Cocoabean

Great idea Jetsy! But I am such a daredevil, I'd have to try it! My first stuck episode was on .... nevermind .... I'm not telling! And here I am eating my lunch at work smelling garlic fries from the cafeteria. This place is a torture chamber, I tell ya! If only they'd turn on the exhaust fan the smells would not permeate the building. But then we would not all flock there like the sparrows back to Capistrano! I shall resist!!

Hi Everyone! I am doing well today. Still feel the sore throat and slight congestion of whatever-it-is. It hasn't progressed like a cold, so maybe an allergy? Butters and I did our walk yesterday anyway. My legs felt like lead, but we went! He did very well. There was a man in his driveway with his dog on a leash. The other dog went crazy and Butters didn't even acknowledge it! That was awesome for Butters, massive improvement from a few weeks ago where he would have pulled me off my feet to go after the other dog. YAY! His next lesson is today. MIL still in the hopsital. They did a transfusion last night for severe anemia. So now, we are just taking it day-by-day. The doctor reported that her iron level and blood pressure are good today after the transfusion. We'll see how it goes. She is 94.

Howdy, Sliming is not puking. Neither is productive burping, really. That is just an URP, and up comes the offending food. It is sort of like a reverse gravity. Like 'soexicted' said, not like the flu puking. I have had a very few stuck episodes that involved nausea and vomitting. I am two years out. I don't know. If I had a VERY strong aversion to vomitting...it would be a tough decision to get a band. Best wishes!

Hi Sammy, Only you can truly answer that question. I was around your BMI when I began my Quest for surgery. I knew for me that with time, my weight would continue to rise. It was completely worth it to me. I am no longer on the road to diabetes. I no longer have high blood pressure. I no longer have high cholesterol. I suggest you do a pros and cons list and think it over. This is serious surgery, and not to be taken lightly. It is also life saving, and life changing. I don't regret my decision, except maybe when I have something stuck and am hanging my head over the sink in pain and sliming...but that is rare these days. This is a great place for information. Ask questions and learn! Best wishes.

Welcome to lapbandtalk! I agree with what elcee said. Sounds as if you are too tight. If you cannot eat solid foods, you will struggle with satiety. Slimfast and sliders is not the way to go. Think about getting together with your doctor and a nutritionist and develop a plan. Best wishes!

For me, it isn't a case of "full." It is a case of satisfied. If I get full. I have eaten too much and am likely to be miserable. I don't want my body screaming at me that I am full. I want it whispering to me that it has had enough. There is a big difference. We need to learn the difference. It isn't easy. Many of us have been searching for full our entire lives. It is what got us into obesity. That band helps us with satiety and portion control. If I get stuck, it is slime and a huge pity party. Stuck can happen with the first bite of something. Not the same thing as being full at all.

Having a slight unfill will not cause you to gain weight. Being overfilled can lead to all sorts of complications and can also lead to weight gain, because we tend to eat slider foods that are generally high in calories just to get something down. Having a looser band gives you many more food choices allowing you to eat a wider variety of foods. You REALLY need to go see your doctor. We all want to lose weight rapidly, but being overfilled is sure to backfire. If your body goes into starvation mode, your losses will slow down to nothing and you will lose muscle mass. I was overfilled once. Getting a very slight unfill was the best thing I ever did. I was able to go back a month later and get that amount plus a little put back in. It is not admitting defeat or giving up. Nor does it mean your weight-loss days are over. Best wishes.

As always, follow your surgeon's advice. My surgeon said no NSAIDs on a regular basis, but once in a while is OK for me. They are rough on the stomach. I also read on a bariatric surgeon's website that he doesn't have a problem with his band patients taking them as their stomachs haven't been cut the way bypass patients' stomachs have been. For what it's worth.

Hi Lesley Ann, Glad your surgery went well and you are doing fine!! May I ask, did you have a revision to bypass from a band? Or was this your first WLS procedure? Best wishes for a speedy recovery and a new healty you!

Hi Everyone! Bob in 4 weeks: Betsy: Continued prayers for you. Don't let yourself get lost during this rough time! Leigha: Yay on continuing to feel better! The new protein stuff is yummy. Had one for breakfast. Did vanilla with the orange energy-electrolyte mix. Very yummy and no aftertaste. Jens: Doing well this week. Still walking with the poochy, he is loving every minute of it. Looks like I am down a pound this week. Yay! Been a while since I have lost any weight. My doc called me in some blood sugar test strips. So I'll do some periodic fasting sugar checks. My last fasting sugar was slight elevated. Hoping the walking will bring that down. MIL should be released today. Hubby is heading to the hospital now. That is a good thing. I feel as though I am fighting off a cold. So I'll not be visiting her until I am over whatever it is.

Congratulations on the win! With the luck it took to win the surgery, how could you not be successful? :thumbup: I can understand the trepidation about being in the spotlight, but I guess it is your "payment" for the surgery. There is no free lunch, afterall. Come here for support, we'll be here for you!! I don't blame you a bit for postponing due to your trip. Maybe you can think of some sort of pat answer for when people approach you about the surgery. Like yes, I did win. I am doing very well, thank you. How are your kids? Anyone else have ideas? Divert their attention and move the conversation to other things as rapidly as possible! And here is my nosiness...are fills included in the win? :thumbup: Best wishes!

Leigha, so glad you are feeling better. I have been overfilled, too. I sooooo don't recommend it as a means of weight loss. Betsy, sending healing thoughts to your hubby. BT, glad your surgery went well! Now on to recovering and continuing to lose. Can't wait to read of your banded adventures and advice. My week is going OK. Boss is out of town for a meeting! Woohoo! My cubicle mate is in DC for the week, so I have the office to myself...oh yeah!!! 94 year-old MIL should be released from the hospital tomorrow. Amazing how quickly she bounced back from pneumonia. I've felt a little congested and slight sore throat today, so I didn't go to the hospital. Last thing I want to do is make anyone else sick or sicker :thumbup: Butters, the putz, and I have been walking. He's doing very well. We have another doggie lesson on Thursday. I am tossing around whether or not I need another fill. Hubby says no way. I dunno. So I'll continue to ponder. I got my new protein supplements today! I am going to use them for breakfast and change things up a bit. Maybe increasing my protein will help shake things up a bit (no protein shake pun intended). :thumbup:

Woohoo!!! You are on the losers' bench!!! :thumbup:

Oh I LOVE House! Have all episodes on my iPod Touch! Best wishes for tomorrow and a speedy recovery!!

Jen, YAY!! Way to go! Elfie, glad to see you back. Very glad to hear that the Patches helped! Woohoo! Here's hoping that as the band loosens up a bit around your stomach it will get better.

Will be thinking of you!!!!

Hi Juliansmom, I don't get chest pain often. Only when I get something stuck. I just look for a whisper of satiety.

Oh, forgot to add, Betsy, I checked by glucose this morning. It was 98, but the strips expired in 2008, so not sure how accurate it is!

Hi Everyone! Wow, what a day! Leigha, glad the unfill seems to have helped! BT...woohoo!!! Soon to be banded. That will no longer be your "Indian Name"! Betsy, great not scale victory! Jen, I ordered from a company called Isagenix. They have a full line of Meal Replacements and supplements. I tried their vanilla shake with a mix of orange either Protein or Vitamin mixed in. Can't quite remember exactly what my neighbor mixed up, but I ordered it :biggrin: It was tasty. I'll let you know when it comes in. I also ordered the chocolate shake, some bars, and some oatmeal-berry cakes. The vanilla and orange mix was very good. Like the old Orange Julius drink. My day was spent at the hospital. My 94 year old MIL was admitted through the ER with pneumonia. It's not ladylike to cough. Here's praying that she is OK. But, I didn't overeat. Yay for me. My poor poochie didn't get his walk today, and really let us know that when we got home this evening. I plan to take him tomorrow, even if I have to leave work early to do so. Poor little putzy boy! Have a great day tomorrow everyone!!!

Prolly best to let yourself heal before pushing the envelope!! :wink2: Perhaps we should start a countdown calendar to your first stuckage!

Infections are VERY dangerous! Please don't not go to the ER because it might hurt. The alternative is very frightening! At least call your surgeon's office and tell the on-call doctor what is going on and get some advice. This is not something to mess around with. Glad you are on Cipro, but if it is getting worse, CALL!

WW is a great program. I'd not hesitate to do it if you think it would help you succeed. I am sad they have this attitude towards WLS. There is room in the weight loss market for everyone. What I would do is attend the meetings for support and ask that you not be part of the celebrations portion of the meeting. Or attend the meetings for support, but not weigh in. I believe they require only a monthly weigh-in to maintain membership. You could probably even bring in a note from your doctor that you will be weighing in at his office and not at WW. WW will make an issue if you are consistently losing over 2 lbs per week. You'd still pay the weekly fee, but you'd get the support without a showdown at the scale. During the celebrations portion of the meeting, if you have lost 5 or 10 lbs total, you'll be asked how you did it. Might not want to go into "I have a band!" Best wishes!

Adagray, great job stepping it up! Woohoo!!!!! I just ordered a new Protein supplement. shakes and bars. My last bloodwork also showed I was Vit D deficient and slightly anemic. I blame my surgeon who said I can't drink my milk any more :wink2: (not myself for failing to take my Vitamins like a good girlie!). I still have some milk daily, but not the same amounts I used to. Anyway, this stuff has great vitimin and mineral content, comes from organic sources, yada yada. My health nut neighbor told me about it. We'll see how it goes. I am hoping that upping my protein levels and getting better vitamins and minerals will help me with more energy. I'll keep you posted!!

Why am I having visions of you on Wednesday slamming down a whole loaf of bread just to experience a stuck episode?? :wink2: We'll all be here on the bench waiting for you!!

Hi Robin, My doctor would do it. We have spoken about it. I have gone on two cruises since banding. The band is afterall, adjustable. It is part of the name. :wink2: I decided against unfilling for many of the reasons mentioned here. Not getting back to my same restricition and risking my good habits being huge reasons. Also, the get an unfill for this and this and this...nah. I wonder if insurance would cover all that, too? At my current restriction level (which I was at the last time I cruised last April--I think) I can eat just about any food I choose. I enjoyed all the foods on the cruise, but I did not have to stuff myself stupid to do so. A bite or two of each flavor was enough. To be honest, to me the food on cruises is not all it is cracked up to be. It is good, yes, but not better than what is found on land, and not worth gaining a few pounds. I did postpone my first fill for a cruise because I did not want to find myself in the middle of the Panama Canal having problems. So, I might consider an unfill if I were going somewhere that medical help would be questionable and my restriction level were on the snug side. I have been too tight, and would not want to risk trying to get an unfill from a tribal doctor in the back country somewhere!!