Smiley

When I went in for my last fill my PA asked if I could eat fries, which I could. He was surprised, so I am assuming that fries are in the same category as breads and rice. However, I don't have a problem with bread or rice either.

I don't have gallstones - thank goodness, but my gallbladder has decided to basically stop working. At the time it was tested it was only working at about 2%. I see that you live in KS. I am not sure where you live in KS, but have you thought about locating a doctor closer to home to do your fills? I am a patient at Weight Loss Surgical Center and not sure if they do fills on people banded elsewhere or not, but it is worth a shot. They have offices in Overland Park and Wichita, and maybe another place or two in KS. Dr. Malley in OP also does fills on patients banded elsewhere. The additional cost of the fill should be about the same as the cost of a plane ticket and then you wouldn't have to fly.

You are still burning too many calories if you are staying withing the 1200 calorie range. Most health clubs have personal trainers on staff. I would suggest making an appointment with one (there may or may not be a fee associated with it) and putting together a workout plan with them. Some places even have nutritionist which would also be a good person to meet with. If there is a Hy-Vee grocery store in your area I think they have nutritionist available to meet with you. You need to be 100% honest with these people in regards to the band, how many calories you eat a day as well as how much you have been exercising. If you don't want to go the personal trainer/nutritionist route, contact your doctor and find out if it is okay to exercise at the level you have been while only taking in 1200 calories.

Based on your post earlier today it sounds like you are doing fine now. Believe it or not though, .1 or .2 cc's can make a huge difference. Back in December not only did milk and water hurt going down, but my chest hurt too much to even try and turn over in bed, and it hurt to breathe. I went in the same day and they took out .1 cc's and everything was fine after that. I have had two more fills since then and have done fine, but for whatever reason I had too much in the band at that point in time.

I agree with fatfreeme, you are working out too much in a day's time. I honestly lost weight faster when I wasn't working out at all (no, I am not recommending this). I now burn 200 - 250 on days I do the elliptical. Spin class days I burn about 300 calories and have no idea how much I burn on the days I do a video at home. You need to cut back significantly on your exercise. Do 30 minutes of cardio one day and lift weights the next. Change up what you do on each day such as elliptical on Monday, upper body on Tuesday, bike on Wednesday, lower body on Thursday and treadmill on Friday. Shoot for a few hundred calories burned and I think you will start losing.

Shoot - I love the elliptical, but after 99 minutes on it they would have to call a fork lift to get me back to the locker room because my legs would not carry me. They feel kind of funny after 45 minutes. On Friday mornings I do a spin class and we typically go for an hour even though it is a 45 minute class. I spend the rest of the day limping around and walking like an old woman. Some people are addicted to exercise which has the potential to do more harm than good. If you see her there again maybe you can find out her motivation for working out that long.

Good times all the way around! Tomorrow is going to be a beautiful 70 degree day for a wedding and then you get to experience snow on your first full day of married life. You are luckier than you know! I have often thought that brides with a band have a good reason to demand that cake not be shoved in their face - last thing they would want to do is pb on their wedding day b/c of this. Congratulations on both of your achievements!

Make sure you are getting enough liquids. Sometimes you think you are hungry when in all actuality your body needs to be hydrated. My last fill at the end of Feb. was the only time I got tighter a few days after the fill, but yes it is very possible. I was so tight for awhile that I wasn't sure I was going to make it, but I did and as of yesterday I feel like I have lost my restriction, so time for me to go back for a tweak. Make sure that those between meal snacks include protein. I have noticed on occasion that if I get hungry a couple of hours after lunch and then have 2 or 3 saltines with peanut butter on them around 3pm, that I can go another 4 or 5 hours before I get hungry. It seems strange that such a small amount can sustain me for so long, but it can.

I chose Dr. Barnthouse. His office is in the Carondolet Doctor's Building on the St. Joe Hospital campus, but the surgery itself will be at Menorah.

I so agree with both of these statements. My doctor told me that unless I go over a cup of food I will not come close to stretching my pouch, so stopping after a couple of bites is not an option for me and I get concerned when I hear that others do that at most every meal.

I know a family that adopted 6 of their 7 children. These 6 children have some problems and the mother doesn't trust them at night. She went to Lowe's or Home Depot and got these little buzzer things that she put on their door frames. The children all sleep with their doors shut and if they get up in the middle of the night and open their bedroom door the buzzer goes off so that she knows someone is up and can go check on them. Maybe this would be a solution that would work for you to not only help wake you up, but also to wake hubby up so that he could reason with you and convince you to change your mind and go back to bed. Also, if you truely feel hungry in the middle of the night keep a glass of something to drink on your nightstand, it might just be that a drink or two would help your hunger subside.

In regards to your looking forward to possibly having the band out in a few months, if I were in your shoes I would be afraid that they would fill me up with CO2 for this procedure as well. Some people do have more pain than others, but from what I have read on this forum and another one everyone's pain eventually subsides to the point that it is gone or is tolerable and recognized as a normal part of their new life. Not being able to eat real food is bound to have an effect on you right now. Get thru the next week and I think you will start feeling better at least by the time you get to eat real food, if not before. I know walking is expected as soon as you can, but 3 miles a day seems like a lot to me - is your doctor okay with 3 miles of walking per day 2 weeks post surgery? About 7 months after my surgery I started having severe pain when I walked or breathed deeply. We eventually figured out the pain was caused by scar tissue which thankfully has remedied itself because I thought I was going to pass out from the pain at times. I got in trouble with one of my doctor's for taking presciption narcotics for the pain, but I ignored him and took it anyway because if I couldn't be lucky enough to pass out I wanted to at least be "happy" about the pain. Hang in there, you can do it and in a few months this will be a distant memory.

I am thinking you were banded today. Let us know how you are doing when you feel up to it, although we do like a good drug induced post on occasion.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! I remember that day myself. I had bought 16W's three months earlier and the next time I shopped the regular 16's were too big and I had to buy size 14's. I totaly skipped a size, but then when I went back home and put on the 16W's it was obvious to me that I should have stopped wearing those much sooner than what I actually did.

Each doctor I saw said something different. The one I am going to knows that I have another 20 or so to lose. He was fine with that amount, but said if I had another 50 or so to lose that he would not be doing the surgery. He also said that he will be removing 10-15 pounds just by doing these two areas, and feels that the tummy will not be where I would lose the remaining weight should I chose to put the surgery off until I lose more. I figure I will get another 5 when/if I have the thighs done at a later time. The second doctor said I should be within 10 pounds of my goal weight and the third doctor wanted me to be at a stable weight for 6 months. I am really focusing on size more than pounds anyway. I literally have been overweight all of my life so it isn't like I am trying to get back to a certain weight. I originally thought 160 would be a good target, but my primary doctor said 150. I also have a large frame and pretty much know that 144 as suggested on the weight charts is not an option unless I want to look anorexic. I am not looking to be super model thin, just "normal". I also hope to get to a size 10 and stay there. I am currently wearing some 14's which are starting to show that they are getting big, but I plan on wearing them until I have had the surgery. I have bought some jeans and capri's in 12's and they fit nicely. Therefore, I am pretty sure that after this surgery I will be down to a 10. I told my mom that I am finally going to lose my baby fat. Seriously, if you look at my baby pictures I have a roll of fat on my inner thigh and that is the same roll of fat that would be targeted by the thigh lift.

I AM SOOOOOOO EXCITED!!! I met with my plastic surgeon for a second consultation today and I am now scheduled on April 30th for a Tummy Tuck and an Arm Lift here in Kansas City. The last time he and I talked about doing a Lower Body Lift, but I just wasn't sold on it. I realize I would probably get the best results from a LBL, but based on the cost of the LBL, the fact that my outer thighs do not need the help and I am not trying to get back to any kind of body that I used to have (because I have never in my life not been overweight), I requested today that we do the TT instead. There is a chance that the TT will help my inner thighs enough that I will be satisfied with them and will decide against doing the Thigh Lift in the future, but then again I may not. If I didn't want to wear shorts, short sleeve tops and a swim suit I would be pleased with my body the way it is, but I am not a fan of my arms falling below my sleeves and my thighs falling below the hem of my shorts. The TT may help my "love handles" some but that is not guaranteed. Those are the least of my worries anyway and I am willing to live with them if that is how it turns out. I am also excited that I saved $3000 by doing it this way as opposed to the LBL route and then still having to do the Arm Lift and possibly the Thigh Lift at another time. If I had chosen another doctor I could have saved another $3000 by not having to spend the night in the hospital, but I really like my doctor and the extra $3000 is worth the comfort level I have with him as well as the extra sense of security it will give me and my family. At this point I have spent a total of 2 hours over 2 office visits with him and have not had to put out a dime. I was really impressed that my first consultation lasted an hour and a half and I was the only patient he was dealing with. I had a consult with two other surgeons, one which kept running between me and another patient and the office of the other surgeon never sent me price quotes as they said they would the following day - it has now been a week since my visit. My surgeon even takes his own pictures as opposed to one of the other doctor's who had his office staff do it and then she called me to come back because she didn't do them right. That appt. was scheduled for this afternoon, but I cancelled it. At the point of the plastic surgery I will be 14 months out from my Lap Band surgery. As of this morning I am down 67 pounds and hope to lose at least another 3 by the time of the plastic surgery for a total of 70 down. I knew the plastic surgery would come at some point, but definitely didn't expect it this soon. Once I realized how bad my arms and thighs were going to look this summer and already do look in my workout clothes I decided to get busy. I could say so much more, but if I am going to sacrifice a couple of weeks of library time to recover from this surgery I better get busy on my dissertation as I do plan on graduating some day. I am already envisioning my graduation dress and how I am going to strut across that stage and accept my diploma. On second thought I may not strut, but I will definitely walk tall, proud and confidently across that stage. Sorry this is so long, but like I said before, "I AM SOOOOOOO EXCITED!"

I take regular tylenol pills - at least I did last time I needed some. I am not 100% sure they will go down now and I might have to cut them in half. My doctor explained that NSAID's can be hard on the stomach and if one gets stuck and has to dissolve while in the pouch in order to go thru the band that it could cause some stomach erosion. I don't know how true any of this is, but I spent and am still spending a lot of good money on this band and have no intention of doing anything that might cause it harm. I prefer to err on the side of caution. Therefore I am supplying my co-workers with ibuprofen when they ask and once that bottle is gone they will have to get their fix somewhere else. I even refused to take the anti-inflammatory medicines after my knee/foot surgery, but did allow them to run it thru my iv while they were doing the surgery. I had shoulder surgery 2 years prior to my band and the anti-inflammatories messed up my stomach regardless of how much I ate at that time so I know I will never again take them in pill form and liquid medicine makes me gag.

Kohl's has their winter stuff on clearance right now. If you all noticed have of their clothes this winter were short sleeved and these are now on sale. I bought 6 clearanced tops this weekend for $58. Goodwill stores are a great place to buy clothes while you are losing weight and know that you will not be in these clothes for long. Look things over and be picky, but most things are in the $3-$5 range. Some items still have the tags on them, but they will cost you more. It is kind of like a garage sale with a lot more options and no weather problems. Take a shot a returning the shorts, they might be willing to do an even exhange. Do you still have the tags for them? Do you have your credit card statement or cancelled check to help prove you bought them there? I would send you my 14's, but I am still wearing them - sorry!

a arnotts biscitt Are these also known as Tim Tam's? I was in Australia in 2001 and during a hike in the rainforest our guide kept giving us cookies/biscuits that he called Tim Tam's. They were wonderful, even if I was the sickest I have ever been in my life. I have found something in the states at World Market that I think are the same thing, but they do say Arnott on the package. I might like to go back to Australia and try that rainforest hike again after I lose all of my weight and have had my plastic surgery. I and my friends seriously thought I was going to on that two day hike because I was so dehydrated I was vomiting by lunch the first day and I had heat exhaustion. Our guide told my friends that once we got to a place where his radio would work he was going to call some people to come meet us and carry me out. I only wish he had told me that so that I could have completely given up trying to walk out on my own once I reached the place where his radio worked. But, I was trying to be strong for one of the other hikers who came into contact with a gimpy gimpy plant and later found out that she was trying to be strong and keep going for me. Maybe this will be the trip I take my nephews on when they graduate high school as that will give me a few years to plan and save for it.

What do you mean by "trying to burn 1000-1100 calories"? If you are trying to actually burn that many calories via exercise each day you are defeating your weight loss, because you are only supposed to be taking in 1000-1200 calories a day. Your body has to have some spare calories to function on, otherwise it tries to hord the calories you are taking in. There is a technical term for this hording, but I cannot think of it at the moment.

Are you sure it isn't an EKG you are having to check out your heart? That was a requirement by my surgeon before I could be cleared for surgery.

Have you changed up the clothes you are wearing? Sometimes we caught up in wearing things that too big or baggy because we don't want to spend money on new stuff which does make it kind of difficult to tell that weight has been lost. Have you taken pictures and compared them side by side? I had a few people make comments when I had lost 45 lbs., but they were mainly people who knew. I have found out since then other people were talking, they just were not making comments or asking me, which fine since they were mainly co-workers who did not know and I would have come up with some lame explanation anyway. Heck, I am 13 months out and 66 lbs. down and I still have not told them how I have lost the weight other than eating less and exercise.

I developed hives and then blisters, but they were at the end of the steri-strips that covered my incisions and therefore believed to be a reaction to the adhesive on the steri-strips. I am afraid yours are in strange places to be considered a reaction to adhesive. I would suggest contacting your doctor and maybe taking some Benedryl with the doctor's permission.

I saw this show for the first time the day of my surgery. I watched it while waiting to be taken into surgery and then again after I got back to my room. I told one of my best friends that I wanted her to nominate me for the show once I got to my final weight/size. I did not necessarily agree with all of the outfits they suggested, but I did notice they let you buy some things before they step in and "correct" you. So, I am thinking even if they don't agree with my choices I could at least get a few things bought before being corrected. Cleaning out my closet would take no time at all because all of those clothes are already boxed up and waiting for a spring garage sale. Have fun during this time and go into various stores and try on anything and everything whether it catches your eye or not. You might find some new styles that you never would have dreamed of. It doesn't cost anything to try stuff on and in my book as long as I am moving I am exercising and burning calories. Take some pictures in these outfits and ask your close friends what they think about the look. I was doing this the other night and discovered that 3 out of the 4 size 12's that I tried on fit, which means I now think I have to get rid of all the 14's and start buying 12's. However, I am going to try to hold off until I figure out the plastic surgery thing in hopes that I might be able to jump from a 14 to a 10, at which point I am done losing and ready to maintain for life. BTW - I also watched the Redneck Wedding show on my surgery day. I am definitely a country girl and appreciate things to do with camo, hunter orange, guns and hunting/fishing, but give me a break. Even though my friends know this about me I have no intent of giving them the opportunity to link my name/image with that show.

I gurgled for 4 or 5 days after my last fill. I have not gurgled for the past 3 weeks, but I do have good restriction. I mainly noticed it in the morning with liquids.