Tres Chic

Great advice...thanks!

My port is also flipped, but I've been fortunate and my fill-nurse has been able to manipulate it (sometimes with difficulty and 7 jabs of the needle) to do my fills. My doctor is willing to fix it, free, but he's hoping to wait until I'm closer to my goal so I can move the port to a more inconspicuous location (like my side).

Andrew: Are you kidding me! Congratulations on your weight loss. I can't believe you've been at this such a short time with such outstanding restults. Yasmina: Unless you aren't able to get enough protein through your diet, I would pass on the protein bars. Sometimes, when I'm low on protein, I have a 1/2 serving of slim fast....lots of protein and some calcium and not too many carbs. Donna: How are you doing? Did you just get banded last week?

What a GREAT idea!

This is the frustrating part. But, don't worry. The 1st fill doesn't usually do very much, but I promise it DOES work eventually. I just had Fill #3 so I'm at 8 cc in a 10 cc band and this fill is the first one that's made a difference.

Becca... I cancelled the appointment because I realized I had stomach flu! (I think it was the fever that gave it away... and the 2 other colleagues that had the same thing). I guess I've now entered a world where I blame EVERYTHING on the band. I'm eating fine today, and things seem to be staying put.

I heard you, Becca... It can surprise us at the most inopportune times:eek:

Doddie: How did the fill go? It was yesterday, no?

Argon: Many thanks for the vitamins reminder. They seem to be doing the trick for the leg/foot cramping. I had stomach flu Monday and Tuesday... That was interesting as I immediately thought there was something wrong with my band. But when two other colleagues came down with it, I was able to relax and chill...literally!

Yasmina: Sorry to hear about your fill appointment with TLBC--not good. Do you remember the name of person who did your fill? The benefit of including protein powder in your diet is that when you're very restricted, it's sometimes hard to get enough food down (I'm finding that now, after my 3rd fill) so I'm finding the protein is helpful so that I can get enough calories in and enough protein. I'm just using Slim Fast (Chocolate) with 2% milk at lunch so that I don't have any 'bizarre eating accidents' at lunch when I'm at the office. The Slim Fast that you mix yourself is not bad at all (the canned stuff is yucky).

Thanks everyone for the good advice. I called today and I'm going to get a small defill tomorrow. Maybe 1/4 cc. Happy b'day Liz

I AM NOW!!! (I just took some right after I read your message, and "No", I had slipped in the Vitamens department). Thanks for replying Aargon. You've been at this a while, so I appreciate the benefit of your experience.

I just had my 3rd fill this week and I can't eat much . I think I may be too restricted - I lost 4 lbs in 4 days, consuming about 500-600 cals a day and I'm becoming more familiar than I ever wanted with PBing and Sliming. I have 8 ccs in a 10 cc band. Is anyone else experiencing too much restriction? If so, is it the same as I'm describing? After my 1st and 2nd fills, restriction seemed to disipate a little in about 10 days... I'm trying to hold out until then to see if this is going to 'relax', but I'm not sure that's wise. Any advice?

Babygirl!!

Aubrie: I also had a hysterectomy, which sped up menopause. My doctor prescribed Prozac (for the menopause symptoms) and I gained 75 lbs on it. I started asking around and a recurring theme began... that almost everyone I know who has taken Prozac for extended periods of time, gained weight (naturally, there are those rare few who didn't, but no such luck for me). I have been off Prozac for 4 years, but unfortunately the weight just fall off, the way it came on. Are you still taking antidepressants? I'd also like to thank everyone on this thread... I draw from most all of your stories and appreciate your cander and support.

Question: has anyone been experiencing foot or leg cramps since you've changed your diet?

Update: My 3rd fill was Apr 18th. I can only eat about 500 cals (max) per day now, and 225 of them are a protein shake in the morning. I think I'm too restricted (although on the up-side, I've lost 4 lbs in 4 days since the fill). Based on previous fill experiences, the restriction seems to wear off a little after about 10 days, so I'm trying to tough it out for 10 days to see what happens, before rushing to get a defill. In the meantime, I'm becoming very familiar with PBing and sliming!

Question: I just had my 3rd fill on Wed., Apr 18th. I'm now at 8 cc in a 10 cc band. I did fluids Wednesday and Thursday without any problems. But by Friday, I could only eat about 3 or 4 bites at a sitting (which is no where near the 1 cup per meal that's recommended. I have a protein shake for breakfast (over about a 45 min. period); solids for lunch (maybe 3/4 cup) and 2 or 3 bites of dinner before I'm in a lot of pain. I'm down to about 500-600 cals a day, and although I lost 4 lbs in 4 days, I think I'm too restricted. I'm considering a small defill... Any advice?

Lori and Argon... you have both lost enough to be at a plateau for 2 weeks! I'm guessing "fluids" after my fill didn't mean a DQ Blizzard... :embarassed: Doddie: You and I had surgery the same day at TLBC. Have you had 3 fills now?

Sun: Congratulations!! What a great feeling. You're looking more and more like Reese Witherspoon every day!

Just came from having my 3rd fill so I'm on fluids today. I didn't lose any weight in the last two weeks (since my 2nd fill), which was a little disappointing. Nevertheless, I'm feeling positive. I'll let you know how this fill goes once I start eating again.

Sounds like us February Bandsters are having a bit of a struggle right now. Let's keep our eyes on the prize and hope for that 'sweet spot'.

Well defined, Julie...

Hey Sun: Hope your Fill goes smoothly... Just a note to everybody concerned about "What to do when you're going for a fill"; the information posted is specifically for "fluoro" fills, not direct injection fills, although some of the info looks great, from a common sense standpoint. Cheers!

Louise.. you look great! I didn't take any 'pre-surgery' pics which I'm sure I'll regret as the journey progresses. And just to update you, prune juice isn't bad at all, but it's a little thick. I'm inclined to mix it half and half with water. By the way, I've had the same problem with pills getting stuck. It's a horrible feeling (I heat up my prune juice to melt the pill when it happens--covers both bases) and my Dr says to crush them, but YUCK!