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FLGIRL

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Everything posted by FLGIRL

  1. I hit a really bad plateua before my first fill, super hungry. I went to fill center USA in St Pete, FL. The ARNP gave me a 1.4 cc fill and I have had pretty good restriction with 5 pounds down since then-3 weeks ago (I can eat pasta now, but any kind of rice or eating too fast and I am in trouble!). I'm just taking it slow. I've had friends with really agressive fills who ended up PBing a lot and miserable. My plan is to keep my fill until I platuea for 4 weeks or start gaining.
  2. The first appointment has to be booked by fill center USA. I am wondering if I can book future appointments right through the office. The total cost for the first fill and consultation with fluoro was $375. Also if the fill is too tight the unfill is free regardless of when it needs to be done ( she's not super strict about the 72 hour rule). I think follow up fills are $100-$200. I also got lots of information, handouts, and a great book that I wish I had before getting banded!! She is a great resource! Good luck!
  3. I know I'm new to lapband, but on some level we're all experts on nutrition and dieting. I had hit a pretty steady plateau and was starting to eat at night and getting extremely hungry after dinner. What I found was that I was really starving for fat in my diet. My diet was so low fat that my stomach was literally growling for it and I would get that shoulder pain. I increased my olive oil and tried avocados at dinner and my night time munchies have all but disappeared. I hope this is helpful. It sounds like you have a great attitude Cindy. We all get to that bummed out place once in a while. Hang in there!
  4. I bought Retin A for wrinkles/ acne. it was super cheap ( 4 dollars for a large tube) I bought it at the pharmacy in the supermarket at the mall near lucerna. I didn't need a script. wish I had been more prepared to stock up!
  5. I just had my first fill at Fill Center USA in st petersburg, fl. Great experience . The neighborhood is a little sketchy, but the staff is great! Kathy Gonzalez ARNP did my fill (1.4cc) with fluoro. she is a total pro. she congratulated me on working with dr ortiz who she confirmed is the best! she also has local surgeons she works with in case of an emergency! I would have loved to go back to TJ but my band hurts me when I fly and from where I am in florida its kind of a treck! Hope this helps anyone lokking in the Florida area!
  6. Hi there! im in venice florida , about 30 miles south of Sarasota about 1 hour south of st. pete. z
  7. I just had my first fill at gthe Fill Center USA in st petersburg, fl. Great experience . The neighborhood is a little sketchy, but the staff is great! Kathy Gonzalez ARNP did my fill (1.4cc) with fluoro. she is a total pro. she congratulated me on working with dr ortiz who she confirmed is the best! she also has local surgeons she works with in case of an emergency! I would have lovex to go back to TJ but my band hurts me when I fly and from where I am in florida its kind of a treck!
  8. HI, Dr. Ortiz and the crew at OCC said I could sleep on my stomach when it was comfortable. I have been sleeping on my tummy since post op day 3 or 4 without any trouble. Sometimes if I sleep directly on my left "port" side, it feels tender, but otherwise, no problems. Good luck!!
  9. Thanks Jazzy, I have been reading your posts since before surgery and part of what's been working for me is the PROTEIN (thanks for that tip!). I do the 42 gram protein shots and they keep the hunger at bay. I'm taking everyone's advice and letting go of the "stuffed" feeling. It's been a lifetime of eating that way but I"m ready to let go!! I'm excited about my fill this week. I'm going locally because flying really bothers my band (weird, huh). Can't wait for the next part of this journey to begin.!
  10. Great job Judy!! and thanks for all the posts and useful tips. It's really inspiring!
  11. Thank you so much for posting. I am so inspired by your weight loss journey! I can not wait to hit the sweet spot. I guess I'm kind of mouring the "old ways", but I am not morning the 17 pounds that I've lost so far! One step at a time!
  12. I'm starting to mourn the sensation of "fullness". You know, that comforting feeling that you just couldn't take one more bite because you are so "satisfied". I haven't had my first fill yet, but right now I have three sensations that I vary between: 1) hungry 2) Just eaten and not hungry (but not "full" either) 3) Taken one bite too many and in pain; you know the feeling like someone has kicked you in the chest. LOL #3 is what keeps me at 1200 cal per day. I guess when I got the band I thought I would have the "full" feeling but with less food. Does anyone get "full" or is the whole band thing work because we are avoiding pain? I'm just curious. The band is a great tool and I do not regret having it placed, but I wanted to have a glimpse of what is to come when I get my fill next week. Thanks!
  13. Great post and definitely helping me to keep perspective as I go forward with my fill decisions. Pammie pointed out that I am eating around my band (all good food, but most of it soft and not utilizing my restriction). I'm going to bring it back to "basic" and see if I can't re-start my weight loss even without a fill. Thanks guys!
  14. I hear you girl! I had similar problems. These things helped me: 1) heating pad whenever possible 2) keeping my work outs very light (walking) 3) not drinking more than 4 oz at a time 4) Low stress (yeh right) 5) warm liquids 6) Tylenol and ibuprofen (not on an empty stomach) Hang in there. It doesn't seem to last too long in most people
  15. Hi Carrie! Do not get discouraged. A couple of things you said in your post you have to focus on! 1) You are still losing weight despite a thyroid condition and PCOS! 2) You are in great cardiovascular shape! The time you have put in has made you a stronger healthier person! In terms of the body.. One of the things that you should do is take your measurements (waist, thighs, hips, mid arm ect). You might in fact me losing inches in the waist and arms, but becuase you are looking at yourself in a judgmental way every day, you can't see it. I bet that you are! I also agree with Christy about increasing the amount of weight your training with until you feel "muscle failure". But most importantly, love the skin your in. It sounds like you are doing awesome things for your health! good luck!
  16. I have the same question and was going to post, but you already laid the groundwork. Basically I have lost about 10 pounds since being banded. I had a really rough time at the beginning, but my discomfort was more about the band itself (i.e. post-surgical and gas pain) and less about restriction. Right now I definitely can't eat the way I used to (i.e. I ate a carrot too fast yesterday and thought I might actually die- but it must have passed through because about 15 minutes later I felt fine). Now I'm not sure if I should get a fill. I want to keep losing (I've sort of plateaued even though I'm staying within the 1000-1200cal range) but I don't want the pain or discomfort that I had the first 2 weeks. I just want to feel full. Also I find myself "cheating" with "mushies" and liquids because I am afraid of the PB thing. I'm afraid this will get worse and my whole diet will be protein shots and muscle milk! It seems like most people are for getting a fill, but I'm nervous. Let me know what you think (please)!
  17. Hi. You may have a condition that isn't directly related to the lap band, but the stress of surgery has caused it to "blossom". It sounded like you had jaundice which is high levels of bilirubin in your system. The liver enzymes being normal points to a non-liver cause. The spleen enlargement may also be a clue that this is a hematologic (blood disorder). None of this is meant to scare you, but you need to get some answers about what is happening. I agree with the canadian, you may need to be seen in the ER to get proper attention. Do not postpone this. Please re-post to let us know how you are doing. Thoughts and prayers. Z
  18. Hi There! I had a terrible time with the gas pain in my shoulder and also in my belly. I wanted to post because I know what you’re going through. This is what I did; take it for what it’s worth. 1) I posted to this group. I got a lot of good advice and support and just knowing people had gone through it helped a lot and actually relaxing a little made the pain better. 2) I called the OCC regularly to make sure that I was not having symptoms that sounded dangerous. 3) I used the heating pad and never drank cold liquids. The heat seemed to work wonders. 4) I made sure I wasn’t constipated. Not having a BM seemed to make it all worse. I used Milk of Mag but others use liquid fiber with great results. 5) Do not underestimate the power of ibuprofen. I started taking it and it practically eliminated my pain. I think the anti-inflammatory action helps enormously. 6) I think I had a good amount of swelling which made me more uncomfortable so I never had more than 4 oz of liquid at a time. This was advice from the OCC. When I was going through all this pain/discomfort I questioned my sanity in doing this to my body. However……When I was uncomfortable I had no appetite and lost more weight in 2 weeks than I had been able to do in two years. My pain got much better in 2-3 weeks and now I have virtually no pain or discomfort……….. but my appetite is back and I am struggling to keep up my momentum before my first fill. Now I know this was the way to go despite the problems that come along with it. Good luck and it will get better!! Hang in there!
  19. I had a terrible time with constipation after surgery and it seemed to make my gas worse. After about a week, I ended up having to use milk of magnesia (metamucil gives me really bad gas too) which moved things right along and actually made me feel better. I spoke to the doc at OCC to make sure this was alright. They like metamucil better but I didn't want to risk the gassiness so he said if I neede to it wouldn't harm anything with the band.
  20. Hearing everyone's stories has literally made me feel better. I'm much less stressed and giving myself a break and allowing myself to not feel perfect 2 weeks out! If I take motrin (liquid of course) before bedtime I can sleep through the night without any pain and the sleep makes me feel much better during the day. Still having a tough time tolerating enough liquids to get to 1200 cal per day plus 64 oz water, but that's getting a little better too.Thanks again guys!
  21. Thanks Guys, That makes me feel so much better. I skipped the workout today and stuck to hot liquids. The ibuprofen really works well (I mean like scary well). I'm hangin' in there, but it can be a litle scary. I mean it's really easy to get freaked out and think you've got a slipped band or something really wrong. Good to know I'm not alone and there is light at the end of the tunnel! Thanks! >
  22. I am two weeks out (banded on December 5th) and I'm still pretty uncomfortable. Very "gassy" with shoulder pain way worse at night. I am totaly on liquids and losing a good amount of weight because if I drink too much fluid it makes my stomach really uncomfortable. I'm really active and have restarted excersizing as well as full time work. I've called the OCC clinic and they're really reassuring, but I'm freeking out a bit becuase it seems like everyone else feels great! On the good side, I have dropped 13 pounds since pre-op (1st time in years I've been able to drop weight this quickly). Anyone out there who is or has experienced similar, I'd love to hear from you.
  23. I am two weeks out (banded on December 5th) and I'm still pretyy uncomfortable. Very "gassy" with shoulder pain way worse at noght. I am totaly on liquids and losing a good amount of weight becuase if I drink too much fluid it makes my stomach really uncomfortable. I'm really active and have restarted excersizing as well as full time work. I've called the OCC clinic and they're really reassuring, but I'm freeking out a bit becuase it seem like everyone else feels great! On the good side, I have dropped 13 pounds since pre-op (1st time in years I've been able to drop weight this quickly). Anyone out there experiencing similar, I'd love to hear from you.
  24. I'm traveling with my sister to get surgery done on December 5th. I'm sooo nervous. I'm the most nervous that this will be like every other thing I've tried and not work. I'm trying to be positive and go for it! I chose the holidays on purpose, becuase I didn't want to go through another Holiday season gaining the requisite 10 pounds which I then spend the next 6 months trying to loose. See you all there!
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