HeatherO

I am too excited about Carson. I keep checking this thread compulsively for news, lol. So if her water was broken at 7 AM central time, that would have been almost 7 hours and since this is the first baby, perhaps it is likely he has not yet arrived, lol. I guess you never know :0). I wonder how Russ is holding up.

Usually i am interested in medical procedures and am not too sensitive . . . but an eye boil being lanced???? I just don't think I could watch it. You are a stronger women than I, lol.

Lol, I think I am right there with you now . . . or getting there. Stuff I used to eat and think actually tasted good, like little debbie snack cakes, chips, greasy fast food burgers, etc turn me off now. I don't know what I used to enjoy about them. I now actually crave the good stuff most of the time, not just eat it because I have to. I think once you commit to eating a certain way for a long enough time your tastes change.

Thanks :0) Unless she is having a specific problem with her band like slippage, erosion or just extreme tightness issues, I don't see any reason to remove it. I think it is definitely setting someone up for failure to have gained success and take it back out again. If anyone chooses to do remove it because they don't think the band is necessary anymore - they can just get all of their fill removed and give it a go. If you can go without a fill for a couple of years and maintain perfectly, then perhaps it might be worth considering. Even then, an empty band is like no band and you can always get more fill if you need it. I think the band is a permanent thing. I for one have had all my fill removed for pregnancy. I made it to goal and lost 100% of my excess weight to get from morbid obesity to a normal BMI before my unfill. Now that I have been without fill for a couple of months, it definitely feels like I have no band. Everyday is a struggle with hunger. I still exercise and eat healthy foods . . . but I am HUNGRRYYY and it is rough going. I was a chronic overeater prior to banding and once I hit my sweet spot my hunger was in control. For me, banding is permanent or I know I will stop maintaining a loss and start the slow creep back up in weight.

Absolutely, restriction can make all the difference in the world because that is where your caloric intake is changed. If you are only eating half of what you were before you are going to see weight loss. My doctor actually told me that I should consider any weight loss from surgery through the first fill as a bonus, sometimes people don't lose during this stage. Expecially considering your body just went through a major shock. As long as you are following bandster rules and staying away from slider foods, bad carbs and eating Proteins and veggies first while incorporating exercise, you will definitely lose more and more as time goes on. Hang in there and best of luck to you.

I guess I am not a man, lol, but I wanted to chime in. There is a section of this forum called "The Men's Room" . . . I think you might find plenty of testosterone in that location, lol. I have not only noticed on this forum that it is predominantly women, I also noticed from surgeries scheduled the day of mine that it was all women and the waiting room at my fill office is always 90% + women. I suspect more women are getting banded than men but I am not sure about the actual statistics. Another thing that I have seen anecdotally on threads concerning men is that one of the biggest differences between men and women is that men tend to lose weight a little faster and easier than women. That sounds like a bit of an advantage to me. Congratulations on banding, it sounds like you are off to a great start.

Fanny Adams, you have come so far. It is exciting to have a solid appointment booked to look into what plastics can do :0). Congratulations on making the transition into the next stage of banding - reconstruction. :sneaky:

A little bird told me that FairyFacade was induced this morning :0) So baby Carson will be here sometime today I think. I can't wait to hear some news. April 16th is a lovely day for a birthday, don't you think??? I hope it goes smoothly, quickly and well for you!!! I am sure you will be in all of our thoughts today. I also hope your dh doesn't faint, lol. Good luck and happy birthday Baby Carson!!!!

Wow, I know my thoughts are going to be on Laura alll day. I hope it is smooth sailing and goes by quickly :0)

Yeaaahhh Pamela and Laura!!!!

I dont remember ever seeing a 7-11 in this part of the country. However, I did try a crystal lite slurpy at a 7-11 in southern California . . . it tasted almost too good to be true. I know if I had them available here, I would have been having them regularly.

I thought it would be great this time around too. I lost my weight and was at a normal BMI and a size 8 pants and medium tops. I haven't gained much so far and at eight months out I am just beginning to show. Two weeks ago (at 30 weeks) was the first time someone said anything about me being pregnant without knowing me personally and knowing that I am (although her daughter may have told her since she knew and I was visiting her daughter in the hospital after she gave birth). Other than this, not a single person has approached me, so I don't really look very pregnant. I am carrying the baby mostly internally and my ribcage certainly hurts and I am already finding it hard to pull in deep breaths. I had almost no belly fat even when I was heavy because I am a pear shaped, butt and thighs kinda gal. I can still wear my normal size 10 pants buttoned at 8 months pregnant but the size 8's are a little too uncomfortable. I can still wear medium shirts but I have a bit of a muffin top going where I look bigger in the front and the sides - I just look plumper with a lack of any waist although my arms, legs and face look skinny. So if I mention I am expecting and people ask how far along I am and I say I am at eight months, they just look at me like "wheres the baby?" lol. I have been around a few people lately that are one to three months behind me in pregnancy and are significantly bigger in the belly than I am. The only person who really notices my pregnancy and makes comments everyday on how beautiful my stomach is and how obviously pregnant I am is my dh. I think it is because he knows that it bothers me that I am the most unpregnant looking pregnant woman around . . . and I have trained him well of course, lol. There are some people who are insensitive the world over and it doesn't even matter what the situation is . . . they just have to splatter their opinions and thoughts ungraciously all over anyone unlucky enough to enter their sphere of influence. I can't help but give people like that a piece of mind, even if I am not in the limelight and am just an innocent bystander. I wouldn't stress too much about it since we all carry our babies differently.

Really???? I am sooo excited at the thought and I can't wait to see Baby Carson. :0) I was not sure if she was going to allow induction or not because of the difficulties some people have. I thought she was going to wait a little bit longer and then proceed if it didn't start naturally, but I can't remember the exact details of the posts. I think she is due on the 23rd which is about a week away. If anybody hears anything, please post it so I can check :0)

Actually something just occurred to me. Someone who would make false claims out of nowhere just to cause trouble for people or get back at someone typically would not use this kind of tactic only once. I bet you that there are "lists" of people from which any claims are taken with a grain of salt and followed loosely.

That is great for cases where someone is obviously just trying to make trouble with nothing at all beyond their claims. I think more states should follow suit.

Are you crazy for wanting to continue "trying" . . . absolutely not. Almost all of us are in our position because we wanted to be preggers. Should you wait . . . I think that would be an excellent idea. Banding is hard and requires a lot of emotional and psychological changes . You need time to focus on banding if you really want to be successful at it. Having a new baby is going to make it a heck of a lot harder to focus. Also, as you are losing a lot of weight in the early days of banding, hormones previously stored in your fat are being released and so your system is out of wack. It is better to stabilize your hormones before adding a baby (which will just further disrupt your hormones). Also, as most of us can attest, it is infinitely easier to get pregnant after we have lost significant weight than before. There is just something about it that seems to almost reset our reproductive systems. I have wanted another child for 16 long years. It took me all of 2 weeks to get preggers after going off the pill and losing significant weight. Last but not least, pregnancy is hard on your body. You will be much healthier and it will be much easier for you if you start at a lower weight. I would at least suggest waiting until you are out of the obese BMI range. Good luck with whatever you decide :0). We are all interested in hearing much more about your banding and pregnancy journies.

I couldn't agree more. You made an excellent point Wasa.:wub:

Hello everyone!!! Laura, every day I take a peek online looking for news :0). I am so excited about your upcoming new arrival that it is the first thing I think about when I log on. I just cant wait to see what he is going to look like. Another day has passed and I have again had a piece of chocolate before lunch . . . aargh. This time I bit the head off of a small white chocolate bunny, but I left the nether regions intact. Perhaps that is progress of a sort, lol. I think cocktails and appetizers are an excellent way to go. I always have more fun at these kinds of parties than at a sit down meal. It encourages movement, mingling and ever-changing conversational groups. For a birthday party, I think it will be a perfect choice and your appetizer choices sound great.

My sentiments exactly. :wub: I couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks, Kat :0)

LOL, I still make cakes the old fashioned way but mixes are great in a pinch. I made an angel food cake from scratch about two weeks ago - it was OK but not great. I made it again with strawberries and cream about a week ago for another dinner party and used a box mix . . . and it was wonderful. Mixes are just so easy, they have become very popular here in the US. I don't know what a gooey butter cake is and I am afraid to look up a recipe, lol. In my current preggo state, I probably couldn't resist giving it a go, lol.

I agree with what Fanny Adams said. My band doctor suggested that I take liquid children's motrin (this is on the no-no list for bandsters for typical use). This was to be used to bring down some of the swelling in my stomach when I got in the same situation as you in the past until I could make it to the office. This worked well but I was warned never to use this as a standard medication, only in case of emergency with a pb issue. However, you should talk to your band doctors office to see if they would approve it for this use. Good luck. I have been where you are before and it is absolutely miserable. I am surprised you are still in relatively good spirits. When things were rough for me, my husband and I both called off work and drove 4 hours for an emergency visit to have it fixed . . . and then it was instant relief. Please be very careful, because once swelling starts to where you can't tolerate any significant liquids, it just tends to keep getting worse until it closes off completely. Please keep us all posted.

I am sorry you had to go through that. Experience is soo important when it comes to medical care. I would never consider being in the first 100 procedures no matter what the circumstance. Good luck . . . it sounds like you are in better hands now.

I had no idea. They don't taste carbonated to me.

Good luck with everything, it sounds like you have made up your mind. :0) I went through all the hoops to get surgery a few years ago and was ready to schedule the date, and then my company switched insurance companies to one that excluded WLS. I was devastated and went on a diet and exercise plan. I lost about 60 pounds and was feeling great . . . thought that I could do it this time on my own. Inability to get surgery which I thought was my last hope gave me motivation galore. After several months of maintained loss, I started gaining a little at a time. Less than two years later, I was back to the same exact weight I was before. Out of desperation, I finally made the decision to self pay and just do it. It was the best decision I ever made. Losing without hunger is soooooooo much easier than feeling constant deprivation (which I always felt while dieting). I lost 100% of my excess weight in less than a year. Banding is the best thing I ever did for myself. I don't feel deprived or feel like I am "different" then everyone around me. I always remembered noticing people in the past that ate like a bird and were full satisfied, and I never understood how it could be that way until now. I am satisfied on little now, but I am satisfied . . . and that has made all the difference in the world.

I would put it off too. You are doing excellent where you are . . . and that is the whole point of the band, to maintain quality of life while still being able to lose. Being too tight won't help you in the long run. Actually, if I were you and went to my doctor for a fill they would not give me one anyway. They only give fills if a) you aren't losing 1-2 pounds per week and you are hungry between meals. It doesn't sound like you meet the criteria for another fill. Worse case scenario, you put off the fill until June and find in May that you are starving and stalled out then you may be able to schedule a fill in May.