Several people have suggested a place to post on a regular basis to save time going from one thread to another! I thought this would be a good title. Like reading the daily newspaper!

We are all banded now, and I will still update the line up when new people discover this site.

I look forward to hearing from everyone as we transform!

Hunzi...that's wonderful news...CONGRATS and the best of luck to you!!!!

Hunzi, that great!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm glad you are doing so good, you are going to be such a success.

I'm very happy for you :-)

lucy

I swear every one of my threads have been quite this weekend. I hope everyone is just having a great weekend and out and about. DH and I are about to head out to watch my DS's friends band. They are sooooo good and just started up last summer. They play a variety and do very well for mostly 23-24 yr old young men. I got all dressed up and holding DH off till we get home. Guess I dressed a little too sexy for the old man!

Helllooooo!!!!!!!!!!! Where is everyone at?

Hey Apples, hope you had a good time.

lucy

Helllooooo!!!!!!!!!!! Where is everyone at?

Hey Apples, hope you had a good time.

lucy

Hey Lucy...had a great time. Will do it again next year. Just hope it works so I can do both sets of friends during the same trip again.

Ugh!!!!! I am sitting her STUCK. I never get stuck but my own fault. I ate while I was stressed....never a good thing. I had roast beef, steamed grean beans and attempted a small bite of potato. Man, am I miserable. I ordered Payaya tablets yesterday but won't be here till tomorrow. Wish they were here NOW. The only time I have ever been stuck is when I have been stressed. Lesson learned!

I also have learned a lesson. I went to the doctor this morning for my fill (it's been 3 1/2 months). It turns out that I don't need a fill, my restriction is fine but I have been hungry because I have stretched my pouch! I now have to do 5 days of liquids to shrink it back. I told her I don't eat much at one time so she asked if I have been eating bread or pasta. After some thought, I realized that I had eaten some of that a while back. Maybe I went a little crazy with my daughter's delicious trail mix cookies when I was on vacation. I really didn't think I had eaten enough of anything like that to cause a problem but apparently I did. The good news is that it can be easily fixed and I did lose 19 pounds since my last fill. I thought I had lost only about 5! I need to take the advice given here and write the weight down.

Hunzi- I am thrilled things are going better this time around.

Angel- I do not like the idea of not using the band to lose weight. I know that philosophy is out there but I am glad it is not at my doctor's office. This is so easy when you use the band, why should you have to work harder than necessary.

I also have learned a lesson. I went to the doctor this morning for my fill (it's been 3 1/2 months). It turns out that I don't need a fill, my restriction is fine but I have been hungry because I have stretched my pouch! I now have to do 5 days of liquids to shrink it back. I told her I don't eat much at one time so she asked if I have been eating bread or pasta. After some thought, I realized that I had eaten some of that a while back. Maybe I went a little crazy with my daughter's delicious trail mix cookies when I was on vacation. I really didn't think I had eaten enough of anything like that to cause a problem but apparently I did. The good news is that it can be easily fixed and I did lose 19 pounds since my last fill. I thought I had lost only about 5! I need to take the advice given here and write the weight down.

Hunzi- I am thrilled things are going better this time around.

Angel- I do not like the idea of not using the band to lose weight. I know that philosophy is out there but I am glad it is not at my doctor's office. This is so easy when you use the band, why should you have to work harder than necessary.

Brown...congrats on the weight loss and sorry you found that your pouch is stretched. Quick fix though. Just do your five day and hopefully the pouch will be back to normal. I sometimes worry about that as I think most of us do. I am in a challenging stage right now of trying to gain some weight back and feel sometimes as if I am pushing the limits. I have picked up a terrible habit of sipping coffee with my protein bars. I take small bites and drink coffee at the same time. I never, ever drink with my solid food and need to break the habit I have. I can feel the coffee go right through when I eat my bars. My doc has never used xray when I got my fills. I just need to back off and get back to no liquids even if I know it goes right through the stoma and can feel it. I would do the five day test but at this point I worry I would drop more weight if I did it.

So Apples, when something is stuck is it a tight terrible pain in your upper chest and throat? Will it not come back up when you bend over the trash can or toliet? I have had that pain, but it will pop back out when I bend over.

Is that what being stuck is? I'm not sure.

Lucy

So Apples, when something is stuck is it a tight terrible pain in your upper chest and throat? Will it not come back up when you bend over the trash can or toliet? I have had that pain, but it will pop back out when I bend over.

Is that what being stuck is? I'm not sure.

Lucy

Lucy...I feel it in my chest and my stoma...it's like my stoma is trying as hard as it can to stretch. My chest feels like someone it twisting it inside. I think this is only the third time in 10 months that this has happened to me and it never feels like it has to come up and doesn't. Not pleasant...lasts about 1-2 hours. Such a relief when it moves. I have papaya tablets in the mail and will have those nearby for cases like today. As I said, only happens when I am stressed and we had a VERY stressful last couple of days.

Hey there Junies!!

Brown- Sorry to hear you stretched your pouch! The good news is you didn't have a band slip. My girlfriend got the band about 7 months ago and I kept trying to tell her about not eating pasta, rice and breads because my doc is always preaching that these cause your pouch to stretch and then your band can slip! And yep her band slipped. She has to go in next week and have it fixed. That is my biggest fear and even though I miss pasta so much I don't eat it just because of that. So thank goodness that didnt happen and you can fix it!

Everyone else sorry I haven't been able to keep up with all that has happened. I have been busy enjoying life..lol. I love having friday,saturday and sunday off! I had such a great 3 day weekend.

Hey apples, Gnc stocks the papaya enzymes and it's like $2.99 for a bottle of like 300. I have only had to use them a couple of times but they do help!

Have a great week Junies!!!! xoxoxo

Hey Allie, glad you are having so much fun!!

Well, I don't think I have ever been "stuck" I have had to bring stuff back up, but only by bending over. Never anything to forceful. It sounds like I really don't won't to be stuck and have been very lucky so far.

Hey, I'm doing great with my pampered chef. My first month I made $610.00, that is extra money for us!! I had a party the other night and the host sold $1,153.00 so April is lookin really good so far. I am happy with it, I have a party Tuesday night, then 4 more booked for April. I am really enjoying it.

lucy

Lucy, I've only been stuck the way you describe. It's always come back up, never forceable like vomiting but just by bending over or sometimes a cough, usually though it just comes. I've never been stuck for hours or could feel it go through my stoma. So not sure if it's different for different folks or there are varying degrees of 'stuckness'. Am glad I haven't had the painful couple hours kind of stuck! I do notice I'm tighter too when stressed. Also congrats on your Pampered chef!!

Well looks like I am getting a small unfill tomorrow. I've started having minor issues with reflux at night if I eat anything after dinner. I called and asked the fill nurse at my dr's office and she said I might be a tad too tight. I don't feel I am during the day, but don't want the reflux to continue either. So we are taking out half of my last fill which was only .25cc. She said it was okay to wait til Wed since I go down there to volunteer. Also maybe it will help me flying to Europe next month on my cruise. I've never gotten tight flying yet but haven't flown that long/far either.

Went shopping with my daughter yesterday. She brought along a pair of dress slacks from Express that were too big on her from Express. THEY FIT!! I can now wear my daughters hand me downs!! how cool is that?? They are size 10's. She is normally a 6 or an 8 and had gotten these too big. Also got a pair of size 10 jeans at Gap. Of course I can finally shop there, found a cut of jeans I loved which were called Essentials. And guess what they are discontinuing? GRRR Makes me so mad, that happens so often in things like bras, make up, jeans, etc. I find something I love and they discontinue it. These were just marked down on their first mark down so I hope to keep tabs on them as they clear them out and hopefully they'll get super cheap and then still have my size. They are discontinueing some other cuts as well to bring in new cuts. So beware if you like any Gap jeans. Not sure of the other cuts though.

Hi all,

Just checking in....I've been busy looking for a job, no luck yet, and also been going to excercise classes a few evenings a week. I've also hit the 75 pounds lost mark!!! 100 here I come!

I've been stuck a few times and am curious on how quickly those papaya enzymes work. I have found that toothpaste works wonders. I just happened to stumble on this when I brushed my teeth a few of the times I felt stuck and I got relief fairly quickly. So now I carry toothpaste in my purse in case of emergency and just put a dab of it on my tongue when needed. Not sure if it is the mint or I do use the type with baking soda & peroxide. What ever it is, it works.

I was at Macy's this afternoon bathing suit shopping...ugh...and as I was wandering through the make-up dept I got pulled in by one of the Dior people and got my face fully made over. I now know how to do "smokey eyes". I've always tried to learn that from watching "What Not to Wear". Any way from talking to this Dior guy, he was in town from NY and I guess he does make-up for a lot of famous people. So was a nice treat and my husband actually noticed and said it looked nice.

Snowing here the past 3 days, where is Spring? Oh well leave for FL again in 3 weeks.

Have a good evening.

Hey Junies!

I went to my first support group last night for my program (yes, banded in June, just now going). The meeting itself was kind of eih...stupid...we made murals with magazine cutouts and foam letters of what we want to accomplish this spring. Not exactly what I had in mind when I decided to go.

Anyway, the group leader is also the program director. I pulled her aside and did what I should have done awhile ago--I told her everything that was going on. I told her how I have NO restriction after 3 fills and that I'm afraid to call and schedule another one because I'd have to fight with the scheduling lady again, even though my surgeon always told me to just call and schedule a fill whenever I needed it. The director had no idea I was having so many problems getting fills and didn't realize the disconnect between that one woman and the doctors. Since my last fill was two weeks ago, she told me to let her know in two more weeks and I can schedule a fill with no hassles. Also, she said to make sure my doctor gives me at LEAST 2-3 more ccs next time. She also agreed that it was okay for me not to have to see the nutritionist everytime I get a fill, since it's not guidance I need, but restriction.

I didn't go to her in the first place because I didn't know how she would react. I thought she would enforce their ideal 3-months-between-fills or make me see the nutritionist instead.

I feel so much better, I feel like hopefully now I won't have to switch doctors and maybe I'll start losing weight again.

Hi Junies!

I'm just checking in! Ok, I'm officially 1 week post op! And wooohoo! I'm not in the hospital this time!!!! This is as far as I got with the first band before I was a seriously sick/infected internal organs/dehydrated chick, band out and starting 2 weeks being seriously ill in the hospital!

I'm feeling really good. I've pushed things a little too hard a couple of days and worn myself out, but overall I'm amazed at how great I feel. If I had any idea I was supposed to feel this good I would have been pounding on my surgeons' door by day 2 last time telling her something was really wrong! I just thought I was one of those unlucky ones who was a bit swollen for a few days. Who knew you weren't supposed to have to load up on lortab to drink water by the teaspoonful?

This time - ZERO restriction. I'm on clears, but I swear I could eat a steak with no trouble! (and I don't even like steak!)

My incisions are looking good. The steristrips are starting to peel off, which is good because they itch like crazy! I had teased my surgeon in the pre-op area that she was going to have to think back and recall her plastic surgery rotation from way back, because I expected pretty scars this time. (Last time after the band came out, she used staples because she was worried she'd have to go back in again right away, and the scars ended up sort of ugly.) She went back in through the old port scar, which was the worst one because it had dimpled in about an inch, and the other little ones she put close to the 1st ones but those don't worry me much because the 1st ones faded pretty well (about half gone now). My new port scar looks like it's going to be nice - she cut out all the old ugly parts and I'll have one nice clean line, and it doesn't look like it's going to be all sunk in this time. Yay! She rocks!

The post op diet has been a challenge. Clears for 2 weeks. Uhg! I'm running out of inventive ways to make chicken broth. So far, stirring in a teaspoonful of pesto has been pretty good, and I came up with an "asian" flavor with a little ginger and cilantro. I'm alternating that plus a scoop of protein powder, with other protein drinks. Thank goodness I got a good variety! Once I survive the clear phase, I get to move on to pureed soups and mushie stuff for 2 weeks then finally into soft proteins and into my new normal eating. I'm looking forward to it.

Now one week out, I'm getting hungry. Not sure how much of it is in my head and how much is real hunger. 400-500 calories/day isn't a whole lot to run on for 2 weeks.

In good news, I've lost around 10lbs since surgery. It's a nice head start, because I think it may take a little time to get to that sweet spot given how loose I am right now and I know my surgeon is going to be uber cautious! I may resort to gnawing on the table legs before I get there. But hurray! 10 pounds!

Always

Hunzi