cutiern

hello!! i went to my dr today for a barium swallow and it looks like my pouch is dilated, so they took out my 1 cc. i've been picking up my bad habits again...which includes eating too much and it looks like the food is just sitting in the pouch and expanding it. so, ive been told to go back to my post-op diet for 2 weeks & absolutely no meat like chxn or pork chops or beef & to start eating Breakfast. so, today is liquids (i had one of those microwavable "italian wedding" Soups & a popsicle so far). my dr said i could start on soft/mushy foods tomorrow. so, my question is... does this pertain to salad,fish,pudding,veggies (like squash casserole) and fruit (what fruit?)? you think i would have this down by now...geez!!

hey ya'll!!! well, i had to have all of my fill removed this morning. i started feeling bad thursday with stomach cramps and back pain. it got better friday...i was able to eat lunch, but later on that night i started having more cramps and nausea. same thing lasted over the weekend. i felt something might be wrong when i can feel my spit going down and the only way to get relief was to throw up. well, i made an appt this am for an unfill and to check the band. band still in place, but position was changed alittle. xray looked different than december's xray. she said i was too tight and until this past thursday i had no problems. so, the tech took all of the saline out and i felt so much better. drank some more barium and my band looked like it did in december. i have to go back in two weeks to get another xray. you better believe i'll be playing it safe and taking care of myself. hope everyone is doing well!! cutiern:biggrin1:

barbara 123, i was thinking about going this tuesday to one of the meetings, but remembered i had something else planned. from the website, it seems like it could be very informative. i might go to the one on the 27th. i have another question for my fellow bandsters...do any of you miss food? i really do. i don't enjoy food anymore. i used to love to eat, but not anymore. i used to love going out to eat, but not anymore. does anyone else feel this way? cutiern:)

hey all!!!! i'm finally below 200 lbs!!!! the scale read 199.8...so i claimed it!!! cutiern:D :girl_hug: :girl_hug: (doing the happy dance!!!):girl_hug: :girl_hug:

good morning:biggrin1: just wondering...did anyone use their 401k to pay for the surgery? trying to get as much info as i possibly can! thanks, cutiern:D

hey ya'll!!! i don't post that much anymore...i kinda just lurk in the background. i think my last fill is my sweet-spot for awhile. i had it done in december, but with a noticeable change since last week. sometimes, i can even feel my spit go down:nervous. more PB episodes with this fill, but i recover fast. this surgery has been the best thing i could have ever done for myself. i feel better, don't sweat anymore like i used to (thank god!), and i can fit into clothes that i haven't been able to in 3 yrs! it seems like everyone is doing great. keep up the good work!!! cutiern:D

hi, i can eat sushi with no problems as of yet...especially if the pieces are small. i just have to make myself dissolve it as much as possible before i swallow it. and, i have to eat slow. i can't go to a sushi restaurant when i'm starving!! cutiern:D

dr spivak was my dr and i only had to stay on liquids for 72 hrs. i too love beer and have no problem with it. though, i can't drink nearly the amount like i could before the surgery...i do indulge every once in awhile. i never was a soda drinker,so this hasn't bothered me. cutiern:)

hey pinkylee, i was hungry, but only beause i was drinking alot of water with my meals. i's been hard for me to break this habit. so, i was eating but nothing was staying in the pouch. if you are trying your best to do everything right...no food is getting stuck right now, no PBs and are still hungry...maybe it's time for a fill (in my opinion). cutiern

hey ya'll!! i can't remember the last time i posted. i'm just sitting in the background...lurking. hope everyone is doing well. i finally broke my plateau and i've lost 3 lbs last week. i went for my third fill on 10/02. it didn't happen because when the tech tried to put in 0.5 cc to my 2.0 cc that was already there...nothing was going down. she then took out i think 0.2 cc...nothing still would go down. so she took out the entire 0.5 cc and left me at my original 2.0 cc. the barium finally went down, slowly, but it went down. she thinks i really didn't need a fill...i think so too. i started to fix what i'd been doing wrong..like drinking with meals and eating when i'm not hungry (out of boredom). it must be working cause i lost 3lbs. i eat what i want, just try not to over do it, and stop when i'm full. i still get the burps and hiccups after i take a couple of bites or when i'm full. i've had my occasional PBs...nothing extreme though. they've all been from me eating too fast. i still can't eat in the morning. it's just too painful. i can't really eat a full meal until after 7 pm i've noticed. i think i'm at my sweet spot. well, i'm still learning as i'm sure everyone else is. cutiern:)

i say it's about 5-6 in below my sternum. now, i have a co-worker who's port is on the left under her rib cage. dr spivak was her dr too. maybe he doesn't decide on port placement until time of surgery. good luck!! cutiern

hi randi, dr spivak places the port right under the sternum. i have a low profile port,9.75cm(4 ccs). i think he places it there so when you lose alot of weight it's not visible. cutiern:)

hi all!! i am an ER nurse. i work in southeast houston. nice to meet ya'll. cutiern:)

hi guys!! i live in league city (west side)..5 minutes from friendswood. dr spivak is my doctor. let me know if there will be a support group started. i would love to meet everyone!! cutiern:)

hi lisa, i had my surgery by dr spivak this past june. him and his staff have always been there for my questions. i consider him to be one of the best in houston. he has a awesome bedside manner. good luck!! cutiern:)

melissa, my appt was at 9:30 and i got there at 9:15. i think i left about 10:15...i think. there were 4 people already in the sitting area when i got there. i was called up to the desk quickly and was called to the back about 10 minutes after that. it didn't take that long. i know how you feel about the hunger. i felt like that for the past 3 weeks. i only noticed restriction for 2 days. i couldn't wait for today to get here. but, like i said earlier, i do notice a big difference from the first fill. don't know if it's gonna last, but there is a difference. maybe 2 cc is my sweet spot for right now. i'll give it a week and if the restriction i feel right now passes, i'll make and appt for fill #3. i didn't pay all this money for nothing!! i had more gas when i got home this time. i don't know what that was about, but it went away quickly. hope everything goes ok thursday. cutiern

hey melissa, i definitely notice a difference with this fill. my mother made me some shrimp etoufee (i think that's how you spell it). i had 3 shrimp and maybe 1/4 c of sauce. it took me forever to finish. i chewed and chewed. i felt that tightness in my chest and back after a couple of bites. i'm able to get water down with no problem. i'm burping alot sooner now too. i hope this keeps up. cutiern

hey guys!! well, had my second fill this morning. i only had 1.0 cc left from the first fill, so they put in 1.0 cc. i now have 2.0 cc. the barium went down slower this time. hopefully, i won't have to have another fill anytime soon. oh yeah, their scale says i'm down to 237.6, but my scale says 239. i think i need to get another scale. hope everyone is doing ok!! cutiern:D

yep, i got mine under fluroscopy. that's the only way dr spivak does it. cutiern

barbara, don't feel bad...i already made my second fill appt for july 25th. i have very little restriction and i have been on soft then solids since tuesday. hopefully this second will hit my "sweet spot". cutiern

good morning ya'll!! just wanted to let you know of a new food product... i was looking through last sunday's coupons and there was one in there for "chiquita smoothies" and thought i would give it a try. smoothies made with skim milk, nonfat yogurt and 1.5 servings of fruit. no need to mix or blend with these. you find them in your freezer section where all the other frozen fruit are. they have 4 varieties and come in single servings (11 oz each). calories range from 160-250. now don't freak out, they have alot of sugar (26-59 gm), but that's because of the fruit in them. i drink one on my way to work because i usually don't eat any lunch on these days. enjoy!! cutiern:biggrin1:

hey ya'll:p !! i can definitely notice some restriction today. all i've had today is a cup of homemade chicken soup (my mother is awesome!) and i'm so full. i'm burping alot too. if i'm hungry later on, i'll try to test out some squash casserole. cutiern:D

cindy, i think you are making the right decision. i mean the whole idea of this is for us to have proper restriction right? make sure you let us know how it goes!! cutiern:D

good morning!!! well, i just got back from my 1st fill. it really wasn't that bad...just alittle pinch. the technician placed in 1.5 ccs in my 4cc band. this was done under flouroscopy. the whole thing lasts about 10-15 minutes. my appt wasn't until 9:15 am, but i thought the traffic would be super bad and i left my house early and arrived at the surgicenter super early...8:30! i was told to do soft foods for 48 hrs and chew..chew..chew! but, i'm going to do liquids for the next 24 hrs to see how i do. oh yeah, they weigh you of course, and by their scale i lost a total of 20 lbs! my scale says i have lost a total of 17 lbs...17 or 20..one month, i think that's pretty damn good! i hope everyone is doing well!! cutiern:D

hey ya'll!!! i'm getting my first fill in the morning!! i'm alittle nervous. geez, i can't believe it's already been a month! time flies!! will let you know how it went. cutiern:D