fiveholts714

I am an RN and I don't have a hard time being direct with doctors, so by golly give me his phone number and I'll call on your behalf! The key to health care is listening to the patient and believing everything they say. If all docs and nurses did this, there would be a lot more happy people and a lot fewer lawsuits. If you can eat bread like that, there is a problem. I haven't had my first fill yet, but I'm not going to be happy paying all this money and not getting results. If you've lost 30 pounds with no restriction, you are my hero. Call your doc and be direct. Sometimes it is easier to do this over the phone. Or if you are married, have your husband do it. It is a lot to go through this surgery and you deserve to have it work. And I will confess I was naughty today. I went to Applebees intending to eat a weight watchers meal and I ended up eating the appetizer sampler. I feel guilty. But I worked out today and I will every day for the rest of the week. This is lent and in my church this is not the time of year to be indulgent. I was certainly weak today....

I have a couple of times. If you do it daily I think there is a problem. Plus, it grosses out my family.

Drink hot stuff. Try a little meat tenderizer in some hot water if you think the pill is still intact. :think

My doc said no, but not why. I had a diet soda (I haven't had my first fill yet) along with a too big bite of chicken and sudeenyl there was a huge competition in my gullet between the chicken and the soda. I was trying to swallow the chicken and the gas from the soda was trying to make an exit. They made a compromise and I had the weirdest out of the side of my throat burp ever. Don't ask for details.:omg:

Ok, that is really terrible. I can see why you are so worked up about it. I haven't had a pb yet, but I have thrown up fluids I was trying to swallow when something got stuck in my band. I haven't had a fill yet. How are you feeling about it now? Man, I am going to be super careful when in public now! Your friends must have been really freaked out. I hope you are better.:confused:

- Tortillas (white, wheat, corn?) Got stuck - salad (what kind of lettuce can you eat?) Yep. any kind - Hard breads (pretzels, crackers, melba, etc.) Got stuck with Triscuits - "Fluffy" breads (pancakes, waffles, muffins) Major stuck - Ground meants (turkey, chuck, sirloin...) yes -ok so far but no fill yet - Shellfish/crustaceans (scallops, shrimp, crab, lobster, mussels...) yep - Hard Cereal (grape nuts, oat bran, etc.) haven't tried - Hard cheeses haven't tried Of course all of this may change after my first fill next month. But even now, bread is out of the question. WAAAHHH :confused: (I'm doing laundry today)

My dh took it and he had lots of underwear changes due to the side effects mentioned above. I can't believe a dietician would recommend this product. Can you believe they are going to make it over the counter???:confused:

I think you are so right. The band is a lifestyle changing aid. You can have a band and still eat a gallon of premium ice cream everyday, as long as you took your time! Why pay all this money and NOT make changes? You are throwing your hard earned money away and your chance to be healthier if you don't make changes.

That's rough! You deserve to be 28 pounds lighter!

Medicalert and other companies make cheapie and expesive, fancy bands in braclets and necklaces. Be careful if you are making your own charm. EMT's look quick and if you don't have the cadeusus (probably spelled wrong) on the tag they will look past it.

Oh year. My toes especially are killing me. I hear that weight loss ends this.

Wow. There is a big difference in your stomach area! And I know what you mean about DL. We go every year (we also went on our honeymoon) and every year I have been fatter and more and more worried about fitting on rides. Plus my feet are in AGONY by the end of the day. That is one NSV I am looking forward too. NO foot agony and having a better time.:dance: :dance:

My stomach rumbled too. It slowed down a lot after the first week or so. I also had a bout of diarrhea. Your biggest concern right now is dehydration. Watch for a dry mouth, coated tongue, light headedness and weakness and a fast pulse. You should be drinking lots. I would focus on broths and other salt containing liquids.

That is so great! Just like the little engine that could. You are a great lesson in not giving up just because the going is slow. :biggrin1:

I had twins at 37 so I definately will need something. Plus as I got heavier all my weight went to my gut, really stretching my skin. My port is on the left side of my abdomen, about 4 inches to the left of my midline. I've heard some docs place it between the breasts which I would never allow.

:hungry: I have heard from several people that they had no hunger after the band. I, on the other hand, was starving. I was sick with hunger. My doc let me have Protein shakes and milk right away, but I couldn't seem to get them in the hospital. I finally got milk. I bought a tasteless Protein powder that can be added to anything. It is called unjury and I got it off the internet. It is a bit pricey, but if your doc restricts you to Clear liquids the first couple of weeks, it could really help with your hunger if you add it to broth, etc. One scoop has 20 grams of protein. I add it to my slim fast shake in the morning. There are other products out there, too. Honestly, I think I would have died without the shakes and milk. My hunger pains would wake we out of a narcotic sleep!

I was banded on 2/22 and my incisions are still sensitive. Especially when my kids jump on me! My port is the most snesitive. But I am exercising and doing everything else normally. I just get little reminders every now and then that I am not so far out of surgery.

I started taking extra strength gas X a couple of days before my surgery and it helped. So take it now. I had one bought a diarrhea after surgery - I think that was because the hospital's "food" didn't agree with me. I had one incident of shoulder pain that lasted maybe 10 minutes. And that was a couple of days after surgery.

I take the Costco brand of children's chewables and a Viative calcium. But not together. Calcium and vitamins shouldn't be taken at the same time since they can interfere with each other. Also, I take my viactive when I'm not having a laot of other calcium in my meal. The body can only absorb about 500 mg at once, so if you take it with a lot of dairy you are throwing it away.

I was banded on 2/22 in Mexico. I can relate to the ride home. Mine was on a plane and I get bumped from my flight. But that is another posting.... I was starving, starving, starving right after surgery and until I got home. That makes one weak and nauseated. What is your dietary order? I could have protein shakes and milk right away. That is what saved me. I wouldn't have made it without the carbs. :nervous

I was banded on 2/22 in Mexico. I can relate to the ride home. Mine was on a plane and I get bumped from my flight. But that is another posting.... I was starving, starving, starving right after surgery and until I got home. That makes one weak and nauseated. What is your dietary order? I could have protein shakes and milk right away. That is what saved me. I wouldn't have made it without the carbs. :nervous

Thank you everyone. I don't personally know anyone else with a band so it is hard to keep perspective and that is why I am here! My dh doesn't pressure me to lose weight, but I feel like everyone at work is staring at me all the time. I am a nurse and have had many conversations about weight loss surgery with my department. They would have figured it out if I hadn't told them. In fact, a few people I didn't tell have asked others if I had surgery. A lot of our functions at work are around food so of course I'm not chowing down. In fact, one person remarked "You eat like a snail". As long as it is a skinny snail.... They do the body fat composition testing at work. I should get it done. Thanks for making me feel better. I hadn't anticipated feeling this kind of pressure!

Let me start off by saying that I was banded on 2/22/06. My first fill will be next month. As of last week I had lost 20 pounds. I have been eating about 1000-1200 calories per day and exercising my rear off. I go to the gym 3 times a week. I do circuit training for about 25 minutes, walk a half mile and then swim laps. I have little restriction, but have been careful about what I eat. I get at least 60 grams of Protein a day. I have slipped a couple of times, but I usually suffer enough that I don't do it again! Plus I am more active in my daily life. I decided that my goal is to either maintain my weight or loose a couple of pounds a week until I get my fill. I was sure I had lost weight this week. But I get on the scale and I am up almost 2 pounds. TWO POUNDS! Even my husband is surprised. I don't eat near what I used to and I am exercising. No, I don't think I am gaining muscle. Or if I am, it is in an area that I can't see. Anyway, I am discouraged. This is hard work, especially before a fill. It makes it doubly hard that people know I have had this surgery and for some reason they feel that I am obligated to report my weight loss to them each week. Well, they are in for a surprise on Monday when I announce that I will not be reporting my weight loss/gain or otherwise anymore because that is my personal business. I have had this secret fear that this surgery won't work. Probably because I have been heavy all my life and am now 40 years old. I ended up having to pay cash for this surgery and have some guilt that I took this money away from my kids and it is wasted. I know I'm not filled yet and things will be different, but if I was eating and exercising like this without a band I would still expect to lose weight. I feel like this is my once in a lifetime chance to not be morbidly obese. I don't even want to be thin - just not such a huge size that I can't fit in any clothes or an airplane seat. Please say nice things to me.:faint:

I'm using protein powder added to a slim fast protein shake for a total of 30. It is over 300 calories, though. But it is low in fat, has fiber and is a pretty good protein bang for the buck. But I am also eating chicken and fish. But unless it is done right, I choke. I usually have my shake for breakfast because it is fast and controls my hunger.

You must be flying high. My insurance didn't cover it so I had to pay cash. I am always so thrilled for anyone who gets their insurance to cover it. You will do great!:hippie: