kiz

I was also under the impression that papaya enzymes were only for meats too. I've seen people recommend them for other foods though. I've used them two or three times, but only when meat wasn't going down comfortably. They worked like a charm. Even though I've rarely needed them, I always keep them in my purse, just in case.

If you haven't been able to drink since Monday, in my opinion, you need to see your doctor ASAP. Hopefully, you'll just need an unfill, but don't wait because you'll become dehydrated. Sorry this has happened to you.

I just read this recipe online for healthy food swaps. I haven't tried it, and I'm not sure how well Greek yogurt would freeze, but I'm going to give it shot. Skip: Processed frozen treats Pick: Frozen berry pops Mix frozen berries with low-fat Greek yogurt, spoon it into small paper cups and freeze it on sticks for a healthier summertime treat. They're inexpensive and easy to have on hand. Freezing doesn't harm the nutritional value in the berries, which include Vitamin C, manganese and fiber.

If you really want to eat on the cheap (and you're with a close friend), and you don't want the bread - order one sub with extra meat, it costs next to nothing, and ask for extra spinach (grrr to the Subways that only have iceberg lettuce). You can have a nice little meal for about a dollar..lol I can still eat bread, but with something like a sub, I have to tread carefully. I take very small bites if I take a whole bite or more normal bites with only one side of the bread at a time. I can eat about a 4 inch sub this way. I order the whole grain or whole wheat, whichever has the highest Fiber and use just a smidgen of the no fat dressing. That's mostly because I think they pour too much on if you don't ask them to go easy on it. On Biggest Looser, I saw Shay order a Subway sub, and she asked them to shallow out the center portion out of her bread. I thought that was a great idea. I've never tried the wraps, but I think I'd have to be careful with those as well. If I order a small black bean/chicken soft taco, I eat the filling, and only a little of the wrap.

Your welcome Nancy. It's quite normal to be apprehensive, especially about an elective surgery. I had a couple of surgeries previously (gall bladder and hysterectomy), and it was different when it was totally my decision to make. Just keep gathering information, and feel free to ask questions as they arise. For me, being well informed was essential and ultimately calmed my nerves. ---------------------------------------- sberrys, congratulations on your approval, and good luck with your surgery!

I absolutely LOVE it! I've had no problems, although it did take quite a while for me to get long lasting restriction, but once I did, I would call it perfect. I would do it again in a heartbeat, and it has been worth every penny it cost as a self-pay patient. Having a band has met all my expectations plus some. With optimal restriction, I eat three 1/2 cup healthy meals/day + one healthy snack, and drink plenty of fluids in between. I don't have those ravenous hungry pains I used to experience that led to my grazing my way to obesity. It's been work on my part, for sure...following the rules, getting exercise, making better food choices...but the band has given me the power to do those things.

I was self-pay, so things move a little differently then if you have WLS insurance. I had a BMI less than 40 with no co-morbidities, but I didn't have any insurance qualifications I had to meet. But as best as I can remember, I either left the office with a surgery date, or they called me within a day or two to put me on the schedule. But I knew leaving the office that I was okayed for surgery, unless something came up negatively on one of the tests. If that would have happened I'm sure my surgery would have been postponed.

I'm sure it varies from doctor to doctor, but at mine they measured my weight, asked my height, took my blood pressure and temp, checked my heart rate, took a medical history and answered questions I had about the surgery. I think that was basically it. I also got on the schedule for surgery and made appointments for additional pre-op tests and classes.

I take a liquid vit D (in the winter) from the Vitamin Shoppe. You just add one drop to food or liquid for 1,000 IU / 250% RDA. I've taken liquid calcium, but they also come in chewables.

Cathy has perfectly described my understanding of restriction. The only thing I would add, is that I've seen your initial problem of feeling too tight with your first bites has been referred to as "first bite syndrome". If you do a LBT search, you'll find that several banders also have that issue and tips on how to learn to minimize the reaction.

I totally agree with most of lipstix's post, although, I would give the bf the benefit of the doubt until you've sat down and had a heart to heart talk to him about how much harder this is for you when he's bringing home junk food over the weekend. What you said in your post about the difficulties you're having is the perfect opening. He may not even be aware the effect his weekend eating habits is having on you, so don't feel the least bit guilty about asking him to make a few changes to help you. Ultimately, this is for your longterm health. Having WLS and living with a band is not something you've done on a whimsy, and you deserve the best possible environment (at least in your home and with your bf) to make it work. You could also ask him, if you haven't already, to help you start a light weightlifting/cardio program, so that the two of you could work out together on the weekends. Another very important point that lipstix made is that this isn't good for your child either, especially a child with at least one obese parent. It's important for both of you to role model good eating habits, which in my opinion can include "junk food" on occasion, but not as an every weekend occurrence. Good luck, and I hope you're able to work this out with your bf so that you're working together to get healthy and that you have a long, happy and active life together.

Sugar('s) Daddy Ken will not be happy when he sees how Barbie let herself go..lol He's the real deal. Barbie's 'Sugar Daddy Ken' Doll Raises Eyebrows - ABC News

Based on popular opinion on this thread, I think we can amend Lupe's great siggy quote from: "Nothing tastes as GOOD as Thin feels" to: "Reese's Pumpkins taste as GOOD as Thin feels"

Polls pop up as New Posts when someone votes. That's probably why you're getting the notices even when no new posts have been made. You can unsubscribe. Just go to the top of the thread and go to Thread Tools.

I'm self-pay too, so I know what you mean about the worry of not having the luxury of insurance to fall back on. I think that's part of the reason I tend to err on the side of caution. As you said, better safe than sorry.

Donna: I'm very sorry to hear you ended up in the ER this weekend from dehydration. I hope you're feeling better now. Lapband0505: With that type of sudden restriction I would call my doctor ASAP. If you've been able to eat solids for the most part, and now you suddenly can barely get down a simple liquid like broth, you may be experiencing a slip or some other problem that needs to be addressed medically. If you catch it sooner rather than later, a simple unfill could right it. Regardless, as Donna said, you're could become dehydrated very quickly.

I take adult Centrum (or drug store brand) chewable multi vitamin/multi mineral. There are other chewables on the market, and some people even take children's chewables.

You sound too tight to me too. Once I got my last fill, I was still able to eat almost all foods (from steak to breads), but three 1/2 cup meals plus a healthy snack keep me satisfied all day. That was my expectation with the band. I had decent restriction before, but there was no way those small meals would keep me satisfied, and I was snacking to make up the difference. It just took .5 cc to get me to my sweet spot, so sometimes all you need is just a little adjustment either up or down when you're getting close to having optimal restriction. I hope you're able to get in soon to get your small unfill.

The honest answer is there's no way for us to know for absolutely sure. My guess is, probably not, but I would not eat the crackers again until you're on mushie foods. The danger of moving up the food groups too quickly is that you're stomach will churn to digest your food which may impact how well you heal where your doctor has stitched in your band. Of course, the better you're healed, the safer you are from having a band slip down the line. I was on full liquids for two weeks, and it would really help us understand the process if there were definitive studies on what impact clear liquids, full liquids, or mushies have on the healing process. Probably, like most everything medical, there's conflicting information, and our doctors are using the best judgment (at least I hope they're using their *best* judgment, and that their judgment is *good*). My advice is to follow your doctor's orders though.

I had a pressure fill a few months ago because I had already gone over the max fill level in my Realize band. I wish I had paid closer attention to the amount of pressure he said he took me to with a .5 cc fill, but I believe it was in the 40s (not that the figure means anything to me anyway..lol) and have approximately 11cc in my 9cc band. He said he had a few other patients that had to have that amount of pressure for good restriction. That fill did the trick though...thank goodness...since that was the end of the line for me. I'm sorry to hear you ended up with a overfill and that you're fighting H1N1 on top of it. I either had the flu or a terrible cold a couple of weeks ago, and I know the sinus congestion left me a little tighter, but not so much I felt too restricted. Hopefully, you'll loosen up a little bit once you're feeling better, even if you do end up needing a little unfill too. (I live in the Richmond area too. Who is your doctor? Mine is Brengman.)

How are you feeling today? It's funny, even after a year, I still find that sometimes the exact same meal will seem to keep me full forever, while other times, not so much.

I'm sorry that you're having trouble, but it will get better once you start getting restriction from your fills, which I understand are getting off to a slow start. Although, a lot of doctors like to wait a full six weeks for the first fill. It sounds like you're going to have to be the squeaky wheel to get on the schedule again. I'd be like you and calling first thing Monday morning. The band isn't helping you much until you get to your proper fill level. It will probably take more than one fill, but each one helps. (Or you might be lucky and get great restriction right off the bat. It happens occasionally, but don't get discouraged if it doesn't). I was a little unclear about your diet. How many ounces of Protein are you eating per day vs. drinking? If you're drinking 60 grams of protein via Protein shakes, you're probably taking in too many liquid calories. Once you're healed and off of soft foods, you should be getting the majority of your protein from good solid foods which helps you stay satiated between meals and with fewer calories than the shakes contain (unless you've been directed otherwise by your doctor). Good luck with your call tomorrow.

People swear by the five day pouch test. You can Google it or search for on LBT. From all the positive reviews I've read here, that would be the first thing I would try if I thought I had a stretched pouch.

You definitely sound too tight to me. Unless you get your band checked by a doctor, there's no way to know for sure whether you have a slip or not though. One of the major symptoms is a sudden onset of night time reflux, and keeping a too tight band can lead to a slip. I hope you can find another doctor.

I am so lucky!! My kids are too old to go trick or treating (So I won't be raiding their bags. I've always wondered if my kids were switched at birth because not a one of them are chocolate lovers). I bought fun Halloween candy that is totally unappealing to me...ie - no freaking chocolate! I was so tempted to buy some very cute fun size jack-o-lantern shaped Reese's Cups, but I resisted. Now, I have to stay away from the stores until all the 1/2 off candy is gone. Chocolate and a sale...not sure I can resist the double whammy...eek