PhotoNut

*laughs and laughs* Reality bites, doesnt it? *laughs more* I laugh so much because I relate! *laughs more*

Julie, there are two different ways outlined on this thread. Let me know if you need any further help on it. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=17595

Yoda, I experienced the same thing. I also took MOM and it worked later the following day. I was going to make a joke along the lines of great minds think alike, but.. um.. I think I'll pass on that this time. *grins*

Boo, what did you eat? I agree with everyone else that you should only be eating mushies at this stage. I also agree that you should go to liquids for the next 24 hours and give your esophogus time to recover. PBs cause irritation and swelling and if you keep trying to eat, you'll most likely PB again making it even worse. Don't worry about this being a normal thing. You do probably still have quite a bit of swelling going on around your band area. This is why most Dr's want their patients to wait about six weeks to move on to the really solid foods. I hope you relax and realize that this isn't necessarily the sign of big problems. It is probably just a sign that you need to give yourself more time to heal. Keep us posted on how you're doing. *hugs*

Ok everyone. Don't forget to delete one space after you type in your number. Otherwise the lines will get too long and wrap around, messing up the format of your cards. Type number, delete once, hightlight and click in the underline button if you want your number to appear as if its sitting on the line.

Oh my god. *laughs so hard* That does it.. now I double dog dare you to do it you goober! :grouphug:

Robin, I don't understand why it cost YOU $13,000 because THEY nicked your artery? Of course I agree with everyone else that you should have this fixed ASAP. If your Dr brings you can say this is medically necessary, as he did with the port, perhaps your insurance will cover it again? I wish you wouldn't have felt embarassed to tell us this months ago. We might have been able to convince you to go in earlier and save yourself this misery. *hugs*

Oh, and by the way Allen... welcome to LBT! Glad you found us!

Q. After I eat or drink something I feel the urge to burp but can't and sometimes I feel the need to hiccup. Are these normal? A. This is normal, yes. You might be eating or drinking too fast. Try slowing down a bit. Q. What happens if you start eating solid foods before the 2-3 weeks of liquid diet is up? Will it cause a problem with the band itself? Slow down the rate at which you lose weight? etc.? A. It is very important that you follow your Dr's outlined diet. When the band is placed around the stomach, part of the stomach wall is pulled up and over the band and then sewn to itself to hold the band in place. It is possible to break the stitches and cause your band to slip if you eat solids foods too early. Q. What is "PB"ing? A. A PB is "productive burp". This occurs when a piece of food will not go through the banded area of your stomach so it is "burped" back up. In the worst cases, it can be very painful and produce a lot of slime in your mouth as the body tries to remedy the problem. Q.Is it normal to not know if you're hungry or full? I wake up feeling full and have no real need for food. I can stay this way all day and never feel like I need to eat until i feel a little dizzy then I know I have to eat whether or not i feel hungry. A. Eating with the band has been a relearning process for me. I can tell when I'm hungry and I can tell when I'm full but they are both very different sensations than pre-banding. When I'm hungry my body just 'signals' me with a new kind of hungry feeling. It's hard to explain. Being full is no longer a full gut feeling. Now it is a pressure behind the breastplate, where the band is located. Q. I can drink things rather quickly without having much adverse reaction. Just the usual problem of feeling the need to burp or hiccup as in question one. Does that mean my band may not be working right? A. Nah. I can down a half a bottle of Water with no problems. You shouldn't ever have trouble getting liquid through the banded area of the stomach. If you do, chances are the band is too tight. As I said before, you might just try slowing down a bit to reduce the burping and hiccuping. Q. How do I know if my band slips? A. I have not had a band slip, but from reading posts by those who have experienced this I would say there is usually a halt in weight loss, accompanied by an increase in acid reflux. Some people find that they can eat a lot more, while others can eat a lot less. It's a very fickle thing and only happens in a small percentage of bandsters. Thank you all very much for taking the time to read this and answer my questions. It is very much appriciated. You're very welcome! :grouphug:

Sure you feel hungry. But then, you eat. I get hungry every four hours or so. And when I do, I eat. Now, this is most often not the case before you get the first fill. Most US doctors do not put in any fill until the patient has had six weeks to fully heal. During that time, we are on liquid diets which slowly progress to soft foods, then on to normal foods, and its very common to be hungry during that stage of the game. But, as I said, once you get the right restriction in your band, you will only be hungry when it's time to eat.

Ok, we screamed loud enough to get Edit back. Now how about giving us the ability to delete our own posts? Still being patient.. :grouphug:

Telly, you joined a group that's probably 30% babblers! The other 79% are the silent type. Without us babblers, we'd have a dull thread! So don't you dare stop posting! This is your home/club too. : ) And if you post a pic of you in a diaper, I swear I'll put it out on Hot or Not! LOL!!

Telly, maybe you should work your way up to that much water tolerance? I get full when I drink water too, but I've found that if I gradually increase my intake (Im shooting for 96oz) I can tolerate it and eat when it's time. Water is a great way to curb the inbetween meal hungries, but it shouldn't prevent you from eating. *hugs*

RHONDAKO - You are certainly welcome to just post your stats on Wednesdays. This challenge is just a little something fun and challenging for those who feel they need the extra push right now. Many will just continue on with the usual Wednesday weigh-ins and to get support from other members. That's what makes the GFG Club so special you see. It is designed to be flexible to meet individual needs. : ) Tellymelly - I haven't seen a delete option since they took away the Edit button. *shrugs* No idea why not. We were told we could delete our own posts. Anyway, I noticed you apologized to the group for whining and I believe that's why you want to delete the other posts. I for one didn't see your posts as whining at all. It IS hard to drink a lot of Water. I think the others, including myself, were just joining in the conversation. Please don't feel like you did something wrong. It was a good point to bring up, and I'm sure you're not alone in the water struggle. But! If you do end up wearing a diaper... no pictures please. *winks*

Look at this article and tell me what's wrong with this picture! http://www.mygastricbypassguide.com/lap-banding/a32.html From the article: "Lap Band surgery comes in distinct aspects but the most desired are combination methods that reduce the stomach by stapling off a little section and reducing in length the small intestine by reattaching it at a lower point at which less calories could be absorbed." "As in any surgery for weight loss, potential candidates should recollect that Lap band gastric bypass surgery is not a miracle cure and could involve a 90-minute to two hour surgical procedure, a three to six wk recovery period, and a lifelong commitment to a better lifestyle." How can they do that? Or am I just being a dink and reading it wrong? Someone tell me I am! Geesh!

Tis true indeed. My doc has me on 800 - 1,000 calories per day, but I eat 75 grams of Protein in there so I'm doing great even though I typically average about 900 calories a day. I think I'm losing an average of about 3 pounds per week. I eat three small meals and sometimes have a 100 calorie bag of pop secret kettle corn in the evenings. Fish and chicken are the keys to good protein intake!

Bumping because drinking water is important! *grins*

1 US gallon = 128 US Fluid ounces. You don't have to drink that much but.. According to this article I found, we should be drinking 64oz PLUS 8 oz for every 25 pounds of excess weight. So, for example, I weigh 244.5. That is about 100 pounds excess for me. So I should drink 64oz PLUS 32 oz more. (100/25=4 8oz x 4=32oz) That's 96 oz per day. So, I constantly have with me a 16.9oz bottle of Water. I would need to drink 6 bottles a day in order to get in my 96 ounces. I can almost always achieve 4 bottles per day, but 6 isn't so easy. I try dividing it up to 3 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon. For those of you who haven't seen this article, have a look. It's quick reading and very enlightening! http://www.inch-aweigh.com/water.html In fact, check out this thread about water too: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?p=210840#post210840

No regrets at all. Even if it takes 2 years to get the weight off, I'm much happier knowing I'm not all pieced together inside and that I'll look healthier for losing the weight at a reasonable speed. It is possible to lose 100 pounds with the band as well, you know. It just takes some self control and effort... and learning how to master those two things will help keep the weight off once it's gone.

Yup, surgery does cause some pain. I'm a wuss too! hehe Expect to be sore, and expect it to hurt more when you move around, but keep moving and keep sipping your Water. You'll get better with each passing day. OMG, Heather!! You're banded!! Yay!! *hugs*

Welcome home! Check this out... http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=17775

Exacly why I got my band! I think about these foods on occassion, but I generally figure out that I'm not craving them so much as remembering them. Certain times or events will trigger the memories and I immediately go into habit mode and for an instant I want to go get the foods associated with the memory at the time. However, I stop and remind myself that it's just that old habit rearing its ugly head and then I turn my attention back on enjoying the moment rather than thinking I need a certain food to really enjoy whatever I'm doing. Example: The other night Dawg and I took our 2 1/2 year old grandson to the park. It was a beautiful evening and as we left the park I couldn't stop thinking about how nice it would be to take our grandson to Dairy Queen and get an ice cream cone. This was just part of good summer time memories for me, and being out in the park triggered the memory. We didn't go to DQ that night, but we did enjoy our time together and our grandson's memory won't be centered around food, but rather his time with Papaw and Grandma. It's never too late to change the future. I am so thankful for my band. It has held me in place long enough to think through these things rather than just reaching for that bag of chips or driving through McDonald's out of habit.

Awesome! Another new kid on the block! *grins* Be sure to check in when you can and let us know how things went. We will all be thinking about you and sending up prayers for an easy recovery. When you get home, we will be here waiting to welcome you to bandland! And Jack is absolutely right! TODAY is the day! Make it count!

I've started spending more time with my grandson. We took him to the park the other day and had such a good time with him! I've also been doing a photography workshop on Saturdays. Dawg and I go for drives, spend time on the computer together, watch movies, visit friends, etc. I have found that while I'm doing these other things it's still important to think about food. Why? Because to get caught away from home without good foods is dangerous! I consider where we are going and how long we'll be gone and pack accordingly. Bottles of Water and Starkist tuna lunch packs are almost always in our car. Also, just because I'm feeling so much better now that I'm getting some of this weight off, I have more energy so I enjoy doing things I dreaded before. Today I went walking with LindaV, then came home and cleaned out the car. Ran in to check on LBT and now I'm on my to get the car washed and do a big grocery shop. Everyday becomes more and more full of things to do... and it's just happening naturally!

Hi Joyce! Welcome to LBT! You're doing so well on your journey, and I just love your spirit! Glad you found us. I'm sure you'll be a great addition to the "family".