Hello Everyone. I'm new to the site and decided to get some support from people who are going through the same procedure that I am as oppose to suffering alone and in silence. At first my biggest concern was bleeding during the surgery (as I am a 22 year old with a ton of medical issues including one of which causing me to be on a blood thinner), however, my new concern is if I will feel as if I am being deprived of food or feel like I haven't really eaten and I need more after just a small meal. Has anyone else gone through this? And if so how did you deal with it? Thanks in advance

Hi JerseyGirl! I am happy to offer support and encouragement. The doctors will know how to handle the blood thinner problem. Also, you will feel hungry on the pre-op diet, but once you are banded, you won't be so hungry at all. I am 2 days out from surgery and I am not hungry. I know hunger will return soon, but I will worry about that when it comes! Try just worrying about today and deal with tomorrow's problems later. The band fills will help you feel satisfied with very small meals, so you will be working closely with your clinic to reach that perfect balance of fill and hunger. Everyone is anxious pre-op, so just know that you are not alone in your fears. This is not an easy journey but the success of many other bandsters is inspiring. We can all be success stories!

Hello Everyone. I'm new to the site and decided to get some support from people who are going through the same procedure that I am as oppose to suffering alone and in silence. At first my biggest concern was bleeding during the surgery (as I am a 22 year old with a ton of medical issues including one of which causing me to be on a blood thinner), however, my new concern is if I will feel as if I am being deprived of food or feel like I haven't really eaten and I need more after just a small meal. Has anyone else gone through this? And if so how did you deal with it? Thanks in advance

Hi JerseyGirl. I'm your neighbor across the Hudson in NY. I know you are concerned because you don't understand right now how you can feel satisfied on so much less food but as a person banded almost 6 months, I can tell you it's very possible. Understand...you will no longer be full. That does not exist anymore. What you will be looking for is a feeling of not being hungry. That's different than full. It's hard to explain if you haven't been through it but that's the goal here. Some folks do it through multiple fills...some like me do not need any fills. I track my calories and eat around 1,000 a day. I plugged in a typical day of meals that I ate pre-band and it totaled more than 4,000 calories. What that works out to is a loss of 67 lbs. since the pre-op diet.... Good luck, you will do great.

Hi jersey girl I am with you on the anxiety. I keep a pros n cons list in my head and visit this forum often. I'm on day 10 if my pre op diet n I decided to do liquid only no optional vegetables to munch on cause I know post op diet is all liquid too. I don't drink all 6 shakes n I'm not hungry although I miss chewing n solid food. It has its ups and downs but I k ow after my surgery July 1 I will look and feel different in a good way ... I wish you all the best n keep your eye on ur new healthy life

Thanks everyone. Your insight was very helpful. Hopefully I can get over the "what ifs" and focus on my new healthy future

Hi JerseyGirl. I'm your neighbor across the Hudson in NY. I know you are concerned because you don't understand right now how you can feel satisfied on so much less food but as a person banded almost 6 months, I can tell you it's very possible. Understand...you will no longer be full. That does not exist anymore. What you will be looking for is a feeling of not being hungry. That's different than full. It's hard to explain if you haven't been through it but that's the goal here. Some folks do it through multiple fills...some like me do not need any fills. I track my calories and eat around 1,000 a day. I plugged in a typical day of meals that I ate pre-band and it totaled more than 4,000 calories. What that works out to is a loss of 67 lbs. since the pre-op diet.... Good luck, you will do great.

Thank you. That makes so much sense. I had not even looked at it in that way.