Parvathi

Hi Yvonne - Welcome to LBT. Will be sending some good thoughts your way for Monday. Everything will turn out fine and you'll be loving the band in no time (well, it'll probably actually be after the liquids and mushies phases that you begin to love the band lol).

Bless your heart!! I'm no fan of pain either and that sure does sound unpleasant! Get some rest and take advantage of not doing anything for a bit. Hope you're feeling better in no time

Every doctor/surgeon is different on this one, just like most other things lol. I was wondering the same thing, as I started mushies today after having a revision surgery two weeks ago. Felt kind of stupid calling as I've done this all before and I should know the answer that mine would give me, but called to double check when I couldn't find it in the paperwork. So for me, its eat until you feel satiated (not stuffed). They said that they wouldn't give me a exact amount, cause half a cup or one cup or whatever, may not make me full .. or it may make me too full. Just eat until I was no longer 'hungry'. That works for me *shrugs*. Last time around, one of the hardest things for me was learning the difference between no longer being hungry and being full. Just like alot of other people out there, prebanding, I ate until I hurt quite often. So finding that fine line was difficult. The easiest way for me to do it, was to make sure I really slowed down and took very small bites (ie, if I'm eating with a teaspoon, I may only eat 1/4 of the teaspoon with each bite). My meals last like 30 minutes or more sometimes, just cause I drag it out that long .. but its worked (or it did with the last band). Let's just hope I can use the same common sense this time around lol.

Congratulations!! A size 14 feels sooooooooo good lol.

Good quality, fresh scallops, go down quite easy for me, when chewed well. Scallops bought at places that aren't even close to a massive body of water, don't lol.

LOL ... yup, I've already cleared my liquid diet w/ the surgeon :eek: I rarely drink, but they have a swim up bar, so I'm going to start at the top of the cocktails menu and work my way down :biggrin1:

My surgeon gave me a very realistic view of the band. He flat out told me that I would have to modify my diet, eat smaller portions for the rest of my life, make healthier choices and exercise if I wanted to make this work. Whilst I do believe some people go into this as the 'easy way out', they more than likely realize afterwards that they've got to work it to succeed. And yes, I think that doctor is just wrong for not being honest with his patients.

Hey Jack - Thanks!! All is well from the tummy tuck and breast reduction. I've been extremely pleased with the results and the scarring. There's one spot on my breasts where the scar is a bit lumpy, but its on the underside and doesn't bother me. I've probably done myself a bit of harm in respect to the tummy tuck, by piling on the pounds during the slippage, but these things happen and I'm not going to stress about it. My stomach's still flatter than its ever been lol. I'll toss a small skin coloured waterproof bandage over my incisions and hope I don't come out polka-dotted LOL. I've never been one that tans anyway, I'll probably get off the plane looking like a lobster :eek: Happy Thanksgiving!

Yup, every surgeon is different on this one. Mine said that drinking a bit of Coke when something is stuck will help to unstick it (sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, from my experience). Like some of the others, whilst I'm allowed carbonated beverages, they hurt a bit, especially if I have good restriction. My favorite alcoholic beverage when we go out used to be vodka, lime juice and soda Water. The bubbles made it way less enjoyable, so now its vodka, lime juice and still water - much more refreshing and never have a hangover from it lol (not that I drink a whole lot anyway). I will admit to the very occasional half a can of pop though, when I just need a bit of sugar. It's best to talk to your doctor though and see what he or she recommends for you.

We don't actually celebrate Thanksgiving here at all. There's a couple of American diners around that do a proper Thanksgiving day feed, but other than that, its only the ex-pats that do anything for it. We also miss out on 4th of July and a few others :eek: We make up for it with Boxing Day (day after Christmas) and Melbourne Cup Day (the day the whole state stops for a horse race lol). I miss Thanksgiving though!!

Congratulations Sue!! I know absolutely nothing about DS, but it sounds like it was definitely the right choice for you. Glad to know there are other options out there for people who aren't comfortable with the band or whom the band doesn't work for.

My dad came out here last year for holidays. Whilst here, he had a motorbike accident. Collapsed both lungs, broke 6 ribs, 2 vertebrae, his big toe and tore his ACL in his left knee. He's extremely lucky to be alive today. He's now fused from L4 to L8 (I believe it was). He's a carpenter by trade, so getting back to work has been quite difficult for him - but he's doing it, working about 35 hours/week. After the surgery though, as Carlene mentioned, he was on some powerful pain management medication. Now, 21 months after the fact, he's just gotten off the pain meds. I think the addiction to those he developed was worse on him than the accident itself. Just be careful with them. Sorry your perspective surgeon is an arse. Here's hoping you can find someone you have more confidence in. You'll be in my thoughts.

Originally Banded - March 4, 2005 Where - Melbourne, Australia Rebanded due to Slippage - November 10, 2006

Oh dear - that sounds so painful! Drink up and I hope you're feeling better in no time. Oh .. and I'm with La_Madam - get a slight unfill, it'll do you the world of good. Take it from someone who slipped from staying too tight for too long ...

I haven't laughed that hard in ages LOL. Sorry you're not feeling so well. I so know where you're coming from! Hope it eases soon and allows you to have an enjoyable Thanksgiving meal :eek: Oh .. and I'd never heard the pineapple juice thing - I'll have to give that a try instead of coke (doctor suggested "OMG something's stuck" cure).

o0o .. and judging from his photo on the site, he's not hard to look at either LOL. I just love a handsome doctor <swoons>

Fantastic post, ReneBean - thanks for sharing!! Realizing you've been banded now for 9.5months makes me feel like an oldtimer lol, cause I remember when you were fighting to get approved. I'm so glad things are going well for you and you've *finally* got some restriction. The band is indeed a fickle thing, but I'm with you - I love mine!

If you're happy with your band and confident with your surgeon's work, go for it! Congratulations on your success thus far :eek:

Karen, Like the others, my experiences with the lapband have been completely different to yours. I can't imagine how frustrating this all must be for you. I would think if I were in your shoes though, that I wouldn't trust the surgeon very much as a) he fitted the band to high in the first place and wouldn't listen when you insisted something was wrong. It doesn't seem right that you have to pay (emotionally, physically and monetarily) for his blatant mistakes. When my band slipped, I was refitted with a new band and paid nothing out of pocket - at all. Not for the surgeon, not for the hospital, not for the anesthesiologist - nothing. And that wasn't even the surgeon's fault .. it was just one of those things that happens. I wish I had some practical advice for you, but unfortunately, I have nothing to offer other than sympathy and support. Just know that if you need to talk, we are all hear to listen.

At first, I didn't want to tell people (other than close family and friends) about my wls, because if I failed, like I had so many times in the past, I thought I'd look like a moron again lol. Silly, I know. As time went on though and I saw the band did indeed work, I told everyone who asked. I've had many friends and friends of friends come to me to ask me about my experiences with the band, now that words gotten out. I'm happy to share with them, because if it can help them as it has me, it's worth it.

When I was banded the first time around, I was one of those lucky ones that lost during the post op liquid/mushies phase. In the first month, I was down 10kgs (22 lbs). But I see newbies all the time asking why they're not losing and I always reply with the old, "This is the time for your body to heal, not lose weight..." This time around, I lost 5kgs last week, but jumped on the scale this morning and was up a kilo. Panic mode set in. I had to pull myself back and remind myself that oh wait, I'm healing. lol Thing is, I know I've had some crap liquids this weekend. Last week I was on the v8, fruit juice, veggie Soup, chicken broth, etc. This weekend, I made up a yummy batch of full fat potato soup with gorganzola, after we took some friends out to an Italian restuarant and I couldn't have my favorite, the gnocchi al gorganzola. Whilst the soup was delicious and filled that craving, it was baaaaaaaaaad lol and had virtually no nutrients. So, back to the good nutritious liquids this week - not for weightloss, but to get the proper nutrients in order to heal .. then onto weight loss LOL. *Edit* - Duh, its that time of the month, evidently LOL, which would probably account for the 1kg gain. I was thinking I was feeling swollen from surgery, but must have been bloating lol. YaYYY (first time I've ever been happy for this dreaded week lol).

I didn't. Just a bunch of preop blood work.

Hey Amy, The first time around, I experienced a bit of port pain as well, especially when bending over. It went away after about a month. It wasn't constant, so I just tried to work around it. I was back in the gym after 4 weeks, doing Water aerobics. I had always thought that class was for old people lol, but it was quite the workout and I ended up really enjoying it.

Good luck with it all, lapbandjen. I just had a new band put in a little over a week ago, due to a slip. The second surgery went much easier than the first and I was up and at em the next day.

Thanks everyone! As good as Jack's suggestion sounds, I'm not sure the DH will go for it LOL, so perhaps I'll take myself off to the American food shop and pick up a box of grits.