Handrews

From what I understand the Doc I see in Conroe, TX charges $75 for a fill for self pay. Now I do not know if that is for his surgical patients only or if that includes new fill patients. www.texasgastricbanding.com Good Luck!!:crying:

Yes it is hard to believe that we have already hit this mark. I've had my first fill but had to postpone my second due to Spring Break. I struggle with hunger everyday and sometimes that can get a bit tedious. Overall it's been great, I'm able to walk a little more without my heart freaking out lol.. I know you guys have to be feeling somewhat more energized from your weight loss, I know I sure am. Luck to you all and ttyl Handrews

Very nice entry.. Mucho Kudos :wink_smile:

We were discussing this very subject two weeks ago at my clinic fill. My Doc and his wife just got back from a convention and this was a hot topic as well. From what I understood they seem to think that the band is tighter in the mornings for a lot of their patients. They have not totally figured out why as of yet, but pressure differences seems to be a possible culprit. This would be why some of us are tighter in the morning and as the day wears on and the pressure changes we are less tight. Still though you should call your Doc and ask what he/she things. As it has been stated before you may be overfilled. I just thought the conversation was interesting and thought I would pass it on. Much luck to you

For real the baby chicken is very gritty. Just bone some chicken out or get a good can of canned chicken splash or two of chicken broth/stock and whiz that baby up.. Good eats.. Your going to be so restricted so treat yourself the best you can !!

Well the two I'm trying out right now is Fit day and dailyplate.com There are things I like about each one and things I don't. I tend to chart on dailyplate and use fit day for some of the tools it has available there that dailyplate doesn't. Since they are free, why not try both out and see what works best for you :wink: Good luck and Grats!!!

Hey everyone, I thought I had posted in this section, but I guess I did not. I was banded Feb 3rd and have about 128 pounds to goal. So far it's been a great experience. I have been having some issues with 9 pm hunger that is pretty wild it's almost like clock work. Anyway was just saying hello and way good luck to you all starting this journey and grats to you who have are almost at goal... Peace:cool:

I've baked them for years, the sausage tends to crack, but they are still soooo good...

Tera, Congrats! This week will fly by for sure. I had my lap band on Feb 3rd and I also self paid. After three years of fighting with two different companies I said screw it and did what needed to be done. My surgeon says that the surgery will pay for itself in about two years. I just laughed and said if it makes all of my co-morbidities go away and lessens my back and hip pain it will be well worth the mula for sure. I think the day after surgery I was like "What did I just do to myself?" By day four it was all bueno though. I remember reading on this site about how people didn't crave soft drinks anymore and I was like bet me, but I swear I'm almost beginning week three on the 19th and I've not missed them at all. It's very strange lol. Anyway, look forward to seeing you around and pm me anytime you want to chat.. Good Luck and Happy Band Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :tongue2:

Very Awesome Job :thumbup:

Food journals are said to be key in this new journey. I pfft'd the idea at first but for kicks tried it for a few days. We were given a list of free online journals and I'll share them with you www.thedailyplate.com or www.fitday.com I have journals on both taking them for a spin to see which one I like best and which is more user friendly. I find it very convenient and I'm not Pffting the idea anymore. When I'm out of calories I stop eating for the day and start drinking more water. It amazes me how hard it can be to get in 1200 calories each day. I would bet that two weeks ago that number would have been 4000+ per day easy... Thanks for all the great recipes, you rock and yeah a cookbook is always awesome :thumbup:

The best bet is to take your pain meds, get some gas-ex strips (I loved the cinnamon, but the mint is okay too) and just walk, walk, and walk some more. A heating pad around just in case might be good. Just keep a very positive attitude and you will fly right trough the surgery. Gas pain for a lot of people is unavoidable. That is the nature of Co2 in the body cavity. You will be a very happy person when you can belch like Booger from Revenge of the Nerds.... Be excited, be proud, your journey is about to begin

Hey everyone, I found this while looking up the calorie content of what we call in Texas Christmas Lima's. I just made it for dinner and it is very tasty. I don't see why you couldn't use any bean you wanted or even tinker with the ingredients. 2c cooked Lima Beans 2c shredded cheese 1 chopped onion 1c strained tomatoes 1c bread crumbs 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce salt and pepper to taste Preheat your oven to medium (I did it at 350) In a large bowl add all of the ingredients and fold until mixed (I added a bit of the tomato juice because it seemed a little dry) Pour this batter into a well greased bread pan and bake for one hour. I do not have the calorie content, none was supplied I just cut them like a regular meat loaf and then put my portion into a 1/4c to be sure of my serving. :thumbup:

Linda, You made the right decision, you really did. I was banded on the 3rd and day two was the beginning of my weepy day three. Your hungry cause that band is wide open right now and the Protein drinks just flow on down. While your home just keep browsing this site and your going to find many wonderful folks that have been through or are going through the same things you are. That first week post op will be worth it when you go in and get weighed. I lost 6.5 pounds that first week and was over the moon. It's six pounds towards a healthier life. We are all here to support you Girl, you are not alone in this.. For sure like everyone has said before keep posting to keep in touch. :thumbup:

What I get sick of is when my food is scrutinized by the way it looks.. I'm on the mushy stage and every time I sit down to eat my Dad has to inspect it. Then he will make some absurd comment about it and that he couldn't do it. So, obviously I told him off lol but the thickhead doesn't get the point, or he's trying to get my goat.. But come on I'm on week two already.. Give it a rest lmao..

Woooot Happy Dance You lost. That is all that matters!! I went for my first appointment yesterday and lost 6.5 pounds. I'm not kidding myself I know it's gonna be slow. I didn't put on 100 plus pounds in a short time and it's not going to be a short time to take it off either. Don't beat yourself down, this is a Victory!! Look in that mirror and Say "Self we did good, but next week we are going to do GREAT" Keep it up and Great JOB :frown:

I would highly discourage such activity. For many, many reasons. I know you said you practically held the ER Doc's hand, but face it. ER Doc's are not trained to care for Lap bands and their Ports. They are specialists that are trained for LIFE/DEATH situations IE. Gunshot wounds , car crashes, Massive trauma and or illness. There have been many ER Docs that thought when they got a CT scan or X-Ray of the lap band that had the stomach sutured over the band that the stomach had Flipped the band and then they tried to send those patients to surgery. It is this reason that My Surgeon has the instructions that you call his office anytime you go to the ER so he can talk to the Attending personally. Now as far as doing your own fills, I'll admit that we have joked on occasion that it would be fun to be able to this. I would never seriously attempt such an activity on my own, even being highly qualified to do so. You can nick your port line, you can miss the hub, you can give yourself an infection, there are to many BAD variables to this scenario. How can you trust buying needles online in the first place. Why would you after going through this major surgery, even seriously consider the possibility of doing this to yourself? You've taken it farther than joking if your looking to buy Huber needles. If you don't have a Doc currently to do the fills, there are plenty of ways to find them online or even on this site. It is far worth going to their office and paying the 75 to 100 bucks for the fill then taking the chance that you will do some undo-able damage to your Band or Body. I'm concerned for you and I hope that you really think this through before you do something like this. Peace,

I am the single Mominator of two cool kids 14 & 9 when they find time in their schedules to be home lol.. For the daily grind: I've had my LVN's license since 1997. I just finished the Esthiology course from Aveda institute. Ended up in ICU as a patient so that put a halt on my state boards, then had Lap Band (woot). So the career change is in a bit of limbo right now. It's all Bueno though :smile: I love giving facials and can't wait to get my massage license too!!

I'm still on my full liquid diet. I've been having fun with the blender and chicken stock. It's amazing what you can run through it and make into a "thin soup" B- 1/2c cottage cheese and 1 TBS bruschetta with chicken stock base to make soupy L- 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder and 1/2c 1% milk D- 1/2oz ribeye, 1/2c mac n cheese with chicken broth in the blender until creamy smooth. this made enough for lunch tomorrow!! I had a half cup of this. s- 2scoops of chocolate protein powder 1/2c milk slushy style I had been just adding baby food meat to my dinners but the family had ribeyes tonight and I was curious just how fine that blender could make meat lol... It all worked out and I've had a real soup meal that finally curbed the hunger woot... Come on Thursday and the new mushy stage :thumbup:

I had my band on the 3rd. I am sorry to hear you are having so many problems with it. I was fortunate not to have any nausea or vomiting thus far. Gas pain has been a completely different story though. Almost immediately after waking up I had severe pain. The day after surgery was the the climax though and every day it has gotten slightly better. Gas ex strips, heating pads, and walking a lot has given me some relief. The Left shoulder pain is the weirdest feeling ever though in my opinion. I can't really describe it, but the one post on placing the arm above your head is dead on. That seems to be the one thing that makes it go away when I'm in the bed. I so wish you the best of luck and keep your chin up, it is going to get better and you still made the right choice.. Hugs and Happy thoughts :thumbdown:

Well, most of the Co2 is out of my system. I still have some trapped behind my Left shoulder and no matter what I do it seems to stay in the same place. Other than that I feel pretty good. Sutures are looking great and only cause me slight pain when getting out of the bed or chair. I started my full liquid diet yesterday. I over did it apparently on the water last night and felt very miserable for a couple of hours. I don't think all of my nerve endings are awake yet because I don't feel hungry at all, but I eat every four or so hours to keep my blood sugar in normal range at least. I just drank my protein shake and about thirty minutes before that I drank about four ounces of tea. I am having a little discomfort but not like last night. I'm going to give my Nurse a call in a bit to see if I'm doing this wrong. :scared2:

Surgery went very smooth. I had a hernia that was repaired before the band was put on. I never can do things simply lol. So far it's been good, I'm only having issues with the gas pain which can only be described as feel like there is a bubble under the skin. I makes me very uncomfortable, so I want to walk, but get tired quickly so it's a vicious little cycle right now. It is better this morning though, so I'm hoping by this evening all will be great. It feels really funny when I drink warm liquids, I feel it run through that pouch. LMAO it tingles me :toetap05:

Surgery went very smooth. I had a hernia that was repaired before the band was put on. I never can do things simply lol. So far it's been good, I'm only having issues with the gas pain which can only be described as feel like there is a bubble under the skin. I makes me very uncomfortable, so I want to walk, but get tired quickly so it's a vicious little cycle right now. It is better this morning though, so I'm hoping by this evening all will be great. It feels really funny when I drink warm liquids, I feel it run through that pouch. LMAO it tingles me :scared2:

:wink2: Okay it's 0305 Central and I'm wide awake. I've been up since 0530 02/02/09 after my sleep study. I am going in for my band at 0600 today 02/03/09. I am excited and nervous about this new change. I'm sure I'm not the only one that felt this way the day before and day of. It's been a rough two weeks, but I pulled through without having to postpone this awesome morning. I spent three nights in ICU and multiple trips to the ER because my heart is acting like an butt of course. So far today is a normal rate and rhythm, so the fingers are crossed for sure. I just turned 35 and I'm starting over again. I weigh 283 right now and I have Diabetes, Chronic Bronchitis, Atrial Fib, High Blood Pressure, and the beginnings of High Cholesterol. I hope over the next year that I write in this blog the ability to cross each of those diagnoses off into "History!" Wouldn't that be special :smile: