leatha_g

:banana :banana :banana :cheeky :) :D :laugh :laugh :Bunny :Bunny :Bunny :Bunny :Bunny Thank you Betty!! I know it's just teetering over 180, but I haven't been in the 170's since I don't even know when. According to my original docs goals. This puts me at 20lbs from his goal. To me, it's still more like 40. At this point, I really don't even care. It's all bonus to me!! But, yes, I AM doing the happy dance this morning!

Frito-Lay: Mark of the beast...

Try to think of it as a relief! This is your freedom from food day! Clear liquids are tough, but if you just keep something consistently going in, I promise you you will get through it. And, in a few days you'll be here rejoicing about the first 10lbs coming right off your feet and ankles! lol. Try to focus on something else, like walking, walking, walking. Remember all that you have read here, go back and read again. This is done so that your tummy can heal and your band can be anchored in place by scar tissue. Forcing your tummy to grind and churn solid foods at this point could hinder the process and contribute to slippage later on. Have Jello, broth, coffee, tea, Crystal Light anything that you can see through EXCEPT carbonated beverages. NO carbonation. Just keep it going through constantly and I swear you will make it!

Hello and welcome to the forum! I can't imagine that your doctor did not give you some sort of eating guidelines when you had your surgery? But, you are right, breads, Pasta, Snacks are actually foods that we should avoid at least MOST of the time. There is a link to the Patient Handbook for the lapband here that will be good reading for you. It will list the 10 Lapband Rules as well as what is best to eat. Normally, the rule of thumb is: eat your Protein first - it should be hard Proteins, such as lean beef, chicken, fish, then your veggies - these should be your good carbs. IF you still have any room, THEN you could have a bite or two of something less desirable, such as starches. It is not meant that you should never have higher calorie refined flours and sugars again, but that you focus mainly on getting in your protein and good carbs first. These should keep you more satisfied longer so that you don't resort to the snacking and high calorie/empty value foods. http://www.inamed.com/products/obesity/us/patient/lapband/information.html#booklet

Good luck Lauren!! Here's wishing you a safe and uneventful surgery and very speedy recovery. Please let us know how it goes !!

Welcome! You're doing great!

Blossom, what Zoe is describing is having a fill under flouroscopy. It sounds as if your doc does them himself without flouro?

I hiested this from Smartbandsters - Jessie Ahroni. I think it's a very good analogy.. Anybody can stop their car by driving into a brick wall. It takes a lot more skill to stop it two inches before the wall. And it's the same with the band: it takes more skill to stop at the subtle signals that you've had enough to eat. Anybody can learn to stop when they've pouch packed, they're stuffed or they're about to throw up. That's not the best way to use your band. That's a case of letting the band do all the work.

You'll find many longer term bandsters on Yahoo Groups Smartbandsters or Bandsters. Alot of those there had their bands placed before FDA Approval in the states. The longest I know of is a bit over 6 years, I believe

Kim's suggestion is a good one, however, everyone must know that this terrible mucous/sinus infection can and does sometimes have an effect on the band. I've known more than one person who did have to have an unfill at least temporarily. The one thing you absolutely DO NOT want is aspiration pneumonia which you very well can get from aspirating in the day/or day for that matter. It is very common amongst bandsters irregardless of the precipitating cause. It is better to have a small unfill than it is to have months and months of recovery from this nasty pneumonia. Please do what is best for your overall health, not just your weight loss. I hope you are able to do it without an unfill, too.

Way to go Babs!! See, you'll get there!!

God bless you both, Ryan and Patty. Please let us know how you are both doing. We care. (((((((((Ryan)))))))))

Yes Paula. I'm still sitting on 181.2. I need exercise! Yea, the problem, Michelle is the coumadin. I really have to be careful adding or taking away from the meds I take on a routine basis. It sucks, especially if you become ill enough to need some relief.

Thanks Rebecca! Thanks everyone for putting up with my sniveling. This has been an awful week. I haven't been so sick in a long time. Today, I can breathe easy, my fever seems to have disappeared, there are some lingering sorta transient aches in my ears, so I suspect the sinuses are not totally clear, but I'm on my way to recovery. It's funny how all things hit at once. I had spent last week in St Louis with a co-worker who I know had been sick for the week before AND the week we were there. I'm sure she passed it along to me and goodness knows how many clients. YIKES. I flew home on Friday, went out Saturday night, had company Sunday evening and by bedtime Sunday night I was burning up with fever and had lost my voice all within an hour. Unfortunately, I had an appointment already made for the next day to work on this med change, so I couldn't hardly postpone it. So here I am with this great big ball of wax to hopefully get all straightened out. This is how I work, no pressure unless I can get ALL the pressure at one time, that way I can just be superwoman for short periods only.lol. Thanks for all your support and suggestions. Special thanks to Marie for pming me home remedies which helped me on my worst night.

Okay. I did go get some of those Cold-eze lozenges. They helped with the scratchy throat/coughing thing and they're supposed to help other symptoms as well. So far, so good. The best news.. I had to go have my coumadin level checked because of the Rocephin shot and other medications added and changed and TODAY it is right in the middle of normal. Whew! I was so scared this past few days because any little thing can get it completely out of whack. I still have to have it checked again next week, but if it's still normal, I'm going to have a party! lol. Now, to slay the other demon on my plate, which is the daunting task of changing from one long used anti-depressant to another. It's a tough thing to do, but much needed and hopefully this week of being sick worked in a good way with it. We'll know better as the days go along.

Wow, Lisa, you look mahvelous! I have a friend at work that has the biggest, roundest red curls I have ever seen. I sincerely thought she had one awesome perm when I first met her, but found out she had natural curls. This poor girl gets up some mornings and spends hours straightening her hair like that and it's gorgeous. She has so much it just takes forever to wash and dry then straighten too, but it is really pretty once she's done. That thing looks like it really works and it really does look good on you. My hair is like yours, not necessarily too curly, but it's got it's waves and such and is not slick. It's very open and pourous which causes it to just do what the heck it wants. It's so frustrating sometimes. I have so many curling irons now, I may just have to invest in a straightener too, just for variety.

Geez.. I thought she was kid..lol. Guess I better go see the big one....

Good to see there are finally some positive articles showing up out there. I'm sure there is more to come. Thanks Betty!

Woohoo March 18th!! I am so happy for you. You have certainly waited a long time for this to happen!

Great article. It's a good day for a great article. Thank you, Megan. Progress, not perfection.. right?

Yes. I had lasik surgery back in February 2004. I did mono-vision in my left eye which seems fine. The distance vision in my right eye is still only 20/35 which is just bad enough to not be able to drive seeing as clearly as I'd like or making faces out in an airport. Not a secure feeling. During this time, the dryness left in my right eye has been a terrible side effect which hampered our ability to get it stabilized enough to tell how much enhancement I'd really need. So, for nearly a year now, I've been dealing with constant dryness, pain and discomfort and countless drops, ointments, gels etc. They don't tell you how common this type thing is up front. They leave it like you'll see 20/20 the next day and never mention all the acoutriments that go along with it. Of course everyone doesn't have this result, but many many do. they fail to tell you that part. Anyway.. after temporary plugs, permanent plugs, upper plugs and all the over the counter purchases, we've finally stabilized the dryness, (which is now constant over-wetness) enough to do the enhancement. I only hope this helps to get back to some sense of normalcy. My eyes were in perfect health before this. No excessive dryness. My glasses worked perfectly. I sometimes wished I'd just left well enough alone. But, I started it and my drs deal is 20/20 or it's free. There is a time limit in which he'll fix it and that time is drawing near. So I guess I need to finish it. Would I do it again? I'm not sure.. To make matters worse, that face I turned in at 19 is also not the same. lol. After years and years of wearing glasses I now have dark circles around my eyes which I surely have to deal more with without the glasses, not to mention how sunken in they seem. If you wear contacts, maybe you won't have that issue. Contacts never agreed with me. I don't know why we can't just be happy with who we are? lol. anyway, I'm not looking forward to staring over with the drops every 5 minutes again, but it's a cross I'll have to bear, I guess. I hope if you do it, your experience is a better one than mine. In my opinion, I would be extremely, EXTREMELY careful WHO you allow to your lasik surgery. The guy who did mine is billed as one of the most experienced Drs in the WORLD. Why? Because he herds humans in like cattle and he does surgery from sometimes 3am til 11pm at night. If I had it to do over, I believe I would find me an extremely reputable teaching hospital and have it done there where the care is the number 1 concern and they have time for the patient once the buck has been passed from one hand to another. I would also do ALOT more research online and not just the ads from doctors but there are many, many lengthy stories from patients themselves who have had severe consequences and lengthy inconveniences with their eyesight. These are just things the big advertisers don't tell. There are many many lawsuits on certain chains. This is some big stuff if you aren't one who gets it perfectly right the first time. Do your research, then do it again.

Just think where I might be without it, Theresa Marie?? It might have been hopeless. I think you pulled me back from my deathbed. lol.

Welcome!! Hope you have a good response at the docs!

Thanks Paula! You're so good to me! I do think I'm gonna live. I've still got a low grade fever, but the sinus problem has eased some. I'm now moving into that miserable stage of having the scratchy throat where you cough your head off. I've always heard that meant you're getting better. I finally slept some last night but that's a whole nuther thread.. lol. I am very fortunate that I have a job I could stay home this week from without penalty and I have the insurance I do. So many people don't have these luxuries. I often wonder how they manage to survive, but I know it's because they're survivors, I came from them. By Monday, I hope to be new again. Thanks for caring.. (((Paula)))

You go Bobby! Take the bull by the horns!!