aubrie

Cheryl Ann, I had my 3rd fill on 6/13 too!!! I'm also a 5.5 cc in a 10 cc band. I also started out at your pre-op weight. We're very much alike. While my last fill has me at the same fill level as you, I'm not experiencing the same issues. I can tell the difference. I get that full sensation a lot faster, but I haven't PBd or slimed anything yet. I highly recommend warm liquids first thing in the morning. I like my coffee, but warm peppermint tea seems to be especially soothing for me. Call your doc and inform him/her of everything you have told all of us here. Let him make the call on what to do next. You may need a slight unfill.

Your first fill will generally be your largest one, but 5 cc does seem like a lot. I have a 10 cc band and my first fill was 3 cc. It lasted quite a while. The last two have only been 1 cc, so I'm where you are after 3 fills. If you start throwing up or can't keep down water or eat 3 meals aday, call your doc. It's okay to have a little taken out if you need to to be in optimal health.

I usually make mine from scratch, but I like cream of wheat with vanilla and cinnamon. You can make it with half water or milk and half vanilla slim fast. It already has some iron and protein, but I also add a little unflavored protein powder to it. Even my DH likes it!!! You can thin it out with milk and make it runnier if you're tight. It stays with you all morning too!! No hunger. If you're pressed for time, they do have instant packets in a box you can zap in the microwave.

I cook with a LOT of herbs and spices. I don't know how I would cook without them. they are wonderful, versatile and also contain trace elements and nutrients not found elsewhere. Cinnamon is actually VERY good for you. this is a good post. Don't be shy!!! EXPERIMENT

Question here. My best friend, who is banded, pointed this out to me... When you lower the amount of fat in milk, the sugar and carbs goes up. So.... which should we be more concerned about? Compare labels and you'll see what I'm talking about. She was right. Now I'm confused. I was drinking 1% but see that the sugar and carbs is higher. Comments?????

In this respect, the band was a Godsend. I used to retain water all the time and was also on a water pill that worked with my blood pressure medicine. I was always puffy in the morning. My hands and face were bad. I couldn't see my ankles or the bones in my feet. Since the band, I am no longer on a water pill, I'm on half the blood pressure meds I was on, and I have no water retention what so ever. It's glorious........ All my rings have to be resized now, and half my shoes don't fit anymore.

I can feel my port easily. It's located just below my waistline. It gets sore if I do a lot of ab work at the gym, but other than that, I don't noticed it much. I know MANY bandsters say they can't feel the band, but I can on occasion. Not all the time. If I eat to much sometimes it will ache. I have felt it poking against my ribs as well, but I have a very small rib cage and a big band. I'm also short waisted, so my ribs practically sit on my hips. The band sensation is up under my ribs, well away from my port area. It feels odd, but it doesn't really hurt.

very well written. Your epiphany was putting things in proper perspective, and like you said, realizing you're achieiving normalness. Congrats. What a breakthrough!!

I chewed gum in front of my doctor as well. He didn't say anything. I have to during those pesky ketosis times when your breath becomes horrendous. Although I freaked out when I jumped in the pool for water aerobics and was jumping up and down, doing my thing with gum in my mouth. Usually I am SO CAREFUL. That was not smart.

Milk and dairy products are healthful. If your're doing the low fat, I wouldn't worry about it. Especially if you are older and need the calcium to prevent osteoporosis. If your child bearing age, you would need reserves for a pregnancy, which will leach it out of your bones. Americans typically don't get near the amount of calcium we should. I eat yougurt, cheese and milk quite a lot. It's satisfying and healthy.

Up to my first two fills I was able to eat just about anything as long as I chewed it real good. Dry chicken breast is a little iffy. So Is really soft bread, but I can manage if I REALLY take my time with it. sometimes the effort just isn't worth it. But, I can eat salad, apples, pasta, rice, steak ( I LOVE steak) and just about anything. I did have my third fill last Friday, and haven't tried a lot of things yet. I did notice this morning that a fresh strawberry not chewed properly went down and didn't come back up, but I felt a bit of an ache in the area of my band, so we stopped. things change after every fill. So we'll see. My cottage cheese went down just fine. I had shrimp last night, no problem.

Unfortunately I can eat chips with NO PROBLEM. That is my one weakness. I don't crave sweets, bad carbs, fried foods...... but I always want crispy, crunchy and salty. ESPECIALLY after Water aerobics and I can't get dinner made fast enough. A crunchy taco I've had no problem with. A flour tortilla I had with some fajita meat got a little stuck. Not for long, it went down, but it was a little uncomfortable. I think I took to big a bite. I didn't eat much of it. I just ate the meat plain after that.

2 1/2 hour ride for me. I just laid the seat back and napped. it wasn't bad at all until we hit some construction and rought road. The bumps weren't very comfortable. But I was fine. Not a problem.

First fill was 2 months out = 3 cc 2nd fill was 5 months out = 1 cc 3rd fill was 7 months out = 1 cc Doc filled my band during surgery to test for leaks and pulled it all back out except for about .5 cc. So all said and done I have about 5.5 in 10 cc band. He is not aggressive with his fills so I have never PBd, but I have adequate restriction. I wish it was a tad more, as I'm leveling off and feel like I need a bit more.

It worked for me. My restriction was improved, but not ideal, and I lost three pounds!! it wasn't difficult, but man did I have bad breath by day 5!!! KETOSIS!!!!

shaved turkey is considered a mushie in my post op manual. this was like heaven for me and it saved my butt. The quality protein kept me from getting hungry. I also liked egg drop soup, refried black beans and lentils. Get that protein in there somehow.... I also added unflavored protein powder to many things that I ate. It sure helps.

I just order an appetizer. Shrimp cocktail or a crab cake or something.

The reason I chose to be banded was to REGAIN my quality of LIFE! I had lost it, and I wanted it back. I was sick of struggling to get up off the couch. I was sick of no sex life with my husband. I was sick of not dancing or going kayaking. I was sick of the number of meds I was beginning to take for a variety of ailments. I was sick of the pain of arthritis in my knees and hips. I was just SICK. Quality of life was important to me. That did not include vomiting and not able to enjoy the foods I love. Vomiting is NOT quality of life. I wanted to be happy, HEALTHY and NORMAL. The band gave me all of this and more. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Not only did I get back all the things I mentioned, but I have energy, I have confidence, I have a sense of humor and I beleive in myself again. What is that worth? to me, it's definitely worth giving up a slice of cheesecake, drinking beer and consistantly making wise choices. Yes, I go out to eat. Yes, I can eat just about everything. No, I do not PB. Never have and I'm 7 months out. I get stuck if I eat to fast, and slime a little but that's been a handful of times. I can control that. I know what to do. My doctor and I are not aggressive with fills. That's not quality of life. If I'm invited to a birthday party I have a sqaure inch of cake. (About a mouthful) That satisfies me. I have a small glass of wine on ocassion, watching a sunset and unwinding with my wonderful DH. That's quality of life for me. I just dont' make a habit of it. the band is what you make it. If you're miserable, you have no one to blame but yourself. But it is a committement and you MUST be prepared to make that committment or you may waste a lot of money. Just ask yourself, how badly do I want quality of life?

the trick is finding a GOOD surgeon. Do LOTS of research on this first. There are a lot of substandard physicians out there that know there is a quick buck to be made in all this. They are interested in money first. I paid something like $14.95 on a medical website to get the medical background of my surgeon. It gave me where he went to medical school, how long he had been doing bariatric surgery, how many surgeries, how many complaints and lawsuits against him, any awards he had recieved, how long he had been practicing medicine, the reputation of the hospital he was affiliated with. Once I cleared him, I was confident with my choice. I also got a lot of feedback from past patients of his. I found them in support groups and through networking. I left no stone unturned. I toured the hospital where my surgery was going to be. I questioned the nurses at the hospital that knew him. I contacted his office and had TWO consultations with him before I made my decision. He didn't mind at all. I highly recommend you do this. You will also know UP FRONT what is included in your surgery, how much the fills are, what you can expect as a whole. Your experience with the band has a lot to do with how YOU handle it.

amazing grace.... I'm going to go out on a limb here and tell you that you need to contact a lawyer. The treatment you are getting at the clinic is wrong. DEAD WRONG. They are putting your life in danger. pure and simple. sounds like more than once. Do you have a lawyer? Call around and see if someone can help you. What they did is theft, and malpractice. You paid for the DOCTOR to see you, not his dizzy, greedy wife. You have proof that you had an infection. At the least, you need to report this to the medical board. I had an OB/GYN once whose wife insisted that she come into the room while he was examining patients. It turned out she wasn't even a nurse!!! I got the hell out of there fast. To many wierd implications..... I just last weekend got my teeth whitened at my beauty salon. They said my teeth would be sensitive for 24 hours. Well the next morning my gums were white, swollen and were peeling off skin in chunks. Next day, same thing so I RAN to the dentist. My gums were badly burned and receded. I had the dentist take photographs and then went back tot he salon. I told them the dentis had documented the incident and took photos and I also called the company that manufactured the equipment and solution. I reported it to them as well. I tell you what. The salon couldn't refund my money fast enough and paid my entire dental bill along with the medication (rinse) I was given. The manufacturer has been calling and checking on me. They're scared to death of a lawsuit. That Bimbo wife of your doctor should be worried about the same thing. When her husband loses his licesne to practice medicine due to her unprofessionalism, she'll be up a creek and will have to have that lovely mercedes in her driveway reposessed!!! this kind of crap makes me so mad.

I had my third fill today. I feel pretty good. My doctor fills me and has me drink water until I gurgle. Then he backs out a tiny bit until it goes down. He doesn't want me gurgling or backing up. I have yet to PB. I've only been stuck a couple times and slimed a time or two and I'm almost 7 months out. He tends to be conservative with his fills, and personally, I like that. Throwing up all the time is NOT healthy and that's why I did all this in the first place. In answer to the question of gurgling only in the morning..... Before I take my meds or eat breakfast I ALWAYS sip some hot coffe or tea for about 20 minutes first. It helps loosen things up. THEN I take meds and eat. It makes all the difference in the world. It's normal to be tight for a few days after a fill, but not to the point of not being able to drink water. Water should go down fairly easy. Dehydration is a real issue here. Be careful.

Vikki I have the Bariatric Advantage vitamins, and yes, while they are easy to chew and have an excellent balance of what bandsters need, I CAN"T STAND the chalky texture. It makes me want to gag. My teeth get all gritty. What flavor do you have? Maybe that makes a difference. I have watermelon and I feel like I'm eating chalkboard chalk.

In answer to the question, can poo weigh that much??? If you haven't gone in several days..... YES IT CAN. that is why regular elimination is so important. I only weight in the morning, the minute I get out of bed. I don't weight at other times because it fluctuates throughout the day depending on how much Water I drank, what I ate for lunch, if it was salty and I retained water, yadda, yadda, yadda. So I stick to when I get up.

Obviously we can't drink beer or champagne anymore. I really did enjoy my beer. But I don't miss it near the amount I thought I would. I do have an occasional glass of wine and sometimes a bloody mary. The tiny cans of V8 are just enough for a cocktail and only have 30 calories, and are also nutritious. Be careful though. I went to Vegas a few weeks ago and had two vodka martinis at the Stratosphere Tower. I don't remember leaving, going down the elevator or getting in a taxi. That is NOT good, and so NOT me. I've never gotten hammered off of just two drinks. Things change once you're banded. Now I'm a cheap date. LOL Seriously. Be careful until you know how it's going to affect you. Even one drink now will give me a nasty headache the next day.