thsisme

Culver City here!

I'm from another state, have you tried the customer service line? They will usually assist you in finding a physician/surgeon.

Angie, everyone is different, so I might be suggesting something that you are already doing....Have you kept a food and exercise journal? What is small? Do you weigh your food? Are you watching carb, fat, protein intake? I have found that this is not a one solution fits all process. I have found that I have to keep my protein up and have recently had to adjust my carb and fat intake. I exercise everyday which is hard for me to do as I work long hours and sometimes have to wake up early to get an extra 30 minutes in. Congrats to you and your hubby!

HOpefully happy and Mr. Michael, congrats! Good to hear that the both of you are doing well and sound as if you are in good spirits!

In a blink of an eye! Which WLS to have is a personal choice as each has it's own benefits and cons, however for me the lapband was my choice and I am glad that I did.

KBME you are right. I was not talking about Dr. K (Korman) and location, Dr. K. has high standards and they are followed no matter where. However people still need to be careful when selecting to have surgeries in clinics as some ( as well as some hospitals) do cut corners and if you do not know what you are looking for, then there could be trouble. Speaking in general and not with specific regard to Dr. Korman who is great.

try increasing your protein intake to 60-80 grams per day. are you exercising? if you are not doing so start a food / exercise journal. Know that bandster hell can be over come, but at the same time we feel your pain and frustration. you are doing great! Good luck and keep us updated.

talk to your doc about taking supplemental iron, calcium with vit D and B12 . Good luck and keep us informed.

I treat myself as if I have restriction, exercise everyday (I hate exercising and if I don't discipline myself, I will never do it). Keeping low carb, low fat, high protein. I don't feel hunger as of yet and there for only have to fight cravings time to time. It is just my anatomy working with the band. AS my weight slows down, I experiment to see what works to assist me losing some more and being realistic that I may at some point start to feel hunger or the weight loss will slow down and I will have to work it even more.

Hopefullyhappy, let us know how you are doing! I know today was and is your big day! I'm here in Culver City! Mr. Michael, Let us know how you do also as tomorrow is your big day too!

ElfiePoo is right and her advice is sound. Whatever is going on hopefully can be explored and a therapist is a good start. I wish you the best of luck. WLs has a high incident of breakups and can be tough on a relationship if not faced together.

Hopefully, take care and congrats! do let us know how you are doing!

JAnB, I wish you luck with your band.

maineJackie, i think you've hit the nail on the head! I believe that some folks believe what they believe and forget about the "out liers" as there always are in everything that we do. And then again the literal, I read a post where someone had stated that they were going (and I am paraphrasing so don't hold me to it verbatim) to have a chicken skin and all. There were those that went "really?" and then there were those that went eewweee and then there were those that went wow alot of food, good for you. Waht I have learned about this (imho) process is about finding out what works for us as individuals and to a certain extent finding out about stuff that we didn't know about or maybe never even thought about...Who can explain human nature?

KMBE Dr. K is isn't he./ he is also my surgeon! the patient surgery occurred in the outpatient clinic in beverly hills, not the hospital. Clinics are scary places and you really have to know what to look for when considering surgeries in them.

Lets see if this post sticks! i keep posting and it keeps disappearing. I'm currently in los angeles and looking at an early retirement and will be going into a secondary job self employed so my DH and I can travel a bit and not have to worry about schedules. I am 52, and banded on Aug. 2010. Looks like we have a well rounded group of people here!

some times there is fluid build up between the adipose tissue and the port. Are you feeling pressure, if fluid builds up the doc may have to drain it, if the hematoma is flat without pressure it may resolve itself. Either way it is good that you are consulting your physician.

Monday is here again. current Today's weight : 236 Name, real or screen~Thsisme Age~52 Weight on January 31st~ I weigh in on Saturdays: 237 Goal Weight for February 28th~229 Exercise Goal for February~Continue to get in 5 flights of stairs twice a week Dietary Goal for February~hold the line on carb intake Personal Goal for February~buy new clothes Date Banded~08/23/2010 Total Weight Loss Since Banding~ 83

Robin, also well said. A small bite is something that you will have to determine. I am taking a half a spoon fork full as I cannot wrap my head around a pencil eraser size portion (I know, I know psych stuff). I to was worried about the gulping of water, what I have learned in this process is as the water bottle is now my best friend and goes where I go...I do not need to gulp it down, my salt intake has declined, not so much as my food does not taste, but a slight decline and when I exercise my pal the water bottle is right there with me. I do not get so thirsty anymore as the water is right there and in order to meet my goals, I am always drinking. I take regular swallows and am learning how to take a rough estimated half swallow. Whether to tell someone or not is up to the individual I don't think there is a wrong or a right way. I know many feel that there are those that would say "you're taking the easy way out with surgery" I say what ignorance. Those of us who have been through or are going through this process know that this is not the easy way to go. I know some have had a good time with very little step backs, but those folks (though I must admit...I am jealous) are the minority and it takes discipline and it takes fortitude to make this process work for us. I have been fortunate in that everyone at work and at home has been supportive and encouraging even those who have come up to me to ask my permission to tell me how good I look to those who during the holidays keep the christmas goodies out of my site or those that made the ultimate sacrifice and ate them before I could be tempted (God Bless them!). Right down to my DH who continues this process with me and in his own way compliments my weight loss ( Wow honey, you now have wrinkles in your behind...is a compliment that I could have lived without...LOL). Scorpio, so am I!

with surgery being so close into the mix....and what is your intake like? I would think your A1C would not go down until you have settled down into eating healthier and starting to exercise as well. As for your blood work, it sounds as if your iron is high? Are you drinking enough fluids? Even though 64 ozs is the allotted amount, I find that I have to intake 80oz to maintain hydration status, though this would not necessarily cause "thick blood". Best wishes.

I don't know Dr. Madan personally, but he does have a good reputation out in the field. The Marina Del Rey hospital is a small hospital whose staff are exceptional. They are well trained and know bariatric patients and their needs. I chose the LA Bariatric center there and am pleased with my team and the results as well as the care that I recieved from the hospital. It was very appearent that the center and hospital had a close and respectful working relationship. I performed my due diligence and chose the team that I did and the place where I was to have surgery very carefully and I have not regretted one single decision or point of care from them. I am not making any excuses for what happened, but there is a mortality associated with any surgery WLS or any other type of surgery. IT may be low, but it is there. The question is what happened? Was it due to unforeseen and uncontrolable circumstances? Was it due to an oversight on the pre-op end of things, ie. labs, or any of the other tests? Was the patient(s) ready for surgery? Many, many questions that I don't have access to the information. People do die from surgeries every day, people who are not expected to die.... My heart and prayers go out to these families....

Call your physcian's office to be safe. Your stomach may be spasming due to the irritation of the band. Mine did, out of the blue, I would be retching with nothing coming up. My doc placed me on warm liquids and warm peppermint tea to sooth the stomach for about 48 hours and then re-intorduce liquids. Good luck!

Dave interesting article. Thanks for sharing it. like the rest of this process...restriction vs finding the sweet spot both are an individual thing and how we interpret them. Kathy, just a suggestion ...you may already be doing this...are you keeping a log of your exercise and food habits? I also know that there are a few folks here on the website that have done everything they were told to do and still hit plateaus, they continue to struggle with their weight loss, some have found out what works for them by trial and error. Good luck.

:DEveryone, congrats! As you can see every thing that you are feeling is normal. It sounds as if you have done your homework and are approaching this process with eyes open. Being realistic about what the band as a tool and not a fast fix is a must in order for you to be successful. Your emotions are real and I am glad to hear that you are voicing them and that others are here to support you through this time. This process works differently for everyone, our bodies respond differently, and we all wonder if we might "fail" one more time as we have when doing the diet trail. Esteem plays a big role in this and watching your body change may even seem sureal as we have gotten so used to seeing ourselves as "fat" or whatever term you choose to apply to your body shape today/or in it's heaviest moment. Some of us grieve for the loss of our relationship with food, others will experience fear/of the unknown or the what if. OK so weight will come off slowly for some of us and then for some weight will come off fast, as long as we get there! Our bodies are changing and in many ways our lifestyle will change too. How it will change is the unknown...how will we handle ourselves when eating out, what will we do when we are in a group setting and there is nothing that we can actually eat/or want to eat...who will we tell about our surgery? and many more questions. You will work this out and you will have some bad times, but you WILL work out these situations to your satisfaction. Water at work I carry a bottle around with me where ever I go. A lunch full of crap? I will bring in my lunch and either eat it with the rest of the folks or I will eat my lunch before I go, bring my water (I put crystal light in it for taste) and then enjoy the others. Eating out, I have learned to stay away from the bread basket, I choose my meals carefully and use the bread plate for my main plate. As for work...I decided to be open and tell everyone as when the weight came off they would all probably label me with a traumatic illenss and my family is aware. I made the mistake of trying to protect my mom as she has always had a life long fear of surgeries and her health is not the best so I did not tell her until afterwards. After she thanked me for loving her enough to protect her I then was treated to her "and don't you do that again and since when do we lie to each other now that you are a grown woman" lecture. I am not perfect by any means and I am still working issues out, but I am doing it and I know the plateaus and bumps are coming my way, however, I overcome them and I will not be shocked by them and I will carry on. How bout you? sounds to me as if you will too! Good Luck and keep us updated.

Your port is on your right upper abdominal area and is usually the slowest to heal. This might be the cause of your soreness.