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{{{{Katy}}}} I'll be holding you in my prayers.

I'm certainly not losing fast, but what leaves doesn't come rushing back the first time I go astray. That is a big deal. Before the band, I could and did regain weight at an astonishing speed. So I will just keep chipping away at it. The virus has left me marginally tighter, which I needed.

Wow, an overwhelming mix of feelings, isn't it. Keep us posted. :-)

Reflux is a sign you are too tight. Get an unfill ASAP. This can lead to serious problems. I'm getting over a stomach virus. Thank God I still have anti nausea meds from post surgery. They really helped keep the heaving down to a minimum and let me get a tiny bit of Water down. No fun.

Hi, just checking in. I had a tummy bug on Friday and would have been trying to throw up all day if I hadn't pulled out some leftover post surgery nausea meds. They really helped. I dropped six pounds between Thursday and Saturday. Almost all water, or course, so I've been rehydrating myself and easing back into food. Trying to get the bowels moving after several days of low fiber eating/noneating. I was glad my first vomiting experience was 6 months (to the day) after my surgery, so I had plenty of time for my band to anchor in place. I'm in no hurry to do that again!

Congratulations!!!! :-D

Thank goodness! I was worried about you. Hope you feel better soon. {{{gentle hugs}}}

Call your surgeon, don't wait. He needs to know about this. (You can get a prescription for your nausea.) Dehydration is dangerous!

That was what happened when I broke 300. It took a week or two to get under for good. Let's hope the fluids do it! Good luck!

Are you eating Protein and produce and only a few good carbs? Could you be constipated? Have you been eating salty things? Are you drinking enough to flush things out? My body hangs onto Water when it starts to lose fast, I guess to fight it, then dumps the water eventually and I drop a couple of pounds after an evening of running to the bathroom every 30 minutes. And my scale often bounces after hitting a new low. Keep doing your best and the scale will have to show it...eventually. Hang in there!

The band has little compartments and sometimes fluid can get "caught" in them for a while. Then I guess it shifts later on, or something. My fill is wearing off, but I'm doing my best to keep on track. :-)

When I was with Kaiser, you had to get a referral from your PCP, get an appointment with the dietician (whom I detested), see her monthly for six months and lose a percentage of your weight to qualify to even see the surgeon, whose name I never learned. All I know is that two years ago he was in the District and operated at a hospital there (GW?) My PCP said their previous bariatric surgeon was fired due to an unacceptabe rate of complications. (They were also very highly bypass oriented. The dietician said they had no protocol in place for banding so I'd have to use the bypass one. Shesounded like no one had ever asked for a band before!) I ran like hell, and switched to Aetna last year, did the 3 month quick protocol and was banded last July. My only regret now is that I didn't leave KP years ago. I'm getting far better care from all of my various doctors without pulling teeth to get it. Hope this helps, and that KP has joined the 21st century by now....but I doubt it...

You probably just need a little fill. The relationship between our bands and our stomach is not a static thing. It changes, our nerve endings get used to the pressure, there is a possible muscle atrophy beneath the band, our stress level changes, etc. That is why the band is adjustable. If you really try and don't lose for three weeks, if you are trolling for food constantly, if your hunger is back in force, it istime to consider a fill. Do your best to make good choices in the meantime. Enjoy your vacation!

No veggies??? No fruit? I get constipated just thinking about that! But seriously, I feel much better when I eat my veggies.

sip sip sip! Lompoc, welcome!

{{{Katy}}}

Katy, have they ascertained that your band hasn't slipped?

Atta girl! Knowing when to stop is half the battle, I think. The other half, sometimes, is stopping. LOL Especially if you are really hungry or the food is especially good. I am slowly learning not to let myself get too hungry. I have better control that way.

I love how Dr. Tran does my fills: He checks the fluid level then has me sip cold water as he adds the saline. I give him feedback re whether it is sliding right through, sitting there, or pausing and then going down. I really get some say about how tight do I want to be. (Answer, as loose as possible while getting the job done.) Fill number four is wonderful so far, one week out.

My understanding is the cold drinks can make you tighter and warm ones tend to make you looser. Maybe try sipping something warm? Broth or soup without lumps?

My new fill is doing well for me. I definitely have to be more careful what I eat, but no PB's and only minor sliming twice in the week since I got it. Meal sizes have shrunk a bit. Life is good. I stepped on the scale after a couple of days off it, and I was feeling like I was retaining water (puffy fingers),so I thought I might show a gain. But I'm down another pound. :-) What a nice surprise.

Hi, I'm not getting my notifications so I forget to pop in. I had my fourth fill yesterday. I got another .5 cc. 1 cc. would have been too much. I can definitely feel the difference. I'm hoping the fun starts now.

I'm not getting my notifications, either. I'm glad it isn't just me. I had my fourth fill yesterday. I got another .5 cc. 1 cc. would have been too much. I can definitely feel the difference. I'm hoping the fun starts now.

{{{{Big hugs}}}}

Hi, I had a nice holiday and didn't gain anything to speak of. :-) I held pretty steady, which was good considering I made a few desserts for the guys and had a little bit now and then. Now I am finally getting the scale moving again -- in the right direction! And today I finally hit the 200's. 299.0. :-) It almost feels like an anticlimax, it took so long.