Vicki J

mstrina27 - Congratulations on getting the band. I started my journey June 6th of last year when I started the process at Kaiser. I wasn't banded until 12/12/07 but did just as I am advising. I lost 70 of my 103 (need to update ticker :tt2:) prior to surgery. I continued to loose during Bandster Hell because I continued to do the same thing. I'm not trying to seem like I'm greater than anyone else. I did my share of ranting because I was hungry. But I decided I was doing this to loose weight and made the commitment the day I started the process. People who think that when they get the band it will make them do something are kidding themselves. This is like having a hammer to build something with. It's a tool. Used wrong or letting it sit there and expecting something to happen is like putting the hammer down and telling it to build the house. Not gonna happen. If you work with the band, you will go on a fantastic journey. You will accomplish things you never thought possible. The skinny, self assured person inside you will come out. Trust me, I'm living proof and there are a lot of us out there. I don't know if you have a resource to journal with but fitday.com is the one I personally like. There's lots of them out there and some people just prefer the old fashioned piece of paper. Let me know if I can answer any questions and CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN!!!:tt1:

IMHO, you are able to eat that much because you are still wide open. I noticed that you were banded 2/20/08 which means that you are at the very beginning of your journey. Most people feel like they could eat the whole cow at that stage. A fill or so should help this. Having said that, just because you can eat all that food doesn't mean you should. This is a lifestyle that you should be practicing even without a fill. If you get in the habit of doing that, you won't be doing the overeating thing in between fills. Try journaling your portions and the old weigh/measure thing. It's not fun but it will keep you from stretching your pouch in the future. Sorry if this comes off harsh, that's not my intent. But you need to take control of the situation before you really do damage something. Vicki

I've only been to one of these. I figure I might make them a monthly thing or at least everyother month. I have about a 30 minute drive from my house but the traffic was pretty light since it's on a Saturday. As far as getting Dr. Le to give you a fairly good fill, just make sure that you make sure he understands the situation. With me, I loose weight no matter what because I make sure I stay under 1200 calories and exercise. So I had to make sure that he understood that he couldn't go by that. He seems to like to stay around 1/2cc after the initial fill. He's really worried about getting someone too tight. I have already sent him an email saying I wanted to be more agressive this next time. I would like to get around 1cc put in. Hopefully he'll do it.

Oops. Mine is 10:45 on the 6th. I must be the appointment right after yours. Dr. David Le does my fills. He's ok. He tends to be on the conservative side. I plan on telling him to be a little more agressive this time. Not a lot but I don't want to have to keep running down there. I think I have about 4cc's in my band so I think we have room. I have to tell him not to go by my weight because I don't let myself eat more than 1000 calories a day. I also exercise 5 days a weeks so the weight will continue to go down. But I've gotten where I'm hungrier and I can eat more. Maybe I'll see you there. Vicki

April - Glad you clarified that. I would have been in trouble again. LOL I'm doing fine. I scheduled another fill for May 6th because I'm getting a little hungry too soon after eating. Darn, I was hoping to stay away from that place for a while. Oh well, at least I have a little time built up. I called and asked if they had anything around 3 - 3:30 so I could work 1/2 day. She said I have on on the 6th at 10:30. I then said but I'll wait a little longer if you can get around 3-3:30. She said on the 20th of May I have one at 1:45. I gave up and took the first one. Either way it's a whole day off for a 20 minute appt. <sigh> How are you doing?

The meeting is at the Sacramento Kaiser by Cal Expo called Point West. We meet at 10 the last Saturday of the month. Vicki

lawbebe - I know that the group that meets for Kaiser has a support group that meets before the official Kaiser meeting that is supposed to be for anyone. You might call the Kaiser near you (S. San Francisco, Fremont, or Richmond) and ask them. S. San Francisco's number is 650-742-3079. Vicki

wllssctt - Which Kaiser are you going through? This is an important piece of information since the three in No. Cal are all different in how they run their programs. I have heard that most of them are different. Also, why are they making you drop out of class? This doesn't make any sense. Even if you were still smoking or using nicotine they should let you finish the class. I went through S. San Francisco and if you didn't do one of their requirements they would either not schedule the surgeon's visit or they wouldn't schedule surgery but they didn't stop the rest of it from happening. You can PM me if you want with more details. I'll try to find someone to help you. I have been in touch with several people who are in the process or have gotten their bands. Vicki

Boy, that seems so long ago and it hasn't even been a year yet. It's when I realize that that I have to sit back in astonishment. Who would have thought that such great things could happen in just a year. It's nice because not only has it happened to me but I have acquired friends who are going through the same thing at one stage or another. It's nice to see them doing so well, too. As so many ahead of me have said, "I wish I had had the surgery many years ago." So much of my life was wasted because I couldn't do things. I started telling myself years ago that I was getting old. Well, I've found the fountain of youth I guess because I don't feel old anymore. You'll be looking back soon and say "that was me". Then you'll look in the mirror and say "No, this is me". It's coming. Sooner than you think. Vicki

Yeah, Reggie's a cutie. I have 7 of them running around my place. It's my husband's mid-life crisis. LOL. Better that than some young thing. I love them all though. I've always been an animal lover. From what I've heard Colorado farms out their WLS. Is that still true? Hopefully their system will move faster. Keep me posted on how you're doing. I'd be interested in the comparison between Colorado and California, too. (I don't mean that you're in God's country and I'm in the land of smog. <grin>) Good luck and glad to see you're headed for Bandlandia! Vicki

Great!!! Which Kaiser are you going through? Do yourself a favor and set your mind to a long journey. The Kaisers in No. California are taking about 8 months to a year to get through. It is totally worth it. Work the pre-op diet hard and you'll have a great start towards reaching your goal. Then when you get the band not only will your liver have shrunk but you'll also know that goal is much closer and the band will help you keep it off. Good luck!

BikinniBeachy - I'm a Kaiser lapbander. I know of one other person who has an idividual plan and got the lapband last October. This is in No. California. What you need to do is call your patient services. They will tell you right over the phone if WLS is covered. I also called my bariactric department to make sure that they did the lapband. For your individual plan coverage Patient Services is the way to go with Kaiser. Good luck -

Thanks everyone. I will be running around this weekend trying to find them. I like the fact that they are multigrain. How's that for scratching for an excuse to make these "good". LOL:lol:

Jackie123 - Post this on smartbandsters.com (yahoo group) and ask Jessie (bariactric nurse) about it. She's been banded for 8 or 9 years. Vicki

Ok, where do you get them. I went to Raleys and they didn't have them. I couldn't believe it! I tried some of the choc drizzle ones and I really liked them. Now I want to try the others. Help!

Also, leftover meats can be hard on us. If you're doing leftovers, be sure that they get plenty of moisture. Heating them in a microwave can make them band unfriendly. A fat free gravy can help with that or even heating them with a little liquid like bullion will help. Vicki

BrandyII - Just be careful about getting too full. If you're having problems with foods, try and find out why. For example, chicken can be rubbery/dry. Scrambled eggs are a good source of Protein although they may not keep you full as well as good old meat does. However, since you've had problems it might be better to do softer foods like scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, etc. I'm glad to hear you're doing better. Definately keep me posted and if you have any questions that I might be able to help you with feel free to PM me. Vicki

I have a surgeon that is wrapped around the statistics. He keeps trying to tell me I might not loose much more and I keep telling him to hold on to his statistics because I'm going to blow them out the door. I, too, did a lot of research which was fortunate be cause Kaiser in No. Cal just started doing them about a year ago and gave a lot of RNY info. BrandyII and mummybandit - How are you two doing today?

I'm glad to hear the two of you haven't given up. As the banded bariactric nurse on another message board says "only a few people cannot loose weight with the band and we're not that special". She also says that the band is a fickle b***h. Most of us just need to figure out the attitudes of our bands and then we're off and loosing. I went around trying to reach the old "full" feeling for a long time. I caused myself some discomfort before I figured out that that feeling isn't the same anymore. I also have to battle myself because I simply love the taste of food and I have to make myself back away from the table. The old saying that this is the "easy way" out is a crock. It's work and if we don't do it right we get punished. Start easy again and be willing to take time out for yourself. Trust me kids, family and friends will benefit from a healthier, happier you. It's not a race it's a journey. Enjoy it. Keep me posted. I'm rooting for you to get past these problems and find the skinny person inside. Vicki

Hello all - Boy it sure sounds like brandyII and mummybandit are having troubles. Ok, ok, I know that's an understatement. After reading the posts of both of you I have a few suggestions. Keep in my this is just my humble opinion and I don't have any medical degrees. Susan4794 asked why brandyII got a fill if she was already having problems. I'm curious about this too. I'm also curious why when you can only eat small amounts of good food you're switching to the bad food. I could be missing something here. If you can only eat small amounts of good food and you don't feel you're getting enough nutrition in, eat a couple of extra "small" meals. Journal your calorie count and make sure that you don't go over 1200 per day but this would definately be better than eating the "bad" foods. Mummybandit - Grapes have skins that can be a problem with people who may be too tight. I don't mean so tight that you can't swallow your own spit but a little too tight. Also, sandwiches have bread and possibly lettuce both of which are nutorious about being hard on bandsters. Some of us can eat them but a lot of people can't. Try tuna with crackers (start with saltine since they are the mildest). The left shoulder pains can be from the problems with the band and overeating. When I first got my band in December '07 it happened to me if I ignored the soft spot. Now I think that both of you should give your stomachs a break and do a couple of days of liquids, then full liquids, soft food working your way up to regular foods. One of the things about meats and regular veggies are that they are dense or if the veggies are raw they can be hard. My doctor didn't want me to eat fresh veggies (carrots, brocolli, etc.) for 6 months to let the stomach heal. They are very hard to digest. Your meats need to be extremely moist or they too will give you a hard time. Some people suggest ff graveys or something like that to moisten them. Watch what you eat for a while. I still will look at a dinner roll and start to nibble on it...then I squeese the piece in my hand to check and see if it might be something I'll have a problem with. I have learned from others that if it balls up in your hand (like we used to do as kids) then it can potentially give you trouble. Rice and Pasta can do the same thing. Also, consider a slight unfill. If you're really in a bad way, yeah I would do a full unfill but if you're able to eat the wrong things, I think probably a small unfill will help. You might find out that giving your stomachs a break as I mentioned above and carefully choosing the right foods afterwards might just do it. This is a tricky process. Also, try a cup of tea (hot) before eating and let it relax your stomas. Stop eating at any sign of fullness or trouble. Pain while the food is moving down is usually your esophagus spasming. Unless of course you've taken too big of a bite, not chewed well....etc. I hope this helps. Keep us posted and feel free to PM me if you have any questions. This can be worked out and you will be a success once it does. The frustration has to be huge. Keep your chin up and be persistent about making your doctors hear you. Good Luck! Vicki

April - Wow, sorry to hear that you're having trouble. My other girlfriend that goes to Dr. Alami also got too tight. Now, I'm not saying anything about his abilities to do the fills, just saying that she got there too. I haven't heard from her in a few weeks so I don't know how it worked out. She was going to try and ride it out because it wasn't "that bad" but she had to be real careful. I was worried about the getting in the same spot. Dr. Le didn't do any agressive fills on me. He really wanted to sneak up on it. He gave me about 1cc on the first fill (I had 2cc after surgery), then he gave me .5cc the second fill and I don't know for sure what he gave me on the 3rd and final fill but I think probably around .5cc. For me that worked out fine. Some people would think they were loose because I can eat anything except really dry meat. But I do ok at not getting hungry except in the morning. I usually need a snack around 10. So, I just plan it in. The main reason for that is my lunch is around 1. One thing I did learn is if I eat dense protein (steak, chicken, jerky, etc.) I stay full way longer. I was trying to oatmeal for breakfast and I think I made it to work before I heard the rumblings. Carbs and things like cheese just don't last. I usually have my carbs (veggies/fruits) with my protein or for my planned snack. Never as a meal by itself. Dr. Le said to call if I need a fill, otherwise, he'll see me in 6 months or so. He said he wanted a picture when I got to goal. Of course, this is after he AGAIN told me I probably wouldn't loose much more weight. Geez, these guys and their statistics. :tongue_smilie: I think you're idea of easing up on this thing is good. I don't know about you but driving all the way down there is a total pain not to mention the stress of being too tight. Keep me posted on how you're doing. I wish I had some wise sage old advice for you but I don't. This band is a fickle thing. They change daily. Sometimes it's like having a living thing in there with the loosening and tightening they do. Good Luck!!!! Vicki

Hey smilin_apple - I'm doing great. The fill level that Dr. Le has me at seems to be pretty close to the ol' sweet spot. It's nice because it helps me with the hunger but I haven't had any PBing or slimming. I guess I'm pretty lucky. Every once in a while my esophagus will spasm but it doesn't last long. It surely reminds me that I have the band. How are you doing? Vicki

Heartfire - Congratulations on getting started with your journey. There is a person going by the tag Warrior on this board who has gone through the Richmond process and has finally received her date. I suggest if you can get ahold of her to ask her the questions regarding Richmond. I went through SSF Kaiser and will be more than happy to answer any questions I can. Again, congratulations and good luck. Vicki

Connie - The feeling that your are describing sound like you're eating too much, IMHO. Try planning a good meal (protein/veggies) and only putting the amount bandsters should eat on your plate (2-3 oz protein/.5C veggies - eat your protein first). Then cut everything into pencil eraser size. Chew the heck out of it. I mean mush and then some. Once you finish your serving put your plate away and leave the table. Get busy doing something else. Now if you are still hungry after say 1/2 an hour, get yourself a snack. Limit it to 100 cal. or less. I have found that if I use a good source of protein (i.e. meat - something dense) that I don't get hungry as fast either. Make sure you DON'T even sip liquids during the meal or for at least 1/2 hour after you eat. Also, make sure that your calories aren't used for liquid calories. These do not stay with you. Eat no more than 3x a day with MAYBE 2 planned snacks. Keep your calorie intake NO MORE than 1200 calories and ABC (all bites count) in the calorie intake. Should you still be hungry with the above mentioned method in less than 3 hours...you probably need a fill. If you continue the way you are going, (getting where you feel like you are choking) you will stretch either your pouch or your esophagus. This will cause major problems. Feeling full to a bandster does not feel like it does pre-banding as IndioGirl55 stated. Sometimes it's an art to figure out. It may be a sigh or a burp/hiccup. If you get to any discomfort (pain, choking feeling, etc.) you have gone too far. Now my "soft stop" is when I realize I'm thinking "should I stop?". That usually comes just before the feeling of food being left in my throat. I hope this helps. If you have anyother questions, please feel free to PM me. Vicki

Hi Jessica - I'm with Kaiser and started my journey June '07. It started with an orientation on that date and I finally got through all the hoops and had surgery on 12/12/07. Right after orientation I started on their pre-op meal plan and lost 70 lbs before surgery. I figured since I was in this to loose weight I might as well start then. Since surgery I have lost an additional 28 lbs. I went through the So. San Francisco facility and I have to tell you that at times I was so frustrated that my friends and family had to listen to me blow off steam. But I'm glad that I held on and got the band. Please PM me if you have any questions. I'll be more than happy to answer them. Also, let me know what facility you are going through as each of them have a different protecol. Vicki