bev4life

I understand exactly where you're coming from. Here is my story (I'll try to keep it short). I was banded April 27, 2007. My expectations were high and I too thought that the band was going to help me lose the weight off the bat. For a whole year I lost NOTHING! I actually gained about 20lbs...eeek! I was devastated. I thought I to myself, I paid all this money and for what! You see, the first fill was small (about 1.0cc) which is not really alot, so to me (in opinion) it felt like I never had a fill and others have said the same thing. So I thought, if this is the case, I should try eating healthier food and making better food choices (which I did not do alot of times). I actually thought the band wouldl stop me, but with little to no restriction, I ate like I normally did before the band. Sometimes there was restriction, but after drinking something warm (especially in the mornings) before my meals, I could eat like before. So I carried on like this for a whole year, thinking the band was going to save me at some point. What I should have done was get another fill and save myself from more devastation. I'm happy to say on February 18, 2008, I got that 2nd fill and immediately, start losing weight. I really felt like a dummy. Was this all I had to do and stop beating myself up. It's just like Dr. Ortiz's book and others who have been banded say, "if you find yourself eating more than a 1/3 of food and/or having no restricition," GET A FILL! You will definitely feel the difference. Now I won't say that I always eat healthy, but losing weight boosts your confidence and make you want to eat healthier and make the right food choices along with exercising. That's what I'm doing now and it's becoming so rewarding. Since February this year after the 2nd fill I've lost 25lbs....WHOO HOO! If I can do it after losing nothing for a whole year, then so can you. I'm rooting for you, Mona-Camille!

It's called "Productive Burping." It could be two factors of why this happens: when you eat something and you may not have chewed well enough or when you have periods of strong restriction (like in the mornings) and the food gets stuck. You may get this feeling of nausea and your mouth fills up with alot of saliva. You'll need to go to the restroom to spit it out because it will be ALOT of saliva. Others may vomit the stuck food. I normally may get the mouth full of saliva and the nausea which doesn't last long for me. I'll have to go to the bathroom and wait until the food goes down. I prefer not to vomit because the band can be damaged from vomitting alot. It does hurt a bit, but I wait until the food goes down and the PBing stops. It is definitely not a fun experience. Below are some good tips on PBing I got from another great lapband forum (lapbandtalk.com). Bev4Life Any time you PB make sure you follow it with at least a day of liquids to be sure that any irritation or swelling has a chance to dissipate. Many bandsters find themselves tightest in the mornings, if that is your case dont work against it....try oatmeal or a protein drink. One other thing that might be helpful is to drink something warm before meals. It really helps relax everything and makes it much easier to get good solids down!

These are some suggestions because when you're there, you won't be able to eat solids. Also, you want to be prepared if there are delays Food & Misc: Chicken, Beef, or Vegatable Bouillon (You may want to bring a covered mug so that you can make the broth. You can use the coffee maker to boil the water) V-8 Juice (I bought the very small cans so that I could easily carry them in my bag) Crystal Light or other sugar free drink (I suggest getting the single serving packs you can add to your bottled water) Bottled Water (Bring 3-4 bottles) Comfortable Clothes and Shoes Magazines or Book Medicine for Gas (You will have a lot of gas) Liquid Tylenol for pain Sorry the list was long, but I always come prepared for the worse. Good Luck. Bev4Life

I feel you. I'm new to the forum but not to surgery. I had my surgery last year on April 27, 2007 and let me tell you, I couldn't do the pre-op diet. I just couldn't get it together. I'd try, but I'd always found my way back to food. And Yes, it was due to stress. You see, I eat when I'm happy, sad, depressed, you name it and I simply couldn't follow it. Luckily, Dr. Ortiz didn't find it a problem for me to have the surgery because of my BMI and weight factor. This is not say that you not do the pre-op diet because I don't know your situation and what's best for you before surgery. I just want to say hang in there. I'm rooting for you. Bev4life.

Thanks Jacklynrae, I needed that. Bev4life

Hey All: First of all, my experience at OCC was good. There could have been a few minior improvements, but I wasn't complaining. Overall, the stay at the hotel, the surgery and the hospital stay was good. My surgery date was April 27, 2007 and like eveyone else before surgery, I was told to do the pre-op liquid diet. I just couldn't get it together and ended up not losing a single pound. Luckily, it didn't cause a problem because my BMI was about 36-40 and Dr. Otiz approved my surgery. Maybe I was too anxious or something, who knows. As I continued my journey to weight loss after surgery, I too was on liquids, then worked my way up to solids. I thought I was on my way to a better body after my first fill in June, but not so. I would eat small portions, chew slowly, not drink with meals, you name it, but to no avail, NO WEIGHT LOSS. Weeks turned into months and I only maintained. I maintained for awhile, at least 4 to 5 months. THEN THE WORST THING HAPPENED! I STARTED TO GAIN WEIGHT! I found myself eating just a much as I did before surgery. I thought maybe I should cut back on my eating. That didn't work because like every diet I tried before, I'd start off good, then revert back to my bad eating habits. I didn't want to believe that the band failed me, so I tried my best to eat healthy and work with the band. I FAILED MISERABLY! This went on for 6 months. It never dawned on me that I needed another fill. It will almost be a year since my surgery and I HAVEN'T LOST A SINGLE POUND! I contemplated going back to Mexico for a second fill, but was ashamed to face them. I thought they'd say, "YOU MEAN, YOU PAID ALL THIS MONEY, AND YOU HAVEN'T LOST A SINGLE POUND! I just knew I wouldn't hear the end of it. All things changed when I told my co-worker how I felt about going for a second fill. She said, "Forget about what people say and get that fill, girl." She said it doesn't make any sense that you've gone through all of this and sacrificed alot just to have lapband surgery and not benefit from it. She said, " SHUT UP ALREADY AND GO BACK FOR THAT FILL!" Let me tell you, that was all it took. She even called OCC herself and scheduled the fill for me. Within two week I was back at OCC getting the fill. When I arrived, I still thought I'd blown it and they would give me the evil eye. Well, guess what, NO ONE CARED. No one gave me a hard time at all. The gentleman who gave me the fill was so reassuring and positive about me losing weight after the fill that I could have kicked myself for even thinking those thoughts. Guys, I got home and GUESS WHAT? I STARTED LOSING RIGHT AWAY! I was soooo happy, I could have screamed. Matter of fact, I think I did shout, HALLELUJAH! I got the second fill on February 18, 2008 and by February 25 I was down 10lbs. As of today, I am down 15lbs and still losing. I don't know what my problem was, but I'll tell the whole world, that THE LAPBAND REALLY WORKS! It may take a few fills to get to the "sweet spot" and start losing weight, but it truly works and I'll never doubt it again. I just wished I didn't wait so long to get the second fill. I could have at least been half way to my goal weight, but I'm not complaining anymore. Guys, don't do what I did and wait. If you find yourself eating just as much as you did before surgery, GET A FILL! I waited almost a year to before I got some sense knocked back into me. Well, thanks for reading my post and good luck to eveyone. Bev4life