Newblew

Judy, I forgot to say that we have almost the same amount to lose and if I lost another 20 pound like you, I think I would feel downright skinny.. remember that we are always hardest on ourselves and to the outside world, I bet you are a hot tamale! Good luck with the health issues. That's always scary - I think even more so now that we have something "foreign" in our bodies all the time. It's hard to forget about that. Sending good thoughts!! newblew

Looks like we can have our own mini versions of "Slow Users - Unite" on this board! I'm stuck at 20 pounds over 3 months so I want to join too. This is purely anecdotal based on the stories I read on this site, but is seems like there are a couple different versions of bandsters. The one that we all want to be is the person whose head is actually ahead of the game. Those people jump right into exercise and have rapid weight loss from the beginning. They start off with a diet of a tiny person and keep losing. That positive reinforcement helps the brain stay in the right place and before you know it they have changed their lives. I applaud those people - I wish I was one of them. But even though I'm not, I still think that there is success ahead. For people like me, I think the physical limitation for eating has to come first. My brain wasn't any more ready to sustain this life change than it was the last 20 times I went on a diet. The difference though, is that without the band, I would have gained the 20 pounds back completely and would be spending the next few months beating myself up over it before I tried another diet to get ready for summer. Now I can own this 20 lb weight loss and turn to another fill to help it get started again. The fact that I had lost a lot of my first fill gave me a taste of what life is like without the band. I think that made me get down on myself because it felt like every other diet and I felt like a loser because I couldn't do it myself. The heck with that! I don't care if I am calling the doctor every three weeks...I am going to maintain this feeling of restriction. I need this help. I knew I needed this help last fall when I decided to get the band. How foolish am I if I don't use it as much as possible to help me achieve my goals?? I think we will all still get there!! NMSunshine - how far is your second home from the first? Will you be commuting for weekends or is it more of a "pack up once and stay there for a few months" deal? It sounds beautiful. My goal in the next 10 years is to buy a second home in a warm climate so that hubby and I can float back and forth when we retire. Retirement is a long way off but I can dream.... Judy - hang in there!! You really are doing great! newblew

I finally had my second fill yesterday. I was scheduled for 2/22, but we had our one and only snow storm on that day, so I got rescheduled. It was interesting because after I complained of no restriction, the doctor took out all of my fill and told me that even though he put in 2.5 at my first fill, he withdrew 2.0. Where did the other .5 go?? He said that he sees it all the time with first fills but not so much after that. He assured me that I don't have a leak or there wouldn't have been anything left in the band. So we filled me back up and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. He didn't realize that I had been rescheduled and told me that I should have come in sooner. So that reassured me a little bit. If I don't feel restriction after three weeks, I'm getting back on the phone. I need to use this tool that we've all paid so much for! NMSunshine, a second home sound great! Hope the offer goes through without a hitch! California nurse, I loved your last post about how much you could eat. I felt like you were writing my story! Here's to better restriction! Newblew

Wait! Wait! I didn't tell you the best part...I'm the "cookie mom" for my daughter's girl scout troop! Since January 20th, I have had 2200 boxes of cookies pass through my dining room. Actually, now that I write that down, and really think about it, girl scout cookies have been my downfall this month. That's good news because next week, they are all out of here. Next year - some other poor unsuspecting mom will be taking on this job. Hopefully one of those naturally thin moms who can eat just one Thin Mint and not a sleeve at a time! Judy, I hope that you feel better soon!

Thanks so much Judy!! Your advice makes a lot of sense. My true confession is that I know that I'm overdoing on the wrong foods. Nothing that is going to hurt the band, but definitely junk. And I also know now that there is nothing the band will be able to do to fix that. I hesitate to write that because I've seen other posts (not on this board)where people who have had a lot of success make comments about why people would waste their $ if they were just going to eat the same way. I get it - I just thought I was going to be full faster no matter what I ate. Not that before surgery I thought I would be able to live on three bites of cookie and a half a candy bar a day. My best intentions were to eat only things that were good for me. But that was my intention on every diet I ever started... But I'm also getting ahead of myself in the melodrama department. Rationally, I know that there is every reason to think that this next fill will put me in a different place where I see more results, and find it easier to stay motivated. So I'm really not throwing in the towel. Tomorrow I'm on liquids before my fill on Friday. I'm re-dedicating myself today! Thanks!

Hi all - I've been MIA for a month or so. I had my first fill and after one week I had no restriction. So I've spent the last month losing and gaining the same two pounds - very frustrating. I hope that the second fill does the trick. It's just a little depressing right now because I know other people have had much better success in their first months. I wish that I could control it myself, but then I get annoyed because the reason I had the surgery was because I knew I couldn't control it myself. Glad to see everyone's successes though. I'm still hopeful that will be me someday.

Just wanted to add that I had my surgery in Mexico too!

I just wanted to update this thread because I had my first fill today at the above location and it was a great experience. I opted for Flouro for my first fill. Before we even started the fill, I met with the doctor for a good 20-25 minutes while he reviewed the best way to make the fills work, the important rules of banding, etc... Now I was very familiar with everything because of my pre-band research, but it was still great to hear again face to face. Then we went into the xray room and confirmed that the band was where it should be and everything looked normal. He found the port with no problems and I started drinking Water. We found a spot that worked, I drank the tasty white stuff and then I was on my way. This board can be great, but I'm glad that I didn't let The Fox's post above deter me from a very convenient (for me), very positive fill experience. Good luck to all Philly fillsters! Newblew

Hi California nurse...welcome to our happy band of bandsters!! Jen - you're done...yay!!! I'm jealous of all of you who can return to Dr. G. But Wednesday is my fill day - can't wait. Have any of you requested and received your op report? Dr. V mentioned at discharge that I would need to bring it when I went for my first fill. I requested it from Laura a few weeks ago but haven't heard anything. I guess I'll send an email to Dr. V directly. My Fillcenter didn't say that I needed it, but I think that I'd like to have it anyway. Newblew

Hi! I'm 41 and happy to join with my age group! I live on the East Coast, have three kids (13, 12 and 8) and a yorkie-poo that runs us ragged. Great dog.. we're just not disciplined enough to accomplish the whole potty-training thing. If any fellow dog lovers out there have tips, I'm all ears! I was banded 12/7/07 and my first fill is next week (hallelujah!) Right now I'm at the point where I'm questioning if the doctor even put a band in me - I am able to eat way too much and feel completely normal. can't wait for some restriction...it's so hard to be patient. You wait and wait for the surgery and then after a few weeks you realize that you might be waiting for another few months until you really have the whole eating thing under control. I'm really not as much of a whiner as I look like in this post:heh: Restriction will bring back the happy me! Welcome everyone!

Hi all, Judy - Everything has definitely cleared up. I struggled with left side pain (like a charley horse) fo a couple weeks along with a skin reaction at my incision sites but I feel 100% now. Almost too good! First fill is next Wednesday and I can't wait. I know that people don't usually get restriction from the first fill, but at least I'll be that much closer to the second fill! I'm going to a Fill Center USA since I'm on the East Coast and I can't easily get to Tijuana. I've heard good and bad on the Fill centers, but nothing specifically on my site, so I guess I'll have to make my own decision. I am so glad that I haven't told anyone about the lap band (except my husband) because now that I'm healed and not restricted, I'm not making the best choices. If I thought that people were watching what I ate and judging me, I would be a mess. My DH is very supportive and just keeps telling me that it will work after I get fills. Thank God for him! I'm sorry that you are having pain with eating Judy. I understand about not minding negative reinforcement (I'm wishing I had some right now...), but you just want to be sure that something isn't going on that will ultimately hurt you and cause complications down the road. But if you are not PBing, that's probably a good sign. And kudos on the 34 lb weight loss - that's awesome!!! Congrats on the first fill Omla! Hopefully, they can tighten you up soon. Hi NM! Here's to making better choices this week - you and me both! Newblew How much did everyone receive for their first fill?

You're right NM! I know that I was just hiding because I didn't want to stop enjoying! But I got on today and only put on 2 lbs. I say only because I had convinced myself that it was at least 8 or 9, so 2 lbs was much easier to accept. I'm not even updating my ticker because I'm back on program and I figure I can blow those two lbs away in a week. Ask me in a week though...because I want to keep myself honest and if I haven't lost it by then - I've got to record it!! Omla - I feel so bad that you are still waiting for your first fill. I also scheduled flouro for my first one because I just want reassurance that everything is where it should be. I'm hoping that my port isn't too deep though, because flouro costs an extra $300 and that will get pricey for every fill!! Thanks for helping me get back on track! Newblew:)

Hi - I was banded on 12/7/07 and am currently waiting for my first fill on 1/16/08. I can't wait because I know that I've gained some weight in the last week. What has your experience been with fills as lower BMI patients? Did your first fill give you any restriction or did you have to wait until three or four? I'm up for an exercise challenge because as of right now, it's a challenge for me to even get up off the couch! I need to start moving and I would love a little accountability. Happy New Year! Newblew