I'm wondering if you ever forget that you've been banded. Do you ever feel like just a normal person, or are you constantly aware that you have this white piece of plastic in your belly?

Liz

Constantly aware.....However I truly long for the day when that is no more..........maybe after I reach goal and no longer am obsessed/thinking constantly about losing weight.

I do, I guess becuase I dont have a lot of restriction so its very rare that I have complications like getting stuck - although as I type a piece of fluffy fresh white bread hot out of the breadmaker is making its lumpy way through my stoma, ouch.

It mainly comes with being hungry and just hoeing in. I get brought up to a very quick stop then!

Now that I no longer have any sort of pain, I ALWAYS forget. ALWAYS. Even when I eat. It is pretty customary for me now to prepare smaller plates, but it is not that I remember I am banded. Instead I catch myself saying, "I really am not that hungry" or "I just don't eat that much anymore" Even if we are at a restaurant I just look at my plate and mentally calculate how much I am going to eat.

The only time I really remember is when my youngest son is excited and wants to hug me. He is my "accident prone" child. If there is pain to be inflicted you can believe he is the one to do it. On a few occassions he has squeezed me too tight or elbowed me or something. Sorry to go on and on.

I forget about the band, except when I'm eating...or about to eat....or have just finished eating. My band is soooooooooooooo wishy-washy. It's like I get up with a new/different band every day. One day I can eat salad, the next day - forget it. One day I can have cereal for breakfast, the next day I can't even get a protein shake to stay down.

I forget all the time. I remember really fast if I take too big of a bite though!

After my first fill I was aware of my band, then 2 weeks later no restriction and I could eat big meals and I started to gain weight. It was like I didn't have the band.

But since my 2nd fill I have very good restriction and I get full with only 3-4 bites of Protein. Now it feels like I have had WLS, I was being to wonder if I had done the right thing. But I have read on this board that sometimes it takes 2-4 fills before you feel good restriction. I'm glad it came with my 2nd fill because I can't afford to keep gaining weight.

I have 3 sons (all under 10) and they love to hug and roughhouse with me too, so I'm always aware to protect my band.:heh:

....no hunger-monkey shreiking in my ear to have moreMoreMORE!!!!quote]

What a mental picture! I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not constantly aware or thinking about it. Only when there is food in front of me, because I can have issues VERY easily if I don't chew well enough or my first couple of bites (especially) are too big.

I do forget about - however if I eat something bad it reminds right quick enough - LOL. I have been banded over a year though so it is not constantly in my thoughts.

I forget alot! And then I am reminded of it when I reach into the washing machine or in the tub and I hit my port! That hurts. Or when I wake up in the morning and start to drink that 1st cup of coffee and the first drink doesn't go down too well! Ouch! I am reminded of it when I want to take a big ass bite of someone's burger or steak...whatever anyone happens to be eating that I can't take a big ass bite of is a sad reminder. :cry But it's worth it.

I forgot this morning and took a bite of my son's cold pizza. Talk about pain. I am not even out of the mushie stage yet and don't know what on Earth I was thinking. Swallowed and everything before I remembered.

No, I never forget. When I eat, it reminds me. When I am hungry, it reminds me (weird left shoulder pain). I am also more gasey (burps mostly). Would I trade it? NOPE!

Shawn

Well, actually I forget all the time. I've been banded so long, it's like being on auto-pilot.

Until I take that infamous "one bite of food too many" - LOL - then I remember quickly.:success1:

I'm wondering if you ever forget that you've been banded. Do you ever feel like just a normal person

I guess after five years, this feels normal. Burps, tummy gurgles and all. This is my new normal - and I honestly don't feel abnormal.:party:

, or are you constantly aware that you have this white piece of plastic in your belly?Liz

I guess you could also ask a person who had RnY or Bypass (like our own GeezerSue) if they are constantly aware that their insides have been rearranged. Or it's like asking someone with a knee replacement if they are always aware that they have a piece of silicone in their joints! (*shrug*)

Happy Band (And Life) Journeys To All...