LittleOleMeinFL

Hi everyone~ It has been SEVERAL days since I have been on! Lots of stuff going on in my life. I will try to update and make it as brief as possible. Thanks to everyone who made such sweet comments about my Nelson. He is the light of my life and one of my main reasons for wanting to get my health back! ~ my support group last week: was a disaster. The group met on Wed the first 3 months I went. They sent an email out saying see you on the 5th, but didn't state the day. I didn't realize they switched the day. So, I showed up on Wed, the 6th. It happened to be nurses day and the building where my meeting was supposed to be... was the location of a catered party for all the nurses. I asked where the meeting was... no one knew... and when I checked my Blackberry, I realized I was there a day late. I was encouraged by everyone to get a glass of wine and a plate. I said thanks but no thanks and left. I had rearranged my schedule to be there and felt like such a doofus for missing it. It was a psychologist that specializes in emotional eating. There's always next month. My parents had been using our home as base camp for the winter while in South Florida.. but in reality they pop in for only days at a time. They go to their boat for two weeks or fly to another location. (they are the most active 70 somethings I know!) My dad at 75 is both a pilot and a licensed boat captain. On Wed, they were finally going back to NC for the season. They were returning via a 46' Hatteras boat. One hour into their trip my mom missed a step a "popped" her knee and couldn't bear weight. That night I drove 2 hours to pick them up after they finally got someone to tow them to a marina. Dad was unable to dock without a 1st mate! Thurs was spent taking her to the orthopedist... getting splints... meds... Friday was spent getting MRIs... other appointments. Saturday was spent going to check on the boat and keeping mom as comfortable as possible... and taking Nelson to a birthday party.. cleaning house.. doing laundry... cooking 3 meals a day for everyone. <SIGH> I am EXHAUSTED! Monday we will find out if it is the meniscus... and needs surgery. Because my husband is a M.D. and I am an N.P., they want to have it here of course. Also she will get somewhat of a VIP treatment here at least. To be continued. Tomorrow for mother's day... the only thing I want is to sleep late. I have serious doubt it will happen. I asked everyone to go out to Breakfast without me. : ) On a positive note~ I have continued to exercise at least 4 times this week. Still serious workouts... 70 min circuit training with highest HR 165 and avg, including warm up, 138! I have started sweating WAY more than ever. I feel so much stronger and healthier. I lost 4 lbs this week and clothes are fitting SO much better... things are becoming unwearable and falling off! My last fill has definitely kicked in. I am still not quite sure that it is my sweet spot... but I am close. In the morning I am not hungry.. and find that I have coffee and a Protein shake. The amount I eat is 1/2 cup and I am full after that. I have had two episodes of "Iron fist"... once after taking a bite of cantaloupe that I didn't chew enough. The other was a small bite of cold grilled chicken breast. Both times I felt like I was going to vomit.. the cantaloupe came up- just some Water and the melon. I did have some salivating... but some relaxation breathing and sitting straight up... helped the chicken pass. But... the other side of the fit... is at night. I seem to have intense hunger and although I don't overeat... I feel like I could. So, now the decision is do I have another fill on Thursday? I feel like I could use 0.5cc. . I am ok with not being able to eat solids at breakfast. And I honestly feel both times I got stuck was because I didn't chew properly. ~I don't have time to write a personal note to each of you. I have read everything you guys are writing though! Congrats to those of you who are doing so great! And hang in there to the ones who are struggling. And yeah to the ones who are about to embark on the band journey!!! I feel the most motivated I have felt in YEARS! This little piece of silicone has changed me in so many ways. Happy Mother's Day to all of you (either you are a mom... or have a mom! or both!) peas out~ Laura

Meredith~ I love hearing about other people's special "Nelson". Mine was a quite easy decision. After 2 years of infertility... 10 + failed IVFs... we decided on adoption. We adopted the most beautiful baby boy from Turkey. My father is from Turkey and my husband's mother was from Turkey! Anyway, while searching and searching for names, I was looking up the meaning of my husband's name. His name is Nael (the Arab version of our Neal, which means Champion). Nelson thus means "son of a champion" or "son of Neal". And then you think of all the famous Nelson's in the world... and it just seemed perfect. I wanted a unique name, but a name that people could spell and remember. I am off to my monthly bariatric support group meeting! I will write more tonight! peas out~ Laura

Hi all~ Glad to know it is not just happening to me... yesterday I typed a VERY long post and before I could post it... the website re-loaded and lost it all! And it happened tonight! uuughhhhhhhhhhhhh! I wil write more tomorrow. Just wanted to say hi! peas~ Laura

Hi gang~ It was interesting... because his answer was KEY. He said that no, he would not consider WLS because his problem is in his head! He said unless they can do "bypass" on his brain.. he isn't interested. He clearly pointed out that he doesn't eat because he is hungry or stop when he is full... that he just eats because he feels like it. Another show this week (I don't think it was the same show.. i watched them all tonight though so they are running into each other), was about a lady who had gastric sleeve, then gastric bypass... and although she lost, she would gain back. So now at age 60 she was having experimental brain surgery (deep brain stimulation) to control hunger. Here's an article on it. Obese woman has brain surgery for weight loss - Diet and nutrition- msnbc.com Another funny story... I live in a small beach town in South Florida. We don't have a lot of choices of restaurants, so you tend to frequent the same places. Well, prior to surgery ATLANTA BREAD COMPANY was one of my favorite bagel and coffee places. Today my son asked for a cookie after school and I ran in to get him one. The owner and two employees started freaking out on me! "where have you been?! we've missed you! you look so amazing! what are you doing to lose weight?!" I said "i stopped eating bread"...LOL. But gawd it smelled so good in there! I did get a coffee.. but wasn't even tempted for anything else. I had great restriction all day long. Almost a feeling of "nausea" though not real nausea. It's how I felt back in 2001 before my wedding when I took Meridia to lose weight. It gave me this feeling of uneasy stomach that kept me from eating. Perhaps this is my reaction to the fill. No PB.. but I got hiccups from drinking a bottle of Water too fast this afternoon. Tonight though I am hungry. I had a Protein bar(Healthwise, 150cal/each). I thought it might be too much.. but I ate it fine. I only had 821 cal today though. Didn't get enough water in either. I had to force myself to get in two small bottles of water. (the .5 liter ones) Tomorrow is a new day! My parents are flying in from NC to visit before they take their boat to the Chesapeake Bay for the summer. (they winter down here in FL) It will be good to see them. Nelson LOVES when they come down... he gets good and spoiled. ok friends~ time for bed. Have a great weekend! peas out~ Laura

Linda, I saw the commercial and recorded it on the DVR. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but will! Thanks! I tried a new "HealthWise" Cereal my surgeon was selling yesterday. It's cinnamon cereal (that looks like cheerios) but has 15 g Protein and 90 calories. I was REALLY surprised at how good it was! It's a little harder of course than, cheerios.. but I let it sit in the milk a min. and it was fine. No restriction with that with my new fill. Might have to challenge it with a piece of chicken at lunch. : ) I do feel very satisfied after it though. Maybe I just don't know what restriction is yet. Hmmm.. OK friend~ have a good day! IT's FRIDAY!!!

OK Janet~ Here's what my mom would say at a time like this... "tough times never last, but tough people do!" : ) You know, it doesn't matter whether it's 1.5 lbs or 25 lbs... the point is, we all know that we got morbidly obese or obese by ignoring our weight and bodies. So now you are acutely aware of your body and it isn't doing what you want it to do. So, I get it! Like anyone with a plateau going on... it just frustrates you. I had that 9 day span where I didn't lose ONE pound... and I couldn't understand how I could be eating 800-1000 cal/day and exercising and not lose. Our bodies are crazy things sometimes. I think the recharging of the batteries is a MUST. Then wrap your arms tightly around that tiny thin body of yours and give yourself a hug and a pat on the back! <hug> Good luck ljv on the job! 1 day~ glad you got on the meds. The prev pack is more expensive than the medications themselves separately, but it is very convenient. Where I work, I tend to have a lot of working poor/uninsured and find creative ways to treat without the new fancy packages. The pills are HUGE. Be careful... wouldn't want one of those stuck! Now, they won't want to retest immediately after you finish the pills. The antibiotics take up to 7-14 days to finish working on the bacteria. So, I usually test a month or so after. Make sure and eat yogurt with the active cultures so the antibiotics don't cause any unwanted intestinal issues. : ) Apples2~ what kind of flowers are you planting? I planted assorted wild flowers and sun flowers around my vegetable garden. I already have a ton of cherry tomatoes, a few beef steak tomatoes and the cucumbers are flowering and have little 1cm cukes! My herbs are going crazy (mint, thyme, cilantro, parsley, basil). My peppers are dwarfs and are only a foot tall but just started blooming. In Florida we have to start early, because in a month or so it is almost impossible to keep up with the watering as the sun gets so hot. I wish I had sacrificed more of my yard for a bigger garden. Instead I used the side of the house where a hedge used to be. I pulled them out and put a foot deep of topsoil. After 1pm they don't get direct sun though. ok all~ I had fill #3 today. This time I MADE my husband go with me. (after having two fills that took 20+ minutes because of the seroma and difficulty finding my port). I didn't want to make my surgeon nervous by having another physician there... I just wanted hub to see where my port was, etc... and see the serous Fluid that came out. Well, this time the seroma was minimal... only 5cc he could get out.(compared to 140cc first time!) He thinks it is in little pockets now and will absorb in the next few weeks. My port hasn't flipped but it is a little sideways, so he has to go at it from an angle. He poked and poked and poked... and I was scared to death he was going to puncture the tubing and cause a leak! He assured me that the realize band really has a protected tube near the port. I wish he had fluoro... or at the very least an ultrasound. They have fluoro in the hospital next door, but it would be a hassle and take half his morning. I am tempted to request a barium swallow (i never had to do one)... just to see my band working. He added 1.5cc today for a grand total of 5.5. I also found out today that my realize band is the 9cc one. I didn't realize they had TWO versions (a 9cc and 10cc). He said I SHOULD feel restriction with this one. Water went down fine. Nada. Later a muscle milk Protein shake.. no problem. Tonight I got brave and had a yogurt, despite the fact I was supposed to be on liquids only. Nothing got stuck, but I did feel full after eating 100c yoplait. I guess the big test will be tomorrow with real foods. Nelson is back to 100%, no fever or sorethroat, and went to school today! YEAH! Now I have 8 more days of trying to get antibiotics in him 3 times a day! Confession: I have NOT exercised since Friday. SIGH. My husband was on call.. and then Nels was sick... Tomorrow I have a 9am appt with my trainer. Will do a 70 min combined cardio/circuit routine where I keep my HR at 135-140 average for the entire time. Time to get that back in gear. This was the longest since surgery I didn't do cardio. I did putter around Saturday at the school picnic.. on my feet for 4 hours and walking around. But that isn't exercise to me if I ain't sweating! peas out~ Laura

1 day~ That is strange that you would test positive for H pylori after surgery when you were negative prior. Hmmm.. was this tested during an endoscopy or blood, breath, stool tests? Some of the tests are more accurate than others. It could be you had a false negative prior. Either way, a positive now means you need treatment. There are MANY different ways to treat it. It almost always requires an antibiotic and an acid reducer. But there are some treatments that have two antibiotics and also a stomach protector. A good page for info: H. pylori and Peptic Ulcer You definitely don't want an ulcer and a band. Can cause erosion of the band if things got out of hand. I would acutally insist on retesting after you take the treatment. Mrs. Bubba~ I went back and read your whole story of your hospitalization. Bless your heart! I hope things improve for you soon. I can only imagine how frustrating this has been for you. It does sound like you over did it with the babysitting. Just take care of yourself right now, if you can. Claudine~ WOW! Good job on all the exercising! It sounds like you are really motivated! I wish there was a pill or injection for that kind of motivation!!! : ) Linda~ awesome on the weight loss! Isn't that the best?! To all the vacationers~:drool: I wish I was on vacation! I can only IMAGINE how tough it is to get back on track. My train is barely on track stuck at home. Through in a cool location and good food and I would surely fall off the train. It's amazing how some people on the March 09 website have good restriction 6 weeks post op without a fill! I was the opposite, although I ate what I was supposed to (choices/quantity and calories) I was constantly hungry before my fills. I existed on will power alone. Now that I havehad two fills, I CAN tell some difference. It is not where it needs to be and I hope this next one is THE ONE. I have such fear of screwing my band up that it keeps me from overdoing it. I wonder how much he will put in Thurs? I have 4cc so far. Will let all of you know. My son has strep throat... fever 103-104 x 2 days... and wants NOTHING to eat. I am having to try and force fluids. He didn't even want his usual applejuice. Refuses gatorade and will only have water or sprite. He even refused Häagen-Dazs vanilla icecream! That is always my tester to see if he is really sick. What kid refuses that?! I haven't had a good night sleep in 5 days. (Hubby was on call fri/sat/sun) and then a sick kid with fever. I haven't been able to exercise either. Thank God it wasn't swine flu! He can't go to school tom. either... so one more day. He HAS to go Thurs, because I don't think I can take him to my fill!!! I have no family in this state. It's tough. I just heard from my older sister, who is 48 and lives in NC. She just got approval for her roux-en-y! They have scheduled her for June 2. I am so happy for her. Although this whole WLS thing was originally HER idea, because I had an exemption with my insurance and had to pay cash... mine went VERY easy and fast. Meanwhile she was jumping through hoops and doing the waiting game. I think I added insult to injury as I was losing and she wasn't. It didn't matter that I told her she will FLY past me with weight loss. I mentioned it before, but I also have a lot of guilt. Because of my "band hell" the first 6 weeks, it really convinced her that the band was NOT for her. She does not have the support system I have. She is single, just got laid off and is living with my folks, had to foreclose on her house & unsure of the future. Thank God she was able to Cobra her insurance and give them one last jab with getting the surgery after they laid her off after YEARS of loyalty! I just pray that she does ok. The complications of roux-en-y scare me to death. But, I agree with her, that I don't know if she could handle the amount of work the band requires. I think she has had so much in her life that didn't work out... that the thought of failing at just one more thing was just too much. On another funny note...LOL... I went to the grocery store this afternoon and the manager said "we don't see you much anymore"! That's pretty funny when the grocery store misses you! I've been mainly using fresh produce stands and my own vegetable garden and then stocking up on Protein stuff every two weeks. No need for fresh bread and baked goods! I fired my internist today. Since my surgery on March 2, I have been calling to get an appointment to see him. They keep telling me no openings for 3 weeks! My surgeon told me I could probably go off my BP med and to see my dr. My internist told his nurse to tell me to stop it on my own and then come in for BP check in a month! (he wouldn't even talk to me personally on the phone!) I have been feeling a bit dizzy some days and just wanted to have him see me and check some labs. I checked my BP and my husband did too. It's ok. Even did it lying and then standing. So, a NP and MD checked BP and that wasn't the problem.. Hmmmm.. They said they were too booked! Frustrated....My surgeon referred me to an internist that sees a lot of bariatric and WLS patients, and they got me in immediately! It's the next town south... in Jupiter Beach. But it's ok.. that's where I go for fills and f/u. The doc here is such an A$$! I am a nurse practitioner and worked for the same hospital he does, and my husband works there was well as an MD. Forget professional courtesy! No courtesy whatsoever! Good riddance! Ok guys... more soon! Keep on keeping on... and being strong! : ) peas out~ Laura

BMIS~ What is your first name? I keep wanting to call you a shorter name but don't want to call you "Big Momma". : ) It sounds like you DO have some restriction! See, I was the opposite, although I ate what I was supposed to (choices/quantity and calories) I was constantly hungry before my fills. I existed on will power alone. Now that I have had two fills, I CAN tell some difference. It is not where it needs to be and I hope this next one is THE ONE. I have such fear of screwing my band up that it keeps me from overdoing it. I wonder how much he will put in Thurs? I have 4cc so far. Will let all of you know. My son has strep throat... fever 103-104 x 2 days... and wants NOTHING to eat. I am having to try and force fluids. He didn't even want his usual applejuice. Refuses gatorade and will only have water or sprite. He even refused Häagen-Dazs vanilla icecream! That is always my tester to see if he is really sick. What kid refuses that?! I haven't had a good night sleep in 5 days. (Hubby was on call fri/sat/sun) and then a sickie with fever. I haven't been able to exercise either. He can't go to school tom. either... so one more day. He HAS to go Thurs, because I don't think I can take him to my fill!!! I have no family in this state. It's tough. I just heard from my older sister, who is 48 and lives in NC. She just got approval for her roux-en-y! They have scheduled her for June 2. I am so happy for her. Although this whole WLS thing was originally HER idea, because I had an exemption with my insurance and had to pay cash... mine went VERY easy and fast. Meanwhile she was jumping through hoops and doing the waiting game. I think I added insult to injury as I was losing and she wasn't. It didn't matter that I told her she will FLY past me with weight loss. I mentioned it before, but I also have a lot of guilt. Because of my "band hell" the first 6 weeks, it really convinced her that the band was NOT for her. She does not have the support system I have. She is single, just got laid off and is living with my folks, had to foreclose on her house & unsure of the future. Thank God she was able to Cobra her insurance and give them one last jab with getting the surgery after they laid her off after YEARS of loyalty! I just pray that she does ok. The complications of roux-en-y scare me to death. But, I agree with her, that I don't know if she could handle the amount of work the band requires. I think she has had so much in her life that didn't work out... that the thought of failing at just one more thing was just too much. LOL... I went to the grocery store this afternoon and the manager said "we don't see you much anymore"! That's pretty funny when the grocery store misses you! I've been mainly using fresh produce stands and my own vegetable garden and then stocking up on protein stuff every two weeks. No need for fresh bread and baked goods! I fired my internist today. Since my surgery on March 2, I have been calling to get an appointment to see him. They keep telling me no openings for 3 weeks! My surgeon told me I could probably go off my BP med and to see my dr. My internist told his nurse to tell me to stop it on my own and then come in for BP check in a month! I have been feeling a bit dizzy some days and just wanted to have him see me and check some labs. They said they were too booked! My surgeon referred me to an internist that sees a lot of bariatric and WLS patients, and they got me in immediately! It's the next town south... in Jupiter Beach. But it's ok.. that's where I go for fills and f/u. The doc here is such an A$$! I am a nurse practitioner and worked for the same hospital he does, and my husband works there was well as an MD. Forget professional courtesy! No courtesy whatsoever! Good riddance! Ok guys... more soon! Keep on keeping on... and being strong! : ) peas out~ Laura

Hi all~ Again... you guys really help keep me on track. I find listening to the veterans helps me more than newbie bandsters... as we are all trying to keep our heads above Water. (not realizing the life preserver is next to us). I think everyone has been busy exercising this weekend! haha. It's been very quiet on all the threads I read. I had an ok weekend hanging out with my 5 year old son. Went to a school picnic with LOADS of no no foods. I had 2 chips, an ounce of hummus (which I made), some fruit salad and one bite of hamburger. I was super proud of myself. Today I took my son to the movies. The new rated G, EARTH movie scared the Shi! out of him. It's all about the "cycle of life". I realized that although I was in the Peace Corps and saw animals eating animals... that he has never seen or understood it all. They showed a baby elephant getting attacked by a lion. We had to leave. He was in tears. (and he's a pretty tough kid). I didn't touch the popcorn (scared to death to get that stuck). I ate a Protein bar and a water. I am so hungry now though. This is my first weekend since my surgery that my husband was on call for 3 days straight (he's a physician) and I had my son alone. It wasn't as bad as I imagined. Last night I even ordered him pizza, as we were exhausted... ordered a small cheese. But still tipped my old pizza guy $5, who knew me well for many years, LOL! He said, we've missed you... and then he noticed that I had lost weight. That's pretty funny when your pizza man notices your weight loss! Confession: I ate half a piece of pizza. My next fill (#3) is Thursday. I can't wait! I am hoping to be closer to my sweet spot. I feel my will power slipping. Didn't exercise since Friday either. Tomorrow is a new day! Hope everyone is ok. peas out~ Laura

Big Momma Shrinking~ You are so motivating. I love your posts to other. You are doing awesome, IMHO. I think everyone has been busy exercising this weekend! haha. It's been very quiet on all the threads I read. I had an ok weekend hanging out with my 5 year old son. Went to a school picnic with LOADS of no no foods. I had 2 chips, an ounce of hummus (which I made), some fruit salad and one bite of hamburger. I was super proud of myself. Today I took my son to the movies. The new rated G, EARTH movie scared the Shi! out of him. It's all about the "cycle of life". I realized that although I was in the Peace Corps and saw animals eating animals... that he has never seen or understood it all. They showed a baby elephant getting attacked by a lion. We had to leave. He was in tears. (and he's a pretty tough kid). I didn't touch the popcorn (scared to death to get that stuck). I ate a protein bar and a water. I am so hungry now though. This is my first weekend since my surgery that my husband was on call for 3 days straight (he's a physician) and I had my son alone. It wasn't as bad as I imagined. Last night I even ordered him pizza, as we were exhausted... ordered a small cheese. But still tipped my old pizza guy $5, who knew me well for many years, LOL! He said, we've missed you... and then he noticed that I had lost weight. That's pretty funny when your pizza man notices your weight loss! Confession: I ate half a piece of pizza. My next fill (#3) is Thursday. I can't wait! I am hoping to be closer to my sweet spot. I feel my will power slipping. Didn't exercise since Friday either. Tomorrow is a new day! Hope everyone is ok. peas out~ Laura

Hey y'all~ (is it obvious that I was born and raised in NC?!) I have a question... a lot of you state "one pot wonder" and I found myself looking for it at the store. When I google it, there are only recipes for this but they aren't bariatric per se. Is there a great place for recipes? Thanks in advance. Does anyone eat Lean Cuisine? My husband is on call this weekend (fri, sat and sun); he's a physician. So, I rarely cook on these nights. My son wanted chicken nuggets and I opted for the turkey tenderloins with whipped sweet potatoes and dressing. (250 cal, 5g fat, 13 grm Protein, high in carbs... 38 g.) Anyway, I measured everything and the protein only came to 1.5 oz. weighed. I ate the sweet pot. and turkey and only half of the dressing. I was completely stuffed. It is striking me so funny because for years when I was on a myriad of diets, I would occasionally use a Lean Cuisine. I always joked that they were a good appetizer and hardly fit for a real meal. I know the sodium is high @ 660, but otherwise it seemed ok. I wouldn't eat them every day, as I prefer to have fresh stuff. Just curious if anyone else eats them. Re: the clothes discussion. It's amazing how "old" clothes fit different after losing weight, then they fit originally at that lower weight. I guess everything is shifted around a bit differently. Some clothes I find fit better and others there just is no way! I was wearing everything a 4x before surgery and some (like JJill) were just barely fitting. Now with just 42# I am in all my old 3x and a few 2Xs! I threw out anything that was 5+ years old or smaller than a 2X, as they would be either a) out of style or worn out/elastic & material fatigue. Everyone hang in there! Tomorrow is a new day!!! peasout~ Laura

The little guy just turned 5. The good thing is MOST of the snack things he likes... I don't like AT ALL! (Like the juice gummy Snacks and Goldfish and apple juice, etc.) He is good about fruit and loves cantelope, apples, bananas and grapes. The only vegetables he eats are tomatoes, cukes, corn and peas. He eats one of those 100 cal Green Giant frozen corns every day for the Fiber alone. His new thing today was he wanted to eat what Daddy had for Breakfast. (I figured a Protein Bar was a better choice than choc. chip muffins!) My dh started substituting Power Crunch Protein Bars for breakfast, and then eating two sensible meals and stopped snacking. He has lost 30 lbs since my surgery! He won't exercise, but at least we are starting somewhere. He is down to 250. I told him to enjoy weighing less than me while he can.. b/c I can and will pass him soon! ; ) My surgeon does blind fills as well. I still have this little seroma around my port incision. He will likely drain it again next Thurs when I get my next fill. I wonder how much he will add this time? My port is much lower than even he thought it was. It's a good 3 inches below my incision. For you guys that are thin now, is your port easily felt? Does it poke out at all? Mine was tough for him to find the first time because of the swelling from the seroma. Hope everyone is doing well tonight. Time to watch Survivor! That's what we all are... survivors!!! peasout~ Laura

Linda, duh. I just saw the bottom of your message and see when you had your surgery. You too are doing AWESOME! ONEderland! wow! <bowing down to you>

Thanks Linda. As we all know, it is NOT easy and has been pure HE!! sometimes. I am just ready for some restriction!!! When was your surgery? Since you just got your 2nd fill. The way you wrote about your son, just gave me goosebumps! That is so sweet. My sister had a similar sweet birthday. She is my older sis, I am 42 and she is 48, and is having gastric bypass in 6-8 weeks. Her 26 year old daughter bought her a digital food scale and bypass cookbook for her birthday last month. She is one of those kids who usually forgets a birthday or picks up something at the drugstore last minute. So for her to actually order something online that took some thought... it was a BIG deal. Everyone assumed my sister was crying because she got a food scale for her birthday! But she was crying b/c her daughter actually loved her and supported her decision and THOUGHT about her gift. Those are sweet moments. My 5 year old son told me my v-neck shirt that I work out in looks like a dress yesterday! For a kid, that was a HUGE compliment!

WOW WOW WOW! Hi everyone~ Congrats on the onederlanders! I AM DREAMING OF THAT DAY! Glad to hear you guys that weren't feeling good are feeling better. Reassuring to hear others as frustrated as I am. Welcome to some new faces. I haven't been online much lately. Too busy finally putting myself on the list! And then being a mom and a wife.... I swear, eating healthy (shopping for everything, cooking healthy, etc...) and exercising is a FULL TIME job! I sometimes find myself slumping back into my old habit of being too tired too exercise, etc... and so I hired a really MEAN trainer at the YMCA! (She's not really mean... just makes me do things that my body doesn't like doing.. like lunges and squats). She is weighing me weekly, just to have one more check and balance in place. The first week we scheduled 3 x and this week, 2x. I might stick to that. The other days I can do something. This week again was really frustrating to me. Although I ate no more than 900 calories a day and exercised 5 times in 7 days ( I am talking SERIOUS exercise... 70 min. workouts with an average heartrate of 135 and max of 165, elliptical for 30 min and circuit training in between, lunges, squats, ect) ... I only lost one pound! It just makes me so mad that the weight isn't MELTING off like on the Biggest Loser! There have been some dangerous stuff in the house that my 5 year old begged me for at the grocery store the other day. (note to self... do not bring Nelson shopping again). I have yogurt covered pretzels (190 cal for 7 tiny pretzels!) and Entemann's chocolate Covered donuts (300 whopping cal/each). I did have 3 pretzels... then looked at the calories and closed the box. (I did include these in my daily count and entered them on the realizeband web site and everything!) (these are sold in the PRODUCE section!!!) IT should be outlawed. I sometimes have Mom guilt though. My son is adopted and does NOT have our genetics and is tall and thin and a VERY picky eater. He will skip Breakfast and lunch altogether if I don't insist on him eating something before school. I don't want to make him a member of the clean plate club like I was as a kid... but then he has to eat. And I prefer he eat his lean meat and veggies and THEN if he wants a treat he can have one. I have started just letting him not eat when he is obviously not hungry (especially on weekends). I think that is one of my biggest problems is that I never knew when I was truly hungry because we always ate on a schedule and because there were starving children in Africa! Yet, the nurse in me wants him to have enough nutrition for his brain to grow, etc. So many people say, he will eat when he is hungry. The thing is, he rarely wants to eat and then he wants goldfish only! I am sure the flip side to the coin would break my heart to have a chubby kid who I couldn't get to stop eating (like my mom had with me). I will tell you guys this... at night... when I get hungry and find myself in the pantry, the first thing I do is feed the cat a treat or two! Then go back to doing whatever I was doing. LOL. He is getting bigger, but I stopped snacking. ; ) Fill #3 is next Thursday! I wonder how much he will put in. I still don't feel any restriction really. However, twice while I was eating fast and didn't chew, I got the "Iron fist" feeling. I stopped.. took some deep breaths and it passed after a minute or so. I have not had any of the saliva pouring or hiccups or anything like that. Each of those times I had taken a big bite and didn't chew enough. I know this sounds nuts, but I almost don't want to tell my dr (even though I will) for fear it will make him put less of a fill in! I of course don't want TOO MUCH! But I am tired of going in for a fill and not having ENOUGH! Hope everyone is hanging in there! peasout~ Laura

Hi everyone~ Thanks mommashrink for the link. : ) Welcome to some new faces. I haven't been online much lately. Too busy finally putting myself on the list! And then being a mom and a wife.... I swear, eating healthy (shopping for everything, cooking healthy, etc...) and exercising is a FULL TIME job! I sometimes find myself slumping back into my old habit of being too tired too exercise, etc... and so I hired a really MEAN trainer at the YMCA! (She's not really mean... just makes me do things that my body doesn't like doing.. like lunges and squats). She is weighing me weekly, just to have one more check and balance in place. The first week we scheduled 3 x and this week, 2x. I might stick to that. The other days I can do something. This week again was really frustrating to me. Although I ate no more than 900 calories a day and exercised 5 times in 7 days... I only lost one pound! It just makes me so mad that the weight isn't MELTING off like on the Biggest Loser! There have been some dangerous stuff in the house that my 5 year old begged me for at the grocery store the other day. (note to self... do not bring Nelson shopping again). I have yogurt covered pretzels (190 cal for 7 tiny pretzels!) and Entemann's Chocolate Covered donuts (300 whopping cal/each). I did have 3 pretzels... then looked at the calories and closed the box. (these are sold in the PRODUCE section!!!) IT should be outlawed. I sometimes have Mom guilt though. My son is adopted and does NOT have our genetics and is tall and thin and a VERY picky eater. He will skip breakfast and lunch altogether if I don't insist on him eating something before school. I don't want to make him a member of the clean plate club like I was as a kid... but then he has to eat. And I prefer he eat his lean meat and veggies and THEN if he wants a treat he can have one. I have started just letting him not eat when he is obviously not hungry (especially on weekends). I think that is one of my biggest problems is that I never knew when I was truly hungry because we always ate on a schedule and because there were starving children in Africa! Yet, the nurse in me wants him to have enough nutrition for his brain to grow, etc. So many people say, he will eat when he is hungry. The thing is, he rarely wants to eat and then he wants goldfish only! I am sure the flip side to the coin would break my heart to have a chubby kid who I couldn't get to stop eating (like my mom had with me). I will tell you guys this... at night... when I get hungry and find myself in the pantry, the first thing I do is feed the cat a treat or two! Then go back to doing whatever I was doing. LOL. He is getting bigger, but I stopped snacking. ; ) Fill #3 is next Thursday! I wonder how much he will put in. I still don't feel any restriction really. However, twice while I was eating fast and didn't chew, I got the "iron fist" feeling. I stopped.. took some deep breaths and it passed after a minute or so. I have not had any of the saliva pouring or hiccups or anything like that. Each of those times I had taken a big bite and didn't chew enough. I know this sounds nuts, but I almost don't want to tell my dr (even though I will) for fear it will make him put less of a fill in! I of course don't want TOO MUCH! But I am tired of going in for a fill and not having ENOUGH! Hope everyone is hanging in there! peasout~ Laura

Hi all!~ Thanks to everyone for the congrats... Big Momma Shrinking, teachergirl,texasgal09, etc.. I am also so proud of everyone! Candice1205~ way to go girl! That is so great! Mom2six~ (I can't believe you have 6 kids... that alone is an amazing accomplishment! Hang in there!) Snereb27~ yes, it is tough. I have had two fills and I still fight hunger every day. It's worse at some times of the day (like night). I have some really dense protein bars from my dr's office that I cut into little pieces 1 bar/ 10 pieces. They require me to either really chew the heck out of them or suck on them. I usually find that I will do 3-4 pieces and then I am ok. At least they have protein in them and I don't feel bad. My new stand by is the OIKOS brand of greek fat free yogurt. They have the individual ones. They are 5.3 oz... 90 cal and 15 g of protein. I like to put splenda and cinnamon on it and they are really creamy and satisfying. They have coupons too. Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt: Coupons From what I have read it seems the average # of fills before people feel real restriction is 3 (at least for the Realize band). After each fill, I find if I eat something really solid, like filet mignon steak... and sweet potato or butternut squash, that I do feel somewhat "full" for a few hours. If I eat any slider type food, then I don't feel any fullness. In the afternoon I make my protein supplement... I use the light soy milk (50cal/cup), a 20g protein powder/scoop (like unjury), 1/2 banana, 4 frozen peach slices, and 1/4 cup of blueberries, and I add some SF Divinci syrup and throw it in the magic bullet. This is what carries me from lunch to dinner. Either that shake or a Muscle Milk Light in the bottle pre-mixed. (160 cal, 20g of protein) They sell those at Publix (my local grocery store) and I love them. This week my parents flew down from NC to visit us. (me, hubby and my 5 year old son, Nelson). They are so supportive of my band and new healthy lifestyle. They actually ate exactly what I ate tonight, just a bit more. My mom is a retired nurse and is so helpful with all this. She went with me to my fill and to my support group. I am so blessed! BTW, do you guys have support groups through your surgeon's office/hospital? I have found the two meetings I have gone to SOOOOOOOOOO helpful. It's so motivating to see those that have gone before you. There was a gal there that had her band a year and a half ago and has lost 150lbs! I stared at her almost the whole meeting! She looked awesome. There were also bypass patients there. I highly recommend a group meeting though. ok guys. Keep strong this weekend! peas out~ Laura

Janet~ Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement. It is all so true. I was telling another friend a quote I once heard from an RD... she said "nothing tastes as good as it feels to be thin". I hope to one day test that theory. :rolleyes2:

Quote: Originally Posted by peascorps OK..... I survived! It took way longer than expected. Do you guys remember me complaining about a swelling over my port site? Well it ends up it was a seroma. Seromas are REALLY common after any kind of surgery, especially abdominal, breast and colon. Word of the day: "Seroma is just a gathering of serous Fluid. Serous fluid is the pale yellow straw colored fluid that is produced by lymph vessels and by the tissues that lie beneath the skin. You'll have seen serous fluid if you've ever had a blister on your hand or foot - the fluid that comes out when you puncture a blister is serous fluid." The good news is the seroma didn't open to the outside of my skin. Sometimes they can cause the wound to not heal and actually leak and it becomes an "open" wound that has to be packed and is a wound clinic nightmare. The bad news is it will likely return and have to be drained again. After I was on the exam table... prepped with betadine and a sterile drape placed... my surgeon then palpated the port area. He agreed that my "swelling" wasn't within the normal and decided to see what he would find. (Medical people like to stick needles in things to see what's in it). So, he numbed up the skin first. Then he took a 20cc syringe. Stuck it in and it filled instantly. He asked his nurse for another.. and another and another. He got out 120cc! He said there was probably more but he didn't want to poke too deep. The fluid was clearish yellow (normal) and no sign of infection. Then he went on to find my port. The seroma had actually displaces things a bit. My port ended up being lateral to my belly button a clear 3 inches below my port scar! I got my 3cc and was instructed to be on liquids for 2 days then mush.. then back to normal. I have to return in two weeks for fill #2 and most probably another seroma drainage. It already feels as if it has filled back in some. I will try to post some photos of before and after. He told me very few patients have any restriction with the first fill. 3cc in 10cc realize band. But that they don't do more because of the increase incidence of nausea. So, I spent my morning feeling like a pin cushion. It really wasn't that bad. After about 10 min. my Dr. said, "you might be one of those rare patients that I have to do under fluoro." This guy has done thousands of bands and bypasses. He teaches surgeons all over how to do them. I honestly think he could do them with his eyes closed. My gut (no pun intended) instinct was something ain't right. But... he said he wouldn't have drained it earlier anyway... b/c it just increases risk of infection. I had a shake early this morning (6:30am) made with light soy milk, unjury Protein powder (20g Protein per scoop), 1/2 banana and Divinci raspberry flavor. For lunch I had a Muscle Milk Light (pre-mixed), 160 cal, 20 g protein. For afternoon snack I had a Yoplait light Fat free yogurt, 100 cal, 5 g protein. I haven't had any Water. I am hungry. But this too shall pass. I don't have the energy to exercise today. Guess I will give myself a break today. I'll keep you updated! peas out! Hi Y'all~ Wheewwwwwwwwww! OK... I survived Fill #2! I was able to bump up my fill by 4 days because I was convinced my seroma had gotten bigger & I was having pain and couldn't lie on my stomach. In reality it was more an illusion... my abdomen had gotten smaller and thus the seroma SEEMED bigger, but in fact it was smaller. This time he only was able to drain 35cc of serous fluid (it was a bit blood tinged but ZERO signs of infection). I immediately felt better. Then he put only 1cc more in my band. I was praying for some restriction or a trickle feeling with the H20. Nothing. But that's ok. He said that usually it is fill #3 before we feel much. But he says tomorrow when I can eat solids I should feel some. So now the two week wait for fill #3. I am down 30 lbs in 44 days! He reminded me AGAIN... NOT to expect this every week or month. And that the plateau I had two weeks ago, where I actually gained 2 and then took two weeks to get back down, might happen again. Mon I was 276 and today 272. I am just about to PMS... so I am bracing myself. He also told me to not concentrate too much on calories.... but to limit myself to the 1/2c each meal with a protein supplement in betweeen. He said if I make "healthy choices" I should be ok. The thing is... If I don't keep track of calories and protein and fat... then I do go over. I guess that is the ultimate goal... once we get to our "sweet spot" then we won't have to fret as much because our bodies will tell us when we have had enough. :sneaky: I wore a pair of pants today that I haven't worn in over a year and a half! I remember the day I bought these over priced designer things. I remember even more clear the day these pants didn't fit... and how shitty I felt. Today was a good day. peas out~ Laura Indio~ I feel the same way about FB.

Hi Y'all~ Wheewwwwwwwwww! OK... I survived Fill #2! I was able to bump up my fill by 4 days because I was convinced my seroma had gotten bigger & I was having pain and couldn't lie on my stomach. In reality it was more an illusion... my abdomen had gotten smaller and thus the seroma SEEMED bigger, but in fact it was smaller. This time he only was able to drain 35cc of serous fluid (it was a bit blood tinged but ZERO signs of infection). I immediately felt better. Then he put only 1cc more in my band. I was praying for some restriction or a trickle feeling with the H20. Nothing. But that's ok. He said that usually it is fill #3 before we feel much. But he says tomorrow when I can eat solids I should feel some. So now the two week wait for fill #3. I am down 30 lbs in 44 days! He reminded me AGAIN... NOT to expect this every week or month. And that the plateau I had two weeks ago, where I actually gained 2 and then took two weeks to get back down, might happen again. Mon I was 276 and today 272. I am just about to PMS... so I am bracing myself. He also told me to not concentrate too much on calories.... but to limit myself to the 1/2c each meal with a protein supplement in betweeen. He said if I make "healthy choices" I should be ok. The thing is... If I don't keep track of calories and protein and fat... then I do go over. I guess that is the ultimate goal... once we get to our "sweet spot" then we won't have to fret as much because our bodies will tell us when we have had enough. :sneaky: I wore a pair of pants today that I haven't worn in over a year and a half! I remember the day I bought these over priced designer things. I remember even more clear the day these pants didn't fit... and how shitty I felt. Today was a good day. peas out~ Laura

Hi all~ Well, FINALLY hopped off the plateau! I had lost 25 lbs the first 30 days... and then put 3 pounds back on (although I was staying under 950 cal and exercising). I refused to adjust my ticker, but I was completely honest on the realize band website. So over the weekend I noticed I went back to the 277... and then the last three days I have noticed a pound a day... now down to 274! YIPEEEE! I am going in for my 2nd fill on Thursday. It wasn't scheduled until the 21st but I had to bump it up. 1) I have little to no restriction. 2) this seroma completely filled back up and is hard and painful over my port incision. My surgeon told me on the phone that it is unlikely that it got bigger, but because it filled back to quickly- I felt it more. It will be interesting to see how much fluid he gets out this time. Also, last fill was 2cc in 10cc band. I wonder what he will put this time. His nurse was explaining to me the reasons why they don't go so aggressive on the fills: the first is obvious... they don't want you too tight and have to have you come in to get it taken out. The 2nd is... if they fill it too quickly, then the stomach doesn't have time to accommodate the constricted blood vessels from the pressure. Studies have shown that when they do a complete fill at the beginning it increases your risk of necrosis around the band and/or eroding of the band into the stomach due to the pressure. Slow and easy is the way to go, so your stomach tissue gets use to the pressure. Anyone else sick of boiled eggs? My son made 2 dozen for easter and I have been having a couple a day (only one yolk and the rest whites). I think I will need my cholesterol checked soon! Hope everyone survived Easter/Passover intact and without too much candy! I only had one Hershey kiss (25 cal each) and one butterfinger egg, the tiny one. (not sure of the cal). peas out~ Laura

Howdy~ I FINALLY started losing again after that 2 week plateau! I knew it had to kick in sooner or later because I was on 800-900 cal. and exercising my butt off (literally). I had gone down to 277 and then went up to 280 (but refused to adjust my ticker.. but did keep accurate count on the realize band web site). Had finally gotten back to the 277 and the last couple days... a pound a day or so. My 2nd fill is scheduled for Thursday a.m. (I moved it up from next Tues). The seroma I have has filled back up and I have a definite swelling over my port site that looks like a hernia or something when I have a tshirt on! I tried to lie and my stomach and it is too painful. Last fill they drained 120cc clear yellowish Fluid from it. Let's see what they get on Thurs. Anyone else ever have to have fluid drained? I bought a Polar F11 Heart Monitor for exercise. Does anyone else have one? I was bummed to find that the sports bras that are compatible only go up to an XL and the reviews said they run small. Good grief. I can use the band it came with ok... or might sew my own. Just curious if anyone had been using one for workouts. I am doing cardio/circuit training with a trainer 3 x a week. For 65 min I keep an average HR of 125! The lunges and squats are killing me... but a good kill. peas out~ Laura

Spoke to my doc on Fri. They will see me earlier than the 21st. Hopefully will get the seroma drained and the 2nd fill! Hope everyone has a happy easter!

Hi all~ My port site too is sticking out, like you said Bernadette. My surgeon assures me that after we lose weight that it is a VERY small percentage that the port shows. These are not attached at all like a subcutaneous port used for chemo. These are attached to the abdominal wall muscle under our rib cage. My doc said he had to burn/scoop out a layer of fat to be able to anchor the port. (we all have fat underneath over every layer of our bodies!) But the first few months there is swelling/fluid and such that makes it more prominent. It should go down. My husband already promised me... that if I reach my goal weight, and keep it off for a year, then if I have tons of extra tummy skin and/or scars or port are bothering me.. that we will nip and tuck. Wow, what a guy! My seroma filled back up with fluid, and is now as tender and hardish as it was before my first fill. I spoke to my doc and he told me to get a high girdle or spanx to try and keep pressure on it. Uh, yeah... will run right out and try to find a 3x girdle at the local dept. store! I just found out my sister, 48, (I am 42) is having gastric bypass surgery in 6-8 weeks~ She was the one who was serious about this whole WLS before I was. We both started attending info sessions (me in FL and she in NC). Her insurance covers it but requires a ton of stuff.... I had an exclusion and had to pay cash. Subsequently because I was cash, I was able to get done sooooooo quickly! I know she has been bummed that I had my surgery and have started losing. But I told her she will fly past me with weight loss within the first month. Originally upon hearing she was doing surgery, I said to myself... ha, I am going on a diet and I am going to lose this weight on my own and show her that surgery is not necessary (for the 100th try!). That lasted about a month. Then I signed up for the band. I feel guilty in a way.. because as I go through band he!!, she decided that there is NO WAY she could do the band... and has opted for the bypass. I have always been the Type A sis... who has more accomplishments, etc. So she is so afraid of failing at one more thing. Some days I question if I should have done the bypass. But then other days (most) I know I am where I need to be. Slowly but surely... we will do it! Happy Easter everyone! peas out, Laura