shazini

I drink coke zero everyday, multiple times a day, no issues at all.

Doc said it's up to you some people can handle it some can't, apparently I can.

Alcohol is okay too you just have to remember alcohol turns into sugar in your system in order to be processed.

And that sugar for some reason hangs on a little longer than normal carbs or simple sugars.

Just my 1/2 cent worth.

I can break mine in half and they will go down but m y surgeon and his PA said "absolutely positively nothing larger than a baby aspirin!"

So I crush'em.

You are still healing so it makes sense not to be too hungry.

I was not hungry at all the first 2-2.5 weeks but did manage to eat.

If I didn't feel like eating I drank a shake or two just so I can get the Protein in the system.

What is PIA ??

Sorry haven't been around.

PIA stands for pain in the @ss.

PITA is the same thing. :-)

How are you doing?

As part of you weight loss consider cutting out toxic people also.

Anyone talking to you like that, no matter what the background, is toxic and does not need to be in your life.

Be proud of your accomplishment and forget about the minor annoyances.

Congrats, that is awesome. Best of health to you. :D

Okay, I'm entirely with Missy on this. This is discrimination, plain and simple, and the fact that people who have battled the very disease being discriminated against are defending the discrimination is proof of how institutionalized our cultural disgust with fat people has become. The obese are stigmatized daily in the media, but we have been so conditioned to accept it that even those of us who are obese often join in the stigmatization. Any company who offers health insurance can set a baseline then discount for people who participate in special programs, but to set a baseline and then penalize people for withholding personal information is wrong IMO.

Look, I've heard all the information about "fat people cost more" and it just pisses me off. I was very fat before I had my lap band, and I still am fat. Before surgery, my BMI was in the 42-43 range. "Morbid" obesity. At the moment I'm still "severely" obese. And you know what? My blood glucose was and is around 92, my blood pressure was and is 117/66, and the only times I went to the doctor were for my yearly Pap smear and when I had an acute illness, like a UTI. Let me tell you, skinny people can get UTIs, too. Skinny people can also get cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis, and any host of chronic diseases that also afflict the obese. Yes, many obese people have expensive illnesses. So do many thin people. If you're going to charge by health care costs, do it based on individual health history, not height and weight and BMI statistics that were adopted at a meeting attended by doctors paid by drug companies developing diet pills.

Off my soap box and back to my band. Yes, I want to be one of the skinny people, but I want it in addition to my already good health, not to give me the good health I already have and I don't want to be charged more for the insurance I buy because all the charts say I "should be" unhealthy.

It is discrimination and fat on fat discrimination is very prevalent.

They are great deal of miss use of dollars in this country but if you say anything you are immediately labeled a "XYZ"!

As long as people believe it's okay to do so it will go on.

Yes let us know what's up?

Also is it really a cramp?

The reason I ask is I get stomach muscle cramps all the time and they are a PIA.

It's obvious that it's muscle and nothing inside.

Anywho, keeping my fingers crossed, hope you're better soon.

Thanks for the support. I'm not worried about fills with my surgeon.

We've paid enough that I believe we're good there.

It's other meds specially for my wife which are very expensive.

We'll do something I'm sure, it will get better.

Thank you.

It runs out at the end of the month but her Cobra is totally cost prohibitive.

$2200.00 per month which is outrageous.

You have 2 weeks so have a few sit downs with the therapist who you have spoken to pre-op. ( I had unlimited access to mine)

Talk it out, talk it out, talk it out speak of exactly what scares you -- no matter what it is.

Keep digging and see what comes out.

Start a journal and write about all your fears.

Anxiety doesn't go away by itself.

Also see if your surgeon is willing to give you very mild sedative for the day before and the day of surgery.

I'd love to sit here and blow smoke and say everything is alright and you're making all the right decisions.

The truth is I don't know you or your situation so I can't make that call, only you can.

Once you made the call then I can support you all the way either way but for now you have to get to the source.

best of luck and keep us posted.

I had my visit yesterday and I've lost 13 lbs 12 days past surgery which is nice.

My surgeon was thrilled but he said don't even think "fill" until 4-6 weeks post op.

But I have no time to Celebrate.< /p>

It seem like every time something good happens in our lives something bad has to come and F it up.

My wife got laid off. :o

We lost our insurance and I don't have insurance in what I do so we're pretty ****ed! :angry:

We're both pretty down. :(

Sleeve like bypass is permanent and much bigger surgery which equals bigger risks.

The thought of having my stomach butchered and intestines rerouted just didn't appeal to me.

Oh excellent, misery loves company. :D

Anyone else has temp control issues?

I'm hot and cold, mostly cold, day and night.

I knew that weight loss causes this and I've experienced it before but not to this extremes.

I'm not Spanish or of any kind of Latino descent but when I saw your picture I blurted out:

Orale Mamacita!

Maybe I was channeling. ( note to self: contact Shirley MacLaine)

All joking aside congratulations on your success.

You're an inspiration. :D

I've never tried the rubber bands but my wife threatened to kick my @ss.

As it turns out that's the motivation I needed. :D

But drink Water you must or it's all for not.

My head says "drink Water or you will not lose weight!"

Weather that's true or not it doesn't matter as long as I believe it.

You know intent is usually lost on message boards and through typed words.

I don't know what happened B4 and frankly I don't care.

If you need help with question keep firing those questions and you will find the answer.

I'll do my best to help but I'm pretty much new to lap band.

There is great info. here and wonderful people but we're all human and very one has a bad day.

best of luck to you on your journey.

The only thing guilt does for me is crush my spirits.

I like to learn and move on hoping that I won't make the same mistake twice but I will because I' only human.

The only thing Guilt and painful memories got me was 400 lbs.

With a lot of love and support I knocked off 100 lbs on my own and kept it off for 22 years.

Now I'm getting help with the next 100.

Good luck and don't be so hard on yourself.

The problem I have with almonds is:

1 is too many and a 1000 is not enough, but that's just me. :D

Yes well we all know what to eat and what not to eat.

It'll comes down to accountability.

Are you keeping track of what you eat?

That's where I would start if I wasn't losing.

Track every morsel that goes through my lips until I figure out what was going on.

Just my 1/2 cent hope it helps.

...Call you?

Dr. Oliak has called me twice now.

Once 2 days B4 the surgery to see how I was doing and if I had any questions.

Today he called post-op to see how I was doing and if I had any questions.

Then He proceeds to tell me exactly what he did yesterday -- I was stunned.

I'm loving me some Dr. Oliak what a cool dude.

Good luck, you'll do great.

I was told that it doesn't make a difference for lap band.

It's more for the bypass or sleeve but as you can see above you ask 10 different doctors you get 10 different answers.

Personally I wouldn't drink during a meal but B4 or after Eeeh, I'd play it by ear. That's just for me though.

I made it, Wooo hooo! The surgery went well according to the Doc. I had tiny hiatal hernia which they fixed.

Very nauseous right after but it went down but came back when we got home.

I'm okay now.

I've been virtually pain free with couple a hits from my liquid pain med.

Other than that I guess it's just one day at a the time. :D