riley4183

Good morning dear Tina! Do you know what I just did, I ate beef strips for breakfast, now I feel really disgusting. It did not do anything to satisfy my appetite either! I mean physically. My stomach is still growing. I am going to give it up and go have a nice soy latte in an hour, at least it fills me up. Grr! Can't WAIT to get back to vegies. Ate a bunch of salty food yesterday and am paying for it on the scale today. Bad scale. I started running again yesterday, after my ankle injury I am really scared about it and I won't run on an uneven surface and I am still waering my hiking boots instead of my running shoes because they give me ankle support! I walk-jogged 4 miles before work this morning, I am dead set on putting in 10 miles a day total and since I have my support group meeting tonight I had to get as much in this morning as I could. God I look like a dork out there, fat jiggling (esp. the bat wings, I must look like I'm trying to take off & fly!!!), face bright red, huffing & puffing in my hiking boots! LOL, what a sight, this had sure better work!!! We (Santa Rosa Kaiser bariatrics program) are doing the Lake Tahoe Marathon 10K at the end of September, Kaiser if outfitting us - we are "Team Thrive" - but we have to pay for our own hotel and all, anyways that's the training goal so you see, I gotta staring runnning more! You guys should consider doing it too, it is even closer for you!! And VERY motivating :-) Here's the link Lake Tahoe Marathon Reggie no one has ever died in surgery @ Richmond Kaiser, everything will go FINE I promise! I hope you got your CD to use tonight. We're pulling for you girl! Happy Tueszday all :purplebananna:

Christine I loved your video!!! One of the best fill ones I've seen - tell your mom thanks! Didn't see much of Dr. Baggs in it except some of his head shining, LOL :purplebananna: I am glad now that my port sticks out so much, cause he found mine first "jab" - at least the last time he did, who knows what he will find this time, but at least it's still sticking out there, I can sure feel it! Yeah I must have had quite a bit of fat around my tummy where he put the band at surgery, and I don't know why I only got 1 cc at my first fill either, I had lost quite a bit of weight . . . now I have lost another 12 lbs. since my 1st fill, I hope that is enough to get 2cc's this time! I am eating WAY too much, but also an still getting stuck once in a while - esp. in the mornings, so I do have some restriction. How about you? Are you feeling restriction from this fill yet? Praying for you Reggie!!!

Candra ~ what Tina said about the 1200 and carbs, I wholeheartedly agree! Also about having to do all 3 things - the diet, the water, and the excercise to lose. Oh and by the way . . .that doesn't change after surgery, darn it! I lost 43 lbs before surgery, in about 3 1/2 months. I ate about 900 of the 1200 calories, I replaced the starches with proteins. I can't eat wheat so that is not an issue, but I found that if I had "1/2 a small potato, plain" it just made me want 1-1/2 large potato, dripping with butter and sour cream and bacon crumbles!!! SUCH a trigger for me, and yes, as soon as I start eating carbs again my liver stores about a ton of glycogen and that weighs, well, a ton! And Robin is perfectly happy to have you replace the carbs with protein. She does want you to really really really hit the water tho, if you increase your proten. Hope that helps! Have to go be on an oral board; type at you all later!

Tina, I've just had the 1 fill - 2cc left in at surgery, then he gave me 1cc for my first fill. Everyone is really different I guess! I don't understand it either, but I was FINE right after surgery, got full really easy, never felt hungry or anything so it was exactly the right amount for me. But by week 5 that was going away, and I gained weight back until my first fill, then lost 10 lbs again after it - and now nothing. Well very little, and only because I am working my ^*& off!:eek: yeah I'm confused about the chicken thing, it was a dry breast and didn't come from a can - I was trying to broaden my horizons and get away from just canned chicken and fish - but alas. I still refuse to eat anything with a bone in it, it's GROSS to gnaw flesh! I am going to talk to Robin about transitioning back to vege on Friday, I think I am getting too much protein right now - between 80-120 grams - because of all the soy I eat. But she is going to cut out my soy slender soy milk, I know she is, because she will say that I'm drinking my calories or whatever. But I am NOT giving up my decaf latte in the AM! Riley

Not sure what to do! My next fill is scheduled for Friday, I only have 3 cc's right now and he said I would definately have restriction after this next fill. I can't eat for 6 hours before it, so sounds kinda big . . . . I am eating WAY too much, like more than a cup at a time and not getting a full feeling until I've had a LOT. If I don't eat until that full feeling, then an hour later I don't feel like I've eaten yet. Sound familiar to anyone? Weight loss is down to 1 lb. a week from my usual 3 lbs. a week, and I am working out every day - I burn between 600 and 1,000 calories through excercise every day. So I definately need a fill, right?? But yesterday I got stuck 3 friggin' times! I was chewing carefully, too. Blasted chicken again, but I used to be able to tolerate it! I am worried that I will be TOO tight after this fill and not be able to eat solid foods, and still not have the "I'm full after 1/2 cup" feeling that I had before. Advice??

Wow that's too bad, I loved my CD! It really helped with my anxiety. Surely one of our Sac girls will lend you one . . . I will say prayers for you Reggie!! C U on the other side:thumbup:

Oh my gosh Reggie your surgery is SO SOON!!!! Woo-hoo! Are you using your "Successful Surgery" CD???

Nadine, I had Dr. Zimmerman for my psych @ Richmond and REALLY liked her! They want to make sure that you don't have unresolved issues, such as depression that isn't being treated . . . there is nothing, NOTHING that you can't or should not tell them. Yes it is a psych screening, but almost everyone passes it! They will make recommendations if they are concerned, for example counseling, meds re-evaluation, eating disorder support group or whatever. Only ones I ever heard about not passing where a woman with persistent pshychotic episodes who was not compliant with her medication; and a friend of mine who has a history of bulemia, with frequent vomitting - with episodes only about 4 months in the past. She needs to be in active treatment for a year before they will let her through the program. But basically, Dr. Z talked to me about my journey to date, the attempts that I had made to lose weight in the past, the kinds of diets that had worked best for me; how I planned on managing head hunger; how much I excercised; how I felt about having the eat meat agin for a year (I was veg when I started in November); and what support groups I was in. Easy as pie! She's the one that helped me kick the caffeine, and also recommended Dr. Baggs as my surgeon because she thought it was a good fit (it was!)

Holy cow! That's a LONG time to wait for a fill if you need one. I wonder if I can call or email Dr. Baggs if I think I need another one . . . if I lose fast so the band gets loose again, I'll need one again in a month or 6 weeks! Oh well I will try to remember to ask him at my fill next week. Thanks Pam! Rosey I'm great, thanks My scale is my friend again!!! And realloy loving my 3-mile walks into the sunrise every morning

5 months between fills? Yikes! Pam was that at your request or do they actually try to make you wait that long?!?

That's what I figured too, that she thought you had RNY - it would explain the unrealistic expectations on her part!!! I think you got the extra Robin appt. 'cause you're vegetarian, then :-) She wants to have a sit-down with me before I stop eating meat again, too. I guess that's her specialty. I just checked my appointments with Robin & Dr. Baggs next Friday online, and it still says Richmond. When I was making the appointment, he said "any day but Thursday" so I just assumed they were in Pinole on Thursdays . . . . I'll go anywhere for this fill tho, I NEED it! I'm starving right now . . . of course I have not eaten since last night, but still! I don't like hungry Oh and Nadliner, I had the same coffee withdrawel experience . . . . tried to quit cold turkey right after orientation, had horrible headaches, cold sweats, it was awful - like drug withdrawels I guess. I started right back up! Quad shot latte 2 x a day, a real addict . . . Dr. Zimmerman (Psych) told me to get some real good ground coffee from Starbuck's or Peet's or Wolf's, have them grind it "1/2 caf" and ENJOY my coffee. Once I was down to a single 1/2 caf cup a day, I was fine. I literally weaned myself off of it. But here's the thing: it really is an appetite stimulant, so they sooner you can cut down the sooner you will lose your appetatie. Weird but true! Riley

Hi Nadinerl, welcome! You're on your way! The pre-op diet worked for me bacause I really believed that it was the last diet, ever. Every 5 lbs I would lose, I would text all my friends "10 lbs gone forever, 15 lbs gone forever" of whatever - and it really is. This is the last time that you have to do it! You still have to watch what you eat after banding of course, but it is SO different. Just keep at it! Oh and I had to do all 3 things to lose .. . 1200 cals (900 sometimes), 64+ oz. of water, and excercise - walking 5-6 miles a day. Christine, yay for breaking that plateau, and WOO-HOO on your first fill!!! You will lose after that, for sure - he puts you back on clear liquids! Have a good fill! I'm so glad you are video-ing it, I need a fill video to share with the 14-week class up here :-) Tina, Nicole is right Robin is crazy!!! 1-2 lbs a week is a normal loss for lap-banders, Dr. Baggs was thrilled that I had lost almost 20 lbs. in 6 weeks and that's not much more than you have lost. I just went 3 1/2 weeks losing only 1 1/2 lbs the whole time, so 10 lbs a month woulda been fantastic!! Most people do not have restriction until their 2nd fill at least. I eat LOTS more than 1/4 cup, there is no way I could make it on 1/4 cup right now - at least not until my next fill. And I do log everything I eat, and I am consistently between 900 and 1200 calories a day - that's just what my body needs right now I guess. Jeez. I really like Robin & all, maybe she is really wanting you to lose as fast as a RNY or something. You look GREAT to me!!! Oh and I think everyone has to meet with her to get the 2nd fill, and bring a food log, so you'd have to do it anyways even if you hadn't asked questions. She's gonna FREAK when she sees my log!! You said Dr. Baggs is doing all of his fills in Pinole now??

I had Dr. Fischer for orientation too, and he was really anti-band - I never would have chosen him! I chose Dr. Baggs because he is the lap-band guy (and cause he matched my personality), but I actually met with Dr. Park first and just adored her! I went to pre-op appointments with a friend of mine who had her for RNY, and she always invited me to ask my questions about my own situation, she's really sweet OH and she's the head of surgery!!! I don't know anyone who has had her and not been thrilled. Hope that helps!

What I meant to say is, the only pain I had after day 5 was from my port. And that hurt for a long long time. But Nicole, I'm kinda worried that yours is hurting when you eat and stuff. It should get steadily better, not do flare-ups of getting worse! Damned port. Have you asked Dr. Baggs?

Oh my gosh you guys, I had so much fun yesterday!!! So good to meet you all in person finally . . .and ya know, everyone was exactly how I expected them to be from chatting for 7 months with them! Means you girls are honest. And BEAUTIFUL!!! Oh my goodness, I can't believe how darned good looking that group is! I sat there and looked around and felt like I had known all you guys for a long time - I guess I kinda have! Smallerj, I had surgery on a Monday and went back too work the following Monday - desk job, but lots of opportunities to get up and walk around all during the day. I ended up just working 5 or 6 hour days that week, I had developed a bad infection (cellulitis) at 4 days post op and was on some AWFUL antibiotics to knock that out, they worked but they made me queasy-sick so I didn't really feel like working. My recovery was very very fast and easy, but everyone has a different experience and you just don't know what yours will be until you get out on the othert side. I'd suggest that you take off 2 weeks minimum if you have the sick time. I didn't have it! I have friends who went back in 4 days, there is NO way in heck that I would have done that!!! I only had port pain after day 5, and I was SO needing to get up and do stuff - adult ADD here - that my house has never been cleaner! I was ready to go back to work, that's for sure. But I had also told everyone here (almost 200 people, I'm not shy) what I was doing, so never had to try & "hide" my little 2-oz. containers of full liquids in the fridge. Yay, scale moving again!!!:smile2: Riley

Yea I'm excited too! So Nicole, how was your first fill???

SO excited. I just looked at the menu, the lunch-sized pistachio-crusted salmon sounds devine . . . YAY! Christine, if I get lost I'm calling you, girl!

Yay! I am going with someone else but we have to eat lunch SOMEwhere, right?? I won't be able to hang out for a long time but at least I can meet you guys! I hope. Our seminar goes until 12:30, it's downtown somewhere so she said "OK" so hopefully you will see me tomorrow! I have only lost 1.2 lbs in the past 3.5 weeks, so I need some encouragement too!!

Hey all! I'm going to be in Sactremento for a Conference tomorrow!!!!! Where is this Mimi's place??

No, doesn't hurt anymore - but it did for 4 weeks solid! Then it stopped almost overnight at the end of week 4. In fact, I remember when I went in for a fill at 6 weeks I complained to Dr. Baggs & told him if I had come in at 4 weeks I would have spend the whole appointment whining about how much it hurt and stuck out, he laughed and said that's why we don't have you come in at 4 weeks! The he told me about how they "carve" out a plave for it and the body responds with a bunch of fluids, then they get re-absorbed by the body at 5 or 6 weeks and all is well.

Thanks Tina, that sure helps! I did not recognize you from your little pic on here! Wow you girls are all LOOKERS!!! Watchout, world!! I know what you mean about the faster weight loss with RNY, but there are reasons we didn't do it that way! Remember all of those things . . .but it IS hard to put up with less, my goals were to lose 40 pre-surgery then 20 right after, then settle down to a nice 1-2 lbs a week for a year. Well I lost 43 before and 30 after, I now that I have slowed down to a crawl - which WAS my PLAN - I just hate not losing at the same rate as (most of) my RNY friends! It seems that they don't have to work for every single pound like we do - but then again, they are not learning to work for them, and we are. No, I'm VERY glad I had lap-band and not RNY. I just want to lose at that rate until I'm tired of it - ha!

Rosey thanks for posting that pic! Now I can see all these wonderful girls . . .I know who Christine & Nicole are cause I've seen teir pics, who are these other beautiful ladies?? I want to meet you all! I will have to take a day off work & drive to Sacto when you are all meeting I guess. Got in a hike today between rainstorms, we have had inches & inches here in just a few days. Good for the earth, sucks for my excercise! I think I need a fill again already, for dinner I had 6 oz of steak and 2 cups of salad . . . . I'm quite full, but that's TOO much! Where is my stop signal?? This is the same issue I had before the surgery. Not good, not good at all. Gonna go walk a last mile - take care all! Riley

He "owned" it! Yay Mikey! Hiya desparate - we were desparate too! Not any more tho :-) Kaiser Richmond is like #4 in the nation for bariatric surgery success, you will do great. We love our lap-bands!! YES there is a special diet that you have to follow, and it's great and it really works, and you'll get it at orientation. DON'T lose weight before orientation! Wear heavy jeans, shoes, and don't take the change out of your pockets! And drink lots of water right before you weigh in, LOL. Your "starting" weight is the one they take at orientation. You're gonna love it! Keep coming back here :thumbup:

Query, can we ask them to just make us a group & call us "Kaiser Richmond" so folks can find us no matter what stage of the journey they are in?