blacktxbelle

The nutritionist I see says we should not use straws for at least 6 months. This gives you time to heal and prevents excess trapped gas (and pain). I think different Dr.s have different opinions about this as well.
Personally I have an in-law that has had the lap-band and she drinks from a straw all the time. She is a number of years post op though.

I have been googling and in the library over the past few weeks. I like to be well informed when I make a decision. To make a long story short, I was on youtube this morning watching the procedure to place a lapband. That wasn't so bad. Me being extremely inquisitive, I decided to watch the videos where the band had corroded or occluded. I was mortified watching the process to remove the eroded band. Band failure is my biggest worry. I know there are some things that I can do to avoid this but what about the things I can't help?

I'm helping with a baby shower on the 1st of Aug. I was wondering about how much does it typically run you to make the diaper cakes. 2-3 tiers? She is having a boy and I think I will do Mickey or his colors one.

My surgery date is July 29. I am working on creating my shopping list both pre-op and post-op. I see that there are items that sometimes the weight-loss team forgets to tell you about. I am so grateful for all the people before us who have been kind enough to share what has worked for them.

I am really glad I found this site. It is often easier when you know what to expect. We all have someone to turn to on our journey toward our goal.

I was considered a low BMI when I got banded last year. I only wanted to lose around 50 lbs, give or take. Have I accomplished that? No, not yet. Am I the perfect lap band patient, nope not yet.
Would I do it again...that depends on the day. I am an emotional eater and when I eat for emotional reasons I want super large quantities of real food. Having the lap band took that away from me. So...if you are an emotional/quantity eater be prepared to have that taken away from you. On these days, I wish I was band free just so I could eat my stress/sad/angry feelings away.
Now, on the flip side, you can still ingest large quantities of "slider foods" - so that means all the chips, candy, and ice cream that I want. Have I gone down that path..unfortunately, I have. That would be why my weight has been creeping back up this spring.
As for portion control/restriction when eating "real food"...yes, I have it, and it works splendidly! However, getting used to the rules of eating as a lap band patient that is a whole different story. Sometimes I eat too fast...and ta-da I am running to the restroom to throw up gobs of slime and food. You would think that after almost a year and 1/2 I would have learned not to eat too fast by now.
I chose to get banded because I struggled my entire life with my weight. My metabolism is slowed from yo-yo dieting and my exercise is minimal because I work part-time and attend grad school full time (lots of time spent sitting in front of a computer). One of the good things that the band does is that because of where it is placed it sends messages to your brain that tell it that you are full. These are chemical responses, which is the reason a lap band patient can eat so few calories and lose weight without the body going into starvation mode. I know that if I were not banded and ate so little calories my body would slow my metabolism down even further.
Being banded is no cake walk, but for me it has been worth it.