PuraVida37

Mather Hospital has 3 meetings a month. You should come!

Wshful, we are nearly neck and neck...although from your photos your neck looks better than mine...double chin...lol!!!

Wshful, love your haircut!! So cute!! You look great!

Simply put: the band is not the same as a bypass. Therefore, her projecting her failure on you has nothing to do with your success. Apples to oranges.

Breakfast: egg or Protein shake Lunch: chili / pintos and cheese / turkey cheese roll up / Soup / half a thin whole wheat pita panini Dinner: 2oz of meat with veg. Snacks are Quest bar / protein shake / greek yogurt guacamole with some bean chips (Beanitos) / a couple slices of turkey / sugar free popsicles For liquids I drink tea / Crystal Light / broth / watered down juice I really like eating the same things over and over again. It makes me feel safe, it's easy, and I know it's working!!

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I did not mean to offend with my "fat lady" store comment. That's what my sister and I have always called them (we've always been the fat ladies). Today I tried Kohl's (which looked like Christmas kicked its butt!), Sears, JCP, and DressBarn (which I like because it's got 2 sides, plus and skinny). I learned that 1X is not the same as XL. But I can slip into a 16w, which is pretty good since I started in a 26. I still have a ways to go until I can shop in a regular store. However, I did buy some XL pajama pants at Sear's. I can't wait til I can fit into Land's End there. I hesitated and almost went in to Soma intimates. A little more weight loss and then I'll treat myself to some nicer bras. At DressBarn I tried on a body shaper. Weird. Made my B tummy into a D shape, and made the girls perkier, but it felt a little odd, so I didn't buy it.

I've lost nearly enough to shop in a non-"fat lady" store (Lane Bryant and Avenue). Where should I go first? Where do you think is the best place to shop now that you are thinner?

Thanks for answering, everyone. So far so good...all the kids and my sister got the dreaded barfs/diarrhea, and my daughter got it just last night/this morning. But she feels much better this afternoon. I have been washing my hands so much that they are chapped!! The incubation period of this dreaded yuck is about 2 days. I've made it 3 so far--let's hope I avoid it entirely. PS I called my doc's office, but the nurse must be on holiday because she didn't call me back yet. I know to call ASAP and be persistent if I get the barfs.

My family is here for the holidays and it appears that some sort of stomach bug is going around. I have luckily never vomited with the lap band, and I know it's a bad thing. How do you deal with a tummy bug? Anything I should know?

Oh wow, what a difference a couple days makes!! I feel SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much better!!! It turns out I had strep along with my sinus infection. Yuck! Today I am so much better and ready to greet the holidays head on!! Anyone doing anything good? My family is coming to visit. My gift to my sister is going to see a Broadway show. I get a full 2 weeks off school. I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!

I am just back from the doc's with another 1cc unfill. I don't understand why he was hesitant to unfill me--I have ZERO hunger and I have to force myself to drink. Then he was like "shall we take it all out?" and I was like "No, just a little! i don't want to gain back anything." So odd why he would offer to take it all when I just wanted a little relief. So we'll see how this goes. It's the same amount I was banded with, so if I end up in bandster hell, that's ok with me as long as I get to eat something again. I have really been struggling to eat anything. I also went to my family doc's today and she did a throat culture and and gave me antibiotics for a sinus infection. Bleh!!!

I just started feeling better from a suddenly tight band, and now I feel a cold coming on. Low grade fever, stuffy nose, itchy eyes. Any tips for surviving? Anything to worry about? I do have a doc appt tomorrow. I plan to ask for an unfill because I have zero appetite to begin with.

My chest pain has gone away quite a bit (occasionally feel it), but now I have a cold! I just can't catch a break!! I have an appt tomorrow. I am going to ask for an unfill. I have zero appetite and have to force myself to eat and drink. Def. too tight. I'd rather err on the side of eating too much than not enough. I'm losing weight quickly. It was so cool at first, but now I'm scared I'm going to end up with damage of some sort. I've lost 60+ lbs in 4.5 months. What do you think? Too fast?

Doing even better today. I think I am too tight and when I see the doc on Tues I will ask for some more out. I have ZERO hunger at all (yet my stomach is gurgling like a brook), so that also includes no desire to drink either. I have to force myself. That can't be right in bander world, yeah? The lingering chest pain is still there, but it's only in the middle of my chest, just to the left, where the band would be. But it's tolerable, and not constant as before. I keep almost hiccuping, which has always been my sign (even before banding) that I ate too much. That tells me I'm way too tight. I saw a lap band friend yesterday and she said the same thing happened to her once, just tightened up for no reason, so much that she too ended up in the ER. She said she gave it time and liquids too and it went away. As for school, I went in today and since it was test day for most of my classes, it was ok. At one point I must have clutched my chest because a boy asked if I was ok. I have one week til our 2 week vacation. I can't wait! I have already asked hubby for my usual gift, a gift certificate for a massage. This time I implied that it was doctor's orders. LOL Well I hope I continue to feel better, because this pain stinks! I was doing so well, too. Feeling good, taking care of myself, for the first time eating right for an extended period of time. I want to keep it up! Thank you for the support everyone.

I sure hope liquids only does it. I feel slightly better than yesterday, but something is definitely still off. I wish I could have some down time. Ha! I am a teacher and I took yesterday off (spent all in the ER) and today, which only builds to my stress, unfortunately. I will take this weekend off completely to try to relax. Thank you for your good wishes.

I sure hope so!! Thank you for your optimism!!!

UPDATE aka ADVENTURES in the ER! So I got my unfill and it made things better but this morning when I went to drink Water, it HURT. Then I waited a little and attempted a Protein shake. NOT GOOD. So I call the doctor, and Wed. is his surgery day at the hospital, so the nurse says come on in. Great. Not what I wanted, but I went. It was 10:30am. I had blood drawn, an X ray (no slip!), an ekg (fine, like I thought), and a 2 hr gall bladder nuclear scan (again, perfect). By 4:30 finally the doc's assistant came around and said that I should go to a stage 1 diet for a few days and just watch and wait til my scheduled appt. on Tuesday (for a fill, but I guess not now!). I was sent home at with a script for some anti-inflammatory (pro..something?). I have to wait til tomorrow to get the powdered form of the med since the pharmacy didn't have anything but uncrushable tablets--I'm not even trying that!! I am drinking my first liquid in 10 hours and it HURTS, right at the band. This SUCKS!! I hope the med/along with the stage 1 foods will work in getting me back to normal. I was problem free of the band til now.

The tightness in my chest is completely gone, but all night long I had a sharp pain (not really hard, but def. noticeable) where my band is. I tested with water and get discomfort after drinking. A little nausea too. I hope my band hasn't slipped. That would suck. I have really been trying hard to follow the rules. I can't think of a time that would have made it slip.

I got an unfill of 1cc today. Now the chest tightness has subsided, but just drinking water hurts a little. I guess I'll be back for more unfill tomorrow.

Thank you for your concern, fellow banders. The doc unfilled 1cc and said that if it doesn't feel better by tomorrow then I should call him back asap and also make an appt for the cardiologist (doc feels that it is not a heart issue, but just to make sure). If that is clear, then his next idea is an endoscopy and then maybe it'd be referred pain from my gall stones. He said if I did end up getting my gall bladder out, he could also check the band positioning. I am hoping this un-fill is the only thing needed. He did say that stress can tighten the band, and boy howdy I am stressed these last few weeks. Also I just finished with my TOM, so does that have anything to do with it? Who knows. Now, it's dinner time. I'll let you know how it goes.

I called and got an appt with the surgeon for this afternoon. This morning I ate my usual protein bar (slowly) and got some pain after. This sucks.

I am at 3.5cc. I am not losing any more than I was before the fill, in fact I think I am losing more slowly than on the low carb diet, and then pre-op diet. But that's ok, as long as I'm making some progress. I am not ravenous ever, so I think I would need just a little more of a fill. But as I said before, I'm having trouble with weird referred pain or something, so I'll talk to the doc before my next fill, which was scheduled 12/17. Georgia, if you recognize your choices aren't ideal, only you can fix that. Hope your fill is motivating to you!

Cheryl, thank you for posting (as I always appreciate lap bander advice) but not for the condescending way you replied. Did you read my post? I already said I would contact the doctor. I just want to make sure that I don't waste his time with something that could be just some common lap band issue, that's why I am posting in the first place.

Thank you both. I know that heart attack symptoms are milder in women, but nothing I've had is "uncomfortable", just a weird sensation. I think it's referred pain from the diaphragm. No shortness of breath, sweats, dizziness, etc. Whatever this is, it's def. band related.

I don't have pain this week---just mild sensation-- and it's off and on. It is not a heart attack. I feel fine otherwise. I will try to get an appt with my doc tomorrow, though.