Cocoabean

Hey Betsy! Wow, what a difference! You look great! Way to go. He ran an A1C last time and it was good--just below the non-diabetic cutoff. He didn't run one this time, not sure why. The highest my fasting sugar has been is either 111 or 115, my memory sucks these days. So never quite went to diabetes. I don't check it at home. I do have a meter, so perhaps I'll pop by the pharmacy and pick up some strips. Or will check with the nurse at work and see if she can check it a few times. Not sure if she has a meter. I work at an air traffic control facility, we have a medical office that does airmens' medical exams. They do a urine dip test, but I am not sure if she has a meter in the office. I'll have to check. Humming Bird: doing the overweight happy dance for you!!! woohoo!!!! illuminationlady--the scale went down in chucks for me. Just a few here and there, not a steady loss rate for sure. Maybe you'll be the same. It sill came off though! Liz, way to go with the non-scale goals. I love those. They make measuring success much easier in my opinion! Elfie: Here's hoping those pain Patches work for you. I hope the pain lessens as the weight comes off. Leigha, when I was too tight, I gave it two weeks. Then I gave up and had half of what I had put in taken out. A month later I was able to have that put back in and then some. Strange how that works! Will find some pics of the putz labrador to post. It is pouring snakes a lizards here today, so no walkie for him...that's my story and I am sticking to it! :wink2: And now, off to fold the load of laundry that is honking at me!

You should not be gulping your liquids. You should be sipping. Are you chewing thoroughly? How big are the bites you are taking? They should not be bigger than a pencil eraser. You should be eating slowly. Take a bite, chew it fully, swallow it. Wait a bit, then take the next bite. Put the fork down between bites. If you eat too fast or take too big a bite, it will not go down well. There is no "right restriction" for a fill. Each person has a different level of fill that they prefer. It comes down to what you are comfortable with. You say you were eating small portions before the last fill. Can you define that? What is small to you? How many calories are you eating per day? Are you eating between meals? You might want to keep a food journal to exactly what you are eating. Maybe even work with a nutritionist. Are you exercising? Are you creating a deficit of calories each day? I agree with ElfiePoo, find a doctor here locally who can help you. I have heard that there are some here in San Diego who have practices in Mexico and San Diego. Call around and see if any will treat you here, so you don't have to cross the border. Best wishes!

The recliner is a GREAT idea. I got stuck in my bed the first night. After the pain meds wore off, I woke up and was stuck. If not for the DH, I don't know what I would have done. He got me some pain killer and helped me to sit up. Also, heating pad. A must have. I stocked up on post-op foods. But don't over-do it. I discovered too late that my surgeon doesn't want me consuming liquid calories as part of my normal diet. I had read of so many who use Protein shakes, I assumed I needed boodles of the stuff. So, there it sat in my cupboard.

I felt so bad, it was a very serious trial (not that every trial isn't serious to those involved). This was double murder. The prosecutor was going for the death penalty. The gallery was always full with reporters and interested parties. There I was with a wad of paper towels trying to be so casual while wiping away the goo. I was waiting for the judge to stop the proceedings to ask if I was OK. After that episode, I did not take my Vitamins at lunch any more, and was careful to eat foods that I knew would go down well. Add to that, during closing arguments I accidentally threw my coffee cup at the defense attorney...yeah, it was quite the three month adventure!

Hey Betsy, when you gonna post a new pic???? Can't wait to see the changes!

Really? Drat, I missed it. I hate it when life intrudes on my forum time! :wink2:

Hey Leigha! Sending loose thoughts your way! Overfilled sucks. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Every time I think of a fill lately I get stuck on something! I say my PCP a couple weeks ago. My cholesterol is normal! YAY!! Fasting sugar 103, up from 99 six months ago--Boo!! My weight has been stable for quite a while now, I am quite happy where I am. PCP said if I could lose 15 more lbs that I would be in the zone that the insurance companies say the least amount of bad things could happen to me. PCP understands the fight..he had RNY a year after I got my band. I told him I like where I am because I am not having to worry about every bite and be compulsive about my diet. He said he is not unhappy where I am, and I can stay here for a while and think about it. So, as I have not been exercizing like a good bandster should, and my dog is having private lessons--cause he is a putz, he and I are walking each day when I get home from work. This should help with the slightly elevated blood sugar and maybe set me up for some losses on the scale. We shall see!!!

Hi Bree, Congrats on your surgery date!! I did Medifast as my preop. I thought I was cheating with a salad with chicken. Then I read the instructions and found that this program includes one "lean and green" meal each day. DUH! Like Carmen said, who'd have thought that I'd feel lettuce was cheating! ha! And truly, as btrieger said, they only person you are cheating by cheating is yourself. I lost 8 lbs during the two weeks which was a fantastic jumpstart. But best of all was after surgery when my surgeon told me he could tell that I followed the pre-op because my liver was very small and super pliable. He said that made the surgery very easy for him to perform. THAT made it all so worth it. I smiled for hours after that compliment. Who'd have thought having a pretty liver could make you so happy! :wink2: Best wishes!!!

Hey Jason! Welcome to the forum. I was able to appeal the requirement for a 6 month diet. I sent in weight watchers records and personal journal records showing past diet attempts. I explained that with each attempt I did lose some, but the gained that back plus some. My insurance is BCBS California HMO. They accepted these, and I did not have to do the 6 months again. So, if you have any records of past attempts, you might be able to avoid this delay. Best wishes!

I read this too quickly at first and thought, you are on trial and getting a band!! Dang, your priorities are all messed up! :thumbup: Sheesh! (silly me!) :cursing: I had a bad stuck episode while doing jury service. Way fun sliming in the front row of the jury box! (Sending thoughts to your defendant) you KNOW you did it! Buck up and take the heat! hee hee hee!!! Best wishes!

It seems I am about the only February 2008 person around (looking wildly around the forum). Best wishes to you next Tuesday! You might just hit the century mark around your surgery date! Woohoo!!!

Your surgery was on my 2nd Bandiversary!! That's gotta be a good sign! :cursing:

It is funny how we all have different coping techniques. I prefer the buffet when cruising. I find the portions too big in the dining rooms. At the buffet I scope out all that is available first then go back and make my selections. Knowing that the band will not allow me to overeat helps me to keep my portion selections smaller. I also grab a salad plate rather than a dinner plate. I have found that when I am presented with a huge portion of anything (like in a dining room) I often feel overwhelmed, and take bites that are too big or eat too fast. And as we all know, that is never a good thing!! :cursing:

Well fine...I fell left out. (sniff sniff)

Took me two years to figure it out! Sheesh

What are your doctor's orders? Lettuce is hard to digest. It is very important to follow the post-op diet set forth by your surgeon. It sounds as if you are OK right now, but don't just skip ahead of your food plan without permission. Docs have their chosen plans for a reason. Best wishes.

Welcome to lapbandtalk!! This is a great place for support.

Hi Amy, Actually, how you explained it is how I took it. It does seem he is using that attitude as a vehicle to hurt you. :eek: That is a bunch of poopy! I hope you can work it out. Yes, we are each responsible for what we put into our mouths. It just seems that out homes and families should be a somewhat safe and supportive environment. Your response to your FIL, priceless!

I doubt you'd get an insurance company to pay for it, but perhaps self-pay it could be done.

You are welcome! Enjoy your trip to Europe!

I snipped your post here and there. I am curious...did your husband say he would be supportive before your surgery? Relationships can change drastically post-op. Especially if you were eating buddies before. He may also be feeling very threatened by the changes about to occur with you. His attitude is not exactly that of the previous poster. She did not say that others in her house waved food in front of her, nor did she say they had the right to do so. That is just down-right mean spirited, and meant to hurt. To me, not the same thing as other members of the household needing to eat. Perhaps it is a fine line between bringing my favorite food into the house while I cannot eat it and waving it in front of me in order to sabotage me. My response would be, "I hope you enjoyed it. My cholesterol is 198!" Hopefully you'll be able to communicate to him how hurt you are by his actions. That you had this surgery to be healthier and be around longer for him and your family. This surgery affects you and everyone around you. And the ice cream thing? Yeah, "Bite me, Hun, if you want it, get yer own!" But that's me. My DH and I don't wait on each other like that. Best wishes to you!

Oh man oh man! Can I relate to that. I think to myself. "You had surgery to not eat so much, WHY are you wanting to take a few more bites when you are satisfied?!?!? You are such a dork!" Sheesh :tongue_smilie:

Hi Drasan, I went to the search that is next to the new posts link and put in "Shania" as I new the post was specifically about her concert. Here is the link: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f178/can-i-do-107946/ The thread was titled "Can I do this" I hope this helps. :frown:

I had surgery mid Feb. and did a Panama Canal 10-day cruise 6 weeks later, flying cross-country to pick up the ship. I had no troubles at all. I did postpone my first fill for the trip as I did not want any troubles while I was out of the country. Barring any complications, you should be fit to travel 5 weeks post-op. But do talk it over with your surgeon. Surgery on Wed and a concert on Sat? If at a big venue with a chance of getting banged around? I'd say not. A long walk from the car to seats would have been too much for me. People dancing and jumping about and possibly running into you and hitting the port site...owie. Based on my recovery, I could not have done it that soon, but others here could have. It's a roll of the dice that soon. There is a recent thread where someone had Shania Twain tickets. You might search "Twain" and see those responses for some ideas. Best wishes!!!

I had my surgery on a Friday. Surgeon's Nurse Practitioner called Saturday morning to check on me. Surgeon called Monday morning to check on me. Then I saw him at one week post-op. He does all my fills.