Elisabethsew

It's a very personal decision to have weight loss surgery and having doubts before the actual procedure is normal. Make a list of questions to go over with your surgeon and review it with him/her.

Are you losing fat but building muscle? Check your measurements. Also, for a vigourous exercise program, 1000 calories and 40-60 g of protein a day is too low.

Welcome! It's great that you're feeling so good one week post-op and congratulations on your loss.

You look HOT! Congratulations on a great achievement!

Congratualtions on a WONDERFUL milestone. Do something special to celebrate.

It's a good thing you decided to get an unfill. The damage an overfill can cause to an esophagus might not be temporary. As you discovered, an overfill doesn't allow for the ingestion of solid proteins and can actually lead to weight gain. I hope you're feeling better.

Benadryl works for allergic reactions and you can buy the pills over the counter. It might be a good idea to take one 30 minutes before a fill if you have such bad reactions.

Name...............Christmas…...To Go A1ikou...............240...............XX Aza.....................299..............XX BPM..................230...............XX candy444..........299................XX Elisabeth...........275................22 Ericsmom.........250.................XX Indianlight........280.................22 Josette...............340................XX JulieNYC..........235................32 LapBandit.........250.................28 Libra.................270................25.2 Mariguita..........290................XX NatesMommy...275................XX Waterlily1072...275................24

It does feel good, Vegas. I am still not at a very good restriction level but I hope to remedy that when I return to the surgeon on 10/18 for another fill. My iron levels were rock bottom and I'm now 50% done with weekly iron intravenous infusions. I think that's helping my energy levels.

I weighed in yesterday... exactly 6 months from the date of my surgery and I am down 54 pounds. Today, I went out and finally bought some new slacks and a few tops... down from a 4X top to a 2X. Congratulations to everyone on their success.

Currently, I am working on my dissertation for a Ph.D. in Adult Education. In mentoring about 6-8 Masters level students each semester, it's amazing to me how poorly the quality of writing has become. In fact, most colleges and universities now have something called a writing center. Students make an appointment and have their papers "corrected" for spelling and grammar use by proficient teachers and graduate level English majors. It seems "spell check" and "grammar check" and the "thesaurus" available to students on word processing programs has taken a front seat to students actually writing drafts and then refining their academic writing endeavors. While I'm on my soapbox, it's also pathetic to see how many professional emails I receive that lack correct spelling and grammar usage. It seems we really do need to go "back to basics" as standardized testing scores show a decrease in percentages of "passing" grades as the students progress in school. Sad!

Preadmission testing at the hospital was blood work and a chat with the anesthesiologist. Prior to the preadmission testing I had pulmonary function tests and a chest x-ray with the pulmonologist and an EKG and stress test and thyroid function tests with the cardiologist. I also had a meeting with the psychologist and one with the nutritionist.

Congratulations to you and your family. Post a picture of your little blessing when you're able to.

You'll many people who are for and other who are against banding outside of the United States. The bottom line is that it's YOUR decision so do your research, weigh the options, and make the best choice for YOU.

You took the right steps in seeing your MD and having your medications adjusted. As far as the messy house and the pile-up of laundry, etc. you can easily tackle those problems if you don't see it as an all or nothing task. If things are as bad as you described and you take it as an "all or nothing" job, you'll never even attempt to make a change for the better. So, get out of bed, take a shower, grab a cup of coffee, a pen and some paper and start to make a priority list of what needs to be done. One day you can get the laundry done. The next day you can change the linen on the beds and get that laundry out of the way. The following day you can clean the bathroom. Make a daily schedule of jobs that you CAN realistically get done. As you make progress, you'll feel better and be motivated to achieved more positive outcomes. Take out another piece of paper and make some food menus out. Plan three hours to cook some healthy meals in advance and freeze them so you have food on hand when you don't feel like cooking. Remember, one day at a time gets the jobs done so take that first step and start to make some positive changes. You CAN do it if you WANT to do it. Good luck!

The size band that you have has nothing to do with your weight and everything to do with your anatomy. There is no way to predict, until the surgeon actually views the organs, what size band you will come out of the OR with. Unfortunately, there is no set amount for a first fill. It really depends on the preference and experiences of the MD. Also, some people don't feel the results of a fill for up to 2 weeks after getting it. Obviously, bigger bands hold more saline so someone with a 4 cc capacity might start with 1 cc for a fill while a patient with a larger capacity might get 2-3 cc's. It might take a few fills but eventually you will fill restriction.

What size band do you have and how often does your surgeon allow fills to be scheduled? I felt the same way you did and did not feel restriction until I had the third fill. Like you, I lost weight DESPITE the band and could not relate to people who wrote about how wonderful the band was and how little they could eat. I now have some restriction but it's still not to the point where it needs to be. The last fill I only received 0.3 cc and the next fill was scheduled for 6 weeks later so that's not until 10/18. When you go in for your first fill make sure you share how you're feeling and your concerns with the staff. Hang in there... better days are coming.

Congratulations on making your 6 month goal. I have until 9/30 to hit my 6 month mark and have my official weigh-in on the 29th.

The gas and stomach noises are all part of the banding. LOL. You'll eventually get used to it. As far as the pizza goes, you likely did not chew it well enough and that caused your discomfort. You'll have more of these episodes but they rarely damage the band which is securely sutured to muscle. Welcome!

I believe Price Club (Cosco) offers low Rx costs as well.

I find killing people with kindness shocks them. For example, when someone gives me the "finger" in a car, I wave and smile. They assume I know them so they must know me and usually give a nervous wave back. When I hold the door for someone or move out of the way and they don't say "thank you" I say "you're so very welcome." That usually snaps them back to reality and they say, "thanks" and scurry away. Clearly, this man on the scooter was a miserable person. I would have replied, "why thank you for that information and you have a wonderful day." I refuse to stoop to the level of imbeciles.

Can you give more details? Are you having a lot of side-effects?

Why not be honest? He clearly likes you for who you are and not what you weigh so don't you think he would be supportive of your efforts to lead a healthy life? Tell him the truth.

You look wonderful! I wish you a life time of happiness.

If you're vomiting on a nightly basis, you're too tight and need an unfill. Instead of eliminating all the foods you want to have but can't have, why not make a meal plan that allows some of those foods into your diet? I love pretzels so I buy the 100 calorie packs rather than "eyeing" what I think 100 calories will be. If you look at life with the band as an "all or nothing" lifestyle, you're doomed to failure. If your surgeon has a dietician, make an appointment to see him/her to assist in planning healthy but enjoyable meals.