Robin Bird

Hi! I was banded 11/2/07 (my birthday!). I have lost a total of 60 pounds, 13 of which were lost on the week-long liquid pre-op diet. I have had 2 fills so far, which puts me at 5cc in a 10cc band. I have restriction, but not enough. I go for my next fill on Mar. 5. Hopefully that puts me at a good place, restriction-wise. My surgeon said he's never had to go above 6.5cc for any of his patients. Hopefully I will not be the exception to that rule! Best of luck to everyone! Robin

Hi! I had Dr. Kemmerling too! I live in Marinette and was banded 11/2/07. Take care and best of luck to all! Robin

Shadow, Where in Wisconsin are you? I live in Marinette. I was banded on Nov. 2, 2007 in Green Bay. I'm still fairly new to it but I'm glad I did it. I haven't had any problems or complications. I have lost about 55 pounds at this point. Good luck to you in your thought process. Robin

JMD, When I went for my first fill my surgeon couldn't find the port. He told me to come back in a few weeks to give the scar tissue some more time to soften up. I went back 2 weeks later and he found it no problem. You're not alone! Robin

Crystal Light has a good peach tea. Robin

Thanks everyone, for the suggestions. I reduced the amount of Lexapro I take, so we'll see if that makes a difference. I'm sure my husband would be on board with the suggestions of having MORE sex to kickstart things! Thanks again, all of you. Robin

Wheetsin, Thanks for your quick response and advice. Unfortunately... *I have been on my current combo. of drugs for over a year, so I don't hold out much hope that the side effects will correct themselves. *I already take 2 of the 3 dopamine-increasing drugs mentioned. *I tried Viagra and all it gave me was a bad headache! *I've discussed the problem with my Dr. ad nauseum. That's one of the reasons I've tried so many different drugs - to try and find something that doesn't cause this side effect AND allows me to act like a human being! We've obviously not found the answer. I've never tried the gingko. It's worth a go. I had already decided this morning to decrease my dose of the Lexapro to see what happens. My husband is usually pretty good at spotting if I start growing horns and need to increase it again! Thanks again for the effort. What else ya' got??????? Robin

Hi all, Anyone have any ideas to rescue a libido that's been killed off by anti-depressants? This is a problem I've been dealing with for quite a long time, but I thought I'd bring it up to my new "cyber friends" (I was banded 11/2/07 and doing well with that). A little history: I have been playing musical medications for depression for about 7 years, and being sexually dysfunctional the vast majority of that time. The combination of drugs I am on right now (Lexapro, Seroquel, Wellbutrin) has the depression largely at bay, but the complete lack of sex drive is so pronounced that I wouldn't care if I ever had sex again. I love my husband with all my heart and we don't have marital problems. I feel so badly for him that I could cry. He's pretty good about it most of the time, but I know it bothers him a great deal - and who could blame him? He's only 35 (I'm 37) and in a very low-sex marriage. I try to "take care of him" as often as I can, but don't feel like doing that either. But I DO try to make the effort. It's like I can be turned on in my head, but the connection between my brain and my "privates" is disconnected. Hopefully this was not TMI for anyone. If anyone has suggestions or (God willing) SOLUTIONS, I would love to hear them. Thanks in advance, Robin

Happy Birthday Kygie! I know what you mean. I had my surgery ON my birthday - Nov. 2, 2007! I hope to be at goal by my birthday this year! Best of luck to you! Robin

IDSMommy, Who did your surgery? I was banded on Nov. 2, 2007 by Dr. James Kemmerling. I went to college in Green Bay and lived there for a time after that. Now I live in Marinette. How are you doing? Robin

Tralynn, According to your ticker you have lost over 100 pounds in less than 2 1/2 months????? Robin

Hi Kat, I just wanted to tell you how much I like reading your posts - they are so eloquent and heart-felt. Robin

Love the images, aubrie!! Too funny! Robin

Hi all. Congratulations on your victories! I was banded on Nov.2. At my highest weight I hardly ever wore the few (big) pairs of jeans I had because they pretty much cut off my circulation. But if I did wear them, I would have to air-dry them or I couldn't get them on! Now I can put them in the dryer and they fit (until they loosen up during the day - then they are loose). I am able to wear my wedding ring again. Robin :eek:

Hello footballer, With regard to the pre-op diet: yep, suck it up. Good luck, Robin :smile:

Hi everyone. I am 37 and live in a small town in northeast Wisconsin. I am married (13 years) and have 2 daughters, ages 8 and 11. We have a dog, 2 cats, 2 gerbils and a turtle (and a partridge in a pear tree!). I was banded on my birthday (Nov. 2). Total weight lost (including pre-op liquid diet) is around 45 pounds. I am happy I got the band, although will be happier when I get some restriction. I will have my 2nd fill on Feb. 5th. Hopefully that will help. Best of luck to all, whether you've been banded or are waiting to be banded! Robin :rolleyes2:

Funny! Robin

Hi Sharon! Marinette is a pretty small town, so we pretty much have squat for fun things for the kids. Green Bay is only an hour away, so there are some things to do there (insert disgust here over last night's Packer game...). We are thinking about taking the kids to the Dells for a weekend yet this winter. Take care! Robin

Mistah, Best of luck on your surgery tomorrow! Thanks for the good wishes for the Packers - I guess it just wasn't enough. They could have won last night's game easily, but they just couldn't get it together. I have a friend that was at the game. I haven't talked to him yet, so I don't know if he lost any extremities to frostbite! Good luck and let us know how things went! Robin

Marie, I used the unjury unflavored also. What I found to best mask the taste (and smell) was the orange flavor of Crystal Light. Good luck! Robin

Vessa, Congratulations on the baby! Dr. Kemmerling did my surgery. He is not overly friendly, but is professional and competent. I don't know if he takes on patients whom he did not band, but it's worth a try. His office people are very nice, and his bariatric coordinator (Mary Elliston) is great. So, it's worth a call to them to find out. Good luck to you and let me know what they say. Robin

How are the Wisconsin band-its doing? How about those Packers!!!!!! Robin

Thanks for the help everyone!! I finally went shoe shopping yesterday. I tried on all sorts of the ones you all recommended. I ended up getting Saucony ones. They felt the best. The heels are super-springy. I tried them out today walking at the mall. They feel really good, except I have flat feet, so the arch supports fatigued my feet a bit. Hopefully I will adjust to that. Thanks again! Robin

Sonia, Why non-cotton? Can you tell me what you use? Thanks! Robin

S, I had my surgery Nov. 2 (my birthday) in Green Bay. I have lost about 40 pounds total since pre-op diet began. I have had one fill, which didn't seem to make much of a difference, if at all. I go for my next one Feb. 5th. My kids would love it if we lived where you do - close to the Dells! We've only gone there 2 or 3 times and my kids are 11 and 8! Have a great day! Robin