Doddie63

Hi: Don't worry about your eating. You are under enough stress as it is. Just try to follow the one cup rule. 3oz of protein and the rest veggies/fruit. As for the sweet spot, I think that is over emphasized. As long as you are loosing weight, you don't need more fill. I have good restriction at 4 ccs and others tell me the normal is 6 to 8 ccs for Fr. Midbands. Your band is a tool to help you learn how to eat properly and healthy at the same time to loose weight. You seem to be doing that. Good luck. Doddie.

Argon: I mean after care such as band relocation, diet consultation support such as the TLBC gives etc. Doddie.

Hi: Yes I like Dr. Woodhead very much and yes his initial fee is steep, but when I took into consideration the costs of flying to TO or going south it seemed to be a good compromise. I can't go to the states as I can't get travel insurance because of my health issues. Also, he does banding himself and he does the fills for other doctors as a favor. I also took into consideration, that he would be my emergency contact doctor as he has BC hospital priveleges and would know about banding. Surprising how many ER rooms don't want to tackle the problem of a band. At leastthat is what I have read on the postings. Doddie

PS to my previous message. I think he does do emergency calls. I have never had to call him on an emergency basis so will ask him next trip. Doddie

Hi: I use Dr. Woodhead in Delta/Ladner, BC. He sometimes does fills for the TLBC if the patient is referred to him. Dr Yaul trained him. He charges $400 for the initial consult then $75.00/fill thereafter. He offers no aftercare. That is the responsibility of the banding doctor. I have a turned port and he had a great deal of difficulty doing the fill, now he tells patients he will do fills providing there are no complications. The only way you can find out if he will do the fills it to contact his office and fill in an application form. Doddie

Hi Cindy: I certainly know what you mean and I am sorry I didn't mean to come across as criticizing. I was only exploring all options to help you review what was happening. I can't exercise either as I have osteoarthritis in the knees, hip and shoulder. Our rec staff are on strike and I can't get to aqua fit classes so have to make do with just moving around the house. I have only lost 38 lbs since Feb. but that at least I am not gaining but exercise is a big factor in loosing. That may be the reason you are not loosing as fast too. Doddie

How active where you. If you just sat around watching TV, your weight loss would be a lot less than if you exercised. Also, you have had a good lesson on staying off the scale. Pick one day of the week and time. Stick to it no matter how curious you are. Weighing each day just causes you to become anxious as the body weight flucuates with water retention. Doddie

"If everyone is drunk I want to be drunk too". Why when all there are is regret and sickness? Drinking is a social event meant to relax everyone but getting drunk brings out the worst. Besides someone has to drive home.

You can party without booze. Holding a drink in your hand doesn't make the fun. You do. Take your own Nesttea or whatever. My friends don't look at my glass and query what is in it. As for eating look around you most thin people are not eating. Drinks and food are props you make the fun. Doddie

Hi: Speaking from experience, make sure your decision includes where you can get fills. All GPs won't do the fills and you may need emergency defills. Going to the US involves a few things to think about. One I understand to get the income tax benefit you must go to the nearest clinic. Also, there is the costs to go the US which is the fills and the travel time to get an emergency defill/fill. I shied away from the US or Mexico because of the concern of acquiring health insurance. Does that affect you? If you have any health problem the insurance company can deny you health coverage because of "any related" issues. Everyone one that has high blood pressure for instance and has a heart attack can be refused because "it may be related". Hope I have given you a few ideas to contemplated. Doddie

Hi: I was constantly hungry and asked Jill the nutritionist at the TLBC. She reviewed what I was eating and recommended I increase my protein intake. I now have three small meals and two snacks with protein being the main item. If you are on liquids or mushies, the object is not to loose weight, but to heal. As others have stated, drink water and increase your protein drink. Doddie

Hi: Having fills and defills can't be good for your stomach. As some posts have said get off the fill/defill treadmill. Get a looser fill and leave the band alone. The band is a tool to help you feel full. Start looking at your eating habits if you are not loosing weight. Ice cream is not a mushie diet for instance. I have 4 ccs and a small amount of restriction. I only PB when I don't chew my food. I am striving to change my eating habits and to make better choices leaving the band to remind me when I am full (a marble in my throat, hiccup,pulsating feeling in the stomach). I only have lost 38 lbs since Feb. but that is OK because I have the rest of my life get to a normal weight. I guess my point is you are on the treadmill and suggest you start looking at your eating pattern and choices. Doddie

Just a hint. Take an ice cube and rub it over you lips and let a drop or two down your throat. Then throw the ice cube away. People on medication are allowed a little water to take them so you having a little water to mositen the lips and throat is unlikely to cause any problem. If in doubt call the clinic. Doddie

Juremea: My husband had a stroke last year and again this month. Each time, I felt restriction and I only have 4ccs. Go get a defill as suggested by others. Then slowly up the ccs until you feel comfortable again. Sure hope your dad recovers. Some strokes victims do not have severe lasting affects. I hope your dad is one of them. God speed. Doddie

Congratulations Donna D. Seems your latest fill is working. Keep it up. Doddie

Hi SusanSilver and Angel Bear: SusanSilver I was banded Feb. 01/07 and I have been fighting the battle but Angel Bear has helped me get my head on straight. Slow and easy is the way I want to go as well and our journeys shoujld be ups and downs but I am absolutely sure that the band helps me more than if I tried it alone. Thanks agan Angel Bear for your support and by leading by example. Doddie

Your post Angel Bear is wonderfully encouraging. I sure hope others that are fighting with themselves read it. So often I get caught up in the posts of people loosing weight fast and I wonder why I can't be like that, then I read your post and see your success. The tortoise is a great example and I think I will change my ticker to a tortoise instead of lightning. I feel really uplisted this morning. Thanks again. Doddie

well said Green Doddie

Hi Everyone: I was wondering if it is possible to indicate what type of band you have. I have a Fr. Midband and 4ccs is a minimum with the average fills being 6 - 8 ccs. When I hear about .2 cc it is a lot for some bands and not much for others. I draw a lot of support from this website and the information is sometimes saving me a lot of pain. Doddie

Thanks Donna D. I am black and blue after that fiasco. I know I gain every 3rd week but will I learn. Seems I have a wood block for a head. Today I checked in at 267.5 and NO I won't change my sticker from 265. I reached there once and I will again, hopefully. Enjoy your cottage we are in a rain storm. Doddie

Hi: PB means productive burp. If you eat too fast or are too tight or don't chew your food, the food won't pass through from the pouch to the rest of the stomach. A pain starts and grows stronger until you can't stand it anymore. Then you must bring it up. This PBing is not like a regular regurgitation with foul tasting bile. The food is encased in a cacoon of slime and comes up as a lump. You will then "slime" for a short time after PBing. The slime is saliva that you swallow as you try to get the food to pass through the pouch. Not a scientific explanation, but the best I can do. Maybe there are nurses or other professionals that can answer this better. Hope this helps a bit. Doddie

Hi well we I don't want to start a dissing contest as to who screwed up the most but..... I had a four pound weight gain and it was partially over eating but mostly water gain. Called my doctor who told me my blood work at 1st of July indicated my kidneys had decreased doing their jobs so he uped my diaretic. I am diabetic so kidney failure is a real worry. Problem with me though is I have such a guilt trip with weight gains that I usually end up on a grazing binge. Which I did but I think all is back to normal. I am back to measuring. I think I will get better at this job of controlling eating when I get my fills up to 6 ccs. I am told the fr. midband's normal fill level is 6 to 8. If I have one peice of advice to anyone, that is to go over your eating habits and if everything is the same, then it is a water gain. Usually at the time of your menstral cycle. If the water stays on, then check with the doc to see about increasing your diaretic. Doddie

Thanks for that angel bear. I sometimes despair that I am not dropping the weight like others but then I keep reminding myself that the band is there to educate me not to give me the easy way out. I believe strongly the band is helping me as I have not gained and I am eating smaller portions. The junk food is eaten but only under controlled circumstances. For instance, Jim and I are watching a football game and he brings out the cheezies. I take a small bowl (custard cup) fill it and that is all I eat. This way I don't feed deprived. Before I used to refuse it until I was alone then I gourged myself. I no longer do that. So I think I am making inroads. Again thanks for the encouragement. It helps tremendously. Doddie

Thanks Angel Bear. From what you have said, I think I will stay with 4 ccs for a few months and see how it goes. I have PB'd 3 times since receiving the last fill so will work on my chewing habits before going higher in the fills. Doddie

Angel Bear. How much fill do you have in your band. I have 4 ccs and feel pretty good. Weight is slowly coming off many weeks stay the same but I am not rushing it. Doddie