Loving-It

:Cry::Cry: That was beautifully put. :Cry:

My doctor had me do 2 day liquid and 2 days mushie. Then he said to take it slow, slow, slow. It sounds like your doctor is just wanting you to take it slow too. I was filled on the 15th (first fill) and I'm still finding I need to go slow. It's a huge adjustment, at least for me. Good luck! :biggrin1:

In the description she says "this pamphlet"; THIS PAMPLET WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND HELP YOU BE SUCCESSFUL WITH YOUR LIFE AFTER SURGERY. $5 for a pamplet? No thanks! She does say you can email or call her. I wonder if it's a 900 number? :eek:

You want to feel better about yourself? I did this last weekend and I cracked myself and my daughter up. DD is 11YO. On Golden Girls there is an episode where they are talking about how when you lay on your back your face looks like it's had a face lift. Then they talk about how if you lay the mirror on the counter and lower your face to it everything falls forward and looks ghastly. Well I did it and took pics with my digital camera. OMG!!! It is hilarious!! :mad: I look about 16YO laying back, but face forward I've even advanced in age past my mom!!! Anything you see in the mirror after looking down onto a mirror is wonderful!! :clap2: :clap2:

I put no but that's because my doctor prescribed me with an antacid to prevent it in the first place. I had to take it everyday from day one so I don't know. I only suffer if I have orange juice or lemonade, which I steer clear of.

Can we purchase insurance so that if the tube needs to be replaced we only pay $12 instead of the full cost for a new one?

Yep, only the best of the best got them. :heh:

Pictures are the best way I think. You see yourself everyday so the changes are not really noticed. At least in my experiences with weight gain/loss over the years. :biggrin1:

SNORT!!! :mad:

You need to have a picture of you taken today and compare it with a picture of you pre-band, when you were closest to your heaviest weight. I guarantee you'll see a difference. :mad: I've lost 30 lbs and still see "Bubba" me, but when I look at say my BJ's card I can see a definite difference in my face. Sometimes in the mirror I'll see a difference, but as I lose more I'm sure it will become more pronounced. :mad:

I don't know what it means. :think And it's not in there!! :mad: :biggrin1:

Is that in the abbreviation thread? :heh:

We have stores just for us!! :mad:

My band was free but I paid like $30,000 for protein drinks and straws!!! :mad: :mad: :heh:

Our boobages are naturally big. :cool: At least that's one thing that I like, speaking for myself. :biggrin1:

So like, no pie & ice cream? :cool:

:lalala: :heh: :heh:

:hungry: :hungry: As long as it's band/booty-friendly of course. Nothing that's considered baddie food. :hungry: :hungry:

Is there a drinking thread around here I'm not aware of, because whatever you are having....I want some!! :cool: :heh:

That is a helpful post! :biggrin1: Main thing that irks me is when people do ask a question and in the time it would take to just answer it or post a link like you did above, they post a seemingly snarky reply telling them there is a thread with that answer in it so go there, but no link or breakdown of what board it's under. I was here a good week before my browsing around lead me to the abbreviations thread. I have to say some of the snarky replies have made me keep my questions to myself, and I PM those who seem truly happy to help. :cool: I also agree with the "I'm cheating the band, eating candy and drinking milkshakes so why aren't I losing weight" threads. Just makes my eyes roll. :rolleyes Waiting to see if I've killed this thread.... :guess

:clap2: I haven't had much restriction for a few weeks so I'm very happy to have had this done finally!! Oh my gosh, I was soooooo nervous. I laid up on the table with a towel under the middle of my back to lift my belly. He pressed around and pressed around looking for my port. Once he found it he cleaned the area and administred a local anthestic. He told me to prepare for a pinch and some burning. I felt a small pinch but not much else. He said that my port is right by my main incision so the nerve ending are still regenerating. No feeling there yet. Double-whoo-hoo! Then he had a hard time finding the entry to the port. Took a few minutes but no worries, I couldn't feel anything but pressure. So finally he gets it in there and they lift up the table so I am standing upright. I look down and there is this syringe sticking out of my abdomen. LOL! It was weird because I really didn't care, I was happy to see it and not feel it. :biggrin1: Now comes the worst part of the whole experience. The barium swallow. GAG! :sick When I had my pre-op testing done, the barium was strawberry flavored and cold. This stuff was neither. It was blah and warm, which made it extra blah. But it was cool because as I took a swallow, I looked on the screen next to me and could see my stomach, the band, the pouch and the barium heading on down. He added and removed as he saw the barium flowing through the band. I had to take a total of 3 really big gulps, but it was worth it. After it was all over he came up to me and said he could tell that when I first got there I was very nervous, which I was, but I had tried to fake it and be brave. But he said I did very well and that the band and my pouch look great. He said the images could be used in a training class it looked so good, which totally made my day!! So last night it was a little tight. I had a Slim Fast shake this morning and so far so good. No issues with liquids. I'm on liquid for the rest of today, then two days of mushies and back to regular food on Saturday. I'm on my way and I'm pickled tink to finally have my fill! He wants me to go back in a month for a check up. :biggrin1: I don't know how many CC's I got because we talked about it and he said that 4 cc's for one person may give them perfect restriction but 4 cc's for someone else might not be enough. It depends on the location of the band and such, so I chose to not know.

Mine is in the middle about two inches up and one inch to the right of my belly-button.

Hi Michelle, don't beat yourself up. Your pouch is not really "enabled" until your first fill, so the tool isn't really doing it's thing yet. Any restriction you feel prior is due to swelling. I had to wait 6 weeks too for my fill. The best way I can describe it, from what was described to me, is you go have your procedure where they install the band. Then the next 6 weeks is healing and allowing the band to develop scar tissue to secure it in place. Any weight you lose prior to getting your fill is a bonus. Once you get a fill, the band is now working. Don't feel bad. I know in the two weeks prior to my fill I felt famished at times and felt a bit like a failure because I was so hungry. Then it was explained to me like I explained it to you and I felt much better. I had some donut holes on Saturday just a few days before my fill. Would I have some now, heck no. Will I probably want some later, heck yes. :hungry: But it will be a choice I make and I hope I do myself proud because I want this band to be successful and I want to wear shorts next summer!! :clap2:

What flavors do they have?

That's great you found something to replace soda. :clap2: I get the generic "Crystal Light" from Walmart. They have all different flavors, and it's 6 tubs (each makes a 2 qt pitcher) for less than $2. Cherry is my favorite. I just got strawberry and peach but haven't tried them yet. I was a big soda junkie and thought I would have troubles adjusting but as time has gone on, I don't miss it. I think if I had a taste I'd be in trouble though.