snowbird

Keep in mind that some of the "problems" you list are the results of the band doing what it is supposed to do--stopping us from overeating. The stuck feeling, the pbing, are like aversion therapy--they feel bad, so you start associating unpleasantness rather than pleasure with overeating and break yourself of the habit. The chance of death I consider a lot lower than the chance of dying early from some obesity-related disorder. I was banded in October and started my pre-op diet in early August. I am down about 45 lb since then. I have no doubt that no matter how hard I tried, I would be as heavy or heavier now than I was in August if not for this surgery. I feel good about myself and proud of my weight loss. I do pb occasionally (it isn't really the same as throwing up, since nothing is digested and mixed with stomach secretions yet) and the stuck feeling hurts. But that is my assurance that the band is working and stopping me from stuffing my face with more food than I need. So yes, I am very glad I did this!

Last time I checked, Heinz had a low carb ketchup. My son actually likes it better than regular; he says it tastes more tomatoey.

Me again--I'm a little scattered today. The Atkins induction phase requires under 20 grams of carbs a day. That is very, very low and a bit hard to do, but it is doable. We ate a lot of oven roasted vegetables and salads with our protein. No milk or dairy other than cheese, no fruits, and of course no pasta, potatoes, tomatoes, rice . . .

One thing I forgot to say: my doctor's nutritionist said we needed to avoid fruit juices totally. Too many carbs and calories.

Berries are good, especially blueberries. The problem with fruit in general, as you have probably figured out, is that it is almost always high in carbs/sugar. Don't get fooled by the idea that sugar from fruit is any better for you than white sugar--it's all sugar. I may be showing my ignorance, but I didn't know any fruit had much in the way of Protein. If you want protein with your fruit, put some blueberries and splenda in your blender with some ice and Protein shake powder. A shake of cinnamon helps too! Atkins diets are no longer in fashion, but my lap band surgeon recommends the induction phase of the Atkins diet for the pre op diet if you have three weeks or longer before your surgery. It worked for my DH and me; we each most more than the 5% of our total body weight we were told to lose with the Atkins diet. However, we started it two months prior to surgery.

My doctor says full liquids, which means cream soups, protein shakes, anything that does not contain solid chunks. He wants the full liquids for three days after the first fill, but for subsequent fills he requires only one day of liquids. I'm saying this along with the usual warning that every doctor is different.

My doctor also looked at my weight history. He said if you have always been overweight, even from childhood, then your bones are heavier to compensate for the extra weight that have had to carry. Therefore I shouldn't try to have a goal of 125, because I can't diet away the extra bone weight! He set a goal of 150 for me, but I secretly hope I can get down to 140 or 145.

Lots of people get fills from places other than their original surgeons. If he told you to get a fill during a time he wasn't available, I wouldn't worry about his feelings too much.

Hi, Jazzy. Sounds like we can start up our own Surprise support group, or at least a West Valley one. We are snowbirds and head up to Washington for summers, but are usually around Arizona from September through May.

Hey, QT, sorry for the delay in replying. We were up in Washington visiting my daughter (also a bandster) and are in San Diego right now, getting ready to head down to TJ for our second fills. We stayed at the Lucerna Hotel for our surgery. The cost of the hotel is included in Dr Ortiz's fee. If you bring someone with you, they can continue to stay at the Lucerna while you are at the clinic--that's also included in Dr. O's fee. We went down last year with my daughter, and then went back for our own bands in October. When we go for fills, we have an RV and drive it over to San Diego or Chula Vista and stay in it there overnight. If you want to PM me with any questions or ask them here, I will try to check in more often. We will be back home in Arizona Friday night, so my life should settle down a bit then.

Nighttime snacking is my biggest problem too. Lots of evenings I have a 100 calorie package of popcorn because it is filling yet pretty harmless calorie-wise. Quaker rice cakes (cinnamon toast flavor is my fave) are filling too. If I snack on something small, I just keep going back for more.

My fill doctor said that a lot of surgeons only tack the port in one spot which makes it flip easily. he says he tacks it down on both sides so it can't flip. Don't know if this is true or not, but do you know how the port was stitched in originally?

After I lost 65 pounds, I had a friend ask me if I was on a diet. When I said yes, she said, "well, I didn't want to say anything in case you had cancer or something." Didn't that make me feel I looked good . . .!

By the way, I know all doctors are different, but mine says no solids for three days with the first fill. However, he is more aggressive with the fill amount--I got 1.7cc for a first fill.

My doctor's nutritionist says no Protein shakes also, because they are a liquid and don't stay in the band and give you a full feeling. However, I just had one for Breakfast because I am never hungry in the morning and know I won't want anything to eat til lunch. Evenings are my heavy eating time, and I would never attempt to make it through on just a Protein shake. I make mine with Water instead of milk to keep the calories down. Actually, the one I just had was made with leftover coffee, splenda, ice, and a dash of cinnamon. Since my base was a low sugar Protein powder, total calories were about 165. I understand what the nutritionist was saying in that using liquids for meals is not exactly working with the band, but I think this works for me.

My husband, daughter, and I all went to Dr Ortiz. However, DH and I live in Arizona and are retired so taking a day or two to get a fill is easy. Plus, Dr Ortiz has a dental clinic in his office, so we often get dental work done at the same time. His office is open on Saturdays, so you could do it easily in a weekend. It's about a 5 hour drive.

My daughter had a real problem after she lost about 80 lb--one side was way smaller than the other. Now THAT made bra fitting interesting. She's evened up now, thank goodness.

Hey, guys, thought I would join in the RV discussion, though I'm a little late as usual. DH and I went to an RV show yesterday and it seems all the major manufacturers are now offering a 23-24 foot motorhome with the Dodge Sprinter chassis, Mercedes diesel engine that gets 16-19 mpg. They are cute. We bought a Gulfstream Vista Cruiser Mini in August and like it, but the Winnebago and Fleetwood ones we saw at the show are really nice. We drove ours up to Tacoma WA from Arizona for the holidays and will head back down south Sunday, then we're off to Georgia to watch our son play college baseball the first of February. The motorcoach is great and drives like a pickup truck, fits widthwise into a regular parking space (a little long, but not more than a big crew cab pickup) and is comfortable to stay in. We aren't planning to take a tow vehicle with us to Georgia because it's so easy to just drive the coach around. It's small enough to spend a night in a friend's driveway without causing major disruption to their lives by taking up a bedroom and bathroom. And it actually gets better gas mileage than our old Ford pickup did.

Don't know when you were banded, which would make a difference, but I'm assuming it was at least several months ago. Whenever I do any lifting my port gets tender. It makes sense: it's a foreign object that is stitched into your abdomen, so any exercise of the abdomenal muscles would probably move it around a bit and cause tenderness in the area. I would doubt if it's anything too serious that wouldn't wait until the 11th, unless the pain becomes severe. You might want to discuss with your doctor what kind of exercises you are doing to see if there is something else you could do that would irritate the area less, and lay off any strenuous abdominal exercises until then.

I had my first fill November 29. I had good restriction for the first two weeks, although I am a bit looser now. My husband has a VG band and was banded the same day as I was and got his first fill at the same time I did; he has needed another fill for about three weeks and can eat just about anything, although not in the volumes he could in pre band days. We are headed back to Tijuana Dec 10 and he is getting a second fill. I'm not feeling like I need one yet; I am eating more than I think I should in snacks, but for meals I am quite restricted, so what I am overeating is not the band's fault! I've lost about 10 lb since the fill, and I am still losing a couple of pounds a week.

I just went to a LHB outlet and picked up a couple of Bali non-underwire bras that had a tag on them that said "amazing lift". They were right. The style code is 3355 and they are wonderful for me. My boobs are usually down around my waist and pointing at my toes, so I was thrilled to find something to help. They were on sale for $13.99 each. I just found them online too, but they're $18.99. Here's the link: Bali Live It Up Seamless Wirefree Bra - One Hanes Place Lingerie, Hosiery, Casual Clothes ! By the way, I was told by the bra fitters that most women are in a size too large and a cup too small, so I went from a 40D to a 38DD. It was tight for the first 30 minutes or so, but after that it fit great. Hope this helps.

There are also a few of us living in Arizona that were banded in Mexico and who drive down for our fills to Mexicali or Tijuana. Check around; there are several recent threads on this topic. Look at the Arizona forum and the Fills forum.

Yes, as well as high blood sugar, sore joints, hypertension . . . anything that is made worse by obesity.

I was banded in October, so I don't have a long term perspective on things. But yeah, things have changed. I don't binge like I used to, because I can't. It hurts. But beyond that, I don't want to. I have a cookie or two and I am done, and believe me, that isn't the same as I used to be. The shameful feelings? Those are gone too, because I feel like I have done something to take control of my body. Another thing that has changed is how I look at what other people eat. I am amazed at the amount of food people eat, and amazed at how little I eat now myself and feel "done." I don't want to say "full" or "satisfied" because it isn't really. However, my body tells me I should stop or I will face some unpleasant consequences, and the memory of previous unpleasant consequences is enough to drive away any food cravings I have. Something that is better is that I can have a treat without feeling guilty, because I know I will have a bite or two and won't go overboard. One thing that hasn't changed is the realization that I still have to watch what I eat to continue to lose weight. I don't have to worry so much about how much I will eat, but I have to worry about what kinds of foods I eat. Since I am eating less, I have to make what I eat count towards nutrition. So I can have a bite of pie or ice cream, but I better not have more or I won't be able to eat what I should eat to be healthy. I'm a lot more aware of that. Hope this helps. I remember the doctor telling my mom before I went into first grade that I was too heavy, so I know what you mean about being overweight your whole life. I now feel I have a chance to live my life as a non-overweight person, and it's pretty exciting. The band doesn't work the same for everyone, so anyone who tells you this is the magic cure for obesity isn't telling the real story. But for the first time I don't have the fear that every pound I lose will show back up as soon as I stop dieting.

Oh, Mona, I'm so sorry you had such a terrible time. I was (and am) hoping to meet you at one of the Arizona group lunches. Keep the faith and keep us updated on your progress.