riley4183

I totally get what you mean about being scared to eat "normal" foods, I told Robin I wanted to wait because I didn't want to be able to just "grab something" - that I was scared of real food LOL, I needed my little containers of puree she let me wait a few days but pretty much talked me through it, I wish I had listened to her better and kept bringing my food in the little containers, before this last fill I was eating 2 cups at a time NO PROBLEM and I was really scared that i had stretched my pouch! When I met with her on friday I told her how worried i was about my volume eating having come right back, it was always my problem before and it looked like it still was, she kept telling me I needed a fill and then I got it and OH so much BETTER! I eat 1/2 cup now and am perfectly happy :w00t: Oh and I had not stretched my pouch I think everyone has to see Robin before 2nd fill, I know Tina did before 1st fill but she's special :thumbup: she's vegetarian & that's Robin's specialty! You can call and leave her a message anytime & she will call you back, I find it very helpfull to meet with her :thumbup: I love these little smiley guys they're fun Adult ADD here can you tell?!? Have a great evening all! I did 12 miles today, I SO love that my body is working like it's supposed to again! OH yeah, constipation, very common and a big problem for me, I have to have no cheese, benefiber (which makes me gassy), fiber one cereal (which robin cut out) and salads WAY before I was supposed to. Also that new oceanspray diet cranberry-pomogranate juice, a whole bottle a day! 5 cals per serving so that's all good. And a lot of water, decaf coffee, hot water to drink in the AM and LOTS and LOTS of walking, it "motivates" me if you know what i mean! I hope that helps, goodnight! :sad: Riley

I seriously doubt that he reads our posts, probably too busy . . . still . . . . it's pretty easy to search bt his name on here and find 900 posts!! LOL, what can we say he's the lap-band king. So I take it that at your support group meeting there was someone who had only lost 30 lbs 3 years out and thought it was NORMAL?? And a Kaiser patient no less?? Maybe she had a band with no preparation somewhere else, then got Kaiser later??? I have never heard of anyone in the Kaiser program being that unsuccessful . . . but then, Kaiser does not get to chose who becomes their patients. I have heard of plenty of folks who are disappointed in their bands because the band did not "make them" lose weight, and so then they want bypass or whatever. I have no patience for people who expect the band to do all the work, personally. Those people are driving down the stats! Of course plenty of people just see an ad for it, go to mexico or whatever to get it without any education, and then expect to just lose with the same lifestyle. We know better! YAY to us, congrats for making good choices & coming on here to get even more educated than Kaiser already makes us! SO you girls with fills on June 25th, do you all see Robin that day too? It sounded like a sort of group-teach like we did at pre-op. Does anyone know howlong it will take? He said to come at 9:30 no matter what my card says. I feel like I need more info so I know if I have to take the whole day off, etc.

oh yum, spaghetti squash is SO good . . . . . I make a sauce with Trader Joe's pomodoro sauce (lowest in carbs, and YUMMY), sauted onions and smashed kidney beans, serve it over spaghetti squash and YUM-O it is so good!!! OK, while we are on pasta, I have to ask: has anyone tried those spaghetti-shaped tofu noodeles? They are called Shiritaki, at Safeway they are in the produce section by the tofu, and they do NOT taste like tofu! You have to rinse them really really well because they smell like fish when you open the package. 2 servings per pkg, each serving 20 calories and 1 net carb!!! So what if you "blow it" and eat the whole package?? 40 calories, big deal! For lunch today I had 1/2 cup of them with 1 laughing cow light green onion flavored wedge and 1 tsp of brumell & brown spread melted and mixed in with it, it was totally like stroganoff and less than 100 calories, yumo yumo! OK I have to stop typing about food, now i am getting hungry again!!

I had pokey stiches too, Dr. Baggs says cut 'em off with nail clippers - carefully of course! and that if you rub antibiotic ointment on them it will soften them up, then they won't grab your shirt & pull & hurt & such.

Nicole that's FABulous!! I love to hear that you are in love with your band :w00t: I think that's how we are supposed to feel! Full and happy, but on very little! So what does "full" feel like to you? Different from before I know, but 'where' do you feel it? Christine, I think that watching the videos is SO helpful to people considering having lap-band! It totally would have helped me when I was not sure I wanted surgery yet (I knew I didn't want RNY tho, LOL) to see what went on, esp. at a Kaiser facility. I had seen some other fill vids on YouTube but they were from back east or mexico, and I just had no idea if that was going to be what I was facing. And I always wondered "what else?" so I would totally encourage you to post what you have! I don't think Dr. B would mind at all, you could always email him & ask if he wants to see the rest of his show! Reggie, how are you doing this morning girl?? I'm praying for you to hit that "good!" point :wink2: SO girls. Is anyone else considering plastic surgery? I am thinking that I am going to need a pannelectomy in another year . . . I have this HUGE blob of skin that hangs way down in front, it's getting closer to me knees every day! With 3 c-sections, there is no way that I could ever "tone" that away, and it's really in my way. I am putting $250 a month extra in my county retirement plan so I can borrow it out again (like pre-tax savings) if and when i do it, but have not started exploring yet. Ideas??

Thanks for making me feel better about it, Tina! Fortunately he was a good sport about the whole shiny head thing! I was SO embarrassed, but it just slipped out! Then i got the giggles so bad & couldn't . stop . . . oh well maybe he'll forget! I am SO loving not being hungry again! Little bit is keeping me full 4 or 5 hours, horay! My band is working for me again. Did a nice 7 mile hike today while still on liquids only, would have gone farther but was afraid I might crash since I hadn't eaten for like 30+ hours, but I seemed to do fine! Feels good to love my band again :wink2:

Christine, your fill video is SO GREAT! So is your whole page :-) I pasted the link to the fill video over on the "fills" forum, one gal just posted so thanks to you! OK so here is the best part about my fill yesterday, I asked Dr. Baggs if he had gone on you tube and seen the fill video, he was like oh no way, I am not on you tube, and I am like oh yes, you can't see your face or anything, just your shiny head when it gets in the way of the camera, and he is like, I want to see it! Here get on line right here and show me, he was so excited about it! I told him you had a whole page and he was like blown away. So I lay back for the fill, and as he does the local he starts laughing and he goes, wait, "shiny head?!" and that got me to laughing too, then I couldn't stop I was SO embarrassed that I had said that! I was giggling so hard that he had to wait for me to stop because my port was popping around all over the place, he was like oh man, I really do have the best patients. Then he says "shiny head?!?" all indignant again as I finish sipping my water, I'm like sorry doc, and he's like, no I'm sorry that my head got in the way! He acted excited like a little kid, I think he likes being a movie star! I told him he could probably google it and find it, but he looked sorta doubtful so I emailed him your link and he said thanks and he wants to show it to the Pinole gal that was helping him out that day. I think he's real happy that we are all friends, he did not even give me that choice about coming to Pinole, he's just like, oh you'll like it :wink2: For sure we all are his superstars! So I have to say, my fill was totally fun yesterday! Got to go potty again, jeez it feels like my bladder is going to swim away. You guys, after your fills, did you go straight back to "real" food after 24 hrs of clear liquid, or did you phase it back in?

Ok I'm back, had to come home & plug in my laptop :w00t: So Tina! yes my appointment with Robin was great, lasted like 40 minutes & we talked at length about my transitioning back to vegetarianism. It has been 6 months back on meat for me and I am actually eating beef now - which I never thought I'd do again. Never gonna gnaw a bone tho! Anyways she was totally empathetic and she was all about me settling in to an eating plan that I am comfortable with and can live with for the rest of my life!! Very supportive of starting my transition back now. She wants me to add beans back in, and especially lentils since they are lower in carbs. Plus boca burgers, etc. and we both sat there mourning the fact that those great vegie ribs have 35 grams of sugar!! We spent a long time on the soy question - I have asked her several times if there is such as thing as too much soy, and have never really gotten an answer out of her before, this time she said that I needed to be careful if I had a family history of estrogen-related cancers, but I am adopted and so I have no idea! I finally asked her how SHE gets her protein, and she smiled and said she eats tofu every day. She spent a lot of time exploring non-soy, non-meat protein options for me, but it is tough because I have wheat sensitivity (so no seitan) and whey sensitivity too! She's still thinking on it :wink2: but basically she was 100% supportive. I am getting WAY more protein than I need eating meat - like 90-120 grams a day - and she reminded me that the body stores excess protein as fat & I could pretty much cut my protein in half and be fine. And I had only lost 12 lbs. since my last fill, but instead of busting my chops about it, she just said "how do you feel about your weight loss?" I told her that I HAD no weight loss to speak of for the last few weeks, but overall I felt really great about it. She commented several times that things would be a lot better when I got some more fluid in my band, and they are. I had 1/2 cup of pureed gumbo soup for lunch today and I actually felt full, SO happy to have some restriction!! I hope it lasts for more than a week this time :eek:

Reggie welcome back, you bandster you! It gets better every single day, I promise! Applesauce never did sit well with me, I pureed a lot of soups and ate them warm . . . spicy seemed to actually settle my stomach, so I lived on pureed hot & spicy soup from the Chinese place around the corner . . .that and homemade split pea, made it in the crock pot with pureed ham, the kids ate theirs from the pot and I pureed mine further with soy milk & extra firm tofu to bump up the protein. Keep walking, get that gas OUTTA there!!! Nicole you go! Good GOD woman, you are at 70 lbs. lost!!! And I love your idea for kicking the snacking. Robin did bust me for snacking a bit, but that's OK - I was very honest about what I was eating and she was too! Tina he knows we all know each other because I told him! oops gott go my battery just ran out

YAY I am happy happy right now, here is why! 1) When I went in for meeting with Robin today, it was great! She was SHOCKED by the sheer volume of what I was eating, but reassured me that I was NOT stretching my pouch, it was just because I did not have enough restriction yet and the food was slipping right through. Very little wrong with WHAT I am eating, just with how much . . .she did cut out my soy slender and my protein bars, but I knew that was comin'! 2) I got a full 1 cc at my fill with Dr. Baggs today, I think Robin told him a REALLY needed it! And he is not going to make me wait until the early August appt. in Richmond that they had set up for me for the next fill, he said if I wanted I could come to his new "group fill" in Pinole on the 25th of June! I asked him who was going to be there and he said he could't tell me (with a great big grin) but I could ask my friends! So YAY girls, Christine I know you have a fill that day too! Anybody else?? 3) I THINK I HAVE RESTRICTION! Goodness I can feel water going down - it's doing the funnel thing! I have never had that before K will type later! Very excited to be back on track :thumbup:

OH I found it thank you Christine! I blew right past it before, just saw the one that she was out. Reggie you poor baby! Day 2 is hardest, I promise. . . . . walk sip sleep walk sip sleep!!

YAY!!! Yay yay yay Christine, that is SO awesome!!! WOOT, WOOT!!! :smile2::w00t: Sounds like you are WORKIN that band girl!!! Good for you, gettin' your excercise on! And ENERGY, isn't that absolutely the BEST PART!!! I love the energy :thumbup: I sure hope I get full on that amount after my fill tomorrow! Heard any more from Reggie??

OK, here is my friend Christine's first fill, this is at Kaiser Richmond with Dr. Baggs. Her mom shot it, isn't that cool!??!They do a little anesthetic local first, then pull out the big guns . . I have the same surgeon, and he has an easier time getting to my port than he does to Christine's in this video . . . .

Yay reggie! Focus on how HAPPY you will be when it is over!!!

My port is in a way different place, it is way up high and directly below the middle of my ribcage, 2 or 3 ribs to the left of my strenum. It hurt to slouch for a long time! I guess it is easier to find there. No, fills do not hurt in the least. My doc uses a local and I can sorta feel that, but I definately do not feel the fill needle. My friend just posted her first fill video on you tube if you want to watch it let me know and I'll send you the link . . .I don't want you to let it scare you, though! It looks MUCH worse than it is :redface: I have 5 incision including the port, the port is about 1.5", I have 3 about .5" scars and a little teeny 1/4" scar that I can hardly find anymore. They are flat and still red but will fade to white. Riley

Oh! Well I would let it go, too, then. It just sure makes it hard on you guys! OK changing prayer for Mike to get a good job soon! :-)

OMG Nicole I am so sorry! Can your parents do anything with the new federal programs to reset their payment before foreclosure takes place? Yikes. Praying for you!! :redface:

Good morning dear Tina! Do you know what I just did, I ate beef strips for breakfast, now I feel really disgusting. It did not do anything to satisfy my appetite either! I mean physically. My stomach is still growing. I am going to give it up and go have a nice soy latte in an hour, at least it fills me up. Grr! Can't WAIT to get back to vegies. Ate a bunch of salty food yesterday and am paying for it on the scale today. Bad scale. I started running again yesterday, after my ankle injury I am really scared about it and I won't run on an uneven surface and I am still waering my hiking boots instead of my running shoes because they give me ankle support! I walk-jogged 4 miles before work this morning, I am dead set on putting in 10 miles a day total and since I have my support group meeting tonight I had to get as much in this morning as I could. God I look like a dork out there, fat jiggling (esp. the bat wings, I must look like I'm trying to take off & fly!!!), face bright red, huffing & puffing in my hiking boots! LOL, what a sight, this had sure better work!!! We (Santa Rosa Kaiser bariatrics program) are doing the Lake Tahoe Marathon 10K at the end of September, Kaiser if outfitting us - we are "Team Thrive" - but we have to pay for our own hotel and all, anyways that's the training goal so you see, I gotta staring runnning more! You guys should consider doing it too, it is even closer for you!! And VERY motivating :-) Here's the link Lake Tahoe Marathon Reggie no one has ever died in surgery @ Richmond Kaiser, everything will go FINE I promise! I hope you got your CD to use tonight. We're pulling for you girl! Happy Tueszday all :purplebananna:

Christine I loved your video!!! One of the best fill ones I've seen - tell your mom thanks! Didn't see much of Dr. Baggs in it except some of his head shining, LOL :purplebananna: I am glad now that my port sticks out so much, cause he found mine first "jab" - at least the last time he did, who knows what he will find this time, but at least it's still sticking out there, I can sure feel it! Yeah I must have had quite a bit of fat around my tummy where he put the band at surgery, and I don't know why I only got 1 cc at my first fill either, I had lost quite a bit of weight . . . now I have lost another 12 lbs. since my 1st fill, I hope that is enough to get 2cc's this time! I am eating WAY too much, but also an still getting stuck once in a while - esp. in the mornings, so I do have some restriction. How about you? Are you feeling restriction from this fill yet? Praying for you Reggie!!!

Candra ~ what Tina said about the 1200 and carbs, I wholeheartedly agree! Also about having to do all 3 things - the diet, the water, and the excercise to lose. Oh and by the way . . .that doesn't change after surgery, darn it! I lost 43 lbs before surgery, in about 3 1/2 months. I ate about 900 of the 1200 calories, I replaced the starches with proteins. I can't eat wheat so that is not an issue, but I found that if I had "1/2 a small potato, plain" it just made me want 1-1/2 large potato, dripping with butter and sour cream and bacon crumbles!!! SUCH a trigger for me, and yes, as soon as I start eating carbs again my liver stores about a ton of glycogen and that weighs, well, a ton! And Robin is perfectly happy to have you replace the carbs with protein. She does want you to really really really hit the water tho, if you increase your proten. Hope that helps! Have to go be on an oral board; type at you all later!

Tina, I've just had the 1 fill - 2cc left in at surgery, then he gave me 1cc for my first fill. Everyone is really different I guess! I don't understand it either, but I was FINE right after surgery, got full really easy, never felt hungry or anything so it was exactly the right amount for me. But by week 5 that was going away, and I gained weight back until my first fill, then lost 10 lbs again after it - and now nothing. Well very little, and only because I am working my ^*& off!:eek: yeah I'm confused about the chicken thing, it was a dry breast and didn't come from a can - I was trying to broaden my horizons and get away from just canned chicken and fish - but alas. I still refuse to eat anything with a bone in it, it's GROSS to gnaw flesh! I am going to talk to Robin about transitioning back to vege on Friday, I think I am getting too much protein right now - between 80-120 grams - because of all the soy I eat. But she is going to cut out my soy slender soy milk, I know she is, because she will say that I'm drinking my calories or whatever. But I am NOT giving up my decaf latte in the AM! Riley

Not sure what to do! My next fill is scheduled for Friday, I only have 3 cc's right now and he said I would definately have restriction after this next fill. I can't eat for 6 hours before it, so sounds kinda big . . . . I am eating WAY too much, like more than a cup at a time and not getting a full feeling until I've had a LOT. If I don't eat until that full feeling, then an hour later I don't feel like I've eaten yet. Sound familiar to anyone? Weight loss is down to 1 lb. a week from my usual 3 lbs. a week, and I am working out every day - I burn between 600 and 1,000 calories through excercise every day. So I definately need a fill, right?? But yesterday I got stuck 3 friggin' times! I was chewing carefully, too. Blasted chicken again, but I used to be able to tolerate it! I am worried that I will be TOO tight after this fill and not be able to eat solid foods, and still not have the "I'm full after 1/2 cup" feeling that I had before. Advice??

Wow that's too bad, I loved my CD! It really helped with my anxiety. Surely one of our Sac girls will lend you one . . . I will say prayers for you Reggie!! C U on the other side:thumbup:

Oh my gosh Reggie your surgery is SO SOON!!!! Woo-hoo! Are you using your "Successful Surgery" CD???

Nadine, I had Dr. Zimmerman for my psych @ Richmond and REALLY liked her! They want to make sure that you don't have unresolved issues, such as depression that isn't being treated . . . there is nothing, NOTHING that you can't or should not tell them. Yes it is a psych screening, but almost everyone passes it! They will make recommendations if they are concerned, for example counseling, meds re-evaluation, eating disorder support group or whatever. Only ones I ever heard about not passing where a woman with persistent pshychotic episodes who was not compliant with her medication; and a friend of mine who has a history of bulemia, with frequent vomitting - with episodes only about 4 months in the past. She needs to be in active treatment for a year before they will let her through the program. But basically, Dr. Z talked to me about my journey to date, the attempts that I had made to lose weight in the past, the kinds of diets that had worked best for me; how I planned on managing head hunger; how much I excercised; how I felt about having the eat meat agin for a year (I was veg when I started in November); and what support groups I was in. Easy as pie! She's the one that helped me kick the caffeine, and also recommended Dr. Baggs as my surgeon because she thought it was a good fit (it was!)