mbanja

Actually, I workout more now than I did then. I think it boils down to the body change after my baby.

I think one thing that is not made clear is the whole vomitting issue. People with the band that do vomit it really isn't the same as regular vomitting. When something gets stuck in our pouch and we feel the need to regurgitate it, we do what is called a productive burp. Yes, essentially it is vomitting, but there is no stomach acid in it. That is unless you have a really bad episode and it cause you to "get sick" from it. It takes us a lot of effort to get that stomach acid from our lower stomach up thru the band and out. My normal vomit, or PB (productive burp) is the food that is stuck and some seriously thick saliva (we call it slime on here) that my stomach has produced to try and lubricate the offensive item. The only reason I have recently had so many is because I am too tight. I have had only 3 times where I truely vomited (with stomach acid included) once being because the stuck piece of food didn't want to come out and I kept heaving to get it up. The key word here is "kept" heaving, which made me sick to my stomach and allowed the stomach acid to move up thru the band and into the upper pouch. Once being stuck and not wanted to PB so I continued to slime and all the slime upset my stomach, and once being because I had food posioning. To me when I think of and hear of vomitting, I relate it to the whole stomach acid and burning and nasty taste in the mouth. Most do not get that here. You truely won't really understand it until you experience it. Now the key to the band it trying your best to prevent these things by taking small bites, chewing your food properly, eating slow, and not being tight. Not being to tight is the hardest since we can't really control this. If you are too tight then you need an unfill. You need to do what you feel is best for you, don't let the fear of vomitting stop you. It really isn't that bad. That being said, if you decided to do gastric bypass, those people vomit too! They term it as dumping. They dump when they eat the wrong foods, high fat, greasy, etc. Even though we (lapbanders) should avoid these foods, we can still eat them. Personally I feel that the lapband is the best way to go. For me it was. You might feel differently. The best thing for you is to do the research on all of the weightloss solutions, weigh the pros and cons of each and see which one you think you could live with. Weightloss surgery is not and easy out! With all, you have to work at it. I second that this was the best and HARDEST thing that I have ever done! In my opinion it was TOTALLY WORTH IT!

By my calculations you are loosing an average of around 1.4lbs a week. That is not so bad. I know you are in a hurry to get this weight off, but it didn't take 5months to get this way. The recommended weight loss is 1-2lbs a week. Put up the scale for a week or two and get out the tape measure. I bet you are loosing inches. Hey inches count big time!

Wow, I didn't know there was a difference either! Count your blessings though cuz no where around me will use omnipaque! I don't currently have a problem with leakage, but it would be reassuring to know that my fluid would have a harder time leaking out. Well, I guess if its not broke don't fix it!

My hubby is a police officer and when he needs to find out about laws he goes to a website called findlaw.com , you could try finding the law there. Also, can you see if any of the other ins that is available for you covers it. Maybe you could switch. I worked with the police dept as a civilian and there was a lady who needed the surgery badly but her current ins didn't cover it. She appealed to the HR dept and they let her switch providers so she could get it. They let her switch before the annual "choose you ins" thing that is required. I would suggest talking with your HR dept, or if you work for the dept, start looking up the stuff in all the ins proceedures.

Thank you so much Dr.J!

Dr.J maybe you can answer this question for me. My friend has lost a ton of weight, on her own God Bless her, and her sister said that she heard from one of the horses mouths that a burn foundation here in GA would do her PS surgery for free so that they could use the skin for grafting. I have tried to research this online but to no avail. Is this heard of? Can they really use it, and if so would they do it for FREE?

Out of personal experience I would say wait at least a month. It took my first fill about 3 1/2 weeks to kick in and I had a second fill which got me waaayyy toooo tight. I ended up having to have all the second fill taken out and now I am still on the too tight side and can't even think about eating until 3p.m. in the afternoon. I don't know why it takes some people's fill longer to kick in than others, it just does. I was miserable with my second fill and ended up making 2 emergency 200mile trips for an unfill. The first trip 1/2 the second fill was taken out, and it still didn't help. The second trip the rest of the second fill was taken out. I am still too tight 3months later and I am trying to hold out cuz I had to pay outta pocket for the fills and don't want to loose anymore of my first fill volume. Which I could stand to have some taken out, but I am determined to make it work. It is not fun being too tight.

Wow, I didn't know a TT involved tightening the muscles as well! Forget removing the excess skin, I am going for the TT!

I have lost 37lbs and still haven't gotten back into my size 16's. Ok so here is the situation. I got pregnant and gained 60lbs, 30 of which I lost almost immediately from the baby, fluid loss, and retained water loss. That put me at 235lbs. Well, I did nutrisystem for a month and ate that horrible nasty food and only lost 2lbs. Which I gained back. Then I found the lap band and the rest is now history. Before getting pregnant, at 209lbs I could wear a size 16 jeans, after the baby I was in a size 20. Now 37lbs down and at 198lbs I am still stuck in a size 18 and can't get my old size 16's to button. WTF? I weigh less than I did before the baby. And to top it all off, I had a csection and now, not only to I have the flabby overhanging stomach, to make it worse the way they did the incision no air can get to that part and it is starting to get raw. I guess like a yeast infection or something. Anyone think that after I loose all my weight that I could get a TT for medical reasons instead of cosmetic? I guess I could hope!

I am glad the OJ is working, do you take any meds for diabetes or high BP? If so, it might be time to have you PB and sugar levels checked to see if you need to cut down on those meds also. That could explain alot. If you are not taking such meds, I would still run it by you doc at your next check up just to make sure. I have been experiencing the same things, but I know its cuz I am on the too tight side and can't really get anything down until about 3p.m. So mine is from hunger. Hey though, at least you are not fat and getting it because it has been 30mins since you've eaten. LOL, its funny how even the stupidest stuff is like a NSV in our band world!

Well, after teetering on the scale at 201 for about 3 weeks, I finally weighed in today at 198lbs. Well, it did take a day of food posioning, throwing up and all that good stuff to make it. But hey, I will take it. Yes I am probably dehydrated, and I am drinking fluids now to replenish, but I hope it stays under 200.

I am in Ga and while it is a common fish it is not readily available for purchase here. I live near Atlanta so I am smack dab in the middle of the state. I am sure it is more available in the costal areas. But, that's nothing new. You can get amazing seafood in the costal areas! Seems like catfish is the most know fish to us southerners.

Ok so I know it is not a new fish, but I just tried the broiled flounder at Red Lobster yesterday. Man it was awsome. If you haven't tried it, it is a really mild flavored *soft* fish. Soft being the key word! I generally get salmon when I go out to eat but it sometimes can get stuck as I am kinda on the too tight side. I had no problems with the flounder.

Step, I am sorry I didn't directy quote the negative poster. My negative post was to bmysuccess. That post really offended me. In no way did I think your post was negative. I just don't see it as right to call a person stupid for having the courtesy to bring a glass of Water "just in case." And if the poster didn't want anyone to know about the surgery she should have just said, "I can't drink with my meals because I have a sensitive stomach and it interferes with the digestion of my food." Steve here is a funny for you: Stupid recognizes Stupid.

For me, the small breasted, I think a FULL C. But I am a barely B at 5'5 and 200lbs, so I look retarded anyway. Unless you count my side boob fat, if I could sqeeze that into the bra cup it might make me a full B. Man I wish I had some boobs. I look retarded with a big frame and small boobs! I have always wanted a nice, perky, round, full C!

Well, if you get too dehydrated you band gets tighter. At least mine does. If you get too tight you won't be able to eat anything and may not even be able to get liquids of any kind down. Even saliva. Then you will need to go to the hospital and get put on IV fluids to re-hydrate and then you will probably need an unfill to help your body re-nourish it's self. Then you will have to start the whole process of getting re-filled, and believe me if you have a fill level that works, you can almost garuntee that it won't work the same, even if it is the same cc that was taken out. Seems like no two identical cc volumes are the same. Why, I don't know. Is that scary enough?

Better yet, why don't you just stay home and cook. Less fat, better for you, no "stupid servers" to deal with, AND.......NO FREAKIN GLASS OF WATER TO LOOK AT! There problem solved!

WOW. It is a wonder how you even got served if she was that stupid. Maybe you should try being a server. You could probably teach all the stupid servers how to do their job! And people wonder how anyone could live with the guilt of spitting is someone's food! Geez guys it is a freakin glass of water. Calm down. At least the person serving you cares enough to think that you might want something to drink at some point. I am not saying that all servers are perfect, but they are people to. Have some respect. You'd be offended if I called you stupid over having a hissy about a stupid glass of water. If it is that much of a problem why not order a glass of ice? No questions asked no liquid to drink. If it is that much of a temptation how can you sit at a table with other people's drinks there, or do you make them not order anything either?

I miss eggs! With my current fill I can't even eat 1 bite of them. Justin, don't get down. As you heal you will be saying to yourself, "dang did the doc really put a band in me or did he just poke some holes and pretend to do surgery." You won't feel it till you are properly restricted! What you are going thru is normal. We have all been at that stage and sitting there staring at a plate thinking, I want to eat more, why is this not working. The best advice I can give you in this stage of your process is to eat about 1/4 to 1/2 cup at a time. Save the food you don't eat and if you are still hungry an hour later, try another 1/4 cup. We all have the "clear your plate" syndrome, but the thing is you are healing and if you fill up really full you might do some damage to the band or stretch your pouch!

I know it gets annoying, but waitressing is not an easy job. I used to be a waitress and it is unbelievable how abusive and mean customers can be. These people are just trying to do their job. I know it can get annoying when they go on about specials and trying to sell drinks and appetizers, but most restaurants make the servers give the speal and try and sell you stuff you don't want. It is just like any other business. Restaurants have what they call secret shoppers that are made to present challenges to the servers and they secretly grade them on their performance. If they do not give the speal they get written up. These shoppers are not know so servers are made to treat every customer as a secret shopper. Believe it or not Sunday is the worst day to work in a restaurant! Church people come in to eat and they can be so nasty. I don't think there was ever a Sunday that I was not in tears by the end of my shift. I worked so hard, ran my but off, and did every thing I could to please these people and I was still left with no tip, and sometimes even had to pay for part of their meal because they would up and leave without seeing the bill. Now, I am a Church goer, so I am not trying to bad mouth people but it is amazing to me that these people are comming from Worshiping the Lord and treat people this way. I just really wish people would think twice before giving servers a hard time.

Sky dive and hike the AT all 2,174.1 miles of it! All the way thru! From Springer Mountain to the summit of Mount Katadyn with my husband!

I second with Steph. Having the band has made it sooo sooo easy for me to throw up. I have never had an eating disorder, unless you count over eating. I have never been one to think about throwing up my food and having a history of migraines and throwing up with them, I did everything to prevent throwing up and had an iron stomach....that is until the band. I have found myself wanting to eat more than I can handle so I'd go and throw up what I had already eaten just to be able to continue eating more of my food. Or sometimes I will find myself beyond my full point where I have ignored my full signs and taken one more bite only to get that stuck feeling, and then have to go PB to relieve it. Not only would I PB, but I'd continue to throw up to empty my stomach. My twisted thinking is, "well thats good, not only did I enjoy myself, but now I got rid of most of the calories I just comsumed." This is NOT HEALTHY!!! I repeat, I have never had an eating disorder, but now being banded I think I probably do. I have totally reevaluated my situation and had the realization that this is becomming an unhealthy problem. I am not addicted to it so I am stopping myself. My life is worth more to me than having the stress and complications of an eating disorder. I know how bad you want to loose weight, and how bad you want this! You need to disclose this to your doctor and you might even need to seek counsuling to help with the "head issues." Which by the way DO NOT go away with the band. If anything the "head issues" come in to play more! Many find that after banding they still need counsuling to over come these issues. Best of luck to you, and you are worth you health!

Wow, I didn't think your arms looked bad before at all. Seening them after though the look awsome. I think I would trade the scars to have arms that looked like yours!

I had my band done in TJ, MX by Dr. Huacuz at the Huacuz sugical center. I found him at Group Lapband Trip to Mexico it is a group trip and they try to take multiple people so its a group. You meet others and go thru the lapband journey with them. It was great. I was very happy with the staff and how perfessional they were. Some of the night time nurses didn't speak english but it was not that much of a problem. They know when you ask for pain meds or water, or anything you need. I was given exceptional care. Dr. Huacuz also does plastic surgery and if it comes down to me needing it, I would go to him in a heartbeat. The price in MX is awsome. Roundtrip and a 3 day 2 nite stay cost a total of $8,000. The coordinator even arranged my flight and pick up from the airport, and she was actually with me the whole time. I am so happy I chose MX. Being a self pay it really saved me loads of money. For fills, I could go back to MX for free, but I live in GA so it would be expensive. I use fill centers usa for fills. Some people have not had good experiences with them, but I am happy so far.