SuzanneG

So sorry about your experience. Maybe you could try having the Fluid removed first and see if things settle down and how you feel with the band not offering restriction. As for the doctor, mine is in Richmond. Still a haul for you, but not as bad as Nevada. I dearly LOVE him and St. Mary's hospital (where his office is and where he operates) is fantastic. It might be worth giving him a call. Dr. Brengman, Richmond Surgical Group, 804-285-4133. Also, mumof2boys, had her surgery at GW. She LOVED her doc. His name is, Dr. Fred Brody, GW Hospital Washington DC. I got that from her signature line, so I don't have a number, but your insurance could look it up. Best of luck to you. Please keep us posted on what you decide to do.

For me, nothing worked better than RUNNING! I had no idea it works your abs, but my stomach went down considerably when I was doing the Couch to 5K program. Gotta have the cardio.

RL, Everybody slips from time to time. What's important is that you recognize what you did and have already taken the necessary steps to getting things back in order. Sounds like you are back on track, so don't beat yourself up about it. Next time, hopefully you'll be stronger. Def try not to eat alone, especially at night, it's so much easier to overindulge. If you had family or friends watching, you probably would have stopped at 1 or 2 slices. Keep up the good work, this is a marathon, not a sprint, so you just have to pace yourself and keep on keeping on!

Nickie, So sorry to hear about the weight gain. Good for you for taking action to correct it! If you did it once you can surely do it again! What do you think went wrong? Did you maintain for a while and then start eating slider foods or your band got lose and you didn't get a fill? Welcome back and congrats for making the deicison to use your band to get back where you want to be!

Erin, You need more carbs in your diet, but good carbs. What stage are you in? Are you still liquid, mushies, or have you progressed to full diet? Try adding some sweet potatoes, peas, maybe some whole wheat Pasta, oatmeal, etc. NO WHITE CARBS, but whole wheat anything is OK. I think you'll see if you make these changes that your bad breath will go away.

Georgia, Glad to hear that the oxygen is working. That is exciting news for you! I hope things continue to improve.

Mimi, So sorry about your bad news. I sure hope things right themselves for you. I've read where a lot of times, even if there is a slip, an unfill and liquid diet can correct it. Do they have you on liquids now? I was thinking of you yesterday. I had to go to my doc and have part of my last fill removed. Saturday when I tried to take my medicine the first pill got stuck and came back up. Then I tried to eat lunch and of course the first bite got stuck and came back up. By Sat night I couldn't even drink water! It was awful. I was almost ready to try the emergency room, but didn't trust those docs not to mess up my band. I decided to rest it, like you did, and Sunday morning I managed get some hot coffee down and chicken broth and NOTHING ELSE so I decided to see my doc on Monday. They took .2cc out of the .3cc he put in Fri the 31st. I'm feeling MUCH better now. So they have me on 3 days liquids, 3 days of mushies and then solid food. I'll be curious to see what happens on the scales. According to their scales I've lost 2 pounds since the 31st when I was there last. Hard to believe since I had only chicken broth for 2 days! WTH? Keep us posted on how you are feeling and I hope for a speedy recovery.

Thanks guys! It is nice to be able to vent to people who understand and don't judge me for wanting to lose 15 more pounds. I have managed to lose 2 pounds (I won't update my ticker until Friday). I actually ended up too tight, like Mimi was. By Saturday night I couldn't even drink Water. I decided to rest the band and Sunday morning I tried some hot coffee, then hot chicken broth. Only the hot stuff would go down and barely. So I went to the doc yesterday and they removed .2cc. They had put .3cc in on Jul 31 with a pressure fill. I thought it felt too tight, but he had that special machine on that test the pressure in the band (like a tire gauge). Anyway, when I finally tried to progress to solid food, it wasn't happening. I'm all better now and on liquids for 3 days, mushies for 3 days, then I'll try solids again. Maybe this will get the scale moving again, but surely wasn't the way I wanted to do it. The foot isn't really swollen anymore. I go see the doc this Friday, the 14th to find out if I'll need more surgery. Wish me luck! Thanks again guys!

Be careful about opening the capsules. Some of those are designed to be timed release and opening them can change their affect. Might be worth a call to the pharm, or your doc. Sorry to hear that you are still struggling. I think a new doc might be a good idea. Does your doc have partners so you wouldn't have to switch completely to another practice?

I'm the same as L12. I actually got SlimFast stuck on Saturday. I was in a hurry and trying to slurp it down, but it had other ideas. As long as I take my time and take small sips/bites then I do fine.

I take adult gummie Vitamins Amazon.com: VitaFusion Multi Vites Gummy Vitamins - berry, Peach & Orange - 200 Gummies: Health & Personal Care I love them!

Mimi, how are you getting along? Are you still on liquids?

I figured that was a wig, but didn't know if you wore it every day or not. ha ha So were you dressed in costume for the party or just did the wig? If you really want to try Crystal Light, you could order it online Amazon.com: crystal light: Grocery I've never tasted one I didn't like.

Hey Tina, So glad to hear that things are going your way. So do we get to see a pic of this hottie? Do tell.... Awesome that you're hotter than your stupid ex's dates. ha ha I know you have to love that. A weeknight date, wow. I never cooked, ever, until I met DH and that was the first thing I wanted to do for him. He was sweet about it and seemed thrilled with what I made him, then and still compliments nearly every meal to this day. The ex used to make fun of my cooking (I was only 18 when we married), so I never cooked for him. DH always tells me that my ex doesn't know what he's missing out on! Gotta love that guy. Well, enjoy yourself tonight and fill us in tomorrow!

Doc gave me .3cc and a speech about not eating more than 4oz at a time. So I'm back to following the lapband rules more strictly. I realized I had pretty much gotten away from most of them, except the no drinking while eating rule. I feel good, more in control now and hopeful that I might just make it to finish line!

Mimi - So happy to hear you're doing better! I drink decaf coffee and tea and never noticed missed the caffiene.

LL, Glad you made it through day 1. By the end of tomorrow, you'll have this thing in the bag! MissK - Crystal Light is a zero calorie flavored powder added to Water to make it taste like lemonade, or grape, or whatever flavor. Its pretty good stuff. -- Nice pic, you look a bit like Lady GaGa. Do they play her music there? Abby, OUCH! I couldn't imagine. I've only been stung once, I was 5 and it almost killed me.

I like the unjury (unjury.com) unflavored. I mix it with skim milk and sugar free carnation instant Breakfast. It's thin enough to go down even when I'm tight and packs about 35 grams of Protein. You should be trying to get at least 60 grams a day. Hope you're feeling better today.

I saw my doc on Friday and he did a pressure fill (only done with Realize band). This tests the pressure in your band the way a tire guage tests the pressure in your tires. That way he could get me at the exact right adjustment. I went in for regular fluro, which he said looked good, and my pressure was actually low. He actually ADDED .3cc. He said he sees no reason for the heartburn, except he suspects I may have irritated my stomach by eating more than 4 ounces. I told him I have been able to eat 8 ounces all along and he said being able to and should are two different things and he told me NOT to eat more than 4 ounces and if that doesn't fix the pain in 4-6 weeks, then he would order an endoscopy. He did say again that he does not think I have a problem. I'm day 4 past the fill, following his rules and so far still have the burning, but I think it MAY be less severe, but I honestly can't decide just yet. One good thing is that I'm being as careful as I was post-op, so that has helped me get my eating back on track. I'll keep you posted on what happens next.

GA, glad to hear you are enjoying some relief. I know what you're going through with the prednizone, there is truely nothing you can do about it until you are off it, but don't be too discouraged the weight will come right back off as soon as the meds clear your system. The foot sucks. Physical therapy was helping but I seem to have turned a corner where its making it feels worse instead of better now. I think the doc is going to put a cortizone shot in it next Friday (14th). I won't sleep for 2 days after that, I'm crazy sensitive to it. Last time I literally didn't sleep for 46 hours. Anyway, if that doesn't fix it, I'm back in surgery. :smile2: I'm anxious to get it fixed. I was hoping maybe I can start the C25K with you when you're ready, but if I need surgery, I won't be running again until Jan. Keep me posted on how you are feeling.

Mimi, how's it going so far? Were you able to keep the broth down?

Have you tried any warm liquid this afternoon? What kind of a doctor says he won't fill you again if you need an untill anyway? Since Oct, I've had a fill, three unfills and another fill and mine hasn't said a word.

Did you PB the meat back up? If its still stuck, you could try some papaya enzyme.

Mimi, I'd give the warm liquids a try. Sip sip sip and if you get it soothed a bit, keep yourself on liquids for a couple of days, then try mushies for a couple days before going back to regular food. I've read where RM has told folks that a dry band gets tighter so it's super important to hydrate if you can. Were you OK before today? BTW, Jachut lives in Australia I think, so I don't know what time of day she's online.