Leena

Really, considering my dh was born in India and lived there until his 20s and my MIL and FIL 9until he passed) spent their lives there I'm quite shocked. Neither one has ever lived in a mud hut or even had a dirt floor, let alone been to a hospital with one. So not all of India is mud huts. In fact, I asked all of the Indians whom I know about this and not one of them has ever been to a mud hut/dirt floor hospital. And trust me I have quite a few close Indian friends. I even had dh ask his friends at work about this as well. Maybe you're referring to REMOTE VILLAGES in India, but surely not all of India. I just find it offensive when people generalize India snf its nationals in such a light.

I know I'm going to get flamed for this, but I say just take the card and say thanks. If your ticker is current we're very close to the same weight. I just bought some jeans at Lane Bryant last week as well as some undies. They also had a lot of draw string pajamas there that will last through a few different sizes. Plus right now if you buy winter things you'll have clothes to wear for the winter. By spring/summer you'll be wearing clothes from a different season anyway.

I was very afraid of going under, as my last experience with it was when I had my tonsils removed in 1998 or 99. Apparently the anestesoligist told me that general anesthesia has improved a lot since then. I had woken up too early with my tonsils and still had my eyes taped shut. This time around it was very relaxing and I was fine, out through the whole surgery.

I like Old Navy. I can wear their XXL tops, pretty much the equivilent of a 18/20 from Lane Bryant. Their jeans run a bit smaller and I'm bigger on bottom so I still can't fit into their jeans. Gap also has cute things. If you have an outlet mall near you Bass carries 14s and 16s in their stores in addition to smaller sizes. My mother loves their clothes and she's a size 10.

i had an episode of emotional sliming over thanksgiving. I had finished eating about an hour before and started to do the dishes at my parents house. Well my mom started yelling at me about something meaningless (honestly i can't even remember what it was). Well the next thing you know I'm sliming into the kitchen trashcan and then the PBing starts. Then she starts yelling more because I'm PBing in her trash can, and that's just not appropriate. AHHHH! Holiday family stress really tightens my band. We've decided not to visit my parents 6 hours away for Christmas as it's too hard on my band.

If it were me I'd say no fill. When I'm tight (like right now) I can't eat most meats, ground turkey is the exception. But a lot can change in a few weeks, especially in the beginning (i assume you're in the beginning since your ticker is at 11 pounds down). I'd call your dr and ask if you can schedule an appointment and possibly cancel it with 2-3 days notice, just incase you don't end up needing a fill. I know my drs office permits this as long as I call about 4 days before the appointment.

I use toddler silverware, yes my 3 yr old and I share. It does help with taking smaller bites. But there are still some things that I hate to chew, mainly steak or roast. I've tried to eat them before and after a while it just gets to be a gross chewed up mess and I have to spit it out. Turkey that's too dry is another one of those things. I do miss certain foods, like bread, but everytime I've tried to chew it I no longer like it. I seem to have lost my taste for a lot of things. As long as the numbers on the scale get smaller I don't mind not being able to eat things.

I didn't have to do any of that pre-op. Post-op my dr gave me oral anti-nausea meds and they worked just fine. As for short arms. Post-op I was really swollen and unable to wipe with my short arms. DH was such a saint and ended up with a new watch since he put up with me. Have fun!

I'm now at 2cc in my band. So far I think this may be my sweet spot. I had the fill a week ago tomorrow, and it's still feeling oh so nice. I'm hoping this one lasts a long long time. -Leena PS. I think the reason for not polling the fill amount is that people's fills change on a regular basis, increasing and dereasing for various reasons.

No carbonation! It's a rule. My dr. permits alcohol, just not carbonated drinks. I went out with my little brother over thanksgiving and he ordered me a "red headed slut". I have red hair, so thought it was a bit odd. Anyway it was yummy and I no longer have any sort of tolerance to alcohol. It also took about 40 minutes to drink. Stay away from carbonation, it can stretch your pouch.

I think everyone is different. Fills for me kick in within a day or two and are very noticable within a week. I had one fill that didn't make a difference and went in the next week for one. Now I can say I'm restricted again.

Would you really want to go back to her if she did indeed loose your fill for you? Just a thought. I know my 2nd and 3rd fills were close together, a week apart, because I felt like the 2nd one didn't add any restriction (.2cc in a 4cc band that already had 1cc in it). Also partially my fault because I told him to be conservative as my first fill made me really tight. So he erred on the side of caution. So on my 3rd fill the Dr pulled out what was in there, 1.2cc and added an extra .8cc. At 2cc I found restriction the same evening. So you could have a case of a lost fill or just not enough of a fill. Personally, I stick to the same doctor; he did my surgery and continues to do my fills.

I waited about 3 years before getting the lap band. I considered have a bypass instead, and then decided not to. And at that point the lap-band was still fairly new in the US, and there wasn't a lot of research published. I didn't like the mortality rate of the bypass along with dumping and vitamin/mineral defeciencies. So as more information has come out about the band I was steered in that direction. I think the show Big Medicine swayed me towards banding. And then the last straw was when I went to take the Praxis (teaching exam) and didn't fit into the flip down lap style desk and had to ask for alternate seating. That was in June and I spent a month really depressed about it. Then started working out and getting mentally ready for surgery. I had my consultation in August and surgery in September. For me I really needed to research surgeons and mentally and physically prepare for surgery.

Well I'm 5'5", but with shoes make it to over 5'6". I started at 333 and a size 28. Now at 275, I'm a 18/20 in tops and a 24 in pants. I have been able to fit into some XXL tops and dresses from Old Navy, but not their pants. One day I'd love to be a single digit size take your pick: 2, 4, 6 or 8.

Honestly, for the first 9 days post-op I didn't have any protien shakes. Every one that I tried mad me sick, even the fruity flavored test-tube shots of protien. For some reason they frothed back up. I did manage to get in Water, homemade chicken broth and sugar free popsicles. But it was very slow going. I was very swollen and it would take me 25 minutes to eat a sugar free icee pop (the ones in the plastic sleeve). I spent every awake moment drinking something. Slow and easy wins the race when it comes to post-op fluids.

I am still on metformin, but I take 2 500 mg pills and cut them in half. They seem to be fine that way. My DH takes the 1000mg tablets and they are huge. When the dr put me on it I requested the smaller 500 mg tablets and just have to take 2 instead and cut them in half. Not sure what size you're on but that's an option.

The cold sweats happened to me 9 days out while I was waiting in line at the outlet mall. I found that I felt much better when I sat down. At that point I was also still on clear liquids, so I wasn't getting very many calories either. I didn't even try to drive until about 2 weeks post-op.

I considered the bypass, but the risk just wasn't worth it. I was banded almost 3 months ago and have lost 54 pounds with the band and 71 pounds since my highest weight (pre-band/prior to pre-op diet). By biggest food issue was quantitiy of food, not quality. I'm not a junk food eater, but rather a giant portion eater. The band has helped me control my portion size. And exercising has helped me loose rather quickly too. A friend of mine had the bypass a few years ago and at 3 months out she was 10 pounds lighter than me; we had the same starting weight. But 4 years later she has become anemic and is having problems with b12 deficiency. Considering I have a family history and person history of anemia I stayed away from the bypass and watch my nutrients closely with the band.

When the port is deeper in the layers of fat it's not as easy to reach with the needle (it is a long needle but sometimes just not long enough). Eventually you should be able to feel the port through your skin, and then you'll be able to have an easy fiill. With my first fill there was a problem finding the center of the port. Then the dr commented that I had lost just enough weight for him to get in there, otherwise I would have had to come back when I'd lost more. My second fill was a breeze as I could feel the port myself. My 3rd fill is today and I know it's going to be just as easy. Hang in there and give it some time. -Leena

Well I'm scheduled for a fill on thursday, and it will be my last free one. They said it does sound like I need a little more saline in me. So until then I'm on my best behavior, using tons of self control to just eat one piece of chicken instead of 2. And I'm staying away from all those "bad" foods. I figure I can deal with this hunger for a few more days. Has anyone filled up on water between meals???? The office manager sugested I try drinking when I'm hungry and it's not meal time.

I had my 2nd fill on thursday, so it's been 5 days now and I don't feel any different. With my 1st fill I felt restriction the same day, just a few hours later. (1st fill was 1cc in a 4cc band about 7 weeks ago). This fill was .2cc, bringing me to 1.2cc. Should I wait to see if something happens or call to schedule an appointment? My dr only has office hours on thursdays unless it's an emergency, as he's in surgery the other days. I have a support group tonight, so I will see him then. But until then what do you all think? Thanks, Leena

In my house everyone leaves their shoes at the door. 2 of my sons have severe allergies and asthma, and it's better for them to not have allergens dragged through the carpet. We have a foyer area with tiles so that area is cleaned daily. When we lived in an apartment and had hardwood floor we permitted people to wear shoes inside, as the floors were wet-mopped daily. Our reason for it is purely medical. I can't believe some people would be offended by being asked to remove their shoes. I know DH is from India and doesn't wear shoes in the house, nor did he growing up. It's cultural.

Also check out www.mehtabariatriccenter.com They're in central NJ and Dr. Mehta is amazing. He has monthly support groups and seminars too. The next one is the 4th of December. His office staff is wonderful and very attentive. You'll get an appointment very easily. One of his surgery requirements is to attend his seminar and support group at least once prior to surgery. You can have your PCP supervise your 6 month pre-surgery period with him. I had an initial consultation with Dr. Mehta and then my pre-surgery consultation with him as well. He's an amazing surgeon, and I continue to use him for aftercare. He's well worth the one hour drive it takes for me to get there.

More of central Jersey, but I used Dr. Mehta in New Brunswick, NJ. I was banded 9/10/07 and absolutely love him, it's well worth the drive. www.mehtabariatriccenter.com His office staff is amazing, friendly and very supportive of WLS, the 2 women also are patients of his at/or near goal.

I had my second fill today and it was wonderful. My first one was painful involving many sticks and the dr. ended up bending the needle. I've lost enough that I can feel my port easily, so the dr just poked me once and it popped right into my port. It was so quick and easy and only pinched a tiny bit. Now I'm so excited to have pain free fills from now on, YEAH!