singingintherain

Hi Heidi! I tend to want to head for the carbs when I get stressed or when something or someone irritates me. Visually I get caught also...chocolate is sitting on the dining room table downstairs right now and I am tempted every time I walk by..I know they will go down real smooth and easy, ...but the calories!!!! I try to avoid those occaisions like the plague so I don't binge..yes..I can even mini binge around my band., and even with only 1 fill(2nd in a few days), my band teaches me a lesson by blocking the food and my esophagus screams "enough already'. If I eat too fast, I feel like I am about to implode! No PB'ing as some have experienced..don't care for that, and it's one thing that has stopped me from overeating. I find that having a Buddy often works wonders..someone with whom you can identify who was banded around the same time and is at the same stage of the process..plateaus and all. Can you find someone at the Support meeting to be a Buddy with whom you can communicate thru the week whether online , phone or meeting, heidi??(I don't mean a sponsor) It does help to have a seriously committed friend to help. You have lost 40 lbs and that is great. My goal is a mere 1 lb per week. If I stay the same for 2 weeks that is ok because I see a big difference in my health and my clothing size with the few lbs I have lost AND MAINTAINED.(I have a big bag to give to Rosie's Place) Yay! I set small goals for myself and reach them one step at a time.

Hi muffet, k_8 and thinking! Things are rolling along , although I agree that the process could be made easier by prompt office cooperation. Everyone complains and when it is mention there is a look of surprise. A tip for the future to make your life easier: when you are in the office(Brigh)for an appt, make the next one before you walk out the door to save yourself 'phone torture' in scheduling the next visit.. August will be here TOMORROW! so the aug procedure is not that far away...hold on, k8. Thinking..you have been through a lot to get this far, but the day will come..hang in there. How are you feeling now Muffet? Doing ok in the heat? Good to hear from you .

if anyone receives a puzzling email regarding jewelry, please disregard: it was a reply sent to a company from my email and it is showing up as going to lapbandtalk. I have no idea where it disappeared to!!?

Hi tinyw! As for understanding behavioral food issues , the why-s and how-s, twelve step is excellent for that. Phone meetings and face to face meetings go on all week, but some of the stricter groups are really not that welcoming of WL surgical members and tend to have a snobbish attitude towards wl surgery. (they say we took the easy way out and don't know anything...HA!) One has to keep it hidden if one is to be accepted and above all ,welcomed. I was a member for a long time, but found that I needed the help of the band to help me as I worked out these issues. There are more liberal, welcoming support groups around in the OA branches, though. But...one DOES acquire self knowledge regarding food and behavior. That is one thing OA excells in with working the steps. I find what I learned (and am still learning)to be a great aid in living with my Band, even though I am not a 'veteran' Bandster by an means. FWIW

Hi gals. I had salad last pm and it was fine. I have only had 1 fill though. I notice I can have salmon and it goes down well, but fish like haddock and tuna get stuck as well as other dry meats such as chicken breast and turkey.(sometimes the deli shaved is ok). It is so "if-y". One day I will be ok with some foods , the next they will get stuck or I will be nauseated just at the first taste. My PA also told me that microwave also has a lot to do with the icky taste because it leaves a film which Bandsters are sensitive to. But who wants to light the oven in 80 degree heat?! Lost another pound and am steady but slow. It is so good to be on a thread with others at the same stage of banding.

I went for an early second fill because I was not feeling much restriction. The only time I felt I had the band was when I ate dry substances like anything with a crust or flour coating, chicken, tilapia, turkey. Also, If I eat and then drink something after to try and wash it down. Other than that I can eat almost anything..in abundance. I do have SOME restriction, but would like more. I am trying to eat cheese, eggs(no longer bother me) and v8 and carrot juice, seafood salad, vegetables with mushrooms, shakes and bars. The Dr refused to give me 'an adjustment' as he called it. I have to wait about 10 days before a 2nd fill, which I can do. Instead, he suggested I see the nutritionist so I will have foods that fill me more. When I went on the scale there , it showed 3 lbs lost since the last visit, but I had yo-yo ed in between, having gained weight and lost it again for the weigh-in! (food addiction is so insidious and cunning) One good thing..my pressure is normal, my cholesterol is normal,and I have a bag for the used clothing donation truck when they call in the fall; my pants are 'bag lady' looking now. One gal at a support meeting said that the scale may not show lbs lost, but you may have lost INCHES..and that is the TRUTH!

I share your joy! Last week my dr also said that I am now in the NORMAL zone and is weaning me off my meds. I will be totally free of them in 2 weeks for the first time in years! Cholesterol is Normal too! The Band has great benefits.

"I didn't know about the Water pushing food through faster." I think you should inquire more about this. liquids and food usually don't go together because the liquids will just back up in the esophagus and come back up! I was advised to wait at least 30 minutes before drinking after eating.. perhaps I didn't get the context/meaning of the statement exactly right and I am missing something?.

Spidey..you are a doll! i just called my dr and made an appt for next week to get an earlier fill date! I appreciate your suggestion.

It's my ringtone too! As for Water...thanks for those suggestions! I think one can tire easily from too much Fuze because the taste is so very sweet although it's great for the calories. I will keep my eye out for the others.

I am glad to hear that you are doing better. I also felt dizzy and even fell down a few stairs...why? I wasn't drinking enough and was dehydrated! I hate water and never was one to drink it. So I got a supply of G2 (gatorade light) and Fuze slenderize ..and at times I dilute them just to get the water in without that sweet sweet taste.. They are not bad at all and can be found in any market at a very reasonable price. I won't make the mistake of getting dehydrated again! Try upping your fluids for the dizziness, Rebecca and see if it helps!

I need a fill. I need a fill. Did I say.... "I NEED A FILL"? I am not due for my second until Aug 4 . Restriction? Other than chicken going down and sticking, I wouldn't even kow I had any restriction and he put in 4cc's 2 weeks ago! So now I am trying to sew my lips together for the next 2-3 weeks until my next appointment. Hopefully I can at least maintain my 23 lb loss and not gain any until then.

I had my 1st fill of 4 cc's 2 weeks ago, and now feel I could use a lot more restriction! I am only down 23-24 lbs and feel I MUST get on that treadmill if I want to see a difference. I go for a 2nd fill in 2 more weeks. Headin' towards that sweet spot one visit at a time!

What a tough time you are experiencing, and I feel so sorry that you have to go through this after having had to go through surgery and traveling away from home also. You are doing marvelously with your 32 lb loss. Kudos! But the thought of vacation is a bit dampened now because of the port problems. I do hope they can fit you in for a test before you go . I do hope things work out for you and that they get the revision done at their expense.

Feeling fine. Longing for another fill with more restriction. Recovery was excellent, BUT..my port is a bit tilted . I think it is due to my waistband on my slacks. Took the assistant a while to locate it for a first fill, but she said it will be faster next time. No problem with hair..went for a rinse yesterday, and that will tell in the weeks ahead if my hair is damaged at all or lacking nutrients . So far..no difficulties such as PB'ing , etc. Just have to remind myself to chew chew chew. WOW..over a 60 lb loss...keep it up, gal!

I only have 4 cc's in a large band and feel I could use more restriction. However, I have to wait until the first week of Aug. Meanwhile I am taking the suggestion of the Papaya enzyme which I ordered online just now. Thanks for the suggestion, Xavier.

There was a time when... pre-band...I could eat about anything(except of course those critters on some of those island reality shows!). My 1 st fill is tomorrow, but I do find that I have a small bit of restriction even without it. However, I find that some things which I used to find tempting are absolutely disgusting once I get a taste ..at times. This afternoon I settled in to eat a nice Italian Pasta lunch, put one forkful in my mouth, got nauseous at the very taste and spit it out. The entire thing is out in the garbage. At other times I have scrambled eggs for Breakfast or lunch and I love them. The next day it is impossible to even stand the smell! (no, I am way past menopause, just in case you're wondering LOL) Any one else have a strange appetite now that you are banded?

Not only will I look tht up, but the other products also! Thanks, sarahbelzzz

My incisions are sore. Especially the one on the belt line. I would love to put some bacitracin on them. Did anyone take off their gauze and steri strips before going back for a post op appointment?

Congrats bearbandit on your 110 lb loss! I hear you about the B Pressure. I had beef broth(neglected to see that it did not say 'low sodium') after my fill and one taste told me I was going to be in trouble. I woke up Wed morning with squirrel cheeks and feeling like I weighed 20 lbs heavier,not to mention groggy and hung over! All from the sodium in the broth after watching my intake for months. Salt is deadly. As for sugar..I tried an oatmeal packet and it was so sweet I have to dump the whole lot. I always detested the taste of splenda, but now I am used to it and it is my sweetener of preference, although I don;t use it on much. Aspertame and the stuff in Crystal Light tastes like chemicals straight out of the lab to me. I feel like I am being poisoned when I drink the stuff. Even sugar free popsicles leave that chemical aftertaste. I must say, though...I am SOOO wanting a rootbeer popsical now after starting the popsicle treat after surgery...childhood reminders I imagine. But I gotta get just ONE. (I hope it doesn't turn into the desire for a creamsicle and a fudgesicle too LOL) I ramble. Good to read the posts.

With me it's potatoes. I have been having a small one in the micro every day to get in my potassium to balance with the meds I take for Blood Pressure. I tried rice pre-fill and it was ok. I mentioned to the P's Assistant on tues about the distasteful feeling I get at times and she said that Banders begin to feel that way especially when food is nuked in the micro. A film coats the food and we are sensitive to the texture and taste. I do notice, though, that my buds are more sensitive and I am more picky in my taste than before. I could eat anything pre-band. I am changing for the better. Now to get more weight off me. I was just looking online at the summer clearance sales and decided to wait it out until late summer to get a whole NEW WARDROBE!!! Yay! Now that's looking ahead!

I have a larger band and got 4cc's for my first fill 2 days ago. I was supposed to be on all liquids for 2 days, But had scrambled eggs and a tiny potato last night. I was full, but still could have used more restriction. I find that the restriction in the morning is the greatest for me. I wish it were in the evening when I have to cook for others! I go back in 4 weeks also for the next fill. The needle was not a bad experience at all.

Hi tinyw! It looks like you are back on track and that's good. As for tightness in the throat..as I drove around the corner from the Brigh after my 1 st fill yesterday I felt that my throat was tight, but thought it was just my imagination. I guess that is one of the after fill effects! Not a pleasant sensation, but it went away by the time I got over the bridge. Great to 'hear' from you!

Hi luv2teech! How are you doing these rainy days?

Dr Robinson's secretary Jennifer is VERY pregnant. However, I have no clue if she and Dr Vernon's secretary are one and the same. I doubt it given the workload. But could be the same. The office is in suite B on the 3rd floor of the Brigh.