catfish87

Today I rode to Pandora "Classic Rock Power Workout" Awesome! I sometimes ride to "Country Fitness Radio" station on Pandora too. Almost always Pandora! So many choices.

Here's the most commonly used form from the Dept. of Labor website concerning FMLA: http://www.dol.gov/whd/forms/WH-380-E.pdf

Hi! I wouldn't say I'm an expert on FMLA, but consider myself pretty familiar with it. I am also a union rep at my work location.If you are a covered employee, working for a covered employer, and your location has paid sick leave, YOU CAN use your paid sick leave in while you are off on FMLA leave. "The leaves run concurrently" You must use your employers normal practices for applicable leave. Meaning that if your employer offers sick pay, and you apply for FMLA, they can NOT deny your sick pay soley on the fact you requested it be protected under FMLA. This is not a company benefit, its the law. (I've got arbitrators decision's on this case if needed) Basically, you will need to inform your employer of your upcoming surgery. Your employer should provide you with their normally used form for your Doctor to fill out or may request you to have your doctor to complete a Dept. of Labor form (can be found here: http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/employeeguide.htm ) or possibly both. If you are covered by a union contract, ask your rep. We deal with this often.

I eat bacon a few times a week. I'm pretty tight now (restriction)and don't have issues if I chew it up properly.

Yes....but more importantly, you AND your Doctor, KNOW what your restriction level is. NO GUESSING! ALL fills should be this way in my opinion.

That is sooo awesome to hear you're getting filled with flouro! You're gonna do great. Keep us posted.

YEA You! Great job! Let me know where the partys gonna be, lol.

Congrats Tom! Heres to many, many more successful years ahead for you.

Hi! You'll hear the "zones" referred to as: Yellow = needing a fill. Green = feeling satisfied after a band portion of food for a reasonable ( 3-4 hour ) amount of time. Red = meaning your band is too tight. It's a learning experience for each person. Your surgeon will discuss this, you'll probably see it all over the walls, on charts, in books, etc. Good Luck!

Congrats and good luck! One day at a time. you're gonna do great!

Did you have heartburn real bad prior to surgery? I didn't have any of the symptoms youre describing, but they certainly don't sound fun. I hope you find some relief quickly! Best wishes.

If the tea went down fine, I believe you may have just had a small "stuck". Not really that uncommon. Maybe continue with some liquids SLOWLY for this evening to make sure its nothing more serious.

Sounds like you may have experienced your first "stuck" episode to me. Did the feeling subside?

Congrats! You'll do just fine. One step, one sip at a time. I was right there where you are about 3 1/2 years ago. Today will be filled with questions, more questions, and then they'll ask you a bunch of questions, lol. Just know that you have made this decision to become a healthier person. Don't expect to magically wake up and be at goal weight. Take everything one day at a time, follow the advice of your surgeon, and come here for general advice from a great many of folks who have been through what you will be going through. Keep us updated! Wishing you much success on your exciting new journey.

Don't let me scare you with this, but for me, my band had come unsnapped. First out of over a thousand for my doc. We....well more actually HE, kept thinking it was just that I'd lost faster than we were filling. But, first time using fluoro, it was easy to see. I WANT TO MAKE CLEAR, my doctor was fantastic about this. Never blamed anyone but himself. Hey, he's human. He got me into surgery asap and resnapped it closed. Now that I have it working correctly and can receive proper restriction, its working!

In your case, it would be #'s lost divided by .85 That'll show you how much % excess weight you've lost.Say you have lost 30#'s. 30/.85= 35% of your excess weightSay you have lost 40#'s 40/.85= 47% of your excess weight

I like to think MOST people are good and just trying to help. So I think I'd give him the benefit of the doubt on that suggestion of his. After all, he said he wants to help you in any way possible. LET HIM. The more support, the better. Maybe you could explain to your friend that you will be altering your diet and will be asked to exercise to be successful with the band. Some folks get by with less exercise and more dieting, for some its the other way around, but ALMOST everyone who is successful will describe their life changing habits. Eating less, better choices, and being more active. Not saying everyone is a "gymrat" like some of the folks on here ( who I envy and admire ), but WLS certainly isn't a magic wand. I wish you much success in your journey!

Does your doctor do fills using a fluorscope? I ask this because your post sounds EXACTLY like my experience. I wasn't at what I would have called proper restriction, but did have some. Then BAM, NONE. Six months later, after several more fills, my doc started doing fills with fluoro and discovered the reason I didn't have any restriction. If he/she doesn't use it, might I suggest you ask if you can have a barium swallow to see your band and the restriction level. Just saying from experience.

I wear contacts and haven't had any issues with them. I use the extended wear ones. Sometimes VERY extended.

Terry, I am curious....I like to bike but currently don't use a HRM. I have checked my HR at various levels and have a decent feeling of where I am at different paces. I use Loseit and another cycling calorie burning calc, but agree, they seem way generous. Since we are at similar weight, can you give an example of your caloric burn say at 14-15mph at 30 min times and 1 hour times using the HRM? Also, which HRM do you recommend? Thanks

YES! Getting a fill while using Fluoroscopy, SHOULD help get you closer to proper restriction sooner. (In my case, it showed the band had come undone...yes, "unsnapped". An installation issue that was corrected.) I had fills without it most of the first year I had my band. Now all my fills are done using Fluoro. It is similar to a live XRay. They have me stand on the tilt table, insert the needle into the port, then drink a small amount of barium while the doctor watches the level of restriction or flow through the band area. The doctor can adjust the restriction while watching how fast or slow the barium moves through the band. So for me, if I have the choice, I'll ALWAYS use the fluoro option.

Was your fill using Flouro? If not, its really just an educated guess how much restriction you'll have. ( no disrespect to the fill doc, but really it is just a guess unless they can see the restriction ) And yes, on Clear liquids, you'll probably feel some hunger. You had probably some swelling right after surgery, so that may have led to your early feeling of being "full". Congrats on your progress!

Ok...here goes my cheer you up speech. LOL #1 You're not gonna see a scale "victory" every day or week. Listen to what you wrote... "I started a 99 challenge and have exercised the last 15/15 days. I feel better about exercising more and my body feels stronger.." Very good accomplishment! #2 Sounds like you are sticking to your diet. Yes, it is a form of a diet until you get to proper restriction. Very good accomplishment. #3 Your Doctor said you were losing enough at this point. Another good accomplishment! #4 You've lost 36#'s already. GREAT progress. #5 Read on here how many people would be GLAD others aren't commenting on their weight loss, or lack thereof, and then then you'll realize you're doing great. Keep doing what you're doing. You may need several fills. Eventually, with fills, and proper eating / exercise you'll get over this little bump. CONGRATS to a great START!