Kim927

Thanks Ladies, we've got to be able to laugh at ourselves, right?! Hope everyone had a nice Valentines Day, and survived it without going into a chocolate coma! Unfortunately, that's a holiday that is usually lost at our house. It comes a couple days after one of my sons birthday, and right before my husbands, therefore is often ignored. But wouldn't you know it, my husband decides to acknowledge it this year by bringing me home a large box of yummy looking chocolate covered strawberries!!! He goes, well, you can have one a day, it won't hurt you. He just doesn't get it! One, they wouldn't last that long before they went bad, and two, I don't want to open the fridge and see them staring at me for that long, calling my name. Soooo, I had to eat a couple (just so I wouldn't hurt his feeling of course!!) and then I fed the rest to him and my son for dessert. Actually, I really think that was his plan all along, but I'll forgive him! Michelle, now I have your NSV thing stuck in my head, and I'm having fun with it! My scale has been whacky lately. I was down 25 lbs., then one day the scale showed I was down 28, then the next 25 again, and then 25 1/2, and then today it was back to 27 1/2, so I've decided I'm claiming at least 27 and not going to jump on the scale for a couple days. Maybe by then it will stick!! But the good news is that I'm finding lots of new NSV's, like a size smaller in my jeans, my tops are loose, more energy, and my fingers aren't swelling because my rings are too tight! Of couse along with those things, comes the areas that are starting to sag some, but I don't care if I have to hold everything up with bungee cords when all is said and done, I'm still going to do this! Becki, if you read this, your new picture is sooo cute, darling girls!! Now for the dumb question...How do I put a picture on here?? I hate having my picture taken, but it makes this so much more personal and I feel like I know each of you more when I have a visual. Lets keep having fun! Kim

Kim, Hey 24 lbs. is 24 lbs. you never have to see again, at least not on your bod!! Do that again in the next 15 weeks and you'll really be rockin' it! I don't think any of us has been perfect, but most are still having results. We didn't get here overnight, and unfortunately we can't get if off any quicker, but we KNOW we can do this now. I haven't even tried drinking yet because I'm such a frou-frou drinker. Margaritas, Mai-Tais, Kaluha and cream, you get the idea. I happen to read an article, right after I got my band, that listed the calories in many of the drinks I like and I was floored, like 600 to 800 each! Well, I decided I'd much rather have food than that for now and my husband loves it because I'm such a "cheap" date!! Anyway, I think you're doing great, you know where you could do better (don't we all!) and it's your decision if you need it to go faster or not. You always hear that 1 to 2 lbs. per week is the safest anyway. I'm not breaking too many rules as far as the foods I'm eating, but I still tend to eat most of my calories late in the day or evening, and I have to break those habits and start exercising more. I have to respect Becki for wanting to "be a runner", I can say that's not something I've ever aspired to! Don't get me wrong, I'd like to be one of those people that enjoys that, but everytime I try, which isn't often, all I can think of is how much more all that bouncing is going to make my boobs sag! Sorry for that visual!! I put all the snack foods like cookies and candies in the freezer, that way I can take out a few and put them in my husband and sons lunches, and they're fine by the time they go to eat them, and I'm much less tempted. Even if I do, you tend to eat just a few bites because they are harder to eat frozen! Anything that helps!! Hang in there, from the "Other" Kim

Hi, I was banded on 12/12 and by 12/14 my tummy sounded like it had a party going on in there and I wasn't invited! I started drinking the yogurt drinks on the 4th day (and I counted the day of surgery) and that did help a lot. The Yoplait Light ones only have 90 calories, so I had 2 a day, one mid morn and one in the eve. Just sip them slowly. A couple days later, when you can add protein drinks and soups, that will really help. At first I was trying to find soups that didn't have any chunks in them, but didn't find many that I liked, so I bought some I liked and just ran them through the blender really well before heating them. I have a Vita Mix blender, so it did a good job, but I think any kind would work. That gave me much more choice and flavor and I felt fuller and more satisfied. Basically though, I learned to make a friend of that hungry feeling, it told me I was going to see results, and during the liquid phase was when I lost the most amount of weight. I didn't understand what everyone was talking about when they said they weren't hungry for at least a week and got "full" on 1/2 a cup of broth, that was never my experience either. I still get hungry some, but am trying to just live with it and am very happy with the 28 lbs. I've lost so far. I'm so thankful I was able to be banded. Best of Luck to you! Kim

Hi, just wanted to let you guys know that I hit the 25lb. mark yesterday. It's still going slow, but I have started to notice my clothes are getting pretty loose, no problem there, as I have at least 3 sizes smaller to still wear in my closet!! The most exciting thing lately is that while I was typing earlier today I noticed that I have wrists now! What? Yes, wrists! Before, several of my bracelets were getting too tight to wear, just imagine how embarrassing it is for your husband to give you a pretty diamond bracelet (which is VERY rare) for Christmas, in front of all your relatives, and it's too small!!! Well, actually I could get it on, but it was tight, but the good news is that it fits now and is even loose! Before, my wrists looked like pillows with a rubber band around them, but now they look like....well...just normal wrists! Yeah! This probably sounds silly to most of you, I guess it's a girl thing, and at this point I'm learning to celebrate even the smallest things, and NOT with food! Smiles, Kim

Hi, I think most of us have been bingers at one time or another. The "head hunger" is much harder to get past, than the actual hunger, but you really need to work on it, especially this soon after your surgery. You don't want to risk having your band slip, or something that would undo or injure what you just had done. Just knowing how much I had spent to have this surgery was enough encouragement for me to stick with the plan! I cheated a tiny bit while on the liquid diet, like about 2 tbls. of mashed potatoes on Christmas and a bite or two here and there, but not much. I was too scared to do any damage. You need to prepare yourself emotionally for when you start back on solids. You may not have much restriction then, but you don't want to go nuts and gain all your weight back. It was actually a help for me to have the holidays come up right after my surgery, plus I had lots of company, so it kept me busy and my mind off eating (even though I was constantly cooking for everyone else). Besides, there were always people around, and I wouldn't have wanted to cheat in front of them!! I am a night owl, and would tend to go without eating much most of the day and then munching till late into the night. That's been hard to overcome, but when those feelings hit, I try to get busy doing something else. My husband sometimes thinks I'm nuts when he finds out I cleaned out the linen closet or the cabinets in the laundry room at 2:00 am, but I just look at it as though the band is helping me get an early start on spring cleaning!! Now I actually like feeling my tummy grumble at night, it tells me that the scale will probably go down the next day or so, and lets me know it's working for me. Hang in there, we've all had our struggles and cravings, but it does get better. I've only lost 25 lbs. so far, but already my clothes are baggy and I have lots more energy and looking forward to even more! Good Luck, Kim

Hi Pamela, I'm sure by now you've had your surgery and are recovering just fine. Aren't they the nicest people at the clinic? I'm so excited for you, it's been fun reading your posts and getting to know you through this board. I'm sure by now you've realized that this band is not a cure-all, but a really nice tool that does work as long as you work with it. My parents are both from Oklahoma and my Mom is still there. I have lots of family in Ok City also. I grew up with their cooking and learned to love everything "chicken fried" and a part of me will always miss that! I know I can still have it in small portions, but have tried not to cook that way for years, as it's not exactly good for us. Soooo, I guess you and your sister haven't been sold to the sex trade business, drats! might have been fun, I'm soooo kidding! My son was really freaked about me going down there and said I would probably wake up in a tub full of ice, with a note telling me they'd removed my kidneys! He keeps telling me I'm probably missing something that they just didn't tell me about, but I told him if I am, it has to be small enough to fit through one of the tiny holes they put in me, so it can't be anything important! I'm hoping you and your sister will enjoy the rest of your stay in TJ, and have great memories to look back on. You'll have to let us know about the Cos Med Clinic, I never thought about that for quick proceedures, but it would be something to do when I go down for fills. We'll all look forward to hearing about your experience and are praying for you! Kim

About 4 days after I was banded, I thought exactly the same thing! "Am I nuts!, What did I do!, Why couldn't I just lose the weight myself!" and "I have this thing in me and I can feel it, and it's weird!". I wasn't sorry though, it was worth it to me if it meant I'd be able to not only lose the weight, but this time keep it off. I think I was just feeling this way because at that point I was still fairly swollen and could actually feel the port much more, plus I could feel it whenever I bent over. I didn't know then that I would hardly notice it once the swelling went down. Those thoughts only went through my mind briefly, and the longer I've had my band, the more I treasure it! It's been about 7 weeks now, I've lost 24lbs. and I hardly feel as though I have a foreign object in me. I didn't lose anything for a few days either, but then suddenly the scale showed a 2 lb. loss, and it's gradually gone down from there. There are some days however, that it goes up a couple pounds. As long as I'm doing what I'm suppose to do, I just don't worry about it, as it's usually gone within a day or so. The band isn't a cure all, but a very helpful tool. Reading what others say on this board has helped me learn to understand how to use this tool, and get the best results I can from it. Now, isn't it nice to know you're not the only one that thought it was crazy, even if for a brief moment?? Good Luck, and let us know how you're doing. Kim

Hi, I was another Diet Coke/Diet Dr. Pepper fanatic, but my favorite drink that I have found since is Lipton diet Green Tea with Citrus! It's great, zero cal, and you may even be getting some antioxidants from it! My Mom was here over the holidays and she is also a diet soda drinker (although, never as bad as I was) and she wouldn't touch my tea at all, the idea of Green Tea totally turned her off, but then she needed something quick to get one of her pills down with and I handed her my tea, and sure enough, now she's hooked too! Actually, she was too hooked, she drank all of them I had and we had to make a run to the store for more! Anyway, it sounds like you've done very well so far. I too have a hard time not drinking with meals, but I'm working on it. Good Luck! Kim

Teri, we're all keeping our fingers crossed for you, and hoping this fill will be the one to really work! It sounds good so far. Bless your husband too, I know mine would not have been so patient if he hadn't seen more results, or if I'd had to go back to TJ so often, and I'm not even that far! I truly believe in this proceedure and that it will work for those of us that work with it properly, but we are all different and it's not a one-size-fits-all type of deal! Hang in there and have faith, we're routing for you! Littleroo, you are so cute! That's so great that your insurace company will pay for your band. Even if you can't go to Dr. Ortiz, boo , I'm sure you will be the most well researched patient your doctor has! We will all be here for you when the time comes. Kim

Hi, well I guess I have some restriction now. It's kind of odd to get used to. I didn't notice any difference at first when I started eating solids again, but then on the second day of that, I tried to eat some scrambled eggs that kept getting stuck, so I gave them up and waited for a couple hours to eat again. Fluids go down just fine, as do lots of other things, but I feel the restriction with meat items mostly. Eating chicken for the first time was uncomfortable, but I'm learning to just eat very tiny bites and chew them to death! That's fine, I'm assuming that's the way it's suppose to work, so I can do that! The other day I was able to eat almost a whole bag of those Quaker rice snack things, expecting to get full on just a few, but never did, which surprised me. I was kind of testing how much restriction I had, but I guess that's just a food that will pass easily, so I'll have to watch myself when I eat those again!! I think the thing I'm having the hardest time with is getting enough fluids in. I was one that would usually drink most of my fluids at mealtimes, so I just forget to drink as often as I should during the day. I'm trying to work on that too. All in all, I think it's going pretty well. I'm down 24 1/2lbs. now, still going slowly, but as long as it's moving in that direction, I'm happy! Thanks Lori for letting me know about the gentleman that had some of his fill removed. He did seem like he was doing much better after that. He was very nice and gave me lots of ideas. It's always fun to meet people in the clinic and listen to their experiences. Glad to know that the passport thing isn't a problem for now as long as we're driving over. Kim

I was banded on 12/12/06 and was pretty concerned about the area where my port was (just below the largest scar). I hadn't actually seen the device before the surgery, so I wasn't sure how large it was. I was pretty swollen in that area for several weeks and it felt like the port was about the size of my palm and quite hard. I was worried I would have a large lump that would show more as I lost weight. Well, I'm glad to report that it has gone down considerably, as have the knots I had where the small scars were. It was feeling very tight in that area, but feels almost normal now. I just had my first fill and they showed me one of the bands and ports and I was surprised at how small it really is, but glad! I would talk to your doctor, but from what you say, I have a feeling it may be the same thing for you. Good Luck, keep us posted! Kim

Hi Michelle, I just wanted to thank you for sharing your story. This is what this forum is for, and it helps the rest of us recognize a problem and know what to do about it. It's also comforting to know that it IS okay to call a doctor, regardless of the time, and know that they will be concerned and helpful. I find it odd that a center won't do fills/unfills for patients from TJ, afterall, it's extra income for them. I guess they just don't want people in their clinic letting their patients know they could get excellent care for much less expense! I just had my first fill (1.7 cc) on Wed. and have been on liquids until today. I was surprised that I could eat pretty much whatever I tried so far. I hadn't felt any more restriction and was disappointed, but then tonight I did get a bit of turkey lunchmeat stuck and that hurt, so I guess it is doing something. I'll have to be more careful with chewing. I'm glad to hear you are doing well, I'm sure that was very scary for you. I did that "black" think many years ago when I got food poisening and it is scary, but the doctor assured me it was okay and normal when you don't have any food in your stomach. Take this time to heal now and you'll be back on track before you know it! For your sake, I hope they aren't going to charge you another $375 to refill your band back up! Kim

Hi Smiley! What is it that you're concerned with? I'm new to this experience, but I'll help if I can. Are you going to Dr. Ortiz, or somewhere else? Yeah, the liquid diet isn't much fun, I had to do it over Christmas!, but if you have a good blender, you can come up with some pretty inventive meals. Just know, you're not alone! Kim

Hi Everyone! Well my husband and I drove down to TJ today so that I could get my first fill. I was a bit nervous, not looking forward to the needle thing, but I can honestly say, it was no big deal at all! Much easier than getting a blood test! They put in 1.7 CC's and told me to stay on liquids for 3 days. I really didn't feel any restriction at all before this and my weight loss had slowed a lot in the past 2 weeks. I'm down 21 lbs. now, but have been wanting to kick that up. There was a lady there that had lost 127 lbs. in the past year, so that was very encouraging. I don't have that much to lose, but still a lot more than 20 lbs.! I think she said she was able to do that on only one fill too! I was nervous of feeling too tight, as there was a very nice man in the clinic today from WA (HI if you read this!) who had to come back after having too large of a fill yesterday and had a very uncomfortable night. They took some out for him, so I hope he's doing better now! Also, I've read many other comments on this forum about that, and it doesn't sound like much fun! Anyway, so far, so good! I really don't feel any different at all! And I'll even confess, I cheated a bit earlier and ate a little bit of pineapple and a few tiny bites of turkey lunch meat as I was making lunches for tomorrow! No problem, but I will behave for the next couple days, as I surely don't want to do any damage. If any others are worried about the fill process like I was, I just want to let you know that it was a very easy and painless process. It was a bit weird to sit up and have this syringe hanging out of me, so I just didn't look at that, and it was kind of interesting to watch how the fluids go down on the monitor. I just hope this gives me some good restriction now, I'll keep you posted. Hope everyone is doing well! Kim

Hi, I had Nextel and at OCC it was in Spanish. I never went to the hotel, so I don't know if it worked there and my husband didn't try to use his there. They do let you use the phone in your room at OCC to call the states, at no extra charge. I thought that was a nice surprise. That way you can at least call home and let everyone know you're doing fine. Good Luck! Kim

Hi, I'm new to this experience too, having just had my surgery on 12/12. I've had the same feeling a few times myself, each time it was when I had eaten something (usually meat) without chewing well enough, or eating too quickly. Old habits are hard to break, and I keep having to remind myself to eat VERY slowly and CHEW lots! Dr. Ortiz's book addressed this and it said that when this happens, you should stop eating right then and wait until your next meal. I've found that if I stop that meal and sip water slowly for a while, it seems to wash down the stuck food and then I'm fine, but I don't push it and try to eat more for several hours afterwards. I don't have much restriction yet, as I haven't had my first fill, but I did eat a meal that was nearly a normal size portion once and found that I was quite uncomfortable for a couple hours after that, so I'm keeping my portions pretty small, which is the point of the surgery afterall. As long as I follow these guidelines, I haven't had any problems eating whatever I've wanted to. Keep us posted on what the doctor says. Good Luck! Kim

Hi to everyone that's written back! I'm still hanging in there, lost about 19 1/2 lbs. now, but it's slowed down quite a bit. I know it's time for me to start exercising more, so I'm going to work on that. I have all the equipment, so I really don't have an excuse! My husband has next Wed. off, so I'm going to try to go down to TJ for my first fill. I guess it depends on if I can get an appt. for that day or not. We went to get passports a few weeks ago, but were told we didn't need them for driving there until 2008, so I sure hope that's correct! Now that things have healed up pretty well, I don't notice any real restriction and feel like I could eat quite a bit, but I'm really trying to keep my portions down. I sure notice that my tummy has gotten very noisy lately, which could get embarrassing if that keeps up. I'll check back in after I get my fill and let you guys know how that went. Thanks, Kim

Hi, I did Nutri-Systems several years ago, when it was a walk-in Jenny Craig style program. I'm a really picky eater, but there were quite a few choices that I liked and it did make it easy. The portions were small, but with your band, they are probably fine. I used to eat most of the main courses over a plate of shredded lettuce to add more volume without adding calories and that worked pretty well. You probably won't use them for every meal, but it would be good to have them on hand to fall back on. I keep several frozen WW or South Beach meals available so that I have something easy to fix for myself when I'm making my family things I shouldn't eat, and I always have bag salad and frozen grilled chicken strips (Costco) available! Good Luck, Kim

Hi, I just had my surgery on 12/12 with Dr. Ortiz. I had been thinking about it for a while, felt this was a much safer way to go than gastric bypass, which I don't think I would ever consider. I found Dr. Ortiz on the internet and went to my husband with all my research. He agreed to let me do it and told me to call soon, as he wanted to use the medical deduction for this years taxes. I knew that was a stretch, as it was already 12/11, and I was expecting lots of out of town company from 12/20 through the New Year! I called that afternoon and was told that there weren't any openings until 12/20 (that wouldn't work) or into January. Carolyn called back soon after that and told me there was an opening the following morning due to a cancellation, and wanted to know if I could make it there by 8:00 am!!!!! I almost freaked, but decided to just go for it! This meant I wasn't able to do the pre-diet, but with my statistics, they thought it would be okay. It was a mad shuffle to fax all the paperwork back and forth, get to the bank, pack and make a few phone calls to family members, but at 5:30 the next morning, my husband and I were on our way, driving to TJ. We live in Riverside County, So. Calif., so that part was fairly easy. I chose Dr. Ortiz partly because of the cost, which was much less than here in the states, but after all my research, I know that I would have gone to him anyway because of his experience with this surgery. I was reluctant to go to TJ, I hadn't been there in years, mostly because I always wind up in the wrong areas of the town, but they gave us great directions and we had no problem finding the clinic. Just as I've read here from others, everyone that I met there was absolutely wonderful, caring knowledgable. It was a beautifully clean and comfortable clinic, and I can truthfully say, that I have never received such care in a facility here! The surgery went smoothly, Dr. Ortiz even fixed the hiatal hernia that was causing my acid reflux for more years than I can even remember. I haven't had to take meds for that since! I was pretty groggy the rest of the afternoon and evening, some soreness, but not too bad. I did have pain from the gas they use, in my shoulders, neck and collarbone area, which I wasn't expecting, but that went away in a few days. My husband spent the night in the hotel while I stayed at the clinic that night. He said the hotel was very nice, but I opted not to go there the next night and we headed home the following day around 11:30 am. I spent another day resting at home, and my tummy area became very black and purple with bruising, but then I bruise easily. I was out grocery shopping by the next day, and within a few days was running around like crazy, getting ready for the holidays. I followed the liquid diet pretty well, with just a tiny bit of cheating, but only with things I could pretty much liquify in my mouth. I will tell you, it was pretty hard when I was cooking all the yummy holiday things for everyone else! I did do that b-ping thing a couple times, but it wasn't bad. I really haven't had much problem, have been able to eat pretty much what I've wanted, but I am trying to eat healthy, get plenty of protein and watch my portions. It's now been just over a month and I've lost 18lbs. It's been a struggle at times, as I don't feel like I have much restriction, but I'm hanging in there and feeling better already. I have also noticed that my allergies have not been as bad, so maybe some of them are food related. My bruising is finally gone and I have 4 tiny scars and one about an inch long. They don't look too bad and are starting to fade already. I'm a little nervous about having the fill, but also looking forward to the next phase of this process and hoping to kick it up a notch! This is my first time ever even looking at any sort of chat room type of site, but I figured we can all help each other by sharing our experiences here. I'm very happy I took this step, even though I felt like I was taking the wussy way out , and I know that it's going to lead me to a healthy life! It's gonna be interesting!! Kim