MelissaAZ

I'm glad to see I'm not alone! I hadn't been on here in a long time and expected that when I logged on everyone would be raving about losing tons of weight at this 4 month point so I feel a bit better. I have started to watch youtube videos from lapband patients, one girl who has lost 100lbs in 11 months said she didn't really have good restriction until her FIFTH fill. Soooo....I can see why I am struggling with just the two conservative fills I have had. I have not lost weight in 2 months. In fact, I'm up a couple pounds I think. I stopped weighing myself.

I am just frustrated, that's all. I can eat a lot of food, and I can eat whatever I want. And I do sometimes. Like this past Thanksgiving I filled my plate like old days, and I had no problem finishing everything. I didn't have seconds, but I did have some of everything on the table.

I really want to get my 3rd fill soon, as I feel I am losing my motivation. I think I will just call and try to schedule it. I had to have my 2nd about 3 weeks ago but I don't feel any restriction. I do chew slowly and take smaller bites. But I don't get full unless I eat a lot of food. It takes way more than one cup to satisfy me.

Ugh....one day at a time I guess...

Hey all...I think most of us are to the 3 month point now right? Going into this, I thought I'd have more restriction and weight loss at this stage. I have had 2 fills (4cc's in a 10 band) and really still don't have any restriction. But, I know it's a journey...

For those who do have good restriction, can you tell me what it feels like? My current experience is that when I'm feeling hungry, I will eat 1/2 to 1 cup of food. The hunger pangs do "go away", but I still feel like I need/want more to be satisfied. At 1/2 to 1 cup I feel like I'm only "half full". Does that make sense?

I am hoping that at some point I will get a "full" feeling on that amount of food, not just a reduction in hunger pangs. Is anyone there yet?

Best of luck to everyone! Stay positive and just keep going.

I just had my first fill yesterday (2cc's) which is 8 weeks after surgery (8/6/10). It went fine. He had to dig around a little to find the port. Not that fun, but not that bad either.

But I'm a bit frustrated. Yeah, I have lost weight since surgery but truly didn't feel it was any thanks to the band. Prior to my fill yesterday, I didn't have any restriction and lost the weight with lots of excersice and just cutting back on food. But I can (and did at times) eat what I wanted as if I had never been banded.

I was frustrated at my 1st fill yesterday when he said he was happy with my weight loss so he didn't want to put much in, just tweak it. And then not come back in for 8 more weeks. Geez...how long does he think I can go on without restriction?? Why did I even get the band in the first place? I want to use this tool I've been given! I'm not complaining, if slow is safe then I'm all for it. But I got mad when he implied that the band was doing all the work, when really it's been me! Grrr. LOL.

Oh well, I'm still on liquids until tomorrow, then I can truly test if the fill did anything. I have a feeling it won't. We'll see!

Also, just a general question for everyone: How much food has your Dr. said you should be eating at each meal? When I had my initial consultation the paperwork I recived said 1 cup, but then this new Dr. came on board and said that was wrong and it should only be 1/2 cup. But it seems most people on here eat 1 cup. I like the sound of 1 cup. :smile2:

same here...my surgery was 8/13 but my fill is not until oct. My doctor told me at my follow up appointment that not everyone needs a fill. If you can loss the weight without a fill than they don't fill it, if you feel like you need more restrictions than they fill it. I have also been ok with my eating and eat very little...in fear that i will mess things up....

Yeah, I have been thinking the same thing myself...if I am losing weight w/o any fills maybe I can just keep it up and never need a fill?! LOL.

Ah, wishful thinking. I got the band because I know myself all to well, and yes the old me could eat less for a few weeks/months and lose weight for awhile, but never can I do it long term. The weight would always come back.

Guess I will just tough it out until 10/7. Not that it's really that tough I suppose. The band was a great descion for me as it makes me cut back naturally but still enjoy the foods I like. I am down 24 lbs already, and very happy about it. :thumbup:

I wish my doctor would give me a fill. I have to wait two whole months from my surgery date of 8/6 to get my first fill! My actual surgeon who did the surgery left the practice and joined one closer to his home so I am seeing someone new. He is not too bad, but I am annoyed I have to wait so long for a first fill. He is someone who likes to play it safe.

However, I still have managed to lose weight without any fills. I just naturally eat less at every meal and the pounds have been coming off. I think I eat less for fear of messing up the band, but in reality, I don't need that much food to feel satisfied, especially not in the amounts I was eating before surgery. WOW. Could I eat. lol.

Keep up the good work everyone!

I am allowed solids but usually for Breakfast though I still have a Protein shake as it's fast and easy (I buy the premade ones) otherwise I am not a big Breakfast person. I also like cottage cheese or greek yogurt or sugar free pudding.

My doctor warned me that a lot of people stick too long to the "soft foods" stage (I admit I am one of them, even though techinally I'm allowed all solids now) which is not good, because obviously they go through the band easily and people can eat more than their pouch holds. He said once you are cleared for solids it's best to stick with solids only since that is the best way to utilize the band. You'll get full and the food will "stay" in your pouch and you will feel satisfied, and will empty out slowly over a few hours, just like it should.

I thought that was interesting, and makes sense to me. But, I've still yet to have my first fill, so I really can't say one way or the other until after that happens!!Cuz right now, I can eat absoltely anything!! Gotta keep myself in check sometimes!

Take care everyone!

Another thing, I don't know how your doctor is, but mine said NO SOLIDS before your fill. If you have eaten, they will not fill your band.

Thanks so much for the info. The needle is the part that scares me the more...or more so the "poking around searching for my port". I can't feel it with my hand so I have no idea where it is (but I'm not a doctor).

My Dr. office never mentioned anything about no solids before a fill, but I was actually wondering about that. Good info to know. Thanks!

Melissa

First Fill....

So, I'm set to have my first fill this Thursday. I had my surgery Friday August 6th so this will be one day before my 4 week mark.

I'm a bit upset that my surgeon has left and gone to a new practice in a city about 45 minutes away, so I will be seeing a new surgeon this Thursday for my 1st fill. I'm not too happy about that! I have met him twice and he seems a bit cold. Maybe I'm just pre-judging him though. I just loved my original surgeon!

So, has anyone else had a fill yet and can fill me in on what to expect??

Hi All,

I know it's been a few weeks since I posted. I have just recently moved AND had an out of town visitor for a week so little to no time to come online. Looks like there have been tons of posts since I was last here, I need to take some time to sit down and read them all. I'm so proud of everyone!

I am going to be 3 weeks out tomorrow. I saw my doc 1 week post op and he gave me the go ahead for mushies. About a week after that I moved myself to soft regular foods (chewing thourghly) and now am on to regular food. I haven't had any problems. The "suggested" diet was just way too slow for me. My doctors attitude is that if you feel up to it and ok, then you can proceed gradually at your own pace.

I have been working out for an hour about 4 times a week(treadmill and elliptical) and feel fabulous. I am really happy with my weight loss, about 20 lbs so far and my clothes are feeling looser.

Waiting to get my 1st fill next week though, and boy do I need it! I feel that if I let myself go, I would be able to eat just like I used to at this point. I have zero restriction, which I know won't come until the first fill.

:smile:Wish me luck!

Hey all....

I'm moving on the the "Puree" stage shortly. I recently had a bariatric nurse (not part of my surgeons office) tell me that crackers were OK (saltine's) in the puree stage because they practially disolve in your mouth before you swallow them.

I was surprised and a bit cautious....has anyone else been told this??

Excited, Janelle?? Tomorrow we join y'all!! I have to be there at 7:30 a.m. Eek!

Good luck tomorow! You will do great. The surgery was a lot "easier" than I expected. Maybe becuase I had psyched myself up beforehand but it went really smoothly.

Best of luck to you!

I'm a BANDER...yeah! I posted on the preop board and the surgery day thread for anyone who is curious! Can I just say that I LOVE GasX?!

Congrats on your banding! It's exciting isn't it.

The Gas-X never really helped me, although I didnt' start taking it until day 3 but I still keep burping no matter what. :thumbup:

I am 6 days out now and I moved myself onto mashed potatoes. I know I am supposed to wait until day 7 but I feel perfectly fine and they went down so smoothly. I mixed them with some turkey gravey so they were thin. I am allowed to have yogurt, pudding and Jello already, so I figured thin mashed potatoes weren't much different. YUMMM.

Hi All,

I'm crossing over from the Pre-Op to the Post-Op August Rush forum too! I'm 4 days out now and feeling good, but have had a horrible problem with burping today and yesterday! I swear, it sounds like a machine gun sometimes....so embarassing at work today!

I too am on Full liquids right now....I am not super hungry, but I'm really tired of sweet stuff. pudding, Jello, gatorade, chocolate protien shakes. I want something salty! I am funny about textures too, moving on to the puree stage freaks me out....liquified tuna anyone? NO THANKS.

I too am really looking forward to mashed potatoes and refried Beans though!! LOL, such small things make me so happy.

I am 4 days out and started back at work today. (Banded Friday, back to work Tuesday). I felt good going into work in the morning, but was really tired (and grumpy) by the end of the day. I didn't take any painkillers all day. My abdomen hurt more and more as the day went on from sitting so much, and it got harder to get up each time. I didn't have the luxury of laying down whenever I wanted like I do at home!

My job is mainly a desk job with some travelling, but I can take it easy at work when I need to, and do everything on my own schedule. I told everyone I had hiatal hernia surgery (which is 1/2 true) so everyone understood when I moved slower and had lower energy today.

I think for people trying to keep everything a "secret" you may need longer to recover, cuz I definately wasn't 100% at work today and everyone noticed.

Hi everyone, I am new to this site and just wanted to introduce myself! My LAP-BAND®® surgery is scheduled for August 26th. I am excited and nervous but sooo ready for this.

Right now I think I am ready and don't have too many questions but I know that will soon change once the band is in place. I look forward to getting to know everyone!

Welcome! Have you started your pre-op diet yet? How is that going? I was just banded on August 6th and have been pleasantly surprised at how smoothly it went.

Good luck to you!!

I think the chest pain thing is very common, I am 3 days out of surgery and I have it still too. I had a hiatal hernia repaired at the same and I have a hard time taking a really deep breath.

I had bad shoulder, chest and neck pain too from the gas the first few days that seemed to move all over my upper body. I think that is finally gone, but it really hurt, and the pain meds didn't do much for it.

Hang in there everyone!

Officially Banded!

I am home from the hospital tonight and was offically banded yesterday! It was a lot smoother than I expected. I prepared for the worst, but hoped for the best and it really turned out to be no big deal. It really wasn't bad at all. I woke up from the anesthia really easily, I was up and walking around 2 hours after recovery, in fact a few of the nurses couldn't believe it and said they were amazed that I was already walking. I have 5 inscions, and 4 are pretty tiny. The doctored covered them with a clear glue like substance, no stiches or steri strips. I was able to take a shower 24 hours afterwards. But was told not to scrub the area. Not like I would have wanted to anyway!!

I had a lot of gas in my chest and shoulder areas, and it killed but I had read countless posts that its best to walk walk walk after surgery and that is SOO true, every time I would finish walking around the ward, I would let out a burp and started to gradually felt better each time.

I had originally thought that it was going to be an outpatient procedure, in fact when the hospital called to confirm it a few days earlier they said it was outpatient as well. Well when I got there yesterday morning at 7:30am to register the nurse told me the doc wanted me to stay inpatient for insurance purposes (I guess he gets reimbursed for more of the procedure that way.) I was pissed at first, since I didn't plan or pack for an overnight stay. I had absolutely nothing with me but my ID and insurance card and chapstick. But I agreed, knowing that I have lots of expereince in hospitals, it does give a feeling of comfort knowing that with the push of a button a nurse will come and bring me some gooooood drugs. :party:

I didn't have tons of pain but kept getting the pain killers, and I would highly reccommend that. I had some of the best sleep I've ever had last night. Like floating on a cloud :smile2: The pain wasn't bad, I just more so just felt uncomfortable and "tight". But nothing I couldn't bare, mosting gettnig up and laying down is the toughest. But it's been less than 48 hours since surgery and I feel fine. I've been up and down a few sets of stairs, and probably circled the ward about 15 times no problem.

So, now I'm home. I'm not hungry really. But my stomach is gurgling. It's an odd sensation....I thought I was going to be on an all liquid diet this week, but they gave me pudding and yogurt and milk which is great. (Better than broth!). So, I think I will do ok. I have all day tomoorrow to rest as well (Sunday) and then I plan to go back to work Monday instead of Tuesday. I don't think I'll have a problem.

Oh but does anyone else have to give themselves self injections daily post-op for 10 days of a blood thinner?? I found out I had to do this and it freaked me out!! My first one is tomorrow.

Mine is outpatient. It was almost 1:30 before I was able to go to sleep last night. It's now 5:15 and we are about to head out.

My blood pressure is up and so is my pulse. I'm really nervous this morning:(

Hi Amanda,

How was your surgery? Hope it went smoothly! I can't beleive I have a band inside me now can you? I can't feel it and I can eat and drink just fine. On to the next part of our journey!!

Best wishes,

Melissa

Officially Banded!

I am home from the hospital and offically banded! It was a lot smoother than I expected. I prepared for the worst, but hoped for the best and it really turned out to be no big deal. It really wasn't bad at all. I woke up from the anesthia really easily, I was up and walking around 2 hours after recovery, in fact a few of the nurses couldn't believe it and said they were amazed that I was already walking. I have 5 inscions, and 4 are pretty tiny. The doctored covered them with a clear glue like substance, no stiches or steri strips. I was able to take a shower 24 hours afterwards. But was told not to scrub the area. Not like I would have wanted to anyway!!

I had a lot of gas in my chest and shoulder areas, and it killed but I had read countless posts that its best to walk walk walk after surgery and that is SOO true, every time I would finish walking around the ward, I would let out a burp and started to gradually felt better each time.

I had originally thought that it was going to be an outpatient procedure, in fact when the hospital called to confirm it a few days earlier they said it was outpatient as well. Well when I got there yesterday morning at 7:30am to register the nurse told me the doc wanted me to stay inpatient for insurance purposes (I guess he gets reimbursed for more of the procedure that way.) I was pissed at first, since I didn't plan or pack for an overnight stay. I had absolutely nothing with me but my ID and insurance card and chapstick. But I agreed, knowing that I have lots of expereince in hospitals, it does give a feeling of comfort knowing that with the push of a button a nurse will come and bring me some gooooood drugs. :party:

I didn't have tons of pain but kept getting the pain killers, and I would highly reccommend that. I had some of the best sleep I've ever had last night. Like floating on a cloud :smile2: The pain wasn't bad, I just more so just felt uncomfortable and "tight". But nothing I couldn't bare, mosting gettnig up and laying down is the toughest. But it's been less than 48 hours since surgery and I feel fine. I've been up and down a few sets of stairs, and probably circled the ward about 15 times no problem.

So, now I'm home. I'm not hungry really. But my stomach is gurgling. It's an odd sensation....I thought I was going to be on an all liquid diet this week, but they gave me pudding and yogurt and milk which is great. (Better than broth!). So, I think I will do ok. I have all day tomoorrow to rest as well (Sunday) and then I plan to go back to work Monday instead of Tuesday. I don't think I'll have a problem.

Oh but does anyone else have to give themselves self injections daily post-op for 10 days of a blood thinner?? I found out I had to do this and it freaked me out!! My first one is tomorrow.

Same here, my surgery is tomorrow morning. I have to be there in about 8 hours. I should go to bed, I just stayed up late cleaning and doing laundry since I dont' know how I'm gonna feel the next several days and I hate being in a messy place when I don't feel good.

Amanda - is your surgery outpatient or overnight?

My current surgery date is for August 12th. I'm kinda nervouse and am having cold feet, but I will go through with it. I'm on a very low calorie diet right now, but I actually get to eat stuff and do not have to do a liquid diet. I just can't eat any grains, sugary stuff, etc. I did eat a salad for dinner with cottage cheese dressing. I mixed cottage cheese with some Ranch dressing powder and it actually made a good dressing. Does anyone else have any meal ideas for the liver shrinking diet?

Good luck on your surgery! Mine is TOMORROW THE 6TH!

I was on a hi-protein diet and could eat regular foods, but no grains, fruits or vegetables. On my pre-op diet i drank lots of EAS Advantage lo-carb chocolate fudge shakes, ate cottage cheese, fat free greek yogurt, lo-fat refried Beans w/ cheese (very satsifying), turkey sausages, broiled chicken and lots of Water. Not the funnest diet, but I honestly wasn't hungry the whole time. The high amounts of protien really kept me full. Good luck!!

Congrats Kelly!!

Help guys I get banded tomorrow and I'm starving today. I'm on day 10 of my pre op liquid diet and I'm starving and I would do anything for some real food:(

My surgery is tomorrow too (8/6/10!!) and my doctor had me on clear liquid diet all day today. broth, Jello, juice...ugh. I've gotten soooo hungry. I can deal with it though, mind over matter.

So....I wonder how we'll feel on the way to the hospital tomorrow morning? I can't say that I'm nervous right now, but probably will be once I get there. I've been so busy with work this week that I'm kind of on auto-pilot when it comes to the surgery.

Here is the funny thing, my sister Stephanie is driving me to the hospital tomorrow and she has no idea I am getting the lapband! Haha. She's so easy to trick. She is dropping me off and my other sister is picking me up.

She is cluless cuz I've been in and out of the hospital for various tests and treatments and what nots over the past few years (I used to have leukemia) so she doesnt' think twice about driving me there, it's like my second home.

Anyway, GOOD LUCK ALL AUGUST 6th BAND-DAYERs! And everyone else as well. It's great to feel that I'm not doing this alone. I've never personally met anyone with the LapBand, so it's great having you guys to talk to.

Question for all of you recently banded....

In the first couple days after your surgery, what did you find you liked best to drink (or eat if you're allowed)??

I need to go to the grocery store and stock up! My surgery is in 2 days.....

Congrats to all who were banded today! Best wishes for a fabulous journey. I am getting banded 3 days after I turn 29 (8/6/10).

At my birthday party tomorrow night I'm going to take lots of pics of myself with fam & friends and keep them to compare next year when I turn the big 3-0!!

I'm hoping to be a completely different person one year from now, at least on the outside. I'll always be me on the inside and I'm happy with that. I hope everyone else here is as well. It's so important to love ourselves no matter what we look like!! :thumbup:

I am in a similar boat with you, Melissa. I told my male boss that I was having a "medical procedure" that would require a few days off. My hope (and it worked!) was that he would assume it was something female-related that he didn't want to hear about.:w00t: I explained that some folks take as much as 7-10 days, but others only need 2-4. Because I work in an office environment, I am hoping that 3 days off will be enough for me.

I am scheduled for a Thursday and am off the next Friday and the weekend with a hope to return on Monday.

I understand being a little nervous...I think we all are. :w00t: I hope you have a relatively low stress/low activity job that will allow you to work and still heal at the same time. Good luck!! :rolleyes2:

A 'medical procedure' sounds like a good way to describe it! I'm glad he gave you the time off no problem. I'm so bad...my surgery is in only 6 days and I haven't asked for the time off yet! But I'm not worried, I can come up with something. I will also be having a hernia repaired and my gallbladder removed at the same time, so I don't mind sharing that part of my surgery with my boss, which means though that my whole department will know (6 people) since everyone is "friends" and knows everyone else's business. Kind of annoying, but it is what it is!

I do have a desk job, which is pretty low key and I can take breaks if needed. I think I will be fine w/ Friday & Monday off.