Need new friends - fellow banders lets talk

hey I am a 30 something working mom getting banded next month - would love to get some insight in to other peoples experiences good bad or indifferent. Anyone else care to share their stories ?

Hi I'm Lisa and I am 50 yrs old and getting my band Tuesday Aug 5th. I know what you mean. Now that it is getting closer to date (1 wk away) I what to know people who have had and what their first week was like. Good luck with yours. I am so excited
Lisa

I am also a 30 something working mom. I had the LAP-BAND® surgery December 26th 2007. It has been six months and I have lost a total of 68 lbs. I work out almost every day and journal everything I eat. I used to be a Weight Watchers member before I had my son. It is the best program out there. I don't believe the surgery is a quick fix and you must work with it. It will help keep you on track and keep you from going on binges. Just remember you are in control. You can choose use it as a tool to help you in your weight loss journey or you can work against it. Every time you get a fill it is like starting over again. You have to learn what foods work and which ones don't. I completely stay away from the ones that don't (steak, rice). If you are a cook a great magazine would be Healthy Cooking by Taste of Home. It has wonderful recipes and all of the nutrition information is printed by the recipe.

Thread Starter

I agree my band goes on august 12 th coming up soon. I want to know how much pain people experienced ? how soon they were able to return to normal activities ? i am highly active and cannot comprehend 2 weeks of down time ?

I am a 30 something working mom as well. There really wasn't much downtime. I was banded on a Friday afternoon and back at work bright and early the following Tuesday. Other than being a little tired I was fine. The pain really wasn't bad at all. I still have a pain pill left out of the 4 I was given.

Going in for the operation was a little scary but more because I didn't know what to expect. I made one mistake in that I was drinking a couple of cups of coffee everyday and ended up with a horrible headache the day of surgery from caffeine withdrawal and I couldn't take anything for it.

I remember going into the operating room and it was like as if I blinked and it was over. They were talking to me and then I was awake and very surprised in that time didn't seem to have passed. My throat was very sore after surgery, in fact it was the only thing that hurt. I was never in much pain at the hospital but I found it hard to bend to tie my shoes (thanks to my darling hubby it wasnt an issue). I also found it slightly difficult to get from a laying position to standing up. I had a bit of a cough post surgery due to my sore throat.

Really it was no big deal at all. I wish I could go back and tell myself not to worry because I was worrying over nothing :0). This was 10 times easier than having a baby, that is for certain.

I have been averaging 10 pounds of loss every month and just passed my six month bandiversary last Friday. Keep in mind that from about 3 weeks out until your first fill, you may not lose much if at all and you will be HUNGRYY, but it is normal. Once you reach your sweet spot and have restriction things become very easy. I also found that there were 2 things that really kept my weight loss going . . . exercise and I have not been eating processed carbs. When I skimp or overindulge in either of these, I stall on the weight loss (no gain but no loss either).

After only six months out, I feel great. I have more energy than I ever had before and I am in great physical health. My clothes look really good on me, and I feel that I have blended into the land of normal. I can shop anywhere for clothes now and I am still curvy. If I never lost another pound I would be happy where I am today.

It was the best thing I ever did, I just wish I did it in my early 20's if you know what I mean. Good luck in your journeys :0).

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Mine pain was very minor, the thing that hurt the worst to me was the gas that settles in your shoulder that part really was uncomfortable. My down time was also short, really it because of the internal stiches that you have the down time because I could have done a lot more but I did not want to hurt anything internal that I could not see. I am sure you will do great. Be sure to relax and try not to focus on what pain you might have it always seems worse in our minds. Good luck!

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Banded: May 21, 2008
Standard band: filled at 8.5cc
Dr. Bradley Waggoner
Houston, Texas

So you are doing good? I am so nervous about it and it'[s a week away from today. So you do feel hungry afterwards I mean it takes awhile. I just think what is it going to be like the first few days, how is it going to effect my family. I don't want to make any mistakes and hurt myself. What do I drink the first few days, eat how and everything in between. I know I'll get a diet sheet for when I come home and I read so much. I'm just glad I came across this web site

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Lisa

I had my surgery on a Wednesday and was back to work on Monday. With the medicine you will be given the pain is minimal.

I am also a 32 year old mother of 2. I had surgery on 4/23 and have lost 40 pounds. I started at 267 and I am at 227 at my 3 month post op.

I went in for surgery on Weds and by Friday I was up cleaning house like crazy. I was very lucky with my surgery and had almost no pain. When I woke up from surgery I couldn't even tell right away that I had been under the knife. The only complaint I had was my throat was soo dry. I ate probably a gallon of ice while in the hospital haha.

I hit a plateau for 3 weeks after surgery and couldn't lose weight no matter what.. THen I got a fill of 2.0cc in a 4.0 cc band. That was like night and day! I felt like I could eat just a tiny bit too much so I went back to get more in my band. I walked out with 2.1cc and a sweet spot. I lose 2-3 pounds per week. I have my monthly goal set to 9 pounds a month. I eat anything I want just in much much smaller amounts. I dont do real great with bread. I can eat it but it's a much slower process so it's just annoying to eat and I have learned to just stay clear of it. Life with the band is a lifestyle change but it's so minimal compared to completely starving all the time with diets before the band. I am almost always full, I get full fast, I can never eat more than 3/4 cup. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my band.

After being banded I became engaged to the love of my life. We have been together 7 years and we are going to be married on the beach in Kauai and I will be thin and enjoy it!

I wish you the best of luck with your journey with band and a speedy recovery.