Sun Rae

Last week I had my 2nd fill and I now have 6 cc's in a 14 cc band. I've been doing great, but I must admit that I have become a little slack when it comes to taking tiny bites and chewing well. We had a pork loin at lunch today and I ate slowly and was fine. Just a bit ago I decided that I would eat another bite of that pork loin, so I sliced off a bite, popped it into my mouth and proceeded to the laundry room to fold some towels. Before I got from the kitchen to the laundry room I realized that I had made a HUGE mistake. The bite was too large and I did not chew it well enough at all. I spent the next 45 minutes in such excruciating pain and pacing from one end of the house to the other. I finally felt the urge to throw up and that was the most disgusting thing ever! There was so much slime that it was even coming out of my nose. Anyway, the piece of meat came back up and I felt immediate relief. My poor husband and son were so upset. They thought when I said "I'm stuck" that I meant "I'm choking". I assured them that I was not choking and explained to them what "stuck" means. Oh goodness...I don't EVER want to do that again! Lesson learned. For all of you experienced bandsters...Was this a typical stuck episode or was it a little extreme? I need to read back through my literature, but I believe once I have been stuck that I am supposed to go back to liquids for a little while. Is this correct?

I had to do the same thing and I even had to do all of that testing with the blocks. You know, copying the patterns that they showed me on a card. Finally, I just told the Doc, "I hope this is doing something for you, because I'm sure not getting anything out of it - not even a warm and fuzzy feeling." He tried to keep a straight face, but just started laughing.

Even before I got my band, I kept setting off detectors and we finally figured out that it was my security badge for my job. I wasn't wearing it, but it was in my purse. Do you have anything like that?

Congratulations! Happy New Year!

I was banded Oct 19, 2010 and my only regret is that I didn't do this a long time ago. Even though I have very little restriction so far, I LOVE my band.

I've heard so many people say this about eggs and it puzzles me. You would think that a scrambled egg would go down fine. I haven't tried an egg since my 2nd fill because I am scared to. Can someone explain why this happens with eggs?

Wow, that's wonderful! Congratulations! I can't wait to get there!

I had experienced the same thing prior to surgery. Once I started losing some weight (probably around 30 lbs), I was a completely different person in the bedroom and I feel sure that it will just keep improving. I had actually talked to my primary care physician about this and even he told me that if I would just get some of the weight off, "things" would improve. I've lost a total of 62 lbs and I feel so much better - in and out of the bedroom. Hang in there!

Definitely talk to your doctor first, but I think that is what happened to me between my first and second fill. I was trying to be so careful and I did lose 4 lbs that month, but my nutritionist and I both think I was not getting enough protein and I know I wasn't getting enough water. Since I've increased both, I've lost 3 lbs in the last 4 days. It's quite a balancing act

I am very new to this as well, but here are a few tips that my dietician shared with me... 1. Use a baby spoon or shrimp fork when you first begin to eat solid foods. This will help you to keep the bites small. 2. Chew, chew, chew 3. Put down your fork/spoon between bites 4. When you think one more bite will be the one to make you satisfied, don't take it. That is the bite that will probably come back to bite you. So far, these few things have worked for me, but it also helped that I was ignorant to the fact that alot of junk foods will just slide right on down. I didn't find out this little tid bit of information until I went for my first fill. - or least I didn't retain this knowledge until then. I almost wish that I had not known this. LOL This past weekend I ate 4 chocolate chip Cookies (2 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday). I felt horrible, guilty, you name it, and I have even weighed 3 times a day to see if the 4 cookies tattled on me! Today I realized, there are going to be times when I fall off of this horse, but I just gotta get back on. Having the band doesn't make us perfect. We're gonna mess up, but we just gotta keep looking forward. You can do it!

In the beginning, I chose to tell no one except my immediate family. I knew the remarks that I would get from my in-laws and co-workers because I have heard them make comments about others who have had surgery..."they should exercise more", they should learn to push away from the table", "they're lazy", they take no pride in themselves", "they're taking the easy way" etc. Well, I was not about to be worried about all that drama while I was trying to make sure I got off to the best start possible. The first few weeks, I had a few people notice that I was losing weight and I would hear, "oh, you're dieting again", or "what diet are you trying this time?". Then, people started stopping by my office to tell me that they sure hoped I felt better soon and that they hoped everything was going to be OK. I assured them that I was fine and even kind of laughed to myself about it. Then one day, a retired gentleman came by the office and he told me that someone told him to come by to see me because I was not doing very well and probably would not work much longer because I was surely very sick. It did not help matters that I had a huge bruise that covered the upper part of my arm where I fell while helping my husband unload our boat. But still, I still just laughed it off and kept "my little secret". Then last week, our HR Manager, stopped me in the hallway to ask if I was OK. I could see the true concern in his eyes, so I privately told him. He was so relieved to know that I didn't have cancer or something. We ate lunch together that day and he was full of questions. Since then, I have shared with several people and I am so shocked to find out how ignorant people really are about this surgery. Most thought that I would be able to eat an unlimited amount of food and the weight would just fall off. None of them realized what we go through to lose the weight even with the band. I have decided to keep my little secret no longer. I haven't just announced it to everybody, but if someone asks what I'm doing, I tell them. WLS is a very personal decision and the decision to tell is also very personal. You just have to do what is best for you.

I never, ever thought I would reach this NSV before I was even 2 months post-op, but I'll definitely take it! Today I was taken completely off of my blood pressure medicine. The day of my first fill, my blood pressure was 95/53. Well, that sure explained my light headedness! I saw my primary physican the next day and still had a very low reading, so he decided to cut my dose in half. He instructed me to record my blood pressure 2 times a day for several days and I still never got a reading above 103/68. Today, my physician told me that there is no smaller dose and to stop taking it completely. I am supposed to keep monitoring it twice a day and report my readings on Thursday. I pray that it stays normal and needless to say, I am definitely doing the happy dance. ( / ) ( l ) ( \ ) ( l ) ( / ) ( l ) ( \ )

I looked at mine and it's a 10. I will not stress over it or dwell on it. This journey is challenging enough without having to worry about whether someone likes what you write

I got very hungry about 1 - 1 1/2 weeks before my first fill. My dietician had already warned me that this would happen, so I knew it was coming. I kept drinking my Water and my G2 Gatorade. I was fine as long as I kept busy, but the idle time was very hard. I was determined to stick to the portion sizes she had instructed me to eat and it has been all worth it. I'm just so excited that I can hardly sit still! I'm feeling restriction (almost like post-op), but they told me I may not feel this way for long. I am already looking forward to stepping on those scales again;)

I started my pre-op diet on October 7th at 297 lbs, had surgery on Oct 19th and went for my first fill yesterday. When I stepped on those scales, I just wanted to dance and shout! I have lost 52 lbs since October 7th! I received 3.5 cc's (already had 1 cc) and I am on 2 days of full liquids. I feel absolutely great! I'm not even minding the 2 days of liquids. For all of you new bandsters, hang in there. You WILL feel better and stronger every day. I promise! Woo Hoo!

I had my first fill yesterday and I got 3.5 cc's. There was already 1 cc in my band. I am on full liquids, but feeling great.

I'm so glad to see that your first fill was no big deal. I have my first one tomorrow. I am so hoping to feel some restriction. I have been so hungry for the past week. I was fine the first 5 weeks, and then one morning I woke up and thought to myself, "geez, I could eat a whole side of beef or something!". I have restrained myself (lost 28.5 lbs since surgery on Oct 19th), but did probably eat a little too much chicken tonight.

I was banded on Oct 19th and will go for my first fill on Nov 30th. Surgery day I was 276 and I am now at 248. I've lost 28 lbs so far! Woo hoo!

Hi everybody I am a Bagnato Bandit too. I started Sugar Busters at 3 weeks priof to surgery. I weighed 297 when I started Sugar Busters, 276 on the day of surgery on October 19th and I now weigh 248. I am so excited about my band and I am already starting to feel a little more like myself. I have so much more energy, sleep better and my joints do not hurt nearly as bad. I just love Dr. Bagnato and his staff and Leslie at the Bariactic Institute has been great (haven't met the other ladies yet). I am starting to feel hungry, so I am looking forward to my first fill on Nov 30th. I hope to hear from other Bagnato Bandits. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I'm a Bagnato Bandit too! I was banded on October 19th. Started Sugar Busters 3 weeks prior to surgery at 297, surgery day weight was 276 and this morning when I weighed, I was at 248. Yippee! I'm getting a little hungry now and I can't wait to have my first fill on Nov 30th. Dr. Bagnato and his staff are the best!

Thanks everybody for your responses. I am going to shop some thrift stores and such and see what I can find. I now have 2 pair of jeans, 2 shirts and 1 dress that I can wear. I went into surgery on Oct 19th at a size 24 and I can now wear an 18. Catherine, I love that idea! I'm going to start looking now.

I've asked this question before, but didn't get much of a response. It's good to read all of these, as I have been wondering the same thing. Mine is several inches above my left breast - the front of the shoulder/chest area. My incision is in my underarm area. I've had absolutely no port pain since surgery.

I take 2 Flintstones with Iron every day. My nutritionist recommended them so I started taking them a few weeks before my surgery. So far, so good; and I take them on an empty stomach.

I was not hungry at all during my 2 weeks of liquids. In fact, even seeing or smelling food did not make me hungry, and I continued to cook for my husband and son. I am now 4 weeks post op and just started getting hungry yesterday. I can't wait until November 30th to get my first fill.

My Dr. sends his patients home wearing one and I also had a prescription for nausea. It does not hurt and mine had 5 settings. I thought it was great and it really does work. I normally kept mine on "2" or "3". I took the prescription meds for nausea 2 times, but it made my mouth so dry. I decided instead to turn up the band it it really worked. I did put it on "5" one time just to see what it felt like - it was a little strong, but still tolerable. Use it, you'll be glad you have it.