I Wanna Be a Loser

Hello All Sounds like everyone is doing great! Mimi - thanks for the advice on the hiccups - you are right - that is better than PB'ing. Strange thing is that I have now learned with eating a little slower and pausing for a few minutes that if I get the hiccups - it is my signal to cease and desist eating anything more. If they do not come after about 2 - 3 minutes, I can still have a few bites more. Weird. But as Moonbeam confirmed, I am a freak of nature! Diva - you will do fine in your surgery tomorrow - take it slow and easy the day after though. The day of my surgery, I had the Oxycontin that they gave me- 2 pills and thought there was nothing to this - I think my surgery was at 9 or 10 and I was out by 1:30 - 2. I relaxed on the couch and at 6 felt good enough to go for a walk to friends and visit for 2 hours before the hubby and I walked back home. By the next morning the oxy's wore off, I felt like I got hit by a Mack truck and I could barely get out of bed. What a bonehead I was! Relax and take it easy - remember the second day is always the worst but it gets better....way better and you will be beyond this point in your life before you know it. BTW - if you are in recovery, and wake to the sounds of a high pitched scream in the next room - don't be alarmed - I am in for my fill at noon and am quite scared of needles and it is my first time with Terri. Gawd, I pray she has had good practice on all the rest of you before getting to me! LOL Cheers IWBAL

Well, it is nice to know that someone recognizes me for what I really am, Moonbeam! LOL! I guess I will ask whan I am back in for my fill at the end of the month - it is so weird! Take care, IWBAL

Hey all - hope everyone is doing good! A quick question - I just had my first fill last week and notice that I typically get the hiccups - they only last a few minute - right after eating. Has anyone else experienced this - or am a just a freak of nature - LOL! IWBAL

Hey Moonbeam Good news - I survived and lived to tell the tale. I met with Dr A as this was my first fill - guess the Dr's need to do the the virgin fills first before they pass them on to Terri (LOL). It went good up with Dr A describing the process as he prepped the needle, until he began describing the needle itself - "longer than normal so that it was capable of piercing thru the skin and into the port" at which port I promptly told him that it was more information than I needed and contrary to what he thought, the needle was actually the shortest, tiniest one in existence and that was all he or Terri needed to tell me. I am sure he thought I was crazy! I am but would never admit it in a public place. I have not heard of flouro fills being done at Maples, but it would seem to me that it would make it easier on both the giver and reciever. So I had 3.0 in my band and am now at 4.0. Earlier someone had asked about what we eat in typical day - this is my day so far. Breakfast - Carnation Instant Breakfast - Chocolate (of course) Lunch - Vegetable Soup - about 1 1/2 cups Supper - 3 oz BB Salmon - 1 cup of Broccoli Snack - Later this evening - probably one the those 100 calorie packaged snacks - this is my treat for having a good day Probably about 6 glasses of water thoughout the day. Cheers! IWBAL

Glad to see all is well with everyone. I was away on vacation for the last 2 weeks in Vancouver on where we had a big family reunion. We also got to drop the news that we will be moving a bit closer (1 province over in AB) due to a job transfer for the hubby in Nov. So I guess I will be looking for a local clinic to do my fills or trying to come back. Oh well.... My fill is today - 1st one - I am actually meeting with the docs this morning to discuss so I am kind of nervous - but am sure that I will live! I will let you know how it goes. Cheers Lori

Greetings All Welcome Diva! With regards to your question - I saw Dr Andrews for my info session on May 26th and was banded June 9th - about 3 weeks later - but I had no health issues and did not have to meet with the anethitist. In fact they were somewhat surprised that I woke up as soon as I did - surgery at 10:30 and outta there by 1:30. The psych person was Dr Theresa located near the Misricordia - she was great and it was good to talk to her - I rather enjoyed our session together. Expectation of the surgery, what motivated me to do something about the weight, what kind of support I had from friends and family and who I was planning on telling, as some remain "in the closet" (of which I am one - only my husband knows and you guys on the forum). I saw her about a week before my surgery for about an hour. Nothing to stress over - it is very relaxing. Moonbeam - congrats on the ticker movement - wa-hoo! That is a big deal. My moment of the day was that I am now down 25 lbs exactly - cheers for me too! I hope Leslee is doing okay - she seem kinda bummed out with the issues with the back pain and not losing anything. So, when do you all go for you next fills? I am Sept 1st. Cheers IWBAL

Hi Mimi - thanks for the tip on Swimming Matters - I will try and check it out. So far with the purging, I have been lucky enough only to experience that at home - I think it was because I was not thinking about the chewing, swallowed something too big because I was hurrying. One of the most amazing transformations for me has been that I am not constantly thinking about eating like I was. From waking up in the morning onward, I was alway thinking what was would be next to eat - trying to balance the good with the bad (and often gravitating towards the bad) and by the end of the day pigging out with whatever is in sight. Every morning would start out with the best of intentions and by noon would be blown out of the water. Now I am finding that I have a fuller feeling, I am consuming less, obsession less on what I will eat and, dare I sayit, I have acutally missed eating a couple times because I got busy and did not notice the time. Wow - that is something that thin people say - I never really understood how people could miss a meal - I was like clockwork when it came to meals, now, not so much. I am eating when I am hungry - what a great concept. Mimi - maybe the restriction is there but for some, they may be consciencely aware of it whereas with you, your body may be picking up the signals natually - which is something that we all are moving towards. Obviously there is something at play as you are continuing to lose weight, so that is a good thing. I would like to think I am at the inbetween stage, conscious sometimes, but looking to be aware of the restriction as I was only banded 6 weeks ago. Cheers - IWBAL

Shopping dilemma solved (finally after all my b*tching). The Bay Downtown had alot left and I even bought 1 dress a size too big that I will have altered. Score!! I called Jen today - looks like we got our wires crossed a bit as I missed her to book the appt for the fill. She was not at her desk and the receptionist told me that they would call. I should have gone in today however Bracken was alone and now both are on holidays until Aug 10th. So now my fill date will be on Sept 1 at 4:40 after I am back from vacation (I leave on Aug 7th) I am sorry to hear about the issues that you had and hope that the back pain is gone. Put it all behind you right now and just start fresh - don't think of the "woulda, shoulda, coulda" and don't beat yourself up over anything that has past - this is a new moment right now going forward. As for that miserable machine called a scale, I try to make it a point to only weigh myself twice a week - Tuesday (because I need to be extra good on Monday to make up for any excess on the weekend- okay, okay, I like to have a drink or two - but not 10 like I used too - on the weekend) and Friday (because I try to keep on track on the weekdays and know this will be a good day). If you must - move that horrid beast to another room between weigh ins so that you are not tempted to peek. Just remember - it is not all about the number on the scale - but feeling good about the things you accomplish and learn along the way. (I am getting off the soapbox now people) I seem to be doing okay - my pre op weight was 219 and after the diet and at surgery, I was 211 - June 9th. At my weigh in this morning I am just under 196. Jen told me that they just would have checked me and probably not given me a fill this time as I had lost more than 10 lbs. I am still a little nervous about eating in public which is my saving grace and I find that I tend to forget and may not chew as much as I should or swallow too large a piece. I have some uncertainty about the trip we are going which will be with a group for 3 weeks. None of them with the exception of my husband know anything about this, although they do know I am dieting again. Did everyone see the eyeballs rolling? :-) Leslee, next year when we all are a fraction of our previous selves, we (and everyone on this forum) will be able to look back and be amazed at what we have been able to accomplish. Even though it feels like hell sometimes - remember to celebrate the small victories you make each and everyday! Cheers IWBAL

Hey Leslee - yes alterations were something that I am looking at - however there seems to be little to no stuff left for summer. I will keep searching though. Question for you - I notice that we were about the same weight/height (but not age-you are younger) when we were banded - how much have you lost now? I think I will give Jen a call - they may have forgotton about me as it has been 6 weeks today since I got banded. Cheers

Poor Tammar! That must have been rough all that purging everyday! I think I have only tossed about 3-4 times so far and even then it was only a small bit - nowhere near the amount you have had to experience. I think mine is caused by eating too quickly and not chewing enough - it definately is a learning curve! I hope you will feel better after the defill. On the bright side, you are almost 1/3 of your way to goal, so eat healthy and walk, walk, walk! Cheers IWBAL

Question about fills - does Jen call you or do you call her to schedule one? How about your first time? Just Curious... Cheers!

Mimi Meant to tell you - I have shopped religiously at Peepers on Stafford for a bathing suit for years - then about 2 years ago I bought a tankini there which cost me my third arm and leg. The day before we left for Mexico, I was at Polo and walked by that swimsuit place by Zellers on the 2nd floor and there was the same suit but $50.00 cheaper - I was not impressed. If you look for bathing suits try there also. Cheers

Hi All, Work out clothes,,,,hmmmm, considering the previous workout I subscribed to was the "couch to fridge run" with arm hoist from lap to mouth, which in turn resulted in one fat flat ass and a buff right arm, I really did not need much. However, for my loll on the couch, I second Leslee with Costco. Also I have found the occasional pair of sweats at Sportmart. I decided today that I hate shopping - I am trying to shop for a trip that I am going on in about 3 weeks and am having such a hard time. When I got my surgery all me clothing was way too tight and I was on the verge buying a new size up. Now I have the opposite problem - stuff is starting hang and pants in my current size are way too loose. Yet, I am still not yet thin enough to fit the lower size. I am trying to hold off buying anything new until closer to the date - but am worried that all the good summer stuff will be gone. which it almost is anyway. (big sigh) I found a dress liked which was a little more than I thought I wanted to pay but made up my mind I would get it. I was at my friend's place who is coming with us and asked what clothes she was taking. Pissed me off. when she hauled out the dress I was going to buy. Oh well, saved some $$. The dress hunt continues! Any recommendation for nice dresses where you have had luck? Cheers

Hi Mandine, What Leslee said about the hair loss being related to a nuturitional defiecency is absolutely correct. You need to eat your protein. I myself have not noticed any more hair loss than what I normally had before. Leslee - sounds like you went to Green Day, fanstastic concert , eh? Cheers All!

Tammar - Glad to hear the eating is going better! Right after I imparted those golden words of wisdom and encouragement - I was a little hungry, so I snarfed down a piece of fish too quickly and did not chew that great either. I got my that sicky, nauseated feeling which I knew meant that my chest and head were about to explode. I had not had the slime spit happen, but never say never! I am no longer a slime virgin! I tried swallowing it - but that only made the blockage feel worse - like when you take a drink thinking that you will just wash it down - instead it is 100x's worse. My advice if this happens would be to keep spittting out the spit - do not try and make it go back down - learn from my stupidity! :-) (big sigh - so good at giving advice and not so good at heeding it!). So far though, no purging..... Congrats on the Wii - it is a great source of fun - you have inspired me to try and get back on ours - I quit as I thought I was too fat and was embarrassed my Mii looked like a little porker when compared to my family who were in a battle to see who could unlock the most levels and beat the trainer which one of them actually did - how do you compete with that? I was still trying not to get smacked in the head with the shoe on the soccer pitch! But I think I will give it a whirl again! Cheers

Hi Tammar I was banded after you - have not yet had my first fill yet - actually I am a little nervous about it. Like you, I am not eating many solids - Carnation Breakfast - Soup for Lunch and some kind of protien -eg fish or salmon or pork- 3 oz with about a quarter cup of veggies. Like you - I seem to get that burning/stuck sensation usually after about 4 bites of protein. I have only chucked up 2 times - very small amounts though. I am trying to train myself that after 3 bites to put my fork down for 3-5 minutes and then take another few bites. I find that if I start with a few bites of a soft veggie dish, that I am able to do about 4 very small bites (size of my pinkie nail) of pork tenderloin. I must then put the fork down and wait a few minutes, then I am able to repeat the process without getting that golf ball in the throat, burning, cold sweat with dizzy feeling. I totally agree about the drinking thing - it is hard to give up. I usually try to have some water before eating but it just seems to compound the problems when I combine it with eating - it is not worth it for me! Question for the group - does Jen call you to let you know when your first fill is, or do you call her to schedule it? Cheers

Hey Mr Fish Good going so far! - 30% of goal weight lost is pretty damn impressive in my books. My port is still a little sore when I wake up in the morning as well, although it seems to be getting better slowing and the gas pains subsided about 5 days ago. Keep chasing that little woman around the house and soon you will be "Too Fit to Fish" If you carry a cooler in your trunk, I would suggest steaming chicken breasts and cutting them in pieces, preweighed in a ziploc bag. Also do the same for raw veggies and/or fruit such as strawberries or blueberries. This way you have portion control. Leslee - not to worry - we now all have the tool to help us and until we are at the sweet spot with our fills, we are like turtle plugging along. Once we have the fill at the right level - there will be no holding us back - we just have to hang in there a few months and keep doing what we are doing. Hang in there everyone!

Hi Leslee - I believe you are talking about me - the one with the overactive imagination that the needles are 2 feet long. I am glad to hear how easy the fills are and that they try not to inflict any pain on a person when they do them. Like you, I am scared of needles and I will be doing my best not to watch them stab me multiple times to find the port (did I mention my overactive imagination? Oh yeah, moving on...) Don't be discouraged with the amount that you have lost so far, in fact, Celebrate it and look at how far you have come since you started. We are only on the beginning of the journey. Once you get the your sweet spot, I am sure it will be like, all the planets in the universe have aligned and you will feel great. Some people do not feel restriction right away and continue to have an appetite it seems, and others do feel some right off the hop. I was asking about this when I went in to have my staples removed as I noticed that I cannot eat anywhere near the amount I could stuff in my piehole before. Dr A told me that some people do feel more restriction whereas others do not. There is actually one patient who has had the LB and has come in but has not yet had a fill to date. I guess I am one of the "lucky" ones who can feel some of the restriction which I find amazing, as my biggest problem before was not ever feeling full. I am sorry to hear that you had poor response from the other group - I don't know who they are and I was lucky enough myself to stumble upon this thread of great people who I would like to meet someday and some who I have already come across, but was too shy to identify myself - next time will do it, I promise! Cheers

Mandine: I have not noticed any more loss of hair than normal since I got the LB. I have started on mutivitamin as recommended along with a Calcium. I actually take the Flintones chewy gummy multivitmin and a calcuim soft chewable. Mimi when did you get banded? 41 lb is pretty awesome - you are almost a 25%! WTG! Remember slow and steady wins the race! Cheers

Hello Mandine I was just banded a little less than 3 weeks ago, so I will let you know my experience. #1 - The Maples was great - took good care of me and was availble for any questions or concerns that I had following the proceedure. I had a small complication where I pulled one of my staples and I would have to honestly say that for the 1st week afterward was pretty sore. I also experienced the shoulder gas pains, ususally in the evening which seem to be gone after about 2 weeks. I am also older that you - 48 yrs and I think that has also impacted my recovery time a bit. Frankly, I thought it would be worse than it actually was - but I will admit to having an overactive imagination. :-) I was back at work - desk job with customer appts - after 2 weeks. I still like to nap a little afterwards when I get home - but attribute that to the annethesia. I would say I am now at 85% and each day gets better. Note that you should not lift anything heavy for a few weeks. A great and supportive partner or friend to help out makes all the difference. #2 I started with a weight of 219 on May 26th when I began the post op diet was 211 when I was banded - this morning I was 199 - yahoo I high the incredible "one-derland". So I am down 20 lb. Some people find once they are banded that they are still very hungry - I am not finding this. I am taking the eating slowly - typical day would see me now eat : Breakfast - carnation instant breakfast / lunch - light vegetable broth type Soup / supper: 3 oz fish/chicken with 3 asparagus. I usually drink about 4 - 5 cups of Water or flavored water. I suspect that I have some fill in my band as I do get that full feeling that I never had before and if I eat too fast or swallow too much - I feel sick - but hey, I am only human and old habits die hard-but we are all quick learners! The reason that we were talking WW & HM Diets were to give us a basis of a diet to give us some structure in order to maximize the weight loss that we would experieince. The dietician at Maples counselled us that we needed at good basic diet to follow - along the lines of the Canada food Guide. I know that the HM gave portions and the foods to get that wieght off which is once I have my first fill, I intend to follow that - plus it is structure. A typical day of food for me was : Breakfast - Starbuck Frappacino / 2nd breakfast: 2 pint choc milk & toasted bagel wi cream cheese / Lunch Whatever the cafeteria special was / Snack: choc bar or candy / Dinner: About 8 oz meat-Veggie-Rice / Snack: raid the fridge/cupboard all nite & assorted pop/juice etc throughout the day. Hardly a diet to be proud of, eh? #3 All the emotions you touch upon, we have all been there. Was the pain/discomfort worth it? Would I do it again? Absolutely! To be honest - my whole life has revolved around my weight and everything defined by it. (this is a story for another day!) With any major event in my life, I could tell you the exact weight I was. I never ever felt full enough or knew when to stop saying no to food. I would wake up in the morning mapping out meals for the day and once one was finished - I was dreaming of the next. Now, I am feeling full when I eat & I have learned to say "No thanks" One of my defining moments was realizing that I am 48 and possibly only have another 30 - 40 years to live, if I am lucky, and do I want to live it fat and miserable like I was, (with more chances of problems occurring) or thinner (and being able to enjoy life) Option 2 was my choice. I was tired of living by the number on the scale and having them define me. Yes the cost is expensive and I struggled with that too. The other thing is I looked at the amounts that I figured I spent on WW / Herbal Magic / Nutri System and guess what - they together added up to more. Hell on HM, it cost $2000 to join plus about $500 / month on bars & herbs plus the time for the weekly packages - $10 per week. Over the 4 years it probably cost me close to $10,000 and for what? After I left, I gained everything back, because I never felt full. In my short time being banded, I wish I could have done this 30 years ago and avoided alot of pain, suffering and wasted money. Our great grandmother alway told us kids: You can have money - but if you don't have health - you have nothing. Sorry for the long post Everyone! Cheers

Hello Canadian Girl We sat next to each other when your husband was in surgery and you had just gotten your fill - I was getting my staples out. I take Levothyroxine for my thyroid which I know is not the same as the arthric meds but I was was told crush my pills and mix in with a small amount of Water or pudding - not sure if that will help Mr Fish -but I thought that I would pass it along. Good Luck - btw how are you making out with your fill? Cheers!

Tammar and Moonbean - thanks for the info on PB. It does not sound like that is what is happening to me - nothing is comming up. It is just a continuous hiccup that I seem to be getting about 3-4 times an hour. Maybe I have some kind of gas trapped between my stomach and diaphragm - I will probably call the Maples tomorrow and ask. With regards to the WW, I think it is great to have a plan to stick to that will work for you. It is my intent when I can start eating better to follow the Herbal Magic diet without the pills. God knows I paid enough to do that and I did actually lose about 70 lbs when I did it and was motivated. I actually kept the weight off for about 4 years. A death in the family put me off track and then I broke my ankle in an accident which killed my exercising and I turned to my best friend Mr Fridge for comfort. No matter what I could alway limp to him! It took about 2 years before I was able to walk properly again and by that time I put all my weight back on along with some extra for good measure :-) I know we all have done this. I have been in a weight loss yo-yo ever since. It just did not seem that I had the motivation to stick to the diet that I originally had and was constantly falling off the wagon. Now that I am banded, I have a whole different attitude which I have though long and hard about prior to getting the surgery. I went into this not thinking about what the band would do for me, but instead, what can I do to help the band make me thinner for life. I am counting on that philosophy to help me through the rest of my life. Thanks for sharing about your experiences with sharing with others - I have never made a secret about any diet that I have been on before, but still was concerned what people would think as many think it is a drasitic measure depending on their size and I don't think I could share this with the office staff as there are some very judgemental people. Maybe in the future, I will come out of the "fat suit" Cheers

Tammar, Can you tell me what productive burping is? I seem to be experiencing a constant burping/hiccupping which is causing some amount of pain when it happens. Is this normal or should I be worried? Because I do not seem to be hungry alot, when I asked if my band contained some saline or whether is was fully drained, Dr B said that they do fill them with a minimal amount of saline to test to see if there are any leaks. For the locals - they will leave some in but if you are from out of town, typically they drain them in case of complications. It is obviously easier to come in for the locals than the out of towners if there is a problem. Yesterday I had a small burger with cheese (and only ate 3/4's - no bun) - small tomato slice and 2 small slivered slices of avacado with 2 olives. I also had about 4 forkfuls of strawberry pie. Eyebrows were certainly raised when the family saw the amount on my plate, as they are used to me piling up and stacking the plate and going back for 2nd's! I have not told anyone about my LB or surgery. The only one who knows is my husband. Have you all shared with friends and family? What has been the general reaction? Cheers

Thank you so much for yoour kind word of encouragement - I really appreciate it. I survived the staple remove after an anxious nite of worrying - did I mention I was more nervous about the removal than the actual surgery. I had vsions of the agony and pain that was soon to come my way as the Dr attempted to dislodge them from my gut - and before I knew it they were out - and I only felt a slight pinch. BTW - did I mention I have a really overactive imagination? My next hurdle will be the fill in 4 weeks, where, I just know the needle will be at least 2 feet long and filled with 10 cups of saline! I am a small bit of pain - one of incisions is giving me a bit of grief - just stinging - and I have some of those wonderful gas shoulder pains. I keep thinking this will pass soon. I had a 2 sips of a sparlkling lemonade today and thought I would die - so bloated and gassy! Not gonna do that again anytime soon! I did have the pleasure of sharing the couch next to Canada Girl who I recognized from the previous postings, who was talking to 2 other ladies about their fills. Mr Fish was just being finished in the OR and was doing fine for all you interested. CHeers

Hello, I stumbled across your Manitoba Lap Band Messages while trying to get some information post surgery and thought this would be a cool place to talk to others from the same location who also shared the same clinic and doctors. I survived the 2 week pre opt diet shakes from hell - which I think is just ground up chalk that has been liquified - and was banded on June 9th. I have been taking the eating very slow and am a little apprehensive about diving in too quickly as I did try a few things and like some of you, thought I had swallowed a golf ball. The surgery pain surprisingly has not been that bad, it is the sleeping on my back that is going to kill me - I tried flipping n my side the 1st nite and pulled one of the staples which caused one of the incisions to leak a nice amount of blood - so much for that shirt! (I won't sweat it thought 'cause it was going to be a future "fat shirt" that I would not ever wear again, LOL). Thanks alot for posting about the shoulder pains - that was helpful - I did not know it was gas - but was in agony every couple of days because of the shooting pains. I am just waiting for the staples to come out - but very nervous and was wondering about the pain factor - some of the incisions are still quite tender. Can you let me know? Looks like June 20th is the big day for alot of you - maybe I will run into you at the Maples - that is staple removal date for me - at 10:50 am. I am very excited to get started and hope you don't mind me popping in from time to time to check on your progress - I get inspired by other people's successes. Cheers!