ARMKAM

hi suzanne , i'm at a stand still also. i've lost 30 lbs too, which if you think of the short amount of time since surgery really is quite a lot and something we should be proud of, but i am getting frustrated. i get my 1st fill next tuesday over our spring break so i figure if i can just hold on to that loss and not gain, i'll be ok. i've also been able to eat more lately in the afternoon and evening. in the morning i'm pretty tight and can eat only half of one scrambled egg , but then i get hungry and hour or two after eating. by supper i can sometimes eat almost a normal amount of food. i really hope the fill helps and gets the weight moving again. i've been doing some walking, but after spring break, i'll be dancing w/ my students for a few hours a day to get ready for our spring show in may. i would like to start working out on our bowflex too tho', just haven't yet. for easter i try to get my girls( 12, 14 & 16 ) just a little chocolate and a dvd, cd or ipod gift card so that i'm not tempted. they really don't need a lot of candy anyway. well , my lunch break is over now and it's time to go sit with the in-school suspension kids for an hour - fun ! have a great day all !

jennilyn , i've had the pain you're talking about, if i take even one bite too much. it feels like a knife stabbing my from the front to the back in the middle of my chest. i did the bean & cheese w/ sour cream from taco bell and it was ok. i've just learned not to go overboard thinking i can handle "just one more " bite. it also feels like it wants to come back up , but doesn't. once the food passes thru the band , the pain leave , usually in about 5 minutes or so. i did have beef come up on sunday after two bites, but i'm guessing that my stomach just isn't ready for beef yet.

well , i screwed up , or pushed it to far. i made beef manhattan for my family and tried to eat a few bites of the beef & gravy w/ mashed potatoes. i had my 1st pb and it was kind of gross. i guess my stomach can't handle beef yet. my dr said not to try beef until 8 weeks, and i should've listened. after that i couldn't eat much for the rest of the day. only one more week 'til my 1st fill tho'. i'm looking forward to that and hopefully gettiing back into losing mode.

i am soooo ready for my first fill - tired of feeling hungry so soon after eating . i haven't pb'd yet , but have definately had some sliming. keeping my fingers crossed that it never happens , but that's wishful thinking. have a great week-end everyone !

skinny jeans , i know exactly what you mean. i've lost 30 lbs this past month and my bra feels way tighter. it's even leaving a red cut mark in the front-middle. what the heck is going on? my butt and legs are practically gone , but i still have to wear big pants to fit my waist. i look like a clown and have more trouble now in the a.m. figuring out what to wear because of my silly shape. i guess it's swelling , 'cause i don't know what else it'd be. i really haven't started working out yet. well gotta go . andrea

annie , newstart doesn't require anything up front. you attend one of their seminars, fill out a 10 page diet/health history, have your primary dr. send them a letter stating your co-morbidities ( other health problems ) and get a psych evaluation. once they have all of your info. including insurance info, they will revue it all. they contact the insurance for you too. once they know if your approved by the insurance and if they feel that you are a good candidate, then you finally get to meet w/ the surgeon. at that meeting you will set a date for surgery. you do a 2 week pre-op liquid diet . dr. follwell works together w/ dr richards so they are both in the o.r. for sugery. 2 docs for the price of 1. lol! i would check newstart out. the dr's and everyone are really nice and helpful. after surgery there is no charge for follow-up appts. and fills are free too. my starting weight was 303.8 and it's 273.4 now after only 4 weeks. if you call linda at 314-268-6059, she is the insurance verifier for newstart, she may be able to let you know about your insurance and give you the phone # to find out when the seminars are. i know this was long , but i hope it helps ! have a great day - andrea

travelgirl , i've tried the grilled snack wrap. i just don't eat the tortilla. have any of you taken that one extra bite and felt like a knife was going thru your chest - ooh the pain ! i haven't had a pb yet, but there was some sliming along w/ the pain. i've for sure learned my lesson and have become really aware of eating slowly now & taking small bites. wednesday will make 4 weeks for me since the surgery. my nutritionist warned me not to stay in the mushies because others have found that they can eat a lot more mushies than solid food and begin to take in too many calories in the mushy stage. i've pretty much moved onto solids except for breakfast. i feel really tight in the a.m. so i try to eat one softly scrambled egg , but i can usually only eat about half of it. i get hungry after an hour or two tho' so i'm ready for my 1st fill on april 3rd.

Hi Michele , I was getting to where my weight was stalled also. I was banded a week after you on 2/21. Since last Thurs. , I've tried to eat just a little more, adding protien between my 3 meals. Usually yogurt or really thinly sliced ham and I've begun losing about 1 lb a day. As of today I've lost 32 lbs. We ate out a few times this week-end and I ordered off of the kids menu. The only place that hassled me was Bob Evans - they charge you $2 more for being an adult even if it is a kids item. I couldn't even eat half of what they brought me. The places also gave me a hard time about not wanting a drink. Oh well, even with eating out , this week-end went well w/losing. Singing is getting easier now that I'm healing up and school is keeping me busy. Other than work I haven't started doing much exercise yet. After spring break , I will be dancing with my students every day to get ready for our spring concert. Have a Great day !

Annie , I had my lap band put in at St. Alexius Hospital , which is close to the Busch Brewery in St. Louis. I went thru their Newstart program. I went to a seminar by the airport in Nov., then went thru the required psych eval , got a letter from my dr. - my co-morbities included high bp, and a heart arythmia, but my dr wrote a really good letter which probably helped. I saw Dr. Follwell 1/24 and had my surgery on 2/21 after doing a 2 week pre-op diet. Everything went really well and all at the hospital were really nice. There is no charge for dr visits and band fills afterwards. They also have support group sessions every month for bandsters to go to if you choose to. I haven't done that yet since my surgery was only 3 weeks ago. Hope this helps !

Hey it sounds like everyone is doing great ! My infection around my incision is clearing up since I've been taking a mega antibiotic all week - it tastes really gross crushed up , but oh well, at least it's better. I 'm getting my first fill 4/3 during our spring break. It's scheduled for 6:30 am so I think i'll takes my girls to a hotel to swim since we live a few hours away. Not sure if I'm brave enough to put on the swim suit yet. I've lost 28lbs these past 3 weeks. I'm also starting to feel really hungry an hour or two after eating. by the time schools out, I'm starving. I'll be glad for the fill. I'm glad we're all here experiencing the same stuff and talking about it , it really helps ! Have an awesome day all !

HI KATHYY68 , I TALKED TO MY REGULAR DR. LAST NIGHT & HE HAS PRESCRIBED AN ANTIBIOTIC , BUT HE STILL WANTS ME TO TALK TO MY SURGEON OR HIS NURSE, BUT I CAN'T GET A HOLD OF EITHER TODAY. MY PORT SITE IS FINE , IT'S JUST ONE OF THE TINY LITTLE 1 INCH INCISIONS CAUSING THE PROBLEM. SYNICAL CHICK - I HAVEN'T HAD YEAST INFECTIONS , BUT ONE OF MY BABIES HAD THRUSH IN HER MOUTH AND IT WAS PRETTY NASTY. I DID NOTICE FOR THE 1ST WEEK AND 1/2 AFTER SURGERY I DIDN'T DRINK NEARLY ENOUGH WATER AND MY PEE WAS REALLY CONCENTRATED AND MADE MY SKIN DOWN THERE REALLY TENDER AND BURNED WHEN I PEED. THERE WAS ASLO A LITTLE BLOOD. IT'S BETTER NOW THAT I FEEL BETTER AND AM DRINKING MORE. GOOD LUCK AND I HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER REALLY SOON. HEY , AT LEAST YOUR DH IS WILLING TO HELP YOU GET YOUR MEDICINE WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE ! LOL:nervous HAVE A GREAT WEEK-END EVERYONE ! REMEMBER EACH DAY ONLY GETS BETTER AND BETTER WITH THE BAND ! ANDREA

Hey Teacher , This Is Just My 4th Day Back To Workso I've Tried To Take It Kind Of Easy , But I've Got 212 Jr High Kids In My Choir And They Can Get Pretty Rowdy And I Have To Be Energetic To Keep Them Motivated. I Am Feeling Pretty Good , But I've Noticed How Hungry I've Been The Last Few Days. I Just Started Mushies Yesterday. I'll Be Glad When I Get My 1st Fill The 1st Week Of April During Spring Break. Gotta Go Sit With The In-school Suspension Kids Now - Fun ! Talk To You All Soon !

Hi Everyone ! I Was Banded 2/21 And Have Lost 22lbs. Most Of My Gas Is Gone And I'm Sleeping Ok. One Of My Incisions Seems Infected Tho'. Not Gross , But There Is A Fever In It And A Red Circle Around It. Guess I Should Call The Lap Band Nurse. Do Any Of You Feel Your Band When It's A Little Tight. I Swear I Can Feel It All The Way Up Into My Throat Sometimes. I Teach Music And Do A Lot Of Singing And Don't Know If My Diaphragm Is Just Pushing On The Band When I Breath Or What. So I Gueass I Might Belong To Your Pity Party Too ! I'll Bring The Music . ! Gotta Go !

Hi All ! I'm Getting Banded On 2/21 In St. Louis , Mo. I Started My Pre-op Diet Today. 2 Weeks Of Only Liquid Protein, Broth, Water And Sf Jello. I Just Hope For The Strength To Carry Thru W/ It. I Already Did All Of My Pre-op Tests And Met W/ A Nutritionist. I'm Nervous Too , But I Want This So Badly. Iwant To Participate In My Families' Life , Not Just Be A Spectator, So I'm Also Very Excited To Get On W/ It.

Hi , I Just Got My Banding Date This Week. It's 2/21/07. I Go Next Week For Pre-op Tests And A Band Class. My Approval Was Smooth Also, Once My Doc Showed That I Had A "co-morbidity". A Quick Question For New Banders - Do You "feel" The Band Around Your Stomach Or Is It Just A Feeling Of Soreness And Fullness? I'm Afraid I'll Freak Out Thinking Of The Band Being In There And Feeling It. Just A Mental Thing That I'm Gonna Have To Get Over In The Next Few Weeks.