steph_co

Liz, I read this post by Dr Watkins last night: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f13/how-many-cc-s-your-inamed-10cc-band-47577/index3.html#post672978 It might help you put it in perspective...at least I hope. I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that you have a leak just yet. Just keep hoping that it's not. You still have some in there as opposed to NOTHING when they pull the saline out. So maybe it's just one of those weird band things? I'm self-pay, too. No, I don't think a leak would be covered if they had to re-operate. That's one of the risks of self-paying for this thing. It's a gamble to be sure. I hope things turn out okay for you.

Good luck with your fill! That was a strange sensation feeling the saline gurgling through the tube. LOL Hope they give you a good one. Good luck with your weigh-in, too. I don't like my surgeon's scale...it's usually 3 lbs or higher from what I show at home.

Everybody is doing so great. I love hearing all the NSVs. Even if I've read them once, I'll generally read through again from my last post before posting again. It's so encouraging. I noticed today that my work coat is swimming on me. It's an XL. It was tight when I first ordered it and DH was actually trying to get me to take a XXL. But it was right before my LapBand surgery and I knew it wouldn't last me too long. I'm so excited. I told him to grab a M when he's at the office next so I can hang onto it when I get into M!

I would go for the spray, myself. UV rays can actually damage the elasticity in your skin. I'd avoid that like the plague until getting down to a smaller size...you'd be more likely to avoid loose skin. But I haven't done any tanning...I live in the mountains of Colorado. If I showed up with a nice glow, people would think I'm a fruitcake.

Kind of all over. It's hard to tell sometimes. I'll think that one area isn't budging and then all of a sudden I'll notice that something is looser on it. I thought I wasn't losing much up top, but I think my poor boobs are smaller. My XL jacket is now swimming on me and it was tight when I originally got it. All my clothes are baggy. My ring is loose that I wear to work in place of my wedding band (to prevent damage). And I could almost swear that my feet feel like they're sliding around in my shoes. It's hard to tell unless you measure yourself in addition to weighing. That's why I measure once a month. I look forward to measuring again on the 15th because it feels like I've lost inches all over. I think it takes awhile for your body to catch up. Who knows?

Wow. I WISH this was "EASY!!!" What a load. Don't listen to that unless it comes from somebody that has actually HAD the surgery. Having invasive abdominal surgery to lose weight is EASY??? That doesn't even make sense. I have to watch what I eat. And it's not just counting calories for me. My body is being really resistant. Even if I stay under 900 calories per day, I don't lose weight. I have to take two meals away and make them Slim-Fast shakes instead. Does that sound EASY? It sucks. I look forward to when I can get this weight off so that I can eat 3 normal meals per day rather than one regular meal and two shakes. This is not the easiest way I have ever lost weight. The only time losing weight was "easy" for me was when I was on Atkins the very first time in HS because I lost the weight very quickly and only had about 40 lbs to lose. The weight dropped off in a couple of months. That was the end of easy dieting for me. The only difference I have this time losing weight as opposed to other times when I did it the "hard" way (rolling my eyes!!) is that this time, I know it'll be "easier" to KEEP OFF. It is NOT easier to GET off. It'll be easier to KEEP off. Is the point of losing weight not to keep the weight off? Or do they truly expect you to yo-yo for the rest of your life? Your body is going to fight and fight HARD to keep that weight - that's its famine storage. It's not an easy battle EVER. You know what, this PBS special actually explained A LOT to me about what fat is and how it relates to the body. VERY interesting and maybe you can get some in your family to watch it so they can understand your struggle: FAT: What No One Is Telling You - Watching: Chapter 1 | PBS You have to do what makes YOU happy. The possibility of dying from the anesthesia is incredibly low compared to the likelihood of suffering from disease (and possibly dying) related to obesity. You have to take a look at what would make YOU happy. You can't please all of the people all of the time. Take this time in your life to choose something to make YOU happy. For the anesthesia question, no - no complications whatsoever. I had about 2 seconds of nausea when they wanted me to drink some Water after the surgery and that was it.

Sounds good to me, Cindy! I really like the idea of this challenge. It really gives me something to look forward to. And I LOVE the thought that I'll be in the 180's for my anniversary (Valentine's Day)! I'll be 18.5 lbs over the weight I was when we met. I'm so excited! :clap2:

They do make sugar-free Werther's. I'm not all THAT into Werther's, but I have some of the sugar-free variety in the cupboard. Maybe try those out. I agree - carbs have to be the most diabolical, sneaky thing to have ever been created.

I'm really glad you bumped this, Jack. I wasn't here when a lot of these people posted, but I happen upon their posts from time to time in my searches and really enjoy what they have to say. Then I look for more recent posts and it makes me sad that they aren't here.

I managed to not lose a single ounce this past week. *sigh* So I'm buckling down on my exercise (walked 1.8 miles last night, half of it uphill and then I walked most of the stairs for my patrols) and going back to one regular meal, two Slim-Fast shakes. I don't seem to lose when I have 3 regular meals EVEN if I'm under 900 calories for the day. Absurd. Whatever. I guess I'll do what I have to do to get this stuff off. I wanna be in Onederland, already! I have a weigh-in with the doc on the 23rd for my fill. I'd like to be at least 5.5 lbs lighter by then. name ............. starting# ..... current#........goal#......togo# Hollyberries...........298.............298..............285.........13 Momto1(Wendy)....241.............241..............229.........12 Hungryforchange...227.............227..............215.........12 Cagstorm (Craig)...360.............360..............345.........15 Teresajo..............252.............212..............205..........7 Skinny_Jill............195.............195..............180..........1 5 Foofy .................273.5..........249...............237 ........12 want2lose............236.8..........236.8............225.........11. 8 sades..................229............199.7............189..........10 .7 chiqui..................246............231...............220.......... 11 MarieGabrielle........268............268...............256..........12 Trixie...................264.............264..............244......... .20 Firebolt................243.............224..............212.......... 12 Kristin1031...........287.............256..............240...........1 6 Longhorn..............211............211..............199...........12 BarbBee...............302.............284..............272...........1 2 Jen.....................296.............264...............249......... .15 Steph.................203.5..........203.5.............188.5........15

Debbie - Just from what I've read on these boards, this seriously sounds like you might have a slip on your hands. I can't say for sure because I can't see it myself. :confused: But the symptoms sound familiar to what I've read in regards to slips. I would definitely talk to the doc about this. Reflux so bad that it wakes you up at night, especially being unfilled sounds mighty suspicious.

I use The Daily Plate for my food input. I use my Actitrainer's website for my daily activity. I could just put it all on Actitrainer, but I started The Daily Plate before I got an Actitrainer and I'm kind of addicted to the site.

Oh...I do have another Mom comment that I forgot. My paternal grandmother is immensely obese. My mom told me one time that if I kept up eating junk food like I was, that I'd end up looking like her. Ugh.

Oh, this thread. Good heavens. It gave me some good chuckles and some major groans at seeing what people have the nerve to say! I have a couple... I went to Niagara Falls when I was about 18 and I got a keychain that was shaped like a cow and it said "Niagara Falls" on it. Well, after having it for a year, the wording wore off. My mom borrowed my car and when she brought the keys back to me, she indicated the cow keychain and asked me why I had it. She went on to explain that when people have certain imagery around, they tend to start looking like it. Thanks, Mom...thanks. I explained to her later how rude that was and she so didn't understand what I took offense over. Another Mom classic. I moved out of her house for the first time when I was 22 (only for 6 months). Well, while I was out of her house, I wasn't dealing with the immense shame and guilt that kept my weight in check and I got up to 210 from my average of 170-180. After I moved back in with her, my weight dropped back down (ah, the power of guilt from somebody that you know loathes fat). I confessed to her that I had gotten to 210 and she said to me that if she ever got over 200 lbs, she'd commit suicide. Yeah...it goes without saying that there's no way I'd tell her I've been over 200 for the past 3 years. The last one is a kid thing...one of my DH's kids asked me this past summer if I was pregnant. I said, "No, just fat." I seriously was not upset with her. I was embarrassed, but it wasn't her fault. Honestly, I think her mother may have told her to ask if I was pregnant because her mother hates my guts and is OBSESSED with what is going on in our lives (me and DH). Yeah...so the worst comments have come from my mother. This is something I've struggled with with her for my whole life. She has sat me down a few times and explained to me that her mother was also obsessed with weight and it's a hard habit to break. She has tried to tell me again and again that she doesn't mean any offense. I really just think she doesn't realize the words that come out of her mouth sometimes (Sagittarius).

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/pregnant-banded-come-join-me-37874/ This'll probably help. :confused:

Gees...3 fills already. I have 2 1/2 more weeks to wait for my 2nd fill. After a few days with my first fill, I went back to normal. If anything, now at 1 1/2 weeks past my fill, I'm STARVING more so than I was before. It is much harder to limit myself these days. Thank goodness I'm back at work and can control myself a little better at work.

I meant to say 2 weeks from next Wednesday. Ugh.

I'll be weighing myself tomorrow...haven't weighed in about a week. DH's kids were here and then we went out to visit his son and I had one day where I was not good. I'm back on track, but I guess I have to hop on the scale tomorrow and see how much damage one day can do. So...from whatever my starting weight is, I'd love to lose 15. :confused: I'll add my stats tomorrow. I think this challenge is exactly what I need for a kick in the butt right now. It is HARD getting back into my regular gear today. But I HAVE to. Thank goodness I have a fill coming up a week from Wednesday. I swear the hunger monster wants a piece. :paranoid

I was reading in the scars picture thread and saw BansterNYC whose scars looked super just 3 weeks post-op. She mentioned a gel called Kelo-cote from skinstore.com. I got all excited and thought I would try it. Now, let me say this - I am generally a good healer. I really shouldn't worry about the scars - I should just be patient and they will eventually fade. But anyway, I've been using the stuff for about 2 weeks, I think? Anywho...I kind of noticed about 5 days into using it that it seemed like my scars were more puffy and shiny. I thought nothing of it, thinking more that maybe that was part of the healing process. Well, I noticed yesterday when I got home from work (7am) that one of my scars almost looked like it had a blister underneath it. I didn't see any major trouble with any of my others, kind of wrote it off to being irritation from my bra, or something (it's the one right by my xiphoid process). I used the gel and went to bed. Got up at 3:45pm and noticed some crusty stuff on that scar. Really started looking and it was dried blood. My scar burst open. Not down as deep as it was cut...just superficially. I cleaned up the blood and I was still bleeding from two tiny spots that looked like pin pricks. It took awhile to get it to stop. I now notice that one of my other small scars that does not have direct irritation from anything but my shirt (no - I don't wear them that tight) looks like it's getting the same kind of small blister-looking thing underneath it. :scared: That gel is history. I don't dare use it anymore! The scar up by my bra is now fatter than it was. It WAS a delicate line and now it looks like somebody poked me in the chest with their finger. I'm going to use neosporin until it closes up again and keep it covered with band-aids until it's hardened enough that my bra won't irritate it. I'm just really discouraged. I don't think everybody would have this reaction. I rarely have a bad reaction to a medication (aside from Lortab...*shiver*), so this is strange for me. I just think people should be aware. How are everybody else's scars doing?

Huh. OK. I know my DH has talked about bacitracin before because he used to be a trauma tech. But when I brought up Neosporin this time, he didn't say a thing about it - just, "OK." He's using it on a bad scrape he has, too. LOL We'll have to drop by the store today or possibly tomorrow to get some bacitracin. I had strings sticking out, too. I tried gently tugging to get it long enough to be cut and never quite could. All but one small piece finally got close enough to the surface that I could completely pull them out without pulling on the scar. They were kind of gross looking. I'm glad they're gone.

Did insurance pay for your band? If so, maybe they can pay for a nutritionist to help you work up a plan for eating. In the meantime, I know that Calorie Counter, Diet Tracking, food Journal, Nutrition Facts at The Daily Plate really helps me out to keep track of my daily intake of calories. Could you try that and limit your calories? Honestly, you really shouldn't panic about weight loss until you have good restriction, which will keep you from being able to eat a huge amount of food. This is an excellent, informative thread: How the Lap-Band actually works, fills and refills - Lap Band Talk Forum - The largest forum for Lap Band Surgery Discussion and Lap Band Surgery Support

WTG, Grace! How exciting. I can hardly wait to be on that side of things. I bet it feels fantastic! :scared:

I think this has been my major problem for most of my life. Guys would be flirting with me and I would have no idea. One guy I worked with asked me on a date after a day of bashing each other and I couldn't believe it. He couldn't figure out why I was surprised. As he put it, "We've been flirting all day long!" Um...okay. LOL DH has to point out when guys are checking me out. I still don't believe him - I think he's just being nice, or something. As for how I flirt...uh...I don't flirt with strangers because I'm so sure I'll be turned down. Now, if it's somebody that has started a conversation and we're talking, then I tease. That's how I flirt. In DH's case, after the witty back-and-forth banter, I strategically brushed my chest against his back going past him while we were at work. :scared:

We got a Garmin Nuvi 350 for Christmas. I had thought they were an unnecessary luxury, but I am in LOVE with the thing and haven't even used it that much, yet. I've only used it to direct me somewhere once so far, but I love watching it work and show me driving down the road. LOL I guess I'm entertained by it, too. I look forward to many years of good use to it! It's fun to use.

Wall enclosing killer tiger 4 feet below industry standard - CNN.com The wall was only 12 feet tall. But the moat seems like it would be sufficient to stop the jump. Huh. Maybe not. I could have sworn I heard something on the news about the bloody shoe being found INSIDE the display, which would indicate to me that he dangled his foot in.