plain

Is that a personal opinion, or do you have an internet source to back that up?

My 2 cents: 1) I'd think this is an individual preference. Some people love the sodium, some don't. 2) I don't know what you consider cold. I live in Texas, and it's been unusually cold here (low 30s......occasionally high 20s). I don't get those muscle cramps. What you feel is probably related to the "recentness" of your surgery. 3) I don't know what you mean by "stretch out". Do you mean is it easy to eat too much food? 4) I guess so. Is it a high caloric / high fat liquid? That would be my only concern. Personally, I love soymilk (and real milk, lol). 5) Probably the amount of coughing you would get from a cold would be ok. Coughing is rarely as violent as vomiting.

Holy moley!! I'm saving this post!! BJean acknowledges that it was, in fact, congress that voted to invade Iraq. Now this is debatable (vs the facts that we finally got straight above). I'm sure that there was plenty of deception involved for all parties. Heck, what politician isn't draped in some sort of deception? But.....I can't buy the "Bush and Cheney and their cronies fudged the truth, etc, yadda yadda yadda". Here's why: Intelligence leaders of other countries also thought Iraq had WMD (mostly because Hussein engaged in a purposeful campaign of deceptively claiming that he DID have WMDs to seem stronger than he was). To say that Bush knowingly lied about the facts is to also believe that Bush was in charge of England and Israel too. So Congress gets a pass for the bad intell, but Bush doesn't? Maybe I'm wrong, Cleo's mom, but it seems to me that you are ascribing much more power and influence to President Bush than he really had. Answer me this.....Is President Obama more powerful than Bush, less powerful, or are the about the same?

Hi Steph. Have you looked in the "local lapband support groups" section on the main page? It breaks down support groups by geographic location. If there's nothing there, then why not start one yourself? Good luck.......looks like you're doing great!

Hi Sherid, welcome to lapbandtalk. I totally "feel your pain". I live in a very rual part of Texas (although I'm lucky to have a support group about 45 miles away). This site is a good 2nd option. There is a ton of info to be shared, posts to read, and people to chat with. Glad to have you!

Hi Amanda. Sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders. Before you decide on ANY weightloss surgery, research, research, research!! Doing your homework is essential. We're glad to have you here no matter which direction you decide to go. Good luck!

You will not be able to convince BJean that congress authorized war against Iraq. I've tried many, many times. For some posters on this thread, Bush (and republicans / conservatives / anybody not a democrat) is directly responsible for every problem in America.

There was some change. He's playing with different special interest groups than president Bush played with. Same story, different names. There is that whole massive expansion of government thing. There's some change you can believe in.

Hi library. I've never had any kind of radiographic procedure related to my band.

There are a lot of variables with restriction. Time of day, time of the month (for women, lol), stress, all of those things can affect your restriction level at any given time. It's also possible that you've found a food that it more difficult for you to tolerate. It's ALSO possible that maybe you just got a little careless and didn't chew as well as you thought. Living the banded life can be tricky, eh?? Don't get too discouraged.....although there is certainly a learning curve to the band, it's a pretty steep one. You'll learn it eventually. Hang in there!!

Sounds like things played out just the way that your doc said they might. I seriously doubt that you've damaged anything just by some carbonation....probably just the gas trapping issue. If you continue to have pain / discomfort, then consult your doc, because the doc always has the last word.

Preop sucks! There's no way to sugarcoat that. It sounds like you are doing well, though. Just keep plowing through!!

Well.....admittedly, I don't know very much about the bypass. My insurance only offered the band, so that's what I went with. What I have found that I really like about my band (besides the restriction) is that it has kinda re-taught me to make better food choices, while still letting me live a more or less normal life. I know others may feel differently, but I love my band.

Micon, you are kicking ass!! Keep up the good work. To answer your question, everybody is different. You're correct that the liquid phase is quick weight loss. Larger people tend to lose more quickly that smaller folks. My doc told me that a good "average" is 1 lb every 2 weeks, once I got into real food. You may be a little slower, or you may leave that number in the dust. Right now you're doing great!

Hey there Cheyenne! Welcome to lapbandtalk. Get ready to work with your band......It is a powerful tool to help you, but you have to do your share as well. So...jump right in and read, chat, and share. Good luck!!

Fanny, you're looking brilliant!!

That's so funny! And then BJean gets mad @ Patty for a joke post about liberals vs conservatives! Classic! Yup, Cleo's mom, that's who makes up the republican party alright.....you have them dead to rights. Question: If a democratic congress and and a democratic president can't pass their bills, who is to blame? Answer: George Bush. Liberals can keep blaming everybody and everything under the sun (including Bush), but the fact is, the majority of Americans don't support this bill.

Bumped, because it's sooooooo important!

Hey laura. It sounds like you're having trapped air. When the band goes around the upper part of your stomach, it creates a false stoma (or "hole") to slow down the digestion of food. Unfortunately, that same stoma makes it very difficult to burp. That's one of the reason that bandsters have to eat and drink very slowly and cautiously, especially before they have some experience living that "banded" life. So....certainly relay this info to your doc's office when you see them again, but it really sounds like a case of gas pains to me.

Hi luv, welcome to lapbandtalk. You're right....the preop diet kinda sucks. My doc allowed me to have protein shakes as well as the things you mentioned, and I found the higher protein intake really helped with my hunger. Hang in there!

Hi there, Spence. Welcome to lapbandtalk! I hope you get good news from your insurance very soon. Good luck!!

Good luck, armywife. I personally think the waiting is the hardest part. Hopefully you'll be approved quickly!!

W00t! That's awesome! Pics, plz.

This is exactly how I feel.