lizzie_07

Hey Kelli,

Thanks for taking the time to care so much about a perfect stranger =) I'm doing much better, thank you.

Wow, I didn't know your period could trigger the band to get tighter. My fill nurse said stress could, so maybe it's the result of your body being in a bit of stress due to the changes during your period? I guess you'll have to stick to having warm liquids on the days it closes up on you. I wonder why it just recently started doing that though. Very strange. Hopefully you'll start to figure out what works best for you to ease the tightness.

Congrats on your weight loss by the way! That's amazing. People like you are so inspiring.

Maybe do a Cinco De mayo Challenge (May 5th?) and then a Spring Into Summer Challenge (June 21st)?

I like either idea. Memorial day or beginning of May.

I thought I had a slip once so I called my surgeon. He said if I can get Water down, it's not a slip.

Doddie - I had an awful experience where I was way too tight (couldn't swollow my spit or else I would vomit, extreme pain in my chest) and my fill nurse went to work right after she did the fill. I called the ER and they said that I could come there and wait (which I knew would be a good 5 hour wait) but she said she couldn't guarantee anyone would do the defill for me because no one knows about the lap band. I decided it wasn't worth sitting in the ER for nothing, so I had to wait 12 hours until my fill nurse got off work. I don't know what I'd do if I had something major like a slip. No one would know what to do.

I definitely want to participate in this one. The first day of summer is June 21st, right? So maybe do a 1st of may challenge (may day as you called it) and the following one can be a start of summer challenge?

I only drink when I go to a bar or club with friends. I can still drink liquids quite fast, but I do get drunk quicker. I just reached restriction so we'll see if that changes things a little. I used to only drink rum and coke but naturally that had to change. Now I stick to vodka and lime or if I'm making it at home I'll have vodka, Water, and crystal light mixed so I don't feel quite as guilty about the calories.

I use both, but you get a better workout with the elliptical and I find it more enjoyable. I burn twice as many calories for the same amount of time on the elliptical as well.

Thanks Heather! I'm going to email them tomorrow.

My restriction is similar to how Steph described it. I can eat every type of food, which I assumed I wouldn't be able to do because I read posts where many people said they couldn't eat bread, chicken, etc. If I chew well, I'm ok. I do have to be more careful with certain foods, but I never get stuck anymore. Instead of getting stuck, when I eat too much I get this feeling like the food is starting to fill up into my esophagus (a pressure, but definitely not the same feeling as being stuck). Sometimes I can eat a couple bites of food, other times I can eat a good 1 1/2 cups (rarely more). I stay full for 3-4 hours depending on what I eat; however, if I have something that is liquid I don't find it lasts nearly as long.

Restriction is new to me, so I'm still having trouble knowing when I'm truly satisfied and need to stop. It seems often times the esophagus pressure (or the slight hint of it) is my main sign but I'm starting to learn the signs given before that such as hiccupping (for me). It's a big learning curve for sure.

I stopped drinking diet soda completely before the surgery. I haven't missed it at all surprisingly.

Thanks Cindy! =)

I actually reached restriction about 3 or so weeks ago and joined the gym so the combination has made me start to lose again. I'm feeling truly motivated for the first time in 3 months.

It's definitely hard when your family doesn't approve. I know my family's hearts were in the right place, as I'm sure yours were. Being overweight is complex and I feel like I knew deep down this was the right choice.

By the way, great job with the weight loss both Cindy's!! lol

A year ago I was binging and purging up to 5 times a day. Even though I was torturing my body, I had actually GAINED back all of the weight I had lost from being bulemic. I was very angry at myself. I was skipping my university classes due to a lack of energy and feeling hideous. A few months later I found out I had hypothyroidism. I hoped this would be my answer and I would start losing weight once I got on medication. Didn't happen. I saw a commercial for the lap band in late august and booked my surgery a month later. My family was completely against my surgery. I couldn't tell them that bulemia was a huge part of choosing to have this surgery (so that I could no longer binge or purge). Between the surgery and university I am in a huge amount of debt. I will have to live at home for another 3 years so I can pay off my debt. But it's worth it!

Anyways, I'm no longer bulimic. I go to school every day and actually feel good about the way I look, even though I haven't lost that much yet. I have never been able to turn down unhealthy food or seconds, but now I can. Most importantly, I've gained back trust in myself and I now know I CAN achieve my goals and WILL lose this weight! =)

Good for you for emailing them! I wasn't sure if I should try to complain to anyone and if so, who I should complain to.

Lisa, I'm glad they agreed to do it for you. But where I don't want my location changed and just want it un-flipped, do you think they would still agree? I'm visiting my brother in Toronto towards the end of April so I'd love to have it done then. I suppose the only way to truly find out is to call them tomorrow.

I also want to add that the fill nurse said this was MY problem and that I should have figured this out before I had the surgery (I did, I found a doctor willing to do fills but the dvd training session was not approved by the college of physicians).

I live in Canada so I'm not familiar with oz's. I was told that depending on the person, you can only absorb 20-30g of Protein at a time. So I look at that as opposed to how much protein I COULD eat in one sitting.

Doddie, I'm so sorry you went through that. That is why I asked the question, because I could see them telling me the port being on it's side is nothing and refusing to un-flip it.

Glad to hear I'm not the only one. After a tough time finding a doctor to do my fills I ended up locating a fill nurse who was trained by the surgeon at SWLC. She is great, but charges me $150 (plus about $50 for gas). It took a lot of effort to find her and it's a shame TLBC couldn't have helped me out just a LITTLE. I hoped that TLBC would perhaps call me occasionally, particularly knowing I was having difficulties and did not live in the province. I like Dr. Yau though, and when I've called him on his cell he has been very helpful. I'm also very happy with how the surgery itself went. For these reasons I wouldn't change my choice of going to TLBC, I'm just disappointed in their lack of follow up on a patient who clearly cannot come into the clinic.

I would also like to point out that I flew to Toronto for my first fill + nutritional seminar, thinking they would ask me how I was doing, etc. but the only person I saw was the fill nurse, who did my fill and asked nothing. Considering I flew all the way to Toronto and it is the only time I have been there since my surgery, it would have been nice for them to ask me a little about how my recovery has been, perhaps look at my scars. Maybe I'm asking too much of them?

I just want to add my 2 cents in here...

I had my surgery done at TLBC and while the surgeon is great, if you are an out-of-province patient, they are not so great with follow up care. I have had so much difficulty finding someone to do my fills and ended up going to someone that has been trained by the other clinic in miss. They say that they can simply give your doctor a dvd and he will do your fills for you, but I have found this not to be the case. My family doctor refused for legal reasons. I found another doctor who was willing to do it and she backed out at the last minute as she wanted to get approval from the College of Physicians, who said she COULD NOT do fills unless the surgeon himself trained her. I told the fill nurse at TLBC of my difficulties and she was rude and only offered for me to go to montreal, which I obviously couldn't afford to do every 2 weeks. No one has called me since asking me if I found someone or how I have gotten along. Infact, no one has called me asking about my progress since the day after the surgery.

It seems to me that TLBC is fantastic if you live in the area. Just be aware that if you live out-of-province, your experience may be vastly different.

I did not have my surgery in Montreal, but I went to a bandster meeting here with a man who did. I'm not sure of the exact hospital, but he said the cost was..oh gosh..$6000? $7000? Something very small like that. And all he had to cover out of that was the cost of the band, not the surgery or hospital stay. It sounded like the doctor was very good and his patients were often called to check on their progress. He also does his fills under fluro. I should have gotten the Dr's name so I could tell people...shoot.

Mine is also above my groin area but it is flipped on it's side and often causes me pain from rubbing against my skin when I sit. Does anyone know if Dr. Yau charges to un-flip the port? Also, do you have to convince him to do it in the first place or does he automatically agree to do it?

Hey Linda! I'm back on this board after a long period of avoiding it..lol

Is that what sliming is? lol I still get confused with the terminology. I definitely feel your pain. Did you have too tight of a fill or did it just naturally loosen a little? Great job with your weight progress by the way! Over half way there...that's amazing. I feel like my lap band journey is just getting started really, which is ok. I'm just glad to finally be losing again.

I went from 7.2 to 5.6 and then to 3.6. I was on puree foods for a good week and then the restriction went down gradually over the next 2 weeks, but not nearly as much as I would have thought. I got 1cc put in 3 weeks ago bringing me to 4.6 and it's the perfect tightness. I'm expecting to need more fills as the swelling goes down because 4.6 is no where near the amount of saline I had in my band before being too tight. I also joined a gym and try to go daily and I absolutely LOVE it...which is strange for me..lol. You can't tell from my ticker but I had gained a LOT of weight over the last couple of months and have lost about 14lbs in the past month or so.

Anyways..how are you doing with your journey?? Have you reached restriction yet?

To any of the other November Nymphs who are reading this....congrats on your great success with the band! I've been looking at everyones amazing weight loss and it puts me to shame but definitely makes me want to work harder.

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada here!

Great, thanks! I'm picking some up today. I don't know what I'd do if I lost my hair..eek..