Betsyjane

Grab a few protein drinks so you can keep enough calories/protein in you, even when you don't feel like eating. Don't let yourself get malnourished. I go through times when it's not worth the hassle to eat, but I was told to keep up the calories and protein anyway, even if by shakes.....

My port is upper center. It was close to the bra line for me, but as I lose weight it is lower and very comfortable.

They're flats. Everything from Mary Janes to very cool casuals. But definitely flats. If you search Ebay for womens shoes and then put in DKNY and then on the left, click on athletic-inspired, you'll see them. I also like them because they have some elastic in the top so they just plain fit.

Northeast Bandster challenge, to those at least 3 months post-op. I dare you, and me.....to do abdominal exercises at least 3 times a week until our April meeting. As God is my witness, someday I will own a belt!

I'm happy that bread is difficult. I didn't want to eat it anyway! Go figure-I can eat tortilla chips, but bread is too difficult to be worth the trouble. Luckily, most of my cravings left when I got banded, so I'm a meat and vege girl now...er, and muscle milk shakes.

Add airfare and it's a wash. Does the Denver guy include fills in the price? My guy does a year of free fills, and then another year if you loose 50% of your excess weight during your first year.

I have averaged 2 pounds a week since I was banded, but no way is it consistent. 5 pounds here, nothing there. Weeks of minimal change, sudden drops. I thought I was doing miserably intil I divided the weeks and pound and found out that overall I was averaging 2 pounds a week! Odd, but fine with me! My latest theory is that my body waits for my skin to catch up!

Is everybody THAT old???? Here's more than you want to know.... I remember Clockwork Orange because I was in college doing a social psych experiment where we were trying to replicate the Kitty Genovese incident in NYC where she was assaulted and no one helped. Our team thought that bystanders WOULD intervene if it happened anywhere except NYC. So we staged a beating as people were coming out of a theater. Police knew....theater knew. What we didn't count on was a) they were getting out of Clockwork Orange and were sort of wired about violence, and an off duty officer was in the audience in the theater, and had his gun. A warning shot was fired---not in the air mind you---but into the ground. It ricocheted off a rock and hit me in the leg and I ended up in the hospital. Now, we had a guy hiding behind a tree filming this whole thing to present to class, so when we DID present it, clearly showing that bystanders DO intervene, the professor kept the tape to show to future classes how NOT to do a psych experiment.

PS 2.5 cc seems to me like a huge fill. Might take time to adjust to that puppy!

It's confusing for sure. Most mornings I can only drink a Protein shake, and today I had eggs and ham! Half the time I can't eat at lunch, and half the time I can. Often I am restricted just right at dinner, but sometimes I can eat a horse. Sometimes I want to binge so I chew big bites and spit. Sometimes eating solid food seems to be too difficult, unless it has sliders (gravy, etc.), which I don't consider healthy. What I DO know that is perfectly consistent for me, is that I do very well at all times of day if I face food, take several deep slow breaths, turn off any distractions, slow myself down, sit up very straight, and then eat. If I am in a trance and eating mindfully or prayfully, all goes well. Heck, I was in a trance OVEReating all day before I was banded, so it isn't really a big stretch. It's just revising the trance. It's just taking the time. It's making it an internal peaceful process about me first and food second.

I got the flu awhile back. Closed everything right up! Couldn't eat, could hardly drink. When it went away I had what felt like a bad gas pain...left side and right shoulder. Awful. It went away and I'm fine. But I feeeeeel your pain!

I buy DKNY athletic-inspired shoes on ebay for $20 each. They are really stylish, and they feel soooo good on my feet. I'm up to 8 pairs now, all slip ons...some leather and some other. I don't feel clunky at all in them, and I get compliments.

PLEASE don't have the band removed until you get a second face to face opinion. There could be lots of minor things that are easy to fix to get you going. You spent all this money and time! Go to Dr. C or somebody and have a work up. It really could be something minor. RE: Throat tightness. I get it too. I was afraid I was getting TOO full and not recognizing the signs that I should stop eating. Dr. says with some people, being full on the pouch is actually felt as a referred sensation in the throat. No biggie.

Fills are easy. The first time I went for one, I almost gave myself a coronary in the waiting room. I was so nervous about it. Here's exactly what happened.... I had to lie down on a table. She asked if I wanted a pain numbing shot and she said the shot hurts more than the fill. So I didn't get one. She pulled up my shirt and pushed the needle in. It felt like getting a shot, and once the needle was in past the skin, I felt nothing. Then she said I was done! It took mere seconds! Then I stood up against the fluoro machine and drank a tiny cup of barium, and we watched on the machine as the barium went down my throat, hit the restriction, and trickled on through to the rest of my stomach. That was it. She had me drink a bottle of water in the waiting room to make sure I could get water through it and didn't feel uncomfortable. Bah Dah boom. It's just not a big deal at all.

Been there. Walk walk walk.

Have fun, Barbara! SEE YOU ALL MONDAY!

For me, there's no WORST event. It's a worst sentiment. I am ready to crawl through the TV and sit on everyone who says we could do it if we would just diet and exercise. No words could be more damaging, bigoted, or false. And for years I believed them and kicked myself.....

Did you get Better Than Boullion? It's such a hearty broth. So satisfying. The things that worked for me with the pain were heating pad, walking....and mostly chewable Tylenol. No reason to suffer.......

You might end up like me. My current situation is that most mornings, I can only drink, so I have a protein shake. Sometime between noon and 2, I'm open enough for food. I can open it up more int he morning with hot drinks, but I only do that if I'm going out for breakfast with hubby. Otherwise, I like my shakes and it gets me a huge start on protein (muscle milk).

There he is...Dr C: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/scared-slip-t25096.html

First, what Dr. would give you a fill when you are PBing and can't get food down...whether it's from stress or not????? That's major scary! does he have any experience? Here's the thing. Your band may tighten and loosen due to stress and due to half a dozen other things. So sometimes tuna will work. But if you can't get your solid calories in so that you are losing no MORE than 2 pounds a week, then you have too much of a fill. And if you still have the problem with no fill in the band, then it's time to go to a Dr. who can figure this out. Good for you for doing it. Hopefully they'll find that you just get inflammed and stay that way a bit longer than most when someone messes with your tummy. Maybe you're one of those people that needs to open your band in the morning by drinking hot liquids. We can theorize, but a good Dr. should be able to figure it out. don't give up on the band...just the Doc! Hey...you might also ask Dr. C...the lap band dr. who is on this site. Can't remember how to find him, but if you can't, I'll start looking.

Ha! I understand the concept. Something to do with depth. Probably counts for a woman's weight loss too. Gosh. I know a couple that just got banded together. They're gonna have a goood time.

Keep those tricep exercises going and hope for the best!

I don't get the numbing shots. The first time I had a fill she told me that the shots hurt worse than the fill, so I didn't get them, and it's been fine. I dont' get the little numbing rub either. I was surprised how no-big-deal it was..... I think this fill thing is as much an art as it is a science. Third fill did it for me, but who's to say what I'll need tomorrow...especially if I lose more fat around my actual stomach and that loosens the band!

Hey guys~! I was just in Kroger and was talking with the check out person...and found out her daughter is being banded by Dr. Speigel next week! So I gave her info on our support group. Hope she wanders by.... Ha! Maybe those of us who are OUT should wear Bandster t-shirts so others will know who to talk with about it....