Rockin' Robyn

ILLUDE- All I can say is HOLY CRAP!!!!!! You look awesome! It made my day to see your stats and how much weight you have lost. You need to post more on here. Your weight loss is a true inspiration to us all. I don't know of any posters around here that have lost as much as you! Wow...I'm speechless!:clap2:

Hi Guys- I've been waiting for my 6 month mark to post these!! Thanks Penni for your help:biggrin1:

Can you guys believe it has been six months already (I guess on some days it feels like it has been longer :puke: ) Keep up the great work everyone!!

Mandy- We are definitely continuing to pray for you and your daughter. Sending lots of love and positive thoughts your way. Robyn

So easy, healthy, and delicious!:clap2: chicken TACO Soup 5-6 boneless frozen chicken breasts 2 cups diced onions 2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto Beans 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pink kidney beans 1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles 2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans diced green chiles 1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix 1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix Corn chips, for serving Low fat Sour cream, for garnish Low Fat Grated cheddar cheese, for garnish Chopped green onions, for garnish Dump all ingredients into a large slow cooker or a stockpot. Cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 2 hours in a pot on the stove. Just before serving, remove cooked chicken breasts, and shred into bite sized-but hearty pieces. Then add back into soup. To serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with sour cream, cheese, & green onions. YUMMY!!!!:wow2:

This is one of my favorite low carb meals! If you're a bandster that can't do steak, just eat the chicken part. YUMMMY!!:hungry: COBB SALAD-HOLD THE salad 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 tablespoons grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick) 2 tablespoons hot sauce, eyeball it 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling 2 pounds flank steak 8 pieces "thin cut" chicken breast cutlets 2 slightly under ripe Hass avocados – dark skinned, but still firm 2 vine ripe tomatoes cut into wedges 8 strips bacon, thick sliced 1 lemon, zest and juiced Salt and pepper 1/3 pound blue cheese, crumbled (recommended Maytag Blue) Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill to high heat. Mix garlic, steak seasoning, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar. Whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil. Divide the mixture between 2 shallow dishes. Add the flank steak to one and the thin chicken cutlets to the other. Toss to coat all of the meats thoroughly and marinate for 5 minutes. While the flank steak and chicken are marinating, cut the avocados in half lengthwise cutting around the pit. Separate the halves then, using a spoon, scoop out the pit, then use the spoon to scoop the avocado from its skin. Chop the avocado flesh into bite size pieces add to a mixing bowl. Add the tomatoes, watercress and crisp chopped bacon. Dress the salad with the juice of 1 lemon and a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill flank steak 6 to 7 minutes on each side. Grill the thin cut chicken cutlets 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove both meats from the grill to a cutting board to rest for about 5 minutes. Thinly slice the flank steak on an angle, cutting the meat against the grain. Cut the chicken into thin strips. Add both meats to a platter or dinner plates. Top the meats with a mound of the salad. To make the dressing, combine in a small bowl the lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, crumbled blue cheese, whisk in 3 tablespoons olive oil. Pour the dressing over the salad. Eat and enjoy the lack of lettuce getting in your way!

Sounds like sooo much fun!!! My Hubby will definitely be excited about this too....He's been looking for an excuse to go to Vegas again! Slumber party...romance theme....sangria...doesn't get much better than that:dance: :dance: And I have a sneaking suspicion that Lisa knows exactly how to throw a party!!!! :) :mad:

Mandy- I just read your posts, and want to say PLEASE know you are doing all of the right things. I have personal experience with these same types of issues with my son. When he was 8 years old he started having very sudden and extreme mood changes. So bad that he was no longer functional in school. He would literally throw himself on the floor in the principal's office and throw a tantrum like a 2 year old at the age of 8. Before this, he had been a perfect little prince. Of course, being in the medical field, I needed to have a reason why. After months of counseling and behavior modification steps, we were finally able to get to the trigger of his anxiety disorder/depression was triggered by 2 events for him. One...was being bullied at school by a teenager, Two was watching the news before going to school right during the time of the 9/11 attacks where he saw a piece where they were interviewing children whose parents had died in the event. I hope I am not overstepping my boundaries here, but I just have to say something. After 4 years of Zoloft, I still get friends/family ignorantly saying, "So when are you going to take him off of that stuff?" My answer is, "Never...as long as he still needs it." He is old enough now, that he takes his meds at the same time on his own accord every day. My husband and I know instantly if he has gone 2 or more days without it, due to the same sudden changes in his behavior (weepy, depressed, mouthy, angry, anxious). This is the only confirmation that I need in my mind to know without a doubt that the drug does definitely work, and without it...he would again become less functional. People that haven't gone through this don't understand. My thoughts on medicating children are...Thank GOD there are meds out there today that can help. Yes, there are docs that overprescribe as a quick fix. But if there is a definite DIAGNOSED chemical imbalance in the brain causing behavioral changes, this is a PHYSICAL problem. These same relatives/friends wouldn't go up to their grandmother with Congestive Heart Failure who is on Lasix and say, "So...when are you going to go off that life-saving medication?":confused: Hang in there and stay the course. Zoloft takes more than just a week to see optimal effects. I will also put you and Abigail on our prayer list at church. Sending many hugs and prayers your way. Robyn

Hi Jessiebear- I have definitely hit my sweetspot....Although I know what you are going through, in that your mind plays tricks on you and leaves you constantly asking "Am I there, or could I stand to have just a tinnnnnnny bit more of a fill." Of course everyone is different, but for me I all of the sudden could care less about food or eating at all after my last fill. I can eat anywhere from 1/4 cup of food in the am to sometimes 3/4 cup in the evening...of course things change depending on the day, and how my band decides she wants to treat me from meal to meal. I can still eat most everything, although I choose to stay away from bread most of the time because I don't like the way it makes me feel. I do still occasionally PB, but I have found it is more correlated with not WHAT I am eating, but HOW I eat it. For instance, if I fix something to eat and someone calls me on the phone, I tend to fall back on old habits of stuffing my face unconsciously, because I am not being consciously aware of my behaviors while I'm conversing. Then I end up having to abruptly end the conversation to PB. I have tried to get better about walking away from my plate if someone calls during a meal. I think you will definitely know when you are there. My experience has been, if you still don't know if you are at your sweet spot yet, then you probably aren't. But as you know, steady on, but not to quickly. You'll get there. I also knew I was at my sweet spot, because after that last fill, I dropped several pounds quickly after the fill because my eating habits changed so dramatically (as far as amounts and my outlook on food). That's my story anyway.....Good Luck in finding your spot on your next fill. Best Wishes, Robyn

That's right Iluvharleys, I am glad I didn't get another fill right before because no way to adjust if I got too tight. I was just saying since I am SOOOO close to my sweet spot, I wish I could have gotten one more tiny fill and waited like a month before having my port removed (since I no longer have an option for adjustments). But actually, I am fine with things now. It has been 12 days since my surgery, and although it has been a worse experience than the original lapband placement, the one good thing is that my restriction is holding on strong!!! :clap2:

$16,000 for original surgery, including pre-op consultations $10,500 for a 4 day hospitalization one month after band was placed due to internal bleeding from my first fill $500 co-pay for infected port removal on December 28th. ????? Don't have a quote yet on how much it will be to replace port. TOTAL: $27,000 and counting.... YIKES, I hadn't figured that up before!!!

Well it's official, my port is coming out emergently tomorrow at noon (December 28th). I am nervous and incredibly relieved all at the same time. Please pray that I do well with the procedure/anesthesia. My doc is planning on giving me at least 6 weeks to heal before going in and putting in a new port in a different location. I'm hoping I don't lose any of my restriction by having the procedure. Most of all though, I'm just relieved to get the baseball sized knot removed from between my boobs!!!:rolleyes Thanks to all of you for your support and words of encouragement through the past 4 months. I'll keep you updated on how it goes.

Would make sense theoretically because diabetics are at higher risk for poor wound healing. Nope...have never been diabetic

Yes, that's exactly it. Only time will tell if I have maintained my restriction. I'll let you know how it goes.

Penni- That would be great if you could post the pics. I have tried searching under Delarla's posts and couldn't find. Thanks.

It is usually an infection that has been there ALL ALONG from day one of the banding. I knew something was wrong when the incision over my port did not heal properly for almost 5 weeks. It continued to ooze and the skin wouldnt grow back together. Then about 6 weeks post op, when the skin finally did heal - putting 2 and 2 together, now I know the skin healing wasn't a good idea, because now all the drainage/puss had no where to escape. Therefore it just kept accumulating slowly in my abdomen. So it's not that the infection actually all the sudden comes up several months post-op. It is there along, and you get to the point where the pain/redness/hardness around the port just becomes too much to bare, and the only option is removal. As Delarla has posted so many times, antibiotics do NOTHING on this type of infection! The only cure is removal and resting the infected area (not putting another port in right away). It was explained to me by my doc that the port is so prone to infection because it has square edges on it and lots of grooves where bacteria love to hide/grow. The tubing itself is very smooth and doesn't tend to have that problem. Another interesting piece of info is that the tubing is actually inside the abdomen (peritoneum). The body does a much better job of fighting off infection INSIDE the abdominal cavity. But the port is NOT in the abdominal cavity, it is sutured to the fatty tissue under something called the Fascia (a layer above the muscle and abdominal cavity). Okay...enough anatomy and physiology for tonight, but I have a sneaking suspicion that some inquiring minds would like to know

I'm still a little groggy from my anesthesia today, but I just had my infected port taken out today, and I will be 5 months post-op on Jan 5th. I kept putting off the band removal because I like you am worried that I won't be able to use my band optimally if the port was taken out (I had an american doc). What I learned is that they can "cap off" the tubing and put a little cap on the end of the band when they remove the actual port piece. If they choose this technique, you should maintain your restriction that you are currently at. The unfortunate thing is that if you are not at your "sweet spot" yet and they remove the port, then obviously they have no way to adjust (add fills) during your 6 week to 6 month healing time. The only thing I would have done differently is to make sure I got one last fill and was at my sweet spot and comfortably there (not too tight) before the band removal. Keep on them don't let them blow you off. This is a serious situation. I will be posting pics tomorrow of my port removal site. Better to be safe than sorry. You have come too far, don't go back. Best wishes to you and keep us updated.

Thanks everyone for the well wishes. I'm home....The procedure itself was about 45 mins with a 2 hour recovery room time. I have to say, I wasn't expecting it to me this much. I am in just as much pain as I was with the band being put in. He removed the port and left a gaping (and I mean gaping/deep) hole in my stomach to drain out all of the infection. Praise the Lord it is over. I had my nurse friend come over the pack it with gauze, as I couldn't do it to myself. I'll try to take some pictures tomorrow when I have another dressing change. Warning though, it is pretty gaudy and not for the squeamish Thanks again! You guys are awesome:squareeye

I'm in....The end of year challenge has been an awesome experience for me. I'll do it again and again;-) I think a 'minimum' of one NSV is a great idea, then people can post more if they choose. I am for the longer time span, because I am destined to have at least 1-2 off weeks/plateau and that way it makes me feel like I have more of a chance to succeed over the long haul. Will see you next week!!

It took me a total of 5 fills, getting up to 8 cc in an 11 cc band to feel even a smidgen of anything! I went one beyond and have had 6 fills, currently standing at 9 cc, and could probably use a tiny tiny top off. Everyone is definitely different, but it is definitely interesting to see other's stories:cross-eye

I too have had a port infection for the past 4 months and have NEVER had a fever. The area is just hard and tender to palpation. Only one day out of the past 4 months has the skin been reddened. You don't necessarily have a fever because the port infection is compartmentalized in the area, not a systemic (body wide) infection. However, it can become that way (which is very dangerous-also known as sepsis) if not treated.

Cheri- Not to scare you, but that is EXACTLY how my port incision looked. I am going to try to post a picture (I haven't done that here before, so we will see how it works out). This picture was taken 5 weeks out-not at all what a typical healing incision should look like at that point. My port site took an unusually long amount of time to heal on the skin--almost looked like a cigarette burn in the middle of my scar that kept oozing and wouldn't heal. It took 2 months all together for the skin to be completely drainage and scab free! Now almost 5 months later, I am just now finding out that I definitely have had a port infection all this time (that the docs all the time suspected and never told me) and now I have to get it taken out probably next week, if not sooner. The pain is intense at times, and I feel like a have a baseball under my skin between my boobs I have been through 4 rounds of antibiotics, and if you are keeping up on Delarla's posts, you know this is just a bandaid so-to-speak in order to 'put off' the port removal (which is the ONLY cure for getting rid of the infection). The port is a very porous piece of the band (meaning it has lots of microscopic holes where bacteria love to grow) which makes it an ideal area for nasty goop to live. Knowing what I know how, I can't say that I would have done anything differently, as the band has worked wonderfully for me up to this point, and I'm very afraid that after my port removal, my progress will stall. However, I am not very far into my lapband journey yet, and I am praying this infection doesn't lead to erosion for me someday (as I know statistically it can). If I ever erode, my view on things will most likely be much different on what I could have/should have done differently. My advice to you is to watch the area very closely, be assertive in what you want your doctor to do for you, avoid the antibiotics if possible, STOP using Neosporin (It is oil based and actually can trap bacteria into an incision-its fine for superficial wounds but not deep incisional/surgical wounds), GENTLY feel around the area often and immediately report any changes like firmness that grows in diameter/redness/pain/swelling. Good luck to you Cheri. Thanks Delarla for your infinite wisdom. You have helped me so much in my journey already! I also just want to say....This Thread is AWESOME...Finally a place to put all of these posts. When you are going through the thick of things (with complications), it will be nice to have a centralized place to quickly read through to find information on what others have experienced in relation to their similiar experiences. Thanks LBT!

I have had that happen as well. Have you lost any weight since your last fill? My doc explained that this phenomenon sometimes occurs when your body chooses to lose the fat specifically located around the stomach/band area. This in turn can cause a 'loosening' effect of the band.

CCBSTX-I tend to agree with you. I have been losing weight much better than I expected throughout this 4 month journey. But I have always been of the philosophy that since reading so many posts on LBT that it was obviously going to take a great deal of time (3.5 months for me to be exact) to get to my sweet spot. Therefore, I wanted my doc to be agressive in getting me there-weight loss or not! I know a lot of docs won't fill you if you are still losing weight. But my doc is great and takes many factors into account when making the decision to fill (including can you still eat bread/meat, how long are you satisfied after a meal, how much can you eat at one time). I like the fact that he doesn't determine whether or not you need a fill based on your weight loss for the week/month. You can lose 2 pounds a week on Weight Watchers, but the stamina to stay on the program, and maintaining the weight loss was always the problem for me. I, like you, always lost 2-3 pound per week in the weeks/months following my surgery, but never experienced much of any restriction until just two weeks ago. In the back of my mind I thought of my first few months as a very strict "diet" so to speak, and like all the other millions of diets I had been on in my life, I knew that my success would at some point come to an end if I didn't have my band to help me. And when that point DID come, I wanted my band to be there to back me up so I could truly use it as my tool. I therefore was filled every 2-3 weeks until I experienced restriction (I didn't wait for my weight loss to slow and THEN get a fill). I know others will disagree with me on this philosophy, but all I can say is that it worked well for me and each and every person here has to do what is best for them. I have loss 78 pounds in just 4 months, and I feel fantastic! I realize that this is an unusually high amount of weight to lose for bandsters, but I have worked very hard and I believe I truly owe it all to my 'assertive fill' philosophy. My relationship with food has completely changed. I now view eating almost as a chore, instead of a recreational sport. I have only been able to "feel" the effects of a restrictive band-therefore being ABLE to use it as my weight loss tool-for the last two weeks since I have gotten to my sweet spot. Had I waited all this time to start my fills or be more agressive/assertive with them, I know that at some point I would have fallen off the wagon and desperately BINGED repeatedly just as I have so many millions of times before, gaining back what I had lost. Knowing what I know now...Had I taken that road, it still would have taken me the 5 more fills and 3 months to reach my sweet spot since our bands get filled incrementally. I personally never felt the band was truly a "TOOL" for me until it was perfectly adjusted. The difference now is #1, I have no 'desire' to binge. And #2, even if I had the desire-I couldn't because my band is perfectly adjusted and she wouldn't let me even if I tried!

I know exactly where you all are coming from. Today is my 4 month bandiversary, and just one week ago, after 6 fills (and a wonderfully agressive fill dr) did I finally get to my sweet spot! I for the first time in my life don't care about food. I kept reading other people say that, and thought "Well they may experience that, but I doubt I ever will." Knowing you are at your sweet spot truly is only something you can experience. People can explain it to you all you want, but I personally didn't believe it would ever happen-or for that matter even comprehend how "sweet" it is, until it happened to me. My advice is to continue being VERY patient, and if you are still hungry...not restricted...and able to eat regular amounts at each meal-be agressive and ask for those fills! My theory is that time is of the essence (since statistically most people lose the largest amount of their weight in the first 6-12 months). Hang in there