terrydumont46

i had gallbladder surgery last monday. the 3rd and they use the same procedure for this surgery as the lapband. i woke to an unexplained sharp pain just above my hip bone on the left side. i assume it is the gas. it will dissipate so use a heating pad where it is hurting and lay on the side of the pain when you are laying down. it helps. get well soon.

that statement is so true. so very true.

Good job girl. i sorta feel superior when i don't indulge on unhealthy things while everyone else is. it's my see i am good, proud and getting skinny attitude. you carried yours off fantastically.

i have had to learn patience. patience with eating. and patience in getting to the green zone or sweet spot. that is the place bandsters are striving for. where we are satisfied with less food and stay satisfied for a longer period of time. good luck on your surgery.

i haven't had to do anything to my pills and i take a lot , one being a capsule. but since this last fill pills are not so easy. i called my pcp and asked for a smaller cholestrol reducing pill. the one i was taking was so big that even when i chewed it , it was getting stuck. no problem and he changed me to a pill that i only take once a day. i don't crush pills up i chew them before taking a swallow of Water. the taste isn't that bad. now that i am entering the green zone a whole lot of different things i was doing is now changing. the capsule i mentioned i just opened it up and put the powder in my mouth and used water to swallow. the only pills, capsules we need to be careful about are time released medication. chewing them or crushing them puts to much in our system at one time

i only started taking my measurements. the first week i lost 5 inches. mostly waist. the second week i lost 3 inches. i had to have gall bladder surgery so belly is all swollen again. but inches do come off even if the scale isn't moving so fast.

i take extra strength tylenol. but am allergic to aspirin and ibuprophen. but i hear exerdrin is pretty good for headaches.

the large one generally is where the port is located. i have had a fresh bruise on another site since surgery. and i am 8 months out from surgery. my blood work is okay so none of my doctors are worried about it.you are already looking for fever, redness, increase swelling or drainage. but still call your doctor. a lot of surgeons just give antibiotics because of so many surgery induced infections. keep an eye on it. and perhaps wear something that won't hit that area with a waist band. good luck

egg drop soup. i don't know what phase you are in to give you any other advice. you need to us your doctor orders first. and than we will come unglued with suggestions. but most asian places are very high in fat so perhaps keep your eye on the menu for the freshest cooked items that can be grilled. grilled shrimp wouldn't be a bad choice. and be sure to nibble. let everyone else have at it but you don't want a stuck issue you are still a baby, so nibble swallow, wait and nibble again. order hot tea.

i am bipolar. one of my issues is not being able to handle stress. i used to be a nurse, i loved a busy busy night at the hospital. the more chaotic the better, but not now. all of us can relate to having stressful lives. i can list my top 5 in seconds. and now our beloved german shepherd tore his acl tendon. my husband just got back to work after a work related injury needing back surgery. i just had gallbladder surgery monday. my mother died nov. 12 2013. and that is just the last few months. and i really really wanted to eat a complete mcdonalds on my way home from the hospital monday night. but i didn't. i really really wanted a cigarette sunday afternoon. drove me nuts. but i didn't. and i cry instead of eating. i talk to ppl instead of eating. i fix something to drink or eat that is good for me, instead of eating what i really wanted. we all made a choice when we admitted that we had no control over food and got wls. say it over and over again. i have no control when it comes to food emotionally but intelligently i can choose food good for me. i wholly believe my stress level will go down as my wt. goes down. why? i will be physically more active and able to do more things physically to keep me busy which will help me deal with stress. come spring time I am going fishing. instead of watching tv. yeah can't wait. the fish will comeserate with me.

be patient. as long as you are able to drink you have the time to wait this out. the fill before this fill it took me over 2 weeks before i graduated to solids. everyone told me to be patient. i was and it worked. i had another fill a month later. i even had gallbladder surgery without having any Fluid removed from my band. i had the fill on the 23rd and i still go back and forth between mushies, solids and liquids. but i will be patient. i don't understand unless you are unable to keep any fluids down why you would want to do a unfill. like you said they are expensive. good luck to you

there was another girl that had to go back to work really quick. her major problem was the movement of her port and the long incision. a suggestion to her was a back brace turned backwards or a abdominal binder. just to give some support so things dont move around. take some kind of pain medication even if its just extra strength tylenol. don't forget your Fluid. drink a lot. have some tea bags around so you can enjoy a nice hot cup of tea or coffee. i wish you lots of luck. you will be uncomfortable and i hope you can do this.

mushie foods tend to be higher in calories. keep track. and eat healthy mushies. mashed potatoes isn't a healthy alternative vs. perhaps some refried Beans or chili. and not a can of chili lol unless it is low fat chili or homemade. cheryl just posted a great one. eggs add some low fat cottage cheese or fat free cheese to it. scrambled eggs add some pico de gallo. make your own cream Soup by making regular soup broth and than blending all the vegetables and meat together. and watch the amount you are eating. i ate 8 oz of rib eye steak because i could. i shouldn't have but i hadn't learned yet from this site just because you can eat it doesnt mean you should. well good luck

does the ppl that have no hunger have a plication? if food isn't what you don't want than at least a Protein shake with a few more calories should be helpful. b52 you have a protein smoothie in the morning don't you? look into those. at least you will be getting fruit and vegetables and protein. use skim milk to make your shakes. that adds some calories. there are ways. but not eating is not good. your body , teeth, digestion system, bones, organs, and brain all need food to function. you don't want to be in a emergency situation and be malnourished. body systems fail fast without nourishment. good luck. i hope at least you folks having trouble eating are taking Vitamins and supplements.

welcome to bandster hell. of course any red blooded human would be hungry. my only suggestion is to eat as much as you are allowed. eat all the liquids your doctor suggested. and drink a lot of fluids. hot tea or coffee. you can add Protein to hot coffee if you make a paste with the protein using Water or milk, i use the leftover coffee from morning and than add the hot coffee to it slowly. it doesnt turn the protein into yuck. take a walk, take a shower, brush your teeth. go play with your dog. i dunno. it is a very difficult part of being banded. try and stay with healthy food. good luck.

everyone has great advice. Protein drinks, Water and lots of it. broth, if you don't like the taste of regular broth than may i suggest the little packages of Soup in like ramen noodles. its a little waste of money but i think they taste much better. save the noodles for when you are on mushies. make sure you have pain medication and a heating pad. the ice packs you can snap for incisional pain. also some ppl are having trouble with ports moving so perhaps a back brace turned around to hold your abd. in place. might make sitting a bit more comfortable. and please rest. a friend of mine at a hotel said that they have recliners available for those that ask. it might be a idea to just see if they have one. and bring your comfy clothes and blanket to snuggle in. perhaps a few dvd's. you might find it helpful to bring a sports cup to shake your Protein Drinks in. walking is good but when you check in ask for a room nearer the elevators so you don't have to hike to them. good luck and enjoy yourself

i think my story might be of some help. remember we are all overweight because we all have eating issues. our brains are wired differently. i orginally went into surgery to have a gastric by pass. this surgery was deemed the most beneficial for me due to my many health issues including diabetis. i came out of surgery with a lapband. i didn't know much about the band just the mechanics. i was so disappointed. i cried in recovery. but as the months have gone by and i have seen where i am having the trouble even with the band i belive now the good Lord had my back. i think i would have failed at the gastric bypass, being one of those that lost the wt. quickly but than gained it back. the band keeps me in check. even when my poor unbanded brain wants junk food. it will keep me in check for the rest of my life. i can have it adjusted as the doctor and i see fit. the band and my type of eating disorder which was portion control is working for me. i am now a happy bandster. glad things went this way. i know i will be successful. why? the band controls the amount of food i can eat where as the by pass or sleeve does not. i know my personality, i would have been able to eat around those two surgeries. i hope you find this helpful. my advice is to research everything there is to know about all 3 surgeries. not just the sucess stories but the failures too. good luck on this road to skinniness

i maybe a bit weird but i think about my band , food, wt.loss and exercise the moment i wake up until i go to bed. it's 12.45 am pacific time and here i am posting about the subject. for you to be successful you need to 1. see your surgeon and get a time limit on when fills will begin again. and do fills slowly. so you can get used to them before another one is done 2.see a nutritionalist. you need a refresher course on how to eat with a band 3. get rid of all unhealthy, packaged boxed foods in your house. 4. buy your Protein and Vitamins, Calcium and vit. b's and d's. get ready to do this 5. come back here and let us help you. keep in contact with us or a support group. this is a hard road to go down on your own. 6. start doing some exercising. it doesnt have to be hardcore. just a walk around the yard. or up your driveway. just get a moving. good luck

i think i was most grateful when i finally learned what pb and sliming were. i always called it spit up. lol.

i attended a seminar and than the doctor visit. insurance was verified and requirements were instructed. i had a shit load of stuff to do. my health was so bad it wasn't just a dietician and psychologists. i had to see my psychiatrists, cardiologists, sleep apnea, i had 19 tubes of blood taken out of me towards surgery date. don't want to scare you but every doctor is different , every insurance is different just be patient and do whatever is asked of you. good luck on the journey. ps a hint. learn all you can about everything. the more you know the less you will fail.

a cup of food to 1/2 cup of food. that would be a ballpark figure.

i've been taking it off towards morning because it isn't keeping a good seal. makes all kinds of noise and scares the c@#$ out of me. the only person that can answer if you need it or not is your sleep doctor. but i am relying on my hubby since my apnea doctor retired. he says i don't snore anymore. but i feel comfortable when i go to sleep so will wear it for at least 20 more wt. loss lbs.

this is fast paced but this is why we say to listen to your doctor first. my phases were in days not weeks. i think i was a bit more quicker than most i have read in here as well. at 1 week though i was just starting the mushie stage. fish, etc. so be careful and if you do have stuck issues just go backwards in your diet for at least a day. helps with the swelling. always test your stoma, band by doing a little bite and wait for a few min's to see if it makes it through okay. and than proceed to eat small, and slowly and throughly. good luck

i was instructed too not to use straws. but the first thing the nurse brought me was a crystal light with a straw. lol. i use them at times. especially when i drink a iced coffee Protein drink. i don't drink with a meal so the air i might be taking in doesnt bother my volume