three sixty six

hey there ms., I agree with everyone else who has posted. I want to add my story to help you: I was 385lbs when I had my surgery last May. The doc is right, the weight loss is slower with the band than with bypass, but don't waste time with a doc who doesn't believe in you. It's working for me because I choose to make it work. I haven't updated my ticker, but I'm down 62 lbs and counting. Bottom line: find the right surgeon. This one isn't it. Don't give up. If you want a band, do what you can to get one. You won't be sorry you did. I'm not. Good luck to you.

TDP/Livestrong.com has an iphone/itouch app too! it's really good!! and freeeeee

that's great that Bariatric Advantage is releasing some! i was taking the viactiv multi and the calcium b/c i hated all my chewable options, but my nutritionist (at the surgery center) said viactiv is junk and a waste of money. he has me on the bariatric advantage vitaband chews and the calcium. my only problem is taking them on a regular schedule! multi, calcium, Iron, and Vitamin D = a lot of Vitamins to take!

Has anyone gone through this? I'm meeting my surgeon the day before to talk about possibly unfilling a little. I've got pretty decent restriction. I pb about 5 days a week. There seem to be days where everything goes down without a hitch (small portions) and days where nothing stays down. My stress level is an 11 due to finals right now. Anyone have any tonsillectomy advice for someone scared outta her mind? I've already discussed my band with my ENT. He knows not to use a blind NG (which he was planning to do before I told him about my band! good think I told him!). I'm also planning to ask for anti-nausea meds before I come out of the OR. I have to stay overnight in the hospital. Eek!

I know, I have read that if you can't swallow your own spit, you're too tight. If you can't drink liquids, you're too tight. How else can you tell if you're too tight? I just got another fill on Monday (+1cc) for a total of 7.5 in my Realize band. I was on liquids until late last night. I tried to eat some ground turkey and cheese and salsa and it did not happen for me. I got very sick. This morning I tried to eat some farina and got sick. Circumstances to consider: last night, I was starving and ate too fast/did not chew well (I think). This morning I drank a little lemonade with my farina (which was thick). That's when I felt sick. Am I too tight? Are these just circumstantial sickies? Should I call the doc? I am worried b/c I'm going out of town for the holiday weekend. TIA !

oh, and just in case i haven't convinced myself that i will be ok with leaving the fill as is for now, i am experiencing a TOM issue as well. hmm.

thanks avm! that actually answers a secondary question i have, but didn't ask.. i have to chew more and eat slower. i really MISS eating. not food, but eating, you know? has anyone else felt as though their fills are much tighter when first done, and then loosen up? that makes me paranoid that there's a leak somewhere!!

England?! I am so JEALOUS!!!!!

A couple months ago, I needed new bras, but was afraid to buy them b/c I knew I'd be losing weight. I found the perfect solution at Lane Bryant. They were having a good sale so I got a good deal. The bras I bought have no wires, but they are incredibly supportive and flattering! They are made of stretch jersey (I never ever thought they would lift! but they do) so as I am losing weight my bras are not deathly uncomfortable like they would be with a wire. Just a suggestion. I was a total non-believer in non-underwire bras until I tried these on.

oh I love this thread, even though it's an oldie. we should resurrect it! i've had 2 pb episodes since being banded back in May. they were both on fast-food french fries (McDonald's, Arby's curly fries). do ya think someone's trying to tell me something? step.. away.. from.. the fast food!!!! I'm done with fries, thankyouverymuch! that slime, that pain, no thank ya!

wow, thanks for posting the complaint. that's a good one! not the worst, but one of the most poorly-written complaints I've read in a while :thumbup: sign me up for some of his legal expertise!

I tried signing up for the free membership, and I was told they aren't accepting new members at this time. They directed me to livestrong.com. I wanted the dailyplate.com on my blackberry, but you have to be a paid member to do that. I'm not really thrilled with the Realize band website food tracker. Nothing is in there! Everything has to be added to your list of foods, which means I go to the dailyplate and look up the nutritional info anyway. Ugh. Any other sites out there as comprehensive as thedailyplate?

Wow, that's really incredible. I'm sorry you're going through this! I agree with Di. Check your paperwork - they may have had you sign away your right, allowing them to contact your insurance company for more than just bloodwork.. it may be a blanket authorization. Or, maybe they just goofed. Either way, it sucks that it's already out there. I would definitely contact an attorney to ensure that your right to insurance is protected. Good luck - please keep us posted.

hey everyone, I happened to be at another doc in the CHRIAS building this morning and so I stopped by the St Francis center to pick up the most current support group schedules. Band-only group meets the 2nd Tues of the month 6-7:30 Post-op strugglers w/Dr Wynn meets the 2nd Weds of the month 6-7:30 Open group (band + bypass) meets the last Tues of the month (tonight!) 6-7:30 I think I'm going to go to the next band-only group meeting, on 8/12.

I have tonsillitis :thumbup:

oh man do i have a mouth problem right now!! monday night it felt like i had something stuck in my throat. not the bad way, but almost how it felt to have a piece of popcorn kernel stuck (but i haven't had any). i figured it would go away. yesterday it got worse, and yesterday afternoon i managed to take a look back there.. way in the back of my throat, next to my tonsil, was a reddish brown bump. i figured it was just a really bad canker sore, even though i've never had one back there. today, i noticed that it was white in the middle and red around it! weird. then, right before the end of the day, the white part took over the red part and as i was examining it in the mirror, i opened my mouth and the white part was gone! ew i swallowed whatever that was!! so gross. now the white part seems to be creeping back. it looks like i have a hole in my throat with the white stuff peeking out from behind my skin. it is so incredibly disgusting. maybe unrelated, but i also have a canker sore on the side of my tongue (on the other side of my mouth as the strange red/white mess). i have a doc appt with my GP first thing tomorrow. i can't figure out what this is, but it's hard to swallow and my froat hurts!!!

woot, woot!!!!

Dr. Irgau still won't let me drink regular coffee but he says decaf is ok. What's the point of that?! I stopped drinking coffee the day of my pre-op appointment and I haven't had any since. I still miss it, but not every day like I used to miss it. Protoccinos (sp?) are sold in the CHRIAS store - they are little bottles of Protein powder (also comes in a lemon razzy) that are supposed to be good for coffee drinkers. At least that's what they told me! I haven't tried it yet. It's been in my pantry.. maybe I will try it tomorrow and report back, Caelyn. As for the Daily Plate vs. the Realize site.. I just created some of my own foods on the Realize site that I eat every day so it's easier. For now, I'm going to stick with it, because it monitors my fills, my Vitamin intake, my fluids, my pics/progress (very cool), etc. And it offers tips and recipes. So far, another downside is that it's not BlackBerry-compatible, like the Daily Plate website. I think we only have access to the Realize site for a year or two post-op anyway , so when my time expires I'll switch to the Daily Plate.

thanks for your food answers! last night I had a little bit of baked potato and a piece of chicken andouille, which is spicy, but I was fine. It was heavenly. today for lunch I'm having some deli turkey and cheese on crackers. A grown-up lunchables, if you will :frown:. Hope that goes ok too. I've only had two "episodes" and they were both with tuna on mushies. I was fine, chewing right along through it all when suddenly - BAM! It felt like an elephant was not only sitting on my chest, but in my chest, blocking me! It really @!#^ hurt! I got up, walked around, did some deep breathing, and in a few minutes it passed. Not sure if that was air or a "stuck." Hard to believe it was stuck food because I was eating pureed tuna in tiny bites, chewed thoroughly. Hardest thing for me right now: drinking with meals. This is so hard!!!!!!!!!!! I've been trying at work by not bringing my glass into the kitchen for lunch. But, at home, I always have a glass of crystal light with me. I'm also trying out the Realize band's support website. I like that I can add photos, track my fills, and record my food intake. However, their food database is pretty tiny. I couldn't find Hellmann's light mayo, for instance. Hmph.

good lord, 21?! that's crazy, banded or not! two weeks ago in my surgeon's waiting room I met a woman who boasted that she could (and regularly does) drink a 6-pack of beer in a sitting. nice!

hey everyone, sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been doing a lot of lurking and not much posting. I had my second fill yesterday, so now I'm up to 3.5 ccs in my 9 cc Realize band. I weighed in yesterday, about a 5lb loss since my last doc appt two weeks ago, but I was (am?) having hunger issues and larger-than-I-should portion sizes, so Dr. I gave me a .5 cc fill. The second fill was SO much easier than the first. I have to remind Dr. I to use a long needle next time, though. Less pokes that way! I walked down 11 flights of stairs yesterday in my office bldg. I wanted to go to the little deli in my building to get a cup soft serve vanilla, but I wouldn't unless I walked down there. My legs hurt today! :tongue_smilie: I'm supposed to be progressing to the 1-2-3 "normal" foods diet after I'm off 24 hours of post-fill liquids. Not sure what I'll try first. Any ideas? Hope you all are well! Meg

hey LJM (congrats on the bambino!!), before I was banded I drank Sprite Zero (not often, as full-octane Coke was my thing) and, when compared to the real Sprite, I could not tell the diff. I remember being amazed at how good it was taste-wise. Also, from what I remember, there was no yucky diet-soda-y aftertaste.