September Bandsters

[MimIN 19]

I had my first fill two weeks ago and for the first week it was awesome but come week two I had zero restriction. Yesterday I went back for fill #2 and Dr. Curry's nurse asked me if I wanted to go agressive and go up another 1cc bringing me up to 2.5cc in a 4cc band - me of course am right on board. Before doing the fill she went to consult with Dr. Curry who said max he'd allow was .8cc. I was disappointed b/c I've heard that even as little as .2cc can make a huge difference.... However there is a reason he is the Dr and I am the patient. Today I am on liquids and first thing in the morning I take meds well I took one of my 4 pills and instantly felt FULL, nothing painful but I couldn't take the rest with fear of overdoing it. Then later this afternoon I 'forgot' I just had a fill and chugged back some Water - oh man my band did not like that one bit. I had a golf ball in my chest for 40 minutes, a little bit of a pb and a whole lot of regret. I think with the .8cc I might be too tight and can't imagine what it would be like with a whole cc. What I have learned from this is if your Dr says no there is a reason!

[lisalee 0]

Laurigee: I had a fill after the first 6 weeks. One week later I found myself actually eating full meals, feeling obsessed with the next one and my mouth watered when I thought or saw food. It actually dawned on me that my mouth has not watered (in hunger) since the surgery. I was able to guzzle a half liter of Water at a time. I thought for sure something had broken! I went back to the doctors office one week after my first fill and they found that I was down to .8cc from 1.5 ccs (4cc band) in one week! Somehow it seems the saline was absorbed into my body (through micropores in the band.) They refilled it with some sort of synthetic filler and boy what a difference that made. I have had my first slime and PB (twice) sometimes only after a couple of bites of food.

I guess the thing is is that if you are still losing at a good rate, keep it where you are. You'll know when the time comes to refilling it. It is a vast difference. And, the shoulder pain will go away in time. It seemed to bother me when I ate too much, or snacked.

I can't say how thrilled I am to have this band. I am a snail in the weight loss progress but already I feel better. Someone asked me last week, "How are you?" and I said "Great!" Sadly, I don't remember the last time I said that and really meant it.

I read somewhere that after a few months some people encounter depression and really begin to grieve for food. This whole process has been a true journey emotionally and physically. Is there anyone who has heard about this? Am I in a honeymoon phase? Life is so promising, I just would hate to encounter a bumpy spot down the road.

[lamamama 0]

I have talked to people who went through a depression phase a couple months after bypass surgery, which I know isn't the same as lap band but still a life style change. Some said that keeping a personal journal helps. I feel that the holidays are going to be hard. food has always been a big part of my holiday traditions (cookie exchanges, etc). Anyone else out there a little stressed about the holidays food wise? I hate to see all this hard work go down the drain (or worse yet up the scale).

[lisalee 0]

Interesting thought...the holidays. I guess I can still cook and entertain and feed everyone. That is what seems to bring me the most joy. No reason why we can't taste a little too...it is afterall "the holidays." Maybe I'm just being this optimistic because of my fill yesterday. The wonderful thing is that we can still be there for all of the fanfare, family, and friends and will most likely not gain like we had in the past. A pound here and there, up and down, it really all works out in the end. Frankly, I think maintenance through the holidays would be in itself a blessing. I may be fooling myself but I will trudge through this...it won't last forever...and there is always the promise of New Year's resolutions. How I love those!

[BJean 16]

MarieCarmen: What's a satiety gauge????

[BJean 16]

I have been concerned about the holidays. On Halloween for the first time ever I did not eat one iota of candy. Not one. That's a pretty big deal for me. I always bought the kind of candy I like and enjoyed munching on it a week before, the night of Halloween, and for a couple of weeks aferwards.

Since I got through Halloween so successfully I have more confidence about Thanksgiving and Christmas. In fact we are going to go out of town over Thanksgiving so that I do not feel like I should be preparing the huge meal for my family that we all love so much.

I do still plan to cook a turkey on the Sunday after Thanksgiving and will make stuffing, but not all the Desserts and bread and bad stuff. Brussel sprouts instead of candied sweet potatoes. pumpkin pie instead of the decadent 5 layer Belgin chocolate cream pie. We can do it ya'll. It will be worth it.

[kareyquilts 1]

MimIN: I'm surprised that the nurse did your fill. My doctor did mine. How about everyone else? Doctor or nurse do your fill? I think that the next time I get a fill I'm going to ask a lot more questions. I'm 4 days out on my fill. I just ate some real food last night. I really can't tell much difference yet. How long does it take to know if you have any restriction? I've been following the liquid diet and then on to mushie's etc so, the good news is that I've lost 3 pounds. I guess I need to start measuring my food again to keep up the wieght loss.

[kareyquilts 1]

MimIN: I'm surprised that the nurse did your fill. My doctor did mine. How about everyone else? Doctor or nurse do your fill? I think that the next time I get a fill I'm going to ask a lot more questions. I'm 4 days out on my fill. I just ate some real food last night. I really can't tell much difference yet.:cry How long does it take to know if you have any restriction? I've been following the liquid diet and then on to mushie's etc so, the good news is that I've lost 3 pounds. :Banane20: I guess I need to start measuring my food again to keep up the wieght loss.

Holidays will be challenging. I guess we'll have to be kind to ourselves and decide how many times or when we can have a treat. I think it would be better to make it part of our plan. That way we aren't falling into the impulse trap (which would make us feel guilty, afterwards) and we can plan our other food choices around the special event, etc. Isn't diet land grand! Good luck everyone. I love hearing about your experiences.

[MimIN 19]

Lisa, Dr. Curry's nurse does the fills as well but she didn't end up doing my fill. After she talked to Dr. Curry he decided to come in and do the fill as he had some free time. They are both really great!

A week after my first fill I didn't feel any restriction at all and even before then the restriction was limited. This last fill I can tell already there is restriction and maybe too much. I'm going to wait out the weekend and see if it gets any better but I may have to go back and have some removed. I pb'ed on my pills and Water this morning:(

[TamifromAL 1]

I'm surprised that the nurse did your fill. My doctor did mine. How about everyone else? Doctor or nurse do your fill?

Karey, my surgeon's partner did my fill, but I know from our local support group meeting that the nurse practitioner usually does them. I just hope that if she fills me next time that she's as good as the doc who did mine. I didn't have any numbing med, and I barely noticed the stick. One stick, and he kinda tapped a couple of times to guage the right spot, and then he was in. Very easy and painless.

Congrats on your loss!

Tami

[valgal1968 0]

MimIN: I'm surprised that the nurse did your fill. My doctor did mine. How about everyone else? Doctor or nurse do your fill?

My doctor did mine with the nurse right there to help. I don't have much restriction with my first fill, but can tell if I don't chew well enough,

slimes and a little bit of panic.:omg: and pain:help: . I just rry to talk myself into relaxing and alot of praying that I don't get sick. I can still consume much more food than I would like to. The support group I went to said that the 3rd fill is usually hits the sweet spot and things change. I have a 5 cm band.

[mariecarmen 1]

BJean: on the wall in my surgeon's office is the poster that says Get into the LAP-BAND Green Zone.

To the far left is the yellow zone (sub-optimal weight loss). If you're in the yellow zone, you're hungry, can eat big meals and are looking for food. You need a fill.

In the middle is the green zone (optimal weight loss). You have early and prolonged satiety, small meals satisfy and you have satisfactory weight loss or maintenance. You're okay with your present band fill.

At the far right is the red zone. You have difficulty swallowing, experience reflux/heartburn, have a night cough, regurgitation and poor eating behavior. Your band is over-filled.

The NP gave me this on a card (called it the satiety gauge) to carry around so I can tell when I need a fill. It's by the LAP-BAND system and has code #HM0339 on it, if you want to ask your doc for a copy.

The NP did my fill. I learned more from her during that fill than all the previous consultations with all the different people I'd spoken to. I now make my appointments with her exclusively.

[lisalee 0]

Oh, I like the satiety gauge...sounds pretty clear and concise. I have my fills done by a physicians assistant or the doctor himself (Dr. Spivak.) They check a barium swallow right there in the office. It's interesting, he could tell that a fill of 1.5ccs was too full so decreased it down to 1.4ccs. Such a tiny amount made a difference! I don't think I would be comfortable doing it any other way. They also ask you to drink about 1/4 cup of Water before you go to make sure things go down easily. We have patient representatives that circulate through the office and answer questions and hand out information. These are employees of the clinic but people that have had the band done themselves. A lot of the nurses, and clerical staff have had the band done to so it is a wonderful place to learn from.

They also have your average skinny folks working there:) One gal behind the desk made a comment about how "fat" she was and the rest of us patients started laughing...not to hurt her feelings though. I genltly told her that she was in a dangerous place to be complaining about her unfat unlap-banded body. We all got a real kick out of that!

[tommygirl 0]

I had my first fill on Thursday and I am definitely feeling restriction!! I went to dinner with friends last night and had to have 3/4 of my salad wrapped. I guess that is the green zone, because I have been eating small amounts and staying full for hours! I hope it stays this way through the holidays. I got 1.5 cc's in a ten cc band. I was afraid more of the first fill than the surgery but it was fast and great, no flouro, just one poke!

[kareyquilts 1]

Valerie it sounds like you have some restriction if you almost slimed and PB'ed. It is hard to know though. It just doesn't feel like it use to does it?

Mariecarmen: Thanks for the satiety guide. It sounds like you go to an on the ball office. I am going to copy that info so that I can review it. I wish my doc was that helpful.

Lisalee: I wish that my doc would have done the fill with barium. It the book Lapband for Life, the author says that is the best way because you can find the "sweet spot" faster. I have no restriction with my first fill and I'm getting tired of being patient. I want to have results ASAP. Oh well.