B2010

amen sister! couldn't have said it better myself. I think I was on this forum straight all day every day for 21 days because I COULDN'T do it alone. But really reading people posts, knowing they were going through the same thing as I had just went through definitely helped me. Trust me it was a WAY MORE A HEAD ISSUE THAN A FOOD ISSUE!!! I'm not saying things were perfect, I ate mushy foods a few days before I should have, but I was eating the hell out of popsicles and anything that had some substance for the days before I could have solids. Do your body a favor and know this isn't forever and stay committed to the process!

I have had more than 8cc in my lap band but it was way too tight, so i had all but 7 removed and that's where i've stayed

callmecrazy, just wondering why were you set on the gastric sleeve? I'm in Anchorage and went to TJ with Dr. Ortiz for the lapband myself. There is a local doctor here in Anchorage that will do fills on Mexico patients and he's also been excellent with me about questions I have about the band and fills etc....

I went to what has been coined as an "aggressive" fill doctor. My fills have all been under floura and he has consistently given me "larger" than average amounts. I say this, but I've still had 3 fills and one slight unfill since I've had surgery in March 2010. I think you probably jumped the gun with this particular doctor. I think that you probably should have taken their word for it and not assumed they were trying to rip you off. My fills in Alaska under floura are $400 a piece so $200 is pretty reasonable. You have to have multiple fills because otherwise you won't find a restriction that you will be satisfied with. It's not a rush thing, and trust me I've been overfilled before and it was about the worst 5 days of my life physically. I've never felt so weak and dehydrated....so really it sounds like they are willing to work with you but also to take things relatively slow. I had full restriction after 3 fills and a slight unfill and am currently around 7cc in my 11cc band. The weight's been slow coming off but it's still coming and I still have restriction. You have to be patient and that is one thing the band will force you to do. Be patient when you eat, be patient about finding restriction, and be patient most importantly about losing the weight. Stay the course and you will see that this thing does work. And although we all wanted an overnight miracle cure - the band isn't it - but it's an awesome tool that WILL help you achieve your goals.

Hi Stacv, I was NOT overweight growing up and through my 20's it's when I hit 30 that the weight really started coming on. I was also a very emotional eater and yes the band makes this close to impossible. Of course you can always turn to slider foods and things like that, but for me It's taken away my ability to emotionally overeat. you just can't physically do it any longer. And once you try (because you undoubtedly will at some point) you get sick and throw up which makes it really not that satisfying anymore. The weirdest experience I've had with having the band is actually "missing" the ability to overeat. Never thought I would actually miss being able to overeat but I have. It's the weirdest thing. It really hit me within the first month or two of having the band. The emotional changes are more noticeable at that point then the physical. The band is a tool that forces your physical and re-directs your mental. I started reading after the band and this has actually helped a lot. It give me an outlet to go to when I can no longer turn to food for comfort. And as far as the pre-op weight. I really really screwed up with my pre-op diet. I was 200 lbs when I decided to have surgery and that's the weight I put on my application. Well after I signed up I went on a mad eating frenzy and gained 15 lbs. Well 10 days before surgery I buckled down and lost 10 of the lbs that I had gained. When I weighed in at the OCC I was 205. Dr. Miranda did ask how I had gained weight and I was just honest with her. I told her I got up to 215 and had lost 10lbs and she was satisfied with that. Of course losing the weight is important, but I was nervous during that time and I felt so much change was upon me that it was close to impossible to resist my temptations. If you're really that concerned about them turning you away just send Dr. Miranda a note and let her know how much your're struggling. Don't stress it too much though - they understand why we're getting the band in the first place is because we have a hard time controlling our food intake.

I waited for tax returns to come in and saved for the rest. Things were tight for a few months after surgery but the amount of money I've saved on food is astounding.

seriously, when I have plateaued is was ALL about my water intake. I've never been a big water drinker but I've really started guzzling it down and my weight now has been coming off consistently without any real effort otherwise. Yes, exercise is great but my biggest issue before the band was seriously just overeating. I also have an 11 cc band and am at about 8cc's myself. I felt good restriction for a few months around the 5-6cc mark...but then began plateauing again. I have not consistently watched my water intake vs. my weight loss and the weeks where I know my water intake is low I don't lose much if not at all. But when I'm consistent about it drinking multiple bottles of water a day, I'll end up losing like 2-3 lbs a week. Also, since being banded, I haven't eaten any real processed white sugar food. bread, tortillas, rice etc.... It just won't go down for me and I hate the feeling of having one bite of something and being totally stuffed so I just avoid it all together.

don't beat yourself up too much with the pre-op diet. I was worried that even after the band I wouldn't lose weight because It wasn't dropping off even though I wasn't eating. You'll go through fast and slow losses - just the nature of our metabolism. After I hit my decision weight - I gained 15 more lbs before surgery. Luckily I lost 10 of those before I had to go in and get weighed - but I was heavier than when I signed up for the surgery. I think the OCC doctors understand why we're getting this surgery - because we can't lose weight consistently on our own. I don't think that if you gained some of your pre-op weight that they will turn you away. As far as getting over the hurdles - as much as I hate to say it - it's WATER WATER WATER. I've been on plateaus for weeks and then really start hitting on drinking a lot of water and the scale starts moving again. I've never been a big water drinker but I do now just to see that scale move. You'd be surprised at how much we retain in water if we don't drink enough of it to move through our systems. just hang in there.....it's a slow process for sure and you have to know you'll be in for the long haul to really see results that you're satisfied with. Be happy about the small goals you've reached

yea, i had a weird feeling. Number one you gotta get used to the fact that something is there. Plus gas, burping, all that is totally normal after surgery and it will calm down after a little while. Nothing to worry about. what you've mentioned sounds pretty normal.

I went alone without issue, the occ takes good care of everyone.

I'm with Erica, it's usually a sign to me that i've eaten too much or I need to stop before I puke!

as everyone has already said - congratulations on only gaining 3 lbs. you'll find that these small ups and down are nothing considering where we all used to be with our weight gains and losses. It sounds like maybe you need another fill so give yourself time. As for exercising - I honestly haven't committed the way I need to but I'm still losing......sure I could probably lose it faster but I have a million and one reasons why I don't. bottom line is I'm not a big exerciser. I'm hoping that once my weight starts plateauing some it will motivate me to get out there and do more. don't let people beat you up about what you're doing. It may be your wifes insecurities - especially if she's overweight - if's she's not then she can't really relate to you on that level. I broke up with my boyfriend of 7 years after I got the band and I think he's kicking himself now that I'm down 32 lbs. I'm not saying leave your wife - but you have to try and be understanding that this is a transition for her as well. Maybe she thinks things are going to change with you. people lash out for the stupidest reasons. Just concentrate on yourself....that's who you got the band for.....for YOU....not anyone else!!! hang in there and you're doing great. It's not about perfection it's about progress and mr. you are certainly making major progress!

I was definitely gassy after getting my lapband. I was also burping like crazy which is totally normal. I think it's just your body kind of getting used to this foreign object in your body. It's doesn't last and will go away. I was a little concerned after surgery that I'd just be a burping fool - but it's went away. Also, like the previous post - when you get a fill you may have a recurrence of this feeling of being more gassy but it passes too. It's not the same as PB'ing. PB'ing is when your food comes up really without much of a convulsion that you may normally have if you were throwing up.

oh my geez louise - what a terrible last few days. As my restriction got worse and worse I decided that it was quite an emergency to see my doctor first thing this Monday morning. I had my 3rd fill performed last Thursday and Thursday was "ok" as far as getting liquids down. But by Friday my entire band closed up and I wasn't able to get anything down at all. I will NEVER have a fill done towards the end of the week because waiting over the course of the weekend was miserable. Big surprise, when I went in, they hooked me up to flouro and when I initially drank the barium NOTHING went through my band. WTF - come to find out my doctor had filled my 11cc band all the way up and this was only on my 3rd fill! I figured that he would maybe put like 1cc on my third fill but he went balls to the wall and I paid for it. I am now at around 9cc's and feeling like i'm on the road of recovery. But whoever has any pain, or can't keep ANYTHING down don't play with it because it's a miserable experience. Also have fills done at the beginning of the week if you don't have access to your fill doctor over the weekend.

sliming is when you eat something and it doesn't go down through your band to your stomach. you can have sliming when you've either eaten too fast, too big of bites, or if your band is too tight. I just went through about 5 days of sliming and pb'ing because my band was too tight. Anyway - after you eat or drink it takes about 15 minutes to feel that sensation and your mouth starts watering and clear slimy spit starts producing in your mouth. I guess it's your bodies way of trying to get whatever is stuck - unstuck. So because you have the band there is little luck in getting things unstuck and things going down, so if you relax your esophagus and allow whatever is stuck to just kind of slide back up - like you're throwing up without the convulsions. It's definitely gross,and not a fun feeling. Although you generally don't have the bile that you would have if it was a normal "throw up" session - it tends to be just the food or drink that you've had that weren't able to go down. Trust me when you experience this, you'll know why it's so easy to stay away from the foods you don't want to eat because it's not a good feeling, and it is kind of draining.