Kirsten117

I'm getting ready for my first fill in a week, and I've been reading a lot about people who have been overfilled and have to go back for an unfill. Are these overfill's generally done with or without flouroscopy? I kind of thought that with flouro, you have a much better chance of not being over filled. Is that right? I am travelling back down to Dr. Ortiz for my fill with flouro, and would hate to have to travel back for an overfill. Thanks!

LOL I am actually very suprised about Jerry. I thought he'd be much worse. He's definitely not the best, but he's not as bad as I expected.

I was banded August 16th. I am losing weight pretty quickly I think. Has anyone noticed dry flakey skin and Acne since banding? My face looks like I'm a teenager again, and not in a good way. LOL Also, my whole body is dry and wrinkly. I can't seem to get enough lotion....just soaks it right in. Any ideas as to what could be causing this and what I can do???

I thought that Miss USA was Shanna....not Jennifer. LOL I'm not suprised to see that Willa was back in the bottom this week. I thought the first week she did great, but ended up in the bottom. I'm cheering for Emmit...LOL

Jennifer??? Who's that? LOL Crap, I still don't know who got kicked off....but at least I found a fellow fan. :clap2: Normally they show it on the news, but they've been following a police chase for the last hour. I hate when they do that crap!

Stick with your decision....don't let anyone talk you out of it. I have a very good friend who had bypass in April. I never understood her decision since she only had about 80 lbs to lose, but I never tried to talk her out of it. I decided to do the band (banded 8/16) after several years of thought. She couldn't understand why I would choose to do the band over bypass. She kept telling me that the band has so many more complications and it's not permenant. I chose the band because it's NOT permenant, and because the complications were totally fixable whereas the complications with bypass can be fatal. To each his/her own.....do what YOU want to do.

I've pretty much stayed away from bread, haven't had any pasta yet, BUT....I can't live without my sushi, so I've had rice. LOL Speaking of sushi......Think I'm gonna go get some for lunch today! :clap2:

Wow...I just noticed....you're about to get into the 100's. :clap2: Congrats! I love steak, but haven't even craved any yet. I think that thinking about all that chewing doesn't make a steak sound so good anymore. Eating is so much work now....LOL I've been trying to up my calorie intake, but unless I start eating a bunch of crap, I can't seem to do it. I don't get full...but I'm satisfied on a very small amount of food. Who would've ever thought I'd be complaining about not eating enough food????? :omg:

Finally got a chance to check this thread and see how all the August Bandsters are doing. :eek: Keep up the good job everyone! I love reading about how everyone is doing, even though I don't post as often. I wish the journals were working. I don't have one, but I love to read everyone elses. Well, as of today I met my "September Goal" of -10 lbs. I am weighing in at 218.2....for 10 lbs gone in September, 20 lbs since surgery on 8/16, and a total of 30 lbs gone since I started the pre-op diet. I have to say for the most part it's been easy. I actually don't think I'm getting enough calories...only averaging 500-600/day. The scale gets stuck until I eat something I'm not supposed to, and then I lose weight. I was stuck at 220.5 for almost a week until I ate 2 small pieces of pizza last night. The scale moved over 2 lbs. overnight. The same thing happened last week. The scale was stuck and then I ate one of my grandma's homemade chocolate chip cookies. The scale moved the next morning. LOL I guess there really is such a thing as "starvation mode". I'm finding that I can eat anything I want, but much smaller portions than pre-op. I have my first fill scheduled for Oct. 2nd, but at this point I'm not going to get filled. I figure as long as I'm losing without starving, I'm doing fine. I'd rather be able to not have limitations on what I can eat (bread, rice), and not have to suffer the dreaded PB's, for as long as I can. I know that things can change drastically in the next couple weeks, so I'm keeping the appointment just in case. I can't imagine eating much less than I am now. It seems that everyone is anxiously awaiting their first/second fills. Is there anyone out there who is considering not being filled right away?

I was banded on 8/16 and have my first fill scheduled on Oct. 2nd. I have lost 17lbs since surgery (27 total). I am able to eat anything I want, but much smaller portions than pre-band, and am losing about 2 lbs/week right now. I know that things could drastically change in the next 3 weeks, but right now I'm not sure that I really "want" a fill. I seem to be doing fairly well without it. I've been doing a lot of thinking, and have come to the conclusion that I think I'd rather go as long as I possibly can, than get a fill and have problems with PB's and eating certain foods that are my favorites. I think I scared myself by reading all the horror stories about PB's, being too tight, slipping...etc. So....here's my question....Am I the only one who feels this way? Is there anyone out here who didn't get a fill at 6-8 weeks? Anyone who waited, and if so...how long? It seems like everyone is counting down the days till they can get filled, and the closer I get, the more nervous I get.

OUCH! I've been there! I fell down a flight of stairs and hit my butt against one of the steps. Those bruises aren't going to heal quickly...mine lasted for over a month. You can try Arnica for the bruising. It's homeopathic and really helps with the bruising. Those who've had PS might have been told to try it for the swelling/bruising.

Thanks everyone for you input. I think I jinxed myself. LOL This is the first week that the scale hasn't moved an ounce. :cry I had finally made my decision to not get a fill, but now I'm not sure again. I think I'll wait it out a bit more to see what happens, maybe this stall is just temporary. I've been tracking my calories daily and am only getting in 500-700/day. If I get filled, I'll be down to almost nothing. Still doesn't make sense to me that with less than 700 calories a day, I'm not losing. I've read enough here to know not to worry...LOL....but it's sooooo damn frustrating. :faint: Thanks again!

I find it very interesting that 42 people responded that they would cheat, but when reading this thread, they didn't have the nerve to post (or maybe I just missed it somewhere). LOL I am single (divorced). If I could have a romp in the hay with LL Cool J or Reggie Bush, I'd cheat in a heartbeat. I'm not talking about having an affair....just a one time "fantasy" thing. My opinion could change.....IF I ever remarried. But at this point in my life, after being cheated on in every relationship I've had, I wouldn't give up that opportunity if it ever happened. It's a once in a lifetime chance. Then again.......I'd be blabbing about it to everyone I know, so it wouldn't be a secret. LOL

I've been there twice and had a blast. It's definitely "different" than most resorts...especially depending on when you go. Feel free to contact me if you want more information on Hedo.....but I might not be able to spill too much. After all...what happens at Hedo STAYS at Hedo. :girl_hug:

Cottage cheese saved my life.....:clap2:

It is the Best Western Americana which is located in San Ysidro (right by the border). I checked out the reviews on Trip Advisor and they are mixed, which is usual for anywhere I've ever stayed. I'm going for my fill on Oct. 2nd. The Americana is $66.95 + tax and does include free transportation to the clinics in TJ. It does NOT include any transportation from the airport. I have elected to just stay back at the Lucerna for the night. For less than $10 each way I can hop on the trolley to the border and then cab it to the hotel.

Well, today was officially my first day on solids (I did eat a couple nibbles the past couple days). I was up at 6:00 a.m. to help my son finish his homework and had 1/2 of a protein shake and gave him the other half. Around 8:30 a.m. I was very hungry again so I had a small bowl of oatmeal with splenda and cinnamon on top. For lunch I tried a 1/2 of turkey sandwich (minus the crust). Went down fine. Fat free pudding in the afternoon. Dinner was a tiny piece of seared ahi tuna, and 1 1/2 small meatballs. Today was my nephew's 1st bday so I had a few bites of frosting from the cake. It actually wasn't that good and made me feel kind of sick. I would've never thought. Eating dinner with my whole family was the strangest thing ever. It took me longer to eat mine small portion than it did for them to devour their plate, plus have seconds. While I was chewing I had a lot of time to observe. I realized that I would've eaten even more than some of them ate tonight. Wow!

Tropicana Light and Healthy OJ (half the calories and half the sugar as regular OJ), a couple frozen strawberries, and a scoop or two of unflavored protien powder. This has been the only way I've been able to get my protein shakes in. Tried others and they were yucky. I'll probably get sick of this eventually, but right now it tastes almost as good as an Orange Julius. :clap2:

On a whim, I bought something from my local Vitamin store. It's made by Jarrow Formulas. Unflavored whey Protein. Each scoop has 85 calories, 1g. of fat, 1 g. of carbs and 23g. of protein. I have tried numerous brands, but so far this is the only one I'm able to tolerate. The others just left a funny taste in whatever I put it in. With the tropicana light and healthy oj (only half the calories and sugar as regular oj) it tastes very similar to an Orange Julius. :-) I've also added the protein to Soups and mushies with no change in the taste.

I was just banded by Dr. Ortiz on 8/16 and am feeling great. In the literature I was giving, it said no crunches for 3 months. Does anyone know why this is?? Is it because they don't want us working our ab's or because the motion of the "crunch" might cause complications with the band? Is it ok to do other types of ab exercises and just not do crunches? What were you told?

I've been having strawberries in my protien shakes for over a week now with no problems. After trying all different kinds of protien, the only thing I could stand is unflavored protien powder, Tropicana light and healthy OJ, and frozen strawberries. YUM!

Hi RLE!!! Wow! 17 lbs! You're doing great!!! I actually just scheduled my first fill for Oct. 2nd. with Dr. Ortiz. I'm only a few hours away, so it won't be that hard for me to get back down to TJ. You might consider flying in and out for a fill????

Glad to hear everyone is doing great! My scale FINALLY moved a pound. YEAH! I started on some solids today. Got only a few bites in and then felt like I had to burp, but couldn't. Maybe I have restriction and that was my signal to stop eatin? Hmmm..... I'm actually afraid to eat after hearing the horror stories about getting stuck and the PB's. I finally got out tonight to walk (2 miles) and it actually felt good. I find walking soooooo boring. Maybe I'll have to break down and get me the I-Pod I've been wanting. I have to find something I enjoy. The gym thing doesn't work for me because I can always just leave. I don't have the willpower to stick it out. At least with walking, I've gotta keep going to make it home. LOL

Thanks so much for your input. I'm guessing that the feeling is "fullness", but it's hard to believe because within an hour I'm hungry again. I feel afraid to eat. I think I scared myself with everyone's horror stories of PB'ing. UGH!

Today was the first time since surgery trying solid foods. After a few SMALL bites (8-10), I feel like I need to burp, but I can't. I ate very slowly, took very small bites and chewed, chewed, chewed. I don't feel "full", in fact, I still feel hungry. Can someone please explain??? Does this mean I have restriction and am full and just have mental hunger?