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pebbles, you look great! WTG! I go today for a fill under flouro. Keep your fingers crossed they can access my port and it's not flipped. I so need a fill. I gained 2 lbs this week.

Well crap. Went in for my fill and he couldn't access my port. He stuck me about 12 times and still couldn't get it. He said I'm going to be really sore later! Not fun since I didn't even get the fill to make the pain worth it. They are checking with my insurance company to see if they will cover a fill under x-ray (I was self-pay for the surgery) and possibly a port revision. He thinks my port might have flipped, in which case he will give me a local and some light sedation then make a small incision and move the port closer to the skin. He's had some patients with a short area between the rib cage and waist, like me, who've had problems with port access. I'm hoping my insurance will cover it all. We'll do the x-ray fill first to see if it has indeed flipped. Dang it! I just want some freakin' restriction. I feel like I paid all this money for nothing right now.

Yippeee! I get my second fill on Tuesday! Yay! :banana :banana Am I the only one who feels a bit nervous when I request a fill? I don't know why, but I feel like I'm a failure when I need a fill, or that I have to justify it to the nurse. I know fills are what make the band work and that they're needed, but I guess I just feel that admitting I haven't lost weight or am eating more than I'm supposed to makes me a bad dieter. I don't know, it's weird, but I feel weird when I have to admit to them that I haven't lost weight. Who cares though, I want restriction! Last night I ate some spaghetti and garlic bread. 2 things that should cause problems with the band and I didn't have any issues. Didn't hurt, I didn't feel full, nothing. So that's how I know I need a fill! Plus, getting it Tuesday means I can't indulge in the kids' Halloween candy.

New scales suck! I broke my other one, don't ask me how, and had to get a new one. It's 4 lbs heavier than my other one! Hate that as it screws up my whole weight loss tally. Realistically I know that I'm not 4 lbs heavier than I was yesterday, but I still feel fatter. I know, it's just a number and I shouldn't focus on that, but still! Just when the scale was starting to move again it goes back up! Stupid thing! Hope everyone's doing well.

I am so freakin' frustrated! I got my fill last Tuesday and lost 3 pounds while on the liquids for 2 days after. Now I feel absolutely NO restriction and gained a pound back already. God, I am feeling so disappointed and down. I want to lose weight! I want to steadily lose weight. I feel like I'm working my butt off with little to no results. I know it takes time, but man this is hard. I thought the band was supposed to make losing weight easier? I'm working just as hard as I did when I was on WW and then I lost weight faster. I know I just need to be patient and I'm just cranky today, but I needed to vent. This sucks. :Banane10:

Jamie, that's such a great NSV! I'm so proud of all of us ABC'ers! We're doing great! All of you who've been losing so well are an inspiration. I got my fill last Tuesday and lost 3 pounds! Yay! :banana I'm so hoping that the loss keeps going. I've got more restriction than I did before the fill, but don't think I've hit my "sweet spot" yet. I'll just keep plugging away though. I got cleared at my fill to start abdominal exercises this week, so it's back to the Bowflex for me today! Maybe now I'll start losing some more inches.

What are you guys eating these days? Anyone care to share a typical day's meals? Now that I've got my fill I'm really going to try and focus on making good choices, which I wasn't doing so well before.

8 weeks! That's insane. I only have to wait 2 weeks between fills. But, I have heard that sometimes it can take a few days before you really start to feel the effects of a fill. I hope that's the case for you too and you start feeling restriction soon.

August 15. Down 23 pounds. Had my first fill today. 2cc in an 11 cc band. I think my band doc said he uses the Vanguard bands, so I think those are 11cc. Not positive though. Thanks Faybie, you rock!

spunky, I've only lost 23lbs since my surgery. You're doing fine! I hope fill #2 does the trick for you. Pebbles, glad you're doing better and that you get to go on your vacation! faybie, sorry you're stuck. Thanks for the warning though. I'm going to stick a protein bar or something in my purse now I think. I find when I get really hungry it actually hurts now. Not fun. I got my fill today! I'm so happy! Only 2 cc in an 11 cc band (that's all my surgeon uses for some reason) but hopefully it will be just the nudge I need to start losing again. I have to be on liquids for the next 2 days, so I should lose something, right? Didn't hurt, just felt weird while he was poking around trying to hit the right spot. Now that the first one is behind me, hopefully I'll be less nervous for the rest. I want to see that scale moving again!

This probably sounds counter productive, but try eating more a couple days a week. Add just another 100 or 200 calories every other day and that might help. Your body's metabolism has probably adjusted to your current calorie intake, so changing it up might work. I have used that method with my past dieting attempts and it usually worked.

Yipppeee!!! My fill is scheduled for next Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. :whoo: :whoo: Now I'm starting to get nervous though. Guess I'll learn if I've been chewing well enough real quick!

Just heard back from the ortho and my MRI was normal. Yay in that I don't need surgery, boo in that it's still not better. He said he thinks that it's most likely a subtle injury at the spot where the ligament and bone meet and should resolve on its own in a few weeks. Now hopefully I can get my fill scheduled for next week.

My doc makes patients wait till six weeks after surgery too. Let's them completely heal before aggrevating the stomach more with the fill. I'm impatiently waiting for mine too!

Kristina, that's so cool! What a great job for you. The nurse at my doc's office had had gbs so she knew what the patients were dealing with. I found that really helpful and I'm sure your patients feel the same way about you!

Oh Pebbles, I'm so sorry! I had an infection in my incision after my second c-section and that leaking feeling is the worst. Hope you heal fast and can go on your vacation. Hang in there.

The bariatric nurse said I should start taking calcium citrate w/ vitamin D now. I understand why, just forgot to ask her how much I'm supposed to take! Anyone know what the recomended daily dose is?

I don't know that it's required, just that the nurse suggested I take it. She said women start losing bone mass in their thirties and since bandsters don't eat as much they are at a higher risk for not getting enough calcium in their diet. Hence, the reason she suggested I start taking it!

Hi, my name is Tracey and I'm a scale addict. :wave: I weigh myself every day. Always in the morning, and usually at night before bed too. Yes, I am obsessed. I so need to stop and just weigh myself once a week.

So I joined Weight Watchers today. :hungry: I've done it before and had good results, just couldn't keep it off. Figured I'd join again, makes it easy to keep track of my food and portion control. I made the mistake of posting on one of the boards asking if anyone else is doing WW with the band and how they adapted the program because of the band. Holy crap was I jumped on! :pout: I was bashed right and left for taking the easy way out and what makes me think surgery was the answer and do I know how many people have DIED in WLS? I could not believe the bitterness and bitchiness these women were spewing at me. :yell: I've never seen a more judgemental, self-righteous group of women. I was in tears over some of their comments. So much for going there for support. I know I made the right choice for me, but man they still made me feel like a total loser and an idiot for choosing to get the band. Guess I'll just stay over here where people like me and don't think I'm evil. You guys don't think I'm evil, right?

That's nine months away libra, you'll look awesome! :grouphug: I've got a black tie benefit in March that I want to look good for and am starting to panic too. We'll get there!

Jo Ann, had to laugh, I was online! I posted it on the 100+ to lose board. Thank God I wasn't being attacked in person at a meeting, I don't think I would have held my temper! I think I'll just use the online tools and stick to posting here. :grouphug: Thanks guys, you all made me feel much better.

Can we do abdominal exercises yet? I'd like to get back to my Bowflex, especially since I can't do any arobic stuff because of my knee but don't know how long we have to wait before doing crunches or anything like that. Anyone doing abdominal stuff yet?

Well darnit! I had my 6-week follow up. I've only lost 3 pounds in the last month according to their scales. I know I need a fill, but he won't give me one till I find out what's going on with my knee. I hurt it a month ago and the ortho suspects I tore the cartilidge and need surgery to fix it. My band doc said since physical activity is such a key part of losing with the band, he wants to know how complex my knee recovery will be before he gives me a fill. If I need surgery, I'm not having it till after our Disney vacation in December and I'm sure as heck not waiting that long to get a fill! I asked him if I had to wait for the fill till after surgery and he said no, but that he just wants to MRI report first. I'm getting the MRI tonight, so hopefully I can schedule a fill for next week. I want to start losing!

You guys are all doing great! I'm jealous of some of your losses. :car: I didn't make my 10 lb goal for September, I think I lost 8. I haven't lost anythiing for 2 weeks so I'm going to try and get a fill scheduled for this week. I feel like I can eat whatever. I am not eating as much as I used to but I'm sure eating more than I should. I want to try and lose 10 lbs in October. My longer term goal is to be 250 by our Disney vacation in December. That's 20 lbs in the next 2 months. We'll see if it's possible. Keep up the good work ABC!