Marimaru

I have no issue with pills as long as I take them with plenty of water. If you are really worried about them, open them up, dump the powder in a little bit of water, and drink it fast. I had to do that with my antibiotic right after surgery, but I haven't had to do it since.

If the beer caused you pain, then the answer is that you probably can't drink beer. Some people have no issues at all with carbonation and some people just can't handle it. Doctors don't agree on the carbonation issue either. Some say never, some say in moderation, and some say "as long as you can handle it". Good luck!

Wow, that looks great! I usually make home made coffee liqueur, and sometimes almond(like amaretto). I've never made a wine before though, that sounds great! Care to share where you find your recipes??

Wow, I don't know how I missed this thread initially! I'm glad everyone is okay, other than being banged up/scraped up. I was hit in a similar situation; going straight, the other guy turning left. Mine wasn't nearly so bad as yours, but the guy took off! Fortunately someone got his plate number, but nothing ever came of it. It took me over a week to get my police report. I went to the station on the day it was supposed to be ready, and it wasn't ready. I called every day after that, and the girl I'd been talking to had to hunt down the cop and make him turn it in. Then I faxed it to my insurance company, who saw clearly that it wasn't my fault, and even waived my deductable. My car was 4 days old, I didn't have plates, and the cop had to write my whole VIN number on his report. I can tell you that it is VERY annerving to drive by your own skid marks on the road. My sister and her husband were rear ended a couple of months ago, and while I don't know how difficult it was for them to get a hold of the insurance company, I do know that the insurance company would only write a check for the total amount of the settlement, so they had to front their hospital bills, etc. Plus they had to sign a release that they couldn't ask for anything in the future, which is an iffy proposition to me in the case of neck/back issues showing up down the line... that was in CO though. Anyway, sorry for rambling. I hope that everything works out to the best for you with your car.

I'm at less of a fill now than I was at even my first fill. I had my first fill, then got my second, then about 4 months later started getting tigher and tighter. I got a little unfill, but also some of the fill had evaporated, like sometimes happens... and I haven't had a fill since. *shrug* lol

Yeah, you definately need more. Generally they say you should not have less than 1000 to be healthy, and I think it's best for women to have 1200 to 1500, or something like that.

I don't have any recipes, but to Eileen, I eat jerky all the time. I can't say I've ever had trouble with it.

I haven't actually tried the Isopure, but I know it's 40g of protien per bottle, and it's clear and watery like, so he shouldn't have any trouble with it. I have seen them at GNC. But you might find them cheaper to buy in a bunch online... I haven't looked, but usually it's cheaper to buy 6 in a case than one at a time or whatever. Something that might be easier if you are traveling is unjury. It's a protien powder, and they make an unflavored version. Lots of people add it to things like Crystal Light, shake it up really good, and it has virtually no flavor at all. You can order it from unjury.com, and they have samples you can order, so you could have him try it before buying a large amount. Then you could put some of that into a tupperware, or even a baggie, for your trip to canada, and he can throw a scoop of that into anything he wants (even if you get chocolate or vanilla and put it into milk, it doesn't make it thick like a shake).

Hunger is a signal your body is supposed to have. No surgery is supposed to take that away. I am hungry very much less often than I was preband, and eating a little something will take that away for a good few hours. The true battle is distiguishing HEAD hunger from REAL hunger. THAT takes some time and a good amount of work!

For me I get this feeling in stages. I go through a stage where I really don't care so much about food, and I eat when I'm hungry, and don't eat when I'm not. Other times, like you, I just can't stop thinking about it. Even if I just ate, I'm thinking about my next meal/snack. The thing the helps the most for me is kind of like what Alex said. Realizing that THIS is what the band is for. If I had no band, I'd eat all those foods I was thinking about, sometimes one right after another, and now I CAN'T. I lose weight when this 'clicks' and I quit arguing with my band..

Robyn, I second the suggestion to just stay on all liquids for now. I have a feeling that you getting tighter and tighter is due to you irritating your esphagus, it swelling, you irritating it, it swelling more... so maybe if you can be on liquids and not pb/vomit so much it might not get worse? Can you have your doctor inject you with an anti-inflamatory? I know when Nykee was too tight and her doctor was out of town, they gave her these injections and she was able to eat (though I don't know if she was as tight as you). *Maybe* if you can get the inflamation to go down, you can do liquids for a while *safely* and hold off on surgery..?

It's really wonderful that your brother is so supportive of you. :grouphug:

I definately wish I'd lost faster (60 lbs in 20 months), but I don't wish I'd done a more invasive surgery. The thing about making a goal for how much you want to lose in a year is that it's a crap shoot. Even if you make all the right choices and follow all the rules, your body is gonna decide how much it wants to hang on to that fat!

Karla, You've said a number of times that you eat pretty healthily, and decent amounts. Have you addressed this with your doctor? The only thing that the band will do for you is help you eat less, so if you calories are in a good range but you are still not losing, or are gaining, it might be something else, and the band might not actually help you that much. Search for threads by VinesQueen for details on her story, and you'll understand what I mean. I haven't ever been accussed of having an eating disorder since banding. I had one person tell me that she thought I was cheating when I told her about my surgery. I just told her I didn't care if I was cheating or not, lol. RE: Skin; I have some flab. I got stuck on my weight loss for a long time, and I have noticed that the skin in some places has come back a little. I think it's really too soon to know whether I want to have major work done at the end of this journey, but I think I will definately need my breasts lifted! lol.

Congratulations. It's never good when marriages don't work out, but sometimes divorce is the best thing. :bananadoggywow: I know that my family is better for my parents' divorce. *hugs*

Oh good. :bananadoggywow:

I really can't give you any better advice than anyone else, other than to agree with it. Many people stop losing as they progress to solid foods, and some people gain. The thing to understand, is that most people are not really restricted with just the placing of the band, so you are able to eat (up to) as much as you did before without any issues. Lots of people make the CHOICE not to eat this much, but plenty of people eat what they can and wait for the band to help them, which it will when they start getting fills. Neither of those methods is wrong, it just depends on when you want to start losing. But do remember that not eating wont help you much either, because in the long run, it'll just fudge up your metabolism. :bananadoggywow:

Dawn, I'm very sorry to hear about your mom. Your doubts are understandable, but I think that in your position I would have the surgery as scheduled. Dr. Rumbaut is a wonderful doctor, and if you tell him of your concerns, I'm sure he will do everything he can to help you understand the risks, and what he does to avoid problems. *hugs*

You look great! Congratulations!

My_o_My, Those coffee drinks can get really high up there calorie wise. I don't know where you are on the globe, but a medium mocha frap from Starbucks is something like 600 Calories!! Two of those a day, plus whatever you might be eating with a band will DEFINATLY slow you down. I'm glad that you found your culprit and that you are losing weight now. Whenever I get anything from a coffee shop like that it, it's nonfat, and sugar free, if they have it. That'll knock off a few hundred calories. There are alot of good sugar free/calorie free flavored syrups out there that are very goodin coffee. Coffee + Sugar free chocolate flavored creamer + sugar free peppermint syrup tastes practically the same as a starbucks Peppermint Mocha. I'll post pics of my hairdo tonight. :bananadoggywow:

You look great! I'm really happy to see the swelling on your tummy go down so much! Thank you again SO MUCH for sharing all these pictures with us!

When I had my dental work done (7k, OUCH!), I applied for credit with a company called Care Credit. It's specifically for dental/medical needs. I don't know where all they operate, but you might check them out. Also, when I was considering having lasik, the financing they offered was through capital one. The only reason I haven't done it is because I have to pay off the dental stuff first!!

Others have said it, but the answer is pretty much that you gotta stop drinkin'. There ARE low calorie alternatives for drinks, which can be helpful if you continue to drink. I know for me, I found myself drinking a decent amount, and so I just stopped for a month straight, just so it doesn't become a habit, you know? Good luck!

Ok, so today I am wearing some blue patterned full cut briefs (need to do laundry, lol), and a black bra from dilliards in a 38 DD (or maybe it was DDD).

It's been a long time, I had an NSV today, so I figured I'd try and thing of any that I'd had since the last time I updated. The one from today, is that on the 8th of April, my sister gave me an anklet as a bridesmaids gift, but it didn't fit right. It had extra chain, so I was able to mess with it and get it to work so I could wear it, but it wasn't the way it was intended to be buckled. This morning when I went to put it on, I was able to get the clasp together without a problem at all. :confused: I suppose it's an NSV that I finally got a new hairstyle. My hair has been the same for like 10 years or something like that, and I finally did something with it for my sisters wedding. It's all layered and highlighted now. It looks much better, lol. I guess I can't really think of anything else. I'll try and come up with more..