I was banded October 6, 2009. I didn't have insurance, so I didn't have to jump through a lot of the hoops that other people do. We had actually started talking about the band in the summer, but I didn't want to deal with missing out on all the "good stuff"..... the summer BBQs, fall festivals, etc. So, I figured if I did it in October, I would be back to real food by Thanksgiving. No liquids or mushies for me over the holidays, thanks.
My surgery went very well, and recovery was not easy, but doable.
From the very beginning, I was steadily losing weight, in small numbers at first, till we got my restriction just right. I think it was Feb. 2010 when we hit that ol' Sweet Spot. Maybe March. Then the weight started falling off.
I was laid off during this time, so I figured that if I didn't have a job, I would go back to the gym.
I also started dating for the first time since my divorce. So, it was good times. And then the summer came.
I have issues with water retention in the summer and by July, my band was too tight. I also have issues with hormones at times, and that seems to affect my band as well.
Oh, and maybe stress has something to do with it. My boyfriend had gone to Alaska for a couple months which was hard, but then again, I had an engagement ring within two days of him being home. Suddenly I was planning a wedding, moving, selling a house, moving my kids to new schools and trying to learn to love this life as a SAH mom again.
So, since July, it has been that same rollercoaster ride all over again. Get too tight, get an unfill. Gain some weight back, get filled again......lose some weight, fingers swell, hormones rage, band gets tight, cant keep food done, get unfilled again. Up and down and up again.
I have been within FIVE POUNDS of the 100 pound marker three times now and it is making me crazy!! I just want to be at that sweet spot again.
My nurse at the clinic is amazing -- she has been banded as well, so she is so supportive and ... she kind of knows what is going on sometimes better than I do. She is a pro with a needle, so fills are practically painless. I am able to go for fills/unfills whenever I need them. Lately I have been going every two weeks, trying desperately to get this right.
