Queen of Hearts

I hope this comes through. This is 3 months after the lap band at a walk the health department my daughter works at put on:smile: Still a long road ahead but I am determined!:crying:

Hey Kjeter! What a nice thing to offer! I know when I started going down I called my sister, daughter and some of my friends and they came through for me and now I'm down another size so I gave them the clothes they gave me back and we're still laughing about how fast they were returned! Such a nice gesture and I know what you mean about your husband being happy to see them out of his area..mine is the same way!

Jax that sounds like me. I've gone down one size and if it weren't for the excess skin on my tummy I know without a doubt I could go down another size..so now my legs look like I'm wearing pants too big but my tummy is still hanging on!! I am still wearing my shirts that are a bit big but they are slowly being removed as well! My bra size has only gone down 1 size..both ways!!:tongue: But your picture looks like you've gone down more than the size you wear..you look really great!! Such an inspiration for the rest of us!!

You look MAHVELOUS!! Big difference!!

Hey Mss! That's great. :tongue: Only you will really know how much you can take and now you know just how much you have, that's good to know. My doc gave me 5 cc on my first fill and I have a friend that goes to him and he gave her only 3cc so I can only assume his reason is because we are all different in our own way and he felt I could handle the 5cc where my friend (who is a smaller woman than myself) could only have 3 cc. She may even have a different size band too. Mine is for a research study and it could be totally different from hers?? I hope once you get over your mushies you can eat solids with no problems!! Hang in there you're doing GREAT!!

Hi destynee! Well I'm glad to hear you tried to really be conscientious of what you were eating and how much. My doc said for me to use a baby spoon and that's how small my bites should be!:tt1: I started laughing and told him history repeats itself..now I'm back to the baby stage with the spoons! I don't use a baby spoon but I do take tiny bites and chew till it's almost like a paste! I am scheduled to go back in June for another adjustment but if I get any at all it will be a very tiny bit! I really think with the 5.6cc in this 12 AP band that I am really close to my ideal tightness. I'm a pretty big girl so maybe my stoma is bigger than yours and you may need more or less. Ask your doc how much you have total and if he does remove some have him take maybe just 1/4 or 1/2 of what he put in you on the LAST fill and that may end up being your sweet spot..where you're eating but not so much that you can't lose the weight and still keep all the food down without any bad side effects! You will know pretty quick if he removed too much..you'll feel like you could eat anything! :w00t: Keep us posted on your progress! Good luck!!:tongue:

RSG! Well done dear! I agree wholeheartedly with these words and was really distressed when I read the dilemma operagal was going through. Operagal..we are all only human. We can forgive and press on and it sounds like you are..kudos for that!! Ezma Right on!! You took the words right out of my mouth! JaimeSTL..come to the rescue for me if I end up being bad...I'll need your support!!

Hey Destynee! Well I have to agree with Karen. After your last fill with just liquids and then trying to start solids and then having those problems you just wrote leads me to believe you are too tight! :cryin: I too felt like I didn't want another fill on my third because I was having some real issues with solids as well. I told my doc I'd like to wait and get used to this fill a little better because I couldn't eat my 1/2 cup of food for my meal at one time. I was eating maybe a 1/4 cup and later (about an hour) eating the rest. With this extra time I am adjusting better and believe me your instincts kick in when you get used to how much you can tolerate and what you can tolerate and if you go one step over your hugging the porcelain bowl again! :sad: This is the start of my second week and I'm eating better now but I have noticed that it takes a lot less to give me that full feeling so I may be close to my sweet spot! :biggrin2: My doctor told me not to eat a lot of liquids. He said my body won't get the nutrients it needs because the liquids just pass through so quickly and also that the proteins in my stoma will help keep me with a full feeling longer. If I were you I would first talk to the doc and then decide if you may want to try to get more accustomed to this fill you have and try eating and chewing less food and maybe even stretching the time to eat a bit longer like I am having to do. You might not need another fill and you surely need to be sure to eat solids well before you get another fill..just my opinion. I am so glad I have decided to wait. I don't hug that white throne anymore and I am getting my solids down a bit better. :cursing: Let us know how you're doing!

Great news!! Glad to hear your BP is ok!! It can be worrisome when it drops but I did have the dizzyness and headaches so I'm ok now with half meds! I also started taking biotin from walmart as well for my hair. I've been on it for about 2 weeks and also prenatal Vitamins..just for my own peace of mind and my hair is still coming out (not as heavy as before) but it is a lot shinier..or is that my scalp?? Just kidding..it is shinier but I can't see much change in my thickness yet. My doc said to increase my Protein and to be patient. He said it took 3 months to start falling out and it might take that long to grow back!!:thumbup: So I will just keep an eye on it and you let us know how yours if fairing!! :biggrin2:

Hey Ezma..you know I was thinking..is this thing going to come out of my mouth if I loose another lets say 20 or 30 pounds?? :scared2: I think I need to have a consultation with my doc and see what I should expect next! HA! :biggrin2: The pinching is only bad when I bend over in the perfect position..:thumbup: then I'm straight up as an arrow in record time! :thumbup: If you see your doc before I see mine in June let me know if he has any idea what's going on??

Lil Miss:biggrin2:! I know I can count on you to make just the right comment to make my boo boo go away!! Such a sweetheart! I think we sometimes get ourselves into these traps unwittingly! I was struggling with my previous fill and knew I had to decide if I could handle any more and I was feeling really low because I read these posts about these poor girls whose doctors are giving them such a hard time and not filling them to even try to find their sweet spot..etc, etc, etc and all that going through my mind was wacking me out!! Then you and Kathy were so sweet to help me feel like I am doing the right thing and making the right decision for myself! I feel much better this week and I am adjusting to my previous fill better and maybe in 3 weeks I may want a smigeon more..maybe not..we'll see how it goes at that time..I am so glad you posted! Thank you loads!!

Hi Kathy! Yes I am probably really getting better with my chewing! I am also guilty of eating too fast. After talking with my doc he suggested that I drink a Protein drink an hour or more before I eat to keep from feeling so hungry when I did get to eat. I have to watch the clock because I try to eat every night at 6 pm. Sometimes it is later and if so I will usually either eat a spoon of Peanut Butter, or drink a Protein Drink, or even eat a 2% stick of cheese. Just a little protein to keep me from inhaling my food! My DH is so good about trying to make sure I don't go past 6 because of my inhalation problem!:scared2: I hate the yaking and I know now that my decision to hold off on the fill was a good one. I really think I'm pretty close to my sweet spot but I really needed more time to adjust to my previous fill..it had only been 4 weeks! But I'm a research participant and I have to go every month to check my status and see how well or unwell I'm doing! Lucky for me my doc is really way cool and let me wait and then told me I was going fast anyway! Whew! I was glad to hear that! So thank you for your kind words and helping me feel better about just holding back for a little bit and believe me it has helped me adjust without feeling like I was failing myself! Like I told him..my health is my priority! Thanks again Kathy!:biggrin2:

Hang in there froggie! I planned on my surgery for 2 years and just this year my insurance decided to cover this surgery. My liver doc wouldn't help me with a gastric bypass because it's not reversible but this one is! You'll get there and when you do you will have a great new life to look forward to! I wish they had this available for me when I was your age!! PS..my son is 23!! Keep us posted on your travels!! Good luck!

Hi Blix..welcome to your new life! I was banded in Feb of this year and I've lost 39 pounds so far. I have had 2 fills and could have had 3 but I think I'm real close to my sweet spot! So I asked my doc if we could wait a month before we put any more in. When you start getting your fills ask your doc what size of band you have and how much he puts in. I find it very helpful to know what I have and how much is going in. It just keeps me focused on what is happening in my new life. I have several co-morbidity factors, High BP, High Cholesterol, Metabolic Syndrome, border line diabetes, Non alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, sleep apnea, over 100 pounds overweight..I think that's all of them! Now the good side of what has happened since I've been banded. In March my heart doc reduced my blood pressure meds in half because my BP dropped to less than 100 on the top side and I always ran 140 with meds before the band. I have had a visit with my digestive disease doc and am happy to let you know that my liver panels came back excellent. My liver is no longer storing the fatty deposits that gave me my cirrhosis problem to begin with. He is also weaning me off my cholesterol meds and by my 6 month check up we'll know how my cholesterol is doing! My diabetes was just borderline but I checked it all the time and now it is well below the minimum and all these factor into the metabolic syndrome I suffer from, so everything is looking great for me. I wasn't worried about how I looked so much but when my health got so bad that I was headed for a donor list with my liver I decided with the help of 5 doctors to have this surgery. I am very happy but it's coming off alot faster than I can tighten my skin up! HA! But I keep working it and eventually it will slow down to where all the exercising I'm doing will pay off in my toning! :scared2: I know this is a bit of info but I think this site is loaded with lots of info and more nice and friendly people you'll never meet! The ones I have had the privilege of writing to are fun, witty, and truly good people! I hope you will enjoy this site as much as I have! Good luck on your travels with your new band and let us know how you are doing! :thumbup:

Hi Mss! :biggrin2: UR so welcome..but it's true..only you can really make the determination whether you have enough or not. :scared2: Once you find out just how much you have then you can have him add more and just see how it feels. If you go to far you will be back in his office in a couple of days to have some removed.:thumbup: ..almost like I did..but I just started chewing more and eating less! If I would have had more put in last Thursday I would have been miserable!! :thumbup: I think I'm pretty close to my sweet spot because I'm not craving after work and I eat a lot less than I did and really concentrate on my protein! Whew.. it's tough sometimes but I feel better knowing I didn't get that extra umph that I may not have needed! Good luck and let us know what happens after you see the doc!! :thumbup:

Hey Syndy! I do have high blood pressure and on my 2 week post op check my blood pressure was 112/76. I had the nurse recheck it since I'm usually around 140/90. She did and it was the same. I went to my family doc and told her and she cut my meds in half. My heart doc did the same thing and this was within a month of my surgery. My heart doc told me not to let it get below 100 on the top side so really watch it!! My cholesterol meds are being weaned off of me as well and my liver panels look great. I had lots of co-morbidities before my surgery so I have several doctors watching out for me! Just be sure you monitor your BP. This band is working miracles for me with my health issues but your BP was actually NORMAL??!! Your doc can let you know what to do! Good luck and let us know what he/she says! :woot:

Well..I put an APB out for a size smaller than what I am now and bless the ladies and sisters and daughters of the world. My sis brought me her OLD jeans that her boyfriend bought her which were brand new but she's a bit taller than me and couldn't wear them (thank goodness cuz they are the bomb!) and so did my daughter..I've only gone down one size in my pants and I'm still in WOMENS sizes..actually meaning PLUS! My shirts are looser but I haven't made the plunge down to a smaller size there because I like them loose..there are a few exceptions..I have some that were made by OMAR the TENT maker and I did have to let those go out~they were way, way, way too loose! My DH bless his little heart..says..let's go down 2 sizes before we shop!! That would be a great incentive! So I told him I could probably do that! I am just about down to the next smaller size in my jeans..I have an abdomen problem..too saggy and a booty that is s l o w l y going down!:woot: I am almost ready to shop till I drop!!

Yep..me too! First fill took a while for him to find the port..second fill one shot in and out and NO BRUISE!! I figure that first fill was how it would be every time but my port moved on me?? So the second was a total surprise!:woot:

:woot: Well I think that's GGGRRREEAATT!! My DH didn't need anything but he was right there with me eating the same things I was on the pre-op and post-op diet! It was so fun and he also knew then a part of what we all have had to go through. While we were still on the post-op diet he had a family doc appt and our doc commented on his weight loss and he told her he was following my diet to support me but he is sure getting sick of chicken and fish! She just laughed and told him to hang in there..now you know how hard it can be for some people to lose weight! So I think this is really terrific for Val and Marathinner!!

Hey Thindolphin! Glad to have you on board! I love this web site..it has so much info and everyone is great! So many people here to help when you need it the most! Welcome!:woot:

Hi mss! Do you have any idea what your band size is? I have a AP12 and my first fill was 5.0cc and my second was .6cc, so I have a total of 5.6 cc and just this past week I had a doctor appt but I asked not to be tightened up because of sliming and other niceities! I would find out how big your band is and how much he has put in and then make a decision. My weight loss to date (banded 02/08/08) is 39 pounds. My doc told me last week that I am losing twice as fast as I need to so he agreed to let me go for another month without a fill. I had the .6cc put in because I told him I was cheating in the evenings before my last meal..I am also a research study patient and I didn't want to hamper the data by not telling him I was eating extra carbs..now I don't have the urge to cheat with salsa and chips!:biggrin2: Only you will know how much restriction you can tolerate. If he gives you too much you can always have him remove some of the fluid..?? I hope this helps..:woot:

:biggrin2:Good girl! That makes two of us! :woot:

Cool..you look great!! I hold mine just like you do..I have a new pic but I am not a computer guru..I'm trying to post it today! You are doing great and we are always our own worse critics!! BIG difference!! :woot::biggrin2:

:w00t: Wow..that is totally ONEsome!! Congrats!!:thumbup:

Well Shoes..you have a great holiday and forget the ex..that's history..I've got one too and I just wonder why they think (or their spouses) we give a two cents worth?? They are history..live for today and tomorrow and just enjoy your vacation!! See ya in a couple of weeks! Will miss our repartees! :biggrin: