PhotoNut

Hey Dr. Hekier.. thanks for joining this thread. I'm sure you can undersand our concern over this, and for our friend. To me, it appears as if the restriction is from the band pushing against the esophogus, doesn't it to you as well?

Here you go

I fully agree with Alex. It's time we stopped making excuses for such things and defending doctors when they screw up. They may be wonderful people, but as surgeons they have a responsibility to perform each surgery with care and skill. This was not a fluke. This was gross negligence and I wouldn't think twice about approaching any surgeon who screwed up so badly and demanding they make it right. Grrr.. I keep coming back to this and adding more. Two other lapband surgeons and the makers of the band all confirmed that the band wasn't even around your stomach. Then you go back to the surgeon who put it in and he just takes it out and says, "Oops you eroded in one month!"??? What.. did the band erode completely through your stomach on one side only, going through the stomach wall, then out the other side, leaving the band completely on the outside?? In one month?? Doesn't this sound like a surgeon who didn't want to admit such a huge F'up!? Do not let this guy take your money, you hopes, your future and push you out the door saying this is a fluke. Stand up for yourself and dont worry about hurting his feelings or the confrontation. Trust me, you have a huge community of bandsters here who know how to make waves. If this guy doesn't do right by you, he knows he will be talked about around the world! Ok.. I think I'm finished.. but I'm still not calm.

Thanks Karen! I do so look forward to the day when I can run! And as for you, "Joe" .. umm, what kind of dog do you have?

Wow, I went thru this exact same thing. I was facing spending $26,000 on this band, knowing what it would do for our family.. for our kids.. our house, our debt.. and my entire family gathered around me and told me that nothing is more worthy of the financial investment than my life. Now that I'm banded, my thoughts do occassionally return to the guilty feelings. Especially when I see my husband losing weight at the same rate as me and without the band. I even made a comment to him about it the other day, and he told me that were it not for me being brave enough to take charge of my life and do something about my own weight, he wouldn't have been able to either. So now I mostly focus on what that money has purchased. My husband's health. My health. The possibility of actually pursuing our dreams that we thought were unattainable because we were too fat and out of shape to even try. More time on earth (God willing) with our kids and grandkids - good quality time, actually doing something with them and not just sitting on the couch when they come over to see us. There is a lot to be said for what this band holds for us. It's a brave step to take, it's a worthwhile thing to do if it helps you get healthy. Don't be ashamed of that.

Yay! So so happy to hear the "good" news Kathy! Take good care of yourself now and get lots of rest. Soon you'll be good as new, with your band! Isn't that wonderful! *big hugs*

Look, admire, comment.. but remember, he's MY sexy bitch. *sweet smile*

Ohhh I'm dying to.. but I'll not touch this one. *laughs*

I don't think I started noticing that I was moving better, sleeping on my side again, aching less and not suffering with gas until about the middle of the second week. Some get thru it faster than others. Walk a bit several times during the day (helps move the gas around), drink plenty of Water to stay hydrated, get in your Protein (heals the muscles and fights infection) and rest. I've heard that liquid Tylenol helps a lot for the aches, GasX for the gas, and um.. maybe thicker liquids to take care of the runny end. I'm four weeks out now and the aching part is already becoming a faint memory. And that fours weeks has flown by!

Thank you Gadgelady, happy to know you too Any fan of mine is a ..well.. heh.. Good grief, Im starting to sound more like Dawg everyday. *laughs* And speaking of him, NO WAY would I let him hide my goodies. He is so mean to me, every time I said I was having a craving he would say something like, 'Go walk on the new treadmill for 15 minutes first'. *pouts* He took away the scale batteries and hid them. I only get to weigh once a week now. And I love weighing every 20 minutes! *sobs*

I was thinking the same thing.. came here to post it. Great minds think alike! Besides, this is for when youre out and about.. wouldnt you have the AC running some too?

Yay!! Great news! I'm celebrating with you! :clap2: Maybe DeLarla will do the Honkytonk Badonkadonk for you!

Welcome Tammy! I know you must be SO excited! Your date is just around the corner now. I wish you the very best of luck, a speedy recovery, and great success with your band. Glad to have you join us!

Please be careful everyone.. I looked at the listed ingredients in the Pure Hoodia link above and Hoodia is the last ingredient listed. By law, ingredients have to be listed in order of quantity. The first item on the list is what this product mainly consists of. Hoodia is the last on the list, which means there is only a very small amount of it in this product. Have a look at the list.. do you know what all of the ingredients are? If not, you should find out.. because anything listed above Hoodia is what you are really taking. http://www.purehoodia.com/Ingredients.htm And.. this is the warning on the label: WARNING: Pure Hoodia™ weight loss products are not for use by individuals under the age of 18. Do not use if pregnant or nursing. Consult a physician before using this product. Do not use if you have, or have a family history of heart, liver or thyroid disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, recurrent headaches, depression or other psychiatric condition, glaucoma, difficulty in urinating, prostate enlargement, or seizure disorder, if you are using a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) or any other dietary supplement, prescription drug or over-the-counter drug containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine (ingredients found in certain allergy, asthma, cough/cold, and weight control products). Exceeding recommended serving may cause serious health effects including heart attack or stroke. I see a lot of things listed there that many obese people have. And before anyone gets offended, I didn't post this because I'm against the product or taking such products, nor do I think anyone who is taking this or similar products is stupid for doing so. I simply saw the warning and wanted to share it for everyone's safety.

You know, I just had another thought. Sometimes when we are bombarded with thoughts of food that just wont quit, our bodies are trying to tell us something. Stop and really think about what it is youre craving. It could be you are lacking in something (Vitamins, minerals, carbs, fats, proteins). Then take a good look at what you are eating during the day. Find out exactly how many calories, carbs, fats, etc that you are really eating. Check that against what is recommended. Your doctor or nutritionist could help with that, or www.mypyramid.gov has a very detailed breakdown based on your gender, age, height, weight, activity level, that might help. Also, see how often you eat. If youre trying to make your last meal at 5pm but you dont go to bed until 10 or 11, this is way too long and you are probably really hungry. We should stop eating 3 hours before we go to bed to allow time for our food to digest and get out of our stomachs before we lay down to sleep. So space out your foods. Ok, thats all from me. For now. *grins*

I have started eating every three hours. My last "meal" is at 7pm but occassionally, if I'm up later I might have some Fiber One Cereal (1/2 c with 1/2 skim milk - also good dry, tastes like graham crackers) or 1/2 C Jello. I have found that by eating every three hours and getting enough Protein through the day, I rarely have snack attacks. You could take the "negative" response approach and every time you have a thought about wanting to eat beyond your daily planned limits, make yourself do a few situps, or some other exercise that will benifit you. Exercise usually deminishes the urge to eat. And drink water! A bottle of Water can fill you up and take away your desire to put any more in your tummy. If all else fails, take a nice shower or bath and get your arse to bed. sleep is a great distraction! These work for me. Hope they help for someone else too. Good luck everyone.

Sears just delivered our brand new NordicTrack C2200 treadmill and is she ever pretty! She folds up for space saving too! It might take some time to break her in. I walked on it for about .003 miles and about passed out. LOL! w00t! Let the fun begin!

I've been thinking about the 100 calories packs and have decided that for ME they would be the slippery slope down to old eating habits. But like I said before, they would be a great intervention for the times when you break down and say 'to hell with it, im eating cookies!' I'd buy the box, walk out of the store, take out one pack, and throw the rest in the garbage can - before I got to my car and opened the pack. I have a very addictive personality. I never do anything in moderation. I'd have the entire box eaten by the time I got home. I really like Donali's "grocery store at work". Look at her choice of rescue foods. All healthy, all keeping her focused on the goal to eat right, nothing there would be something you'd grab in a weak moment of cravings. Dawg keeps extra cans of tuna in his desk for those days when he really gets hungry between lunch and 5:00. The other day I went to a friend's house and planned to be there all day long. So I packed my small bowls of prepared foods that I normally eat while at home. But what about those times when you get caught out unexpectedly and its meal time, not snack time? Not many have responded to this, which is kind of what I expected. Know why? Because many of us DO get caught unprepared and I think these might be key times to screwups. Anyone else have thoughts on this?

Hey Yvonne, let me join the crowd in welcoming you to LBT! I'm sure you are very anxious to get your band and this is THE perfect place to wait it out. You'll find so many wonderful people here with stories to share that will touch your heart, encourage you, and yes even make you mad on occassion. *laughs* It happens. Ask lots of questions, read through the forums, and get to know all of us crazies who have jumped on the banded wagon!

Does that clear Isopure taste good? Is it whey protein?

Aww.. are you thinking of getting another band, La Madam? I saw a study online that showed that patients that were rebanded after erosion did not re-erode.. and that was four years after they were rebanded!

OMG! Thats wonderful! Now thats something that I couldnt have on hand because I know me.. I'd start with one pack and eat them all. BUT! This would be a great alternative when you know you are going to give in and eat cookies or cheeze nips, or whatever. Thanks for the great tip!

100 calorie packs? Whats that?

I have noticed that most people "fall off the wagon" when they are caught without the foods they can eat. Whether it be out with the family and everyone ends up starving and goes to McDonald's or you woke up late and didn't have time to fix a lunch and Snacks to take to work.. it will happen to us all, eventually. I know that many of you have plan B's in place for such occassions and I thought it would be great to get some tips from the pros. I know Puddinpie uses the suck and seal thing for her meals. I've seen some great ideas and recipes from her on this topic and would love it if she'd share that again here. I personally was thinking about keeping one of those small insulated lunch bags handy and tossing Slim Fast shake and maybe a pouch of tuna. Anyone else have clever ideas that have saved your bums from making wrong choices out of desperation and starvation?

I am a dough freak! I carry a Dolly Madison bakery around on each thigh and my bum is made of Texas toast! Croutons! Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that? I had heard that it's the soft fluffly breads and gooey pastas that are the problems. Makes sense that croutons would work fine. MMmmm garlic cruotons!