kiz

They used to say the early bird gets the worm, tapshoes, but it's just not true. I am the WINNER!

I have the Realize Band (my doctor lets us decide which he implants). I've been very happy with my band, thrilled in fact. I did chose the RB for various reasons (the port, the way the port is anchored, the width of the band, etc). With that being said, I could also make an argument for the Lap Band just as easily (the RB just tipped to be my pick, but it wasn't cut and dry). Both are wonderful tools, and I wouldn't be disappointed with either one. I would want to know why the surgeon didn't follow my wishes though, but you're going to love the band either way.

Darn it, TQUAD, stop muddying up the water with facts. We all live in a fantasy world now. Ebony, I loved your post!!

:thumbup: > :crying:

I'm taking a trip out of the country soon as well, and I talked to the NP about it. She said that I might want to consider having 0.2cc removed, if I feel like I have a lot of restriction. I've had my current fill for a few weeks, and I haven't had any issues with eating solid foods, so I'm not going to have any taken out. By the time I leave in a couple of weeks, if history repeats itself, I'll be even looser. If I start to have problems with foods getting stuck, I'll go in. Like you, my main concern is getting a stomach virus, so I'm going to ask for a prescription stomach med to take with me. We've been to the country previously, so I know the food is safe, and there's good medical care (needed it once :thumbup:), but I'm not sure if they can handle lap bands.

Well, if that's the case, Beth, it's obviously a scam perpetrated by Angels in Waiting and Dr. Phil. :thumbup:

Thanks for writing the recap, TQUAD. I just saw a piece online, and this dollar figure popped out.. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,508936,00.html

Good luck with your surgery. Are you spending the night? I had day surgery, and was home by the afternoon. Try not to worry too much. I'm glad you're doing well on the liver-shrink diet. Let us know how you're doing.

Welcome to LBT. I know it can be frustrating when you're not getting good lasting restriction, but your doctor is conservative with fills, and from some studies, that's a good thing as far as having less likelihood of band complications. Can you ask for a fill under fluoro to see the rate of restriction BEFORE your fill? If your doctor sees that your barium swallow is going straight through, maybe he'd be willing to give you a little more saline the next time. Sooner or later, though, he will get you to good restriction, so try not to get too discouraged (easier said than done, I know). Plus, a 28 lb loss since October is so much better than the alternative. I know I would have ended up gaining weight over the holidays had I not had my band.

Hi Suzanne, and welcome to LBT. Happy 50th, in advance!! The bread thing is so individual (actually, it's that way with all the questionable foods). I'm at almost max fill in my band, and I can eat bread when I want it. I mostly stay away from doughy white rolls, because I don't want to take up space with non-nourishing food, but I can definitely still eat it, if I want to. I have no trouble with whole wheat bread either. I do take it slow, and take small bites and chew well, but that really works for me, because it stretches out my meal. Many people do have problems with bread, and unfortunately, it's one of those things you don't know ahead of time. I definitely can't take a big bite of bread and expect it to sit comfortably in my pouch.

If you wear glasses and want them in recovery, bring a hard case, so they don't get crushed. I wore roomy sweats and a t-shirt in, and put them back on to leave (day surgery for me). I also wore slip-on shoes. I left rings and watch at home. Since I was only there for the day and didn't have far to travel, I didn't need anything else.

That's a good question, losingjusme. I think the older sister, Mandi, knew the best they could do was a tie, giving the black team the vote, and she was so concerned that her sister would be kicked out, she fell on the sword for her. I didn't watch the show from the beginning, so I could be wrong, but it seems the black team would have kept the old black team members (Mandi & Aubry) and gone for an original blue team member's ouster. (nevermind..I just read Saundra's post ahead of mine, and see that I'm off base) As far as Jillian, if she would have flipped out on me like that, we would have come to blows. Did the woman swallow a lemon or something? I've never seen someone with such a sour expression all the time. Bob, on the other hand, would cause me to hurl with all of his boo hooing. I don't need a hand-holder, but I won't accept being talked down to either, and that's the attitude I see from Jillian.

They can due a dye test under fluoro to determine where the leak is coming from. I hope they can get you in right away, because I know, I'd be freaking out.

Hi Lisa, and welcome to LBT. My doctor doesn't prefer one band over the other, and let me make the choice. I've been very pleased my Realize Band, and I'm sure I would have been just as happy with a Lap Band. A few tipping points for me was the port design, the way it's anchored, and I liked the info I read about the band itself. Hopefully, your surgeon's office will have the bands available for you to compare, if s/he uses both. That helped me a lot too. A new RB is available now, but I'm not sure how many doctors are using it yet. It's the Realize C. I hope you're able to get a lot of your questions answered when you go to your seminar. Good luck!

Sorry to hear that, Tad. From everything I've read, if there's a leak, it's almost always at the port, which can be replaced w/o too much trouble. It can be the band, but it's unusual. Have they located the leak yet?

Be very very careful not to irritate the band further. Since you could swallow at the office, this could be swelling. I don't have far to drive to get back to my doctor's office, so I would go back in and get a tiny bit removed. You're four hours away, and that has to be a difficult trip. Given that, I would give it one day, as long as you are able to get your Water down, even if in tiny sips. By tomorrow, if you're still having this problem, I would go back. I'm really sorry you're going through this, especially given the distance between you and your doctor. If you completely close up, get back there ASAP. I would also call the doctor's office and ask for their advice. I also wanted to add that my second to last fill, my doctor thought it was a pretty big fill, because I'm getting close to the max. He wanted me to stay on liquids for three days and soft foods for three days, to give things time to settle down (my doctor usually says two days each). If you have a similar procedure, you might want to add an extra day to each. If we can't add back solid Protein after two weeks, we're instructed to come in for a slight unfill.

Many will play, but only ONE will win. ONE = ME = THE WINNER

I remember my Weight Watcher's years, and the ugly truth that you can't run from the sad fact that the calories in do catch up, and sometimes not until several days after the pig fest. I think next week some of those lucky losers on the black team will pay the price on the scales, or maybe it'll just rev up their metabolism, and they'll continue to dominate.

I'm glad you're feeling better!!

FOXNews.com - Octomom Says She's the One Paying for New Home - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

Spoiler on whether the kid lost enough weight. I've written it in white, so if you highlight it, you'll see the answer. (aren't I tricky..haha) >>>YEPPERS, he did good<<<

There's no reason to be bummed. Had they left you like that, you would have been back the next day for an unfill. It sounds like you got the exact right amount restriction to help you get started, but not so much you might become dehydrated or worse yet, hurt your band. The first time I couldn't swallow water was my last fill with 8.6 cc in a 9 cc band. They backed out 0.2 cc to make my total fill that day 0.4 cc. Good luck!!

I've never watched the show until this season, but I was wondering if the award would have been a little different had the other team won (or if this is a routine award that's given every season). These shows are so manipulative, and I thought this might have been the producers ploy to even the contest a bit.

The Carnation shakes have 4 grams of Fiber per shake, at least mine do. If you're not use to fiber, that might be it. Unless your doctor has a problem with it, the whey Protein could be a great substitute.

Oh no, I just realized I've been neglecting my adoring fans..you know, since I'm the winner and all. :thumbup: