simmons775

:biggrin1: Just wondering if anyone is from central Illinois? I'm from Champaign and looking for bandsters in my area. Go Illini!

Best of luck to you! It's an incredible journey. Kelly

Well, I'm sorry to hear that some people haven't been happy with their band. I'm biased because I've had such a good experience. It's truly the best decision I ever made and I rave about it all the time. I'm a different person, healthier and happier all the way around. I hope that more people from our group have had good experiences like myself.

I'm doing great. Glad someone is starting up this link again. I'm still not where I want to be but I've been a lazy butt and plan on kicking myself into high gear to shed the last of this weight. Hope everyone else is doing good. Kelly

Best of luck to you!

Hey Jamie, Now that I have been banded for 3 years now I have come to several conclusions about how others really feel about what I've done. I find that the people who say things about how nice it must be to have something else do the work for you really don't have a clue about the band and how it works. I find that the people who say things about you being fine the way you are and that you don't need to change are uncomfortable with the unknown factor of what the new you will be like once you actually start feeling good about yourself. In my case, I have less patience and tolerance for people than I used to because I don't think I have to put with grief anymore just so people will like me. My husband was totally supportive in every way about this and even he went through a short period of insecurity that I wasn't going to think he was good enough for me anymore now that I had more confidence. He was wrong of course but initially we still had to work through his feelings. I have found that the people at work who don't know the real you as well as your family does just act like it's all about vanity and yes, that is part of it. Mostly it's about knowing you will be healthy and not a burden to our healthcare system and your family when you start getting weight induced health problems from not doing anything about it. The fact that you get easier on the eyes as you lose weight is just a perk as far as I'm concerned. It's how you will feel when you start seeing the hard work pay off that makes the journey all worth it. Don't let people cause you to second guess your choice. We were born with a little voice that tells us what to do and you need to go with it and push out the outside voices that are now making you unsure of yourself. We're here for you. Take care. Kelly

I'm still here too. I haven't been on in such a long time but I decided to hop on and see who still visits. Sounds like everyone is doing really well. I'm healing from my tummy tuck and am thrilled with the results so far. Good luck to everyone out there.

Wow...I've missed a lot on this thread. Jennie, so sorry to hear about your slipped band but glad you came back to the site to tell us about it. Terri, girl, how are you? I miss our lunches but I guess we let them slip huh? I'm glad to report I'm still doing great. I've been at the same weight for about a year now and I'm happy overall. I would like to reach my original goal of 140 but I still need to lose 20 to get there. It will happen if I work hard enough but I haven't been as dedicated lately. To all the new people who have joined, Dr R is awesome and I wouldn't let anyone else touch me. I keep reading about slips and his record is awesome when it comes to slips so I would stick with him. Hope everyone has a wonderful summer. I'm enjoying going to the swimming pool again this year. After 15 years of being too embarassed, it has been a dream come true to not be so self conscious at the pool. Ahhhhhhh.

I hope everyone is doing well with their bands and have had no complications. I had a minor setback in late August but I am struggling to return to where I was. I had lost 75 pounds but have regained 7 due to having 2 unfills and now a refill last week. I was having heartburn and night cough and hadn't realized that it was because my band was too tight. I had an unfill and then another and struggled for 8 weeks to not gain any weight. After gaining almost 10 pounds I went for my refill last Thursday. I'm doing great so far and hope to have the 7 pounds back off soon. Crazycat...hope all is well and that you have a wonderful holiday. I wish everyone else the same as well. :thumbup:

Terry, I'm so sorry you had to have your band replaced, but I am very glad you are feeling better and are back on track. Can't wait to get together with you over lunch when you are back to 100%. Keep me posted. C ya! Kelly

So I was having issues with heartburn and acid reflux over the last month or so and I was really starting to get concerned. I called my doc and had to wait a week and a half for an appointment since he was on vacation, but I wanted an x-ray because I need to see if something was wrong with my band. When I got to my appointment, he didn't want to x-ray me because he said I had all the classic symptoms of being to full. He actually showed me a chart and sure enough, every symptom I had was on it under the category of "too full." I couldn't believe that I had never seen that chart before. If I had, I wouldn't have gotten so worked up and worried. Anyway, he took out the 1/2 cc I got back in March and I felt better by the end of the day and haven't had any symptoms since. He said I might gain a couple of pounds since he loosened it but it would level out and he'd see me again in a month to readjust if necessary. I thought I'd post this in case anyone else is having the same symptoms I was having. Your band may be too tight. Symptoms were: Heartburn on and off all day, night cough or occasionally choking on your spit at night, acid reflux, regurgitation of food, weight gain or no weight loss. It also modifies how you eat because you will automatically gravitate toward unhealthy choices because you start eating what doesn't hurt. So, please don't let your band get too tight and ignore the symptoms. Long term and they can be dangerous.

I've personally tried them all because I threw up during both of my pregnancies. Every day until the day my boys were born actually. Anyway, I must say that Diet Canada Dry Ginger Ale was a favorite. I don't think it has that bitter bite that the zero products have. Just my opinion but I think it really helps settle your tummy. My doctor is fine with soda and the band so I still drink one soda a day. Good luck finding one you like. Kelly

Good to hear from you Terry. Sounds like you are keeping very busy this summer. Can't believe you are still so tight but I hope there is an end to all of that soon. I'm doing fine. I haven't lost anything lately but summer is a hard time for me because my kids stay up later and exercising vigorously is a task since they are always underfoot. Enjoy this beautiful weather and I will hopefully see you soon. Kelly

Hey! Despite the annoying air bubble thing, what great news that your band is okay! I was beginning to worry about you. I'm doing great. I'm losing very slowly but I'm sure it is because I am so close to goal. I hope to continue on with 4 to 5 pounds a month, but I think my body is resisting a bit. I've only been working out 2 times a week but made a goal to get back up to 4-5 this week. I worked out last night and am really making the effort. So, we'll see how I'm doing at the end of the month. I've been researching plastic surgery lately because I know for sure by next year there will be some procedures I will want to have done. I would like to have my breasts lifted and reshaped, a tummy tuck and maybe a lower body lift. I'm only 30 and want to have a nicer figure for once in my life. I'm way more scared of those procedures then I was the Lap-Band, but I'll make sure I'm really ready before I take the plunge. Take care! Kelly:w00t:

nate1107, Just realized you are from Urbana. I'm in Champaign! How are you doing? I see you haven't posted in awhile.

Finally lost a pound! Whew! Was starting to think I was done losing, but guess not! Terry, did you have your x-ray? R U OK?

I voted no. If you are old enough to have a teenage child, I don't think it is appropriate to dress like one. Actually, what I really believe is that after 25 it really just looks slutty and not cute anymore. Just my opinion.

I find your response very assuming of what has been said between my friend and myself as I have never mentioned in any of my posts that I have voiced my opinoins of her marriage and her husband to her directly. This just happened today. I was seeking other opinions and am not sure where you got your information from that my opinion of them is getting resistance since they don't even know how I feel yet.

Thanks everyone for all of your responses. I guess only time will tell how my friend will deal with her husband's disapproval of myself and my family. In the meantime, our kids will suffer, so I hope he's proud of his poor choices as he sits up there on his pedestal. I'll just feel ashamed for him. I can't change the world so I'll just continue to be a good person and surround myself with positive influences, not those who bring me down. All responses were appreciated. Good luck with your weight loss goals fellow lap-banders!!!

While I respect your beliefs, I don't agree with any of what you said. But, thanks for your response.

Don't get me wrong. I am just as upset with my friend as I am with her husband. I'm upset that he has only been in her life for 4 years, but he calls all the shots and she lets him. Like I said, I think he is just using religion as an excuse to hold over her head when he really just doesn't want her to be friends with people he didn't choose for her. I'm not seeing the connection between you and your friend and me and my friend except for the number of years. Sorry but I'm just not getting it.

My friend and I still hang out but it is rare and only when he is not around. He makes me uncomfortable and is not warm towards me. We are not included in group events with other couples they associate with unless she insists. She is a sister to me. We have been best friends and inseparable since we were 13 which is 17 years ago. We both have 2 little boys and we both pregnant together each time. Our first boys are 7 weeks apart and our second sons are 2 weeks apart. We are practically one soul. I think it is terrible that he says negative this about me to her because it probably hurts her heart hearing them and I think it is more sad to basically wish for you wife to lose her best friend.

We run our households the same. Same books, same morals, same everything. Except, her husband calls all the shots and my husband and I treat each other as equals. Same t.v. shows, same recreation except he plays golf and my husband doesn't. What I really think is that he doesn't want her to have me as a friend because I'm her only friend left that isn't a friend he chose for her to have. He's one of those types where if it is not his idea then he is not happy about it. I think the religion is an excuse to create a barrier. It's very sad really.

I appreciate your response. I wish is was that simple. As it stands, my friend said her husband would kill her if he knew she told me his feelings about the situation. This started just today when she told me our kids couldn't play 4 year old baseball this July. First she made an excuse about it being bad timing and then I called her on not ever spending time together and that is when she told me his beliefs that my children will be a negative influence because we don't believe. My children do not even know what God is because they have never been told. How could they be a bad influence? It just confuses. When they are old enough to make decisions on their own, they can learn about God and decide if believing is right for them. In the meantime, they should be loved for being kind and wonderful kids. It's not like we talk about our beliefs and try to make Christians become non-believers. It's not like we don't celebrate Christmas. At our house Christmas is about family and Santa and Easter is about the bunny, not religion. That is the only difference. I just hate being judged. But, not to rant again. Just thanks for your response. I appreciate any feedback on my situation.

I'm going through something and I need to ask other Christians about it because I am not a Christian and I do not have the answer. I just found out from my best friend of 17 years that her husband is not very open to the idea of hers and my children spending time together because we do not "believe" and he is afraid that we will be a negative influence on his family. I am appalled at hearing this and very hurt by it. My husbands and my position has always been that we don't believe but we still honor the right for our children to choose whatever they want to believe and we will support them 100%. We just don't think believing is something that should be forced down a person's throat just because of the family they were born into. So my problem with this is that I think from what I do know about Christians is that my friend's husband negative and judgmental attitude towards my family is very un-Christian-like and that he should be ashamed by his behavior. My family is accepting of everyone as long as you walk this earth as a loving and compassionate individual. I don't give a hoot what you believe as long as you are kind. Am I wrong to be hurt by what has been said? Are Christians supposed to stick to their own kind and shun everyone else away?