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I have to disagree with this. My Dr says hot or warm liquids help to loosen the band. I have to have coffee every morning just to get my pills down. But that is just my opinion and experience. Also sometime when you have been stuck for a while and then it goes down you can still feel some of the sensation of where it was stuck for a few hours or a couple of days if you have irritated that area. Go on just liquids for a couple of days. Cheri

Reading all this made me hungry for Ice Cream!! I think once a month or so is okay, but in moderation and then up your exercise for a couple of days. I have learn that some food like that are trigger foods for me and and start a whole day of craving sugar or carbs. But I have learn to always be prepare with something with protien in it with you at all time or you will slip up. Cheri

I have to have sleep pills to sleep. People who do not sleep good do not lose weight as fast as people who get 8 hours of sleep. I only sleep about 3 hours a night and none during the day. I have taken Simply Sleep since before my surgery and still lose weight. So like you say everyone is different. Please post and let us know if your weight loss picks up when you stop. I have tried prescription sleep drugs but I walk in to walls during the night and fell out of the shower once during the night, plus it is very expensive. Cheri

I am 10 months out and about a month and half ago, I was throwing up and then went and sat down and ten minutes later I had to throw up again and this time it was blood. Went back and sat down again and then about 10 more minutes I was in the restroom throwing up blood clots. We were out to eat and I got a very small piece of chicken stuck, even though I was eating baby size bites. Anyway my friend rushed me to the car and was going to the ER, but I wanted to call my DR. Got his answering service as it was a Saturday afternoon. He called me back in 10 minutes and I explained it all to him. He said he would meet me at the office in an hour for a complete unfill, but to try something first. He told me to sip Water slowly and if it did not pass through in 30 minutes to head to his office. The first drink I took I threw up water and blood. My friend said take very small sips like the Dr said. So I started doing that and in about 15 minutes it went through. Dr. put me on liquids for 4 days, no unfill. He said I had busted a blood vessel by throwing up. That was a month and a half ago and I just went in for a small fill and he always uses floro he check everything and all was in the right place and fine. I do not slime when I get stuck and it never passes through, it always comes up real easy. I have C-pack(?) in my band instead of saline because Dr says it is thicker so some people have said that is why it always comes up instead of passing through because the c-pack it not as flexable or soft as the saline. My friend banded at the same amount as me have never throws up but slimes sometimes at first bite and can not continue to eat. I throw it up or spit it up and then go back and eat. Not sure if it is true about C-pack but that is what I was told. Busting a blood vessal was because of me eating the wrong thing and had nothing to do with the band. I knew I could not do chicken but ate it anyway. But you should always call your Dr when there is blood, but sounds like you did what I did you not to the extreme. Cheri

Try some “Muscle Milk Light” it is only 100 calories ready to drink and pretty light not heavy texture. I get it at Target, HEB, or Vitamin Shoppe. Can you have protien bar instead? Power Crunch Peanut Butter from Vitamin Shoppe are really good. You can order on internet, they are wafer like and almost melt in your mouth.

Too big a deal. Don't let is bother you.

I think you will be fine. I have learned to try to chew better now. But for some reason if I get stuck it always has to come up, it will not go through. Only one time did I get stuck and it go through and I was stuck about 10 hours before it went down. Some people get stuck and slime and slime but not me it just comes up. I do not have to make myself throwup it just comes up. But my friend who was banded 2 days after me is the opposite she has never thrownup she just slimes and slimes until somehow it goes through. Not sure why we are so different but we are. Cheri

I have been banded for 10 months. I would suggest some counseling for emotional eating. I think you need to stop looking for the full feeling. In 10 months I have probably only felt full a couple of times and that is when I think I ate too much. Counseling is so great and everybody could use it. The band does work faster for some than others. Maybe you are like me and a slow loser 65 lbs in 10 months. But slow is better than staying the same or gaining. I eat 3/4 cup of waterever I am eating and that is it full or not. Also make sure you are working out and drinking all your Water. Since you already have the band look at what you can change to make it work with you. You can change Drs. anytime and work with someone else. Also do you go to any support meetings? It makes all the difference to be around people going through what you are. I am going to add one more thing. I went to seminar on a Saturday and had an appointment with Dr right after seminar. He looked at my records and asked when I wanted to have surgery and I asked for Monday. So I had my surgery 1½ days after meeting with Dr. so I would not judge the Dr on that. Cheri

What a wonderful mother you had and what great daughter she had! Follow your dream!! Cheri

When you throw up blood that is too much!! I threw up blood after getting stuck on a small piece of chicken. Then about 10 minutes later threw up blood clots. Called my Dr he told me I busted a blood vessel. Not the fault of the band. But put me on liquids for 5 days. It was my fault for eating what I knew I have trouble with. If you are throwing up it is usually our own fault. Not chewing well enough or eating too much or too fast or you are way too tight! Don't risk it chew little bites and do not eat stuff you know you should not. If it keeps up you should see your Dr. Throwing up all the time is not normal or fun!! Cheri

Hang in there sounds like you are doing great. My husband is very supportive but like yours he has weighed the same since we got married 29 years ago. Feel free to private message me anytime. Cheri

Those posts are written by people who are to tight and choose to be so. I was too tight at my last fill and just stuck it out till it loosened some it took about a month. I will never do that again but now I know what too tight is and never want to do that again. My experience with the band has been great except when I was too tight. I would do it again in a minute! Being too tight is not good for the band or your body. Cheri

If I can do it anyone can!!! No cokes of any kind for 9½ months. You will get use to it!! Cheri

As the wife of someone who immigrated to this country from Mexico, I do not like the new law. My husband is now an American Citizen and why should he or I have to carry around proof we are citizens. Because that is what they want proof of citizenship like a passport not driver's license, I do not want to carry my passport around. Plus how many US Citizens have even purchase a passport. My husband is very white and you would only know he is Mexican because of his accent. He worked very hard to learn to read and write English and learn all bout the US government in order to get his citizenship. Many people who work in this county and are not legal have been paying Federal Income Taxes for years and not claiming any refund at the end of the year so some do pay taxes. If you are arrested for a crime I think then you should have to prove your status. But for a traffic ticket it is just wrong. If you are a criminal then you have put yourself in a situation where you should be looked at more closely. Everyone who lives in the United states should count their blessing because life in these other countries is so terrible, if I lived in some of them I would sneak in too. Cheri

Janice, I am so proud of you! You have worked hard to achieve this goal. The best is yet to come when we will meet all of our goals. Thank you for all the support and wonderful advice you have given me over the past 9½ months. This is a journey none of us need to do alone, it had been so much fun meeting you and going to support meetings with you and just knowing you are only a phone call away. You have been there when I have been stuck, been gurgling, been too tight or throwing up blood! Always an inspiration and full of advice that we can not read in a book. My journey has been fun and made much easier by having you as my friend. To everyone . . . if you are just starting or have been on this journey for a while. Find you a friend who is going through what you are and befriend them. Their support is priceless. We met on this board and Janice has proven what it to be suppotive, encouraging and true to herself and all she meets. She has worked hard and worked along with her band. She deserves as great big YAHOO!!!!!!

My last one was too tight but I could drink just not eat. Did liquids for 4 days and then mushies even though my Dr says only mushies for the rest of the day of fill. I figured it would losen up in a week or so but it was about 1½ month during that time I got stuck alot and vomited alot. Once I vomited and broke a blood vessel so I vomited blood once and blood clots the next time 15 minutes later. It was a Sunday so I called my Dr. he told me I broke a blood vessal and told me if i was not unstuck in a hour to call him and meet him at his office for a complete unfill. He told me to slowly slip Water and in about 30 minutes the little piece of chicken moved through. He put me on liquids for 5 days but I kept my fill. When I had my fill I had floro and was fine until the next day. It is not worth it to be too tight just go get a tiny bit taken out maybe ½ of what you just had added. If you can not drink water make sure you go back fast you can not wait that out. You have to be able to drink at all times. I will never be like that agian put my band at risk of slipping. Be careful and take care! Cheri

Check out amazon I bought about 6 books there on lapband. They also have good ones on emotional eating one is a workbook. Cheri

Fluro is not to get you to restriction as fast as you can. It is to double check the flow and placement of the band. My Dr. is very careful with fills I am 9 months out and 64lbs down and only 3.5 cc in a 10 cc AP band.

I do not think you stretched your pouch. You should go on liquids for 2 or 3 days and then mushies 2 days and see how you feel. Call your doctor and see if you can come in for a floro or x-ray to check it out. But keep stopping at ½ cup hungry or not. We ALL get hungry sometime you just have to stop hungy or not. Fill up with extra Water. Good luck!! Stop stressing it will only make you feel worse Cheri

You are being too hard on yourself. I am 9 months out and have just lost 60 lbs so you are doing good. Hang in there and remember it is a slow process. Cheri

Feel free to private message me or email me at crodrigure17@comcast.net. I would love to talk with you. I have the AP Lapband but my friend has the Realize Band. Cheri

I have already prayed for you that God will guide the surgeon's hand and that you will have a quick recovery! I will be praying in the morning too! Cheri

I do not have saline in my band. My Doctor put something else he said was thicker. He also asked me if if allergic to shellfish. Does anyone know what this Fluid is? Thanks Cheri

I am from Texas. Banded July 13, 2009 lost 60 lbs so far! I am down by Galveston Texas. Banded in Houston by Dr. Spivak, great Dr. and staff Cheri

I think that if you go into this knowing all the facts and be willing to follow the rules. You should do good with the band. It takes being able to say to yourself I can do this and no emotional eating or headhunger is going to stop me. If you are a emotional eater reads some books or get some counseling, because you are losing your friend (food) you will have to find another way to comfort yourself. I know some people fail at this some I think they do not really follow the rules all the . . . and for some the band just does not work for them. Not sure why. I have had no problems with the band and I am 8 months out. I have gone from 251 to 190 right now. It has been easy for the most part, but I was an emotional eater so I have struggle with losing my friend that comforted me. But it was the best choice for me and I am glad I did it Cheri Talk to people who have had both surgerys and then make your choice. Hope that helps.