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Krystal, I cannot tell you how much I urge to NOT DO THE BAND IN MEXICO! Just go through the boards and you'll find horror stories and most of them are from people who thought they were saving money and time but going south of the border. It's a BIG mistake. If you have a problem, doctors here often refuse to take on the complication that they didn't cause. You're mother would be less than watchful if she allows this, and more so if she takes you there. There are very definite reasons for the rules and protoculs of surgeries. I'm not telling you to go the most difficult way, but there are many surgeons who will do lapband surgery on young women around 18. Take the time to find one in your area because lucky as your other responder was in her recovery, will she be there to take you and your mom to Mexico if something needs to be fixed? And will your mom feel good about Mexico is you're taken to an emergency room, or find out somethings wrong with your port and no one hear will fix it? Why would you do that to yourself? I know that it is very very difficult to not want instant change, but although you are an age where weight is very much and issue, there are many ways young women can take off weight. There may be reasons to say yes or no to you, but if you get a no from everyone, you better believe there's a good reason. Just remember, most of the time you get what you pay for, and cheap goes to cheap. My friend's daughter who's just 18 had lapband at a local surgicenter. While some might question the wisdom, at least she was in the a surgeon who is also at an accreditted hospital, and she can be easily treated for any problems as well as monitored and ask questions anytime she wishes. I wish you the best of luck whatever your choice. If you were my daughter, you wouldn't be going anywhere I couldn't take you in a short car trip. I'm sure your mom will feel the same.

Hi everyone, Slipped away again. Just too busy at work, and then I come home to my bathroom renovation and I'm too tired and cranky to write much. What a year to start a renovation. Bad news- business is bad. Good news- the housing market is slow so it's a good year to get workers to give a good price. Everything has a balance. SO, Leslie, Carol and all- I'm catching up with those of you who have had trouble eating and I'm bringing up slime a lot these days. All of a sudden. My fill was two weeks ago and I'd swear it's getting tighter and tighter as time goes on. I'm at 158.5 today, and that's great. But two weeks ago I could still eat a little bread, and it's gotten stuck twice over two days. Guess I'll be a toast girl now. Lots of things are getting stuck that didn't before. I don't like bending over a toilet, ladies. ARGGGH! I told my DH that this is the strongest behavioral therapy one could find. After two sliming sessions, I'm not very interested in bread for a while! I'm on self-imposed liquids today and maybe tomorrow too.

Katydid.....that's a big cautionary tale and thank goodness you're doing well now! My surgeon aslo uses stomach to "wrap" the band to secure it. Now I know why! Lizalee....I remember when that this happened just a while back. Glad to hear you're doing well.

Thanks for responding to me, Nancy. I spent some time on the internet today and I think mine's from pressure on the veins....called chronic insufficent venous or something like that. Not lifethreatening, but it's all my symptons and it's about my veins not getting enough blood pumped back up to the heart. Obesity is a major factor. And heredity. I think it's stopable and possible reversible. I'm seeing my internist Monday. This fits what the other doctors told me in the past, but it's suddenly much worse which is surprising as I've lost close to 55 so far. And I went to the acupuncturist today and he said he treats it and that it can go away in just a few weeks with treatment and special herbal teas. He's helped by me and my husband in the past, so I'm hopeful. Thank G-d I was banded before I did any more damage to my health. And maybe it's something else, but I have a feeling I'm in the right direction on this one. See ya.

Hi everyone. I'm having a problem for a while now and am wondering if anyone else has or has seen this. On the lower part of my calves, I've had some discoloration over the past few years. Two doctors have seen it and told me it's pressure on my veins and lose weight. Well, I'm losing weight and have it more. Of course, I'm walking more, etc as well, so there's still plenty of pressure on my lower legs. And it hurts a little and looks like bruises with bumps under them. I recently showed my legs to my radiologist when I was having a mammo (all good there, thank goodness) and he felt I might have less veins than others there, but that it wasn't serious (no, just ugly) and that as the weight keeps going down it may get better and eventually fade. He suggested trying to keep my feet up. I'm going for my physical next week so I get to show my legs again. Someone told me this was not uncommon among obese people. I'm wondering if anyone else has had this or seen it. I know doctors have seen it when there was less of it, but it's preying on my hypochondriac brain. Thanks

Hi everyone, Checking in happy, happy, happy. Went for a follow-up today (I took so little at first fill that the Dr. didn't want to do one for a while). Down 45 pounds! It was a roller-coaster visit. First, chatting with the nurse, she tells me that I'm eating too much at a sitting (I can eat anywhere from 4 up to 8 oz depending on the day because me restriction seems to change day to day). She scared me about stretching the pouch down the road if I'm not careful. She even said I drink too much- that I have to sip very slowly and drink less than 8oz and hour. OKAY. Deep breath. Then the resident came in because the Dr. was in a meeting. He told me that maybe I could eat more because my band had slipped slightly!!! He said they can slip slightly, not enough to require surgery and then the scar tissue forms around the slightly slipped band and so you can eat a bit more than others. OKAY. Deep breath. I told him I planned to wait until my Dr. was out of his meeting (that was scheduled when I had an appointment (!). That's a pet thing of mine. I like to see the Dr himself. SO.....he finally comes in, listens and tell me 1. Not at all concerned about my stretching out my pouch and liquids go right through- not an issue. 2. Your band did not slip at all. You'd feel it and would have pain and/or vomitting. So much for the resident standing there, eh? 3. HE SAID I'M DOING GREAT- WAY AHEAD OF THE CURVE AND EVERYTHING'S GREAT. He said schedule a fill, although I many only be able to take 1/2 a cc or so. He said I'm working too hard not to eat a lot and that he wants to make it easier for me. That's okay with me. He also said that he thinks I won't be really happy until all issues are truly dispelled so he'll look at the x-ray with me when he does the fill and show me that all is well. So, another story of how information changes and lots of good news- I felt great when I left. Hope everyone's having a good day as well!

Hey Carol.....look at you, girl. 41 big ones. That's the first thing that's made me happy today!! GO Carol! Thank you and Leslie and everyone for hte kind words. It's just one of those weeks I guess. I don't know how easy it is to get into the office, but I'm going to phone the nurse tomorrow. Yes, the pain is better, but I'm still uncomfortable and maybe I just need to hear from the nurse. This is still new to us, isn't it? And of course the week I pull the muscles I also eat off my "path" and so I can't tell what's what at this point. I feel like I should go back to liquids for a few days but I also don't feel like it. Carol, I know what you mean about losing after a treat. I think that's like the "eat more to raise metabolism". I believe it. I'm sure I'll get back up and going again, but I guess everyone's got to fall sometime. And everyone on the board is good about listening. I guess this whole down period will pass. It's my first since banding. Anyway, thanks to all and you all sound great. Give me a couple of days, and I'm sure I'll be back up to speed again. Take care.

Sorry to be a drag.Honestly, I don't get like this often. Too many things happening at once. My husband tried to make me smile, and that's worth a lot. As to my belly, I have been just a little worried......do you think it's just charlie horse or a pull? Do you think I could have damaged anything? Yesterday I ate a lot (and had the gooey brownie). Since then I haven't been comfortable eating. Last night I had a nasy PB with slime, and today I'm feel bloated. I think I'm going to go on liquids for a day or so and then back to very very basic again. On top of everything else going on, I don't want to be a hypochondriac but I'm just a tad worried. Any thoughts?

My surgeon told me the symptoms are vomiting and pain. He said one knows when a band has slipped.

Sunday, for some reason I no longer recall, I decided the world would end if I didn't clean off two terraces. This meant a lot of bending, sweeping, hosing down and some lifting and dragging as well. By evening, I had a deep pulling pain in my left side and since then, when I get out of bed, roll over or move in a way that that uses any abdominal muscles.....I hurt. Like a gas stitch or something. I'm HOPING it's just a bit of overuse of the muscles around surgery. It hurt a little like it hurt after banding. I can eat (although I am very restricted and food is stuck more than usual). Any thoughts? Is this normal 3.5 months after surgery? Can I pull or hurt the muscles and not hurt the band itself.

Hi Everyone. Sorry I've been off more than on the past few days. Been in a slump. I decided to tackle a big cleaning job Sunday and did a huge amount of bending and pushing and lifts plant pots to clean around them and I really hurt today all over my abdomen. I guess the muscles and scar tissue is still easy to hurt. I can eat fine so I don't think I hurt anything other than my muscles. But boy oh boy, do I hurt. Right across the upper stomach area. Feel like I just had surgery again! I've been very down all together. My husband's business has been in the toilet lately- he's in the watch and jewelry business- and it's really getting to me. I'm angry at him for not pushing more when business was good, because we're really feeling it. Gold is up and the economy is lousy....not a good combination. People can't buy when they need to put gas in their tanks, and then the product goes up in price as well. Lousy. He's feeling angy at "the world" and when he's not angry, he's depressed. So now, I'm angry and veryvery down. I'm praying hard that a deal he has going turns out well.....it could make all the difference. I work long hours and work hard and I'm so frustrated when I watch him be angry instead of looking for more work. ARRRGGGHH! Not your problem. Anyway, it is my birthday today, Monday (11th). Turned 57. I'm really lucky that I don't look my age, but today I feel it. Hurt and feel sad. And we had a staff retreat today and food was all over the place. I found out that gooey Peanut Butter chocolate brownies do down just fine, as do chocolate kisses. BAD DAY! I'm sure the sugar shock isn't making me feel any better. Oh well, first sugar day I've had. Guess it had to happen. I was 261.5 this morning. Down .5 . I guess I'll get back there in a day or two. Thanks for listening!

THANK YOU LESLIE for stirring the pot and getting this posts coming in again. Good to see everyone. I agree about exercise being tough. It's so sad to me as when I was in my 20s and 30s, I was a gym rat, took dance classes all week, and living in Manhattan, walked everywhere. And no real weight problem. Now, I'm so tired all the time, I put it last. And all the old injuries that start to hurt whenever I begin an exercise program. I'm probably starting some physical therapy next week, and I'm going to try to hit the pool again, but it's so much tougher than it used to be. Of course, the exercise dropped off even more when I got move to LA- took a car everywhere. And then remarried and actually liked my husband this time, so I stay around instead of running away. And as I get older and my job more involved, I'm home later, then make dinner, then clean up.....and by then it's 7-8PM and I'm tired. I wish I was a morning person. I wish everything in my legs didn't hurt. And somehow I've got to overcome this, because the weight loss is going to slow down and I'll need exercise more and more.

Someone tell me what C2K is? And you sound much better today! I'll be off until tomorrow night. See you then.

Prayers still with you but sounds like you're very much on your way. Isn't it amazing how much easier surgeries are these days? Amazing. Good luck iwth recovery and see you later.

I see you got lots of answers but I asked the nutritionist why not a little between meals? She didn't really have an answer other than gas. Liquids don't really stretch you unless you're consistently gulping. Someone told me too much liquid an hour could stretch and my surgeon laughed out loud...said that liquid goes right through. Diet soda is really only chemicals and of no value. They also leach out calcium. I've had sip or two of diet coke and as usual, when you don't have it for a while it tastes yucky. You may find the same. I really don't miss it. In addition to the crystal light type stuff, there's 5 calorie lemonade in cans by Minute Mail that are very good. I've become big on large decaf iced coffees with splenda and fat free half and half. Love it and it gets in a lot of fluid early in the day.

I think the hair is supposed to stop falling out within a few months so hopefully the two of you will have an end to it. Today I'm just tired. My legs and back are hurting. But the good news is had my mammogram and all is well. With some loss in the boobs, I was feeling all kinds of different stuff, and the cysts I have were feeling bigger, so I made an appointment and got it done. I go yearly anyway. My mom is a 28 year survivor of breast cancer. The radiologist, who knows me almost 20 years, didn't recognize me immediately! That was great too. See ya later.

I just had a chance to check messages and you've probably heard this already but your getting food stuck and/or eating too much. You should probably go back to liquids for a day to give the new band some rest. Your insides are all sore and swollen and you really need to be careful. I wasn't allowed any of the above except slimfast for 3 weeks. So if you wait a day or two more and then add back one item at a time, you'd be treating yourself really well. Take it slow, wait between swallows and try to limit yourself to 3-4 ounces at a sitting, several sittings a day. And applesauce could be too lumpy unless it's baby strained. Good luck.

2.35 is fantastic! It's .35 more than my surgeon wants his patients to lose a week. Weight Watchers says more than 2 is too much. I can't remember- did you have a 3 week liquid after banding, or were you back on foods quickly? To tell you the truth, I lost much of my weight in the 3 weeks of liquid I was on. Clear liquid. No Soup. My doc is very strict and I followed it. So I got a big push to the loss because of that. Now it's slower. I'm probably somewhere between 2 and 3 a week also. I remember diets where I couldn't lose that much and it drove me nuts. I know you're not really believing it yet, but you're doing great. I've been checking the drain for hair every shower, but I think I'm losing about the same as usual.....enough to stuff the top of the drain so that I have to remove it to let the shower Water go down- LOL. But I have very very thick hair, so I'm never upset to see some come out. They said we could lose some.....but that will stop. Is anyone else even posting under April anymore? I've got to look.

I hope no one finds this offensive. If so, my apologies in advance. SO, the surgeon said at 6 weeks I was healed enough to return to normal SEX. I was very nervous because my port site is still a little tender now and then. My sweet husband was scared he'd hurt me. I did feel stuff that was surgical. And was aware of the port etc. Has anyone else had this happen? Is it normal to feel the band or port during SEX? This is the oddest post I've written. I feel fine today, but it's wasn't my most comfortable moment. Will it get more comfortable to have weight on top of the stomach? Anyone?

Janet- congrats on the BMI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To all- I'm having trouble keeping up with the posts right now, so please excuse me if I don't say CONGRATS on everyone's good news individually. Everyone's trying so hard and so many achieving what the experts would be shocked to hear.....women in their 50s can not only lose weight, but can lose a lot of weight and not always as slowly as they say. Congrats to all of us on the daily struggle and the scale and non-scale victories.

Hi Leslie, That much! I'm shaking my head because it would seem to me one would have to work in a laundry to use up that many calories. For me it's a couple of lifts and loads and then sitting on the bed folding. Are you sure that's not scrubbin' with a rock down by the river calories? LOL. I'm down a 1/2 pound. Not much but I'll take every 1/2 pound I can get. They add up.... I'm finding that counting calories and putting it all down on paper (I use myfooddiary.com) is making a difference. It allows me to see what I'm doing, and for once, I'm looking at the day and seeing if I need to make changes the next. You're right about people. You really are. I guess I'm a little sensitive right now and am hungry for hearing how I look (low in calories, high in emotion).

Brenda, Hi- good question. I'd like to be able to say that I've got the "not hungry" signage inbedded in me, but so far, that's my toughest challenge. Especially at dinner. I try to make just enough for my portion, and I'm not too bad when I do that, although I always need something later at night. But if I'm eating out, it's very hard for me not to eat until I'm uncomfortable. How much is that? Really, not much more than the 6 oz they prefer. I'm still eating way less than I ever did prior to banding. And I'm a big fish eater, so my calorie counts are still reasonable. But I'm still not proficient at leaving food on the plate in a restaurant, so I've got to do better at doggie bags.....I should really ask for one and cut away 1/2 the food when before I start. Need to work on head vs. body hunger as well.

Okay, I'm back. You guys are on the east coast and by now getting to bed. Had to make dinner and pay a condolence call for a friends dad. MAMA-GOOD TO SEE YOU. So glad you're here. I think we'd happy have many musketeers if folks would stick around. You're doing great. Stop worrying. My goodness, listen to us complain. It took me almost 9 months to lose about 60 pounds on South Beach. And I was thrilled ....at least until I put it all back on. We're all losing quickly and it does slow. But in three months, we've all lost an excellent amount of weight. Turler, did you say NOT NOTICE! I have lost 53 pounds and NO ONE NOTICED tonight. Yikes. Is it the big clothes that are swimming, or do these people just not ever look at me anyway! WOW. That was weird and yes, being as sensitive as we all are.....I felt lousy no one said anything. At work it's so supportive, it's great. But this was not fun. And the other thing I don't find fun is exercise. Not now. I was a gym rat and dancer in my twenties and thirties. Heck, I lived in NY and walked miles a day just getting around. I started gaining when I moved to LA and started driving. Now, by time I get home from work andmake and clear dinner I don't want to do anything but disappear onto the boards or into the TV. And the recumbent bike is right in front of the TV. You think I have energy.....but I don't. And I'm a fundraiser, so a lot of my work is evening and events and they exhaust me. I took a few weeks off after banding and I did great with walking etc. Because I was focusing only on me. You guys amaze me with the running etc. I'm not giving myself the excuse of age because I've never had that hold me back and honestly, I don't look my age (I should figure out how to post a photo). But multiple injuries have left my hip and both knees in lousy shape and that doesn't make things easier. I think people who lose 60 or 70 pounds after banding in April are going to run out of steam. Even if they're ahead now, the statistics show that in 5 years the range of weight loss stabilizes among all bandsters. So, where are they rushing to anyway. What's wrong with your 30+ pounds. And how do you think your body feels when it's starving? It's probably holding every calorie it can. Of course you're down and tired. Like Leslie said, no fuel. You're gonna need to add some calories. Good ones like fish or chicken, green veggies. And do you drink enough fluids without salt? I try to get in 8-10 glasses a day and when I don't, I don't lose. I can drink that much because I can't eat in the AM so I treat myself to a giant iced coffee, have at least one cup with my Metamucil, and that's four before 11AM. Whew, a lot said. I've got to go change a load and fold some wash. How many calories does that burn?

Turler- Leslie is 100% correct. You started out so strong and then your doctor made you doubt yourself. You need to have a good sit down with him. You had successful surgery and no ill effects and I'm sure you'll always be grateful to him for that but that doesn't make him infallible. I'm down almost 53 since the 30th. I have done nothing different, but my surgeon has his patients on 3 weeks of liquid following banding, and that really gives one a good start. I'm starting to slow down also. I have to start more exercise and food remains the center of my life. Food gets stuck, adding new foods is tricky, and yup, like Leslie, I get food stuck more often than I'd like. And I wish so much that I'd started this sooner. Why did I wait until my weight got to 315? We've all got something. Hang in, hang on. And look for other places of interest on the boards. We can all stay in touch but like me, you might find an age group or something else that would broaden it for you.

I was eating cottage cheese daily as Breakfast. No more! It just bothers me now and breakfast is pretty much liquid anyway. But I do miss cottage cheese. I love it fat free with a little splenda. As to chewing it- it's one those foods that just slide on down. Most you can do is squish them around your teeth, but the problem is that it's easy to eat too much because it goes down so easily.