MamaMichelle

I doubt it since you were the one that chose not to stay, and you were in the room for X number of hours while recovering so it's not like they could offer that room to someone that was in the semi-private room.

I totally Dr. Romero!! I didn't know that he was training for plastic surgery, I figured he was training for doing Lap Bands because he was joking that Dr. O and Dr. M were getting old, lol.

Maybe you guys need to start a chip lickers support group, lol ya'll crack me up!!

I briefly asked Dr. Romero about the port sticking out when you lost weight and he said the don't do the low-profile port replacement at the OCC but that if you felt it was sticking out too much they would move it under the muscle. He said they make the incision using the same scar as the longer port scar you already have so you won't get any new scars (a big plus for me). He said that when the port is under the muscle you can expect more pain when you go to get your fills and it's harder to find so you'll always want to use fluro. He said it was a quick 30 min surgery not need to stay overnight or anything.. I think I managed to ask him everything about it except the cost, sorry!

You are doing awesome Maggie congrats!! I just had my first fill and I too am not feeling that full feeling at this current fill level (1.6ccs). I think that if you are losing weight at your current fill level then you may not NEED a 2nd fill but if you feel that you're the kind of person who's will power eventually fails (totally my history with dieting) the maybe having a small fill will give you that extra boost of a safety net that you might need when the chocolate cake is calling your name, lol. Keep it up babe!

Hi Deb, Just wanted to say hello and welcome to the forum!!! It was great to meet you last week I hope you are feeling better!!

Some people received the $300 or $400 discount but I still payed the full price because I didn't know to ask about the discount... When I did ask they told me that my first fill would be free (Free transportation, 1 night free in the Lucerna and free fluro) which equals a $300 value...

Thanks sweetheart, right now I'm really not too concerned about getting the 2nd fill I may try to get down there around the 1st of May... Again for me the band has always been more of a safety net... where I am able to control myself 80% of the time so when I really need the band it's for those times that I fall off the bandwagon (lol) and usually end up gaining the weight back. You are right it was Zulma and I that got the smaller fill!! I too have been wondering how everyone else is doing, so 2/28 bandsters let us know how you're feeling and what you're able to eat after your fill!!

Because it was a full house on both the 28th and the 27th I got a semi private room, it's like a curtained off section of the hallway... I really didn't like it because the lady next to me was snoring all night and there's no TV and only chair (not a couch) for your loved one. I guess it doesn't really matter since you're only awake for a few hours while you're there!!

Ok so it has been 7 weeks since being banded and I had my 1st fill on Friday at the OCC (along with 5 other girls also banded on 2/28)... I was given 1.6cc and everything went fine, I did have some minor concerns after my fill that I might be too tight given the fact that I felt queasy and was burping for 2hrs after the fill. But I later realized that I was queasy from hunger since I hadn't eaten in 14hours, and the burping only seems to come when I drink a lot of liquid on an empty stomach so the fill wasn't directly to blame for either issue... If you want to read a more detailed account of my fill you can find it HERE Sooooooooooooooooo today was my first day to eat real food, for the past 3 days I've been on liquids and haven't really been hungry but there have been a few cravings that I think were mostly mental. So today I did a shake for breakfast and one for lunch again not much hunger but I'm usually only hungry at night. For dinner my husband and I decided on a steakhouse that offers a fixed menu deal for a reasonable price. The meal includes a salad, 6oz filet and dessert but I figured I would end up taking most of it home since that's what happened when we went out to a steakhouse on April 12th in what I figured was going to be a "last supper" before getting my fill, you can read more about that experience HERE Long story short I was able to eat the same amount as I did before the fill maybe even a little more, I never really felt full. I ended up eating 1cup of salad, 4oz of steak and dinner roll before making myself stop because mentally I knew I was eating too much... and while this is less than what I used to consume I know that I'm not feeling that magic sweet spot of restriction with my current fill level. I know some people end up getting tighter as time passes but I'm pretty convinced that I will need to return to the OCC for a 2nd fill sometime soon. I know most people would be more upset or panicking in this situation but for me it's ok for now because I know that have enough will power to stick with the shakes during the day and to keep my portions small during dinner to keep myself on the losing track until I can go back for another fill. The way I look at it was I was able to lose 23lbs with ZERO fill using mostly self control so I can keep relying on myself to lose weight with a 1.6cc fill the same way, after I get another fill then I can rely less on my mind and more on my band!! I know this isn't the response that most of you expected or wanted to hear but I'm not one to sugar coat things... I know others have not reached their sweet spot after only one fill and the fact that they shared their stories and have gone through the same thing is a comfort to me now. So while I feel terrible that I have to be the one to bring this issue back into the spotlight I think it's important that everyone knows what to expect if they find themselves in the same situation. I am still totally happy with my band, and the OCC of course I'm just still in that tweaking phase!!

HEALTHY OATMEAL COOKIE SNACKS by Sara Snow http://www.sarasnow.com/images/recipes/bre...eal_snacks.html Here I took an oatmeal cookie recipe and adjusted it to make it a healthy breakfast or afternoon snack. I cut the sugar and fat and added natural fiber, protein and fresh fruits. Use organic ingredients whenever possible. INGREDIENTS 2 cups whole wheat flour ½ cup ground flax seed 1 t baking soda 1 t salt 1 t cinnamon ½ t nutmeg ½ t cardamom ½ cup (1 stick) organic butter – room temperature ½ cup natural cane sugar 2 organic eggs ½ cup honey 1 t vanilla extract 1 small apple, peeled and chopped ½ cup goji berries or raisins ½ cup chopped dates or apricots 1 cup chopped walnuts or almonds (optional) 1 ½ cups coconut 3 cups old fashioned organic oats 1⁄4 cup applesauce INSTRUCTIONS Stir together dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda and spices). In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugars. Add in honey, eggs and vanilla. Slowly add in dry mixture and beat together. Stir in oats, applesauce, coconut, fruit and nuts. Drop spoonfuls onto baking sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes at 350. Makes 2 dozen Let us know how they turn out!!

Of course babe! No problem!!

I actually emailed Lori (or maybe it was Renee) to say that I was interested in having my surgery the day of my arrival and to see if there was a spot open on the 28th... Since there are only so many rooms so there is only a set number of surgeries they can do in a day. He said that there was a spot open and based on my arrival time in San Diego there was a good chance that I would be able to have it on the 28th (assuming there were no flight delays or any other issues that came up at the last min) once I got there I was told that I would be doing my surgery that day, and I was so glad I did!

Thanks for posting the pics Jenn, it was so great to meet all of you guys!! Sorry Debbie is having some issues hope she gets better soon!

The only complication I could foresee would be issues with swallowing the pills after being banded, but maybe you can cut them in half?

Lol you are so sweet, but I'm really not any of those things.. Men are so funny, a fellow bandster asked her husband if sex was different since she's lost weight and he said "It's not just different, it's BETTER" It was meant to be a compliment but didn't quite come out that way! LOL You are sweet but I still have 55-70lbs to lose, I am only 5'4 and still over 200lbs, I think I just look thinner in some photos than others... Here's what I mean:

I will be going out for my first real meal tonight in about an hour so I will update you guys when I get back! I haven't really noticed any difference in drinking water or drinking my shakes so far!!

Well I have heard that some people don't feel their fill really kick in till 1-2 weeks after getting it! But I have never heard any specific rules about waiting time between fills so if after 2 weeks you're still not feeling restriction I assume you can go back and get another fill!

Glad you had a great experience!!!

I've never heard of their being fluid in the band when it is placed, but I do know that sometimes there will be air trapped in it... When I did my fill with Dr. Romero on Friday one of the first things he did after the needle was in the port was to flush out any air bubbles with saline... Then he gave me the 1.6cc fill so I would say that it's possible that some of the fluid didn't get pulled back out when he did the air flush before your fill and that's why they pulled out 2ccs...

So the day before my fill my husband, son and I went to sea world... My husband took this picture of us looking at the underwater tank: And when he was looking at the picture on the camera he said to me "Wow honey you are starting to look skinny" My Response was: "Thank you sweetie, but everyone looks skinny standing next to Shamu" LOL

Hi Deb, Welcome... You've made your first post sucessfully!! :lb9:

Here's the episode on You Tube (in parts) if anyone would like to see it. Here's a link to the first part. http://youtube.com/watch?v=gIcCy9q1DFg&feature=related

These four pictures show two of the Lap Band models – the 10cm band (which holds 4cc's) and the VG or Vanguard band (which holds 10ccs). They show them without additional saline and with added saline so that you can see the effect of adding saline has on the space available in the middle. The photo shows a standard LapBand made by Inamed Health. It consists of a ring of silicone which is placed around the very top of the stomach. On the inner surface of the ring is a balloon which is connected via a long thin tube to an access port which is buried deep under the skin just above and to the left of the umbilicus. If we pass a fine needle through the skin into the acess port we can inject saline into the balloon causing it to swell up and thus tighten on the stomach wall. This will give the patient a sense of satiety or lack of hunger. Even if they have not been eating they will feel less hunger and less interest in food. If the band is adjusted optimally, there is almost no interest in food or appetite for eating. When they do eat they quickly get a sense of fullness and do not feel inclined to eat more. The net result is that they eat 3 or less very small meals per day and feel quite satisfied with that.

Thanks for letting us know Misty!! Keep us updated on how things progress on the show!!