I am 6 months post op and have lost 63 pounds. I am 17 pounds from my original goal I set for myself. This has been by far the best and most exciting thing I have ever done for myself. I am a very upbeat person and feel I can help other people to be the same throughout this process. I am really excited about mentoring somebody through their progress too. I have learned almost everything I know about lap band through this site and am ready and willing to help somebody with what I know. This site is great and this mentoring thing is just one more positive thing that it does to help us through this journey. I honestly think I couldn't have gotten this far without it. If there is something I don't know, I will try my hardest to find out. I live in North East Texas, I have 3 grown children and 4 grandchildren. I 48 years old and am married to a very supportive husband that has been key in helping me through this process too. (Sometimes begrudgingly....lol). I am a Certified Pharmacy Technician and work in a mail order pharmacy in Texarkana, Texas. If anybody needs me, just send me a note...

Sharon :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Edited November 13, 200817 yr by Perky66

I would be honored to have you as my lap band buddy. I am having surgery 16th of Dec. You have been walking this path before me and I congratulate you to your success.. BRRAVO!!! .... and I am glad you are here..

Greetings Bea:thumbup:

am getting banded tomorrow morning i would love the help support and advice from an old hand! I am 45 married 2 kids no gran kids and love this site also but feel sensory overload sometimes help i am edgy and nervous about tomorrow

I am glad your are at the beginning of your journey!! I will keep you in my prayers tonight. I would be glad to receive and give support at the same time to you. I am scheduled to have surgery Dec. 16th ... It is a tool on the road to be happy and healty again and I am glad to share this journey with someone.

Greetings Bea:thumbup:

Edited November 14, 200817 yr by Lulu66

Hey guys!! So glad to be your buddy!! This journey is a great one but there are so many things that come along that if I hadn't had people to talk to on here, I would have sworn there was something wrong when in actuality it was gas or something silly like that. Does your Doctor require you to stay the night after surgery? Do you already have your post-op diet? A good word of advice I can sure give you, have everything that you will be able to eat or drink for the first few days available before you go to surgery. My Dr let me go home real quick after surgery and I did great. I had surgery at 8 and I was on my way home at 11:30. I was sore afterward but not in any great pain. I am so thankful I had it done and I think you will be too. Do you have any questions?? I had 1000!! lol I'll be glad to answer anything I can and if I can't I will find out and let you know. Good luck!!!

Hello Perky66

I glad you have responded, and I see that you are also a member of AOL.

If you like to p.m. me my e-mail adress is FKing70821@aol.com

Thanks again Bea

and I am glad ....

Hi, this is my first post, so I hope I do it right. I've been monitoring this site for a while. I was banded on Election Day, 11/4. After reading some of the horror stories on line, I was a little apprehensive. I'm happy to say everything went incredibly well. Surgery was a breeze. I checked into hospital at 10:30 a.m., was released at 2:30.

As far as discomfort, /I don't want to say I was in pain, cause I really wasn't. It's more like serious abdominal soreness, like you've done 1000 sit ups. I did take pain meds once and it made me sick, so didn't take it again. I was fine without.

I was on liquid diet first week post op, then my doc said I could go to a regular diet, but small bites, chew slowly, (that's a biggie for me), small meals.

I'm a little concerned about how much I can eat. It's not at all like I thought. I definitely can eat more than the size of an egg.

I'm trying to stick to 3 small meals a day and snacks. Anyway, I'm two weeks post surgery and my weight loss is sorta stuck at 10 pounds. I stopped weighing myself everyday, cause I fluctuate too much.

Anyway, I think I already need an adjustment? What do you all think?

Now that I've read this over, I can't believe I'm disappointed in a10 pound weight loss in two weeks.

Still, I wonder if I'm doing all right.

And yes, I would like a band buddy. I hope to hear from someone soon. K.

I am in a very small town in Alaska and in the final stages of test to clear me for surgery in Anchorage. I am a bit apprehensive yet excieted. I'm just not sure if I will feel the band or portal or not. I would love to have a buddy to ask questions to and be a support to me. My husband is suportive but he works in a man camp 3 weeks of the month and is not even home. We talk on the phone each night but it is not the same as having him home with the kids and I. If interested to support someone for alaska and learn more about our frozen tundra please reply. OH right now it is a

-38 degrees F. Ouch.

Susan

Hi,

I have a surgery date of 12/9 and have some questions. I would like it a lot if I could talk to someone about things. If you are willing to be a mentor this would be GREAT! My first question is - is there a lot of pain with this after the surgery? How sick were you (nausea/vomitting). I live 2 1/2 hours away from where I am having surgery and wonder if when I am discharged should I stay in town for 1 more day or would it be safe to go home.

Thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I will be banded on 12/22 and would love to have lap band buddies/mentors. I am still undecided if I want the Lap Band or Realize Band, my doctor said he will leave it up to me. ...

Hi guys!! I will glad to answer any questions you might have. If I don't know the answer I will try my best to find out for you. As you have all read on here, everybody is different so something that is right for me might not be right for you. Having said that, I want you all to know that this lap band is the best thing I have ever done for myself. It is the best tool for weight loss that I have ever found and believe me, short of gastric bypass ( this wasn't even option for me, I am a little scared of that ) I have tried everything. I bet I have lost at least 1000 pound in my life only to gain back 1100. I am at a 63 pound weight loss right now. I had surgery 6 months ago. For me, this is phenomenal. I know some people that have lost more and some people that have lost less. The key for me is the fills and how to know when to get one. I have had 4 fills at this point but I think I am pretty much at my sweet spot. I know you guys know that every Doctor is different too. My Dr requires about 4-6 weeks between fills. And they wouldn't give me my first one for 6 weeks post-op because they want everything to heal well before they start giving you fills. I really feel like this is a good idea. I had a million questions after surgery and I found all of my answers right here. Of course if I thought it was anything serious I would definitely consult my Dr. As far as the question about nausea after surgery, I talked to people that didn't have any nausea at all but I personally was pretty nauseated but I don't attribute that to the lap band, I also had a hiatal hernia repair with my lap band. My Dr sent me home with Phenergan liquid and liquid Hydrocodone after surgery. I have talked to alot of people on here though that got Zofran and had I known about it would have asked my Dr for that. It's a tiny oral dissintegrating tablet and they all say it works great. The Phenergan is pretty nasty especially if you're already nauseated. My nausea subsided after about a week. If I missed a question, please ask me again. I will be here to help you through this. If you have any questions just send me a pm or post on the blog and I will try to help you. Have a great Thanksgiving.... Good luck on your journey, it is awesome.. By the way, I went and bought a size "10" jeans yesterday. I have never worn a size 10 jeans. I think I skipped all of the lower numbers. I went straight from newborn to 20...LOL :wub: :wub:

Hi, I was banded on Aug 29th but I have only lost about 25 lbs. I thought that I would have lost more by now. How do you know if you have the right amount of fill? I get food stuck in my chest often and throw up some but I still get hungry and I'm able to eat more that I think I should be eating.

I think 25 pounds is great weight loss. It's only been 3 months. You are doing great. I will tell you, I think with the fills everybody is different. It's really a crap shoot. I have had four fills and sometimes I feel like I could eat the house and other times I don't feel like I can swallow a bean. I think there alot of factors that effect the band other than just food. But I will definitely say for me I think the fills are the key to the weight loss. When I start feeling like I am eating more than I should and not losing weight for a period of several weeks, it is time for a fill. I actually think I am at a good spot right now and won't need any more fills for a good while. I don't know how many fills you have had and to be honest with you, I know a lady that got the lap band in July and she has lost over 60 pounds and never has gotten a fill. So, as I said, everybody is different. I do pay close attention to what I eat also. I have not had one piece of bread since 2 weeks before my surgery. I try my best to follow the rules as far as food goes. I think you are worried for no reason though, I think your weight loss is great and you are doing good. You just need to keep doing what you're doing and keep up the good work....

I am on solids and 4 weeks banded. I PB often and get chest pain if I eat to fast. Help.

Sorry it has taken me so long to write I have been out of town. If you think you are pb'ing too often you definitely need to see your Dr. I am thinking you might be just eating too fast though. Try eating very slow. It might take me 30 minutes to eat a cup of Soup. If I try to eat 2 bites back to back, I will PB also but I have found that if I occupy myself with something else while I am eating that I don't eat too fast. At work, several of us eat together and they are always through eating at least 15 or 20 minutes before me. Everybody always says, "is that all you're gonna eat". Every day this happens. But the truth is, I can't hold much at all. Not that you're supposed to eat them, but I can eat 2 or 3 chicken nuggets and I am full. Sometimes I will grab a happy meal when I don't have anything else and just eat some of the nuggets for lunch. I never eat the fries. It is really hard when my husband and I eat out to eat slow. I have found that I will just order a small appetizer and a glass of Water and then I still end up taking part of it home. Oh yes, that's another thing. Never ever ever try to drink while you eat. That will make me PB instantly. I always get a glass of water just for looks I guess but I never touch it. Sometimes I will get it to go and drink it later but not often. I mean if I take a sip while I am eating I will have to excuse myself.

I hope this has helped you. But if you are doing all of this and still having trouble, you definitely need to see your DR. They might have to do a slight unfill. I have never had to have an unfill but I know pwople that have. Good luck and happy weight loss. By the way, I noticed you have lost 14 pounds already. You Go Girl. That is great.

I assumed that my port was empty upon banding. I see my surgeon on the 18th and will ask him. Some people have had fills during surgery. If I PB sometimes now, won't it be worse after my first fill? Maybe I dont need one?