ElfiePoo

Ok...I had a HeeHaw kind of moment and I think I just dated myself. B: 2 eggs, 2 sl bacon L: 1/2 cup chicken salad on half of a tomato D: Taco salad (bed of lettuce with 1/2 cup taco meat, 1 oz cheese, diced tomatoes and a 2 Tbs splurge of sour cream) Snack: sugar free Jello .

Sorry to say I never had any reaction until 2 weeks after a fill. .

Thought it would be fun to share what we're having. Sometimes I forget to think outside the box and need new ideas. My menu today... B: 1 egg, 2 thin sl bacon, 1 sl whole grain toast Snack: Hot broth L: Boston lettuce salad with 2.5 oz tomatoes, 1.5 oz mushrooms, 1.1 oz ham, .8 oz low fat jarlsburg cheese and a spritz of olive oil and vinegar Snack: Hot broth D: 4 oz (cooked) flank steak, grilled with onions, red pepper and mushrooms over 1/4 cup rice. Snack: sugar free Jello

In the last two days I've had to revise my definition of hunger. I thought my band wasn't working because I was 'hungry' most of the time. Then I had a complete unfill two days ago because of the constant pain in my shoulder. *Now* I know what true hunger is. What I felt before was most likely (and I'm still testing that theory) just the craving/hunger created by swings in my blood sugar. It makes me appreciate my band all the more and can't wait until they 'fix' it so I can have it back! .

Yes, cinnamon does help blood sugar. I put 1/4 tsp of cinnamon in a cup of tea mid-morning and have noticed that it will lower my blood sugar by as much as 20 (points?). The studies they've done show that even people without blood sugar issues will be affected this way by cinnamon. .

So very true. My surgeon called me tonight (impressive, eh?) because he wasn't sure he understood the notes. I pretty much told him the same thing..."I guess I forgot what hunger really felt like because I haven't felt this type of hunger since my surgery." He laughed. Looks like they're going to do the lap exploration the first or 2nd week of december to see if they can fix this pain problem. Then (and I swear there was a grin in his voice), he said until then if I decide the pain is preferable to the hunger, come in and get a fill. Pffft. .

Elcee, There was a show on tv a few decades ago called 'HeeHaw'. Sort of a down home country show that spotlighted country singers. One of the skits they did was called "What's for dinner, grandpa?" and grandpa would say, "Corn pone and honey, ham with red eye gravy and buttered grits" or some such. .

My mother-in-law has a glass of wine every night. She'd probably have two except the one puts her to sleep. :blushing: Seriously, a couple glasses of wine at night does not an alcoholic make. I know many people who have a couple glasses of wine or beer *every* evening...and they are not alcoholics. I would caution you to be careful though if you feel you 'need' those drinks to relax because life is so stressful right now. Nobody starts drinking with the intention of being an alcoholic, but some wake up one morning and realize they have become one. Your husband was caught in the act (making faces) of doing something inappropriate and mean and is trying to make his actions less important by trying to turn the tables on you and your behavior. If it wasn't the alcohol, it would've been something else. I have to say I'm a bit dumbfounded at the idea of a grown man making faces like a child behind his spouse's back. Ok...my .02. If you can't afford a therapist, then a good old fashioned sit down is in order. Keep it calm. You might just put it out there and bluntly ask him if he's looking for a reason to end the marriage. He may not realize how close he's coming. In the end, you have to do what is good for you. .

Stacie: You're going to be my inspiration for the next few weeks without a fill myself. No gain and an actual loss. Way to go!! Leigha: I am so sorry that life is one big lemon right now. My mom used to tell me that when God shuts a door, he opens a window. I'll be praying that your window opens soon. :blushing: .

And here I was thinking your salmon sounded good. I think that's going to be dinner tomorrow! I made up my own taco seasoning mix because the store bought tend to have sugar and I watch my carbs very close. This is a good site for low carb recipes. I've made a number of them and they're quite good! Thanks for the compliment but to be honest I don't see that I have a choice unless I want to go back to being out of breath just walking across the living room! nonono. .

I've struggled with my band for more than a year now and never seem to get to the point where I'm really content after a meal. Oh, sometimes I thought I was but I soon realized it was nothing more than wishful thinking because I wanted to be at that sweet spot so bad! For the last year, my relationship towards food has been pretty much the same as it was before being banded. I have good days and I have bad days. My band can take no credit for my 30 pound weight loss this past year...nor for the fact that I've maintained (well rollercoastered but still didn't gain it back) that 30 pounds. I have never hit that sweet spot. So this afternoon I spent 2 hours with my surgeon. I told him I felt like such a failure. After looking at my chart and seeing my progression right up to the point of an overfill...and knowing that if I get even so much as .1cc right now, I'll be overfilled again because I am already at the point where I have to take small bites and chew thoroughly and be careful to avoid some foods that get stuck no matter how thoroughly I chew (e.g. bread)...he agreed that a fill would not be adviseable. I always thought that if someone couldn't lose with a band, then the band didn't fail them...they failed the band. I told him this and his response was, "that's just not true." He said that the purpose of the band is not to restrict the amount you eat...which they originally believed years ago...but to create a situation where the stomach would stop producing the hormones that say 'feed me'. For most people, that's exactly how the band works. For about 20% of us, that never happens and so we're pretty much in the same situation as we were prior to being banded. He said the sleeve is actually better than the band in the sense that when they remove that part of the stomach, they're removing the part that produces those 'feed me' hormones. That makes sense since this is essentially what my diabetic doctor's nurse (who has a sleeve) told me. She said from the day of surgery, her 'desire' to eat was gone. She still enjoys food, but that compulsion to eat has disappeared. So, I'm moving forward to have a sleeve revision. He said BCBS has been pretty good about paying for revisions if someone has had the band for at least a year and there is evidence that they've 'worked' the band. Since I was in my surgeon's office on a pretty regular basis and they've documented well, I'm hoping I will qualify. It's a bit scary but at this point I don't see that I have any option since my band is not doing what it should for me. In the meantime, he's removed all the fill since it's not doing anything but I'm going to continue to exercise and follow my diet since I don't want to be heavier than this if I'm having surgery again. Supposedly, it could be within the next 6 weeks if I don't mind having it before Christmas...and I don't. I just want to keep moving forward! .

I never felt anything for almost 2 weeks after a fill...and then all of a sudden I'd get tighter. Experiences vary. .

I thought it was only fair to update this... Since getting my unfill two days ago (due to the shoulder pain), I have been *starving*. When I said Hilda, my band, never did anything for me, I obviously was wrong. Yes, I still had hunger (which may yet turn out to be related to blood sugar swings), but not this gnawing *very real* hunger. So, rather than go straight to the sleeve...which scares the bejabbers out of me because it's so much more invasive...I'm going to have them go ahead and do the exploratory lap to find out (and fix) where the band is rubbing my diaphragm. Then get my fills back and see how I do. I'm willing to concede that I may have been overreacting to the 'hunger' and feeling the band wasn't controlling it *enough* since the pain has kept me from getting any real sleep in many months and I was/am exhausted. Fortunately, my insurance tells me they will cover this so now all I have to do is get through the next couple of weeks without a fill until they can do the exploratory. I'm also hoping they can leave me with even a small fill after surgery to give me a head start on my fills. .

Just curious...how does Fluid in an enclosed system 'evaporate'? .

I would argue the point with them. If the band has a leak, then they've either installed a defective band, installed it wrong, or damaged it while installing it...or perhaps even during a fill. In any case, the leak is not any fault of yours and is their responsibility...both in fixing it and either bearing the cost themself or fighting with the manufacturer about a defective band. It would be cheaper (and far more P.R. friendly) for them to do the right thing than get to pay their legal fees, your legal fees and suffer the negative publicity. Remember...the squeaky wheel gets the grease. .

My weight has been up and down for the last 2 months. I have yet to lose a pound and yes, I'm tracking what I'm eating in fitday.com and walking an hour a day *and* aerobics twice a week. I've lowered my carbs, lowered my calories and nada. My only point...if you're worried about a 2 lb gain (which is most likely no more than Water fluctuation) in one week after a 42 pound loss...one word. Patience. .

I had an unfill a couple days ago and will be going through Thanksgiving without a fill due to pain in my shoulder (phrenic nerve...band related) and won't get my fill back until they do an exploratory lap to find where the band is rubbing. I'm praying I won't have to go through Christmas well. My goal is simply to maintain. .

Very cool, Bobbie! That weight will go right back down for you. Congratulations! .

Agreed...this last year, despite no loss since surgery (lost it all before), has been a good learning experience and my relationship with food has changed drastically. Melody

Bobbie, Does this mean they can put your fills back in? Melody

Forgive me if I ramble a bit... I think it's too soon to make a determination, but I may have maligned my band when I said it was doing nothing for me. Yesterday morning, the first day without my fill, I woke up and I was *hungry*. I mean seriously hungry. I never stopped being hungry even immediately after a meal. I woke up in the middle of the night *hungry* and I'm still hungry now...and I've eaten breakfast. So, while I was still dealing with hunger (maybe blood sugar related and I'm still working on that theory and resolving it), it was not this gnawing hunger I have now. Apparently Hilda *was* doing something. Unfortunately, that knowledge does me little good since the pain in my shoulder prevents me from getting her filled. I called my doctor this morning and told him that I do not want to move forward with the sleeve at this time. As far as I can tell, the biggest advantage to the sleeve is that you're losing weight right away because you're not messing around with fills...but otherwise they are pretty similar. The downside being that the sleeve is not adjustable, as is the band *and* you've just cut up your insides. I'm not saying the sleeve is not a viable option...just that *for me* it may be jumping the gun....something I have a predisposition towards. :blushing: So I think the least invasive, and more cautious approach, would be to have him do the exploratory lap and find out where my band is rubbing and see if he can fix it. Then get my fills back and go from there. In the meantime, I am apparently going to go through at least Thanksgiving...but hopefully not Christmas... with this gnawing hunger because I *will not* feed it and gain back the weight I have lost. I have to admit though that I'm still stumped as to why I'm not losing weight. I've gone back through the last several months of food records and even on my bad days, I'm still eating less calories than I supposedly need to maintain my current weight (and I'm using the 'very sedentary almost dead' activity level even though I'm more active than that). On the good days, I'm well below the calories needed to maintain my current weight (1200). Plus, I'm walking an hour a day and aerobics twice a week now. So I just no longer believe this calories in/calories out. There has to be more to it because I'm not losing!:w00t: I'm not looking for y'all to pat me on the head and say it's ok and you're doing everything right. I truly would love to have *honest* advice and suggestions because I'm stumped. Melody

LOL...love it! .

Print off your ticker....75 lbs lost...13 to go. Stick it to your refrigerator/freezer. That ice cream won't taste near as good if you look at it as the first step down a very short dark road to changing those numbers in a negative way. .

Good thoughts...good thoughts...good thoughts...{Stacie} .

Bahahahaha! .