calicoast

I have taken a pill that was large & cut it in half with a sharp knife to swallow and it worked great. I did this because first I crushed it and it tasted awful! I too am scared to swallow a big pill and it getting stuck, especially with my good restriction. Drinking something warm first also helps. We rescued a few feral kittens & pregnant cats when I was a girl. We kept one of the kittens, and I swear to you, it was THEEE SMARTEST cat I have ever owned! Very affectionate too.

My first fill was on the 22nd and I felt no restriction at first... until 4 or 5 days later, then I made the mistake of eating too fast and WOW..so much pain and I actually threw up, with very little warning! lol Now I have really good restriction and eat my protein first! Anything bread-y gets stuck!

I cut my pills in half, but that was before my fill and better restriction. I'm kind of afraid to take a big pill now. I'd go with what the last poster said, smaller pills and warm water bottles! Hope you feel better...

When I was at OCC on Wed., 10/22, the crew was there filming the teen and Dr.Ortiz for The Doctors show and they told me to watch for it in a couple of weeks. It's probably a follow up / success story to the show that aired today? Interviewing them both on how it went? I don't know, but that's what he told me! I will be totally excited to watch! Kristen

Hi Stormy, I just got my first fill - 1.6 - yesterday at OCC and everything went fine. I have read posts about not using Fluro, that it's not that important. I would never have allowed them to NOT use Fluro! I needed, for my own peace of mind, to see how the whole thing works, I wanted to see where my band was, if my stomach stretched (a bit paranoid because I could eat anything, not that I over ate...) and most importantly, because of poor Julie, I didn't want an over-fill. When the Dr. had too much fill, the fluro balled up and wouldn't pass, when he let some out, it passed slowly, but it passed. I got to see all of that! I will never have a fill without the fluro! ( am I spelling that right? lol) Anyway, just my 2 cents... I came away less afraid, and so will you.

No, not Dr. Phil, but on the new show he produces, "The Doctors" with that super cute Dr. Stork, from The Bachelor!!

They will all eat their words and attitudes when they see Dr. O on yet another respectable TV show! He will be on "The Doctors" in about 2 weeks, I was just at OCC getting my 1st fill and they were filming. I too had no restriction and could eat anything! I was only too happy to get down there for this fill. They put in 1.6 & I really hope it works for me! I was very tired of the plateau that I was stuck in for weeks. It was becoming so discouraging... Anyway, Good luck!

I just got back from OCC having my first fill done, & a film crew was there to interview Dr. Ortiz about the Lap Band procedure he's done for a teenager. The crew told me to watch for the episode to air in about 2 weeks... Fun eh? The crew commented on how beautiful he thought the OCC was... Dr. Phil's, "The Doctors"

Ok, I just got back from OCC, and while I was there, there was a film crew there to flim a story about a teen who got the Lap Band from Dr. Ortiz which will air on the tv show, " The Doctors", the Dr. Phil new show! He said it will air in appx 2 weeks & to look for it! Anyway, I got 1.6 cc of fill; I hope it works! I'm eating black bean soup as I type and so far, no problems... lol Julie: I did refer to you and your problems without naming names, ( I kept it vague...) and he told me they did have a MAJOR internet & Telephone cable that went out and affected the entire city for a long time... AND, I had left my favorite pillow at the Lucerna during my initial surgery 6 weeks ago, and OCC retrieved and held it for me this whole time! So happy to have it back... haha

I am headed for TJ in a bout 40 minutes for my first fill and it can't come soon enough! I have zero restriction and have been on a plateau for weeks! I am so glad about all the informative posts here , especially the one from Julie regarding her last fill at OCC. I will know all the right questions to ask now, thank you!

Well, I have ATT and it did not work. I had to call my friend from the hotel and have her quickly add Mexico to my plan so I could talk to my kids. I stupidly assumed because it's a hop, skip and a jump from the border that it would still work... NOPE! I would add international to your plan, temporarily.

There was a great tip from a lady here about Fitday.com that I went to. ( I believe she was recommending diet menu's, which I didn't find, but I found other GREAT things about the site) You can make up a profile for yourself that includes a daily food log. It is GREAT!! You input what you are eating and it calculates the calories, fat, carbs, protein, etc... It tells you, depending on what type of exercise you are getting, how many calories you need to eat to lose however much weight needed for your ultimate goal! You can even "customize" food, so I went and got all the nutrient info off of my protein powder and 1% lactaid milk and input as "protein shake". It stores all the food you have put on your log so If you're like me and tend to eat the same things because they are good and good for you, then it's easy to find. It's been a great way for me to track my calories, which I have never been able to do in the past, and I tend to be a "wondering eater" snacking when bored, etc...Now I know if I am getting close to my day's limit. Check it out!

I love that Tuscan tomato basil bisque too, but it is very high in sodium! Like 720 gr per 1 cup!! I stopped eating those high sodium soups and look for less salt ones. Trader Joe's has some great creamy soups that are easy on the salt...

There is a recipe section? Where? Anyway, I start off my day with a great chocolate/banana protein shake with Lactaid 1% milk for breakfast and cream soup for lunch and dinner. I always get full after about a cup. That said, I cannot wait until solids! Oct. 1st! That's when I'll have to watch it...

I too have only lost 10lbs since 9-11-08! I don't get it! I have been walking stairs and hills, still on creamy soups and drinkable yogurts and have just stalled out. The 2nd week curse on biggest loser gave me a little hope though. I guess I'll just stay off the scale for a week. Argh....