La_madam

Iam so glad you were able to speak directly to Dr. Ortiz and he was able to put your mind at ease. It is great to hear that you are doing much better today and you are right, our minds and imaginations can make us think the worst. I read on your other post that you were also to get aftercare with Dr. Pleatman...good for you that has got to make you feel better too! I agree with you on both comments.

COngratulations Christina So glad to hear all went well for you

Wal Mart has the adult strength liquid tylenol, it is on the top shelf not with the rest of the tylenol, same at Savon-Osco

My first fill took a week to kick in. Give it a few more days. What are you eating? Break it down for us, Breakfast? lunch? dinner? Snacks? Are you drinking liquid calories? Are you eating hard Proteins first? www.fitday.com is a great site to track your caloric intake. Writing down what you eat everyday helps in thebeginning, it lets you see where you could be going wrong. Please post what you eat in a day and we will be able to advise you a little better..Hang in there

My first fill took about a week to kick in, give it some time, are you eating hard proteins first? That does make a difference What are you eating in a day, break it down for us, Breakfast, lunch, dinner and any snacks It will help to advise you better, do you drink with meal? Do you drink liquid calories? These things make a difference. Writing down what you eat also helps , it keeps you accountable and you can see where you went wrong for the day www.fitday.com is a great food tracker for caloric intake

Hope it all went well for you, you are finally an offical bandster after the long wait and determination to get your band! I'm happy for you

That is food getting stuck from too big of a bite or from not chewing it enough, when this happens, number one, do not drink with it to wash it down and secondly do NOT drink carbonation like Pepsi to wash it down, it will cause the horrible pain you described. Drinking to wash it odwn will make it feel worse, it is like it is all backing up This is the feeling you get when you have a PB, it is horrible and terrifying the first time you experience it, I remember very well, You get a look like a deer caught in headlights. Remember to chew and small bites and slower, picking at food is a hard habit to break after so many years of doing it, but those times you pick can be the worst for us bandsters , we seem to forget about our bands and the rules of chewing and small bites.

Congratulations on your upcoming surgery. I have heard great things about your Dr. I wish you the best and so glad you found this site, it is the best one on the net! Lots of love & support here

It all depends on your fill level, with little or no fill, like right now for me, I can eat anything with no difficulty but when I was filled to 2.5 I could not do bread, pasta or rice. Even with no fill I have still a small level of restriction, but not like it was when I was filled Each person finds what works best for them, trial and error I guess

What an amazing difference! You look fabulous

SO is the weight loss challenge still going now that it is June 2nd? Who won?

Wade, could you use a fill? What is your current fill level, when was your last fill? A fill for me rejuvenates me to get things going again, it is very motivating. Have you tried journaling what you eat in a day, that also works for me, it makes me see where I went wrong, sometimes we graze and nibble all day not realizing how much those little bites here and there add up. How's your protein intake? Portein helps curb the appetite, if you are in a carb rut, carbs will crave carbs and you will only eat more of them, same with sugar. At night time, try and find something to keep you busy, even if it means coming here to LBT to read and post, there is always helpful info here and support...or how about making phone calls to other bandsters when the urge to eat comes on, we all feel your pain and frustration, I have been there..do not give up. You can call me anytime, I wil ltalk you out of eating, give lots of enocuragement and support, if you want my number PM me and I will send it to you

Yes call him or Dr. Martinez, both answer their cell phones. He will most likely reply to your email tonight, he does all of his email replies in the evenings but why wait until tonight when you can speak to him directly now by calling his cell phone, if you need the numbers to both him or Dr. Martinez's cell phones , PM me and I will send them to you.

Many of the fast food chains now offer healthy alternatives..its all about choices, if you are forced to eat fast food, pick the most healthiest on the menu, all fast food chains have web sites to show the caloric, fat, protein of each menu item. We used to eat fast food atleast 2-3x's a week before I had my band, now it is once a month if that and when I do eat fast food I usually order a salad or a grilled chicken sandwich w/out the bread or a cheeseburger protein stlye, no bun..no fries & no soda either.

Jonathan, you sound like you have a great attitude about all of this, I wish you the best in your new endeavor at the seminary. SOrry to hear about the divorce but things in life happen for a reason.Hang in there

Congratulations to you! Sounds like you are doing great. Take it easy , even though things went so smoothly, you do not want to overdue it.

I need to drink more milk, the commerical even says it helps reduce symptoms of PMS and I need that in a big way! and if it says it will help in wieght loss too.WOW I'm in!

Sending you lots of possitve thoughts and well wishes.

Penni, that was so neat..WOW I cant wait to see it in full.

You just had a fill didnt you? You could be a tad too tight, relfux at night or anytime is a good indicator you are too tight...call your Dr. and explain this to them , they may reccomend removing a small ammount of your fill. Enough to make the hearburn go away, as little as .2 cc's can make a huge difference. Here is a great thread to maybe help you http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=4154&highlight=heartburn

You can also email Don Mills at Inamed and ask him for a list of Inamed surgeons in your area. You will have to call all of them to see if any of them will take patiens banded in Mexico. Don.Mills@inamed.com is his email address, he will be glad to help you.

20 years from mow when you are still alive and enjoying your grandkids and retired together and enjoying life and did not die from obeseity related problems like diabetes, heart attack, or a stroke from high blood pressure, Im sure he will think differently about resenting spending the money to lose weight.

You are absolutely right...you do not need any one to validate you. You did not do this for him right? You did it for you

How Great, Im sure the two of you hit it off real good, I have met many of the same as you Donali, Penni, Vera, Carole, Leatha, Ginny, Lisa Teresa, Megan, Babs, Karen, I hope to meet many more

Mexico will do your surgery no matter what your BMI is, this is why many with low BMI's who are self payers go to Mexico, I beleive Princess_nthe_p was a low BMI and went to Mexico,More power to you if you are a self pay and getting it done in the US. Unfortunately the price difference for me going to Mexico or staying in the U.S was 1/3 of the price. I had a BMI over 40 and I could not get it covered by my insurance, I had NO co-moprbitities, I too was a healthy OBESE person, imagine that! Now Iam a healthier OVERWEIGHT person..