Donna113

I posted this on another thread, but I thought it would fit in equally well here. I didn't feel much restriction until my 4th fill about 4 months out; that wasn't quite enough and my 5th fill about 5 months out finally gave me enough restriction that I began to understand what people meant by the "sweet spot". You will stay hungry for about the first 2-4 weeks until your stomach gets adjusted to the new limited amounts. After that, you will still have head hunger issues and/or desire to eat larger portions than you should until you reach the "sweet spot". Once at the sweet spot, even if you crave something and give in, just a small amount goes a long way. Of course that doesn't apply to "liquid" food. I had a lot of questions and doubts initially because I really did think this was the easy way out prior to surgery. I was self-pay so I didn't have to jump through all the hoops and go through all the classes, etc. Had I done so, I might not have gone through the surgery. Now, I am so glad I did go through with the surgery but I admit I went through it blind. In looking back, I realize the first 3 months were the toughest because the band isn't working at its optimum level (at least for me). Don't fool yourselves into thinking you can get bigger fills to get more restriction early -- that's a dangerous road to band slippage or even worse, erosion. Let your mind, body and band have the time it needs to get to know each other and become a healthy team.

Even comfortable heels hurt like stilettos when the air temperature is cold - on pavement, no less!

Why would it go away in a year? What kind of helium do they put in our bodies that takes a year to subside? I think docs say that just because they don't want to tell you that if you have severe gas problems post op that continue long after the healing, then they are going to continue for as long as you have the band. My doc says the placement of the band is just in the perfect spot for trapping air bubbles so it goes to reason that it will either come up or go out. Perhaps after a year, people adjust better to the new chewing, swallowing, etc. and swallow less air which may decrease the amount of gas.

Do your cysts make you feel like your entire uterus is ripping away from you? I had a pain like that a couple of years ago and it was so bad it bent me over double. I could hardly breathe. I went to the emergency room and they ran every single blood test, gave me an MRI scan and an ultrasound and found absolutely nothing wrong with me. I then went to my gyno a couple of days later and she also could find nothing wrong with me. She said I had a small cyst but it was so small it hardly showed up at all in the ultrasound so she didn't think that could be it. I've had that pain a couple of more times since then but they have been extremely brief episodes (less than 5 minutes) whereas the first episode lasted for 2 days. To this day, noone knows what it is or what's causing it because all my tests and scans keep coming back negative.

Prior to being banded, I used to drink lots of diet soda. My doc said no carbonated beverages because they cause too much gas. I'm now 6 months out and haven't had any soda in all that time. I don't miss it at all. I did try the Special K Protein Water when I was first banded but decided the extra 10 calories per serving didn't justify the 1 gram of protein. Now I mainly drink water. I do still drink coffee in the morning.

You are not normal--you are hawt, baby! I've seen the b/a pics.

WTG Slim! Great Inaugural Speech by Obama. The content is not only something that we as a Nation should embrace, but also as individuals. If we can strive every day to treat each and every person we meet with that level of respect, imagine what kind of a world this could be.

Belated Happy Birthday Steph!

:Dancing_wub::w00t::Dancing_wub: OMG! WTH? Karma will get them! Very mysterious and you have me very intrigued. I hope once it all happens, you let us know. Sending positive vibes your way. She should have replied "Don't let the door hit you on your ass on the way out!" *sigh* It's hard to believe these people made it to adulthood.

Pattygreen, while I disagree with you on many, many issues and don't particularly like your style, I have to admit I admire your tenacity.

You are way sick! That's the best way to zap a craving for anything.

shrinknme - what the heck is that in your profile pic? For the longest time I thought it was a sheep but now I can't figure out what it is.

Off Topic Alert: Things seem to be getting pretty bad all over. I hate it when the evening news feels compelled to list all the companies laying off thousands of employees across the country. How is that helpful? It only makes people panic even more.

From everything I've heard, Michican is hellish -- it only seems fitting it froze over.

I do! I do! I love it. There's an Idol thread on here. There's also a Biggest Loser Thread.

OMG - when my 8 year old has even 2 friends over, it's pure hell. Little girls are so loud and squealy! 2 girls can make the noise of 10 boys!

I believe heaven and hell are a state of mind. I know many Christians who live a hellish life right here on Planet Earth and many non-Christians who feel their lives are heavenly. Live with a glad heart and let the afterlife take care of itself.

Today's my 6 month anniversary and I've lost 32 lbs. I would have been dismayed at the beginning of my journey if someone had told me I'd only lose 32 lbs in 6 months but surprisingly, I'm OK with it. Not to say that I wouldn't have wanted to lose more, but I've never lost consistently for 6 months in the past so this is a good thing. I'm 1/3 to my goal and I just have a really good feeling about 2009. I'm positive I'll be at goal by my 1 year anniversary.

It's been 6 months since I've been banded and I have to say, I have been extremely happy with the aftercare I've received from Dr. Spivak's office. My vote is Dr. Spivak every time.

See? Plain IS smart, bless his heart.

LJM - Congrats on the date. Your son is going to be an Acquarius! I think they have the most charismatic personalities. Some of my favorite people have been Acquarians. Plain's so smart, bless his heart.

Slim - what does that say about your neck of the woods? Brandy - Did your Mom and Grandma think you were a tad bid on the slow side? he he

Boos - I know it's hard and sometimes downright discouraging, especially when you're on a long plateau. You are right though, you do have to make the right food choices. High cal, low nutrition slider foods will defeat the band. I know this may be difficult, but if you would go on a less than 5 gram carb diet for a few days, it might help you kick the craving for the high carb foods with the added bonus that most low carb foods are not slider foods so it will also help with satiety. You may also want to try the 5 Day Pouch Test (avoid the high carb options) to help you break the weight loss plateau: Surgical Weight Loss 5 Day Pouch Test Click on the link above and it will take you to the website with the menus, recipes, etc. I've done it a couple of times and have lost approx. 3 lbs each time but the real bonus was that it helped me get back on track. I would also suggest exercise. I myself have not gotten back into the exercise habit since my knee injury late last Fall, but I've been promising myself that I will do it and you know what, starting next Monday, I will. How about you join me and report on here how many minutes you exercised and what you did? I'll do the same.

Good to hear they caught the infeciton early. I appreciate the heads up on the port pain issue, but being slightly paranoid and obsessive, I'm probably going to think every time I have a bit of a twinge that I have an infection. I'm telling myself right now to take deep breaths and chill out....

Jubjub, even though I don't condone your choices, I love your sense of humor.