Constance

Pebbles, here is a big ol' hug! Ok, wait, maybe sort of gentle hug since you're in pain. Girl I feel for you! That whole scenario sounds miserable and you have every right to complain. Try not to be so hard on yourself though. You've gone through a major surgery -- 2 actually -- and it ain't easy! I say (and this may be an unpopular opinion) have that ice cream, but skip the smokes. The cigarettes can actually set you back in healing inhibiting the growth of new cells yada yada...but the ice cream? Have it! A scoop won't kill you. Even 2 scoops every day for a month wouldn't be that bad. Do whatever you can that helps you soothe yourself. Hang in there. Can you watch some DVDs, or are you into Sudoku? Crosswords? Can you ask your mom to buy you a bunch of gossip rag magazines? That stuff helps me when I'm confined to airplanes and whatnot. Can you go to YouTube.com? There are tons of funny videos. I especially love the news bloopers. I totally laugh out loud at them even though I've seen some of them 10 times. Keep your spirits up...the rough part will pass! edited to add: sorry to bring up the smoking. I used to smoke and I KNOW how hard it was to really actually never ever smoke.

Agreed. Seajoan, you summed it up perfectly.

Good question. I think you've done a great job so far with the explanation. You might add that they give you medicine that makes you sleepy and you'll be very sleepy when you get home. ? Maybe you could make a comparison to kids' stomachs. That they're small and can't hold as much. And that you'll have a stomach like a kid and you won't eat so much. That could help him understand the small portions and the little bites. I think it is great that you have shared it with him!

Telly that is so cool you are doing it! And thanks for sharing your pics. You really worked you a$$ off and deserve to rock it to the fiullest. Please give us every detail of the surgery when you're done, ok?

Aw candy! No need to have guilt. It can be really hard to eat small amounts when you have zero restriction. I'm sure your pouch is fine. It takes long term overeating -- not just a few weeks -- to do serious stretching. You will be fine. Think of all the hundreds of bandsters here who've said the SAME thing about eating too much before having restriction. I think the only thing you should focus on is moving forward. If the fill tomorrow doesn't give you the right restriction then try to keep your intake down. Or try eating less but more often. Don't stress - we're here for each other!

badmadmama, I found the list from the first august bandsters thread. But when I would try to paste it, all the formatting went away and it was just one paragraph -- impossible to read.

I thought the same thing...hunger actually sort of HURTS now! I was really freaked out when I started on mushies. I was hungry all the time. But now that I've moved on to solids I feel full much sooner.

Also this from the Mayo Clinic: Sudden, steady and moderate to intense pain in your upper middle or upper right abdomen. This may signal a gallbladder attack. The pain may occur one to two hours after eating but may also occur at other times — even at night. It can last from 15 to 30 minutes to several hours. Gallbladder pain starts in your upper middle or upper right abdomen and, on occasion, may shift to your back or right shoulder blade. After the pain subsides, you might have a mild aching or soreness in your upper abdomen that can last for up to a day or so. Gallbladder attacks tend to occur infrequently — weeks, months or even years apart

Ok, here is some stuff I just found on gall bladder attacks: Sporadic pains in the middle of the upper abdomen, or just below the ribs on the right side. The pain may spread to the right shoulder or between the shoulder blades. The pain can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting and sometimes excessive wind. The attack can last from a few minutes to two to three hours before getting better. The frequency and severity of attacks is very variable. Attacks can be triggered by eating fatty foods such as chocolate, cheese or pastry. It can be difficult to distinguish the pain from other diseases, such as: gastric ulcer, back problems, heart pains, pneumonia and kidney stones.

ahh, Libra I totally relate. I had a good weekend. Still not sure about a fill. It seems as long as I do dense chewable food, I fill up pretty quick. I took a hike yesterday and felt so embarrassed by being out of shape. That will change!

WHen you say you side, whereabouts exactly? Ribs, waist, lower? Gall bladder attacks are usually right between the shoulder blades. I know b/c I thought I was having gall bladder issues but my doctor said it was muscle strain from pulling weeds every day -- but that it WAS in the same place one would feel the gall bladder. Anyway, I felt like an idiot. Does it seem to change if you have eaten? Is it near your port?

I'm one of the non-burpers. Oh how I wish I could burp! I did the other night and it felt SO good. Pretty much whatever I swallow, air/food/water, it doesn't go anywhere. Which I guess is good - no pbs yet. Do you guys think there is a correlation? Having too much burping and PBing? And vice xersa? Like maybe if you have an especially spasming esophagus or something? Don't you love my succinct medical vocab?

From what I learned in my research (and disclaimer, that is MY research, others may disagree) Dr. Rumbaut was the best in Mx - if not in the top 5 in North America. However, his price was one of the highest for Mx. But he has amazing feedback and a virtually flawless record. There was some bad feedback I ran across on De La Garza. I'm sorry - this is terrible - but I don't remember exactly from where or what it was. I just know that I started with a list of 6 Mexican surgeons and boiled it down to Sanchez, Rumbaut and Ortiz. For me, I went with Ortiz b/c it was a direct flight & fairly priced. But research and make the best decision for you. Many people are very happy with de la Garza.

I find if I really load up on the water before I start eating then I feel less thirsty during the meal. I have to remind myself to drink a bunch before I eat. But overall, I think I'm not getting as much water as I used to with the new rule. I used to drink two or more large glasses of water with everything I ate. If something is especially spicy, I take a little tiny sip. Like a straw full. What is that, 1/2 a teaspoon? I doubt that will wash out the contents of my stomach.

Wait, so kutia got 5 ccs and GE Mom got .5 cc ? That's a huge difference for a first fill.

Faybie, I'm glad I'm not alone. I just had dinner and I'm not full. OK, well a little, I guess. Yet, at lunch I was full from a cup of soup. SO ... I don't know about a fill yet. My restriction is there sometimes and then poof, it goes away. I know everybody posts about this stuff. It's funny how you read and read and read and then you're like "hey, how about that. It is happening to ME" and then you want to write about it! Even though we've all read it before, somehow once it happens for me, I want to share!

I totally agree with the thought of some of the "fun" of eating slipping away because of all the chewing. I actually started to feel a little bummed about it last night at dinner. The small bites and chewing was getting so tedious and I was really hungry! I wanted to shovel it in like ol' times! It's wierd right? If you are getting to eat tasty food, and your stomach is satisfied, why is it such a loss to have to take small bites and chew? Confession: Do you guys find yourselves wanting to push it at all? I don't have much restriction and I have this disturbing urge to try to eat more or chew less...to see if I can do it. Isn't that awful?! Bad girl! I don't want to have the golfball or PB ever! But some twisted part of me wonders if I can tolerate less chewing and more food. Why do I have to battle this "cheater" mentality? I'm not even supposed to be on solids yet...not until Friday. I'm such a rule-breaker. But seriously, I couldn't do the soups anymore. I was weak (and weak-willed) and I'm sticking with easliy chewed and mushy stuff. Ok, and one more thing. I have growing stretch marks and I hate it. I have lost 15lbs, why are they still reaching out across my belly? Should I try the Strivectin stuff? I realize there is NO evidence to suggest it works. I don't know why I'm obsessed with the stretchies. Lord knows I have enough cellulite to pave my driveway. But I'm 30, no pregnancies. and hoped maybe someday I could wear a tankini and show a wee bit o' belly. I guess I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed by my body and things changing (for better and worse) and kind of vain today...thanks for letting me vent.

Hey guys, I just read this...(yes I'm a dork and obssessed with this case) But, after forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht declared Monday that Daniel was taking prescription anti-depression medication when he died, the young man's movie partner has revealed he had been very ill. David Giancola, the director of Smith's new movie 'Illegal Aliens' - which was produced by her son - tells In Touch magazine that Smith had been in intensive care for an elevated heart rate. He says, "He was in the hospital for two or three days. He was really sick. He lost something like 28 pounds and had a constant stomach ache." According to Giancola, Daniel seemed to have recovered but was still not fully fit when he flew to the Bahamas to be with his mother after she gave birth on September 7. It has been suggested that Smith had been prescribed anti-depression medication after splitting up with his girlfriend.

20-year-old men don't just drop dead! This is so wierd! Was he poisoned? Is that rulled out?

Sorry if this has already been discussed...but where are the journals? Gone forever?

Not positive about the specifics, but I think if you live in the Bahamas your child can not be removed from your care for custody reasons. Even if the father was legally awarded custody, it wouldn't be enforced while mom & daughter where in the Bahamas.

I know she had the child in the Bahamas to avoid a custody battle over her newborn. It is tragic -- but also so intriguing. Could it have been the father of her child?

I agree that the majority of the "parties" are really lame. However, I think your product is different. You could have a really fun interactive experience with parents and kids! My personal opinions on the sales parties: 1) Have a defined start and end time. 2) Be honest an open right away - you are there to sell something. But the audience benefits by getting a trial run of the products. 3) Encourage the trial run. Let everyone play with and/or experience the product on their own without the boring "demonstration" 4) Have a group play or child play option so parents can join in if they wish -- or just leave the tykes to entertaining themsleves (that can be a great selling point!) Let us know how it works out for you! I think it is a great idea with an untapped market.

Aw Nancy, I'm sorry. I know how that feels. I was a size 20 and only 5'3" and I have struggled for so long with trying to find big clothes that fit but didn't make me look like my head was sticking out of the top of a tent! I think Old Navy has a good selection of plus size stuff. If you have a store near you you'll find lots in the clearance section -- one advantage of being larger, they seem to have many clearance items left over! I also sort of threw in the towel pre-op. I knew I would be gaining some weight (as part of the terrible Last Supper mentaility I had) and I just wanted to feel conmfortable. I bought elastic waistband yoga pants -- just far enough away from sweats that I felt presentable. Then I bought some cute button-up shirts. Together it looks pulled together enough but still comfy.