This should piss some people off but that is not my intent. Best case scenario it becomes a spirited discussion of the merits of waiting. Worse case, those offended will rant at me for a while and I won't miss a wink of sleep over it. This is dedicated to all of you pre-banders out there who get discouraged, frustrated about the time it takes to finally get to band land, whether it be due to insurance or pre-op diets or any reason that causes you to take more time than you originally hoped for a band date.

So.........have you noticed that the people with the most problems, slowest weight loss, slippages, pb's, complications, etc. are the people who went from seminar to surgery relatively quickly as opposed to those who for whatever reason had to wait 8 months to a year.

I personally am using the time to learn. I will not be posting a thread in the future asking what is PB after I'm banded. First and foremost I am GETTING MY MIND RIGHT! for the changes I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR!

There is a huge difference between not coddling someone and acting like an a$$hole. No one gives a shit how superior you feel you are. No one cares about your ability to 'give people pause and think', you don't have that much power. Your attitude makes you insignificant and people will ignore your self righteous attitude. Yeah, this is me not coddling you.

Apparently I have that power over you, here you are taking the time to tell me how unimportant I am. :ohmy:

I will specifically look for your posts now and help out where I can.

Oh, fun, a stalker!!

Apparently I have that power over you, here you are taking the time to tell me how unimportant I am. :ohmy:

No, I just got some extra sleep last night and I have a little extra energy to devote to poking the troll. But if it makes you feel important, you go right ahead and think you have that hold over me. I would not want to take away the highlight of your day. Clearly, you dont have much else going for you. :thumbup:

:ohmy: Does this kind of hurtful banter go on here all the time? Isn't this a forum where people.... all people can share their feelings, experiences, ideas and such? Shouldn't we not be judging eachother? We all have our beliefs. If we all felt the same about everything we would be a boring bunch. Ultimately we are all brothers and sisters. How about we treat eachother with some respect. Agree to disagree?

:ohmy: Does this kind of hurtful banter go on here all the time? Isn't this a forum where people.... all people can share their feelings, experiences, ideas and such? Shouldn't we not be judging eachother? We all have our beliefs. If we all felt the same about everything we would be a boring bunch. Ultimately we are all brothers and sisters. How about we treat eachother with some respect. Agree to disagree?

I agree, I don't know why they are judgemental of me. I have ideas but some people dismiss my feelings out of hand but I don't hold it against them. Thank you for telling THEM to stop picking on me:crying:

I love the way people interpert things.... Dan do you seriously think I am telling anybody anything? I am not that important, and don't have that kind of power. Just making a statement about how unloving this post is. I certainly didn't come here for this type of chat. Was looking for some support and pre-op experience to help me on my journey. I will have to keep looking for some positive stuff to keep me focused on my path.:ohmy:

You are that important, don't belittle yourself. Maybe you should look in other threads for some positive stuff, but thank you for your support of me.

Edited February 13, 200917 yr by El Diablo

OK . . . quick confession. My name is Heather and I am an occasional troll myself . . . just ask my DH & DS and they will give it to you straight, lol.

Sometimes the occasional troll response makes a thread a little more interesting :ohmy:

ha - i can be easily entertained as well.

gr8fulmaria - there are so many pre-op support threads, i wouldn't consider this one of them.

Thanks luluc.....how do you start a thread? I am so bad at navigating.

Why is it that when I read this one, I just want to say

"Oh well."

Mine took 3 weeks start to finish, and I am pretty successful so far. Enough said.

Thanks luluc.....how do you start a thread? I am so bad at navigating.

just go to the top of this page - click on the navigation (blue highlighted) PRE-Operation Lap-Band Surgery Q&A, it will dump you there & the new thread button is on the top left.

Thanks, hope to see you there. Have a great day~!~!

One more post on this subject from me, to help educate dan and other pre-ops. :thumbup:

Remember what the surgeons say is "normal." It is "normal" to gain weight post-op from the mushy stage until 1, 2, 3, or 4 fills have provided restriction. Whatever weight is lost in the 2 week liquid diet is frequently regained (and then some). The first fill is usually 4-6 weeks post-op, with subsequent fills 4 weeks apart. It is also "normal" to lose 1-2 pounds a week with restriction.

So here's a scenario I'm making up based on what's perfectly normal, but which dan would label a failure:

A LAP BAND STORY

by dietpeach

"Amanda" was banded on New Year's 2008. In the 2 weeks post-op liquid diet she lost 10 pounds. She regained 6 pounds in the next 4 weeks before her first fill at 6 weeks post-op, making her 4 pounds below her surgery weight. By her second fill at 10 weeks post-op she had gained 4 pounds more, bringing her back to her surgery weight. In the next 4 weeks she didn't gain but didn't lose, and got a 3rd fill (14 weeks post-op).

At this point she started losing a half a pound a week for the next 4 weeks. At week 18 she had another fill, and she was 2 pounds below surgery weight. It was too tight, so they slightly unfilled her. She felt pretty good. She started losing 1.5 pounds a week at this point, from weeks 18 - 38, for a total loss of 30 pounds during this time, bringing her to 32 pounds below surgery weight.

At this point she starts to lose restriction because she lost some of the fat around her stomach, so that her band was no longer tight on her stomach. Over the next 4 weeks (bringing us to week 42) she regains 3 pounds. She calls to make an appointment for another fill. It takes 2 weeks (week 44) for them to get her in, and in those 2 weeks she gains another pound. she is now only 28 pounds below her surgery weight at week 44.

This fill does the trick again and she loses an average of 1.5 pounds a week (1-2 pounds) for the next 8 weeks, bringing us to week 52. Her total loss for the year is 40 pounds.

Dan would call her a failure, but he'd be wrong. She continues to lose an average of 1.5 pounds a week, with minor adjustments here and there, and over the next year she loses 78 pounds the second year after surgery, for a total loss of 118 pounds. But she isn't finished. The weight loss slows at this point because she is close to goal. She has changed her life, is exercising and eating right. Over the course of the third year she slowly loses the remaining 32 pounds for a total loss of 150 pounds.

Dan meets her in a bar but she's too hot to even notice him. Regretful, Dan goes and gets banded. Having waiting all these 3 years to get the band, and having done so much research fduring those 3 years, he thinks he's sure to succeed. But no! He doesn't stick to the band rules. He keeps eating ice cream, milk shakes, chips, chocolate, and soda. In the first year after surgery he loses only 5 pounds. What a failure!

He comes groveling to lapbandtalk and apologizes for being so judgmental. Everyone forgives him and supports him to help him get back on track and stick to the rules. One member in particular (Amanda) helps him the most, only he doesn't realize it's the hot chick from the bar. She supports him as he sheds the 100 pounds he needed to. They get very close online as she helps him, and they decide to meet in real life. When they finally get together it's love at first sight.

They get married and have twins, a boy and a girl they name Danny and Mandy. They are careful to raise the children with healthy eating habits. Both twins grow up to become lap band surgeons.

The end. :rose:

Edited February 15, 200917 yr by dietpeach

One more post on this subject from me, to help educate dan and other pre-ops. :thumbup:

Remember what the surgeons say is "normal." It is "normal" to gain weight post-op from the mushy stage until 1, 2, 3, or 4 fills have provided restriction. Whatever weight is lost in the 2 week liquid diet is frequently regained (and then some). The first fill is usually 4-6 weeks post-op, with subsequent fills 4 weeks apart. It is also "normal" to lose 1-2 pounds a week with restriction.

So here's a scenario I'm making up based on what's perfectly normal, but which dan would label a failure:

A LAP BAND STORY

by dietpeach

"Amanda" was banded on New Year's 2008. In the 2 weeks post-op liquid diet she lost 10 pounds. She regained 6 pounds in the next 4 weeks before her first fill at 6 weeks post-op, making her 4 pounds below her surgery weight. By her second fill at 10 weeks post-op she had gained 4 pounds more, bringing her back to her surgery weight. In the next 4 weeks she didn't gain but didn't lose, and got a 3rd fill (14 weeks post-op).

At this point she started losing a half a pound a week for the next 4 weeks. At week 18 she had another fill, and she was 2 pounds below surgery weight. It was too tight, so they slightly unfilled her. She felt pretty good. She started losing 1.5 pounds a week at this point, from weeks 18 - 38, for a total loss of 30 pounds during this time, bringing her to 32 pounds below surgery weight.

At this point she starts to lose restriction because she lost some of the fat around her stomach, so that her band was no longer tight on her stomach. Over the next 4 weeks (bringing us to week 42) she regains 3 pounds. She calls to make an appointment for another fill. It takes 2 weeks (week 44) for them to get her in, and in those 2 weeks she gains another pound. she is now only 28 pounds below her surgery weight at week 44.

This fill does the trick again and she loses an average of 1.5 pounds a week (1-2 pounds) for the next 8 weeks, bringing us to week 52. Her total loss for the year is 40 pounds.

Dan would call her a failure, but he'd be wrong. She continues to lose an average of 1.5 pounds a week, with minor adjustments here and there, and over the next year she loses 78 pounds the second year after surgery, for a total loss of 118 pounds. But she isn't finished. The weight loss slows at this point because she is close to goal. She has changed her life, is exercising and eating right. Over the course of the third year she slowly loses the remaining 32 pounds for a total loss of 150 pounds.

Dan meets her in a bar but she's too hot to even notice him. Regretful, Dan goes and gets banded. Having waiting all these 3 years to get the band, and having done so much research for so many years, he thinks he's sure to succeed. But no! He doesn't stick to the band rules. He keeps eating ice cream, milk shakes, chips, chocolate, and soda. In the first year after surgery he loses only 5 ponds. What a failure!

He comes groveling to lapbandtalk and apologizes for being so judgmental. Everyone forgives him and supports him to help him get back on track and stick to the rules. One member in particular (Amanda) helps him the most, only he doesn't realize it's the hot chick from the bar. She supports him as he sheds the 100 pounds he needed to. They get very close online as she helps him, and they decide to meet in real life. When they finally get together it's love at first sight.

They get married and have twins, a boy and a girl they name Danny and Mandy. They are careful to raise the children with healthy eating habits. Both twins grow up to become lap band surgeons.

The end. :rose:

I love you already!:wub:

One problem though, what if I ever find out that you had previously rejected me in the bar? love conquers all? or the betrayal, oh the betrayal!:rose:

Dan you're a nutter but I like your spirit!

Anyway I'll give you some input from one of the "failed" lapbanders.

I was previously going to get the gastric bypass but chickened out at the last month because of the fact that I was afraid of getting "dumping syndrome" something my daughter who had the RNY almost a year ago has never once experience.

Anywho due to switching proceedures I had to catch up on more of the lapband info and did not receive or understand everything. Somethings you just don't know what it will be like until after it's been done but still I didn't know at the time that many solid foods would go through the band without any effort and those foods would be my downfall. I'm sure you know all about slider foods but when I was banded in 07 it really wasn't in any of my info and I didn't join LBT until I was already banded and having issues losing weight.

Before I was banded I was placed on a liquid Medifast diet for four weeks or so and lost 20+ lbs. It took about 3 months before I got a "real" fill in my band and once that happened I was "tight" and probably too tight. So I basically started eating around the band at that point. I didn't know that much about regulating the band and so when I went to my surgeon after that point and started to gain weight they would just put more fill in when it was probably too tight in the first place. I didn't know that, I was too tight because I didn't know really how I was to feel.

It seems some people here can have almost a full band of saline and barely have restriction and some like me can have just a little and be too tight so take into consideration that fact that there are some inconsistencies as we're all different. The lucky ones get to their "sweet spot" and lose weight.

I don't know if going on a 6 month diet, like a Weight Watcher's diet would have made a difference. I don't think I would have ever been happy as a banded person because I could never get to a point where I could eat the way I should have. It was just too tight and I couldn't eat healthier foods. Anyway good luck to you and don't make as many enemies here as I have Nancy.

I didnt vote on the poll because I think the people that have the most problems usually fall into the category of either not having nearby aftercare and thus having big fills, not getting unfills etc or being the ones who believe that the band must choke any ability to eat at all right out of you. They're the people go "oh no I can eat bread, I need to be tighter" and arent happy till they're taking an hour to eat a half cup of mushy foods. They cant work WITH their bands by realising that if you can eat bread and you're eating a cup but you're losing weight with regular exercise, then you're not too tight. The band was never designed to forbid certain foods to you, you only go as tight as you need to to lose and no further.But people in general seem to think that not being able to eat bread or red meat and only fitting in a half cup is a GOOD thing? I dont get that. No wonder they slip, have erosions, dont lose weight (slider foods anyone?).