La_madam

You can still drink alcohol but just know this you will most likely lose at a slower pace if you drink. Alcohol is just wasted liquid calories and liquid calories with the band are a NO NO , it is your choice on how you want to lose your weight. Me personally, losing weight is a hell of alot more important then any alcoholic drink..I can have fun with or with out it when Iam out with my friends. I have drank 2 times since being banded , first was in October and had maybe 4 cocktails over the course of a weekend in Vegas when I met all of the women from this site and then in December when I took all of my employees out for their Christams party, one glass of wine .Yes I feel my port from the outside.. Best of luck to you on your decision

Did your Dr. extract all of the air out of the lines before your first fill? You would know by the unbelieveable sensation you feel while he is doing this, it is almost like a squeezing of your chest and heart from the inside out as he extracts the air. Most experienced band Dr.'s do this for this exact reason. There is an excerpt about this in Dr. Ortiz's book..if all of the air is not extracted it will give you a flase read . Everytime I have been in for a fill what has been extracted is the exact ammount of what he had put in. Here is a quote from his book " Most experienced Lap Band surgeons reccomend repurging of the lap band at the ime of the first fill. Even though the band is purged of the air at the time of surgery, Lap Band surgeons usually find air in the band during the first fill. Experienced lap band specialists have found that if there is air in the system. it will leak and part of the fill will be lost. liquid DOES not leak from the band normally, but air does. Therefore, if at the first fill the band was inflated with 2cc's of saline and an additional .5 of air were in the system the total of 2.5 provided a very good restriction,but in a couple of weeks time the air leaks out and that acceptable restriction is now inadequate. If the original fill volume is not the same in the next visit, the patient should not panic. Usually it means that there was air in the system. Rarely will it be a true leak in the system that needs a repair". Hope this helps

Hi Jonathan Congratulations on your new band! There is alot of swelling , every day it gets easier, just take tiny sips as often as you can. It seems from all of the other mens post that i have read here and on other boards that what you are experiencing is more common among men. Hang in there..I'm happy for you . I wish you the best

I have the Yahoo spyware and so far so good..make sure you check the box where it says Scan for tracking cookies before you run your scan...

As hard as it is..Don't let any man sabatoge you. Yes most of us eat for emotional reasons..but there is a better way to look at it..Don't give in to temptation of food and get your butt in gear and make that man regret the day he ever broke it off with you..You show him!! You can do this , like the others said.get something to keep your hands busy even if it means coming here and posting and reading..I find this place helps when I want to eat. I come back here into my room away from the kitchen and log on to LBT, soon my mind is preoccupied from the food cravings..Hang in there

Eyes rolling in the back of my head and stomach queezy ready to fall of my chair It was the close-up that did it! I'm a whimp when it comes to that kind of stuff but like everyone else I had to take a peek. All I can say , who better to take care of you then Nurse Penni...you are in such caring and experienced hands Dr. Billy knows his stuff Hope everyday that passes is a better day for you

Yes No Pop-ups here but then again I have 3 pop up blockers loaded on this computer.

Where do you live? Maybe there is someone here who is in your area whi can tell you their experiences with their surgeon, then go from there..

Your Esophagus is most likely irritated and swollen which could be why you can not eat solids. Your esophagus went through a major works out on that day. Your stomach could also be swollen. My Dr. has me do 3 days of liquids after a fill for that reason give it a few days ..if it were me Iwould do liquids for a couple more days to be safe. I had esophagitis and trust me it is not fun! OR Alot of bandsters say they can not eat until afternoon or evening. You would be amazed at how much of a difference .5 cc's can make.It doesnt seem like alot but in a band it is ... I just went from 2cc's to 2.5cc's and it was a huge difference in my restriction level and I do not eat until way later in the day also since this last fill 2 weeks ago . In the mornings a cup of hot tea or coffee has been said to open you up a little bit to make it possible to eat. This could be all that it is if you are able to eat with no problems, no PBN or reflux or heartburn.Good Luck

I'm so glad you have Penni to take care of you. She truly is an Angel

Best of Luck Jonathan..

Monday 1/31 187.75 -1 3/4 lbs this week for me

Lisa was Dr. Billy able to give you a fill before removing your port like Kuri did before he removed your first port?? I know you mentioned feeling like you had no restriction also did you find out if you had 1.7 cc's ?

This explains why Penni saw you naked LOL I'm just glad you are OK and you got real honest answers and great care. I hope from here on out you have an uneventful band journey

My friend and I went to get our fills together 2 weeks ago..he was fine until he flew to Chicago three days later then BAM could hardly eat or drink..now he is home and back to normal. Flying I was told can affect restriction.I always retain water in my feet & hands after I fly. Also a change in climate can change restriction level I was told by my Dr.

Brad you are the one who did a little investigating about Belighter. I had read many of your posts..very interesting..Many here would love to here all about it since many of them here have gone through Belighter and many here are considering Belighter. Can you enlighten them all since you have done so much investigating about them. I think prospective Belighter clients should know what is going on Are they practicing business under a different name now? Do the have a business license in Arizona? . Many here have been very disatisfied with Belighter. Is Eric qualified by Inamed to do fills? I have read he is not but have heard he is, do you know the answer to that? I am glad to hear Lopez has dropped them, looks like Lopez is realizing they are only hurting his business not helping, how do you know Lopez dropped Belighter? Have Eric and Ann Marie threatened you? I have met a woman online who is using Belighter and going to Lopez..I wonder what recourse she has now since Lopez dropped them...

Pain in the shoulder is most likely gas that is trapped. Many of us had trapped gas for a few weeks after surgery. I did for 3 weeks Restriction is not really until you have been filled but some have been fortunate enough to have restriction with out ever having a fill or only having 1-2 fills while some have to have multiple fills to feel restriction Liquids will not restrict you they go right through the band ..it is solid foods that will give you restriction so once you start eating mushy's or solids you may feel a big difference. Good Luck

The best test to see all that is going on with your band is an endoscopy. That will give definite results but if they feel something is not right after your upper GI they may have to do an endoscopy. Upper GI will look at the esophagus and you will be able to see the band and how the barium is flowing through Good Luck Hope it all goes smoothly

Some Men are shallow.. I have men now who wouldnt give me the time of day when I was 75 lbs heavier ... Now they expect me to be flattered that they are noticing me and giving me attention. I think NOT. How shallow is that?? ~c~ just keep being the person you are..you will reap the benefits in such bigger ways then flowers

Either one works for me. I like the LBT Vegas bash rather then Kuris bash..nothing against him or hispatients but I think I would feel more comfortable with all of you..we are like one big happy family and I had so much fun last time Sept. 2 & 3 Kylie Penni NancySmiles Michelle Sept. 9 & 10 Greg Neicy Blossom NancySmiles Michelle

That is so cute and so true

Hi Angela You have come to the right place..this boat is full of bandsters Lots of love & support here Great Job on your wieght loss so far

Good Luck Dr. Ortiz was my surgeon..you will enjoy your trip. They make is so comfortable for you. Ortiz & his entire staff are awesome!

What works for me Blossom is taking a bite of meat with a bite of veggies together. The canned green beans, peas, or spinach work well with most meats. Take a little bite with both together and see if it helps. Someone gave me this tip in the beginning because I was having the sameproblem and it has worked great for me ever since. Dark Meat chicken works best too..as wel las high grade steak cooked a little pink, the more well done the harder and drier it is to get down.

Harder proteins will stay in the pouch longer. When I eat eggs with no hard protein I get hungry faster. Try hard proteins like chicken, fish,. With my eggs I usually have sausage or some kind of meat helps last longer. I ate this morning at 8:00 am and had 1 link of polish sausage and 2 scrambled eggs and still am satisfied. We all crave sweets..We are women Are you waiting an 30 minutes to an hour after you eat to drink. That does make a difference. I know from experience of not waiting.. Sounds like you are doing everything you are supposed to do..glad to see you come out of the closet. Support is essential for me, this site and all of the people here have helped me tremendously..I hope the same for you