BlueEyedKitty

I thought someone should just clarify one little thing, Wasa...

There are no Mormons in Colorado City. The people to whom you are referring are NOT mormons.

I'm in!

BlueEyedKitty.....Start 248.....Current 248.......goal 235.....to go 14

First to Omlagirl...welcome to bandland!!

Thanks to everyone who convinced me to stop beating myself up over the apple fritter episode! Things are going well, I'm down 25 lbs and feeling really good! Last night I had a dinner date and I made lasagna. I wasn't sure if I would be able to handle the Pasta, but I figured that if I thought it was giving me trouble I would just eat the meat and cheese parts and leave the noodles. Well I had one small piece of lasagna, noodles and all, without any difficulty. The really great part is that it was just one small piece and not 2 large pieces! And I was totally full. And i impressed my date with my awesome lasagna

I bought a pair of jeans almost a year ago thinking I would be able to get into them...NOT! So today I put them on (22s) and not only could I get into them, I actually zipped them up without difficulty. They're still a little tight, but I think in a couple more weeks they should fit just right. YAY! I started working out on friday night, it was my first trip to the gym in months, and while I could only do about 20 minutes of cardio, its a start. I also did about 20 minutes of light weight lifting. Think I'm going to go swim laps tonight.

I was supposed to be getting my first fill this thursday, but now there's a problem. There is a Fill Center USA about 5 minutes from my house, but I just found out that their doc is quitting next month and they don't have another one lined up yet. I don't want to pay the 299 initial consult fee and then have to go look for another doc in town, and although there is another Fill Center 2 hours away in Idaho, I'm looking for something a bit more convenient. I emailed Dr Valenzuela and he is going to check into other docs in Salt Lake. So I think I'm going to cancel my fill appt, and if I have to wait a few more weeks for a fill that's okay, because I definitely do have some restriction now.

So that's my update, hope everyone else is doing well!

Jill

Just need to vent for a second...

So I get to work tonight and the day staff has left a giant box of pastries and 3 liters of soda in the workroom, the bastards! HOW RUDE IS THAT??!!! LOL! So now I hate myself because I ate half an apple fritter. Grrrrr! Damn all drug company and home health agency reps who bring treats!

Salt Lake City here Banded 5 weeks ago, down 22 lbs and feeling great!

Good luck on fri Miztrniceguy!

Jill

I know that regular Pasta is a bad thing for many bandsters, is whole wheat pasta just as difficult to get down? I have a few pasta recipes that I think would be great with whole wheat pasta, but I dont want to go through all the effort to cook them if it's going to be just as bad as regular pasta. Anyone know if it goes down/stays down easier?

Hi Wasa!

I'm completely addicted to quilting, but I think it might be a bit tough with the restrictions you'll have post op. I think crochet is easier than knitting. You can go to any craft store and pick up a book on beginning crochet that will have instructions for easy stuff like dish rags, scarfs, hats, etc. Yarn is cheap. Just think, in 2 weeks you can crochet pot holders for all your friends and fam for christmas!!

Good luck finding something to keep you busy!

Sunshine: Going to Fill Center USA for my fills. Theres one about 5 minutes from my house I'm having my first fill done with fluoroscopy just because I want to make sure everything looks as it should. Will be an expensive visit but I feel its worth it for the first one.

Jessie: I took 3 weeks off work, not because I thought I'd really need that much time, but because I had like 400 hours of long term sick leave that I cant use for just a regular day off or for 1-2 days off with a cold. So I definitely had more than enough time to recover. But I also work 12 hour shifts 7pm to 7am and I wanted to make sure I had the energy to make it through the night before I went back to work. There are plenty of people here on LBT who only took a couple of days, so it's hard to say what's the "right amount" of time to take off. Just remember if you've only got a couple of days to recover, make sure you rest up as much as possible, and walk walk walk in between naps to alleviate the gas pains!

Jill

I've told my parents, brothers and SIL, co-workers, and half a dozen of my closest friends, and I have not had a single negative comment. There was a bit of concern from my parents about going to mexico for surgery, but no "easy way out" or "why not just try WW" or anything like that. Everyone has been incredibly supportive and excited for me. I was not sure if I was going to mention it to my co-workers, but since I decided i was taking 3 weeks off from work, I had to say something and decided on the truth. Also, I've decided that it's very good for me to have the accountability of my co-workers knowing I'm banded, because I to eat a lot of bad stuff at work. I work nights, and we all tend to do a lot of fast food, sugar, caffeine, etc to get through the nights.

The day may come when I regret telling people, but so far I have had nothing but support and encouragement.

Hey Sunshine

Yeah I'm still feeling a bit of restriction, I can eat 1/2 to 1C of food, but I havent been losing much the last 2 weeks, probably because I havent been eating enough, and I felt kindof crappy all last week. I've been wanting to go work out but I have zero energy, also probably due to the fact that I havent been eating enough. I work the next three nights, which means I sleep the next three days, but planning on hitting the gym on friday. I have a fill scheduled for next thursday so we'll see how that goes. I'm sure a little exercise will kick my losing back into gear, so I'm hopeful. I keep reminding myself that 22 lbs in 5 weeks is not bad at all !!

Hi Everyone! NewBlue thanks for starting this new thread.

I was banded a month ago by Dr G and I feel great most of the time. Still a few aches and strange brief pains occasionally but doing good and down 22 lbs.

Thanks to all for the support we give each other!

Jill

It is truly not my intention to offend anyone here and I have no intention of getting into an argument with anyone, but SERIOUSLY PEOPLE, ENOUGH ALREADY!

Wasa: your erosion stats have been posted repeatedly. There is not a single person on this thread who has not seen them by now. I have been reading your posts for months now and have found so much of what you say to be extremely helpful and informative. When I go looking for answers to my questions, you are one of the handful of people whos posts I really take to heart because you really seem to know what you're talking about, and I've been seriously impressed and inspired by your success, congrats on reaching your goal, btw. I guess right now I'm just wondering what it is that you hope to accomplish here? We've already been banded by Dr Gonzalez, so obviously no one is going to change their mind and go get re-banded by someone else. I have no opinion whatsoever on who is right, who is wrong, which doc is the best, whether or not you're a patient coordinator, or whether my band is more likely to erode because it was placed by Dr G and not by someone else.

Everyone: As a patient who has only been banded a month I still consider myself a newbie, and I come to this thread for support and reinforcement by other patients who also went to Dr G. Maybe those of us who just want to check up on each other and actually discuss how we feel, what we're eating, and what sort of issues we're having with our bands can start a separate thread. I'm not usually one to try to be a peace maker, and in general I love a good argument just as much as the next person, but maybe all of you who want to bait each other and pursue this repetitive and apparently unending discussion could take it to Rants/Raves or to PM so the rest of us dont have to sift through it? Or, since everyone appears to have already made their point more than once, maybe you could just drop it?

Thanks!

...on another note I just wanted to say that we all come here for support. Choosing a doctor is a very personal thing, and no one is going to change anyone elses opinion on who is the best doc, so for the sake of all of us that are just looking for support and reinforcement from people in the same boat, maybe we could drop all the irrelevant arguing, because it really is not constructive and is clearly going nowhere.

Getting off my soap box now.

Jill

Hey there! Just checking in to see how everyone is doing. I was banded a month ago today and I'm down 22 lbs. I took some pictures (front back and side) and compared them to the ones I took right before surgery, and I actually CAN see a tiny bit of difference even though I don't really feel it.

This week has been kindof crappy. The beginning of the week I felt "stuck" for like 2 days, just had this horrible chest pressure although nothing ever came back up. Then wednesday night I got awful shoulder pain, now that's gone, but now everything in my stomach area just feels really tender and bruised, if I take a deep breath it just aches around my band. I don't know what the hell is going on, but I'm really frustrated because I was feeling so great! I guess maybe I'm just still healing?

I'm excited to start working out, it's been a month so now I can hit the gym. In fact, I think I'll probably go tonight at midnight or 1:00 ( I work nights so that's my "normal" awake time) and see how I do with a mild workout, don't want to push too hard too fast.

Anyway, just wanted to check in, hope everyone else is doing great!!

Jill

Don't give up on CPAP if it's only been 2 nights. It can take several weeks to get used to. If you're feeling like you're not getting enough air, your pressure may not be high enough and you should check with your doctor about increasing pressure a little bit. Also, make sure you've got the right mask for your face. If you hate your mask, you have the wrong mask. There are too many options available to be stuck with a mask that's not working for you.

Try wearing your CPAP for a bit while reading or watching tv, it can help with desensitization.

Good luck!!

Dont back out...you'll be fine! I went to Tijuana too (Gonzalez) and I came back alive after a great experience. No complications other than some discomfort, and I'm down 21 pounds in 4 weeks. I feel great!

Walk walk walk walk walk...Gas X...walk walk walk walk some more!

I won't get into a debate with anyone about pros/cons of any doctor, but just wanted to add my .2 cents on this subject...I've been in health care for 17 years and have worked with many docs. I have been completely happy and impressed with the care that I received from Dr G, Dr V, their entire staff, and would do it again in a heartbeat, in my book they are tops!

Thanks for the input everyone! I heard from my doc and he agreed with my going on liquids for a couple of days, said it may just be swelling. I started liquids last night and I feel 100% better today. YAY!!!!!

I've sent an email to my doc's office, he's usually very good about getting back to me quickly so hopefully I'll have a reply from him by morning.

I've only been eating mushy stuff, so I don't know what's up but this is frustrating because I have been feeling so great ever since surgery.

Could something actually be stuck for 2 days? I would think it would have been broken down by now. I've had this horrible "golf ball" feeling since sunday night, and I can't even remember what the hell I ate! I just feel this terrible pressure in my chest, hurts when I take a deep breath. I've only been banded for 4 weeks, is this what STUCK feels like? I haven't PB'd, or slimed or vomited, doesn't feel like anything is trying to come up, but this ache under my sternum is making me nuts!! I think I'm going to put myself back on liquids for a couple of days and see if I can get rid of this pressure.

Did I really sign up for this kind of discomfort?!!???!!! What was I thinking???

Jill

Wow, I seriously cannot believe the utter lack of tact some people have!! I guess I am just lucky that I have yet to receive ignorant comments from anyone I have told (who knows what they say behind my back though!), but from what everyone here has said, it's probably just a matter of time before someone says something really stupid to me. The good part is that I've had plenty of time to come up with smart and/or smart-ass replies!!

Lori thats awesome!! I will be 35 in january and that's one of my goals is to be down 50 by my birthday. I was just banded 3 1/2 weeks ago and I'm down 20, so I'm hopeful that I can hit 50 by january. You're an inspiration!!

I was banded on 10-2. I am also single and live alone. My mom went to Mexico with me for the surgery, but no one stayed with me when I got home, although all my family members are close by. I stocked up on food, Soups, slim fast, juice, etc before surgery so I wouldnt have to go to the grocery store, but I ended up running to the store a couple of times anyway the first week, didn't have any problem lifting anything.

I took 3 weeks off work, not because I thought I'd need it but because I could. Just started back to work yesterday, and while the time off was nice, it was also good to get back to work. I could have gone back after 10 days and been just fine.

Energy level took 2+ weeks to get back to normal, I'm now counting the days till I can hit the gym for a really hard workout, getting bored with just walking.

Slightly constipated for a couple of days probably a week after surgery. Took Milk of Magnesia which alleviated problem very quickly and painlessly.

My doc said 3 weeks for sex. Haven't put that to the test yet.

Surgery after weight loss appears to be a very individual thing, so I'm just waiting to see what happens.

Good luck!!!!

Hi Mandy, feeling much better today than i did yesterday, thank goodness! I've had a little bit of a dry cough and maybe that had something to do with the soreness. I did have a little infection in my lower left abdominal incision, but I went to insta care on thursday and they cleaned and irrigated it and put me on antibiotics and it looks way better now.

I think the biggest problem I'm having is trying to understand what my body is saying. I don't know that I can tell the difference between feeling hungry, full, stuck, gassy, etc. I'm just used to eating when I feel like it and stopping when I feel like it, and having to actually 'listen' to my body has not been an easy thing to learn. I've still got one more week off work, and my goal for this coming week is to make sure I get enough Protein and at least 1000 calories every day. Who knew I would ever find it difficult to get enough calories!!! I've dropped 20 pounds in 2 weeks, and while that's exciting I think it's a bit much a bit fast. I haven't been eating anywhere near enough calories because nothing sounds good and I'm just not hungry, so getting all my Protein and cals in is going to be a big challenge for me this week!!

Hope you're doing great!!

Jill