Betsyjane

Let me make it clear that it's not MY meeting. It's ours. I ain't the leader. I have 2 suggestions: 1. Let's keep the meeting at 6:30 Monday night, and let's propose a Sunday time to mall walk. OR 2. Forget the meeting and if anybody wants to, they can go to the Houston or Woodlands meeting. And just set us up for a regular time to go mall walking. Let's "weigh in" :-) on the suggestions.

Has anyone had this problem. I'd love some advice. My fluoro showed restriction at my last fill, but I never did feel any. They had me drink water while I was there and asked me if I felt the restriction, and I didn't then...and I still don't. I asked the Dr's office about it and they said they trust the fluoroscope and I can't get more of a fill. Odd that they don't trust the patient...but then I was talking to office staff and just left a message for the nurse..... Anyway, right now I'm feeling like I paid $15000 for restriction...I don't have it, and I can't get it. Anybody have any suggestions of anything I can do to feel that restriction? Thanks.

I'm drinking my water in the correct amounts and at the right times. I am succeeding beautifully at breakfast. From lunch on, I don't feel anything from the band, and am food-seeking. Even on days when I eat challenging solid proteins and veges and drink my water correctly and eat slowly and chew chew chew, I can eat just about any amount. I decided to disrupt the afternoon and exercise then instead of in the morning, but it hasn't changed either the craving or the amount of food I can eat without sensing anything. Interestingly, I know from breakfast that with the slight hint of fullness, I'm good at stopping and walking away, so I'm looking forward to having that help the rest of the day. I'm guessing I'll probably end up not being able to eat much of a breakfast and being comfortable throughout the rest of the day. The nurse said they like to wait 3 weeks before a next fill, "but we don't live in a perfect world". I'm looking forward to talking with her, and I think I'm pretty well convinced that I need another fill too.

Humble City Cafe on Main Street. 6:30 PM Feb 5th. Unless we hear that someone can't make it and we need to consider alternatives..... I'll have a sign on the table that says BANDSTERS.

I also go to the surgery center and have had 2 fills. The first one didn't absorb, but I had lost fat from my stomach, so the band loosened. I don't know why I'm not restricted with the second one. Going for a third. sigh.

Who has a great chewable vitamin? Anybody have a liquid Omega 3 fish oil that doesn't taste, er, fishy? Share your vitamins/supplements!

Rock n Roll Hoochie Coo

In a few days it should pass. Walking helped me, and stretching. The gas-x didn't seem to help me, but chewable Tylenol helped alot! It's gas, and I understand it's gas around the diaphram area that refers pain to the shoulder. I'd go for the Tylenol.

I am a Christian who believes in evolution. Unfortunately, alot of what is published these days about religion seems to me like we're falling into the Middle Ages again. I believe. I have a personal relationship with God. I love the Bible as a divine message and not as a literal text. I also believe in the separation of church and state, a woman's right to choose, that homosexuals are just more people in the world, and that Darwin was right. I also believe I'm not alone in my beliefs.

Put the money into finishing the North American highway. Make alliances with Canada for natural resources. Rely on Canada instead of on the Middle East for oil. Make alliances with Mexico for cheap labor for factory work that has been outsourced. Create a common currency across the 3 countries. Work as partners to be a formidable force here to counterbalance emerging superpowers in India, China, Russia and possibly Brazil. Put good minds toward fixing the school system so we have great minds in the future. Stop being seen as an intruder in the Middle East by not haveing "interests" there, so we can for relationships instead.

Iraq is not a shambles because of decades of our failed policies. Iraq is a shambles because the only thing holding it together was a vicous tyrant ruling through torture and terror. We removed him. Now they're back to squabbling as they have since 660 AD. But a president should have known enough history to predict that. Now that Iraq is not there to help stabilize Iran, we are in much bigger troubles.

Everybody OK with 6:30 and late stragglers are welcome? Let's do a head count of who's coming. If we just end up with two again, we can always go to the Houston or The Woodlands meetings and not do our own......

That's alot of supplements. Have you taken your list to a good health food store to see if you can get approximately the same stuff out of a multi vitamin?

Rhonda-what time can you be there?

Remember too that you may not feel help with the band before your firsdt fill...and your first fill might get absorbed by the dry band so you may not have restriction...so it may take MONTHS before you have the help you need from the band! Everybody's got a different story. And you hit plateaus. and I guess as much as anything else, there's a HUGE learning process as you go along. For me, it's like going from doing the impossible, to doing hard work. I'd much rather have hard work that has a more than reasonable hope of success!

Well, when you hit a huge plateau, you'll have some calories to ratchet down a bit to get you losing again.....

I'm taking a multivitamin with zinc and biotin, and making sure to get lots of protein. Anything else you can think of to do?

Ha! OMG a fried Twinkie! What a satanic creation!

Thanks for the support! It helps. I went ahead yesterday and emailed the office, and did get an email back by the end of the day. She says I can go in for a fill right away, and offered to see me next week to go over diet, etc. I'll wait until after I see her before I schedule a fill. Certainly want to make sure that's what I need. I do feel some subtle things....able to stop even if I want more, but no sense of fill. But I also know that yesterday for lunch I had a slice of healthy meat loaf, a side salad, 6 berries---all totalling 6 oz. and then was still hungry and had a whole chicken breast. From the restriction I saw on the fluoroscope, that shouldn't have been even possible, in my mind.

thunder cat reject? Come on. Surely we of all people know better than to hurl insults based on appearance.

Tom-that's WAY success with prednisone! Congrats. Katalin-You're almost in ONEderland!!!!!!

How is Monday night, Feb 5th at 5 PM Humble City Cafe? I was looking at the schedule of support meetings, and it looks like if we do the first week, and Houston does the 3rd week, our opportunities for support are spread out over the month.

Well, oddly enough, Monday I called the Surgicenter to talk with Joy, and Dr. Spivak's office to talk with the nirse. Left both a message explaining my dilemma and asking a question, and neither called me back. I'm not hard to get along with, haven't been demanding, am soft spoken, and am sane. No reason to avoid me. Just doesn't seem like their usual standard of care......

My experience with Spivak was that he's nice, kind, informative, and interested. But I haven't seen him since before they knocked me out for surgery. So in terms of after care, there ain't none directly by him. It's through the SurgiCenter.

Barbara and I had a wonderful time. Looking forward to meeting the rest of you!