stockprincess

Thanks everyone for everything! I have been on fitday.com for two days now and we will see what happens! I appreciate all of you!

yes, I had that problem, too. As a matter of fact, one of the most embarrassing moments of my life happened because of it in the airport. I'll leave it at that. Just know that it is normal. You don't have anything to make it solid!

someone said to bring gas-x strips and I am SO SO SO glad they did. those are heaven sent after surgery. i brought a camera for a last minute "before shot" and to document my experience. slippers (as have been suggested) are a must, as well, because you have to walk around the clinic really soon after surgery. they take all of your jewelry before surgery (I had forgotten about my toe ring) so take anything you don't want lost off before you leave. that's all i can think of right now. good luck!

Hey all! I have been gone for a while from the forum because I had given up. I have had quite a roller coaster of a ride in the last year, but I am back and determined for this to work. I am posting mainly so that others can see what I have been through and learn from my mistakes. I have NEVER blamed any of this on the band itself...and I am now where I understand that it was all me. I was banded in January of 2007. I weighed 252, which was the highest weight of my life and can be partially attributed to the holiday season. I made it (barely) through the post-op diet phase and went back to the OCC in March of 07 for my first fill. Dr. Romero gave me 2.0 ccs which is the most they will give a first time fill recipient. I felt no restriction in how much I ate...only in how fast I ate. I have two jobs and I am a full time student. I am also one of those people that talk fast, live fast, eat fast. Fast food in the car is a way of life - not necessarily BAD fast food - you can find some good options, but eating in your car with a band is really not an option. So, I was frustrated and went to see a fill nurse here in Phoenix. She is a very nice lady and only charges $100 for a fill. She does not, however, use floro. She does it by how you feel while drinking water. I have a cousin that saw her once, got his "sweet spot" fill and lost 100 lbs. That did not happen with me. I went from 2.0 to 3.0 ccs and everything in between. I was either PBing every meal or eating as much as I wanted. And, being a student, $100 a pop was killing me. I got so frustrated after 3 months of back and forth and really no weight loss that I had her remove everything. With no fill, I had virtually no restriction. The only time I even remembered I had a band was if I ate bread too fast...and even then it wasn't too bad. Fast forward 8 months to the Oprah show. Everyone who had the band had been successful. Why hadn't I? It made me really examine where I was in my life and what had gone wrong. I realized at that point that it had been all me - I ate too fast, I ate too many carbs, I drank with meals...I basically did everything the OCC told me not to do. Somehow, I thought (even though I had been told differently) that the band was a fix-all. I thought I had to lose weight with the band - it didn't need my help. Man, was I wrong! So, I made an appointment for a fill at the OCC to give it another shot. I figured if it was done right and I was determined to make the right choices, it has to work! Dr. Romero gave me 2.3 ccs. Watching the screen to see the barium go down opened my eyes to how important floro is and how the band SHOULD work. Thank goodness I hadn't done any damage to my body with my poor choices. So, here we are. A few days after the fill - already down 5 lbs. Of course, a liquid diet never hurts weight loss. I am determined for this to work. I am determined to let the band work how it was designed to work. It takes WAY more work than I was ready for last year, but I am ready now. Do any of you "successful" bandsters have any tips for me? Diet, exercise, etc? I would love any help I can get...

Hi Donna! Yes, only because my plane ticket is bought and the day of work taken off...sorry. guess my husband will have to be okay with the trolley.

Hi all! I have been scheduled for a fill on the 22nd for a while, but just this week my husband told me that he is a bit uncomfortable with me taking the trolley down to TJ. I have done it before, but...whatever. If anyone is going to get a fill on the 22nd, I'd love to know so we can discuss sharing the cost of the van. Thanks! Cara

Okay - truth time. I haven't been on in a while, partly because of time contraints, and partly because i am so discouraged. I have lost NO weight because of the band. Dr. Ortiz did a wonderful job - everyone at the OCC is fabulous. Having said that, I feel like maybe this wasn't the right choice for me. I am down 15 pounds since day of surgery and all if it has been since I started Weight Watchers again and had an unfill. I eat what I am supposed to, I work out. I do EVERYTHING that everyone tells me to and nothing. (Truly - none of this is the problem.) I would take small bites, chew like a mad woman and PB until I was so streched out that I could eat whatever and however much I wanted. The next meal, same routine. Finally, my husband said enough and I had an unfill (not all the way) which allows me to eat without PBing at every meal, but still gives me no restriction. Is my body just not suited for this? Teri, I know that you have been through the same fill/unfill battle as I have and if I read correctly, you are down close to the same amount as I am. How do you stay positive and not get frustrated? I really don't want to give up on the band, but Weight Watchers is helping me see results when the band didn't...

Thanks, Teri. Glad you are doing better. I am still tight - she took out .3, so I am at 2.6 right now. I can eat, but not much, and the 3 bites i am able to take are painful. Anyway, no worries about leaving - I know you needed to find out how your fill was. I am sure we will run into each other again. I am just happy to start losing weight. I just need to be patient! How was your week?

Hi there - I am feeling a little discouraged, but I know that if I just hear from a couple of people who have been through this, I will see the light at the end of the tunnel. I had surgery on 1/8/07. Before my first fill, 6 weeks later, I had lost maybe 2 lbs. I had little to no restriction during that time - I wish my first fill had been at 3 weeks. Anyway, after my first fill, I lost in about 6 weeks, maybe only another 2 lbs. With 1.8 ccs I felt really no restriction as to the amount of food I could eat. I had to eat slower, but not less. Yesterday, I received a fill - I am now at 2.9 ccs. I feel restriction now, maybe too much. But, that is a different story. So, my frustration is - all of my life, I haven't been able to lose weight. I have screwed everything I have tried up. I just plain eat too much and what I shouldn't. Is it possible that I am so prone to being fat that I will screw this up too? Am I so addicted to food that I should just resign myself to the fact that I will always be this way? I am not looking to be a super model - but to wear normal clothes would be nice. Today is my 29th birthday - and I don't want to start my 30s the way I am today. Anything anyone could tell me would help a ton. Thanks.

Well, to counter the lady that lost all of her weight without a fill - I lost nothing before my first fill. Not an ounce. So, there are two extremes to every story, I guess. I would make the appointment. you can always cancel, but i would doubt the first time you would need to. Good luck!

do you know what these doctors charge? do they use floro?

Hi there! Sorry, I haven't been on in a bit - I didn't lose much weight on pre-op either. 3 pounds is IT! Dr. Miranda told me to talk to my Endocrinologist. (Did I spell that right?) She was concerened that I hadn't lost any but didn't make a big deal of it and I went ahead with surgery. No problem. Actually, one person with us didn't even DO the preop diet. No one even said one word to her. Is Lori going to erase this post? But, that is the truth. Although, she didn't have much to lose anyway...

pbing stands for productive burping. this happens to me when i've eaten too quickly. without getting too graphic, it is exactly what it sounds like - a burp that produces something. and the something is a thick liquid as your body is trying to correct the situation. it hurts SO bad and you don't want to do it - promise. the first time I pb'd, i thought i was going to die, literally. But, I walked around and stayed calm and everything is fine. Just a good reminder to CHEW.

Hi there! I had surgery on Monday. I took it easy for the rest of the week, but I was pretty normal just days after. If your job doesn't require much lifting and maunal labor, I wouldn't worry at all! Good luck!

Bubbles... Congrats! I wish you all the best luck in your travel and experience. I can tell you that I never once felt in danger, threatened or anything else. Although, I second the motion that, if you are alone, I wouldn't walk around town - just to be safe. Now, you can always get in a cab or walk with another bandster and I wouldn't feel nervous for you. My husband and I walked around town, went to the grocery store, ate at a restaurant, etc. No problem and never felt unsafe. Again, all the best to you!