Cherylita

I had my surgery about 3yrs ago. I used aloe vera(the plant-not store bought gels) on my incisions. Its a natural way to heal. It basically dries up the moisture to heal the incision. Mine werent infected but they seemed to heal faster than what I had heard others say. Not sure how u feel about it but just wanted to put it out there. Hope things get better for you.

and I thought I was stressed! LOL!! Sometimes ya just have to get things off your chest! it will all pass...slowly...but it does.. -cheryl

AMEN John! I posted something about this a little while ago and yep my family and friends were doing it unknowingly. I finally had to just tell them what they were doing and how it was affecting me. They never realized it until that point. They have been very supportive of my surgery but didn't realize they were having a negative response to it. So now that I have spoken up, when they slip back into that habit, I tell them "hey haven't we already had this conversation" and they remember and leave me be. Pretty much, I am having to retrain their habits as well as mine lol. Congrats on the AWESOME weightloss! Cheryl

I don't think so either! You are doing great girl! You just worry about yourself and don't let the haters get you down. I told someone the other day that this is the hardest thing I have had to do because I love food! he's a drinker so I said imagine living in a liquor store where you can drink as much as you want. He was like HELL YEAH!! I said now imagine one day someone tells you that from now on you can only have 3 shots a day. He said oh hell no! I said...thats what its like for me Seeing food everywhere but having to learn what is good for me to eat because I don't want to waste my time eating junk when I can only eat about a cup of food. he kind of got the picture. We will always meet up with people that think we took the easy way out. You just keep your head and keep moving right along. Heck easy would be waking up one morning and all the weight have fallen off in the middle of night! That isn't going to happen lol. Good Luck, Cheryl

Awesome! Congrats on your pregnancy!! Thank you so much for the information I will definitely be looking into it! Cheryl

to me it was like a very sore, pulled muscle. If I had to put any pressure (if I sneezed or coughed or even got up from the chair) I would hold a pillow snug against the port area and it helped. To me, it wasn't a hurt but a strong pressure but it wasn't painful. I didnt pop any stitches and they dissolved a few days after the surgery. as for the itching I would pat mine and it seemed to help also I used unscented lotion like lubriderm for dry skin. Don't know your Dr's thoughts on that. Good Luck and soon you will be on the other side of this wondering what you were so nervous about to begin with! Cheryl

Stuck is definitely no fun ! What you have to keep in mind is that the food is pushed through the esophagus using peristalsis. I think of it is a sort of slow wave of muscle pulling the food down your esophagus. Before the band we could eat almost as quickly as we wanted and never felt this process. We had no reason to pay attention to it. Now you will notice it if you eat to quickly or take too big of a bite. I have had my band for over a year and it was only last week that some explained it to me like that and the light bulb went on! lol! So now when I take my bite I imagine the little wave moving my food and I am teaching myself to be more aware of my bite sizes/food choices. I think I found the elusive "sweet spot" and imagining that little wave helps me keep myself in check. So to your question of how do you get it unstuck...I have tried the pineapple juice and for me, it became back wash. To me being stuck is like a beaver dam. Nothing gets passed until it's moved. So when I got stuck, I sat up straight to allow better flow of my esophagus (my thoughts), took slow, deep breaths and let it work itself though. Oh yeah and had plenty of napkins or a plastic bag or stood over the trashbag or toilet. The sliming is thick saliva that the throat is producing to help move it along. Anyway, hope this helps. Cheryl

good positive thinking! As far as the nausea..are you taking pain meds or any meds that might cause nausea?When I had my surgery the Dr prescribed Phenergan for nausea. They were a life saver. Also, right now you aren't hungry but you do need to get that protein in-sip at a time until you are on mushies (I don't remember the time between liquids and mushies). Also, I think some pain at the incision is to be expected because the muscle is healing. I found that having a pillow slightly pressed against it helped, especially if I had to sneeze or cough and sometimes when I got up from the chair. I had a reaction to the strips as well and found that on my tummy I get a rash from band-aids go figure lol. Anyway, keep praying and moving forward and this too, shall pass. Cheryl

Before I got banded my family doc decided I should get tested and probed lol. While everything else came out okay, my doc did find that I had H.Pylori. I had to take an antibiotic and prevacid for I think a week or 2 (I can't remember it was back in '08), but once I completed the treatment, I was good to go. No biggie.

Has anyone ever used a fertility bracelet? some say it's hooey others swear by it. I just purchased one-I figure it can't hurt. My DH and I have been trying for a while with no luck. Of course it doesn't help that my cycles have NEVER been normal. I can go months without a period and have tried bc but that just makes the whole cycle go wacko. I am doing alot of praying but found the site on etsy.com for Artsy Chicas fertility bracelets, so I figured why not? Anyway, just wanted to see if anyone else has heard of them. I also just read about St. Gerard the patron saint of women who are struggling to conceive. Cheryl

Thanks everyone! I went for my fill and am now at 10cc in my 14cc band. I know 11cc is too much-been there choked on that lol-It feels like its going to be a good fill, but the day after might be too early to tell. I talked with my family last night and got alot of things straightened out. They will quit feeling sorry for me and my smaller portions and I will quit trying to be the old eater for their benefit! Hopefully me and my "Lil Bandida" can start to work together and I will soon be on the "losing" side of this battle. *wink* Thanks again! Y'all are such great inspirations! Cheryl

I had the LAP-BAND® in 2008. As of today I have only lost 70lbs. I know 70 is good, don't get me wrong, but that 70 used to be 85-90. I have been thinking lately of what could be going on. It was actually a comment from my mom that got me thinking....I told her that I am getting a fill today and her response was "awww no". Then I started thinking. Lately (the past few months) I have been eating way past full and its just to make the people around me comfortable. That made me think about a comment my BFF told me a couple of months ago. We were having our "girl's day" and she was saying how she missed her friend. The one that used to go smorgasborg by getting food at different restaurants for an in-home buffet. My DH also shows happiness with a frozen mocha drink or candy bar or something sweet. Don't get me wrong, All of these people love me, They were the backing force behind me getting the band. But, I don't think they realized the change that was in store for their "favorite eating friend" and for them. What happened was I started going back to as close to my old way of eating as possible, to make them comfortable. It doesn't help, that sometimes it feels as though I have no band at all. I had a fill last month and I had to drink the barium so they could check to make sure I had no slippage or dilation, etc. So today I am going for another fill and hopefully this will do it. We keep "missing by that much" when it comes to the sweet spot. But the problem now is how do I go back to the bandster way and tell them I can't be that same person ever again? How do you tell the people who love you that their sadness for my eating smaller portions is hindering my success? and how do you convince yourself that it's okay to finish eating or push the plate away when everyone else is still eating? UGH! I love that I have lost the weight, but I hate that I am still trying to make everyone else around me comfortable with the change that I need to make! Sometimes I feel that if I push the plate away when I am actually full, I become the center of attention. It's like that point in a movie where everyone is doing the same thing and one person does something different and everyone stops and stares at them...I know I need to realize that it's not up to me to make them comfortable, but it's hard to not be the one that makes everyone comfortable when that's the person I have always been.... Anyone else know what I am talking about or have suggestions?? Thanks, Cheryl