leatha_g

yup. That's your band. I get a sporadic one every now and then too. It is caused by your diaphragm and with you being newly out of surgery, you'll probably notice it happening more often for awhile.

Hugs to you, Lisa. You're definitely a trooper! I hope you can prove him wrong and not reject this thing. Good luck with that!!

The hiccup is your sign that your pouch is telling you it's full. It's your diaphragm, reacting. This is one our main 'soft stop' signs. Sort of like a yellow light. That one big hiccup, a sudden bout of scratchy throat and coughing (while you're drinking/eating), a runny nose. These are all signs from you band. You'll learn to listen.

Speak with Charlie Collings and see if he or his wife will send you a note stating she was banded under Tricare insurance, by what Dr and on what date. It never hurts to start gathering ammo for your fight. Good luck!

some of the people who I know are at goal, have gone back for a fill when they begin to notice the scales creeping back up. Remember, this is a lifetime thing. Fills will slow down, but you have the opportunity to tweak it just enough to help you maintain what loss you've already had.

Good luck with your surgery! Please keep us posted when you feel up to it!

Sounds like restriction to me. It's funny you should write this, because I've noticed over the last couple of days, I think I am finally back to restriction again, too. Today (I'm terrible) I haven't eaten anything except for a handful of grapes and a few Frosted Mini Wheats. I am sitting here at my puter, drinking Alpine Punch Isopure so that I can catch up on Protein that I missed today. Where does the time go? Usually, I'm foraging for more food, whereever I can find it. Anything will do. Yesterday and today, I forget to eat anything. I hope this is a good sign and I can finally reach those 170's.

Just remember, Brighteyes, you will NOT starve. We all have more than enough storage on board, even if we didn't eat for weeks. It is dehydration that you are focused on at this time. Drink, drink, drink. Learn to take a walk while your family is eating. Call a friend, take a bath, anything to keep you from feeling deprived. Can your husband do the cooking for the interim? It is very tough cooking meals that you can't partake in, for sure. I don't envy you, but Megan is right, the reward of weight loss is worth it. Soon, you'll get to move on to slushy/mushy foods and you'll then complain that you're gaining. lol, it's all part of the process and this too shall pass. Keep up the good work!! You're going to make it through this!

Welcome Emmy!! Sounds like you're doing well. You have a very reputable doctor also! He has great results! Glad to have you here. Please feel free to search all the forums for lots and lots of information and experience!!

Betty - I was very restricted yesterday. I think this could be a good thing. I just think it's real weird how it sort of cranked itself up in the middle of the night. I may call my doc this coming week and see about getting an Upper GI just to make sure everything is still where it belongs. We talked about that at my last fill visit. With my history of slippage, I just feel it's something I should do on a routine basis. It's been 6 months now, since my surgery.

Ya'll take a gander at my band-daughter's (Paula) new avatar. Isn't she gorgeous? Beautiful picture, Paula. Hugs to ya..

Yup. I've found that food actually works better with this particular pill than anything. It may be that the yogurt I had was too thin. It's not the normal one I use. I did think I had drank enough and given it enough time to have gone on through. I'm still not sure what was going on, but it wasn't much fun. lol.

Some people have swelling immediately following surgery and sometimes fills, if their particular anatomy is prone to that. Sometimes, people come out of surgery very restricted for the first few days, due to surgery. If you mean bodily swelling - after surgery. Nope. In fact, my severe leg and ankle swelling went away the first week after banding and has never been as severe since. Thank goodness! As for gas, I think the band is placed in such a way that it contributes to gas. From Dr Ortiz's book, it says it is for most intents and purposes, a one-way valve, which could contribute to the buildup of bodily gas and bloating, which is quite common in banding.

I think this all has to do with how much you really want to lose weight. Of course, everyone of us here never had any luck with 'diets' or we'd not have to be banded. This is more than a 'diet', this is a lifetime committment to trying to make better choices MOST of the time. We had to resort to having the band installed because alone, none of us could do it ALL the time. That is where 'diet's fail us, they are temporary, with some holy grail waiting at the other end. This is not about diets, it is about learning how to eat to maintain a healthy weight. If I eat 3000 calories per day, that is enough to maintain 300lbs. If I eat 1500 a day, that is more likely to maintain 150lbs. That's tough for those of us who are used to eating 3000 and probably don't even realize we're eating that much. So, the band governs the volume. Something we tried, but were'nt any good at. You can defintely undermine your band, if you choose to eat high calorie, high sugar, high fat content foods in excess. But, I'll bet you can do it! Just like those of us here who thought we were hopeless before the band. Believe it or not, the band really does help. Your body does begin to crave things like Protein, instead of refined starches/sugars. It's a learning curve, for sure, but many of us have walked right where you are today, in fear and uncertainty, being sick and tired of being sick and tired and today, the band allows us a new life with much more energy, better health, better sleep, lower medications, new self esteem and inner awareness. Just think of the things that are hard for you to do right now. How about health issues? This is really a lifestyle change. It takes practice, but you can do it and we'll help you when you need support and encouragement!

No ma'am. Earlier, I had had only some shredded chicken breast for dinner, but that's all. The chicken had been cooked in the crock pot, marinated with italian dressing and wine vinegar. It had fallen apart and had been several hours before I went to bed. Unless the wine vinegar/dressing could have just caused some reflux? I'm not sure. Hmm... something to think about.

Well, these bands are definitely a mystery. Last night, while sleeping, I had the strangest thing happen. Before bed, I had eaten my normal 4 oz of yogurt to take my nighttime meds with and all was well. I don't do well with just drinking water and taking them. I have one that has gotten hung up in the past, if I don't take it with something like food, ice cream/yogurt, etc, so I try never to take it any other way. Anyway, I may have laid down sooner than I usually do, because around 1:50am while sleeping, I became aware of this constant, excessive salivating. I was having to keep swallowing in my sleep. Eventually, I woke up and went to the restroom to make sure all of this was clear (sorry) and there were no signs of anything gone awry with my band. So, no evidence of any blood or anything, just clear excessive saliva. It was almost as if something was stuck in the pouch and the saliva was doing it's job, trying to either dissolve it or dislodge it, but I really never had any overt signs of stuckage. I decided to try some Crystal Light to see if I could maybe at least thin the saliva down and maybe wash anything (like the meds) that might not have gone on through. This didn't help, but all the time I could feel my band tightening and with each sip, I could hear it gurgling, even the tiniest of sips. So, I went to the kitchen and decided maybe I should try something warm. I mixed a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice in hot water and sipped it very carefully, just trying to pay attention to the reaction of the band. It continued tightening and gurgling, but eventually, the lemon juice seemed to cut the saliva and maybe washed any offending particles on through. I was able to go back to bed after nearly an hour of wondering what was happening and trying to calm the salivating beast. Interestingly, when I took those sips and it traveled down, it seemed kind of painful down around the band area, which worried me, especially with my history of slippage already. This morning, my band was still very sort of cranky and I can feel it is much more tight. I've been babying it, doing everything very slowly and trying to 'listen' to how it's responding. I did stop by Popeye's and get some of their new Naked Chicken Strips and after chewing the tinyest of nibbles to pulp, I have only been able to eat 2 of the 3 in the pack. Eating 2 of them has taken well over an hour which I find very interesting. (If I was a good bandster, I'd have stopped at 1, since it took so long.) So, for those of you who talk about waking up with much more restriction 2-3 weeks AFTER a fill - you slept through the process.lol I think I may have gotten to witness it in action. I hope that's all it was!

lol Nana.. naughty, naughty!

Congrats Shaz!! We're glad to have you here! Good luck with your journey!

I'm with you Nana. Everything I've lost has been my behind/hip area and legs. I do see a waist these days, but my abdominal area just hangs on. This is kind of disappointing because even though I've lost so much in the lower area. I haven't been able to move down that much in clothes that have waistbands, like jeans.

Wonderful news Tammy!! Awesome! Dr. Smith??

Congrats Lori and welcome to the board. I'm very happy to see that you've begun research and are learning all you need to know upfront. There are many other boards where others share their experience also. Being banded is a life-changing decision. Mostly, for the better, but it has it's downsides also. Please make sure you know all that you can so that you can make an informed decision. Having said all that, I just want to make you aware that there is a moderate amount of expense related to adjustments and maintenance of your band, once you've been banded. There is also always a possibility of complications associated with the band, such as port displacement, tubing leaks, possible slippage, even erosion (1-3%) which can still cost you a moderate amount IF those situations arise. I just want you to be aware of that, before you have the surgery and your insurance no longer exists. Also, there is the possibility that if you changed insurances, the new one may exclude your band as a 'pre-existing' condition and may refuse to cover anything related. Banding is well worth all that it may entail and is still SO much more safe than the alternatives, but there is alot to be aware of and ready for, in the event that it happens. I wish you luck on your decision and consequent journey!!

How sweet and how deserving you are of such a wonderful love. How could he resist? You're both keepers.

Colesce Couture Division Customer Service (800) 487-4697 No Phone Orders for Colesce Fax Orders (800) 508-8359 Paula, If you are serious about wanting to be fitted correctly. This 800# will connect you with Colesce Coutures who manufactures and custom fits in the privacy of your home. It is not the prettiest, but the best bra I've ever used. They are expensive, but I wear them for years and years. For everyday wear, they are the best support for your back I have ever had. All you have to do is call the 800# and ask them to help you locate a distributor in your area. Buying these bras is one of the best things I have ever done for myself. They minimize without appearing to mash everything down. You can see the difference in clothing, guaranteed! I did work for this company for awhile, but I don't anymore. I just believe in the product and still use it. Good luck!

That's really a shame. I'd say maybe us (the consumers) should start an email/letter campaign to tell them how we feel about that/what it's done for us in the way of improved health vs the bad health we started out with. Such a shame...

Make sure it covers the 'girls' this time then!! :)