La_madam

Hi Rusty.. Welcome! Lots of Texas bandsters here on this board. Here you will find lots of helpful info

The woman I met today said her problem with the hot dog was that she #1 took too big of a bite and was talking when it went down without chewing it well enough and #2 it had a really thick skin on it...I have had a hot dog and had no trouble but now Iam hesitant to try one since hearing of her horror story.

Melissa..did you fly to Texas? Sometimes flying can make your band tighter, something to do with the altitude and can take a couple days to get back to normal....and also stress can do it. If your band slipped you would not be able to drink water without throwing up. If something was stuck the same thing would be happening. Could it be that there is a piece of brisket stuck in your band? I met a woman today in TJ at Ortiz's office who had a piece of hot dog lodged in her band and could not even keep down water, they had to go in a surgically remove it and unfill her at the same time..After a PB Stay on liquids..trust me I know this for a fact I experienced this all too well.. most Dr's want 24 hrs of liquids after a PB to rest the esophagus or you will just continue to PB. It is a vicious cycle..If you can not keep down water without PBing call your Dr. immediately! Good Luck to you

Monday 1/17 191 = 1/2 lb loss this week Going for my 3rd fill this morning

Paula I feel the same feeling when I take a bit it takes a few seconds and I feel it pass through..but is it passing through the pouch? I thought it was supposed to stay in the pouch longer. I'm going for my 3rd fill tomorrow since I feel like I have No restriction. Iam confused...looking forward to reading the vetran bandster 's replies to this post.

Good Luck tomorrow.. We will be keeping you in our thoughts!

Paula.. such a sweet story.. thanks for sharing it with all of us..sounds like you got yourself a wonderful man!

The reason you can not burp is from the swelling and the gas trapped in your diaphram, as the swelling goes down the burps will come out. Mine took 3 weeks to finally get some relife! I had the same problem and was told this exact same thing by my Dr.

Kathy stay on liquids until Monday..warm liquids seem to open you up alittle more then colder liquids too.. You esophagus is irritated, so you will continue to PB if you eat solids. After every PB I was told to do liquids for atleast 24 hours. Rest your esophagus over the weekend.

Gloat all you want! You look great! You have earned the right to gloat

Where is Ginny? has anyone heard from here lately? I have not seen her post in a long time.

Maybe you are at a plateau... Also by what you wrote that you eat..you need some more portein.Most band Dr's wil ltel lyou to eat 60 grams of Protein a day and eat your protein first during yourmeal, then veggies, then fruits then if you have room eat your carbs. I do not always follow this rule but I do make sure I get in the 60 grams of protein a day. I do not do oatmeal, for 2 reasons , 1 is that it is a carb and if I eat in the morning Im hungry all day long and 2 is because it goes through my band too quickly. Start your day with protein. Soup is also a bad culprit..loaded with sodium and liquid calories that goes right through the band also. Cut those 2 things out and add protein in place of them and see if that helps. Also sometimes when I exercise too much I do not lose and my muscles retain Water. Most of my weight loss has come from NO exercise, just better food choices and smaller portions, I know the day will come when I will have to work my butt of to tone and lose the last few lbs but for now I'm seeing results..slowly but none the less it is still weight loss. Are you drinking atleast 64 oz of water a day? That is what helps me to lose. Your band is working, you are doing great. Plateaus can be discouraging. I did not lose but .5 of a pound in a month and a half and last week I lost 1.5 lbs..hang in there also try tracking your food on fitday.com. Good Luck

Shaz..Yes there have been people who have gotten to goal with no fills...and had enough restriction from the original band placement. Not many of them but there are some that I have read about on other boards.

Nancy, it is in Dr. Ortiz's book that if your Dr. does not get ALL of the air out of your tubing during your FIRST fill, you could get a different ammount showing in your next fill. When I had my first fill..I remember vividly the Dr. removing all of the air from my tubing with the syringe before he added the saline. It was a feeling and sensation I have never experienced before, when I asked what it was I was feeling he told me he was extracting all of the air from my tubing first or I would get air bubbles where it would look like I had more saline then I actually did if he did not remove the air first. This could be why you have less then you thought. According to Dr. Ortiz the saline does not evaporate but air does. It is possible and some have had a leak in their tubing though Here is a quote from his book. "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 reapir." " 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. My first fill was 1.1 cc's and when I went for my 2nd fill I saw the syringe with 1.1 cc's that he pulled out. I now have 2 cc's and am going in on Monday for my 3rd fill so I will be eager to see if he pulls out 2 'ccs then.

What a nice husband you have

This is why I was told by my Dr. & nutritionalist to eat 60 grams of protein a day ..to not lose lean muscle mass and to eat it first during a meal.

Penni, glad to hear you are out of your funk. You are so right, you have come to far to let anyone destroy that! Great NSV..seeing those smaller sizes, lets us know our bands are working. Congratulations!

Thanks for sharing the info on coffee, I would be a lost soul without my java and great job on the weight loss Betty..Keep it up!

Alex, why arent you out shouting this too the world from the roof tops? What an amazing job you have done. Not just are you an inspiration to all of us with your weight loss, but I find your posts and all of your knowledge on the band very inspirational also. Congratulations to you

Count me in! Those rates are cheaper then what we paid last time at Excalibur..I would love to room with you again Vera..I will bring my parka so I dont make you girls keep the air on low.

Blossom I eat whenever I want..as a matter of fact Iam eating vegetable thins ( crackers ) as I type to you. and I am feeling restriction this just helps me to eat less at dinner time so I am notsitting with a pouch full of food after 6:00 Everyone is so different, you will find what works for you. I eat my 3 meals but I also snack becasue of my sdnacking my 3 meals are smaller. I like to keep my metabolism moving all day is why I snack..I must be doing something right 73.5 lbs in 9 months As far as your fill..does your Dr. require liquids after a fill? mine has me do 3 days of liquids in case there is swellingfrom the fill. Again I'm sure you have heard that sometimes fills take there time to kick in. Did he use flouro and the barium? Were you able to see your restriction and how the barium flows through your band? DOn't fret about the 3'ccs in a 4 cc band at the start of your journey. I met a woman in my Dr.'s office who had her first fill of 2.4 in a 4cc' band. Maybe this one will be the sweet spot. I go for my 3rd fill Monday I may be at 3'ccs too after that!

Sounds Great Lyle Count me in! All the way from Southern California

I do not know about you ladies but I got tired of wearing old lady bras..I was in the same boat as you were Paula..I went to Victoria Secret after Christmas since losing the 70= lbs ..I can finally fit into their bras. They only got to a 38 DD which is what I am wearing now. I have not lost any in my cup size since banding but that is due to the lift and implants I had done in 1998, before banding I was in a 42 DD..My 17yr old son looked at my before pics yesterday for the first time and he said it looks like my boobs are bigger now, I told him " no" you can just notice them more now since I lost all of the fat around the middle, no more fat gut, none the less.. the women at Victorias Secret are very helpful to measure you and reccomend a nice comfortable & sexy bra

http://lapbandtransformation.com/Adjustments.htm This is a great site on fills & adjustments..

Becca..Here is your pep talk. Get back on liquids! You do not want to risk anything going wrong with your healing Dr. Ortiz gave those instructions for a reason. The digestion process is why. He does not want you to eat anything that may cause the stomach to rumble and churn and turn during the digestion process. Your band needs to heal and set place and your sutures need to heal in place. Even thouigh it feels fine now it could casue you problems later down the road when you do finally got to eat solids and the real digestion process starts.You could risk slippage or your port flipping if you do not follow his instructions. Your lucky, seems he changed his post op diet since I had surgery. I was on Clear liquids for 2 weeks and then ful liquids for a week for a total of 3 weeks. It is almost over..hang in there