the best me

LoopyLou, what's the failure in quitting a crappy job that does nothing but give you unneeded and unnecessary stress, pressure, aggravation, and general BS? Quitting THAT is failing?! Hello!!! Screw documentation, HR, playing games, beating the boss, covering your butt, headaches, torment, ugly and rude co-workers. The writing is on the wall. It's spelled G-E-T-O-U-T. Do something better. This is my advice to you because you say you don't have to work right now, you just like to earn your own money and have a sense of accomplishment, along with other things, I'm sure. So unless you just get off on being miserable, it really is an easy fix. ((((hugs))))

Aw, Heather. I'm sorry you lost someone special. Extra prayers for you today and a big ole (((((HUG)))))))

I could do a Milk Dud chewed really well, I'll bet. I have an occasional sip of something carbonated but flat. I never order it, but if my DD has a sprite, well...but I try to avoid it. I had a Margarita the night before my surgery, but it was before 10pm, and I was to have nothing after midnight. It was fine. But I didn't drink 20 of them I'm sure a drink Sat night would be fine. ??? Check with your doc, jsut in case, though. Anesthesia can be funny so you don't want to mess with it! Here you go! Get all your questions in quick. And don't worry. Banded life is great!

Jorjet, sorry about your migraine. What a pain! Literally! Wait and see on your band. Keep your diet pretty mushy and if you are tolerating more solid foods well, keep going. Are you eating okay? If so, you should be fine. Take care of that band by eating easy foods for now. And get some rest! Sally, the good news is, no fill is just what you need right now. The bad news is, you don't have any room to take anything out. Back to square one for you, then. Keep up your reflux meds. The nighttime acid and waking up coughing sounds just like reflux. Maybe raise your bed? And chew a Tums before bed? Oh, and drink a load of Water before bed and make sure that upper pouch is empty. Let me see if I can find a link to a Reflux thread. Oh my, there are so many I can't pick just one to post! Go up to the search button on the blue bar and type in "reflux" and start reading. Keep us posted!

I think that is just an excellent thought. Do a Reflux Search, and see what folks are doing. Treat your band as if it's very tight, treat your reflux, watch your diet until the swelling goes down and see what happens. Maybe go back to mushies for another week until you get relief. Move on to real foods and hard protiens very slowly. Gosh, I'm so worried about you. I really hope this gets better soon.

11 am at Friday's University. I'm there! Dianne, you'll be coming up 485, then go South on I-85 for a few miles to the Harris Blvd Exit. Cross over 85 (in the "towards Charlotte" direction-South?) and follow Harris for less than a mile and you will see Fridays on the right. Easy cheesy.

Hey Claudia, I was banded in TJ by Dr Kuri and I see Gonzales for fills. No problems. Just schedule in advance. Oh, and unfills are the same price as fills. Be prepared!! Let us know if you find another fill doc. It's good to know who is out there.

flower, what size is your band and how much fill do you have so far? Who is giving you pressure? Your band is supposed to work it's best when you are properly filled. Sometimes it takes several fills before you get there. Don't go it alone if you don't have to. Get a third fill! You might just need the littlest bit more to make a big difference.

A big ole cuppa hot coffee with flavored creamer. yummmmm.

Okay Sally, according to your stats, you have been banded almost 2 years. You have lost 140 pounds. Wowza. What size band do you have and how much fill do you have? It seems odd that after 2 years of being banded, suddenly your band isn't the right size? And maybe I need to read the other thread (there is LOTS going on on LBT, so forgive me if I can't keep up with details) but how long has the reflux been going on and has slippage been ruled out totally? Erosion? Have you had an endoscopy? Now that the gall bladder is out, I'd start making a list of band problem possibilites and checking them off. I'd also check out a gall bladder friendly diet. I have no idea, but maybe it's the milk? I'd also be treating your reflux with some Prilosec or Prevacid or something of the like. Girl, I just don't know. Do your verbal processing here and you will get feedback. All I know is I wouldn't be converting to RNY for nothing!!!! I'd go bandless before doing that. If you still have some fight in you, start checking off your list. Gall Bladder, check. Heal up. Let us know how it's going today. Shucks, I saw this thread last night but needed to get to bed so I skipped it...it just didn't click that you were "gall bladder Sally!" or I would have replied last night! ((hugs)) and keep us posted.

Yes, being correctly filled makes a huge difference. Just remember that this post-surgery time before your first fill is no-man's land. It's a time for healing and weight loss, if any, is a bonus. Concentrate on good foods that are on your list for post-surgery. Just what are you eating these days? How's it going? Dianne, you had better just quit cheating on your pre-op diet!!! Give me your hand, let me give you a small smack...there. It's easy for me to say since I didn't have to do the liquid pre-op. so don't let me give you a hard time. You did choose well, though. Flounder was a good cheater food! (I'm ignoring the creme broulee and the bread...) lol

Here's my marker. All posts above this one have been updated on page 5 post #61. Check me for errors! Have a great week everyone! And if you forgot to weigh in yesterday, it's not too late!!! This is great motivation. You all are doing so well!!!! A banana for all! :banana

No laughing and pointing here! It's been tried! Baby food is just yucky for the adult pallette, especially when there are so many wonderful soups and foods to try during that phase. Besides, the mushy phase passes so quickly in retrospect. Get a small, inexpensive blender and you will come up with all kinds of things. For "on the go" quick meals, Campbells makes the Soups To Go (I think) in the drinkable microwavable cans. Yum.

If portion control is your big issue, the band will certainly help that...IF you are properly filled AND you eat correctly. Eating correctly means eating hard protiens first, then veggies/fruits, then good carbs if you have room. It means not drinking with your meals or for a good bit of time after. I have heard 30 min to 2 hours. I try to do an hour but generally get an after-meal coffee to sip at about 30 min and I seem fine. The idea is to get full faster on less food and stay that way until it's time for the next healthy meal. Very simple, yet if it were that easy, I wouldn't have been banded at 220+ pounds with a BMI of 38. My band certainly makes it possible, but my weight loss is slow to me. When I back up and look at an almost 30 pound loss in 5 months, well, not so bad. But I wish I weighed less this far into the game. I can be patient, as long as it's going down, not up! As far as PCOS, I'm not sure. Smaller portions of good food eaten correctly will cause you to lose (and don't forget your exercise...and, no, you don't have to run or kill yourself...just move!) but your hormone issues may cause you to be off the curve of average? I just don't know about that. So, how much weight is worth it? If you could get 80 pounds off and keep it off comfortably, would you be satisfied? 80 pounds is alot of weight, but you would still weigh over 200. Could you live with that? I'm not saying it isn't possible to meet a healthy goal weight, but if you don't, is that okay with you? Being banded takes lots of effort at first. There is alot to learn about your little band friend and how it makes your feel and eat, etc. Lots of variables. I don't regret mine at all. And I had a very rough start post-surgery. You will learn alot at your seminar. Also, look up PCOS in the Search button. Many banded women here have that, too. I'm sure they will show up here, though. Good luck!! Great question, good researching!!

ebony, I PM'd back you but this answered my question. It's probably your port. Mine is on my left side, around my waist band. If I press it I can feel it very clearly, round and smooth and hard. You are still very swollen there, I'm sure, so don't press too much, but you may very well be able to feel that port implanted to the inside of your belly. It's supposed to stick up in there a bit so the doc can find it to give you a fill. Let us know how your 1-week post-op appointment goes! Yay! You have a port!

Nope, no bypass. I'd save my money for another band if possible, or I'd go it alone. No Bypass. No way.

Alright everyone! I weighed in at 197 this morning. I don't know if that's a loss or not...need to check my last post and I will...later! Happy Monday everyone! Good job all you Losers!!! Editing: Just checked, I was 196.6 last week, so a .4 pound gain. Ew. Okay, I like what you folks are doing with the weekly totals: Here's mine 9/5 (week 1) 198 9/12 (week2) 196.6 9/19 (week 3) 197.0

Here's the thread link. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=5745&page=1&pp=15

I still keep my Blossom-y wreath avatar in her memory. It's kind of hard to give up. I can't believe it's been 6 months. I never met her in person, but what a devastating blow for those of us at LBT who had the pleasure of her company here. I still think of dear Phillip and wonder how he is doing. Has he started construction on the house? How's he holding up? So sad. Thanks for starting this thread. I miss her being here.

What a handsome man. Thanks for posting his pic and sharing your family with us a bit. Continued prayers for your family as you begin to heal. So sorry.

Send those Kathy congrats this way...I do the same thing!! Up and down and up and down and whoosh! exactly that. I'm waiting in the wings for my whoosh that will happen any day now. I want square under 195 ... I have been doing the 197-196 range for a few weeks now. That's exactly the way it happens! Congrats!!

Aw, 36 is going to be a GREAT year! Happy Happy Birthday, Paula!!!!!

Okay, there used to be an entire thread on the Magic Bullet but I cannot find it. Does anyone know what's going on with the Search button? I can't seem to find anything anymore! Anyhow, my sister had one in her pantry so I didn't have to buy one. Going back, I would not have spent the money. It's a great little machine, easy to use, easy to clean, convenient, all that. BUT, for the $60+ I don't use it that much. I don't use it at all anymore. Save your money. Get a little personal blender with a totable cup and lid. Someone found one at Wal-Mart for less than 20 bucks. Maybe less than 15? There was another thread on that but I'm not attempting again, my luck has been so bad with the Search button. The full-liquids/mushies stages go by so quickly. Yes, you need something to blend your food. But unless you are one to yank out all the cups, blades, lids, etc and put it to use in your kitchen for other things, nah. That's what I think.

Here's a link to a handy thread that I found helpful. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=3995 You need to follow YOUR docs diet recommendations, but the lists have great ideas for what "counts" and what doesn't. Hope it helps.

Wow Jennifer! I wish you the best for your surgery. Dr Bauman has been doing this for a long time so I know you will be in good hands. Please don't feel like you have to leave just because you choose GP. You need to go where the support is right for you, but noone is kicking you out! Please at least check back in and let us know how you are doing, okay? (((((hugs))))) and best wishes!!!!