Carmen188

Hi there, I feel like it's too soon for me to tell if it was worth it or not I sure hope it ends up being worth it. I have to get some self control, I still have to diet but it feels different than before though I don't feel as hopeless as i did before. I was honest with my friends about it so they know why I don't eat as much as before, me and my freind were "eating buddies" we both loved food and I thought that it would be hard but it has ended up being ok, I see here eating the same amount that she used to "alot" and I am thankful that I cannot eat that much anymore. If I start losing weight again all of this will be so worth it.. I am hopeful!

It's tough for all of us, don't give up, have you kept the weight off? or are you gaining it back. i've gained 7 lbs from my initial weight loss that i had right after surgery and it's because of cookies and candy during the holidays i'm struggling now to get back to 3 meals no snacking. I feel your frustration, I knew the band wouldn't be a miracle but i was hoping it would allow me to be like thinner people and eat some of the things i always deprived myself of before the band. funny i deprived myself and still never lost any weight, anyways the thing that keeps me hopeful is that I can at least keep the weight off not gain all of it back and be back where i was, i know i can't eat as much as i used to so that's something! hang in there don't give up!

hello right now i'm asking myself that same question, maybe it doesn't work all that well after all for some people, i was banded on sept 13th and lost about 24 lbs went from 277 to 253 in 2 months and now i'm back up to 260 after the holidays..i'm trying to get back on track with dieting, one good thing is I cannot eat as much as i used to at one meal but can eat throughout the day small meals so that doesn't help, i'm going to the see my surgeon this month and possibly have a fill I am hoping that will help kick start the weight loss again..we'll see. I am not opposed to the band don't get me wrong but it is still a lot of work and worry to lose weight with or without the band.

lap band surgery is much worse . with the gallbladder removal that is all there is to it, with lap band they actually sew the bad in and then there's the port that is sewn to the inside of your stomach wall and the port tubing that is in there..it's rough at first very rough but after about two or three weeks it's better. and after two months your good, it's still work though, you still have to watch what you eat, it's not a miracle. oh and another thing with the lap band is the blow you up and the gas pain afterwards in my shoulder was unbearable for about 2 weeks. I don't think they have to blow you up as much with the gallbladder removal.

I know you're going to be ok, most of us who have been banded are ok. it's not a miracle, you still have to work at it but it makes things easier, I myself feel more like a normal person and I don't have the constant guilt I used to feel when I ate too much, I can eat a lot but not near as much as I used to. we probably all have had our "moment" when we realized we needed the band and made the tough decision to go forward with it. It's not easy at first, it's kind of miserable at first but what's a few weeks of misery when you have a lifetime of weight loss success to look forward to. Keep your eye on the prize, weight loss, health, mental health. good luck girl! I know you'll be fine. Don't beat yourself up anymore.

I am really sorry to hear that, did they say what happened, what caused the infection? were you eating too much? I am just asking because I feel like i can eat too much. what happened to you sounds really scary, I can imagine how you feel now, the band is my last hope. I do not want gastric bypass.

Hello all, i was banded on Sept 13th 2010 and started out pretty well, recently I have discovered that I can eat just about anything the only difference between then (pre op) and now (post op) is that I can't eat as much as I used to which is a blessing in itself, however I feel like I am eating too much and my stomach and especially port site feels "sore" if I eat too much what will it do to the pouch? and the port? will it cause damage? i have not thrown up or ate so much that anything go stuck ... but the soreness persists at most meals. I have about 3 cc's or possibly 4 in my band ..can anyone share their experience with me..as far as eating too much and what it does to the pouch i'm a little worried about what i am doing to myself.. I am not following a diet as I should i kind of got a little crazy when I could eat meals again..help me get back on track please..thanks my fellow bandsters.

So how are you doing so far? I was banded on Sept 13, 2010 I can eat just about anything i have not pushed the limits with the amount of food I eat though, sometimes i feel like I eat too much it's worries me, dr said I have 4cc's in my band I am losing weight some weeks and staying the same some weeks and gaining one or two lbs some weeks..I sure hope I am doing this right. let me know how you are doing I am curious to know if anyone else feels like they can eat too much.

what your feeling is normal, don't worry stick to the plan and those feelings will ease a little, you'll have good days and bad..I was miserable and regretted the surgery for about the first 2 weeks but then i got to eat again and felt better and now I feel good but I feel like I can eat too much..i have 4cc's in my band..

I was banded on sept 13, 2010 regretted it at first but now I am ok, I worry sometimes because i can eat sweets and can eat pretty much what i want...I do try and watch it and don't eat as much as i used and have lost 20 lbs..but I would NEVER have the bypass...that is just too much for me...I want to absorb my nutrients from food...and be able to eat sweet food with out getting sick..that's just my opinion. I think drs like r&y because you lose weight quicker and you probably learn lessons if you have the dumping syndrome happen to you...I was also told that gb would be better but stuck to my guns and got the band.

I probably sound silly but what show is it your talking about? it sounds interesting.

well it took me about a year to make my final decision but once i decided and met my goal weight it was approximately one month from the day i met goal weight before i was laying on the table. hope this was helpful

Hello, my name is Carmen I was banded on Sept 13, 2010 at Kaiser Richmond, my surgeon was Dr Park..at the time of my surgery she put in 4 cc's I have been doing fairly well i've lost 20 lbs..but I am starting to snack more. do you gals/guys feel like you still have to diet all the time like you did before surgery?

I have been spotting every few days...but no full blown period yet. it's kind of weird...but I know that being overweight messes with your period sometimes so i haven't been regular for a very long time.

Thank you for the advice hummingbird, I went today..the surgeon said she put 4 cc's in the day of surgery and that I am doing good, losing weight pretty well and all the feelings that I have when I eat indicate that I am at a good fill point. I am relieved. I see her again in 3 mos!

I know what you mean about everyone saying how wonderful it is..maybe they've been living with it a lot longer than me and have forgotten how bad it is at the beginning. I KNOW i need to watch the sweets!!! thanks for the reminder. I haven't gone into the chat rooms yet. but if you would ever like to chat my yahoo e-mail is jolly.carmen@yahoo.com

You'll be up and around in 2 days! it's really a quick recovery. I'm not saying you'll be running around and feeling 100% but after the first 2 days I felt like going to the store...etc. I could have returned to work in 2 weeks but mentally it was good for me to take my full 4 weeks of approved time off because it gave me time to come to terms with the mental part of not being able to eat like my work friends anymore and not be mad at them because they could still eat whatever they wanted to. You will be ok a couple of days after surgery, oh warning there may be some residual pain from the gas I had a bad pain in my left shoulder for 2 weeks but it finally went away. anyways keep me posted. !!!

along these same lines...i have a question...anyone please let me know what you think. I was banded on sept 13, 2010 and I am not sure how much if any was put in my band my surgeon told me she would fill it on the day of surgery...soooo my question is if I feel good now I feel restriction to the amount of food i can eat and i am losing weight should I get a fill on Oct 20th when I meet with the surgeon for the first time since my surgery??? let me know what you all think thank you!!!!

How'd you do sun rae???

Hi there bandedtemple...welcome to the world of banded people. I was banded on Sept 13, 2010 it's going ok now it was very hard the first couple of weeks but I feel pretty good now. I can eat most things now i haven't gotten sick (thrown up) yet, I try not to push it, I try not to over do it. I can tell when i've overdone it because I feel like theres something stuck in my throat but it's just a annoyance more than anything else like painful etc. I've lost about 15 lbs probably could lose more if I started excercising and uh stopped eating ice cream. funny thing is I have deprived myself of these things for years because I knew I would gain weight and feel guilty but I wanted this band because i was tired of always feeling like i was one day away from failing yet another attempt at losing weight, i'd lose then i'd gain it right back. I hope and pray like you said that this is the last thing i ever have to try, it does help me to control my food intake and I feel satisfied with what i am eating. keep us posted on your journey. I'd like to know how you feel at the beginning. right after surgery.

I am doing better, it's a day to day thing. I had 4 weeks off after surgery and now that I have gone back to work it is harder. at home i was able to plan my meals and stay focused on eating 3 small meals and some snacking and entertained myself in between with tv, homework, or whatever...now that i am back at work. my job is pretty boring so I find myself thinking of food more often. I am really interested in seeing how you do from the beginning, i had a bad couple of weeks right after my surgery and regretted for a bit but now i'm better and as long as i am losing weight I think i will continue to feel good about my decision. I had the surgery so I wouldn't have to feel like I was always on a diet and so far so good I am eating things now that I would not allow myself to eat before I had the band and I am losing weight still. sometimes get those old feelings of guilt back when i eat a sweet but I am eating way less then before so it's not so bad to eat what i want. sorry to go on, i think this site is so theraputic for me to get these thoughts out of my head even if no one reads them LOL...keep me posted on your journey...

Hi Oceangirl16, my name is Carmen. Yes I had my surgery on Sept 13, 2010.

Well said Bayareanan, that's exactly it you get used to it and accept your limitations. In my mind I compare it to someone who loses a leg (I know that's a drastic comparison) my point is the body adjusts and compensates for the loss. we get used to things. and our health will be improved. best wishes !

Hello Allkitty, I was banded on Sept 13, 2010. I am 5 weeks post op and things have improved. About the pain, I had no trouble sleeping on my side or back. The worst pain i had was from the leftover gas that they used to inflate me and it stuck in my left shoulder and lasted for about a week but finally went away (on a scale of 1-10 that pain was a 8). You are not supposed to lift much the first few weeks so be careful lifting your baby. My first two weeks were the worst but things are looking up now, I really regretted it at first and missed just being able to go and grab whatever and eat it without having to think "is this going to make me sick?" or "how sick is this going to make me?" But like I said things are better now, i've lost 12 lbs and will hopefully keep a pace of 1-2 lbs a week I hope I hope I hope!! anyways if you have given diet and excersice a fair shot and if you are like me have lost weight but not been successful at keeping it off I think lap band will be a good thing. I've asked about 5 people who are 2-4 years post band if they now regret it and none of them has ever said Yes they regret it...soooooo if you feel sure and realize that things are going to be different and food will no longer be your buddy but just a necessity then you are making the right decision..It's tough i'm not gonna lie. good luck! Hopefully more people will answer you people with more experience than me.

Well said Cleo's mom this is a support site where we should be able to express our struggles without being judged for being weak and cheating or not excercising. Good for you RK if you don't struggle and are successful, some of us who have been banded aren't 26 anymore we're 46 and trust me when I say it's a lot harder to lose weight at 46 then it is when you are in your 20's. RK if you are so successful all by your sheer willpower then why do you need this site? Don't make people feel like they can't whine if they want to..don't judge!