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WOW!!! You have super weigh loss - Congrats!!! My surgery was one year ago today. I had my most recent fill on Wednesday and asked my PA at that time about the risk of vomiting as I am probably going to Honduras this summer their water does not agree with Americans. The last time we went 4 or 5 of our group members got really really sick even though we stuck to bottled water. We finally figured out it was due to using the plates and forks of the restaurant we ate lunch at each day. My PA said that since I have had the band for a year that I should have a pretty good supply of scar tissue around it and unless I am severly vomiting and getting to the point of dry heaves that more then likely I will be okay. Based on your weight loss I am guessing that you have had the band for significant amount of time as well and more than likely you just need a slight unfill. Let us know how your appointment on Monday goes. By the way, I have already volunteered to bring the styrofoam plates and plastic forks for this trip as myself and the leader both have the band and getting sick like our friends did last time is not a chance we want to take.

Also - I really dont think that you are "feeling" restriction just because when you eat fast or too big of bites it gets stuck....Isnt restriction when you feel fuller longer and it takes you less food to feel full. Its bad band practice to eat fast and big bites - dont get yourself into trouble (I personally have to be VERY VERY careful) Amen, Amen & Amen! Restriction is not what you are feeling, what you are feeling is food getting stuck. Be careful eating larger portions, the last thing you want to do is to stretch your pouch and have to go back on liquids or get the band removed. Limit yourself to no more than a cup of food at a time. Take small bites, chew them well, and lay your fork down between the bites. You are going thru a stressful time right now, but do not add to that stress by eating around the band. Hold your head up, stick your chest out and move forward into the new you!

I don't think that the port moves or is supposed to move. I know that mine feels like it is in different places based on the position I am in when I am feeling for it. Also, as your body changes and shrinks it may cause the port to feel as if it is in a different location because the outside skin and such have relocated. As for the pain around the port area, I had that from Oct. until mid-February. The doctor's all said it was scar tissue and that there was a chance it would get better. Luckily I have only had a couple of twinges of pain in the last two weeks and they were both on days that I had done some ab exercises.

I am sorry to hear about the problems your husband has been having, but I am glad you have not totally given up and are seeking some answers and help. First off, if you all and others have been having problems with this doctor you need to call the medical licensing board in your state and report him, as do the others that have been having problems. Doctors have rules and regulations that they have to follow. If you still have the paperwork you signed about the surgery read thru it carefully, even the fine print, so as to have documentation about what was or was not told to you. Do this not only for your husband, but also for any future patients that this doctor could potentially lead astray. Secondly, I don't know how far you are from Wichita, KS, but Weigh Loss Surgical Center which is based in Overland Park, KS has a satellite office there. They might be willing to see your husband. I had my surgery and all of my follow up care with WTLSC here in OP, and everyone has been wonderful. The phone number to their main office is 1-800-777-6812. It won't cost you anything to at least give them a call and hopefully you can get some of the answers you have been looking for. If you can get a fill at their office it might cost more not only in terms of money but also in terms of travel time and missed work, but in the end it will be worth it to attain the success that you both know should have happened by now. Good luck and let us know how things progress!

My stitches were dissolvable. The nurse did cut off the ends that were sticking out at my first or second visit . These were where the knots had been tied. As for the Vitamin E oil, I also used that, but I am kind of concerned that you have used it so soon. Maybe you should wait a couple of weeks until the incisions have had a chance to heal some. I know that I couldn't get my incisions wet for a while after the surgery either. I would at least wait until after your March 7th appointment and ask the doctor then. Your tummy will look pretty bad for a couple of weeks, but it does get better. And yes, you will be able to use your abs again without feeling pain. As for the pole dancing part, lummm - let us know how that goes. My port incision is not completely flat, nor do I think it will be and it is a medium pink in color. It will probably be gone after my tummy tuck so no worries there. The next longest two are 1 to 1.5 inches. One healed flat and white in about 6 months time. I have to look hard to find it. The second one is mostly flat and white, but visible. There is a tiny section in the middle of it that has a bump, which is weird. The other two are the shortest ones at less than 1/2 and inch. They are both pink and bumpy. Not sure if they will go down any further as they are very similar to the ones on my shoulder from 2 and a 1/2 years ago. Funny how the smaller ones are the ones that stay bumpy. I would like to say it might be because they had a rougher time with the stitches, but the ones on my shoulder had no stiches, just tape. Keep your shirt down for now and stay away from the mirror and you will be fine. Before long your clothes will be looser and you will be elated that you made this decision.

Where do you live? There might be some other people on this forum that live in your area and could suggest another doctor. I can understand a doctor wanting you to see how serious this decision is, but he went way overboard. I am not very good at cutting things up into small enough pieces, but I recognize that and compensate by chewing. Too small of a bite and my teeth have trouble finding what I am supposed to be chewing. I just make sure to only swallow what has been chewed to the correct consistency. In fact, most of my bites are swallowed in two or three portions, not all at once. I do this when I drink as well to make sure that I am not gulping. One thing I noticed after the band which may be beneficial to you is that after one or two bites of something I absolutely loved, I was satisfied as I had had the opportunity to taste it and I didn't feel the need to finish the entire thing. I think that for once it was nice to be able to "try " a bite or two of something and know that it wouldn't totally mess up my weight loss or cause me to fall off the wagon as a normal diet is expected. I don't "try" things on a regular basis, but if I find something I want to try, I do, especially if it is sitting on a family members plate, that way I am not tempted if I took too much of it. My nephews are still young enough that they are always willing to share a bite with me. As for my pre-op diet I was told to lose 3 or 4 pounds but I was not given a specific diet to follow. I did have to go on clear liquids the day before surgery, but that was it. After surgery I had 3 days of clear liquids, 4 days of full liquids, a week of pureed and a week of mushy. After those 3 weeks I was able to start eating normal foods, trying only one new food at a time to figure out what did and did not work for me. However, everything did and still does work for me. The longer you are on a liquid diet the faster you seem to lose the weight, but I am happy just losing weight period. I am one week short of a year and have lost 60 pounds. I will take that number and be happy with it. Let us know what you decide.

Are you doing just the exercise portion or are you doing both the exercise and nutrition portions? If you are doing the nutrition portion, what is it like? I tend to be a normal food person - nothing fancy for me. Are you doing an hour every day? Where did you get it? I found it on the internet but didn't know if there were other options besides the internet and tv. I worked out twice today hoping that will help something to give as it appears I am stuck again. Having my final 20 lbs. to lose I think about plastic surgery every time I accidentally look in the mirror. I could live with the tummy, but as for the arms and especially the legs, no one should have to live with those. If I do have plastic surgery it wouldn't be until at least this fall, so I am willing to try something like this between now and then.

I am not sure about the shoulder pain, but I have definitely experienced the pain around the port area and on the side. We finally decided that my pain is because of scar tissue. We know I have it because the PA that does my fills usually ends up bending the needle trying to get it thru the scar tissue. I had surgery 2/29/09, but this pain started giving me problems back in Oct., about 9 months after my surgery. It was during the process of trying to figure out the cause for the pain that we discovered that my gallbladder was only working at 2%, but in the end the gallbladder isn't the cause of the pain as the pain is only associated with movement and is worse if I workout later in the day as opposed to in the morning. Driving my car almost did me in one morning as I drive a standard and have to use my left leg for the clutch - I considered getting an automatic car that day. Exercise is definitely important, but take it at a pace that you can do comfortably right now - slow and steady wins the race. You might want to consider postponing the start of your personal training sessions for another month or so. Besides, it is good to change up your exercise and that would definitely give you a change down the road. Let us know what happens.

Once a person is past the liquid phase, I found the Snickers energy bars to be a great source of protein. These are not your normal Snickers candy bar, but they are the next best thing and they do have good tasting chocolate associated with them. I sometimes have one for breakfast and it holds me until lunch. If I have a 10 gram one I also eat a banana with it, but if I have a 20 gram one I have it by itself - why? no idea other than I just do. I have found the 10 gram Multigrain Crunch (or something like that) one to be good. For the 20 gram one I prefer the Caramel Nut Rush. I did not care for the peanut butter one at all (texture issue) and the one with dark chocolate is not even on my list of things to try. The calories are about a fourth of your daily allotment, but if used as a meal replacement just like a protein shake you should be fine. I don't even pay attention to how well I chew them and have never had a problem getting them down, regardless of the time of day or night. Maybe I have tricked my body into thinking I really am eating a candy bar. You can buy them individually which I would suggest while experimenting to find what you like, or you can buy them in boxes of 6. I get them at Wal-Mart or most any pharmacy or grocery store. They are found in the energy/protein bar section.

This is a very valid question. I am not sure about your surgery center, but at my surgery center they absolutely have the largest toilets I have ever seen, not only in depth and width, but also in height. I felt like a characther in "Honey, I Shrunk The Kids." I am only 5'5" and I kid you not my feet just barely graze the floor. It was a little difficult to hold my gown and get on and off of that thing, but I was able to do it without help and I don't recall any pain during the process. Just remember to use your legs and not your abs. More than likely there will be a bar on the wall to help you as well as a call button if you need help. If the pain meds are good enough while you are at the surgery center, you couldn't care less about who will see you and in what condition. I loved those pain meds which I lovingly refer to as my "happy pills".

It isn't losing the weight that is so hard, it is being patient and making the changes we know we need to when things are not going 100% our way that is hard. Determination to succeed no matter what and willingness to take a good long hard look at yourself and admit or deal with your mess ups are key to your success. Make sure you go into this surgery with the mindset that this band is a tool to help you lose weight, and not the magic cure that will do all the work for you. Like anything in life, if it is worth having, it is worth putting forth some effort to achieve. You will do fine and keep us posted.

Let's not forget that even though we may not be losing at the rate that we "think" we should be losing, at least we are not gaining. Carrie - you only have 23 pounds more to go. Look at other people's posts, the last 20 pounds are usually the hardest. I think you are probably right where you are supposed to be. You yourself said you weigh less than you did in 9th grade - that is a huge accomplishment. How of your 9th grade classmates can currently say that - not very many because they have gained weight over the years and do not have the tool in place that you have. I also am down to my last 20ish pounds and for the past month have been trying to get two pounds off so that I could say I had 60 lbs. I am a person who weighs every morning, and each time I saw that I went up half a pound or stayed the same, it just made me more determined to do everything I could to emerge the victor in the end, especially since I paid $17,500 for this new me. CindyLou - you are right, you would have lost weight if you had dieted and journaled before. The real question, is would you have kept it off - I sure didn't and would venture to say that many people on this forum that lost weight that way did not keep it off. Maybe it is time to stop looking at the scale and start looking in the mirror. Are your clothes getting looser, are you having to buy new ones just to make sure that you aren't walking around looking sloppy, are your watch and rings getting looser? The weight charts say I should be 144 lbs. at goal, but looking at my bone structure and such my doctor and I agree that 160 is a more reasonable goal for me. What I am trying to say is that the number shouldn't rule your life, but rather how you look and the changes that you see occuring. Having a cold last week I decided to self medicate with orange juice. That is when I finally lost those two pounds. I seriously think I just needed to kick start my body by giving it some extra calories in a controlled manner. Sometimes our bodies do need to be fooled in thinking something different than normal, other times they just need a little bit of a rest to catch up to all of the changes they have undergone in the past few months. Remember that the weight didn't go on overnight and it won't come off overnight, but it will come off.

The surgery is absolutely worth it. You have waited four years for this and by golly you deserve for it to finally be your turn. You may think you have regret about having the surgery at the moment, but if you cancel it you will be very upset with yourself and feel even more like a failure (which, by the way, you are not). In fact, you will be giving out comforting advice to others within a few weeks of having your surgery as you will have relized by then that you fears were unwarrented. I am going to make some assumptions here. 1. Since you live in Australia you are having the surgery there as you talked about having to be on the waiting list for four years and 2. you might spend one night in the hospital, but other than that you will be going home day of or day after the surgery. Based on these assumptions, you probably do not need to take any kind of food items to the hospital with you because they should have everything you need. I wore pajama pants and a sweat shirt to the hospital and then wore the same things home the next day. While at the surgery center I had the "privelege" of wearing one of their gowns. I don't remember wearing undies while at the surgery center, as they would have been a pain to get up and down while hooked up to the iv's, but am pretty sure that I put them on for my 20 minute trip home from the surgery center. As long as they do not come much above your belly button you should be fine as your lowest incision is a couple of inches above your belly button. Take a toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, deodorant, contacts/glasses and gas-x. Other than that forget about vanity and leave the make-up, hairspray, etc. behind. You probably won't need anything more than a small duffle bag or overnight bag. Slip-on shoes are handy as well. When you get home, you will need to have liquid stuff on hand, items such as the following should work. Broth (chicken or beef), jello, popsicles, crystal light, tea, juice (grape or apple). Once you get past the clear liquid phase and on to full liquids, milk and some kind of protein shake are crucial additions to help with getting in some protein. Cream soups and hot cereals are also wonderful and hot chocolate is a wonderful treat that taste like something you would have under normal conditions. Your doctor should provide you written information explaining what you can have and when you can have it. Take a deep breath and start thinking about Wednesday as being the first day of your new life.

I have never really done many protein drinks as it was never a pre-op requirement by my surgeon. I did use Slim Fast a couple of times after I would have a fill, but it took me 10 months to go thru one can of it. However, I came down with what I thought was a cold this week and did not want to eat anything. So, I bought a can of the Slim Fast High Protein powder and have been having one for breakfast each morning. I have also been having two glasses of orange juice each day and one or two cups of hot chocolate at night. I figured I would be setting myself up for failure by adding the liquid calories from the oj and hot chocolate, but low and behold I have lost 3 lbs. in the past 5 days after hovering at the same weight for the past month. I am not sure if upping my caloric intake or doing a shake only in the morning did it, or if maybe it was time for my plateau to end. Regardless, I am going to stick with the shake in the morning until I finish this can. I will stop the oj when this jug is empty, and will go back to hot chocolate one or two nights a week - my theory of treating a cold with oj, hot chocolate and diet coke didn't work this time as I ended up at the doctor with a sinus infection and am now taking antibiotics. I did forget to tell this doctor that I have a lapband and I ended up with the biggest antibiotic pill that I have ever seen. The first one didn't go down well as I swallowed all the liquid and the pill was still stuck on my tongue - that was nasty bitter. I now keep a pudding cup in the fridge. Place one pill in it and cover it with more pudding. I then take a decent sized scoop which includes the covered pill and swallow it in one big swallow. I know this may sound childish, but it was prevented it from being left on my tongue and has gone thru the band fine every single time so far, I just hope it continues to do so for the next 15 times I have to take it.

If you have a recliner, try sleeping in that for at least the first few days after surgery. Once you are feeling better then you can try sleeping on your stomach again. I sleep in a twisted position partially on my side and partially on my stomach. It took about two weeks after surgery before I could resume this position, but have been sleeping this way ever since without any problems. Whatever you do, do not let this minor issue deter you from having the surgery. A little sleeplessness is a small price to pay for the future benefits you will receive from the band.

I had my doctor's appointment earlier today to discuss my test results, and I am absolutely ecstatic. He said I do not need to worry about having my gallbladder out at this time. I do not have any gallstones, so there is no concern with movement or blockage. My gallbladder looks perfect, it just isn't working much and if it were him he would not have it out just because at the present time. He equated it to a brand new car sitting in the driveway that did not have a motor in it. He did ask me about a tummy tuck in the future. When I told him I would definitely be doing that he said I could find a surgeon that would do both. He is going to call a few other doctors for me to find some options of surgeons that do both. This was the best news ever as I can have both done in one surgery and have some of the costs such as anestesia and such covered by insurance. He did congratulate me for having the lowest functioning gallbladder he has ever seen in his sixteen years of practice. That being said he also said that there was not much hope for it to ever regain function. I am okay with this now that I know I am not in any immediate danger and I can have both surgeries done together. Thanks for listening/reading.

Hello Everyone - I have been a lurker on here for over a year now. I was banded in Kansas City on 2/29/08. As of this morning I am down about 59 lbs. and thinking I only have about another 20 to go until I am at goal and ready to check into some plastic surgery. That will still have me about 16 lbs. above my ideal weight, but I was "blessed" with the broad shoulders of a football player and am afraid that if I get to my ideal weight I will be too thin to look good - who would have ever thought I would say that. Anysay, in Sept./Oct. I started having minor discomfort at my waist about 3 inches on either side of my belly button. This mainly occurred when I was walking/working out or taking deep breaths . I asked the PA at my surgeon's office and his first thought was scar tissue as that is the area where my port scar is at. We do know that I have scar tissue there because the needle usually bends trying to get thru it when I have a fill. However, the PA suggested I get it checked out with my PCP, which I did, and he sent me to have a test on my gallbladder. The results of that test said that the excretion rate of my gallbladder is only 2% and my PCP's nurse said that I needed to have it out. To my knowledge I do not have any gallstones, but will ask that question on Friday. Well, I do not want to have another surgery right now as it would by my 3rd within the past year. I do have a follow-up appointment scheduled with my PCP on Friday, but honestly I am not convinced the minor discomfort I am feeling is really from the gallbladder. I am still leaning towards the scar tissue theory due to the fact that if I am not moving I am not hurting. Having done some internet searches I now realize that gallbladder issues are pretty common for people who lose large amounts of weight or who lose weight quickly. I am basically concerned that what I may experience for life after the surgery will be worse than the minor discomfort I am having now, if in fact it is the gallbladder. Has anyone else on here had any gallbladder problems since losing weight? Also, for those of you with medical knowledge, is there any possibility that once my body adjusts to all the changes that the gallbladder could start functioning normally again? Thanks for you help!