Is there anyone out there with a February surgery date? I found out last week that mine is on February 1. Was shooting for December 06, then hoping for January 07, now thankful it's finally set for February! My surgery is scheduled with Dr. Malley in Kansas City.

Suzanne, I hope you get some answers today! I am praying for you that you have not had a slip. That's my biggest fear....

Hey Suzanne ,

Hope all goes well at the Dr. today ! We'll be thinking about you at noon. Did the warm tea help any ? Hopefully your stressful situation will soon be resolved also. I'm sure being at your family reunion as you were didn't help the stress level much, as well as dealing with your little ones on a daily basis. Let us know how it goes.

I'm finally in the 230's , WOOHOO !:Banane20: I did my "happy dance" around the scale ! The only downer is the saggy skin I'm getting, but I'll deal w/ it.

I think I'll mop my floors today 'cause it's too darn hot to exercise outside right now, I am ready for the fall ,to get back outside more !

Let me know how your floro goes. I'm doing the SAME thing. I had my 2nd fill and my last fill the 1st of April, and as of yesterday something is NOT right. I called the doctor and we are going to try and wait it out. I can hold ALITTLE bit of water today, so far. I'm 4 hrs from Columbia, so that sucks. It's weird- I've done fine this last 5 months-now this??? I thought something might be stuck- so last night did the whole hot water and meat tenderizer and am BURNING RAW today all down my thought and in my ears like when you eat hot sauce. This is horriible and scarey any advice? I'll be on all liquids FOR SURE!

Hey cvaden , what's the deal w/ the hot water and meat tenderizer ? I hadn't heard of that one before. Does it clear a blockage ? Oh yeah , I like your haircut - Cute !

:update: The fluoroscopy went well… Talk about fretting over nothing! Whew – I really was thinking slip or something bad! My band is just fine! In fact, it’s looking great and I’m (apparently) doing great!

It appears I’ve attained great restriction! (A lot of exclamation points…can you tell I’m excited?!?) I’ve lost 12 pounds since my last fill on July 5<SUP>th</SUP>! And I’ve hit that 33% mark – I’ve lost 1/3 of my excess weight!! My surgeon said that with bypass, patients loose 1/3 of their excess weight in the first 3-4 months, but that with LapBand the target is to loose 1/3 of the excess weight by 7-8 months. I’m 5-1/2 months out, and my doc is very pleased with the progress I’ve made. It seems to me that, compared with many of y’all, I’m keeping a fine pace but could certainly be loosing faster. He said I needed to stop doubting my ability to do this and be proud because I’m “ahead of the game” – and I quote! Um, I’ve never been ahead of the game with anything diet-wise before this, so it’s hard to believe I am now!!!! Especially in light of the progress some of y’all are making! There are the tortoises & the hares among us, and I’m somewhere in the middle, ya know? But that’s not pro-Zannie thinking & I guess I need to start doing some of that.

For the record, my surgeon did have a few reasons that I might feel tighter now than just after the fill. His vote was for stress combined with my head & stomach catching up with one another. He said that a lot of people eat from “head hunger” (um, hello!) and that when you’re at the right fill level it takes a while to change your perception that eating so little is okay. My doc also said gastritis can make the band seem tighter, and that some women feel their tightness changes with their cycles. But that the stomach is sensitive to stress in general (gave ulcers as an example), and given my sudden increased stress level over the last 3 days plus my growing anxiety about the tightness of my Band…well, he thought that was enough to explain the “very tight” state I’ve got going on. He asked if I wanted a bit removed (though he thought it looked perfect especially if I wasn’t also having any symptoms of an over-fill), but I said no. I’m glad for the restriction, more so now with my life falling to pieces, as it appears to be doing. I’d be heading for the pantry for sure if i thought i could get away with it!! Maybe I’ll actually make it out of this without gaining anything thanks to the stress-induced tightness!!!

I really want to thank all of you for your support as my fretting increased! (And, again, sorry for the cross-post & that this is so long!)

Suzanne

I used it and it worked really well- I ate something that seemed logded about 12:00 Wed, and had never experinced this without it it going away fairly quickly. This didn't hurt as bad as everything I'd Drink would come right back up. so I intially emptied my stomach before I went to bed, I actually peed all down my leg, from tring to throw up so hard to dis lodge it (if I'm being honest). Then drank the meat tenderizer with hot water (like hot tea). All day long yesterday I was able to drink well and started muschies last night, so definate improvement!!!! My stomach and ears even burned all day, like the tenderizer sat in there and tenderizered my stomoch walls as it did its thing. It was an aweful feeling- I'm back to normal now!! Thank Goddness. I was always real relaxed for 5 months now will be much more careful. We live and learn.

FYI: I think it was the top of the chiken pot pie crust from Cheddars that was stuck, and I only had about a teaspoon full of it!!!

Yeah Zannie

Glad all is well. I'm been stressed out too, but not as much pressure as your experiencing. I dropped 2 lbs this week and i've been at a plateau. I'm not real hungry either.

Well, my 6 month bandiversary was Sunday. I've lost 55 lbs. Only 4 lbs in the last 2 months. I finally went in for a fill, and got .25 cc's. I can't tell a difference yet, maybe I will, and maybe I won't. If not, I'll go back in a couple of weeks and get a little more. I do know that I need to lay off the corn chips/salsa, cookies, and crap, and work more lean protein into my meals. Why does it seem to be so hard to stay away from junk food, which goes down SO easy? :confused:

I am proud of myself for the progress I've made, and I'm SO happy that I have my band, but it's still an uphill battle.

Anyway, thought I'd check in. ((((hugs)))) to all!

TravelGirl - When you're right , you're right !!Why DOES the crap go down so easily ?:confused: Some of my healthy foods , I can only take a few bites of, but I can eat 5 or 6 pringles chips or a whole freakin' dairy queen blizzard like it's nothing !!!:help: Willpower is still a big part of this even with the band. I know the band is just a tool and I'm really happy w/ my progress , but my belly still seems SOOOO big to me even tho' I've lost 9 inches around it so far. I just get frustrated sometimes. My next fill is 2 weeks away , but it's been several days since I've lost anything , so I guess I should have scheduled it for sooner.

On the positive side , we've all come so far , and I know I couldn't have lost this much and kept it off w/o the band , so we need to be proud of what we've accomplished and keep on keepin' on !!:bounce:

Long story short, 3rd fill caused problem, went for UGI afterwhich my surgeon loosened my band due to problem with my esphogeus, he called it dysfunctional...oh well I'm back to 2.5 cc and still feel restriction. Scheduled for EGD this week, could be hernia repair has come undone. Hopefully not. Doc said he's going to keep my band loose, said I can't get another fill until I lose 25-30 more pounds, said with my dysfunctional problem I am going to lose a lot slower than most, but I will lose...so with that said, I have to stay positive and know that it may be slow, but I'm not gaining it back!

What are you February bandsters eating? I was doing fine until about a month ago and since then haven't lost any weight. I honestly cannot even remember what changed in my habits. If you could suggest daily menus, I would be forever in your debts.... I am down 50 pounds but have another 50 to lose and can't seem to move one ounce. Thanks for all your help.

I suppose heat could have something to do with it -- if fingers swell (as mine do in the summer), then perhaps everything else could, too. But we've had July days since my last fill that were hitting 100 & I had no adverse reaction with my band then. So I'm guessing that's not it for me.

And it's getting worse. Yesterday, even liquid was making me full after a sip or 2!! I had about 10 sips of protein drink, 2 sips of water & 5 sips of Crystal Light Slurpee -- that's it, all day. And not once did I feel hungry or experience stomach growling! I'm NOT puking or PBing or sliming -- just feeling very full right away. Now while I've been excited about the great restriction, clearly this level of tightness is not something that should continue!

A few people have expressed that stress makes them tighter -- and I'd say I've had some sudden & extreme stress over the last 3 days. If this is stress-induced, I'm gonna need an un-fill because I fear things are only going to get worse. I hate to think I'm having a physical response to emotional duress, but an unfill is a lot better than a re-op!!

My fluro check is at noon, so at least I'll have an answer soon... Off to try some hot tea as someone suggested, since I can't seem to get the cold stuff to pass easily! Wish me luck!

Suzanne

I have been swollen too..... I drank my morning shake and got sick. Over the weekend same thing happen three day in a row. I got adjustment a month ago. Maybe I'm drink to fast or eating to fast also. It's hard to know whats going on with the band.

What are you February bandsters eating? I was doing fine until about a month ago and since then haven't lost any weight. I honestly cannot even remember what changed in my habits. If you could suggest daily menus, I would be forever in your debts.... I am down 50 pounds but have another 50 to lose and can't seem to move one ounce. Thanks for all your help.

I'm eating a protein shake in the morning, mid morning about 20 peanuts or cheese. Then for lunch salad with some kind of beans in it or meat and cheese. I'm drink 100oz of water a day. Dinner chicken, salad or ribs and a salad or fish. Sometime in the morning I have a egg and saugage. Sometime before I go to bed I have eggsalad. Are you doing any walking or going to the gym?

I can't get to the gym because I have three little kids. However, I have been walking - most days 3-5 miles. Some days 7-10 miles per day. It is definitely the diet piece. Thanks for your help.

Okay, my fall-backs for a plateau are:

# 1) Start measuring everything. I serve up "perfect Bandster portions" & then wait 10 mins after eating it before deciding if I am still hungry. If I am, I measure a bit more at a time & wait before having even more -- never totaling more than 1/2 a cup of protein/starches (veggies I don't care about because they A) aren't as tasty so I'm not going to binge on them & grind right down to nearly nothing). I find that when I tune back in to what I'm eating at a plateau, it's always been time for a fill! And I've been a perfect restriction now for quite a bit of time after my 4th fill in a 10cc VG band. My doc wants me back to x-ray once more in mid Sept before moving all my check-ups to the office.

# 2) One day of protein shakes to push past the hump. Not an extended liquid diet -- I avoid anything that isn't protein 1st and real food, soup included -- just a boost when it seems I can't climb the wall!

You can do this!!! Good luck!