lesleegrace

It's been a while since I've posted but I've been on regularly reading. Thought I'd share that I too was bumped that day back at the end of March from my fill appt but it was really not a big deal since I didn't need one and just re-booked at whenever was convenient for the clinic. I ended up going this past tuesday and still didn't need a fill :thumbup: As for weight loss I'm down an official 37 pounds from my surgery now most of which has come off in the past few months, as your might recall I had some trouble getting started with an un-fill and yadda yadda yadda. Sk, I'm super interested in the protein bullets you're talking about. What is the company name you purchased them from? The free shipping has drawn me in. I checked out the bariatric eating website and I'm really interested in trying out their lap-band formulated chewable multi vitamin as well as their isopure protein drink. I even went so far as to set up and order but the shipping was going to be almost $50 on $100 worth of products... maybe not. Let me know what you're trying out from them and in the future we could maybe order something together and split the shipping cost. I too have an online shopping addiction that I have over the past few years managed to "control." iTunes and amazon make it way way to easy to spend money, and you don't even notice it until that darn visa bill comes at the end of the month. Hope the everyone is doing well and enjoying this beautiful weather we've been having!

Hi All! Thought I'd check in a see where everyone is at now that we're past all of that holiday stuff for good. Myself seem to be doing well. I had an appt just before the new year and didn't end up getting a fill since I was down for the first time. I believe it was 5 pounds but now I'm a little fuzzy. I'm headed to the clinic again this tuesday at 5:40 for another check-up and I'm not sure whether I will have a fill this time. Last time I was sure I wouldn't need one. Right now, not so much. I think that I will be down 2 to 3 pounds but I've noticed a slight increase in my food intake the last few weeks. Food tolerance wise, no: bread, pasta, potatoes, crackers, chips... anything starchy I guess. I made the driest piece of toast the other day, I just wanted toast so bad and well no go. After the first 1 cm2 bite I knew it wasn't gonna happen. I resorted to licking it. Yes I did! I just wanted toast I'm taking possession of my very first house in less than two weeks so we'll see how some stress factors will play into this.

Happy Holidays Everyone! I hope that the holiday season is kind to everyone and their lap-band goals. I for one am planning some band friendly food for myself and the rest of the family can eat all the turkey and stuffing they want... I never really was big on turkey anyways so I don't feel too bad about it. I'm excited to go to the clinic next week and show them that I've finally made some progress, it only took 9 months but I think its finally working the way it should. Maybe I've found my "sweet spot" wouldn't that be nice!

Hi All! It's been a while but I'm just checking and I'm glad to see that there are a few new people around and that everyone seems to be doing so well. Since my last fill I have finally joined the losing group of lapbandsters. For a long time I was really struggling with this but I may have found or am very close to my "sweet spot". I am now definitely not able to eat pasta, bread or potatoes. Rice for whatever reason I'm OK with. I totally envy those of you still able to eat perogies!! Having a polish grandmother that practically forces them on you makes it hard to not eat them. I am struggling a bit with getting protein in if for no other reason than I can not eat chicken or pork. They get stuck no matter how I seem to prepare them. Ground beef is ok, but I've never been a big eater of beef unless it was ground, never liked steak or anything. I'm finding that fish and shellfish are my best bet to get my protein in. Which is a big adjustment having come a typical north american family chicken is mostly what was served at out table. After my October fill I lost about 2 pounds which was a great start after my whole de-fill gain and plateau stage. Now since the fill I had in November I'm down about 5. Yippee! With the holiday season fast approaching I had thought I would have more trouble with all those tasty foods that really aren't good for you. So far so good though. I've actually baked a disgusting amount of treats to give out to co-workers and have no desire to eat any of them after the initial sampling to make sure they were actually worthy of being gifts. I've made it through three Christmas parties where I had a couple drinks at each, and let me tell you my alcohol tolerance is now about the same as a 12 year old. I'm back at the clinic between Christmas and New Years (the 28th I believe) for another check up so maybe I'll see some of you there! :thumbup:

I'm going in tomorrow for a check-up/possible fill. My appointment is for 5:00 maybe I'll see a couple of you there. I think (crossing fingers) that I will be down a couple this time. Oh how I hope so! I'm booked to be in with one of the Doc's this time as I haven't seen either of them in quite some time.

Ok, so I'm so not good at keeping up with things regularly. I haven't been on in a while and did just finally fill out the support group survey. I think its a fantastic idea, I would love to be able to meet people one on one and share tips and tricks etc. I also missed the CJOB interview since I didn't read about it on time. :blushing: I went for my fill this past Tuesday, the 20th and wasn't sure if I would actually get a fill or not. Lately I had noticed a big difference in my portion sizes and ability to eat certain foods... ie bread. I haven't been able to eat pasta from the beginning so I haven't bothered trying it again. But breads are now a no go for me, they always get stuck. So I'd had a few episodes of getting stuck and horrible sliming so I didn't know if they would give me more fill or not. Well they did. I got another 0.5 mL bringing me upto 5.75 mL now and I am definately noticing a difference. Terri and I have also made a pact with each other to get on the piece of "furniture" collecting dust in our living rooms, the treadmill that is. So if you're reading this Terri I'm going to hold you to it and I expect you to do the same!! I've tried to get back on solids a couple times now and I'm still not quite ready. So as of now my go to mushy foods are over steamed cauliflower so its nice and soft with a cheddar white sauce on it for some flavour. I also made myself some kheer (indian style rice pudding) that goes down pretty well. Another mushy favourite of mine is a refried bean and mashed potato bake. It's super easy and tasty and packs in some protein. Alright, well I'm off on a mini road trip to Kenora today to drop off some furniture we'll see how that goes. I've packed myself some egg salad and a protein shake hopefully that covers everything cause I don't want to try and find something I can tolerate in town.

Yes, Terri has greatly improved, I wouldn't worry about seeing her one bit. IWBAL, my weight loss has pretty much been staying steady at the no where point. I am I guess one of those lucky people that have a hard time reaching the sweet spot. I am officially down 7 pounds total (including the pre-op diet) so I'm struggling a bit. I've gotten back in contact with Danielle though and sent her a few days worth of my food journal to see what she can make of it. I can't wait until my next fill though, I feel as though I am soooo close to where I want to be fill wise. If anyone is interested in an easy/free online food journaling progam check out the daily plate. I tried a couple and this one was the simplest. Fergieis I look forward to hearing your progress with the government. I know that I was interested in finding a way to get my money back didn't even know where to start. As for the by-pass round about craziness I barely met the BMI thresh hold for the band (I was 36.7 if I remember correctly) and would never have for the by-pass so I'm not sure what they would've said to me. I know that you feel great Fergieis but internally that band isn't quite set into place yet and adding some fill might only aggravate the healing process. Try and remember that for the past few weeks you've been eating mostly liquids so of course you're gonna lose weight and naturally you'll gain a bit once you start back to normal foods. And as for the diet coke, the feeling I get from carbonated beverages is so not worth it. I was a total pepsi addict and for a while it was all I could do not to chew off my left arm for a pepsi but I got past it and could really care less. If at all possible ob-stain from the soda, you'll thank yourself in the end. I actually kind of liked the meditrim shakes and bars too... I only got chocolate shakes and chocolate bars but I didn't mind them. I loved making some coffee the night before, sticking it in the fridge and using that for my morning shake. Delish.

I was banded March 7, 2009 so I'm nearly 7 months post-op now and I've lost an uninspiring 7 pounds. On the pre-op Meditrim shake diet I successfully lost 12 pounds. I felt fanstastic going in that with that start I could do this no problem. Within the first month out of surgery I lost another 7 pounds and then that's when trouble hit. Shortly after my very first fill, which I could feel restriction and had me sitting at 4.5 mL I started getting some extreme back pain. Worried that it may be band related I contacted my surgeons and just to be safe they removed all but 1 mL of my fill. The theory was that if it was band related I would feel a difference in 48 hours. Well I didn't. The pain went away just as mysteriously as it came but I also put back on all my post-op pounds lost as well as some of what I'd lost in the pre-op diet. Since then I've been going for fills regulary and I'm now up to I believe 5 mL (I can't remember if the last one was a .25 or .5 increase) and I'm not feeling a whole lot of restriction. So, I religiously have been keeping a food diary for a few weeks now hoping that I can spot something there with the dietitian. I avoid all slider foods and don't drink with my meals. Does anyone have any suggestions for me?

IWBAL, that sucks about your appointment. I guess they still haven't quite figured out the timing yet. My next fill was booked for Oct 13 sometime in the morning but I just talked with Jen and rescheduled for the 20th in the evening so that one is open now if someone's looking for a day. And a heads up about Terri's progress I found that my second fill went much smoother with her than the first. In and out in 5 minutes and I've been told by Dr. Bracken that I apparently have a "difficult port" and he's considered doing mine under fluoro so if she can get mine alright everything should be just fine. Diva I look forward to hearing what your experience was like and hope that you are keeping well. Day 2 is the worst so your almost at the point where things can only get better! I so didn't get any oxycontin! Not fair! Kidding, sort of. I seemed to do just fine anyways.. I wonder why I didn't get any though?? Hmm..

Hi all! I had my 2nd fill with Terri a few weeks ago now, and definately feel much more restriction! Yippee! It's actually really strange to each eat so little, I have to stop myself from overeating sometimes cause I'm just so used to eating larger portions cause you need to feed your body right? Well I obviously overfed it for quite sometime and its an adjust that isn't just physical it's mental. Fergieis, I'm glad to hear that you went ahead with the surgery and that everything is going fine. I hope that the info I'd given you a few months back was helpful. Diva, the doc's will give you a Rx for T3 the day of your surgery. Have it filled regardless if you think you'll need them or not. As for the crushing of the pills. Yup, you've either got to crush or chew them. I personally handled the slight pain way better than the taste of crushed T3. I tried a few times mixing it with applesauce but the taste was too much and that alone was going to make me ill which is a big no-no right after surgery. I also had tried some liquid childrens tylenol and that wasn't any better. A heads up if you have a reaction to anaesthesia that usually makes you nauseated or "vomititous" as I call it pick up some gravol suppositories. If you can handle the crushed pill do that, or even if you can handle the liquid that's great but have some on hand. More than you wanted to know I'm sure but it got me through days 3-7. My queasiness didn't hit until the following evening and I can honestly say that the pain of your body trying to vomit that early in the healing stage is not pretty. And as a bonus the gravol will knock you out hopefully so you can get some solid sleep :seeya: And why may I ask does all liquid form medication taste so dreadfully awful?? So my next fill is schedualed for Oct 13, but I've got to change that. That being the Thanksgiving weekend-ish time I'll most likely be in Toronto to see my brothers family.

Hi all! It's been quite a while since I've posted on here but its great to see that some of you are doing so fantastically well, it's motivating. I also see that there are a few of you getting ready for surgery very soon, actually someone is tomorrow. Good Luck! Everything will be just fine. I know I had a lot of concern going into surgery because I'd never been under a general anesthetic before and I discussed this and other things with the psychologist. She helped me quite a bit and I came out of there with a good mantra for myself. Whenever I was/or am feeling a little uneasy about my decision I just remind myself that "I'm in good hands." I had a fill on the 11th... I think that was the date. I think it was the first day that Terri was there doing the fills. She had been there one other time with Dr. Bracken practicing but wasn't able to find the access to my port so Dr. B ended up doing it. This time she also had a little trouble getting the access but only poked twice and it maybe took 5 minutes. It wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. I liked that she took more time to talk with me and discuss how my food intake has been. While Dr's A and B do a great job I sometimes feel like I'm whisked in and out of the office and didn't get a chance to ask some of the questions I may have had. So I'm now up to 4.75 mL in my band and I can honestly say that it is doing something now. YAY! For a while I was having this whole "what have I gotten myself into" situation but I'm now seeing how this all works. I guess the thing is you read all these stories about how people reach their goal weight in one year and how after 5 months post-op (where I'm at) have lost 40 to 50 pounds. You don't hear the other side where not everyone loses that fast and it can take a while to get to the right volume for you to lose weight. So you just assume that you will be one of those fabulous people and when it doesn't happen you're naturally disappointed. I've come to terms with this though and now am paying much closer attention to what I put in my mouth especially since I can't eat as much. I had my first real eating out experience this weekend when I went to a stagette. That was interesting. I didn't know a lot of the girls there and quite honestly got the strangest looks after I ate 2/3 of my appetizer that I ordered for my meal and announced that I was absolutely so full I thought I could die and had the worlds largest smile on my face saying it. So if you're like me and are slow to start losing, just stick with it and it will work itself out eventually!

Hi All! I hadn't read the forum in a few days and it looks like a lot of stuff has been going on. IWBAL and mimi: Thanks for the info on the swimsuit places. In the past I usually went to Peepers but the cost sometimes was a bit more than I'm willing to shell out. I got a nice suit there for a trip to cuba I went on a couple winters ago, cost me $120 or something ridiculous, wore it for that trip and one season and now it doesn't fit... I'm happy that its too big but at the same time bummed that I spent that much money on it for such little use. I too noticed a huge change in my thoughts about food. Its become less of an obsession. I no longer feel the need to constantly eat but I still enjoy my food and cooking and trying new things. There just doesn't seem to be as much emphasis placed on it. I grew up in a family where after we finished eating dinner my mother would be asking what we wanted for dinner the next night... uhmm we'd just eaten. Its nice to not have food be such a central part of life. Diva: I met with the surgeons initially mid-January and had my surgery on March 7 two almost a two month wait, but worth it. I didn't meet with the anestitist ahead of time just the day of surgery but my medical records were forwarded to her for pre-approval as everyone on the team has to agree that you are a suitable candidate before they go ahead. Mandine - DON'T CHANGE YOUR MIND. Just think of all of the things you will gain by doing this. One day blood pressure may not be a health concern of yours at all. A few extra months is a small price for a longer life. Ok, so yeah I was pretty bummed about the back issue and not losing. I've had a few days to myself and have cleaned/cooked it out. It's kind of a family joke that if I'm angry upset I will clean and cook. So my house is sparkling and all my neighbours have cookies to last a lifetime. On brighter news though I'm starting to feel some restriction! Kind of weird since its been two weeks since my fill but all of a sudden I'm full much faster. Not where I think I should be ideally but its something. Maybe with the next fill I'll be even better. :tongue2:

Oh my oh my... How much have I lost... ah!!! It's soooo frustrating!! I have lost, well pretty much nothing. When I weighed in on the 14th I was 205 down one whole pound from my first fill date which was... the beginning of June if I remember correctly. So yeah, I'm not a shining example of how the band works. I've had a a little set back (re: my extreme back pain and the un-fill to see if that was the problem) but I'm trying to get back on track. Lately I've been do the scale obsessing, I know its bad but I can't help but hop on every morning just to check. I'm still down the approximate 10 pounds I lost on the pre-op diet but it really is hard not to feel frustrated. I would give Jen a call for sure. She does seem to get really busy there and I'm sure she will try her best to get you in to get a fill. Six weeks is when they do the first fill so you might as well get started. How do you feel you're doing otherwise?