HeatherO

I have had that feeling in the exact same place. It is not food being stuck because food doesn't get stuck in that location. My throat does occasionally get irritated there, and it is definitely right above the collar bone. I drink hot teas when it is like that and just give it a couple of days. It goes away on its own without too much fuss. pineapple juice has been known to help with stuck food, but I don't think you have stuck food by the location.

Why did you decide you wanted to convert? I know I struggled in the beginning deciding between the two. If you explain it might be useful information for those of us still trying to make a decision. WasABubbleBut is indeed an excellent resource. You should look up some of her posts.

. . . because with two weeks of house guests, traveling, bridal showers, etc I have been a little off plan. I need to kick my butt back into gear, and fast. I haven't gained, but I haven't lost which is what I need to be doing before I travel abroad in October.

I have been offered cobra before when switching jobs but it was about $1,000 a month. It can be very costly. You may want to ask now how much they expect it to be for cobra coverage.

Everyone had great suggestions. It sounds like you are under a huge amount of stress and that is an easy trigger for eating for most of us. Carbs/sugars are addicting. I had to cut them out of my diet completely so that my hunger would be in check. It was sooooo hard at first but after about 2 weeks, it became really easy. Exercising is sooo valuable and I would say it is even more important when you are stressed. I would highly recommend it for stress relief first, and for helping weight loss second. Once you get in a routine, you will find that you start wanting or even needing the release of exercise. You can do this!!!! :0)

I wouldn't want to start over with removing all fill because it takes so long to get it going again. However, this comment just made me think of a great suggestion. Have you ever heard of the 5 day pouch test? It is a pouch renewal diet that puts people back on track when they have stalled or just needed to get back on the wagon again. It takes you through liquids-mushies-solids and most people have great weight loss over those days. It is kind of like going through the post surgery diet in 5 days instead of a month. I think it could be great because not only does it get your pouch back in shape, but it also helps get your mindset back inline. If you are interested in more information, check out this address: Surgical Weight Loss 5 Day Pouch Test. This isn't a website to buy anything, but it does give the plan for free in detail and explains alot about hunger/satiety/etc. I think anyone who is really struggling should at least read through it and give it some thought.

For me I just have to do something completely different than what I was doing. If I was working out 30 minutes a day, I can spend a few days at 1.5 hours or vice versa. If I was eating really low calorie (800-1000), I would switch to higher calorie for a couple of days (1000-1300) or vice versa. If I got on a routine of eating the same kinds of foods everyday, I would pick something new completely off of my normal menu for a few days. For instance, I went on a sushi kick for a couple of days once and that really helped. It usually takes a change for several days to take affect, but it definitely works for me. No matter what, cutting out things such as processed carbs also helps in that I know I have to avoid these things as well. These will plateau me faster than anything if I start eating them on anything more than I very rare basis. A combination of any of these things seems to shock my system into losing again for some reason. It seems like any big change in any direction works like a jump start for me. If I don't change things up (like I did in the beginning of banding) and just stay the course, my plateaus could go on for weeks. Now I never seem to have any issue lasting more than a week.

You should definitely try to get back to a workable restriction level, or as near as you can to one. It would also be good to revisit bandster rules. What you are eating can make all the difference between losing and not losing. Are you eating lean Proteins, fruits and vegetables, healthy carbs? Are you getting enough exercise? Are you battling head hunger more than physical hunger? All of these things can impact your success. You had success before, you can have it again. It will help to get back into the bandster mind-set. Good luck.

The comment your doctor made about people with the same or less of a fill losing more than you is irrelevant. I am surprised a doctor would say that. Some of us never need a fill and some of us need quite a bit. Our anatomy is different and it makes no sense to compare fill levels across different people. It sounds like you need more of a fill in that you know what it feels like to be at the appropriate restriction level and did not experience the need for more food and was not hungry in between meals. I know from personal experience that the right fill level makes all the difference in the world. I would insist on getting another fill as quickly as possible. Your doctor can also be correct in that eating six meals may be too much. It all depends on how many calories you are ingesting. There are things you can do to make this work better for you if you are still hungry. If you have to have a snack, perhaps you can stick to vegetables or something with almost no calories to tide you over until your next meal. It can also really help you to track your calories and Protein daily in something like fitday. No matter if you have a band or not, for the most part calories consumed should be less than calories burned to keep losing. Unfortunately, if your band is not restricted enough you will have to work harder on personally restricting what you are eating in order to continue losing. One last thing concerns what you are eating. In my case, it was very important for me to avoid certain things or I was constantly hungry. Pasta, breads, snack cakes, Cookies or crackers or anything along this line with processed carbs/sugars would make me instantly hungry again in an hour or less. My blood sugar will spike and then drop when I eat these things, and it does not matter what my restriction level is, I immediately crave these things after I have them. I am not sure if this is an issue at all for you, but for me I never lose a single pound regardless of restriction unless I avoid these things.

Sorry it has been so rough for you. It does sound like you will need a couple of days of liquids until you can get back and ease the pressure a little. My last fill was exactly the same and I was going to get an unfill. I went on liquids for a couple of days and was really careful. I found the fill was tolerable after the initial swelling went down. However, I know that sometimes if a fill is too much, it may not become comfortable again. If I were in your shoes, I would drink the 1% and occasional juice as well if you can find it. This has always worked for me in a jam when nothing else was passable. I read a lot about the flying thing and they say it really affects you when you are at restriction. You may just be tight enough now to really feel the effects. By the way, I have seen your pictures recently in the albums and you look wonderful. :0)

You may need another fill. If you are hungry between meals, are eating too much at meals, and you are not losing 1-2 pounds a week you should go in again. Usually there is not enough restriction at the first fill.

I am so sorry to hear that. Try not to let it get you down. Perhaps a letter will work.

I wish I knew . . . . . . some Protein shakes can taste horrible. I should have gotten a sample before I bought a very expensive barrel sized canister of Protein shake that has been gathering dust in my kitchen closet for six months now. . . . ready to drink Isopure clear shakes were tolerable to drink and helpful for protein intake directly after surgery since they fit in as a clear protein. . . . I did not realize logging all calories and protein on fitday.com would be so helpful during the early days. . . . I thought the journey really started when I was banded, but the help did not really come until after my second fill. I did not have realistic expectations of the unfilled portion in the early days where you are soooo hungry but can not eat anything much. I also did not realize that so many people had weightloss stalls (or some even gain)at this point. . . . I did not realize that weight loss comes in fits and starts. It was only easy and steady directly after surgery during the liquid phases. In general for me it looked more like this 202, 202, 201, 198, 202, 199, 202, 200, 199, 199, 198, 200, 198. I now have a rule that I don't change a ticker value unless I maintain a maximum weight for at least three days. . . . I didn't realize that plateaus can be easily broken if you know what to do, so I suffered a little more in the beginning than necessary. . . . I didn't realize that my TOM means an automatic weight gain(3-5 pounds in the beginning and 1-3 pounds now) that comes and goes in about a week. . . . I did not know that losing weight rapidly floods your body with hormones so that your TOM can be drastically worse than normal (not to mention that you can be verrrryyyy moody as well). However, six months out and I think I have stabilized somewhat. Perhaps the general tone sounds like complaints, but it is not. All of the good far, far, far outweighs the bad. If I listed all the good, I could go on for pages and pages. I love my band and I can not tell you how much better I look and feel at this stage of the game. Congratulations on selecting a most interesting journey and change in lifestyle.

I think you might be trying too hard. The glue shouldn't cause any harm but the various methods being used to get the glue off, which are causing skin irritation, are probably not helping the healing process. A couple days of tape residue are worth a lifetime of minimized scarring. Time will definitely make it come off with minimal skin irritation. After all, you will be shedding skin cells over time and most of it will come off easily in the shower.

I had one steri strip come off earlier than the rest. I kept it clean and it healed well with no infection. However, when i look at my scars now, they look great and are a pale pink thin line, not really even noticeable except for the place where the strip came off. It is a much darker pink there and the scar is bigger and more pronounced (it is also at the port incision which was a lot bigger to begin with). If I would have known then what I know now, I probably would have found a little butterfly bandage to make sure that there was a little extra support to hold it together during the healing phases. However, this is just vanity in that it really doesnt look bad at all, just not as good as the others. All in all, as long as you keep the wound clean and cared for, it is really not a big deal.

Every insurance is so different, the only way to really know is to bite the bullet and give them a call.

It is nervous to get the jitters. I remember clearly how the surgery went and how nervous I was before hand. It was really a simple process and felt like it was over in an instant. Recovery is pretty good as well. I was just a little sore. The best thing about it is that my worst day now is far better than my best day before banding. I feel absolutely wonderful. Good luck.

Hello, I am a bit closer to Cleveland than Youngstown, but really not that far. I have been banded for a little over six months and have had great results so far. Banding is the best thing I have ever done for myself. If you would like to chat, please PM me sometimes. :0).

I would like to hear answers as well. Great question.

One more down and I am officially in the 150's!!!!! I am thrilled. For me that is such an incredibly, unbelievable number, I am still in shock. Only 4 more pounds to go, I think I might just make this challenge :0) Bunkey, congrats on being officially in Onederland! Name_________Start Weight ____Goal____ Lbs lost____Current Weight *****:rofl:********** **********:crying:******:rofl:**********:rofl:***** aJoneen............230.........220.......5.......... Bea1128............220.........199.......5.......... Babs0101...........185.........170.......0.......... blesdbyonmzur......159.........148.......4.......... BTTRFLI1432........221.........210.......6.......... Bunkey1965.........212.........195.......14.........198 Chocolate_Snaps....254.........240.......6.......... Darr5380...........167.........155.......3.......... Epm316.............209.........199.......5.......... erikadawn..........199.........175.......0.......... FloridaGirl........235.........215.......0.......... HeatherO...........172.........155.......13.........159 Heft_Bandit........261.........245.......6..........255 JennyPoo...........169.........159.......5.......... KarenG.............160.........158.......6.......... KathyStrick........305.........290.......0.......... Lapbandfan.........258.........230.......2.......... Leslie2Lose........224.........209.......5..........219 LessNLess..........144.5.......140.......0.......... LilMissBand-Aid....234.4.......225.......6.2........ Lunabeane..........212.........200.......9.......... Luu2008............219.........189.......14......... Luv2Laugh..........232.........212.......0.......... luvinke............206.........190.......0.......... mamato3............199.........184.......6.......... mcgreen............189.........175.......0.......... mdgarcia31665......225.........200.......0.......... melboyd............266.........256.......5.8........260.2 Missrach...........269.........175.......25.........244 MollyMolly.........192.........182.......2.......... mominlv13..........316.........300.......10.8.......305.2 MSnika3............228.........204.......4.......... MyTurn.............250.........240.......0.......... NANAbanded.........225.........199.......7.......... Ninja..............204.........189.......5.......... NukeChik...........221.........199.......6.......... Ollie..............242.........210.......0.......... Redtulips..........188.........180.......6.......... Renewedhope........174.........155.......5.......... ronni_NC...........243.........220.......0.......... slgandera..........185.........173.......7.......... StartingOver.......220.........205.......15......... Sunshine2..........187.........170.......8..........179 want_so_bad........170.........155.......0.......... Sades.......(7/16).192.5.......180.......8.6........ Sadie..............220.........199.......6.......... smwww..............189.........179.......0.......... tp78...............212.........195.......7..........

I know several people with PCOS personally, although I don't have it myself. It seems that PCOS, insulin resistance and being significantly overweight all go hand-in-hand in every case. What I am not sure about is which came first, the chicken or the egg. Does being overweight lead to insulin resistance and PCOS in people that are predisposed to developing it? Or is PCOS the primary issue and weight gain and insulin resistance are side effects? In my friends that do have it, they can go on extreme diets, exercise an incredible amount and only have a very small impact on weight. It is almost as if traditional weight loss methods are minimally effective when PCOS is an issue. Does that also seem to be the case for those of you who have it?

I hope you are feeling better this morning. If you are just sliming or pb'ing, you are probably fine and we all go through this until we learn to avoid those things that get us there. Some people suggest drinking some things but I don't think this works for everyone. I have found that if I drink anything, it has to come up immediately. It just makes it worse. Even if it was a liquid that can help break things down, it doesn't stay in long enough to do anything. I have found the best thing if I am really stuck is to stand near the toilet, bend at the waist with my mouth open so things come out easier and faster. Gravity helps clear you out sometimes. I don't mean vomiting, I just mean allowing the pb and slime to escape a little easier. This has really cut down the recovery time.

I went through it too but that phase only lasted a week or two. Now I am normal now but volume is just really small compared to pre-surgery (less in, less by-products I guess). Although unpleasant, I think it is normal and not too much of a concern.

Slim-Fast is not the best option because it is high in sugar/carbs. However, I did use the Optima brand occasionally because it is just so available and easy to find. A better option would be to find high Protein and low carb shakes regardless of the brand.

I had that problem as well but I had to learn how to have "mini" burps which is just releasing a slight amount of air. I figured out how to do this with drinking water. I also try to minimize any excess air ingested with eating or drinking as well. Now it is not much of an issue because it is easily resolved but I still have some level air trapped regularly that needs to be released.