Pamela Posted October 27, 2006 Report Share Posted October 27, 2006 Does everyone weigh themselves daily? I think that is a bit obsessive as your weight will change daily due to water and whatever else. YOU WILL LOOSE WEIGHT. Try weighing yourself once a week or every two weeks. Good luck and don't worry so much about that scale. Just adjust to your new eating habits and try to exercise a little bit. Everything else will fall into place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda23585 Posted October 28, 2006 Report Share Posted October 28, 2006 You go Chelley!!!! I'm at 213 now, so I'm sure you'll beat me to "Onederland"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAMMIE Posted October 28, 2006 Report Share Posted October 28, 2006 (Pammie - I use fish, milk, cheese, and an occassional Slim Fast - High Protein to help supplement my protien.) GREAT, KEEP HEALTHY!!! I'M GLAD EVERYTHINGS FINALLY MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelley Posted October 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2006 I weigh daily... can't help it.. probably won't ever change. Just like I stuck my finger 4 times a day for a blood sugar record to keep it under control, I weigh every day to manage my weight. It is probably a little obsessive, but it's a great motivator when the scale is going down. Chelley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROSE Posted October 31, 2006 Report Share Posted October 31, 2006 Chelley, I am so happy that you are losing weight and I hope that it continues. Your words are always encouraging. It really helps to hear what restriction is supposed to feel like. It confirms for me that I am simply not restricted. Despite having 7.2 cc in my band, I have no resriction. I am going to the surgeon tomorow for my fifth fill (banded July 14). I am going broke, and am so frustrated. I pray that this is the one that works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelley Posted November 1, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2006 Rose - You bring up a very good point .. reaching the right level of restriction is expensive. My fills are $350 each, but I get to watch it all under x-ray at that is very important to me. I estimate that with the surgery, airfare, travel expense and fills I've been out around $12,000. Still that is much cheaper than just the surgical fee here in the USA. Still, as a single working gal paying my own way through this life that is a large chunk of change to owe! I financed it all on credit card. All I know for sure about the restriction is that partial restriction was more miserable than anything I've endured so far with this banding process. You think you have restriction because you can't eat as much as you did before... but it is not enough restriction to loose weight, just enough to barf when you test the fickleness of the band. I really thought I'd be able to eat as I did before just in smaller portions.... that was a load of bull. I mentally beat myself up daily for lack of will-power, for having failed yet again, for feeling like a fool for broadcasting my band decision to just about every medical professional I work with. I couldn't eat like I did before but I was gainning weight. I even turned back to dieting and exercise ..... bashing myself for failing DAILY. I was firing off e-mails to Dr. Ortiz not understanding how I could be eating Lean Cuisine size portions and not loose weight and went through the OMG I'm too tight business when in truth ........ I just wasn't restricted enough. I'm not one to give up easily. I could see the success my sister was having. What a stroke of luck it was for her to have received proper restriction on our first fill! I could see the success of a co-worker. Both my sister and my co-worker have lost 70-80lbs! So I started comparing what I was doing to what they were doing. And when I found the common thread between them was eating SPOONFULS (forget that 1/3 of what you could before crap.... notice on another posting that Lori Becky revoked Dr. Miranda's recommendation and nothing else has been posted????) SPOONFULS people.... I started interviewing people off lapbandtalk who had success with the band .... SPOONFULS per meal. None exercise other than the activities of daily living, everyone's hair fell out from about month 3 - month 6 post op then it started growing back lush and thick ... and everyone of them stated a similar theme: eating is not a pleasurable event but is a necessity that must be endured. So, armed with that knowledge, I had my band evaluated. The pouch was not dialated and the band was in pefect position. I had some restriction but not enough to loose weight. Knowing at this point, I literally nothing to loose (hehe.. no pun intended) I requested another fill. I'm currently at 6.2cc in my 10cc VG band and I'm down to spoonfuls of food per meal. I've gone from 214 to 206 in 2 weeks and that was with a little cheating ... I couldn't stay out of the Halloween basket. Isn't it a kick in the head to realize junk food still goes down just great and the nutritious stuff sticks in your throat like a lead brick? Anyway... those are my jaded insights today into my love/hate relationship with this band. Chelley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelley Posted November 1, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2006 Woohoo 204.5 today. I'm loving it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROSE Posted November 1, 2006 Report Share Posted November 1, 2006 Chelley, I feel like you are living inside my skin. The last seven weeks have really been HELL. I went back to the doctor today and now have 8 cc's in my 10 cc band. I can only pray that this time is a charm. Of course I feel tight now, but I have to see what happens in the next 2 days...that is when the restriction usually leaves. The whole process has been so difficult for me, as well as my family. I have been very teary eyed and sensitive lately; not to mention ashamed. I want this to work sooo much. I told my husband to hide any left over candy from Halloween...I will scream if I see it tonight. I am praying that I will wake up tomorrow and only be able to eat spoonfuls. Chelley, I am so happy for you and hope that you have nothing but success from now on. Sheila Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nita57 Posted November 2, 2006 Report Share Posted November 2, 2006 Rose, hang in there and Chelley I couldn't be happier if it were me!! Congratulations!! Nita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogerF Posted November 2, 2006 Report Share Posted November 2, 2006 Way to go Chelley, I'm glad you're back on the right track!! I appreciate your comments on what this is really going to take. I just had my first fill last week and I know I'm not even close to being tight enough (still not really at all, not even partial) and am going back for another adjustment next week. I'm sorry it was a struggle for you to get going, but I'm hoping it will help me to get off to a faster start. Have you (or anyone) noticed anything during a fill that let you know you were getting closer to a good restriction level? I could see a pouch under the fluro, but I'm not sure how to push them for a good level. Should the baium go through slowly? Can you "feel" it getting tighter inside? I guess I haven't experienced anything yet to compare it to, and I'm getting anxious to make this band work. Thanks much, Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda23585 Posted November 2, 2006 Report Share Posted November 2, 2006 Good for you Chelley!!! I think you're finally on the right track!! If you keep up at this pace, you'll be under 200 in no time! Rose, I am hopeful that you have the right amount of restriction this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelley Posted November 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2006 The post op transition phase is full of emotional pillfalls. From my own experience, I placed all the emphasis on having the surgery. I thought having surgery in Mexico was the hard part and it would be a downhill coast from there. For those of you who have read my posts, you know that was the easy part. The transition time after surgery is the hard part. I felt like I was forcing my body into the life style change I could not make emotionally, mentally, and physically on my own. I felt so empowered after surgery and was so hopeful as the pounds started to melt away without any effort. Then as I graduated from the post op liquid diet to solid foods I began to see the weight loss flutuate then turn into weight gain. I held on telling myself that I could get a fill in just a few short weeks. I held on to that first fill date like an answer to a prayer. That first fill was like a spit in the ocean, so was the second. I know you guys saw me go from a woman full of hope to a woman filled with disappointment. On the thrird fill I had enough restriction just to be miserable. Six months post op I found myself back at the weight I was on surgery day. I'd failed ... again. When I got finished feeling sorry for myself, I got mad. In my anger I decided that this had to work and I was going to make it work so I started dieting and exercising again............. without success. I felt like I had some how been singled out as one of the unlucky for whom this banding process would be failure. Yet, I could see the success of others as I've explained before and that is when I realized I wasn't no where near the restriction it takes to loose weight with the band. Since getting my fourth fill, I can say the pounds are melting off effortlessly. I can't eat more than spoonfuls. The emotional and mental adjustment to not being able to comfort myself with food is hard. My grandfather passed away Nov. 1st and we had the funeral yesterday. It is at these most stressful times that I want to eat, but I can't. After a few bites, to push the band immediately causes the intense "i just swallowed a softball" feeling in your chest. So through intense pain, you learn not to eat more than a few spoons of food per meal. The behavior modification of pain is very efficient. How many of you burned your hand on a hot stove as a child? Did you keep putting your hand on the stove after that??? I'm discovering I never let myself have negative feelings. I'd always soothe them away with food. Overeating for me was as good as a warm hug from Mom when I was a child and had fallen down and hurt myself. It is scary letting myself feel sad, lonesome, anxious, or angry. But I'm learning that these feelings pass if I let them play themselves out and that I don't have to smother them away with food. By no means do I have 39 years of eating habits corrected, but it is finally a start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyrkr Posted November 4, 2006 Report Share Posted November 4, 2006 I am so sorry about your grandfather. What a difficult thing to deal with. I agree with you about the difficulty in dealing with emotional eating. For almost 32 years, I dealt with every emotion with food. If I was happy, I ate, if I was nervous, I ate, if I was bored, I ate, if I was disappointed, lonely, angry, excited, or anything....I ate. Now, that comfort I found is unavailable. I eat more than spoonfuls, and I am doing well, but the principle is still the same. It is so much less than I ate before, and I really can't eat for emotional reasons...it hurts. I am finding it kind of hard to replace eating with something else, as eating has always been my reaction. I made a long list of things I could do instead of eating. It sounds so silly. But I have it up on my fridge. Some are a little harder to do than others, but it helps me when I go in the kitchen for any reason. There is usually something on my list that I could do instead. Sometimes it is fun (paint my nails), sometimes something that needs to be done (fold laundry). But it often helps me occupy the time I used to spend eating. I'm glad you are doing well, and my prayers are with you as grieve. Becki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelley Posted November 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 I am so sorry about your grandfather. What a difficult thing to deal with. I agree with you about the difficulty in dealing with emotional eating. For almost 32 years, I dealt with every emotion with food. If I was happy, I ate, if I was nervous, I ate, if I was bored, I ate, if I was disappointed, lonely, angry, excited, or anything....I ate. Now, that comfort I found is unavailable. I eat more than spoonfuls, and I am doing well, but the principle is still the same. It is so much less than I ate before, and I really can't eat for emotional reasons...it hurts. I am finding it kind of hard to replace eating with something else, as eating has always been my reaction. I made a long list of things I could do instead of eating. It sounds so silly. But I have it up on my fridge. Some are a little harder to do than others, but it helps me when I go in the kitchen for any reason. There is usually something on my list that I could do instead. Sometimes it is fun (paint my nails), sometimes something that needs to be done (fold laundry). But it often helps me occupy the time I used to spend eating. I'm glad you are doing well, and my prayers are with you as grieve. Becki Becki - Thanks for the condolences and the tip about putting a list on the fridge. I love to crochet so I always have a ball of yarn beside my living room chair. Crochet relaxes me and allows my mind to drift as I work away the tension in the yarn. Sometimes it helps and other times I just want to eat and stomp through the kitchen like a mad bull. Flipping channels on TV doesn't help that much tho as I've noticed the majority of commercials are food related. As you said, there is always laundry to do! I've become of fan of Sudoko and other puzzles. A lot of times water alone is satisfying (don't say a word Lori Becky ). Reading of course is an old standby. Nothing seems as satisfying right now as a Dr. Pepper with a cheeseburger..... other than stepping on those scales and seeing the pounds disappear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ladybug Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 Chelley, I am really sorry to hear about your granddad's death. You are right about food. But our society comforts, celebrates, and grieves with food at the center of the event. It sounds like you are really doing well with your weight loss - what a relief that you didn't have to have the band removed. And, to know the 4th fill was the magic number is also informing. That just goes to show the difference between the two bands. No wonder you got discouraged. Your posts are like a roadmap to those behind your trailblazing! Thanks for letting us follow along. ladybug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROSE Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 Chelley, I am sorry for your loss and continue to thank you for your openness, which is such a support. I am happy that your last fill gave you restriction. I am now up to 8cc's in my band and have only the mildest restriction. It seems so weird. Each time I go for a fill, I feel some degree of restriction. But within a week, the sense of restriction is either gone or greatly reduced. I know this is hard work, and I really am not looking for a miracle....but I would be happy for even a pound a week. I find myself so discouraged that I just want to not think about all this. But I know that I have come too far to give up. I am very con cerned that if I am at 8cc's now, how much further can I go? What if I never get restriction? I am frightened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelley Posted November 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2006 Sry that I haven't been on the forum in a while. Been busy. Weight is still fluctuating from 202 - 207 on any given day. Recently I received a personal e-mail from a bandster I looked to for support and encouragement that stated she is so frustrated with the band, the lack of aftercare support from the OCC, and the poor progress she's made that she is going to have her band removed. I don't understand why this band works for some people and it just doesn't for others. I can understand her frustration not wanting to live her life in this yo-yo cycle of not being tight enough to loose weight but able to eat enough that you vomit. I've done better since my last fill, but the weight is not slidding off like I'd hoped. I see the success of my sister and a co-worker, but that success seems to be outside my reach. It's been six months since I was banded and I've lost the same 10 lbs and gained it back over and over and over. I don't think I can go any tighter with the band and be safe as I've very tight now. I honestly think for me it is going to take diet and exercise and had I possessed the willpower to do those things I wouldn't have needed surgery. I'd just like to caution all the newbies out there who are thinking about this sugery to consider the financial, emotional, and physical toll this surgery has on one and to make the best informed decision they can. Had I known six months out I'd still be over 200 lbs and struggling daily with food choices I might not have made the decision to do this to my body. I'm tickled for those who watch the weight melt away without any effort, but it is rather apparent I'm not one of them and it seems there are several of us out there who are sharing the same struggles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoriBecky Posted November 28, 2006 Report Share Posted November 28, 2006 HI Chelley, My condolences to you on the loss of your grandfather. I'm so sorry! I know I am one of the lucky ones that has had success with the band, but I do have to watch what I eat and old habits are hard to overcome. I do worry about you Chelley, eating only spoonfuls of food and not losing weight. I'm not a nurse or a doctor, but I wonder if something else might not be the problem. I don't know, but I can't understand not losing weight while eating so little food. Have you been tested for thyroid or other metabolic issues? I can tell you I eat more than spoonfuls of food and because of a back issue am not exercising at all, in fact I have to go in for a procedure on my back next week because of a buldging disc (prayers are appreciated, i'm a nervous nelly especially when it comes to needles in my spine!). The band isn't the miracle cure I had envisioned, but it is a tool that I'm leaning to use more effectively everyday. Sometimes what I think I need is someone slapping my hand as I reach towards a piece of chocolate, but overall, I am happy with my band and I don't say that because I work for Dr. Ortiz. I work for Dr. O because I believe in the band. I wouldn't do this if I didn't believe in it. Chelley, I wish I had some insight into why you are struggling so much, but unfortunately I don't, but I'm here for you anytime you'd like to talk and I'm happy to set up another telephone consult with one of the doctors anytime you'd like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelley Posted November 29, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2006 Lori - I am healthy. I see my endocrinologist regularly for checkups because I will always have diabetes. My blood sugars are under control because my caloric intake is scant. I don't understand why my body is holding on to weight in certain areas. My arms and legs have thinned out to nothing but my belly will be the last to go. All my lab results have been within normal limits. The lady I spoke of in my previous posting was much like me and tried hard to make her band work. She followed the rules of eating and exercised daily. I just really think there are people out there for whom this works and others for whom it does not. My weight is comming off much more slowly than I ever anticipated and I have serious doubts I will ever reach my goal weight. However, I am pleased with the fact my caloric intake is such that the insulin my body produces is sufficient without having to take four injections daily. Even when I was on insulin I had poor diabetic control due to the severe insulin resistance of my body cells. For others, the weight slides off without effort and they are rewarded by the scale going down weekly and clothes sizes diminishing. Not everyone has this success story and I think it is valid to mention there are those of us who struggle with the band. The decision to be banded should not be taken lightly and I think one should truly exhaust diet and exercise means before they consider the band. For me the band was not a magic wand. I appreciate your offer for additional consults with the doctor but based upon past consultations the recommendation is to fly to California and travel to TJ for aftercare in Mexico which simply is not a financial option for me. This surgery and the subsequent trip I made for my first fill in Mexico has exhausted my credit line. I put everything I had financially, emotionally, and physically into this last ditch effort at weight loss. I just don't have anything left to invest. Chelley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoriBecky Posted November 29, 2006 Report Share Posted November 29, 2006 Hi Chelley, I am so glad to hear that you are healthy and that you are able to keep your blood sugars under control - that is great news. I really am sorry you are struggling so much with your band and I wish you luck and success on your journey to your goal weight. We are all here for you and wishing you the best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelley Posted July 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 I have not been on the board in some time. I look at how many people who have viewed my posts and I can't help but to wonder in the beginning how many people made the decision to have lapband surgery based on my testimony... and how many of hundreds of thousands of dollars Dr. Ortiz has made, while I sit in financial ruin because of the surgery and fills ... and am still fat! I'd rather be broke and skinny! I have been a failure at this surgery. I can say that now. I am completely, totally defeated. I've tried to follow the plan repeatedly only to be told when I couldn't loose weight that it is basically MY FAILURE. I just want you all to know that this surgery doesn't work for some people. I'm one of them, yet according to the staff at the OCC I must be doing something wrong because the surgery is not a failure ... therefore it is my failure. 15 months post op and I'm sitting at 207 lbs. from my surgery day weight of 215 lbs. I've tried dieting (the best I could with band restriction to avoid barfing .. there are just some foods I'll never be able to eat again), I've tried walking - at one point was up to 3 miles per day ... and gained muscle weight ... how depressing. I find when I do nothing... eat a few bites here and there ... that I maintain. And please, DON"T suggest another fill!!! Per fluro I'm tight enough and I'm sick of shelling out $350 for fluro. Has anyone from the OCC called? No. Has Dr. Ortiz followed up with any e-mails after my pleas to him to see how my progress has been? No. I feel very much alone and at fault when I read the book, followed the plan and am still obese. In all, I've been out of pocket about $15,000 on the surgery, travel, and fills. Buyer beware. This surgery isn't for everyone. My hope is crushed. I'm in debt. I'm still fat .... and I'm angry .... mostly at myself for putting my body, health, and life in this position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaVA Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 Hey, Chelley - I'm so sorry to read todays' post - I read the first couple of pages and then I admit I skipped ahead to the end. I'm sorry this hasn't turned out how you wanted and needed it to. I hope you come to some resolution that will make you happy and get you what you need. You've been thru it, thats for sure - and you deserve some happiness and satisfaction. Best of luck to you! Thanks for posting everything -- take good care. Lisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dietingqueen Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 Hey Chelley - my soul sister! You and I have communicated and we are in the same boat. I had surgery nov 05 and lost 16lbs. On June 6th I went back to Mexico for a slight unfill. Doc Romero was out and the new doc didn't seem as experienced. He talked me into going to 1.9 (I was at 2.3) and I immediately could eat everything and everything and did. Certainly not his fault but I should have only gone to 2.2. ANYWAY as of today I gained 6 lbs (felt like 20) and had a local fill thru fill centers with a Dr. Muse in Utah. He said I had .02 practically empty and I'm now supposed to be back at 1.7 which is probably still no restriction for me but he couldn't go any higher based on fill center rules and caution since I'll be traveling and have access to no body! Now I MAY have a leak but I hope and pray I don't but I don't know what happened at my last unfill in Mexico - I knew when I ate a subway sub the next day I had no restriction. How could he think I was at 1.9 and I was at .02?? And yeah I know that's not 'good bandster food" but I felt I had been on a starvation diet for two years and kinda exploded into food. And I haven't had a yogurt or soup for the last month and loved it. I ate breakfast every day, lunch and dinner too -we went to restaurants and i didn't pb once. Sure hated getting fat but certainly enjoyed feeling like a normal person. Restriction has NEVER made me 'feel stuffed' with 1/2 cup of food - even restricted (chewing well and eating next to nothing) I would still pb - I sure wish I knew what everyone else seems to know. I ate the same things my band sister did for a month and I had no change - she lost tons. I could go on and on and I'm sure you can. It is frustrating as hell. This was my 10th FILL (includes two unfills) all but this one and one other one done in Mexico. I too have spent actually almost 20,000 with the surgery and all my fills and at my best - was only down 16lbs! Now after the last unfill and seeing how I continue to eat, I am not sorry I got the band - I'm sure I would weigh 300lbs by now without it and up to the unfill my weight was pretty stable BUT I share your extreme disapointment and pain. We should be toothpicks dammit and I too no longer go to any of the boards because there is absolutely no place for us failures. However, even though I said failure - I hope we both find some peace with this - we didn't fail - we just don't have a support system to help us succeed. This Utah doc is a bariatric surgeon and has struggled with weight his whole life - If I wasn't moving out of state tomorrow I would have welcomed working with him and he may have helped. He would have prescribed phentermine or other drugs (yeah i know what some people think of that) but he said weight loss is tough problem and sometimes needs many modalities to treat. I have eaten under 1000 calories and day and he swears it just isn't possible to not lose weight like that but you have to keep it up for a long time and most can't do it. I will keep you in my thoughts and hope that you too at least won't gain weight. If anyone ever helps me I will pass it along to you and I pray that both of us will one day have what most others get from the lapband. Good luck to you and peace, mary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelav Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 Hi everyone I am sorry to hear about the last two post. I pray that everthing turns around for you. Just to keep the board posted I am almost 40 lbs lighter in 3 months. The band is the bomb thankyou OCC. =D> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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