daisydoodle

Penni, I am so glad to hear that you are on the avenue to healing. I wish you all the happiness that you deserve.

Lisa...what's that your holding?? Looks like a toilet brush!!!! LMAO. You've come a long way BABY! But I still think you were a cutie.

Come join me and Paula in hot, humid Louisiana. You could weigh a buck-o-five and still be sweating bullets. You gotta love the South.

WOW! I am so sorry that this happened to you. Do you have any attorney friends? Really, I don't have any advice....just wishing you didn't have to go through that. My original surgeon does all of my fills. I love my doc and wish that you could find one that was as caring and personal as mine is.

I've had them. I LOVE THEM. I got the strawberry shortcake. Unfortunately, my 7 yr old stepdaughter discovered them in the freezer and they were gone before I could eat another one. I think that they are only 110 calories each and they are really BIG.

Apparently we are not alone in this. I have a vanguard band and have had two fills and I barely feel any restriction. The only time I am reminded of my band is if I eat a bit too quickly. I do eat less than I did pre-band, but it seems so weird for me to hear of all of these foods that others just can't tolerate and I can eat whatever I want. I do try to make better choices now and I do have a VERY slow, but steady weightloss. It's bittersweet to me: I'm very grateful to be a stranger to those dreaded PB's, but I can't help but feel like I am missing out on something too. My next fill appointment isn't until July, so until then I keep my fingers crossed that the next one is THE ONE. In the meantime, I'll just be thankful that I'm slowly shrinking and still feeling pretty normal in the process.

It really depends on how your doc feels about it. I know that there are some VERY reputable and ethical surgeons out there that will play the "BMI game" to get you where you need to be. Of course the line has to be drawn somewhere. To me that line is that you are doing this for MEDICAL reasons and not just for COSMETIC reasons. Good luck...and for the record..I was a low BMI. And I had a fantastic US surgeon and was paid in full my ins. GOOD LUCK!

Yo Lisa...what am I?? Chopped liver? Hee, hee.

Ditto, Dallasdoll. I'm right there with ya.

Patty-bandsister... I'm so jealous. I've had my second fill and still feel very little restriction. What size band do you have and what is your current fill level? you are doing great!

Pretty please answer my question!!!! Is icecream considered a liquid since it melts...and does it wash your food down the band if you eat it after a meal????

Does it really matter? They both are stars and on the path to success at this point. I almost think that whoever is "2nd" is the BIGGEST winner because they will have no problem getting a recording contract and then they won't have to dish out so much of their $ to American Idol. But I wanted to take a poll to predict the outcome. Please vote.

Icecream is a MUST HAVE summer food for me. I've been nibbling on those klondike slim-s-bear bars and they are yummy! Here's my question thought: Are they considered a liquid because they melt? I've been eating one from time to time after dinner and I wonder I'm breaking a "No drinking" bandster rule. Please advise!

Hello all...Sorry that I have been away for almost a month! (ugh!) I did take a business trip to Vegas and got to meet the FAMOUS DELARLA in the flesh! She's even prettier in person and a truly nice person. I've also been on vacation to Florida and did the beach thing. And we all know that tan fat looks better than white fat. Although I've been pretty busy I think the main reason for my absense has been my lack of progress. I just had my 2nd fill and I've only lost 4 lbs. since my first two fills. All of my real weightloss came with my liquid and mushy phases. I am eating healthier and I do exercise more (but not as much as I should)...I just really expected faster results with this MAJOR lifestyle change. All in all, I can't complain though. I've dropped a dress size and I can see a glimmer of hope at the end of this VERY long tunnel. I suppose I thought that restriction would be greater than it is after two fills. The good news is that I still have never even come close to a PB. Glad to be back...

This is a very personal decision. I only told my husband, mother, and two very close friends. In hindsight, I wouldn't have done it any different. My weightloss has been a little slower than I had hoped and I'm glad I don't have the pressure of other's expectations. Just remeber....you can always tell later. But you can never UNTELL. Good luck with your journey!

What kind of band do y'all have? Mine is a Vanguard and from what I understand is a little bigger. I've had 2 fill so far and still don't feel any major restriction. I'm unsure of my fill level because I didn't write it down when my doc told me...but I want to say that I'm at about 5 cc? I think he told me that it holds 8??? Like I said, I'm not sure of ANY of those numbers. The good thing is that I'm going to leave it up to him to keep up with it! He was surprised that I don't feel more than I do at this level though.

Thanks Michelle....I did have a NSV when I went to Vegas....The airplane ride....need I say more? I sat across from someone that had to get a belt extension and it made me grateful for my 20lbs lost. That 20 gone let me squeeze my wide butt into a seat!

I've read a couple of posts that said that their port was located above their hip... Mine is on mid-upper abdomin just slightly to the left. Why the different placements? Pros and Cons of each? (It's too late now to move mine! Just glad I have it.) Thanks!

Klondike makes something called Slim-a-bear. It's a vanilla icecream bar covered in a crunchy chocolate shell. It's low-fat icecream and is made with splenda. Don't get me wrong, there's still plenty of calories in it....it just helps me TREMENDOUSLY with portion control since they are wrapped individually. I allow myself to have have one every night that I have gone for a brisk walk for at least 30 minutes. Hope this helps. You are doing great.

I can't believe nobody has taken you up on this generous offer! That's not my size, but if it were, I'd be singing "I LOVE PENNI!" Not that I don't love you anyway....

hey....how did I miss the Seacrest "fat joke?" What did he say? He's a scrawny worm anyway. I could eat him in the mushy stage...soft Protein. Not worth it though...bet he tastes yucky.

Hello all, I just had my first fill yesterday. Pretty much uneventful...I did freak a little at the size of the ice pick he stuch in my belly though. Anyway....today I noticed that the area that he did the fill on is a little puffy (not super swollen though) and it has a bit of a pink color to it. Is this normal? I'm not sore... Still on liquids today...so it's hard to tell if this fill had any effect on me yet. Patiently awaiting your wisdom....

Hello bandsister.... I went to the doc today and got my first fill. I'm not sure how many cc's he was explaining it all to me while he was doing the procedure. I couldn't really focus because the needle that he used to do the fill kinda freaked me out. No...it didn't hurt one bit---it was just a REALLY big needle! Anyhow, you are doing GREAT! Don't be discouraged because you haven't gotten your fill. I wish I would have seen the weightloss that you are experienicng. I guess my motto will just be "slow and steady wins the race." I honestly felt completely un-banded for the last couple of weeks so I needed this. Hopefully, this will do the "restriction" trick---at least for a while. Keep up the good work!

I think Nadia, Scott, and Anthony are going to be in the bottom 3 tonight. I prefer for one of the boys to go home....I don't care for either one of them. What do you think? I had to take a cold shower last night after watching Constantine. YUMMY!

Try some good old fashion prune juice. That's what worked for me after surgery. Also, the pain med they give you can make you constipated. If you can handle it, wean yourself off of that. It's normal to feel pretty bloated after surgery...