TerriDoodle

It'll fly by! It's only a month away! Use this time to start practicing the bandster rules. Small bites, chew well, eat slow and NO DRINKING WITH MEALS.

JACK!!! I miss you!!! Above all, I just hope you're alright. Let us know, ok? Give us a sign! Any sign!!

Apparently you're the only perv here!!

Ditto what WAS said. Might need to vary your exercise, too...perhaps your body has adapted.

Boost Glucose Control Chocolate drink - 16g Cabot Low fat white Cheddar Cottage cheese with fresh berries 12g per 1/2 cup Sweet & Spicy Tuna w/ mayo & a few crackers Slices of canadian bacon Nuts, but can't seem to eat them anymore

Check out this poll! http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/would-you-do-again-30418/index5.html#post504967

Bumping up!

No, i haven't seen that!! Wild!.... and so affordable!!

I would tell her also that being nervous is very normal and she should communicate that to her nurses and doctor. They will take extra care to make sure she is comfortable thru every stage of surgery & recovery (if it's a good hospital)! Reiterate to her that the anesthesia is awkward when you first wake up because you are SOOOO drowsy and disoriented, but other than that there's nothing to it. The pain that she might experience is managed very well with medications and post-op instructions. Since she is so young, she should be doing very well within 2-3 days. Also, tell her that 92% of the folks polled on this board have said they would have the surgery again....in a heartbeat! That's pretty darn good. Once you get underway with your new life, and especially once you lose a few LB's, that surgery is a distant memory!! I wish you all the best.

Ok, Kat...Here's the recipe. I'll post it here 'cause others might like it too. DH and I (used to) make 1/2 a recipe, mix it with roasted chicken or turkey from the deli and that was dinner. It's delish! Tina's Strawberry Romaine Salad Dressing: 1 c vegetable oil 3/4 c sugar (I use Splenda...always...even for company) 1/2 c red wine vinegar 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. paprika 1/4 tsp. ground white pepper Mix all ingredients in a jar, cover tightly & shake vigorously. Refrigerate for up to one week. Advance prep is not necessary, however. Salad: 1 large head Romaine lettuce 1 head Boston lettuce 1 pint strawberries, sliced 1 cup (4 oz) shredded monterrey jack cheese (I use feta, but less) 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted Tear lettuce into bite size pieces. Combine lettuce, strawberries, cheese, and nuts in a large bowl. Shake dressing and pour over salad just before serving. Toss gently. Serves 12. I'm suddenly very hungry!!

Well, I'm having a hard time with this (peeled) apple and cheddar cheese right now!! I'm taking teeny tiny bites of apple and can feel every bite going down. But I just eat realllllllllly slowly. Are you going to call tomorrow?? Who is your doctor again? Sorry you're not doing well KAT - My first PB was on fried chicken too....and it was a DOOZIE! I have a WONDERFUL recipe that always gets raves. It's a salad made with romaine and butter lettuce, sliced strawberries, mont. jack or feta cheese, toasted pecans, with a nice vinaigrette dressing. If you want the recipe, just let me know. It serves at least 12.

MDRAI - have a great time at the beach!! The exercise challenge is whatever you want it to be! You set your OWN goals....and try to challenge yourself a little bit more each month. Sound good?? Love the avatar, BTW!!

I was filled with saline first to 1.5cc. When I went back for my 2nd fill, there was less than 0.5 cc still in the band! Omnipaque doesn't leak as easily. I was filled with Omnipaque on 2nd fill to 2cc. When i went back for 3rd fill there was 1.8 still in the band. she filled me back up to 2 cc. Does that help with your question? it doesn't fill more, it just stays in better so you don't lose your restriction over time.

make sure you are clear about his fill procedures and compare them to spivak's

How about a "Life Coach"? They're very popular here in the States. How about on that side of the pond? They can do phone and online consultations, too....so no need to make it to their office for an appt. once a week!! My girlfriend did that and she loved it!! Got her thru a very rough patch better and stronger than ever. She swears by them! A life coach wrote a book that I read recently and I would contact her if I ever needed one. In case you're interested her website is: MJ Ryan - Author - Speaker - Thinking Partner

MAJOR CONGRATS on your weight loss, Judy!!! You've hit the 180's too!!!!!!!! About DS: One of his favorite bands (Voxtrot) was playing at an all-age club downtown. I wouldn't normally let him do something like that but he has been working SO hard at his job and summer school that I just felt he needed a break & a reward. He's had a rough year and is doing 150% better now in all regards. So he and 3 girlfriends go down to the club and when they get there learn that there are 2 other bands playing ahead of Voxtrot!! So I told him that it's fine...to go ahead and stay to watch. By the time he dropped off his girlfriends and made it home it was 3:20!!! He'll be sleeping until 1:30 I'm sure. I'm sure Kat can relate her experiences better, but after being aggressive with my fills and having gone thru quite a bit of trial and error with restriction, what your nurse described is exactly what's going on. You simply irritated your band, stoma and esophagus then went on to irritate it again with your next regular meal, then your next, etc. Take heed....that's what it feels like to have irritation. That is your cue to go on liquids or mushies until it diminishes. Then when it does, progress to the next stage carefully .... chew well, swallow...and wait between small bites (very important). You may feel a little pressure, but it won't be painful or irritating like the golf ball. Day by day it will get a little better. These are our trial and error days when we learn how to deal with restriction....and searching for that sweet spot. No need to panic...the body has tremendous healing abilities! What you're experiencing is what all bandsters before you have also dealt with. Just a little bump in the road!! If you were riding a bike, fell off and scraped your knee you wouldn't be in a panic! Think of this in much the same way. If you made that same mistake every day, several times a day for many months you would probably start to have some serious problems!

Aside from all these wonderful advantages that you all have mentioned, one of my favorites is that nagging voice finally goes away!! You know the one! That voice that is constantly harrassing you: "I really should be exercising."It gives you such a boost to your self-esteem to know that you're really doing everything you should be to get healthy. I absolutely love it!! I work with a trainer and wish I had the $$ work with him 5x a week. I've already seen some wonderful improvements in the 2.5 months I've been with him.

3:00a.m. - Me here. Just growing a few gray hairs waiting for my 16 year old DS to get home from a concert!! LBT serves many purposes!

Ms Jen - Thanks...I'm gonna check out that outlet store! Didn't know they had one! I actually just got home from their great sale! I got 4 pair of pants and 5 shirts for work...for about $300. Nice clothes, for what... $33 each piece. Not bad for Ralph Lauren, Jones NY and JH Collectibles, eh?? It'll get me thru the summer, I hope! Bought some pants a bit snug, too, so that'll be fun to watch how they fit better and better as time goes on. Also, got a pair of Jones NY pants at the resale shop for $2 on Thursday! Now, THAT's a deal!

Y'know Judy, that June exercise challenge "32/20 workouts completed" just really irks me!!! I fell short of my goals and am not happy about it at all! But I WILL NOT fall short in July, you can take that to the bank!!! Who else is in for a July exercise challenge???

My girlfriends and I call them "clot busters"....LOL!

WAS - I wonder if my doc would give me injectible Toradol just to have on hand for aches & pains? Prolly not, eh?

Good Morning Violets! PAMELA - first of all just want to say how very beautiful you are! You've got a million dollar smile and gorgeous eyes!! You're hot now--can't wait to see you in a year!! Especially if you keep up that training schedule! Woo HOO!! Now, for the drinking thing: I had a pretty hard time with it...still do. I do usually have a drink in front of me but instead of taking a full-on swig, 2-3 times I'll just have enough to cleanse my pallate....y'know like maybe a teaspoon full....and find that really helps a lot! So many times I'll order a tea to drink while I"m waiting for food and at the end of the meal I've only had maybe 1/4 of the entire drink!! Talk about not being able to break a habit!! Many times I sit there and think, "I just paid $1.69 for 5 sips of tea??" Don't know why I can't get it thru my skull to just take a sip of DH's or something. Good for you in getting your head on board with matching up your meal size with your ability to eat it all! It's an ongoing process for quite some time in all kinds of areas, isn't it? Things we never thought to consider but all need adjustments. We're doing it...little by little! Good luck with your classes .... and your eating! Just think of Judy hanging over your shoulder watching what you're ordering and how you're eating it. That oughta do it. KAT - Your party sounds absolutely fantastic!!! You have honored your parents in such a beautiful way and they are very lucky to have a daughter (and friends, and community) like you! You've worked really hard on this one and my hat's off to you! Thanks, too, for your words to Lunasa... that helps all of us. I knew you'd have some good advice and you didn't fail!! TRACYK - Thanks for the update on your panty situation! I was laying awake this morning wondering how you might be doing in that regard. Now I can go back to sleep peacefully. LOL! On that note...I went shopping yesterday and find I am painfully 'between sizes'. Quite frustrating. 16W's are getting too big but 14W's are hard to find. So I go to the regular ladies department and regular 16's are too small!! I get a LOT of exercise when I shop now and walk away with NOTHING! Grrrrrrr. Had a great coupon for 25% off entire purchase at Avenue and couldn't find a darn thing. Don't need casual clothes, I need work clothes. Guess I'll have to go to the much more expensive Dillard's. Summer temperatures last til mid-October here so we really stock up on summer clothes while they're on the racks. My closet is pretty bare since giving away so many. I'm still incredibly sore today and am trying to decide how to get some good exercise in without using my quads (?)! Maybe I'll try the hot tub at the gym and then go swimming....then back in the hot tub, back in the pool, then the dry sauna. I really wanted to try the spinning class today, but that is NOT happening. Love you all -- have a great day!

Tylenol comes in all sorts of usable forms...even melt-in-your-mouth strips and adult liquid formula. I wouldn't risk a capsule getting stuck, but that's me. My doc says if it can't get thru a straw, don't take it and used the example of nothing bigger than a birth control pill.

There's people who use NSAID's daily (like for arthritis) and those who used them for occasional aches and pains. I'm in the second category. Surely I'm not at risk for ulcers if I take children's liquid Motrin for a day or two once or twice a month, right? Before banding I took Advil for all kinds of things... even if I just didn't "feel good". I've also taken it for acute back pain over a period of several days at max dosages....only then did I start to feel the gastric effects. I wouldn't do that now, after banding, but in "emergencies" like not being able to walk or get up and down from the potty!? I feel like I should be ok.