DaMomb

Does your doctor say Ibuprofen is okay to take? Mine is adement about NO ibuprofen. I found out Monday when I went in for a fill that he thinks mine is leaking too. The last two fills I have had he has put in 9cc's and when I go back he always checks and there has only been 7ccs in my band. I go in next Monday for a port a gram. He said if it is in the port then just have to have the port replaced but if it isn't in the port then I may have to have the entire band replaced.. Bummer

Just wondered if anyone knows anything about the natural remedy for depression called Sam-E. Was wondering because it says that it can be hard on the stomach and I know that we are not supposed to used NSAIDS because of how hard they are on the stomach. Any info would be great. Googled but found nothing. Thanks

Keep getting fills til you feel restriction. This isn't an easy way, but it can work. You just have to persevere. I have horrible allergies and have had to have my band adjusted repeatedly, but it is worth it. Haven't updated my profile info in a while, but I have lost 50 pounds and have kept it off for a year and a half. I have never done that before. Would like to lose 20 or so pounds more, but still so happy to have lost what I have lost and been able to keep it up. Don't give up! That is the most important thing! Keep going back til it is working.

So today I have been thinking about how badly I ate yesterday. I had a pampered chef party and of course the food is NOT conducive to weight loss. I had a protein shake before hand hoping that it might help me not overeat at the party. Yeah right! Loaded baked potato chowder, strawberry cake with whipped cream, turtle bar cookies...*sigh*. This morning I got up and had my normal bowl of bran flakes, but was feeling guilty because I still had that "I ate too much" feeling from yesterday. Sometimes these feelings just go round and round in my head and I beat myself up and I am not even really aware of it. Today, however, I was aware of it. A rule that I try to live by is "Tomorrow is a new day". No matter what I do today, as long as I wake up tomorrow morning, I get to start all over. No... there are not any "Do Overs". If I screwed up yesterday... I screwed up yesterday. Can't take it back or undo it. But I can let it go. It is in the past. Move on. One of the main things I want to do when I beat myself up, is comfort myself with food. My emotional appetite can be ravenous. Something sounds good, and I think I will feel better if I eat it, but lo and behold, it does not make me feel better at all. So I try something else. Eventually, I only end up feeling horrible and the emotional thing is still there. If I can ever truly get a handle on that, there is no telling how much my life would change. I am human... I screw up.... Move on!! So... today... My mind starting doing that... man.. you ate way to much.... you still have a lot of weight to lose, and at this rate, you are NEVER going to lose it all. I HATE THESE THOUGHTS! *Sheesh* Get me off this freakin mental merry go round! :tt1: So today, I will do better than yesterday. I will forgive myself for screwing up (again) and I choose to move on. My life is better today then it was 9 months ago and I am determined it is going to keep getting better. After all... what have I got to lose????

So today I have been thinking about how badly I ate yesterday. I had a pampered chef party and of course the food is NOT conducive to weight loss. I had a protein shake before hand hoping that it might help me not overeat at the party. Yeah right! Loaded baked potato chowder, strawberry cake with whipped cream, turtle bar cookies...*sigh*. This morning I got up and had my normal bowl of bran flakes, but was feeling guilty because I still had that "I ate too much" feeling from yesterday. Sometimes these feelings just go round and round in my head and I beat myself up and I am not even really aware of it. Today, however, I was aware of it. A rule that I try to live by is "Tomorrow is a new day". No matter what I do today, as long as I wake up tomorrow morning, I get to start all over. No... there are not any "Do Overs". If I screwed up yesterday... I screwed up yesterday. Can't take it back or undo it. But I can let it go. It is in the past. Move on. One of the main things I want to do when I beat myself up, is comfort myself with food. My emotional appetite can be ravenous. Something sounds good, and I think I will feel better if I eat it, but lo and behold, it does not make me feel better at all. So I try something else. Eventually, I only end up feeling horrible and the emotional thing is still there. If I can ever truly get a handle on that, there is no telling how much my life would change. I am human... I screw up.... Move on!! So... today... My mind starting doing that... man.. you ate way to much.... you still have a lot of weight to lose, and at this rate, you are NEVER going to lose it all. I HATE THESE THOUGHTS! *Sheesh* Get me off this freakin mental merry go round! :thumbup: So today, I will do better than yesterday. I will forgive myself for screwing up (again) and I choose to move on. My life is better today then it was 9 months ago and I am determined it is going to keep getting better. After all... what have I got to lose???? :crying:

As a veteran of the US Army, I too have had military training, and they did not teach me to be rude. You have more issues that the RNY is going to fix. And I do, in fact, wish you luck. You are 309 pounds for heavens sake! I hope whatever you choose works! And btw.. I have lost 42 pounds in 9 months.... and I consider that a great success!!

You asked a question about lapband vs RNY, and got mad when someone answered you with their opinion. If you only wanted opinions that were pro-RNY, you should have said that. However, with that said, I still wish you luck on your journey.

Congratulations Catherine! You are doing great. Keep up the good work. I wanted to share one of my NSV's. For years I have gone with my sisters (who are a size 3/4 and a size 8/10) to Victoria's Secret and watched them shop while I looked at lip gloss and shimmer body powder. I finally got down to a size that I could order a bra and panties. And the bra was actually to big and I had to return it. The panties fit perfectly! WOOHOO! I returned the bra and using my new pretty pink angel credit card (LOL) I ordered several more pair of panties and 3 new bras! Oh yeah... and two tubes of lip gloss... hehehhehe

Chele, I hate that your band has been so ineffective for you. Truthfully, you are exactly right about the band and the discipline that is necessary to lose weight. It is not the magic bullet that many of us hoped it would be. The truth of the matter is, I think it might help you to change your goal from weight loss to just being healthier. That has been my goal, and although I have not lost weight quickly, I have consistently lost weight, and I have changed my lifestyle extensively. The band didn't do that.... I did. Some of my changes have been to eliminate bread (I don't miss it nearly as much as I thought that I would). I have exchanged turkey meat for hamburger in about 95% of my recipes and uses. (Most of the time you really can't tell the difference except that it is very mushy when raw *yuck*). I use soy milk for my smoothies and Cereal and to add to my hot tea (much healthier, and I can't tell the difference, but I couldn't just drink it straight, its kinda brown... also *yuck*). I have learned to like yogurt... (I started with the yoplait whips.. they are really good, and now I can eat any yogurt... and I LOVE IT!! I NEVER thought I would say that). I DO NOT buy any kind of chips or junk that I have a problem with. Sometimes I buy something for my family, (like recently it was cheddar jalapeno chips) and found that I was obsessed with them until the entire bag was gone, so I now know that I cannot have that in the house again. My family is very understanding about it. I know, for me, what I thought was going to happen with the band is that I was just going to have this wonderful full feeling all the time, and that would encourage me to eat less. That is not really what has happened for me. With my third fill I do enjoy a full feeling, and have to make myself eat which is awesome. Many times in the morning I can't even eat anything solid, so I eat yogurt, oatmeal, or cream of wheat. I like those things and they are healthy. but if I am eating later in the afternoon, or evening, I find that I can eat much more than the recommended 1/2 - 1 cup, so that is when I have to exercise my discipline. And it is really hard, especially if it is something I really like. I use a small plate and that helps, but it is still very hard. I also try to make sure that my foods are healthier so that if I am not as disciplined as I should be, at least it is not as bad as the things I made prior to my band. Have you tried having a cup of warm tea or coffee before you eat chicken or turkey? That seems to help me relax my band. Anything cold will usually tighten that band right up. Also, have you told your doctor that you are having a problem with those foods? Every time I go to the dr, I have to fill out a form and that is one of the questions on the form. I never have had a problem so I am not sure what it means if you are having a problem, but it is evidently something that is common or I don't think it would be on the questionnaire. You really need to develop a better relationship with your surgeon and if he is not working with you then I would suggest finding another bariatric doctor. And the suggestion to walk is the most important in my book. Our bodies were created to move and that doesn't mean walking to the car and then from the car to our job, or the store, or whatever. And you don't have to power walk. Just move. I usually walk my dog for about 40 minutes a day and you will be surprised how much better you feel (and my dog is soooooo happy!). Like I said, for me this has been about being healthier. The changes I have made are changes that I feel like I can live with for the rest of my life. Eating straw and hay and working out like a madman is not something that I would ever be able to keep up... but that is just me. Having a goal of being healthy does not overwhelm me like a goal of being skinny does. With 100 or more pounds to lose that is a little overwhelming to me. Find what works for you. And the one thing to remember is this... whether it has been 2 days... 2 months... or 2 years.... tomorrow is a brand new day, and you get to start all over just as if you were banded yesterday. Call your doctor, get rid of the cheetos and steak and good luck. I hope that you can find the will and the desire to restart this process, because it is definitely worth it. I have not lost my weight quickly, but I am 42 pounds less than when I started, and I am okay with that. Oh yeah... the gas...... Are you married??? For me it is finally payback for my hubby who has gassed me out for the last 25 years :thumbdown:. But it is often quite uncomfortable for me as well. But it is a fair trade off for me. Hope to hear that you have been able to get back on the "band" wagon. Best of Luck and I will look forward to hearing from you on how you are doing! (sorry it is such a long reply)

Miss Bandy, I didn't think the reply was nasty at all. While many people are very successful with the RNY, it has a lot of complications. I know of two women that died from complications associated with the gastric bypass. I also personally know several people that had it done several years ago, and wish that they had done the lapband instead, but it was not available at the time. Problems like severe vitamin deficiency, and chronic diarrhea, are the most common. According to information available, it is much safer now than it was even 10 years ago. Most people will lose all the weight that they are going to lose within the first 18 months with the RNY. That was my determining factor for the lapband was that whether it is 18 months or 18 years I can always go back and have it tightened to help with weight loss if I gain anything back. Good Luck Haku with your decision and your weight loss. No matter what you decide I hope that you are successful.