GirlBarb

Michelle,

It has been ages since hearing from you, I have also dropped off the radar and came back when you did.

Sorry that there is upset in your life, and hope that it is only to make a better life for you. I have been through 3 divorces and am married to a man that I consider my best friend and soul mate. Ther can be happy endings, and not just in the Disney cartoons.

I followed all the little black dress photos of you and was very inspired, but unlike you, I fell off the wagon and have not yet reached my goal. I have issues that I need to get through.

Please keep posting, we need you here along with all the other members that suport each other and keep us honest.

welcome back Michelle, Barb

I miss this poting site more than I realized.

Reading your reply's has litterally brought tears to my eyes. You are all such a great sorce of strength.

I am going to find the 5 day pouch test and let you all know (keep myself plugged in for help) how I do at finding out where my pouch is at. Thank you so much, hugs Barb

I was out cold after my surgery and Dr Ortez kept on checking in on me. My husband was by my side. When I finally did wake up my husband shocked me by saying that the doctor was a nice looking guy. He never comented before or after the doctor about how a mans looks...rarely does he even coment on females LOL

I want to thank anyone up front who understands and reads this, and I want to say that I am sorry if I have not been such a great roll model.

It's embarassing to even write about this. I was down to 160 last April and now I am up to 176. The 160 didn't last long because I had been over filled (but still shocked to see 160) When the fill came down the weight went up.

Once in a while I still slime, but in general I eat anywhere from 1.5 to 3 cups at a meal. Rarely 3, and usually 2 Cups. I blame my hormones or the fact that I have been in school full time for the last 7 monthes. I have low energy and don't push my self to exercise anymore. My house is on the market and I am on call to clean it up for showings. Disruptive! I just feel that I don't have the ability to focus on my weight loss life style if ANYTHING gets in the way, I put myself last.

I can suceed when I am narrow minded on my journey with keeping strick logs of my food intake and calories...being religous about my exercise...reading the forum or going to group suport...I am so humbled (angry, disappointed, depressed, you get it?) to say that I cannot do this on my own.

That being said...I DO LOVE my band, I am afraid to get more fill and I guess I need it with all I can eat. But being overfilled once and not being able to keep water down for two days made a real chicken of me. Also I know that I will miss eating the foods and vegetables that I eat now.

Okay, I am a whinner, but it has been really hard for me to admitt how vounerable I really am. So tell me, how do I grow a back bone?

I would like to know the answer to this on too!

Hi Ronda,

Is it an Infrared Sauna that they have at the spa? This one heats up your core, but is only 115 degrees to 130 degrees on the outside, unlike conventional saunas.

I used to go to the YMCA and use the sauna there, I really miss it, it was so relaxing.

take care, Barb

I would like to buy one of these and would like to make sure it will not interfer with my band, so please let me know if any of you use one of these?

Please let me know? Thank you, Barbara

Hi All,

I am interested in getting an Infrared Sauna and before I do I need to know?...

Will it melt my band?

Cause the fluid fill to boil?

Cause any health related risk?

There are so many benifits to get from the sauna, but not if it is going to hurt my band.

Also they come in ceramic heater or carbon heater, which is better or does it not matter? The ceramic is a lot cheaper.

Thank you for information you can share about this topic.

Barbara

The TT does hurt and your doing everything right by planning on recovery. I had mine in the early 90's and it still looks great! It is so worth it. Best of luck to you.

I would love to know how the thigh surgery goes, and what the results look like. I would love a thigh lift but have heard that the scars get very wide. Let me know if they have new ways of doing the lift? I have too much much in the "Y" area, if you know what I mean?

Best of luck to you, happy happy happy

Barb

I thought that I would give you an update. Today the doctor did a complete unfill, said I would gain weight but wants me to wait two weeks for another fill.

Thank you for your help.

I called the doctor this morning and he called me BACK two times. I never called before and was surprised that he was so responsive. He is going to take some out tomorrow, Sunday.

The good news is that I took a suposatory for nausia a couple hours ago and was able to get the most fluid inside of me...10 onces of water. It hasn't come up yet and it's been 20 minutes.

I'll let you know tomorrow.

I was banded this past June and I still get painful twinges from the port. I don't worry, there is not an infection or raised sweeling in the area and it's not red at all. Keep an eye on it, if it bothers you too much, do check it out with a doctor.

This Thursday at 2:30 pm I had a fill (169 lbs). I had 1.9 in my band, she put in 1.0 extra, so I now have 2.9.

She put the needle in and had me sit up (this did not bother me at all, I'm okay with needles) and had me drink while she filled me. Everything went down great, and I drank all the way home.

Friday morning it took me 1 hour to drink a small cup of tea. And for the rest of the day I got tighter so that I was NOT able to keep 2 sips of water down. I though it would loosen up in the night time, so I took a hot bath and sipped some hot tea. I was NOT able to keep anything down and just wanted to sleep and be out of my misery. I would get woken up by choking on my spit that couldn't past through the band. I kept a cup by my bed because I got so tired of getting up to slime.

I spit up 2 sips of water this morning, but I was able to keep down 1/2 cup of hot coffee.

But in that day and half, I lost weight...161 lbs.

If things don't improve by tomorrow morning, I am going to have to have some unfilled. Too bad that it is so unhealthy, because I am not hungry at all. I haven't slimmed in a couple of hours now. I called the doctor and he said I could wait it our until Sunday if I can pee 3 or 4 times today.

Thanks for letting me share. Your banister buddy soul mate, Barb

Unless people are blind, they will see a huge difference, keep it up you are looking great

There is one part of drinking while eating that hasn't been addressed: If you drink, you dilute the stomache acids that aid in proper digestion of your foods.

Hang in there, we have all gone thru the dreaded "Bandster Hell"!

It is that time between surgery and your first GOOD fill.

I say GOOD fill because it took 3 fills for me to even know what restriction felt like. I was banded 6-6-08 and did not get restriction until late August.

Then my body went into a platue!!! But all and all, the band is such a help. It will keep you from binging. I have only lost 40 pounds, but someone who got banded with me has lost OVER 100 so far.

Listen to your body and keep doing what you are doing, you might have lost a ton of inches, how do your clothes feel?

Keep up the good work and I hope you get a good fill on the 3rd.

Awwww, I am sorry I missed you! You have done wonderfully, wow! Good for you.

Mona THANK YOU THANK YOU

Your post is just what I needed to hear.

I think that I have lost the least amount of weight of the 5 ladies I keep in touch with since meeting them on banding day in TJ. I was down to 170 in Sept and stayed there until last month when I dropped 5 pounds, but I think that I gained most of the 5 back by being discouraged and eating too much "cheating the band with chocolate and cheesecake" I am so down on myself for "sneak eating" behind my suporive hubby's back! I have been so good at staying away from that crap until now. I felt like a loser....but in the wrong way.

Your post has motivated me to let the band work in it's own time and to just do my part. I needed that boost right now and you have given it to me. I will also go back to logging to food intake and my nutritionist has also reccomended me getting my BMR taken to determine calorie intake.

Mine were a DD on Surgery day and now I am between a C-D and I love it. They feel so comfortable in my clothes and when I sleep or lounge on the coach.

My friend lost 165lbs and calls her boobs: "bananas"

Wow, I liked all the honesty in this post.

Here is mine: My husband is proud of my for loosing the weight, although I have more to go. He also didn't notice that I was as big as I was when I got banded. He said so when he looked at the TJ pictures before surgery.

My BIGGEST fear weakness that causes problems is that I stop focus on the band lifestyle change, I slip back to old habbits and thinking when anything and I mean anything disrupts my attention I am back to square one and have to get motivated all over again, and in the meanwhile, I gain weight.

example: I am planning a move and my focus is on everthing except me. I don't seem to mind until I realize that I have all the steam and motivation to continue with the new way of life that helped me loose the weight post banding is gone as if it never happened, I even forget it is there 90% of the time.

But it freaks me out that I can't keep the band lifestyle going. I want to exercise and don't becasue my feet hurt and I get body aches that discurage me doing what I should. I look to food for comfort and it works for the time being, but I know that this is going to hurt me worse in the long run and I will only feel worse. Why do I do this to myself?? Why do I listen to what ever is throwing me off goal and not to my loving voice of reason?

I'm not trusting myself at all today, because I have been out of control. I wish I could be better to myself.

On the brighter side, writting this post is helping me get back on track, thank you all for listening. Barb

I can go weeks without slimming and start to think that maybe I need a fill because everything is going down too good and too much. Then bam!! Something like rice or bread or a tiny piece of really good chewed meat will get stuck.

Last week I had the worst ever, it lasted for 3.5 hours and I slimmed the thick clear mucus in the amount of three full cups before my band release the food to my stomache! I was ready to go to the hospital when it finally stopped. I stayed on liquids for a full two days after that.

My band is very unpredictable, with exception to a few things that will not go down, eating is a bit scary.

no ground hamburger...steak is okay

no hard boiled eggs...soft boiled or watered down scrambled are okay

no to bread

no to rice

whole wheat pasta is okay

no fish with a chewy texture

YES to eating other healthy things and losing weight, being off BP meds and fitting in a size 8 stretch jeans YEAH

Lori Becky knows how to do this, just give her a call.

How do I reach her, how do I get her telephone number?

I looked on the home page and didn't see her there.

Barb

lisa, thanks for the encouragment, I also looked at your photo gallery and was blown away with you!

You are one of the few bandsters that hang in there for us, it seems that 99% of the people are new and then after a few months they disaper.

Thank you for suporting us all.

Barb

What do any of you know about writting off the medical costs of the band on our taxes?

Just last night I had a dream that food was falling from the sky and everyone had grocery carts and they were running around picking it up off the ground, it was all processed foods.

Thanks so much for letting me know about your experiences with the product. The cost is the biggest issue for me. Since Sept 08 I have not lost any weight and have even gained 5 pounds. I was looking for a jump start that might get me going in the right direction again. I like the idea of going to a health food store and getting the products cheaper.

Barb