Elisabethsew

AMEN, DonnaMarie!

This might sound like a dumb question but, why does it sometimes take one to two weeks before a fill "kicks in" and you experience restriction? I had my first fill yesterday and this information was printed on the diet sheet the surgeon gave me and he also mentioned it in passing as he was exiting the room. If they put saline in a ring that is secured at the base of your esophagus, why wouldn't you FEEL the narrowing right away? Does something magical happen at week one or week two? Am I just trying to see logic where none exists? My fill went fine and the only thing I notice is a little bruising over the port area. I go back on a regular diet on Monday or Tuesday. Thank you in advance for any insight you may offer.

Welcome back, Susan!

COMMUNICATION boards and the Internet and very much like communication in real life. Some people get along, some don't, some people are attention seekers, some are lurkers. The point is NO ONE is going to get along ALL the time with ALL the people. It doesn't happen in real life and it doesn't happen in cyberlife either. Often, people who feel the need to post dramatic good-byes and publically group "the board" as uncaring and unsupportive have personal issues that they hope "the Board" will resolve. When the advice or opinions are at odds with the person WANTS to hear, the nasty posts begin. I think it's silly to beg a person to stay when SHE/HE is the one who publically announce her/his DESIRE to leave. It's a free country. If you find another place that is supportive of you, by all means GO! To beg or encourage a person to stay only serves to feed the behavior and that's exactly what the person wants... attention. Good luck and best wishes to you on the new board.

Congratulations on the loss, babygirl!

I wish you all the best and respect your decision to leave.

I'm sorry you feel you need to leave the forum but you know what's best for you. It's sad that you feel the need to condemn the entire forum based on the negativity of a few people. I'm sure the person you helped is thankful for your kind and generous gift to them. Good luck to you.

I'm not sure what the sweetner is but my surgeon only allows medifast shakes. I got the ready to drink (RTD) chocolate one and still use them... 90 calories and tasty.

Carlene, I had the same response as you did to that posting. "What the heck?" I was hoping this was a thread that would stay dead!

You were banded in November and started having problems 6 weeks later and now your surgeon is treating you for an infection that is not responding to antibiotics. Clearly, something was wrong with the band and/or the surgical technique. The surgeon needs to do a culture and sensitivity of the "muddy" Fluid and try you on a course of intravenous antibiotics. If THAT fails, it's time to take this band out. Don't be passive about this because you've been dealing with the problem since December and enough is enough.

That time of the month is nearly over so I ventured onto the scale and am happy to see a loss. Congratulations to all the "losers" here. Name..........................Starting…...…..Current….…..Goal…....To Go Juliegeraci.......................238............. ...... 238.................228.............10 Lapbandit.......................231............... .....229………….199.............30 Waterlily.........................300............. .......290.................264.............26 Roiansmom.....................299................. ...299.................270.............29 Libra...............................248........... .........242.................228.............14 JulieNYC........................212............... .....209.................185.............24 Elisabethsew................... 282.................. ..278.................264.............14 PeaCeJ............................338............. .......338.................318.............20 RidinMyHDDream...........297.....................293.................281.............12 Babygirl1234................... 260....................259.................240.............19 Leecelove70.....................228............. ......228.................200.............28

Congratulations on making it to the halfway mark, Libra! That's wonderful. Molly, I'm sure you'll be in the 80's in a day or so. You're doing great!

Two cc's is an agressive fill so you might have some significant swelling. Try doing a day or so of fluids and then a day of soft foods before moving back to a regular diet. If your symptoms persist more than a week, I would check back with your surgeon.

Get a second opinion! Have you had an esophagram or endoscopy? You might need IV antibiotics, a new band, or antibiotics instilled into the tubing and port. If you're not getting any better and the surgeon has not altered the plan of care, it's time to get a second opinion.

Of course you can lose more than 50% of the weight you need to. There are plenty of people here who have losses that confirm this fact. Remember, statistics are based on past years of success and there have been quite a few changes to the band since it was first introduced; both in design as well as in surgical approach. Everyone loses weight with diet and exercise whether or not they have had surgical intervention. For those of us who are banded, we needed an intervention to ASSIST with the diet to allow more exercise. The only limitation to the amount of weight you can lose is you.

Lisa, You went through a lot and only gained 5 pounds. Consider what you would have gained a year ago. Why is it we always focus on the gains and not the HARD work it takes to achieve and maintain the losses? You're a winner with a loss of 57 pounds and your back on track. Keep posting and giving us updates.

If you got a fill on Tuesday and can't eat solid proteins today, it would seem like your fill might be a little too much. Many people stay "too tight" in the hopes of losing more weight but most actually gain as they resort to higher calorie foods that are easier to get down. Because acid reguritation into the stomach can also damage your esophagus, call your MD if you're unable to eat solid proteins.

Name.............................Starting……..Curre nt……..Goal……..To Go Juliegeraci.......................238............. ...... 238.................228.............10 Lapbandit.......................231............... .....231………….199.............32 Waterlily.........................300............. .......294.................264.............30 Roiansmom.....................299................. ...299.................270.............29 Libra...............................248........... .........245.................228.............17 JulieNYC........................212............... .....209.................185.............24 Elisabethsew....................282............... .....279.................264.............15 PeaCeJ............................338............. .......338.................318............20 RidinMyHDDream...........297.....................297.................281............16 Babygirl1234................... 260................ ...260.................240.............20 Leecelove70.....................228....................228.................200............28 I think we're all listed now and I think this reflects the most current stats. Welcome to Lisa.

Congratulations on your loss!

I'm glad the problem was resolved and that you caught it in time. Intestinal volulus can occur at anytime and there is no predicting who will experience it or when. Sometimes it resolves on its own and sometimes it needs surgical intervention.

Cascadian, I am the female version of you. Weighed nearly 9 pounds at birth, 85 pounds by the age of eight and 218 in high school. My highest was 440 and I dieted down to 195. I started regaining and was 351 when I had my surgery. I do know that people did not know me when I went from 440 to 195 so it should be interesting to see what happens this time.

Chicken has very little fat in it. Beef tends to have fat running throughout it. Because chicken is low fat and can tend to be fiborous and dry, try eating fish with some tomato sauce on it or with some salsa or something else you like. Put a small amount of chicken with the "something else" and eat them together. It prevents you from taking too big a bite and helps to break down the chicken.

I wasn't aware I was doing that.

Since you've had problems that are now resolved, why risk it again? Food intolerance at the mushy stage is a sign you're too tight. Call your MD and get seen.

I'm also on Long Island and have not had any complications. There are quite a few New Yorkers on the board. Albany Medical is an excellent center so you're in great hands.