ValleyGirl

Well I can't seem to do either so I may not be the best person to reply but PB stands for "productive burp" when you're food can't go down so it comes up! Mine gets "stuck" but doesn't come up so I'm left with major pain in my chest until the food eventually works it's way through. The "slime" is a thick saliva that many people start to spit up when something is stuck. Again, I don't slime either but I researched getting my band for three years and this is my understanding from what I have read. Glamouros, isn't it?! Sabrina:)

I've never tried to drink water because I heard that you shouldn't. I don't even know where I heard that but I've avoided drinking it none the less. I was told; however, that you can sip pineapple juice when you are stuck so I'm going to start carrying a small can of it around with me. Sabrina:)

Okay, here's the whole story from my last getting stuck episode (yesterday afternoon)..... I took my daughter to Subway and ordered the healthiest thing I could think of....a veggie wrap with sweet onion sauce. I took most of the wrap off and then took a tiny bite and waited a few minutes. It seemed fine so I continued with small bites chewing to bits.... all of a sudden, I was bent over in pain and took her in the bathroom with me, hoping for a slime or PB. After ten minutes of nothing but pain, I stuck my finger down my throat and some thick saliva came up with a bit of the veggies. Now comes the scary part....I had those red and yellow banana peppers in my wrap and some of what came up was bright red. I couldn't tell if it was a pepper (it was just the same color as the pepper) but thought for a split second that it could also be blood....bright red, not dark. I stopped making myself throw up just in case it was blood and also because I remembered throwing up can slip a band. We were supposed to go shoping but I had to drive home because I was so scared. I was trying to be brave for Syd and tell her I thought I had food poisoning but I could tell she was a bit scared too. Anyway, we drove home. It hurt so bad I had to try puking one more time, this time I got a bit more of the slimy saliva and lettuce but not one speck of red so I was relieved. I was still uncomfortable but it eased after another half hour or so and we did go shopping and I stuck to liquids the rest of the day. I couldn't sleep last night cause I kept thinking, "what if that WAS blood?". I'm at work now and wondering if I should go to the ER after work and see if they will have a look inside. Can they even do that? I know throwing up blood is an emergency and if I was sure I had, I would have gone but I'm just not sure it was blood- it could very well have been the banana pepper. Do you think I shold go just in case?

I would give anything to be able to PB or slime but all I get is STUCK....it hurst SO SO SO much (like my chest will rip open) and it lasts for up to an hour most times. It's happened close to a dozen times now and I swear I am chewing to bits and eating slow. In fact, since I'm just starting to try solids after my second fill, I test it by taking one bite then waiting five minutes and if everything is okay, I'll go ahead and eat the rest. Then, suddenly, after my third or fourth tiny bite, the pain hits me out of nowhere. My poor kids (4 and 5) have seen me bent over sobbing every time and they're so scared....and I'm running out of excuses with them- making up all these crazy reasons every time it happens. So now I can't eat: -Bread -Beef -Chicken nuggets -Chicken breast (moistened with sauce even) - turkey meatballs -halibut -wraps -tomatos -peppers I have some restriction, but I don't think I've even hit my sweet spot yet, so why am I getting stuck so much??? And why no slime or PB??? What am I going to eat besides mushy stuff? I seriously do not know what to eat now. Anybody else dealing with this? Sabrina:)

They'll take calls even on the weekend and this same thing happened to me (I called on a Sunday sick and worried about my Tuesday surgery) I talke to Dr. Acosta, he told me a cold wasn'ta worry and also the things that were...... and I was fine having the surgery with a cold after all. Good luck. Sabrina:)

It's me, Sabrina! Yes, so nice to see someone else from the board in person! In fact, the lady just before me looked SO familliar too. I'm sure I've seen her picture on here. Anybody else there for a fill yesterday? Hope to see even more of you on Feb 7th. Rhonda and I are aiming to go to the get-together in Arlington. I'm bringing some cute size 20 clothes to the exchange too. If anybody has size 18 summer stuff, I'm off to Florida in two weeks and could use some. Sabrina:)

Sharon, When I was looking a few weeks ago, it was really cheap to fly from Bellingham with Allegiant. If you decide to try Northwest Fills instead, Rhonda and I are going on Thursday and you are welcome to come with us. Sabrina:)

I don't have very much restriction yet but I still hate to eat in the morning so I do shakes most days. I ordered some on-line that are much healthier than most I've found in the stores (cheaper too) called "Peaceful Planet High Protein Energy Shake" (I have tried Caribbean Cocoa, Indain Chai and African Vanilla). They are made by Veg Life and taste more "earthy" for sure, but I don't mind and since I'm past 21-days liquids I can now add fruit and blend them to make all kinds of different flavors! Nutrition: Calories 115 Fat 1g (zero trans and zero saturated) Fiber 2g Sugar 8 g (slim fast has 20g) Protein 16 g (slim fast has 5g) They keep me full for a few hours. Sabrina:)

I don't have very much restriction yet but I still hate to eat in the morning so I do shakes most days. I ordered some on-line that are much healthier than most I've found in the stores (cheaper too) called "Peaceful Planet High Protein Energy Shake" (I have tried Caribbean Cocoa, Indain Chai and African Vanilla). They are made by Veg Life and taste more "earthy" for sure, but I don't mind and since I'm past 21-days liquids I can now add fruit and blend them to make all kinds of different flavors! Nutrition: Calories 115 Fat 1g (zero trans and zero saturated) Fiber 2g Sugar 8 g (slim fast has 20g) Protein 16 g (slim fast has 5g) They keep me full for a few hours. Sabrina:)

Everybody is different, but I can feel my port when I lay on my left side or even when I bend over to tie my shoes I can feel it pressing against what I'm guessing is my ribs. I was just telling a friend how much it bugged me to feel it when I bend over, but added at least I CAN bend over and tie my shoes...if I kept gaining weight I probably wouldn't have been able to!!! Sabrina:)

Wow! What a story, way to go!

I used to be able to eat four or five pieces and now just one fills me right up! I'm supposed to get my second fill next week (I only got 1.4 cc the first time) so I guess eventually only half a piece will fill me!!! Note, I know this isn't a great choice but it was that or no dinner due to extenuating circumstances.

Mandy, Who is your husbands insurance provider? I know mine has really good insurance but I didn't even think to check because everybody said it was impossible! Sabrina:)

I'm not sure what province you are in but I don't know anybody in BC that has had it covered by insurance. We can't even file an out of town medical expense form to get some money back from the government, but you can in Alberta. Good luck!

Linda, Dr. Ric Arsenau does fills for anyone (doesn't matter where you a e banded) at St. Pauls hospital in Vancouver. It costs less than Northwest Fills (especially with your American dollar!!!)but he is pretty new to this. I believe he was trained by the guys at NWWLS in Everett. I may go to him down the road. I didn't know anybody who had seen him so I chose to go to Washington cause I've heard good things from others that go there...it's an excus eto shop ta the outlets too!!! Sabrina:)

I was told to eat light the day of fill but I didn't have it at OCC. Sabrina:)

That's exactly waht happened to me with the cheeseburger I mentioned in your earlier post. I stop eating as soon as it happens. No pb, just pain. It sucks and I am now chewing to paste and staying away from meat and bread. I'm going to have salmon for lunch and see how that goes. I only have 1.4 cc in my band so I don't think I could be that tight. Good luck figuring it out. Sabrina:)

Canadians can also submit all out of town medical costs when we do our taxes and I plan to! Sabrina:)

Yep, I tried a bit of my daughter's cheeseburger and that's going to be a no-no for me too. I've never slimed, but I can feel major pain as it tries to make it's way down. I had to walk around the restaurant with my hands above my head, how embarassing. I'm having a hard time breaking the habit of finishing my kids food so it doesn't get "wasted". It kills me to throw away perfectly good food and it's not usually enough to take home- just a few bites from her plate and a few bites from his plate....in Weight Watchers they called it "BLT"s (bites, licks, tastes) and we had to track all of them in one week and boy do they add up! I think I'll just pour salt over everything so I'm not tempted. Isn't that insane? It's THAT hard to stop myself.

My husband was dead-set against the surgery and refused to use "family money" for it so it took me three years and a second part-time job to save my own money and I just had it in December. He wrote to me the day of surgery (it's posted on here somewhere) that he has never been more proud of me for going after what I wanted and getting it- even without his support. I think he was just really, really scared that something could happen to me and that he and the kids would lose me. That and I tend to be impulsive and have a history of spending money foolishly! I'm starting to see a new-found respect from him every day and my weight loss is helping my marriage not because I'm getting smaller and look better (he could care less...he also didn't notice the last time I lost 50 pounds and it drove me nuts but he also didn't notice when I gained it back which was a relief, lol!) but the reason it is getting better is I feel better about myself. I'm not depressed, I'm not miserable, I'm just a nicer person to be around. It's funny, but when I lead the way in this marriage and I'm kind and loving to him, he reciprocates two-fold. That said, my husband is a generally decent man who would never make comments about body parts despite being the bluntest person I know. He takes responsibilty for his part when things break down and after 12 years together, there have been lots of "break-downs" (including a night at a hotel). I used to think about leaving and I think if I still wanted to (which I don't) losing a bunch of weight would probably give me the confidence to do so. However, it's also sparked this new inward journey I am on- a journey that has brought me to the decision that this IS where I want to be. Without food to stuff away your feelings, you will start being able to be more honest with yourself and only then will you know if you should stay or you should go. We're here for you either way.

I gained 4 of my 25 pound loss back over the holidays not making good choices but that four fell off again after my 48-hours of liquid following the first fill Thursday.

Oh yeah, add some berries and it's even better!

If you like hot cereal, I just discovered "Hodgson Mill Multigrain with milled flaxseed and soy"....SO good! There's 450 mg of Omega-3 Oils per serving which is a bonus too. Other nutrition facts (per 1/3 cup serving....makes a cup when you add water): Calories 160 Total fat 3g (.5 saturated and zero trans fat) Cholesteral 0g Sodium 0g Fiber 6g Sugar 1g Protein 7g It keeps me full WAY longer than a protein shake in the morning. Enjoy! Sabrina:)

Have your kids tried these and what did they think? Sabrina:)

Below is what Dr. Miranda says.....people often confuse the gastric bypass and lap-band diets and eat too much protein which can actually do harm to your organs. Bandsters can absorsb everything so be careful not to over-do it with all the drinks and bullets etc. FROM DR. MIRANDA.... "50g the most. Remember there is protein in beans, meats, egg, dairy , and even cakes. Usually people over eat it. Extra protein will store as body fat.Who need extra protein?patients that suffer from severe burns, pregnant women, children (they are growing) and athletes." Dr. Miranda