Cocoabean

Well done, Jacki! Way more calories burned than my sitting here on my bootie crocheting! But, I found this froggy hat pattern: Am making it in bright green with an afghan to match. Plus a sweater with froggy buttons. Fun fun!!!

Not sure about the average in the first year. But yes, once you find your 'sweet spot' fills don't come near as often. I haven't had one in about 8 or 9 months now.

Leigha, my money's on you to make it to goal first. I am not working at it much, I just keep getting sick Karen, you are due for a big loss! That's the way it went for me. Weeks without anything, then all of a sudden, 3 lbs gone! I hope the fill kick starts it for you! I got the neighbor's baby sweater done last night, so cute! Found out she is having a boy, also. Is anyone having girls these days? Ok, back to looking for patterns for the grand-nephew!

I'd take it very slow. Maybe try very thin protien shake or a protien Water to get some nutrition in. I know when I've had baaad stuck episodes I'll take it easy for a few days. I just go by how my stomach is feeling. Take a sip of shake and give it a bit, see how it goes. The less you put in, the less that will want to come up if it isn't good. The less trauma. I've found a stuck pill is VERY irritating. I am not sure if it is that it starts to disolve while jammed in the stoma or what, but things can stay tender for a few days. When I was overfilled once, I went back and had half the fill removed, it was instant relief. A month later I was back for a fill. I had the unfill and then some put in. Strange how it works out that way sometimes!

Good morning Anne! You are doing GREAT!! 10% gone already? Wow. That makes such a big difference to your health. Keep up the walking habit, way to go! You can add me to the list of overeaters yesterday. My GI tract was finally tolerating food! I will not say what I ate, but suffice it to say, my surgeon and PCP would not approve It was junk, and it was yummy. The last 5-6 lbs I've lost have been to illness. I'll take it, but it sure isn't the best way to do it! Have a great day, everyone!!

Adagray, I also have a necklace. When I don't feel like wearing my bracelet, I wear that. I just tuck it under my shirt. It is a 'dogtag' style that was an inexpensive add on to my bracelet order. They have some nice charm style ones these days that are still noticable as medical alert tags. The chain on my necklace is quite strong. I found I can use it for double duty and clip my work ID to it and skip the lanyard. Traditional CPR pumps a lot of air into the stomach. But the trainer at the CPR class I went to said they are cutting down the number of breaths for each pump, and that you can even just do the chest compressions with no breaths if you do not have a mouth barrier. But, I think I'd chose a slipped band over no CPR. I got mine from American Medical ID.

Roxy, If you can't keep liquids down, you'll need to call your surgeon's office soon for instruction on whether they can meet you or you need to go to the ER. Dehydration is nothing to mess with. If you can get Water down it can wait, but if not, CALL. I've gotten pills stuck before, and it sux. They can very much irritate the stoma. I hope you are feeling better soon!

Mine says "Gastric Lap-Band with Abdominal Port, No NG W/O Scope" and has my ICE contact. In CPR training I went through recently I spoke with the paramedic. My port is located where it could potentially interfere with an AED, so it is good for them to know it is there. Also, I figure that emergency folk might wonder what the tumor under my skin is if not explained easily, even with the scar. In a recent visit to Urgent Care and a separate conversation with an ER doctor, none had seen a band patient before. The more info they have, the better, in my book.

I have decided anti-biotics are EVIL! After taking them in March for a sinus infection, I am now fighting a C. Diff. infection, thus am back on them. Not to mention the yeast infection I get every time I take them. Yep, gotta love them!

Hi Everyone! I am up and dressed today, woohoo! Christie, best wishes to your brother for his safe return! Dottie, thank you for your prayers, I appreciate it. My pressure actually went OVER 100 today on the upper number 102/67...before going back down to 84/57...blah. Oh well, I got out of the house with DH for lunch. Nice! I plan to finish off a baby sweater I am crocheting for my neighbor and then start choosing something to make for my grand-nephew! We just found out it's a boy!!

Oh! Then let me rephrase, CONGRATS on restriction! It's great, isn't it? :thumbup:

er...congrats on the PB! :thumbup: 9 lbs in 11 days is VERY fast weight loss. Just watch that you are feeling OK.

Until you find proper restriction you are relying on your own behaviors. Not impossible to lose, but not as easy as with restriction. Behavior modification is part of the band deal. Smaller portions, protein first, don't drink with meals, exercise, the works. Last Supper Syndrome is common here, but remember, you will be able to eat your favorite foods again, just not as often or in the same amounts. Is it worth it to gain now only to have to lose it later? Get yourself in for your next fill as soon as your doctor will allow, and don't beat yourself up. This is a learning process and a long journey. You can DO it!

They told me to try the BRAT diet. Bananas (can be hard with a band), rice, applesause, and toast. But that might have been for the lower GI tract. :thumbup: Hope you are feeling better soon!

From your weight loss it looks as though you have been banded for a while. Congrats! Is it possible you have encounter a stomach bug? It might not be band related at all. I was awakened Saturday morning at 2am with bad nausea and other intestinal upset. Since it was hours after I had eaten, I knew it wasn't band related, but I ended up at urgent care 12 hours later. I have a nasty bacterial infection. They considered the band in their initial diagnosis, but it was rapidly ruled out. A call or visit to your doctor might be in order. I hope you are feeling better soon!

Hi Brenners! Sorry to hear of your band loss! If it were me, I'd not hesitate to consider a revision to another surgery. I'd work with my doctors to decide which was best. After having success at a thinner, healthier life with the band, I'd not want to go back to my previous condition. I know for me, that would happen without the valuable tool of WLS. Best wishes to you!

I flew about 5 weeks post-op. I had no troubles. Talk it over with your surgeon. Some folk report that they feel tighter after flying so you might want to have plenty of Protein shakes available. Plus you may still be on a special post-op diet. Best wishes!

Mine went in the trash, too! I have friends, a married couple, who are doing Medifast by choice! They really don't have much weight to lose (especially her, 5 lbs), and I can't get over that they are doing it! I made it through with my eyes on the safe surgery prize, but otherwise, yuck!

Leigha, my only caution is that you be careful to not get caught in the trap of "chasing the sweet spot." My memory sucks, how long ago was it you had the unfill? Just be sure you are totally over all the irritation from that and are truly ready for more. My surgeon speaks of chasing the sweet spot as getting a fill, then needing an unfill, getting another fill too soon, then needing another unfill...yada yada. He prefers to be very conservative and try to sneak up on the sweet spot. But even so, I still ended up overfilled once and needed a slight unfil. I went back a month later for a refill and had the unfill amount and a little more put in, and that is where I've been for quite a while now. Ok, so that said, if you are HUNGRY...get the fill while you don't have to pay for it, girl! :thumbup: Sorry you don't like my diet idea. It truly works. Blech! AND, the medicine makes your mouth taste like poo, so you don't want to eat. NICE!

More power to ya, MrsCabes! I only had to do 2 weeks of the stuff. I didn't cheat either, but it wasn't fun. Do they have a "blech" smiley? :thumbup:

Expect the best, but plan for the worst. :thumbup: I have a desk job, too. I caught a cold around the time I was in the hospital, so that probably slowed my recovery. I did one week off, and tried to go back the second week. Ended up doing half time the second, and wishing I had taken it off. That said, many have returned much sooner than I. I have a fantastic boss with paid sick time, so I wasn't worried about it. I probably could have forced myself to go back quicker had it really been needed.

Hi Kels, You've had great advice thus far. I'd like to add that I am not a weigh and measure my food type of person. I do the eyeball thing of a deck of cards is 3 oz of meat..yada yada. After over 2 years, I am getting pretty good at gauging what is a proper portion. FINALLY! Anywho....I have some days where I can eat more, and some days where I can eat less. It is normal. I look at my normal weight friends, and they are the same. As Betsy pointed out, your choice was most likely a slider and that explains why you could eat so much of it. I have amazed myself at the quantity of somethings I could cram down when I let my guard slip. This is a journey. It's a learning process. If you are worried, see your doctor, then forgive yourself and move on! :thumbup:

Tom's Girl, You are not the only person for whom a band has, or may have, failed. I am sorry you are going through all this. For me, if my band failed, I'd strongly consider RNY. I've already discussed it with my PCP who always checks my port site whenever I see him. Not that I except it, just as a precaution. I am going to send you a link via PM to another forum that encompasses different types of WLS. There you will find posts of folk who revised from band to RNY, and also folk who went band to VSG, or RNY then a band over it. It might give you a broader range of info and exeriences. Best wishes to feeling better!!

I lost 8 lbs on the pre-op. I did the Medifast program. Best wishes!

I am making a leap that you have a 10cc band. I am with Leigha, a slight unfill can make a HUGE difference. My surgeon speaks as to how when you get more fill in the band, smaller amounts of fill then make bigger differences. If you were to remove .5 or even 1.0 you'd still have more than you had when you were gaining. It might be enough to give you the restriction you need without being too loose. Think about when you put a belt around your waist. On its loosest setting you have to pull it in several holes to reach your skin. Once there, it only takes one hole to start pinching you. Sometimes you have to poke a hole in between to be comfortable. Are you on any type of acid blockers? You might ask about using them temporarily until things calm down. I hope things work out for you and things settle down! I am wondering if when your sinuses flare up, if you could not go in for a slight unfill, then refill when cleared? It might happen too often for that to be practical, but just a thought from the outside looking in.