mbanja

I personally would not go by the barium swallow and fluro. It doesn't always garuntee that you are filled perfectly. I had 1.9cc in a 4cc band and could eat almost anything I wanted. So, I decided to go for another fill. This time my doc filled me up to 2.7cc total and the barium passed with no problem. I stuck around the waiting room doing my water test and horked up all the water I had sipped, which was about 3tablespoons worth. So my doc unfilled me to a total of 2.5cc, the barium went down fine again and the water slowly went down. So I thought "Great, I can deal with this!" Well, let me tell you, I was so tight the next 2days I had to make an emergency drive to get unfilled. It was awful. My point is, even though it looks ok on the screen, it is no garuntee!

I have only had it a couple of times, but when I get it it wakes me up at night and I vomit from it. I know it is because I am probably eating too late, but night time is the only time I can get solids down. What is the best OTC meds for it? I don't really think I need a perscription for it but I'd like to get the best/fastest working OTC med out there. I have tried peptobismal and rolaids, any better suggestions?

Thanks for your reply Julie, I know I am slightly too tight, but I am a self pay and a little short on money until after the first of the year.

I am also curious about the canned taste. I hate imitation crab meat but I love the real stuff. Also has anyone had the canned shrimp that can give the feedback on its taste too?

Cindy, my stats are as follows. Banded 8/07 weight 235...fist fill 9/07 1.9cc in a 4cc band weight 228 (this fill volume was good but I could eat everything and wanted to be a little tighter)...2nd fill 10/07 2.7cc total weight 224...3days after 2nd fill nothing would go down 1st unfill of .03cc weight 218, 2nd unfill a week later all the 2nd fill taken out which brought me back to 1st fill volume of 1.9cc been at this volume for a month and a half current weight 205lbs. As you can see before the 2nd fill I could eat anything at 1.9cc now a month and a half after all the 2nd fill was taken out and back at 1.9cc I can't eat anything till p.m. I don't know why there is a difference in restriction now, but there is. I am a self pay so I am going to have to deal with this restriction until at least the first of the year or until I loose enough weight for it to loosen. I know I am still too tight but I have no money to fix the problem right now.

I would say take the IV fluids! If your ins. is paying for DO IT!! You are probably already dehydrated and that plus the swelling is not good!

Cindy, I am not knocking your plan, but if I could get eggs down in the am I would be doing the same. Before my last fill, I was eating weight control oatmeal for bfast, now I can't even get that down! Ugg. I'd prefer solids to liquids anyday, but my band is a different story!

P.S. isn't it amazing that now that we are banded the slimfast style diet actually keeps us full. Preband that stuff would make me ravenous about an hour after I drank it!

I am also tight in the am and afternoon and can really only eat solids at dinner time. I love the walmart brand slimfast ( I personally think it tastes better than namebrand), but it doesn't have much protien in it. I think it would be an ok route to take but make sure you choose the one that has the most protien in it so you are getting enough! I mean if its ok to do the slimfast diet with no band, why wouldn't be ok with the band?

Thanks for the feedback Rain! I might just have to get a pair. I hate spending alot so I usually go to walmart and buy my jeans but my tender port might just need a pair of these bad boys!!! Great excuse! LOL

Question, you said they were high waisted, do they bother your port. My port is positioned to the left of my belly button about an inch up and tight jeans will make it sore. Any feedback?

Maybe as we loose weight, since we can no longer focus on being fat, we focus on some other minor imperfection. Maybe some of us develope body dismorphic disorder or our disorder starts focusing on something else. Who knows!

I didn't experience that until I was filled too tight. I think if it were me I'd call the doctor and tell him that liquids hurt going down. As a matter of fact I'd do it ASAP you don't want to get dehydrated you might have to go to the hopital and be put on IV fluids if you do!

Just to add to that, some docs have to do multiple sticks even using fluro so it is no garuntee on 1stick and its done using fluro!

I kinda think it is a personal preference. My doc uses fluro but she has done blind (no fluro) unfills on my and hits my port everytime. I like that I can see my band and port when I get a fill so I get a visual update on how my insides are doing everytime I go for a fill. I think if you find a doc that doesn't use fluro make sure he/she knows what she is doing. There are so many horror stories on here about blind fills and the doc sticking them over and over trying to hit the port.

On my liquid diet I got so tired of sweet stuff cuz the protien shakes were sweet. But now that I eat normal I get the walmart brand slimfast put 10 ice cubes in and let it go round in my magic bullet for about a minute. Tastes just like a frosty from Wendy's, yum!

I love gumbo, but I am really tight right now and just can't do the rice! Have you tried other spicy foods? If not you might want to keep some antacides handy cause you might not be able to tolerate spicy. Some banders can and some can't. I don't really have a problem with them.

I tried the salsa recipe that is in the book. Yuck! It was very frothy, even after I let it sit around for a while. But, damn does it make an awsome frozen margharita!!! I will never use a normal blender again for a margharita! It really slushes the ice up to perfection! I also love the walmart brand slimfast (personally I think it taste better than namebrand slimfast) I pour in the chocolate off brand slimfast, but about 10 cubes of ice in and let it go round for about a minute. It comes out like a frosty from wendy's, oh may it is so good! That is usually my dessert!

I miss beer too!! I can do ok drinking carbonated drinks so I will have one occassionally. I do notice that it really throws a wrench in my weightloss though! I can down a chickfila cookies and cream milk shake and loose, but any alcohol stalls the process. I love red wine also (hate white wine), but red wine gives me acid reflux the minute I swallow a sip.

Hey, at least you are not eating what you shouldn't. A little taste here and there of condiments is not so bad. I know I got sick if sweet stuff (protien shakes) and soups during my liquid phase! You are not being all that bad! I did the "chew up the food and spit it out" routien to during my liquid phase. Funny, I never thought to do the "condiment" thing! LOL!

I do what Laura does and set them all out on my nightstand and keep a bottle of water there. I would keep forgetting to take my meds and then remember when I'd lay down for the night. Well, lazy me wouldn't get out of bed to take them so I thought, hell I'll just put them beside the bed with a bottle of water. It does help that all my meds and vitamins I can take once a day so I don't have to take anything mid day or in the morn! If I had to I'd probably be really bad!!

I wouldn't get the TT until after you have all the children you want to have! That is my own personal opinion though. My luck I'd get a TT and be "FINE" then get pregnant and ruin the beautiful body. Before I got pregnant I was in a size 16 pants at 209lbs. After I had my baby I am down to 206lbs and in a size 18 pants. It seems like you loose your once "normal" shape and your body changes. Keep in mind though I am not an expert on this it is just my personal experience and opinion.

Thanks so much Dalia!!! It is awsome knowing that one of my fellow bandster and Georgians does reborns!! I checked out your web pages and your little ones are adorable!!! And let me also note that you are beautiful yourself!! As I said previously it will be sometime before I can actually do my own project I tried but my little one wouldn't let me concentrate and wanted to play with the babies and paints! LOL. Plus I didn't want to scare her taking the babies apart to work on them. I am so excited to do them though! I just can't wait! I am a perfectionist so I know I won't be able to devote enough time to them right now but as soon as I get my little one in a "mothers morning out" program I will at least be able to have a couple of hours to my "reborn baby."

Hey ya'll, My name is Michelle and I live in Stone Mountain. I have been on this site for sometime now but have mainly hovered in the main forums. I just found this thread because I was tracking down MysticstarD (Dalia) so I thought I would pipe up and shout out to all my GA sistas and bros! Now, to MysticstarD, an explaination as to why I was tracking you down. I was reading another thread and noticed your avitar (the baby pic) and realized it is a reborn. So I looked at your profile and found you were a fellow Georgian. Very cool!! I just recently found out about reborns thru ebay ( which I absolutely love) and thought " I can do that!" It would be a great hobby for me since I need an outlet. Anyways, easier said than done!! I have a toddler and cannot devote the time and concentration that these babies need to become beauties! Anyways, down the line I hope to pick it up and was wondering if I could come to you with problems, tips, and advice? If not that is okay! I can understand if you'd want to keep your secrets safe! Especially since these babies are so pricey! But, it would be nice to have a fellow reborner to talk to!

I am in agreement with Val. Maybe your husband is afraid you will get skinny and fine and leave him. Shhesshhh, men! Sometimes they are so afraid of change. It is good that he is comming around though. As an extra measure.....this is kinda X rated....tell him of all the different positions your new leaner more flexible body will be able to do in the bedroom and how much more willing you'd be to actually perform them after you are more confident and comfortable with yourself! That was the icing on the cake for my hubby! He totally supported me after I threw that little tidbit in!! <wink,wink>