HeatherO

Interesting point, Chrisann. Now that you mention it, I had my first problem at almost nine months to leading to an inability to drink and the need for an emergency unfill, I am fine now but experienced my first bout of being really miserable. I am a January bandster as well . . . plus I don't remember hearing of too many prior complications with other people in our group. Anyways, it is interesting to think of it that way . . . 9 months is well into the journey and the point at which our habits are solidified. I wonder if it is all just a coincidence or if there is a reason . . . maybe becoming so used to the lifestyle that we aren't so "actively" thinking about bandster rules and banding has become normal. Does anyone have any other thoughts on this topic?

Well I am happy to finally be joining this thread. I think I am somewhere around 5-6 weeks pregnant, not exactly sure. I don't have any symptoms at all yet . . . I am hoping I have just gotten lucky so far.

If you have been pb'ing, going on liquids and then pb'ing again you could be increasing the swelling. Go on only liquids for a couple of days to see if it can break the cycle if this is the case. My band doctor actually told me to take liquid children's motrin in this situation and be sure to wash it down with Water. She said also make sure you drink a full cup of water afterwards. It can be used on a very rare basis in case of stomach swelling, but definitely don't use it more than once in a great while. It is supposed to reduce inflammation. I did use it once before with a glass of milk and it helped. It is best to get your own doctors opinion. You probably just need a slight unfill. Good luck.

If you are eating fine, I wouldn't think it is a slip. Any significant abdominal pain should be brought to your doctors attention. I am not sure what it would be.

I am trying to figure out when I actually got pregnant because I am really not sure of exactly when it happened although I did chart all events. This is complicated because I got pregnant the first month I went off of birth control and did not give my body a chance to stabilize. That means that my cycle could have been 4 weeks, 6 weeks, etc . . . and I am not sure. Timing details are as follows: 8/17 Last Birth Control Pill Taken 8/19 Started TOM Cycle 8/21 Finished TOM Cycle 9/15 Negative Pregnancy Test 9/18 Negative Pregnancy Test 9/21 Negative Pregnancy Test 9/22-9/23 Bad Cramping (Maybe Implantation???) 9/25 Negative Pregnancy Test 9/27 Extremely Faint Positive Pregnancy Test 9/28 Very Faint Positive Pregnancy Test 9/30 Moderate Positive Pregnancy Test 10/2 Distinct Positive Pregnancy Test So what is your guess as to when I most likely conceived??? I came up with a chart of potential dates, but I am not sure if it is realistic. Week Week Week Start --- Finish --- Number 8-Sep --- 14-Sep --- 1 15-Sep --- 21-Sep --- 2 22-Sep --- 28-Sep --- 3 29-Sep --- 5-Oct --- 4 6-Oct --- 12-Oct --- 5 13-Oct --- 19-Oct --- 6 20-Oct --- 26-Oct --- 7 27-Oct --- 2-Nov --- 8 3-Nov --- 9-Nov --- 9 10-Nov --- 16-Nov --- 10 17-Nov --- 23-Nov --- 11 24-Nov --- 30-Nov --- 12 1-Dec --- 7-Dec --- 13 8-Dec --- 14-Dec --- 14 15-Dec --- 21-Dec --- 15 22-Dec --- 28-Dec --- 16 29-Dec --- 4-Jan --- 17 5-Jan --- 11-Jan --- 18 12-Jan --- 18-Jan --- 19 19-Jan --- 25-Jan --- 20 26-Jan --- 1-Feb --- 21 2-Feb --- 8-Feb --- 22 9-Feb --- 15-Feb --- 23 16-Feb --- 22-Feb --- 24 23-Feb --- 1-Mar --- 25 2-Mar --- 8-Mar --- 26 9-Mar --- 15-Mar --- 27 16-Mar --- 22-Mar --- 28 23-Mar --- 29-Mar --- 29 30-Mar --- 5-Apr --- 30 6-Apr --- 12-Apr --- 31 13-Apr --- 19-Apr --- 32 20-Apr --- 26-Apr --- 33 27-Apr --- 3-May --- 34 4-May --- 10-May --- 35 11-May --- 17-May --- 36 18-May --- 24-May --- 37 25-May --- 31-May --- 38 1-Jun --- 7-Jun --- 39 8-Jun --- 14-Jun --- 40 Your thoughts? I still have a few weeks before I will see my doctor to get his input . . . but I am very eager to figure out timing, lol.

Most of us have 1 incision between our breasts right where the underwire would like (out of 5-6 for laproscopic surgery). It is just placement that hurts. Also, if you are on the busty side, the weight of your breasts are pushing on those underwires and it is too much pressure for comfort on the incision location. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal, but the first time I wore an underwire to work a couple of days post surgery, I actually went home to change it. Sports bras work great . . . and they don't have to be an expensive one, you can get them for a few bucks at Walmart (although cheap ones give you uni-boob sometimes). Really, the comfort is sooo worth it and it is definitely better than trying to go braless, lol.

Name_________Start Weight___CurrentWeight______Goal________To Go *****<?xml:namespace prefix = v ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" /><v:shapetype id=_x0000_t75 path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f" filled="f" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" coordsize="21600,21600">:eek:</v:shapetype>***********:laugh:*************:tt2:*******************:cool2:* agreatknead........204............198...........180...........18 areellady..........189............189...........159...........30 BIGB...............342............342...........300...........42 BellaPerdente......287............251...........200...........51 Boos02.............258............226...........200...........26 Brandy.............221............215...........191...........24 BrownBear..........240............235...........200...........35 Cadets71...........223.4..........223.4.........189...........34.4 Claudine...........250............250...........225...........25 Bunkey1965.........194............180...........170...........10 CubsGirl17.........172............170...........150...........20 Cutiew/booty.......251............243...........220...........23 cQQlgirl...........195............195...........175...........20 crzytchr...........276............275...........246...........29 Dionna113..........199............196.5.........160...........36.5 Ekat...............527............172...........152...........19 feefee57...........262............212...........180...........32 FeliciaLevy75......240............227...........190...........37 GillieBean.........304............296...........264...........32 HeatherO...........150............148...........130...........18 Hollie ............l54............154...........125...........29 Jeni 85............182............182...........160...........22 Jillbeme...........235............209...........185...........24 Josie74............260............255...........215...........40 klmsilva...........216............212...........190...........26 legster............183............183...........160...........23 linksmom...........251............240...........200...........40 Liquidbluegal......225............220.4.........199...........21.4 Liz_hager..........161............158...........130...........28 lotzasunshine......292............287.5.........250...........37.5 Luu2008............230............199.5.........153...........46.5 Mamanmidwife.......295............295...........260...........35 MELISSA AGUIRRE....266............233...........160...........73 Melody2006.........223............223...........173...........50 MiniPearl#2........???............???...........???...........?? Minxz..............299............287...........270...........17 neefam.............238............189...........158...........31 odizzzydori........242............242...........199...........43 paige65............252............252...........208...........44 rainer.............236............233...........199...........34 reif78.............294............195...........140...........40 RichardCranium.....338............276...........200...........76 soontobehottie.....201............196...........165...........31 srknepler..........285............285...........255...........30 squale.............353............353...........325...........28 Sunshine2..........177............171...........160...........11 stevegoad..........370............341...........267...........74 Terilynn112........240............236...........199...........41 Truediva...........299............285...........235...........50 thininside28.......255............255...........215...........40 youcandoit!........196............196...........162...........34

Are you getting in plenty of Water? I noticed things have changed for me but I think it is from such low intake. BM's are not as frequent and the volume is very small, like a small child (sorry if TMI). It might be just find if it resolves itself over a day or two and you are not having symptoms.

I have never heard of sneezing being a trigger . . . but hey, if it works it works :0) I get small burps that can make their way up easily as a sign. Hiccups also occur when I am reaching my limit.

It is safer to have someone for a day or two just in case you have a complication, but if everything is normal . . . you don't "need" someone but it is nice to have. Staying in a hotel for 4 days recovering might be a little boring without someone near, but you will be sleeping alot during the first days. To be honest with you, nothing is better than home for me when I am not feeling my best because my family will help with everything.

I was told that I could drive as soon as I was off the pain meds for a day. Driving was pretty easy once I got started, getting in and out of the car was a little trying in that I was sore.

Your meds will calm down the swelling, no wonder you were in pain. The biggest question would be what caused it and how can you prevent it from reoccurring. Could it be some kind of allergic reaction? Did you eat anything unusual before the pain started?

I like the thought of the personal insurance plan listed above. If I were in your shoes, I would start hunting for a decent job with reasonable insurance that would cover it. You would be much better off if you were covered.

I personally don't eat for a fill by several hours but drink as much as I want. Because I do have some restriction, I thought if there was any remaining food in my pouch when I got the fill, I would not be able to easily distinguish if my fill was at the "right" level or not. Usually I can tell just by how the Water goes down whether it is too much or too little. It works better for me this way. I have no restrictions after the fill. I asked them why they don't require liquids for a day or so like many others, and they explained that some people take a couple of days to feel their fill "kick-in" so there is not much point in restriction. The only thing they stress is taking it easy so you don't cause yourself to pb.

*******NAME**********START WGHT****CURRENT WGHT*******GOAL********LBS. LOST *****************************:tt2:********************** 1dayatime..........263............261............243............2 2BHealthE!.........194............179............194............0 ahsem2bme..........244............244............225............0 aJoneen............223............219............213............4 Aphrodite1984......208............208............190............0 Ariel..............199............196.4..........180..........2.6 ArmyWife4life......209.5..........209.5..........190............0 Barb12590..........228............218............213...........10 Bea1128............210.5..........205.5..........188............5 blueriley..........206............206............190............0 Brandymom1234......227............151.9..........135..........4.1 Caramia71..........208............202............195............6 cQQlgirl...........194............192............180............2 Crzytchr...........281............273............265............8 DebinFl............181............181............168............0 georgiagirl........245............229............220...........16 HarleyGirl.........188............187............175............1 HeatherA...........210.5..........206............200..........4.5 HeatherO...........155............148............140............7 Ivyrose325.........212............212............199............0 Jazzyywan..........255............255............190............0 Jodi_620...........196............184............177...........12 KikiVal315.........237.5..........230.5..........220............7 Lana24.............208............195............185............0 laurigee...........180............176............160............4 Leslie2Lose........220............214............205............6 lindar172 .........274.2..........266.2..........256............8 LisaB..............205.5..........198............180..........7.5 livn4thm...........235............233............210............2 Long2bthin.........248............236............230...........12 Luu2008............203............199.5..........183..........3.5 Mamanmidwife.......299............286............280...........13 mamato3............186............186............170............0 MarinaBleu.........226.5..........226.5..........216............0 memom..............210............210............170............0 Minxz..............299............286............280............9 mominlv13..........299.8..........290.2..........280..........9.6 Momof5.............192.5..........187.5..........175..........5.0 nip50..............175............171............160............4 NukeChik...........218............218............208............0 NurseNiki..........258............255............239............3 odamay.............242............242............225............0 paige65............252............247............232............5 Peaches11..........205............205............194............0 pj_txlady..........220............220............200............0 Redtulips3.........180............180............170............0 Renee74............214............213............199............7 Renewedhope........171............169............150............2 reif78.............294............195............185............0 savimama...........216............216............200............0 shaversd...........230.5..........225............210..........5.5 SpecialK...........294............288............280............6 Sunshine2..........177............171............167............6 Tess...............304............300.5..........280..........3.5 thatDEgirl.........211............205.2..........195..........5.8 tp78...............201............192............180............9 Turler.............225............219............210............6 wendyw.............192............188............172............4 wowox7.............195............185............170............10 WyominGirl.........327............321............312............6

You have come a long way, now it gets interesting. There is nothing better than the first "flutters" of actually being able to feel the baby moving. I have never heard of stickiness before, how interesting. I hope my first trimester will go as good as yours . . . a little stickiness and one time queasy just can't be beat, lol. It is hard to believe the baby is real with your first in the early days. I think we all go through that. As soon as you start really seeing and feeling the physical changes it will make all the difference in the world. Keep us posted on how things are changing. :0)

Well . . . I just couldn't wait until the end of the week to take another test. I took one last night after drinking tons of Water all day, which doesn't follow the usual rules of first morning urine and not after bombarding yourself with water. I went from the faintest, just barely discernable, perhaps wishful thinking plus sign last Saturday, to a shadow of a pink positive line on Sunday morning, and finally to a "yep it is definitely there" medium shade of pink pregnancy line Tuesday evening. So I think the answer is a definite yes at this point. So wish me luck . . . I still have a looonnnnggg time to wait. I just wanted to mention that I don't feel any symptoms at all other than feeling very slight bloating sensation around the belly. Without the pregnancy test I would never know that I am pregnant, except for lack of a period, lol. I did have some bad cramps around the beginning of last week that I thought signaled my period finally coming, but now I realize that must have been inplantation. So here I am, excited, terrified, thrilled, nervous, and on and on and on all at the same time. One moment it is, oh I can't wait to see my new babies face to omg, what was I thinking perhaps I should have waited another year or two. I guess maybe I do have one more pregnancy symptom, emotional upheaval, lol.

I always experience a 1-3 pound gain right before or during the early stages of my period. But I don't consider it a "real" gain because it immediately comes back off after. However, since I am currently pregnant, I suppose I might gain a little more than 1-3 pounds before my next period, lol.

It is one of those things that you should get checked out right away, never delay. It could be serious or benign as stated above. . . but always better to know for sure. A quick appointment with you regular doctor with a test or two should help.

I am still trying to wait a week before taking another test, but waiting is sooo hard. If tests were free, I am sure I would test myself 10 times a day and compare the lines, lol. My first barely positive test was Saturday night and second was Sunday morning, and it is barely Tuesday. I guess I am just being impatient. I keep thinking, do I feel pregnant? I feel a little bloated, but that isn't really earth shattering. I really don't have any signs or symptoms yet. My DH says he is not sure he will really believe it 100% until he sees physical changes. It is hard to wrap his mind around it (and this is his first). Then he was on the phone with his parents last night and he looked at me to ask if he should spill the Beans, I shook my head no . . . better to be sure and we will see them in person in mid-October. I think it will be more fun to share this kind of news in person, not in a phone call. My DH has also been acting a little funny the last couple of days, it has been interesting. He has been super touchy-feely, which he always has been, but not to this level. He probably kisses me 5-10 times a day normally but it has doubled or tripled since Saturday. This part has been fun and makes me happy. He is normally affectionate and responsive naturally, but now that has all been turned up a few notches. Did you find your husbands responding this way in early pregnancy?

I started off at a similar weight and have been doing great so far. I am almost at goal at 8 months out.

With tight restriction, I found that drinking on top of eating will cause me to pb. You may find you can do this once you get to a different point. It gets easier as time goes on and you get used to it. If I have something salty or spicy, I will sometimes have a sugar free mint or gum after eating (although some people are not allowed to have gum due to the risk of it getting stuck if swallowed).

The statistics will help to give you a good idea of what true risks are. Complications from banding are few and far between . . . although it is terrible if you end up in the small percentage who have a problem. I have had great results and I love my band. No one knows about it except for my husband, and that has worked great for me. Keeping it close keeps people from giving negative feedback or watching your every bite. Only you can determine what is best for you. Have confidence that you can make the best choice for your future.

We all go through this from time to time, sometimes we are the leaver and sometimes we are left behind. Peoples needs change . . . but you will always find those who are your "true" friends and stick by you no matter what. If a person leaves and is not willing to discuss reasons why, then it might be time to let go even if it is painful.

It starts out that way but comes back in force over the next few weeks. It then gets good again once you have good restriction where you are not really hungry the majority of the time. It is such a ride and interesting as well.