RestlessMonkey

OK LOL at NINNER... and I think it depends (as does everything in life) on many things...WHY you overate, what it "meant" to you, and where else you can get that "thing, whatever it was". Depending on why you overate, you may not substitue anything. I guess if we were taught that excessive exercise is taboo, more of us would so be there!

Be sure and check with your surgeon...some of these items are "no no" for some docs. Motrin, for example, is an NSAID and I was told to avoid it post op for a while. Also be careful with the heating pad; if you have heat soluble sutures overusing a heating pad can feasibly dissolve them a little early. (odd but true) My doc didn't approve pudding, crystal light, or even Protein for the first week. Use the list as a guide (as I'm totally sure the OP intended) but clear it with your surgeon or his staff and don't go against your doc's orders! It's really not bad. I just needed my lip balm and some Water and broth the first few days (LOL) and my bra felt really good to me; got the girls up off my chest and my sutures! Good luck!

The worry isn't really stretching your pouch during the "post op diet" phase (you don't really have much of one; until restriction happens, the belt is fairly loose around the neck of your stomach, for most of us) but eating early can cause problems with the band healing in place. The post op diet is prescribed for a reason...so best to check with your surgeon.

If you're still supposed to be on liquids or mushies you might want to check with your surgeon.

I hope you feel a LOT better really fast! That WL is great but not if you're in misery all the time. You'll still lose a lot but be able to enjoy life, too! Keep us posted!

It doesn't do that to me at all, but it may bother you for whatever reason! I'd be more prone to think that it was the heat in the coffee, however, since it didn't bother you before your second fill. Liquid (hot or cold, caffeinated or not) should go through fine, as long as it isn't carbonated. If it doesn't, you're too tight. Maybe over the weekend you were more relaxed or something.

the only tip I can give you or ANYONE getting the band is make sure you have your aftercare lined up....fills, who to call if you have a band-related emergency or health issue, etc. Before I got the band I was so focused on GETTING it, I didn't really think about afterward. Now I realize the aftercare is as important as the band itself. Many surgeons are VERY reluctant to take on patients that another surgeon has operated on. Line someone up locally or, if you plan to fly back for fills, find out what to do if you have the (very rare, but it happens) band type emergency. Good luck!

Can't you contact Capital One and ask? They'd be the best source...

Just read the nutritional info on the labels...it lists carbs. Regular salad dressing is mostly FAT so it's ok on a low carb diet (like atkins) but not really OK at all on a low fat/low carb diet (like one to shrink your liver)

I you haven't already called your doctor, please call him/her tomorrow!

I'm so sorry; that's one reason I always tell people to START with their insurance! :tongue: Many surgeons have self pay options but if you aren't willing to finance the surgery, I think you may be out of luck until your insurance changes.

The surgeon decides. The Lap Band AP (for advanced platform...the latest version) comes in SMALL (holds 10 cc's) and LARGE (holds 14cc's) and depends on your innards. Some surgeons will let you pick the TYPE of band (realize or Lap band) but if there is a choice of size (old lap bands don't come in sizes, nor does the realize band) they make that call.

Which band did she put in? I have the Lap band APL...(the large one)....

Good luck! I'm sorry about your surgeon; could you maybe get his clinic to send your records? Often surgeons will be more likely to take you on if you have your paperwork...anyway I'll hope someone/something comes through for you!

Most surgeons don't want to take on someone else's patient. That's true anywhere...not just Texas. However since you're in Austin, can't you go back to Mexico for fills? It may not be close but then neither is Amarillo.

NSAIDS (like aspirin) can cause erosion. My doc, however, has said that if I only take them occasionally and am "careful" about it(ample Water, take it when it won't just "sit" in the pouch, etc) that they are ok. SO my advice to you is to check with your banding surgeon. He should be able to give you some tips on how and when to take NSAIDS safely.

You answered your own question. It occurs to me that it was the psych that told you to consider bypass. Why would that be, do you think? So you'd mull it over and be SURE you wanted the band, maybe? Just a thought (not a psychiatrist, but "hip" to their ways LOL) There are (amazes me) a few unfortunate people on here who get rushed through, rubber stamped, and then come to in recovery in HORROR that they have a "THING" in them, etc. Those poor souls should NOT have been banded until they were ready, and they obviously weren't yet!....that's as important as getting the liver ready, your kitchen ready, etc. What's between the ears can make or break the band. So it sounds to me like your docs are just really being thorough, and that's a good thing. I weighed 405 and no one tried to talk me into bypass...but then I'd been mulling the lap band since 2003.

I was told "NO CAFFEINE" and when I asked WHY? I was told "because it is an appetite stimulant to some people". I know that it does not have that effect on me (for some, it's actually an appetite suppresant, doesn't do THAT for me either, darn it! LOL) so I am having my coffee (1 cup) and my iced tea (tons) each day, just fine. Caffeine DOES dilate the blood vessels (one reason they use it in headache remedies) but I don't really understand how that dilatory effect can risk stretching your pouch. In the early days of healing it might be better to avoid caffeine, but once you are a few months post op, well.... I am a firm believer in doing what your doc says, but also believe in "Question Authority". If I were you I'd probably follow his rules until I'd been banded a while, then maybe revisit them. Like I said, I avoided tea and coffee for the first few months. It didn't kill me and may have helped me heal better.

Actually your doc may want you to go have it removed. It's not fun but nothing like what you've already gone through. Good luck! I can't believe that's still there.

Losing weight, age, many factors can cause you to lose your gallbladder. It's no big deal! hair loss...again, it doesn't happen to everyone but when it does, it's no big deal. I lost mine for a while but never needed a wig etc and now it's growing back. (and I didn't have TONS of thick hair to begin with). PB? Some do, some don't. I haven't yet and I'm 6 month's post op. Sounds to me like your husband is reading the negatives and ignoring the positives. Plus he's putting pressure on you to "diet" again. If that worked, more people would be thin. There are several good boods about lap banding that he could read, or if possible, take him with you to a seminar held by your surgeon. The doc, with statistics and "real stories", can set his mind at ease. I'm a FIRM believe in autonomy but when my husband was against it, I had to listen. First, we're a team. If it went south, he'd have "part" of that. Second, he's an RN and has some true horror stories about bypass patients. I told him "bypass is different" but it was the seminar with my surgeon (and my surgeon's many many answers to my husbands questions) that got him on board with it. I think knowledge is the best defense against fear. I just wanted to add, if you're 185 pounds overweight....that your husband may decide not to "support" you in this and get you to cancel. But what will he do when you have developed some of the terrible co-morbidities of obesity? What will he do when you're older and need cardiac surgery? Or if you lose a limb (or an eye) to diabetes? What if your kidneys go, will he tell you he's scared of dialysis? Because obesity IS a disease. We (most of us!) don't CHOOSE to be fat. We don't think "Man I'm only 5'5" and I want to weigh over 400 pounds; won't that be fun?"(that's me by the way, I started out this journey at 405) If we could "fix" it, we would. So I finally figured I could face weight loss surgery now or something scarier and worse on down the road. When I looked at it like that, it was easy to see which one to pick.

Sounds to me like you need to call your doctor fiirst thing tomorrow, or tonight if he has an emergency number. It isn't supposed to hurt like that. When did it start hurting that way?

Just hang in there and follow your doc's instructions. It's hard when you're hungry, but only eat the things he tells you it's ok to eat! (they are all different in their instructions so what's ok for one person may not be ok for you) It will get better. The post op diet is the worst part for many, but it's important so that you heal properly.

We're not docs but most don't mind if we chew Gas X. It's fairly inert and doesn't usually cause reactions etc, it does help break gas up into smaller bubbles so you can pass it more easily!

OK JMS I had to laugh at your hot cocoa comment; for me one is plenty, 2 is too many, so I feel your pain. I hope it resolves very very soon. And seriously a pharmacist can give you something to make you vomit (ipecac for example) but I'm sure you don't want to if you can help it (especially this soon post op!)

I'd toss those pills out (not that that'll help you right now....and you've probablly already done so!) because they obviously won't dissolve to help you any and may be harmful! The problem with killing stuff off that lives inside us is this: We have good bacteria that lives there. Plus, us...our cells etc. You take something that will kill "parasites and other stuff"...it will also kill your good stuff. It's very dangerous. (as an aside that's one reason cancer is hard to treat. What we can do to kill the cancer cells also kills the healthy tissue). I wish I could help you with the vomiting: I'm really not much at it either. Honestly a pharmacist might be able to help you. Good luck! I'm so sorry this happened to you; and why do these things ALWAYS happen when the doc is closed?