bMEagain

A little over a week ago I had a fill from 5.5 to 8.5 ccs. All was well for a couple of days then 2 days of not being able to eat anything solid without feeling a horrible stuck feeling along with sliming. So in a last effort before heading for back to TJ for an unfill I put myself on full liquids and now all is fine. I've learned that everytime I have a fill I have to relearn my eating habits all over again. As you get a fuller band the rules are stricter.

Small bites......chew chew chew .....swallow.....wait... then repeat. A Week later my fill has been sucessful and pushed me under 200 lbs. FINALLY!!! Funny how a simple number can make you feel so much happier, sexier and just so much better.

I LOVE MY

BAND!!

I had my 3rd fill on Saturday. I went from 5.5 ccs to 8.5 it was a bit of an agressive fill, but I finally feel like I have definet good restriction with solids. So I also found that I have to drink ALOT slower, actually a drink has gone to a sip. Drinking water has become quite a chore. It takes me FOREVER to finish drinking 16 ounces! Also I feel full even after just sipping some water.....is this normal? How do you guys get all the water in?

I finally got the pictures posted. Still cannot believe it is me. Only 33 pounds more to go.

Debbie

WOW!! You look Uhhhhhhh-mazing!! good job on a job well done!!

I financed a portion of my surgery costs. I used My Medical Loan and the process was super easy. She will find that the rates will be a bit higher for this type of loan, but if she has good credit it will help her out. The process was easy and OCC has a link on thier website.

Ever since the 2^nd day after getting the band, when I have to burp for any reason it now sets off this hiccup feeling right in the center of my chest. This happen about 95% of the time when I burp. I don’t burp all the time but when I do, it pretty much happens. I can feel actual movement. Something moving up and down and I am actually starting to worry that it might make the band slip. I am about 4 weeks out since I was banded. Does this happen to anyone else? Did it hurt your band placement?

I had this feeling for several weeks after being banded. It's definetely an uncomfortable feeling, because it does feel as if your band is moving up and down or somthing. I still burp all the time now, but the feeling of movement slowly went away. I assumed my body and stomach was just getting used to my new band. I think it's all normal.

finally getting banned...everything is ready... im getting banned on december 17th. my bf is going with me... he won't let me go alone. im so excited!!

Congrats on your desicion!! I know how excited I was when I finally booked the surgery! The waiting will be hard but the day will be here before you know it. Please keep us posted.

I'm writing to say that I have gotten a bit lazy over the past couple of weeks. I have been doing ok with food but l I know my weight loss has slowed down and I could be doing better. I haven't been to the gym at all. I don't know what happened it's like I see I've lost weight and I feel a lot better now so I've become comfortable where I am at and not really pushing myself the way I should be. It's really scary to think that the old me may be slowly coming back!

I'm going to commit to work really hard this whole month (Dec) to make up for lost time and I will post an update at the end of the month. I'm hoping the results will give me the push I need to keep moving.

I'm hoping to have a better focus and even better results on my weight loss by then. :lb25:

:lb14:

So this morning is my 6 month bandaversary. The time has flown by so fast. I still cannot believe that I am where I am with my weight right now. I worry sometimes that I am gonna wake up and this be a nightmare and I am back at 238.

I have worked very hard at the gym but I love my band.

So here are the changes that have happened in the last 6 months.

On 4/24/09, I weighed in at 238. (highest weight)

My surgery Day 5/19/09: 221

Today 11/19/09: 150.3

I wish I would have measured myself completely back then.

The only measurement I know is my waist which was 43 1/2

now it is 29 1/2

Size of clothes:

4/24/09 & 5/19/09

tops: XXL & 14/16 as well as 18/20

jeans: 18 (tight)

dress: 16 - 18

5/19/09:

tops: medium to large depending on the cut

jeans: mostly 8s, but I bought a pair of Levi's yesterday that are a size 6.

dress: not sure, haven't bought one or tried any sizes on yet.

What a whirlwind this has been.

I am not yet at goal, my first goal is a tad more than 5 pounds to go, and that will put me at 145. I want to get to 138 to 135.

The support from this forum has been so wonderful and I thank my lucky stars to have found all of you. I am blessed.

So many of you are more than just support, you are friends.

Hugs to all,

Kristi

Congrats to you on your success!! Contrary to popular belief, we all know that even w/ the band you still have to have dicipline, drive and will power to make it happen. The weight doesn't come off on it's own. February will be my 6 mo. anniversary and you have inspired me to continue to work hard and know that it can happen.

You go and rock those size 6 jeans, you've earned it!! :cheerleader:

Hello,

I posted a little as a reply to Kristi's slime post (that sounds funny) but wanted to make a new topic in case you had any tips or advice for me.

I am going to the OCC tomorrow for my very first fill, almost exactly 6 weeks after the surgery. I am planning on parking at the border and taking a taxi. I just realized that no one has called or emailed me from the OCC to confirm. I don't even know if they do pick ups at the border for fills. That's a bummer that they aren't as in touch for a fill appointment as a surgical one.

Am I crazy to go alone? i figure if I go with a yellow (union) cab I will be fine. Right? Right?

I am looking forward to the experience!

The whole fill process is very easy. I have done it 2 times now. I received an email confirmation for my first fill from OCC but not on the second appt. It's so easy just make sure you stick to the yellow cabs and don't carry a purse if you don't need it. YOu will be in and out and home in no time!! Good Luck!!

How do people do it? Have tried to get myself to the gym, but can't seem to stick with it, so I started using a work out dvd and did it for 2 mornings before work but getting up at 5am was hard enough so 4am didn't work was exausted for the rest of the week. i get home at 8pm of later and don't have the energy then. On my days off I think about it but again can't seem to push myself. Have had many people ask if I have more energy now then I did before and at first I didn't notice a dif then I started seeing myself do more around the house but now am back to dragging and doing just about nothing! Although it is driving me crazy it doesn't change things.

So as I asked at the beginning, how do people do it???

Pushing yourself to excercise can be tough, especially if you have already lost a good amount of weight. Whenever the idea of not working out pops in my head I remind myself of my commitment to myself to see this through. I also remember how miserable I was before my weight loss and that's usually enough to get me going. My body has responded well to the lapband and I want to make every effort to make sure I utilize what I wanted so much. I LOVE my band!!!

I was banded on 8/7 and have now lost a little over 20 lbs. I feel silly saying this, but it's like I'm slowly uncovering me again. It's like I'm peeling layers of myself away and every time I discover another part of me. I haven't felt my collar bone in years and now I can see it again. Also, I carry most of my weight on my lower half, but now I can see my defined knees. I'm starting to feel like a completely different person. I wonder what it will be like when I hit my goal!!! Can't wait!!

I should have done this a long time ago

Hi everyone,

I had my surgery exactly a week ago today. :lb21: In my 7 days of clear liquids, I've lost 12 lbs. If I keep going at this rate (2-3 lbs. down a day) I'm on track to lose 30 lbs. since the beginning of September. (Pre-op & Post-op diets). 30 lbs in 30 days sounds SOOOO amazing to say!! What a crazy accomplishment! :cheerleader:

In any case, now I'm on to drinkable yogurt starting today. I'm terrified that now that I'm adding the yogurt, and soon, "full" liquids, that my weight loss will dramatically decrease! I'm actually scared to go drink the yogurt because I've been so obsessed with the weight loss! :negative:

Has anyone gone through this? How to I stop obsessing about the scale and the magic number? I actually think it's better for me to step on the scale every morning, because it helps me dictate how I will eat that day, and measure how I ate the day before. For example, one day, I may have lost 2.4 lbs. The next day, I eliminated the after dinner popsicle & lost 3 lbs. Keeps me on track. Is that bad?

I know I can't keep this weight loss up...and that I'm probably only losing this much now because I'm pretty much starving myself, but WOW....30 lbs in 30 days! I LOVE saying that!!!

HELP! I'm going crazy!

12 lbs is great!!! When I was on the liquid diet it seemed like the weight was just falling off every day. It does slow down once you start your creamy liquids stage. It really slows down and unfortunately some of it returns when you start you solids. Honestly, right now I would suggest to just take it as it comes.

It's a challenge, but I don't weigh myself everyday. I prefer to do that because it helps me avoid the daily obsessions and emotions of not hitting the magic number. When I weigh in every couple of days I'm almost sure to see a decrease and then I feel like I'm right on track to my goal.

I went back to OCC this weekend to get my first fill. Doctor asked how much I was eating now and I told him I was limiting myself to 1/2 of what I used to eat, but I could still eat more if I wanted to. I was given a Johnson & Johnson size 11 band. So I was given a fill of 4.4 ccs which seemed a little high to me. Now that I am looking over some of your posts it's really high compared to your numbers. Surprisingly, I feel the same as prior to the fill. Almost feel like nothing happened. Is all of this normal?? :-? :-?

What if i dont lose any weight? Or what if i end up having a complication such as a slipped band. I have done all my homework and i know the pros and the cons.. I'll stop ranting now. My surgery date is getting closer and im just going through the what ifs..

Alley

I went through the same thing as my surgery approached. I just went over all my options over and over again. I reminded myself of all the past dieting attempts only to gain all the weight back. I reminded myself of how much I wanted this and that I was ready to break up with bread or what ever food I couldn't eat after the band, because I wanted this so much. It won't be easy, but like everything else you just have to want it bad enough and be prepared to do whatever it takes to be sucessful.

On Wed. I was 12 day post op and feeling great. Most of my soreness gone and doing great of my liquid diet. Then driving home from wk. I had a stomach ache. The pain was in my lower stomach below my navel so i didn't think it wasn't related to the band. Well later that night I was having severe cramping, vomiting and I was literally howling in pain. We ended up in the emergency room where I had to explain what was going on including my recent banding 12 days ago. So now they are thinking ok she had a botch surgery in TJ. Those idiots I wanted to rip them apart. No one knew what to do with me, because no one had band experience. Five doctors later they finally find their band expert who finally told them he personally knew my doctor in TJ and that HE IS AN EXPERT W/ THE BAND. Can you believe???? So he tells them to check the band to make sure the vomiting hasn't moved it out of place (thank goodness is was still secure) then to give me anti nausea meds to prevent further vomiting.

Later they tell me I have some kind of stomach virus. Which is what I was trying to tell them from the begining, but they thought for sure I had a surgery gone wrong. Then of course to make money they tell me they have to admit me into the hospital. For a stomach virus??? I ask them why, they say they have to hydrate me and I tell them I can hydrate myself thanks and I get the heck out of there. It was the ER visit from hell. I contacted OCC the minute I got home, who told me to take some Mylanta or Malox and to drink plenty of Pedialyte to keep hydrated. They told me additional hospitalization would not be needed. Of course my body is already fairly weak from day 14 of my liquid diet so it's been harder to bounce back, but I'm plugging along.

Everyone rest assured that we have had surgery with the best. I felt AWSOME when the ER doctor told them who my doctor was and that his reputation was the best.

It certainly a reminder to everyone in that ER that you can't judge a book by its cover.

Thanks for the feedback. Not that I would care THAT much if it never changed , but it's good to know what to expect.

Hi there,

I was banded the day after you and I am experiencing the same feeling. Before surgery I asked Dr. Martinez if I ever was going to "feel" the band inside me and he said no. The only thing I should feel is restriction once I start getting my fills.

I believe what we are experiencing is the dreaded gas. Hopes this helps

Well I had the band put in this am and can not believe how good I feel. Everyone has been so nice and I am going back to the hotel tonight I am on my way

Congrats on a great decision!!!

I just got banded a week ago today. I'm sure you'll be pleased with the entire experience!!

I was finally banded and I'm on my 5th day into this. The gas pain has been terribly uncomfortable, but I keep reminding myself that everyday it will get better. I thought I would be starving on my liquid diet but my body is just not hungry. That's incredible to me!! I'm plugging along waiting for day 8. My experience with OCC was great. Everyone was really nice. I was the only person having surgery that day, so I had the luxury of having plenty of attention. If I had to say one thing, was that my meeting with nutritionist seemed a little rushed. She spoke really fast and and tried to cover a power point presentation and go over some paperwork at the same time. She was so rushed she didn't give me a goal and when I asked later they said she would be getting back to me, but she never did and frankly my mind was not concerned about my goal at that time. I figure I'll just email her, but I was a little disapointed with that. I've decided to set little goals for myself and try to concentrate on reaching those.

Thanks to everyone who has posted their experiences on this forum. Your information has been very helpful and I could not have done it without your valuable input.

Thanks for your support!!!

BmeAgain

My surgery is scheduled on a Friday and I was thinking of only taking a couple of days off. My job is a desk job and non-physical so I'm hoping I will be ok, but then when I read about the gas and discomfort I'm wondering if I should take at least a week off. Thoughts??

FROM MY JOURNAL:

Monday, July 20, 2009

I got up at 5AM this morning and left the house at about 5:45. I made it down to the Border Parking place in a couple of hours and the OCC van picked me up around 9:15AM. We came straight to the OCC where I met with Dr. Miranda who went over what to eat and not eat after my surgery. She wants me to make sure I stay hydrated since it is so hot where I live. She took my height (5’5.5”…weird, I used to be 5’6.5”, so I guess I shrunk!), weight (187.5). My BMI is 30 and she wants me to get down to about 138 and BMI of 24. I can’t remember all the stats she took, but I asked for a copy of the printout which they will give me tomorrow. I can go in the pool after about a week, but can’t swim. Then I met Dr. Jimenez who did a breath test on me and an EKG. He says I did “beautifully” on the breath test and have strong lungs. He also said that I have a strong heart! All good news. (I guess that makes me fat, but not unhealthy). After that I had some blood drawn. For some reason they took it from the top of my left hand and now that spot is very swollen and painful. I think a vein must have broken. Never had that happen before. Then it was on to the Marriott where I just stayed in my room and watched TV, slept and read. I drank some liquids I had brought with me rather than go down to the restaurant to eat because I didn’t bring a lot of money with me.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Today is surgery day! Yeah! Nervous but mostly excited. I met the Marriott van downstairs a 7AM and there were 5 other people going to the OCC as well, Vanessa, Michelle, Annette, Stan and a gal from New York who’s name I didn’t get. All very nice people but none knew about the lapbandforum.com.

At the clinic, we were taken to our rooms, one at a time, and given our gowns to change into. They also put long pressure socks on your legs. The wonderful nurse, Carmen, put a catheter in my wrist to give me antibiotics, anti-nausea medication, antacid and a pill to make me sleepy. She is very sweet and asked me to teach her how to say certain things in English like, “please put the dress on” and “It has been a long day”. So friendly! The room is very, very nice and has a pleasant water fountain and a nice TV with spa music playing as you enter, so that was relaxing. Dr. Ortiz made his rounds to each patient’s room and chatted a little. I asked him why he uses the Johnson & Johnson band and he says that he switched to that as the original Alergan was upgraded (he didn’t know why they needed to) to compete with the Realize band, but the new upgraded band is not approved in Mexico yet, so he switched. He felt that Alergan made an error in their thinking, because he was their largest purchaser of the Lap Band but they didn’t listen to him.

Before I knew it, staff came with a wheel chair and took me to the operating room which was very clean and modern. Within minutes I was under anesthesia. Next I knew I was being wakened in my room and had my vitals taken. I’m doing well. When I first woke up, I felt a lot of pressure in my upper abdomen which was very uncomfortable, but they get you out of bed to walk the halls and that makes it feel better. The first popsicle they gave me really hit the spot and I also drank Capri juice, broth and water.

I have asked if I can go home tomorrow and likely I can, but they haven’t said yes or no yet. One really nice thing is that they have private rooms and each has a phone that you can make calls to the U.S. or Canada for no extra charge. I thought that was really nice. I’ve spoken to Dave several times already to ease his mind. I am still feeling discomfort, but I know this is to be expected. So far, so good!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Today I woke up around 5AM for some reason and went and walked a little. Carmen came in and gave me a pain medication through the catheter that she said lasts all day. She then removed the catheter. Dr. Sol (SP?) came in and gave me discharge instructions regarding when I could go back to swimming, riding my scooter and exercising that I asked him about. He told me I could shower, but wasn’t to touch the incisions (5 in all, 4 small and 1 larger where the port is) with my hands. I can’t swim for 3 weeks because there could be bacteria in the water that would infect the incisions. I am not supposed to ride the scooter for a few weeks, he says. I just need to allow my stomach time to heal. I then asked if I could go home today, rather than spend another night at the hotel and he said I could. I quickly called the receptionist and lucky for me, the OCC van was arriving in 10 minutes. I was already packed and ready to go, so off I went and was shuttled to my car at the border parking lot. I made it home before noon. I’m feeling pretty good. Some pressure and tenderness, but I keep drinking my liquids and walking and resting. I’m feeling great about my decision!

Thanks for taking the time to post. I'm being banded 2 weeks from now and I so appreciate all the information posted on the forum. If I recall correctly, you mentioned that you were going to surgery by yourself. If so, how did that go? I'm thinking about doing the same, but everyone seems so shocked when I tell them I might just go alone.

I never thought this dream could start to came true !!!!!!!!!!

the first picture is me now after dropping 64 pounds I thought I would put a before picture

on here it was hard to find one I just never would have pictures taken of me. I always take all

the pictures so I did not have to have a picture of me or I would go behine peoples back and

delete the pictures But I found one HA HA so here it is

I still have 60 pounds to go to make my first goal, But with all of your help and hard work I will get there

WOW, YOU LOOK GREAT!!! =D> I'm sure you get this comment all the time now but seriously congrats I know it takes alot on your part to get there.

Hi CARLA and BMEagain!

How do we do this! Getting to know each other, or getting together? Personal emails? How fun to know that we can chitty chat!

Carla and Lea32,

I have sent you private messages with my personal email. Hopefully we can coordinate something soon! I'm so excited :cheerleader:

Let me know if you don't recieve the message.

Hi! I live in Cerritos (also O.C. & L.A. border) and I was banded on June 12th. Where are you?! Damn, its such a small world that I probably know you already!

Hi there, well I live in Norwalk right by Cerritos College and actually work in Cerritos. Small world huh??? I had actually followed your post mostly cause of your "about me" post you wrote. I related so much to what you wrote and it hit home with me in many ways. My insurance denied my band here. My BMI was on the lower side (34) and I didn't have any "complications" due to my weight. That's how I ended up @ OCC paying it on my own.

Hi! I live in Cerritos (also O.C. & L.A. border) and I was banded on June 12th. Where are you?! Damn, its such a small world that I probably know you already!

Hi there, well I live in Norwalk right by Cerritos College and actually work in Cerritos. Small world huh??? I had actually followed your post mostly cause of your "about me" post you wrote. I related so much to what you wrote and it hit home with me in many ways. My insurance denied my band here. My BMI was on the lower side (34) and I didn't have any "complications" due to my weight. That's how I ended up @ OCC paying it on my own.

I will also be getting my lapband in August & am VERY EXCITED!!!

I know how excited you feel. The hardest thing for me has been the wait. Luckily August is just around the corner

My surgery is on Aug. 8th. Any chance your is scheduled for the same day??