donali

No, not a cookie issue. I even went to advanced options and specifically APPROVED Cookies from LBT, regardless of any other settings. This is happening to me on my other computer, as well... ????? Very frustrating.

Sultana - send your pic to me and I'll fix you up. remove spaces: donali @ mindspring .com

Hi Paula - Many docs don't have a pre-fill "diet" - probably best not to eat RIGHT before your fill, but if you give enough time between your meal and your fill there shouldn't be much in your pouch anyway. It is more likely that you felt too tight after your fill because of residual swelling than because you'd eaten before. The stomach is a sensitive, cranky organ, and most people's don't appreciate being manipulated in anyway, and reacts with a slight swelling.

I SO agree with this... but at the same time, I think MO isn't treated the same way because NO one can agree on the "cure". And since everyone "knows" that caloric intake is pretty much key, in one way or another, MO people are just directed to a diet. THAT DOESN'T HELP. So what DOES help? For me, it was compulsive overeating therapy. And then the band, which helped reinforce the compulsive overeating therapy. Most MO people do NOT want "therapy" - they want to fix the symptoms - they think of MO as a physical problem, and so does 90% of the rest of the world. Anorexia is seen as a mental problem - so, they get help. Anyone out there willing to admit that MO is a MENTAL problem, and to get help through therapy? Some of us have... But most of us resist changing our mental outlooks, and resort to "I just need something to help me eat less." Good therapy may do that. I personally DO believe that for many MO people there is a malfunction between the full signal and the full receptors. But being banded, and KNOWING I was not hungry, and actually physically full, but still DRIVEN to eat PROVED to me that whatever physical malfunctions I may or may not have, I definitely had a psychological component to my MO. Just "food" for thought...

Looking for Megan's article, finding these: http://www.mcneese.edu/sports/weight/hyrdration.htm Partial rip-off of Dr. Robinson's article, plus tips on how to get your Water in: http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/viewtopic.php?t=19771 OMG! I just came across a personal site promoting anorexia and giving support to remain anorexic... Wow... Megan, I couldn't find your article!! But a couple things I ran across debunked the cold water raising metabolism theory, but ran across MORE that endorsed it - if not for the metabolism part, for the body absorption part. Hot, warm or cold - water rocks!!

So this is NOT just some whacky theory I made up all by myself. Whoo hooo!!! Bright, you are always missed. How was your vacation?!?! xxoo

Hi Penni - Try this one:

HIJACK ALERT!!!! lol

Some of the other ladies here have already expressed this, but... Ryan, you are one amazing dude...

Don't forget: 1. Fat and happy. 2. Fat and frisky. 3. Fat and sassy. In many respects, fat is a state of mind - slender women often complain of feeling "fat" when they're low, or feeling less desireable, slower moving, bloated, etc. I have to confess that most days I didn't/don't feel "fat" - until I'm in a situation where my size makes me physically uncomfortable; a chair that's too small or fragile, seat belts that don't fit, tight clothes, any kind of physical exertion. But outside of those moments, I never felt/feel "fat", and was always SHOCKED to see how big I was in photos!!! :mad: Dang, am I in a positive downdraft today, or what??? lol I guess today I'm feeling PHAT...

You shouldn't feel bad - maybe just "gurgly".

Tina, I'm sorry I offended. I was laughing at Sue's remark, which was agreeing with what you said about him being arrogant. Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Martinez attended at my surgery by Dr. Lopez (this was shortly before they parted ways), but I have never really met Dr. Ortiz, so I cannot agree/disagree with anything said about him. I am, however, in love with Dr. Martinez... He talked to me as I went under - we discussed the dichotomy of the distribution of wealth in Mexico, the arrogance of Americans in general, art, and who knows what else, as I think I dropped off in the middle of a word... lol He came to check up on me the next day after my surgery, and our conversation was just as pleasant and interesting as the day before. OH - and besides being well educated, well-spoken, and caring, he is one of the most attractive men I have ever met... Too bad he's already married to a wonderful cardiologist (who also happened to do all of my cardio testing pre-surgery). Oh... And I have a boyfriend... I mustn't forget that... lol

LOL

When I look at a fat woman who takes care of herself, I see someone soft, curvy and inviting, someone warm and loving and caring. Usually someone funny, smart. I love fat women... I just don't love being fat, myself... Perhaps because I never saw myself the way I saw other fat women...

Carolyn, this is simply awful - I am so sorry this happened, and that it turned into such a dangerous situation!! I felt like my last hope had been ripped from my hands, too, when I lost my band. But I realized (after a couple of days of incoherrent sobbing) that as long as I was still alive and in good health there was always hope. It may not seem like it now, but your future is just as bright with health, love and happiness as these banded people. We, for some reason, have been given different paths - who knows at what point they will converge back to where we thought we were going? Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need moral support. As they say, "I've been there, done that...." **hugs**

Neicy - Regarding photo editing - if you're using Microsoft (and the monopoly lawsuit would imply you most likely are... ), your machine is probably already preloaded with Microsoft Photo Editor, which can be found in the Microsoft Office Tools folder (on my machine, anyway). Hope this helps!!

Trust me - there have been emergent situations where a slipped band has to be addressed IMMEDIATELY. Generally this would be after an episode of violent throwing up. Monica from the Karma Lounge had to have her band removed emergently due to vomiting from food poisoning. Her stomach torqued and twisted like a wet towel, and the blood circulation was being cut off. These kind of emergency situations do not happen often, but they CAN. And if you become obstructed and blood flow is cut off, trust me, it is an EMERGENCY to get that fixed. If there is no vomiting involved, and the patient can get down and keep down fluids, the slip does not have to be repaired emergently unless they are in a lot of pain, or are in danger of aspiration pneumonia due to reflux. It all depends on the individual's situation, the severity of the slip, and the severity of symptoms.

Hi Kyleigh - All my fills were done under fluoro, and I always thought that seemed to be the "safest" way as far as not getting overfilled. However, it seems that MOST people do NOT have fills under fluoro, and do just fine. I would recommend that you ask your doc if you can test the fill right then with some applesauce or something thicker than Water to make sure it passes okay. If he says that's alright, and they don't have something thicker than water there at the fill place, take some of your own. I don't think most people do the applesauce test either, so if your doc says it's not necessary, I wouldn't worry. You definitely have to test with at least water, though. Also, you may want to ask what their policy is for unfills/refills to adjust this fill. Some docs will do an additional adjustment for free within a week to 10 days if you feel too tight or loose. Have fun!

Thanks, Cindy!

It needs to be 50x50 pixels. Email it to me if you like, and I will resize it for you. Put this all together without spaces: donali @ mindspring .com

Hi Cindy - The liquid phase is to minimize your stomach movement so the band has a chance to heal firmly in place before your stomach muscles have to start working to move food around. Many people think that if they have no pain when they eat solid food, it must be okay. This is not the case - the liquids are NOT because solids might be painful - it's to keep the stomach as still as possible. Imagine a cut across your knee - it will open everytime you flex your knee, and take a lot longer to heal. If you immobilize the knee, the healing is faster and cleaner.

For what it's worth, I had no symptoms, and several other eroded people who I've "met" since my erosion had no symptoms, either. My one time gall-bladder-like attack may or may not have been due to the erosion. I had no further attacks in the month between the first attack and band removal - so it could have been totally unrelated. My doc's office said that the vast majority of the erosions they see are diagnosed via endoscope. Which implies to me that those patients were symptom-free as well. I think that in most cases the erosion needs to be pretty far along for the patient to experience loss of restriction. I was at 40%, and still had perfect restriction. I don't know if there is any benefit to finding out about an erosion earlier than later, when you start exhibiting symptoms, like a port infection, loss of restriction, or pain. Apparently some docs advise waiting until the band is completely eroded into the stomach for removal of the band itself via the throat. Surgery would still be involved to remove the port and tubing, and to close the hole where the tubing connected to the band. Again, I do not have the professional medical experience to know which way is best to go. I do think that letting the band fully erode and become exposed to the stomach acids which eventually perforate the inflatable band so that bacteria follows up the tubing to create an infection at the port site sounds like the more dangerous option to me... And I must say that once I KNEW my band was eroding, I was a mess of psychosomatic feelings, and needed to have it out before I drove myself crazy, worrying if there were going to be holes in my stomach leaking into my abdominal cavities, causing perontinitis and other frightening things...

Puppy breath is the BEST!!! Jack is a handsome devil...

Wishing you all the best, Ryan!! May your journey towards banding be smooth and stress-free!! xxoo

Debra - This is everything I know about erosion: http://lapbandtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2250 http://lapbandtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2256 http://lapbandtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2274 The simple truth is, erosion is a risk with ANY implanted device. As far as the band goes you can minimize the risks as much as possible, but that is no guarantee that you won't have an erosion. I certainly agree that doing what is in your control is advisible, but if you end up eroded it is not necessarily your fault, no matter what you did. I say that simply because with other implanted devices there is nothing the patient has control over (can't do anything to cause erosion) and erosions happen for them anyway - so obviously sometimes it just happens. The most important thing is to avoid ingesting things that irritate/thin the lining of the stomach - mostly things like aspirin and other NSAIDs. If you must take these types of drugs make sure you coordinate with your band doc and get advice on the best way to protect your stomach from damage. Erosion is reported as a very small percentage of complications - 1-3%. I don't know if that figure is accurate, but it does seem as though the vast majority of people do NOT experience erosion. Get your annual endoscopy to check on your band health, and put the worry out of your mind. Good luck!!