donali

Hey Lisa - It was great talking to you earlier, and I want to reiterate how sorry I am that you are going through this. So sucks. Hopefully your rough beginning will be the end of any problems. You've paid your dues. Sending you healing thoughts!!!

There is SUCH an obvious difference! Good for you, girl!! Whoo hoo! Congrats on wonderful progress!

Thanks, New Hope. I'm feeling like nothing happened on Thursday. I do have an appointment next Saturday for my "annual" follow-up, and will have the barium swallow and endoscope done, so hopefully everything will come back okay. I'll keep you all posted!

I'm no guru about Vitamins and nutritional requirements, so you're probably better looking up most of this stuff on the web (which is what I do), as far as minimum amounts of Protein recommended per day, best vitamins, etc. Flax oil has omega-3 fatty acids. It's an acceptable substitute for the recommended cold Water fatty fish (which I don't care for). Ground flax seeds are good for the omega-3's and Fiber. Children's vitamins may not meet adult requirements - read the labels, there may be an adult dosage on there. There are adult chewables, and also liquid vitamins. Many people have no problems with regular vitamins, so you may want to just try your Vitamin of choice - you may not need to do anything special. Mary - you're average loss so far is more than 10 pounds a month - that is very very good. Remember that the average expected weightloss for bandsters is 1-2 pounds a week - that's 4-8 pounds a month. So you're ahead of the accepted average. New Hope - sorry about the GNC Protein Powder. For the most part, bandsters out of the liquid phase don't need protein powder. For some who are very tight in the mornings, a Protein shake is a good choice for Breakfast, but for the most part it's better to eat real food once you're back on solids. If you do choose to use Protein shakes as a part of your regular menu, make sure they are replacing food, not in addition to, unless you're not making your caloric goals for the day.

lol Vera that reminds me of the "Friends" episode when they're sitting around watching old home movies, and a segment came up with the young fat Monica, and everyone was like, "WHOA!!" and Monica said, "C'mon you guys, the camera adds 10 pounds." and Chandler says, "How many cameras did you have ON you?!?!" ROTFLMAO

Good luck, Bailey!!! We'll be thinking of you!! Post when you can, and let us know how everything went!

Yeah, but DeLarla... Shouldn't your horoscope always say that?!?! :cool: lol

Oh, it would be TOO swell to meet up next week. I don't have anything marked on my calendar yet, but a good friend is getting married the 20th, and I may be called upon for last minute favors. But definitely keep me posted on if you're going to be here, and maybe we can meet up. If I don't get in to see Lopez tomorrow, maybe he can see me the 19th. :cool: But you have to promise not to get me thrown in jail for streaking down Avenido Revolucion, or something equally decadent... lol

Tummy tucks are our next Nirvana... That place where everything's "perfect"... lol And we thought the weightloss would do it... :cool:

Shelly - you're just amazing!! Congrats, congrats, congrats!!! Well done, girl!

I feel like nothing happened - exactly like a galllbadder attack. And yet, it CAN'T be that, since I no longer have one. I want to see my band doc first to get the thumbs-up on my band before I see my PCP here. I don't want anyone unfamiliar with the band immediately assuming it's the culprit. I want to know FIRST that it's okay, so I can confidently direct them away from that as a possible cause. And since I feel like my old self, there is no emergency at the moment. Hoping I can get in tomorrow for my band eval/1 year check-up. Still waiting to hear back from them...

Seroma was the word I was looking for. This article explains a lot about seromas (I think it's a veterinary context, but this would be the same for us human animals): http://www.transomamedical.com/references/technotes/392-0027-002.html It is possible that some of the serum encapsulated, and is making that pea-sized object that's bothering you.

Also, some need to be taken with fat, like Vitamin C, and other minerals/vitamins, like Calcium needs to be taken with magnesium. Some things need to be taken seperate from others. You can really drive yourself crazy trying to figure this stuff out! I grind my Multivitamin and put it in a Protein shake with some flax oil. That's when I remember to take it at all, which isnt very often. Sometimes I remember to take my Popeye chewables, but even those are mostly forgotten... :cool:

Some more interesting info:

According to this site:

Sure, Teresa! Congrats on graduation, and send me a pic when you're ready! :cool: Actually, YOU'LL have to put it on, but I can size it for you. Remind me when you send the pic to tell you how to do it, if you're not sure.

**ssshhhhhhh** I just saw the Protein police go by. Keep it down in here!!! lol DeLarla, stand behind me. I'll protect you! :cool:

Hang in there, girl! We're thinking of you! Glad you're taking care of yourself, too. Be good to you...

Alexandra - congrats on your mental health day!! Whoo hoo! you go, girl. And I am totally on board with that mental health day theory, so have stayed home the rest of the day even though I'm once again feeling back to normal. Oh, and thanks for filling in the gap for DeLarla about all the new sounds and sensations... for a moment there, I forgot it wasn't all about me!!! lol Yeah, DeLarla - no matter what it sounds like, or feels like, if you're not in pain, it's normal... Except for the port thing - mild pain in that regard is normal for many. :sick I left a message for an appointment on Saturday for my band checkup. I'm going with the gas bubble theory, Alex - thanks. lol I'm sure there's some logical explanation. I have to say for those who are reading this, it is pretty normal for us to automatically think there is something wrong with the band, no matter what the new problem is, or how unrelated it could be. 95% of the time our internal problems are NOT band related. Reminds me of how, after living alone for years, and then living with a roommate, suddenly the things I couldn't find, or that weren't put away were ALL due to the roommate. Even though I was really the culprit. When I lived alone I would say to myself, "I don't remember leaving that like that.", but KNEW it HAD to be me, 'cause I was the only one that could have done it. But as soon as the roommate moved in, my thoughts were, "They MUST have done THAT, because I would NEVER..." lol I think we tend to be the same way about the band. :cool:

Chantal - I am so sorry you are struggling. It sounds like an emotional struggle though, compounded with maybe not enough fill. I wish I could help with the emotional part - I think I've already posted all I know about that. Hang in there, I'm sure you will arrive at a working answer. Well, as far as everyone feeling good... A couple of hours ago I had a sudden onset of excrutiating discomfort - it felt like one of my super-intense gallbladder attacks. Only problem... no more gallbladder. This time the back pain was very high (where I imagine my band to be), and I felt like I really, really needed to burp, or poop, or something. Anyone who's had a gallbladder attack knows exactly what I mean - you feel incredible pressure, and those are the two ways you're used to getting rid of it. But... there is no burping or need to poop. I started squiriming in my chair after a fruitless trip to the bathroom, and even lay down in my cube to see if the discomfort would go away. No go. So I whip off an email to my boss and sis (who works there with me) that I'm suddenly ill and am running home to lay down. My sis comes over immediately and says, "Do you want me to take you?" I say, "Uh... no.... uh... okay, yeah..." We pile into her car, and she brings me the 20 minute ride home, while I have reclined the seat and am trying not to squirm, or whimper, 'cause I don't want her to veer off to the ER. I'm counting on some Maalox to help with this terrible discomfort. I'm feeling somewhat better by the time she gets me home, but as soon as I sit up, I start feeling worse again. I make it into the house, gulp down some Maalox, strip and climb into bed. I start feeling better, then all discomfort is gone, then comes back again for about 5 minutes. It's now been two hours, and I feel normal once again. That was very weird, very scary, and... I have no idea what just happened. I've been reading up on erosion, so of course I am totally paranoid that's what's going on, particularly since I have been overeating so badly this month. I've never been prone to psychosomatic illnesses in the past, but I can psyche myself into fainting. I'd like to believe that what I experienced was REAL, but nothing important. I think it's finally the motivating factor for me to arrange my 1 year follow-up though - almost 5 months late... I want a barium swallow, and a stomach scope, if they'll do it, just to be very sure. I have not had any band related problems so I'm hoping my imagination is just running wild. Assuming all is well with the band (as is almost always the case), I will have to have someone figure out what just happened to me so it never happens again. I want my band doc to rule out anything band-related first, though, so my American docs can't accuse an innocent band... lol This was so like a gallbladder attack, I'm wondering if maybe a stone formed in a bile duct, or something, that's left over from the gallbladder. But I don't think anything is connected like it used to be, so that doesn't seem likely... Anyway, I'll keep you posted on my new saga! It was probably just gas from my poppyseed muffin... :cool: P.S. - Lisa, glad you liked the new pics, and were able to get them posted! Again, you are GORGEOUS!!!!!! :eek:

DeLarla, it's good that you are not planning on relying on restriction. Really, and truly, it is. I'm always begging people not to go too tight, not to keep getting fills if there is something else they can fix. That being said.... It is ridiculous to NOT let the band help you!!! Having no fill at all for most people is not much better than having no band at all. I know you recently had a tiny PB episode, but I get the impression that 99.9% of the time you aren't really feeling that much different hunger-wise. Getting a little fill will help with the hunger so you can focus on working on the emotional. If you work the band right, eating less is easy, and not a struggle. Let it help you! There is no moral superiority to losing weight the hard way. We do NOT deserve to be punished for being fat!!! And forcing ourselves to struggle is a form of punishment, if there is an easier way. I am NOT saying don't do the emotional work - not at all, not at all. But there is no reason why you can't have both at the same time - less hunger, and emotional health. What you're planning on doing is kind-of like BUYING the nicotine Patches, but not wearing them... :cool: Or as Sue (I think it's Sue) likes to say, buying a car, but not putting in the gas so it will run. Of course, everyone's journey is their own, personal experience, and you have to decide what's best for you. This is just my opinionated 2 cents...

I'm 5'6" - not a shorty, but certainly not a swan... :cool:

Can a woman really have too many nipples? :cool: I checked out the Neosporin scar Patches at Target - $30. I decided my scar wasn't bad enough to spend $30 on it. It's a little purple, but I imagine that will continue to fade with time. But DeLarla, once you heal up, I would definitely try those - they sound like magic. New Hope, you only have to bypass the things you love to eat for a little longer. Once you're back on solid foods, anything is fair game. Even with a wide open band, you probably will eat less of everything than you did before. Once you start getting fills, there may be some things that just aren't worth the trouble to eat. I've gotten really mad and resentful about that at least twice - oh, boy, do I LOVE Oscar's bread sticks!!! The first time I got stuck on one, I was furious. I wanted it so bad, but I just couldn't get it down. Later I was grateful, but not at the time. Now I can eat them, because I have learned to eat more carefully, but it takes time and concentration to eat some of these more challenging things without getting stuck. So sometimes it just isn't worth it - I don't feel deprived, because I know I CAN have it, but I'm also going to have to devote the required time to get it down. Most of the time I don't have the "required" time. That's one reason why I recommend taking the fill process slowly - it's easier on your body, but the real reason is it gives your mind time to adjust and regroup, and get okay with everything. That way you're less likely to eat around the band, because by the time you get that tight, you have already let go emotionally of some of the foods you are going to rarely eat.

You can send it to me if you like, and I'll get you fixed-up. :cool:

Hi Tellie - What DeLarla said about being on liquids so the swelling in your stomach can go down. There are anti-nausea meds available - every bandster should have some standing by. They come both in oral or suppository form. The one I have is called Phenergan - it's the oral version, very teeny-tiny pills. Before you become pregnant, you will want to discuss with your band doc how you want to manage the pregnancy, and what kind of anti-nausea medicines you will be able to take. Pregnancy related nausea is not a given - just because you were sick as a dog with the first one doesn't mean the same will happen with your second, and vice versa, but it is definitely good to be prepared. Some people have their fills removed/reduced during pregnancy, some leave them the same. That's something for you and your doc to discuss.