Be prepared to spend A LOT of time over the toilet. Be prepared to constantly feel the "golf ball" in your esophagus after you eat. Be prepared NOT to be able to eat in front of people you havent told about the band. Be prepared to be afraid of eating ANYTHING non mushie in fear of throwing it up. Be prepared to teach yourself to eat VERY VERY slowly. Be prepared to kiss bread goodbye.

The first 6 weeks is easy, once you get your fill...thats when you will play the "get to know your band" game. Its very finicky. It loves liquids, hates bread. Forget about steak, even chicken has problems going through.

You will have that "stuck" feeling a lot, after the stuck feeling, you will salivate profusely and then everything you ate comes up.

The only thing I can eat now is Soup...any kind of soup, but most everything else I have tried I have thrown up.

I'm 2 weeks post 1st fill..and I know i'm not too tight, since I watched the whole thing on fluoroscopy.....this is just how life is with the band.

Any many other people that I know that have this band say the same thing. Things get stuck often..and are also afraid of trying new foods in public.

I am not complaining, I am happy with my decision to get it placed.. I mean, vanity is priority #1...but these above facts DO NOT get mentioned often in this forum....at least I really havent read about it.

At 6 months out, I lost a little hair, but really lost my fingernails. They started peeling off in layers. Then everything went back to normal.....

I Have Never Had Any Of The Problems That You Have Had...i Was Banded In April And I Am Ready For My Third Fill...never Slimmed, Pb, Or Had To Stay Over A Toilet...i Can Eat Just About Anything...as Long As I Eat Slowly And Chew My Food Well...

Sounds just perfect, Diann. Congrats!

I am having surgury tomorrow. someone at the information night told me this was a great site. I'm sort of wishing I hadn't read the bit about the drooling.........now, I'm scared. Have I made the right decison????

thank you for this post. My surgery is coming up tomorrow andI've been spooked by some things I've read here. thank you

See.....I read all these kinds of posts before I had surgery! I wanted to know the good, the bad and the ugly! I felt at least I was prepared for anything!

This surgery is not for everyone! I felt it was right for me and now I'm almost half-way there to goal! I would definitely do it again!

Good luck! Only you can make the right decision for you!

You are right Lori, everyone WILL have a different journey, heck there will be days that yours changes from morning to night!!! BUT with careful attention as you figure this new way of life out, and a good Dr., and there is no need to suffer through the things that the OP is dealing with. I am amazed and impressed that with all that going on, that she still loves her band! The difficult issue with the band is getting it to the proper restriction without going over that point. When you do that, and you can eat healthy foods, without issue, you will just eat MUCH less. Then your mind finally gets into the game, and you realize that if you can only fit .5 to 1.5 cups of food in now, that you better make it good quality food that will help you get healthy. So instead of a dinner with say, fried chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy, dinner rolls, green Beans, and dessert. You will look at that and KNOW there is no way to eat all of that, so you change to roasted chicken, and eat some chicken, and some green beans...and if you have room, maybe a bite or 2 of potatoes & gravy. But not double helpings of each! The band gives you control back. It is amazing the smarter choices you can make when you are not starving all the time. You will shock yourself when you remember to drink a glass of Water and see if you were actually thirsty and not hungry in the first place. There is no more wondering where your next food is coming from---that is no longer priority #1. Whatever meal you choose on the menu WILL be enough food---and you will almost always have a take home box! You will find which restaurants let you order from the childrens menu!! You start really tasting your food---when you have to chew something VERY well, you get to sample its flavor in a serious way...not chomp chomp, swallow! You don't walk in the house after a long day and grab the first thing you can get your hands on---I always did! A bag of chips or Cookies, or both! Now I am not famished all the time, so I can take some time to toss together a small salad, or make something more healthy than those chips or cookies. Even if my head hunger takes over---a single handfull of chips, or a couple of cookies, and the binge is over! No longer is it a surprise to find an entire sleeve of cookies just gone! It isn't something I can do! When you get your band properly adjusted---you CAN eat things besides Soup. Yes there is a high liklihood that there will be some foods your band does not tolerate, and those foods can change from time to time. IF you find a good spot with restriction, then you eat in the way you are told, small bites, chewed well, fork down between bites....you will learn to recognize signals from your body. I have heard people eating bites the size of half of a pinky nail---I have never been that precise---but I do take small bites. I chew them up, sitting my fork down, swallow, and see how it feels. If I am at home, who cares how I eat?? And I have found when we go out with friends or family to eat, everyone is concentrating on their own food, or when they are talking to you they are making eye contact, not checking out the size of my bites! I eat slower---it ends up that I am finished with my smaller portion about the same time they finish their entire plate---and all they end up noticing is that I am taking a lot home. I have eaten too fast before in a restaurant, and needed to get up, to ease the "golfball" the OP mentioned. If the bite was small enough, usually moving around will be all it takes, with some deep breaths, to let it pass on down. I usually just pick around at my meal after that...take it home! I haver never been embarrassed when out eating. Quite the opposite. When I was at my heaviest, I felt like every eye was on me in the restaurant when I walked in, and that people were wondering why in the world I was there to eat even more! Now, I fit in booths without question, no one looks at me regardless what I order.

As for the hair loss, yes. In my opinion it was the worst part of my being banded. Now keep in mind it has been mentioned that mine might have been worse than normal, because I have had full hair loss before due to chemo. But I lost lots and lots of hair. I kept my Protein up before and after surgery---so don't kick yourself, I don't think it makes a difference. I lost hair doing Atkins, and all I ate was protein! I think STRESS plays a huge roll. The stress on the body of surgery and anesthesia, and the diet change---the body freaks out! I was getting to a panic point when the hair loss stopped as suddenly as it had started. Now it is growing back---and I look a sight without lots of product to hold the new growth down!!! BUT give me a few months, and not only will my hair be back to normal (it will take awhile to get my full length, but that's ok) I will be to goal, or darn close to it!

There are many points the OP makes that could be fixed with a proper fill level. I am just glad she is not ready to give up on the band, because I predict when she gets to a GOOD spot, she will really be happy!!!! And OP if you are out there still, are all these people you know who have the same issues, patients of the same Dr.? Some Dr.'s are extremely aggresive with fills. My fill Dr. is one of them, I just refuse to be as tight as he thinks I should be. I have lost 100 pounds, I don't think it was necessary!

Hang in there, and if any of these issues the OP brings up scare you---talk to your Dr. about them. If your Dr. blows off your fears or tells you yes they ARE normal---find another Dr. The band DOES take aftercare, find someone you can work with, who will care about how you feel.

Good Luck!

Kat

Drooling.... I slime, but very seldom. It happens when I forget and eat too big a bite or chew too little. It's not like drooling. It's this fascinating adaptation by the body to create a thick slider to get food down that is too big to pass. It's amazing that the body will do that!

hair loss, if it happens, happens to most people at around 6 months, and happens once, with the hair then regrowing. Sufficient Protein in your diet helps....

You're trading a new imperfect life for an old imperfect life. I like the new one better, not being morbidly obese!

Hey, Kat! I truly appreciate hearing about your real-life experiences with your band. It is sooooooooooo helpful to me. I know my life will never be the same. I am prepared for that. It is ok. I never want to go back to the old me. I have already lost 22 pounds and I am not banded yet! I am not really nervous yet for Monday, but I am getting a bit anxious. I feel like I am on hold right now. Like my life starts on Monday. It's kinda weird. I was born in the same hospital that I will be banded in. (I now live about an hour from Cedar Falls.) Born and reborn in the same place. I guess it's fitting!

Thanks again!

WOW... the title got my attention......... I know most of what I think has already been said... but I will just add..

Everyone has their own path. My band is just as tempermental as my 3 year old. I can't eat Beans.. wierd.. but I can eat thin crust pizza.... if I'm stressed or on my TOM my band swells and I have a hard time eating.. WIERD...... the only times I spend over the toilet is when I don't listen to my body and STOP when it tells me too......... EMOTIONAL eating is harder to fend off....... Good luck with your journey

Is our OP still around? I'd like to know how she's doing......

thanks for your pics. They are quite an inspiration!

I have learned a lot from reading all the responses.

I did get a slight unfill and am happy to report that there is life outside of the restroom.

Things are great!!

I apologize to anyone who I offended or insulted.

Thank you

I have learned a lot from reading all the responses.

I did get a slight unfill and am happy to report that there is life outside of the restroom.

Things are great!!

I apologize to anyone who I offended or insulted.

Thank you

I am so glad you are feeling better!

I just wanted to say something to anyone who is new or thinking about getting banded. I lost my fill (will find out why tomorrow) I can now eat like

I don't have a band.

After having restriction, and now having none, I can honestly tell you that having restriction is better. I am really afraid I have a leak and will never have restriction again.