Daisalana

Mornin!! Cascadian- I have not been filled yet, so this is not personal experience.. but I read "Lap-Band for Life" by Dr. Ortiz and he covers this in the book.. that there is a delay due to air bubbles, and the liquid moving up the tube and things like that. I've also heard from other people that in 2 weeks they're where the fill is going to be, so it sounds like you're ready for another fill I wonder if when you had your fill, they drained the air and (book says liquid gets in there before your first fill sometimes, I don't remember from where), and maybe that was taken out, fill was put in, but now you need more fill! Either way, it does sound normal!

I'm not one for talk shows, but TiVo has been recording the Tyra Show for me. I look at what it's about and have watched a couple of them... Did anyone catch the one (I don't know when it's from, since I had Tivo record it) about the Church of Thin? Was really weird.. this lady has a church dedicated to using the power of prayer for weightloss.. plus her little 'program'. She demonstrated it on the show, and it just made me cross my eyes. She even mentioned while she's eating 'we don't need the lap-band!' It evolves around eating everything and anything you want.. but listen to your BODY. So they have a plate of a burger and french fries, she asks Tyra, what do you look at and want to eat.. she says the burger.. so the lady said, well make the burger count, make each bite the best.. so Tyra loads it with ketchup and mustard, the lady put salt all over it and pepper.. then she cut it into little bites.. she said.. take little bitty bites, and keep it in your mouth longer. Then she took a french fry, showed Tyra how to cover it in ketchup, then salt the ketchup part, and make 1 french fry take 4 bites. Oh oh.. and the lady said, the key is.. drinking between each bite. She said she likes diet coke best.. so she would take a small bite, chew a while...then put the food/fork down, get her coke and take a sip. Then she would repeat. And she said drinking makes you stop and decide if you're hungry-plus you need to 'THANK GOD!' for each bite and say "THANK YOU LORD FOR THIS BURGER!!' (and here we are learning that eating slow and NOT drinking will help us feel if we're hungry or not). It was an hour show, so I won't get all into it, but if anyone else saw it, what did you think?

BTW ya'll convinced me.I didn't think it looked that good, but now I have to try it.

isn't that the taro?

A lot of the 'books' and doctors websites (and probably testimonies here), people say the pain isn't bad at all, its just like soreness...but I woke up in excruciating pain. They didn't hook me up to a drip, so I was paging the nurse every 2 hours exactly asking them to come shoot me up with demerol. When it was wearing off, I felt horrible, but that was very little time, they were quick to come in and inject. One of the night nurses (all the other nurses gave it to me in my IV), said it would last longer if he injects me somewhere else instead of the IV. So I said ok, he injected either my thigh or my arm, I can't remember now.. It did last longer, and it was less dopey-high and more just pain relief. Hopefully you won't be in as much pain as I was, BUT.. the pain was gone in 24 hours for me. Then it was just being sore and achey which was not a big deal (had to ride in a car 3 hours to go home, and every bump, start, stop was painful and my mom was driving like a bat out of hell). And the worst part wasn't the pain for me, since they kept me on pain meds, so even though it was horrible pain I didn't have to feel it very much. My doctor didn't let me drink Water and only allowed me 2 ice chips for the first 20 hours and I was dying of thirst. That made it really miserable in my room. I hear everyone else was able to have ice chips, so I don't know why I didn't get any. (I was trying to convince the nurses to sneak me some ice chips) I don't know about fills, but good luck! And frankly, it's all worth it :mad:

One more thing, at the University of New Mexico, I had a biology teacher who was anti-fat people..and smokers. Now, being a morbidly obese person and a smoker, I took his class with a grain of salt. I didn't let it emberass me, in fact several times I would call him out on his ignorance. Lucky for me, he liked controversy so it wasn't like an automatic failure. But he made it clear what he thought of me on a personal level (opposed to student-teacher level). Every week he would bring in articles from the media, about obesity, smoking (and some other topics that didn't hit home for me). He talked about the researches that show obesity is a gene, or obesity is inherited, etc. He said it was a bunch of crap. Obesity is the McDonald gene. If people didn't go to McDonalds, they wouldn't be fat. Same with smoking, he said.. If you smoke, you'll be fat. I know plenty of thin people who smoke (mom included). But he was hell bent saying smoking makes you lazy, and you'll become fat.. and the obesity researches are a bunch of propoganda to make 60% of the nation not feel as bad about being fat, giving them an excuse to sit around and do nothing about it. He clearly has never been overweight a day in his life, to understand. But that mentality is out there. That we look for excuses to stay fat, that we do it to ourself, that if we didn't want to be fat all we have to do is excercise. I'd imagine if I asked that teacher about WLS, he'd think it was an 'easy way out'.

Derbygirl- That's what I think. I only read People at my parent's, they normally have the latest issue. I remember one not too long ago I don't think (I didn't know they have titles for the issues), but it was a bunch of morbidly obese people who are now normal, all from dieting/exercise. I actually read it in secrecy, I was emberassed some reason, like if someone saw me reading it, they'd know I was about to fail yet another diet.. But I did read it, and it was the one with the girl who said all she did was walk 30m every day. I thought, "Yeah and Anna Nicole just takes TrimSpa". I'm always skeptical. The pictures were motivational, I wished I could do it. Been there done that, I can't. I'm not ashamed of getting WLS, I'm too damn excited to see my body shrink to a normal weight. I'm not emberassed to admit, if they could Lipo every inch of my body I'd have done that. (Maybe they can, don't tell me now!) Desperate times call for desperate measures. If someone can lose weight doing x y or z, good for them. Here's a real low point, my brother is a drug addict and his fiance, use to be huge and then she was a beanpole (Now she's average). One night we were drunk and I asked her how she did it, and she said.. speed. So in all seriousness, I was actually asking her, would you have done it again? (She doesn't do speed anymore). And she was telling me the pros and cons of using illegal drugs for weightloss, and she flat out told me she wouldn't do it again, it was too hard to just quit. So I didn't. But if she had told me she would have done it again to lose the weight, I really would have thought about it. Desperate times. But thank God someone invented Lap-band for me to be able to safely lose weight. To hell with media headlines!

Woohoo! Morning guys. This morning my scale said 302!!!!!!!! My morning weight never stays that way but what I've noticed, the low number I get in the morning, within 2-3 days that becomes the weight I see throughout the day (I.E. I saw 307 am, but was 310ish throughout the day.. then I saw 304 am, but was 307ish throughout the day, now I've been staying at 304 throughout the day, but the scale is bumped to 302 in the AM!) So close to Twoterville. Hurray!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh by next week I might be seeing 2--.. I may faint :mad: I put my starting weight as 327, because the first time doctor documented me for lap-band it was 327.. but My birthday was in February and that whole month I was between 333-337. So I've come even farther than they think! That's really motivational. My mom asked me what size I think I'll be by my wedding.. since I've slowed down, I really don't know.. I'm hoping with my June 6th fill, I'll be back to melting them off (plus starting excercising on Monday). I said a size 18 would make me happy (when doing Atkins I was barely into an 18 around 260-270lb) . That's only 30-40lbs in 6months.. I can do that. But since in the beginning I dropped fast, maybe with a fill I'll be one of the faster losers, and maybe I'll see a size 16? Haven't been a size 16 since I was 10 years old. Hah. Fiance is going to visit his family this weekend (in TN), so going to have the house to myself.. probably start packing.. Our home builders called, our cabinets and counters are in without problem (the last thing they said there would be a delay if something went wrong), and my parents said it's bricked! I'm going to go out there and get more pics today and will post them tonight. I talked to my future MIL yesterday, I've never seen baby pics of my fiance or pics of him growing up.. his parents are horse trainers, so their whole house is filled with picture frames of horses that won awards and their awards tacked to it.. there's a video package I'm getting for the wedding where they incorporate 50 pics of our childhood/growing up in a montage with music before the wedding video, so I asked her to send pictures home with him for me to go through. I'm kind of giddy to see him as a baby. Is it tacky to have a BBQ cater? I haven't paid the wedding coordinator yet, so I don't want to ask her.. we talked about how we were thinking a BBQ that wasn't messy (like pulled meat), and she was saying they can do really fancy ribs or something.. I am actually looking to open up some budget by getting a local BBQ place to cater, and we'll decorate and make it festive. I printed out a sample wedding budget, it says how much % of your budget to allocate toward ____. For reception (Including food, drinks, rentals, cake, favors) spend 48%! Jeeez.. I really don't think so.

The times I've gotten stuff 'stuck', it's been an interesting ordeal.. In fact, last night I tried to eat dinner while talking on the phone to a wedding coordinator.. she is just rambling on, I'm trying to take in all the information and started shoveling food in my mouth.. I was following up with 'Right..' and "I can see that...' and all of a sudden I realized I was shoveling food.. cause I got stuck. When I get stuck, my whole body freezes up.. I can't talk, I can't move.. I feel a little dizzy I think.. it's really a 'different' sensation. It's not good, but it's not horrible. I panic every time.. and drink water (which is NOT an answer, it makes it worse.. but I still do it).. so I grab my water, knowing it won't help, but thinking 'maybe this time it will'.. it makes it worse.. so I'm sitting there not able to say a word while she's pausing waiting for my response.. I prayed that she would keep rambling (and boy, she likes to ramble.. glad people like this exist, I'm not even that gung-ho over weddings). It finally passed and I was able to jump back in with my little quips, but I could tell by how her conversation was going, she thought she was losing my interest! Today we met up with her and discussed a bunch of stuff..and she was talking about planning my bridal shower.. anyone that's been married ever worry that no one would show up? I moved back here recently and none of my friends live here anymore, or those that do I don't 'hang out' with.. everyone is married and busy and we get together for lunches once in a while, but I have this phobia that I'd have a bridal shower planned and no one would come.. :mad: And on that note, I have 2 people in my party so far (my best friend who is out of state and coming for the wedding, and my sister..) my fiance has 3 guys.. already asked 2 who are out of state and coming, so they are definitely in, and 3rd he hasn't asked, but I tried to ask if he HAS to ask him and he said he WANTS to.. so.. now I have to find a 3rd friend.. how sad is this?! As I ranted in a previous post, all my local girl friends are announcing their pregnancies, and I'm only paying an alterer to do quick fixes on one dress.. MINE! lol. There's some girls at work I've been hanging out with lately, and one of them has been helping me with my wedding, and I discussed with fiance asking her, but how silly is this that I'm having to find someone to ask, not that I want to ask someone.. Woe is me. We set our official budget, and with the crazy prices of people like photographers and videographers.. I already have (an 'estimate' on a lot of things I don't know price of, like getting hair/make-up done, tux rentals, things like that) gone over my budget by 2k.. and everyone says you should plan to spend 10% more than you think you will be.. egads.. I'm not even budgeting a lot for alcohol.. wedding coordinator charges too much IMO, but we interviewed several and they're all in the same ball park. In my next life, I will elope.

Good luck with that, I resigned from my Quest of doing that for years... I'm quite content with the IDS shots.

mdrai- Calm down! It will be fine. I do think less about eating, like you said. It becomes punishment at times.. not thinking ahead when I won't be anywhere with decent food for a while.. so I have to get something from fast food (after carefully checking out the menu for something relatively decent).. and then 1-2 bites in (like terri said), its not a good moment.. I normally feel 'stuck' when I eat stuff from fast food...which is good really.. but I don't think about meals, I think of them when I'm there.. example.. on way home from work, stopped at gas station, said hmm what can I have that would be ok? And there they were.. tuna salad 'kits'. Those things are handy.. picked one up, and voila dinner is served.. that little kit, which normally would HARDLY be called an appetizer for me.. is now a good dinner. Those kind of moments are nice.. you don't have to think about a full meal plan anymore.. what all it will take to fill you up.. because I personally can normally get by on days I'm on the go, with a bite or two of things. Who could say that pre-band?

...and waiting.

terri! Everyone else! Get on the chat I am going to go sit in there till someone joins me.. I'm in a WL chatty mood, found some chatroom on AOL for 'weight loss' and theyre all talking about being fat and proud, I said I was lap-banded and they're all joking on me, like I gave up being fat.. I'm very confused with these people. I need some friendly banders!! (Going to go sit in that room so someone better come join me!!!)

Anna, you'll probably get more responses if you make your own thread or post somewhere else I don't think this thread is frequented often and is about scars!

I never liked milk, so I still don't drink it, but I eat cheese, yogurt, and sf pudding with no problems. I have heard someone mention somewhere about becoming lactose intolerant post-band.

I know b-12 deficiency is associated with gastric bypass, but in case anyone here had GB or knows anything about it, thought it would not hurt to ask!! My fiance has had problems with the side of his hand and bottom 2 fingers being numb for about 3 weeks now. Today I finally convinced him to get it checked out (thought maybe carpal tunnel since he lives on the computer). The clinic said they don't think it's carpal tunnel and gave him a B-12 injection, saying it could be a b-12 deficiency? Anyone have info on this??

Just a quick note before bed, I ordered "Lap Band for Life" the book by dr. ortiz, and it came today.. I read it cover to cover in the past couple of hours.. Learned some neat things no one ever told me (and I haven't read here on the boards!). It says, once you're done with the liquid/mushy phase, you should STOP the liquid mushies. It says the band does not restrict liquid/mushies, so after the preliminary healing, you're to go to solids.. ONLY solids.. so they stay in your pouch and keep you full. It emphasized this throughout the book.. I never knew that.. I thought you could just incorporate solids.. and still eat mushies (they say oatmeal is a mushy... scrambled egg is a solid). It also talked briefly about.. how the weeks after surgery you are restricted from swelling, people lose weight and their spirits are up.. and then before they get a fill, they stop losing because they are no longer restricted and can eat like pre-band (but shouldn't).. and it acknowledges band hell.. I just like hearing professionals confirm this, so I don't feel like I broke myself. It's a good read, lot of interesting info and guidelines for eating for the rest of your life, has a troubleshooting guide in the back for "If xxx happens.. this is why..and do this to fix it", kind of handy. Ok good night!

4 small, 1 large here.. runs in a crescent from an inch below the middle of my breast, down the left to my side. My doctor said he does more incisions (it might have been 1 more incision for me he said), depending on the size of the person.. bigger you are, more incisions that need to be made.

Hey yall.. Yes, the wedding is going to be in Cedar Glen at the Annabella website I posted Today we went down to finalize.. wedding was suppose to be Dec.8th, but had to push it back to Nov 4th for a few reasons.. we fell in love with the outdoor wedding and Dec would be too cold, Nov 3-10-17th were booked (saturdays), so now it's goign to be on a Sunday. Finally found a preacher, ends up one of my dad's poker buddies (who me and fiance have played in poker tournaments in Tunica with) is a preacher.. who knew. He knows us both, he's a nice guy...so that's taken care of. Took my mom to the wedding place today to get her opinion, she wasn't as excited as we are, but then..she's the mom. She was point out all the flaws she didn't like (like the gazebo is scuffed and warped, and the trellis is overrun with shrubs coming through the back).. so I explained how we will get the florist to put drapes and add flowers, and things like that. I called the florist and we have a consultation at the wedding site on May 30th so he can work his 'fabu-ness' on the place and give us ideas. I have a meeting with a wedding planner tomorrow.. I'm hoping it will take the stress off of me, because I'm really feeling anxious about all of this. I don't want to do it more and more.. I want to just run off and get married. Damn family expectations. I'm even nervous about having a wedding planner, because I don't want to be told what to do.. or be weary that someone is trying to scam me.. I've become very bitter toward 'services'.. long story...but seems people are always screwing us over. We are planning to honeymoon in Atlantis.. for the December wedding date, it was going to cost about 3k for a week including 1st class flights. Moving it to November more than doubled the cost.. I want to take the honeymoon right after the wedding, while we're still high from the excitement, so I don't want to keep the original December dates. I can't find a caterer (based off of ads I've seen) or photographer, that I'm happy with.. either because of their pricing, how they run things, or their lack of customer service. I have 1 less month to plan now, and 1 less month to lose weight (darn it!!!!!!!!!). Going to start the work gym Monday.. going to take a bunch of tylenol and push through the back pains. I'm at a plateau again (grr), and fill isn't till June 6.. I think due to the anxiety of starting to plan this wedding I'm eating less (normally it's the other way around). Haven't taken much time to breathe.. so stressed.. wah wah wah, right? Found out last week one of my best friends is pregnant.. found out today another one is pregnant. I think I'm a year behind everyone. They all got married last year.. and now they're all pregnant. It's weird to know these girls since we were in elementary school and now they're gonna be moms. Which makes it harder and harder for me with my wedding, I've been trying to get together with them for tips and references for wedding stuff, and now everyone is so busy preparing for baby.. (they both blew me off on our lunch dates lately, and they both have come back and said it's because they found out they were pregnant and were busy). I bookmarked about 7 dresses I like, that can have billowy sleeves added to it.. they all run in sizes 4-24. But, if I am not at least a size 18 by then, I wouldn't want to wear it.. just because it COMES in plus size, doesn't mean a plus size should wear it. I'm 24 now, I hope size 18 by my wedding is realistic. I think the last time I squeezed into a size 18 I was 260lbs. 44lbs.. yeah, I can do this. Happy thoughts.... I need a drink!

I'm with Terri, but maybe that's my simple southern-ness.. I always laugh at the colon cleansing stuff.. seems like a bunch of hooey (great word). Me and my mom were talking about that the other day, how it seems like it's a California trend, group colonics! And, one of the pics on that website, I've seen as a photoshopped picture for another joke website, so I'd be real skeptical. If you feel you need flushing out, go for it, but I don't think I do and if a doctor told me it's healthy for me to do it, I'd tell em to shove his colonic cleanser where HIS sun don't shine!

arealady- we're about the same on weight to lose, and I've lost less than you.. and I've only noticed a SLIGHT difference in my clothes. I have not gone down a size yet. But, me and family were talking about it, and wonder if I've just been wearing clothes that were too small, so I have an extra size to lose to go down one more. Lucky for me, I procrastinate. I had all my 'skinnier' clothes packed in a bag ready for goodwill, but never had time to take it down there. I went through it the other night and pulled out clothes I'd like to wear again.. the goodwill bag is now 1/3 what it was!

I don't feel anything inside or out, either. He said I likely won't ever feel my port (it's currently 6-8inches deep). Sometimes I think I feel it when I'm sprawled on the bed on my side, feels like something is poking on the inside where the band is, but I'm 90% pretty sure it's my imagination (or food). The only time it 'dawns on me' that I have something in my body is when I eat too fast and something gets stuck. Otherwise, my body is the same body.. just getting skinnier!

Congrats! And it's nice to see someone put their money where their mouth is when they say they WOULD do it again.. living, breathing proof

I was told being sick (with throw up) post-op has to do with your family history of dealing with anesthesia, and if you have the bacteria h-pylori (sp). My doctor found some correlation with post-op sickness and h-pylori so that's a test they do pre-op.. if you have it, he treats it with antibiotics before you go under. I didn't have it, but he said it's common. My parents have had surgeries in the past 5 years, and no one got sick. I had my tonsils out when I was a kid and I didn't get sick.. My doctor said vomiting post-op is a concern, because it can hurt the stitches. I bought that anti-nausea stuff.. comes in a liquid form, don't remember the name and kept it in my bag for the first week just in case.. but I NEVER felt nauseated.. not once.. since being banded. In the hospital, if you're throwing up I think they will give you something for it, so if you feel nauseated, BEFORE you throw up, make sure to ask for something Congrats on your date!!!

Mdrai- When I get cravings, I brush my teeth.. a trick a long time best friend and fellow dieter taught me. I asked her why that helps (it takes the edge off) and she said it's because you don't want to eat after brushing your teeth. Wouldn't hurt for you to try Kity- oooo that will be fun, well-minus kids..I LOVE medieval times, I haven't been in years. About restricition and food, yes.. I feel like I am pre-band. Glad it's not just me. I keep getting paranoid that it's slipper or something wrong is happening because I don't feel tight, I don't get stuck eating anything, and I can eat just about whatever I want. I still eat smaller portions, but I don't know how much of that is programming, because I pick at my food and eat little bites and kind of doddle (sp) around when I eat.. but I don't get that 'full' feeling I got in the beginning, that was so neat.. pre-band I never got 'full' unless it was Thanksgiving and I ate 5 people's worth of food!! After surgery, half of a Jello cup gave me the stuffed/full feeling. That was a new sensation in my life really.. and now it's gone I just hope I get it back after the fill (pleeeeease). I weighed myself this morning.. I am PMSing like crazy, I guess since I had to go off of my BC pills, and started taking them again a week or two ago they haven't regulated me yet.. periods suck right now... but back to my weight, haven't lost anything in a week, but haven't gained, so that's good. I want to try working out at the gym at work, the back pains aren't as bad as they use to be(yay) but do still exist. It likely won't be today, I'm cramping and bloaty and just want to go back to bed right now.. off to work for me!