TracyinKS

I often describe my band to the nonbanded as a funnel... the tighter my restricting the smaller the funnel from my top stoma to my lower stomach....... Sometimes I can actually FEEL stuff go through...... painfully.. like its sqqqqqeeeeeeezing through.. at this point I usually raise my hands over my head til it passes... I have learned that if I bend to my side it pops it back out (projectile style) I will say that my restriction is much tighter than most of you guys would like it... I can still do liquids and soft foods with no problem.... I am having crock pot chicken tonight and it will be a real test of just how restricted I am........... I have 4.3cc in my 4cc band... and I can still guzzle non carbonated drinks. At this level of restriction carbonation gives me trouble... I plan for this fill to be my last for at least 6 months.... so now the settling in begins..... but I want ONEderland like NOW...

THANK YOU COFFEEWENCH! and congrats on your cancer recovery!

WOW.. what a great bunch of posts.. (Judy, yours made me teary) Michelle, yours made me laugh! Suzie: CONGRATS ON THE JOB!!!!!!!!!! Ok.. gotta get back to work... Ohhhhhhhhhh my restriction is back........ only half of my oatmeal went down... YEAH! This is the way I LIKE my restriction.

I know I do have issues..... who the hell knows what it stems from... I wasn't abused in any way, my mom has battled her weight for her entire life. My dad is thin and so is my sister. My sister has my moms personality of being non combative and a door mat, and my dad is a hard ass, harder headed, short term Marine (during Veitnam)......... My mother tells me that I'm just like him........ go figure...... I used to race him at the dinner table with eating......... and I only realized in the last year or two that it was all in my head and no one else even KNEW I was racing them..... (seriously, I really thought EVERYONE was in on it) so I'm a speed eater... it is a habbit I deal with daily.... every single solitary PB that I have is due to eating to fast and to big of bites........ anyway.... that is ONE of my issues..... :eek: The scale finally headed in the right direction this morning.... 209........... now I just gotta get back the 205.... and the ever ellusive ONEderland. I have a busy work day (at least during the morning) so I'll check in later. I made soupy chili last night, so that is my lunch........... and before heading to work I am making chicken catchatorie in the crock pot.... (recipe off a seasoning packet) we shall see.. I am getting real tired of ground beef meals...... and since DH only other meat is boneless chickenbreast I'm experimenting. I THINK.. restriction is back because I am a lot tighter this morning than I have been in the last month.. HOPEFULLY this fill will get me to ONEderland........ WWJD

MIchelle........ your so funny!

Denise! What a relief to know that your NOT crazy! ............. I hope they miscalculated the fill or something easy! I am a little stressed............... work stuff........... but I have managed to CUT THE CRAP today! Suzie: Thank god there isn't a box of chocolates near me....... with my stress level right now.. they would be history! Now I've just got to make it through the evening...............

well I had ONE glass of CL! Just finished my can of Chunky Turkey Pot Pie SOUP...... (I didn't eat it all... left most of the "chunks"... I am pretty full too. I've been kind of worried that my restriction would go by by since I had the doc tweak my fill yesterday.......... all I had was .3 of a cc put in..........I will know tomorrow when I try to eat something other than soup. Haydee: Sorry to hear about Juan's car! Glad he is OK

Well... my skin is now crawling because I had one of my protien slams! (I really detest feeling this way, I guess some people like it) I wish I didn't have two cases of the stuff in my fridge............ the good thing is.. they are drinkable and they do offer a quick 27 g of protein......... Gotta work now.... have a great day

Kat: I think you hit the nail on the head!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been drinking cartons of Milk Nog and being pretty dam pissy if anyone TOUCHES it in the fridge........ We are having our annual CANDY MAKING DAY on Saturday and I am the resident fudge maker.....(I will make upwards of 7 double batches of various types of fudge) I have got to get my head back in this game......... I know I'm getting complacent.... I am pretty happy wearing size 12's.. so this is my DANGER spot.... my head can not really wrap around me in a smaller size and I think it is a mental block or something... I know one thing... I haven't had any water in at least a week.... scale was 211 AGAIN this morning........... geesh.......... PUPLE POWER ACTIVATE!

Welcome and congrats on your upcoming surgery!

Welcome John! First thing I would advise is to go to several seminars and get a feel for the docs on your insurance........ You will learn a lot at these sessions. I took my husband with me so that he would understand it all (he has never been on a diet in his life) This time last year I had made the decision and had signed up for a seminar in Jan............ April I was banded...... today was my 5th fill........... I love my band! It is the real kick in the pants that I needed. First thing to realize is......... the big difference between RNY and the Band......... The way I explain it to family, friends, etc........ the band acts like a funnel from the top part of your stomach to the bottom part..... the tighter my fill the smaller the funnel. The nutrients that get through absorb. (unlike the RNY) Crunchy/Crumbly foods go right through GOOEY/Gummi tend to act like a cork (for me) What this means....... When we go out for Mexican food.. I can eat chips and salsa, a hard shell taco, or tostada....... also, chicken tortila Soup is always fine.... When we go out for pizza..........(I have a salad) BUT that said........ I am pretty tight on my fill level. When we are out with friends that don't know I'm banded.. I ALWAYS GET SOUP! I eat too fast............. still even now........ and I am trying to change that particualar behaviour. The best thing............ instead of still feeling hungry after an entire order of fajitta's a basket of chips and what ever is left on my sons plate........ I now am FULL after 1 taco! That my dear grasshopper is... PRICELESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

just got back from fill number 5........... I'd been holding my sweet spot since August.......... he put in .3 today..... so that means I'm at 4.3cc's I doubt I'll need another one any time soon.......... (I could of been ok with the level I'm at now, but I felt it losen up a tiny bit about 3 weeks ago... so today was a tiny tweaker fill before the calendar year ends)

Laura.. if you can eat 8 meatballs YOU NEED A FILL GIRLFRIEND! speaking of which I just got back from my tweaker fill.... .3 is all he gave me and big suprise of the day is that I had to go under fluro........ he missed twice, but then my port was all fine and perky under xray! Everyone was soooooooo complimentary of my progress...... (and I was like... yeah but I was 205 last week!) they didn't care.. they all said I was doing GREAT.... OK... gotta get cracken on work............ I'm hungry.. and I've having tomatoe soup for lunch..... (I resisted the free mocha from MickeyD's)

HELLO ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I need to catch up with the posts as I haven't checked in days.... I'm keeping my fill appointme for today.. I NEED it! I gained over this 4 day eating fest..........but oh well.... it will be soups for the next two days.. I'm going to have the doc just tweak my fill a tiny bit. I did not get the WII from amazon, we did do some extreme shopping on Black Friday and got all the family done.... now I just have my various work friends and secret santa stuff to do.......... Hope everyone had a great Turkey Day and weekend....... I was 211 this morning!

I am up late trying to wait and see if I will be offered the WII for $79.00 off the Amazon customer vote thing a ma jig thang I did..... (WAY past my bed time!) I am hoping to NOT pb tomorrow! No turkey for me... deviled eggs and a bunch of other goblets of goodness my SIL is busy preparing right now!

I have a real busy work day!!!!! Last night, we had Cody and Dad go to the NEW troop meeting (not the troop he camped with last weekend, as they were not a fit for him) Anyway........... Both Dad and Cody came home BEAMING with excitement and DAD who has never been in scouts is NOW JOINING! ... I can't tell you how happy this makes me.. it will be great for both of them to do something together......... after the meeting we told Cody about his grandma and he was sad and then called his mom who is beside herself with grief.......... after a while we started talking about the scouts again and he went to bed happy. Terry: the necklace is BEAUTIFUL! Judy: a 4.25 size RING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! teeny tiny!!!!!!!!! (I have what my grandma called her FARM HANDS......... even thinner the smallest my rings have ever been is a 7) Everyone have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll try to check in later.

My stomach is GROWLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! grrrrrrr...... Congrats Suzie! I got a call today from Charles and crappy news ....... Cody (step son) grandma on his moms side died today.. it was not completely unexpected as she was on her last round of chemo pills, but extremely sad because all the family was coming up for one last thankgsiving feast over the weekend..... Cody's mom is almost inconsolable... for her.... this sadness, on top of Cody not living with her, and the fact that she was cooking and hosting the family event...... REALLY bad thing is..... the last words his grandma spoke to him were... "You are just doing this to hurt your mother!!!!" (him wanting to live with us) She was on her highpowered drugs and not herself, but still..... last words to a 12 year old. Getting ready to head out the door.... have a great day and I'll try to check in later from home.

Julie: First congrats on making it through the surgery with flying colors... I've been away for a bit, so I'm just now catching up.. YOU LOOK FREAKIN AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!! Hang in there with dear old dad! Also, I love the new avatar! Keep healing..... Wishing you....... sweet dreams and smaller jeans! :phone:

Happy CTCD! I am eating my WC oatmeal right now! Terry: Glad you found a place for mom, and congrats on the week off! GOOD LUCK WITH THE TURKEY!

your welcome Jane!

WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU BACK HOME AND POSTING Kat!!!!!!! :scared:

oh... and adoption was FINAL as of 9:10 a.m. this morning! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :scared:

GR8: I have problems just WALKING! :scared: I'm a self proclaimed clutz, so your post was oooooooooohhhhhhh so familiar! :fish: OUCH are you alright???? OK. now unvieling our very own JanieBug's before and NOW pics!

Well............ my secret was LUCK! Today I bounced back up all the way to 210! but since I saw the 205 I'm leaving it. Food yesterday was............. lunch hamburger helper, and dinner was biscuits and gravy and for desert was two bite site pumpkin tarts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so that explains the jump..... very little protein and a lot of salt! The sad thing is that I had no problem eating those things albeit I didn't eat pre band portions but still two weeks ago ONE bite of either of those things would of gotten stuck...... going to try and do better today although I promised the boys I would make my enchilada's for lunch................ Have a great day everyone......

congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!! Look over on the surgery threads... they could give you a good idea.... I would think two weeks MIGHT be pushing it... but I am curious.. since I'm hoping for PS in 2009