HeatherO

Oh my . . . I just took a look. While the Kindle and Ipad haven't stirred any interest as of yet . . . I really want to get a flip in the worst way now.

I guess I feel kind of like Laura. I want the pages. I want to lounge in bed in whatever position strikes my fancy to read. I like to read in the bathtub as well and somehow electronic devices used for reading just don't seem to go with bathing, lol.

Judy, I feel the freeze as well, please stop sending all that cold air from Michigan down to Ohio, lol. I hope you have a great day at work today, Jane. Busy days can be the best in that they are over sooo quickly. :0) I am feeling unmotivated today. I wanna go home take a bubble bath and finish the book I am reading, A Thousand Splendid Suns. Perhaps throw in a hot mug of tea to sip on and a few scented candles and I would be good to go . . . of course, since it is a work day I don't NEEEDD to pick up Ayla from the sitters for an hour or two, lol. I guess I am just missing a little me time.

Ayla is doing great. Well, she is also doing terrible on her sleeping. She got sick with an ear infection, got babied for a few weeks and now she doesn't want to sleep on her own . . . we are working on that. When you say you are going alone, does that mean no Carson? I have been really enjoying your facebook videos. Carson has the most adorable laugh in the whole world :0) As far as not losing since revision . . . I am right there with you. I just lost 2 pounds out of the 20 or so I gained since surgery and waiting for restriction. I don't know what it is but it seems like getting in the groove of banding is a lot harder the second time around.

Judy, you must have more energy than me. Ayla just about wears me out and you can take on not only Ethan but Grady as well. Pamela, that house is still awesome. Good luck with whatever decision you make. Janie, it is too bad about your cologne. I know with me I am really particular and I only like what I like. Thank goodness for the internet where you can find just about anything. :0) Haydee, how is wedding planning going. Do you have most things already worked out by now? Have a lovely day everyone!!!

I have now officially been banded for two years. I lost 100% of my excess weight, had a baby, had a slip, replaced the band, regained a little and am now very slightly overweight . . . but am thankfully now at restriction again and on my way back down. Even with my complication, I would absolutely do it again with no doubt. Weight is no longer the center point of my life . . . it is almost an afterthought most times (until those times when I don't have restriction and eat inappropriate things). Normal life and living has taken over. I can shop anywhere, wear whatever and look good in it, I eat healthier more tasteful foods, I have energy and my life is full. The band has really had a priceless impact on my life.

I personnally wouldn't go for the iPad but it just shows where we are headed. Our phones, televisions, video games, laptops, etc are all merging into one device. Eventually they will probably all fit in a pocket . . . but who wants to watch something so small. Perhaps the next step are special 3D glasses kinda like bifocals so you can live half your life in the real world and half in never never land, lol. Actually it kind of makes you wonder about our future as we become more technologically advanced. It probably bodes well for something such as banding. If we never have to get off the sofa to do anything like shopping, working, etc, etc . . . I imagine it will continue to have a detrimental impact on many of our waistlines.

One last thing, I just reread your post and it says you have not had a fill in over a year. I thought you meant that you were empty for a year but it could mean that you just have not had an addition of Fluid for over a year. If you aren't empty, getting an unfill can provide immediate relief. Also, if it is a slip, some people can get an ufill and the slip can sometimes correct itself if you don't wait too long to address the issue.

Unfortunately this sounds exactly like my slip. I had been unfilled for 5-6 months when it happened. I found out the hard way that you can indeed slip on an empty band. Flouro will definitely tell you one way or the other what is going on. If it isn't a slip and you are just have an unusual amount of swelling in your stomach . . . there are a couple of things you can do. First, do everything you can to avoid vomitting and pbing. Even if you have to go days with sipping everything on a full liquid diet, it will help. Second, liquid motrin relieves swelling and inflamation. If you can't find it, just look in the kids section and calculate the dosage for your weight. (Please note: motrin is usually on the do not use list for bandsters. However, my doctor advocates occasional use only for stomach swelling with the band. It is always good to ask your doctor for their recommendations on its use before trying it). Third, schedule a flouro as soon as possible. Unless it is only swelling, it will probably just get worse until you are in an emergency situation which would require hospitalization and surgery that may not be under your terms or with your preferred doctor. I waited and when I did finally go to the hospital, I had to be on IV potassium for three days until I was even healthy enough for them to risk surgery. Good luck and please let us know how it goes.

Michelle, the pics are great . . . however they didn't help my jealous longings for a mid-winter trip somewhere sunny with beautiful blue water, lol. I think I might just have to convince my DH that we should go back to Mexico. He is a little afraid of Mexico when it comes to the food. The last time we were there, he went out on his own for lunch and stopped at some restaurant. He ordered a salad, bread and some tomato soup. The bread was OK, the soup was like salsa so just not to his taste, but the salad . . . the chicken they put on it was chicken feet. He sent it back, lol. I didn't even know that chicken feet would be served anywhere. Haydee, I am not sure if you would know this . . . but was that a fluke or is that a standard in some regions? I got a fill yesterday. .5 cc bringing me up to 13.5 in a 14 cc large Allergan band. I am now by official scale, 156.5 pounds. I have lost 2 pounds in the last two months . . . at that rate I should be where I want to be in 2012, lol. For any of those curious about how pregnancy and a band slippage and resurgery can affect weight, this is what happened. 150 or so - got pregnant in early September of '08 140 Oct08 - Turkey trip/still losing in early pregnancy 188 Jun09 - Weight in dr's office on day Ayla was born 160 Jun09 - End of month after delivery 127 Sep09 - Home scale when deathly ill day before I went to the hospital 146.5 Nov09 - First fill in new band 158.5 Dec09 - On solids and eating like no tommorrow with no restriction. 12 pound gain in one month is horrific and a record for me. This was also encompassed Thanksgiving and the never ending Dec party time of food galore for Christmas. 156.5 Jan 26 '10 - This is where I am now. 130-140 - the wondrous land of goal for me. I am happy in this range.

Here are a couple more. The one with the flowers is my personal favorite because she looks so excited. :0)

Haydee, Thanks . . . I think she is awfully darn cute too but of course I am biased. I think the factory is closed for the time being with only a maybe out in the future another year or two before I get anymore wrinkles or gray hair. Actually, I think it is time we all start blowing a little violet baby dust in your general direction (well maybe we should wait 100 or so days, lol). :0) Here are a couple of pictures of Ayla for those not on facebook.

Janie, maybe you should try the netti-pot which you can find for cheap in a pharmacy. It sounds gross but works really good to clean you out. Once you get rid of some of the gook, your own system will help to get rid of the sinus problems. I had constant sinus problems (allergy related) until I started cleaning my nose out with water every day. I just inhale water from my cupped hand into the sinus cavity three times and then blow everything out. This might sound hokey but it works for me, is free and takes less time than brushing my teeth. My brother had the same problem and he had the sinus surgery where they strip everything out and pack it with gauze - so painful and disgusting I wouldnt wish it on my worst enemy. Anyways, I really hope you feel better soon.

One more comment . . . you should get this fill done under flouro. That way you know for sure what is going on with your band. It is odd to have a change like that so suddenly after you have been maintaining for so long.

I had a slippage and it was characterized by an inability to get anything down. I have not heard of it being the opposite where you feel almost bandless.

Ouch, nothing hurts worse than a hit directly to the nose.

Welcome back to all of those violets who were lucky enough to find themselves away in pleasing locales. I have to admit I am feeling a little green with envy over recent cruises, trips to Mexico, Hawaii, etc. Not to mention that beautiful house that Pamela was looking at . . . it would be hard not to be swept away. Actually my husband and I made a decision to stick to housing that is half of what we can afford to pay . . . and make payments for the whole amount with half going into an untouchable bank account and the other going towards the house. We have made a decision to live below our means to get ahead and build a nice nest egg. It makes sense because we can still live very comfortably and instead of paying out extra interest . . . we are getting paid instead. Janie, I love Grease, that would have been so much fun to see it. Laura, Carson is a dynamo in that walker . . . that was awesome, let your poor dog beware. Haydee, I love it that you have such a big, close family. You are truly blessed :0) Out of curiousity, how many of the violets will be able to make it to Haydee's wedding??? Hello to everyone else :0)

I agree about smart carbs. I can definitely also say for me that I am a carb addict when it comes to unhealthy carbs - if I start eating badly, I am compelled to continue. My personal choice is to try to avoid anything that is too highly processed, especially carbs with lots of sugar or white flour. I think low carb can be very healthy if it is balanced. I feel that it is not healthy to eat a lot of high fat or highly processed meats such as bacon, hotdogs, bologna, etc. However lean, healthy meats followed by varieties of veggies and the occasional fruit is good for you. I also thing it is unhealthy to eat a lot of processed carbs. I think the most important thing for all of us is to keep some balance in our diets. If the carbs we consume are a relatively small percentage of what we eat and are whole grains, legumes, etc . . . we are doing good for our bodies. I also can't argue that low/smart carb diets work . . . they do. I lost most of my weight that way.

Janie, I am curious about your restriction level. I can't hope to eat a bagel right now unless I nurse on it for hours and am still not quite restricted enough. I also can't drink with meals because it causes me to pb. Do you think you might just be too loose to get the benefits of feeling banded?

We all have to start somewhere, right? Piehole report: Breakfast - Half a piece of Cheesecake Factory peanut butter cup cheesecake Lunch - Soujouk (turkish beef sausage) & eggs along with about 1/2 a cup of Louisiana Chicken pasta from the Cheesecake Factory from the day before. Snack - Peanut butter cookie with reese's on it with a sugar cookie with frosting. Water - About 8 ounces consumed after reading Haydee's post about water directly above my post. If only peer pressure could keep me on the wagon all the time, lol. Drinkables (Non Water) - About 4 cups of coffee and 1 cup of tea . . . can I just make believe that this is water and that the caffeine is not going to dehydrate me? How do I feel about it? - Like a pile of poo drizzled with mounds of guilt So after this lovely day of eating crap, I need to scrape my self-esteem up off the floor and move on with it. Perhaps a nice low-cal salad for supper might do nicely(although I feel those old feelings of "I already goofed up so screw it, lets go out for something really bad for dinner). So I am committing publicly that I am going to end the rest of this day on a positive note and make a semi reasonable decision for dinner. One step at a time . . .

I can honestly say that sticking to a food diary helped me lose most of my weight. However, I haven't kept one in so long . . . it is too much work with everything else. I guess I need to prioritize. OK, I am guilty, I must admit. I got behind and didn't want to post until I read the last couple pages but just didn't have time. I don't have a clue what has gone on the last few days so all I can say is hello to everyone, lol. I am in the same boat as a lot of others . . . I am not drinking enough water, the gym people have probably forgotten my face by now (although I am getting exercise clicking on send so that they get my payment every month). I am not weighing regularly and am not losing anything. I am at least 10 pounds off from where my signature says I am. Lack of any real restriction has made the last six months really difficult. I need to jump back on the wagon before it leaves me behind. I hope everyone is having a happy new year so far. :0)

I hope everyone has a wonderful evening and a lovely New Years!!!

Actually they pulled baby "just about everything" because people are not very smart about what they give (or really it is how much they give) their babies. Baby tylenol and a few items for digestive upsets are all that is left. I know people who have used baby benadryl for very long international flights. If they follow correct dosage and it is only used for this purpose on an extremely intermittent basis, it doesn't seem like the worse thing you can do even though I would not do it with Ayla. Ayla will be traveling the globe in 2010. I think she should be walking by the time we go. I have to admit that I am a little nervous about telling a little one who wants to go, go, go that they have to sit, sit, sit for 11 hours is a little intimidating. I plan on combatting this by carrying bags full of attention getting activities . . . but who knows if we will survive the experience, lol.

I had a slip on June 6th and replacement on September 4th of this year. Recovery post surgery is so much easier the second time around . . . it is no big deal at all.

Laura, what a difference flooring makes - especially since Carson is going to be all over it. It looks great. :0)