Humming Bird

Sometimes. in some situations, those things are trial and error and maybe a conversation that should stay between you and the hubs.....just sayin ..........

I think even if we are "normal" (whatever that is) and we don't have any type of "disorder", it takes awhile for our brain to catch up with the weightloss. It took me forever to really see any change. Even being at a normal BMI for over a year I still see myself as being at least overweight. I still hate pictures of myself (which is the reason I don't post before/after pics) I can't hold up clothes and even come close to guessing if they fit. I have to try everything on an plan ahead even with things in my own closet. I remember the first time a bought size 12 jeans. I wore them without washing them for the first time and I felt slim. After washing and drying, I pulled them out of the dryer and my heart sank. I thought they shrank up by a couple sizes! I said to myself, "oh, look at the cute tiny little jeans, it's a shame I may never be tiny enough to ever wear them again." I figured I would try them on and see how bad the damage was. I thought I might not even be able to pull them on all the way and knew they would never zip. I put them on and zipped them with zero effort! They fit just like they did before I washed them. It's so strange what our brains do to us. Maybe it is a good thing if my brain never catches up all the way. Maybe it will keep me in check and help me maintain.

I'm near a small town (Woodland Park) in the mountains of Colorado, near the NW side of Pikes Peak, about halfway between Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek. My house is at 8,500ft. It's still snowing I guess today is the day I find out how well my new car does in the snow.

After being banded 2 years I still get so cold. It has gotten better, but I'm not looking forward to a long cold winter. Brrr http://www.utepassca...-24-webcam.html this link has pretty good pics of the area during daylight hours on several webcams.

Hold your head high and enjoy your new size! A thought comes to mind ....... go buy a new pair of jeans and "forget" to remove the sticker on the leg that states the size clearly

There were a couple times in the beginning where I got stuck bad and there was no choice..... the vomit came and was out of my control. It sure is a hard lesson and thank goodness that has not happened in a very long time. When I feel like I am stuck just a bit I chew up 3-4 papaya enzime tabs. It helps in just a few minutes and helps prevent the slime thing as well. (walmart in the vit. section)

You really have to find what works for you. If you are someone who likes to keep very close track of every gram of everything and every calorie, tracks calories burned, makes lists and such, then stick to that. I think many bandsters stick to very strict calorie counting and Protein tracking in the beginning and then switch to "winging it" after they get in the groove of banded life. In my own personal journey, I have not counted calories or tracked or journaled anything from day one. I just can't live my life that way with 24/7 obcession over my "diet". I do keep some basic guidelines in mind like staying away from high-cal foods and eating protein. I lost 100 pounds in one year doing it that way, so it worked well for me. Many other bandsters on this site give me a hard time about the way I do it, but it is not their journey.

Do you have insurance that would help pay for you to go talk to someone who deals with eating disorders? Even if your throwing up isn't bulimia, it sounds like you have done way too much of it over time. Is your lapband Dr.'s office one that offers any type of support? The constant vomiting can cause so many problems with your stomach, heart, esophagus, teeth ......... the list is long. I hope you can find someone who can help you get it all figured out.

Bandster Hell can really suck. This is the time you have to think of all the "dieting" rules you have learned over the years. Remember low cal......bla bla bla.... When you start getting some fills it will be mush easier for you.

When I was pre-op I was told to take Adult Centrum chewable muli-vits. I started taking them 2 weeks pre-op and still take them over 2 years post-op. I was very worried about hairloss, so I also started taking sublingual Biotin around the same time. I still lost quite a bit of hair and stopped taking biotin 2 weeks ago and switched to hair skin and nails chews from GNC. (my hair did grow back, but I can't give the biotin credit for that) This week I stopped in and spoke to a gal in a lab located in one of the madical buildings where I work. I asked her how much it would cost to have my blood checked to see if I have any dificiencies. I have no insurance. I just wanted to see where I'm lacking, so I won't be taking any vits. I don't need. She told me I would need a request from a Dr. too, but she would give me the cost from the lab. I have to add the cost of a Dr. visit to that total. She put the codes in the computer for the most common ones like vit. D, Iron, B-12 and a few more. OMG it would cost me over $700! I guess I will just keep taking a handfull of vits for now. As I said, I'm over 2 years post-op and here is a list of what I take right now: Adult Chewable Centrum (Walmart) Hair, skin & nails chews (GNC) Calcium chews (GNC) Vit C gummies (Walmart) Vitsfusion brand D-3 gummies (Target) Vitafusion brand Fiber gummies (Target) I love the vitafusion brand gummies because they don't get hard like other gummies I've tried , they taste great and pretty much melt in your mouth.

We got our first snowflakes today and more are expected over the next 2 days. ugh..... I love living in the Rockies, but don't like winter now that I get so cold!

The good thing about it is that you will stay on top of the situation and get it figured out and resolved. I think it's situations like this that make some bandsters give up and stop going back to the surgeon's office. Then we hear back from them when they say it's been a couple years and they have only lost 40 pounds and the band doesn't work. You will get it resolved. This is just a bump in the road along your journey.

Everyone's lists are great for motivation. I love reading them. I think sometimes we don't even know what to put on our 'skinny list' until it happens. There are things I just lived with and accepted or didn't give much thought. then after the weight comes off and I experience something, it hits me ...... man, I've missed that.

That does sound sort of strange. I would think he would have gotten something out or in. How many cc did you think you had in there? It really sounds like he missed the port, but I would think it would have felt different to you. Even if you had a leak there would have been a few drops or something. The part about him not being able to put any fluid in really makes it sound like he missed the port. Keep us updated with what you find out.

When you have insurance it may take longer, but it's well worth it to save you thousands$$. I don't have insurance, did not go to a seminar, did not have any pre-op testing or hoops of any kind. I went to a consult with the surgeon and had the surgery 3 weeks later. I had to do 2 weeks Atkins pre-op diet and schedule time off work or I would have done it 2 weeks after the consult. I also paid $9,995.

Will they give you a fill at all? Many bandsters do get up to 7cc just to find their green zone. I don't see how they can come up with a one size fits all number where it would cause reflux. With me, I would be closed off at 7cc, but I have heard of many others that require more. (I am at 5.7cc right now) You may consider going to someone else for a fill or two before you go through surgery to have it removed. If you don't have proper restriction the band does not work properly.

If you use insurance they call the shots. You have to do a long list of things and every ins. seems to differ. If you have ins., it is worth jumping through all the hoops. You could also find a new PCP if need be. In my case, I have no insurance. I went straight to the lapband surgeon and was banded 3 weeks later.

ok.................:lurk5:

you are going on my ignore list.

For me it has changed over time. Food just doesn't sound as good as it used to. I think it is a combination of things. I can only eat a tiny bit at a time, so it seems like such a bother to cook big fantastic meals. There are quite a few things my stomach can no longer tolerate, so they don't even sound good now. I used to be the queen of fast food and fried food. I can no longer tolerate those things. They just make me feel sick when I've tried to eat them after being banded, so now I don't even crave or miss them.

Woodland Park, Colorado

:ciappa: :wink3:

in the box that comes up for you to type a post there are emoticons to the right. Just click on "show all" below the smiley faces :wink3:

I drink coffee daily in the mornings. :coffee: About 3-4 times a week I drink a double tall skinny latte from starbucks. 90 cal., 9g protein :tea:

Ditto to what Jaqui said. I'ts a shame that NUT told you the band doesn't work. I can tell you it does work. You already have the band, so try to make it work before you give up on it. Proper restriction has been the key to success for me. Go back to your lapband doc and get a fill or 2. Stick around this forum and read as much as you can to see how other bandsters do it.