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LOL Mo!! I go back to Kaiser next week and only lost 5 pounds. Just debating if I want a fill or not. Robin says if I don't want a fill I will need to be on top of my eating and food logs cause the band will loosen up as i lose weight........LOL. Now they are telling me to get fills and I am holding off........Funny how things have changed. I think I could do a .25 fill since everything is going down easy now. Certainly won't go for a .5 fill. I need to do better on my exercise and vitamins....... Like John I am hoping to be in onderland before the end of the summer. 12 pounds to go..........

Morning all................. Busy day here in Hot Sacramento. My daughter is gone for the week on a camping trip so I wanted to get the house clean before she gets back. Not much going on but work and trying to work the band this week. Working on my water as I write this.

I agree Pam I don't think they will do it unless they consider all the fills/unfills and the ER visits as problems. It would make sense that you would have to heal first but that would mean two more surgeries and to much time off work. Will be interested to see what Kaisers opinion of all this is.

Yea my band has been a pain in the butt!! I am still considering the sleeve but don't know if Kaiser would even consider it. I will find out when I talk to them later this month.............I threw it out there and no one said no but they didn't say yes either. But the hassle is time off work. A night in the hospital. Getting the band and port out and the pain with that. But mostly taking time off work and disability is such a hassle. And all the driving back and forth to Kaiser Richmond. ALthough I do it alot anyway now. If I were to do it I would probably do it in the fall sometime. That would be another month off work. I might change insurance in September so unless I did it quickly with Kaiser I think I might actually be able to do it in Sacramento if I wait. But we will see. Down 15 and stalled. I am afraid to get another fill but like Mo said maybe what I think is to tight is what I actually need to move forward.

I also remember hearing the nurses calling all the people that had surgery the day before to make sure they were ok. How funny is that!!! They were all on the phone while I was slowing coming to doing their check ins? Relaxing atmosphere. I loved my nurse she let me take off the darn face mask that was making me crazy!! I can't breath with the oxygen mask on my face. Did everyone else have that as well?? I finally got the nose tube which was better. I HATE things over my face like that!! I sorta think that might be what I was argueing with the doc and anthesilogist about!! I hope I wan't to obnoxious about it. But the nurse had it off me right after they left......

JOHN: Seriously you woke up?? How scary what were you thinking? Did you hurt. Oh that would be my worse fear. How did they knock you out so fast. Wow I thought those were just horror stories you hear about waking up. BELLA: Why the liver biopsy? I get the hernia and from I hear that is a painful recover but why the liver? Was something wrong? CHRISSY: We all know you had the pre surgery, surgery that was your worst nightmare. After that surgery must have been a breeze!! Well I have to finish cleaning house. No fun but necessary. Have a great one.

Bella I was in alot of pain in the recovery room too. I remember the elephant. I think I had the pain meds 3 times before they got it under control...........I don't remember Dr. Baggs being there in the recovery room but I vaguely remember him talking to the nurse. I just didn't see him. I didn't open my eyes cause it hurt to bad but I heard everything the anthesialogist said to the nurse and thought maybe I didn't get banded or that something was wrong. For me that is the one thing that would deter me from revising is the memory of the recovery room. I hated the recovery part of the surgery!! I was only there for two hours and barely remember the barium swallow. I do know I fell asleep during the baruim swallow they kept telling me to wake up. They finally had someone hold me up on both sides cause I was out. I don't remember swallowing the barium either. LOL. Have no idea of the taste. I still think they got me up to early I wanted to sleep the meds off longer.............LOL. I sleep for pretty much the first two days when I got home. Maybe I will forget the pain since I am a year out. But I told Dr. Baggs at my last appointments the only thing holding me back from going sleeve is fear of the afteraffects of the anesthesia..................knocked the wind out of my literally!! No my favorite part of the whole surgery.............

on the otherhand I talked to someone who woke up twice during surgery!! LOL. I am so glad I was more on the side of not remembering anything.............

I don't remember waking up until I was in the recovery room..............can't remember a thing. Seriously Ash you remember??? I was so out of it all that day!! I don't remember them waking me up at all. Total blank for me. I did hear I said some pretty crazy stuff and might have argued with someone (they anthesialogist said something about me being scared of something and argueing to the nurse) that was the first and last I remember until I woke up again a couple of hours later. I was afraid to ask what happened in the OR but I don't think the anesthesilogist should have said that to the nurse because it scared me and made me think something had gone wrong. Who else remembers waking up in OR? Total blank here................I wish I could remember something........but than again maybe it is better I don't depending on what I said or what I was argueing about!! LOL

Three pounds up and my band is doing its job today. I haven't been hungry all day and not much is going down today..........I have only tried salad so far. Weird how it tightens up when I gain. Makes it hard to gain much without a wake up call!! LOL. I knew I had gained before I got on the scale cause the band was tight this morning.

Which ER Richmond or closer to home?? I have to go to the Richmond ER since the ER here in town doesn't work with bariatrics. I hope you feel better soon dispo. I bet your losing like crazy which is one positive.

WOW 90 ounces of water...........I am still working on 40 ounces. I gained three over the weekend. Protien and water. Can't believe one bad day could make me put on three pounds!!

When I had my unfill in the ER room I had Dr. Im................I thought he was very nice!!

I had Dr. Baggs and Dr. Im for my sugery.............I heard they listened to heavy metal music during my sugery!! LOL. Good thing I was out............

I have Zumba and it is fun!! I also have this Dance game for WII that kicks butt but it is fun so the time goes by fast....................Yoga I am doing that and love it. I don't know how much of a workout it is but it makes me feel calm and relaxed. I like it. Zumba is great you gonna love that. I need to find mine again.

TAMRA: If you have gained some weight the band will tighten up. Also not being able to eat bread is a good sign means you might be at your sweet spot!! I agree with you anymore than a couple PB's a week and you DON'T want another fill!! Your too tight if all your doing is liquids and sliders. IF you can still eat good food and protiens I say keep your fill. That said I am not getting a fill this month. I just don't see myself needing it yet. I might try to put it out another two weeks..............I gained three over the weekend but I am hoping that if I cut the carbs and sugars and drink alot of water it will come back off. I gave myself one day for freedom for the holiday and ate to much bad stuff............my band wouldn't let me go crazy!! But the combo of carb and sugar seems to have done me in!!

I use the carafate too and I am banded............it seems to help after fills or if I PB to coat the stomach and keep the swelling down. I have Dr. Baggs too and he is the one that gave me the carafate. I got it right after I had all my fluid taken out back in November to deal with the swelling of my stomach but they gave me three HUGE bottles and I still have two left that I use off and on. Sure does help with swelling.......... Bad weekend with all the food around. I am back on protiens today but so feel the after effects of the junk food. Darn it I just can't eat that stuff anymore without feeling sluggish and having a headache the next day...... Sugar and carb overload. I haven't been hungry at all today. Great week to all. Gonna be a hot one in Sacramento. I got the Jillian MIchaels 30 day shred. I heard good things about it at the last support meeting. 20 minutes a day but they said your sweating. I am gonna start it in the morning.........

I hear ya on Holidays Tamra...............we did homemade ice cream here. A definete slider. But I gave the rest of it away to the neighbors this morning!! Disp/Sherry: Hope you start feeling better. Talk to Richmond tomorrow just to be safe.

Happy Fourth of July!!! Hope it is a good one for everyone!! Going out to the River with my daughter..........

Congrats Chrissy!! I wanna lose 18 pounds in 2 weeks!! I would love to get together and talk April!! We have some of the same stuff going on. :-)

APRIL: For me the spasms feel like my band is getting to tight and I can't catch my breath and than when the food or liquids passes my band it hurts. I think when that happens I panic and that just makes it worse........... So I don't think anxiety and panic is what starts my problem but they said if I react with anxiety the anxiety will take over............ But I am gonna do some research on the spasms and see what the deal is. If that is what is going on than I would like to know if I am hurting something or if my esphagus is at risk of problems....................

April the Carafate is a prescription from the doctor. My doctor gave it to me when I got the big unfill and had all the swelling. It is a stomach coater and is suppose to protect the stomach while it heals. They use it alot after RNY surgery. I would ask your doc. I use it for after fills now............just to be sure I don't swell. Cole You know I have done alot of rearch on the sleeve and probably still will think about it. But I talked to the resp therapist yesterday and he is also overweight and doing it on his own. But he basically talked to me about how both of us were having to change back habits......he was impressed with Kaiser's program.....of course he works for them............but he said to me you know in the most important ways your doing this on your own too............the band is a backup only. And he is right. We basically have to exercise and eat right with all the surgeries...........he just made me think about that the final outcome positve or negetive is in my control.......not the control of the band being to tight or to loose...............And Robin was really positive yesterday too with how I am doing and the whole spasm of the esophagus would explain some things.........the breatlessness.

Great to hear you doing ok April!! Keep us updated. Last time I got swollen I had the pain when eating and drinking for a couple weeks. Just felt sore when anything touched it.............I used Carafate during that time to help calm things down. Did you get some of that?? Feel better soon and check in when you can. Mo: Ouch!! I took a spin class once and felt great until I got off the bike and could not stand. Besides hurtin it was embarrassing to go down in the middle of the gym!! LOL I pulled some muscle in my thigh and hobbled for a month.........Sounds like you were on a serious exercise roll!! Hope you heal quick!! Well today was a good food day. I got so busy at work I didn't eat much. Talked to Robin and that went well. She said if I don't want a fill I can come in or I don't have to. But I want to talk to the doctor. She did tell me that with the band if you eat to much or took fast you can get esphagal spasms.......and that can make you breathless but it shouldn't last for days just until the food goes down Saw the respiratiory therapist today. I am healthy as a horse obviously!! Nothing wrong. Panic and stress is the final word. :-P They showed me how to breath into a paperbag (it really works) and how to use bio feedback and exhaling to stop the breathing problems if they ever start again. Really like the therapist I saw talked to me for about an hour about my band before we did the test and the RULES...............and the sleeve!! He sorta made me rethink the sleeve a bit...........good positive appointment with him.

Morning all Busy at work but taking a quick break. Didn't sleep well last night so I am tired. APRIL; Still thinking good thoughts for you. That must be alot of swelling for them to consider surgery!! Feel better soon!! PAM: I agree the PB's are a problem. In my opinion that is why lead to me having to get the band totally unfilled. I couldn't go a day without at least a couple PB's. Not good for the band. That is why I got the unfill last month. .50cc's in and than got some out. LOL. I PB'd several times the first day and than everything I touched the second day.......so I just got the fill removed I can't do that many PB's in a day without swelling up. So far this month...........1 PB!! I try my hardest not to have them. Best way to protect and keep my band safe. (my opinion) So yea I guess that means I can't be to tight cause I am afraid of swelling and inflammation. TAMRA: Yea you can go in and say you don't need a fill. I have done it. THey just record your weight and Dr. Baggs talks to you for a bit than our outta there. I almost refused one last time but wanted to walk on the wild side!! LOL. Won't do that again thought. Well have a great day to everyone online...........cooling off here in Sacame

Oh and I got the bill for the ER visit for 30 minutes and two x-rays. 1300 dollars. My co pay was 50 thank goodness!! But OMG I didn't know how crazy expensive and they didn't do much but tell me they didn't know what was going on and to go home and take a couple days off work!!