Dody

My dr. suggested one spoonful of my favorite ice cream....my treat for the day and you sure don't notice the crushed pill.

Just the difference in 2 European countries. Besides I like both apples and oranges.

I was a trauma nurse for many, many years and retired about 5 years ago. I worked in the ER.

I spent 5 years in Germany and can vouch that the German women were certainly not underweight and they sure didn't shave under their arms or their legs. France and Germany must be further apart then I thought. In Germany they love high calorie food....cakes, breads, etc. and sometimes that is their lunch.

I bought the cottage doubles(2%) Breakstone with cottage cheese and pineapple....I threw it away, but I was only trying cottage cheese on your recommendation 3 Loves I hate cottage cheese...really I hate it, but I did give it a try. I'm sure that it is wonderful for those that like cottage cheese but those curds gave me the creeps :target:

My friend who had bypass surgery got botox injections in her neck and it looks fantastic. I'm not saying this is for everyone, as it's controversial, just saying her results are great. I know at my age I'm going to have a turkey chin when I lose weight, but I would think a younger person wouldn't have those problems. I definitely would NOT have lipo at the time I had lap-banding. Just my opinion.

As stated anything with caffeine is a diuretic and defeats the purpose of keeping well hydrated. My dr. gave a firm NO to caffeine, but I guess all docs have different requirements.

I was banded on July 17, and it was the easiest surgery I've ever had....I would do it again in a heartbeat. I loved my surgeon and his whole team. I received first class care at Vanderbilt and would recommend Dr. Melvin and his wonderful crew to anyone interested in being banded. I've had absolutely no gas pains, little port pain that is now gone (I have the low-profile port). I'm so glad I researched and found this wonderful dr. that I traveled over 1000 mi. to have do my surgery. He is awesome....oh did I say that before. I get my first fill on Aug 30, but even now I'm full on 3/4 cup to a cup of food. I've lost 6 lbs. since being banded and I would recommend it to anyone who asked.

I made a list of things to ask although I have to say I received a folder that told me everything. I'm about 2 weeks out from having surgery and feel terrific. It's important to ask a lot of questions.

Even though my surgery was only 2 weeks ago, I will always come back because there are wonderful friends here. I don't know when I will reach goal as I think my surgeon is going to go slowly with me.....but I will be here for every milestone big or small. This forum is so informative and useful, and so many great people on it.....so you have my pact.

I never had any gas pains, no shoulder pain, no chest pain....absolutely none. You would think at my age I would have all the problems, but absolutely none. I haven't had a fill yet, so I may be singing a different tune afterwards, but I sometimes wonder if I have a band :target: but I know I get full very fast. The only thing I had after surgery was port pain....and it's gone.

I did kind of pig out when I got my surgery date, but it was a mo. down the road at the time. I knew I only needed to be on Carnation Instant Breakfast for 7 days before surgery and in that time I lost 10 lbs.....but OMG it was tough. I slipped in some broth and hot tea because I couldn't stand the thought of anymore milk drinks. I ordered some Isopure on line and it is wonderful. I hope everyone's surgery goes as well as mine did.... I have to say at my age of 64 I expected some problems, but I'm losing weight and I'm feeling great (sans some real knee pain from a knee surgery the week before). This was so worth the wait and I had a long weight as I had 5-way-bypass surgery 5 years ago and needed all kinds of clearance. I went through 2 surgeries and simply warned them NO MORPHINE or I will get sick. This was complied with and I received Demerol which did the trick. Back out of recovery and in my room I was immediately switched to Lortar elixer which did the job also. I was up and around (as well as you can be with one bad knee) and everyday is better than the day before. I'm glad this forum is here, because who knows what is to come down the road when I get my first fill......it could make a world of difference in how I feel right now and things might not be quite so rosy. For now I'm unfilled and losing and fill up quickly. I take heart medication which can't be crushed and the dr. wanted me to just take them and wash them down good with Water....so far so good. I have no problems with the pills. Good luck to all of you and I hope your journey is as wonderful as mine.

Perhaps my surgeon didn't place the band and this is a bad joke he is playing on me I woke up in recovery with pain in the port area and that was it...no nausea, no dry heaves, no gas. I was banded July 18, and have had absolutely no symptoms of any kind. I guess the band is there because I get full quickly and I've lost 6 lbs. without a fill. I never had a bit of gas, never anything but a sense of fullness, never any rumbling sounds. I'm 64-years-old and I should have had the problems :target: but I couldn't be happier. If it wasn't for a bad knee I would feel years and years younger. Perhaps I am an exception, and perhaps, just perhaps, the problems will come after a fill and I will most definitely come here for support, but so far I feel great. My port area stopped hurting just days after surgery and my stitches are dissolving nicely with not a bit of redness. Thank you God for taking this journey with me and good luck to all the rest of you.

I'm a Birk fanatic and ordered all mine I believe from HSN (could have been QVC). I have beautiful birks...decorated and all....very stylish. I also love Clark shoes.....but than I'm a shoe addict. I have foot and knee problems and they definitely help. Patellas are a great shoe also, very much birkies.

I was banded on July 18. I get full very quickly on about 1/2 to 1 cup of food, but have never experienced pain of any sort. I guess everyone is different. All I get is a feeling of being full...not Happy Turkey Day full...but full nonetheless. Some dr's. put some fill in at the time of surgery and I guess this could be the difference. My dr. puts no fill in at all, and I wondeer what it will be like after I get my first fill. Good Luck

I've traveled all over the country and can honestly say that everywhere I go the same people are in the ads for lap-band. It will be so nice to see a new face on there. Best of luck to you. Demand top dollar for your appearance

I'm staying at my daughter's and my grand-son is supposed to be eating, but is doing cartwheels instead. Needless to say his day isn't here, or I doubt he would be acting up so badly. He has ADD and is in perpetual motion. Grandma is just way too old for these antics :huggie: It's very hard concentrating on dinner time or what you can eat with little ones acting up.

I did eat more, however, it was 1 thing in particular and that was Blueberry Cream Ice Cream...I couldn't get enough of it. I also downed I can't count how many Dr. Pepper Diet Cherry-Vanilla pops and Diet Root Beer, simply because I knew it was the end of carbonation for me. I think I made matters worse though, because although I got my fill of the ice cream, I still crave the drinks. I haven't touched them and have discovered lots of lite non-carbonated drinks and something called "Sensations" which make the Water taste fantastic. I think everyone enjoys the foods they love before banding. You aren't unusual in the least. Best of luck on your banding.

PB means productive burp...it is revisiting your food all over again :tea: It happens with this type of surgery, mostly after you have had fills I think than before. I was banded a week ago and have had no incidence of this. I wish you good luck on your band journey. Take time and read everything on here and ask questions and you will be well informed.

I felt the real interview came from the pyschiatrist, as well it should. I was interested in my surgeon I think even more so than he was in me. I wanted to be sure I liked him, and one look at his jolly face and I knew I would....and I did. I think he is wonderful, as I'm sure many of us think our surgeons are. When I met with him I had been approved for the surgery, so meeting him was simply the icing on the cake. Anesthesiology, nurtrition and the surgeon were all met in the same day and all went well, except for the constant delays in my surgery that were no fault of his. These were things that happened unexpectantly to me. Good luck and don't be nervous.

I was banded on July 18 and Medicare requires you spend the night in the hospital. I'm glad I did because we had a 3 hr. drive in front of us....but I didn't get any sleep. Vanderbilt is super busy with being a teaching hospital as well and I had interns in all night long.... I had a wonderful experience. To your surgeon's credit they told you what happened, and some surgeons may have covered it up. The fact is now you have a band that is good and that's what is the important thing. Probably this happens more than we know. The girl next to me in recovery woke up sick to her stomach and I had no nausea at all. I felt fine except for the port pain, which is all but gone now. All in all it was a positive experience that I hope just keeps getting better.

I also had my surgery on the 18th and have no trouble drinking or eating. I guess everyone is different. I had no fill put in at the time of surgery so don't have the restriction some have. It is perfectly normal. I wish you the best. Keep me posted.

I found my visits with my nutritionist and psychiatrist a big help. I learned that "junk food" seems to travel through the band with absolutely no problem. The band is merely a tool to help you make better food choices. It doesn't carry any magical ingredient that will make you not want chocolate..that I know of anyway. This has got to be something you decide for yourself. I have only been banded for a week and am absolutely no authority on the subject, but I'm learning hat wise food choices certainly do fill me up as much as any junk food would. Fortunately, or unfortunately, as the case may be ice cream is my vice. My surgeon suggested I take a tsp. with my medication and that has satisfied that craving and seems to be enough for me. I think telling people they can't have something makes you want it more. I've given up my carbonated drinks...gosh what more do they want from me :confused: and that was the most difficult thing I've done. I'm now using Sensation in my Water and have myself convinced it tastes like soda pop. A lot of the band is in the mind. It will work well for you if you commit youself to following the rules, although at some point lots of people slip just once or twice. Tomorrow is always another day to get on track with. No one is perfect, but strive to eat the things that you know are good for you and will fill you up. Thankfully chocolate has never been my thing, so that doesn't bother me a all. Good luck to you.

So very simple and unhealthy to eat around the band with chocolate, ice cream, etc. They go down very easily as do the expensive drinks like latte. What you need to learn is not to eat these things that cheat the band. You have to follow a guideline and teach yourself along the way what to eat and what to stay away from. You are getting a bunch of calories from junk, and you need to change your way of thinking and follow your bandster diet.

I was on Carnation Instant Breakfast for the 2 weeks before my surgery. I also bought the Magic Bullet and absolutely love it. There is a lot of protein in the Carnation Instant Breakfast. You might want to give it a try.