MamaMichelle

Misty you are looking hotter than ever, keep it up babe!

Hey Kimmie, So glad to see you posting again, I know there were some hard times for you lately but I am so glad that things are back to normal and you are still doing great with your weight loss... You look amazing and I bet you are feeling even better (I'm sure it takes tons of energy to keep up with those 2 cute kiddos!!!)

I did the optifast shakes 3-5 times per day during the 3 week liquid post-op phase, I'm not usually a soup person so I like the shake option and it helped keep my protein levels up so I felt full most of the day! I also did yogurt and jello (regular and the puddings both in the sugar free versions) Before my first fill I still did 1-2 shakes per day and then a salad or maybe a lean cuisine for dinner. Then I started adding more real meals in one day at a time till I was only doing a shake for breakfast and a south beach diet wrap meal for lunch and whatever I wanted for dinner. After my first fill I did oatmeal or a shake for breakfast, but since I could no longer stand the tortillas in the wrap meal I would have a lunchable it's not the ideal diet food but I could eat the crackers meat and cheese with no issues. Dinner was usually this cucumber salad I make with peeled and chopped cucumbers, feta cheese and greek dressing... Now since I've had my 2nd fill and I am really tight I can't eat the crackers any more and the cucumbers and oatmeal aren't going down too well either, so who knows what I'll start eating now.. I guess my point is don't feel like you have to plan so far ahead because things you can eat before a fill sometimes won't work after a fill, it's something you have to deal with on a day to day basis! You'll have to learn your body to see what will work for you!!

How great for you two sisters to be banded together, the support you will be able to offer each other in addition to everyone here supporting you will make this experience so much less stressful and worrisome than if you were doing it alone! We were all afraid, just keep focusing on how happy you'll be once your surgery is done and you're losing weight on the road to a new and improved you!!

I read somewhere that the darker the green in your salad the better it is for you, I loooooooooooooove salad (esp. Cesar Salad) and after my first fill I was able to eat just as much salad as I could pre banding, so Evette is right it will go right through your band. After my 2nd fill (before the unfill) I had 5 bites of salad and felt REALLY full, and later I ended up PB'ing it all up so obviously it CAN be restricted by the band. I haven't tried it since my unfill but I will let you know when I do, I am hoping that I can manage just a 1/2cup or so without getting sick and it will leave me feeling full!!

You know I set some mini goals for myself too... These were my original goals: April 19th (My sons' birthday) Goal 200lbs: Actual 202lbs July 4th (My husbands bday) Goal 190lbs Oct 17th (My birthday) Goal 170lbs Jan 1st 09 (New Years) Goal 145lbs Feb 28th 09 (1 year surgery date) Goal 130lbs However I have been making much better progress than I expected so I may change my goals... I like the idea of trying for 175lbs for 4th of July so I am right there with you babe, we can do it!!

Evette my Love!! We did have such a fun time, can't wait for our lake weekend next month I bet we will be looking HOTTT Congrats on being so close to ONEDERLAND, you must text or call me the min you get off that scale!! How's your fill/restriction? ya babe!

Super great, I will be there!

Congrats on the first steps to a new you!! I bet you'll do better than you think and if you're hungry or thinking about cheating pop on over here to the message boards to remind yourself that if we can do it so can you!! Good Luck!

Thanks for all the sweet comments ladies, ya'll are the best!! Misty- a lot of what you said hit home to me, when I look really closely at my past habit I guess I haven't really been following the bandster rules like I should be... I mean I haven't been eating while drinking and I was chewing food to liquid but before my 2nd fill I was eating more quickly than I should and taking bites that were much too big. This 2nd fill has really shown me how powerful of a tool the band really is I am having to re-learn how to eat and have a whole new list of foods that I can't eat but it's all totally worth it!! Mom12- My restriction now is grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat!! This morning I had some oatmeal (I love the weight control brand in brown sugar flavor) and I ate about 6-8 bites and was full, a few min later I spit up about half of it... I think it wasn't watery enough so I will try it again for breakfast tomorrow using twice the recommended water and if that comes up then I'll stick with a shake for breakfast (most people say they can't get anything but liquids down in the morning). Again this is a perfect example of having to relearn good habits and what will and won't work for me now that I have a really tight fill!

iwantbanded- I went through a 3 week period (after my first fill) where I ate a lot of ice cream... I have never been an ice cream person before, we never kept it in the house or anything but during that 3 weeks I had more ice cream than I had over the course of all of last year total. It was the sugar free, fat free kind (with the exception of 2 DQ blizzards) but that was the first time since being banded that I hit a plateau (I was stuck at 200lbs for that time) once I got it out of my freezer and out of my mind the weight loss started up again... Classic eating around the band syndrome, happy I got over it!! Lora- It's funny you posted this I have been craving milk all day and I have had 4 servings/glasses today (1/2 cup at a time) I don't know what it is but it sure hits the spot!! Maybe it is getting me through my ice cream withdrawls!!

I watched it tonight too, it's a good show but I really didn't like those doctors attitudes towards the band... I mean I'm sure they know best but it really seemed like they were pushing gastric bypass over the band. That woman who was 500lbs who came in asking for the band, they kept telling her that it wasn't going to be enough for her, and said that band patients only lose 40% of their weight and that bypass people lose 60%-80% I don't think that is an accurate statistic and they didn't even mention the long term benefits of the band.. That's my only beef with the show but overall it was pretty inspiring to see people's successes with WLS!

I limited myself to 1/4-1/2 a cup of liquids at a time, except water which I sipped throughout the day... Listen to your body if 1/4 a cup of soup fills you up then stop there, if 20 min later you feel your tummy rumbling try another 1/4 a cup. The post op phase is about healing but also re-learning to listen to your body's signals of hunger, fullness etc. I guess I was the lucky one because I got to meet you both, you guys are so sweet and I know you'll do great!!

Hey Mom12- So inquiring minds want to know, how did it go with your mom and dad in town? Were you able to avoid meals with them or did you try one of the tricks people suggested? Let us know!

No need to worry, it's just the gas that they use to inflate your stomach during surgery trying to escape from the highest point in your body (usually felt in the shoulders), you can try the gasX strips or Phazyme tabs, both are available over the counter and should help with the gas pains. Usually the pain is gone in a week or two!!

Not sure if everyone has has a chance to check out LisaL's NEW gallery pics so I thought I'd post them so everyone could see her amazing results!! And of course some before pics: Your before pics almost look like you are the mother of the person in your after pics... WAY TO GO LISA!!

I have stayed at the Lucerna twice now and both times it was wonderful, I heard first hand from another bandster who was staying at Camino Real that she was really unhappy with it and if she hadn't lived in San Diego she would have asked to change to the Lucerna for her 2nd night (she just went back home instead). SO if you would like to switch just call or email your patient coordinator (whoever you were in contact with when you booked your surgery) that person will make the change for you! Good luck with your surgery, hope you and your sister have a great time!

Sitting in the SD airport waiting to board my flight back to Vegas trying to call to mind all the events in the past 36 hrs, I have a feeling this is going to be a long post so I apologize in advance! Friday May 15th 7:30am- Ok I arrived in SD at 7:30am driver was there waiting for me, since my fill wasn't scheduled till 12:30 I figured he would take me to the hotel first and then I would get a ride to the clinic later in the afternoon. He told me that he was to take me straight to the OCC, I'm an easygoing person so I said ok not knowing what I would do with myself for 5hrs... 8:25am- we arrive at the OCC (there was some traffic and the van had to stop and get gas) everything looked clean and good as I remembered and I asked Claudia if Amber was still in her room she said yes and that I could go back and visit her. We had a chance to chat and soon she came out to the lobby with her very sweet mother and I also got to speak with Matt a teen bandster and his mother and another new bandster Jackie and her husband. They were staying at the Camino Real and had a lot of negative things to say about their experience there, hopefully she will make it onto the boards to s:hare her story. After the bandsters from the night before left I had a chance to meet the girls getting their surgery that day (Kimra, Victoria, Cheryl, Pat and others) 9:45am- Dr. Romero called me in for my fill!! First he asked about what I could and couldn't eat and then he had me drink the barium to check my current restriction under the fluro. Everything looked great so he put the table back put the needle in and pulled out all of my current fill to make sure there's no leak (1.6ccs came out) then he added 0.7ccs putting me at a total of 2.3ccs. When he sat me up to drink the barium I could see how slowly it would flow and then when he asked me to drink a big sip of water I really felt the difference, I have been a water gulper and when I tried to take the big sip he asks for I felt the water back up a little. Dr. Romero told me that I should try to eat after this fill to test it to see if it was too tight, since I was waiting for my zoom whitening appointment I was going to have to wait till later to eat... I went back to the lobby to wait for my zoom whitening and finished the little bottle of water and could really feel the tightness. 11:30 Time for my dental appointment, it had been about a year since my last cleaning and I wanted my teeth as while as possible so I booked a deep cleaning before my fill.. She's not the most gentle dentist in the world but it was fine... Then came the Zoom Whitening session, honestly it was pretty uncomfortable, something about the teeth becoming dehydrated since your mouth is open for almost an hour gives sharp shooting pains to your teeth. Usually the zoom takes 3 sessions of 15 min each but I was in so much pain halfway through the 3rd session she turned off the light... I think my teeth look great, I can really tell a difference I am posting a picture below so you guys can see the results!! 12:45 After the whitening I went back to the lobby and Lynn and Renee had finally arrived for their first fills, I got the chance to watch their fills (Dr. Romero gave them 1.8cc each) then we were off to do some shopping on Revolution Ave. We had planned to have lunch but there was this big mix up when we ordered broth and instead were brought some soup that was more chicken and vegetables than broth so we didn't get a chance to eat. 5:30 Evette arrived at the hotel and it was Finally time for our big get together around the Lucerna pool, it was great to meet all the other bandsters and their families. A few of us were hungry, so we walked down the road to the Yellow Cantina for dinner, that's when the problems started. We were having a great time at the restaurant all the bandsters passed on the chips and salsa and I personally ordered the small Cesar salad for dinner. The salad arrives and everyone was joking with me because it was so small (it was literally un-cut 4 romaine lettuce leaves with dressing on top. So I started to eat and after 5 bites I was not feeling well, I guess I must have looked sick because everyone was asking if I was ok, when I said I was full after 5 bites the table applauded for my good restriction (lol I love our bandster family) after about 5 min I started to slime/PB. I tried to spit into a napkin but it was too much so Evette and I left and as I walked down the streets of TJ I was PB'ing/spitting every few steps until all of the salad was out of my system. Later that night I was able to keep down water so I was unsure if I was too tight or just swollen from the fill and since I was scheduled to leave in the morning I thought I would see how breakfast goes and try to live with the fill for 2 weeks or so then decide on getting an unfill. 7:00am the next morning Evette and I get up and her sweet boyfriend arrives at the hotel to take us across the border... While we are waiting for him to arrive I open up a banana, I take 6 bites maybe eating 1/4 or 1/5 of the thing and again feel really full so I stop. Once we are in the car the sliming/PB started up again so I asked him to take me to the OCC because I needed an unfill since nothing was staying down. 7:30am We arrived at the clinic but I couldn't find any doctors there that early, just the overnight nurses... So I called Dr. Martinez (he answered right away) and when I told him what was going on he told me he would make sure someone was there by 9:00am to give me the unfill. My plane was scheduled to leave at 10am so I called southwest to push it back to 2pm, with no issues. So we left the OCC and we went to Starbucks so John and Evette could get some coffee and I drank some warm tea to soothe my band a bit. 9:00am Dr. Romero arrived at the OCC and took me straight into the fill room and took a look on the fluro and while some barium was able to get through the band it was so slow it seemed like almost a drip.. He took out .3ccs leaving me with a total fill of 2.0 and the barium moved well through the band. Since Evette was already there she asked Dr. Romero to do a 2nd fill for her (Dr. So had given her 1.3ccs about 2 weeks ago) Dr. Romero gave her an additional .5ccs putting her at a total of 1.8ccs. We both felt great so we left the OCC and headed to the boarder. 11:30am It took about 1.5hrs to get across the boarder so we had some time to eat lunch in San Diego before I had to be at the airport, so we choose a place in the Gas Lamp district. Evette and I opted to share a chicken dish and salad and when it arrived we both ate about 10 bites and were totally stuffed, it was so good I wished I could have eaten more but I was again feeling ill so I wasn't going to push it! Again I started to slime/PB and as we were walking down the street I had to spit out the slime. For the rest of the day and maybe for another day or two I am going to stick to liquids since my poor band has been through a lot in the last 36hrs... Overall it was an AMAZING trip mostly because of the wonderful people in our bandster family!! We all had such a great time, I really hope we are able to plan a get together because it will be a blast!! Here's the pic of my new brighter teeth:

I had a chance to speak with the 2 "skinny minnie" girls here for their fills, they are both here for their 4th fill one has been banded for 2 years and hasn't lost anything since Jan so that's why she came in for her 4th fill and the other one has been banded for year and her 3rd fill was too tight so she had an unfill but what they took out left her with little restriction and after gaining 12lbs back she's here to find a happy medium between being too tight and too loose! I think Dr. Ortiz needs to hire me to sit in the waiting room and post people's stories and experiences!!

I can actually already feel the difference just drinking water... I have never been one that needed to sip sip sip water (or any liquids) I was a gulper and just now when I tried to take a normal/large sip I felt the water back up somewhat so that is a good thing...

Hey Guys, I'm sitting here in the OCC waiting room chatting with the future bandsters after having my 2nd fill. My future 2nd husband (lol) Dr. Romero did my fill again (he really is the best) and added .7ccs to the 1.6 I already had. Of course he pulled out the first 1.6ccs to make sure none had evaporated or leaked out and 1.6 came out so no worries there! I had a chance to chat with 3 bandsters that were still here from last night (Amber, Matt and Jackie) as well as the chance to visit with those who are having their surgery this afternoon (Pat, Cheryl, Kimra) I am waiting for the other 2 girls getting their 1st fills today (Lynn and Reenej) to arrive from the airport as well as waiting to get my zoom whitening done!! Two very skinny minnies (Karen and Mary) just came in for a fill, I hope to look like these ladies soon!! As always things at the OCC are running smoothly!!

It's super early and I am super tired but I am getting ready to head to the airport for a quick day trip to TJ for my 2nd fill. I can't wait to meet everyone, I'll keep you guys updated and hopefully will have some pictures to post this evening!

Here's a link to the ET story and video: http://www.etonline.com/news/2008/05/61648/index.html

The best way to describe Vertical Gastric Banding (aka Gastric Sleeve) is that it is like a combo of the lap-band and gastric-bypass.. Here are some pics that should help show the differences in the 3 types of bariatic surgery: (A.) Stomach before bariatric surgery. (B.) Stomach after Roux-en-Y (gastric bypass) procedure; food is redirected to the middle portion of the small intestine, limiting absorption of calories. (C.) Adjustable gastric banding (The Lap Band) involves inserting an inflatable ring, usually laparoscopically, which can be adjusted via a subcutaneous access point. (D.) Vertical banded gastroplasty (Gastric Sleeve) divides the stomach using staples and directs the food into a small pouch, limiting caloric intake. Another member Anita (Allcdngirl) was going to have the sleeve procedure done but decided on the band instead, she was actually banded today so she may not be posting for a day or two but she should be back soon! Here are 2 websites she mentioned in the past about the sleeve: http://surgicallyslim.com/sleeve.htm http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/3...ric_sleeve.html

Charlotte, The others are correct, check your card I bet it says 10CM because the people who get the 10CC band have cards that say VG band... Actually the 4cc bands come in various lengths, someone banded with me has a 9.75cm band that hold 4ccs I believe the VG band that holds 10cc is actually 14cm in length Here's a photo of the differences: