Jodi_620

I was told no soaking in the tub for one week.

Yes, I have and others have too. Sometimes you get it back and sometimes you don't. Four months later I still can't burp but it is not painful like it was the first couple weeks. I just feel the sensation and nothing comes up. I tend to hiccup a lot instead. (I hiccup when I am hungry, when I am full and when I need to belch)

You're welcome Becky. I think most of us have worried when we were at your stage, you are entering the unknown and want to make sure you are a success. Just take it slow and remember the eating rules and you will do great!

I was allowed mushies on week three post-op. Other than not eating white starchy carbs, I just cook and eat healthy foods and eat until I am satisfied. Protein first, veggies second. Protein serving is about the size of a deck of cards, veggies about 1/2 cup. Otherwise I don't put too much thought and worry into it. I don't count calories and fat grams. The band limits my food intake and so I just don't see where counting calories/fat grams is necessary. I limit starchy carbs but I don't count carb grams. I just don't eat bread, potato, corn, rice Pasta etc. and get my carbs from fresh fruits, veggies and milk. I Cook lean meats, high Fiber veggies and keep a little fresh fruit on hand. oatmeal cooked in skim milk is a good protein breakfast but it does not keep me full. Eggbeaters is high in protein, low in calories and fat/cholesterol free. Add a little LF Ham and shredded cheddar or mushrooms and swiss to it and it makes a yummy satisying breakfast. The flavored canned tuna or salmon make greatconvenience lunches as does chili. I keep both on hand as well as a few South Beach frozen dinners but usually just eat my leftover Proteins from the night before with some greens. Lean chicken, beef and fish for dinner with some steamed veggies is great. I have a Protein shake for in-between meal supplements. I avoid the soft foods like cottage cheese, Soup, etc. They don't seem to stay in the pouch very long and just don't keep me satisfied until my next meal.

I can handle the Boneless/Skinless chicken breasts as long as I don't overcook them. Chicken Breast Tenders are fantastic too...they turn out super moist and tender no matter how you cook them. Bonless/Skinless chicken thighs are good too. I heat them in the microwave on a plate with a casserole lid or a Soup bowl on top to keep the steam in. If necessary, I add chicken broth.

I quit caffeine on day-one of my pre-op diet and I had my last cigarette the night before surgery so within two weeks time, I had lost all of my vices (carbs was another--haven't had any white carbs in four months). And my loved ones lived to tell about it! :rolleyes2: Really, It was hell at the time but I do feel fantastic now. With the caffeine it took four days of headaches, grumpiness and fatigue and a full week of cravings. I am allowed caffeine now but I am free of it and wish to stay that way.

It all depends on the policy you have. Check to see if there are waiting periods with yours. I am with United Healthcare. I switched from my employer insurance to hubby's UHC insurance specifically for the surgery. It was a month or two before I finally got the ball rolling but I was easily approved.

Oh I remember the first few days I just kept saying "What did I do to myself?!? But a week later I felt much better and two weeks later ouside a little port incision discomfort, I felt great. It took a full week, maybe 10 days before I was able to sleep comfortably in my normal position. As far as burping, I have not been able to burp since surgery...I hiccup a lot now. Did not have the leg tingling. Start taking vitamins as soon as you can tolerate them. Just take it one day at a time. This period will soon be just a memory. All that I went through was well worth it!

FINALLY! The scale started moving again. 1dayatime..........263..........259.5............243..........3.5 2BHealthE!.........194............179............194............0 ahsem2bme..........244............244............225............0 aJoneen............223............221............213............2 Aphrodite1984......208............208............190............0 Ariel..............199............196.4..........180..........2.6 ArmyWife4life......209.5..........209.5..........190............0 Barb12590..........228............223............213............5 Bea1128............210.5..........207............188..........3.5 blueriley..........206............206............190............0 Brandymom1234......227............151.9..........135..........4.1 Caramia71..........208............202............195............6 cQQlgirl...........194............193............180............1 Crzytchr...........281............275............265............6 DebinFl............181............181............168............0 georgiagirl........245............230............220...........15 HarleyGirl.........188............187............175............1 HeatherA...........210.5..........206............200..........4.5 HeatherO...........155............150............140............5 Ivyrose325.........212............212............199............0 Jazzyywan..........255............255............190............0 Jodi_620...........196............186............177...........10 KikiVal315.........237.5..........232............220..........5.5 Lana24.............208............195............185............0 laurigee...........180............177............160............3 Leslie2Lose........220............214............205............6 lindar172 .......274.2............270............256..........4.2 LisaB..............205.5..........199............180..........6.5 livn4thm...........235............233............210............2 Long2bthin.........248............242............230............6 Luu2008............203............199.5..........183..........3.5 Mamanmidwife.......299............292............280............7 mamato3............186............186............170............0 MarinaBleu.........226.5..........226.5..........216............0 memom..............210............210............170............0 Minxz..............299............288............280...........11 mominlv13..........299.8..........291.2..........280..........8.6 nip50..............175............171............160............4 NurseNiki..........258............255............239............3 odamay.............242............242............225............0 paige65............252............247............232............5 Peaches11..........205............205............194............0 pj_txlady..........220............220............200............0 Redtulips3.........180............180............170............0 Renee74............214............213............199............4 Renewedhope........171............169............150............2 reif78.............294............195............185............0 shaversd...........230.5..........225............210..........5.5 SpecialK...........294............290............280............4 Sunshine2..........177............171............167............6 Tess...............304............300.5..........280..........3.5 thatDEgirl.........211............207.5..........195..........3.5 Turler.............225............219............210............6 wendyw.............192............188............172............4 wowox7.............195............188............170............7 WyominGirl.........327............321............312............6

Fish and chicken Breasts (I grill a bunch in the weekend and freeze small portions for the week) Beans all kinds Flavored Tuna (very convenient for a quick lunch) Protein shakes Frozen Veggies (indvidual serve steamers are great) Egg Beaters (High protein no cholesterol) FF Ham, LF cheese (to doctor up and add protein to the egg beaters) Canned chili (satisfying convenient protein source and blends well for mushies after a fill) SF Popsicles and Fudgsicles (satisfy the occasional sweet tooth) How are you doing Sandra?

For Breakfast I have eggbeaters (1/2cup) with diced ham, and/or a little shredded cheese or mushrooms and swiss cheese. I also have oatmeal cooked in skim milk but it doesn't seem to be as filling. Sometimes I just have tuna. For lunch I buy the flavored tuna or have leftover fish or chicken with a little salad greens or a high Fiber veggie For dinner I have meat and veggies. In between meals I have my shakes and Protein. I do not eat starches, breads or sugar because it just makes me crave more food. I know that before I had my first fill, I had slight restriction. So I always try to eat solid foods because they keep me full longer (soft foods like oatmeal, cottage cheese, Soup etc. don't keep me satisfied.) Protein keeps you full so always eat it and eat it first.

You will lose more as you and your doctor work to get you to the right restriction. It may take a few fills but it will happen. What you are experiencing is what all of us have to experience in this journey, it is perfectly normal. It is happening because your band is empty and you are pretty much working on willpower alone. Just stay calm and be patient.

Don't get too alarmed if you have a PB. Just learn from it and avoid having another one. You can still have slippage without a fill. Early on, the sutures around the band are still healing so they can break causing the band to slip. That can happen from eating too soon, over-eating or eating wrong. But don't let one PB throw you into a panic.

Unfortunately, I doubt that you could get insurance to cover it. I had BCBS through my work with the exact wording and there was no way. I was prepared to self-pay but was able to switch to DH's insurance and got coverage.

I had a gallbladder attack once it was years ago and I am surprised that I still have my gallbladder...none of the other females in my family do. My surgeon told me that it is a very high possiblity that if you still have your gall bladder and get LB surgery, that you will need to have it removed because rapid weight loss can cause gall bladder disease. I remember when I went to the emergency room with my attack, the doctor diagnosed it by having me lie on my back, he pressed his finger tips firmly into my abdomen just below my right ribs (kinda hooked his fingers under my ribcage) then told me to take a deep breath. I felt a shooting pain that caught my breath and he said right away "It's your gallbladder" He gave me something to drink and it took the pain away almost immediately. I have had several slight attacks over the years since but nothing nearly as bad as that one. Now when I feel that pain, I lie on my back and check it myself. That may be something you want to try if you feel the pain again. Surprisingly, I have not had any gall bladder pain since my surgery (yet, anyway!)

1.) PB=Productive Burp. When you eat too fast, don't chew or eat too much, you burp the food back up. Not like throwing up because it is just food (no stomach acid) You will likely be wanting to know what sliming is when you see that term. It happens when food gets really stuck. Your body produces a lot of plegm to try and wash to food out. The plegm backs up into your mouth (just a clear thick mucus). 2.) It all depends how it slips. Some people can't eat or drink anything, some have pain, some have acid reflux, some lose restriction. 3.) The first feeling you will probably have is pain/pressure in your esophagus. If you have ever taken a drink and swallowed wrong and felt that pain in your chest, that is very much like the feeling of being stuck only it can last much longer. It then can be followed by PB and/or sliming described in answer #1. 4.)Excessive burping is normal for some. I and some others here can no longer burp at all, so count your blessings :wink_smile:. I do hiccup a lot now, deep hard hiccups. I use it as a sign that I am full.

They are small 2.9 oz. vials of fruit flavored protein that usually come in 25G and 42G. They can be downed in one or two swigs. You can view them here: http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store/index.php?target=products&product_id=170 I buy mine at the local Vitamin Shoppe ******** I had thyroid related hair loss a couple years ago. I had been on Synthroid .50 mcg for a couple years then all of sudden my levels went out of whack. When my dose was raised to .75 the hair loss finally slowed then stopped. What I have experienced recently was comparable to that hair loss. ******** It can be done if you are not too tight and you focus on protein at every meal. I agree that protein shakes are your friend if you need protein but my doctor does not want me using them as a meal. I have to get three solid meals in a day then use the shakes as between-meal supplements. Yesterday’s food Intake: Breakfast ½ cup eggbeaters 12G Protein 1tbs shredded cheese 3G Protein Mid-Morning Worldwide shake 35G Protein lunch 1 fish filet 19G Protein Mid-Afternoon Protein Shot 25G Protein dinner ½ Hamburger Patty with slice of tomato 14G Protein 1 tbs shredded chees on HB patty 3G protein ½ C Beans 10G Total: 121 G

I couldn't sleep in bed. I took a cusion off my love seat and used it and bed-pillows to prop myself up on the couch. I had to do that for about a week. Stairs were no problem, just getting up and down and bending.

I can eat steak too. It takes more effort to chew than say chicken but I do fine with it.

I am only about half half way through on on my weight loss. So far things aren't looking too scary. But from what I can see at this early stage, I have some loose wrinkly looking skin on my upper/inner thighs and some wobbling skin on my upper arms, my weight loss has been slow in the tummy area so I am not seeing a whole lot of excess skin there...yet anyway. I think the arms bother me the most because this is an area that others could see. The excess skin is not terribly bad, I've seen worse. But I also have stretch marks from all the loss and gain that I've had over the years, the deep scarring kind not the faint white lines and I am not even sure there is anythng that can be done about the stretch marks via PS. Most of the short sleeve tops for women today don't cover much of the upper arm and I am just too self-conscius to wear them in my shape.

Welcome Ed! You have come to the right place...I think you will find this site to be suportive and informative.

One of the biggest factors in my decision to get the surgery was my family history. My dad died of a heart attack at the age of 53. I didn't even know his parents as they both died within 6 mos of each other both at the age of 60 when I was just an infant, one from heart attack the other from stroke. All of his brothers died mainly of heart disease in their 50's as well. On my moms side, we have both normal weight and obese members all with a history of high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and heart disease. While I didn't have any weight related health problems, I would be foolish to think that with my ballooning size and with my family background that at 39, I wasn't quickly heading in that direction. I had a BMI of 40.2 at surgery. I would be lying if I said that health was the only reason. I was very miserable at 5'3" and 234 pounds. I hated the way I looked and felt. Almost four months into this I am thrilled with the progress. It has worked wonderfully for me and I would do it again in a heartbeat. However, it is not for everyone. You have to be able to watch what you eat and do your part to make it work. If you are able to eat right and exercise then the Lap Band could be for you. It really helps to control how much food you eat, you just have to be careful about how and what you eat and of course stay active. There are those that can not control their eating and do not know how to eat healthy and so the Lap Band does not work well for them. It is a personal decision and as you do research you will figure out whether it is for you. I agree that attending a seminar is the best first step you can take.

If carb cravings are an issue in your diet then I would say yes, low carbing would be good. I am sort of doing low carb. I allow myself carbs from natural sources like fruit, veggies, milk etc. But I have cut out the sugary, starchy and the highly processed ones like Pasta, potato, rice, sugar, white flour etc. I didn't follow the Atkins or South Beach stages or phases; I had to do the Liquid Protein for my pre-op diet and that is when I got this stuff out of my system. Because I am a carb addict, it was hard to adjust during this period (for about a week) After the surgery, I was still on liquid but allowed carbs and I chose not to reintroduce the bad carbs into my diet. I don't count carb grams but I avoid, as much as possible, packaged foods and go for fresh meat and fresh or frozen veggies and fruits and add as little as possble to them. I have whole grain wrap bread on occasion but not daily. (preband I ate bread with just about every meal) and for Cereal I have oatmeal. I honestly think that for me, it helped to keep the food cravings and head hunger at bay.

I usually get 60-70 G in my three meals (example: eggbeaters with meat and cheese for Breakfast, 1 oz lean meat/veggie (Beans are a great veggie choice)for lunch and dinner). Then I add a 35G per serving Protein shake mid-morning and try to get a 25G protein shot in the evening. 90 G protein per day is usually what is recommended but I just wanted to increase it to 100+ for a while due to my hair loss.

The two major causes would be Protein deficiency or Vitamin deficiency. I was told it takes approximately three months of damage to start the onset of hair loss and once you find the solution it takes three months for the hair loss to stop completely. I started losing my hair and upped my protein which was probably the problem and I added Biotin just in case. (Hair, Skin and Nails supplement). I have three protein based meals, a 35G shake and if necessary a 25G protein shot so I am getting around 100 G of protein a day along with 3000MCG of Biotin. I have been doing this for a month or so and the hair loss has definitely slowed down a good amount. I wish I could tell you which of these things helped, probably the protein but either way the biotin is helping with the strength of both my hair and my nails so I will keep up with both. Make sure you are taking a good multi-vitamin too.