Summerrain

I have a 14cc band, at the moment have 8cc in it and have been in greenzone for a while now with that amount. My surgeon said on average between 9 and 10cc in a 14cc band gets you where you need to be but everyone is different. It took about 8 or 9 fills over a six month period to get me to 8cc and I already had 4.8 cc put in on day of surgery so you can imagine how small of a fill I had each time I went in. It was a pain going in every two weeks for .2 or .3cc each time but I got there in the end. Some people are lucky enough with smaller amounts to get them to greenzone.

My surgeon and nutritionist recommended the baby spoon and oyster fork. My nutritionist takes all newly banded people out for dinner , usually a group of 12 at a time, everyone sits around this huge table and we are served a five course meal showing us how to cook foods to make them interesting, how to incorporate a variety of foods into your new lifestyle and most importantly how small a piece of food should be before it goes into your mouth. Every dish was high in protein only one had carbs which was a ricotta and spinach stuffed ravioli. AND we all ate with oyster forks.

Wow look at you. What a difference, you look fantastic!

Glad you got it all sorted out.

I get the runny nose.

As per my surgeon and nutritionist wine is fine.

I bought a new nightie especially for hospital, the minute my IV was out I was in the bathroom and changed out of the hospital gown and my own slippers. I walked a lot in hospital even throughout the night for about 15 minutes every hour and was showered and dressed by 6 am waiting to go home lol, hate hospitals.

Looking fantastic Donna!!! Ty for sharing.

Love this, going to print it out and stick it on my fridge.

Let us know how you go, I feel your pain right now.

Lol too funny!!

Wow, you look amazing, Ty for sharing, these success stories help keep me motivated especially on days when I think I'm never going to get to goal.

I had something similar happen to me before being banded, I tried to control it with over the counter medication you use for acne but it didn't work. It got to the point I had to embarrassingly go to my doctor and get something for it. He gave be a medication called vibratab which I had to take for five weeks and it cleared it up. It's probably an infection you've got that will need something orally to help. You'll also need to keep the area very clean, like a shower in the am and one at night and keep it dry in that area through the day. You can use an antibacterial powder to help keep it dry. Get on top if it right away otherwise it will spread to other pores and hair follicles, not fun!

Ouch you poor thing, my carer told me drink coke if that were to happen, the bubbles would make you burp or make the stuck food come up. They say pineapple juice is good too. This is what I've done with one painful stuck episode, I drank Water then waited with my head over the toilet for it to come up on its own. Some of it came up and the rest passed through. I know it's not advised to do this but when you're desperate, you're desperate. You'll find once this is over you'll need to go back to fluids for a day or two to let everything settle down.

Depends on your doctor, the biggest fill I ever got was .8cc and that was my first after that I went in for a fill every two weeks and the most I was ever given was . 3 cc otherwise it was .2cc till I got to greenzone. I'm glad it was only small amounts every few weeks as sometimes just even .2 cc made me feel really tight till it settled and also it gave me the opportunity to relearn how to eat each time after a fill. As I got closer to greenzone I was going in every three to four weeks. I've had about five stuck episodes in six months and the last time that happened was three months ago because I learnt my lesson well and learnt how to eat properly by taking small enough bites, chewing well and waiting a minute till the food passed through the band. In my opinion I think it's better to get very small fills so you don't blow right past the greenzone and hot the redzone then you have to get unfills. I'm at 8cc and have no problems with any food, even bread unless I get sick and my band really tightens up.

I got really sick at the beginning of December and it affected my band and made me tighter, whilst it was like that I stuck to liquids and soft Proteins and took even smaller bites than I normally do. I didn't get an unfil and I'm at 8cc in my band, it took two weeks to get back to normal and I was fine after that. You won't cause a slip with a few stuck episodes, it takes a lot. I even saw my carer at that point and she said as long as I was careful and to stay hydrated and get my Protein in I would be fine and didn't take out any fill.

Did some research on the web about weighloss and hair loss. This is what I found below. About six years ago I was on a high Protein, low carb diet and lost a lot of weight and also had the hair shedding, it settled within a few months. Telogen Effluvium Telogen effluvium is a phenomenon that occurs after pregnancy, major surgery, drastic weight loss, or extreme stress, in which you shed large amounts of hair every day, usually when shampooing, styling, or brushing. It can also be a side effect of certain medications, such as antidepressants, beta-blockers, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. During telogen effluvium, hair shifts faster than normal from its growing phase into the "resting" phase before moving quickly into the shedding, or telogen, phase.

I've started to experience pain in my port area too, it's been happening on and of for the last few weeks and last night it was so uncomfortable it kept me awake for a bit. I bought this up with my carer yesterday, she told me its probably because its closer to the surface as I've lost a lot of weight in that area. She checked it out for me and I had no discomfort at the time. I seem to get it more after a meal or when I'm really tired at night. But please do ask your doctor about it to be on the safe side.

In Australia it's summer ATM and I find when it gets into the high 30's and it's humid my band tightens, I'd say its because of water retention with the heat. Tomorrow is a day of 39c here in melbourne so it will feel like an instant fill by mid afternoon, but I'm not complaining, will always cherish my band no matter how finicky it is.

You look fantastic, well done!!

Sorry chez but that response was uncalled for. If you don't like what she posted then don't read it, simple. This is a great site for all of us fatties to get info from and for all to post informative info. Many of your replies to other threads have been helpful but this one not so.

Ty for sharing your journey, I appreciate reading everyone's story regardless if they had the band, bypass etc, in the end we all have one common goal. You look absolutely amazing and well done on getting to goal. Keep posting I'm happy to read your posts.

Can't believe the lack of sensitivity with the media. Couldnt they just report the incident and focus on the reason why this concrete gave way? Heck no, that doesn't sell papers, what sells is the degrading of this woman, regardless of whether she is 350 pounds or 150 pounds this is a human being with a heart and feelings like the rest if us creatures on this earth. I can imagine all the fat jokes this poor woman is going to be bombarded with. I just hope she didn't get hurt too badly.

Msrhonda is it more like a feeling of tightness in the area you mention? I remember with a few of my fills I had a similar discomfort in that area, at first it felt like I was too tight with the fill but after a few days it settled. It could be seeing as you've had a recent fill just some irritation and should settle, it did with me. With one fill that feeling came in after a few hours and settled within a few days, with another fill it came on a few days later and settled within a week. Fingers crossed it settles down quickly for you. I also remember not feeling hungry or wanting to eat at those times so I didn't and just made sure I stayed hydrated.