ElfiePoo

Blue cross notifies me whenever they pay something on our insurance. I keep a close eye on what they pay out and will be sure to say something if they do. .

Well, I have an appointment for Wednesday. The tech who did my '2nd fill' said it sounds as if they missed the port the first time. She's going to take it all out and see what's in there. If not 6 cc's, they'll put the 6 in. I went to Frankenmuth yesterday with my mother-in-law and we went out to eat at Zender's...famous for their chicken. It was all I could do to stop at 5 wings and my coleslaw. No bread...no taters and gravy...no stuffing and they were staring at me from the plate, begging "eat me". :smile2: I feel good today that I resisted but sure would be nice to have Hilda helping out. .

I don't know who 'everybody' is. I didn't. If your stomach is growling, put something into it. :biggrin:

What kind of band do you have? I have the Realize band and about 4 weeks out of surgery, I bent over from a sitting position to reach my purse on the floor of the car. I felt a sharp pain at my port and thought 'uh oh'. For almost a week the area around my port was sore. Then at 5 weeks I inadvertently took on too much weight when a 50 lb box slid off a shelf into my arms and I felt the stress to the port. Again, for a week it was sore but now it's fine. According to my doc, the port area is not completely healed for 2-3 months (varies according to person) and it's possible that something may cause it to shift slightly and it may become inflamed. They suggested a warm compress to help with the symptoms. .

Congratulations! That's even more exciting than seeing the numbers on the scale come down! .

Michelle, If you've only lost 34 pounds in over a year, then you're eating too many calories for the amount you're expending. Assuming your activity level is the same now as it was pre-band, you're eating almost as many calories as pre-band. If you've increased your calorie, then you're eating more. Stop eating until you aren't hungry. Most fat people don't know what the word means or what hunger feels like. If you're foaming, you're eating too much or too fast or maybe even both. My doc says I should be able to eat 1 cup of food and be satisfied for 3-4 hours. 1 cup of food is not much. It's about 1/2 cup vegies, 1/4 cup of carbs (potatoes, rice, Pasta, etc.) and about 3-4 oz of Protein. The band is just a tool. You still need to use some self-control to stop. You can't just eat until you aren't hungry. Follow the guidelines and then 'stop'. .

Logic says that when you get to your desired weight, you have some of the fill taken out of your band so you can eat more (which you'll need to do to maintain rather than lose). I've never heard of anyone who had their band completely full. I tend to believe that if someone has a band that is entirely full, their doc/tech missed the port a few times and they don't actually have as much saline in there as everyone thinks. .

I remember the days of working for others and the endless food at this time of year. I can't imagine how some of you get through it. I'm not a sweet eater, but at this time of year when all the 'special' types of Cookies are made, I'm just as susceptible. I usually bake a few special kinds of cookies and some kolachi rolls, but this year I decided not to bake. It won't kill my family and I don't need the temptation. I made lunch for the teacher's at my son's school the other day and was going to bake cookies and take in a big tray. I finally decided that would be too much to resist...you know a cookie or two off each type I made adds up...so I baked a gingerbread cake instead. A piece of that would be easily missed. :biggrin: .

Ok, I had an odd experience today (my 2nd fill)... Two weeks ago, when I went for my first fill, the tech had difficulty finding my port. My port was somewhat sore and the area around the port seemed a bit puffy. I thought perhaps it was inflamed from her poking around. When I went in today, I asked for the other tech (wanted to compare them). She had no trouble locating the port and didn't have to press hard into it to find it. Here's the weird part. I knew exactly when she injected the saline because I felt it go through the tubing and over to the band, then felt the saline going into the band. It was the oddest thing. Here's my question though. Since I didn't feel this last time, and because of the puffiness around my port area last time...is it possible that the first tech actually missed my port and injected the saline into the surrounding tissue? I'm thinking of calling the tech and asking her tomorrow because at this point, with supposedly 6 cc's...I still don't have even the slightest restriction. .

I have the same difficulty and it's because I've become insulin resistant (type II diabetes). It's why I do low carb (less than 3) protein shakes for breakfast, lunch and my in between mini-meals. That way I can have 1/2 cup of some type of carb (potatoes, rice, etc.) with my meal. I'm hoping that eventually my blood sugar levels will come back to normal and I will no longer be insulin resistant and I can stop monitoring my carbs so closely. .

ROFLMAO! Geez...one of these days I'm going to electrocute myself when I spit water across my keyboard. I'm hoping the OP meant we can eat whatever we want 'in moderation'. .

Ditto...I swore I would never 'diet' again. Do normal people weigh their food? Nope...so neither am I. .

I didn't have pain after surgery, but obviously it was uncomfortable to use the muscles around my port area. sleeping on my back was uncomfortable, but I found if I put a pillow under my belly, I could lie on my right side (port's on right). .

I'm going to preface my remarks by saying that there are some exceptional teachers and some exceptional school systems out there...but, they are in the minority. I used to be a teacher. I burned out after 10 years because I just couldn't deal with the mediocre behavior and expectations of the administration and other teachers in the school system. My motto expands on the one above... Those who can, DO. Those who can't, TEACH. Those who can't teach become administrators (and sadly are the reason that the good teachers leave and become a rarity in the system). <soapbox back under desk> .

One of my favorite radio talk shows is hosted by Dr. Randy Carlson. He talks alot about 'intentional living'. Thinking about why we do what we do...planning ahead. Life doesn't have to be full of surprises and just 'reacting' to events that happen to you. He probably struck a positive chord with me because that's pretty much my nature to begin with. I don't like surprises and I feel out of control when I'm just 'reacting' to things versus planning ahead for various eventualities. So, I called the clinic this morning because on my first fill 2 weeks ago, the tech said the first fill is pretty aggressive (3 cc's) but follow up fills will be much smaller. However, I haven't had any restriction to speak off. I can drink down a 16 oz glass of Water without any problem and have no problem polishing off the same amount of food I could pre-band. For the most part, I've not done so through sheer will power, but there were one or two incidents where it was pretty plain there was no restriction. So...living intentionally and taking charge of my care...and not wanting to drive an hour to the clinic and find I was getting .5 cc fill and unable to talk to the doctor, I called the clinic and spoke to the tech. After a discussion, she said there wouldn't be a problem giving me another 3cc (typical of a Realize band) as long as I can drink water with no problem afterward. Now let's hope I've been building really good eating habits (chewing well and taking small bites and eating more slowly than I did pre-band)...or I'm going to finally get first hand experience at what a PB, slime or 'stuck' episode is. .

Make me jealous...a tree loaded with lemons? I have trees in my orchard loaded with...ummm...bare branches. My sister got me to do the Master Cleanser awhile back, but I gotta tell you...drinking epsom salts isn't gonna happen. As fast as they go down, they come right back up. I did a modified version and that works well. Actually, I had a few hunger pains yesterday by evening on the juice, but never did with the modified Master Cleanser. .

Nah...what got me here in the first place was eating too much. When I was first diagnosed as a diabetic, they wanted to set me up with four 2 hour sessions with the diabetic nutritionist. I told them I'm a busy person and don't have time to waste. She can't teach me anything about dealing with my diabetes that I don't already know. They insisted. After a 1 hour session, the diabetic counselor told the doctor I wasn't bragging...I did know more than she did. More because not only did I know what she did...but I knew how my particular body reacted to different eating schedules, foods, etc. I'm sure there are some people who truly lack the knowledge of good nutrition but there are many more of us who do not. *Knowing* is the not the same as *doing*. .

I have a low profile port, but I have no trouble feeling where it's at. The person that does my fill though seems to have to press in hard to find it. I was sore for a week after my fill but then I was only 4 weeks postop so I'm sure that area was still tender. We'll see what happens tomorrow. .

Well I made it through the day and I've had my Protein shake with milk and banana this morning and feel fabulous! I'm more motivated this morning than I've been in a week or so and I feel like I lost 20 lbs. I'm not getting on the scales this morning though because I know it won't reflect a true loss. I'm feeling so good this morning! .

I weighed 220 when I met my husband and over the last 20 years, ballooned up to 330 and then back down to 260 where I've been for the last 6 or 7 years. My husband was only concerned about my weight because it was affecting my health. He never said my extra weight made me any less attractive, but on the down side, he'll probably never tell me that I'm more attractive as I lose the weight. He just doesn't see it. Based on comments he's made, however, I know he likes a woman to look like a woman and not a female version of Arnold Schwarzenneger or the skele-women of the fashion runways.

To be honest, I don't have much use for nutritionists/dietiticians since (my experience only) they seem unable to spout anything but the latest party line regarding nutrition and diet and seem unable to think outside the box. Most 'fat' people are actually more knowledgeable regarding nutrition and diet than the 'experts'. However, my feelings aside, I agree. If someone is going to fast one day and then binge the next, the fast is pointless. If they're miserable while fasting, then they shouldn't do it. There were times when I started a fast and within hours had to go off it because my blood sugar was giving me problems...or I decided to end my fast early and eat dinner. When I can make it through the day...and looks like I will today...it's a very positive thing for me. I'm not hungry and I actually feel a sense of satisfaction at my achievement. food always tastes better the day after but I stick to my shakes during the day and then dinner in the evening so I don't go off the deep end and overeat the next day. I'm actually thinking of doing just Protein shakes tomorrow since I get a fill on Thursday and am hoping I get some type of restriction that keeps me to liquids for a day or two. For the last week I've been boinging between the same 4 pounds and I'd really like to drop below that. .

Does anyone else ever do a 1 day fast on a regular basis? Years ago, when I was 'dieting' successfully, I found that one little trick was to do a 1 day fast every week. It cleaned out my system (and my palate), jump started my weight loss and prevented stalls and helped prevent me from sliding off the side with "just a bit of this and a bit of that" cheating. I haven't done a regular fast for years but am thinking I may have to start again even though I'm not dieting. This last week I feel as if I'm not being quite as good as I could be even though I'm still making good choices and controlling my portions for the most part, so I decided to do my fast today since I'm home all day. The fast I found most successful and the one I'm doing is to drink an 8 oz glass of liquid every hour. I start with an 8 oz glass of Water with 1 Tbs of lemon juice in the first hour. Then the 2nd hour is an 8 oz glass of my diluted juice mixture. Then keep rotating through the day. I happened to pick up a Woman's World today and I decided to try their juice mix: 1 cup cranberry juice, 1 cup pomegranet juice, 1/2 cup orange juice. (All the juices are fresh pressed, not from concentrate and nothing added...not even sugar or artificial sweetener.) Stick that in a pan with 7 cups of water and bring just to a boil. Then add a pinch of clove, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp cardamom. Simmer for 5 minutes. You can drink these cold or warm, but on a cold day like today, I'm warming up the juice. It tastes a bit like a mulled cider...perfect for the holiday season. I started at 7 a.m. this morning and have to say that I'm feeling quite good at noon. .

Hang in there. I'm only 6 weeks out and am a bit horrified at how much of my life (and relationships) revolved around food...and like you, am grieving the loss of my best friend. How are you doing on your fills? Do you have restriction yet? If not, then seriously pat yourself on the back because it means you're still doing this alone...but unlike in the past, eventually that band will be there to help...your new best friend. .

1/2 cup of nachos? Are we talking cheese and chips? Shoot...call it a meal and move on. My son got his wisdom teeth done this morning and so, as a treat because he was jonesing for it and wouldn't be able to have it for a week or so, I took him to taco bell for dinner last night. I had a hard shell taco and the small nachos and called it dinner. No guilt attached. .

Clear liquids the day of surgery and the day after. Then 2-3 days on each of the other phases. I was back to regular foods at 2 weeks. .