mrsto

If you're keeping a cooler in the car, string cheese is good. And jerky....which is one of our favorite road trip snacks.

Have you had your thyroid checked? Hypothyroidism can cause the type of cold you're talking about. When my dose of thyroid hormone isn't high enough, I'm miserable cold; can't seem to regulate my body temperature. But when the hormone level is just right, I'm totally fine. Just a thought.....

I love the ribeye at Outback. But I'm so far from slab meat......a good 10 months (per doctor's orders). Donna - my first thought is, if you haven't had steak since being banded, might it be better to try it first at home, rather than out in a social situation? Unless the people you're eating with know your situation? If you eat as recommended by tiny bites chewed to oblivion, that you'll probably be okay. But if you should get stuck & have to deal with the slime and all the other gory details, are you going with be with a group that you're comfortable with? Just a thought......

I ate very little after surgery. You're still very swollen inside, but once that goes down, you should be able to eat a bit more. Your body will definitely tell you when it's ready to increase from 2oz to 4oz & so on. At two weeks post-op, I wouldn't be too concerned. You can always put a call into your doctor's office & ask the question, though.

How long has this been going on? Could it possibly be a 24/48 hour stomach bug? I think that when we're banded, any issue that comes up that effects our gastrointestinal operation, is immediately thought to be something band related. If you've been throwing up for more than 24 hours, I would absolutely go see your doctor. Let him/her rule out anything serious. As ronzo80 mentions, it could be that you need a slight un-fill. I hope you feel better sooner than later....

Having the butcher grind it a second time is a really good idea! Sometimes, the grind I get from the meat case is pretty coarse. I haven't had any real issues, but I've noticed it just being more difficult to chew. And I always choose the leanest cut, which makes it even more difficult. I miss having that bit of juicy fat running out my my burger

I haven't been able to lose a chunk of weight in many years. I should be a stockholder in Weight Watchers Online, because I've cranked my credit card so many times on that site, only to last 5-6 days on the program.....IF that! I've tried any and everything (as most of us have), but could not stick to sh-t. I'm now 6 1/2 weeks post-op, and I've dropped 19 pounds. When I eat, I focus in on how I'm feeling, and when I KNOW I'm done, I stop. The band is working for me where nothing else has......not in many years. Sure, I've pushed the envelope at bit; ate a few more bites past the soft stop signal. Luckily, I haven't experienced any stuck or sick episodes. But I had this surgery for a reason, and that reason was not to push my way through a procedure that I invested a lot of time, energy (and money) in. Again, I understand your frustration. There have been days when I wanted to shove the food in with both hands! I want my food, and I want it when "I" want it!! You really have to look at the long term prognosis on any of these surgeries. If your drive is to eat and not exercise any control; if you're looking for a surgery to permanently put you in lockdown, then you will most likely fail with any surgery you choose. But I honestly believe that if and when you change your "mind", you will have success no matter what you choose. I really hope that you find your way with this. It ain't easy!!!

Cottage cheese really helped me during the mushy phase. Also - refried beans were a favorite; still are. Greek yogurt was also good, especially with some added apple sauce; unsweetened, of course

Definitely get the Gas-X strips. On my way home from the hospital, my husband ran into the drug store to pick up some Gas-X, but he got the chewable tables. My fault.....I told him to get those, because I didn't know that they had strips. ANYWAY, when you're feeling the way you are right now, chewing those tablets it pretty gross. But to be quite honest, the Gas-X didn't do anything for the type of gas that came from the surgery. I walked, which helped, but it just really needs to run its course. For me, it was a good two weeks.

I eat lean ground beef at least two times a week. I seem to do well with ground meats; better than with chicken......which I used to love. I like ground turkey, but only if it's cooked in something. I find (like today) if I eat a straight turkey patty, it grosses me out. Slab meat isn't allowed on my plan until a year post-op. I guess they want us to be REALLY trained on the small bites chewed to a pulp

Me too! I'm at 206 & counting :-)

I agree with all above.....most likely, withdrawal. What type of carbs ARE you eating? Low carb doesn't mean "no" carb. You might need to add back a healthy complex carb to mitigate the not so great feeling. And NO, do not add back calories if you're not hungry. That goes against everything your new up and coming life change is all about

If you are not having the sense of satiety from much smaller amounts of food, then you should talk to your doctor. It does sound like you need a fill. The difference between dieting on your own vs. dieting with the band, is that it helps with not feeling hungry all the time. YES, you have to do the work. I'm not sure why your doctors didn't drum this into you. I was told ad nauseam that the band is JUST a tool; from the first seminar, and every single visit since. If what your looking for is rapid weight loss where you have little to do with it, you probably should have gone with the gastric bypass. With that procedure, you have the "honeymoon period" which lasts 12-18 months. During that time, the weight melts off due to the lack of absorption of what you eat. A lot of weight can come off during that time, but then it balances out and you have to do the work. ALL of these procedures end up on the same page, where weight can be gained if you continue to "exercise" old habits. All bariatric surgeries are not a panacea. They are a tool for YOU to work with. FYI - None of what I'm saying, is to say that I don't completely understand how you feel. I've had my own frustrations, but keep plugging away at it. I gave it a LOT of thought prior, and continue to work with my tool.

The sleeve was never on the table for me. I bounced back & forth between the bypass and the band. Then I was told about adding plication to the band, which sounded like the best of both worlds......without all the irreversible complications. With the sleeve, any possible leaks from the staple line is a serious life threatening issue. You can end up on the hospital for 4-6 weeks minimum, which is a "time out" that I could not afford. The bottom line is, whether it's the sleeve, bypass, lap band with or without plication, you can gain weight with ALL of them. None of these surgeries are a fix, they are only tools for us to work with. If we stick to the program and the rules of the surgery, we will be successful. When we veer away, the weight will begin to climb. Pick your poison.....at the end of the day, it all boils down to what you're willing to put into it.

I'm VERY happy with Anthem. We had Blue Shield last year, but I have to say that Anthem has been better. My blood pressure issue was so mild; it would shoot up only upon exertion....which was discovered during a stress test. They put me on the lowest dose of hypertensive meds because of it, and I'm SO glad they did. If it weren't for a diagnosis in my records of hypertension, I don't know that the surgery approval would have gone through without a hitch.

Quinoa was added at the 4 week mark for me. I LOVE it. I prepare it like rice; the way it says on the package. Then I either eat it as a small side to a Protein, or mix it in with something I'm cooking. One night I sautéed some shrimp in a little olive oil, garlic and lemon. Then I mixed in the quinoa. The juice made the quinoa SO good, and it was kind of like a Chinese dish; shrimp and fried rice-ish (without the soy sauce).

Before you settle on the sleeve, ask your doctor about the band with further curvature gastric plication. It's where they fold the greater curve of the stomach in on itself, and sew it with two rows of non dissolving sutures. Then they place the band on top. The plication reduces the stomach to approx. 25-30% of its normal capacity; shape and size like the sleeve, without removing 75% of a major organ. There are a bunch of people on this site who have had it done, including me. I'm VERY happy, and sleep much better at night knowing that I didn't staple, re-route my plumbing or remove a huge portion of my stomach. It's reversible, and worth looking into......

I was told no salad until 12 weeks post-op. Could that have created the bloat due to the gas is creates? Just a thought.....

I was approved the first time. My BMI was close to 41, and I had a very mild case of hypertension. Also - reflux. I'm not sure which thing got me approved quickly, or if it was a combo of everything. But I'm only 6 weeks out and already off the blood pressure meds. I'm insured through Anthem Blue Cross.

I was also told, no gum. They say it causes a lot of gas. I put it to the test a few weeks ago, and I was Totally gassed out! I was shocked, because prior to surgery I always chewed gum. Now I keep Tic Tacs in my purse, for the times I feel the need to "freshen up".

I also have a difficult time. I keep a 32oz bottle at my desk throughout the day, and try to drink a 16oz bottle while I'm in the car. Most days I end up having only about 40oz. I'm working on it.......

I'm doing pretty well, but I'm somewhat in the same boat as you. I can take larger bites than what I read here, and though I chew it pretty well (most of the time), I don't have the feelings that I read from others. I DO know when it's time to stop, and that is somewhere between 1/2-1 cup of food; lets say.....chili. But even if I take a bigger bite and don't chew it to a pulp, I still do not have any issues. I've had one fill since surgery, and now have 6.4 cc's in my 10 cc band. I'm also wondering if I need another fill. I have an appointment with the nurse on Monday, and I may ask her to put in another 1cc. It would be great to stay satiated for a full 4 hours or more. Sometimes I wonder if it's actually the plication that's doing the job. I guess I'm up for a stuck/slime episode, to make sure I have the right amount in my band.

There was one post a couple of days ago. The font was SO tiny, I stopped reading part way through. 57 year old reading vision is bad enough as it is!!

I LOVE to hear your excitement about moving forward and taking the bull by the horns. You can do it! You BOTH can

Your incisions look pretty good! I was so black & blue, especially around my belly button, and where they injected the heparin. But they only did that periodically while I was in the hospital. Now, a little over six weeks out, you can hardly see much of anything. My port incision mostly, but that's looking pretty good, too.