stefgray

Hi! When I began this journey, I thought I'd be at my perfect weight at about 175 or 180 - I'm 5' 9.5". At my last appointment for a fill, my NP told me that I should be shooting for about 165 - that this would make me at my perfect BMI. What I'm wondering is what everyone's opinions are about how important the actual number is. Here's the thing. I feel great. I look better than I've looked in my entire adult life. I am so happy it's not even funny. I've finally managed to stop looking in the women's section of stores and shop solely in the misses area. That was really hard to do, but I finally made it. I think I'm looking great, but my family is worried that I'll go too far. Any thoughts? Thanks. Steph

Hi. I have 8.5 cc in my 11 cc band. My dr. generally won't go past 9 cc without checking upper GI, etc. I am heading in today to get another cc put in. I thought I had reached my sweet spot last Christmas when I had my 3rd fill. But, now I feel like I can just eat, eat, eat. I am really hoping that this last little bit will take care of the last few pounds I need to lose and get my restriction just right. Does anyone else have an 11 cc band? And, how much Fluid do you have in it? Thanks. Steph

Hey April...it's true - people are common and as Diane said, the race is a wretched lot. But, Brina is also right - you should be so very proud of yourself. You have completely changed your life and no matter what that mouthy kid said, you are amazing. Obviously, her parents never gave her the kind of upbringing and value teaching that they should have. Otherwise, she may have asked what in the heck were the dead milkmen instead of being a smart a**! What's a little scary to me is that I'm only a few years older than you and I don't even know about the dead milkmen! :-) Really, though, I can definitely relate to how you felt when you were struttin your stuff in clothes you were probably so excited to fit in! I am still amazed that I can shop in the ladies section now and don't have to have plus sizes. But, I am conscious of the looks I get from folks when I hold up a very cute little skirt or t-shirt. Just remember...you did this HUGE thing for yourself and your health. You took the steps necessary and were successful. You deserve to strut and primp and preen and swing your hips when you walk...that's right - SWING 'EM! Ignore the common folk. Ignore the smart mouth'd kid who has no manners. Just remember she probably really was raised in a barn and doesn't know any better. it's her own self esteem that's suffering and causing her to mouth off like that. Stand tall, girl! Head held high. Steph

Hi gang. I realize that I'm probably jumping the gun here a bit and that I really only need someone to tell me to take a deep breath and chill out! Here's my story (sorry it's so long). Got pregnant through IVF in May 2004. All was well until October 2004 when I suffered an incomplete cervix. My son was born at 22 weeks and died very soon after birth. We did another embryo transfer (from the same lot as our Declan) in spring of 2005, but no luck. So, we waited. I had my band surgery in May 2007 and, after losing and losing and losing, decided to do another transfer. We still had two embryos cryopreserved from Declan's lot, so we transferred them this past Sunday. The dr. was very pleased with the quality of the embryos and has high hopes that we'll get PG from this transfer. My question is this (mostly for anyone who has gotten PG from IVF transfers). Yesterday (Thursday), I was queasy all day. I've been sleeping a lot and am noticing that I'm slightly sensitive to smells. Does anyone think it's remotely possible that my hormones have started acting crazy at this early stage of the game? The dr. states that embryos generally implant 48 - 96 hours after transfer, so if they did implant, it seems to me that it could be a good sign. Or, is it in my head??? Thanks. Steph

Morning everyone. Just wanted to close this loop and let you know that my test was negative. Guess it was the medicine (and a lot of head stuff) making me think I could possibly be pregnant this time. Thanks so much for all of your well wishes (and baby dust!). Best to all of you who are pg now...hope all goes well for you. See you on the other band pages. Steph

I have BC/BS Federal. They won't give prior approval if it's outpatient surgery. They will, however, tell the dr. (and you) if you meet their eligibility requirements. That should suffice for the dr., especially since you have to sign all kinds of stuff that says you'll pay if the insurance doesn't. If they don't know how to deal with BC/BS Federal, I'd find someone else. See what the insurance person says next week. Stephanie

I don't think there's any excuse for charging someone $1K for a fill!! On the other hand, I would never recommend self fills. Not to mention the fact that you're not trained to do it and it is sometimes quite difficult to do, you could introduce all kinds of yucky stuff trying to get it donel I'd take the advice of some of the other folks above and find a ddifferent doctor to do the fills. There has to be someone else that can do it...even if they're a little further away, it's probably worth the trip!

Congrats on the twins. I am a compulsive tester, so of course, I tested last Tuesday night. And, no shock, it was negative. So, it was grounding to say the least! I have been queasy for a week now and my emotions are starting to skyrocket. But, otherwise, am trying to stay calm and not test again. I go for blood test on Monday. Thanks for the encouragement! steph

Depending on what kind of post-op nutrition plan your doc or nutritionist gave you, you should also be getting lots of protein. That should help fill you up. The very beginning is rough, but hang in there. You'll be fine. Personally, I think this stage of the game was the hardest it ever was for me. But I didn't even feel any hunger until about 2 weeks out and even that was minor.

Hi everyone. Protein is definitely the key! My dr. and my nutritionist both told me to up my protein when my hair started falling out. I do have a lot of hair and lose a little anyway, but when it started coming out in what I thought were pretty big clumps, I panicked! Once I increased my protein and got back to regular meals - including veg and fruit (at least as much as I could around all the protein), it got better. It's completely fine now. Don't worry...try to fix your protein. If that doesn't work, talk to your doc. Steph

I can totally relate. I was banded May 2007 and still have some issues. My dr. said I need to make sure I'm getting enough Fiber. I add Benefiber to my shakes in the mornings and try really hard to avoid things that I know will give me problems. My husband is very quick (too quick sometimes) to point out when he hears my stomach gurgling or worse! steph

Hi! I went to Johns Hopkins Bayview for my surgery (Dr. Kim Steele) and am extremely happy. Their practice is great and the folks there are fantastic. I am -96 lbs (even though my ticker isn't updated) and feeling wonderful. Folks have also said they're happy with drs. at St. Agnes and other hospitals. Where in MD are you? steph

Hi everyone. Had my 1-year visit with my surgeon a couple of weeks ago and she turned me onto this fantastic thing called Tide Me Over. It's a drink mix (like Crystal Lite) that's put out by Kraft under the South Beach label. It's got 5 g. protein and fiber as well with only 30 added calories. You just mix it with your bottled water. It's wonderful and really does help if you get hungry in between but don't really want to eat. Personally, I don't do any snacks at all because I hate to wait the hour to drink anything. I don't usually do solid food until lunchtime (shakes for breakfast). I also do coffee - no problem with the caffeine, plain water, diet iced tea and other stuff like that. Fuze is good too, but be careful of which one - if it doesn't say "Slenderize" on it, it'll have too many calories. Have a great day! Steph

Hi Linda. I'm in Bowie. Congratulations on getting banded. It's a truly wonderful thing! Stephanie

Hi Amy. Where are you going for your band? I live in Bowie and my surgeon is Dr. Kim Steele at Johns Hopkins Bayview. I'm almost a year out now and loving band life! Stephanie

Hi Laura. I remember when you came to the group. You told everyone about the Building Brawn Protein. I went home that night and ordered some and have been drinking that particular shake of yours every day since! I just recently started adding ground flax meal to it for some extra Fiber. It's the best! Thanks for sharing that recipe when you came. And, it was great to have your inspirational pictures to see too. Kim Steele is my surgeon. I think she's fantastic. I'm getting ready to go see her for my 1-year post visit. I'm having some tightness around my port and occasional discomfort there. I'm halfway thinking she may want to switch ports for something smaller. But, we'll see. I had to miss the May group and will likely miss June because of other things my husband and I are doing, but am looking forward to going back. I love that forum! Steph

I go to a support group at Johns Hopkins Bayview which is very close to downtown Baltimore. They meet once a month - first Thursdays for bandsters. There's a website with the info, but I can't recall it off the top of my head - if you google for bayview and bariatric, you should be able to find it. Let me know if you can't and I'll run it down. I had my band done nearly a year ago and very rarely miss my group. I think it's a very important piece of my success. Stephanie

Better check with your nutritionist on the Viactiv. I used to take them, too. But, the Viactive chewable calcium contains calcium carbonate. Everything I've read here and my own nutritionist says carbonate is not right for us - we need calcium citrate. Citracal is good for that as is a chewable from Bariatric Advantage (online). I much prefer a creamy chewable, but would rather have something that's tolerable and gives me the right nutrition. Also, Viactiv Multivitamins are not the best for us as they don't contain somthing...I think it's Thiamine. Best to get all of your nutrition from someplace that understands bariatric patients. Stephanie

It is definitely hard when people don't support you 100%. Everyone was nervous - my parents, my sister, even my husband. But, they supported me when I decided to have the surgery and all the way through my recovery. Everyone was fantastic. The only thing now is that my sister won't even acknowledge that I've done well with the band and have actually succeeded. My mom and I think there's something else going on there, but I'm not worried about it. I feel great...I look great...I DID IT! Even she has to acknowledge that I did. Maybe she's jealous... Anyway, the moral of the story is, you have to do what you feel is right for you. It's a decision that you have to make for yourself as you're the only one who can control your destiny in this area. Don't let other people's fears, quirks, jealousies, etc, keep you from taking care of your health. You've researched it, you've done your 6 months, you're finishing up your pre-op...don't let them stop you! If after all you've been through you still feel that the band is the way to go, then the band is the way to go! Personally, I think that it's the best thing that I could have ever done for myself! Good luck and keep your head held high! Steph

Hi everyone. If anyone needs any encouragement...read on! Today, I am wearing size 18 pants - not women's size 18, just regular 18s. And, they fit PERFECTLY! This comes 7 months after my surgery, almost 78 pounds gone and I feel fantastic. Yesterday, my best friend went shopping with me to Kohl's and I actually was able to buy XL from the ladies department and didn't even look in the women's sizes. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! When I had my surgery, 26/28s were tight. I will admit that I have had a pretty easy adjustment to band life. I finally hit the sweet spot with my 3rd fill and am doing well. I eat whatever I feel like eating, but I make much better choices - no more soda, no sweets, stuff like that. I'm exercising nearly every day and feel better than I ever have. I told my husband I can't even remember the last time I was in "Onderland" and am only a couple of pounds away now. I hope that everyone has the same success with their band that I have had so far and loves it as much as I do! Stephanie:clap2:

There are a lot of different opinions about this hair loss thing. I also started losing my hair at about 4 months post-op. I thought the same thing about it being major surgery, etc. But, my dr. and my nutritionist assured me that it's nothing to do with anesthesia (I even asked an anesthesiologist the same question when my husband had surgery and he agreed). They all think it has to do with not getting enough Protein. I can say that when it started falling out, I noticed that I had gotten away from my Protein shakes - I was just getting tired of them. Once I went back to it and rounded out my diet with veges and some fruit, it was fine. Either way, it was important to get enough nutrition in the right areas. I agree with whoever said no need to overdo it on the protein, just make sure you're getting that first and enough to meet your 60-80 gms a day. I start out each day with a Protein shake that packs 40 gms right off the bat and tastes like a chocolate blizzard! Not a bad way to get chocolate and protein.:purplebananna:

Hi everyone. I use Centrum chewables, but frankly, find it difficult to get them down sometimes. As for calcium, I used to do the Viactiv calcium chews, but my nutritionist told me that's not the right kind of calcium. It has calcium carbonate and we apparently do better with calcium citrate. So, I switched to Citracal Creamy Bites, but am now having a hard time finding them. My new nutritionist agrees with the calcium citrate and has recommended Citracal Petites. Haven't looked for them yet cuz I'm still enjoying my wonderful bit of caramel twice a day. You should check with your nutritionist about the type of calcium and make sure you're getting the right one. Stephanie

I gave up sodas the day of my surgery. Quite an accomplishment as that was nearly all I drank for as long as I can remember. I drink diet iced tea, FUZE and loads of coffee now. My nutritionist and dr. have no problem with the coffee and I have no adverse effect from the caffeine. Just remember that everyone is different. In my support group last week, I was talking with a friend who had her surgery the day before me. She can't eat bread, but enjoys deli lunchmeats rolled up for lunch, etc. I can eat bread, but the lunchmeat causes me HUGE problems. Steph

Hi folks. I need some advice. I feel like I have pretty good restriction - don't eat much - but have stopped losing lately. I've been trying to get rid of the last 20 pounds for the longest time! How do I get off of this stupid plateau? Also, sometimes, when we eat dinner, I have to excuse myself and dislodge the food that has gotten stuck. So far, it hasn't been difficult, but I'm concerned (as is my husband) about this constang PB'ing. I think I'm just eating too fast or not chewing well enough. I feel like I'm getting good nutrition, but sometimes I'm so hungry I inhale my food. Any thoughts? Thanks. Steph

I would count the shakes. I met Dr. Michael Roizen (the other half of the Dr. Oz duo) and asked him specifically about water. He said anything with 15 calories or less per serving could count as water. I drink a lot of SF iced tea, FUZE (the low carb varieties), Crystal Lite, coffee...stuff like that.