daisydoodle

Lisa... Do you think it works on really thick hair? I've got a ceramic Iron (from wal-mart) and it just works so-so because I have to divide my hair into sooooo many pieces. I recently got my hair whacked off and I'm having to learn to fix it all over again. (Long hair is so much easier than shorter hair IMO!) Maybe I could sell my magic bullet that I haven't used since liquids and use some of that $ for beautification purposes?

Thanks for keeping us posted. She already looked fantastic....I can't imagine the finished product!!!!

So far, I've had ZERO morning sickness. (Knock on wood.) My only real complaint is that I have terrible gas cramps in my lower abdomin that hit me at night while I'm sleeping. I've tried gas-x and the only thing that gives me any relief is getting up and walking around. (So don't be surprised to see me walking my dog up and down the street at 3AM.) My doc says that all of this "extra gas" is very common in the first trimester, I'm just unlucky in the fact that I can't get rid of it! I'm not sure if it has anything to do with my band or not. Another thing, my last fill finally kicked in a couple days after I found out I was PG. I go see my band doc next week and I'm going to BEG him to let me keep my fill. As long as I can convince him that I'm eating enough and making healthy choices, my OB is cool with it.

Trish, Go to the grocery store and find a big old 5lb brisket with lots of fat. Then put that plus 5 more in your cart. Then stare at it and realize that all of that is gone forever from your body. It's enough to make you giggle out loud. That's what I do when I feel like my progress is slow. Take care.

Well, the report from the doc is thumbs up! I'm still VERY early on. Only a month PG. I'll start a whole new thread to do a little journal on pregnant banded life. Thanks for all of you kind words. So much for slipping into a slinky little dress for NYE!

Pant, pant. Paula....I hear ya! Our neighborhood is having National Night Out next Tuesday. Who's the moron that decided this should take place in AUGUST????

Last night I was cramping and it's about that time of the month, so I took a couple of midol and went to bed. Well, about 1AM I woke up with the same discomfort and passed a little gas and took some gas-x and decided it was the beans I had for lunch. I was also reminded of Lisa's post about when she went to the emergency room and the doc told her it was just gas. Boy, I believe that to be true now. Anyway, long story longer.....I woke up early this AM and still felt bloated and weird. I took a pregnancy test and it was "+". That's right...a band baby on the way. Yes, it's too early to be telling people. I go to the doc the afternoon to confirm everything and then I'll tell my family. Right now, just LBT and hubby know. It will be my first and I'm so excited.

Nope...you will be fine. Post when you feel like it and let us know how you are doing. The first three days are the toughest with the gas pain. Good Luck!

:rolleyes I thought that just made you crave icecream? hee, hee

How long did it take you to start losing? I mean REALLY losing like all of the others with the smaller band. After 5 months of being banded, I've lost 25lbs and most of that came off in the first 6 weeks. Since then I've really just lost about a 1-2 lbs A MONTH. I've had 4 fills and am up to 6cc. I go back again in a couple of weeks for another fill. I'm just really getting discouraged because I was hoping for more weightloss by now. For the record, I am not drinking with or after my meals for an hour. I eat my hard protein first...but I can still eat alot if I chew, chew, chew. My meals are not lasting for more than 25 minutes. Confession: I have not been exercising 4-5x a week.

The whole experience has been easier than I anticipated, for that I am extremely happy. However, I am one of those that is losing much slower than I expected. I've lost 25lbs in almost 5 months and most of that came from the first month after surgery. I've got the larger VG band and it is taking me quite a few fills to get to where I feel any restriction. I try to look at this as a life journey and all in all the scale is moving (creeping) in the right direction. Be optimistic, but keep your expectations conservative on how fast you will lose your weight. Everyone is different and certainly some doctors are more aggressive than others. Would I do it all over again? You betcha.

Bumping because I reallllllly want to know more about your story!

Thanks Brenda and Kathy. That's the information I'm looking for. I just had lunch and had a salad with grilled chicken breast and comfortably polished off the whole thing. I think it answers some of my questions. I never felt ANYTHING before this last fill and I think because I got a few golf balls and a PB from being careless that maybe I was filled enough. Now I know that's not neccessarily so. The whole thing about the nerve that triggers you a full signal....well nobody talks about that much. I'd love to learn more about that.

Come on....surely there's SOMEONE out there that can help with this. Don't make me come find you!

Good Luck with your upcoming surgery...it will be here before you know it!

What an inspiration you are to me Mae! For sooo many reasons... I'm one of those that seems to be on the slow road to restriction, so I'm losing slower than I expected to. Please tell me what it felt like when you started to feel proper restriction. Did you have a real full signal? What would you eat in a typical day? Best of luck to you on your revision.....I'm sure you will do fine. Looking forward to your reply.

The weighed me after they got me in my gown that morning... Oh, and don't be disappointed if you weigh when you get home. I gained 6lbs in two days at the hospital from all the Fluid they pumped in me....It came off in the first week easily. Good luck!

I've been banded a little over four months and with the help of my fourth fill (I'm at 6cc in a VG band) I've finally felt some restriction. Finally had my first PB thanks to sausage on a stick at Schlitterbahn waterpark last week. Here's my question: I now sometimes get the feeling of being "stuck" if I take too big of a bite or eat too quickly, but then I can feel the food slowly pass through the band and I'm fine. I can still eat large portions of food (eating hard Protein first) if I eat slowly and take small bites. How long should it take before the food passes through your pouch? Am I still not tight enough? I don't do well with doughy foods now that I've had my last fill so I thought that I was where I was suppose to be.....but last night I ate an entire steak and then some salad and felt comfortably satified. (This was no bandster sized steak, I assure you!) What does it feel like when you do get full with proper restriction? Does your pouch just feel full? Is it when you get the golfball in your chest? Does your tummy just smile and say "thank you very much?" Please help me understand.... Thanks

I got my 4th fill yesterday so now I am up to 6cc. I'm really hoping this make a difference. Still on liquids today, so I'll keep you posted. I told my doc that I was ready to "PLAY BALL!" and get into the game. At first he put 7cc in and then had me drink some water and I could feel the itty bitty trickle of water through my pouch....he said that's too tight so we went with 6cc.

way to go Patty! You are leaving me in the dust!!! I go for yet a 4th fill tomorrow! I got one of these BIG OLE VANGUARD BANDS and it's taking me a while to get restriction. I'm still pretty much like the black hole even at 4.6cc. You are doing great! Stay in touch since you are my bandsister.

(HIJACK) Bob..... I want your avatar.....mmmmmmm

I waited about 10 days.....that's just me. Plus AF came to visit the week after my surgery....so as soon as she was gone I was back in action. Nothing acrobatic, but got the itch scratched. My doc said I could do whatever I wanted unless it hurt, and then stop if it did. No strict orders.... Have fun!!

I might become a saline junkie, who knows?

I went to another message board that I am on and someone told me (she says she's a bandster RN) that the first 3.5cc in the VG band stay in the tubing and it isn't until after that the inflation actually begins. She says that's why they are starting with 4cc in the first fill. I can't wait to ask my doc about this. I've had three fills and I'm only at 4.6cc. My body keeps tempting me to revert to my preband eating habits. Without restriction this is a huge battle. I read about others on the board that say they can't eat certain foods and others are really hard to go down. That's completely foreign to me. No PB's here. Just my head telling me, "you better quit eating because (the person I'm eating with) knows you had this surgery." Isn't that the pitts? Back to my doc on Thursday.....Fill 'er up!!!!!

I'm starting to get a little frustrated. I got the big VG band. (My doc says that he prefers this because it has chambers and not one large balloon and it should be less likely to cause erosion.) Anyway, I'm going in for ANOTHER fill because I still can eat like a "healthy girl", know what I mean? I had a cheeseburger, fries, and a piece of peach pie for lunch today! I know that this was a poor choice for me, and I don't eat like this all the time.....but you'd think that this would have been a difficult meal for me to polish off! I was comfortably satisfied afterwards. Somebody please tell me that restriction is around the corner!!