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hi all I have been complaining and asking the same questions for the past 5 weeks and want to repeat it again.....I am 3 days away from seeing my follow-up doctor and will then ask him about all this.....problem is when I had a temprature the first week he said nothing can be wrong he saw what was done inside and all was fine......on another board I've heard a lot of complaints about him and now I dont quite know how to aproach the man..... I am a RN and very optimistic about the operation.I have lost 28 pounds in spite of all this because I stick to the calorie counting and dieting this dr prescribed....I have no eating problems.I eat small amounts and sometimes it feels as if something gets stuck and then I have a huge pain in the chest but I expect that is normal.......however.... I still have pain in the area where I think the band is.Not all the time but when I have eaten and when I walk on my treadmill it feels as if there is stitches that pulls a lot......also the shaking gives me a big pain in the stomach.... Then I get palpitations for no reason all the time.....never had it before the operation...... I get an intense pain in my stomach when I sit down.I have to lean back or sit up very straight otherwise something squashes in there......or something pulls my esophagus.....I also get spasm in my esophagus but way less than before..... Now,people say that they dont even know that they have the band after a few weeks.I feel this band around my stomach all the time.Sometimes painfull sometimes just discomfort....... Again if this is normal I just need someone to tell me so.I dont know what it should feel like and will it get better. I can now sleep on my sides and I can breathe deeper most of the time.. I have the Cousin 9cc band and I hear that the surgeon put some saline in when he does the band...about 2 or 3 cc's. I dont know if this is true and will ask the follow-up guy....he is not the surgeon that did the band however...... OK,this is a mouthfull.......please just tell me so.If I should just shut-up and get on with it.....well say so please.At least I will know but then my expectations and the reality of this operation is two completely different things and I cannot recommend this to anyone again..... Please help....

Aileena...Hang in there. I know it's hard but you really do need time to heal before getting a fill. I have been in your shoes for the past week and am ready to get a fill too. My problem is just finding a doctor. One thing that is helping me in the interim is making sure to drink all of my Water. It really helps me stay full. Best of luck to you.

Sorry for the same post three times

I'm 6 weeks out and still really struggle with food. Matter of fact... I haven't gotten my water in a day yet.

BEER - COKE-- Ok Girly girl time for a banster recheck! Not sure about this sudden restriction deal but PLEASE hold back on those carbination drinks. You really may be able to stretch out your stomach- its not proven but its not not proven either. I hope things settle down before your next Doctors appt. If your still losing 2 pds a week why not just postpone your fill for a few weeks out? Best of luck & be good to yourself. FYI- Some say that flying does funny things to the band as well- like makes it more full for a few days- who knows?

My doctor said I have a lot of muscle mass around my abdomen and recommended I opt for the low-profile port so that it wouldn't be noticeable after I lose all of the weight. I'm not sure it this was a sales pitch, but the doctor knew I was paying for the whole gig right out of my pocket. I opted for the port (additional $700). Its been a little over two weeks (banded on 6/30/2005) and I actually have to poke around now to find the port, it stuck out quite a bit until all of the swelling went down. I know it will take some time before I know if I got my money's worth, but at this point I'm glad I went for it.

I had surgery on Jan 28 and lost 12 lbs post surgery from 296 to 284. I have lost no more weight. I have had my port flip and before they figured that out I went through 4 "B horror movie" fills one lasting 45 minutes while they stabbed at my tummy in seach of the port. I finally got my first real fill when they did the surgery to flip the port. 1cc and I just got a 1/2 again last week. I feel no change and am so disappointed. My surgery center and doctor have NO support what so ever on this process. Should I worry or should I get another fill? What is an average fill amount? I hate to sound so blue but it has become a nightmare. Thanks for listening.

Before I had the LB, I went to my GP to tell him what I had decided to do. He looked at me, and I think he had a disgusted look on his face that I just couldn't lose the weight on my own (even though I am completely synthetic thyroid dependent and I still haven't found the magic combination). Being thin all his life (he's known me for 20 years), he went into this big speech about how the LB was not a magic bullet (yadda yadda yadda), and said, "We'll I've known you for 20 years and nothing else has worked (I even did 12 weeks of Optifast--lost 65 pounds and then gained it all back) so you really don't have anything to lose. (interesting pun, huh?) He sent me to the cardiologist for a stress test to make sure the ole ticker was in good shape before the surgery (the cardiologist, by the way, was very supportive), and said that he wanted to see me in 6 weeks. Well, that is going to be next week, and I am really looking forward to seeing the look on his face when he sees that I've lost 30 pounds since May 27th! 2bthin

For me, the envasive nature of the other options amde this MY only option. I was banded last week and have been up and walking around since day one. This is completely reversable, which also appealed to me. It has been used in Europe for about 10 years with reduced side effects over the other surgeries and reduced side effects with the newer bands over the ones they originally used. There is a TON of great information on this site - every subject that you could imagine and tons that I am sure you couldn't imagine. start reading through old threads, ask any questions - the support here has been great. By the time that I went in for my first appointment, I already had so many of my questions answered from lurking here. Good luck and I know you will make the right decision for you!

Recovery time--every one varies. For me three days was all I needed. I had mine done on a Tuesday and by the weekend I was mall walking and taking my puppies out. It really varies though I have not heard of anyone who needed over two weeks.

Right now i'm almost 3 weeks out and I only get in about 700 calories a day at most. Most of the time its usually like 580 but that's because I only eat when I'm physically hungry, which isn't very often. Is this normal?

I'd definitely ask your dr. With my post-op diet I'm on liquids for 2 weeks, then mushies for 2 weeks, then real food. chicken and all that isn't allowed until my mushies stage. I wouldn't risk eating them before asking the dr as he/she will know if your stomach and band are healed enough to handle that type of food.

Hello I am a lapband investigator (5'10", 325lbs, BMI 46.6). I want it but I am scared. I am hungry all the time and worried that the post op food is not enough. I am also worried about missing out on all my favorites postop and what about going out to eat with family. I don't want to be a drag on them. I am trying to start a pre pre pre surgery weight loss. My cardiologist said for me to lose 5 lbs, I didn't ask in what time frame. I have had two heart stents (last one Feb 25th) and have a bad back. I cannot walk but for 20 min without pain and most exercise is out of the question. I cannot even sweep the floor without pain. I do better with pain med on board but was cut off because of an unfortunate incident with an ER doc. All of my regular docs believed the ER docs statements and I can prove that she was incorrect but the docs are unwilling to believe that one of there own is wrong. What really hurts is that neither doc asked my side. I cry everyday because of this. Everyone notices that I am not my usual self, I am just so down about the pain med episode. Whenever anyone asks what's wrong, I just start crying. I need well wishes. My cardiologist is helping with finding a doc to do my surg. It will be at least three months due to blood thinners before I can have lapband. I am hoping to have everything lined up to go when I can be off the thinners for a while. I have an appt with back doctor Monday. I don't know what will happen then. I have to be off thinners for more back injections so my cardiolodist wants me to try acupuncture too. I will tell her to throw in some extra needles for weight loss. I also have mild psoriasis which is flaring due to stress. Dermatologist is also concerned because some lap doctors will not operate because some may think the psoriaisis is a skin infection. Just started going back to PUVA (light) treatments. I have stopped smoking for 1 month during the middle of all this ruckus so I am trying to take baby steps so that I do not start too much at one time and become overwhelmed. There have been times that I wanted a smoke so bad but I have maintained. Back to the crying thing. I know that part of this is because I have hurt feelings, I also feel that I am being treated unfairly and I am worried about the future of my pain relief. I am in pain everyday but I am afraid to ask for help so I am stuck in a catch 22. I also wonder if I have some sort of chemical imbalance because lately I do tear up a lot more often with tender moments on TV. My primary care provider is useless and we have never really clicked. I keep giving him chances but the reality is I should probably find someone else. I am a creature of habit, he is convenient, and I am afraid that I will get something worse. I do like my cardiologist, he is so personable and friendly. I may ask him for some names when I see him on Friday. I am also having problems with insurance (Aetna). They recently sent me an email stating that I was 8000.00 dollars behind in premium payments. I called someone and they said my premium was 1100.00 a month. Even if that were true, their math still does not add up. Besides I think that they would cancel coverage if a self payor was that far behind. I also recently recieved a letter stating they were not going to pay my hospital bill for the last stent because it was a preexisting condition. Well I swear that I didn't know that I had another blockage until I started having chest pain again. Well I know that this is a lot to read and comment on but if you are up to the challenge please support me. You all are my only support that I can really talk too. I am also thinking of making a psychiatry appt. I am not a wacko psycho but feel that it couldn't hurt. Robert

Received an email from my surgeon's office yesterday. They have, in hand, a copy of my insurance approval letter (I still haven't gotten my copy yet). Their surgery scheduler will call me in approximately 2 weeks with my surgery date and further instructions. Dr. Evanson's schedule is out approximately 3 months. I could be looking at end of August or into September (as an estimation).:thumbup:

Have you tried thier spicy egg white salad? Delicious. when on solids I ate this almost every day for Breakfast. Still eat it for breakfast a couple of times a week. Just have fun. There is a lot of great stuff to explore.

Low fat plain kefir, fat free ricotta, combo pack of three Spanish cheeses, Ezekial Bread, bottled water, Greek yogurt, olive oil, spices, nuts, frozen fish. My favorite store!

Hey lady friends, I have PCOS and have been taking the pill continuously (no placebo week) for YEARS (over 15 years to be precise) with out having a period. Well for some reason, I started having moderate (not what I would deem as light) spotting a few days ago! I haven't missed pills so that can't be it. I'm finding limited answers online but did see something (not from a doctor/medical professional) talking about how rapid weight loss can cause you to produce more estrogen or something but again, I am on the pill so I can't figure out why is this happening. Anyone else have this happen or have an idea what the f*** is going on?

I too gained almost nothing 5 months out and pregnant. This last pregnancy I gained 50 pounds and wanted to cry. WLS 6/12 Baby born 9/13 Baby born 10/15 She is 11 weeks. I have 30 pounds to go.

I'm 6 months post-op just found out I'm 7 weeks pregnant as soon as I found out I called my PA and she told me to stop my multivitamins, start prenatal and folic acid for my spine

It was a food I had been eating for a week. Just seemed weird to me. Oh well I am going to try something different . Thank you!!!

Today I have hurt alot more than expected. I may have overdone it walking though, took two walks one of about 200 yards and the other about 1/4-1/3 of a mile. I have been sipping on the same bottle of water since 5 am and it is now after 5pm. I am having to take pain meds about every 4-6 hours and alternating liquid lortab and liquid tylenol. Thankfully I have had no nausea just a strong desire to burp and a couple of hiccups that were terribly painful. I have lost a little over 10 pounds since last week.

This past Monday was my 10 week mark. Between that point and the last time I blogged, I lost 15 pounds. I realize that is abnormal for such a short period of time but I contribute it (at least in part) to finally curing myself of the constant constipation I've been dealing with since I had the surgery. This now puts my BMI in the high 20's (29.2). Now, I plan to get more serious about my sculpting goals although I still want to shed about 25 more pounds of fat. This week, the internet was flooded with a video of an anchorwoman who had received an e-mail from a man who said he rarely watched addressing her appearance (weight). Based on the letter, the man's approach was coming from one of concern with a mix of overstepping but it obviously bothered the anchorwoman enough to address it on the show. The video has now gone viral. The anchorwoman said a lot but she drew it back to bullying and letting children know that they should not let the opinions of other affect their self-worth. Most people say she ethered the anonymous man and I do think that it was clever to use her platform to address him....since she cared. In general, I thought the speech was ok. Do I think he bullied her? Not at all. An e-mail telling you that you should lose weight is not enough for me to say that the person is being bullied; especially amongst adults. I feel she did herself a disservice by acting as if she was bullied by this stranger. The facts are, had she just deleted his e-mail, we would never know about it. Now, we all know this guy's name and he has made further statements in the media since this video went viral. He's an attorney who has now gotten free advertising. His picture is up everywhere and he has "offered" to "help" her with her weight (sounds like a personal training business plug). Now, she's reading and hearing the comments from the general public that are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay worse than what the man said to her through e-mail. The anchorwoman and her husband went on GMA and her husband noted she has a thyroid problem. The anchorwoman stated that, "It's not about him anymore." The problem is that she was the one who made it about him. Anyone who has experience with a real bully knows that the worst thing you can give them is attention because they live off of it. Yet, this man never shared what he said to her in the media at all. It was her. I can only hope that as an adult, she is past the point of internalizing the unwanted comments of strangers (although doing a segment about it may mean she's not). If it weren't for her, this man would be a non-factor that very few of us even know exists. As wrong as it may be, it is a fact of life that everyone will not like you, be nice to you, find you attractive, think you are smart, or any other subjective measure. I feel that her activism would have been more productive by doing speeches in her local community at schools about bullying. Someone in her position could do a world of good by mentoring girls or young women who wish to go into the media arts and may be unsure about themselves. The way this played out seems like she was someone else resigning themselves to victimhood and it invited people to either pity her or lambaste her further; neither of those is preferable. Now, she's ready to move on and the rest of the people are still talking about her, him and it. Deepak Chopra said something that equates to this: what other people think of you is none of your business and when you try to make it your business, you'll perpetually be miserable (paraphrase). I think that applies to this situation.

It takes about 6 weeks or so for things to heal up. What I do is measure everything putting only the 2 or 4 ounces on my plate - and then eat with a baby spoon so that I don't eat too fast. This way I know how much I am eating so I can journal it (my dietician wants me to journal daily). I eat until I feel full (most of the time that means I eat until I belch, but tonight it was until I got a tight feeling). If I haven't eaten my entire portion, then I put it in the fridge until my next meal time. I have found some 1/2 cup containers that for storage, as well as some 1ounce and 2 ounce containers too (those are "baby food dishes" - but they don't look like they are for babies - just the outer packaging was). It really helps.

I am just over two weeks out and I have the same issues. I really don't want to measure everything and eat with a baby spoon unless I absolutely have to. I would rather be able to just tell when enough is enough. So, we will see.

Thanks everyone for your replies. I had my one week post-op appointment last week and was moved up to pureed, but I'm finding that to be just as difficult. I saw another surgeon at the practice because mine was on vacation, and this doctor kind of yelled at me for not getting enough fluids and protein. Excuse me, but it's pretty hard when you're only able to stomach so much! So it's safe to say I've been feeling pretty defeated by this whole process. I'm two weeks post-op now and finding I am just not interested in eating anything. I know I have to, but everything makes me nauseous. My multivitamin makes me gag, too. But my doctor prescribed me an anti-nausea pill today, so I took that and it's helped, but I still don't have much of an appetite. So let's just say, it's been a fun two weeks, haha. I really appreciate the replies and suggestions. Thank you again.