faybie

I agree with ReneBean, if you weren't sure then you weren't ready. You wouldn't want to be regretting the surgery. I think you made the right choice for yourself and you can always change your mind. The other way around would be more difficult.

Hi Kathy, Very good question, I remember wondering the same when I first came here. PB stands for "Productive Burp". It happens when you eat too fast, something that doesn't agree or if you don't chew enough. You will feel a lump in your throat and before you know it, what you just ate comes back up covered in lots and lots of saliva.

Good luck on your Disney trip Bug. I wish I had my band when I went to Disney this past June. I gained 5 pounds with all of the walking. I am sorry to hear about your port being flipped. It did that all on its own?

Robin, I would go for a third fill. It has been almost 6 weeks now. I have heard some people in other threads say that it took them 5 times to get and stay at their sweet spot.

Hey guys! I have missed you guys so much. I am glad to see that everyone is doing well. Sorry to hear about those of you who had fill problems this month. It's great to get back on and see everyone's numbers have down. I am back! I had a LOT of real life stuff to get organized and now I am all done. I will head over and update the running totals thread today some time.

What day ginger?

Grats you two!

LMAO. TOM, you crack me up and made my head spin! This is something that I would pull at work...... however I am at home and on pause..... LOL. I needed this laugh today. Good job btw... Oh........and I went on a week long vacation with my best friend of 20 years a week ago. She is a liberal Republican, where I call myself a middle of the road Republican, with parts of Democrat mixed in, as I sometimes vote issues not parties. Her skill of debate and outlook on certain issues is refreshing to me as the wind has been knocked out of my sails as of late. (Not by this thread, but by the general feeling of being tired of the war). I will post some refreshing points she made tomorrow, when I am not so tired. See you then... Oh, and don't leave TOM, LOL the thread would probably die....

My surgeon didn't suggest that slippage and erosion are the bandsters fault, however, I have time and time again read on this forum..... "I am 5 days out from surgery, I had a steak, a baked potato and an apple pie with ice cream....Do you think this is harmful to my band or is it going to stretch my pouch?" "I ate 2 double cheeseburgers and an X-Large fries and its stuck, I am in so much pain, I don't know what to do" "Hi. I have been banded for 2 days and I ate a beef chopped steak, mashed potatoes and gravy. I slipped my band and had to go back in to get it placed back, I am in so much pain for 2 surgeries in one week. I just wanted to warn everyone not to do this. I was just so hungry and didn't think that I had to stick to the liquid diet." I am paraphrasing the above quotes, however they are from actual posts that I have read here on this forum. I could list 50+ more examples of complications that were recorded on this forum that were self induced and would be happy to provide the supporting links. I would also be happy to provide links to the non patient related complications as I have those saved for future reference as well, however there are a LOT less recorded complications. Yes, there can be complications from poor placement, however as technology and experience improve in the US for lap band doctors, those cases are less and less frequent. Yes, there can be complications from just fate or your body rejecting the foreign object of the band. However, I see too many times where bandsters don't take responsiblity for their own actions. Drinking carbonated drinks CAN cause slippage. The carbonation can build up in your lower stomach, put pressure on the band and push it upwards. LOL, do you think they tell you not to drink carbonated beverages because they are unhealthy for you? It confuses me that you do not know how harmful they are to you as a bandster, hence the patient related complications. LOL. I probably won't be back to this post as I can see that my advocacy was not appreciated. I just got the "tone" from hunnybunny's post that she saw the lapband as her "end all, be all" solution for weight loss. It takes committment, hard work and is not the "easy way" out like people dream that it is. I "reckon" I came to that conclusion when all of the options for additional money to fund the lap band surgery didn't list any jobs where actual concerted "effort" would have to be put forth.

OK, I hope I am not being a hypochondriac here.... I have been on vacation for the last week. I am 5 weeks out from surgery. My Dr. specifically recommended that I not get a fill right before going on vacation, so I didn't. I have not be eating "perfectly" per say, but I have been chewing and chewing, Proteins first, then veggies then carbs, 6 oz at a time. Every now and then, I would graze on a nibble when I was not hungry, but nothing huge. I did have 1 soda there and one when we got back (not flat). I had wine, no beer, no throwing up. For two days now, everytime I swallow I feel like I have tightness or something stuck in my throat. I will call my Dr. first thing in the morning... I was just wondering what any of you guys think? :cry:paranoid

For the most part, this is a true statement. The band isn't the end all answer to being overweight. It is also a committment to make a life change, if you don't make that committment, the rules can easily be broken. The band is only a "tool" to help you start and stay committed to the process. Many other aspects of your life including your relationship with food will have to change to be successful. He may seem arrogant in saying most complications are caused by the patient, to explain himself, he should have given you a few examples like these: Over eating and carbonated drinks are often the main causes of slippage. Over eating and ulcers (caused by reflux) are often the main causes of erosion. There are other things that cause erosion and slippage, however he was correct in stating that in most cases if you follow the guidelines, those complications can be prevented. For the reflux causing ulcers, as long as you communicate that you are having reflux and take medications to help prevent the acid exchange to your stoma, then it will be under control. You would have to know the symptoms of reflux and communicate those to the Dr., he would not be able to predict if you were going to have reflux. Here again, the ball is in your court. As far as having stuck food, this WILL happen. I have had stuck food and there was nothing the Dr. could do. The solution was to drink warm liquids with no solids, as many as I could until it cleared. It took 6 days. It turns out that my "stuckness" was caused by reflux. With the Dr. being 2 hours away, the main thing that you should do is not leave the area right away after a fill. Wait a few hours and drink a Protein Shake or two and make sure that it goes down like it should. If it doesn't you may be overfilled. As far as making extra money.... are there jobs you can take that involve your son? For example, 1. Watching children after school, weekends or Friday, Saturday nights for extra money. 2. Starting a paper route. Your son can sleep in the car while you deliver the papers. 3. Clean houses on the weekend where you can bring your son. 4. Telemarketing jobs out of your house in your off time. 5. Sell things on ebay. I was a single mother at your age as well. For extra money, I worked at a catering company serving drinks and food for $10 an hour. I payed the babysitter $2.50 and hour and got to keep the extra. Is there a retired grandma in your area that would babysit for cheap? $2.50 was lower than the going rate, however I really needed to work to stay afloat and a little old lady in my area loved the company of my son and got paid to boot. Good luck!

Hi Spunky, I am sorry that you are in pain. If you went onto liquids after your PB then you did the right thing. Check out the food section on this forum, I think there are some posts about what you should and shouldn't eat. I had a link saved in my favorites that doesn't work anymore to a suggested "new diet". Maybe the site is down and it will be working in the morning, I will check then.

Hey guys, I didn't realize you all had responded to my post. =) I did go to the Dr. and the surgery center conducted a Barium swallow. There was absolutely nothing wrong. No slippage, no stretching, nothing actually "stuck", no damage, etc. They said that it has to be reflux and to take Maalox. I read that if it persists, I should bring it up to my surgeon because reflux has caused ulcers in bandsters where they had to get the band removed. My "stuckage" went on for about a week and I haven't had any problems since. When I was having my episode, it was so uncomfortable to sleep that I had to sleep propped up on my pillows. I hope you all are feeling better soon too!

It also does go away eventually. I can't feel my port any more if I poke around for it and it is no longer sore in any way. I would say that it took one and a half months for it the soreness to be completely gone.

He he. I am 5'7" and my pants are getting too long too. I wore a pair of pants on Friday and the crotch was hanging so low on me, I looked like I was wearing someone elses pants. GEMom, thanks for the kind words, you caused me to blush. I go for hair extensions tomorrow, I can't wait!!!!

Grats Jamie! What an awesome story. One of the best NSVs I have heard yet! and grats Kutia on your scale victory! My scale moved one pound today too for the first time in a month! Looks like it was a good day for lots of us!

I had an article saved somewhere that drinking lots and lots of water helps this too. I will see if I can find a link to it. I think I will look for the Dove firming body wash too.

Here is the new October link for anyone who has been looking for it! http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=24067

Funny that you say this Robin, I am just now getting to the point where I am not restricted and am thinking about scheduling my first fill. I haven't lost weight in a while, however I am still losing inches. I have maintained every lost pound even on vacation and that is a HUGE accomplishment for me. ha ha. I almost don't want to get a fill, because I still have head hunger that I can feed right now, just no where near what I used to feed it! Funny how my greatly reduced meals are now what my skinny friends have been eating all along. I must have looked like such a pig eating with them, LOL. They loved me anyway. I need a fill now but I am mentally fighting it because I am not ready to go back on the "lapband" diet. PatU, Welcome, I think there are around 110 of us or so! I had no idea I would have so many people to share the same experiences with either! It has been a nice surprise! Pat did you see this thread? http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=24026 You were already on the list when I checked it, however I added your updated fill information.

I used capital one myself got the lowest rate available too, because I wanted to pay it off as soon as possible. I am able to do this because my husband and I used to over indulge ourselves with multiple course meals that I can no longer eat... the money saved from dining out goes right to my payment. =)

Sounds like you are doing great! good job! Keep up the good work!

Yes there is a way, by searching... they do have chatrooms but I have never used them. To Search, go up to the blue navigation bar at the top of the website, and select search, it will be in the middle of the bar, left click it for a dialog box to open, then type in your topic of choice. We did not call ourselves "ABC" the first month it was August 2006 bandsters or something like that.... Let me know if you need more help.

LMAO.... make me work for it too I see. edit: LOL, oh I see, I thought you meant your previous weight was down 28 and you wanted me to add .5, however I see that it was 4.5, LOL, nice!

LOL. I know about being too embarassed about asking questions.... I have posted my share on previous months threads, LOL. PBing is a "Productive Burp" where you burp back up what you can't get down, usually it will be covered in slime. Spunky, thanks for asking, I am doing ok. I had my barium xray today and it showed that everything is in working order, no slippage, no damage, no stretching and no danger. whew!!!! My "stuck-ness" must have caused soreness and will have to heal on its own, I was told. I had to sleep propped up last night because I felt as if I was coughing up my food all night. The only explanation they had for me was that it might have been made worse by reflux and that I should take Maalox before bed. I am going to do that and sleep propped up again for tonight.

Starting Over, I am a firm believer of using the scale that makes you feel good. I weighed myself on my own scale before surgery and continue to weigh myself on my own scale and frankly I use those numbers, so my goal weight will probably be 5 pounds or more heavier at the Dr.'s office then on my own scale. However, I know I will feel and look good at the number I chose for my home scale. IMO, If the old number makes you feel better the pack up the new scale and use the old one, for now. Also, it makes sense that if you were working out you only lost two pounds. I bet if you had taken measurements you would see that you lost inches not pounds those two weeks. My scale hasn't moved in about a month however my clothes are still getting more loose. So, start thinking of your NSV's when you get down about the number. Starting over, I bet you will see you have had quite a few!