the best me

Problem is, I am ALWAYS on LBT when I am on the computer! So it may have nothing at all to do with LBT, I just wouldn't know it!

Lins, my fill doc is an hour away. As long as you have someone that close you will be fine. And I still want to go back to TJ for a fill when the time comes. I like my MX doctor!!! You know and understand what you are choosing and why, so don't look back. If I had known ahead of time that I would have to go to the ER for dehydration a week after my band surgery, I still would have seen Kuri in MX for my surgery. What I would have done was gone ahead and scheduled a 1 week follow up with my local doc, just to be seen, just to have the opportunity to address my concerns (and I had them at the time). You might consider that, but really, I could have and didn't see my local doc with my post-surgery concerns. Dr Kuri handled it on the phone and I was able to e-mail hime X-ray pics of my US "barium" swallow that I had done. Thankfully Dr Kuri was able to look at those and see that "you band loooks Pear-fect, no Sleep-eg" (how do you like that Spanish accent? "your band looks perfect, no slippage") So it was all good and still is and I'm fine and my band is fine and I have no regrets. It would be nice to have my band doc up the street. He's not. I'll adjust. Be sure you have acces to funds for an expensive plane ticket or just a few hundred or more dollars for whatever just in case. You'll be alright. Know what you are deciding and know that there is "No Whining!" from here on out. Just my perspective, hope it helps. OH! And just wait until you lose a good 15 or 20 pounds...OH! you will feel SO much better! Like someone popped you with a pin and a bit of the bloat is deflated and you can actually move. AHHHHH. And to feel what it feels like to actually NOT be starvin' marvin' all the time! Last night it was around 10pm and I could have eaten a snack...something, just a bit of something, ya know? But I had about a 1 inch square piece of brownie after dinner (which was 1 avocado made into guacamole with tostitos and some (6) sliced deli turkey meat and about a 1/4 cup maybe of honey roasted peanuts) and I said to myself, I'm really not hungry. Am I hungry? NO. I don't NEED anything to eat. I'm fine. WOW! I am 206 this morning...see my stats, I'm getting there! And when you and I hit 140? Girl, watch out!!!

HA!!!!!!!!!! That is VERY funny! good one!! hehehe

Mine did that several time yesterday, but it hasn't today. hmmm, what's up with that? I just X'd it out or hit Cancel.

I have been tempted to go to POGO and just see what it is. A few weeks ago I picked up Frogger for the GameBoy and my daughter kept wanting me to get her past the first little section and I ended up spending a half hour on the dadgum thing....augh!! So I haven't played it since. It's addicting!! LBT is my digital crack, I guess!

Blonde, it could be the coffee, it's very acidic. I am able to drink coffe fine now so don't freak out about having to give it up, just for a little while until the swelling goes down. I forgot how newly banded you are...seems like it was a month ago when you saw Kuri but I think it was 2 weeks ago? Kuri told me to take Prilosec, just like Vera said and I did, it worked great on the reflux/heartburn. Now I have switched to my hubby's Zantac. In generic form it is TONS less expensive and I take 2 but only when I need it. I haven't had to take in in almost 2 weeks I think. Other than the coffe are you doing okay? all right Sheri, keep us posted. I hope that works well for you and you can keep that fill and have some great restriction!

are you kidding?! You had better let us know! I am so glad you are able to address this issue with a professional. Keep up your diet and exercise stuff in the meantime. Perhaps the Band is for you, just later on. Oh, and just wait till you sleep with a CPAP machine, you won't believe it! My dad, sister, and brother all have them. They say it took some getting used to at first. Several weeks, but slowly, ahhhhhhh, the difference in waking up feeling rested is wonderful! Definately keep us posted!

Oh Trish, I'm so glad you checked in. Take some time to de-stress, okay? Wow, you have alot going on! Keep us poted on how that fill is going. So glad all is well and you are able to at least lurk. Thanks for the update!!!

A real North Carolina Swimmin' Hole! And it's never a good one unless you have to "Rock Hop" to get there. Paula, you went Rock Hoppin'!!!! I'm so proud!

Oh my Gosh, I can't believe it's almost here!!! Wahooo!!!!

Welcome Home! So glad you made it safely. Now go paint that house! Okay, you can unpack and do laundry first...

It depends. Don't you love that answer? For me, I have to get my mind in Diet Mode to lose the weight. Concentrate, pay attention to my food choices, avoid impulisve eating, that type of thing. The band keeps me from eating the quantities of food I used to, which helps tremendously. Also, when I'm full from a proper bandster meal, I am LOTS less likely to go back for more of anything else. It helps me avoid after dinner eating (sorry DeLarla). I hear others that say, "oh yeah, I just eat whatever, just less of it and I have lost blah blah many pounds..." whatever. Not that easy for me! So, it depends.

Do a little search on Esophogitis, which is what reflux will turn into if it continues. It's like a constant throat burning. Yuck. Here's what happened to me. I had my surgery and was fine, then drank a little coffee, fine, then added in V-8 juice and started getting irritated. This was day 4-5, so I thought it was normal and didn't worry. Well, I PB'd on Jello and it all went downhill from there. By the end of week 1 I couldn't swallow my own spit. It was normal swelling post-surgery that got worse because I didn't slow down. I just plowed through the recovery too fast. One irritant created another and round and round till I was swollen shut. 3 bags of Fluid at the hospital later, I start back over again and this time I take it REALLLLYYY slow. all is fine now. Just slow down a bit and treat your banded area like it's very delicate. I haven't had a fill yet, but I'd suspect if it doesn't get better you may need a small unfill. But just pretend it's re-swollen from the fill and see how it goes. Take the Tums, too. Gas-X doesn't do anything for the reflux. At least for me. The tums is an antacid.

MUAH! Oh, I like that! I'll write that ALL the time now! We ALL like to hear your story, at the very least let us know you are back and didn't need to use that living will! (I did the same thing with the will, made sure hubby knew where it was and all that crazy stuff) You will be FINE and it will all go smoothly. I'll be praying and thinking of you, as will others. Happy Bandday!!

Reflux!! From being too tight. Not that you have too much fill, necessarily, but maybe because the area is swollen from being filled. No chicken or cheese, just liquids or very soft mushies for another day or two until it settles down. Then try out your food. 24 hours of liquids after fills, just to be safe. I know you said you got your fill yesterday, and you had soup last night and got the heartburn. Was it tomato soup? Maybe you just need a bit longer, or maybe you are too tight? Try starting out at square one after surgery, and move through your food stages by the day (Clear Liquids, full liquids, soft mushies, full mushies, then food...you know) Tums gives good temporary relief.

Good for you Julie! I loved Curves, too when I was there. Had to opt out for the gym with childcare for now but I'll go back! I agree, great atmosphere there!

chicken is all good, no problem, except for that chunky chicken salad that my sister made. I slimed on that, no, I actually PB'd it!, then I took each chunk out of the bowl and cut it into chicklet sized pieces, remixed with a little extra mayo and it went down fine. I have tried London Broil but only a little chicklet sized bite. Too much trouble, but yummy for that one taste. I can eat burgers, small bites well chewed but I tend to spit out the chewy nasty pieces that you tend to find when you are actually bothering to chew the stuff. Salads are great, no problems, as long as it's well-chewed. It's not so much a matter of "can't" eat solid protiens (although she's wrong about the chicken, if you can't eat it at all, you are too tight IMHO) it's more a matter if "willing to" since it can be such a bother. You become a bit of a food snob. Some things arent' worth it. I'd be much more concerned about the things that CAN go down like Fritos and Doritos and just about any type of junk food. Now THERE"S the work.

Oh it's so much fun to start that thread, too! It hit me one time when I visited a thread that started before I was banded. It was about "where's your port" I was so excited to be able to answer that! I have a port!! And it's MY band! It's a good feeling. you'll get there Margo. Keep plugging along and all this will seem like a distant memeory. (((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))

Praying for Rico and Chris, for health and healing.

Welcome to LBT!!! I hope you find the info you need. I'm sure more folks will add to your info soon. 15 kilos is about 30 pounds, right? well done!

Wow, GeezerSue, great researching! I wasn't all sold on the pre-op diet, especailly if it is simply to test compliance. That, to me, is stupid. But if it REALLY does help shrink the liver, and apparently it does, then folks should comply. Thanks for the real deal scoop!

Okay, so I'm 40 and have nursed 2 kids and have another 65 pounds to lose, so the girls are really swingin'. I wear a soft sports bra at night or a cami with the built in. This keeps me from floppin around all over the bed when I turn over and keeps them from sliding under my armpits so poor hubby doesn't have to go digging around for 'em when, well, ya know. So for me, it isn't really preventative. I figure my only hope is a lift but with extra weight loss, I may also need implants to get those girls back up and I really don't want to do that (implants). I'm not willing to risk the loss of sensation in that/those areas for perky girls. Not when I can just wear a bra. It's the tummy tuck I want!! I think if you are floppy at all you should at least wear a cami to keep them contained. It surely can't hurt.

Bschucher, I am sure others who have had a history of purging simply lied about it to the psychologist. If it isn't a problem, dont make it one, right? But if you are the least bit concerned about this history, better to deal with it before hand. Plus, you have already spilled the Beans, so no lying about it now. You absolutely cannot fall back into that habit even for a day when banded. There is NO way you can live a healthy band life when purging. Maybe your purging history isn't a long and involved one. Perhaps you purged a few times or daily for a few weeks or months, then quit and never did it again. Just know that the same thoughts of frustration and desperation that caused you to purge before may very well rear their ugly heads while banded. It is between you and your psychologist to decide whether or not this purging history is a danger to your band health. Also realize that you may very well be the first person to actually admit this to the Psychologist. Notice that the Psychologist called you to say NO after consulting with SOMEone, right? Keep in mind that the Psychologist is in a position to cover his or her butt on a recommendation, so you are also in a position to tell them what they need to hear to give you that recommendation. Be honest with yourself and decide carefully. If you really think it's posible that the purging thing could be an issue post-banding, then get treatment. If you really thing being banded will help you even more to say no to what you already know is a bad idea and was just a long ago thought anyway, tell them what they need to hear while being honest. Decide carefully. I can guarantee you that you are not the only one here with a purging past. Maybe someone will PM you about it. Good luck. And please keep us posted. I'd love to hear how it goes!

Okay, I looked in "all posts by LaMadam" and couldn't find anything about ice cream bars at Wal-Mart recently...I'll keep my eyes peeled though.

Okay, it looks like you guys are wrapping it up just when I'm ready to hop on the challenge...who wants to start a new one for the next three months? Someone come up with the time frame and the "rules" and start a new thread!!! I'm in!