jlray

The tube was gone before I woke up, but I do remember having an irritated scratchy throat. I thought I was getting sick, and kinda freaked out because I didn't want to have a cold through my recovery. But then when the nurse asked how my throat was feeling after the tube, I thought, "Oh duh!" I was happy there was no cold. :scared2:

So what is your signal that you're full? Runny noses? Hiccups? I've found I'm getting suddenly sleepy... could that be my signal?? Still trying to find it, and wondering what others have experienced as their signals.

For those of you who have gotten to a sweet spot with really good restriction, how long does it last before you need another fill? Weeks? Months? Just curious!

Whether you're eating the right foods or not, your doctor should have explained the unfill to you rather than just hashing out instructions and stripping you of your saline. You deserve more info. Get a second opinion. JMHO.

Another thing my doc said... when you get filled without fluoro, you increase the risk of getting a jab in the wrong place. Just think, if you get a hole in the tubing, that's a leak that's not going to fix itself, and more surgery would be required. Leaks from fills-gone-bad do happen. Just google it, you'll find some good info.

Fluoroscopy is great because you can watch and feel how the band works while drinking the barium swallow. Plus, they'll fill you to the green zone instead of just guessing what might or might not be a good fill level for you. It'll be great! Good luck!

2FlyGuys, I agree with what you're saying. Sometimes people are just so whiny. I mean here you are, trying to remind people to be positive and realize that the benefits outweigh the risks, and people get mad! Yes, people's concerns about heartburn and GERD can be valid. Maybe Cleo's Mom should've just educated the original poster on the seriousness of the concern. Because most of the other things that 2Fly listed really are just knitpicky things. Scars.. ok, for someone who wants to wear stomach revealing clothing, can't you get what 2Fly is saying that the scars are much less of a barrier to that than the 100 pounds of FAT that was there before? Generally, on the forums, it seems like lots of things will come up in discussion and we should try to adjust to each other's opinions instead of getting so bent outta shape. I'm sure 2FlyGuys didn't mean to offend anyone. Get the stick out, honestly.

I totally get what you're saying... You know what I miss?? Big bites!!! You know, the kind where you take in a so-big-you-have-to-open-wide bite, and your mouth just fills up with saliva and flavor? LOL. I miss those big bites. And I miss my food still being warm by the time I'm done. Sometimes, I just stop eating because my food got cold, since we have to eat so slow now. I wouldn't trade the band in for a million bucks (ok, maybe I would for a million, but not for $10,000), but I do miss those things!

Awesome! My mom, who is now obese, ran 2 marathons in her late teen years. I've always been fascinated that she was able to run SO FAR! Hopefully one day I'll know what it feels like to run freely without the extra 100+ pounds. Congrats on all your success n good luck!

Question - n this might be a duh question, but anyway... I struggle with getting a full feeling. I haven't really been getting a "signal," I've just been stopping when I know I've eaten about what I should. But sometimes, I still eat more. So my question is this.... If I were to stretch out my pouch, is that it for me? I mean, will I have ruined everything, and my pouch will never return to what it should be?

My reccomendation - find a fill center where they'll do a fill under fluoro. That way they'll be able to see a slip, and they'll fill you until you're restricted instead of having to jab you so many times over the course of several months. I know fluoro is not always necessary, but in your case I would demand it. With a DIFFERENT doctor. JMHO.

I weigh every morning after I potty, too! Aww now I'll be blessed to know that every morning, there are other bandsters out there doing the same routine. Heehee. I don't use a traditional scale, though. I use the WiiFit. It keeps a graph of my progress and tracks how well I'm approaching my goals. Plus it reminds me to exercise. I love it.

I had 13 stitches in my finger about a year ago - totally unrelated, I know. But anyway, my five-year-old once threw a ball at me, haphazardly. I wasn't even thinking, and put my hand up to block it from hitting me in the face. The pain was horrible!! And blood everywhere!! But after it was all cleaned up, I noticed the stitches were right where they were supposed to be. They ripped thru the skin like the tiniest minisculist (is that a word?) amount. The pain was worse than the actual damage, is what I'm very long-windedly saying. So maybe that's what you're feeling. I hope. Check with your doctor if you're still worried tomorrow, though - better safe than sorry. I know it does take several weeks for it to heal to where it's totally non-tender anymore. Of course, I'm no doctor - just a (hopefully) encouraging friend.

Maybe start off with walking? That's what I do. I like it - it's good for stress at the same time. Of course, I'm not the most ambitious person when it comes to exercise...

Congratulations!!!! That feels SOOO awesome doesn't it!??? Today, I pulled out three pairs of old jeans because the ones I've been wearing were too big (24s) and I was thrilled that the largest of the three (I tried those on first) F-I-T!! They're 20s. So I totally get how thrilling that is. Gosh - can't wait til I'm in a 16 too!!!! Course, by then you'll be in like 12s or 10s at least! ..... lol. Cheers to us all!

I think 3-4 weeks is good, if you feel well enough. Your surgeon is probably the best to ask about this, as he knows how your surgery went and should have a better idea of how long it will take you to heal. We don't have Curves here, so I don't have any experience to offer advice.

One day... soon... you'll have the ultimate sweet revenge of being so thin that you'll make HIM look fat.

You'll do great!! I agree with the above post that says don't baby yourself. Try to get up and walk around as much as you can after surgery (as soon as they say it's ok). And... post-surgery... right when you're about to contract your muscles to sit/stand up, that's when it feels like you're abs will explode if you move. It's ok, they won't!! Once you DO stand/sit up, you'll think "oh - that wasn't so bad!" That's the most memorable part of my surgery. Of course - everyone's different. Your experience may be nothing like mine. Good luck!!

Today for the first time since March 6, I questioned my decision to get the band. On previous occasions, I've felt a few hiccups with a little slime in the back of my throat. "O I've had too much to eat, I thought." Sometimes it was accompanied by a little pain in the chest that would pass in a few minutes. Today, Mother's Day, of course, I found myself really wanting to go out to eat. I'm a single mom, and my children (8 & 5) are too young to have the kinda cash it takes to take mom out to dinner. "No problem - I'll take them out! We'll spend some quality time together!" See, today has been the worst Mother's Day I can remember. My sewer line is backed up, so we have no running Water until the plumber (who I can't afford) comes out on Monday. As for my own mom, I was too broke to afford her a nice gift. And a trip to my grandma's proved boring and smelled like old people. But in my attempt to salvage a good Mother's Day experience, I figured I could frugally order one plate of fajitas and we'd all eat well. And what the hey - I'll put it on the AmEx! So I chewed up a few chips (those free ones they evilly bring with salsa) until the fajitas arrived. I'm not sure if I didn't take small enough bites, or if I ate too fast, or if I didn't chew well enough, but I must've done something wrong - because what followed 3-4 small bites of fajitas was the worst experience of my life. And I, much like the thread starter of the post I'm about to ... post... was completely surprised that my "PB" came out in huge bubbles. liquids for the next 24 hours. Because that's really getting old. At first, liquids were ok. It was like a challenge to see what kind of Protein shake I could mix up today that will be tasty and good for me! LaTeeTah! Plus being on liquids sometimes felt like a detox. But NOW - I'm so over it. And Fajitas!? NEVER again. Seriously though, is my chest supposed to be a little sore after a PB?

Well... in a week and three days. lol. Thanks! But you know what I realized today?! When I was at my high weight, one of the things that made me snap that I had gotten too big was that I had "juicy hands" for the first time in my life. You know, to where the knuckles really dimple in?? Well, no offense to anyone whose hands are like that, it's just that mine never had been, so it really woke me up. Welll.... today..... I realized.... I don't have them anymore!!!! Wooohoooo.... Being this size,32 pounds doesn't make that much visible, remarkable change in my body overall, so I have to count every victory!!

Have you checked your blood sugar? If it's low, that can happen. I'm not diabetic, but this happened to me once in Wal-Mart and I got very scared. When I went to my mom's, she checked me with her glucometer and that's what the problem was. If you know anyone who's diabetic, I'm sure they'll have no problem checking it for ya! I agree, though... going to the doc is the safest way to go.

I think you've got plenty of time!! You can do it!!! Good luck!

I weighed in today at 239.6. I gained back some weight in April, but have now lost 11 pounds since my first fill last Tuesday! Yay. Total weight lost 32.7 pounds.

My doc joked that he wouldn't need to replace my band for 99 years. But if at that point it needed replacing, I'd have to ask another doc.

4 hours for adjustments, too. I like going back to the same facility-it feels cozy. :thumbsup: I got banded March 6. I'm losing a little slow because - I'm hard headed I guess. :grouphug: I've lost 29 pounds. (need to update my signature). I've lost 9 since the fill eight days ago.