Ang1982

Yikes Christine, big hug for you. I've been a bit behind on my "blog catching up". I'm sorry you are going through such craziness. Sending you big hugs.

My port is on my left side just above and to the left of my belly button. I have one bigger "scar" from my port incision and then 5 smaller ones.

Perhaps it varies by person? My grandmother had a TERRIBLE reaction to MSG (From a chinese food place that said they didn't use it then ended up having to fess up later that they lied). She got very very sick, diarhea (sp), fever/shakes and actually blacked out at one point and they had to call the Ambulance. Regardless you definitely should look into an allergy test.

Awww what a sweet baby dog you have there. hope that you are feeling better soon, what a scary experience. Perhaps you have to coax him down with you, one step at a time giving him snuggles along the way and perhaps some treats to show him it's okay?

YAY! Congrats. Very awesome. I am excited to read your post after having your first fill as I know you were struggling before hand. I cannot wait for mine (March 10) as like you, I felt fine within days of my surgery and am hungry pretty much all the time. I eat my required amounts and follow it like I should, but I have no restriction so I'm pretty much just hungry ALL the time. You give me hope for my first fill becuz right about now it feels like I paid $14000 for will power LOL

Hey Patricia, Thanks so much for your response. I know there are a few people within the area who are researching lapband or already have it. You're right evening meetings can be difficult, but I don't know which would be worse - evening or weekend... during the day is just not an option for me, so I guess time will tell. Cheers, Angela

Ugh, I think I am officially entering Bandster hell as well. I am 2 days from the end of my postop food phase - and I have ZERO restriction with the band. Nothing so far at all. I lost no weight last week (oh well, hopefully this week brings better things) and I can't get my first fill until March 10th. That seems so far away. I am however excited to get to be out of post op food phase on Thursday. I think I shall have Sushi lol.

haha, you guys have some pretty funny responses. Personally, unless I don't like their attitude I always give them a chance to get the first part of their "speil" off before I say no thank you and hang up. The way I look at it is - yes, it is annoying to those of us receiving the calls, but it is someone's livelyhood. And perhaps we do not agree with their career choices, but everyone has to start somewhere. So I give them the chance to at least do their opening line. I don't do anything to ruin their stats or handle times in case it impacts their job in a negative way. I guess I'm a big softie, but I'd rather they work as a telemarketer than be on welfare or whatever.

My doctor (and I know from other people having mentioned in the past it's not just my surgeon) doesn't allow NSAIDS because they can cause irritation to the pouch which I think (don't quote me on this) may have to do with higher chances for erosion, etc. Tylenol is okay, NSAIDS are not. Hopefully one of the more experienced banders will pop in here and give a better explination than I have. If not, you may want to post a separate post in a different thread (not under Jan 08 banders) and ask that very question.

Wow *hug* that sucks. I hope you are feeling better soon. Sounds like an allergic reaction with the swelling. If you had chinese is it possible that you are having an adverse reaction to possibly MSG? Do you know if the place you went to uses MSG? Hope you're feeling better soon that doesn't sound like much fun at all!

Yay, grats on getting your fill. That's exciting, I hope you find it works better for you now. I understand your frustration - I too have had absolutely no restriction whatsoever with my band. Nothing. I don't get my first fill until March 13 (my surgery was Jan 23 ) so I have a ways to go before I get to have that feeling.

Thanks! I will check that out for sure. I have to be cautious with some places when ordering online that have cheap or free shipping within the US, because you put in Canada and they want to add on $25+ .. no thanks, but if I can get free shipping to Canada I'd be okay with that too. I do have to agree with you on the unflavored Unjury though - the smell is NASTY. :ohmy: Thanks for all the suggestions everyone, I'm going to go out this weekend and poke around some of the local stores too and see what's goin on.

Hmm, as much as I agree with the telling them to eff off thing - if that's not something you could do and you don't want them to know you have the band or if you don't even want them to know you are watching your weight - tell them you have a cavity or something and that you're trying to get into the dentist asap and he's said to avoid sweets cuz it aggrevates it or something? lol, sorry that's the best I could come up with, everyone knows I have my band.

Hmm, well I have only had my TOM once since getting banded and it's while during the post-op full liquids stage so I was hungry anyways lol.. but in general (pre-surgery) I *ALWAYS* felt hungrier during that TOM. I could seriously eat a grocery store then (thankfully I never did haha). So it will be interesting to see how it will be when I have my TOM once I am on regular food & have had my first fill.

I also got the idea from this website (if you do a search for Medical ID Bracelets or MedicAlert bracelets, etc you may find a few threads). The way I look at it is - for $40 including shipping it's probably worth it. I paid $14 grand for this band and I don't want someone who doesn't realize it's in there messing it up in the event that I am unconscious (or something of the sort). I hope I will never have the need to have someone look at it but I figure it's better safe than sorry. My band is my new life, and if $40 saves me from having that new life taken away from being ruined then I am okay with that.

Hey Gilliebean, that does not sound like fun at all! I have not had that issue but I also take birth control so that keeps my periods pretty regulated. I was just wondering though - were your periods pretty regular before? I know that for some bigger ladies (couple of my friends had this problem) their periods would be on a strange cycle and come farther between than say your average 28 days (or whatever it is). If not, could it be with your weight loss (fantastic by the way, just awesome!) perhaps your body is trying to "re-regulate"? When you say "they" say it's normal - are you refering to your Lapband surgeons office? Is it worth maybe getting the opinion of your primary care physician? Hope things normalize for you! I hate once a month let alone way more than that, omgosh I couldnt even imagine!! *HUG*

OMG! If my DF gave me trucknutz (yup, that's what they are called) he'd be needing them as replacements for his own. Granted, this isn't "redneck country" and I guess the fact that she took his in the first place (:wub:) maybe makes it an "okay" present for her but... WOW. Wheets, sorry that you got chocolates and a book but at least it wasn't "the thing" when you had specifically said no to that. Hope you had a good birthday regardless :tt2:

Awesome, thanks so much Alex! We appreciate your flexibility. :wub:

Interesting, I will keep an eye out for both types next time I go to Wal-Mart. girlie2shooz - for Protein shakes - do you mix the EAS stuff with milk? How's the taste?

Sugars in excessive amounts are definitely not good for anyone; however, when it comes to artificial sweetners - studies are starting to come out that perhaps they may be even worse for us, but it does also include an industry response which disputes the claim, regardless, I found it interesting ... see article below from Lab study ties artificial sweetener to weight gain - Diet and nutrition - MSNBC.com "Artificial sweetener linked to weight gain<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> Rats fed food with saccharin added more body fat, researchers found<o:p></o:p> Sun., Feb. 10, 2008 WASHINGTON - Using an artificial, no-calorie sweetener rather than sugar may make it tougher, not easier, to lose weight, U.S. researchers said Sunday. Scientists at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, studied rats that were fed food with the artificial sweetener saccharin and rats fed food with glucose, a natural sugar. In comparison to rats given yogurt sweetened with glucose, those that ate yogurt sweetened with saccharin went on to consume more calories and put on more weight and body fat. The researchers said sweet foods may prompt the body to get ready to take in a lot of calories, but when sweetness in the form of artificial sweeteners is not followed by a large amount of calories, the body gets confused, which may lead to eating more or expending less energy than normal. <o:p></o:p> "The data clearly indicate that consuming a food sweetened with no-calorie saccharin can lead to greater body-weight gain and adiposity than would consuming the same food sweetened with high-calorie sugar," Purdue researchers Susan Swithers and Terry Davidson wrote in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience, published by the American Psychological Association. <o:p></o:p> "Such an outcome may seem counterintuitive, if not an anathema, to human clinical researchers and health care practitioners who have long recommended the use of low- and no-calorie sweeteners as a means of weight control." <o:p></o:p> Other artificial sweeteners such as aspartame that also taste sweet but do not lead to the delivery of calories may have similar effects, the researchers said. <o:p></o:p> "Animals may use sweet taste to predict the caloric contents of food. Eating sweet noncaloric substances may degrade this predictive relationship," the researchers wrote.<o:p></o:p> "With the growing use of noncaloric sweeteners in the current food environment, millions of people are being exposed to sweet tastes that are not associated with caloric or nutritive consequences," the researchers added. <o:p></o:p> The research was the latest to examine the question of whether artificial sweeteners -- used in many soft drinks and other foods — help or thwart those trying to lose weight. Various studies have offered mixed results. <o:p></o:p> Industry responds The new research drew criticism from the food industry. <o:p></o:p> "This study oversimplifies the causes of obesity," Beth Hubrich, a dietitian with the Calorie Control Council, an industry association representing companies that make low- and reduced-calorie foods and beverages, said in a statement. <o:p></o:p> "The causes of obesity are multi-factorial. Although surveys have shown that there has been an increase in the use of 'sugar-free' foods over the years, portion sizes of foods have also increased, physical activity has decreased and overall calorie intake has increased," Hubrich added. <o:p></o:p> The council also said findings in animal studies may not be applicable to people, which the researchers acknowledged. Davidson said by e-mail that the implication of the council's statement "that they, too, are interested in the health of the public seems insincere." "If they were sincere, one might expect that they would be alarmed by findings from animal or human models suggesting that their products might be contributing to the obesity epidemic that continues to expand and do its damage," Davidson said. Copyright 2008 Reuters." <o:p></o:p>

Hey everyone, Before my surgery I had ordered some

Hey Phowell, great job! I too have been doing as said. Elliptical everyday plus the fun of running around my house packing up boxes (moving). That Dance Dance Revolution sounds like a lot of fun!

I was almost two weeks post op before I had my first #2. I didn't feel constipated up to this point and when I did have to go I didn't have any trouble.

Woo hooo congrats!

Hey everyone, I am putting this out there to get some information on what those of you from Chilliwack (or the near vicinity) think about having a once a month get together? Let me know if you are interested and based on responses we'll see if we can get something organized. I know that they have a get together in Vancouver at the Lions Gate which I think is an awesome idea - but personally, I can never get up the umph to drive all the way into the city after a long days work. So perhaps something a bit more local is in order? Cheers, Angela :eek: