steph_co

LOL...that sounds like something my mom would say. When she was a little heavier (and admittedly...depressed), she could pound a bag of peanut M&Ms, but she stuck with her diet coke! She has lost all of that weight, and I remember her making a comment about not wanting to drink Cold Duck (it's like imitation champagne...no alcohol) because it's a waste of calories. She says, "If I'm going to put those calories in my body, why not just have a cookie?" LOL

I had Dr Brown at Colorado Bariatric Surgery Institute, Lap Band, Weight-Loss Surgery . He was excellent and I love all of his staff. His receptionist can be a little off-putting (a little short on the phone). But the social worker is great - I've emailed her. I was a self-pay so I ended up at Lowry Surgical Center. They were really great with the follow up. They called me the next day and I didn't answer, so they left a message. I called them back, let them know I was okay. Then they called me again on Monday to check on me again and they sent me a card from the staff wishing me well. LOL Somebody back in March was saying that she got no follow-up from Dr Brown's office...I would guess she probably had her surgery at P/SL. I have no idea if they have improved on follow-up for people at P/SL. But my experience as a self-pay was great.

Gee, Crispy - you're making me crave seafood. LOL I haven't had any (except tuna in the pouch) since being banded and I DO have some in the house. I'm gonna have to ask DH to defrost my shrimp so I can have some tomorrow! Mmmm. The Krab sounds good with mayo and malt vinegar, too! It's so weird to me to be drooling over real food these days rather than sugar! LOL How exciting to get to move to soft foods, LH!

and this is what the band does to me. I had a dream that something really stressful happened. So I freaked and ate a whole bunch of Oreos. I woke up thinking, "OH!! Thank goodness it was just a dream!" I had to LMAO, but that is too funny (scary!!). I have NEVER had a dream like that while being on a regular diet. haha I definitely don't want to go back to doing that kind of stuff. I haven't even had a REAL urge for sugar. So that's why the dream was so discouraging that I allowed myself to backslide like that.

I'm also for the Slim-Fast low carb shakes. Excellent source of protein (20g!), so it's perfect. I prefer pre-made to the powders because I'm lazy that way. I like to just pop open a can and there's my meal. LOL

Wow - WTG! You're doing awesome!! Welcome to the group, too!

I went back to work at 4 days post-op. I have a pretty physical job as a night security officer. Getting in and out of the patrol vehicle at least a couple dozen times per night, walking up to what probably equates to about 20 floors' worth of stairs, walking around properties, etc. I was a little weak at 4 days post-op but I think by 6 days post-op I was not feeling weak anymore. The port pain continued until *about* 10 days post-op, but that was mostly because of my belt and having to bend at the waist so much getting in and out of the vehicle. The portion of my job spent sitting at a desk between patrols, or even just walking in general was fine. Getting in and out of the vehicle gave me the most trouble. I think you'll do good. No extra precautions necessary.

I wish I would have gotten it when I first looked into it over a year ago!! I would probably be at goal already! This is the BEST decision I have ever made in my life. It feels FANTASTIC losing weight this time because I know it's gone for good!

Call your doctor! Does not matter what anybody on a message board says. Your doctor was the one that rearranged your insides - don't be afraid to call his/her office! ETA - I hope that didn't come across as me disagreeing with you, FaithMD. I'm not at all. I hadn't even read your second post when I wrote what I wrote. LOL Then I read what you wrote about the clear Protein and I fully agree with the fullness factor and you made some great suggestions. And following THOSE recommendations does not go against the clear liquid diet requirement given by her doctor. Just wanted to clear that up.

I've tried both Prilosec and Pepcid Complete. The first time I did a round of Prilosec, it became my best friend. I did the 14-day course and rather than lasting just 6 months (I think that's what they promise), it lasted me NINE months. I was in heaven. When it came back, I tried to get back on a 14-day course and it didn't work at all. No effect whatsoever. I then did the Pepcid Complete for awhile until it stopped working. Then I went to Tums or Rolaids. Actually, the chewy Rolaids worked pretty well if I took about 2-3 of them. That whole acid thing got very frustrating. I hope it stays away! I don't want it. LOL

Love hearing them, guys, keep it up. It's really encouraging. My work pants now are able to be pulled down (and UP!) without unbuttoning and even with my extra insulating layer. LOL My goal, though, will be to hold onto them until I hit "overweight" with my BMI. That'll be my reward...new, skinnier work pants!

I physically feel normal 100% - like I never had the surgery. No port pain, no nothing. The only problem I ever have is if I bend over too far and my tummy fat pushes my port up against my ribs - that doesn't feel good! LOL But otherwise, I feel great! Thanks for the compliment.

Regarding women and the way they perceive their bodies. I found it very empowering. I didn't put it in the "news" section because it's not specifically about the LapBand - it's about women and their weight. Informative and uplifting. Why Women Lose Weight - Or Don't This was my favorite part from the article:

My doc didn't pressure one way or the other (of course, I started out too low for a bypass, anyway). I went to an informational seminar that he did and he talked about bypass and lapband and the two other people there were candidates for bypass. But he didn't sway one way or the other. He gave statistics for both and pretty much left it up to everybody. He did explain that some doctors are more comfortable with bypass because of the numbers, but also because it's so common in the U.S. and the most widely performed. He also mentioned something about a gastric band way back years ago that held the same promises as Lapband, but failed miserably and kind of scared some of the older docs away from gastric banding. Makes sense to me.

I would consider another doctor. At least for a consultation so that you can get more information/a second opinion. My weight loss will probably slow down as time goes on, here...and once I'm fully on solids (soft foods for another week). I have heard from several people that the first month out is the quickest loss. I'm doing my best to take advantage of it before it slows! It depends on what you eat, certainly. And yes, exercise helps. Could you do something less painful for your lower back? Like a recumbent bike or something like T-Tapp? Better Body Basics - T-Tapp.com I know with T-tapp, it actually helps people to rehab their back in a lot of cases - helps the muscles to be stronger and it's basically zero impact.

I see this is an old thread, but I'll answer anyway so newbies can see. I had terrible heartburn before getting banded. I was SUPPOSED to be on Prevacid (I think that's the prescription one...not the purple pill, the other one), but since I'm self-pay, that stuff is not cheap on a regular basis and I just did my best with Tums, Rolaids, whatever I could use that would make it stop. Sometimes I just dealt with it because I was sick of chewing chalk or chewy nasties. I haven't had it at all since banding. This band is a God-send. I was so worried that I was killing my esophagus and putting myself at risk for cancer. But now it's gone and I sure hope it stays that way!

Wow...I had heard that slippage is almost guaranteed without stitching the stomach. Huh. I don't see what stitching would have to do with erosion, but I'm not a surgeon, either!

Marcy, I agree with Jacqui just because I know in my experience with myself, if I try even the sugar-free version of something, I either get bitter that I can't have the real thing, or I eat more of the SF thinking that I'm okay because it's not as bad. But, if you are set on making Cookies for yourself, you could try LowCarbFriends.com - Weight Loss Support . Look in the recipe room. You can find pretty nearly any kind of food in a sugar-free version.

I had the same fears as you. Food has been my friend since my awkwardness began in 5th grade. It was what I could ALWAYS turn to when I felt stressed or rejected in this life. One thing my therapist said was to find new coping mechanisms BEFORE you get to the point of panicking as to what to do. So I came up with a couple of things I could do to get my mind off of things if something came up that I couldn't handle. I have also started a couple of hobbies to keep me engaged when I'm "bored" so that I don't feel the urge to eat. I'm 3 weeks post-op and I thought by now that I would be just DYING for my old friends, sugar and carbs. Not really. I might see or smell something and think, "Wow, that would be yummy." But it doesn't CONTROL me like I used to. I got the band exactly one week before Thanksgiving. So I was on liquid puree when the holiday rolled around. I'll be getting my first fill 4 days before Christmas. Somebody in my buddy group said something that really struck me - I don't want my life to revolve around food anymore. That is so true. I'm EXCITED that I don't have to gain 10-20 lbs over the holiday just because everybody else is obsessed with food. It just doesn't work for me. I want to look forward to the holidays for something other than food...there is so much more there. There's spending time with family, the smells (you don't have to eat anything fattening...the smell is very satisfying!), the presents, the lights, the music. Food is not all there is to life. I want to start LIVING all year 'round. Who cares if I don't get to gorge myself like other people. I don't have to feel that guilt after I do it, either. I feel HEALTHY and the scale is moving downwards during the holidays! That is a spectacular feeling! As for the flu...if you are violently vomiting, they can do an unfill. There is enough room for some to come out, but heaving against a tight band isn't a good thing - it can cause slippage. So if that were to happen, just call your doctor and he/she can help you out with that. As for pooping...LOL. I'm eating less than 800 calories per day and my system is working just fine. Where do you think that fat goes that I'm burning for energy?

This surgery carries a .08% mortality rate. You are more likely to die from any number of things than this surgery. If you have this surgery, you are more likely to be around for MORE of your son's life rather than him losing you at an early age due to some co-morbidity of your obesity. What if you ended up needing heart surgery because of the strain on your heart with the weight. This surgery is not about only losing weight. It's about getting HEALTHY. It's about being physically able to engage in life more. You will have more life AFTER this surgery. I was nervous going into the surgery more because it's just so PERMANENT. But I figured that I could either live in fear of the unknown, or I could take a chance and just DO it. You never know until you give it a shot. And could you forgive yourself for giving up on yourself because of what *might* happen (incredibly, extremely low odds)? How are you to find new lands if you never leave the shore? I agree with what losingit07 said...everything happens for a reason. It is ALL in divine order. What is meant to happen will happen. We learn the lessons we are meant to in this life - whether we choose the quick easy, one-time way, or the painful, repetitive way until we get it. We can't live life wondering, "What if?" We've got to step out of our fear and move forward so we can find ourselves. You can do this - and we are all here behind you.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/i-need-help-kicking-sugar-habit-45642/ This is an excellent thread regarding this topic. Some REALLY good ideas. Maybe you could make some sugar-free versions of milkshakes? I don't know. I have seen sugar-free strawberry milk powder. You could put that in milk, add some ice.... just trying to think, here. They also have sugar-free chocolate syrup.

That's so awesome, Jill!! I can't wait to get there!! 13.5 lbs more to go. LOL I'm hoping to be there by the end of the year. I imagine that feels so spectacular. I haven't been in Onederland since 2003.

Sounds like possibly both. It's a good idea to chew 30 times on each bite before swallowing. And actually, instead of swallowing the whole lump at once, I've found it's helpful to swallow bits of it at a time. You could be swallowing too big of bites and possibly too quickly. But I get the stuck feeling when I swallow too big of a lump. It may be pureed, but it doesn't feel good hitting like that. This band eating takes some practice!

I was not specifically told NOT to have any of that stuff. It was recommended to stay away from caffeine or carbonation - I'm okay with the reasons behind that. I was told that some people have trouble with bread. Basically, I can try anything as long as I take it slow when I introduce it back into my diet. I have eaten rice. It's so small, I didn't have any trouble with it at all. Of course, it was cooked in the slow cooker for a soup, so it was puffier and softer than rice you might make in just a pan. But as always - follow what your doctor says.

I'm still waiting for the last of my steri-strips to fall off. The bandages that covered the steri-strips, I was able to take off the day after surgery. But the steri-strips I was told to not remove them - just trim the edges as they peel. I am 3 weeks post-op. I have basically two small pieces left...like smaller than a penny. But they are both right ON the incisions, so I don't mess with them.