stefgray

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

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 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

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