babsintx3

Hi Shelly, Glad to hear you are on your way again. FYI: Since my PS last year when they emptied my band completely, I have been getting slowly filled back up too. I now have 2.5 in my band which is almost the most I ever had and I have no problems either. I really feel like I could have more, but I am holding out and trying to work on the food habits again instead of solely depending on the band. Its working and I am losing again (I think) I refuse to weight myself anymore, so I just use my clothes as a gauge. I am still wearing the same clothes since the year before last, so I guess I am doing all right! Babs in TX 334/180 ish

Hi Suzi, I would be game to join in. I am in the Fort Worth area. However, I am not availlable the weekend of the 21 july. I am leaving for MO on the 22nd for a week. TImeshare vacation!!! Babs in TX 334/180 ish

Hi, Not yet, still hanging on by a thread..... Yes, it really changes the dynamic of the relationship and exacerbates the problems that were already there in mine..... Babs in TX 334/180 ish -150 ish

Hi, I needed plastic surgery despite the fact I exercised 4 times a week. I lost over 150 lbs though and with my clothes on, you couldnt tell , but when they were off...... My stomach was down to pubis aread and it looked gross. I had 4 lbs of stomach cut off with TT and several pounds of skin cut off my thighs with medial thighplasty. I am much happier both with the physical appearance of a flat tummy and not having to worry about hanging pannus, odor problems and infected skin between my thighs. Things are much better in that respect. Babs in TX 334/180 ish -150 ish

Hi Brenda, Sorry about your PB from hell! I had a similar problem with my surgeon. After my PS, he rationed my fill. Gave me 1.00 back and told me to comeback in 3months for another.. Previous to PS, I had 2.4 in my band with no problems, so as you know it can be frustrating when the docs treat you like a newbie. My doc said that I just had to be compliant, be a good girl and watch my intake, yadda yadda. I was really offended since I had already gained 10 pounds when I quit smoking for the surgery and another 5 pounds after because I had nothing in my band for 8 weeks. Sometimes these docs put everyone in the same category and that can be frustrating now that I am almost 3 years post op. Find someone who listens to you. Babs in TX 334/180 ish -150 ish but I really dont know cause I dont weigh anymore!!! NSV I think...

Hi, IN the last two months, I started letting my almost 11 year old get off the school bus and press a code on the garage to get in on his own. He gets home at 5:10 pm and sometimes I dont get home until 20 minutes after 5PM leaving him alone for a grand total of 10 minutes. Last week for the first time, I let him stay at home while my husband and I took my 4 year old to the park down the street in our neighborhood. THis was for less than 30 minutes and even this made me nervous. I am trying to let him grow up a little, but I am very overprotective and even watch him when he crosses the road to go to the school bus stop. I dont think I could have done this any sooner than now, but his friends probably thought I was a little schizo, so I figured it was time to give him 10-15 minutes a day of independence. Babs in TX 334/180 ish

Hi Janet, I noticed a couple of things when I was reading your daily intake. I saw lots of Protein shakes. Are you sure its not these giving you the problem??? If I ingested those, I might have extreme gas as well. The other thing I thought of was your gall bladder. DO you still have yours??? Just wondering....... Babs in TX 334/180ish -150 ish

Hi, I did this in my first several weeks with bacon. I just chewed it to a pulp and then spit it out. My nutritionist said that this was normal. THe chewing impulse does not go away for some and when you are on liquids for extended periods of time, you get the craving to chew on something. I wouldnt worry about it unless it became a habit. Babs in TX 334/180 ish -150 ish

Hi Forest, I am assuming you did not have a fill yet and do not have restriction. Even with restriction, I can eat chicken and rice. As a matter of fact, I still eat them regularly now. Chicken is Protein and you should eat it if you can. I eat it almost everyday. Rice you might want to avoid since its not the greatest food choice. Bandsters eat their protein first, then veggies and if any room left, limited carbs. Until you actualy have restriction, you wont know what foods you can handle and which ones you cant. Most bandsters have problem with bread, but I can also eat bread and do not have any problems with it either. I just choose not to since I can get my Fiber in other ways like Beans for instance and most bread with the exception of real whole wheat or multigrain does little to help yo uwith weiight loss. Babs in TX 334/180 ish -150 ish 6/23/03

Hi Fuelman, I thought Dr. Grossbard was banded and all the folks in his office were pretty experienced at fills. That part confuses me. I do kinda understand why you want your $ back, but please understand that it is easier to do fills as you lose the weight because the stomach fat becomes less of a hindrance as the port gets closer to the surface. It may not be the fault of the practitioner and they did have time invested trying to provide you a service. You are not a pin cushion. If they cant do a fill after three tries then you need to walk away to avoid damage to your port. I have a difficult port to access. (NOT anymore). My port was tilted and with the stomach weight, manually with flouro it was very difficult to find my port. Now that I am thinner, its a piece of cake, but when the port is tilted or flipped, it can pose problems for someone. The lady in NY that did your fill sounds extremely competent at doing the fill, but conservative on the quantity which means you need to have another one if you are wide open now. Dr. Maese in Dallas does fills for band patients with flouro and he is really really inexpensive. Also he takes almost all insurance. He is actually a cardiologist but does fills for Mexican band patients, cash pay patients etc. I am recommending him because if you explain your situation then he will try to file under insurance with a different procedure code or do your fill for a very reasonable amount. But more importantly, he will fill you up to a level he think you can handle and hopefully it wont be too much. You could always stay overnight to be sure so you dont go all the way back to FL to find out you are too tight. Hope this helps. Babs in TX 334/180ish -150 ish 6/23/03

Hi Trish, I have had 11 fills in 3 years with and without numbing agent and I am extremely prone to infections. I have never seen a wound like this appear after a fill on me or anyone else I know. I think you have an infection. Maybe staph??? I hope your port is not infected. That wouldnt be good. Please go in ASAP. Somethings not right here. Babs in TX 334/180ish -150 ish

Hi NY chick, Your doc needs to talk to some bandsters. It is a very common phenomenon. As Alex says our bodies are made of mostly Water and during the night we clog up a little. So until we get the juices flowing having more restriction in the morning and being wide open in the night is one of the biggest bandster challenges in defining what we eat and when. Evenings are when we are most vulnerable to eating more anyway and add to the fact that the band floodgates open too and you have a big problem. THere are many theories about this. I really dont know many bandsters that have the same restriction all day long. Most are tighter inthe morning and looser in the evenings. Babs in TX 334/180 ish -154 ish 6/23/03

Hi Wheetsin, The only person who has before (nekked pics) is my surgeon. I am not brave enough to post anything of the before here or anywhere else. Regarding after, I was waiting on an article that was supposed to come out in the NY daily News that had photos of me. They cancelled this article and now it is going to appear in the Washington Post, but the photos that were taken for the Daily News cant be used by the other newspaper, so I am waiting for them to call me to set up a new AP photo session. The article was about Plastic surgery after weight loss surgery and I agreed to do this in January this year. I will post my pics soon either way! I am pleased with the results of my TT. I have an excellent surgeon and my TT came out great. I have a new bellybutton and my scar line is looking really clean and neat. With underwear on, you wouldnt know that I was cut from hip to hip!! Babs in TX 334/180 ish -154

Hi, I had a full TT and medial thighplasty last August. I am almost 3 years post op and really wanted to do this to complete my journey. Babs in TX 334/180ish -150 ish 6/23/03

Hi Michele, You are awesome!!! I am so glad that you are keeping the weight off. I know how hard that must be !! Congratulations you skinny thing!!! Babs in TX

Hi, I will never give up my Splenda. I dont believe all the rubbish anyway. Most of the symptoms they are claiming they see in folks can be associated with pretty much anything. I am a recruiter and I specialized in the food industry for 4 years. I still work some food accounts and I know quite a bit about Splenda. I am not a microbiologis or chemist, but the sugar industry is really hurting and Splenda really took off. I was using it long before others even knew about it and I havent died yet... LOL. There are so many things in the universe that are bad for us. Dont take away my joy....... I love my SPLENDA! SPLENDA rocks!!! Babs in TX 334/180ish -154 ish Been using splenda and it hasnt affected my numbers yet....

Hi Diva, Whoops, I just noticed the tour included ALL food. I wouldnt worry. Most italian food is soft anyway with the exception of Protein which I would stick to soft meats that go down well. Beleive me, your whole perspective regarding quantity will change by then and you will be happy with the smaller portions. Just sample everything. 1/2 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/2 oz HE HEE HEE!!! babs in TX again 334/180ish -150 ish

Hi Diva, You wont need an unfill to enjoy wine and cheese. Wine goes right through the band and the cheese is a soft food and will go down easy with the wine. Even with maximum restriction, you will still be able to enjoy yourself. I am not questioning your commitment. This is a perfectly legitimate question, but you definitely dont want to unfill your band. Messing with your restriction could take months or a year to get it back to where it was before and is not worth the unfill. Babs in TX 334/180ish -150 ish Banded ALMOST 3 years and happy!!!!

Hi Jule, You were talking about anger. If you think you are angry now, just think of how angry you will be once you start losing the weight. A therapist told me that I would not be successful with the lapband because I had an anger management problem. The first docs office did a psych profile and it showed that people with my "anger profile" did not do well with banding. I proved them wrong, lost the weight, but I am still angry all the time. LOL I am Angry for putting up with a family that doesnt appreciate me. (thats the way I feel sometimes) Angry because friends who I thought were friends are no longer around. Angry because now that I am thinner, a whole world of opportunity is waiting for me and I dont know what to do now that I can do anything. Angry at the time that I feel was wasted as a morbidly obese person. Anger that I can never eat like I did before without gaining weight. Anger at people that seem to be able to eat anything without gaining weight....... Anger can sometimes be fear, jealousy. You need to get a grip on it. Dealing with it after you lose the weight is an option, but dealing with it now will be better in the long run. Maybe you need to get angry enough to realize that anyone who stays with you and cant love you unconditionally doesnt deserve you....... I am not saying that your husband doesnt have some valid reasons here to be less than happy with the relationship, but he aint winning any brownie points here staying with you just because you have a kid.... Work on you, the anger and your weight and most importantly, think about what is best for you and your child. He seems like he is capable of taking care of himself..... Babs in TX 334/180ish -150 ish

Hi, I think most of us here can relate. I went from a tight size 28 to a 14W, 14, 16 . I had a TT last august and did not lose a size. I am still in a 14/16 and I actually feel really fat somedays. Since the TT, I can see more difficiences in other places (Like my huge thighs). Now I know why once under the knife (PS) its easy to consider it again...... Maybe I can have my thighs liposuctioned the next time.... Sh#%#$%$, I am actually considering this.... Babs in TX 334/180ish -150 ish

Hi Sleepy, It is true that your taste will change drastically after banding. I couldnt stand vegetables before banding. Now I love them. I especially like Beans because I effectively get my Protein and eat a veggie. Lots of fiber, lots of protein and really healthy. I put organic beans in homemade chili and I also throw in some zucchini (yellow and green). My favorite vegetable is cauliflower which I make into mashers. (It taste even better than mashed potatoes) I add some cheese to cooked califlower and some skim milk and some salt pepper garlic and put into the food processor. Its really awesome. You dont need a lot of veggies to get your daily Vitamins. And your protein is more important because it will keep you full. Babs in TX 334/180ish

Hi , I agree with Vinesqueen, Alex and everyone else here who posted about unconditional love. The physical part should equate to very little in a relationship of substance. It sounds like you have been battered emotionally and I was angry when I read your post and subsequent posts (not at you, just the futility of the situation) because you really seem to believe that your husband has a right to treat you with disdain and repulsion just because of weight gain. And divorce is not the end of the world. I have been there and life goes on. Your husband does not sound like a good role model for your child. If he berates you about your weight and allows her to believe that it is OK to only commit in a relationship just based on someone's appearance, what kind of message is that sending to your daughter??? Also, the question you should ask yourself is if your husband gained 80 lbs and tried diligently to lose the weight and kept yo -yoing would you leave him? Would you support him or would you tell him that you met him thin and his present weight repulses you?? Or would you try to support him and do everything possible to help him succeed no matter how many times he failed??? food for thought..... Babs in TX 334/180ish -154 ish

Hi Paula, My little guy just turned 4 and although he hadnt worn a diaper during the day since he was 3, we still kept him in a pull up at night time out of sheer laziness until a month ago. My older son who is now 11 was potty trained by the time he was a year in and a half old. HE was SO ready at a young age that we let him since he showed interest as soon as he was walking. We kept a porta potty in the hallway of our condo and this worked very well since he didnt like to use the big people potty. My boys hate touching their own poop or pooping in a toilet other than their own at home. I had this problem with both of them. I had to wipe my oldest's butt til he was 6 years old and he still wont poop in any toilet but the one we have at home even if it means getting constipated. What really worked for me on the potting training was having some candy (I know) above the toilet and rewarding them everytime they went there on their own. If you are opposed to the candy, try some kind of treat like fruit Snacks and ration them, giving one or two everytime he goes. Its a reward system that is easy and is immediate. If your are at home full time, then you could you the "other approach" which is sink or swim and leave them in undies only till they get the hang of it at home. AAAAH, I remember the days of running to the potty in department stores, shopping malls , grocery stores..........LOL Babs in TX 334/180/190 -154

Hi New Sho, I asked many of the same questions you have last year about missing saline, so I know where you are coming from. I had PS and my plastic surgeon accidently removed all my fill during my TT and thighplasty. He insisted he didnt, but my lapband surgeon with flouro claims I had nothing in my band when I went for a fill post op 5 weeks later. Somewhere lies the truth, but my biggest concern is that my tubing was damaged during plastic surgery and that I might have a leak. I was freaking out!!! My lapband surgeon did not seem to want to allay my fears about the leak, so I am no longer getting fills from him. I went to a different fill doc who takes my insurance and he has been filling my band back up for the last several months. I still dont have the same level of restriction I had before surgery in August last year, but I am definitely geting there. In years previous, most of my fills were done with flouro, so they were extremely accurate. If the radiologist said there was 2.0 in there, the next fill he would remove the 2.0 and it was all still there and then he would add more. I presently have 2.5 in my band and I DO NOT have the restriction I had before at the same amount. As a matter of fact, I had reflux at 2.5 more than a year ago and had to have some removed the last time I had that in my band, so longer term bandsters sometimes do need more restriction because they get accustomed to a certain restriction level and sometimes need more to help them get to goal. ANd sometimes, they also need an unfill to rest things for a while and actually need less on the refill. Everyone is different. I found when I have "blind fills" at my surgeons office, they were always inaccurate. If he claimed he added, it was never the amount he said it was, whereas the fluro fills were always accurate. I think I have had a total of 10-11 fills in the last 3 years and 8 of them were done with flouro and the rest blind. THe amount of fill is not important. This is just a random number and as long as your band is not completely filled and there is still room to add more, then there is no conclusive proof that there is anything wrong with your band. Whats important is whether you have restriction or not. If you dont have restriction, then you need more fill. Now if you told me that your band was filled up to the max and then some and you still didnt have restriction, then I would worry that you might have a leak. But since your DUMBO first doc didnt want to fill you up and rationed fills, then you really dont know whether you have a leak or not and you certainly wont know if more restriction will help you achieve your goals. Focus on getting more fill, seeing if your band really works and if you are losing restriction after fills, then have it done with flouro for more accuracy. I know you have been through hell and back, but it sound more like a doc problem than a band problem at this stage. Hopefully the new doc will be better. FYI: Dr. Adam Smith in Fort Worth is also banded and he is a lapband surgeon as well! Babs in TX 334/180/190 -154

Hi Megan, Great to hear that your band is fine!!!. I do have restriction, but not the kinda of I feel really full restriction I had before a few years ago. Now, I have to really stop myself from overeating and I am back to dieting to lose again. Babs in TX 334/180/190 -154 ish