JLB

Hey Thinner, that's a great Xmas present you are giving yourself!!! :whoo: All the best,

The lettuce burger - fabulous! I haven't been able to enjoy my burgers either because of bun withdrawal (literally). I'm going to try this. Thanks Andrew!

Andrew, can't wait to hear your news. Sounds exciting and a little mysterious. Please, do tell... as soon as you can, that is.

No kidding there's alot less of you! By the way... I was in for a fill on Tuesday and you're the posted guy for Lapband in that office. They are all so proud of you and so are we! :whoo::whoo::whoo::whoo::whoo::whoo::whoo::whoo::whoo:

HI there thinner, welcome! I also went to Dr. Cobourn for my surgery in May 2007 and live in Calgary. As was already mentioned, it is imperative to have your aftercare setup before you have the surgery. The aftercare is very important and band success is based on aftercare. There is tons of information on this board to help in your research both to decide if this surgery is right for you and to find a surgeon and clinic that you are comfortable with. I know for myself, I spent several months purusing the board and the internet and talking to people as I wanted to make sure I fully understood what a major decisoin like this entailed. Good luck and please ask as many questions as you like. We are all in this together! P.S. - we all fight over Andrew for his time and very savvy advice - he's a great wealth of information, not to mention a great guy!

Sue Magoo, that's interesting. I never thought of the esophagus being involved. I wonder if it would be the cause when the left shoulder pain is not just associated with eating but more constant.

JP - does the tens machine help to get rid of the pain? Can you suggest a good model of machine? If it is a trigger spot, I wonder if accupuncture would help? Just an idea.

JJB, I hope you get some answers. Wow - two years! Sigh.... I appreciate you getting back to us after your appt. Hopefully you'll get some ideas from him about why this happens!!!! Take care,

I wish it was as simple as an unfill. At least for me, that's not the answer. I had the pain prior to fills, it has never left since surgery. It is not always all day long, everyday but it is that way more than not. What I've really noticed on the days when it's not constant is the pain starts when I need to eat. When I have eaten enough the pain is gone, I do agree with the signal of the soft stop though... very true. If I overeat the pain will return. It's a fine line! :eek: How about you ChantayMarie71. Is the pain constant?

Boy... do I hear ya! I had my surgery on May 9/07 and I still have very bad left shoulder pain almost everyday. I've also noticed that I have an excess of gas most days too so I contribute it to that. It is so bad sometimes that I want to scream. It gets to the point some days where it actually impairs functioning. I'm very irritated with it!!! I did notice that with one of my fills it did go away completely for about two weeks but then it came back. Then my next fill seemed to make it worse. Sigh... can't win. I just hope and pray that it is not with me for life. :faint:

Very possible. I had tiny little blisters in patches where my steri strips were. The walk-in clinic misdiagnosed me but after one call to my surgeon I was told that alot of people have an allergic reaction to steri strips and that the blisters would go away. Sure enough they healed up fine, no problem

Good advice from Andrew. If it doesn't subside soon call the nurses at the clinic and I'm sure they can help. I think that everyone has different issues after surgery. For some it barely makes a blip in their lives and for others their bodies take time to adjust. I had some problems after surgery that lasted a couple of months but they finally subsided. Also, I'm not sure if you had a hernia repair or not but if you did that can make a difference for some people with recovery. I know you've just started mushies but one important thing to pay attention to now and forever is how fast you eat. I was a speed eater preband. I half chewed my food and ate very fast. It's important to eat slowly now and listen to your body. I still eat too fast sometimes (not like I did before but still, it makes a difference) and then I feel nauseaous afterward. Anyway, just thought I'd mention this but I'm sure you already know.

Hi Leslie, Happy Thanksgiving to you too, eh!

My clinic said dill pickles were fine but to keep them to a minimum. Of course, you have to count them in with all the other veg's and not exceed the recommended daily calorie intake. But beware... I got soooooooo sick of pickles too that I still haven't been able to eat them again.

Thank you for your responses. I do know, theoretically, what restriction in the band means. I guess I was looking more for an objective take on it. Let me elaborate… I have had four fills to date. I have a 10cc band and when I was at 4cc’s I felt more “restriction” than I do now at 6.5 cc’s. By restriction I mean that some foods went down very sluggish (bread, pasta) and I felt full for longer. The problem is… the feeling of “restriction” didn’t last very longer, maybe a week or two with each fill. The last two fills did not seem to make a huge difference in how I feel but what I have noticed is great inconsistency with my hunger and food intake. For instance, the day before yesterday I had a one egg omelet for Breakfast and didn’t feel hungry all day until about 6pm. However, yesterday I could have eaten a horse, felt hungry all day and never quite felt full. Today, I seem to be hungrier as well. I have come to realize throughout this journey that behavior in eating is very important (eat slowly, chew well, recognize satiety). In trying to do this, I have still not had much success. :faint: I guess I am feeling frustrated! Will I reach my sweet spot? Will I recognize it when I do?? Will it help me manage my eating and thus lose weight??? Will it stay with me for awhile or am I going to be forever getting fills and/or defills???? :cry For those of you who have had the band for an extended period of time and have had several fills, what does restriction mean to you?

What does restriction really mean? I often hear people talk about “band restriction” in many different ways. Some say it means you can’t eat certain foods like Pasta and bread; others say it means PBing; and yet others say it means I’m less hungry. What does “restriction” really mean for the band to work optimally?

Maria - I am glad to hear you are on the mend. Cancer can be pretty scary but it sounds like you have good medical care and an even better atttitude. They say a positive minset is half the battle. I wish you all the best. Andrew - That's wonderful news. I'm glad it's stable and not a new injury. I too have a compression fracture on my T7, have had it for 15 years. It does cause me pain sometimes but it's manageable. I know when I am more physically fit, it will be even easier to manage. By the way, you may want to try a calcium/magnesium supplement. It's supposed to be more absorbable. Not sure if you know about Natures Zone Vitamin store in Marda Loop. Great place to get advice on supplements and they have the best prices in town. Cheers.

Leslie - LOL, I'll have to find a pic to send you. Thanks for the offer of the splice but I wouldn't want to horn in on your fun!!!! We must really be on the same wavelength because I was also eating Tomatoe Basil soup yesterday and I thought of you. Hmmmm..... scary! :whoo: Andrew - I'm sorry to hear about your back problems. Hope it all gets worked out soon. You've done amazingly well with your weight loss so you deserve a break. Maintaining weight is just as hard as losing it. I know you'll be successful at both. Pls let us know if there is anything you need; anyway I can help, I would be happy to. Take care!

Hey JJ, welcome to bandland. I'm glad everything went well with your surgery. You are embarking on an amazing journey with many ups and downs. The wonderful part is... you are taking charge of your life and more importantly your health. Keep posting and let us know how you are doing. P.S. - My hunger didn't kick in until the 3rd week. Everyone is different but you might be surprised at how much your perception of hunger will change right from the get go.

Leslie, you look great! I can sure see a difference in your face and neck. Please post some more pics of the new fabulous you!!! I must say... I'm jealous. You got the picture with our hunky surgeon... You dawg you!!! :rose: Wish I thought of it. Guess that's another good reason for going back to TO.

Hi JJ, congrats on your surgery!!! I'm so excited for you!!!!!!! :clap2::clap2::clap2: I live in Calgary and, like Andrew, I didn't want to wait a year, two or three so I also went to Dr. Cobourn and was banded on May/07. I think the hardest part for me is the head hunger. Unfortunately, the band doesn't take care of that. It really is alot of hard work but well worth the effort. Welcome to bandland and feel free to ask any questions you want. Right after surgery you may or may not have an issue with gas pains. Most people feel the gas pains in their left shoulder, I know that sounds weird but it's how the gas presents itself so to speak. I didn't really feel Gas-X helped much, the best thing was walking - it helped pass the gas. Good luck and come back and visit us as soon as you can.

I hear ya Leslie! It really is hard, hard work!! There are moments though that I wouldn't mind having that magic wand!!! Andrew - I also feel that this time the weight loss is permanent (however slow it may be) :faint: I have really noticed the change in mindset more than anything. For instance, I went on holidays recently and my eating was horrible (bad, bad me) but the nice part was... I only gained 2.5 lbs, not 10-15 lbs and even better... I had the weight back off in less than 10 days. The difference I noticed was... it didn't really bother me, I didn't sweat it, I knew overall I am eating healthier and have control of my eating for the first time in my life - bascially - I felt more in control and feel more healthy each day.:clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:

Well I'm one of those sick people who actually loved the Optifast. I had both vanilla and chocolate and liked each equally. I added SF syrups and sometimes berries (just a few) and it went down really well. In fact, after my surgery I contacted my clinic to see if I could buy more of it but they said they preferred people not use it post band. Since I usually have a Protein shake once a day anyway (great way to get protien in) I thought it would be okay. The thing I like most about it is the fact that it taste great in just Water (yes, i said "tastes great"). Very few other protein mixes taste good with just water (at least that's my opinion). :car:

Andrew, congrats on your success thus far! You have been such an inspiration to me and many others on this board. You look like such a happy daddy. I'm so thrilled for you and your family as you find the new happier, healthier and improved you!! Enjoy the journey!!!! :whoo::clap2:;)

Hi I was banded by Dr. C in May and I am out-of-province. I did have an issue after surgery and Dr. C was wonderful with my after care. Of course it was all done by telephone and email but he was very caring and thorough. He ordered tests thru my GP and kept in constant contact with me until it was resolved. I'm sure he is extremely busy, as most surgeons are, but I was very pleased with how much time he spent with me. In reading your post I am unsure as to whether you have a problem post-op and need to see him or if you think you should see him as part of your general post-op care. If you need to see him, then most definitely make an appt but if you just want to see him just to chat then I'm unsure about that. Afterall, he is a surgeon not a GP. Dr. C is a really nice guy and would probably see you to just chat if that's what you need. By the way... didn't you see him right after the surgery in recovery? That's where I saw him and asked questions about my hernia repair. Granted I was pretty groggy so when he called me the next day I asked him more questions. The nurses at the clinic love to hear from you but if you want to talk to Dr. C just ask them and I'm sure they will arrange it for you. Good luck with everything and happy banding!