AngieB

Okay, so I canceled my fill apt yesterday morning. YESTERDAY!!! I swear, it was like my band opened up! Give me a break! Ugh! Here I was thinking I've reached a decent level of restriction, and the day I cancel it's like I can eat more and not feel full. Is this a joke!? Alright, now that I have that out of my system, I will say, I am looking forward to my apt tomorrow. I canceled my fill and decided to make an apt with a nurse to get my vitamin levels checked, weigh in, and basically touch base. This beginning process takes a toll on my spirit. Up down up down. I am beginning to feel like I am on a yo-yo-coaster. Over all, I think the hardest part for me was the reality of I am a slow looser. That restriction does matter with me. Glad I am not the only one out there like me. I am down 32 glorious lbs and that is great! I love that I have lost my baby weight. Took me getting the band to do it! Now onto the "other weight." I am pretty happy I am in the 240's!!! On the subject of fills: The good news is I have a good amount of saline in my band. I am setting at 1.6 cc's, so that gives me some restriction. I may not be at my "sweet spot" but I know I am dang close! Maybe I will reschedule for October to give myself some time to see what is going on with my body/band. Time seems to be pretty critical for me at this stage, as I mentioned above my feeling of being on a yo-yo-coaster. Who knows how I will feel tomorrow. That is why I think it is good to give it some time to shake out. I'd love to feel some balance!

Here is my reply to the post I was talking about. I voted, "In a pinch I'd do it in a heartbeat if I had all the right supplies." I voted first, then cruised the posts that followed. I was suprised to find so many people against it. My mentality is different I suppose. Thinking about the question posed, my main concern about doing it comes down to my level of discomfort. It would take some focus on my part, and if I was so tight I was unable to swallow my own spit, I'd hope to be able to pull it together enough to do the deed. I mean after all we are talking an emergency situation here. Here is an analogy, What would you do if you were short on breath and gasping for air? Setting next to you there was an ozygen tank and mask. Would you ignore it? My answer is for petes sake NO! I would put the mask on and huff the air into my lungs. Of course I am going to help myself! I agree full heartedly that safety should come first. Fill party.....hmmm I don't see myself attending one.... Doing my own fills. Now, that is another subject all together.

Hey'a Stormy! If you are pinching penny's I recommend making the arrangements on your own. If you take the shuttle from the airport to the boarder then a cab to the OCC it saves you big bucks! I am talking shuttle maybe 5 bucks a person, taxi 5-10 max to the OCC. Very easy and as a matter of fact, there is a detailed post on here that has pictures every step of the way to help sooth some nerves. You and your hubby should be able to do it together no problem. Also, there is a hotel, some bandsters on here have wrote about. It cost 50ish a night and is very nice. Saves you some money there too. Glad you are making it back. I have to say you are looking great!

Ha ha! Yeah, DIL is funny and sadly true!

I had to buy a package. Which was $1000.00 up front to the surgeons office. That covers 4 fills for me with them. Each time I go, I give another $50.00 to the floro department. So, fills 1-4 cost $300.00 a pop. After that, the price drops and I pay $75.00 to the surgeons office and $50.00 to floro. Fills 5 and on will cost me $125.00. I called around and priced everyone in my area. This was the best deal. I live in the mid-west so flying to TJ is not practical for my fills. I have a family and a career here. Plus I like the fact that I have a surgeon locally in case I need immediate care. They are alright here. Not nearly the service you get in TJ.

Ha! ha! I chewed and spit during my post-op diet. When I told my husband and a fellow bandster about it, they gave me the pathetic vibe. Sooo I was pathetic, but it was better than the alternitive. Although I wish I could say I chewed and spit a big mac, instead I will admit it was a lamo hot dog slice. But it tasted so good, and I savored the juices. Never thought a darn hot dog would ever taste that good. LOL (I did have my cheat moments too. Actually listed them on my blog entry back when that was what was happening in my band world.) Now, I am living with the band. I am not super strict with my diet. I have strings of time when I add No No's to my diet. Which impacts my weight loss. On a postive note I am getting better, and better about my diet. For me conforming has been a process. I really don't feel like I deprive myself. Most of the foods I ate before I can eat now. I don't do breads, on occasion I will have some pasta, but mostly I do protein. Hope this helps.

So I was reading on LBT and came across a thread about doing your own fill/unfill in a pinch/EMERGENCY. It was actually a poll with discussion. I voted, and then took the time to read through the posts. I have to admit it was interesting banter. I am a DIY kind’a gal in most circumstance. I have done some limited reading on the topic and have discussed this subject with my family. My husband thinks it is CRAZY as does my mother. My father and I have a slightly different perspective. During my pregnancy I administered my own shots. Although this is completely different than accessing a port, I mention this fact only to relay that I am capable of poking a large needle into my stomach. Although, I will say I have not done a 19 gauge needle in the tummy. Confidently, I do feel like I could do my own UNFILL in an emergency. That being said, I can say pretty confidently that my husband in an EMERGENCY would NOT be able to do it for me. Nope, he does not have what it takes. He can’t stand to see me in pain and it would bother him soo much. It would have to be in a situation where no one knew how to do it and I had the right equipment ect. Safety First! Also, I can forsee the situatiuon happening. Like when I visit my family in Wyoming. I would find it easier to trust myself over many of the health care providers there. Most likely I would walk someone through how to do it. I would also have to evaluate how bad off I was.....so many variables.... Here is how the question was posed. There are pages of responses. “Be honest.... Have you ever done your own fill/unfill? Even in a pinch? Scenario; it's late at night, your fill is too much, you are barfing your guts out, you can't even keep saliva down. You can't reach your doc (maybe he's not returning phone calls, perhaps he's in Mexico, etc.) and you are getting dehydrated. Many ER's don't have docs working that have a clue about a band. What do you do? Or, what have you done? BTW, this is a private poll, nobody will be able to see your response.”

So last week I was 250. This week I am pleased to report I am 246.3! Looking forward to hearing from the rest of you! I got a new Weight Watchers scale. Way better than my old model. Not to mention, it said I was lighter than the other one! Ha! Who wouldn't love a scale like that??

Magkai1 - I was not one bit scared either, I did feel some nerves of anticipation.....the waiting was so hard. Since April, I have lost 32 lbs! I am so thrilled about the weight loss, and am looking forward to feeling better as I get healthier! I had a pleasant experience, it was more like a mini vacation rather than a medical tourism trip. I am 5 months out from my surgery and the only regret I have is NOT DOING IT SOONER!

The day/night before your surgery you won't be eating/drinking a lean cuisine or any shakes. Not unless you bring them to Mexico with you. I had a sensible dinner. I went light, but had "real food." I think you will find you will get fuller faster anyway, as your stomach has gotten small from the pre-op.

Disasterwalking- I don't think you should stress, stay the course and get as close as you can. I freaked out about my pre-op and it turned out fine. I actually lost all the weight I needed to. Even if you loose a few more lbs, the point is to lighten your liver for the operation. You would be able to knock me over with a feather if they didn't do your surgery. You have made an honest attempt and lost over 1/2 the weight required as is. You have one more week to drop more weight. It's do-able! Hang in there. You are nearing the bandster line! Yippee! Shelby - I have to say, you look soooo much younger. Looking at your initial picture and you in the racing photo, it is amazing.

I bought a new scale. It is a Weight Watchers scale. I have to say, it is nicer than my older one. When I stepped on it, I was nervous it would tell me I was heavier than the old scale. NOPE - LIGHTER! It read 246.6! Whoop! That number made me happy, considering last week I ate sweets EVERYDAY at work. Talk about a bad week for weight loss. Yikes! I am officially down 32.3 lbs! Yay me! I am relieved, and excited about the numbers going down. For a while, I was getting down hearted. It can be difficult not to compare myself to others. I knew as soon as I got a decent level of fill built up in my band, the numbers would start to change. Waiting is the hardest part. The relief on my husbands face is nice to see. I think he was worried when the weight didn’t start to shed right away. I am happy, he is happy, we are happy! I mentioned to him this morning, I am nearing the weight I was at when I began my pregnancy in April 2007. I was 240 when I stepped on the scale at the Dr.’s office. We had just returned from out honeymoon. I think I gained 5 lbs on the cruise. Ugh! Each new mark is great to see. Before long, I will need to clean out my closet. That will be exciting! What is great is I have plenty of cloths to fit into! I saved my cloths, so I won’t be shopping for a while. I have cloths all the way down to size 14. Currently I am a size 20/22 depending on the pant. I can’t wait to wear some of my tops again. They are nice and waiting for me. My boobs are getting smaller! I realize I am going to have to buy a few bras in the next month or so. Let’s talk fills….shall we. I have an apt for a fill this week. Still trying to decide if I need it, am I restricted enough?? During my TOM I noticed I tighten up. It was great! The amount of food I was comfortable eating decreased. The weight is coming off…..maybe I should wait on the fill. This week I am going to evaluate my eating, and weight loss. Right now, as it stands, I think I should cancel the apt for Friday. My hubby and I talked about it, and we decided to wait and see how this week goes. Will I loosen back up? That is the big question? Realistically, as long as I am loosing 1 lb a week, we are good to go. Goals: along with my 10 lb goals, I am hoping to loose another 15 lbs by December. I believe that is do-able. I am hesitant to set the goal higher, due to my slow beginnings. Can I take a moment to say, I love this band. Goal + Current weight loss = over 45 lbs! I love it. I am not unhappy with the weight loss, and feel happy to be loosing it slowly. My hope is to not have extra skin. It wouldn’t hurt my feeling one bit to avoid a tummy tuck. I am noticing a difference in my skin and hair. I have been taking a vitamin E gel capsule, calcium, and NeoCell, along with take a multi vitamin, liquid. Today, I ordered some children’s’ liquid iron. I’ve noticed I am bruising more & I figure adding some iron in every now and again would be wise. Seems like a lot of supplements’. I joke they are my breakfast or snacks.

When you share a single serving portion with you son and feel satisfied.

You are so awesome Carrie!!! I love your posts and it has been super cool to watch you loose weight. Your like the incredible shrinking woman! LOL

I think it has to do with caffine being a diuretic??? John, I honestly don't know why it is.....that is my best guess.

Sounds yummy! I made eggplant lasagna. (used eggplant instead of noodles) Super yummo! I'll definately try the squash spaghetti, sounds like a winner.

I have used snacks from time to time. I am adding a snack to my day to prevent getting to hungry and over eating. For me, it has taken a while to get a fill that has provided me with any restriction. PErsonally, I think its important to have reasonable expectations, until you get close to your sweet spot. Which has been hard for me to do. It took 3 fills for me to feel restriction! My doctor does fills a month apart. So it has taken me a while to get the ball rolling. Everybody is different. Some add a snack to shake thongs up and confuse their body's. You can get into a rut and your body will be on a even keel where your not froping any weight. One thing I pay attention to is the eating/drinking time frame. I drink 60 + oz of water so 2 snacks a day makes that a challenge for me.

I love that your husband went with you! (We won't tell him you told us.... )

I don't drink with my meals either. I did it once by mistake and it felt terrible. I've found that drinking after or before is not nearly as hard as I once thought. It is simply retraining yourself to change a behavior. My stuck spot lately is carb cycling. I am working on that as my slippery slope. Each of us has a hang up. We all have our work to do. Are you wanting to change this hang up?

Shelby - Happy Bithday! Have fun racing today! I am sure you are going to look great in those size 8's!!!!

I live in Omaha, NE now. I love it, but eventually we will move closer. My parents REALLY want to be closer to their grandson. Cheyenne was nice, I don't miss the wind one bit. My cousins live in Cheyenne.

I am so glad it went well for you Nicole! I was thinking of you today so I was happy to see your post. Did your surgeon say how long your stomach would take to heal and feel better?