barbara465

Yesterday I had about 3 bites of lunch when POW the golf ball. Good news is that I was able to recover after a few hours. No PB, just some gurgling and burping. Dinner was bean soup and chili con queso. This morning I felt great. Had my coffee before leaving for work. At work I fixed some Special K and a cup of coffee. Took one bite of cereal and umm started gurling and burping. I feel a little uncomfortable, but not bad. I guess the fill has kicked in and I'm on to a new way. Maybe I have restriction now in the mornings for real. I'll go slow and see where this all leads. I sent a big box of clothes off to Seattle. The bandster received it and can wear a few of the slacks. She thinks next month she will be able to wear most of what I sent. It feels good to help someone else. I have to go shopping this weekend to pick up a few pairs of slacks to get me by. I don't have much left in my closet I can wear. I LOVE IT. Julie good to hear from you. You are really rockin on your weight loss. I love your story Lucy about not being recognized. Makes you really realize what a difference you have made in your body. I know the feeling PinkyLee about the seats. The first time I could sit on the bus seat and have someone smile when I joined them was a big moment to me. Take the time this weekend, I am, to clean out the cupboards of the nasty stuff we don't need. It's not about willpower as much as it is about healthy living. An alcoholic shouldn't have to stash booze in the house to prove they can live without it. I'm throwing out the cashews, the candy, and whatever else is left from the holidays. Its in the trash or in a bag to take to work. The house will be clean of this stuff. (I hope I can do this).

Your PCP probably can't help you socialgal. If you are completely unfilled then you should be OK. Your lapband doctor should be able to see you in an emergency. Keep after them. rrm - you are just a month out. everyone gets hungry at that time and without a fill. Your band is just waiting there, doing nothing, until you get a fill.

I think we need to try eating 3-4 oz of hard protein. Eat only the meat out of the taco salad, a chicken breast, a pork chop, etc. When I do eat the hard protein first I do seem to get full faster and stay full. If I mix it with soft stuff and not so much protein, I get hungry. It may be boring to eat all that hard protein, but I do stay full faster.

Having sat in on a trial of a police office who had tasered a 59 year old woman I have a different perspective. I sat through 4 days of testimony about the taser, the training involved, how the police taser each other so they know the effects, etc. etc. etc. They were trying to prove that the tasers are safe and that the police get plenty of training so they will do no harm. This case was difficult. I thought the police officer used excessive force. The 59 year old woman suffered from chronic fatigue and fibrolmalgia. They made her sound like she was crazy. Since I have both of these illnesses I knew what she was saying could be true. You can be well one minute and down the next. Anyway it was a 6 person jury. The first count was 3 guilty, 3 not. The 3 not quickly attacked the 3 that thought he had used too much force. Iwas on the guilty side. Anyway, one went to the not guilty side because she wanted to get out of there. The other juror and I fought strong for an entire day. It was going to be a hung jury. I finally talked to the other juror and we agreed to vote with the not guilty. My only condition was I wanted my say after the vote. The next day I read in the paper where this same police officer had been charged with a group of police officers in excessive force using a taser that resulted in death. The man was a mental patient. I live with that guilt everyday. I should never have compromised. Tasers are bad and in Texas they are lethal. They are used more and more here by police that exert excessive force. The not guilty jurors couldn't believe that a police officer could use bad judgment. It is not one of my fondest moments. I say NO to tasers in the hands of the public and police.

It sounds like he is a little insecure and doesn't know where "his" place is in your life. You might start reassuring him you love him, etc. etc. etc. Find your support outside of family and attend support meetings or on here for support. Make the band a non issue at home. If this doesn't help than you will have to rethink your position and your relationship.

Feb 5th works for me. The restaurant is not crowded that early on a Monday night so I think we can just grab a table and add to it if more show up.

I would call the surgicenter and ask for Dr. Spivak to give you a fill. They can schedule the appointment. You will have to make sure that 2 weeks has gone by since your fill and that you haven't lost weight. If you are losing they are less apt to give you a fill. Also, make sure that you are NOT getting full. That is, can you eat a whole chicken breast and your sides at one meal? Can you eat more than 1 1/2 cups of food at one sitting? Are you getting hungry between meals? Are you not drinking until at least 1 hour after meals? If you are answering yes to these you probably need a fill. If not, you are probably adjusting to your restriction and just not getting a "hard" stop signal. As others have said it takes time to get to the sweet spot. I'm still not there yet, but overfills are the devil's work.

Looks like you need to get an unfill Aimee. I am against these aggressive fills. I don't think most can tolerate them and you put other factors with it like TOM, cold, stress, etc. and its just a gamble as to what will get you first. One of the other bandsters was telling me of a new band and port system. I guess in the future we won't be getting fills from needles, etc. We will be getting them with a little device that expands or deflates the band itself. Just point and click. Now I ask you, is that dangerous or not? So it goes something like this: I am going to a party tonight and I want to eat. Point and click open me up. I need to fit in this too tight dress next week so point and click close me up. I think that is too iffy for me, but who knows. It might be a good thing. You wouldn't have to wait for appointments for fills and unfills. I'd be afraid I would go through a security system and have it tighten me up. :eek:

I think that these big fills cause more problems. I know everyone wants restriction now and it cost money to get fills. I don't think we allow our body to get used to the new restriction. As you know it takes me days. Also, do you just drink liquids day of fill? Do you drink something warm or at room temperature before a fill? These are some tips I've read to get a good fill. Hope you are doing better. Don't wait too long with too much restriction. If it starts to go south then get an unfill. Still fighting cold, but getting better. I'm not eating or drinking much. Not hungry. Tonight I could taste our dinner, but didn't want much. Maybe I have restriction? Or maybe its in my head.

I'm not really trying to argue about this. I just think we expect a lot from these surgeons for one fee. I don't expect any doctor to see me for a lifetime for the cost of surgery. When I had knee surgery I had the consult, the operation, and the follow up to make sure I was healing. That was that. Same for my hysterectomy. Once I was released he did the normal follow up and that was that. I do know that if I need my lapband doctor I can call him. If not, I am quite happy getting my fills from the surgicenter. If you are not happy with your follow-up care than change doctors. I know this is not as easy as with other medical issues, but I'm sure you can find someone to take your case. I follow his rules, do what he says, and so far no problems. I see now that I have 4 mandatory support group meetings to attend. I will, but I know that I must do the majority of this work. As you said, this is in my body forever, so I better get used to living with it. Hope you can find another doctor who will not disappoint you and give you support. Neither one of us is wrong in our thinking - just differences in views.

When you have surgery how many times do you see the surgeon afterwards? Most have a surgeon do the operating and go back to primary care when the operation process is completed. Why do we think that this surgery is a life long committment to the surgeon? I think this will change over time and more and more we will be seen by fill doctors, etc. I have to say that Dr. Spiegel was available to me when I started losing my saline. I saw him the following week and he gave me my fill with omnipacque. I also have his cell number for emergencies. I haven't had any, but I know how to reach him if I do. I don't need a surgeon to hold my hand through the entire weight loss. I do expect him to be there if he is the only one that can help me. I think it is just a difference of opinions as to what is required. I picked him for his surgery skills, not for his people skills. If it was my heart and he was a heart specialist I would pick him. If I needed a primary care physcian I would not. Does that make sense? One you chose for their skills, the other you chose for your ability to talk with them and for them to find you the right specialist when needed. Both are good doctors, with good skills, and good programs. Your choice.

Weather is big issue over the country. Houston is getting record cold temperatures and still in threat of icy conditions. How does the band react? I am down with this cold so I don't know if it is the cold or cold. I haven't been too hungry, can't taste, and can't seem to get my water in. I am able to have a cup or two of hot tea throughout the day. I am trying to get my protein in as my hair is not falling out at the rapid rates of before. I went to a new support group meeting last night near my home. One lady showed up. However, she and I had lots in common so now I have another friend to share this journey. It is so nice to find others that you can relate to and like as people. Barbara 12 and PinkyLee are two more. I am so grateful for the face to face meetings as well as the friendship found in our Junebies group. Hope everyone is doing well. The countdown has begun as we are less than 6 months away from Vegas. PM me and let me know you are coming if you haven't done so. I want to get a count so I can start making some arrangements and exploring our options.

Maybe that's what we should do in Vegas - make overs!!! Most will be at or near goal. We could come back as hussey women! I am a great proponent of living your life each day and not "waiting" for the untils ... Glad you had a makeover. I'm sure it made you feel better.

I would definitely vote for a woman if she was the best. I would vote for Hillary, but it does depend on who else is running.

I can hardly believe that after decades of being over 200 lbs I am 20 lbs from 199. This works if you work it and I'm seeing 18's again. I haven't seen a size 18 since my early 20's. I am now 60. Yes Virginia there is success. As a side note, I am sending another lapbander some of my 3Xs. So, I do believe that it will never come back again. Good luck to everyone

I can see that Melissa. You have only 3.5 lbs. You will make it soon. Even though I went into this very positive I guess a part of me didn't believe I could really achieve this. Now that I start seeing real results I am getting excited. I'm sending some of my clothes to another lapbander who wears my former sizes. Do you hear me, former sizes. :confused: Since I know I willl NEVER need them again I might as well let go of them. However, I have about 12 bags still in the garage yet to give away.

OK guys this is getting exciting. I'm 20 lbs from onederland! I've lost 3 lbs since my fill. However, mostly from having this sinus infection. Another weekend in bed. This is getting old as I've spent the last two weekends being sick. I am excited that I might make it to onederland in a couple months. I am looking forward to that day in a big way. I don't think I can make it by Valentine's, but I do think I can do this in March. I will be very excited. Hope everyone is doing well. The weather is turning yucky here in Houston. We're not used to it so its a big deal here.

Why don't you log your eating into fitday or sparkspeople? It will help you see whether you are eating empty calories. I don't count calories either, but I check myself now and then to make sure I'm eating the right combinations of protein, vitamins, fruit, etc. to eat balanced. I'm not, but I try. Fill seems to be working. I'm finding a full spot which I haven't had before. I still can eat, but at least I'm getting full. I'll try this on for a while. Work up today with another cold. DH and I can't seem to get over these things and trade them back and forth. It's nothing too bad, just runny nose and cough. Will lay low this weekend and try to mend. Hope everyone is having a great weekend. I am so enjoying my hot tea. You might want to try it as it is quite satisfying and is making life much easier for me.

May I gently suggest you visit the campus counseling center? It appears that you are experiencing several issues and would benefit from some 3rd party dialogue. Not all problems can be attributed to weight and some sound like products of your childhood and environment. I must say that if I had two sets of friends, who both told me to leave for a few minutes, I would be getting a new set of friends. That didn't make sense to me at all. Are you loud and overbearing when you are around your friends? Must you be the center of attention to feel noticed? Just asking and not trying to put you on the defensive. Just trying to understand why both groups of friends would ask you to leave for a few minutes. I hear your pain and feel for you. I've been heavy all my life, now 60, so I had to make my own way in a thin world. I've learned to adapt. My one thing is that I could do anything fat as others do "normal" size. That is not to say that I haven't had issues with being heavy, or not many dates, or peer pressures, etc. I just let them be "their" issues. I've never put my life on hold until I lost weight. I still don't do that. I am now realizing that I also portrayed a lot of anger. I was intimating in business and thought of as a "tough" negotiater. Looking back I could have had the same results in a kinder, gentler way. I am working on that. Good luck to you Jodie. Please go talk to someone. We want to help, but its hard to do so online.

I think a clothing swap would be great as a separate place to post. Look into it for us Wheetsin if you can. I have size 24, 3X for the asking. There is sportswear, business casual, tops, and evening wear. Anyone interested can PM me.

Today the 1.3 lbs I gained on the cruise is gone and along with it it took another 1 lb. Yeah! I'm going to go ahead and claim it fast! I usually can lose after a fill so this is not caused by anything great I've done. Starting my dangerous after time from fill so hopefully I can get through this with no issues. I want this fill to work. Glad to hear your decisions PinkyLee. I think this will be good for you. And speaking of good, that Chai tea is the best. I just love it. It feels so good on my tummy and tastes wonderful. Thanks.

Welcome to bandland. Good luck with your surgery.

I would drink plenty of Water, stop chewing gum, and use a heating pad. Some of us feel the gas pain in our left shoulder. I used a heating pad for a good 2 months after surgery. I still use a heating pad if I get gas too bad. Stay away from foods that are hard to digest until gas is under control. Hope this helps.

Each doctor is different as to when you can start. Mine is 1 wk liquids, 1 wk mushies, 3rd week soft foods, and 4th regular food. chicken is a problem, like other meats, when it is dry. I can eat it, but I dip it into applesauce or non fat gravy. Some of those chicken bites that are like wings are good and moist as well. Follow your doctor's instructions and you should do just fine. Good luck

I found it before. This site prepared me very well for all that would happen. I can't imagine having the surgery without having had all this knowledge before hand.