MeganA

How adorable! I'm jealous... I can't get my dumb chickens to sit on their eggs for nothin'.

I'm a HUGE fan of cottage cheese. Here are what I Like: mandarin oranges peaches cucumbers, tomatoes, and a little salt and pepper salsa - use on chips apples hope these ideas help Megan

I'm no expert either...but I've had eight fills and three other barium swallows so I have lots of experience. The band looks possitioned well to me (remember- I'm no doctor!)...you're just a hair too tight and the reflux is from the acid not being able to empty into the lower stomach. You probably need a tiny unfil. I know my surgeon takes Mexico patients here in Minnesota at the U of M. In the mean time, start taking Prilosec OTC or Nexium to control the acid. It should help you feel better. Good luck! Megan

Gosh, thanks everyone. For some reason this was the most amazing visual transformation for me in a long time. I am a slow loser and sometimes I forget how far I've already come. Thanks, too for the heads up about cropping the photo! Megan

There was a thread a while back about getting new DL's because of weight loss. Mine was at the point where people where starting to question it when I had to renew it anyway. Just thought you guys would appreciate this:

Well...this New Years Eve I lost my mind and drank wayyyy too much. I was so sick I slept with a waste basket by the couch. I was MISERABLE and threw up a few times. It feels like you are going to throw up your stomach. I was worried I did serious damage but a few days of liquids and I was fine. I did take gas-ex because I had drank some sour that had carbonation in it. I also try to carry anti-nasea suppositories (I know, gross! but they WORK) with me and I used one of those. I would NOT recommend drinking as much as I did...but now I can't drink much at all without getting drunk because I don't weigh as much and I don't eat very much so it can get away from me. Megn

If you say "I'm so tight" and you aren't refering to your hoo hoo... You might be a bandster.

Thank you for the kind messages. Rocky is getting along great with my other dogs and cats. He fit right in, really. He is also very protective which I love because I live alone in the country. He doesn't appreciate anyone new and barks and charges them- as soon as I say "It's ok, Rocky" he changes into a sweet loveable guy. I love that! Boxers are such neat dogs. He also has helped my other dog relax...since he's in charge she has become a lot less anxious. When I got LuLu's collar from the vet after she was put down, Rocky took it from me with his mouth and set it down on the floor. He would play with a ball and roll it to the collar and it just broke my heart. He'd sniff it and move it around with his nose. Then one day he stopped doing that, so I picked it up and put it in the toy box. I always thought that animals morn, but this really showed me it was true. Megan

I find that lemonade in any form makes my little tummy hurt from the acid. I have started drinking Crystal Light again (the Peach Tea one especially) and you know what- it tastes darn good and it get me to drink my Water. I don't know if it has slowed/stalled my weight loss or not. I should do an experiment. Huh...interesting... Megan

My doc said that everybody's pouch stretches a bit long term. I know my pouch looks like an egg now vs a tube right after banding. I suppose it's a matter of degree of stretching. I sure hope yours shrinks with the liquids! Keep us posted... Megan

Just in time for Easter! I LOVE bunnies and had them as pets growing up. They are good at teaching young kids about responsibility and compassion. Congrats on the new arrivals! Megan

The video was great! It's interesting to see how each doctor does it. If my doc would pull all my fluid out of my band and then add more I'd be swollen for a month. We found that out the hard way. My fills are also done under floro so after he's in to the port, I drink barium and we watch it flow through on the TV. If it gets stuck then he just takes a little out until it flows through. Thanks wade...How cool! Megan

I had this happen to me once...I was riding with people I didn't know very well...so I just went up to the ticket agent, made a request for an extension for my seat, and by the time I got to my seat, it was already there and I didn't have to make a deal about it at all. Good luck! Megan

Phew! Glad to hear the good news... Megan

I'm so sorry about your friend. He sounds like he was a wonderful, sweet boy who will leave a big void in your and your sisters lives. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers... Megan

Sparkling- Take care of your band now in the most critical stage so that- God forbid- if something would go wrong in the future you know you did all you could to protect your band. Don't eat regular food until the doctor says you can. Wyldvelia- A quart of egg drop soup is not going to make you gain 3 pounds. You must chill. Think this way: until you get a fill, anything you lose is a miracle. So, if you gain a little back, it was probably just Water weight anyway. Megan

I just had my eighth fill last Friday. I'm pretty sure this will be my last for awhile, but who knows! Megan

Has anyone had insurance pay for the majority of it? I am going to need to have my icky saggy belly removed and a boob lift...if insurance payed- what did you do to document problems like sore backs, rashes, etc.? My PCP is the coolest and is all ready to start documenting stuff. Thanks! Megan

Giada DeLorentes on the food Network just made the most yummy looking Z fries. I printed the recipe, and of course it calls for deep frying but I'm going to try just pan frying them in a little olive oil. Theresa- I can't eat corn either and it makes me very sad. I LOVE corn on the cob in the summer. No matter how long i chew, it gets hung up. Megan

YEAH you tell 'em Vines!!! I think there should be a warning on all lapbands: "Warning: Strength reguired to lose weight with lapband. Must be willing to be patient, form new habits, and forgive yourself." Megan

Thanks everyone! I am feeling like a brand new bandster at the moment. I'm really tight and I just can't get used to eating a few bites and stopping again. I want to eat the whole thing! And Babs- until I got this little tweek I was struggling not to overeat myself. That's why I thought I'd try a little more fill. WOW! What a difference a drop makes. Megan

You are lethalwoman!!!! Congrats on a hard earned and much deserved NSV!

I had a little tweek of a fill (.25 cc- barely a drop!) Friday and my surgeon said my band looks fantastic and he's very happy with it. I am really tight, but restriction feels so good! I LOVE not being hungry all the time and being full after only a few bites. The lapband rules! Megan

Marcelle- What a fantastic post. What I see in it is tremendous growth and a determination to leave your past behind. The hard part is that for awhile we're stuck smack dab inbetween the past and our new future...we can see it, but we just can't reach it quite yet. Momentum builds- small changes grow and blossom into bigger ones. Most of which you can't anticipate. Often times weightloss surgery is the first choice we make for ourselves in a long, long time. We've spent our lives trying to make everyone else happy and to be loved and accepted because we aren't happy and we don't love or accept our own self. I believe that in order to choose WLS, it takes an acceptance of ourselves, and it releases us from the emotional binds of the heavy burden of obesity. We say "I can't do it alone". "I need help". "I deserve help". What I'm trying to say is that you are on the right track- and it's YOUR track. You get to make the decisions about how you will be treated by your husband, your cousin, and other family and friends. As you stand up to them and yourself, this momentum will build and you will grow stronger and stronger. You don't need to move to FL to make changes. You can make them right now, in this moment. And mark my words...once you start, you will do things that will amaze yourself. Megan

Then: Breakfast: Nothing, or two bowls of Cereal Lunch: 2 tacos and a nacho from Taco Bell, with a medium Dt. Coke Snack: bag of chips Snack: sundae from McDonalds Dinner: 1/2 box of Lasagna Hamberger Helper Snack: huge bowl of ice cream Snack: bowl of cereal Snack: chips and dip Now: Breakfast: bowl of high Protein, high Fiber oatmeal Snack: piece of string cheese Lunch: 1/2 a chicken breast with 1/2 small salad Snack: Yogurt Dinner: 6 shrimp, a few bites of Pasta, 1/2 small salad Snack: rarely have one, but maybe a cookie or just a glass of milk Hope this helps! Megan