leatha_g

Wowee!! You look fantastic, Aud!! Amazing difference!!

I want what Delarla is having - and the drugs too... 1. Pick a t-shirt color, choose ONE of the below: a. Black<<<<---- b. White c. Purple d. Red 2. Statement on back of shirt, choose ONE of the below: a. "BIG FAT LOSER!" b. "So happy to hear of your LOSS" c. "So happy to be a LOSER"<<<----- d. "Used to be FAT, but still a LOSER" 3. What color should the print be, choose ONE of the below: a. Black b. White c. Purple<<<<<------ d. Red 4. Tell us what size you are requesting?hmm.. 1x? 5. What is the most you are willing to pay for the shirt including shipping and handling? $20

My farts dont' stink either, Lisa. :rolleyes:

Geez. I'm sorry it took me so long to get to this post! I am in awe, Marie!! 20 miles? Wowee! That is absolutely inspirational!! I am so proud of you!! Now, I'm gonna have to go dust my bike off.. lol. You go girl!! Hugsssssss to ya .. what a great thing to lift your ego!! Leatha

Actually, I'm unfilled at this point and I'm moving into more solid foods but I think it's more a gradual training thing. I still obsess about food. I still eat the wrong things. I'm struggling terribly with my sweet/carb addictions. But, after a year, I think I have resigned to the fact that my body still has plenty of storage on board. It's okay if I only eat a chicken breast or part of one. It's okay if my lunch is a chicken breast and some applesauce. In my family of origin, my mother/grandmother/aunts were all cooks. We had family restaurants for years and I grew up thinking you had to have certain portions and mix certain vegetables with certain meat/entrees. I've had to re-learn that thinking. It's NOT imperative that I have mashed potatoes with meatloaf. lol. I don't even have to have green Beans or black eyed peas with meatloaf. I can have the meatloaf all by itself and be fine. Since I'm supposed to be focusing on Protein, that's what I've been trying to do. At home, I contact the Schwan's man and have him bring to my house, baked scrod - which is wonderful! chicken breasts, turkey fillets, Breakfast sausages on occasion, pre-cooked shrimp and instead of thinking I have to have some big meal, I walk into the house after work, turn the oven on and throw in one portion of baked scrod or turkey fillet. These things taste great. I haven't destroyed the kitchen and I got in my protein. If I go out to eat, (which is certain sabotage with my co-workers). I try to only order an appetizer - crabcakes has become one of my stand-bys. shrimp cocktail is good. If there is bread, I usually pull off one teeny bite, so that I can see that it's JUST bread and not worth plugging up my stoma. If I've eaten my protein and I still feel like I HAVE to have a bite of the mashed potaoes, I will have it. It's the dessert ritual that kills me. However, since I haven't done too much damage with my entree, it's still better than what I would have done pre-band. I'm getting better. It's conditioning. A year ago was much worse than it is today. Once you've been restricted awhile and you've had a few incidences of your band rebelling against your brain, it sorta sticks. We're hardheaded, however, it seems to take us a few tries before we become resolved. Even though I still make impulsive choices regarding sweets, I think I have finally reached some resolution about portion sizes. Progress, not perfection.. it's the only way I know how to live.

The full pouch thing is hard. The reason why is that if you are eating hard Proteins (fish, chicken, beef, etc) you will never again feel that 'Thanksgiving' full again. If you feel that 'full' feeling that we used to feel when we gorged ourselves into oblivion, you have probably eaten around the band with softer foods that made it past the band. This was one of my first NSVs: going to bed without feeling like an awful person because I had eaten everything that didn't move. I can't relate to you in words the relief I have felt not going to bed stuffed and miserable at night. It's what I love about the band the most. With the hard proteins, they fill the pouch ABOVE the band quicker and don't allow much of anything else to go through. This is when you get your sign to stop or you have things coming back up. Signs are subtle but serious. If I ever get that one big hiccup or start sneezing or feel myself sort of burp inside, that's my clue it's time to stop. It's not a sign that I can get by with two or three more bites, it's generally a serious warning that if I go any further I'm going to be sorry. Could this hunger possibly have more to do with 'head hunger' than real tummy hunger? I think you'll find that if you replace the grilled cheese on Rye with a tuna salad kit or a chicken breast or piece of Schwans Baked Scrod that it will stick with you longer. Just so you know, though. I fully understand your hunger monster. It seems when the evening comes and I'm alone here that mine starts stalking too. They say we have to replace it with something. Exercise perhaps? Reading a good book? More sleep? A movie?

Hi Gail! It's good to see you posting here. Sounds like you have joined the land of the fickle bands! Do you know if the times it causes you pain is any particular time of the day? Often, we can't get a thing down in the morning but feel wide open at night. That is very common among bandsters. I suppose it could also have to do with what you are eating at the time. Some things will stop you in your tracks for certain. For me, it is breads, rice, Pasta, green peas, lobster, scallops, scrambled eggs, fibrous foods like fresh pineapple. It may be that this being your first fill, it just may not be where it provides the best restriction. I would give it a few days and see if there is any pattern to the restriction/lack of restriction. It may be that your doc needs to tweak it just a bit more. ?? Most importantly, if you begin having any sort of reflux problems or cant' get liquids down, you would definitely want to have it adjusted. Try not to overstuff your pouch as this what causes pouch dilation/stretching. I know it's hard when you're wide open.

Congrats Lioness!! That really does mean something, doesn't it? That's wonderful! Way to go!! Leatha

I'm sooo glad to hear your kiddos are okay!! My son loves in California with his dad and I know how very hard it is to not be able to be there to protect them from whatever harm may come. I'm sure your heart is a lot less heavy now. Thank you for letting us know. Leatha

The Rugrats taste okay to me, but may not to you. I also have been taking the chewable Benefiber which I think tastes pretty darn good.

I take Centrum RugRats chewable. The doc said bump that up to 2x a day and that should be fine.

Thanks everyone for your encouragement. It really helps. I've been reading up on possible alternative treatment. I don't know what good it will do, but I'd like to put off another surgery as long as I can. It may be too late, according to the pain I have, but it's worth a try. It just seems funny that I really had no warning whatsoever, although most accounts say this is something that you may have for a long time before it becomes severe. However, I've heard it many times and read it now that weight loss does attribute to the formation of gallstones. So, I fit right into the mold of being an obese woman, over 40 who's losing weight. I've heard it many times over the past few years on these boards - people losing gallbladders right and left. I'm not so unique after all. lol.

NSV means non-scale victory. ie fitting into a new size of clothing or someone making a remark about how you look. seeing yourself in a mirror and thinking it's someone else. being able to fit into the airplane seatbelts without an extender for the first time..

Dr. Provost is one of the first banding doctors in the US. I believe he is also involved in teaching others. I'm not certain of this, but I think he's pretty set in how he does business and maybe not as 'hungry' for new patients. Anyway, there are quite a handful in this area. I'm sure you'll find someone you like soon.

Zoe, Food may be your old friend, but you can change this by considering whether it was a 'real' friend or not. Sometimes, in relationships we choose TOXIC friends/lovers. To me, I wanted food to be my friend, but even as I was adoring it, it was killing my very existence. Krispy Kremes would stab me in the back every time I turned away and Blue Bell ice cream (although I'm still codependently in love with it) cheated on me every time I gave it a chance. These things ARE NOT my friend! They have coated my arteries with cholesterol and overtaxed my heart which was made for a 5ft 110 pound person to near cardiac arrest. Cheetos stuck by me when I had no one else, but they made every bone in my body ache when I tried to exercise and laughed behind my back. That pulmonary embolism I had 3 years ago had everything to do with cheeseburgers, fries and Misty menthol Lights. With friends like these, I sure don't need any enemies.

I will definitely keep them in my prayers. I'm hoping she'll keep you updated and it all blows over with no harm to them or anyone in it's path. I know how terribly scary it can be worrying about your kids safety from so far away. Hugs to you, Penni.. Leatha

Way to go!! I'm jealous. lol I can't imagine getting into Mediums, but I know it's possible with this band. I'll be following behind you!! Awesome news!!

So. My doctor had me to do an abdominal CT scan on Tuesday. Today they tell me there appears to be something going on in or around my gallbladder. Wonderful! Didn't I just get out of surgery?? I thought yesterday for awhile the pain had subsided. Maybe whatever it was had corrected itself? Anyway, now I have to do a gallbladder sonogram. I was so looking forward to getting back to exercise this past week, then I thought maybe this week. Problem is, I really don't feel good. I'm trying to work and by the time my workday is done I'm just give out and in pain. I don't like this and I sure wasn't interested in having to consider another surgery a month out of my band revision. :sick I'm sure my insurance company will be thrilled too. Anyway - nothing's concrete yet, but this wasn't what I wanted to hear. I'm off to lay down a little while.. Leatha

Cool Janie. I'd love that.

Is it Dr. Provost? I know there is a Yahoo Group for his patients.

Anne, I'm so glad you're going to get fixed, but I'm sorry it has to be through another surgery. I hope all goes well and you'll be back soon to let us all know you're doing okay. Good luck to you. Will the doc insert a fill amount during surgery or will they make you wait the initial 6 weeks again? Mine made me wait.. ughh.. Leatha

Thanks Cynthia! This is good to know. My brother and his wife have BCBS and they were just asking about this last week.

Tightening in the area is probably not indicative of slippage. Normally, with slippage you'll present with repeated vomiting and often pain. In an emergency situation there is severe pain. In some cases, like mine, there are no symptoms. If you are able to eat and drink with no problems, you're probably fine. Was your fill done under flouro? A doctor could see slippage then. Sometimes the band becomes more restricted a few days to even weeks after a fill. The big issue is hydration. Can you swallow liquids okay?

To quote a very well versed lapband practitioner - 'just because you can, does not mean you should.' I have to remind myself of that everyday. How long are you working on this meal? It's been said if you are eating longer than 15-20 minutes, you're eating too much. Something else, I have to remind myself of often. Sometimes, my head isn't real interested in hearing that. You are right. Our pouches should only hold around 4 oz. Depending on what you are eating, that may or may not move through the stoma slowly. Be especially careful with packing the pouch with more - this is how pouch dilation comes about. If you are losing an average of 5-10 lbs per month, you are right on track.

Ohboy ohboy ohboy!!! (they don't call me Lethal fer nuttin. )