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I agree with all of the above posters, know thyself. I am a vet at 3 yrs out and am now getting rid of the regain I experienced last year. That regain happened for many reasons but one of them was lulling myself into a sense of security with the "only in moderation" approach. Some people can do that, some can't. I can't. I couldn't before the sleeve and I can't now. I consider myself a food addict, in the past I have treated food in exactly the same manner as a druggie or alcoholic, self-medicating to ease internal pain. Some people out there can have one drink, one sniff of cocaine, one spoonful of chocolate and Peanut Butter Haagen Daz, and not be particularly interested in having more. If that were me, I would never have needed the sleeve inthe first place. My choice is to abstain with a caveat; someone mentioned pizza, I won't have a slice of pizza per se, but I will take all my favorite toppings, put them on a cauliflower crust in a muffin tin and make a low carb high Protein gluten free mini pizza. I may not have Pasta noodles per se, but I will jullienne zuchinnis blanche them and make low carb high protein fettucine. You see where I'm going with this? Also as someone said, your tastes do really change, there are things I loved before that I can't stand now and vice versa. One last thing - if you are still in your honeymoon period and already scheming on ways to eat bad/trigger foods, you might want to consider adding therapy to your recovery, I personally consider it essential.

Hello to all my sleeve sisters. I had quite a few days of catching up with everyones postings. Was sorry to hear of the troubles of some and glad to hear of those who are rockin their sleeves! I am 16 days out from surgery and also having some issues with the soft foods my program allows, doing alright with the fluids most days. I hate the stuck feeling I get after eating only 2-3 bites of an egg, and have thrown up a few times. Some days I regret doing this to myself but I also regret that I let myself get so fat!!! Reading the posts of my sleeve sisters helps so much as I don't feel so alone in all this. My center has support meetings but the few I attended were weird b***h sessions about the not smoking and being allowed alcohol.....which I am sure are tough if you have those things to give up but I was looking for more of a nutritional and lifestyle support group. Thanks for listening. My prayers are with you all!

I guess it depends on the surgeon but my surgeon said there are no "nevers" as in "you can never have X again". My understanding is if you want a drink (even a beer) a year out, you can in moderation. Some people will not be able to tolerate the carbonation and you need to be very aware of the liquid calories, but it can be done. Just plan on a designated driver because the alcohol will affect you much differently than before. Clearly, if your friends are going to ditch you because you can't drink with them, it's less about figuring out how to drink and more about finding new friends... I suspect though that your friends are just as scared as you are. They love you just the way you are and are afraid your physical change will change who you are on the inside as well. I think they'll be pleasantly surprised when you're still the same guy except you don't need alcohol to get a buzz because you'll be high on life! Congrats fellow "Octo-sleever"!

So happy for you, SueJersey!!!! "You look MARVELOUS!!" When's your next cruise?!? I just got home from Hawaii :-) I'm 51 weeks out & have been stalled at 70-75 lbs lost since June. But I also added alcohol & sweet tea back into my diet about that same time. It's been a great ride & a fun summer but I'm hoping to get it kick-started again soon with a 2-week liquid (Optifast) diet. But even if I don't then I'm a happy camper right here at 5'6", ~175lbs, size M/L & 14/16 !!!!!!

ahhh, feels so good to have a minute to come in here and chat... i'm so sorry about carson laura. poor baby! I know lots of kids with tubes, they are quite common nowadays. i dont know how invasive the surgery is though... judy - im the same as you. i do do do and see very little results now. sometimes i wonder if this is just where my body wants to be?? i lost a little bit while doing bootcamp this past month. but the time was killing me. i was dying with those 430 am mornings. heather - your son is so handsome! i remember doing those school projects where we would film ourselves! they were so fun. hows ayla doing? did she turn one yet or?? i dont remember... pam - i'm sure you have a million things to wear in your closet! and they're all nice! i remember sleeping with them! LOL michelle - i'm so happy to hear mo is a happy cat now... oh and you're good if you walked out of a mall with a teenage girl and spent less than a hundred bucks! jane - sorry that your shoulder is giving you trouble... i banged my shoulder up getting into my car and i had a huge bruise on it for days... how are things going with charlie? has your business started picking up? suzy! so glad things are chugging along with you and gia... is she adjusting to having rules? well i went to go do a fitting for my dress today. when i put it on it just slid right up no problem. i was so surprised because last time i struggled to get into it even when it was completely uncorseted. so anywho, i'm all thinking that the freaking 5 lbs i lost made a huge difference. i was so happy and the lady is corseting me in and it just falls beautifully and fits me perfectly and i'm grinning from ear to ear... then the main seamstress comes into my room and asks me how i like the fit and did i notice she had let it out a little bit. :/ here i am thinking it was my hips had shrunk, LOL. so anyways, i was extremely happy with the results. you can't even tell where she let it out. it falls on my body exactly where it's supposed to. and i feel good in it. it feels so good on. after my fitting my mom and i went to the spa and had a facial and a microdermabrasion done. my face feels so soft! i met with my DJ yesterday and he did a rough sketch of how the layout is going to be for the reception. he made me feel like everything is going to turn out fantastic. oh and monday we went and bought my mother in laws dress. its beautiful and she looks gorgeous in it. we bought all the liquor already. crown royal, rum, tequila, vodka, whiskey, convousier (sp?) Then lots of beer. Miller Lite and XX. Bought cranberry juice, pineapple juice, mango juice, lemon juice. Coke, sprite, squirt, diet coke, orange soda. Hmm, what else? I think that's it. I'm thinking about putting list of available drinks at each bar inside a nice frame. Maybe list the alcohol available and then maybe 5 mixed drinks? like vodka/cranberry. That's the only one i have so far, ha ha ha... Jane, what other combos can I put together and what are they called? I want to put the name and then what it has underneath. ok, it's 10pm... i better get to bed now... talk to ya'll tomorrow!

Shues, I don't think I am to ever drink alcohol after being banded. Maybe that is just my doctor. The endoscopy was very easy...didn't feel a thing and it is very quick.

Stay away from carbonation, plan for the calories ahead of time, amd do not drink large amounts of alcohol right before you go to sleep! I'm trying to find the article I read so I can post it here. It was about consuming large amounts of alcohol and falling asleep before its had time to exit your band and it can cause you to asperate in your sleep!

Hey everyone! Just checking in, I've been really busy with work and school, but it's all good! I haven't weighed myself, I'm going to wait until my 1st month post-op (2/26), but I have to go to Target today and buy a smaller bra. I'm keeping my old bra to remind myself I'll never be at that place again! Last night was the first time I had a sit-down dinner with my parents. My mom made a crabmeat and scallop casserole with ritz cracker topping and she had asparagus wrapped with phyllo dough for a side dish. So I took a SMALL scoop (less than 1/4 cup) of the casserole, threw out the ritz crackers and split the asparagus with my mom (I just ate the tops), and I did good! I was so nervous. My dad's friend of 40 years comes over every thursday and he was shocked that I was full from that little amount. I also had my first alcoholic beverage. A small glass of merlot before dinner and let me tell you, I was feeling it after one glass! I guess I'm going to be a cheap date from now on. The only bad thing that happened this week was that my PMS symptoms yesterday were SO bad! My ex-boyfriend called to see how I was doing (he found out I had "gallbladder" surgery through the grapevine), and I started crying and had to hang up on him. Then I cried watching a movie, then cried watching American Idol and Grey's Anatomy! I thought I was going to have to call a therapist today, I thought I was going through post-op depression, but no, it was PMS because Aunt Flo is in town! LOL. Oh yeah, and I have a line of pimples across my chin, does anyone know if your PMS symptoms get worse if you are losing weight because I get one pimple a month, not THREE! So, overall, this week has been great for me, I was so scared about eating in front of people, but I'm doing okay with that, so hopefully my next step is eating out with friends in a couple of weeks. I can't wait to weigh myself on the 26th to see how much more I lost (if any)! Talk to everyone soon and keep up the good work!!!!!

I really didn't think I'd do it. My goal was -88. I've been hovering right around -98-99 for awhile but wasn't trying to lose anymore. Then I went on a carb binge (ice cream, bread, muffins, chips, chocolate, Cookies, potatoes and LOTS of alcohol) while traveling to visit family and attend a conference and gained 4 pounds. I was totally OK with it, since I was still below goal. But after just 10 days back to my normal eating routine, I lost that 4 pounds plus 1 extra to hit the magic number 100. I'm not real big on the scale numbers, but this one does feel kinda cool

I did flip I was convinced the wine burnt a hole my my new stomach and I was dying. ... yes a bit extreme but so is blood. I was a mess till they told me I would be okay. Said it was like pouring alcohol on a fresh cut... causes it to bleed more and it hurts.

Really no secret, just your basic, healthy meal plan..... For the first 6 weeks I followed my surgeon's meal plan and transitioned slowly through the food stages (very good restriction did not allow for "skipping ahead"). As hard as it was, I met Protein and Water goals 90% of the time. Once I was on regular food I focused on protein and non starchy veggies. Steak, burger, ham, ribs, pork, chicken, BBQ, tuna, refried Beans, eggs, milk, Protein Bars, PB2, Greek yogurt, avocados, cheese, cottage cheese, mixed nuts, beef and turkey Jerky, broccoli, spinach, kale, green and yellow beans, mushrooms, red peppers, edamame, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, Chinese mixed veggies, you name it.... Now at just over 7 months out I have a 24-32oz protein smoothie with 30-40g protein everyday and eat 4-5 meals and Snacks. I get a MINIMUM of 64oz water daily and I take whole food based Vitamins. I have had sweets, deserts, chips, fries, alcohol, bread, Pasta and rice, but in moderation and probably not even once/week. As I got close to and passed goal, I started adding more fruit and whole grains. Besides protein bars (Natures Valley Protein, GNC Lean Bars, Fiber One Protein) I added whole grain bars like Kind, Kashi pumpkin Flax, and Pure Ancient Grains. I snack on mixed nuts, pumpkin seeds, edamame, Peanut Butter and apples, frozen pineapple, melons, and plain Fage or Chobani Greek yogurt flavored with Protein powder. I add berries and other fruit as well as Metamucil and benefiber to my protein smoothie. But really, the simple answer is I eat a healthy, balanced diet of protein (always first priority) veggies, fruit and whole grains. I eat when I'm hungry and only until satisfied, not full. Besides protein and water, I never tracked anything. I have no idea how many calories or carbs or fat I eat. As for exercise, I've got no magic formula there, either. I haven't been to a gym in years. Immediately postop I walked a lot but that was pretty much to help with digestion and to decrease the bloated feeling I had. I rode my recumbent bike 20-30 minutes/day for awhile but I haven't been on it in a couple weeks. I actually just have a very active lifestyle. I work 60+ hours/ week. I am a vet tech, so I'm standing, squatting, bending, lifting and walking all day. On the weekends I ride my horse, sometimes 15-20 miles/day (which is an excellent Pilates and thigh master workout if you are riding "correctly"). And along with the horses comes chores...shoveling shit, fixing fences, hauling water, feeding and stacking hay. Last weekend I got 42 bales of hay. Each bale weighs 80 pounds and I had to lift and move each one 3 times (big stack to truck; truck to shed; stack in shed). So essentially I lifted 10,000 pounds in 2 days....and at least part of that over my head (Basically lifted weights and did stair master for a couple hours). I got another 21 bales yesterday and the day before went whitewater rafting and rowed a boatload of friends 8 miles (more Pilates and push-ups). Anyways, everyone's journey is going to be different. What works for me might not work for you. Just figure out what you are most comfortable with (establishing a workout routine and tracking everything is not a bad thing, it's just not what I did). And if you are still reading this, let me say my biggest advice is don't compare your weight loss to others. Concentrate on being healthy, don't torture yourself with guilt, keep a good attitude, and look for NSV's for validation, not the numbers on the scale.

Kat, I just read your last post. I really hope it won't dampen your spirits too much, because you're going to see the boys. As for Rick's niece, I'm with you. She won't ever get her act together if they try to bail her out. Alcoholics and drug addicts are cunning, and they'll continue down the path of destruction until they decide they've had enough. It just causes more heartache for their loved ones. My father was an alcoholic, as are a couple of my sisters, and one of them was doing drugs for awhile. I don't know if she still is, I haven't spoken to her, but that's a story for another time. I'll send positive thoughts that you're able to enjoy your trip in spite of everything.

Yesterday I went to a friends after work and like normal she handed us all a glass of wine. I thought nothing of it forgot all about the fact that I have a new stomach and took a sip of wine. My body reminded me immediately that it was not ready for alcohol and I felt that wine burn all the way down into every crevice of my stomach. My face turned bright red I got hot and I started to panic I grab some water and started sipping on water. I won't be making that mistake again an ytime soon.

@@superbariatricbabe I have been giving a lot of thought regarding how food plays such a major role in my life and how it is wrapped in my persona. Food and I are like two sides of a coin. I am thinking I will have to replace it with something else. Because many WLS replace it with other things equally as destructive such as alcohol I need to get in front of this. In my opinion it will have to be something that provides pleasure. I think I failed in all my diets in part because I was not replacing food with something else that I loved as much. Of course it may have been because I was just hungry all the time and that was torture. Any thoughts?

Hey Homies. LOL. I slept in this morning but I was up late last night. At the Teen class last night at church we gave each of the kids 3 cards and had them write on it things that they had been dealt. Mine was that I grew up with an alcoholic family, not just my immediate family but Aunts, Uncles and cousins. My second one was in my senior year that my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and was sent 1,300 miles away for 6 months. I had to become a mom to my younger sister, go to school, work a pt job and take care of the house. My other cards were of a happier nature. That I met and married my best friend and we have celebrated almost 27 years together. That I was told I had problems with my kidneys and the first words out of my sisters mouths was them fighting over who was going to donate a kidney to me. That's a good one because it shows how much I am loved. The other 2 adults in the class did the same thing. So we gave the kids about 10 minutes to fill out there cards. OMG. I really mean that. OMG. We were stunned at some of the stuff that they wrote. I wanted to cry. I wanted to run around the room and hug all of them. I couldn't believe how honest they were being. So we let them if they decided too to talk about what they wrote. One boy said he was going to talk about his cards because he wanted everyone else to know that it was ok to open up about it. And open up they did. I sat there with my hand over my mouth and the other one over my heart. It was truly moving to hear the 14-16 year old kids talk about what they deal with on a daily basis. I spent a few minutes talking to them afterwards and it was so touching to see how they all responded. Not sure I can take another night like that. I hope next week we do something a little lighter. Sorry if I brought you down with that. It was just that I wanted you to know what some special kids we have in this world and how lucky we all to have them. Now, as for my day. I'm off to go get my older sis and take her grocery shopping. I'll come back here and do some housework and than I have to work later today. I go next monday to give blood for my Doc appointment on Wednesday. That's when I see my Kidney Doc. So starting today I'm pushing the water. Need to keep those kidneys flushed and functioning right. I hope Kat is having a great time and a very "Happy Anniversary" to her and Rick. Everyone have a great day and I'll check in after I get back.

I had surgery 2/2/16 so I am in the same spot as everyone here. I have been eating soft fried eggs every morning for like 4 days now. No issues whatsoever. My HW is 390 my Pre Op Weight was 365, CW is 328!!! Im male, 5,10 (single lol) I'm feeling great! Also I've had a couple servings of alcohol, one whiskey sour and sipped one shot of Patron tequila. All went down smooth. Tried wine once but it was too acidic going down. Alcohol will def be a once in a great while thing tho. I was two lbs lighter on the scale the next day if you can believe it! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Don't give up Candra! Your body is rebelling & hanging on to water in an attempt to protect itself from startvation . . this is, after all, medically-supervised starvation! Cut out the carbs & double your water, and you will lose 5! Are you logging EVERYthing you eat? I log every bite at www.caloriecount.about.com, every day. Thanks Christine, good to know how long we will be there for . . . now does anyone have the address of the Pinole MOB? It's apparently too new to show up online . . . another 1/2 hour with Robin, oh joy she will want my food log again and I leave to camp out at the NASCAR race the Thursday before, then my daughter's wedding up north of Redding on Sunday, I won't get home until Tuesday and will be puffed up like a balloon from heat, salt, and (shhh) alcohol . . . and she'll want a food log??? Maybe I'll bring her one from the week before, since I won't be near a computer to get online & log what I eat. . . . So my fill is working so far, my calories have been cut almost in half! The amount that I eat is also cut in half, lol. I am .2 lbs away from 80 lbs. lost this morning! WOO-HOO!!:smile: Riley

Mel3620, You should be proud its a tough thing that you did. As a good friend of mine pointed out on the subject of addictions, and i paraphrase " you DON'T need Alcohol, tabacco,or illegal drugs to sustain your body, but food is the toughest addiction to break since you MUST eat" Im proud of your victory since i LOVE pizza but alas it is something i can no longer have. its one of my trigger foods. i would rather fit into the next size down the have a slice. Thanks gor the post...YOUR A SUPERSTAR!!! have a great weekend RJ

My dr. said the same too, only gave in and said that we could have 1 cup a day if it wasn the size of a big gulp cup. Soda strecthes the pouch and studies have been done on RNY & lap band people that shows that they gain their weight back within 5 yrs. Not having soda is not all that serious for me. Alcohol is empty calories and not good at all for the RNY. For them it is as if the 1 glass equals 3 and you get drunk real fast. Later on it can be added in but in moderation. but no carbonation at all! At least that what I/we were told in pre-op class.

You guys, I went into a COMA Yesterday. I don't know what happened. Normally, I'm such a light sleeper, the clock ticking can wake me up. I work days, fiance works nights... I got off work early to pick my mom's dog up from the vet and drop it off, and I had plans to go to her house with my granny to watch movies (my granny's partner of 30 years died last weekend and she's having a rough time, so we're trying to keep her busy). I was exhausted some reason. Decided I would nap on my couch until my mom called, so I had the phone and my cell phone RIGHT BY MY HEAD. 30 minutes later, mom calls and said we cancelled, granny had been doing gardening and was tired. So.. I go back to sleep, phones still by my head. We had tornados yesterday.. I remember waking up once, when fiance got home and kissed my forehead.. then I woke up again I don't know when and I was in bed, and tv was on weather, and I saw red and heard the sirens.. and I kept squinting, didn't have my glasses. So I was going "Where could my glasses be... how did I get to bed..I should get up and check the weather.." and then I passed out again. Woke up at 9am (alarm wasn't set!!) and glasses were on my face??? It was SO bizarre, I can only think this is due to the diet I'm on.. I've never done this before.. was like I was on a handful of sleeping pills and alcohol. This morning my cell phone had 20 missed calls from my mom, and I still felt very drowsy. I talk to her this morning and she is furious. She said she was so worried about me, we had tornado warnings and I wasn't answering my phone.. if I was awake I would have probably gone to her house. Told her I don't know what happened and I had the phones by my head, and she still was mad lol. She said she called my fiance at work and he was non-chalant and said I was probably asleep. Hopefully this doesn't happen again... On another note, so we have to be completely nekki? Eek... I have nipple piercings I have been wondering about. I figured I should take them out before I go to have the banding done.. I didn't mention them to the doctor, but I've had doctors ask me to take them out for x-rays before, so figured during surgery they would probably rather I didn't have them? Anyone know? I've had them for years so they shouldn't grow back in just a day or two, but who knows..I'd definitely rather keep them in.

Mine are always out of whack too! I don't have hepatitis... I'm not an alcoholic...lol. who knows? I feel fine.

Reggie you better take care of yourself my lady! I will pass on what my PCP ALWAYS tells me when I call him every time I get a new brain tumor - He says "Not to worry - if it was a tumor, it wouldn't go away - You would still feel the way until the tumor was removed or treated." Always gives me a little piece of mind when I'm stressed out about my migraines. Get the CT scan, it will make you feel better - at least it put me at ease! Diabetes is a different story - don't know what to say about that as I have zero experience with it thus far - knock on wood! Please keep me updated as to what your doctor says and let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Tina - I completely agree with you - stress & personal issues must stall weight loss because I haven't been hardly eating at all and my scale isn't moving - I have been under alot of financial stress lately - Can't wait for my husband to get back to work - he's an electrician in the san fran union and work is so slow - there are 150 guys on the books ahead of him waiting to be called out to a job! - sorry if I'm repeating my self cuz I think I already told ya'll this before. Pammie - i so wish I could say something to make you feel better!!! Heck wish I could say something to make myself feel better. I will say this.... At least you know when you're feeling your lowest there is no place else to go but up! Call me if you ever want to; to cry or whatever! Patsy - I'm so jealous! I didn't get ANY warm air tube! so glad you're feeling so well. Can't wait till you get where I'm at - Can't wait till everybody who isn't already happy with where they are with the band gets here - I know it can't be possible that I'm already at my permanent sweet spot but boy do I feel like I am - so in love with Rambo HOWEVER - Rambo failed me a bit today - or I guess I failed Rambo - apparenlty he enjoys Hershey's chocolate syrup as much as I - Just when I thought I had gotten rid of all chocolate my nephew asked for some hot chocolate - we don't have any chocolate I say - and he says - yes we do - dad got some GRRRRRRRR. got the nieces & nephew this weekend. I hate when I get to ramblin cuz then I forget what I wanted to say to everybody! Tamra - how are you doing? Still starving?? Coco - still waitin for my doorbell to ring - need my house cleaned & organized from top to bottom - where are you? Went out with my bestest friends that I had to cut off to lose weight LOL - of course we went to chevy's I got a Chilli Relleno - yummy! they got margaritas, pitchers of beer, rice beans taco's & all kinds of junk food - i held strong for as long as I could but I ate 4 chips with some salsa! Of course it couldn't stop there - then we had to hit the bar so they could have a few more pitchers! I had zero alcohol. For the first time I actually felt guilty that i lost weight - one of my girls came by here before we went to the restaurant to borrow something to wear cuz she can't fit into any of her clothes anymore - she just had her 4th child! Anyway - I use to always have jeans she could fit into but suddenly - i had nothing for her - She wound up staying in her sweat pants & t-shirt. It's a bittersweet feeling. I know she's not one of the ones that doesn't want me to succeed and I know she's happy for me that I lost weight but I also could feel her sadness at how big she's gotten - I'm sure that I only made her feel even bigger. Heather - did I mention that I don't take the citrate one? I don't know what the difference is but in the class Robin pointed out that it was ok for me to take the ones Im taking because I was getting the band & not RNY - RNY'ers have to get the citrate ones because of the malabsorbtion thing... Ok, I'm sure I'll be back up again when I remember everything else i wanted to say

sue!!!! oh my gosh you read my mind. I read this board every day, but dont post a lot, mainly because these days im depressed as h#ll and i dont wanna bring anyone else down, especially if they are doing great! But ive been blowing it recently. ive been watching my food carefully and the portions are slowly getting bigger. In this one week, husband brought home a lb of cookie dough (im the only one who eats it) and girlfreind took me for pie and coffee which turned into shepards pie and a slab of chocolate cake as big as my head. Ordinarilly i dont let slips get to me so badly, but i live in northern maine and recently its been very cold, and we have one car working so ive stopped working out, taking walks, etc and basicly ive come home to cook, clean and eat. The good news is that the band has at least kept me from gaining back too much and in two weeks ill be back in the glorious south with my bike, places to go and people to see. :mad: Im just holding out for that. Now...the minute all that sinks in know that yesterday was one of the strangest days weve had up here. It climbed up to 77 degrees and people just went nuts! I grabbed my pie and coffee friend and we took the dogs to the park and ran all over. I LOVED It, it was BEAUTIFUL...and now today its back down cold again. argh. i dont KNOW if im ever going to lose this weight. At least, for the first time since starting this, i know clearly why for this month at least... Ps: reg the cake: i just ate the frosting. i dont like chocolate cake. Now birthday cake rocks and i stay away from it. The cookie dough, tragicly, slides right through the band. I did look like a complete idiot though, taking a bite and walking around the house screaming about how i dont want this stuff brought in again. You know... An alcoholic, recovering, cant have one drink. They slip, yes that happens, but they cant allow themselves a drink. Theyve abused it and cant trust themselves with it. How does that work with food addiction? I KNOW i cant allow myself to have a "slice" of cookie dough. it just cant happen. Its all or none with me. Regarding the alcoholic reference: i once lived with a councelor for a place that administered antibuse. She talked about people coming in sick as h#ll because they STILL drank while on it, even though they knew what it would do. I feel like that person sitting there with a belly full of antibuse and throwing up gin. No one WANTS to get to this point. I gotta go take some vitamins, B12 and coffee and see if i can get out of this FUNK! at least enough for today. I just wanted you to know that you arent alone in how you feel. I can certainly relate.

HERE I AM!!! Sorry, girlz....I was out running errands all day...and then it took 20 minutes to catch up on posts!! Nobody got much work done today, did they? Ok...you've heard it before and I'll tell you again...the fill was such a non-event!! It's no big deal at all. I walked in and filled out some more forms ( of course!) and they weighed me (202.4) asked if I was exercising (YES!) having any trouble at all, took my BP, etc. Then showed me into the procedure room and had me lay on the table. My port is right under my sternum, at the top of my big ol' fat belly and you can feel it right under the skin. I didn't even have to get undressed or anything. She swabbed it quickly with some alcohol and said "This is going to feel like a big shot"....which it did!! Not like a flu shot, but a BIG shot. And she used quite a bit of pressure, too....so it was different that way as well. But that was the extent of the pain. Only lasted 3-4 seconds. The fill itself was imperceptible in any way. She stuck a bandaid on my tummy and asked me to move over to the fluroscope. I drank 1 oz of barium mixture (which tasted minty) and was able to watch it go down on the screen. That was cool. Then they gave me a bottle of water and asked that I sit and drink half before I leave. Which I did, and didn't have any issues whatsoever. I sat and talked to one of the assistants about what to eat, not eat, how to exercise, etc. They injected 1.5cc and I can have another fill as early as 3 weeks if I feel that I need it. After I left there I was starving!!! (I'm only allowed soft foods for 2 days then I can move to solids! YEA!!!) I stopped and had a personal-size spinach quiche (but no crust) and a 1/2 cup of tomato basil soup. Ate slowly and everything went down fine. That was at 11:30a....it's now 8 hours later and I've yet to eat anything else! Ok....any questions?? It's good to feel restriction again. Hope it lasts a while.

Hey Violets- Tracy- My guess is that you probably got sick from the hot sour cream. I have in the past (similar symptoms) from just that. A suggestion: I buy the veggitarian beans (less animal fats). And just add the sour cream after it is already heated. I'd hate to see you give up on beans, it has been my staple. Or the ice cream, after being on liquids for soooo long, your body just probably said, "what the #$%^". We all learn as we go. HERE IS MY AHA MOMENT FROM YESTERDAY. I went to the drugstore, where BLB I would always buy a candy bar. Well, I thought I would buy some SF candy, choc. covered peanuts. So as I was driving, (DID I NOT LEARN ANYTHING FROM MONDAY???) I ate the whole bag. My first thought, "I hope I don't get sick". Well right during American Idol, guess where I was...yep, on the potty, trying to listen from the bathroom. Man o Man...will I ever learn. It said SF, but what are sugar alcohols...and why do they give you the "squirts" (thanks Tracy) when you EAT THE WHOLE BAG??? I was pissed that I missed most of the show! Have a good day ladies (and gents). I have also not exercised since last week...oooooo man...what happened to me. my poor charm braclet is soooo lonely w/ one sad charm on it. I NEED A FILL!!!!!