Paula Bee

I lost 34 pounds before my first fill, and have lost only 2 since my fill on May 6th.

Thank you... I am grateful for all the prayers for Justin that we can get.

I have a son-in-law who is a medic on the front line in Iraq. Please keep him in your prayers.

Congrats, Will!! You keep my spirits up!

It just wasn't enough. I was unhappy with it at the time he did the fill, cried that night, and have not lost but 2 pounds since, and I think that is from the diet I am following, not the band. I have no restriction at all, although I still have the initial problem with bread. I am going to the Tampa fill center in a couple of weeks, then will fly back to TJ for the next fill.

I am prone to headaches, but have not had any that I would consider surgery based. Any weather changes? Those trigger one for me very often. Also, if you have lost a lot of weight already, check your medications with your doctor. Some may need to be reduced. Good luck! <hands you an ice pack>

Talked to the fillcenterusa's live talkline today, and they said that both have fluro

One of my online names is lovemypommom! They are the best!

Thank you to each of you sweet responders. I did a few updates since the pictures of my daughter, Roxanne, were so tiny. http://www.lapbandforum.com/index.php?s=&a...um&album=51

Tim, my son, married Sheila... Zach and Roxanne are my twins... Wow.. poor Roxanne is in two of the tiny little pictures (which I didn't realize were so tiny.) She is my darling beauty, married to a medic currently serving in Iraq until December. Please keep her husband, Justin, in your prayers. Yes, I am incredibly blessed.

Gotta love Will! Bra? What's a bra?

Congratulations and welcome to bandland!

I posted some pictures of my family and pets to give anyone who cares an opportunity to know me better. These won't be up long, as this really isn't the place for them. But, they are up for now http://www.lapbandforum.com/index.php?auto...&user=11292

I measured the distance on google maps from Orange Park to Tampa and then to Moultrie, and there is only a 14 mile difference between either one for me. Still a 3+ hour drive, unfortunately. We would want to stay overnight to see if the fill was not too tight, so our cost would be the round trip gasoline (332 miles total x $3.80 gas=~$60) + hotel ($90) +fill (initial cost and first fill=$349.) Total cost for the tampa trip would be ~$500 not counting meals. Tijuana is $220 for round trip plane ticket and ~$300 for the package, counting tips = $520. The cost differential is negligable, but the exhaustion factor is significant. I think I will try the Tampa fillcenter this next time and then Tijuana after that. I am still very unhappy about my first fill in Tijuana, which seems to be a total waste of 500 bucks and the cost of some depression, anger, and disappointment. Maybe that is why I want to go to Tampa next time, which will be in about 2 weeks, I hope. I have lost 2 pounds in the nearly three weeks since my fill, and I am using the ww menu, which should account for that two pounds, as I don't feel any restriction at all. I will just have to see..

Hanna, Most excellent! I am so glad you found an excellent place that will work with you!

He is such a talented man. We couldn't decide who we wanted to win, as both were so popular, but my gut feeling was DC... he is a better rock performer, and DA is the king of pop for the tween. Both will have wonderful careers. Congratulations to both.

A couple of things to think about if you want to drink while eating: (and believe me, I do! I have diagnosed dry mouth and have to brush with special toothpaste, etc.) 1. You are wasting the $8,000 you spent on the band if you don't follow the doctor's directions. This is the absolute show-stopper for me. I just will NOT waste that money. 2. Chewing food creates saliva and is the first step in the digestive process, as spit is a digestive fluid much like that in the stomach. Chewing well and moistening your food with spit thoroughly before swallowing it begins to break down the food so that the stomach secretions can digest that much more efficiently. Drinking something while you eat dilutes this whole process. The diluted stomach acids take longer to break down the food, leaving it in your stomach longer than it should be, creating additional acid to try to overcome the dilution AND creating creating additional gas as the little bacteria critters "fart" while they do their job. (yes, all gas is the fart of some little critter in your digestive system. Funny that their accumulated gasses become our own.) 3. After removing all water from our dining table during meals, I have noticed that as I chew my food thoroughly, the last chews actually seem moister. It seems that I can produce productive spit after chewing a while. It is those last chews that I actually notice the deeper flavor of the food. 4. The ice cube idea is great.. but you need to just wet your mouth and spit it out, not suck it down. (Unless you have those tiny ice cubes.) This would be particularly gross in a restaurant, as you would be spitting in public constantly. (If you were raised by wolves, it won't really matter anyway.) 5. After eating, I go to the bathroom and "swish" my mouth with water until I don't have any food particals washing out. I do this because of my braces, but everyone could probably benefit from it. 6. Listerine strips are your friend; they removes the urge to drink anything. I also chew sugarless gum to hold off for that hour. 7. I use the kitchen timer so I know when I can drink again. Hope this helps some of you..

Yvette, I thought I was the only one who said that! Kimmie, you have done great! I wish I was doing as well.

Hanna, you stole the words right out of my mouth! YAY, KIMMIE!

Rock and roll, girl! You will never regret this.

Thank you so much for organizing this. Last night was a blast! I did wonder if we might need another night for those people that really have questions and need reassurance. We got awfully silly last night, and I am afraid that someone might have felt constrained by asking a question in such a "social" atomsphere. Just a thought