Hi everyone! I'm having surgery on January 10th and created a group in the groups section "January 2012 bandsters". Would love to get some discussions, support going.

Kudo's Nicole with your NSV list! I can definitely relate to most of those on your list. We have to remember, it's just not the numbers on the scale but how we feel, look and all the extras that come along with the lapband.

I finally went for another unfill this morning. He took out .3cc's and told me he could see it was needed. I asked him if it's possible to be in the green zone with such a small amount of fill {as Nicki} mentioned and he agreed, it does happen. We'll see how things go in the next few weeks. I'm just so glad to finally say, "Uncle", as I was fighting it for some time just thinking it was the way I ate, chewed, bit, etc. It was periodic but this week it seemed everything I put into my mouth, I got stuck and PB'd 3-4 times. Not good. Hope this does it so I can eat normally, as well as getting enough protein in me. I'm losing my hair and I'm not liking that. This too shall pass.

Onward and upward. Thanks for your words of encouragement, support and love. Sweet blessings today to all!

Meredith, I've waited so long since my last fill due to rescheduling at my surgeon's office. They changed the date twice and it was going to fall at a time I was to be out of town, so I just made it for mid-month I think I haven't updated my last fill, which was .5 cc -- I will ask when I get to appt next week. I doubt I will get much of a fill then, either, since today I am experiencing a kind of "raw" feeling near my band when I eat solids. Not sure what that means, and I'm kind of bummed since I was looking forward to a fill until right now. Maybe I irritated the band? I'm going to try and take it easy until next week and hopefully it goes away. I tried to search the site looking for anyone with similar feeling, but didn't see any. I may start a new thread tomorrow myself. It's an irritated, rough, raw feeling when food goes down. Not pain, exactly. Geez, I hope this is a minor thing! I know for sure I am not overfilled! Sorry to ramble.... Long post, but anyone else feel like this sometimes?

LadyB, good luck with the band and hope it's nothing serious. Please keep us posted when you get back from the doctor's. Long post?? My everyday posts are long! Sorry guys, I am a talker. :-)

No worries, Meredith, I'm a talker too! Are you taking biotin for your hair? It's been working for me for my hair, and my fingernails have never been stronger!! I take a 5000 mcg pill, about the size of a tic tac, twice a day, once in the morning, once at lunch. I got the Spring Valley brand at walmart.

Ladybandito- not sure about the irritated feeling- have you been stuck a lot lately?? Hope it is all good.

Nicole- awesome list!!

Not much to say, a pretty crappy night and morning with DH issues, but they seem to have calmed down...but, I didn't eat over it!! Yay me!!!!

I had to post cause you guys will understand...I had my first pb tonight. Unexpected, luckily I had paper towels. It was on some dry meatballs. Icky!!!

Chrissy-thank you for the support and congrats on your clothes being way to big!! It is such an awesome feeling to actually see the difference like that!

Meredith-I completely understand about the scheduling of a fill appt. the doctor tells me to return in 4 wks but due to a packed schedule I never get in before 6 wks and sometimes 8 wks because of my own schedule.

Niki- sorry to hear about your PB. I have not had that happen yet. Is it completely rediculous that I look forward to one!! I want the morning restriction, I want to feel uncomfortable when I eat the wrong foods and I want my sweet spot. I think that is a part of my discouragement is I have been doing a lot of this on my own and I want the "support" the bad is suppose to provide. Sorry bitching again.

So I am 3.2cc in a 10cc band. I can still eat I lot, mostly I don't. But I do feel full longer.

Does anyone still wake up starving??

Hey all!

Had my 6 month check-up on Monday - appointment was at 9:00 and I didn't see the doc until 11:20! GRRRR! At least I saw him! He said I'd only lost 8 pounds in 2 months, but I think he was wrong. They've had trouble tracking my weight the last couple times and never have the right weight from the visit before. Usually the nurse catches it but she wasn't there this time. I thought I was in the green zone at 4.5ccs, but had him push it up to 5ccs. With my "package deal" I get 6 months of free fills, so I didn't want to waste one - HA! I think NOW I'm in the green zone - I'm definitely eating a lot less and have to be very conscious to chew chew chew and put the fork down between bites! I went back to protein shakes for breakfast because 1) I end up eating on the run and it's hard to eat scrambled eggs or oatmeal in the car and 2) I finally started experiencing the morning band tightness.

I am having problems today, though. I woke up with excrutiating pain in my chest and back around 2:30 - this is now my norm for "heartburn". I took some Maalox chewables and paced around for 45 minutes moaning and crying and then tried to go back to bed. Normally by this point the pain has subsided and I can go back to sleep - not today! I got the chills and couldn't get warm, the pain stuck around and I was nauseous. I got up and got ready for work and the pain was still there. I took some more Maalox and a Prilosec, no help. I got to work and was hungry but didn't feel good so I tried to eat some yogurt, got about 3 bites in and headed to the bathroom. Coffee, water, and yogurt all came up and pain was worse. I kept hoping it was just gas, but was scared by this point. I had an appointment to see the PA at the chiropractor so I headed over there to ask her about it. She listened to my heard and did an abdominal exam and seems to think it might be my gall bladder. She gave me some trigger point injections in the knotted muscle in my back, and as she was rubbing the medicine in there was a big gurgle and the pain seemed to subside. YAY!

By this time I was starving so I had a bowl of egg drop soup (life saver!) and all went well. I had some hummus with a few tortilla chips, went pretty well. But then I tried to eat a couple bites of cantaloupe and now I feel like I'm dying again! The pain's all up front in my gut now and I definitely can tell it's gas, but nothing I take is even touching it!

That's my sob story, but here's the real point... I know gall bladder stuff can flare up after lap-band, have any of you had problems? Should I let this go as just gas and wait to see if there's another incident or should I call the doc and see what he says? Some of my symptoms fit, but others don't.

Oh well! Hope you all are having a great day. BTW my Savannah goal is 58.5 pounds. I'm at 55 today!

Finally, I can eat after having 0.3 cc's taken out yesterday with no problem. I went out to dinner last night with friends, ordered my favorite pasta pesto dish with crumbled sausage fennel. Knowing full well I couldn't eat it after just having an unfill,and drinking liquids, I took it home with me and ate it tonight. Now, the big problem is I was able to eat more then I probably should have! I'll chalk it up to drinking liquids the past 24 hours and by body craved it. :-)

My husband brought home a syringe from work filled with water just now to show me exactly how much 0.3 cc's is. Photo attached. Amazing that little amount really can wreak that much havoc on one's body.

I got booted off the subscribed to this thread notifications, AGAIN! Driving me nutso. Anywhoo, have a great weekend everyone! Let's set a weekend goal of working out sat and sun, for me I tend to "forget" on the weekend, happy healthy weekend you sexy thangs!

Sent from my iPad using LapBandTalk

Hey Kymie - do you know why that happens? I keep having that happen to a thread I started!

Wish I knew, happened again this morning and I have to hunt for the thread because it says I'm not subscribed to any threads. Very frustrating. I'm on my iPad though, anyone else having this problem on he mobile ap?

Sent from my iPad using LapBandTalk

Kymie, I do on the IPad app (have posts not show or disappear). The phone, which I've been using lately, is pretty good it seems.

ICE CREAM!!!

Hey team - I'm having a really bad food day and nothing solid is staying down. I knew I needed to get some protein in and it's so hot here today, so I went searching for a high protein ice cream recipe. I ended up finding a site with very simple flavor variations and kind of cobbled together my own. I used a scoop of birthday cake flavored whey protein (most of the recipes call for vanilla protein powder), a pack of WW vanilla smoothie mix I had laying around (recipes call for a sf instant breakfast mix), and a cup and a half of skim milk. Threw it in the ice cream maker and 30 minutes later had my treat! Not quite ColdStone but It wasn't half bad!

Here's the website: http://voices.yahoo.com/sugar-free-high-protein-ice-cream-recipes-3367638.html?cat=51

So as for the possible gallbladder issue it is very likely. I have been on ursodiol since the surgery and will be in it for the next 3 years to prevent gallstones. I found this like that explains it.

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/mobileart.asp?articlekey=368&page=10

I hope you don't have gallstones but maybe if you start the meds right away it will get better.

I have also been bumped off the thread several times on my iPhone, but my computer says I am subscribed & the iPhone says I'm not. I guess we will just have to wait for an update!! I am so jealous of those who have iPads!! I want one so bad! I am entering in a raffle this summer so maybe I'll win one!!

Oh I almost forgot you guys totally saved me from buying a piece of chocolate cream pie. I was waiting at the deli for my order, which of course is right next to the bakery!! I saw they had a slice of my favorite pie so I grabbed my phone and read a few entries and didn't get the pie!! Thank you ladies! January Bandsters to the rescue!!!