DeannaMiller

Happy Thanksgiving! Im going to Tj for my 2nd fill Nov 27. I have very little restriction and have stopped losing so im hoping that will get things moving again.

Hi are you going back to occ? I would highly recommend getting the fill with the flueroscopy. I will never get a fill without it. We watched on the monitor and he got it in the first poke and after you drink the barium he watches it go down and adjusts the fluid until you have the right amount. I have the correct restriction on the first try. He also showed us the placement of the band and made sure it had not slipped and the pouch was not stretched. The port will last a lot longer with fewer pokes and they won't miss and put a hole in the tube. We met a lady that had an experimental lap band done 26 yrs ago and she was doing good but said they had to replace the port a few times. She was with 2 daughters that were getting banded at occ.

Another good one is to put 2 chairs facing each other and your feet on one with your hands holding you up on the other and dip down between the chairs and back up again.

Hi! Try push ups. Do 10-12 at a time, these are reps or (repetitions) and do 3 times with some rest in between about 45 sec to a minute, these are sets. If you can't do regular push ups then start with your knees down its easier and then work up to one knee and the regular as you get stronger. Then try putting your hands on floor together to make a diamond shaped space with your index fingers touching and your thumbs touching. Then place on floor beneeth your chest. These are intense and if you can only do 2 or three at first your doing great. They work different muscles so try to do them after your regular push ups. Also you should breathe out while pushing and in when releasing.

Hi guys,

I'm hoping to get a little direction/advice from those of you who have probably been where I am right now. Just when I think I have finally made the decision to band (I have already made one appointment with OCC and postponed it), I read some posts about what a complete life change it is and hesitate.

First a little about me: I am a 40 year old male, 6-2 and currently at about 340 lbs. I was a scrawny kid up until about high school and then started really putting on the weight after my parents bought a pizza restaurant and I became a cook. I used to be active, playing baseball and hockey and golf. My weight now is to the point I am lethargic and don't want to take the time to even play with my kids. I know I need to do something but everything seems like too much of an effort..especially exercise. I have tried Nutrisystem, weight watchers, the pills that make you shit your pants when you eat too much fat and back in the day phen phen (no heart valve damage...yay!) and would lose weight with them all only to watch it all come back when I inevitably quit.

I think I have gotten past the apprehension of travelling from Canada to Mexico for surgery. My worry is how drastic the change in behavior would be after the band and if I have the ability to do it. I enjoy a good steak and love BBQ's burgers. I drink a ton of diet soda and always have a drink (not alcohol) with my meal. I love a cold glass of milk, a nice slice of toast and when I snack I always vassilate between salty things like chips and sweet things like jujubes. I know the quantities of the things I shove down my gullet will change after the band but how much of these things will I have to give up completely? I don't imagine the cravings for sweet and salty just magically go away after the band do they?

My wife says I am nuts to go through with this...that there are no easy fixes in life...that if I want to get this done I should try and go for a walk everyday, cut back on the pop (sorry us Canadians call soda pop eh?) and then see what I feel like in six months. My problem is I know that I am now at a point where I feel I have so far to go that doing things like exercise seems like a waste of time. I think that getting banded would allow me to drop some of the weight which would in turn make exercising a little easier. I also know that I've tried plenty of other things, had success and then slowly watched it all go away every time I stepped on the scale. I don't think I'm an emotional eater but I do often eat out of boredom.

Anyway, I'm rambling. I hope you see some of what I'm asking here, can relate and offer some answers and advice. I sure would appreciate it.

And by the way, what the hell is PBing anyway?!

Thanks!

I struggled for a year about whether to get lapband done also. I now wish I would have done it a year earlier. I was banded May 21, 2009 at OCC in Mexico. They took such great care of me and I was treated better than I have been treated in the states. I cant say enough good things about the OCC staff. I stayed at the Marriot and it was a beautiful, safe hotel. I thought I would have trouble giving up the soda, sweets, and salties, but wasn't near as bad as I thought. The pre diet that you do really helps you get a start. Then your 3 weeks of liquids help you change your habits. I still get some cravings for chocolate. I am a huge chocoholic. I found that the fat free Fudgesicles work really great at satisfying that craving and they are only 60 calories. I also substitute a chocolate protein shake for breakfast. You just have to look at the band as a tool, not a cure all. It is sooo wonderful to have restriction and become full with sooo little food. I always had a problem with overeating and this helps me to control that. You have to make sure you chew,chew,chew. This will prevent you from PBing. (Productive Burp) If you dont chew your food enough, you can get food stuck and it wont pass. It can be painful and your mouth will slime until it either passes or you spit it back up. I have only done this once and do not want to experience it again. I found out that I can't eat prunes. The skin just wouldn't break up enough to pass. The band is the best thing I could have done for my health. All my bloodwork before the band was abnormal (pre-diabetic, high cholesterol,etc) I had bloodwork 2 weeks ago and I am back into the normal range for everything. I wish you luck in making your decision to become healthy. I love my band!

Can anyone tell me if they are experiencing a muscle soreness like pain around their incisions. It has been almost one week since my surgery and it hurts more than it ever did. I feel like I can not even sit down.

I also had soreness for the first 3 weeks. It continually diminished. It has been 5 weeks since my surgery and I am completely free of pain now. I am even able to sleep on my stomach now! Give it time to heal! It will!

I know its only been a week, but I really am beginning to despair of being able to sleep on my left side again.

Does this diminish or am l stuck with tenderness every time I touch or lie on this thing?

My tenderness has diminished as time has passed. By 3 weeks after surgery, I didn't have any tenderness anymore. The only time I feel anything is if I stretch too far with pressure. I am 5 weeks in now. I know it will continue to get better! Good luck!

Thats actually a good thing. That means they have done so many that they are great at it.

Good Girl! Congrats!!!

Congratulations! I am so happy for you! It feels great doesn't it!

I read a report that 64 % of people who get the band that have type 2 diabetes after getting they band, no longer have to be on insulin. I think I read it right. Has anyone here had that happened. I ask because there is this woman at work. She is on shots and she is not doing well. Her sugar has been as high as 600. She states that she had a had time sticking to a diet. She knows that it is what she should do but she tries and diet and then when it does not work, it makes her depressed and then she eats unwisely. I told her about my experience and how the band has helped me to make better choices and how my whole way of looking at food has changed. I suggested that she talk to her dr about the band after I read this report. I told her about this site as well if she had questions. She has kaiser so she is not sure they will approve. She states that she has lost over 30 pounds and is really trying. I have seen her go through so much. It is truely sad. Now she has a sore on her foot that they are going to have to cut open, she is scarred of losing her toe. I really hope the band is an option for her, I dont want to see her die, that would be heart breaking. All I could tell her is how much this has changed my life. I dont think of food the way i used to. I use exersise as a way to deal with my stress, instead of eating. I choose to eat healthier foods. I could not tell her enough about this. I know it is not a miracle worker but I think for me anyway, it is a tool that I am definatly using to my benefit. I hope I was right giving her my information and advise on the issue. Has anyone here had diabetes and had changes in their sugar because of the band?

I had a blood sugar level just short of being declared Type 2 Diabetic back in February. I was banded May 21st and have lost 26 pounds so far. I had bloodwork done last week and my blood sugar level is almost back to the normal range. Same thing with my cholesterol. It went from 262 down to 181 for the same time period. Just that 26 pounds has made a dramatic difference in my becoming healthy again. I wish I had gotten the band a year ago when I was first looking into it. Hope this helps!

Hi, all!! I'm curious if any of you suffered from the "Last Meal" Syndrome...I'm sure there's another, even cooler, name for it than that, but "Last Meal" is what my brain has come up with.

For a bit of background...I made the decision about three weeks to have the surgery. Ever since then, I'm eating anything and everything I can get my chubby little fingers on! It's almost as if I think, "Oh, it's okay. This is the ONE time in your life when it's OKAY to be heavy and to pig out! You don't want your BMI to be too *small* when you get to Mexico, do you?"

Man, it's totally frustrating!

Any thoughts on what you did to beat yourself at the mind-game would be totally appreciated!

We have all gone thru this phase! You will still be able to eat what you love, just in smaller portions. You really only need to get thru the first 3 weeks after surgery with the fluids, then you will be back to eating , just a lot less. Good luck!

I was told to eat soft foods which are foods you can smash with a fork such as baked chicken, cooked carrots, cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, etc. I was also told to try one new food at a time to make sure that it agrees with you.

Thanks Smiley! That is awesome advice. I will try that. I have 5 more days of creamy soups and yogurt. I am so ready for some different foods and tastes!

Hello Everyone,

I am set to be banded on 6/24/09. I have been reading every thread and post on the this forum (as well as a few others). On the other sites, namely this one

http://au.messages.yahoo.com/lifestyle/gen...nutrition/1417/

and I am absolutely terrified.

These people are choking constantly, throwing up to the point that their teeth are turning yellow, they have fluid come up while they sleep, and several desperately want the band out!

Do any of you deal with constant problems like this?

I understand that bite-size and chewing is a huge aspect of throwing up or "getting things stuck" but these people are adamant that they are following the proper procedures.

I am also aware that throwing up is "normal" as you get used to the band but many of these people have been banded for years.

I am 21 (22 day after surgery!) and I do not want to have lifelong problems like throwing up, being afraid to eat or drink, rotting teeth, and an overwhelming fear of choking to death in my sleep.

Please tell me that I am overreacting.

Amanda

Please dont let a few that are very loud with their comments scare you from getting healthy. The number of success stories far outway these posts you are reading that have problems. As long as you follow the instructions and don't revert back to your old habits, you will do great and given time look skinny and beautiful!

I cannot believe it--I'm 9.5 months out and finally, I can almost taste 199! 202 this morning. I truly might cry the day I look at the scale and see a '1' instead of a '2'. I just turned 29 a couple of weeks ago and I have not been this weight since 7th grade.

You want to know something else, too? I never realized I didn't have confidence when I was 250 lbs. I always thought that I would be a 'big' girl and I was always told I had a 'pretty' face and I believed I would always be the fat friend or the third wheel. I had one boyfriend through my twenties and never dated. Last week, I went out on two dates with two different dudes who both told me I was beautiful, which was flattering not only because they told me, but because I finally believed it. I know I still have a bit of a ways to go, but it is truly amazing that I feel 'normal' for once and comfortable in my own skin. And I am thankful for this forum and I will continue to journey alongside all of you in our quests for our outsides to match our insides.

So, after all that mushiness--anyone else close to onederland??

Congrats!! You look great and I am so happy for you! It feels good to have confidence and feel beautiful! Good luck on your continuing journey, I know you will make it!

Im just trying to count the calories until I get filled and have the proper restriction. Its kind of a pain but I refuse to put more on after all this!(((((Shelby))))) pictures like that let me know I can get there someday too! Congrats!!! You look great!!!

For a while now I have read where people say they have PB problems. I didn't know what they meant.

As I was looking at the website for OCC and read the nutrition page and then the Complications page, I now know

what it is.

Productive Burping (PB'ing)

I was gonna ask if I could not figure it out-- after a while at least.

I feel like a Dork. LOL

Hugs,

Kristi

Don't forget you can always search on this site if you have any questions like that. Chances are someone has brought it up before.

If you do a search on this site there are some great suggestions on just about anything you can think of to ask. I like the equate milk chocolate shakes from walmart. They are ready to go and come in 6 packs for under $5 a case. Just remember the colder the better.

What type of work do you do? I would not suggest any heavy lifting but otherwise you will be fine.

If you do a search on this site there are some great suggestions on just about anything you can think of to ask. I like the equate milk chocolate shakes from walmart. They are ready to go and come in 6 packs for under $5 a case. Just remember the colder the better.

My date is June 8th. I have been much more confident up until starting the liquid diet, now I am stressed and cranky. Looking forward to a life change! I have been working so much up until now that this is my first time visiting the forum.

Hi welcome!

Thats great! Congrats! It feels great doesn't it?

Hi they give you water, pops, and capri suns so just bring what you want for your hotel stay. If you do a search for items to bring people have great suggestions. One thing I would add is when you arrive they will be taking you to different offices to get dental check,cardiologist,bloodwork,nutritionist, you can leave your bags in waiting area because you will come back there after each. When they call you in to the door on the right next to the restroom they will take you to your room to prepare for surgery so bring your stuff. Also like Robbyn said bring snacks or order food for your support person beacause it takes most of the day. I had mine the same day because they had room for me so I decided to get it over with. Im a little sore but we did a lot of walking the next day and it only hurts where the cuts are for the most part. The marriott has maps of TJ and can suggest places to go if you need or want something. We paid about $7 for a cab ride all the way to other side of town. Hope that helps.

Hi we walked to OCC from Plaza Rio shopping center and they said Robbyn was done and doing well. We were a little worried because of her allergic reaction last time. Im glad to see you are doing well Robbyn!

Well they banded me today! Everything went smooth and everyone is so nice. It was great meeting Robbyn and Jeff and I met 4 other people getting banded and 2 are twins!

Tracy, Robbynnoel and Shiney

Good luck to you 3 ladies that either have your surgery today or are going to have it soon. Let us know how it goes!!!!!

Hi all! Well we made it to Chula Vista last night and we will be heading to border in a few to meet mexicoach. Im still nervous but more excited than anything