PamRN

I had my bandiversary last week. While reassessing the past year and the lack of loss over the past couple of months, I realized I needed to get back "on the band wagon". I bought Protein powder and Vitamins again, and started paying attention to what I was eating. I made smarter eating choices, skipped the cream Soups and ice cream that go down so well, & increased Water intake and Proteins. At a year out with no additional fill, one might think I simply needed one, but I know that I don't because I still have significant restriction. I had simply grown tired of paying attention to the band, and took a bit of a break from it. While the band saved me from the usual pre-band diet failure and subsequent weight regain, I hadn't lost a pound in over 2 months. After one week of working with my band the way I'm supposed to, I've lost another 2 pounds. Now I know that this band is the best thing I've ever done for me. I know that as long as I work with the band, the band will work for me. That is SUCH a good feeling!

Happy Birthday to you!

QUIGGLE?? LOL! I love that word... I'm gonna have to use it sometime!

Welcome Merry, I too am from Illinois. I'm east central, Near Champaign. Congrats on your banding and successes so far. Keep reading here and you'll find info on just about anything you want to know, (and maybe even a few you don't) but this site is worth all of our combined lost weights in gold!

I, being a woman of changing moods and tastes, have decided that I want a different hottie for each day of the week... Monday Man: Benjamin Bratt, he has SUCH a sexy smile... Tuesday Man: Toby Keith... I just love him Wednesday Man: Andy Garcia ~ sizzlin' Thursday Men: Paulie and Vinnie from American Chopper...of course at the same time Friday Man: George Clooney if you other girls haven't worn him out Saturday Man: The Rock... Saturday night wrestling Sunday: Ritchie Sambora... with or without his guitar

Good Luck Trish, I do hope you feel better soon!

Are you finding the numbers that were hated enemies on the way up the scale are like old friends on the way down? I remember being tearful and depressed seeing 199 on the way up, but danced with joy to see it again years later on the way back down. Dance with joy, you deserve it!

doh! No need to concern myself with giving up my age... it's announced in the corner of every post

I'm probably giving my age away here, but Andy Gibb was a hotty

I ate a lot of the packaged flavored tuna's early on, those are a good source of Protein, I do well with dark meat chicken only, sauces do help... I eat pintos and cheese from taco bell, things like that. the time of day detemines how well I can eat. I have to be up for a few hours before I can eat much at all, then I can eat a little at a time through the afternoon, and then late in the evening, I tighten back up. Other bandsters can eat Breakfast, or can eat late. Having my monthly visit from aunt flo means increased restriction, having a cold or other illness... same thing. Try paying attention to when you eat, and how it goes, you may find that you have your own window of eating opportunity.

I am not a closet bandster. I am a teacher by nature, in my career I teach my patients how to achieve the best possible level of health they can for their conditions. So it seemed only natural to openly share my journey. So that's what I do. However, I do at times wish I'd kept it to myself, because of the ignorance of those who don't have a weight problem, "NO, it's NOT a gastric bypass"... because sometimes I get tired of retelling the story, because sometimes what I do for me is nobody's business anyway. But, because I started openly, I have no choice but to continue. Your desire to keep it to yourself is not only normal, but it's your god given right. If you were having hemorrhoids resected would you talk of it over a bonfire?? What do you say when people ask "How are you losing so much weight, what's your secret?" You tell the truth, You are eating a whole lot less, and are following the Protein first diet...you know, like they say in sugar busters, protein first, veggies second, carbs or Desserts last if there's room... mentioning the band is NOT mandatory. Good Luck!

I was right there where you are one year ago, minus a couple of days, terrified and thrilled, excited to start the journey, afraid I'd fail... I'm down 85 pounds from my highest weight the in 2004. 73 from the day of surgery. I'm not an exercise fanatic, but I am more active because I feel so much better now. I don't do dieting well, but I eat less because the band makes me, I avoid certain bready/fibery foods (read cake/cookies) because the band makes me, I make better food choices out of need for nutrition, because the band makes me. You will succeed, because everytime you start feeling lax and realize you aren't actively working with your band, you'll come here to LBT, tell us you have been a bad bandster, and we all will support you, and encourage you, and you'll start doing better again, start losing again, and feeling better than you have in years... it always works for me. Tears are ok, fears are ok, life as you know it is about to change...but you aren't gonna miss it. This is one journey that I've never regretted. Here's hoping you can say the same to a newbie this time next year! Good Luck to you and Best wishes!

Leatha you are SO right! (& so is P. Harvey) Thanks Ms. De for putting it out there (as usual) Love you or hate you... people have to admit that you make them think... even if it's just thinking of an argument

I agree with the action part. Please write your letter, sleep on it, then re-read it making sure you have kept all emotion out of it, and gotten all the facts in it. List customer complaints as your reason for writing, and then list those customers and the facts regarding their complaints. Your environment is very stressful for you, and if you are taking double your dose of medication now, (I hope your Doc is aware) maybe a different med is in order. My own mother has been taking antidepressors and tried several before the new cymbalta was prescribed, it's got her smiling and back to her old self. You are doing this not only for yourself but those folks who have entrusted you and those weinies you work with to provide a needed service. Your customers will certainly appreciate a better running place of business as much as you will. Good Luck to you, you ARE doing the right thing. Whether you end up moving on or not, at least you took action.

Bleeding in the urine could be a kidney stone, or urinary tract infection(UTI), is your urine concentrated/strong odor/darker in color...does it burn when you go? a UTI causes crystals to form which cut at the ureters as they pass, this can cause bleeding. Did you have a urine catheter (foley) during surgery? Those can cause an infection sometimes. If blood is in your stools, your stools would be black and tarry, or could be red and bloody. If it's black it indicates a bleed higher up, perhaps as high as your stomach, i.e. a bleeding ulcer, or something surgically related. If it's red blood, it's lower such as hemmorrhoids bleeding etc. Did your dr give you an antibiotic to take? Pyruvidine perhaps? (UTI med that can turn your urine as orange as a tequila sunrise). Was your urine tested? You can buy urine sticks at pharmacy's to test yourself for a UTI.

Wow, your doc's are really conservative. I probably shouldn't tell you that I didn't have a diet pre-surgery, except nothing to eat or drink after midnight before surgery. I had a pretty large late last supper the night before in a fancy french bistro in Mexico. Just goes to show you how different this process can be from one person, or even one doctor to the next. I can't imagine what milk products could cause during surgery, maybe the lactic acid, or nausea in general would be a problem. Are they trying to have you lose some weight pre-surgery? Cream soups are pretty high calorie. My suggestion is to follow your doc's advice. If you aren't sure on reasoning, call them and respectfully ask. You need to be an informed patient so you can be comfortable with the whole process. If you let questions go unanswered you may not make the best possible choices for yourself. Good Luck Monday is right around the corner!

ACK!! How the hell did I miss John-John?? He was about to get a divorce and marry me before that damn plane went down... we hadn't met yet, but I'm sure it was in my Karma somewhere!

James Dean was smokin' I'll take him pre-car crash... I'd hate to have bits of him falling off on me Perhaps at the next bash you could have a BYOB party! (bring your own body) or... you know... pics of your fave cadaver pre-mortum might be fun too...then guess who wanted to do who?

I was banded Sept 21, 2005, (see 1 year bandiversary thread) Good Luck Tomorrow CatLover!

The only true way to know if you're in ketosis is to use a urine dipstick. Ketosis causes fruity breath which could taste funny. The tooth funk is just as GYTMoon said, the lack of chewed food scrubbing against the teeth.

Not only is everyone different, but obviously every Dr is too! I do well with popcorn, chew gum constantly and use a straw as I was told a straw reduces the size of a gulp, helping keeping gulps smaller...can't have a bandster drinking too fast, it will overfill the pouch and cause pain. How weird is that??

I take the flintstones children's too, the taste is tolerable, though kinda sour and slightly vitaminy... Viactiv DEFINITELY tastes like candy, chewy and caramel like, not a vitamin taste at all, I love those, but the kids vite's are better for me, so I stick with those since I don't eat quite right. I have substituted for a change up though, and will buy viactiv again

I tossed all the old natty drawers out with the first #50 loss, so now my undie drawer is fairly repectable... for now, ask me next year, I may still be cycling through the same 10 sets... I prefer bikini bottoms, but have been curious about the thong trend... my daughters wear them, but I just keep thinking I'll feel that wad of fabric up my ass all day and won't be able to stand it! Right now: pink hanes bikini bottoms, seamless pink VS bra... no they don't match... I've been married 20 years, they only match when I want money to go shopping...

Thanks kids for all the kind words and especially the unfailing support. Last July I found LBT, with no real plan for banding, just curiousity, but not really thinking it was something I'd ever really do. I was sure I'd have to get bypass since my insurance doesn't cover the band, and I was terrified about it. In the beginning I spent hours here, reading stories like my own, and thinking ohhh how great banding could be. I read about the american surgeons, and then got my curiousity piqued about the mexican surgeons and groups. Prior to LBT, going to Mexico for anything had never even crossed my mind. But the more I read here, the more clear it became to me that this was it, this was what I needed to fix the mess I'd made of my body and my health. Mexico just might be something I could actually do! Once I knew I'd found what I'd been looking for I began seeking a way to get it done. That was in the beginning of September. I researched Drs across the USA and Mexico. I researched the different bands, and decided I liked the Midband, and then after a couple of phone conversations, and many emails from previous patients, decided on Obesity Goodbye's package. Once all that was decided; I brainstormed with my husband to gather funding for the procedure and trip. I read posts from others and how they did it without insurance help. How money was borrowed, begged, saved, financed, multiple credit cards maxed etc... Like many others, we put up some from savings, and financed the rest through a medical loan company. We realized my husband couldn't really go as the kids were in school, and he had no vacation time left for the year. I asked my mom to go and she gave a resounding YES! The senior bandsters gave me great packing advice, what to do/not do, what to take/leave at home, what to look for, what to buy/avoid, and what to expect in general while in Tijuana... I do believe Delarla gave me sound advice regarding the donkeys/alcohol/mexicali's... though I can't find it, I remember laughing my ass off... and in the end feeling very prepared and barely nervous about it all. We got to Tijuana on Sept 20 and I was banded on Sept 21. Weight loss successes aside, I'm so very proud of myself for taking this on, and getting it done. I'm very happy about the success with it all, but proud mostly that I actually went through with such a previously unbelievable thing. The rest is just bonus bang. During my research, and initially after banding I wasn't absolutely convinced it would work for me. Every other promising weight loss venture had failed me, and hadn't cost nearly as much, so my mind had a hard time accepting that the band wouldn't fail me too. One year later, I get it. It will work for me if I work with it. If I don't it's gonna sit there waiting patiently until I do. I bought more Vitamins and Protein powder today at walmart. I've still got work to do!

coffee grounds are definitely blood, and could be caused by an ulcer, for which prilosec or prevacid could be beneficial. Also there are medications that coat an ulcer, sucralfate or cytotec, to protect it while it heals. I haven't seen where erosion causes visible bleeding into the stomach, but I suppose if it's severe it could. Signs of an ulcer: Feel better when you eat or drink and then worse 1 or 2 hours later (duodenal ulcer) Feel worse when you eat or drink (gastric ulcer) Stomach pain that wakes you up at night Feel full fast Heavy feeling, bloating, burning or dull pain in your stomach Vomiting Weight loss Signs it's getting worse: You vomit blood. You vomit food eaten hours or days before. You feel cold or clammy. You feel unusually weak or dizzy. You have blood in your stools (blood may make your stools look black or like tar). You have ongoing nausea or repeated vomiting. You have sudden, severe pain. You keep losing weight. Your pain doesn't go away when you take your medicine. Your pain reaches to your back. If it is an ulcer: Don't smoke. Avoid anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen. Avoid caffeine and alcohol (or have them only in small amounts and on a full stomach). Avoid spicy foods if they cause heartburn I've read that erosion is generally asymptomatic (no symptoms) & is generally found with a ct scan.