It's a slow day here in Band Land! Does this mean we're all feeling great today? I hope that's why there aren't many posts, but don't you guys know I'm trying to avoid work? Post babies, post!

Thanks to Donali for my picture!

Again... you are beautiful and I for one am glad you kissed the pink little piggy goodbye!

delarla!

its no nice to see you! what a cutie!!!

i am feeling good REALLY covered up with work though. unfortunatly i think it will be this way for the next 2 months.

michelle

Well... i am not posting because i feel like a failure!!I am thinking that i wish i had the 'other'surgery.(but i would never do it!!)chicken

I am trying to follow the rules but if only i would see the scale move i would feel better,more motivated,ya know??!!

I hear all the time how it's up to us to make it work.I understand that i have to make good food choice and exercise.I never was able to do this before and now it's not so different.If i always ate Protein,salad and then other and moved i wouldn't have been big in the first place.

I am going for another fill and don't even know if that's a good idea.I know i can eat quite alot.If i eat a huge salad with a small chicken breast for lunch,i can hardly make it home i am so hungry!!

Ya i guess a fill is in order.

Last night I ate a whole rib steak bbq'd ,one bite of potato w sour cream and three bites of garlic bread.geez.At least I didn't snack afterwards!

The other night i got home and we were suppose to eat the steaks,my son had a minor problem and we rushed to the Dr.

We got them mcdonalds on the way home,I thought that we would cook the steak after the kids went to bed but my husband went to visit his Dad(his dad is having hip replacement surgery today)

Soooo,we never made supper.Of course i was starving and ate really bad.I wrote it down but just changed it because it was REALLY bad and even if you don;t know me i am too ashamed to put it out there.

How does a person change their habits!!!

i do want to lose weight and i know what to do but it seems like as soon as i decide that i will make better choices i want all sorts of things that i shouldn't eat if i want to lose!

DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chantal

((Chantal)) I know how you feel. When I was reading your post it sounded as if I had written it. The mind is a very powerful thing. To be honest I have started reading self help books to help with my eating. I have realized that making good choices and only eating when I am hungry is not something that I can do alone. I know we are all different so by no means am I implying that you need to read self help books or anything like that. What I am trying to say is that eventually we will all find the things that work for us. It's a journey and we all will get there eventually....promise!!!

Birdee

Chantal -

I am so sorry you are struggling. It sounds like an emotional struggle though, compounded with maybe not enough fill. I wish I could help with the emotional part - I think I've already posted all I know about that. Hang in there, I'm sure you will arrive at a working answer.

Well, as far as everyone feeling good... A couple of hours ago I had a sudden onset of excrutiating discomfort - it felt like one of my super-intense gallbladder attacks. Only problem... no more gallbladder. This time the back pain was very high (where I imagine my band to be), and I felt like I really, really needed to burp, or poop, or something. Anyone who's had a gallbladder attack knows exactly what I mean - you feel incredible pressure, and those are the two ways you're used to getting rid of it. But... there is no burping or need to poop.

I started squiriming in my chair after a fruitless trip to the bathroom, and even lay down in my cube to see if the discomfort would go away. No go. So I whip off an email to my boss and sis (who works there with me) that I'm suddenly ill and am running home to lay down. My sis comes over immediately and says, "Do you want me to take you?" I say, "Uh... no.... uh... okay, yeah..."

We pile into her car, and she brings me the 20 minute ride home, while I have reclined the seat and am trying not to squirm, or whimper, 'cause I don't want her to veer off to the ER. I'm counting on some Maalox to help with this terrible discomfort. I'm feeling somewhat better by the time she gets me home, but as soon as I sit up, I start feeling worse again. I make it into the house, gulp down some Maalox, strip and climb into bed. I start feeling better, then all discomfort is gone, then comes back again for about 5 minutes. It's now been two hours, and I feel normal once again.

That was very weird, very scary, and... I have no idea what just happened. I've been reading up on erosion, so of course I am totally paranoid that's what's going on, particularly since I have been overeating so badly this month. I've never been prone to psychosomatic illnesses in the past, but I can psyche myself into fainting. I'd like to believe that what I experienced was REAL, but nothing important.

I think it's finally the motivating factor for me to arrange my 1 year follow-up though - almost 5 months late...

I want a barium swallow, and a stomach scope, if they'll do it, just to be very sure. I have not had any band related problems so I'm hoping my imagination is just running wild. Assuming all is well with the band (as is almost always the case), I will have to have someone figure out what just happened to me so it never happens again. I want my band doc to rule out anything band-related first, though, so my American docs can't accuse an innocent band... lol

This was so like a gallbladder attack, I'm wondering if maybe a stone formed in a bile duct, or something, that's left over from the gallbladder. But I don't think anything is connected like it used to be, so that doesn't seem likely...

Anyway, I'll keep you posted on my new saga! It was probably just gas from my poppyseed muffin... :cool:

P.S. - Lisa, glad you liked the new pics, and were able to get them posted! Again, you are GORGEOUS!!!!!! :eek:

I don't even know what to say. First, thank you guys for the kind compliments that have got me teared up. You guys make me feel beautiful when the outside world lets me down.

I feel awful today. I have a whole new set of gurgling waves & strange sensations going on. Donali, you're scaring me. I have a huge history of anxiety disorder, so I'm more than familiar with psychosomatic illnesses, but what you have doesn't sound like something in your head. Go to the ER so we all don't have to worry, especially yourself.

I'm too busy at work to be here but this board means more to me than my job.

I have all the same fears about not losing more weight. One day at a time, one minute at a time if need be. Once I chucked my scale out the window. My husband was mad cuz it was brand new. Neighbors thought I was crazy (lived on 2nd floor.) I never went downstairs to pick it up. The landscapers must have got it.

My excuse for not being here today is that first I was having my fill, and then I took a mental-health day off from work and went to the city to visit friends and family. I had a great afternoon and it was wonderful to get away from work and everything else for a while. And I found a great Soup place for lunch!

DeLarla, Donali, and Chantal, you should ALL do the same thing I did today. Chuck your jobs for a day and go somewhere you like but never get to go to alone. Leave the kids and hubbies at home, and don't tell them where you're going. It's really soul-feeding, and I feel great!

Here are my oh-so-amateur diagnoses. DeLarla, you're still getting used to being banded so everything feels a little strange to you. Don't worry!! And it is SO nice to see your face, and know what the smile looks like that we've only been able to imagine so far. :cool:

Chantal, recently as my restriction level decreased, hunger once again became my enemy. YOU NEED A FILL! It's not in your head, and it's not just a matter of changing habits. With good restriction you will not feel that awful hunger that makes you lunge for whatever's close by instead of the right thing.

One thing I am going to start doing religiously is having a snack before I leave work at 4:00 p.m. Even if I don't think I want anything, a few nuts or a small piece of cheese will make the difference between being ravenous when I get home and being able to wait and eat a normal dinner like a sane person. Let's both try it and see how it works, OK? And be nicer to yourself, please! You're not a failure and you're a LONG way from being done with this process.

Donali!! What up, girl? How scary was that?!? Wow, please do let us know what's going on. It could be nothing, like a gas bubble that just got stuck under a nerve (is that possible?). Was the pain in your stomach? Please let us know what you find out. And take care of yourself, girlie!!

Thanks Alex, it's nice to see me up there instead of that pig! Funny how a few pounds can make one not want to be represented by a pig any more. Boy, what a change in my smile in only one month due to my newfound Hope aka band.

We're on the same thought pattern because yesterday was the first day I forced a snack down at 3pm. I just reached in my drawer and threw my Nutrigrain bar on my desk as a reminder for before I leave. Same problem here that I go home ravenous. Funny how we have to force ourselves to eat Snacks while it's no prob whatsoever to go on a major binge.

My girl parts are having a party of their own during all this new band stuff. I wondered if maybe because I've been so bloated by being a couple weeks late that all the bloat was actually cushioning my band. The past couple days are the first that I'm actually aware of its presence.

I'm going to be ready for a medical degree after a year of reading these boards! There's better info here than in my own doc's office.

Alexandra - congrats on your mental health day!! Whoo hoo! you go, girl. And I am totally on board with that mental health day theory, so have stayed home the rest of the day even though I'm once again feeling back to normal.

Oh, and thanks for filling in the gap for DeLarla about all the new sounds and sensations... for a moment there, I forgot it wasn't all about me!!! lol

Yeah, DeLarla - no matter what it sounds like, or feels like, if you're not in pain, it's normal... Except for the port thing - mild pain in that regard is normal for many. :sick

I left a message for an appointment on Saturday for my band checkup. I'm going with the gas bubble theory, Alex - thanks. lol I'm sure there's some logical explanation.

I have to say for those who are reading this, it is pretty normal for us to automatically think there is something wrong with the band, no matter what the new problem is, or how unrelated it could be. 95% of the time our internal problems are NOT band related.

Reminds me of how, after living alone for years, and then living with a roommate, suddenly the things I couldn't find, or that weren't put away were ALL due to the roommate. Even though I was really the culprit. When I lived alone I would say to myself, "I don't remember leaving that like that.", but KNEW it HAD to be me, 'cause I was the only one that could have done it. But as soon as the roommate moved in, my thoughts were, "They MUST have done THAT, because I would NEVER..." lol I think we tend to be the same way about the band. :cool:

Just a quick word about my Nutrigrain bar. It's garbage, only 2 gm protein, but I bought a couple boxes before getting banded so I'll finish them off. Then I'll switch to a protein bar or a few nuts.

Don't worry, DeLarla, we won't tell the Protein police. :cool: No really, we can't forget about Fiber (believe me!) and if your NG bar has any of that it's a good addition to your diet. Just watch the mountains of sugar they put in that stuff...I know I get super sleepy after that so right before driving home would not be a good time for me to eat something so sweet.

Donali, I'm so glad you're feeling better. And definitely let us know how the checkup goes! It is so comforting to have that screen there and the doctor saying "uh-huh, uh-huh, yep, looks good" even though all I see is blobs connected to slightly grayer blobs.

**ssshhhhhhh** I just saw the Protein police go by. Keep it down in here!!! lol

DeLarla, stand behind me. I'll protect you! :cool:

you all are so funny. i am really enjoying this board. i have a gall stone and ocassional attacks,but my doc would not take it out when he banded me. so i guess i will have gall bladder surgery as soon as i can. Donali your epesoide really scares me please take care of your self. DeLarla your pic is great. I think i am the oldest one on this board,. i am 53 and a grandmother. and about to be a grandmother again in 2 weeks. but i am young at heart and hopefully will there will be less of me every week. i was thinking about it i have lost 24 lbs. and i have a grandaughter that weigs 23lbs. so ive lost a whole toddler off my body. pretty cool. thanks to all ... Janie;)

Glad to have some "older" women abroad. Where are you located? When were you banded? How are you doing? Best of luck, always!

New Hope I live in f t worth Texas .I was banded on 5-6=04 by doctor Rodriquez in Dallas at Meth. hospital. Thats the hospital my daughter works in . She is a internal medecine doctor on the floor below Rodriquez. She is having a baby in two weeks or less. Ive lost 24 lbs. Ifind if I drink I am not hungry at all. Any its great to know someone thats close to my age, Tell me about you? Thanks Janie