Hey all.

So there's a bunch of us in this group, all split up into our different banding days. I was thinking that it might be a good idea to have one master thread as we move through the month, in which all of us could post as we go, from the pioneers going on March 1st to the finalists on March 31st.

I'd love to talk about our anticipation and any worries as we approach our banding date, for people to talk about exactly what happened from the moment they walked into the hospital door until the second they walked out, about how recovery is going, about weight loss and plateaus, about non-scale victories and challenges.

I was thinking that if we all contribute to one thread, it'll form a more substantial channel for information and support. At the moment, I was thinking that we might be too spread out into individual date, and that a central thread would be a really good backbone for the group, in addition to the date-specific threads.

What do you think?

Fenton

That must be awful Christine. I have had trouble eating for the last two days. I had my last fill at the beginning of August but for some reason my dinner didn't agree with me. Last night I ate steak and ended up having it all come back up after sliming for 2 hours. Tonight I made a great dinner of roasted tomatoes on angel hair pasta and the tomato skins are stuck. I keep having them come back up. It was so delicious I didn't want to stop eating but I didnt want the same thing to happen that happened last night. I hope you can hang in there until Thursday.

It is interesting to me to see that the ADJUSTABLE part of adjustable gastric lap band is coming into play but that is exactly what I wanted, that it was adjustable, not one size fits all, and not an all or nothing for success thing. So those of you who are hanging in there with Fill, slight unfill, to adjust, keep on keeping on!

Kathy and Christine hope you guys get some relief soon, that has to be tough to put up with. I haven't had anything stick longer than 10 minutes, and it was my own fault too big of a bite or not chewing well, but it eventually went down.

It is interesting to me to see that the ADJUSTABLE part of adjustable gastric lap band is coming into play but that is exactly what I wanted, that it was adjustable, not one size fits all, and not an all or nothing for success thing. So those of you who are hanging in there with Fill, slight unfill, to adjust, keep on keeping on!

The totally adjustable lapband !!!!

Everyday seems to be a different feeling with my band. Some foods are ok others are not, then the next day something totally different. Since my last fill 9/19/08, I have great restriction. My intake is down to what it should be. Sometimes even less. After a slow Summer of weight loss I am glad to have restriction again and be back in the weight loss journey. :thumbdown:

Lynn I agree. I have different responses to foods on different days. I do notice though that if I am upset or stressed that really affects my ability to eat. My last fill was early August and the doctor said I was close to my sweet spot and I agree but some weeks I can eat a good amount and others I can only eat a small amount and I feel stuffed. I guess we all have to just roll along with the process since we are all different and yet we are all experiencing pretty much the same things basically. I am pretty tight in the mornings so I only have yogurt or a protein shake or a soft cooked egg. By lunch I am a little less tight but have to be careful what I eat. Usually by dinner I can eat just about anything and more of it but the last couple of days it was like breakfast again. I am happy to be losing too after staying at the same weight for nearly 3 weeks so I won't complain.

:confused:having a hard time this week, I can eat so much more than I want yet some days food gets stuck other days not....I'm making poor choices (mcdonalds fish sandwich!!! for God's sake...) anyway hoping to get on track again and am going to move my appt up from 9/9 to earlier. A slight fill may help.. :tt2: Im very disappointed in myself):cool2::drool::thumbup:

WoW, you can eat a whole fish sandwich? A few weeks ago I ate 4 bites of a wendy's chicken sandwich with only the bottom part of the bun and was full for the rest of the day. This was at 1PM. Wow! That day I was really reflecting on the fact that before band, I could eat the whole chicken sandwich and a bacon cheese burger and french fries and still not be "full". WoW.

Christine

Hey guys! Sounds like everyone is still trying to walk that fine line of restriction. I think that it is a game we will all have to play for many months during this journey.

We are all fighting the flu here, so it has been a really trying week!

I called the doctor Monday night after TERRIBLE dry heves for 5 hours, but never got a call back. I called again about 3 hours later and they said they would page him again. I was really worried about slipping my band!

About 8:30 that morning I got a call from the office nurse and she said the doctor tried to call but he has a blocked number and my phone would not allow a call from his home or cell phone?!?!? Anyways, buy this point I was only having diarrhea, so they said to stay on liquids and call back it I started to vomit again.

I am feeling better today. I actually feel like trying to eat. I pray that the band is ok, and that no major damage was done. I was wondering if any of you have had guidelines from your doctor about the flu and how long to wait before going to the ER for a unfill.

Niki, I don't know if this helps because I've not had the flu, but I recently did have to get my band completely unfilled due to slippage. The band was tighter, something got stuck, the subsequent PB caused swelling that became worse and worse until virtually nothing could get past the band. A day and a half of throwing up, retching, and reflux.

Whenever there's been real retching, my doc's office wants to know at the next appt (within a month's time) and they do an xray to check the positioning of the band. Fortunately, they can do this in the office. If the band stays in the wrong position for too long (3 months?), it may need to surgically fixed. So, just be sure to bring this up again at your next appt!

One thing I do remember in terms of guidelines re the flu is that they recommend you call the office and get an anti-nausea prescription (I forget what it's called).

Next week I go back in to get my fill (slightly less this time) replaced. I'm glad you're feeling a little better today. Hopefully the worst is over for you!

Sharon - I can certainly understand the talks we give ourselves to get the kick in the but we need to make changes or get motivation! I have been thinking about things in terms of just setting the "reset" button every once in a while. Hopefully you can just do that instead of feeling disappointed in yourself. I know I used to make a choice that I considered bad and then then I would just let everything slide for the rest of the day too. I am now trying to look more at the big picture.

And maybe to make you all feel better, I am sure I can still eat way more than most of you at one sitting! I can eat a whole tortilla rolled up with veggies and cheese. (And I don't feel bad about it.) I think eat person does need a certain amount of calories to feel like moving and to get their metabolism going. I have actually started losing more after eating more.

Although things might be challenging this month! Today is my oldest daughter's bday (just turning 11) and she wants brownies which are my favorite dessert. We are traveling almost every weekend for the girls dancing. And we are having a big halloween party for my daughter and friends toward the end of the month (and I love to have way too much food for parties). I am not even going to think about getting halloween candy for a while. It is tough when there is so much in the house.

Wow, a fish sandwhich..... I tried one chicken nugget and that was a bad idea! SLIME...ew. I honestly think I didn't chew it enough.

But, I have to tell you....don't beat yourself up about this. All that does is make you feel bad. Start the next minute as a new minute. Plus, the studies say that if you catch yourself after the first slip, you usually won't gain any weight. Since I go for the salty stuff, then drink a ton of Water.....I usually gain water weight....so, take that for what it is worth.

I went to my company picnic last week and was able to eat a hamburger , baked beans , macaroni and potato salad , two cups of coffee, a bottle of water and an ice cream sundae all within 1.5 hr with no trouble at all . That said I had to go get a fill to day and found out I gained 4 lbs. So why was I so upset I knew I was eating all the wrong things . So I start anew tonight .

Hi Fellow March Bandsters. I had a fill about 2 months ago and at that time it was tight. I dealt with it and ate very little very slowly. Now it seems like I am able to eat much more. I think the band loosens up over time. Either that or i get use to the tightness and eat more???? I don't know. I'm going to call my MD to get another fill but I'm concerned because sometimes now i get acid reflux at night and I don't want to make that worse.

what do you think? does the band loosen up over time?

thanks for your input and keep up the good work.

Dolores

thank you all for your support, I felt much better today and decided to stay off the scales for two weeks. I have a fill scheduled for the 9th and I went back to more Protein and fluids today and felt much better. I also started back on documentng what I eat which is very helpful. I think I was slidng into a carb world again which wasn making me feel more hungry and not feeling well. Today I went to the gym and felt so much better after the treadmill.

Love this site for the support we get....this transition is hard. This time last year though I weight 40 lbs more than I do now and was just starting the journey towards the lapband....so I am moving on!!!:smile2:

sharon

Sharon - I think I'm sliding into the carb world also. I hate it because it makes me feel sluggish. anyhow, I'm happy for you that your getting back on track and documenting what your eating. I'm going to do that. Great job, keep it up.

Dolores