donali

I've got Casper, the ghost band...

Erin - I am so sorry to hear of your problems. You are right to be concerned about receiving a fill and then having your port removed - I hear of this happening, and I also hear that some docs don't approve. I wish you the best in that regard. As far as the wound vac, I had a friend who had what I think was something similar (I belive they called it a hemavac) that I was in charge of emptying. It was tubing that was inserted into the wound and anchored into place, and on the outside end was attached to what is similar to one of those air pumps that come with air mattresses, or exercise balls. You set the hemavac on a table and pushed the top down, and then put the plug in the top, and let go. The hemavac then starts to uncompress, creating suction on the tubing, and the liquids/infection are sucked out of the body cavity into the hemavac. Once the hemavac is full, or fully extended, it is emptied and then recompressed. As disappointing as this turn of events is, I'm sure the time will fly and you will get your port back before you know it. ((hugs))

With every sip of Coke think about how you are emulating and becoming Erin. :ducking shoes!!: Cindy is right on. Quit the carbonation altogether. You don't need it, and it seems to create a trigger for you. And all her suggestions for staying off carbonation are right on, too. And if that doesn't help, we'll just start calling you Erin... :evil grin: xxoo

Cows are big, I think, not fat. And the ones that are fat are undoubtedly fed grain after being out in the pastures...

Be very, very careful with Metamucil, particularly if you are recently banded. It is a bulking agent, and you certainly don't want it swelling up in your pouch, which it will do if you can't drink enough Water to wash it through. If you are like most of us right after surgery, you are already swollen and restricted. PLEASE do not go Metamucil at this time. Benefiber is NOT a bulking agent, so that should be okay. Glycerin suppositories would be my choice. Good luck!

That happened to me, and I did some research online for gallbladder attacks AFTER removal, and boy, was I shocked at how much info was out there! There is even at least one message group about it. So it is definitely a possibility. My attack, though, prompted me to have my "annual" endoscope to check on my band health, which was about 18 months after my banding, and that's when they diagnosed my erosion. So I have no idea if the pain was a gallbladder/bile duct attack (I had my gallbladder out in 1991 or so), or if it was due to the erosion... I might not hurt to go in for an endoscope just to be sure... http://lapbandtalk.com/showpost.php?p=13305&postcount=12 http://lapbandtalk.com/showpost.php?p=18974&postcount=9 But it is most likely just a bile duct stone... Please have it checked out and let us know everything is okay! xxoo

How about a fast gainers thread?? I finally put away my scale, so I can't say for sure my average weekly gain, but I've gone from a tight 18 to a tight "Just My Size" strechy 24 jean since 9/04... :sob: Funny (NOT!) how the things that were motivating NSVs on the way down are now milestones for depression on the way back up... I think those are "-NSVs"... lol I only post this to remind everyone that there's always someone else worse off than you, somewhere... Now it's time for me to re-read my motivational speeches... lol

Oh, just one more comment on this subject... Does anyone really believe that a race horse in training receives less food???? Think about it... To train an athelete to prime form (in this case, a horse), they are fed the best quality feed and are exercised everyday... FWIW...

Vines - Okay, I am no good example (except for eating more calories and gaining weight... lol), but HONESTLY - do not even consider lowering your caloric intake! As has already been pointed out, you cannot possibly get in all your nutrients in regular food in so few calories. You are losing inches like mad - STEP AWAY FROM THE SCALE!! Who cares if you weigh 300 lbs if you're a size 4??? Okay, your ankles and knees care, but you know what I mean. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING I have read from the people who know best - bodybuilders/trainers - say that you HAVE to eat enough calories for your activity level. They will also tell you that you cannot build muscle and lose fat at the same time. I don't know if I agree with that part, at least not when someone is a great deal overweight. Yes, people starve to death every day - eventually starvation mode gives in to the real thing - but you know what you're going to be burning? Fat AND muscle - 50/50. And... the heart is a muscle. AND... the less muscle you have, the slower your metabolism. In order to keep your metabolism high, you need to build lean muscle mass and FEED it - your body has to have enough calories to keep your muscle mass healthy. I would suggest you hunt down and read whatever you can about metabolism and effective body building. I'm sure you don't want to become a body builder, but at least learn and understand the techniques for what really works for people who are truly living it (unlike myself). An analogy: Let's say your body is like a car - your food is gas, and your muscle is the battery. Your car WILL run off the battery if it doesn't have food, but eventually your battery will DIE. Uh, get my drift? And believe me, if you ever become one of the unfortunate to lose your band, you do NOT want to be relying on a 600 calorie diet to keep your weight off. Trust me - it AIN'T going to happen. So do yourself a favor, and do it the healthy way and let your band help you. JMHO... xxoo

Candy, my heart breaks for you. There is no way to make this easy, BUT - most of us have had our hearts broken a time or two, and what they say is true - life goes on, and other wonderful opportunities present themselves. Give yourself time to grieve, but don't focus on "forever" - don't keep a candle burning for him, but no one knows for sure what the future may bring. Being apart may be just the thing he needs to see that he can't live without you. OR, being apart may be just the thing YOU need to find someone even more perfect for you - someone you don't have to fight with to feel alive with. Pamper yourself and surround yourself with your friends and family. It helps a lot to be distracted, and your heart will heal in spite of yourself. Promise. ((hugs))

Whoo hooo!!! SHELLY!! :banana: :banana: Good to "see" your face!! Glad things are going well, though busy. I'm so jealous about your acreage... Congrats!!

Teresa - WHEW! You just missed me... My nutritionist also recommended the chew and spit thing. I never tried it (on purpose!) - once something went into my mouth it was going down, unless by the time I'd finished chewing I realized there really was absolutely no place for it to go if I swallowed. Then I'd have to spit it out. But that was rare, and never intentional. She said when she told me this that she "didn't want to give me another eating disorder" with her advice. I don't think it would be considered a "disorder" unless it became compulsive or in some other way caused you harm... And I think most everyone at one time or another has been "stuck," and after a reasonable amount of time to try and let the thing pass on its own, realized that it was never going to go down, so it must come up... It's certainly happened to me, but I was always sore after, and looked forward to being on liquids only for a while.

I bring this up only because no one else has mentioned it yet - you all DO know that the acceptable "safe" practice after a PB is liquids only until the next meal? Even a little PB can irritate the stoma and cause swelling, and get you into a vicious cycle. PBs are to be avoided at all costs. Ducking shoes...

Oooh, oooh! Michael Landon, a big thumbs up! And I was always sweet on Hoss.... His dad wasn't bad, either. John Denver. We were going to get married someday...

Sean Connery Morgan Freeman Alan Alda Robin Williams Mel Gibson Among others...

[delurk] :waving wildly: Hi Vines! I'm trying to be a little more participatory, but read more than I write these days. Love your posts!! :banana: [/delurk]

You mean it's not true?!?!

Although a lot can change in the last two of the six weeks after surgery, the very most important thing to remember is that if you are already at a "perfect" restriction level (which it sounds as though you are), you do NOT want a fill - schedules be dam**D! You might be surprised though once you're finished healing how it will seem like your band suddenly disappeared! But if it doesn't, put off that fill! You are very wise for a newly banded person...

the long tassles on Jack's pasties, which were spinning so fast that they cleared the smoke directly in front of him and knocked ReneBean's camera out of her hands and sent it flying, breaking it into a hundred pieces. ReneBean wanted to cry, but she was laughing so hard that she almost fell over...

All of this stuff is great advice! My personal recommendation would be to have a regular meal prior to the party, and then have a big Water bottle and challenge myself to have it empty by the time the party is over. Before having any scrumptious bite, 10 deep long draws on the water bottle. By that time, someone will have asked you a question or you will be on to your next demo item, and you'll have forgotten all about the food in front of you... Plan, plan, plan. Everything is harder until it becomes a habit. I also have to say I love Megan's attitude - girl, you sound like you are having the time of your life!! And your advice on the adult content thread! I've got to try that eye contact thingy... lol

I believe that growing a baby to term takes a lot of nutrition. Dr. Lopez told me that while you're pregnant, the baby takes what it needs first, and then you get the rest. So if that is true, it sounds to me like the whole time you were pregnant you were probably getting too few calories, and now that the baby is here, and not taking any of those calories, your body is starting to store what it now considers to be "excess" calories, even though you may be taking in the same amount as before. And if you are able to eat more than before, it probably is time for a fill... Just some thoughts. Congrats on your new bundle of joy!

I tore my port surtures and had to have a revision, and 7/04 my band was removed due to 40% erosion. I LOVED my band, and still think it is the safest, best WLS currently available. http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=933 http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1318 http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=2256

OMG!! I just burst out laughing! How truly horrible and traumatizing - I'll probably have nightmares about that now... UGH!! lol

Johnny Quest and Simba the Lion were two of my favorite cartoons. (Of course Bugs and that series always tops the very favs - PePe la Pew, the witch that always had the hairpins flying everywhere, the little martian guy...) Speaking of martians, loved My Favorite Martian, Mr. Ed, I Dream of Jeannie... And ZOTZ and PopRocks were hip waaay back then... ;D Purple Passion soda - yum... lol

There's a SanDiegoBandster group - they meet once a month. Post questions here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SanDiegoBandsters/ Here's a San Diego thread here at LBT: http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=794