RAYSBABE

Hello all!!

Well... we figured out where the sudden tightness came from....

I'M PREGNANT!!!!

We are so happy! So far so good... feeling tired and a little sick when I dont eat on a regular schedule. My first Dr's appt is on 9/8!

congrats, Melissa! Let us know how your appt goes!!!

dear violet,

i'm sorry to hear you are struggling...i wish i knew what to tell you...i haven't even made it to where you are, but i always wondered if the weight would be hard to keep off. you sound like someone with extreme character to have made it to 154...you can get back there!!! just remember it's only 21 pounds instead of 100!!! I stand in awe of what you have accomplished! don't give up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It seems that way. Nothing ever does seem to go as smoothly as I'd like. But as far as fills, I've learned to speak up for myself. If you do not like your dr, by all means find another one. I don't know where you live, but even if you have to drive a ways to find the right fit with a dr it would be worth it. I have to drive more than an hour to see my surgeon. He has a terrible personlity, but he is just so darned good at what he does that I tolerate it. When I had my first fill it seemed as though nothing had been done. He told me I should give it at least a week before I felt anything. I didn't feel like I'd had a fill at all, so he had me come back for another fill. Keep in mind I had to take off work, drive more than an hour to get there, and then wait more than an hour to be see. But it was so worth it. I lost about 10 pounds in 10 days and have kept it off for a month so far. And hopefully more weight will keep coming off. What I'm trying to say is that we have to stand up for ourselves. If we don't like something we can speak up and say so. We paid them. They have to provide the service to us. Something you may want to try is calling the hospitals in your area and ask them if they can recommend somebody to you for a fill. It's worth a try. Your regular dr may even know of a dr you can try. Good luck and let me know what happened. The fill is sooo important for our success. You've come this far, might as well go the distance. Good luck!!

Pam

thanks, Pam...i'm going to try to call around tomorrow and see if i can find some different docs in the area.

I haven't been on here in FOREVER...here is where I am right now, and the reason I just haven't been posting~~~~~HELP ME!!!

I can do just fine until 2-3pm!!! What the heck??? I was 204 one year ago and today I am 215...this has taken me a long time to admit, but I'm going the wrong way. I lost all 49lbs (started at 253 and made it to 204 in 5 months) BEFORE my first fill!!! Nothing happened for about a month, so i got fill #1...NO difference. Then I finally got fill #2 after about 5 more months and I have slowly gained 11 lbs since then. I eat like a freakin horse and almost nothing gets stuck. I have to eat slowly, but I put down ALOT! And of course, icecream, chocolate and Cookies are NO problem at all. I paid over 18,000 dollars for this surgery and I just thank God I have a good husband who isn't hanging it over my head that I'm gaining. I feel like such a piece of crap failure! I want to get another fill, but we are SO in debt from all this in the first place that I can't even afford one...part of me doesn't want to pay for one anyway since the first two did nothing! My surgeon left the hospital where i had surgery and so did the head of the weight loss program...The dude that did my last fill was SO mean! I don't want to go through that again either. I really want to find someone else that can do my fills. i don't even know where to start. I'm losing my mind...starting to think that I'll be fat forever. I changed my goal weight to 195 a couple weeks ago. I just knew I'd be below 200 like a YEAR AGO!!!!!!!!! Now I'd be happy to be 199!

i guess my next step is finding a different doctor to do my fills...i'm just depressed about it...nothing can be easy, huh???

Being Honest...

At first I did not journal the bad stuff I ate. Then I said, be honest, write it all down and then maybe I will make myself accountable. Alas.... no.... that did not help. My journal is only longer now. What the heck is wrong with my head?????

I actually feel like I am in that movie "Groundhog Day", every day I wake up with resolve, eat right until about 2-3pm, and then I would chew my own arm off if it were made of chocolate... Geez, could my current life and future health be worth a little bit of chocolate everyday (okay, maybe more then a little bit of chocolate)... HELP!!!!

i'm feeling your pain, Molly! I too can do just fine until 2-3pm!!! What the heck??? I was 204 one year ago and today I am 215...this has taken me a long time to admit, but I'm going the wrong way. I lost all 49lbs (started at 253 and made it to 204 in 5 months) BEFORE my first fill!!! Nothing happened for about a month, so i got fill #1...NO difference. Then I finally got fill #2 after about 5 more months and I have slowly gained 11 lbs since then. I eat like a freakin horse and almost nothing gets stuck. I have to eat slowly, but I put down ALOT! And of course, icecream, chocolate and Cookies are NO problem at all. I paid over 18,000 dollars for this surgery and I just thank God I have a good husband who isn't hanging it over my head that I'm gaining. I feel like such a piece of crap failure! I want to get another fill, but we are SO in debt from all this in the first place that I can't even afford one...part of me doesn't want to pay for one anyway since the first two did nothing! My surgeon left the hospital where i had surgery and so did the head of the weight loss program...The dude that did my last fill was SO mean! I don't want to go through that again either. I really want to find someone else that can do my fills. i don't even know where to start. I'm losing my mind...starting to think that I'll be fat forever. I changed my goal weight a couple weeks ago. I just knew I'd be below 200 like a YEAR AGO!!!!!!!!! Now I'd be happy to be 199!

how did you know there was a port problem? i'm a little worried about mine.

Raysbabe, I love your one year picture! You look wonderful and so happy. Isn't it great?

yes, it's great, and i'm so much happier with myself!!!!!!!!!!!!!

may 2007 pre op

august 2007

may 3 2007 bandiversary

hi everyone, i've been gone forever, and i just wanted to check back in for my bandiversary!

i've started back to school and things are just crazy around here (2yr old and 4yr old take responsibility for that!) anyway, i'm doing okay...kinda think i have a gallbladder problem too...and the gas trapped in my left shoulder is something i have gotten used to. i'm down 52 pounds, and i love it. i've had two fills so far and i think i'm right where i want to be as far as restriction.

anyway, glad to hear about success and sorry to hear about those of you who are having some trouble...hope you feel better soon!

wow, legster, a size twelve...i can't even imagine!!! congrats, congrats!

here is my one year pic~

i'm still at the point where beer doesn't hurt my stomach, but my doc says NO CARBONATION because it will stretch your pouch...not sure though?????

i also think that people are just jealous...they can't cut us a break can they?!!!

wow, everyone is doing so great with the weight loss! as you can see by my ticker it hasn't moved since sept 1....i'm doing a terrible job of eating the wrong things right now. i feel like i won't ever get below 200. it's the same old struggles i've had all my life...i do so well for about 5 months and then i screw up. i'm not too discouraged though because i know what i need to change:) i still like the much smaller me too!

Hi Raysbabe, I am so sorry you are going through that. I can definately relate to you as I suffered with gall bladder problems for over 30 years. I know, stupid right. I just had it removed last week and I am so sorry that I didn't have it done sooner. All this time I was thinking I am lactose intolerant and now milk products are not bothering me. I think it all had to do with my gall bladder. I hope you are feeling better really soon and that you find a good doctor to help you. I could be wrong but I think most doctors that do lapband also remove gall bladders.

Regards,

Alfie

thanks alfie...my problem is that my lapband surgeon doesn't accept my insurance so i have to find someone else. after paying $17,000+ this year for this surgery, i have no "extra" funds to pay for a gallbladder surgery. my mom really wants me to try to fix this the natural way, but everyone i have talked to that has had their gallbladder removed is so happy that they did....don't know what i'm gonna do. thanks for the encouragement though!

i am having the longest gallbladder attack (i think) that i've ever had...my first attack was when i was pregnant 5 years ago...had attacks ever since every couple of months...it has never been diagnosed, but my doc told me that she thought my gallbladder was the problem...still haven't had tests done though. this attack has lasted for four days...but it was only unbearable for about 5 hours the night before last. i am still hurting, i feel sick and sore. i hope to find a doc on monday that can help me. i have new insurance and almost no one takes it. (GRRRRH!) anyway, just needed to type it out!

i was just telling my dad the other day that i am no longer morbidly obese! I was pretty excited about it. He still doesn't know about the surgery...he would croak if he knew how much money we spent:)

Everyone is doing so well...

I love shopping in all parts of the store.

I love not feeling hungry ALL the time.

I love not being out of breath all the time.

I love my new legs:) (I can actually wear boots that zip over my calves!)

I love feeling sexy.

I love all the compliments:)

I LOVE my band!!!

hi everyone! i haven't been on in awhile...as usual it's crazy around here. I have been stuck for about two months now...that's also part of the reason i haven't been on...when the scale is moving, it's exciting to get on here and move my ticker:) i'm not too discouraged...i love my new size 16 (from 22/24) body, but this is the first time i haven't had steady loss since my surgery. i had my first fill 2 weeks ago...they couldn't believe i'd lost 49 lbs without a fill...that was encouraging. i thought the scale would start moving again immediately, but not so. i am not as hungry between meals as i was before, so that is good.

glad to hear about all the grandbabies...my parents love being grandparents...my kids have them wrapped around their fingers:) congrats everyone!

Been on a plateau for at least a couple of monthes and could'nt quite break the 200 mark I kept boucing around 204-205-201 etc.

ditto! I have also been bouncing around those numbers! I had my first fill 2 weeks ago and still nothing has happened....i don't get as hungry in between meals now, so i'm loving that, but i am so ready to start losing again. this has been the first time since surgery that i've gone two months without steadily losing little by little. i'm not too down in the dumps though...i'm loving the new me:) i wanted to be in onederland by oct. 1st, but that didn't happen....i'm setting a new goal for dec. 1st. i love this forum!!!

thank you thank you, thank you!!! I had no idea that I could claim the $17,000+ cash that I have put into this surgery!!! I think we're going to the dentist too! Thanks everyone:):)

I also know how you feel...I couldn't believe those 16 jeans fit the other day!!! It was soooooooooooooo encouraging.

it (caffeine)takes away fluids AND it makes you crave sugar and all the things that you're supposed to stay away from! my doc doesn't recommend it.

I try to weigh about once a week....it helps me with the major fluxuating weight that would drive me nuts if i weighed every day.

Thank you everyone!

jo- I think the weak muscles are because they cut through them in several different places.....I have the same problem.

can't believe Soup gets stuck! That must be awful.....hope it gets better without an unfill.

Just thought I'd show y'all some before and after pics!

Here's me down 45 pounds!