TheGh0st

The product placements wouldn't bug me if the trade off was less commercials. Kind of like TV back in the 50's and before. But no such luck.

Would love to hear that theory about erosion. I'm having a bit of trouble not getting paranoid about erosion myself right now. Lately I feel I'm able to eat a horse and still feel hungry even though I've had 3 fills in the last couple months.

There is not much I can add to Jack's post but to say do NOT worry about how many cc's you have in your band. At one point I had 12cc's in my 10cc band. Mind you I was a little too tight but it wasn't like I couldn't eat or drink. So you have plenty of room to go, and sometimes you would be surprised how the difference of even the smallest of fills can make between feeling hungry and feeling like you are at that ever ellusive "sweet spot" people keep talking about. And congrats on all the hard work you are putting into working with your band rather than just relying solely on the band to lose weight. When your band does finally get adjusted right I think you will be set to soar.

I may have posted this somewhere else on LBT before but this is my own completely NON MEDICAL, you get what you pay for it theory as to why some fills don't take for a few days. I think that for some of us when the band is tightened it just temporarily squeezes or shifts the outer layer of tissue without actually changing the inner layer, so you don't feel any difference. Then over the next few days your stomach adjusts back to normal and the fill feels tighter. Similar to how a belt might not feel tight when you first put it on but in a few hours it starts to feel tighter and tighter. Its like the tissue initially moved out of the way to make room for the band but then slowly forces its way back to where it "belongs". Take my crack pot theories for what they are worth and consider the source. "I am not a doctor nor do I play one on LBT":wink: fills.bmp

Just got back from my fill. I'm a bit nervous actually. This is my 3rd fill now since the plastic surgery, and I had gained another 4 pounds by their scale, ofcourse I was different clothing, time of day, etc. still any way you look at it their was another gain. I told her at the appointment I felt even more hungry and less restricted than I did before my last fill if that was possible. She said there was definitely a fill in their, no leaks. I hadn't actually thought thier were any but it was still nice to hear. She then put in a little over 1/2 cc and had me sit up with the needle still in me and try to drink some water. Still no noticable restriction so she added more bringing it up to nearly 1cc and still I could drink the water like there was no band. For some reason this office doesn't believe barium swallows really do any good so she told me to go home eat mushies for 2 days and then call her in a week if I still didn't feel any restriction. At this point my fill level is back up over 10cc, I know that it can hold more but my fear is that either I won't feel any restriction and I will have to start the process of figuring out how, why? (Slippage, Erosion, what?) or that thier will be a delayed reaction to the fill and I'll end up so tight by the end of the week that I'll have to look stupid and go back for an unfill. I do have a theory on why I was less restricted after my last fill. At my last fill I had asked out of mere curiousity how much was in my band according to the charts and she said "well, why don't I just pull out the fluid and check." I hadn't asked her to, infact I think I said it wasn't necessary and they could just look in the charts but she insisted it was no trouble and proceeded to do it. Afterwards she put it all back in plus around 1/2cc. Why would I think this has anything to do with it? Well I know someone that has worked in a lapband office for years and her theory is that when the band is tightened around your stomach there are some natural folds of the stomach wall that occur and when you remove and replace the fluids even in one sitting it can cause those folds to lay differently inside the stomach making the same fill level either feel tighter or looser. She also has this theory about old foods that have stuck within the folds and not fallen through the band causing you to feel more restricted then when the fluid is drawn out those foods drop through and you feel less restricted after the fluid is put back in. Who knows how sound those ideas are but they are what I'm hoping for as I'd hate for it to turn out to be some sort of complication.

Glad to see you are doing well. Take it easy and focus on small sips. Warm fluids also tend to go down better.

BJean - You know I think I actually would feel better if I were in pain. Nuts I know but I feel great. You wouldn't even know I had the surgery other than the scar and the occasional slight soreness at night when I roll over the wrong way, plus the obvious absence of my excess skin. But with feeling healthy as a horse and as hungry as one most days its hard not beating myself up over the scale. I went to a local support group this Monday that I love and the topic was very appropriately about "rebooting" our brains. I also have a fill scheduled for this afternoon. So hopefully that will help with the hunger pains and I'll be able to feel a little more in control even if the scale doesn't start moving. Just to give you an idea of how unrestricted I am right now I just managed to eat an entire box of Burger King's Cini-Mini's. With all that bread I shouldn't have been able to manage more than one bite. Mind you this is the first time I've ate these since being banded but still when I'm better restricted I am barely hungry in the mornings.

Hi all. Sorry for not posting sooner. LBT hasn't been e-mailing me my reminders as of late. I think it might be a bit overwhelmed with the 200+ threads I'm subscribed to. The meeting was great sorry you missed it. I was looking to see if I spotted any of you. Next Months meeting will be on Monday April 21st. Then due to booking conflicts at the Library the May meeting will be on Monday May 12th. There were about 15 people there including one husband. Evelas - Hoping you are feeling well today. Give us a post when you are up to it. Thin2bme - Don't push yourself - It will get better each day.

I may be a crazy right wing "liberal" conservative, but I love that idea. I'll jump on board as well and work to cut my garbage output at home and here at work. Some of us may disagree on the various degrees of cause/effect we are having on the environment but I think we can all agree to support Green in this small way.

I know I'm terrible. But when you said you couldn't talk I wasn't able to stop from grinning at the thought of a Silent Green. But I wouldn't be surprised if some of the looks you exchange are louder than any words. Please keep us posted.

BJean - I know you were talking to Karey but I so needed your post today. The nurse at my PS had also had a TT and she told me that she had noticed a major shift in the swelling around 3 months though for nearly a year she said she would notice things were a bit swollen by the end of a busy day. Problem is I'm just over 4 months out and still not feeling like the swelling is going anywhere. I'm still convinced a good chunck of it is some regain from my unfill and resulting poor food choices but I'm going to hold out hope that my body will come round by the 6-8 month mark like yours did.

Not to hijack this thread but Green I am so sorry to hear about your diagnosis. You are in my prayers.

If you decide you hate it I'll buy it off you at the meeting tomorrow (or the next month). If I don't get to see you good luck on your surgery. I'll be thinking of you.

Great Teri Hope to see you. Evelas - How old are your children? There is going to be at least one other 4 year old and a teenager as well. The room is pretty large and when my son comes I usually just set him in a corner with some coloring books, quiet toys, and a remote DVD player, though their is a great kids reading area in the library as well that the teen might be willing to take the younger ones over to if she comes. Oh and on the Isopure if you haven't tried them yet I highly recommend mixing some Crystal Light into them to boost the flavor. The Grape Frost flavor isn't bad but they all taste a bit bland.

Tell your husband he can sit in the library and read a book or even surf the internet on one of the library's computers while you are in with us if he is uncomfortable joining in on the meeting himself. But I understand if you can't make it. Hope you are still feeling well. When do those staples come out again?

Was just cleaning out my old thread subscription list when I saw this old thread. I see you are down 44+ pounds now, so how are you feeling?? Do you still have any regrets or does the woman who wrote your original post seem like a distant memory?

Here is the e-mail reminder I just received for Mondays KCBandster Meeting. This is the one founded and supported strictly by other bandsters NOT by any specific doctors. I realize the topic this month is "Rebooting" which implies it is more for those of us that have been banded longer and are trying to get back on track but really it would be a great topic for newer bandsters as well trying to start "Reboot" their brain into their new bandster way of life. Though to be honest the topics we come up with before the meeting are more of a guideline than a rule. If anyone comes in with a problem or question we just change gears and adapt. I'd love to meet you KCBigGuy & Thin2bme. Hope I get to see you there. - Diane [KCBandsters] KCBandster Meeting Reminder for March! From:jenn_kc <jen@runyan.net> To:KCBandsters@yahoogroups.com Date:Sat, 22 Mar 2008 9:12 am You guys have been so good at talking about the meeting coming up that I almost forgot to post a reminder message about it! Thanks! :thumbdown: Our March meeting will be happening THIS Monday, March 24th at the Antioch Library in Merriam, KS. We meet from 6:45-8:45 pm in the meeting room at the back of the library. I think we will continue talking about the need to "Re-Boot" our brains and what that looks like. Whether you have been banded for years and years or you haven't had the surgery yet, I think this will be a great meeting. There will come a time when everyone needs to re-charge, or to re-program our brains to continue on a successful, healthy weight loss journey. Everyone can get stuck in a rut, or gain a few pounds and feel unable to get motivated to take them off. One of the long term goals of weight maintenance is early intervention. .. When your weight creeps up a bit, or you stall out in your weight loss, you stop, evaluate your lifestyle, and make small adjustments to get back on the right track. When I used to ride the diet rollercoaster before banding, I would get on the coaster (the latest diet to try) and ride for a while (lose some weight) and then get off the coaster and gain it all back. I wouldn't do any self checks until I woke up and had gained most, if not all, of the weight back. Then I would lament that "if only" I had caught the slide at 5 lbs and done something about it, I could have easily gotten back on track... Well, that is what I want to discuss at this month's meeting... So, join us Monday night and let's dive in!!! Jen Runyan Directions to Antioch Library I-35 to Shawnee Mission Parkway East to Antioch (1st major intersection and across from IHOP) Library is on the North West Corner of Antioch and SM Parkway

Dawn - Thanks for the update. I'm glad your own health has been improved but am sorry to hear about your husband. I will keep you and your family in my prayers.

There was no way Mark was going to vote off his brother. Roger's vote didn't surprise me as he seems to be more dedicated to losing the weight and the "brotherhood" of his men's team. And Ali's seems to be trying to get in with the boys so as to stay off their radar for as long as possible. I can't blame her for it though I doubt it will help her in the long run. Dan however was the one vote that I was really hoping would swing the other way. I know if his mother was still there she would have knocked some sense into him. Not taking advantage of the chance to get a guy off especially one of the brothers on the team was foolish in terms of gameplay as far as I'm concerned and he and his mother were always fond of pointing out how this was all just a game.

Shortgal - I agree 80 pounds is great and the size 10's I'm in now are already smaller than the size 14's I originally hoped for. My biggest problem lies in the fact I'm still sitting at a 10 pound weight gain nearly 6 months after plastic surgery. There is just NO WAY that is all from swelling this far out and even though I shouldnt be focusing on a number on a scale I just can't seem to see my way to being happy with myself unless I can take off those 10 pounds plus at least another 5 pounds to account for some of the 10+ pounds of skin they removed. It also doesn't help much that one day my DH will see me trying to watch my food and comment that he really doesn't want me losing any more then the next day he will see something I'm eating and ask when my next fill is as if he thinks I'm pigging out. I don't really feel there is anything wrong with my current weight being my goal. And I've met plenty of women even heavier that I consider at goal. The problem lies in my recent weight gain and whether or not it is a sign of my falling down an all to familiar slippery slope. I'm just afraid if I allow myself to be too comfortable with this weight it will only lead to my continuing to rationalize even more and more weight gain until I'm back to square one.

Try to hang in there. Only you can know if WLS is right for you but do not let financing hold you back, there are always ways. I reverted to a bit of fuzzy math while pitching it to my husband. Emphasizing all the money we would save each month on grocery bills as well as doctor & prescriptions with the increasing problems I was having due to my weight. As far as Dr. Macik goes I'm not in Atlanta but did a quick search through LBT and found that Wisshi & DishDiva both were banded by Macik and have been active on LBT recently. You might try tracking them down and sending them a Private Message to ask what they think of him and his office. You should also attend at least one of his local support group meetings to get a feel for how his program works. Local support groups can be a key part of a bandsters success. I'm not a huge fan of Obesityhelp.com but I also included a link to their comments page for Dr. Macik. One thing to keep in mind on is that the majority of those comments are posted by patients shortly after and sometimes even before they have had surgery. Bariatric Surgeon Profile - Paul E. Macik, M.D. F.A.C.S. Good luck what ever you decide.

I've seen them as well but never tried them. I hope someone here can shed some light on them.

I hadn't heard of this trial but am interested to hear more about it. What can you tell us. What are is the trial researching? What are the guidelines?

I know how you feel. I was banded in Sep of 2005. I lost just over 80 pounds and have/had around 20 more to lose. But my weight loss has completely stalled for about a year now. I even had PS last fall thinking that would help kick-start my push to lose the last 20 pounds but instead I've gained 10. I realize there is really no one to blame but myself. I haven't been drinking enough Water, eating enough solid Proteins or exercising. So I'm not complaining about the weight not coming off as much as I am about my inability to get my blankety blank head back in the game and start doing what I need to, to get these pounds coming off again. I just keep hoping that something is going to click and I'll be back "in the mood" to work on losing the weight and until then relying on the band to keep me from gaining back what I've lost.

Michele - That's horrible. I cried just reading it. People can be so cruel. I'll never understand why they think it is acceptable to behave in such a way.