ellendeette

I'm feeling much better today. I hope you can make it to the meeting. Feeling hungry is the pits! Eating/drinking Protein really helps. I've been told to eat between 50 to 70 grams of protein. I eat mostly protein and I supplement the extra protein with a Protein shake. On top of that, its suggested that you have to drink 48 ounces of Water. Could it be emotional hunger you are going through (aka "Head Hunger")? If so, you have to figure out what is stressing you out and de-stress. My therapist has given me some mediation techniques that really help me get into a better space when I see myself stressing out.

As I mentioned in my previous post, there will be the first meeting of the San Fernando Valley Lapbanders at Laura Georges home next Tuesday, November 25, at 6:30 p.m. Laura's home address is 10961 Peoria Street, Sun Valley. Her telephone number is (949) 939-4084. Please bring any books with you that have been beneficial to you during your lapband experience that you would like to share with others at the time of the meeting. My cell number is (818) 512-7474, if you have any questions. Ellen

I just realized I did not respond to your post. Sorry about that. There is a meeting tonight, November 19, at St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The speaker is someone who had bypass surgery over four years ago. There is no fee and there is a minimal fee for parking. The meeting is held upstairs right above the main lobby of the hospital. I have had problems with food/drink coming up since my last fill. It has not been fun but I know this will help me restrict my food and help me lose more weight. I have also come in touch with the fact that I have to really notice what foods I am taking in that are friendly to my band and which ones are not, the amount of food and liquid I am taking in and whether I am stressed or not. When I'm in social settings sometimes I forget that I had the lapband procedure and start eating fast and too much food. I do really well when I am by myself for Breakfast or lunch with my co-worker (she is very calm). dinner is a problem. I need to delay eating until I am calm and not stressed. Its all a learning process. I also found out that this all another reason that our fills are given gradually and we are not given restriction at all once. Being stressed out when I am eating also makes it worse and so the food does not go down correctly and it usually has to come out (disgusting). I read somewhere that you can take unsweetened pineapple juice when food gets stuck. I haven't tried that yet. The Trader Joes' papaya enzyme tablets don't do a thing for me.

:thumbup:Attention all San Fernando Valley Lapbanders: One of our fellow lapbanders has been generous enough to offer their home for our first San Fernando Lapband meeting. We are proposing next Tuesday, November 25, at 6:30 p.m. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP by calling me either on my cell phone at (818) 512-8894 or e-mail here or on my personal e-mail address at e.tippit@yahoo.com

I agree. I need a support group too. Does anyone on this thread in the San Fernando Valley want to meet tomorrow night even its just on an informal basis like in a restaurant for coffee (or some kind of drink) in the Burbank area (I live in North Hollywood)? If you do, please write here or write on my personal e-mail at e.tippit@yahoo.com Even if we meet for an hour, I think it would be good just to get this group started. I can do it tomorrow night, Thursday, November 13.

Thank you so much for your generous offer to open your home for a meeting of a few lapbanders. That is excellent news! When you are feeling better and more recovered from your surgery, please let me and others know on this thread when would be a good day, time and your address of your home and we'll be there so we can share our experiences and get support from each other. My personal e-mail address is: e.tippit@yahoo.com How are you doing? How are you adjusting to life after surgery and the band?

I was also banded in May. May 20 to be exact. What day were you banded? How many fills have you had? I've had four. I would also be interested in talking with you about getting food stuck. Its been a problem with me this past week. Although, since yesterday I seem to be doing much better. Probably because I am eating even more slowly (can that be possible?), chewing more, better choices of foods that don't get stuck (that I know of).

Very nicely put. I especially like your last line. I want the same thing. Thank you for sharing.

I guess we just have to pick a place, date and time and we can get some lapbanders together in our area. I agree with you that the support group on Wednesday nights is primarily bypass patients and I think it would be great to have a group for people with lapbands only. I just had another fill last Friday and I'm thinking it may be too much restrictiion. I'm going to live with it another few days. I'm trying to eat soft foods, chew, chew and chew, take longer to eat, etc. I saw Dr. McVay and she assured me that this will help me lose more weight and I think it will but its really trying at times. I had one egg this morning scrambled and very soft and it was getting stuck! My private e-mail is e.tippit@yahoo.com if you would like to drop me a line about getting a group together regarding lapband or just to talk more.

Glad to hear that you are doing so well. I just had another fill on Friday (1 cc) and its taking some adjustment. I had a cracker get stuck yesterday. I have not had a reaction like that before. I have to really concentrate on what I'm going to eat, chew and chew, eat small amounts, etc. I have to adjust my ticker. I don't know why it takes me more time than I want to but I lost 5 pounds in 4 weeks and so I'm very pleased with that. Let me know when the next support group is and I will see if I can make it. Take care.

I agree with with everything that was said on this post but I have to say the bottom line is you have to feel good about yourself. That is a turn on for both sexes. I don't care what your weight is, if you don't have self-confidence and accept who you are at any weight, you aren't very happy with yourself and it shows to others. As my weight has been coming off this time down, I notice that I am even more confident with myself because I have a plan and it is working. The band is a powerful tool to help me acheive my goal of weight loss. Try baby steps in talking to men (and before you ask them out for a date). Go some place to dance (if you like to dance) and ask a guy to dance with you. Guys love to be asked to dance! If one says no, go to the next one. If that one says no, go the next one. It gives you confidence and before you know it, guys are asking you to dance. Having a friendly smile helps. If you can't find anyone to dance with you, dance with a girlfriend (that is acceptable these days) and before you know it, a guy will ask you to dance. Hang in there. There is someone out there that is looking for you too.

Thanks for sharing. I am seeing my doctor on Friday for either another fill and to talk. I've had three or four experiences this past month of having food get stuck and I was miserable when it happened. No relief until I cough the stuck food up. Its not even digested but it sure gets stuck. I hear about the "sweet spot" and I'm just not sure if I'm there or not. I know I have to make careful choices on what I eat and don't eat. I have to chew very well and NOT to eat when I get stressed or talk too much. I will talk to my doctor and figure out how I am doing. My husband really wants me to take some Fluid out. It really scared him when he saw me with the food stuck. I am not choking and can breathe but he can see it on my face. My chest gets tight and uncomfortable. I had the saliva coming up with a royal food that was stuck. It was awful! I can't seem to eat rice or a hamburger or some kinds of chicken and fish.

I agree. I believe Dr. Quilici prefers bypass over lapband. I believe I made the best choice. I preferred the lapband procedure over bypass for me. Its not for everyone. I made a chart before I had the procedure and the pros for lapband far exceeded bypass. It took me time to add this weight and I believe it will take time to take it off. The side effects including mortality rates for bypass really put me off on the bypass procedure. Also the fact that many nutrients are cut off when you eat food. I felt after my surgery that I had done 100 situps in my stomach area (or more) but it was not that painful for me. It seems like it took a couple of weeks and then it disappeared. I came down with a horrible rash on my chest the day I came home from the hospital and that probably distracted me from any discomfort in my stomach area. I ended up going to a dermatologist for weeks afterwards. It finally went away and then came back again a month later. I've talked to my internist, dermatologist, surgeon, etc., and we initially thought it was from the antibiotic that was given to me during surgery but when the rash came back a month later (less severe) and I was not taking any antibiotics. I then determiend that it could not be that. A friend of mine has a friend who is a doctor and she thinks it may have been an allergic reaction to my band! I am hyper allergic to things around me and I think she was right. She said the second rash was probably less severe because my body was getting used to the band. Glad to hear your doing well. Each day will get better for you and with new challenges of living the "band life."

You are welcomed. That is what I enjoy about this site to find people who are going through similar experiences. I'd love to come to the support group. Please let me know the date, time and place. I live in North Hollywood and work in Beverly Hills but I'd like to experience another support group. I was wondering - is your support group for people with the bypass procedure and lapbanders? The support group I attend is with both and most people (if not all) have the same bariatric surgeon.

I am so sorry to hear about your meltdown. I had a similar feeling right before my surgery and before they gave me medication to put me to sleep in the operating room. It scared the hell out of me. It also made me think once again of why I could not get my eating and food under control by myself. Surgery for weight loss? I thought I was at an all time low. That is behind me and I realize today that I made the right decision. My food and life is under control because of having the powerful tool of the lapband. I wish that I could have done by myself and I am doing this by myself but the lapband really helps me. I have other tools like my support group and support from family and friends but the lapband helps me feel full and not have those crazy cravings and desires for excess food or wrong food choices. Hang in there. I hope each day gets better for you.

Thank you. I needed to read what you said. I agree with you. If I lose my restriction with taking fluid out, the weight will return and probably even MORE weight. I have another appointment with my bariatric surgeon next Friday (one week). I will consult with her on whether I should just keep my fill amount as is or to add more.

I'm glad that I helped you out. I hope you like them. Everyone has different likes and dislikes. I really think the protein drinks really help to supplement our protein because we don't even eat enough food.

Hopefully the nausea will disappear soon. Luckily, I did not have it. Please let me know how you are doing later today.

No, they are in liquid form which is MUCH BETTER than powder. When you add ingredients to them, they are much easier to mix up. They come in a can so they are easy to stack on each other. I also like this Protein drink that is not so easy to locate and buy. Its called Acheive. I can buy it from a health food store 20 miles from my house, a gym 20 miles (or so) from my house or from someone from my support group that sells it from her trunk (I see her rarely)! It tastes like a cold coffee Latte. I put them in my refrigerator. I really like them because they are in glass but I've been told that they may be repackaging them into cardboard. I was told to have 50 to 70 grams of protein a day so I drink at least one protein drink a day (along with food).

Trader Joe's Protein shakes are made by a company called "Worldwide." The have two kinds. One with 35 grams of protein and the other with 21 grams. They come in chocolate or vanilla. Here is the nutritional info for the 35 grams of protein in "frosty chocolate" Serving size = 1 can (11 fl ounces) calories = 170 total fat = 1 gram carbs = 4 grams They are very reasonable in price. I have used these two drinks prior to my lapband surgery and afterwards. For example, this morning, I drank the vanilla flavor with some banana, cinnamon and a little milk. Excellent! I also add frozen banana to the chocolate flavor. You can also add frozen fruit (which I also buy from Trader Joes). I always keep it in the refrigerator to keep it cold and use my Bullet blender (any blender will do). I learned of these drinks through the nutritionist from my bariatric surgeon's office.

You can call my bariatric doctor's office to find out fills for cash. My bariatric surgeon is Philippe Quilici, M.D. His telephone number is (818) 848-8311. I receive my fills from his associate doctor, Dr. McVay. I've heard about fill centers in other parts of the country but not in our area. Maybe you can search Google to see about any in our area? You can also read up on this website to see how other people get their fills without insurance. I attend a support group at St. Joseph's Hospital on Wednesday nights (the dates vary, its not every Wednesday). The next meeting is November 5 at 6:30 p.m. I don't think the meetings are restricted to only people who go to Dr. Quilici. The meetings are held on the second floor just above the main lobby. They are also attended by people who have had bypass and other bariatric surgeries. We do share many of the same concerns but I would like to start a group for lapbanders in our area. I will let you know how we can start this. Even if we get a handful of people to meet at a park or coffee shop would be helpful just to share with each other.

:wink_smile:You can do it! If I can do it, you can. Please let me know how your surgery went and how you are doing.

:thumbup:Very good news. Congratulations! I wanted to share a few things with you since I was banded at St. Joseph's on May 20, 2008. I assume you have Dr. Quilici doing the surgery (if not please let me know). Expect to get there many hours before they actually do the surgery. I found out from the nurses in the surgery center that Dr. Quilici does this on purpose. Its crazy making for whoever takes you the hospital because the procedure only takes 45 minutes and you are there 4 or 5 hours waiting until the surgery is done. Also, I would take your own robe and slippers (ones you can walk in because they have you and up and walking shortly after the banding). I used the hospital gowns because they are in endless supply and cotton and really work well. If I did it again, I would bring some music device (IPOD or CD player) because it would nice distraction from watching television and reading. I bought some magazines to read and it also helped. I had a private room which was very nice and unexpected. I hope you have a great experience like I did. The hospital and staff are A+ in my eyes.

That is great news! A future bander in my area. My private e-mail address is e.tippit@yahoo.com Please contact me. I'd like to know at what stage you are in finding out about getting your lapband. I had my done last May 2008 at St. Joseph's Hospital. I can recommend my bariatric surgeon, Philip Quilici. I may not have the spelling of his name right. He is excellent. I have Anthem Blue Cross and it was covered. I still had to pay a portion of the one night hospital stay and doctor's charge but it is worth every penny. I have gone from a size 22 to size 18 (closer to size 16). I just bought pants that are size 14 to 16.

Isn't that great? I know what you mean. It does feel great. I just bought some pants a week or so ago and I'm wearing them at work today and they are loose! I don't know how much longer I will be able to wear them without getting them altered or get more new pants. I just bought some new pants that are 14/16! I don't recall EVER wearing this size. Simply delightful!