ValleyGirl

After bouncing up and down between 190 and 195 for WEEKS, I'm finally in the 180's.....first time since the 80's!!! If you think you need a fill, you probably do. So glad to have restriction again!!! I've made some mini-goals too. They really help me stay focused: -175 pounds by the end of summer. -165 by October 5th (going to Hawaii and I've bought a bikini!!!) -160 (GOAL) by my birthday October 25th!!!

Doing the happy dance for you!!! Sabrina:)

Sorry, seven months in and I still can't sleep on my left side:(

Same here...went through dozens of extra-strength tylenol every week...I'd take them 3 or 4 at a time!!! I never in a million years would have believed that losing weight would help with headaches. I wonder why? Sabrina:)

Sounds like you have a great attitude! Good Luck. Sabrina:)

I'm not sure it has anything to do with being banded (and losing 66 pounds) but I used to get TERRIBLE headaches almost every day...now I can't remember the last time I had a head ache!!! Anybody else notice this? Sabrina:)

I feel for you. Every time I make an appointment for a fill I suddenly get too tight and have to postpone it. I can't seem to find a happy medium- too loose or too tight constantly. I'm still more than 30 pounds from goal, though. I wish I was as close as you are. It must feel SO good! You'll get there...and I hope I won't be too far behind. Have agreat vacation. Sabrina:)

I assume with the name Vancouvergurl you are from Vancouver... Canada or Washington? I'm in Surrey! Sabrina:)

What a FUNNY post.....and, believe me, I could use a good laugh today. I was supposed to get my 4th fill today (scale hasn't moved in weeks) but I ended up pb'ing last night so I thought I'd better cancel. My band has been so out of whack lately... I feel like I have no restriction yet I still PB now and then....on things that just the day before were fine . On top of that, or perhaps because of that, my stomach is all irritated and achey and I'm hunting all over the internet for what could be wrong with me (gastritis is one complication of banding) and I'm making myself crazy! Warning, if you're a hypochondriac like me, being banded will mean constant worry. I know that after a bad PB you should go on liquids for 24 hours and I tried today but I only made it until noon and that was it!!! I just wanted to CHEW and I DID....and I pb'd AGAIN!!! .Lord knows how I ever survived the 21-day liquid diet. I think I should go on the liquid/maalox diet (how much Maalox do I take?) until things settle but I feel like I just don't have it in me right now. I'm completely stressed for various reasons, and I feel frustrated with my band and totally discouraged....which is stressing me more. I was down to 190 last week and now I'm at 194 and unable to get a fill . Anyway, I'm trying to stay positive and not to feel sorry for myself but I am so worried about what is going on inside my body. I keep thinking there is something wrong despite nothing showing up on fluoro. Thanks for letting me vent. Sabrina:)

Slow and steady wins the race!!! Congratulations. Sabrina:)

Please post as soon as you feel up to it so we know how you are! Thinking of you! Sabrina:)

I'm going for my 4th fill tomorrow and I have no idea how much I should get put in. I have 3 cc's now and I've been waking up hungry every morning, I can eat almost everything and in pretty big portions (although I try not to) and then I get hungry about two hours after eating..... yet I still have that strange "tenderness" around port (or maybe even around my stomach...it's on the left under my bra wire, a dull ache all the time) so I'm worried about getting more fill but I know I need one. I've been checked under fluoro and they said it all looked perfect so I should be okay for a fill but there isn't a day that goes by that I'm not worried about my tenderness. I was always told you shouldn't actually "feel" like you are banded and yet I am painfully aware of it all the time. What do you think? Sabrina:)

I just eat the meat with a salad (you can wrap it in lettuce too if you want) and tell people I've cut out carbs- which is pretty much the truth. Some people know about my band, but when someone asks how I have lost weight and I don't know them well, or other people are around, I usually say that I eat small portions and no carbs `cause that is what I do! Sabrina:)

I had heartburn for four or five days about a month ago and posted on here, asking if heartburn always had to equal an unfill. I also called the OCC to talk about my fill level. Dr. Martinez said as long as I can eat normal foods and was not PB'ing, it might just be too much coffee, acidic foods etc. The heartburn went away and I never needed that unfill- but now I need more fill. It's time for a tweak for me too. I'm hoping to get one tomorrow. I've also been struggling with smoking. After my band, I started smoking one on the way to work and one on the way home from work every Sat/Sun (when I used to hit the drive thru) so it is only four per week, but I know it's a slippery-slope for a former smoker. I threw away the package Sunday and this weekend will be my first weekend going to work without a puff on the way. I will miss the tradition but I don't like how sneaky I have become- and I got the band to prolong my life so smoking really defeats the purpose! Good luck! Sabrina:)

Hi Lea! I just read your profile and almost cried. I can realte on so many levels. Cheers to your new beginning! Be well. Sabrina:)

I hope my decision to stay home with my little ones (I only work Sat/Sun mornings now) will have big pay-offs for them one day too. You should be proud of a job well done! I miss my career sometimes, but my kids need me more than my work does! Sabrina:)

I've also heard sipping pineapple juice helps.

I should add that you can make lots of simple veggie soups the same way....carrot, squash, red pepper. Sabrina:)

If you're worried about fat content in your creamy soups, try making them yourself. There are some great recipes on the net that are low fat or fat-free and still taste great! I LOVE pea soup and make it with nothing but carrots, celery, onion, broth and peas. It is so filling and so healthy! Here's what I do... Spray a soup pot with non-fat cooking spray and sautee diced onions, carrots, celery until soft add water and dried split-peas and bring to a boil (I flavor with my favorite chicken or veggie stock) Bring to a rolling boil then simmer for an hour. Transfer to blender and puree to get any lumps out. That's it! Sabrina:)

I just want to say, DON'T FEEL BAD....it will only make you want to eat more. I gained five pounds before my first fill (and was sure I was going to be another lap-band failure statistic) but since then I have had steady weight-loss. I'm not saying what I did was good, just normal. You're not alone. I still have weeks where I don't lose (or even gain a bit) but by the end of every month (and despite my self-sabotaging ways) I still end up about ten pounds less at the end of every month! I still struggle with head hunger/junk food/ emotional eating/just plain not giving a damn some days but I don't dwell on it when I fall off the "band wagon". Just pick yourself up, shake yourself off, and start again. If all else fails, get a fill! (and you'll be getting yours before you know it) Sabrina:)

I had a reduction when I was 16 (21 years ago) and it was covered. I'm certain I could get another one covered by my medical insurance but I'm not sure if it would give me the results I want- I don't want smaller, I want "perkier". I don't really know the difference between the reduction and lift. I'm going to go back and see what the doctor says. Shrty, sorry to hear about the butchered B cups. That's my biggest fear- they take off way too much. On the other hand, I'm shying away from implants cause I don't want to end up with "stripper boobs", lol! Sabrina:)

Wow! I thought he was the poster-boy for Allegran?! Hmmmm. Interesting. He's a good doctor but an even better businessman so I'm sure J&J made it very worth his while to switch. If it makes you feel any better, I know lots of people who have been successful with both types of bands. Sabrina:)

Holy Camolli!!! 58 pounds in less than 4 months??? I think that is a record. I've never heard of anyone with a band losing that much that fast. Are you sure you didn't have gastric bypass, haha?! That's great. Obviously you should just keep doing whatever you've been doing (what HAVE you been doing?) and try reading books or magazines while you are stuck at home. It's very difficult to eat while you are turning pages, much easier while watching tv- anything to keep those hands busy. Sabrina:)

I was told not to pour liquid on top when you are stuck, so I don't. I try to wait it out but if the pain is off the charts, I simply bend over and the gravity usually brings up food that's above the band. I wouldn't stick my finger down my throat because that would actually make me throw up (bringing up what is below band) and that is NOT good for the band! YOu'll find lots of conflicting advice here so it's always best to ask the doctor. Sabrina:)

I'm not a vet, but if it make you feel any better, you are not alone. I've always been very aware of my port and am certain it pushes on my ribs sometimes. It almost feels like it is catching but if I re-adjust my body, I can usually move it back in place. I've never been able to sleep on my left side since surgery cause I can totally feel it...it's like laying down on a golf ball in my bed! I had it checked under fluoro and it was fine! Sabrina:)