lianna

I went to Monterrey and had a great experience. Just make sure you have a local doc that will provide aftercare. I think when you pay the surgeon for the surgery he will not have someone else perform it. That would be a good question to ask when you are setting up your appointments.

Isn't your doctor pulling the fluid back out to check the fill level before he adds more? That would be a surefire way to determine if you had a leak. I thought that was sort of standard procedure. I hope you dont have a leak, maybe your doc could just check your fill level to see if you really have 4ccs in there. Also, is it possible that the second fill was only .3ccs not 3? It seems like they wouldnt give a 3cc fill for a second fill, or EVER, that is a huge amount. I had 1cc on my first fill and .2 on my second and .3 on my third, leaving my with a total of 1.5 when I finally got a little bit of restriction.

I have had all my fills but one done "blind" and the doctor has never had trouble finding the port or doing the fill. The one time I had a fill done under flouro I ended up being way too tight. The contrast trickled through fine, but I told the fill doc I felt too tight. I felt that uncomfortable pressure in my diaphram and felt nauseous, but he assured me I wasnt too tight on the flouro. By the time I got home I was unable to keep my own spit down. I guess I am an oddball, lol, because I prefer to go by how I feel now and not by what the doctor "sees" on flouro. However, I would think it is good idea for all of us to get a fill by flouro occasionally just to see that the band is in good position and all is well.

Yep, that is a pretty good description of a PB. Pretty much anytime I get to the point of the "slimes" ( the thick saliva jellyfish stuff) I will PB and then feel better. Be sure to baby yourself for the rest of the day if this happens, it can cause swelling of your stoma and create a cycle of irritation and PBing. Most surgeons reccomend sticking with liquids and soft mushies for a day or 2 after a PB episode.

Oh Meli, I am glad you found some inner resolve to get the ball rolling in the right direction. Have you had more than one fill, or reached any level of restriction? That will certainly help with the hunger and willpower aspect! I wish you the best and you have found a fabulous place to come for support and inspiration!

Hang in there! It gets so much easier when you can progress to fuller liquids, like pureed soups. I would stick it out and stay away from the temptation of putting "real" solid food in your mouth for now!

MimIN, it sounds like you finally have some restriction, and you will have to adjust your eating habits to get used to it. Really practice everything you have heard about taking teeny tiny bites and chewing them to liquid. It is definitely a learning process figuring out what foods you simply cannot tolerate. I find if I chew extremely well and take tiny bites that I eat just about anything but breads (and scrambled eggs, lol). Leftover reheated meats seem to toughen up and cause problems also. brendab, I cant eat scrambled eggs in the morning, ever. Boiled are fine though.

I just saw a commercial tonite! It was by Inamed/Allergan (whatever the new name is), I about fell out of my chair! Hopefully the insurance companies will step up to the plate as it becomes a more well known option for barriatric surgery!

What a great Christmas present!!! Glad things are coming together for you!

I teach 6th grade. It is a tough age, but I really love my students!

I just realized that I had my one year banded anniversary on the 27th! I am down about 60 lbs, (it fluctuates from 58-61 lbs on any given day) and reaching goal weight seems right around the corner! I feel like for the first time there IS light at the end of the tunnel, and that I will win this battle. I was losing slowly and steadily for the first 9-10 months, but have really hit a plateau the last couple of months bouncing from 169-171. I am in dire need of a fill, but am pretty much okay with the fact that I have been maintaining and not gaining, lol! I have a fill sceduled for Tuesday and hopefully that will kick me back into losing mode. The physical difference is amazing, I have gone from size 20W-22W pants to a loose size 14.....and size 12 is not far away. Back in a 36D bra and out of tight ill-fitting 40DDs and 1X-2X shirts, goodbye to all that back fat, lol. Strangely enough, I have also lost a half to full shoe size. I am completely off meds for borderline high blood pressure (BP is perfect now!), my cholesterol is almost normal, and my blood sugar is under control. I still have to take Metformin, but as long as I do take it my readings are almost perfect! This has been the best and most profound thing I have ever done for myself and my health. My energy level and mood is super! It is amazing the difference in how comfortable, "normal", and confident I feel now. The oddest thing is that I am wearing an entire size smaller at this weight than I did when I was this heavy gaining upwards. I think the fact that I have been doing cardio and strength training has my body in better shape than it was previously at this weight. Maybe it was just pure flab/fat before? Has anyone else noticed this?

I totally agree! Once you get some real restriction things get easier. The physical hunger really diminishes and it makes it SO much easier to make better choices and stick with smaller portions. Hang in there, this isnt a race! It might take you a little longer, but you WILL get there.

I have a 9.75cm 4cc band. I didnt get much restriction until I was at 1.7 ccs. There is no magic number, it really varies. I was at 1.5 soon after banding and it was too much, a few weeks later I was ready for another fill. It is very individual.

Just wanted to say hello to my fellow Texans! Hope all are doing well!!

I loved his posts and replies, although sometimes they get too longwinded, always a new opinion.

I only lost 6 lbs the first month I was banded. I truly think your body loses at a certain rate...which is different for everyone! I am an October bandster, only I am celebrating one year tomorrow!!!! It has gone fairly slow for me, but trust me when I say it the best decision I ever made. I can go into any store and buy the cute clothes, and the smaller sizes FIT! The difference in my energy and confidence is amazing. It has been a slow steady journey for me, I hung steady losing 1-2 lbs a week for the first 9-10 months...and since I got under 180 I have really slowed down. I go for a fill Saturday, so hopefully I will be very close to goal by the New Year! Happy October banding October band babies!!!

Give us all the details, I see a TT in my future also!. Hope you a speedy recovery and as little pain as possible!

Dont you just love it?!?! I have had my rings sized already, and dont think I have one single pair of shoes left that fit when I was fat. I bought a pair of killer black boots last week in size 7 and the calf actually FITS!

Also, my neice says that for years she thought God's name was Andy. "Andy walks with me, Andy talks with me...."

LMAO!!!! That song wasnt "wrapped up like a douche"? I sang it that way for years!!!

Hope you are feeling a little better today....time is definitely the cure-all with this. I felt pretty good by day 5 and was back at work by day 7. I didnt find much relief from either ice or heating pads, but liquid Tlyenol and lots of walking were a huge relief. Hang in there, it really does get better!

Dont let yourself get too nervous!!! The anticipation is worse than the actual surgery. I will not lie, I was sore and tired afterwards.....but I felt like all that worrying was for nothing, lol. You will be fine. I wish you a speedy recovery!

Aww..Lindsey, that totally sucks. I dont know what to tell you, but for sure you need to stick with your antibotics and make sure you go to your followup appt to see if you need another round. Even if you have to pay out of pocket for the visit you need to get this infection under control and eradicated. I hope you find a good doctor for followup. I think I would contact Dr. Mease or one of the docs mentioned and see if you could get an appt with him. Let us know how things work out.

I took off one week. I teach 6th grade, and I was able to function like normal when I returned. However, I was still bloated from the gas and super tired. If you can easily take 2 weeks go for it, but after that first week I felt much better every day.

Yep....try eating just the ham and cheese as a rollup. The bread is wasted carbs and wasted calories, and most bread (even most wheats) offer very little nutritionally. If you are lucky enough to get full on small amounts already make them count nutrition wise. Go for the protein first, then veggies....carbs should be last. Enjoy having restriction so early in the game!