Wheetsin

I'm pretty sure the inside of the port is lined with a metal curve, to keep the needle from penetrating the back of it. Perhaps that's what you heard? My surgeon is really good about hitting the port (I've never had a fluoroscope fill). Once he's needed me to hold a situp position to fid it (just when marking, not when poking) and once it took him two pokes. Other than that he drops right in and right back out. When I needed an unfill about 2 weeks ago, he was out and a different surgeon had to take care of it. One who didn't have much experience. And I (as always) declined the local. That was about 10 minutes of laying there with a needle sticking out of my abdomen while he tried to line it up with the port. Line up meaning hes pulling the top part of my abdomen one way, and pushing the other part of it the other... confident he's found the port, but unable to get the needle to puncture the membrane. I had a few ouchies, but man - was I sore the next day. Do nurses typically do the fills at your office? Does the surgeon not do them?

I thought your handle was familiar, but there are just a few too hundred names here for me to be sure. :faint: :heh: Dr. Hoehn did my surgery. I think he's a wonderful surgeon, but I've had some challenges with some of his staff. But I'd still go back to him. Dr. Hitchcock did the last info night so Dr. Hoehn *I think* would do the next one. I've been to Leavenworth - kind of. I've been to the military base. And a relative is a big wig at the big house. But I've never been there. :heh:

Thw two I invested the most in were (I may get the names slightly off) Isopure Zero Carb (or maybe it was perfect carb, don't remember) card free, low fat, low cal. Wasn't the best tasting. Since about 2 months post-op I've been faithful to "Six Star" brand whey Protein isolate. IMO it tastes the best, has the least aftertaste, and if you mix it with milk it blends nicely with flavorings. Low carb/fat/cal, a little over 20gm per scoop - I do double scoops.

Text him: How about pizza and sex? Doh! You're moving away from that. And I'm being a bad influence. But it would at least get you a response.

A cup of muscle weighs more than a cup of fat. When you're starting to build muscle, it's easy to go through a period of not losing weight because the fat weight is being replaced (and sometimes added to!) by muscle weight. But remember that fat does not equal weight, and gaining weight does not mean you're fatter. Do you mean the process? Long story short - muscle needs calories. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn. This is why bodybuilders can eat thousands of calories a day and maintain insanely low body fat percentages. If you maintain a healthy or restricted caloris intake, and bulk up for muscle mass, you will burn (at rested state) more calories than before the muscle was added. Burning more calories than you're eating = breaking down fatty reserves to "fill in the gaps". That's WAY simplified.

I guess what really burns me is they don't tell you all the negative things that go with this surgery and what you might have to deal with and learn to live with. Part of the onus should be on the medical staff to tell both sides of the story, but there is also onus on behalf of the patient to ask and to educate themselves as much as possible. I agree "they" should tell you, especially if you ask. And I don't mean "your fault", I just mean - it's a two way street. Such as, several people I know can only eat 3-4 bites of something and then that's it. That's not something that's really a bad thing, is it? I mean - the whole point was restricted intake. I know a lot of people who are thrilled that 3 or 4 bites into their meal, they're full. But 3 - 4 bites sustained makes me think there's a possible slight overfill, or not enough chewing. Such as the choking and the vomiting. Choking? Serious choking as in can't get air in?? When you eat?? Or are you describing something else? And vomitting is abnormal when you're relating it to the band. But if you're referring to bringing up food that's stuck (which is not vomitting), that's part of the deal, and if you - at no point in the process - were told that stuck food sometimes has to come up, then - wow, bad planning and educational process on your surgeon's behalf. The biggest percentage of bandsters have this problem, if they tell you otherwise(the doctors that is) then they're lying. Hmm, where do you get this statistic? That most bandsters choke and vomit? Because that's not typical. Imagine eating 3-4 bites and then the choking starts. Pretty hard to accept a the rest of your life doing that I think. That choking thing - honestly - kind of new. If you're choking when you eat, something is wrong. That's why I asked for clarification earlier. I can understand not wanting to pay for tests, but the $ would certainly be worth your health, wouldn't it? Moving beyond that - meat is a source of Protein but there are LOTS of other sources out there. Milk has a fair amount, and when you combine it with a good whey protein, can easily provide the 60gm. There are little bottles of a drink that are 20gn protein each - can't remember the name, but it's only a few oz of liquid. Granted it's not hard protein, but it's better than no protein. Tofu and Beans are decent protein sources. Fish is a great one, and if you find meat hard to eat, can you do salads - e.g. tuna salad? What are your eating habits? How are you chewing? How long do meals take you to eat? What types of foods are you eating? Perhaps we can help, with a little more info. You've already made a large investment - you just need some help getting the dividends.

There's a whole section dedicated to our Canadian folk. See: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/canada-local-lap-f76.html

The thread isn't rally doctor specific, we have all kinds of people pop in and out - it's just that the support group is doctor specific. Gh0st is one of the posters to this thread. (Oops, I just checked and it's "TheGh0st". Real name is Diane). If you want to PM her, she could tell you about the Yahoo groups. Or yeah - you can always start a new thread looking for an area support group. I think most of the threads that are out there now are surgeon-specific support groups. Best of luck.

"Click" and "cleek" are both accepted pronunciations for clique. Oddly enough, and technically, when you move it to an adjective only the "click" pronunciations are formally recognized. So it's correct to say "click" or "cleek", but not "cleekish". Similar with niche. Accepted/recognized pronunciations are "nitch" (though the t is not very pronounced) or "neesh". Very frequently I will also hear it pronounced "nick".

I hate it when people have body odor. Or someone in a cube next to me farts. Or the guy on the plane next to me takes his shoes off. Really I guess that boils down to "having to smell other people". And it peeves me greatly that even though everyone I work with is 18 or older, mostly older, I will walk into the bathroom and find unflushed toilets, or feminine products on the floor, or smears of who knows what on the walls. I mean - what the frap?!?

That's a really valid question, Lisa. It's a war on terror. War on terrorism. War against terror. The long war. It's such an abstract concept. Be it military or residential or vocational or whatever, before you enter into any effort, the best thing you can ask is, "How will I know when I'm successful?" Huh? :faint:

People who throw their cigarette butts out the window. See my previous post re: "what laws would you make". I think people caught throwing butts out the window should be pulled over and made to go find the butt and eat it. Pet peeve on the board - like 24 pt bright pink font in all caps. Or 8 pages' worth of scrolling signature line with a guest appearance by every emoticaon known to man. And #1 - using "pb" and "vomit" synonymously. Like many others have already indicated, a lot of mine are around "language". Not just spelling & grammar - I mean hell - my hands get going a lot faster than my brain sometimes. I hate the word "pop", as a beverage. This is actually a broad category. There's something about the way people here talk that grinds me. I know, respect the vernacular. Singular (not Cingular) stores don't end with an "s". You aren't going to "Targets", you're going to "Target". "Do you want" is three separate words, contrary to popular beliefs. It isn't "Y'ant". And it definitely isn't, "Y'antsago Targets?" No I don't want to go to Target, I'm gonna get me something somewhere else! Generally, like always, "ss" words do not end in "sst". You don't go acrosst the street. And you don't passt the time. And generally speaking "ed" is not "id", so it is not a "stripe-id" shirt. Malapropisms. Children were so loud they were raising a carcass, for all intensive purposes. People who think it's approriate to berate and (what I would consider) inappropriately discipline their children in public. Or each other, for that matter.

Looks like $165.

Mine was covered, but I'll go look up what was billed...

Whe my husband told them we were getting married, I was there - I'd flown back to help him quit his job, pack up (he's frm Sweden, and we met there, so in order for him to come here a LOT of stuff had to get taken care of and I didn't want him having to do it alone) I got something like, "You'll never be good enough for our son, but whatever - I'm tired of thinking about it and being sad, so just - whatever..." *flails hands around like she's shooing flies away*

I don't think mine will ever accept our marriage. November was our 9th anniversary. He got an email from them saying something along the lines of, "We had hoped it would end but I guess after 9 years we need to start accepting the fact that it could last." I took their baby away.

Oh no, that's how it's done. And it takes about 3 days for the smell to get out of the kitchen. I spent one xmas there, and it was a morning of pig feet and weird moose meats. Moose - is their cow, basically. At least in the mid-northern parts where his family is. pizza there is really weird. It's thin and crispy, which is nice. And they use tomato sauce and cheese and that good stuff. And then combinations of things like shrimp, ox filet, and raw egg. Seriously. They'll crack an egg or two over a pizza, and bake it up. And they have weird drinks like "Pucko" and "Oh Boy!". Now if you guys want to talk in-law stories, well does everyone have a few hours to spare? I could start with the first time I met my husband's parents... or I could skip to the time they sent me - for xmas - a picture of his x-girlfriend with a note on how they ran into her and she is looking really good. Or the gnome legacy. Or his mother's response to the news that he had asked me to marry him, or...

Hi Machele, the title of the thread is for a specific surgeon's support group, sponsored by his program coordinators and the hospital he works through. All of us active here were banded by the same surgeon, so we just use his group as our support group. It isn't a "generic" (or what do yu call it?!) support group. However, there is one (I think!) for the KS/MO area that started off as a Yahoo group and evolved into a meeting. That could be entirely wrong, I really don't know a thing about it, but Gh0st may - you might try sending her a PM and pick her brain.

I hate to say it, but you got some really bad advice and information. First - it's not the number f fills that determines restriction, it's the capacity of the band. You could have a hundred fills at .0000001 cc and not be as restricted as one 8cc fill. When you reach GOOD restriction, things like bread might be difficult to clear, and a quantity as large as a sandwich might be difficult to eat. That's about as much as can be said "matter of factly". But there's good news. A half a cc is WAY more than enough to take you from "I can eat anything" to "Holy crap that Water is just sitting there". I have moderate restriction. I can eat any foods, though some cause more pressure than others, and largely am controlling my portions myself. But if I don't chew well, or swallow too much at once, or fly, or... I CERTAINLY know it, and so does the kitchen sink. About two weeks ago I went for a fill and was given a half a cc. And this little tiny half a cc brought me from that point, to the point that I was sliming over a Protein drink, and gurgling over a chewable Vitamin, and eventually had to have an unfill. That's why it's a "sweet spot", and why it can take many, many attempts to get there. One lady I know goes from wide open to major restriction with as little as a 10th of a cc. When do you know you need a fill? Sounds like you know you need one already. For me it's when I notice I'm eating more, and it's taking me more food to feel satiated. My surgeon always asks things like "Can you eat chicken? Can you eat Pasta?" And my answer has always been yes. Perhaps with a little more restriction it won't be.

BTW, I never enjoyed that job. Not a thing about it. I was only there a very brief time. There was something about walking in the doors, and knowing that everyone you saw was there to die.

I worked for a nursing home. I was the habilitation director, fancy title for "it was my job to come up with activities and exercises for people to do". So I wasn't really involved with the consumers directly, but I saw. And I heard. What can I say, I was 19 and it paid well. But I'll say this with complete honesty - after seeing not just the way people were treated, though that's certainly a part of it - but the things that were said about them away from earshot, and the "jokes" that people would play, the way that property was disrespected, and the way that these people were ridiculed, and on, and on... And beyond that, they degree to which the people hated the place, and hated their jobs, and hated the residents, and hated everything about the place... I don't care what the expense is to me, my parents will never - NEVER - be in a nursing home as long as I'm alive and able to care for them.

I started seeing commercials for this about 3 months ago, but have neglected to read the literature about it. I'm too old for it, and have no kids. But if I had a daughter, we'd definitely have the conversation. I would not want to see schools make it mandatory at this time. Years down the road, if all goes well, I may say something different. I've just known too many people to jump onto a drug bandwagon, so to speak, and not be able to live to regret it.

Real life called and I had to leave the keyboard. IMO religious fundamentalists and religious fantics are not the same thing. I'm not saying "they're not the same". But I hold a distinction between the two. And I think that what I see as "fanaticism" the fanatic probably sees as fundamentalism. I think the media coverage of 9/11 caused a lot of confusion. It was one of the first times these terms were used in an everyday kind of way, and "religious fundamentalists" was used to describe the terrorists, rather than "religious fanatics". And let's face it - most of what most people know about anything "middle east" has come from the media since 9/11. I mean - when a grown and professional man says to me, "I don't know why everyone is so worried about Islam, you can't even find it on the map so it can't be THAT big..." - and it's not the first time I've heard something like that, it's not hard to put together. But that's specific to 9/11, and I should have kept things more broad... I just think that 9/11 and the events since have formed too many people's "understanding" of what these terms mean... and people have not really thought about it themselves. As for not calling out another atheist on their tone - outside of what I do as a moderator, I'm very "to each their own". It would take a lot for me to step in as a user. I can only remember stepping in as a user once, and actually - come to think of it - it was stepping in response to something an atheist posted, but not on the topic of religion. Atheism had nothing to do with it. It was all about a comment made by someone who happened to be an atheist, pure coincidence. And as for the silence speaking for itself, I was shopping, about an hour and a half away from my keyboard. So let my silence say "I really needed some new shoes!" (And got some really cute ones!)

If you're just wanting it to paste into another program, just highlight what you want copied, then hold down the CTRL key and press "C". That performs the same function as clicking "copy", just using the keyboard keys instead. Then just paste as you normally would in your target application.

Oy yes. I have Mittelschmerz, which is a crazy German diagnosis for "it hurts like hell when I ovulate." When it really strikes there's nothing that can be done other than a fetal position. Fortunately it's only that bad once or twice every few years. I relied on Advil to get me through the rest. And Enterprise just reminded me of something. My surgeon did prescribe Lortab for post-op, but I didn't use even half of it, and I have taken it when I've had significant pain (e.g. gallbladder acting up) and it has done wonders. You think I could have thrown in a paragraph break somewhere? Poiint being that I have now completely forgotten my point. I guess the memories of mittelschmerz and post-op bliss blew my lobes way out of synch. *sigh*