Donna34

OK, this is what I have! I have 2 pairs of size 20w jeans. They are the stretch denim, so you could probably wear them. They are both bootcut. One is Faded Glory, and the other is Daisy Fuentes brand. I also have a pair of size 20w khaki dress pants, Liz and Me. They are brand new, never been worn. Also stretchy. If you are interested, send me your address, and I'll get them out to you! Donna

Misty, Are you still looking for size 22 jeans? I think I have some. I'll go check right now! Donna

WOW Michelle!!! You look GREAT!!! I know you are so happy! Keep up the great work. I hope to be posting smaller pics soon! Donna

Good luck with your fill tomorrow! I know what you mean about willpower!! I didn't spend all this money to do it with willpower alone. Besides, if I could have done it with willpower, I wouldn't have needed the surgery. LOL Donna

Thanks so much for posting this!! I missed it the first time it aired, and I really wanted to see it!! Got it programmed to record on DVR. Donna

Hi, I can't remember the dates. During my first year, I was VERY proactive in getting fills. I had a fill almost every month or 2, with fluoro. However, my doctor was very conservative on adding saline to my band! My first fill was 1.2cc's, the next was .08, (not.8, but .08) less than a tenth of a cc. I'm not sure how you even measure that!! The next time I think it was like .2cc's Then I decided to switch doctors. That was where my trouble started! The new doc hit the port long enough to draw out all my saline. Then when she injected more, she wasn't even in the port!! So, my band was empty, and I started gaining weight! After that she never could "find" the port again!! She did blind fills. So, I went BACK to my former doctor, and he put back 1.25cc's! I was concerned that maybe I had a leak since the other lady had poked me so much. The next time my doc used Omnipaque to rule out a leak. Still not tight enough. By this time, I just assumed that this wasn't going to work for me. I was apparently one of the freaks that can't even lose weight with WEIGHTLOSS SURGERY! I gave up!! Then I went to Tennessee last week, and my cousin (she is an RN who also has a lap band, and has lost 100lbs) gave me a fill. She did GREAT. Hit the port the very first time, and I didn't feel a thing! She added about 1.5cc's. Now I FINALLY know what restriction is!! AND, I can see how it is possible to lose weight with this band now!! Yippeeee!! Oh, and my band is the 4cc band. Done in TJ with Dr. Ortiz! Donna

Hi it's Donna! I have been gone for awhile, but MAN!! I don't recognize anybody! Well, I got a fill, and I'm really tight! I mean REALLLLLY tight. I think I'm too tight actually. So, I'm on liquids for awhile. I'm losing again, and that's good. After getting fill after fill after fill, and never having restriction, I was so excited to finally be tight! Well, there is definitley a FINE line between tight and TOO tight! So, how's everyone else?

Hi you can add me....I'm at http://www.myspace.com/donnasparks

I'm sorry Cleo...I meant to say what was your highest fill level? Were you having problems? Is that why they removed all the saline? I honestly believe I would gain my weight back if all my fill was removed. Maybe if you could tolerate it, a small fill might help you maintain your weight more easily. If I weighed what you weigh now, I'd be so happy, I wouldn't know what to do! LOL Best of luck to you! Donna

"Do you really have no restriction - if no restriction you could probably eat eggs.... not saying this to be bitchy sounding but believe me you would feel a difference with no fluid in you - " About 3 months ago, my family dr. pulled every last drop of saline out of my band. (unintentionally. She thought she had replaced it, but missed the port) I had no fill for 2 1/2 weeks. I was so hungry, ALL the time. I could eat anything, and WANTED to eat everything. I had cravings like MAD. Now that I have maybe 2.6cc's, I still have no restriction. Am I ravenous like I was with no fill?....NO. So, I know what it's like to have an empty band after having a fill. And I know that having a fill DOES suppress appetite. When I first got my LAST fill, I had pretty good restriction. I lost 2 pounds, and then it was gone again! Then I gained the 2 pounds back!!?? I just want some lasting restriction, so I can lose weight the way the band was intended to help you lose. I just can't afford to get a fill every 2 pounds. Another thing that proves that having a fill helps you maintain your weight.... My cousin has lost 120 pounds. Her doctor was VERY aggressive with her fills. I think she bordered on being TOO TIGHT most of the time, but she lost quickly. She had lost all the weight she wanted to lose, and was happy, so he took a tiny bit of saline back out. A couple of weeks later, she got the stomach flu. She vommitted violently, and repeatedly, and her band slipped. She went back, and her doc pulled all the saline out. Her band slid back into place, but he still did surgery to add more sutures. During the period of 3 weeks, (while she had no saline) she gained 20 pounds! She was shocked at how badly she wanted to eat, and how MUCH she wanted to eat. She told me that she was thoroughly convinced that she could keep the weight off by herself, until that happened. SOOOO, it is a fact that having the band does curb appetite. I'm glad that I can't regain what I lost, as long as I have a fill, but I know I really need to be tighter to get this weight off. I guess my biggest problem is probably that my fill doctor is WAY too conservative with his fills. Maybe someday I will get there. One time I got a fill of .08 cc's.....NOT .8, but .08!! I couldn't tell I had even GONE for a fill!! I don't consider my band a mistake, or a complete loss. After all, I was on high blood pressure meds before I got it. My triglycerides were high, and my cholesterol looked pretty bad too. Now that I've lost almost 40 pounds, I'm not on BP meds anymore, blood pressure looks GREAT, and my DR told me she was ENVIOUS of my bloodwork. It was perfect! My health is the most important thing. I want to be here for my kids! So, I do LOVE my band, don't get me wrong about that. I'm just a little frustrated at this point. That's all. Good Grief....sorry I wrote a book! Donna

Hi Cleo, I'm sorry you are feeling the same thing I am! I really WANTED this to work for me, and I was determined that I would MAKE it work no matter what. I don't understand WHY, after following all the rules to the letter, I just don't have restriction!! It's so frustrating. I'm still hoping that the Omnipaque will work....who knows? What size band do you have, and what is your fill level, if you don't mind me asking? Talk to you soon! Donna

Hi Donna, Glad to hear you are getting banded! I had a great experience there. I really don't want to sound negative about the band, I'm just really frustrated right now. I've been checked for leaks, and there are none. By the way is your middle name Kay? My name is Donna Kaye. Good luck with the band! Donna

I’m so frustrated right now. I had lap band surgery April 3rd, 2007. I was so excited! I was finally going to lose the weight for GOOD! And yet, here I sit almost a year later, still fat and unhappy! I lost about 37 pounds after surgery. I lost weight for 2 months, and then it STOPPED. COMPLETELY stopped! I haven’t dropped another ounce since! I knew going into this, that it wouldn’t be a miracle cure. But I just KNEW it would work for me! I knew if I could just GET that band, I could MAKE it work for me!! I have had 6 fills, and I still have no restriction. It’s getting really expensive to get fills. $300 a pop! I just don’t get it. I see it on fluoro. The barium goes down, and stops. I “feel†tight, and then I go home and ALL restriction is GONE. I am eating solid foods. I don’t drink with meals. And I might add that I can eat quite a BIT of solids! The only thing I CAN’T eat is scrambled eggs! They get stuck EVERYTIME. I guess I could go on a scrambled egg diet! I bought Lean Cuisine meals just for the portion control, but after I eat one, I’m STILL STARVING. I do get tight around my period. Then things get stuck, before I even realize what has happened! I’ve had people tell me, “You’re just not at your sweet spot yet.†But is that true? I don’t know. I’ve never felt this magical thing called “restriction.†I have felt “STUCK food†and have PB’ed several times, but I don’t know about restriction. Am I just NOT there yet, or is this just not gonna work for me?? My cousin and I are identical in eating patterns, build, even emotions. She has had her band for 2 years, and has lost 100 pounds. So, I keep thinking , “WHY CAN’T I??? I have a 4cc band. I really don’t know how much is in it. I’m guessing around 2.8cc’s. My fill doc didn’t tell me last time. I don’t THINK I have a leak. But, I have worried about that A LOT. My fill doc is going to use Omnipaque (thicker saline) when I get my next fill. Has anyone heard of this, or had experience with this? I don’t mean to gripe. I know this is a great tool! And, I KNOW that you DO have to work with it. But right now, I don’t feel like it is helping me at all. Well, I haven’t gained back the 37 pounds, and I AM happy about that, but I want to get down to 150. That is my goal. That is 60 pounds away though, and I really NEED this band to help me. Has anyone else felt this way, or am I some kind of NUT? Thanks, Donna

I knew I'd probably get ticked off if I read it, so I'm staying away. You've always got people out there who are going to say nasty things no matter what. It's best just to ignore them. They aren't going to change their thinking. I'm not saying don't support Cassie, just try not to get too bent out of shape over these ignorant people. Donna

OK, this is a crazy question....Did they make Cassie "pad up" to appear to be fat in the re-enactment?? LOL I've always wondered how they do those re-enactments. I'm so happy for you Cassie!! Have fun! Try not to be nervous, and let us all know how it went, as soon as you get back! Donna

I totall agree!! They just recently aired the show again about gastric bypass, and how it only deflected the addiction to food, to other WORSE addictions. And said that weightloss surgery was the easy way out. I sincerely hope that she is not pulling a dirty trick out of the bag!! Who knows? Also isn't Cassie the young girl who had lap band surgery? I'm also concerned that she may be picking on MX for doing surgeries on younger people. I'm trying to be optimistic. I hopes she proves me wrong, but I really have a bad feeling about this! Whatever her intentions are...maybe when she see's the OCC in operation, just MAYBE she herself will decide to have lap band surgery there! Wouldn't THAT be an advertisement???? LOL Donna

Kathy, I'm not a doctor by any stretch of the imagination, so take this with a grain of salt. I think this is what could be going on with you. Some people get REALLY restricted just from having the band placed. I personally had some good restriction because of the band, and the swollen tissues. Now, if you are taking meds, and already have a bit of inflammation from the band being placed...the swollen tissue could cause your pills to get stuck. You mentioned the pain from them getting stuck as well. The pills getting stuck are most likely causing more inflammation which in turn creates MORE restriction. Make sense? If it is at ALL possible, crush your meds. If you take anything that cannot be crushed, ask your DR if you can get that med in a different form. I would do at least 3 days of CLEAR liquids, with the CRUSHED meds, and see if things loosen up a bit. If your stoma is continuing to be irritated, and inflamed, you are going to continue having problems, so the 3 days SHOULD help calm things a bit. Hunger is VERY normal the first few weeks, it's just one of those things we have to endure for awhile. I was NEVER full during this period, and always starving. Try drinking some Silk Soy Milk Very Vanilla is really good, Eighth Continent Chocolate is my favorite. It's almost like a TREAT to me. It's a little thinner than milk, so it shouldn't be a problem. Try to have clear broths, popsicles, and other clear stuff, NO JELLO though. After a few days if things haven't improved, I'd definitely call the doc! Good Luck, Donna

Hi Janice! Yep, I was PRETTY HAPPY that my band was OK. Ill have to try the Kashi bars. And, yes, I'm cooking the Thanksgiving dinner this year. Just for my immediate family, (hubby & kids) but I still tend to do the full blown deal! LOL We are gonna try to head back to TN to see family for Christmas. Thanksgiving is just TOO close to have to do that trip twice! I definitely have restriction! I'm SO glad. I'd really like to be smaller at Christmas when the family sees me. I do try to drink something REALLY cold before I eat. I still sneak a drink sometimes though. Gonna try to QUIT that though. I did good yesteray! LOL You take care too! Love, Donna

Hi Valerie!! It was nice meeting you in Chicago last night! Wish I had seen the post before I went, then we could have talked longer! How did your fill go? I was SO glad everything was OK with my band. However I was only able to tolerate 2.25cc's this time. At my last fill with Dr. Vitello I had 2.5cc's. I think since my band has been empty for over a week, maybe my stomach walls thickened??? Who knows, but I feel restricted a little already. Seriously, don't worry, you WILL get the proper restriction eventually. It just takes longer for some of us. I gained 2 pounds since my band was empty for over a week, so I know the band IS working, when there is saline in it! LOL Don't worry about 2 pound fluctuations. They ALWAYS come back off. Being a female has A LOT to do with that! Talk to you later! Donna

Suzie, thanks for asking about me! I actually went back to Chicago last night, to get fluoro, and have everything checked out. LUCKILY, everything is OK. No leaks, no damaged port, no slips, erosion, or stretched pouch! I can't TELL you how happy I am! However, my band was COMPLETELY empty, which is what I had expected. My family doc had pulled out a total of 2.5cc's, but when she tried to add saline, she wasn't in the port! So for over a week, I've been able to eat ANYTHING, and EVERYTHING. I almost KNEW it was empty. I don't know if, while my band was empty, my stomach walls got thicker or what, but I was only able to handle 2.25cc's last night. At 2.5 NOTHING would go through, and that is what I had before. Or it COULD have been those 2 pounds I gained while my BAND was EMPTY. Either way, everything should be back to normal now, and I'm gonna REALLY work on it before Christmas. I'm gonna start exercising more, and try to watch what I eat, and NO drinking with my meals. It's strange how you can slowly fall back into old habits. But, with my band scare, and my new adjustment, I'm thinking of it as a FRESH START. Donna

Thanks Kari! Actually that does make me feel a little better! She had a larger syringe at first, but said it would be easier with a smaller one, and used a smaller one instead. I hope and PRAY that is what the deal was. I know at my LAST fill she used the larger syringe. You'd think you would be able to pull out the same amount with either one. Strange... Thanks, for sharing! Donna