Pamela

That sucks!! I wouldn't get a fill without Fluro because they can see exactly how tight it should be. You are spending way to much money on these "blind" adjustments. I hope they get it right this time!! Good luck to you and call around to find someone who uses fluro. I am paying $250 for a fill with fluro in Dallas Texas administered by the doctor. Well, good luck and hang in there!!

Hang in there Sand Pirate. I've heard of some people getting a thicker saline injected when they haven't had any restriction with the normal saline that is used. You might mention it to the doctor to see if they have more info. Glad to hear from one of my fellow bandsters!!!

Hello everyone! Just an update. I had my first fill in April and have been pretty tight so I still don't have a need for another fill just yet. I've been slacking on my exercise but plan to amp it up!! My weightloss is now 47 pounds....YEA!! I am ready to get to onderland. I need to loose about 18 or 19 pounds to get there. I'll keep you all updated. I love my band!!! I can't eat all that crap I love to eat. I can't eat bread so I haven't had pizza, hamburgers, sandwiches or anything like that since Feb./2007. Do I miss it???? Sometimes I think I miss it when it looks and smells soooo good but then my band kicks into gear and reminds me that all that stuff is a No-No. There are some foods that I indulge in that I really shouldn't but HEY we aren't perfect!! I need to up my protein intake for sure but other than that, all is well with me. Good luck to you all.

Sand Pirate, Were you banded on Feb 9th? If so, we were there at the same time! I don't visit the board as much as I use to so I was suprised to see you. I'm the blonde that was there with my sister. I don't know if you remember me but I wanted to say "hi". I have the 4cc band and have had one fill. I don't know about this sweet spot that I hear people talk about. My restriction is really good. I got this fill back in April and I don't feel like I need another one yet. I am down 45 pounds which isn't bad. I was hoping to be down about 50-60 pounds by now but I've been slacking on my exercise. It's my own fault. I really hope that you get the problem resolved soon! Good luck to you and "hello" from Oklahoma City. :-h

I've been out of touch for a while but all is going really well. I am still going downward on the scale so that is good news. I weighed 229 the last time I weighed in so I am down about 35 pounds total. I feel like that is good progress over the last 4 months. However, I would like to loose 10 pounds this month. I think that I can do it if I stick to a regular exercise program. My sons are really busy with baseball this month so that is taking more of my time than usual. Summer ball is a bear! My fill is still working for me so I am pleased about that. I will probably need another fill in September. Good luck to you all. Gistmom, you will be on liquids for a couple of days after your fill. Have fun on your vacation.

Excellent!

FurEllie, You will see the results soon. I know exactly how you feel because it has taken me to loose 30 pounds before seeing some real results and I still have a long way to go. However, now when I look in the mirror, I can see all the potential. Good luck to you!

Hello everyone, It's been a while since I last wrote. Well, I have really been trying to get my exercise routine going. I've been doing pretty good. I did a kickboxing class last night and convinced my husband to do it with me. It was funny to see him poop out before me. Ha! I'm doing a Rumba class tonight. This is a latin dance class/aerobics. I'm looking forward to burning some calories. My eating is going pretty good except for some of the soft items that I over indulge in every so often. However, I weighed in today at 233 so I am happy about that. I need to loose 4 pounds by the end of the month to meet my monthly goal. My first fill on April 14th is still working for me. I hope I won't need another fill for a few months. All in all, I am steady shrinking and can now see some pretty big changes in the mirror. My clothes are fitting much looser and I am buying smaller sizes. I am feeling really good at this point. I can't wait to get to that 200 pound mark and then into onederland!! Good luck to you all! :-h

My band seems pretty consistent right now. I can't eat a lot of anything except ice cream. I get frustrated sometimes when I can't eat because the food looks so good. We had a celebration lunch at my office and it was Mexican food. I made a plate with refried beans, one beef taco and 4 chips with salsa. After two bites of the chips, I feel it stuck and start to do the sliming bit. I was pissed because I wanted to eat some of the food on my plate. I guess I should have started off with the refried beans before getting stuck. Everyone is probably wondering why I haven't touched my plate. I guess I just need to learn HOW to eat with this band. I must be eating too fast or taking too big of bites. My weight loss is pretty steady so I am happy with that. I am 1 pound shy of my 30 pound loss mark. =D>

Over all, everything is going really well for me and my band. However, I keep finding myself eating ice cream because it is an easy fix. I haven't been working out like I should but I plan on changing that tonight. This band is a great invention because it really will keep you from eating some of the foods that have helped you put these unwanted pounds on. I can't eat pizza, french fries or hamburgers anymore. I'm scared to try since my last sliming episode on a McDonald fry. I usually binge on these fast foods and I have totally cut that habit out. I wish the weight would drop off faster but that is what we all want. We want the weight to drop off overnight and that won't happen. I still feel trapped in a fat persons body because I am still wearing plus size clothing. I still don't like the rolls I see in the mirror. I still battle the same demons but I feel that I have power over them now. That doesn't mean that they are gone ......YET. I'm still in the war so to speak. I love myself and I now that one certain fact. That's why I know that I will be successful at loosing every unwanted pound!! I will do this and I won't let anyone or anything stop me. That doesn't mean that I won't have a bad day. It just means that I will get back up and FIGHT!!! I wish you all the best of luck!!!!

Hang in there Terri! I hope you will have enough but not too much restriction with this fill. My fill is still pretty tight. You know, I still find myself eating ice cream when I shouldn't and a three musketeer bar here and there. I don't think it would matter that much if I were really exercising every day. I just need to amp that part of my program up! My weight loss is normal right now but I am really anxious to loose 15 pounds before June. I am heading to the gym tonight and hope that I can get into a serious habit of working out every evening. This is going to be the "key" with my success because I do like to eat some of the sweet stuff every now and again. I don't mess around with french fries, pizza or hamburgers anymore so that's great. However, ice cream goes down very easy. I hope you start loosing some of the weight that you gained back. I hate to see you go through this fill struggle but I guess it's a part of being a bandster. Good luck to you and your son! !

Hang in there! We are all going through the same thing for the most part. My first fill was more aggressive but I am thankful for it. I still struggle with eating some of the soft stuff that I shouldn't eat. However, my band has kept me from pigging out on so much. I haven't even had a real hamburger since my band date of 2-9-07. I hardly eat pizza anymore and I would normally stuff my face on Friday with pizza. I've see such big changes in my eating pattern since being banded. With that said, I have had my share of tears over not getting to eat something that I really wanted or just being so frustrated with something getting stuck or sliming for 30 minutes after I've taken a small bite of something. It can be very frustrating but I am sure that it will all be worth it once I've dropped this weight. We feel deprived because we can't eat something and we still feel fat because we are. The weight is slow to come off so at times I get frustrated and feel like I am trapped in a fat persons body. ****IT TAKES TIME**** This is what I keep telling myself so that I can try to maintain a positive attitude. Some days, I eat more than I should. Some days, my band is tight and I don't eat much. It's the life of a bander. All in all, this band is going to work for us if we just hang in there. Call around to see if you can find a doctor who can give you a fill for less money. I paid $250 for my fill and was told that I could have a free adjustment within two weeks of the fill if I needed. Good luck to you!!!!

*****UPDATE***** I weighed this morning and I am down 6 pounds since my first fill on April 14th! My total weight loss since my band date of Feb 9th, 2007 is 26 pounds gone forever. I'm feeling great! I just need to get this exercise program kicked up a notch!! Good luck to you all!

My first fill is still in full effect. It's been a little bit over one week since my fill and I am feeling great. I am eating much less than before and I have dropped 3 or 4 pounds this past week. My mom cooks us dinner on Sundays and last night she made fried fish, potatoe caserole, brocolli and buttered bread that smelled soooo good. I made a very small plate that included on very small piece of fish and a spoonful of potatoe casserol. No bread for me and I was a little bit scared to try the brocolli. I felt fine after eating that small amount of food. I made a low fat version of banana puddin with vanilla wafers. That was delicious. Preband, I would have eaten three or four peices of that fish, two slices of bread and a big spoonful of the potatoes. I am lovin my band!!!!!

I feel the same as you! My surgery went so smooth and I loved everyone there at the clinic!!! They are really wonderful people! I would do it again in a heartbeat. Good luck!!!

Terri, Wow, how frustrated you must be. I just got my first fill and so far I'm doing pretty good. He gave me 2.25cc's and told me it would be tight because I drove 3 hours to see him and he didn't want me to have to make the drive again for another 5 or 6 months. He told me to stick to protein shakes and other full liquids for 7 days. I've had no problem keeping this stuff down but I'm not so sure about solid foods yet. I don't want to be too tight but only time will tell. Good luck to you and get that fill soon. Pam

Congrats on getting banded!!! I loved the whole experience too. Dr. Ortiz and staff are top notch! I have no complaints and I love seeing this weight drop off!

Well, I had my first fill this past Saturday the 14th! It was a great experience and was pretty much pain free. It was cool to see my port and band on the Xray machine. They ask you to swallow some barium liquid and it just flowed through my wide open band and then slowed when the doctor put the saline in my band. He gave me 2.25cc which he said was pretty tight but he didn't want me to have to drive another 3 hours to see him again in two weeks. He told me to stick with protein shakes for the rest of the week and then to chew slow when I start on solids. Full liquids are going down fine so we'll see next week how solids feel. I was excited to see that I had not gained back the 20 pounds that I lost after surgery. I had no restriction and was eating much more than I should so I wasn't sure what the results would be when I weighed at the clinic. The doctor said that I should loose 6 to 8 pounds per month and shouldn't need another fill for 5 to 6 months. I know how fickle this band can be so only time will tell. Anyway, I am really excited about my band right now. I feel great and feel full longer and I haven't even started eating solids. I am motivated to be a good little bandster right now. I had fun eating what I wanted for a little while but I am back on the band wagon and hope to see some results soon. Good luck to you all!

Well, tomorrow is another big day for me as I am getting my first fill. Oh, how I really need this fill! I hope I get good results. I'll let you know on Monday!!!

You're in good hands with Dr. Ortiz! I had my surgery on a Friday and was back at work the following Monday. I would be willing to bet that you will feel fine for presentations on Monday. Make sure and walk a lot after surgery to get rid of gas. I didn't have any gas pains that you hear about but I think that had something to do with me walking a lot on the day after surgery. I went shopping with my sister in Mexico while we were there. We had a blast! Good luck!

Katie, I know how you felt with the stuck episode. I HATE that feeling and then your saliva is running out of your mouth. It is horrible. I have avoided bread (especially thick bread) after my little episode. It's wierd how you won't feel very much restriction and then you eat something like that bread and BOOM... it's stuck in your throat. It happened to me today at lunch in a restaurant so I excused myself and went to the restroom where I threw up a little bit. I guess it was a piece of broccoli that I didn't chew up very well. I felt better afterward but I hate when that happens. After our first fill, we will have to be really careful to chew and eat slow. I wish I could go back to Mexico for my fill but it won't be possible this time. Maybe next time. As far as the 26 pounds that you lost, consider it a bonus! I've heard from several bandsters that you don't really start losing weight until after your fills. They say that a lot of people gain all the weight back waiting for their first fill. Hang in there! I'm in the war zone too!!!

Hang in there! It does get better once you can start eating softer foods. Don't be to concerned with what the scale reads at this point. Your body is healing and hanging onto every calorie since you are on this liquid diet. I'm down 20 pounds from my surgery date of Feb 9th. My first fill is scheduled for April 14th. I am loving my band. Good luck to you!

I was down another 2 pounds this morning! Pretty excited about it because I don't have a lot of restriction right now. However, I do eat less than before the band. I am looking forward to my upcoming fill scheduled for the 14th. I really want to loose another 20 pounds before the heat of this summer hits. This exerience has been wonderful so far. I know that I am still a newby at only 2 months post op but I am loving my band. Losing weight is so exciting especially when you are used to struggling to loose 5 pounds to just gain it back. This is the first time in a long time that I am losing weight and keeping it off! It is a wonderful thing. The future is bright!!

Good luck on your upcoming surgery. I was banded by Dr. Ortiz on Feb. 9th and I was up shopping in the Revolution District or maybe it was just a street named Revolution the next day. The whole experience was great. I didn't suffer any of the gas pains that you hear about and that might have something to do with me walking so much the next day. The pain is minimal and you are given some pain meds. My surgery was on a Friday and I was back at work the following Monday. However, I do have a desk job. You will really like the whole staff at the clinic. Everyone is super friendly and make you feel right at home. No bad experiences to even discuss. Oh, your guest will not be able to stay the night with you at the clinic. They are escorted back to the hotel and then you will meet up with them the next day. I didn't realize that and was a little bit bummed when my sister didn't get to stay with me. However, there is a flat screen t.v. in your room with digital cable. I haven't had my first fill yet but I am down 20 pounds so far. I am going to get my first fill in Dallas Texas because the airfare is too expensive to San Diego right now. I am sure that you will have a good experience so just go with the flow and don't get to worried or scared. Good luck!

Welcome back Lori! We've missed you.