Guest silver_wasp Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 I'm a 17 year old guy that just had the lap band. To say the least, I'm not impressed. I'm even more hungery than before because: You can't have bread or pasta, You can't have pop, You can't have anything sweet, The liver shrinking diet was bad, but it was nothing compaired to the liquids for two solid weeks after. I just sat and cried all day because I was literally starving myself. The surgery isn't what hurts, it's the starvation that happens after! Everyone says this is a tool, but all it really does is restrict what you can eat. The hunger is still there! I don't know why I even wanted this. And what's worse, Blue Cross didn't cover it. We had to take like $15,000 in loans. I don't know what to do, it's not like a product you can return or something. I feel like crap... I can't tell you how bad I feel. This was my last hope, now what? Diets = failure exercise = pain Surgery = diet + exercise for the rest of your life... ( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clynn Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 Ick how frustrating. I have a ton of questions floating through my head if you are looking for some help. With a little work you may be able to salvage this. First of all, when was your surgery? Have you had any fills? If so how many and were they at all effective? Have you spoken to a nutritionist? If you got banded at OCC you can talk to Dr Miranda anytime, and if you got banded somewhere else your doctor can probably get you a referral. Do you sometimes eat to manage emotions? What do you typically eat in a day? Good luck to you. I know it can get frustrating sometimes but feeling defeated can really work against you at this point. Best advice I can give is to get a good group of people around you to support you and get in contact with your doctor to discuss your problems and frustrations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericsmom Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 Your post made me so sad. I can feel your frustration. I am still in the liquid phase myself, and by 3 p.m every day, I am so mad and resentful that noone wants to be around me! I miss my diet 7ups like mad (although crystal light lemonade is a pretty ok substitute). Sadly for me, I have discovered something sweet that goes down easily (ever heard of Nutella?? Stay away!! ) But for now, as mad as I am, I value the weight loss more than the sweet, so that was a one-night thing. Some suggestions. Although I am a newbie I have done tons of research: 1) If you haven't done so, read several boards. MANY MANY people on this and other boards have felt the post-surgery hunger and the justifiable anger that goes with it. However - at the right restriction, EVERYONE who had the appropriate fill felt that it all came together and felt right. They could eat almost anything, but in smaller portions, which is why I did this. One woman just wrote that it took her 20 months to reach that appropriate fill and now she "gets" it. I don't think it should take that long and even she said she should have pushed the doctor harder. So I hope you have a doctor that's helping you with it. 2) I can tell you that I so wish I had this as an option when I was 19. I'm 43 now, and I have suffered through so many diets unsuccessfully that my health is a mess. I really believe that it's the yo-yo syndrome (up and down repeatedly) that gets your body in trouble. Although my health is important to me - I have a 6-year old -- from a social perspective, I feel even more regret. I can look back and see so many paths or risks not taken, situations avoided, awkward situations, rude people, etc etc. because of my excess weight. I love my life now, but it's hard not to wonder what my life would have been like without the obesity noose around my neck (and body!) during my 20s and 30s. 3) If nothing else, this band will help us manage the gain. We can deliberately cheat it, but it won't be nearly as "satisfying" since I can't cheat the way I defined it before - - gorging on everything and anything until I was stuffed. So in that sense, it is a 50/50 deal -- 50% coming from our will to change the way we live our lives. This is the hardest for me, but I think I am there emotionally, although I know there will be some hard times. It took you so much courage to do this - I do hope that you can see it through. Can you make a deal with youself to give youself a year -- regardless, do what's needed to make the band work (within reason!) -- and then, if after a year it just isn't for you, it is reversible (expensive, but reversible!) All the best...Danielle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tombourn Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 Duh!!!! You don't NEED Bread You don't NEED Pop You don't NEED Sweets You are one of the luckiest guys I know. I'll trade your 17 for my 45 yrs anyday. Grow up! Since you are under the legal age to make a contract, I am know you didn't take out the loans, but someone did FOR you and all you can think about is bread, pop and sweets. Right now you are probably telling me to go to HELL, oh well. Hundreds of thousands of people would trade places with you in a heart beat. It's time to step up to the plate and do something challeging in your life except whining!!! Go run a few miles, swim a few laps or any other activity except boo hooing over your lost ability to kill yourself through a life time of morbid obesity. Tough Love Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2thebeach Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 I'm a 17 year old guy that just had the lap band. To say the least, I'm not impressed. I'm even more hungery than before because:You can't have bread or pasta, You can't have pop, You can't have anything sweet, The liver shrinking diet was bad, but it was nothing compaired to the liquids for two solid weeks after. I just sat and cried all day because I was literally starving myself. The surgery isn't what hurts, it's the starvation that happens after! Everyone says this is a tool, but all it really does is restrict what you can eat. The hunger is still there! I don't know why I even wanted this. And what's worse, Blue Cross didn't cover it. We had to take like $15,000 in loans. I don't know what to do, it's not like a product you can return or something. I feel like crap... I can't tell you how bad I feel. This was my last hope, now what? Diets = failure exercise = pain Surgery = diet + exercise for the rest of your life... ( i was banded by dr ortiz on 8/17/07 and have not had my first fill yet ( going oct 5th) but i cherish my band. i have to eat right and exercise but thats ok, we all do if we want to be fit instead of fat. my insurance did not cover mine either, but i will glady make payments. i will work as hard as i have to do this. you must have people that love you very much to help you get this financially. as far as the starvation goes, yes the liquid phase after the surgery is hard to do but not impossible and soon you be able to eat food again . i dont know how much research or reading you have done about all this but if you drink and eat protein you will feel full for hours! for your liquid phase there is protien water and protien shakes to help you feel full. they really do work most diets can end in failure, but with your band you have the chance to never be overweight again! of course we have to give up eating the way we used to, but eating that way is what got us obese to begin with... and there are TONS of great tasting things to eat that are not full of fat and sugar -weight watchers giant fudge bars are one of my favorites ( only they are so big its hard to eat a whole one now) it just takes some experimenting to find new yummy things that taste great and are good for you. but i promise the more protien you eat the more full you will feel! i have also started shopping at the natural or 'whole' food stores, the clerks are very heplful and they can recommend things that taste good for you to try. im sorry you feel so bad now, and i truly hope you feel better soon. you said that getting the band was your last hope? please dont give up on it its not just a tool, its a GREAT tool. it would be nice if there was a magic pill that enabled everyone to lose weight and not change their food choices -we would all take it and there would be no overweight people in the world. exercise does not have to equal pain, maybe you just have not found something that you really enjoy yet. i know the more weight i lose the more i feel like doing. i have started working out with weights and i like it alot. you can see real results in a short period of time i strongly disagree with the last line you sent-- its more like Surgery+good food choices+moderate exercise= a lifetime of looking and feeling great! what im trying to say is it is not reasonable to expect to look good and feel good with no effort! we have to change what goes on in our minds to change what goes on with our bodies. period. i bought dr. ortiz's book "lap band for life" and it is AWESOME! it answered so many questions i had. i also check this forum often, almost daily. it really encourages me, and i know that the people on here have all been thru this before an really want us all to succeed. dont give up! ps..i know many people who would give just about anything to get the lap band . i really hope your attitude changes ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest silver_wasp Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 Duh!!!!You don't NEED Bread You don't NEED Pop You don't NEED Sweets You are one of the luckiest guys I know. I'll trade your 17 for my 45 yrs anyday. Grow up! Since you are under the legal age to make a contract, I am know you didn't take out the loans, but someone did FOR you and all you can think about is bread, pop and sweets. Right now you are probably telling me to go to HELL, oh well. Hundreds of thousands of people would trade places with you in a heart beat. It's time to step up to the plate and do something challeging in your life except whining!!! Go run a few miles, swim a few laps or any other activity except boo hooing over your lost ability to kill yourself through a life time of morbid obesity. Tough Love Tom Wow. You know, that kind of reply would usually make me wanna go search for my dad's gun so I could blow my head off. But for some strange reason I just laughed! I laughed SO hard!! It reminds me of a thing I heard somewhere, "Fighting on forums is like raceing in the special olimpics, Even if you win, your still retarded". I'm not telling you to go to hell. But I AM telling you to get a life. Seriously, what do you do all day, sit and tell kids that are already depressed that they suck? Wow, what a great way to end a perfectly good life. I should have known that there are assholes like you everywhere, but I thought someone would understand. People are all the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest silver_wasp Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 i was banded by dr ortiz on 8/17/07 and have not had my first fill yet ( going oct 5th) but i cherish my band. i have to eat right and exercise but thats ok, we all do if we want to be fit instead of fat.my insurance did not cover mine either, but i will glady make payments. i will work as hard as i have to do this. you must have people that love you very much to help you get this financially. as far as the starvation goes, yes the liquid phase after the surgery is hard to do but not impossible and soon you be able to eat food again . i dont know how much research or reading you have done about all this but if you drink and eat protein you will feel full for hours! for your liquid phase there is protien water and protien shakes to help you feel full. they really do work most diets can end in failure, but with your band you have the chance to never be overweight again! of course we have to give up eating the way we used to, but eating that way is what got us obese to begin with... and there are TONS of great tasting things to eat that are not full of fat and sugar -weight watchers giant fudge bars are one of my favorites ( only they are so big its hard to eat a whole one now) it just takes some experimenting to find new yummy things that taste great and are good for you. but i promise the more protien you eat the more full you will feel! i have also started shopping at the natural or 'whole' food stores, the clerks are very heplful and they can recommend things that taste good for you to try. im sorry you feel so bad now, and i truly hope you feel better soon. you said that getting the band was your last hope? please dont give up on it its not just a tool, its a GREAT tool. it would be nice if there was a magic pill that enabled everyone to lose weight and not change their food choices -we would all take it and there would be no overweight people in the world. exercise does not have to equal pain, maybe you just have not found something that you really enjoy yet. i know the more weight i lose the more i feel like doing. i have started working out with weights and i like it alot. you can see real results in a short period of time i strongly disagree with the last line you sent-- its more like Surgery+good food choices+moderate exercise= a lifetime of looking and feeling great! what im trying to say is it is not reasonable to expect to look good and feel good with no effort! we have to change what goes on in our minds to change what goes on with our bodies. period. i bought dr. ortiz's book "lap band for life" and it is AWESOME! it answered so many questions i had. i also check this forum often, almost daily. it really encourages me, and i know that the people on here have all been thru this before an really want us all to succeed. dont give up! ps..i know many people who would give just about anything to get the lap band . i really hope your attitude changes ... You hope my attitude changes? like I said you people are all the same... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbird Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 You hope my attitude changes?like I said you people are all the same... You had a couple of people that gave you sympathy and encouragement, yet the only ones you responded to were the ones who told you to take some responsibility for yourself. I don't understand. You sound as though you are really suffering from depression that was a problem before your lap band surgery. Have you talked to your parents about it? I would guess that if they were willing to take out loans for your surgery, they would be willing to help you with this. I'm not giving you a smart answer about what I think is wrong with you; I'm trying to reach out to see if there may be some way of making you realize that your life is worth living, with or without a lap band. People aren't all the same. You don't have the same problems that I do, and I may not have the positive things going for you that you have. Or vice versa. What a lot of people here do have is the experience to know that the lap band can work, but that it isn't going to make your life perfect. The people who have replied to you care enough about you to try to share their experiences with you and to help you see the light at the end of your post-op discomfort. Please don't write them off. And don't write yourself off either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieB Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 You hope my attitude changes?like I said you people are all the same... silver wasp, I too understand your missing the food, food is your friend, it comforts you when you are down and just makes you feel so much better. But unfortunately we dont stop to think that although it makes us feel good, it is really hurting us. I hope you get through this. Talk to your parents and your Doctor. They can help. You are on your way to a healthy life if you can get through this part. You will always miss the food, but that was the deal you had to make to make this change in your life. You will get through this, im not saying it will go away, but it will get better, give it some time. Good luck to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clynn Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 You hope my attitude changes?like I said you people are all the same... Wow, and there went all my sympathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2thebeach Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 You hope my attitude changes?like I said you people are all the same... i wrote you 7 paragraphs of positive encouragement yet the only part you seemed to hear was my last comment about hoping your attitude changes... please understand that this forum is for help and encouragement - in the future please keep inappropriate comments about others to yourself- as someone who is overweight you should know how much words can hurt and making fun of the special olympics only makes you appear mean and immature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tombourn Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 Silver: The private message you sent to me speaks for itself: NO WAY CAN YOU POST THIS... sorry - edited by admin ! . But so does my credibility, Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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