the best me

Melissa, will your girls be with you at Concord Mills? Your younger one looks like she's right between my 2yo son and 5yo daughter...they'll have fun! Great pics!!! Cute puppies and grandkiddos, I love this thread...keep 'em coming!

You did it!!!! Way to wait it out, girl, I'm so proud of you! happy day, happy day!!!

wahoo!! I'm getting my first fill next week. I'm betting it will help. Good for you! Keep us updated!

Yep, Vinesqueen is right, your post is sounding a bit too familiar to me!!! Here are links to my little saga, just in case anything that was written helps you, and I'm glad to see katerzz posted her link... http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=6216 http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=6339 I have been banded for 12 weeks and still dont' have my first fill! It's scheduled for next week though. Good luck!

Well done Jen! You got down below 200 in a jiffy! I got myself stuck at 208 after a start weight of 223. So I'm still struggling to get into Onerderland...I'm so jealous! Yeeehaw for you!!!

missy, can I just say one thing, and I want you to repeat this "it's not my fault, but it IS my responsibility" say it out loud now, "it's not my fault, but it IS my responsibility" Good. Now, pull yourself up by your bootstraps, don't go eat a Little Debbie, or whatever your fix is, and make some decisions about what you will do. Change docs? That would be MY choice!!! It seems odd that you have 8.2cc in a Vanguard Band and still have no restriction. You need to be finding out what's going on instead of wallowing in self-pity. This is tough love...there is absolutely no reason why you are banded since Jan and have gained 5 pounds. Your doc is NOT helping your band help you. Dont' cry. THINK! You have all of us to help you. Are you reading? When I get a sec, I'll go research some old threads that might be helpful and post the links here. Get that backbone ready!!!!

Well, I think what we were thinking when we came up with Concord Mills is 1) it's out of Charlotte traffic, 2) it has places for kiddos 3) we can walk the laps if we want to 4) it's off 85 and 485 and easily accessed by everyone 5) Anige drives the farthest but she said it was fine, she sees Bauman in Concord anyway so she's used to the drive. I guess it's just easy for everyone for our first get-together. Besides, the next time we meet can be no kids, in the evening, girls night out in South Charlotte or something? We'll see. Angie should be banded about now...thining of you!!!!

It just means you don't have enough fill. Wait, so what is your total fill, adding them all together? Does the doc pull out all of the previous fill before addingthat and more back in?

Dianne, I replied on your Introduction thread...so pencil in the 8th. We don't have times set yet, but it looks like this gathering is with kids around lunchtime. 11:30ish until whenever? At Concord Mills, not sure exactly where yet. Maybe we'll start in the food Court and travel from there to wherever looks good for kiddos. So ladies, I have 2 little ones and Angie has 3, anyone else bringing kids? Also, if Angie is having a more difficult recovery than she wants, we will postpone for a few weeks until she's better. You just never know how you will feel a week out...so wer'e waiting on you, bondgirl! We have a group! We have a group!!!

Lisa, if your insurance pays for the Lap Band, and your BMI is over 40, you should have no trouble getting approved. I'm not the insurance company, but to me, it looks very hopeful!! Press forward, girl! Welcome to LBT...hang on tight for the insurance approval ride, it's wild! You'll do fine, don't worry!

missy, first, to enable your e-mail, go to User CP and Edit Options, scroll down, you will see in there somewhere to enable e-mail so folks can send through LBT. Dont' forget to click "Save Changes" at the bottom. Now, I'm concerned that you doc was filling you with NO reference to what size band you have!!! WHAT?! In my opinion, your aftercare is your problem. If you had a doc that was on the ball, or at least a group that had it together...you would be getting the most from your band and losing. My advice, time for you to take the reins. Go in here to LBT and research. There are threads about the Large bands...find out EXACTLY what band you have AND the capacity. Read up on what other folks are experiencing, know what to expect...get your facts. Noone is looking out for you but YOU! And I can promise you that what you are experiencing is not banded life. You need restriction, you need more than a 1.2cc first fill in large band... If you need some help digging around, PLEASE post a plea here, and folks will be happy to find links for you.

Congrats Terri! Don't fret, you will wake up one morning and Pee forEVER! and lose all that Fluid. You will see the scales move in the right direction, don't worry! Welcome to Bandland!! So glad it all went smoothly.

I got restricted this time around...this is my third? period since banding and I got stuck on every first bite of each meal! But this didn't happen until about 2 days into about a 5 day period. It was interesting to notice that this month.

Solid protiens with those big salads...make sure there's some good grilled chicken in there! Also, if you are just too stuffed for extra food, maybe start your day with an extra protien drink, a Boost or something, just to add calories and protien. I agree, bump it up, girl!!

Hey Sunset...HERE'S your intro! Sorry I missed it...so glad to have you! I hope you will be able to make the get-together being planned on the NC Forum...you will surely find out the real scoop there! I have been banded for almost 3 months and by the time we gather, I will have had my first fill. I'll tell you everything I know!! It's a quick trip up 485 to Concord, so I'll be looking forward to meeting you. Hope you can come!! Welcome to LBT!!!

hehe, you are funny Leatha... I'm thinking of you this morning, Teresa. Please post and let us know how it went. I'm sorry you had to make such a tough decision, and if it were me, I probably would choose the same path as you. But I know that doesn't make it any easier. I'm really sorry. ((((((((Hugs))))))))

Here she goes!! Angie, have a great surgery day tomorrow. I'll be thinking of you and waiting anxiously to hear how everything went. Hope your hubby's party was/is fun. Get some rest, and get ready for bandland!! WooooHoooooooooo! (((((HUGS)))))))

Nope, sit back, stay a while. I'd be interested in hearing more about the surgery you had done and how it's working for you. I wonder what eating and weight loss issues we have in common? Anyway, welcome to LBT!

OOOOO Darcey, aren't you cute?!!! Crystal! Aren't you FUN! I just love your pics, you wipe those tears and keep that beautiful smile. Way to put it out there, girl! I know it's hard to do, so I'm so proud!! I like avatar pic #1, too.

Happy Birthday Greg!!! It's so nice to have you for a friend, and I hope your day is wonderful!! You are a blessing, celebrate well!!!

Yep, restriction!! wahoo!! I agree, quit the bread. As long as you aren't PBing or getting stuck all the time, you have no reflux or heartburn, you stay full for hours, keep testing out different foods and amounts. It's working!!!

I'm a bit tighter n the mornings and tuna is definately hard for me. Lube it up well with mayo or even Italian dressing. Small small bites of it, perhaps on a cracker? I haven't eaten tuna in a while for the same reason, sliming! Keep your menu pretty soft today, since you are so newly banded, sounds like you should be fine. Was this your first attempt at tuna? If you have the least bit of trouble next meal, go liquid. Good luck!

Funny you should ask that, Paula! I just vomited it. I had some liquid Tylenol with Codiene in the Med cabinet. I checked the dosage and took 20ml which is about one and a half extra strength tylenol plus the appropriate amount of codeine...whatever that is. Within 15 min I felt a bit woozy, but was fine. The pain in my poor old boobie was better so I watched TV and had a cup of coffee waiting for hubby to get back from the hospital visiting his mom. I got up and unlocked the door when he got back, sat back down, felt nauseous, went to the sink and puked it all up! Well, just the coffee and whatever else, no food. SO! I poured the rest of the med down the drain, I'll not take THAT again! Yuck! But I feel oh! so much better. Going to bed. My mother-in-law had an MRI done tonight and we'll know the results in the morning. She's fine, but keeps forgetting she has a catheter in and gets up to go to the bathroom. She has an alarm on her bed in case she tries to get up. She could easily fall and break something else! Her short-term memory is terrible...anxoius for results. No coffee for 2 days and liquids for 2 days. I had about 5 good heaves...not good. At least it was all liquid, but will take care of Fred the Band and go easy on him. What a day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my gosh I think it looks just lovely!! You are so beautiful, though, you could get away with just about any style...but I love this!!!

OUCH! My left boob hurts!! I took out the ice pack which was no longer cold and there was a small M&M sized spot of bright red blood on the paper wrapping the ice pack. So it's bleeding through the steristrips and the 4X4 gauze pad and onto the paper. ew. I haven't had a chance to get a good look at it, I just replaced the ice packs with cold ones but the soreness is really kicking in. When I get the kids in bed I'll mess with it and get a look. My hubby isn't home. Get this...his sister-in-law called. Hubby's Mom lives with her and hubby's brother, she's 81, and they took her to the hospital. Stroke? Alzheimers? She fell and broke her big toe last week and has had a rough time of it. Then last night she woke up around 1am crying, frantic, worried...and didn't get better today. I saw her at lunch today and she was out of it. She was talking fine but very forgetful and "loopy", as in her own little world. I figured she had been taking some pain pills for the toe issue. In addition to the broken toe, she has both osteo- and rheumatiod (sp?) arthritis (is that right?) and she has MS. She uses a walker and is getting slower and slower as the months go by. This broken toe has been a huge distraction and her world now revolves around going to the bathroom every 2 hours to avoid wetting her pants (she wears Poise pads) and having regular bowel movements. I hate to see her declining, and I don't know what is going on yet with her at the hospital. I'm anxoius to find out. When it rains it pours. <sigh>