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Sue. I guess I'd ask your doctor why not fill it? I mean, the whole purpose of the band is to lessen the hunger and allow you to feel satisfied with less. So you went through all the trouble to get it, why not use it? It's great that you lost six pounds in two weeks, but why do you have to wait till you regain that weight to be able to use your band for what it was designed to do?

These pounds are starting to add up. Combined, we must have lost several hundred of them already!

Get this: I had surgery in Mexico, and the psych evaluation was done on the second post-op day--AFTER surgrey! It was a joke, this woman came in my room, didn't even introduce herself, and started asking a lot of personal questions. She seemed offended when I asked her who she was! After talking to me for maybe 15 minutes, she told me that I need counseling. Then she left--just like that. Now, what was the point of that? I never even got to tell her that I had years of psychoanalysis with a nationally known psychiatrist.

Sweetie, You might be a little overfilled. I guess it's not uncommon for the band to "tighten" up a couple of days to a couple of weeks after a fill. The best thing would be to call your doctor's office and see what they have to say. I find that some days are better than others--things that I was able to eat one day cause me to PB the next. I don't get it either, but I just take one day at a time. As long as I'm feeling OK and keeping up with my life, I try not to worry about it.

I hope someone else has more advice for you, but frankly, your doctor is the expert, so I'd defer to him/her.

Mom--I think I would have cried! What a great reward for all your hard work. Congratulations!

Sunny, Losing weight while taking Prednisone is awesome! When you stop taking it you should loose even more because Prednisone also usually makes a person retain fluids. Good job! As for the golf ball whenever you eat, I get that too. I do think it's from being overfilled. If I didn't have to pay so much every time I go to the doctor, I would ask fo ra little unfill, but as long as I am able to keep something down and feel OK throughout the day, I am going to tough it out and wait until I lose enough weight so that the band losens on it's own.

Glad you're feeling sunny again!

Distant--sounds to me like you need a little unfill. My fill was pretty agressive, but I can still eat small amounts of moist meats, fish, eggs, etc. I'm too scared to try breads, but I can tolerate crakers and most cooked vegetables. Me thinks you need to call your doctor's office and get their advice.

Caolin--Isn't it great to be able to slide that puppy off your finger? Now that's progress! Pretty soon you'll be needing to get it resized. I lost my engagement ring that way the last time I lost a ton of weight. The ring slipped off and I didn't realize it. My son found it years later in a file cabinet!

Chim--Guess who else has a b-day on Oct 26? You, me and Hilary!

Gotta tell you all: Last week I was bummed b/c I only lost 0.5 lb. Now THIS week it was 8.5! (and that was AFTER the Cheesecake Factory) Just hang in there everyone. All of a sudden you WILL see that scale move. Have faith.

Jamie. It seems that everyone is a little different re. how much fill they got and how much they can tolerate. There could be several reasons why you gained weight over the weekend. It could just be Water retention--maybe you ate salty foods, or maybe you're expecting Aunt Flo? For myself, I had a too tight fill a month ago, but even so, if I just drank Protein Shakes and cream Soups all day I wouldn't feel anything in terms of restriction, but I would probably gain some weight. On the other hand, if I ate a couple bites chicken breast I wouldn't be hungry again for several hours. It takes time to relearn how to eat correctly. I've made my share of mistakes, to be sure! My advice is two-fold: 1. Focus on eating small amounts of the right foods, and 2. Only weigh yourself once a week. That way you won't get discouraged by the daily fluctuations that we all experience.

Good luck and stay connected. No one promiced this would be an easy path; we are going to have to work and fight at this. But together, we can do it!

Kathy--I am very happy for you and your new family member. What a lucky little girl!

I have to report a NSV! Yesterday we met my daughter and b/f at The Cheesecake Factory. (I only had Soup and a couple bites of cheesecake, but that's not the point) The waitress asked if we wanted a booth or a table and I took a chance on a booth. . . I was comfortable! My daugher understood the significance and gave me a wink when I sat down. I was soooo happy. When we hugged my daughter and b/f good-bye (they had to go back to school) the b/f wispered to me, "You're looking good!" What a great day!

ssankofa: The extra 0.5cc is probably what's left in the port and tubing that connects the port to the bladder inside the band. Your band probably only has 0.5 cc's in it

I continue to be amazed at how little I can eat. I can't even finish off one little 'ole Lean Cuisine. It's been 4 weeks since my fill and I still don't have a handle on Portion Control. Man! What a slow learner I am!! I am beginning to worry that I will stretch this little pouch--gotta be more careful.

As long as Water is staying down I think you're OK. That's how I was after my first fill--burping, belching and hiccupping. Follow your doctor's plan and if you're not able to progress your diet as ordered without vomiting give them a shout out. Remember--eat small amounts slowly and chew, chew, chew!

Awesome NSV, Ruby. I am so proud of you! You go right ahead and blow that trumpet and ring thoes bells! You deserve it!

bluebike--I can relate to everything you said about the tight fill. It's been almost 4 weeks now, and I still have issues with burping and vomiting. There is no way that I can get even close to 60 grams of Protein every day, however I do beel that I am able to take enough Water so I don't get dehydrated, and I can eat small amounts of solid foods--sometimes. Yes, the weight is melting off, but it hasn't been much fun. Here's the thing: If I didn't have to pay $300 per visit, I would have asked for a little unfill. My plan is to tough this out and hopefully soon I will have lost enough of the fat pad around my stomach so that the band will "losen up" a bit and things will ease. For sure if you can't keep fluids down, you definitely need to call your doctor ASAP. From everything I've read, a too tight fill is not a good thing.

Brandy--Isn't that a great feeling? People will think you spent the weekend shopping when you didn't spend a dime! Good for you~! I can't wait to go shopping in my basement.

Jackien and everyone: I am so thankful that this band was developed during our lifetimes so that we can live like "normal" people and have the opportunity to live healthier lives and see our children become adults and enjoy our grandchildren. All the frustrations of the band, and the discomforts (yes, I am having my share) are worth it when you keep everything in perspective. Whoever started this discussion on motivation: Thanks--what a great reminder!

Kathy--You live in London Ontario? How cool is that! My son's g/f is from London--at least she grew up there and still has family there.

Thanks for sharing the nutrition tips. I don't have any nutrition counseling so I really appreciate the tips I am learning on this forum.

What amazing people we have sharing this journey with us. I thank God for that He gave me this opportunity to meet each one of you.

Oh, I forgot--Kathy asked about motivation. I have to be honest here. I have a son and daughter who are in serious relationships with wonderful people. I suspect there will be two weddings coming up, and I didn't want to let worrying about what to wear spoil my happiness for them. The other thing was that I was feeding a baby one day and couldn't hold her on my lap because there wasn't much lap there. I had to hold the baby off to the side to feed her the bottle. (Remember when you were pregnant?) I thought that it would be so sad not to be able to hold and enjoy my grandbabies. Honestly, that's my motivation. The good news is that I held another baby last weekend and had a LOT more room on my lap this time. A NSV!

Now of course it will be wonderful to pitch the sleep apnea machine, not have joint pain and carpal tunnel, get off the blood pressure and cholesterol medications, and have more energy!

Wow, Auntie Phyl! You've got some good reasons to be angry. All of this canceling and delaying is absolutely unacceptable. I hope you will be able to convince them to get you in sooner. I just hate it when people are treated like that.

I too miss some of the "oldies" Remember Felicia's picture? Seems like so long ago. . . Not that I'm not enjoying reading everyone's postings. I have learned a lot from the discussions and rely on you all as my support group. Thanks everyone.

:clap2: Hourrah for Ribearty :clap2:

We all hope to join you soon!

My Mexican ansethesiologist was wonderful as well! I told him--in my version of Spanish--that I was getting really nervous and he was very caring and reassuring as he gave me an injection into my IV. That's the last thing I remember until I was back in my room! The surgeon? What surgeon? He spent maybe 2 minutes total with me. But so far the band is working great--he did his job!

Put me in the 100+ pound weight loss and gained it all back plus column. I did it on my own then and kept it off for 5 years. When the weight started coming back I did Pnen-Fen. That was good till it was pulled from the market and I gained even more. Here I go yet again. I have spent the better part of the last 40 years battling this and I hope that the band will be the answer to my prayers.