S@ssen@ch

I don't use Fitday or any other online tracker. I have a great program for my hand-held/PDA. It's called balancelog and is easy to use. 99.9% of the time it has every food item I could ever dream of putting in my mouth and if it doesn't, I can program it in. I can log my Water, exercise, weight, body fat analysis and resting metabolic rate. It helps me know where I stand, nutritionally. Because it's in my PDA, it's portable and with me at all times.

Paula, I feel for you. For the last few weeks I've been feeling the same way. I blame it on the fact that I just had gall bladder surgery and I felt so bad before the surgery and couldn't eat anything but crackers or mashed potatoes and drink tea. (yeah, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it) :rolleyes Because my monthly support group meeting is still a week away, I started logging my food again. It kind of helps me stay in check better. Even if I do go crazy with the carbs, at least I know what I've done. And, I find that I do better if I start the day off with good old Protein instead of carbs like toast or Cereal. jmho Good luck, and know that you're not alone in this fight

Kell, Although you're fairly newly post-op and as I recall I was only getting about 800-1000 cal so soon after surgery (I had no appetite and felt full all the time), 800-1200 cal prior to a first fill may be a little difficult. It also sounds a little like bypass recommendations. My dietician told me to strive for 1200-1500 cal, but to absolutely make sure I achieved my Protein goal of 45-60gm of protein a day even if I had to supplement. Once your initial post-op swelling wears off, you may not have any restriction at all and you will find yourself being able to eat larger quantities than you anticipated. It's not uncommon and many get frustrated or even panic. This is an important time to do your best to remember to make the best choices you can despite the lack of restriction. Until you get adjusted and have some restriction, it will be hard but remember why you had this surgery and keep focused.

I'm a Healthcare Facilities Surveyor-AKA: those dreaded "state" people who inspect nursing homes. I'm a Registered Nurse, but that's what I do for a living.

I like your way of judging them "gold", "silver", "bronze" and I'd like to do the same but I think I'd have a tie for gold. 1-happened several years ago, probably in 2000 and before my hip replacement. I was about 30 years old. He looked at my x-rays said I have really bad arthritis in my hip, but "what's the worst that could happen? You'd have to be in a wheelchair and your husband would have to push you around?" :frusty: I changed doctors as soon as I could. 2-From this past October until the end of January, I was having severe epigastric pain that occured about every 2 weeks. My band doctor kept telling me I was having esophageal spasms. When I called him in tears during one of these "spasms" and told him I couldn't live with this anymore and he had to fix this he told me to seek counseling for the reason I was so "sensitive" to these esophageal spasms. I went to urgent care for a second opinion and found out I was having gall bladder attacks. 3-After my gall bladder surgery the surgeon came to me. "We're not sure how your hip got dislocated during your surgery. It was probably a combination of the anesthesia and putting in the catheter." :faint::angry:croc:

dsrjrr, I'm so sorry that your MD seems so ill-informed. I agree that you have a choice here, either find a new PCP who supports you and your health care decisions or become his teacher. It's your body and you're the one who's going to have to live with your decisions and after care. I was lucky, my PCP was very supportive of my decision. She came across as glad that I was taking control of my obesity. She did not claim to be an expert at WLS nor did she try to persuade me to choose one surgery over another. We discussed lap band together and why I chose it over any other surgery. She wrote a letter of recommendation for me to help with insurance approval. She was great about it. Good Luck,

:success1: CONTRATULATIONS!!!!:waytogo::Banane44::Banane40: :guess I am green with envy, but to my credit I am hot on your tail.

My port is about half way between my rib cage and my belly button, on the left side of my abdomen. It is free of my rib cage. This is not a pulling sensation but more of a pressure that I feel in my stomach and sometimes in my chest. It has gotten better as long as I don't eat 2-3 hours before I go to bed and I drink at least 8 oz before I go to sleep.

In November or December I started having these weird feelings at night when I lay on my back. It's kind of a pressure just under my rib cage at the top of my abdomen. I don't have any reflux or heartburn or anything. It's just uncomfortable, enough pressure to wake me and make me move. I had a barium swallow 12/17 and my doc said everything looks O.K. I have a 4cc band. Right now I'm at 1cc. I've been as tight as 2.5cc but had that taken out because I started having what my doctor though was esophageal spasms (turned out to be gall bladder attacks). I put that in because I don't think I'm too tight. I try not to eat after 7 or 8 P.M. then right before bed have a glass of Water to "flush out" my pouch. This just puzzles me. Anyone else experience this or at least know what it is?

Sammee, I want to let you know that I'm sending you my thoughts and prayers from across the pond. This sounds very scary. Theh symptoms sound to me like it could be either esophageal or a slip and I'm really REALLY glad you've made arrangements to see your doctor. Any time there's blood in your vomit it's something to be concerned about. Good luck to you.

Kat, Here in the U.S. there are examples too many to count where individuals are caught in a struggle with their insurance companies which last a year or more. I myself took close to a year fighting with the insurance just to see a psychiatrist that was covered. This was a requirement before even seeing the band surgeon. From the start of the journey (May of 2004) to surgery (4/4/05) was 11 months. I know it's hard to wait when you know you've made the right decision and you're anxious to get started on the road to a better you. But if it causes more problems to get there on the "fast track", maybe patience would be a virtue here. You never know, you could be bumped up. Besides, lap band surgery in and of itself is kind of a test of patience because the weight does come off slowly, steadily instead of the rapid weight loss experienced by RNYers or DSers. Just a thought and my humble opinion. Good luck in whatever you decide,

Personally, I really enjoy the "adult content" posts. So far, I have been able to tell by something mentioned in the title. I think that is common courtesy. As for having a locked, age appropriate forum for adult content...I don't have a problem with that, but why would we need it? There was maybe only one post I've read so far that was so "adult" in nature that maybe was a little sensitive. No one was graphic and without being too descriptive, I understood everything they were referring to because of experience. No one used vulgar terminology or anything......... I haven't come across one of those shocking ones I wished I hadn't read and couldn't get out of my head, yet. I think the majority of us are here, for the most part because of our lap band journey. We stray once in a while because we're people with lives to live, but the basic reason is still there. BTW, DeLarla--I'll take those Johnny Depp avatars if you come across them--YUM.:love:

Kathy, Where do I get the Aloe Vera juice. I don't think I've ever heard of it, let alone tasted it. Also, when I took nexium for about a week or two the symptoms didn't get any better.

I was told no pills bigger than a pencil eraser, but I like the birth control comparison better. I WOULD NOT WANT TO GET A PILL STUCK! I've heard it's painful and takes a while for the pill to dissolve. I personally take viactiv chewable Multivitamin and Calcium. It's kind of like a little treat every morning. The chocolate is better than the fruity one, tastes a little like a tootsie roll. I take the caramel calcium and chew them together. Tastes kind of like a little candy bar when together :eyebrows:. As for any other pill, if I can't break it into small enough pieces for safe swallowing (I hate crushed pills :yuck:), I resort to liquid or chewable.

My surgeon has a monthly support group meeting. His nurse and a dietician moderates. Although we do not pay a fee, I think it's "worked in" with all the other charges we pay. I have noticed that his fees seem inflated for the surgery itself and for fills.

I'm so glad I'm not alone. I still wear my loose, baggy clothes around the house. I don't keep them because I'm afraid I'll gain or anything. I've just gotten comfortable in loose clothes. I didn't realize that tight clothes all the time was uncomfortable until my clothes got loose. I also have trouble buying new clothes. I go into the plus size section and those clothes don't fit. I go into the misses section and don't know what to choose. There's too much selection. Before, I chose what fit. Now I have choices...What's the world coming to? I have choices and it gets overwhelming!

I think it's an individual decision, one that depends on your personality and lifestyle. I live in a small town where the only gym is the YMCA. It has most of the above mentioned opportunities except child care and personal fitness trainers. I personally would appreciate both of those things. The problem is it's on the other end of town and not in a convenient location. My children's school has an indoor pool and fitness room available to me and I tried that, but I didn't go consistently. So...I bought an eliptical machine. It actually takes up less room than a treadmill (unless you count that some treadmills fold upward). I also have a stationary bicycle, but I hate that thing and have banished it to my basement where it's dark and lonely. I try to do it first thing in the morning and since it's new, I've been doing well. I have pilates equipment like the therabands and an exercise ball, but that's about as far as I'm going with home gym equipment. I would recommend that if you choose to get home equipment, try it out first. Make sure you're comfortable using it. For example, I bought that exercise bike because I thought it was what I wanted but didn't try it out. It's uncomfortable and hurts my hiney...... I searched for at least three months before I bought the eliptical, trying out dozens in several stores before finding just the right one that fit me and my body. I wanted to make sure I was comfortable and was committed to using it.

If I could have, I'd have gotten up and danced a jig when they said Brenna was voted off. Her attitude just rubbed me the wrong way. :):Banane08::Banane40::Banane27::Banane48: David, well........I liked him, but I really think he was kind of "stuck" in that crooner mode. It was his style and he had trouble adapting to anything else. As for Sway and that blonde girl (sorry can't remember her name, which is probably one of the reasons she's gone now)......they just didn't have that "X" factor. Sway had a good voice, but made very poor song choices.

Over the last week I've done my best to "limit" myself to a couple or so every day and wound up finishing the box of Trefoils yesterday in a week moment.:confused: Hubby also brought the Peanut Butter ones and those great Samoas home but I managed to stay away from those.:guess Don't ask me how...I guess I just really like those little shortbread ones. I love the idea of giving to your skinny friends, but I think my hubby would fight me as they're going out the door.:fencing:

Shelly, I truly sympathize with you. I started having those exact same pains in October. And I can understand the "feel like you've been hit by a bus" comment. I kept going to my band doctor. I had at least 2 ER visits (one with an overnight stay). He kept telling me that I had eaten something that either irritated my stoma or got stuck. After having episodes about every 2 weeks for nearly 5 months and being told that I needed to seek counseling to see why I was so sensitive to "esophageal spasms", I went to another doctor only to find out I had gall stones. After having surgery, the doctor told me that one of the ducts was very dialated, meaning I had been passing large stones for a long time. DUH!!! Don't let this go on long. It's torture. The pain is not something you should "just live with" or adjust your eating because of. I was having attacks from cream Soup, tuna salad or a even a hard boiled egg! Get that ultrasound. Get a definitive diagnosis and get it treated.

I don't know anything about having to double your non-caffeinated beverage intake to off-set the caffeine...BUT what I can add is that caffeine is a natural diuretic. Which means that it makes you eliminate the Fluid that you just put in your body, possibly more than you put in. After long term use of caffeine, your body doesn't respond to it as strongly as it would if you had sworn off of it. I know that one from experience. Haven't had caffeine since 1993. Had some in some tea (it was the only tea available and didn't specify whether it was caffeinated or not):cocktail:. I could barely stay away from the bathroom for more than 5 minute intervals.:doh:

Jan, I don't understand why you're having adjustments if you're still having pain that is "increasing each day". If your diaphragm is irritated or if you're still having some residual gas pain that has (for some reason) settled in your shoulder, you need to heal and get yourself to a point where you're comfortable and in a good bandster pattern before you start in with the fills that start more irritation. I would definately talk to my doctor first and get this pain diagnosed and treated before I started into adjustments.

Absolutely. Cheese tastes great and is a good source of protein, too. It's a win/win snack that I treat myself to. :cheer2:

Just wanted to tell you good luck for your fill tomorrow. I've heard great things about Dr. Curry. BTW, you're doing great.

:nervous I had one or two last week. I'm glad I'm not the only one who fell off the band wagon for these tasty treats. Also glad I don't have anymore. I practically begged my kids and husband to eat the rest so I wouldn't have any more in the house.