Red

I've been stuck at 159/160 for weeks, but I know it is my own fault. I love Pinot Grigio and there are so many calories in it. I also find that carbs like mashed potatoes, mac n cheese or anything in sauce goes down well. I do eat a lot of veggies, but hardly any meat because I struggle with it. On the plus side, I haven't gained weight, just haven't lost very fast. I'm hoping that once the warm weather hits, I can get back to my daily swimming and burn those extra calories!

Well, I drove down to the OCC and Dr. So added 4ccs. On the scope, it looked just right. But after I got home and lived with it for a couple of days, I realized it was just too uncomfortable. Even water hurt going down. I know some people like to be tight, but I'm not one of them! I would rather lose weight slower than lose weight fast because I can't swallow anything. I am fortunate that I am only a couple hours drive from the border. If I were you and didn't have access quickly to the OCC, I would "sneak up" on my sweet spot. Less amounts of saline I mean, during a fill.

Oh, TRUST ME, you will know when you have restriction. I didn't have it until my second fill, really. After 3 fills and a slight unfill(all at OCC), I feel that I'm in my sweet spot. Now, when I eat too fast, or eat something that doesn't agree with my band, I get a definite pain in my chest. When that happens, I put the fork down immediately. It is so uncomfortable and takes about 10 minutes to dissipate. Walking it off helps a lot. I went through a period there where it seemed like nothing would go down without me having to slime and get rid of it. But now I am doing very well. So until you get to your restriction, just try to eat a third of what you used to prior to being banded. This will help prepare you for when you do reach restriction. At that time, you will have to learn what agrees with your band and what doesn't. Everyone is different! Best of luck!

Not to worry Marcy! You will do fine. Things really change when you get restriction. Before my second fill, I could eat anything. Now I definitly can't (although I admit I CAN eat potato chips and I love them..naughty me). I like what Dr. So said to me. "Don't be a slave to the scale, go by how your clothes fit". I have taken that advice. I only weigh every couple of weeks or so. I don't lose quickly, but I'm losing..so that's fine with me. Hang in there! Red

That's very normal. I experienced port area pain for some time after surgery. Then, when I started swimming at the appropriate time, it REALLY hurt because the muscles in that area were being used. I'm 6 months out now and don't experience very much pain there anymore. Give yourself time to heal. It will take a few weeks, so don't worry. Red

I was scared to take that first bite as well. But like others say, you will probably find that you will be able to eat just about anything until that first or second fill. But even though things will go down easily at first, try to begin practicing the small bites, chewing and other good habits right off the get go. That way when you get some serious restriction, you will already be an expert! Trust me, sliming and throwing up are NO FUN and you will want to do everything you can to avoid reaching that point. The band works and will teach you a lot about how to eat, what to eat and how much to eat. It's a beautiful thing!

I have gone to TJ for my surgery and fills, sometimes alone. I have never felt unsafe. When you go for your surgery, you are driven over the border by the OCC van and the facility is only about 5 minutes from the border. The hotels they use are very nice, and if you have concerns, you don't have to leave the hotel. When I go for fills, I park in a border lot, walk over the border and hook up with a taxi which drives me to the facility. All very easy and safe. Red

Thanks guys! I promise to not be a stranger because I realize the people just starting out depend on the input of others that have gone before them, right? And as we each have a different experience, all of us have something to contribute. I am happy to say my issues have settled down and was able to eat some mac an cheese and some string bings last night and it went down great. The husband came up with his own theory on what may be screwing me up. He thinks when I eat multiple items, they don't all digest at the same speed, so maybe I should eat all of my veggies at once and then the meat. I think he might be right, at least where my system is concerned. One thing I can consistantly eat without problems is a chicken teriyaki bowl from our local Waba Grill. It has chopped up chicken in sauce, steamed vegetables and brown rice. I always eat the veggies first, cuz I love them, then the chicken, then some of the rice. So maybe I will try this theory with all my meals and just eat one type of food at a time so things don't get globbed up in my stomach. Something to think about anyway!

Hi everyone! Hope you all had the merrist of Christmases. I've been away so long that they went and changed the webite! Well, just an update..was banded the end part of July and am down 30 pounds today. My goal was to be halfway (158) by my birthday, Jan. 24th but I surpassed the goal today and am at 157. I'm so happy I made this decision, but I would never tell anyone it has always been an easy journey. I am very happy with my restriction and thankfully have had only 2 fills and one slight unfill. I'm in a good place right now. However, lately I have been sliming and throwing up a lot. My supportive hubby coaches me at meal time and reminds me to eat slowly (hard for me) and chew. But no matter how diligent I think I am being, many times my meal ends after a couple of bites and I must go slime and throw up. It has been a little frustrating lately. I'm doing liquids for a couple of days to see if things settle down. It is an ongoing, this figuring out what I can and cannot eat. Seems like one day something goes down, and the next day the same food won't work at all. On the positive side, I LOVE seeing people I haven't seen in a long while and hearing them remark that I'm melting away. Then they want to hear all about the band. I like hearing my husband tell me I look great. I like wearing fitted clothing again. I like being able to look in the mirror without being totally disgusted. I like feeling happy that for once I am in control of food rather than it controling me and making me miserable. Do I eat things I shouldn't? Absolutely. Do I give it 100% all of the time? Nope. But I know that I am eating much less than I used to and I'm losing, not gaining. I'm not pushing myself to lose it all at once. I have given myself a year to lose the rest. I'm happy with that. So everyone. Congratulations to you all for your many successes and every wish for a Happy and Fat Free New Year! Love, Red

Hi Vicki, I understand how you feel. I'm not working now, but when I was, I was commuting 2 hours each way and was exhausted all the time. So I used my lunch hour to walk. It was the only time that I could exercise. I also took stairs instead of elevators. In parking lots, try parking way out to get more steps in your day. Just a little more movement in your day will help a lot! Red

I don't have answers, but I can relate. I had a .5 unfill last week which really made all the difference in terms of my being able to eat and drink without pain, but I can't eat meat for some reason. Every time I try, the pain comes back. And last night I ate half of a pork chop and boom, I started getting the pain, and then sliming and threw it all up. It was horrible. My throat still aches this morning. I am going to do liquids today and maybe tomorrow. And from now on, I think I am going to stick to fish. It just isn't worth it to me to eat meat, although I love it. The good side is that I'm down 21 pounds. I'm so happy! Red

You look beautiful Carrie, and so happy! Congratulations on your anniversary!

Yep, couldn't take it anymore and called and Dr. So had me come back the next day and took out .5ccs. He said everything looked good. He put me on liquids for 2 days and today I could go back to solids. I can drink without pain now. I tried cottage cheese, but after about the third bite, I started feeling pain so I just stopped. I'll give it the weekend and attempt more solids and see how they go down. He said I did good by coming in right away because being too tight can lead to problems. I feel much better...thanks everyone! Lost somemore weight and am now at 169. Yew Hew!

Anyone have any feedback out there? :-h Thanks, Red

Congratulations! Best advice? Just relax and know that you are going to be in good hands. The OCC staff will take excellent care of you! And when you get home, just try to follow your instructions, do some walking around the house and if you get tired, rest. Let your body heal and don't expect everything to change overnight in terms of your hunger level or weight loss. Ultimately, we could give you tons of advice, but everyone has to to experience this for themselves to understand what occurs physically and mentally. Let us know how you do! There are computers at the OCC for you to use! Red

Hi guys, Well, I'm doing well in terms of losing weight. I have lost 16 pounds and getting rid of all my size 16s and even some 14s. I know that my weightloss will be slow, but that is ok. I wanted some feedback though on what I am physically feeling. I had my second fill on the 7th, 5 days ago, by Dr. So. He was very careful and took his time determining how much fill to give me. I ended up with 3ccs plus the 4ccs from my first fill...7ccs total now. The first solid meal I ate a couple of days after getting the 2nd fill got stuck. OMG. Didn't like that at all. Nothing came back up, but I slimed and had a lot of pain in my chest. Even water hurt going down. Now, 5 days later, I still have discomfort at times with water. I can take a sip and I'll start gurgling and burping (sorry about the TMI, but I need to describe what is happening). Matter of fact, since the 2nd fill, I burp all the time. Anyway, I can now eat dinner if I go very slowly, but seems like anything I put in my mouth before evening, well, hurts! Can anybody relate to what I'm describing? Am I just adjusting to the second fill and is this what "restriction" fills like? Or should I be considering having a little unfill? I wanted to give it some more time to see if I loosen up a little, but at the same time, I don't want to get dehydrated or malnurished. I did manage to drink about 30 oz of water yesterday afternoon without discomfort. But I tried to eat something this morning and ouch, wasn't worth it. Thoughts?

Hi Cindy, I still have it. I'm in So Cal too so shipping shouldn't cost much. What zip code are you in?

Hi ladies...I had my surgery on July 21 of this year and thought I could maybe give you some idea of what 2.5 months post op looks like. Like you, I was expecting to feel something instantly, but my experience was that I have not really felt restriction this whole time. I felt it a little after my first fill, but only for about 2 weeks, and then I could eat anything, any amount and did not feel like I even had a band. During this time on liquids, there isn't much to worry about. A little OJ pulp didn't stretch your pouch. And when you get to solids, you need to "practice" for when you do get restriction, which may not be until your 2nd or 3rd fill. Everyone's different. Practice by taking smaller bites than you would normally and chew, chew, chew, and try to eat half to a third of what you normally did. A lot of people say they eat no more than a cup of food but I eat more than that because without restriction, I am hungry. I had my second fill just yesterday with Dr. So and I asked him about that. He said to just focus on eating less...half to a third. Now that I've had a second fill and am up to 7ccs, I am hoping I can start filling the restriction and decrease my caloric intake even more. Also, I know a lot of people on the forum wait 1 hour to drink liquids after eating, but I asked him about that too and he said 30 minutes. He said food usually takes 10 minutes to pass through the pouch and so half an hour is sufficient. Anyway, it is always best to call up the OCC if you are worried about anything. They are always helpful and want us to succeed. You guys will do great and we newer banders just have to be patient and we will get there like a lot of the people on this forum. Red

Karin, I was banded with the larger band in July. I had 4cc's in my first fill (at the OCC) and today I got my 2nd fill which was another 3cc's. I'm 7cc's total right now. Dr. So was very careful putting in the right amount. He tried 3.5 cc's, but you could see in the Fluroscopy that the barium wasn't going down quickly enough, so he decreased it by .5 and gave me 3cc's. Really, it isn't up to us on how much we get. I have a lot of confidence in Dr. So and I'm lucky the OCC is only a 90 minute drive from my house. But watching Dr. So today really analyze the amount he was putting in and adjusting until the flow through my stomach was just right, confirmed to me that a fill without the benefit of Fluro would be risky. And about the speed of the weight loss...I am losing slowly as well, but I'll take what I can get. Hang in there!

Dave, that was AWESOME!! I copied it and printed it to show people who raise there eyebrows at me when I say I went to TJ for surgery. And the fact that you are in the medical field is just more icing on the cake! Thanks Dave! > Red

Sooooo happy to be out of the size 16 clothes!!!!!!!!! Seems like I've been there forever, but now I wear 14s and am self employed and no longer have to dress up for corporate life. I have a very nice size 16 NYP brand business suit that is in mint condition (I only wore it very occassionally) that should go to someone. It is sort of a brown and cream lined jacket and slacks (slacks not lined), single breasted, suit. I just had it dry cleaned and would be happy to send it to someone if you'll pay for the shipping. Any takers? Red

I hear you Lea. I fill like I'm losing so slowly too, but I posted earlier that I have lost only 12 pounds in the 2 months since surgery. BUT, I've gone down a size, from a 16 to a 14, and can actually wear one of my size 12 outfits that I could only wear 6 years ago. I think for us lower BMI people, it isn't as fast a loss as we would like, but Dr. So says it will be long term. So that works for me. I look at it as 12 pounds lost, not gained. I don't have a lot of restriction yet (I will have my second fill early October) so I haven't PBd or slimed yet either. I really think we are on track Lea, so hang in there, and I will too!! Red