DELETE THIS ACCOUNT!

It's very interesting, but I'm curious how you can test the validity of the answers? Nowhere does it ask any identifiable information. How do you know people aren't just giving bogus answers? Just curious.

I do know Bactrim is known for not only a loss of appetite but nausea as well. Be VERY careful of your INR. As you know, 4.5 is really high. Bactrim is notorious for making your INR skyrocket. If I were in your shoes, I'd talk to your doctor about cutting your Coumadin in half while on the Bactrim. (btw, I just finished 6 months of Coumadin so that's why I'm familiar with the INR issues) Hang in there and feel better soon.

Beautiful and touching post. Thank you so much for sharing it.

You look wonderful- and very happy! This is such a great picture!!

You look stunning! Congratulations!!

For the most part, body shapers only have about a 6 month shelf life. They slowly stretch out then you have to buy a new one. I've used Spanx and really liked them. Plus, they offer different levels of support rather than one-for-all. Right now they have 10% off + free shipping: http://www.spanx.com/

I track every single calorie I eat and never eat more a cup of food per meal. For me, this has been crucial to successfully losing weight with the band.

If it were me, I wouldn't get the fill. You sound like you're already in the Green Zone. Remember, just because you can eat more than a cup of food doesn't mean you need a fill. It means you need to stick to band sized portions and be aware of when you're satisfied. The band isn't meant to physically stop you from eating anything. The saying around here is "just because you can eat more doesn't mean you should". The band will tell you that you've had enough by means of no longer being hungry. Some people even have soft stops. But if you want to eat more than a cup, you can and will, regardless of Green Zone. Many people end up too tight by making this mistake and end up with complications and slips because of it.

She's doing well on it, but we were warned it can take 4-8 weeks for it to take full effect. In the meantime, she's taking Flexeril and Ibuprofen. Pretty much toughing it out. She's not had any adverse reactions whatsover so far, so that is a huge relief. They won't give her pain meds either. I've actually given her half of my Vicodin before because she was in so much pain. Hang in there Donna, you can do this

First, it's really important to realize your ability to eat fast or even how much you can eat have nothing to do with proper restriction or the Green Zone. There is a really common saying around here "just because you can eat something doesn't mean you should". The band isn't meant to physically stop you from eating anything. Whether or not you're at the proper filled is determined by satiety, not fullness and not the amount you're eating. Are you satisfied on a cup or less of food for at least 4 hours? If yes, you're probably right where you should be. If no, you might need more Fluid. Keep in mind if you're eating until full you're likely eating to much. This is one of the reasons it's very important to stick to band sized portions. If you think the nurse leaked some of the fluid, I would go back and insist your surgeon checks the fluid level, not the nurse or anyone else. Here's a link that will help too: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

hair loss is really common after any surgery and it usually doesn't even start until 3-4 months post operation. It will stop on it's own. Make sure you get enough Protein and lots of Water, too. Hang in there.

It's not so much what we specifically eat but rather making healthy food choices. For most of us, it's also about staying within our daily calorie allowance, too. I would make an appointment with your nutritionist.

Call your surgeon, tell him about the pain and spitting up food, and let him decide. Pain is never normal. Best wishes.

Unfortunately, there is no way we can answer your question. We're not doctors. If I were you, I'd find a surgeon who does both bariatric surgery and general surgery and ask him. Only he/she could answer your question.

You'll get a very wide array of answers on this. The old way of thinking was that drinking during meals or too soon after meals would wash the food through the band too quickly. Studies now show this isn't true because food shouldn't sit above the band for more than a minute. In fact, food that does sit above the band puts you at risk for erosion. Now, in light of recent studies, a lot doctors are saying sipping between bites is ok so long as you wait a minute so the food fully passes before pouring down Water. And, sipping, not gulping. As always, it's best to do what your own surgeon recommends (if they recommend anything at all).