jakrnsewing

Hello it has been a long time since I have posted on this forum. I had my lap band surgery January 2011 and have yet to hit my goal weight. At one point I was down 52 pounds and then ran into some health problems. It started in August of 2012 my band out of no where tighten so bad I could not swallow my own saliva...very scary. Went and had 3cc pulled out of my band and wow I could eat again. I won't say I was totally out of control but being able to eat a normal meal did feel good. Then in October 2012I started having issues with my stomach. Pain so severe landed me in the ER to find out my gallbladder had to come out. I had large amount of stones and sluge. Scheduled my surgery for the following month only to have it cancelled because the place where I got my lap band told my surgeon my band needed to be fully emptied before surgery. One thing I would like to note is the surgeon tried for 2 weeks to speak with the lap band surgeon who never returned one call. Talk about being upset. Then I go to make the appointment to have my band emptied and can't get an appointment for 3 weeks. Long story I had my gallbladder removed by the end of November 2012. Waited a few weeks and went back to start getting my band filled again as I could feel the weight adding up on my frame. I gained 10 lbs which was not too bad in my opinion. Started walking over 3 miles a day and even started running. My weight was going back down nicely and then another set back. I started having a lot of knee pain which was worse in my left knee. Went to the doctor had an X-Ray which showed no obvioius injury. While doing some sprints on my treadmill one evening I felt a horrible pain in my knee, I was unable to walk. I went to an urgent aid had another X-ray and brace applied. Although it felt better I was never able to return to my previous workouts and started an overall decline in my success again. Many months of pain I finally got an MRI which showed a torn meniscus. Guess what another surgery. In February 2013 I had my injured left knee repaired, only to find out I also have severe arthritis in my knee (I am 48) and had ongoing pain, swelling and inability to even walk long distances. 2 months after surgery had fluid drained off my knee and now on antiinflammatory drugs to deal with the daily pain. My weight now is up 15 pounds. I find myself turning to food to deal with current situation. My band has some restriction but I am able to eat much more than I should be so I have scheduled to have a fill on 9-20-13. This will be the start of my new weight loss journey. I need to loose at this point 70 pounds to hit goal. I am still 35 pounds down from my original weight. I am determined to not let anything detour me again. Reading the post on this forum does give me the encouragement that I too will win this battle over my weight and build a better relationship with my band!.

Thank you so much for the encouragement! 1 pound to go for you to hit goal, how wonderful that must feel. Congrats!!!

Hello I got my first fill last friday so I am one week out and I don't feel any restriction, in fact I feel like my appetite is increasing and I am tolerating most foods. I was banded on January 24th and lost a fast 18lbs and now nothing. I recieved 3cc in this first fill and like most of you I am not sure how many cc's my band holds. Any suggestions? I am afraid if I go and get more filled now I will have too much restriction to fast......Jackie

My fill procedure was different from what you describe. My doctor has you standing up and does the fill while looking at the X-ray and has you drink fluids to see the restriction. My doctor uses a lidocaine blast which has no needle but blasts the lidocaine in the site you only feel the pressure of this and then he does the fill....takes about 5 minutes....it is funny it takes me about 45 minutes to drive downtown, then I park sit and wait in the office and bam 5 minutes I am done to drive back home in rush hour traffic because fills are only done in the afternoon...we all sit there while the doctor comes running in past us to get started, everyone is excited "The docotor has arrived" 30 minutes later the office is almost empty until next time. I do want to just bust out laughing at the whole crazy scene.......Till next time....take care fellow bandsters....Jackie

Okay so here I am still with no more weight lost after my first fill....Do I feel full after meals yes,,,am I following the rule of no drinking with my meals yes, so why not one more pound lost? I am getting ready to go to the gym and work out which is what I think is missing here....The band is only a tool it still takes a lot of work to loose the weight. So I am scheduled for my second fill on on April 8th which will be one month out from my last fill....I did wait longer after getting banded to get a fill so I feel like this is okay....I have no been calorie counting so I am going to start doing that as well...My insurance did not cover the band so I paid for this and am wondering why at this point??? don't get me wrong I do not regret it...I am 30# down since being banded in January....I guess I just thought the weight would come off faster.......

Apparently some people don't have this over eating problem. Well then why did you get the band? I had to pay cash out of my pocket this is not a joke to me. I just want some restriction. Yes old habits are hard to break and I give myself credit for giving up sweets, all fast foods and many other foods I loved like pizza since I was banded January 24th... I am 30 lbs down and feel a great sense of pride in that, however I expected more from my first fill. As most people have posted here I feel like I am hungry more often and looking to eat more than ever since I first got the band. I will be calling my doctor tomorrow to see what the plan of action will be. Each person is unique and I appreciate all the support this forum offers!. Thanks Jackie

Hello I am 2 weeks and feel almost fully recovered except for the occassional little twitch of discomfort here and there. My incisions were closed with glue and look great. My surgeon did a great job. I posted at about 2 days out and was miserable to say the least but now I can say " okay I get it" I have lost 24 lbs so far and feel like my journey is right on tract. I am starting to get some hunger pains already so I know at 6 weeks I will need my first fill as planned. I have been able to eat and tolerate soft foods to this point I even had some salad the other day! I wish everyone on this forum only the best we are all in this together and thank god for this discussion board.....

I was banded on Januray 24 and I posted something very similiar to you. About 2 days post-op I was feeling the blues like crazy. Why did I do something so drastic?? Will today and 6 days post-op I am starting to adjust to my banded life. Will it be easy NO not at all but this site brings so much information and support it has helped me feel better about my decision. I am already 20 lbs down and am looking forward to a more healthier future.

Hello I was banded on Monday January 24 and the healing process is going well. One problem is I seem to have this constant discomfort to my chest and back...Not terrible pain just a discomfort, could this mean I still have alot of restriction? I had a hard time the first few days even with water but I am able to drink fluids still struggling with taking all clear liquids, don't know if I am just plan sick of them. I am concerned that when I reach my soft/puree stage on Monday I won't be able to handle it...any suggestions. thanks Jackie

How do I get a weight ticker to show up on my page???? I have asked multiple times no reply sorry .....I just can't figure it out....Thanks Jackie

Hello all I was banded on January 24 so this for me is post-op day 3. What can I say except I have had mixed feelings about this procedure since the first time I thought about doing this which was in October. I cancelled my surgery 2 times. I have this weird feeling about my band. I could barely get down enough fluids day 1 & 2 along with dealing with all the "gas" discomfort pains and pain to my left side where the port is positioned. I am told this will get better with every passing day and I hope that is true. At this point if I could reverse time I would not do it again. I am so scared of what the future holds. I just dont feel normal???? Please advise. Thanks Jackie

First let me say I did not think this would be easy or would not come with pain I would be a fool to think that as the last person said it is surgery and surgery requires healing. With that said you go through alot of second guessing. I am self pay so this is not simple or easy for me it is going to take a lot of work with 12,000 out of pocket cost. I have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember and with menapause the struggle has gotten unbearable. While I have been recovering I have been watching TV and every commercial is loaded with food commercials so today no TV just relaxing and getting ready to read a book! I still cannot figure out how to post this darn tracker?????? Jackie

How do you post the the weight loss scales??

Thanks for all the replys it does help to know others have the same concerns and struggles. Today is day 4 post-op and the pain is getting better and the gas pains are almost totally gone, however I am worried about my system kicking into gear if you know what I mean. I can get liquids down by very slowly and I have been able to get some apple sauce down but I do feel some discomfort. My question is that normal? I have been told the bands contain no saline in the beginning and that it is just post surgical swelling that causes the restriction is this true? Also how do you add the cute scales with your post I want to get mine started. Thanks again Jackie

Hello all I am so glad I found this site it has really helped me deal with the worry and many questions I have. I started my fast on Monday this is the end of day 2 and I am doing well. I have been thinking about this for quite some time and decided to go for it! I am taking a loan to pay for my surgery my husbands insurance does not cover the procedure ....well I should say his place of work has a clause with states they do not cover this procedure. OH well I am way to over weight to pass this opportunity up...So this is the start of my journal to a happier/ healthier perso...Thanks for listening Jackie:thumbup:

Hello I am interested in getting information in regards to Dr Watkins..I live in close to Oak Brook and that may be better for me...I am currently set to have my surgery at the Day One clinic downtown and I am self pay so I can go with whom I want...Please let me know I like to know more about the procedure you had...thanks Jackie