AquarianCrab

I'm about 2.5 years out. My fills are done in the hospital under fluro, but my surgeon always fills 1-2 cc. Then a few days later I'm back in his office for an unfill because I can't keep anything down. I haven't been back now for almost a year, and needless to say I'm at a standstill after regaining about 1/3 of my weight lost. I'm in the "call me if you need me" group now. I feel like I should go back for another fill, but I'd like him to do it more gradually. I guess what I'm trying to relate is that each surgeon is different.

I have obstructive sleep apnea so mine will only go away if I get surgery for it. I have a BiPAP machine, and had it for ten years before my band. It's been 2.5 years since my band and while I still require my BiPAP, I was leaking air from my mask. I went to a medical supply store that had sample masks you could try on, and once you narrow it down to 2 or 3 they connect you to a machine to check for leakage. Turns out not only did I need a smaller size mask after weight loss, I also needed a different style.

GF is epidemic at this point -- notice how many restaurants have GF menus, etc. We were in Italy a few years ago and the public education campaign for celiac awareness was very evident. Our modern-day wheat is not what wheat once was -- it is hybrid, disease-resistant and making many humans sick.

Since I wasn't smoking a lot (only 4-5 a day), my doctor told me not to worry about it. I've never heard of a hospital testing for smoking, and my sister who works in the lab at the hospital said it isn't done unless a doctor specifically asks for it - it's not a routine test for surgery. I smoked 2 cigarettes the morning of my surgery and another on the way home. Even the psych doc told me to handle one major life change at a time and that I would probably get through the surgery better if I quit later after I was healed.

I have a Breville and it's super easy. I usually make what I call a "sixer". It's 3 fruits and 3 veggies.
Some things I've learned:
broccoli will make your pee smell so awful you will not want anyone near you in a public restroom
parsley has great health benefits but too much of it will give you diarrhea
too much carrots will make your skin orange
if you're just juicing veggies, add an apple or it's way too bitter to drink
if you juice just veggies, the pulp is excellent to flavor Soups and stews
if you're diabetic, limit the mix of produce to only one piece of fruit because the juice is really concentrated with sugar
melons will overpower the flavor so you will taste them
clean your juicer immediately after using it or put it in a sink full of soapy Water or it will take you forever to clean it - especially the screen

My dad makes juice every morning. He is 80 years old and just finally quit umpiring baseball, but only because his vision is failing. He was able to run to first base just as fast as the high schoolers. He is in perfect health and swears to everyone that it's his morning juice that keeps him healthy. And it's not always fresh produce that he uses. He buys produce in bulk during the season, cleans and cuts it and freezes it for his juice.

My doctor said if you eat until you feel restriction, you are stretching your pouch and making your band useless. He said to measure your portions (1/2 cup Protein, 1/4 cup veggies, 1/4 cup carb) and eat that and only that. Then 30 minutes later, drink a quart of Water. I had my surgery January 10th, and lost almost 50 pounds with an empty band. My doctor said as long as I am losing there is no need for a fill. He does fills only if the patient has gained or hasn't lost anything for a couple of months.
Also, keep in mind that this is a slow process. You're not supposed to be at your goal weight immediately. My doctor said losing more than 2 pounds per week is dangerous and unhealthy.

Rachel412 is right. You will definitely not be able to hide it from him, nor from anyone else who happens to stop over the first few days after surgery.
My husband was the only person that knew up until about a month before my surgery. I later asked him how he would have felt if I hadn't told him until that late date as well. He said he would have been livid if I hadn't trusted him to share it all from day one.

How strong are you? Will you be able to limit yourself when your friends want you to join them at the mall and eat all kinds of junk? You will need the willpower to do this, because if you overeat with them, you will be running to the bathroom to throw up - very embarrasing.
Bottom line is, only you can decide if you can do it and if you want to do it. If you are 100% positive that you can, then go for it. I was skinny until my first pregnancy, when I blew up like a balloon and became diabetic. I had no way of knowing my body would react like that, and I've been almost as heavy as you ever since. Thirty years later I was taking 9 pills a day for a variety of health issues. I wish I would have gotten my band years ago.
Best wishes to you whatever you decide.

How strong are you? Will you be able to limit yourself when your friends want you to join them at the mall and eat all kinds of junk? You will need the willpower to do this, because if you overeat with them, you will be running to the bathroom to throw up - very embarrasing.
Bottom line is, only you can decide if you can do it and if you want to do it. If you are 100% positive that you can, then go for it. I was skinny until my first pregnancy, when I blew up like a balloon and became diabetic. I had no way of knowing my body would react like that, and I've been almost as heavy as you ever since. Thirty years later I was taking 9 pills a day for a variety of health issues. I wish I would have gotten my band years ago.
Best wishes to you whatever you decide.

No, I was told "water-based liquid" by both my nutritionist and my surgeon. Right in my handbook that was given to me by the surgeon it lists Decaf coffee/tea, crystal lite/wyler'slite, and diluted fruit juices. Therefore, I am not "cutting corners" as you assume, but following doctor's orders.
That said, considering how different surgeons are in there instructions, I think your comment was uncalled for.

You can only get it from lapband if you have the "lapband" brand. If you have a different brand, you won't have a valid ID number. My band is a Realize band and the ID number has a different number of digits so it's not valid. It doesn't matter anyway, you don't need the card because legally restaurants do not have to honor it. I say patronize the restaurants that let you order off of whichever menu you choose and don't patronize the ones that won't.