ElfiePoo

Like around your bicep or a little higher? It's most likely referred pain from some part of your band rubbing against your diaphragm. I had such a pain from the time I came out of surgery (9 months ago) until about a month ago when I hit a loss of 63 pounds. Apparently I'd finally lost enough to allow the band to sag or reposition itself so that it is no longer rubbing against my diaphragm...and no more pain. Most likely, when you eat, you may be pulling the band a bit tighter. As the people here told me...hang in there, it does go away eventually.

And that's just not reasonable. The band was put in for a purpose. Until you reach some sort of restriction, it serves no purpose. .

So with my unfill taking me to 6cc's in my 12cc Realize band, I'm now able to eat anything I want and I don't feel any restriction. I'm ok with that though because I've come to terms with the fact that, at least for me, the band's job will not be to help me lose weight so much as it will keep me from going completely overboard and pigging out the way I did pre-band. Instead of fish for dinner last night, I realized I had a pack of wings in the fridge that had to be cooked. So I did buffalo wings for dinner. Yeah...I was so knocked out that I could even eat them that I over did it. I think I ate 7 or 8 wings. I don't feel too bad though because I managed to keep my carbs for the day below 30gm and prior to the wings my calories were only sitting at about 700. Oh and Bob...I'm not coming back to Farmville. It wasn't until a week after I gave up Mafia that I realized the stupid game had been stressing me out. Well, it's a very cool morning here. I actually had to close the windows, turn off the fans and put on long pants! So I think I'll clean house and then if I still have the energy will whip up a baby quilt for one of my husband's co-workers. Have a good one y'all! Melody

I'd take it as a complement. Melody

Trace, I drink EAS whey Protein powder (1 scoop) made with almond milk (to control the carbs) and it's 27 gm of protein and only 160 calories. That's not a lot of calories at all...but then I don't see them as 'supplements'. I use them as a meal or mid-meal snack replacement. I think a lot depends on whether that satisfies the person's 'hunger'. I start my morning with a protein shake because I find that anything else and I'm belly growling hungry within an hour or so. Also, I've never been much of a breakfast eater but recognize that I need to put some time of protein in just to keep my blood sugar stable.

I was banded last November and I was back at work the day after my surgery. I never felt like I had surgery. We're the lucky ones. You say your problem has always been 'grazing'. I'm sorry to say that the band will not solve your grazing problem. Even when you're at your sweet spot, you'll still be able to graze...and sadly, the band also doesn't seem to help at all with eating sweets. Apparently they break down enough in chewing that they slide on through...even when you have too much of a fill. Keep in mind that until you do reach some sort of restriction, it's just a piece of plastic. Even after you reach restriction, you'll still have to 'choose' to put down the fork, 'choose' not to graze, and 'choose' to eat the right foods. Melody

Unfortunately there are a lot of 'bariatric' doctors out there who have little real understanding of how the band works. I would tell your doctor that you did not just go through all of this to have a useless piece of plastic in your stomach and that you would like your fill schedule advanced...but then that's just me. I have a 12 cc band and was told that real restriction would not come until I was between 7-8cc. At 1 month post op, they put in several cc's and then 1 cc every 2 weeks or something similar. At 1 1/2 months postop I was up to 7 cc's. Every person will react differently to fills. Some people here find that they have 1-2 weeks of restriction after even a minimal fill due to swelling. I never did...which is why we decided to do fills more often. Ok, all that said...even after you get to your sweet spot, you will still have to do everything you're doing now. The only difference will be that the band is there to put the brakes on if you have a 'weak' moment...and even then, it will be possible to eat the wrong things and get around the band.

You can do it, Wendy. I know it's frustratingly busy work they're putting you through but it will all be worth it.

You should have had no problem drinking immediately after a fill. I would immediately call your doctor. If he does not tell you to come in for an immediate unfill, I'd go to the ER. You only have to go 3 days without Water before you die. Even if you're drinking enough to keep you from dying, you may not be drinking enough to stop damage to your organs. Call your doctor.

Before you decide to get the band, I would highly recommend taking a serious look at your eating habits. The band will only tell you when you're full. It won't make you put down your fork. It won't keep you from grazing. It won't keep you from making bad choices. If you have never had any success at losing weight...losing, not keeping it off...rethink the band. My doctor told me I was the perfect candidate for the band because I had a past history of losing weight successfully. My best effort was to lose 70 pounds and, although I've kept it off for 8 years, keeping it off was not why I was a good candidate. It was because I stayed on a diet and lost weight. That same resolve...the ability to make good food choices and put down the fork...are still needed with the band. If you have never been able to do that, then the band may not be right for you. Let's face it...if you're willing to eat until you're ready to throw up pre-band, you can still do that after the band. Yes, that point will come sooner *but* you'll still be able to eat enough to stop losing weight...and possibly gain back any you've lost...and you'll still be able to eat all the wrong foods. I did tons of reading, questioning and more reading prior to getting the band but it still took nine months of living with the band to get rid of some misconceptions. The band does not magically make me put down my fork. I just get the mental feeling of 'full' even when my belly doesn't feel full. Can I continue to eat? Depends on the food, but yeah...usually I can. It's still up to me to take control and put down the fork. The band doesn't magically allow only good food to go down. In fact, sweets seem to magically slide through while vegies can be a bear...particularly if you have too much of a fill. My mind is sliding into a vegie state which tells me it's time for my midmorning snack (watermelon, yummy) to keep the blood sugar stable so I'll leave it at that.

I'm the opposite. I was always surprised when I looked in a mirror or saw a picture of myself because I never had a mental image of myself as fat. It's actually nice to look in a mirror and see a thinner me that comes closer to matching my mental image. I can relate, however, to cooking too much food or taking too much. For example, making a whole sandwich when experience has taught me that I'll only be able to eat half. Took me 15 years to learn how to cook normally for my family and my husband's versus cooking 5x the amount of food needed (which would be all eaten by the way) for my parents and siblings. Hopefully, it won't take that long to learn to take only what I really can eat.

FACEBOOK people... I am so sorry if I inadvertently deleted you, but I was a bit overzealous in removing 'friends' when I quit playing Mafia Wars. I had over 1300 people I had to remove and may have removed some of you. If I did and you want to re-friend me, you can find me either with my FB name - Melody Parker Upham - or my e-mail: melody@dmci.net

Thank you ladies. HB, I think you're right. I passed my 'sweet spot' somewhere along the way and I just need to go back and find it. I went into the doctor's yesterday morning and found I was at 8cc (couldn't remember where we left it last time). After talking to the nurse, I made the decision to take it down to 6cc and, if necessary, work slowly up from that point. The difference this time is that I know the sweet spot is that place where you can still eat 'most' foods (understanding that some days the band is just tighter than other days) 'most' of the time and have control over the quantity. Being able to eat the 'good for you' foods is just as important as the restriction. My son and I went out to lunch at Ruby Tuesday's and I had their appetizer crab cake with a side of green beans. It came with a baked potato but I only ate about 1/4 cup of potato. I was in heaven! Green beans! No doubt I could probably have eaten that whole giant baked potato *but* I recognized that I was full and stopped. That has to be the big bonus for me since surgery. I can now recognize when I'm full *before* I've eaten enough for 3 people. I did not get stuck or slime even once. For dinner I had a piece of fish with steamed broccoli sprinkled with just a tiny bit of parmesan cheese. Broccoli was always a big nono for me. Stuck every time. Not this time. The last 9 months have not been a total loss. I'm still down 30+ pounds. I've learned what true 'full' feels like. I've learned to take small bites, chew well and eat slowly and it's become a habit so that I really don't have to think about it anymore. Most importantly I've learned that *I* am still the one who has to put the fork down because there will always be foods that will slide through and let me overeat...and *I* am the one who still has to make the good food choices because the band allows some of the worst food choices to slide right through. I have to say that I am feeling motivated and positive this morning after yesterday's complete lack of sliming, PB'ing or 'oversploding' (as opposed to vomiting). I started my morning with my usual protein shake which I'm now making with unsweetened almond milk (as opposed to the higher carb cow's milk) and am planning on a salad with a couple ounces of protein in it for lunch. My between meal snacks today are going to be watermelon just because it's that time of year and I'm craving the fresh fruits. Since we're going to disneyworld in 2 months and will be eating out all the time, and I don't want to have to deal with PBing or sliming, I've decided to stay at 6cc until after I come back...and then make a decision as to whether or not I need another fill. I'm not going to be in a hurry this time.

Not a thing. They only dealt with my belly area and the doc and nurses were considerate enough to pull a sheet over my lower half before lifting my gown to prep my belly and in after care.

I had my first fill 30 days after surgery and then a fill every 2 weeks. I was at 8cc within 90 days after surgery, but over the last 8 1/2 months, I've gone in a couple times to get some taken out. I know my clinic charges $250 to the insurance company but if you don't have insurance, they don't charge more than $100...which I think is a crock since the tech spends all of 5 minutes with me.

I wouldn't call this bulimia, although it is a very bad habit to get into. Bulimia is a mental disorder that generally involves binging and purging. It just sounds like you've decided that you are going to eat that piece of bread because it tastes good and you've found a way to deal with the fact that your body no longer is able to process it. You either need to get an unfill to the point where you can eat bread (even if it means that you can now eat in quantity again)...or start teaching yourself some new behaviors. .

Bob, it's hit and miss for me on meat...mostly miss. Salads..fuggitaboudit. Geez...I'm drooling just thinking about a salad. ;-p .

Thanks for not ranking on me, Cocoa. :scared2: Maybe I won't throw in the towel completely. My last unfill (march or april, I think) took me down to 7.5cc. I think I'm going to have them take me down to 5 or 6 and see if that allows me to eat protein...and salads. I miss salads <sigh>.

Ok...please permit me a little whine here. I think after 9 months of being positive, I'm allowed. I'm just not sure anymore if the band was the right decision for me. I was never a 'grazer'. My problem was that once I sat down to eat, I couldn't stop until I was 'full'. Everything I read, the seminars I attended, the psychiatric visit, questions to the doc...all affirmed that the band was the right choice. That it would limit what I eat...and it does, but not enough and it limits the wrong foods! I need to be eating a low carb diet, but all the low carb stuff (meats, chicken, broccoli, etc.) stick unless I make them in a casserole type dish with some type of sauce/potatoes/rice, whatever that helps it 'slide' through. Additionally, all these carbs have me craving even more carbs! We won't even talk about what it's doing to my blood sugar levels. I did drop down to 197 but only by going to an almost full liquid diet...and we know how long something like that's going to last, eh? I also started exercising...and I know how long that was going to last. I *detest* exercising. I'll admit to being puzzled by the whole calories in/calories out thing as well. Based on the calories I'm eating, I should've been losing 3-5 pounds *every week* (all else being equal) just because I was eating that much fewer calories than is needed to maintain my current weight...and yet that wasn't happening. So here I am, no longer in 'onderland' and frustrated beyond belief. So, after a long discussion with my surgeon, I am going in tomorrow for a complete unfill so I can get back on my low carb diet...which I can't do right now. I lost 70 pounds once on a low carb diet and, now that I know the band won't help me to 'lose' weight, will have to just pull up my bootstraps and do it again. I don't know what part the band will play in the future but right now it has no part. Time for my protein shake and then off to pack customer's orders. Talk to you all later. .

J'smom: Tom Petty? I'm 'heartbroken' (ar ar). I *love* Tom Petty but my claustrophobia keeps me from ever going to one of his concerts. ;-( Congrats on breaking the 160's! Hummingbird: Congrats on the NSV moment. It's always nice when someone else notices, eh? Leigha: You can have some of mine! Mine aren't shrinking near as much as I'd hoped they would. ;-( Denise: Happy Anniversary...and safe trip! Stacey: I am so sorry for your loss and I will put your family in my prayers. I've only read back to July 22nd but have quite a bit to do today since it's my son's 18th birthday so no time to read more. You guys are just prolific posters!

Sorry for not responding to you all individually, but my brain is still in meltdown. We've had weather in the 90's, high humidity, and no cool down at night. In one week, the pool has gotten so warm it's like a tepid bath, so no relief there either. Forecast is *hopefully* some relief tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath. I'm one of those who usually drinks a protein shake for breakfast because I can't get solid foods down, but enough is enough. This morning I made a smoothie with a 6 oz Dannon Light and Fit yogurt, 1/2 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup blueberries and 1/2 cup water. Oh baby...so refreshing in this heat! It was 32 carbs but only 145 calories. Normally I watch the carbs more closely but I just read something on one of the diabetic boards that said if you eat the majority of your carbs early in the day, rather than in the evening, you'll lose 50% more weight because your body has time to burn through it before bedtime. We'll see. Have to see what this does to my blood sugar levels as well...and whether it will curb the hunger through the morning. .

I'm not doing squat today. Heat index yesterday was 98...and felt every bit of it. Today it'll be around 90+ and at 9 a.m. in the morning is already miserable. I'm doing better with the heat than I did last year but still...looking forward to next summer when I *should* have all this excess weight off and be far more comfortable. Hope it's cooler where you all are... .

Yep...I don't bother eating breakfast anymore because it's always the same when I try...stuck, slime, back to a protein shake. So I just cut to the chase and drink a protein shake for breakfast.

My bites must be small to keep from getting stuck, so 4 'bites' of food for me is about 4 tsp. Can't imagine why you'd want to be so limited. I'd think you'd then have to deal with hunger and the danger of 'grazing' to deal with that hunger. My doc's goal was for me to eat about 1 cup of food or so. To be honest, I forget what cc I'm at as far as fill but I can only eat about 1 to 1-1/2 cup of food at a meal, depending on what I'm eating. That said, until my last couple of fills, I never noticed any change in the quantity I could eat right after a fill...or at all, as a matter of fact. It wasn't until I was close to the sweet spot that this happened. .

Beautiful rings...love the color!