6 months of not losing I went to her for diet pills and she prescribed them to me. I don't think she would have done that if she would have remembered I had the surgery. I've been on Adderall for about 5 months now and have lost a little weight but the energy is what I want most from the pill. I've done everything to try and lose this weight and it is coming off slowly but surely. Good luck in Mexico, my mother had the same Dr. you have and she really liked him. She has been to Mexico twice for surgery...lap band that had to be taken out and the sleeve recently. She said it was very scary going to Mexico, not the trip but the environment. Be careful and it should go just fine.

I had to do 6 months with my doctor and then another 6 months with a nutritionist because the doctor didn't document correctly (what a waste of time that was) I gained 30 lbs during the last 6 months to show insurance that no matter what I did nothing worked. I journaled everything I ate and exercised and how I felt during the day and what I was thinking and all this bs they make you do. Then I waited and after the nutritionist turned in her recommendation it took the insurance company 1 month to come back with the approval letter. It took 1 1/2 years from start to surgery. Waiting was the hardest part for me too. Good luck hopefully you won't run into the problems I did and it will go smoothly for you.

Some days I have the same problem, it is like I can't eat because nothing will go down and my band feels like it is going to scrunch up it is so tight and I can't eat until later in the day. If you don't feel like weighing yourself don't because you may just be disappointed in what the scale says. Just do the gym while you are away and then get on the scale when you return and be prepared for the results. You should have a great time while you are gone. Have fun.

I haven't blogged in what seems to be forever so here it goes...It seems like no matter what I do the weight just doesn't come off. I have been stuck between 224 and 227 for a month now. I have been working crazy hours so exercising hasn't been high on the list of things to do. I am on my feet at work and do 2-15 min walks a day but that doesn't seem to be helping either. I do well during the day but at night is when I am at my worst. It's like nothing will fill me up or satisfy me. Last night I had a ham sandwich on 45 calorie bread, a bowl of lucky charms (which tasted fabulous but didn't meet the nutrition standards), and some white cheddar popcorn. It's like nothing I had would fill me up. The sandwich should have been enough but I didn't stop. I sat there and thought about the cereal until I had to have it. It's like the demons inside of my head tell me to eat and I break down and eat it. It's a vicious cycle that I haven't learned to break. It's just the nights, I started to crochet to take my mind off food and that seems to help most nights but lately it has been a battle and I don't know how to make it stop. I go for another fill in 2 Tuesdays and haven't lost anything in a month so I know the doctor is going to ask what is going on and what am I supposed to say? I wanted to lose 30 lbs 3 months ago and haven't met that goal. I'm still 24 lbs away from that. The weight just isn't coming off. My mother had the lap band done and then had the sleeve done later after they took out the band and she loses without any exercise. Why couldn't I be that lucky? I think I'll go on a 5 day liquid diet this coming week starting Monday and see how I do with that. Even if I lost 3 lbs that would be ok with me. I would have something to talk about when I go to the doctor's. I was taking Phentermine and it wasn't really suppressing my appetite so I switched to Adderall to help with my overeating and ocd. I can't imagine how much I would eat if I weren't on it. Life is just throwing me a ringer and I don't know how to get past it but to starve myself. My calories have been good and I'm burning more than I am taking in on most days so why am I not losing. It seems whenever I overeat I gain 4 lbs overnight and then it takes the whole week to lose it. Could it be water weight? Should I ask for a dieretic? I am totally lost on this one. I don't know what I should do. Maybe the liquid diet will give some results so I'll try it for a week and see where it gets me. Thanks for listening and if you have any advice, feel free to give it. Good luck on your journey.