StacyinDE

Thanks Quadmom! It helped a lot when I first started using it and I definitely slept and felt better, but it is a great feeling to not have to worry about it anymore! Just wait and see, in no time at all you'll be on here posting you don't need yours anymore either and we can do a little happy dance :whoo::clap2::whoo: together to Celebrate for you too! Take care!

Northern Delaware -- Wilmington to be exact.

Hi Rachelle, Welcome to LBT! :cool: If you want to add your stats to your signature, you need to create one. If you go to "Quick Links" on the toolbar above it will give you a drop down menu and select "edit signature" and you can go through it and set it up. It also gives you the option to edit your profile. Again, welcome, and I'll see ya around! Take care!

Thanks again for all your replies and suggestions! I've upped my water intake and calcium supplements and so far, it seems to have made a difference. I'm adding some extra potassium now too just to make sure they don't come back, lol -- anything to avoid those leg cramps again! :eyebrows:

So, how are you doing? It's waaaaaay past my bedtime and instead of sleeping I'm surfing LBT, lol. I'm going to pry myself away from here and try and get some sleep before I have to get back up and work in the morning, just wanted to say "hi" and hope all is going well for you. Talk at ya later! :mad:

Congratulations on getting banded and welcome to LBT! Here's wishing you a speedy and painless recovery! :mad: Take care!

PandaBear, I think your reservations are normal. Going 4-6 weeks with no solid foods is a pretty scary thought, well, it was before I got banded. Once you can eat solids, you can eat Peanut Butter, I do all the time with no problems. Shrimp is another story, it's a very individual thing. If it's cooked perfectly and not at all rubbery or tough I can usually eat it, though it has to be chewed very, very well to not cause a problem. The post op diet for me was 4 weeks of liquids, which wasn't as bad as it could have been. The first week was great, I wasn't hungry at all, 1 oz of crystal light and I was full for an hour or two. After the swelling went down and I was hungrier, it was harder, doable but as you may see it referred to on here, I was in "bandster hell", no restriction but my full appetite. Again, doable, but it sucked. Others on here didn't have that problem and again, it's a very individual thing. My aunt was banded May 1st and didn't have bandster hell, she had no problem doing the four weeks of liquids. The thought of not being able to eat what I wanted when I wanted and how much I wanted scared the crap out of me and I think we all have those doubts and reservations. But, the desire to be healthy and lets face it, thin, were pretty strong motivators for me. Especially when I developed some pretty serious health problems within the six months or so before I was banded. But, eating what I wanted, when I wanted and how much I wanted was what put me in that condition and got me up to 258 pounds. I have no regrets about having the band. I'm happy I did it and would do it again in a heartbeat. Go to your consultation, read the posts on here, talk to your doctor and go from there! It's normal to be nervous and have second thoughts, you just have to figure out what is going to be the best thing for you. Take care!

Congratulations!! :clap2: That's a great feeling isn't it, lol! It's not silly at all, it's just one step closer to where you want to be. Way to go! Have fun watching those numbers just keep going down. . . . . .

My doc does pretty much the same thing as what Ariel said. I lay down, cross my arms over my chest and do a partial "crunch". He presses on my abdomen to find the port, numbs the skin and then does the fill. I don't think he pulls out all the Fluid at every visit, he usually tells me when he does; I think it's like every other fill, but anyway, you sit up, drink some Water to make sure it goes through with no problems and if everything is good, out the door you go. Fluids for 24-hours and then mushies for 24-hours, and then back to solids. If they should overfill you, you'll know when you drink the water and they'll take some fluid out right then. I only had that once and it was instant releif when they unfilled me a bit. Still was numb and didn't feel a thing. :eek:

Kim -- 194, wow! Good for you, that's fantastic! :clap2: You are an inspiration to all of us! Sunta -- Congratulations! Great job! DynamoMini -- Good for you getting right back on track after your vacation! Monday sounds like a good day for a weigh-in to me! :eek: Paulax - Wow! You do look fantastic, thanks for sharing your picture with us! travelbug -- I can't help you out with being stuck right before Onderland as I'm not there yet myself, but you are soooo close, you can do it! Maybe you're "stuck" because you're about to lose a few pounds and your body is readjusting to the weight you've already lost. That seems to happen to me sometimes. I lose a few pounds, the scale stops for a few weeks and then boom, it starts going down again! Well, I'm hangin in at 208 and the scale has stopped moving again. :cry I guess I'm "readjusting" for a bit now. I did hit the -50 pound mark exactly on June 23rd, which was my goal for my cousin's wedding so I'm still pretty excited about that. I think I have an appointment next week for another follow up and possible fill. I can't see getting another fill at this point though, I can't imagine being tighter than I am now, will have to think about that. But, I can see Onderland on the horizon so I'm going towards the light. . . . . Take care everyone and keep up the great work!!

Metformin comes in a liquid (tastes horrible though!) which I had to take just during the first week after I came home. They were giving me insulin shots in the hospital and by the end of that week, my sugars had leveled out and dropped into a normal range so I have not needed any diabetes medication since then - yay! I think I had about 18 pounds off at that point, and for me, that was enough to make a difference. So, yes, to answer your question, there is hope of getting off of your medications at some point. Losing weight absolutely will impact your health and the need for medications though some comorbidities may take longer than others to resolve. My blood pressure is normal now, my diabetes is gone and my cholesterol has dropped 40 points since I had the surgery in December 2006. I am sure that there are many other people here too, who have had similar results. Good luck with everything, and just remember that there is definitely a light at the end of this tunnel for you!! Take care,

Hi Michelle, You may need to call your doc who prescribes your Cymbalta and have him/her switch you to a comprable medication that either can be cut up or is in liquid form. I had to have that done for my insulin pills. There are other medications probably even in the Cymbalta family that have a different chemical make up (but with the same effects on you) that can be broken up or come in liquid rather than in a time-release capsule. Your pharmacist may even be able to make a suggestion for you to ask your doctor about. Good luck with that and your upcoming fill! Take care

I'm a December bandster too, and I agree, I don't think there are as many of us because of the Holiday Season. I know I didn't care about getting done right before Christmas and New Years because my insurance was dropping my surgeon as of 12/14 (though they were still in negotiations as their contract was expiring and they couldn't reach an agreement -- he wanted an increase in payment to equal at least what Medicaid pays for the surgery) so I HAD to be done before then or self-pay, which here would have been about $25,000, so they got me in and done on the 11th.

That's great news, congratulations!

Oops, guess I wasn't quite awake enough this morning, I didn't realize this was a Canadian thread! I can see why ordering from the U.S. might be a problem for you. I've never tried to order outside of the U.S. but can just imagine the receiving/customs processing!! Sorry about that! I did look for Canadian medic alert bracelets and came up with the same one SusanSilver already listed. Take care and have a great weekend!

http://www.creativemedicalid.com/shopping___jewelry_ My Aunt got hers from here, it's really cute, it just looks like a piece of jewelry for the most part. I'm thinking about getting one from here too since I don't have one yet either. If you Google "medic alert bracelets" you'll get a bunch of websites to choose from, hope this helps!!

I just wish I could get over the "worry of walking away hungry". Heck, I've only been at this three weeks, so I guess I should give myself some time to adjust Yes, give yourself more time, definitely! I'm six months out now and just learning (translation - forcing myself) to order off the appetizer menu unless I want 3-4 more meals of the same thing! Fortunately, my hubby and kids scarf up leftovers, but an appetizer will do and if I get soup and an appetizer, the appetizer becomes take home. The "what if I don't get enough" feeling doesn't always go away right away, we've had that mentality for a long time and it's one of those issues we will have to work through, I know I do. Don't stress or beat yourself up about it, it's normal, give yourself some time to get used to the idea that you can't eat the whole meal anymore and just enjoy the feeling of having left overs and watching the weight come off!!

I have the 11 cc VanGuard band and my doc put in 2 cc of saline when I got banded; believe me when I say it was NOT enough to make a difference! I was starving after the swelling went down and on 4 weeks of liquids. I didn't get my first official fill until I was 6 weeks out, but I believe it was one of the nurses that said they do sometimes put a cc or two in the band to "prime" it, so that may be all there is to it. I didn't even know I had anything in there till my 2-week postop visit, but I have a big band, and 2 cc of Fluid was like there was nothing in there!! Don't be afraid to ask your doctor these things though, he/she should be happy to reassure you and answer your questions. Try to calm down and write down some questions to take to your post op teaching tomorrow. I know it's hard, but try not to get yourself all worked up, go in, talk to the doctor and go from there. I'm sure you'll be fine! Good luck with everything and take care!

Sweety, travelgirl, Iluvharleys and adorable, Thank you so much for your replies! I'll add some potassium and try to drink more and see if that helps. I didn't know that the severe leg cramps were a dehydration symptom and that could easily be the case as I struggle, A LOT to get my Fluid in. I haven't been getting even the 48 oz a day we're supposed to! I guess I need to start sucking down some more Water and Crystal Light!! Thanks again for the replies, I appreciate your help! Take care!

My time goes into a PTO (paid time off) bank and I just used the hours I needed. I took off two weeks since it was close to Christmas, but I also had to do FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) papers too because I was out for more than ten days. I think I was out a total of 12 days, and I just got a note from my surgeon to return to work early. I work at a hospital though and had to be approved by Employee Health to go back to work anyway. They have the final say, even over my surgeon. I transcribe all day though, so it's not physically strenuous and I had no problems getting cleared for work. You could also check with your surgeon and see how soon he/she will release you back to work as long as all goes well. That may make a difference for you. I would say err with caution and use the sick days if you have the time because you can get a doctor's note that way and the possiblity of FMLA, which will protect your job in the event of any complications as long as you are eligible for it at your job. Good luck with everything!

Hi all, Well, just got another fill (9.5 cc in 11 cc band now) and am down to 212, four more pounds and I'll hit my -50 pound goal - yay! I'm trying to do that before June 23rd, which is my cousin's wedding. I'm just now six months out and had to go clothes shopping for the wedding....can I just tell you that I HATE, HATE, HATE trying on clothes. Well, imagine my shock when my outfit turned out to be a 14/16, yup, a 14/16!!!! I still can't believe it! I started in December in a size 3x shirt and 26 pants. Now, I'm in a 16/18 size comfortably, which got me even more excited to get to Onderland, which I'm hoping will be a comfortable 14!! I haven't seen these sizes since high school! I'm only 12 pounds away from Onderland - yay!! ToniCarol - A "PB" is a productive burp - where you burp/vomit food that is in your pouch that has not gone through. It's different from "vomiting" in that there's no retching or bile, just a rejection if you will of whatever you ate that's either stuck or you're too full, or ate something too fast. I believe there's a thread on here about the terminology used, which might help you out a bit. It's good to know about "PB" before it happens to you just so you're aware of the possibility. They can sneak up on you and it's not too pleasanat, especially in public. Usually a warning sign is that you start to salivate like crazy and then not too long after if it doesn't go down through your band it comes right back up and out! Take care everyone, and have a great weekend!

bionicbroad, Hi! I am just now 6 months out from my surgery date. I had my first fill on January 26th, my second fill in February (about 3-4 weeks later), my third fill in April and then my last fill (4th) in the beginning of June. I go in this week for my 6-month follow-up and am going to ask for another one. Hopefully this will "top me off" and I'll be good and hit my "sweet spot", I'm at 9 cc in the 11 cc band so I don't have too much more room to use up! I guess there's still room for several small adjustments, we'll see. But, my surgeon did say it takes some people 6-8 fills the first year to get to their "sweet spot".

There is a similar thread that's been running for a week or two, I think it may be called "would you do it again?" or something along those lines, you might want to see if you can find it, there were a lot of responses on that one. Anyway, I'm happy with mine and glad I did it. I wouldn't be down 44 pounds now if I hadn't.

Hi there Pattman, How are ya? Don't worry about not answering right away, I have pretty crazy work hours myself, so I can understand not getting back to the boards here; I suffer from that same dilemna myself quite frequently! Congratulations on YOUR weight loss, you've done great! I can't imagine being down 80 pounds, but I'm working on it, lol! Has your mental image of yourself caught up with the physical yet? Overall, are you feeling better than before you lost the weight? I am at 9 cc in an 11 cc band. I go back next week for my six month follow up and am thinking of getting a little more and hopefully then I'll be "just right"! I haven't been exercising either -- you know what's bad, I have a membership to the "Y" and I haven't used it since I got banded! Before my surgery I was going with some girlfriends 2-3 days a week. . .I keep saying I'm going to go back and just haven't done it yet. I think I need a good swift kick (or two) in the tushie to get going. Oh well, back to work for me. I just saw your post and wanted to say "hi". . . . . I heard Panera's has french onion soup (my favorite of all time), so I just may have to take you up on that soup offer one day. Take care!

Julie, Congratulations! Great job, keep up the good work and you'll be at goal in no time!! :clap2::clap2::clap2: