Penni60

Lisa, Billy did tell us that Ulcers can sometimes lead to erosion and that is why we should be careful with stomach irritants. I agree with you that the pills should not just lie in the stomach like that. Most medications suggest you drink at least 8oz of water with each pill.

Guys, I couldn't agree more with Lisa. I too had some personal issues with my care from my original band surgeon and had to have a second operation myself. If I had not done this second surgery I would certainly have ended up with the same problems as Lisa. I agree you better have your follow up doc in place before you go to Mexico or Lisa and I will come and kick your butts. And there are those on this board that know we will do it too. LOL!! Only because we Love you guys and want you to have a safe recovery.

I sent you a PM

Good Luck to those going to Mexico for surgery. I can't stress this enough to have aftercare set up BEFORE getting the lapband. Find a US doc that will take care of you if you are going outside the US for surgery. Very important.

Bandit: Alcohol consumption is still OK while banded but there is the empty calories to consider. The other thing about drinking while banded is it takes less to get you tipsy. The more you drink the less you have sense about you and you could do harm to yourself and the band. THis means that you would not listen to the warning signs of being full and you could overeat. Just use common sense when drinking and have a limit set. When I feel my nose go tingly I stop drinking. That is usually after two drinks now. So I keep my social drinking at a two drink max. Just my guidelines so you do what works for you. I also try to not eat or snack when I am drinking. Doctor choices are a HUGE thing with me now. I won't tell you to not go to Mexico or even outside of the US for your surgery. I will tell you if you chose to do that to make doubly sure you have aftercare set up close to home before you have the surgery. THis is imperative for good weight loss results. You should be followed by someone that is caring and supportive and interested in the whole package not just putting the band in and then telling you to fly be free. Just my two cents here.

I will adopt you Bright anytime. I wanna come to Ireland to visit you when is a good time to visit Ireland?

Dr. Billy had a long conversation with Lisa on the day of her Surgery and in that discussion was a little something called "Consumption of FOOD". Hmmm, sounds like a good thing HUH? Not the way Billy wants us to start looking at it. SIGH!! There are several things he discussed with both of us that day. I am sure Lisa will add her two cents when she gets home. Which as I look at my watch I see her plane should have landed safely in Vegas as I type this. Miss her already. SNIFF SNIFF!!! 1. All of us out there that compare our fill to someone elses or compare our weight loss or whatever we all need to STOP that. Everyone is different. Case in point, Lisa and I were a little shocked to see that we have 1 lb difference in our weight. I wear a size 14/16 now and I think she said she wears a size 18. She is also 5'10" and I am 5'7". We are all individuals and each of us are different in more ways than one. So stop comparing yourself to someone elses weight loss journey. That will set you up for failure and I WON'T HAVE IT! GOT IT!! 2. Consuming of food stuff is another biggie we talked about at length. He made lots of sense on his outlook of dealing with this struggle. If we stop to think about it we all eat about 50 different types of foods. If you start trying to name them all you will be able to name about 10 and then get stuck. I did this and it worked. LOL!!! So he suggests to pick one of the 50 and learn it. What is a serving? (he means to actually cut the meat and weigh it and SEE what it looks like) What calories, protein, carbs, and fat are in this item? If you use Tuna, then look at the can and see that one can is not a single serving it is more than one. What does it look like to have that serving. If you add Mayo, how much would that add to the calories. He wants us to really learn the foods we bring into our bodies so we are empowered over the food instead of it controlling us. WE decide what is best for our bodies. The Band can't do that for us. The Band is only a tool to keep us from eating too fast and too much. As Lisa said we have to "work the band". We have to do the work. It isn't a quick fix or even an easy fix for our weight loss. 3. We all have reasons and idiosyncrasies that keep us obese. Lisa discovered that her issues are eating at night. Mine are I graze all day and I eat the wrong things and sometimes eat after 8p. You have to find your crutch and work to break it down one rung at a time until it is gone. 4. To me support is the key in any successful journey, whether it be weight loss, drug addiction, alcoholism, etc. The more we share what we have learned with each other the better it will be for the new ones coming along. They will learn from Lisa to be your own advocate and not just blindly accept what you are told if it just doesn't seem right. There is no harm in asking a question to verify what you were told. Some docs have the attitude that they are "GOD" and know everything. As a nurse I have seen this many times. It sickens me to see it and I have called several docs on it. You HAVE to play an active role in your own bodies health. I am sure Lisa will add to this post when she can. This was my input for now.

Hey Pegleg: MORE details and if you have lost 100lbs since being banded then you MUST MUST post some pics on the "before and after" thread. It is imperative. Who banded you? Where were you banded? What did you weigh prior? What do you weigh now? Any complications or issues that you faced along your journey? SPill the Beans, fill us in. We are a nosey bunch here.

Lisa did not have rejection she had several surgeries prior to this one. There is a thread that explains all them. Look for "one port, two port, three port, four,..." and it will explain all that she has been through up to this point. No this is not a typical band experience. Do not worry they will sew you up after your band surgery. THey had to leave her wound open because they suspect it was infected and it is typical in that instance to leave the wound open to heal from the inside out.

OK here is a pic of the wound after Billy took out the miles and miles and miles and miles of disgusted, soppy, bloody, strip of gauze that I absolutely loved watching being taken out of her grand canyon hole in her tummy. Then I watched Billy cleansed the wound and nearly climbed in to help. He almost had to push me out of the way. (Saturday as the RN was starting the IV I started looking for a vein in her opposite hand, Needle was too far away I couldn't reach it. Darn NURSE!!! --- I love to inflict pain. LOLOLOLL!!!!) OK here is the really gross ones. SO don't look OKAY if you are faint of heart.

OK for the faint of heart listen carefully........ DO NOT LOOK,... I repeat DO NOT LOOK!!!!!!!! Here is what Lisa did when Billy was working on it. Lisa is not subscribing to this thread because she doesn't want to, will no, and will NEVER look at these pics because she CAN'T do it.

Vera, your cell phone message was such a tear jerker. I love you bunches. Thank you so much. Guys, thank you for all your support and well wishes. I am just glad that we finally got Lisa to see Billy and he took care of her wound. I knew if we could ever get her to see him it would be resolved. WHOO HOO!!

Per Lisa and Penni: The reply to the NSAIDS issue is as follows. It's not just NSAIDS that we should be concerned about. It's any stomach irritant medication which can include NSAIDS. Some of the docs approve them for a limited period of time but you should NEVER EVER take them after that time frame. Stomach Irritants can and do cause concerns as far as Ulcer development. Just check with your doctor again Pat and make sure he is aware of the risk of erosion with long term use in band patients. I know who are we to remind a doc of his job. Well, we are his paycheck that is who. Some doctors will or could tell you that they might not cause erosion. Just use common sense. Some common ones are Advil, Motrin, Ibuprofen which is the main ingredient in the previous two. Ulcer issue: This should be thoroughly discussed and explored with your band surgeon. It is a concern to be addresses. Ulcers can cause erosion if not caught in time. As far as treating an ulcer you can do this but again you must be followed closely. The drug that Lisa is starting on is Pepcid, which is a common drug used to treat ulcers with patients that aren't banded. This can be got over the counter. There are other drugs used to treat ulcers it just depends on the severity of your diagnosis. Can't stress enough to check with your doctor and be your own advocate for the care you deserve. Some people on here have mentioned taking Pepcid and I wonder if this was suggested for an ulcer related condition or some other complaint. Port fills before removal: The Great and Powerful BILLY said this was a "NO NO". And think about this, Lisa mentioned in her post that getting a fill before a port removal would be risky because what if you were overfilled and then needed another surgery to put a port in and remove the fill then take the port back out. SHESH!! Is it really worth that? And by the way, Billy had this happen to a patient he took care of. And one more thing about BILLY, how can it be that one single surgeon has seen 3 cases (his words) identical to Lisa's and the several of the other doctors (we all know who they are) have not seen one or better yet not reported one.

We didn't delete it. We don't know for sure what happened. Lisa was in hospital and I was there with her so not sure what happened but glad someone got rid of it for me. WHEW!!!

Recent pics

Won't be there for Kuri's Bash. I have a son still in school and need to be here for him on that weekend. I can however, meet you guys in Sept for that Bash. I will be there with bells on in Sept no matter which weekend. But the Kuri May bash is out for me.

It's like HELLO I live in the capital of Celebrity sightings. But this was pretty cool. My sweetie, John, and I were eating at a favorite restaurant of ours. We were talking and in the middle of conversation John gets this surprised look on his face. I ask what he is looking at. He says, "Rupert, from Survivor just sat down behind you." I said, "NO WAY!" So we finish our meal. Pay the check and then stop at their table and say HI. He is skinnier and still the same Rupert. Very polite and seemed embarrassed by the attention. We were quick to say our hello's and then let them get back to their dinners. It was really cool.

Yeah HELLO PICS PLEASE!!!!

Babs darlin: LOL sounds like I should have my nose in the air and talk through it saying that. LOL Ok let me start by saying who is to say you aren't at goal? Yeah we all set our goals at what we would like to be. But ya know, somewhere along the way our bodies tell us where we should be at. If those last few pounds are giving you this much aggravation then put it aside and be happy and relearn yourself at this current weight. Who knows you might just be happy where you are. I go through this every time I hit a plateau. I think ok is this my goal weight and should I be happy with where I am? Then just when I get to the point of saying Ok I am happy cause I can walk without losing my breath, I can climb stairs and not have a heart attack, fit in that airplane set without an extention, and on and on, I start losing weight again. Go figure!! We started this process knowing the band was a tool. We started knowing we had "work" to do mentally. I think you should let your current weight sink in enjoy the place you are in. Don't stress over not hitting your goal. So what if you don't hit the mark. Will the world come to an end? NO!! WIll you be any less gorgeous? Heck NO!! Hope this helps.

Nope not gonna stop beating up on you. LOL!!!

DUH sorry didn't see the instruction to copy and paste. How is this for copying and pasting? Does this work Mistress??? Sept. 2 & 3 Kylie Penni Sept. 9 & 10 Greg

Penni = Sept 2 and 3

Megan: I think you have just answered your own questions. Yes it probably means you need an adjustment to your eating habits. As we all need to remember this band is only a TOOL. We have to work with the band and make a conscious effort to eat right, get exercise, and drink our Water. If you aren't losing weight and have had that many fills here is my suggestions. 1. Talk with your doc first get his/her opinion 2. Make an appt with a nutritionist 3. Evaluate your activity level 4. Evaluate your eating habits and diet 5. Make the necessary changes Then after doing all this, remember it is a slow process to losing our weight. Some have faster results due to their metabolism being higher. Mine is mid range so I lose slower. In order to speed it up I have to exercise in the mornings and eat three meals a day and nothing after 8p. Water all day up to 64 - 80 oz then no more or I retain it. We all have to learn our bodies and listen to them to understand what works and what doesn't work. Take a Yoga class and meditate and get 'in turn' with your body. Shut up Lisa, it works. Happy losing guys.

Welcome to Holly and Lori Next, Holly how did you come up with pennybear for your name? My real name is Penni and I collect stuffed bears. How cool is that?? Lori sorry my kids step mom is Lori so I will refrain from the association of that name. Good luck and best wishes.

Lisa, I am just glad that you are on the road to port land for now. I am still pissed at Billy and he WILL hear about it. At any rate, keep us posted on how you are doing and you know I love ya girl.