Hello there Band fans....I got banded March 28th-2007.

I told myself....Bycyling would be a very good choice. Fresh air, muscles working for the sake of "Cardio". After one week passed--in April. I purchased three new bikes for me and my two sons. I have defeated many things doing that. No more not riding with my children--we ride as a crew (family). We could not conquer the hill on my street. We used to stop 3 to 4 times before getting to the top ( I did). So now the wheels have turned. My kids ask me---"Daddy can we stop--our legs are burning". Thank God I am doing well now. Now with 21 pounds gone---but just riding bikes. I am ready for the next Journey...The 1st fill--I am looking forward to the next 4 to 6 weeks--maybe 12 or 20 pounds gone...who knows...:faint: this is how I feel on many days after my ride. Today--(8.5 miles) It was walking, riding around the fair in my town--but that is what my speedometer said when it was all over...

Where the heck is everyone today??

Go here to vote for my kitties... i made them lolcats:

I haz a seekrit by Suzzzie

Serioulsy, go vote.

This could very well be the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ_lXJTaT5g&feature=related]YouTube - Whose Line is it Anyway- Living scenery feat Richard Simmons[/ame]

ROFLMAO!! OMG that is so funny!

OMG that is effing pee-your-pants hilarious!

Where can I get a jet ski like that, but of the macho persuasion? LOL

Okay...here are the pics from my last two rides. I should have taken tons more pics, but on Tour Dallas I was having so much fun that I kept forgetting to take pics, and on Lancaster I was having so much NOT fun from all the hills that I didn't care about pics! LOL

Anyhow, here they are...I didn't do them justice.

[ame=http://www.slide.com/r/3TMUkgJh4z-aU7kH5mDDXfTsXe6iIaVq?previous_view=lt_embedded_url]Tour Dallas: April 5, 2008 by robbieandstef[/COLO"]Tour Dallas: April 5, 2008 by robbieandstef@@AMEPARAM@@http://widget-ac.slide.com/p1/288230376168156076/lt_t054_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide1.gif@@AMEPARAM@@ac@@AMEPARAM@@288230376168156076@@AMEPARAM@@lt_t054_v000_s0un_f00[/ame]

[ame=http://www.slide.com/r/0t-HTCfB7j-ax0HK487K3Loi2CfmhD99?previous_view=lt_embedded_url]Lancaster Country Ride: April 12, 2008 by robbieandstef[/COLO"]Lancaster Country Ride: April 12, 2008 by robbieandstef@@AMEPARAM@@http://widget-ef.slide.com/p1/288230376168156143/lt_t043_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide1.gif@@AMEPARAM@@ef@@AMEPARAM@@288230376168156143@@AMEPARAM@@lt_t043_v000_s0un_f00[/ame]

OMG Stef. You look so HAWT Mama!!!! And what beautiful weather. And pics. Almost makes me want to move to Texas. Almost.

My stomach hurts from laughing so hard at that video.

TX: Great pics Stef! You are such a pretty woman! It's cool that you are so involved in bicycling!

Okay...been dealing with rather large band issues for a while now, and got SOME finality around it today. So it's time to share, I guess.

I've been having issues since my last fill, which you already know. I had a slight unfill, which you also already know. However, problems started back up. Trouble eating anything at different times, different days....no real pattern, and very annoying. I just dealt with it. Got VERY stuck late Monday night...lasted hours and hours. Dry heaving, trying to PB...nothing helped for many hours. Since then, nothing goes down well. Even water gurgles and makes me burp for an hour. So today I get fed up and call at the last minute to talk to my NP. After giving her the scoop, she gets me in right away.

Sure enough. My pouch has stretched. We believe it occured from Monday night, as my flouro pics from a few weeks ago showed my band/pouch were top notch. So I had to make a decision.

I had them remove all fluid from my band. I go back May 15th to check it under flouro again. If the pouch is healed, they can start putting fluid back in my band. They said it usually takes two fills to get all my original fill back. If its not healed, they will wait one more month. If at that point it isnt healed, I go back to my doc to discuss redoing the surgery from scratch.

HOWEVER, this could be an ideal opportunity for me. With no fill, I will see how much of my loss has been band and how much willpower I really have. If I can swing it, and manage to lose even five pounds by May 15th, I will likely never bother with any of this. I will leave my band unfilled.

Here's hoping....

Stef, I lectured you over on the June thread.

I still love you though!!!

Wow Stef, I'm sorry you are going through this. I didn't realize you were having problems to that degree. I don't mean to sound dumb, but how does that happen so quickly? Wouldn't stretching the pouch take time? Doesn't it hurt? Did you know when it happened?

~C

ZZ - LOL I haven't read the June thread yet, but I'm sure I will feel "virtually spanked"...again! I truly love you, girl!

C - Not dumb at all. There are no dumb questions here. Yeah, I know...no one knew about it, really. As long as I didn't acknowledge it here, it wasn't really happening, right? Jeez, I can be dumb! LOL Anyhow...yes, I knew when it happened, but was powerless to stop it. When I was stuck Monday night, it got so bad that it wasn't just an attempt at a PB, it was all-out nausea-caused dry heaving. Sorry to be gross. To your band, this is vomiting whether it is productive or not. The stomach contractions caused the pouch to stretch up and over the band. Not very much, but enough to put the band at such an angle that it was like folding your garden hose in half to stop the flow of water...and nothing was going in or out without significant effort and discomfort. When they took all fill out and I drank that "lovely" barium, it was such a relief when it went right on through! Before they took all the fill out, I had drank some of it and under flouro, it was verified that even liquids weren't really going anywhere anytime soon. As soon as she pulled on the syringe and took out the fill, the barium went swishing through!

All in all, I'm feeling pretty darn good tonight. I can eat, I'm fine with my regular small portions so far, and no misery with eating or drinking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On a happy note, thank you for the nice comments on my slide shows from my rides! This group is my absolute favorite! And since I had a complete unfill, I'm no longer worried about how I'm going to be able to eat and drink on my big (150-MILES!) ride in two weeks. I will make sure to take lots of pics on that one...it's gonna be a doozie!

Edited April 19, 200818 yr by TexasFire67

OMG...hubby's cousin sent us a whole bunch of funny "inspirational" pictures. Took me a second to figure it out (I can be "thick", I know :cry_smile:), but when I did, I busted a gut! I had to share...

well, hello my fellow bikers........

I have been out of the loop all week.

My mom went in for a 45 min surgery that ended up taking 2 hours. She was supposed to be there just overnight, we ended up there 2 days. So, finally thursday evening we got her home and setteled, and I wetn back home and went back too work yesterday!!

So, it has been crazy as ever and no biking all week. Managed to maintain the weight all week even without exercising, but it was very hard for me to eat good when I was not at home.

TX....LOVE the pictures of the ride.....all the people...WOW!!!!!

I am sorry about your band and the ordeal you are dealing with..........but you are right this will be a good chance to see how much you have actually made this work......:cry_smile:

Everyone else on here.....HELLLOOOOOOOO and welcome our newest biker on here as well.....my name is Traci but they call me HP

Short for hoosierpoms....(I raise Poms)

Hoping to get in some riding this weekend....so keeping fingers crossed

OMG Stef. That pic is funny... will I go to Hell for laughing at it?!?

I know, ZZ! I wondered the same thing, but I couldn't help myself!