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Hello Celia !! > NIce to meet a local bandster let me know if I can help you with anything!

I don't have a tight feeling when I'm not eating but sometimes, no rhyme or reason, when I drink a liquid it feels weird. I don't feel that I am tooo tight because I am still getting the nutrition that i need. But good lord... after eating everyone hears the rumbling, grumbling, gurgling, internal burping.. etc.... LOL

A quick update... day 4 after 2nd fill and still having great restriction. Eating a yogurt for breakfast, a protein drink in the afternoon and a normal dinner. I am having a problem eating while working because I am still figuring out what works and doesn't (now) and I have another incident of having a client on my table and having to run out of the room and PB.. nasty. Soooo.. until I get it figured out I'll do the protein drink only while at work but I realize that's not a substitute for food. Hope everyone is having a good day.

ahhh Mona you crack me up. After my first fill I thought oh yah restriction.. didn't last long and I knew within a week I needed more, I am extremely happy/satisfied (so far) with my 2nd fill. Paula - I hope this trip get's you the restriction needed to help you eat less and lose some pounds. I have 2.5cc in my 4cc band and it feel great! also remember that we are older (cough cough) and as we age it is harder to lose weight.. at least for me it has been. I remember the days of starving myself for a week and dropping 10+ lbs... oh wait.. maybe that's why it's so hard now! hahahaha.. anyway... Love reading all the posts... I take some with a grain of salt, some with a roll of the eyes but mostly with a big fat smile and a "uh huh" !! peace, love and applesauce

Lynn I absolutely positively think it will be just fine for you to cross the border by yourself! No worries! xoxox > > >

LOL.. man I haven't been keeping up with the board lately.. so much I've missed... I am off Sunday's/Monday's... which makes it difficult because most of the world is Mon - Friday... if you have one on a Sunday or a Monday I'm in.. August might be better only because this weather is killing me!!!

ahhhh..... the sweet sensation of RESTRICTION! woot woot! My frist fill on 5/12 gave me a little bit of restriction and while I was unable to eat bread (haven't touched it in almost a month) I was still able to eat a LOT of food Went to Dr. Kelly Fitzpatrick who comes to Milwaukie, ORegon 1-2x a month for a fill on Friday June 6th and now have 2.5cc's in my 4cc band. I of course tested it the same night because she was leaving town the next day and I needed to know if it "worked" or not... oh boy did it work. I tried to eat something that night and got stuck immediately but several hours later I was able to eat about 1/4 cup of food. Saturday & Sunday I found that after a couple bites of food I had to stop. Morning and early afternoon's are very restricted for me, evenings/nights I find that I have less restriction and really have to monitor/watch myself not to over eat or eat around my band. I am not going to step on the scale till NEXT Monday at that time I will see what 10days of a good fill can do. I am also walking minimum of 3x a week 3-4 miles a time, oh and kicking my boyfriends AZZ at tennis. hahaha... The cost of my fill was $190, moving forward they will be $160. I love the OCC so much that I hope to come back if/when I need my next fill but plane tickets prices are sooo friggin high right now. I also bought some liquid B-12 vitamin from Dr. Fitzpatrick that makes my pee bright yellow (tmi) Have a great day everyone. xoxo

Congrats from another Pacific Northwest Bandster Have a great trip home!

I stayed an extra night in May and paid $100, including taxes.

=D> WELCOME to our world!! Glad to see you here > =D>

> MONA > Happy to hear you & family had a great time in TJ for your fill. I am ready for my 2nd fill and am having it here in Portland on Monday 6/2.. I will be sure to post and let you know how many cc's I got. I still cannot eat bread and just today I tried rice and that wasn't so good either BUT while I can't eat certain foods I can eat HUGE quantaties of all the other food. My body definitely tells me when I'm full but I can eat eat eat b/4 I get to that point. Keep us posted please. xoxoxo

Amber I will be sure to PM you when that moment happens... I to want that "priceless" moment. Thanks for sharing It made my day. xoxox

thanks for posting that! I can't wait to have that moment. I was dating a guy, before my current guy, and we were just great together! We had so much fun, conversation etc...... then one night after a couple drinks he told me that I was just "to fat" for him! He told me he looooves thick chicks but that I was past the acceptable thickeness/fatness. WOW.. my little heart was broken. We were never the same after that even though he apologised profusely. I know he said what he truly believe but man did it hurt. We are still good friends and he is currently with a "acceptable fat" woman who makes his life miserable. I hope by xmas time to let's say... Ramdomly come across in when he's a work and just happen to look fabulous ! LOL have a great weekend everyone. Thanks again for making my Day.

:lb24: :lb21: :lb25: :lb13: :lb16: :cheerleader: MICEHLLE You look wonderful! xoxoxox

The pool at Lucerna is not heated... #-o When I was there 5/12 it was nice and hot 1 day, I got up to my waist and that was as much as I could take.. BUT.. there were kids in the pool. Kids will swim no matter what! good luck, you will have a great time.

:lb10: :lb24: :lb13: Look forward to hearing your story.

Hanna Count me in! I am going to be planning/scheduling my 2nd fill in the next 4 weeks or so.. give or take.. but I can drive up to WA anytime from Portland, OR. Would love to meet fellow bandster, socialize and talk about "stuff" Let me know what I can do. xoxoxox > > > >

Hanna / Pammie A fellow bandster had a fill without fluro last week and said it took the fill Dr. like 9 pokes to find her port. She said it was SOOO painful she asked for another shot of liodicain (sp) She now has a huge black/blue bruise.. I was so freaked out by her story I swore I would never get a fill without fluroscopy! BUT NWFills has such rave reviews can you give me a little more feedback and tell me how many pokes till they found the port.. pain.. etc?? thanks guys! Checking airline prices in june/july they are up to $400 + from PDX to SAN... uh.. not gonna happen so I want to drive to NWFills. xoxoxo

:-h Just a side note here... I had my fill at the OCC Monday 5/12 by Dr. R he asked me if I was still drinking while eating and I replied.. uh yes I am. :lb12: He explained the same things that everyone else has said BUT he told me that as long as I wait at LEAST 15 minutes it will be fine. He said 1/2 an hour is BETTER but if you are DYING.. then 15 minutes is fine. That works for me. If I am truly feeling parched and think I might actually die I wait the alloted 15 minutes then have a few little drinks. I then wait another 15 minutes (total 1/2 hour) and have what I want. It works for me. 15 minutes goes by quickly and I usually forget about it and make to the 1/2 hour point. I know it's contradicting information but seriously that's what he told me! :-?

I had my first fill 5/12/08 and received 1.8cc in a 4cc band. My restriction is finicky.. sometimes I have it, sometimes I don't. When I do HOLY HELL I really have it.. when I don't I have to force myself to stop eating.

Congrats to everyone on their first fill! It's quick/easy/painless. Even if 2 of you are scheduled at the same time do not worry... it seriously is a FAST procedure and you will be in and out before you know it. You should each stay in the room with the other for the fill so you can watch it then get it done. Good luck! xoxox

You can park at the border, walk across and then hop a taxi to OCC ($5) of course be sure to settle on the price before you get in . When leaving the OCC there are cabs parked just across and down the street and either someone out front will whistle one for you or you can just stand in the middle of the road and wave your hands.. and they will come. another $5 back. You can stand in the walk up line at the border, I've seen it short and long. It is faster than a car but it still can take 1-3 hours... Hope this helps.

The evening before my sugery I had a ceviche, chicken taco and 3 rum & diet cokes. oh and a few chips and salsa.

I'm very sure you band did NOT slip! WE all make mistakes, learn from them and then get back on track I was eating runny instant mashed potatoes 8 days post opp. They really helped me and I felt a TON better getting some food in my stomach. You are doing FABULOUS! Keep up the good work. Unless you are vomiting several days and several times a day I would not worry about band slipage. xoxoxo

Hello Bandster Family !! > I had my first fill Monday May 12th and recived 1.8 cc in my 4cc band. It really is cool to watch it on the monitor. Am I feeling restriction? Well... I ate 2 tiny tiny bites of a piece of bread and it got stuck and I had to throw it up. I am eating soup with no problems, cous cous, tender chicken, corn tortiallas & guacamole. (and amazingly tequilla goes down VERY well) Everything I'm eating or drinking (including water) is givine me gas I'm hoping that ends soon. I was very glad to go to OCC for my first fill because I wanted them to "check it out" make sure nothing had fallen, slipped or been absorbed (haha) everything looked good. After reading everyone's post about NOT having restriction after a first fill I panicked a little... but I'm just going to listen to my body and keep controlling my portion size, exercising and see what happens. I have to remind myself that this is a gradual process (I didn't get obese overnight) and I'd rather do it slowly / correctly then drop a huge amount of weight at one time. Update on the Hotel: hmmm.. well.. I love hotel lucerna and I really love Alonso who works out front.. he was/is soo kind and generous.. When we arrived they didn't have note that I had the "fill package" so they wanted me to pay for 2 nights.. I said no and it was kind of a stand off for a minute.. finally the front desk agent agreed to let me talk to OCC in the morning and resolve it with them. we were given a room back behind the pool and (1st time I was in the tower) and the room STUNK like mildew/dirt/mold... we immediately called the front desk and alonso can and showed us to another room.. when we walked in we all 3 looked at each other and said "this stinks" the 2nd room was stinky too! We finally ended up in room 818 and it was just fine. I am a motel 6 type of gal so really I don't have high standards but the first 2 rooms were awful. AFter we got settled I walked up to the front and asked them if there was was any way to get a room in the tower... there was much confusion and they said "OH NO.. it's FULL, and we are having cosntruction, all the pounding will keep you awake" hmm... OK.. I never saw 1 constructon vehicle/worker or anything of that nature when Iwas there. I'm telling you it was just odd. The staff was great, as usual, the pool beckoned and we had a fabulous time. There was just a little *different* feel in the air for the OCC patients this time. THE BEST place to eat is the bright YELLOW Cantina about 1/4 a mile (less than) from the hotel. walk out the hotel, take a right, cross 1 little round about and it's right there. The food is FABULOUS!! It's safe to walk there and back, we walked clear down to the shopping mall and all around when we were there. Hope everyone has a wonderful day!