Elisabethsew

I am an RN and would highly recommend this vaccination for all eligible females. It's a series of 3 shots over 6 months (similar to hepatitis B schedule) and affords protection for most cervical viruses. Currently, studies are in progress to develop a vaccine for boys/men as well.

Maybe it's because I work in a profession where I see people die everyday or maybe it's my upbringing or maybe it's just something that can't be explained but I am 100% against the death penalty. I consider myself to be open-minded and I read every single word of every post in this thread and still, I can't condone sentencing a person to death. On a side note, I also don't think ANYONE is ever judged by a jury of their peers.

Name....................Current Weight......Valentine's Goal......To Go Juliegeraci................237.................. ..10................Done! 5lbs Bonus Lapbandit.................240..................... .20..........................13 Libra....................... 255.......................20...................... ...10 Indianlight................ 277...................... 20...................... ..18 JulieNYC.................. 218.......................215.................... ....3 Elisabethsew............ 283 (-11)...............282.........................1 Hang in there, Molly. Make the most of your time with your Mom and don't worry about counting calories. Julieg, congratulations on making your goal! It's that time of the month for me so I'm looking at a scale that won't budge.

I work an a nurse educator and urge you to pull your instructor to the side and ask her when you can speak with her in private for a few minutes. You do not have to divulge what surgery you had to ANYONE. Simply explain to your instructor that you had laproscopic surgery and show her the incisions. Tell her you have tenderness in the abdominal and stomach region and prefer not to make your surgery public. If she gives you any flack, go right to the chairman of the department.

I had only one episode where something similar happened. I had steak for dinner and did not chew it enough. I felt that "stuck" sensation all night and slept horrribly. The next morning, I woke up, had a cup of coffee and was beginning to take my pills and vitamins when I knew I HAD to get the the bathroom ASAP. I vomited up the pills and out came a tiny piece of steak. After that, I was perfectly fine. Hot liquids and moving around seem to help many people "move" food that is "stuck" and alleviate the pain. Give that a try... tea, coffee, cup-a-soup, etc.

If your health has not changed and the problem came on suddenly, it's best to consult with your surgeon. How have you done with the band? Is this your first problem? Good luck on getting a resolution quickly and feel better soon.

Congratulations, Tann!!! Welcome and be proud of how far you have come. Your weight loss is wonderful! Libra and Lapbandit, Thank you for the positive comments. I recently found out that I need both knees replaced so I have a huge incentive to get the weight off. I am hoping I can "keep" these old ones until I can get to about 190 pounds. That should make the recovery and rehab MUCH easier. Name....................Current Weight......Valentine's Goal......To Go Juliegeraci................241.5.................. ..10..........................3.5 Lapbandit.................240..................... .20..........................13 Libra....................... 257.......................20...................... ...12 Indianlight................ 277...................... 20...................... ..18 JulieNYC.................. 221.......................215.................... ....6 Elisabethsew............ 283 (-11)...............282.........................1

The band was not made so that you could exist on a liquid diet. If you can barely keep liquids down, why would you want to get another fill so that you could become even more restricted? Most people who have the band and USE the band the way it was intended to be used do NOT consume 3400 calories a day in shakes. They eat a BALANCED diet and consume 1200-1400 calories a day on average. The esophagus is a muscle that gets exercised as solid food is moved down the digestive tract. When you consume an all liquid diet, the esophagus does not have to be exercised as much. More importantly, what you describe is called gastroesophageal reflux. Acid regurges into the esophagus and can burn and scar the esophagus. This is a precursor to esophageal cancer. If you think stardom warrants placing yourself at risk to achieve, perhaps you need some therapy. I am not being nasty here but am truly concerned. I'm a health care professional but I think most of the people who post on this board can see that your need to place getting thin as fast as possible by harming your health is NOT normal. Good luck to you.

Is this a serious post?

Thanks, Libra. It sure took a long time to get restriction but now I am finally aware I have the band and it's nice to be able to relate to the experiences of others. I wish my MD would have been more aggressive with fills as I have a large capacity band but I'm not one to look back. I hope to beat my Valentine's Goal and would LOVE to enter the "70's" to firmly establish myself in twoterville.

Since they don't enter your stomach when you are intubated, there is no concern about this procedure for banded patients. However, it's a good idea not to have a naso-gastric tube placed with the band inflated. They can either deflate it or use fleuroscopy.

If you thought it out and investigated all options and have decided the band is not for you, then you know best what's right for you. Good luck to you with the surgery and in your weight loss efforts.

Waterlily, I'm sorry to hear of your mother's serious illness and I will keep you and her in my prayers. Everyone is progressing nicely. Since my last fill, I actually know I have the band for the first time and am loving the pounds FINALLY leaving my body. Name....................Current Weight......Valentine's Goal......To Go Juliegeraci................241.5....................10..........................3.5 Lapbandit.................240..................... .20..........................13 Libra....................... 257.......................20...................... ...12 Indianlight................ 277...................... 20...................... ..18 JulieNYC.................. 221.......................215.................... ....6 Elisabethsew............ 284 (-10)...............282.........................2

Hi Indianlight, I know exactly what you're going through and I'm here in the United States. My surgeon does not give a first fill for 8 weeks post-op and then you wait an average of 6-8 weeks for subsequent ones. Unfortunately, I have an 11 cc Vanguard band and the fills would last a day or not at all in terms of feeling restriction. I had a different person do my last fill and she evaluated my weight loss and listened to what I said and gave me a full cc to place me at just over 8 cc's in the 11cc band. THAT finally gave me restriction and now I know what people mean when they post about "knowing they have the band." I think another 1/2 cc will put me right where I need to be but I don't go back until 2/14. Hang in there, you'll get to the "place" you need to be. Name....................Current Weight......Valentine's Goal......To Go Juliegeraci................242.5.....................10..........................4.5 Lapbandit.................240..................... .20..........................13 Libra....................... 257.......................20...................... ...12 Indianlight................ 277...................... 20...................... ..18 JulieNYC.................. 221.......................215.................... ....6 Elisabethsew............ 287 (-7).................282.........................5

I don't believe there is ANY connection with BMI to fill amounts and numbers. I have an 11 CC VG band and JUST got lasting restriction with the last fill I received about 2 weeks ago. All the others lasted a day or so and then it was back to, "I have a band?" My BMI was 60+ and you can see I've gotten regular fills to finally get to the "right" level of restriction.

The first sign that I know that I've eaten enough is my nose starts to run. It's not subtle, if I take another bite or two, I develop back pain and, occasionally, some chest pain... the golfball feeling. The bottom line? LISTEN to your body and pay attention to the sign it sends.

Name....................Current Weight......Valentine's Goal......To Go Juliegeraci................243.5.................. .....10..........................5.5 Lapbandit.................240..................... ..20..........................13 Libra....................... 257.......................20...................... . ...12 Indianlight................ 279.......................20...................... ...20 JulieNYC.................. 222........................215.................... .....7 Elisabethsew............ 289 (-5)................. 282..........................7 Onward and downward. You're all doing great.

Most MDs go by experience and the answers the patient gives to specific questions to determine how much of a fill to give. Since some people don't feel a fill "kick-in" for up to 2 weeks, many MDs wait 4 weeks inbetween fills. There is no set schedule.

I am an RN who is certified to access mediports as well as lapband ports. However, there is no way I would ever fill or unfill myself. It's not within the scope of my practice to do this solo and, if I ever had complications, I don't want the finger pointing to me. I also have a large VG 11 cc band and it took until the last fill (8.1 cc) before I noticed restriction that lasted more than a day. While the procedure may be an easy one, it is not wise for ANYONE to PRACTICE medicine on themself or a family member.

Joy and Rosie interviewed two women who lost over 350 pounds combined through diet and exercise. When the second woman was interviewed, Joy asked her why she didn't take the easy way out and have surgery mentioning gastric bypass or the lapband. Clearly, she has no experience with these surgeries or the work required to get the weight off and keep it off.

My last fill seems to be working and the scale is moving downward. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this restriction lasts. Name....................Current Weight......Valentine's Goal......To Go Juliegeraci................248.................... ...10..........................10 Lapbandit.................247..................... ..20..........................20 Libra....................... 265................... ....20..........................20 Indianlight................ 279.................... ...20..........................20 JulieNYC.................. 227..................... ...215.........................12 Elisabethsew............ 290 (-4).................. 282.........................8 __________________

If you can eat that volume of food at one setting with no discomfort, it's time for a fill. There is no such thing as a "normal" schedule for fills. I have the VG 11 cc band and JUST got restriction from the fill I had on 1/4 (hoping it lasts). Some people achieve restriction from one fill whereas others need several before the band is "working" with us.

I had another fill today and am hoping that this one brings restriction. I'm on fluids for today and will start solids tomorrow so time will tell if this adjustment did the trick. Count me in for the Valentine's challenge. Name....................Current Weight......Valentine's Goal......To Go Juliegeraci................248.................... ...10..........................10 Lapbandit.................247..................... ..20..........................20 Libra.......................265................... .....20..........................20 Indianlight................279.................... ...20..........................20 JulieNYC..................231..................... ....215.........................16 Elisabethsew............294..........................282.........................12

There is a big difference between gallstones and an acute infectious process. I found the gallbladder surgery (2001) to be much easier than the lapband surgery. If I were given the choice (I'm an RN) I would have both surgeries at the same time. You go under anesthesia once, you don't need 2 hsopitalizations and the risk of developing surgical adhesions is lessened. Why wait?

My Space accounts require the user to be 18 so anyone who has an account who is under that age lied to get the account. That's an issue in itself. If you feel that this girl is being verbally abused by her stepfather, you should take action to protect the child by contacting the school or the appropriate governmental agency. If your this upset, trust your instincts and do something about them.