GreenChrysalis

Well, I'm glad that my appointment is this afternoon, because it has gotten worse. Last night the reflux woke me up at 2 am, and I was choking and coughing. Also twice over the weekend I had pains that reminded me of the gas pains I had a few weeks after surgery. I'm scared and worried. Whomever reads this, please think good thoughts for me.

Thanks for the reply Cleo's Mom. I have an appointment for Tuesday. Hopefully it's not a hiatal hernia or anything else, but I need to find out ASAP what it is.

So I've been having this reflux off & on all week, pretty mild, but naturally I've been worrying about it. Going back and forth between thinking it was because of eating spicy food (which it sort of seems to be, but I'm not sure), or whether I have a slip, or what. It's definitely a new phenomenon as of this week, starting on Sunday night. I finally decided to make an appointment with my aftercare doc. I waffled a lot because obviously I don't want anything to be wrong with my band at all. And because he's an hour away and I have a different doctor's appointment the following week, so I'm already taking off work. But I also know that if there is something wrong, it's better to find out sooner than later. So keep your fingers crossed that I just need Prevacid or something...please.

Lap_dancer, you have a good point. Money does tend to bring out the ugly side in people -- I have had relatives who blatantly stole from each other because they were greedy and saw an opportunity. It's sad when you can't trust your own family, but sometimes you can't. Lotza, I hear you on the job front. Both my husband & I work in education. I am paraprofessional staff and he is a teacher. He is not getting let go next year, thankfully, but he may lose some of the local supplement that makes up a good chunk of his salary. There's talk of furloughs for people at my institution but nothing's been officially announced.

Marie, I would be really upset also. It is one thing for your FIL to "take a look at" your car, but another to decide to take it somewhere for $2000 worth of work without your consent! :w00t: Is there any way that you can negotiate with them to only pay part of it, since you didn't approve the work, or are you stuck? Is there no way that they can see your perspective here? I'm hoping, at least, that you can pay them back in small payments. Ugh, that's just such an awkward situation. I just read about what's going on with your Dad. You and he will be in my thoughts. Hang in there! :confused:

So now that I'm reading, I'm a posting fool? :confused: I guess! Sorry! I really just took a break from all band stuff. I was getting busy, impossible to keep up with it all. And you know, sometimes you just don't feel like constantly talking about your band and everything that goes with it! I'm feeling pretty good about my progress. I was hoping to reach my goal by my birthday, which is mid-May. But I don't know if it's going to happen. Things have definitely slowed down as I've gotten closer and closer to goal. I still have good restriction since my last fill, which was in mid-November. I'm still exercising. My current love affair is with yoga; I've been doing it 30 mins a day almost every day, in addition to my 30-45 mins of cardio. Love it. It makes me feel so strong! What else? I was nervous earlier this week that something was going on because I was having some reflux. I did have some Indian food for the first time in years on Sunday, so I thought maybe that was it. My system wasn't used to the heat and spices. I also ate some sausage on Sunday. But of course I consulted Dr. Internet (ha ha) and started worrying about slippage, erosion, hernia and all that stuff. Yet most people with those complications seemed to have severe reflux, pain, vomiting, unable to keep down food, et cetera. I had none of those. I used to have bad reflux before I was banded and this wasn't like that at all. I ate mild, light foods for the past few days and I'm feeling much better, so I'm thinking it really was just mild heartburn. I was so paranoid that something was wrong with my band. He is my friend -- I want him to stay for always now! Also, I'm starting to think for real about having a baby. Part of the reason why I got banded was because I wanted to be a healthy mom. I'm going to be 32 on my birthday. I think it's just about time. Even if I'm not right at goal, I'm not morbidly obese anymore. I feel healthy. I need to talk to my fill doc about his policy with regards to pregnancy. I have read that some want you to get a complete unfill to begin with, but others take the "wait and see" approach. Would anyone happen to know Dr. K's feeling on the matter? OK, I'll let others post a bit here before I get too post-happy again! :w00t:

I think it's a distinct possibility, although there is something like 12g of Protein in that latte, so technically it should be filling. But your body might still be feeling deprived. Solid calories are going to generally be more sustaining than liquid ones. And 120 calories isn't much for breakfast. I don't know what your totals are for the day, but your weight loss could stop if you aren't getting enough calories. There's one other thing, too. I got into the habit of drinking coffee every morning, waiting 30 minutes and then eating my breakfast. Then I was getting hungry before lunch. One day I reasoned that the hot liquid could be opening up my band more than it would be otherwise...since people who have trouble eating breakfast are counseled to drink warm liquids before if they're really tight in the morning. I don't know if that's actually possible or if it was all in my head, but I cut out the daily coffee and the problem did go away. So maybe try to cut back on those lattes (I know cutting them out completely at first would be tough!), eating a "real" breakfast and see if that helps?

I left the day after my surgery also but wished I'd taken an extra day, honestly. My flight was earlier than yours, though, so that may help. You will probably be walking slow so allow plenty of time to get from place to place. I live in Atlanta so any other airport seems tiny to me in comparison to Hartsfield-Jackson. :thumbup: I did have some nausea on the flight home which was really unpleasant, but I popped one of those pills under my tongue and it went away instantly. I also ended up going a little longer between doses of pain meds which made for a really cranky me by the time we landed. But I made it, and so will you! I'm going to try to skim back a bit and catch up with you ladies. I miss you guys! Hope all are doing well.

Posted in the wrong place. Please delete.

Hi all, I wanted to start a support thread for Adult Children of Alcoholics. My mother is a recovering alcoholic. My maternal uncle is an alcoholic and drug addict (currently in jail awaiting sentencing for possession of drug paraphernalia), while my maternal aunt is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict. My paternal grandmother, paternal grandfather and paternal step-grandfather were all alcoholics, as were my two deceased paternal uncles (both died from complications resulting from their alcoholism). And that's just the relatives that I know about. I attended Ala-Teen in high school and have attended ACoA off and on. I thought it would be nice to talk to others like me.

Hi! I am not new to LBT but I am new to this thread. Although I told most people that I got banded solely to improve my health, a huge reason was that I didn't want to be a morbidly obese mom. AFAIK I don't have any other health issues that might impact my being able to conceive. So now that I am down 100+ pounds and over a year out of surgery, I think that we are finally ready to start trying. The "baby rabies" (as a friend of mine calls it) is stronger now than it has ever been. I was planning to wait until I hit goal but I don't think I can wait however long that might take! I have not yet spoken to my aftercare doc (my surgeon is out of state) or set up a pre-conception appointment with my ob/gyn but I am going to do both of those things soon. I don't see why either of them would say that it's not OK to go ahead, but who knows? I just wanted to say hi. I have not allowed myself to read any of these threads until now but I'm going to be reading with a vengeance!

I haven't posted here in ages so I thought I would drop a line and say hello if anybody remembers me. As you can see I am down over 100 pounds, just over a year after my surgery. Now in a size 16. I am so happy! This is by far the best thing I have ever done for myself. I'm sorry I dropped off here, but I just couldn't keep up with you busy ladies! I hope all are well. I will try to check in on occasion. Take care. I do update my blog pretty regularly (in my sig) so please stop by if you like. To the person who asked about financing -- I did it with a credit card. Not my preference but it was my only option. Slowly paying it off. Luckily the interest rate is fixed and decent. Quick question also: is Natalie still in Dr. K's office? I emailed her recently and haven't heard back. Thanks.

I was banded out of state and am looking for a local doc to take over my fills. Not much luck after searching on here, so I am contacting doctors and plan to post the results here to assist others (this list is partially in the Georgia forum as well). Please understand this is simply what I was told by the doctor and/or office staff via email or over the phone; the costs, requirements, circumstances, et cetera, may change at any time. I have cited the person who gave me the information. Not Accepting Outside Patients Dr. V. John Bagnato - according to Jeni Stone Dr. J.K. Champion - according to Susan Champion Dr. Dennis Smith - according to Karen Gonzalez Accepting Outside Patients Dr. Bryan Freeman 822 Leighton Avenue Anniston, AL 36207 (one hour from metro Atlanta) (256) 236-1300 Ponce Dalton Surgical Group, P.C. 1504 Broadrick Dr Dalton GA 30720 (706) 278-6403 Dalton Surgical Group, P.C. $2500.00 for 4 visits or 1 year which ever is sooner. Adjustments after 1 year or the 4th visit are $625.00. According to Brooke

I've gotten totally behind again...just dropping in to say "hi." Things are crazy busy workwise for me. I know I'm late weighing in for the challenge but I'm down 2 pounds -- finally, same weight as the ol' hubby. He asked if I wanted him to gain some weight to make me feel better. Um, no! He needs to lose at least 50 pounds himself! I'll try to catch up with you crazy gals sometime soon, I'm afraid it'll be the weekend though. Hugs to all, hope everyone is well!

minidriver, the saggy diaper talk had my LOLing at my desk at work! I have some saggy butt pants myself. My favorite jeans...I still wear them although I have to hitch at them or wear a belt to keep them up. I keep holding out until I can get into my 18/20 jeans, I have at least two pairs. I don't want to have to buy anymore 22s. Now Jaime, I didn't tell you to take first class! :biggrin: I just suggested that you'd be more comfy in business or first class on the way back home than in coach. I did business class (AirTran doesn't have first class) and was so glad I had the extra room and constant offerings of beverages. You should be a-OK in the airport with your mom to help you, you'll just need to walk slowly and take it easy, so allow plenty of time. 9pdmnm5 asked about the Realize band; I believe Dr. K only places Inamed bands. If he does Realize too, it's a new one on me. mdargen, just have the liquid pain meds out for security. Hopefully you won't have any problems. The packet(s) everyone refers to are the emailed stuff you get for your phone consults with Dr. K and Paula. Starting your pre-op diet early can only help. munchkin, I was on Femcon Fe (chewable BC) for a couple of months and had the worst boob pain ever. I've been on BC pills before and I know that can happen, but this was unbearable. I switched to the NuvaRing and I like it. No worries about taking a pill every freaking day, and my insurance pays more on it anyway. I mentioned before that a local gym has a cheap basic rate? It's only $15 a month, no contract. I am still tossing it around in my head...very self-conscious at the idea of working out in front of others, even in the women's only area. So, I don't know. I was also thinking about going to our local indoor pool, they do water aerobics (AquaFit) two nights a week for $4 a class. But will I be the youngest one there? No offense to anyone! I need some low/no impact cardio because of my planar fasciitis. Only down 1/2 a pound from last Tues (I am in a 12-wk challenge ending this month that weighs in Tues). I blame eating out over the weekend for Beau's b-day, plus eating...sigh...turtle pie! And not enough exercise. I looked back at my exercise log and saw that...guess what...the weeks I exercised more were the weeks I lost more. Duh! :frown:

I am so glad I found a fill doc who doesn't charge an arm and a leg. When I was researching them, I seriously found one whose office manager told me that he'd charge something like $1800. I said, "Is that for a series of fills or a package deal?" because another said that her doc charged for 4 fills at a time or as many as you needed in a year, whichever came first. Nope. That was for one fill, if you were not one of his patients. Ridiculous! I had another very snippily ask me how much I paid because she thought their surgeon was very reasonable. I told her and it was a good $5-7k less than he charged. Including the cost of the flight, rental car, etc. Anyway, my fill doc is fabulous. And cute. Did I mention that part? Ha. I am bad, though...he wants me to see their dietician to get fully "hooked in" to their program and I haven't done it yet. Mostly because my insurance doesn't cover stuff like that and I don't want to know what the cost is. I also wanted to see how long this most recent fill will hold.

Halloween Challenge weigh-in...I'm at 237.5. Still. Hopefully I'll be in the low 220s (my goal is 15 pounds down) by then. Come on, Onderland...I am dying to get there. Hitting 200 means I've lost 100 pounds and damn won't that be exciting! I'm waiting to get a book but I think I'm going to do a vegan detox like Dee. She's my role model! I was vegetarian for awhile and ate a lot of soy, so I don't think it would be too bad. I definitely need something to kickstart myself and I don't really want to do Atkins. Jaime, I PM'd you about hotels because I didn't want it to get lost in the shuffle. :tongue2: Oh, the girls...well, they haven't been perky in quite a long time, but they are saggier than ever. It's so sad. One of my treats to myself for when I reach 200 lbs. is to visit Intimacy, this supposedly amazing bra fitting lingerie store, get fitted properly and get some new bras! My dream would be of course after we have finished having children, I could get the works, plastic-surgery wise. Especially the boob lift. And the bat wings. Sigh. But I have no idea if that will ever be affordable....

Or you're just better at following the rules than I am. :thumbup: I wouldn't count a PB as a sign that you're at optimal restriction or anything like that. Ideally, you'd never have one.

It's not the worst thing on the planet but it sure isn't anywhere close to the best. You may be one who never has a PB...they exist! :thumbup: I wish I had been, but I am not one to learn anything the easy way!

We are not supposed to drink for 30-45 mins before or after a meal and that includes during a meal. Despite this I have tried a couple of times to take a sip of water to help something that was stuck go down because that's sort of your automatic response. Bad idea. I got to PB the water, then the stuck food. When something is really stuck, it is stuck and water doesn't do a thing to help. It just sits on top of the food. I have also absentmindedly taken a sip of water after eating and had it come right back up. Apparently, when I'm full I'm too full for even liquids.

Good luck Denvergirl! BellaPerdente, the food gets stuck as it's trying to pass from the pouch into the stomach. So basically, right at the band. That's why you feel like there's a "golf ball," burp, PB, etc. If it won't go through the band, it comes back up. It sounds like you are having a hard time taking small enough bites and chewing your food enough. You might consider getting some toddler utensils -- I still use my toddler spoons and forks to help me take small bites. And again, like Dee suggests, chew 30 times (or as much as you can) and then count to 10 between bites. If I don't do this, I'm more likely to PB. I have even had liquids come right back up if I tried to gulp them too quickly. Definitely look at what you're eating, too. Are you trying to eat too many potential problem foods? Getting in enough Protein? You will get the hang of it, it just takes time! You also have to find out which foods will be problem foods for you and which ones work OK. Speaking of food, the food court at work added sushi back. They even make some rolls with brown rice, and also have sashimi. I don't each much rice but I don't have problems with it, so I will allow myself this treat on occasion. Lots of great protein! I will stay away from the big rolls but I can take bites of sushi rolls and do just fine (even though that gets messy) or get sashimi. Yum. :cool2: Thanks Mini for leading the Halloween challenge!

AdorK, I only lost a pound last week so that makes 6.5 pounds lost during the Labor Day Challenge. I think my goal was 10 pounds. But that's OK, I still lost! Just a few more pounds and I'll weigh less than my husband (which is a huge goal of mine). Congrats to the other losers. :w00t: Bella that is awesome that you went over your goal! My restriction is weird during TOM also. Tighter sometimes and feels looser others. I just try to be more careful. Unfortunately I also have strong cravings, mostly for salt, around then. I gave in some last week. :crazy:I think that plus not exercising as much as I should accounts for only 1 pound loss. Oh well, this is a new week! Deb ~ Poor Tucker! He is still in my thoughts. I know the pain of a chronically ill pet, it's just so upsetting and I know you would do anything to make your precious baby all better. I'm afraid my kitties would not send him hugs but I send him a cuddle and much sympathy. And it's not outlandish at all, we spent a ton of $$$ (still paying it off too) for our kitty and I would do it all over again. :smile: Denvergirl ~ I like Designer Whey protein powder too. It's available in my grocery store so I don't have to make a special trip. These days I only drink protein shakes on occasion as a quick breakfast or snack; I get in enough protein via solids most of the time. So that cut down on the cost. :tt2: Lifesaver ~ That is so awesome that you climbed a 14er! I would love to scale mountains. So inspirational! ShelbiCallie ~ Ugh, I am sorry you had such a rough weekend. I completely understand about the ice cream. I didn't mention it here, but after my rough family weekend a few weeks ago (not even near what you describe), I went home and had a shot of rum to calm my nerves! My grandfather committed suicide before I was born and I know that it severely impacted my father, uncles and grandmother (and their relationships) for the rest of their lives. It's so devastating and not something that I know much about even today, I am reluctant to bring that up with my father since he was a teenager at the time. I too can see the value of jump-starting yourself with a structured eating plan. For months I tracked my food and exercise religiously via SparkPeople. For the past few weeks, though, I've definitely let it slide. I need to go back to that, because it really helped me to pay attention to where I was. I'm also pondering what else to do...the pre-op diet? Something else? I think a kick in the butt would do me good. What do you think, ladies? :tt2: MiniDriver ~ Count me in for the Halloween Challenge! I love these challenges, it helps to keep me motivated. I think I'm going to set a more conservative goal and hopefully blast through it this time, so put me down for 15 pounds. Lap ~ I love that creepy photo. I like scary stuff and I think that Halloween is a lot of fun. :thumbup: Too bad we don't have any trick-or-treaters in my neighborhood. It's an older neighborhood, so it's mostly retirees with a few young families -- I think the latter go to one of the church things (we are surrounded by churches) instead of hitting the streets. And then there's don't fit in really but it isn't the first time!

Deb ~ I am sending healing thoughts to your sweet Tucker. :thumbup: Dee ~ Congrats on those NSVs, girlie! You are so inspirational to me. :biggrin: Lap ~ I am definitely thinking of those states in the path of Gustav; we already have some evacuees here in Georgia. And now we have to worry about Hanna...:thumbdown: Michelle ~ I know all have missed you around here, I hope you hang in there and find your happy medium. :frown: Happy long weekend to those of us fortunate enough to be off tomorrow. I never associated fireworks with Labor Day but apparently some of my neighbors do...good thing I plan to be up for awhile. :wink2:

I am feeling cranky today, ladies. I'm hoping we'll get to leave early due to the holiday weekend (which often happens). I've been up late several nights this week writing, it's TOM and I'm just feeling blah. Beau and I were going to go to a sci-fi convention this week but I decided I'm just not in the mood. It would be wall-to-wall people, hot and we'd be on the go non-stop. I'd rather get some cleaning done and relax at home. I guess I'm getting old. I'm feeling cranky for another reason, too. I have a thread elsewhere for fill docs in my home state because I was having trouble finding one way back when and wanted to share my info. Personally I wanted a doctor who does the surgery to do my fills so he could help in case of a problem, since I'm thousands of miles away from Dr K. Anything wrong with that? I don't think so. Personal preference and all that. I knew others were also looking for docs. There's a Fill Centers USA provider nearby but I wasn't interested in that. And yet...I just keep getting comments about them. The last person got kind of snippy with me when I corrected her. She had said the person was a doctor and I said no, she's an ANRP (advanced registered nurse practitioner). I would never disparage a medical professional for not being an MD, I have gotten great care from many PAs, CNPs, RNs, et cetera and I respect them all highly (unless they give me reason not to ). I am sure you can have a good experience with any of them. I just wanted a doctor, and you shouldn't say someone is a fill doc if they're not, because that's misleading. I'm all for full disclosure, people. Geez, between this and the crazy CO lady I realize I am spoiled most of the time, I have so many good interactions with people in this thread! :biggrin:

Thanks for clarifying!