mommyrkr

Hey Jan, I am Becki, I am in Lakewood, south of Tacoma. I had surgery on August 28th. (You could read about it in the newly banded section, banded Aug 28th, if you want) My first fill on October 24th. I am doing very well. As of this morning, I have lost 35 pounds. I have not pb'ed yet, but have been stuck several times. I am eating 1/3 or about 3/4 of a cup at a time. I feel great, except that because of my lack of drinking after surgery, I have kidney stones that are very painful. How are things going for you? The best way to catch up with people from Washington might be on the Washington Bandsters posts. We met for dinner about a month ago. Love to hear from you. Becki

Thanks Teri. I do feel better the more the day progresses. I have been very fortunate to not really have much that I can' eat. I can do bread ok, I have been sticking to drier breads though, or toast. I don't do great with asparagus, but I can live with that. I tried to chew very well, but it still wasn't comfortable. Anyway, it is much better the more the day progresses, though, the gas pain today is getting me too. And the kidney stones are very painful. Not the best day. Becki

Yesterday, I had a few bites of a burrito, and they got stuck. I have had things stuck before. It felt like tremendous pressure in my chest for about 5 minutes, then it slowly went away. Yesterday was different. I fell much more than trmendous pain. It hurt like hell!!! For about 30 minutes too. Then the rest of the night, I kept feeling a tightening in my chest, like a muscle spasm, that lasted a few seconds, but came very often. It continued all night. This morning, I am very tired, my chest hurts, but the spasms are much less painful and infrequent. I am guessing that I have some sore muscles from the episode, and that it the pain and discomfort I am feeling, but has anyone experienced this? It is new for me, and it hurts. Any advice would be very appreciated. Becki

Teri and Kyle, Congratulations to you both!!! What an amazing thing to be able to do together. To share that experience will keep you close forever. I'm glad things are going so well for you so far. Isn't it strange to feel full after eating so little? I am still not used to it. I tend to but more on my plate than I actually need. I hope things continue to go so well. And stick to the liquid diet...you wouldn't want to compromise your band. You can do it. Becki

I am so sorry about your grandfather. What a difficult thing to deal with. I agree with you about the difficulty in dealing with emotional eating. For almost 32 years, I dealt with every emotion with food. If I was happy, I ate, if I was nervous, I ate, if I was bored, I ate, if I was disappointed, lonely, angry, excited, or anything....I ate. Now, that comfort I found is unavailable. I eat more than spoonfuls, and I am doing well, but the principle is still the same. It is so much less than I ate before, and I really can't eat for emotional reasons...it hurts. I am finding it kind of hard to replace eating with something else, as eating has always been my reaction. I made a long list of things I could do instead of eating. It sounds so silly. But I have it up on my fridge. Some are a little harder to do than others, but it helps me when I go in the kitchen for any reason. There is usually something on my list that I could do instead. Sometimes it is fun (paint my nails), sometimes something that needs to be done (fold laundry). But it often helps me occupy the time I used to spend eating. I'm glad you are doing well, and my prayers are with you as grieve. Becki

Maggie, Good luck on your surgery. I don't really have any good advice, but I am one on this board who really has had no problems as of yet. The band is working like it is supposed to, I eat anything, only less of it, and I am losing weight. I am however, very diligent about following all of the 10 guidelines for bandsters, including exercise, which is easy to skip. You can read about what my experience has been like under the Newly banded section...banded August 28th. The only advice I have for you is to make sure that you drink (sip) constantly after surgery. It was a pain in the neck, so I let it slide, and ended up with kidney stones. So drink more than you think you should. Becki

Thanks Pam. I got it now. How are you doing, anyway? Do you seem to have good restriction? Are you losing? I've been curious how you were doing since our meeting. Roger, thanks, I had the same question. I seem to have pretty good restriction, but I don't know if it will last, or how it leaves. I am anxious about it, but not too stressed. Hope we can get some more feedback. Becki

Thank you so much. Everything you guys said was very, very helpful. I am glad to hear that they will readjust within a week or two for free. That makes me feel quite a bit better. I do not have the VG band. I am hoping that it will only take 2-3 fills to get the right level. I am curious about something though, how soon after a fill do you know if you need more, or if it is not the right level. I had a fill last Tuesday, and it seems to be very good, but I know I might still be swollen and the band has not been primed, so I expect some of my 2.4cc to disapate. Thanks for the help and advice. Becki

Can I ask a couple of questions? I have decided to go to Dr. Neal if I can't get to Tijuana. But I am concerned that he might not give as much of a fill as I might need, but just a little, then tell me to come back. I have heard so many stories of people going for many fills with docs in the US. Did you get a substantial fill, not just a tiny bit? Was he trying to find that sweet spot on the first try, or did he think it would take several trys? I am very uncertain about where to go if I need a bigger fill. I just had my first one three days ago in Tijuana. It went great, and I haven't eaten solids yet (start today), so I don't know if I have much restriction, but I am guessing, since it is my first fill, that I will need more. And tickets for a trip to Tijuana, are just a lot right now and till Christmas. So that might be out of the question until January. Anyway, I am very curious how much you got. THanks for the info. Becki

I just want to emphasis how important it is to get enough liquids. I didn't worry about it too much. It was really hard to drink so little at a time, but I ended up with large kidney stones from not drinking enough. It is not common, but it can happen. It has been a month since I was diagnosed with kidney stones, and they are still hurting me. I wish I could go back and work a little harder on drinking more. I would drink all day. Becki

Yeah, I'm at the Lucerna also. I am here for my fill on Tuesday, and my aunts surgery tomorrow. It is nice to be back. Wishing you all the best of luck, and hope to meet some of you. Becki room 222

Hey, what happened to optimisim. This works for so many people. I'm sure a fill was all you needed. ANd you are not Yoyo Chelley, just working it out and finding that sweet spot. But congrats on your first week. It is exciting. I am leaving today for my first fill on Tuesday. I am very excited as well, and anxious to be losing a little faster, and not having to be so careful. But I am very happy with this surgery so far. Becki

Lady, I won't go any other place than to Mexico and Dr. Ortiz. I looked and looked at local surgeons, then found out that several had been trained by Dr. Ortiz. I would rather go to the teacher than the student. I thought it was fun to take off for a couple of days. Everything was very professional, and I was treated much better than I would have been in the US. I felt fine after surgery, and really enjoyed my time. You can read more about my experiences in the Newly Banded section, I was banded August 28th. I will be going back for my first fill in a few days, and to accompany my aunt, who is having surgery. Becki

I sure that is the answer. I am glad to hear you so hopeful and optimistic. And glad your band is not ruined. Becki

I actually was wondering about before the fill. I am supposed to not eat the night before or anything? And then I know liquids for a few days after, but how many days, and what kind of liquids, full liquids, clear liquids, does it matter? Thanks, Becki

It would have cost me about $200 to upgrade on the way home, which was the price of the whole flight. So not happening. But I was just fine. I didn't even take pain meds, at all. I did however, not walk enough, so try to walk before and after your flight and use the bathroom when you can on the plane. My air time was only about 3 hours, but I had a 3 hour layover as well, so it was all day traveling, and I was tired when I got home, and full of gas. My advice is to make sure you drink, but just a sip at a time, and walk whenever you can. Becki

I will be flying in on Sunday, the 22nd, at about 5:30 pm. I had surgery in August, and am coming for my first fill and to be with my aunt who is having surgery on Monday, the 23rd. I will be having my fill on the 24th. I hope to meet lots more wonderful people there. So watch for me, I look forward to meeting you all. Becki

So you did get a fill yesterday. How did it go? And how are you feeling? Becki

I will be there on the 24th for my first fill, so I will see you all in the weighting room I am sure. Good luck, and congrats to those just banded!! Becki

I think I might like to look more like Arnold, and a little less like me right now, but no, not a big body builder. I would like to eat like a skinny person though, more than a few teaspoonful. You know, like a tablespoon. LOL . So I will exercise. Becki

Chelley - me too. I am just hoping that as I lose, I can exercise more, without the aches and pains for carrying 100 extra pounds. I have high aspirations of being and athlete, but now with so much extra weight. I hope it will help me eat more in the long run though. Becki

A pound a week is not slow, but just perfect. It is the healthiest way to lose weight, and will help give your skin time to adjust to the new you, possibly avoiding extra skin down the road. You also have not had a fill, so losing during this time is much more difficult. Congratulations on what you have been able to accomplish.

Before surgery, Dr. Ortiz came to talk to me. He said something along the lines of ..."it is not your fault you are overweight. You're body is broken, and doesn't signal that it is full, but we will fix that today." That made me feel pretty good. He sees thousands of overweight people, and pounds and pounds of disgusting flesh, and yet says it is not my fault. For years, I used food to help me get through difficult emotions. And it worked. I managed to get through things that drive others to drugs or suicide. Food worked for me, it helped me deal with life. But it also created very bad habits. It is a matter or retraining your mind. I don't need food like I did. What saved me before, no longer works for me, so it is time to relearn. I read a book that really helped me connect my eating to my emotions, and helped me figure out how to change it. It is called "Body Clutter" by Marla Cilley and Leanne Ely. It was very helpful, and I think I will read it again soon. What worked in the past, is no longer good enough for me, so it is time for me to make another choice in dealing with my feelings. Becki

I hope you figure out what works for you. It must be nice to have your sister to study. I didn't know anyone who was banded before, so I kind of feel like I am out on my own. I just want to comment on something you observed. You said neither your sister or our coworker exercise. I have found that to be true of most people. In fact, I have yet to meet anyone with the band who regularly exercises. Or at least, they don't mention it. I know that exercising regularly can greatly increase the amount that you can eat, by burning calories during exercise, and raising your metabolism the rest of the time. Exercising for several hours a week is one of the ten rules of being banded. When Dr. Ortiz said he wants us to eat 1/3 or what we did before (which is very fague for me), I believe that he was assuming we would all follow all 10 of the bandster rules. If we don't, then, of course, we should not be able to eat the same amounts of food. Eating by the spoonful seems like a pretty appropriate amount of food, if exercise is not included. For me though, I just can't get enough nutrients that way, and I have found some exercises that I really enjoy. I hope that I will not have to be as tight, and will need less fills, and find more foods acceptable to my band, by exercising regularly. That being said, I am off to the treadmill. Becki

I was banded August 28th. It will be 8 weeks between surgery and my first fill. I have done very well. And I am pretty happy with 26 pounds lost, and kept off before my first fill. I have some restriction now, but not nearly enough. If you want to read about my experience, it is under newly banded, banded Aug. 28th. I'm sure you are excited, good luck. Becki