kay griffin

I am nearly a year out and I can't eat within 3 hours of waking.  Only warm liquids.  I have gotten used to it.  I think you sounded fine with your first fill.  I know it is discouraging to eat a larger meal at night but most of us are that way too.  The thing with the band is that it is not a catch all.  Sometimes you really need to exercise good judgement and better choices. 

You can go ahead and eat a larger meal at night and make sure it is a healthy choice.  Then go ahead and have a healthy snack at night.  No problems.  Remember that you are only really going to lose 1-3 lbs a week for the first year.  It is a slow, gradual and healthier process of losing weight.  I think you should consider yourself one of the lucky ones that don't battle the all day choices.  This way, you only have to battle the choices for dinner.  I know it sounds wierd, but I actually like it that way.  I am not hungry at breakfast, I eat a small small small lunch and satisfied, then I just make sure I concentrate on a good "diet" for dinner.  And viola!!  The weight comes off! 

Make sure you are also doing some exercises to double the efforts!  I enjoy a nice quiet walk, nothing strenuous, just a stroll with the dog around the block about an hour after dinner.  Just to get everything settled and moving.  Once you go to bed, then you get to start again in the morning.  There is a little bit of self control that you have to practice with the band (which was hard for me to get used to since I wanted it to melt off and it didn't without me trying a bit).

If you are still losing 1-3 lbs a week and practicing all the bandster rules then just slow down and relaxxxxxxxxx, it will take time.  We didn't put all this weight on in a few months so we can't expect it to come off that fast either.  I don't think you should be discouraged but feel FANTASTIC that the band is doing its job!!  Fairly soon, you will really notice the changes and it will make you feel great!  Making your band too tight can eventually cause problems and you don't want that.

Good luck and keep on truckin' on the road to success!!

1970[/snapback]

Thanks Jenna. It is so nice to hear I am normal and will not FREAK out so bad about my dinner now.

Hi Kay... You said:

I was losing but felt discouraged as dinner was my big meal and then I would get into yogurt within one hour after dinner.

If you are able to eat what you need and are still losing weight,why the discouragement?  I have the same eating pattern, nothing in the AM, very very light lunch, then a pretty good sized dinner... and quite frankly that seems ideal to me!  As long as you are losing and still able to get your nutrition, dont judge whether a meal is "too big" or not and rush off to get a fill so you will eat less... you already have health AND weight loss... anything else about a dinner being "too big" is a misperception on your part and being too quick to judge yourself harshly... DONT DO IT!!!  Your benchmark should be weight loss coupled with getting the proper nutrition... once you have those things, let the rest happen... good luck to you... Kyle 

1966[/snapback]

Thanks Kyle for the encouragement. I am into a smaller size jeans since my 2nd fill/unfill. I will just learn to accept that I won't be eating much breakfast or lunch and not FREAK over dinner anymore. It is not so easy to mess up the whole days worth of calories in a few hours. I could but I don't.

I had lap band surg in Nov 05 by Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Martinez.  I went to a local KC doc for my fills.  My first fill was 1.25 cc (I have the 10. Inamed band)  and I seemed super tight for a few days and really tight in the a.m.  So dinner was my really big meal of the day. No breakfast and a little light lunch.  Then at dinner I could eat close to 1/2 of  pre-band amounts.  I was losing but felt discouraged as dinner was my big meal and then I would get into yogurt within one hour after dinner.  So I go my 2nd adj of 1.5 and it was too tight. I swallowed the water but felt pressure. By midnight I could not even swallow my saliva.  I had to get in the next day and have .5 taken out?  Now I can't seem to get my proteins down but oatmeal, popcorn, soup will go down after 11 a.m.  My proteins are what I need to get down!!!!!

Can any of you tell me what to expect?  It is 6 months before your fill really holds you back? I know the morning tightness is common.  My third fill is scheduled for March 13.

Thanks in advance for any of your replies.

Kay

1941[/snapback]

Hi all,

When I was banded in November I weighed 195 (I am 5'3"). Today all these months later I weigh 183. I am hungry. I had my first fill early January. It was good at first. Now I can again eat anything and it seems to me way too much quantity before I get a stop signal...which for me is shoulder pain or hiccups usually.

I have had one PB....because I tried some french fries at a fast food joint to see what would happen. UGH.

I know one thing I am doing wrong is drinking after I eat. How do you get used to NOT drinking with food?????

I am going to get another fill and I hope that restriction will help me make better choices. I feel like a total failure because its like I don't even have a band at all. I haven't lost....I can eat what I want with NO problems.....VERY depressing.

I am sorry to be such a whiner.....but, I fly 6 hours to get to TJ....it is a long, expensive trip.....and some days I feel like I have thrown away all this money. I know it is MY fault and not the band or the dr.....but, still I can't believe my pathetic results.

Thanks for listening.

1949[/snapback]

I try to make an effort to drink right before the meal. I make up some Crystal Light at home or have a glass of water or tea if dining out. Then I tell myself no more liquids until an hour after I eat. It is one of the hardest things for me also. But if you drink it flushes the food through and you will not stay satisfied.

Good Luck. Also remember Natalie told me it was at her 6 mo point that her weight really started coming off. She was a slow loser at first. Look at her now. She is beautiful.

Hang in There!!

I had lap band surg in Nov 05 by Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Martinez. I went to a local KC doc for my fills. My first fill was 1.25 cc (I have the 10. Inamed band) and I seemed super tight for a few days and really tight in the a.m. So dinner was my really big meal of the day. No breakfast and a little light lunch. Then at dinner I could eat close to 1/2 of pre-band amounts. I was losing but felt discouraged as dinner was my big meal and then I would get into yogurt within one hour after dinner. So I go my 2nd adj of 1.5 and it was too tight. I swallowed the water but felt pressure. By midnight I could not even swallow my saliva. I had to get in the next day and have .5 taken out? Now I can't seem to get my proteins down but oatmeal, popcorn, soup will go down after 11 a.m. My proteins are what I need to get down!!!!!

Can any of you tell me what to expect? It is 6 months before your fill really holds you back? I know the morning tightness is common. My third fill is scheduled for March 13.

Thanks in advance for any of your replies.

Kay

I agree with Mary S. She and I both had ours done the same day and it was on a Friday. I had my doc fill out FMLA- Family Leave papers for 7 days. That protects you as they can't add it into absenteeism figures. I work for a huge hospital and the HR department says always get FMLA papers signed if you think you will be out a week. Also your family PCP should fill those out for you. Mine did that for me.

Good Luck ! I would not think you would need more than a week off or maybe 2 at the max.

I had my first fill in Kansas City on Monday. Dr Malley just put in 1.25 cc and I am exactly like you. Dry meat hangs up and so does bread but otherwise I can't tell they did a fill. I am trying to make healthy choice like fish, asparagus and such but I feel like I can still eat a lot. I always heard 3/4 cup of food should satisfy us. Does that come with later fills?

Please let me know what some of you other Bandsters think?????

I have read in several books that they just let the stomach heal and they can put another on. I would visit with the doc about it and see if he thinks you are high risk to erode again. Dr. Martinous even told me they do put them back on. Good Luck.

There is some swelling after the surgey so it is like you are restricted. So just stick with the liquids. I found out my band was tight in the a.m. and I care barely get tea down but by afternoon I could drink freely. I did have to crush my meds to get them down for a couple of weeks. I get whole food this SAT and I am excited. You really won't be starving until the swelling goes down. I am getting hungry for real food that is for sure.

Dr. Martinous told me personally that eroding happens in .5% of their patients and it usually is because the body decides the band is a foreign material and our body rejects it. Does that make sense? I too would be interested if this really happens more often than they claim.

I was also banded on 11-18 and also had a wonderful experience. I am a medical professional (registered radiation therapist) and had never received any general anesthesia prior. I was a little intimidated by it all and the WORRY was for no reason. It went so smooth. I was quite pleasantly surprised. My insurance excluded bariatric surgery so I began the search for the right doc at the right dollar amount. After my reviews I would have gone to Dr. Ortiz regardless of insurance issues. He is so gifted with people and his hands.

When I woke up I had a little pain on the left side and they gave me a pain shot and it was gone in 20 minutes. I was up early the next morning and ready to head to the hotel Lucerna. I was amazed at how well it went. Of course you are a little sore if you bend over the first few days. Other than that it was a breeze. (They give you some meds for anxiety to calm you down before surgery if you want them.)

I did well on the flights back to Kansas City. My port area is not sore and my incision sites are a little pink and not even tender now. I am one week out now. This all seems like a dream to me as I had expectations of real pain. I am just a little weak/tired from the post op diet.

I am a diabetic and I am sure Dr. Ortiz and the lapband are going to save my life. The cosmetic fix will be great--- Just imagine buying clothes in a regular store. But I really had the band procedure performed to get me off insulin and meds. I want my health back. My insulin requirement is already 1/2 of what it was before banding.

I am walking the walk with my lapband sisters from 11-18-2005. We all email and support each other. Each case is a little unique and we each have different issue and concerns.

Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Martinez are much more than one could even expect. They are wonderful and take the time you need to answer your questions. The nurses are very "hands on" and tend to touch and hug a lot. They are learing more and more English with every patient they encounter.

My lapband experience was a good one with Dr. Ortiz and staff.