I would be more than happy to mentor anyone who needs it. There were so many need-a-mentor posts on here that I didn't know who to pick, so I'm putting my availability out there and you guys can let me know if we'd be a good match.

I'm a 36 year old mother of three. I live in rural Kansas, but hopefully not much longer.

I started my band journey at 303 pounds, having peaked at 311 before getting pregnant with my baby #3.

I had surgery in Denver, Colorado, on February 8th, 2008. I have had almost no complications and wake up every day almost giddy about the change this has made in my life.

I've lost 80 pounds as of yesterday and have 63 or so more to go. My approach to the band may be a little different than some, so here's where I'm coming from. I'm very afraid of getting overfilled. I believe that an overfill is the source of so many different problems, I just really want to avoid it. I have that luxury, since at my current restriction I'm still losing weight. I'm not what you'd consider tight. I've been able to eat everything I've tried, even a bagel, or bun. (though those aren't common choices for me.) I'm at 7 ccs in a 10 cc band. I've only had two fills to get me to that point.

I believe in being able to eat a reasonable portion of healthy foods and doing that has helped me be able to lose the weight I have lost so far. I can eat a fairly normal sized plate of food for a meal, so I try hard to make sure I'm making good choices about what that food is. I'm not plagued by constant cravings for junk food, though after my recent two-week vacation, I've had to employ some willpower to get out of the habit of eating less-than healthy foods.

If we sound like we'd be a good match, let me know and we can set up a buddy/mentor situation.

your looking good gurl!!!!!!!

Suzie,

So do you not have a surgery date yet? Sounds like you're coming down the final stretch. I don't know what would have been considered my final weigh in. Maybe it was the pre-op visit the day before. I don't remember them calling it that. You'll have to let me know how it goes. Remember, we were all nervous. For me it was so worth it. It was hard, but that fades quickly as the thrill of weight loss takes over my life. Good luck with everything!

Melissa

mzreeda, *looking around* You talking to me? Thanks. :wink2:

Hi Melissa - I'm sorry it's been a while since I've checked in. Yesterday was a tough day for me. I was hungry all day! Since I'm still on mushies I tried to keep it to no more than 1 cup per sitting. At the end of the day had consumed 1200 calories. Any suggestions for keeping that hunger away? My first fill isn't until Sept 8th.

When I was on mushies, I ate until I was satisfied, even if it was more than a cup. My surgeon said he didn't expect me to act like I had a tight band yet when I hadn't had a fill. I wouldn't gorge myself, but if you're still hungry, I think it's okay to eat a bit more than 1 cup. For me, the feeling of deprivation is very dangerous to my psyche. I have to make sure I feel that my needs are being met. Also, try to get in good protein, cottage cheese, etc., to help you stay feeling satisfied. Good luck.

Once I have my surgery I would love for you to be my mentor. I have 120 lbs to lose and it seems so far away. You have done so good I am really impressed. Where are you planning on moving to? Have you located a good doctor here for your fills yet?

I am almost finished with my 6 month supervision dieting in which I haven't done very well and I hope the insurance company doesn't bump me because of that after all that is why I am looking for having the lapband. Dah! Do you think I should already start the diet to shrink my liver? After the 20th I am to call the bariatrics office and they will set me up for my all day appointments to see the nutritionist, psych, labs etc. I also will have to see a pulmonologist because I have severe sleep apnea and cardiac testing. After the sixth month which will be sometime in September they will send everything off to the insurance company. I have Humana I sure hope it doesn't take them long to get an answer for me so I can get this surgery done and move on with my life. If you have any helpful hints for me please pass them this way. I am a 55 year old with high cholestrol, high blood pressure, severe sleep apnea, sjogrens disease, low Iron, low B12, low Vitamin D. My health is getting worse every year and I want to be healthy again before I get too much older. I also have 3 adult children who really do not want me to have this surgery and this puts alot of stress on me. They are worried that something might happen to me and I should just diet and excersise. Thanks for listening.

Cheryl

Edited August 13, 200817 yr by cheryl1952

Hello Melissa!

Thanks for replying to me. I haven't gotten nervous yet but I'm sure it will happen further down the road. No, I haven't gotten a surgery date yet. I need to finish up with the lab tests and then I call for my doctor's appointment. The only day I have off during the week is Friday and I've been trying to do all of my "lap-band appointments" on these days. I may need my vacation time for surgery recovery, at least a week anyway it sounds like. I'm thinking this "weigh in" visit could be the pre-op visit? We will find out... I can't wait to get this thing going and begin the weight loss, though I know that still is a ways down the old road, still looking forward to it though. I can't weight to lose enough weight to fit into an airline seat and fly out to California. I'm a California Girl transplanted into FL. All my family and best friend are in CA. Such good things to look forward to!! I will keep you posted on all things that happen. Thanks for caring and helping me. Susie :-)

Hi Melissa! Congratulations on your weight loss You've done an excellent job. I got my band on April 16 and so far I've lost 50 pounds. I have a 10 cc band and I only have 5 cc's in. I do feel restriction, but I can eat whatever I want. I haven't lost anything since my last fill (have only had 2). I'm hoping my doc will put in 2 more cc's - to up me to 7 cc's next week. He seems to be pretty conservative with his fills. Do you notice a big difference now that you have 7 cc's? I'm hoping to jump start my weight loss back up again. Thanks for your support!!!

Hey Melissa,

Congrats on your loss so far and you do really look great!

I wish I had read your thread 4 days ago. I had my third fill on Tuesday and before I got the fill sad to say my restriction was at the level that you have right now. However I was not losing nearly as fast. My fill is bittersweet because I have lost about 8lbs (was on liquids for 3 days), however, I can't drink more than three mouthfuls at a time and then they take at least five minutes to go down. I have a constant gnawing in my stomach, as though I'm starving. If I try to force more than three mouthfuls I get a little nauseous (not to the point of vomitting though). I ingested about 4oz of soft cooked ramen noodles and mashed up sausage(not the healthiest, but most readily available) a while ago and although when I was finished I was looking around for more, after about 15 minutes the terrible gnawing pain stopped and I'm satisfied. So I think my liquid diet is over. I also had a terrible burning sensation in my throat last night.(is this acid reflux?) Any advice?

I can't get a fill or unfill before the end of the year. I am self-pay, have a balance that I will not be able to pay off til then. Can't do any more procedures unless i zero my balance.

Thanks for sharing your story and for your motivation. I will definitely be checking out your blog.

Cheryl,

Good for you for sticking with the whole 6-month thing. I don't know if I would have stuck it out. I would have felt like giving up at that news. Luckily I didn't have to find out if I would have because my insurance didn't require it.

I'm sorry you're running into problems with your kids. Just remember this is for you and your health. You may just have to not discuss it with them until you are ready to deal with them. It is such a brave step to take to make huge changes in your life. I think it can be threatening for some people when they are used to you the way you already are, they don't want you to change, even if it's for the better.

Hang in there and keep doing what you need to do to get to that surgery date. Let me know if you need any help.

Melissa

Susie,

One of my lowest points was purchasing a second airline seat for myself on Southwest back in September of last year. That will be a thrilling day when I fly again, knowing full well that I only need one ticket.

Bandedtam,

I felt pretty good restriction after my second fill. Remember, it's not the number of ccs that's important, it's how you feel at that amount of fill that's important. Since you haven't been losing weight, I think you're right that another fill might be helpful. I think the trap people get into is thinking that they aren't full enough because they can "eat anything", yet they are still losing weight. If you are losing weight and able to eat--hello sweet spot! Let us know how your fill goes!

Melissa

ovahkummer,

I'm sorry if you ended up overfilled. Maybe the fill will loosen up for you after a couple of days. As long as you're not vomiting all the time, you may be able to work through the tightness by eating soft foods until you can progress to more solid things. That is frustrating for you to not have the option right now to go back and get a little unfill. I think docs should include the unfill fee with the fill fee. You should be able to get an unfill, included in the price of the fill that got you too full. Too bad I'm not a surgeon, nor do I play one on TV. :thumbup:

You might touch base with your surgeon about the acid reflux as that can be a definite sign that you are too full. My surgeon always shows concern when someone mentions reflux. The end of the year is a long way off, that would be too long to deal with something damaging your esophagus.

I actually went and got another fill yesterday. I fought it for a while, especially since I've been so adamant about not being too full. My weight loss stalled for a couple of weeks and my satiety has really been hard to find. I've been able to get full at a meal, but still looking for things to eat afterwards. That hasn't happened to me since before my band.

So I went to a new surgeon, (mine is moving) and he did the fill under fluro. He did a great job, I think, and I'm hoping to have a little bit more restriction. Funny thing is that I thought I had 7 ccs in, but when he withdrew it, there was just over 5ccs in there. So I've lost some along the way or something. So he tried bringing me back up to the 7 cc level, but we decided it was a little too tight once it was in there, and I ended up with just over 6. Like I said above, it's not the numbers that matter, it's how I feel at this level of fill.

I'm still on mushies, so I don't know exactly how much restriction I'm going to have, but I've eaten cottage cheese and refried Beans without any signal of getting stuck. So at least I'm not overfilled!

Also, this new surgeon has a vastly different approach to nutrition that is much more in line with how I view food, than my original surgeon. So I'm excited to start incorporating some of the foods that I hadn't previously been using back into my diet. (Whole grains, good fats, etc.)

Hey Melissa,

I'm glad to know that you got your fill and everything is back where it should be. Can't have our mentor stalling LOL. But I guess it just goes to show that we will have setbacks along the way.

I have not felt the acid since i've stopped drinking juice and it doesn't seem as though I'm overfilled (thank GOD!) I ate about a 3/4cup of bran flakes this morning, taking care to chew thoroughly. I also took a capsule yesterday,I did feel it going down but it went down fine. I also ate a wee bit of chicken last night with no problems.

Thanks for your advice and keep sharing you success to spark us on.

hi my name is melissa also my journey began in may received my band june 30th lost total of 32 pounds since being banded i lost 11 pounds but i keep fighting with the same 2 pounds for about 2 weeks i lose it then gain it i get my first fill tues