RestlessMonkey

How great that would be if it were just something stuck! I HOPE it is! Buy some papaya enzyme and try it. Mine is "NOW" brand but just go to a GNC or pharmacy and you'll find some I'm sure. My "dose" was 2 pills but I've taken as many as 8 and it didn't hurt. Good luck!

Papaya enzymes have Papain in it and that helps digest Protein. I have some that also have lipase (fat digestion) and cellulase (veggie matter) so it helps break up (and move on through) anything that's stuck. I've heard of people getting "tight" a couple weeks after a fill, or when dehydrated (the hot tea, if caffeinated, may not be doing the trick for you. For some, caffeine can have a diuretic effect) but otherwise it usually means something up and you need an unfill. Sorry! Maybe tomorrow you'll miraculously feel better. But how you are not isn't any way to live; and you may be hurting yourself. Good luck!

Yes yes yes. I agree. This whole thing has left me, for one, with a bad taste in my mouth, and I don't have GERD OR Beth's pet donkey. Further, I feel like more than just HH should've been banned, if there was going to be banning. He wasn't out there debating thin air, you know. Although I often (always) speak for myself, Glouc you said quite eloquently what I was thinking but hadn't formulated yet.

Using a straw can mean you swallow more air (ie the air in the straw) and that can exacerbate gas. I avoided them immediately post op because the last thing I wanted was anything that might even HINT at more gas. However once healed, I've started using again. I have gum disease and straws are almost a necessity, not a luxury. My doc doesn't ban them anyway.

I guess if we were all perfect, diet and exercise would do the trick. But we're human.

Therapy maybe? Plus, have you taken pictures so you can compare? Have you changed your wardrobe a little or are you still wearing the same "chubby chick" styles? Have you changed your hair? Do you feel different inside? 199 is just a number. It's not all that diffferent from 201, or 197. See my point? Thinking we'll hit a magic number and life will be better is wrong. Start now with positive self talk, and do some nice things for yourself (a new smaller blouse or a makeover at a local beauty counter, for example) and your perception may catch up. AND like I said .... therapy. You may need to mourn for the "fat girl" who is being shoved aside by the thinner one. I weighed so much that my motivation was to feel better physically, not to look better. So I'm lucky; it's easy for me to realize I'm getting around better, not short winded, BP is low, etc etc. If you're doing it mostly to "look" better (and hey when I was your age and had I been your weight that would've been more than enough motivation for me!) you need to work at seeing how you are. Many of us overweight people don't really LOOK at ourselves. When you lose and start to look you think OMG! But you aren't gross. You weren't gross when you weighed 248. You won't be gross when you weigh 192 either LOL Do some nice things for yourself...materialistic, totally splurgy selfish...and you'll start to feel the love.

Colorado, I honestly really really hope that it works out exactly like you think. Like I've said, it may! I don't know it all! LOL I don't even play a know it all on tv. If it doesn't, though, at least you have the band to use as you see fit, right! So it's all good.

Wow. You really are something, chica. It's ok though; taking my own advice I have you on "ignore". great feature, that.

Failure if you don't like it don't read it. There are plenty of other threads on here you can respond to.

As I said it may work for hyou. I hope for your sake it does. But for most of us, counseling, a good diet, being told "what" to do, none of that ALONE works. You could've gotten into a weight loss program, or done WW, joined a gym, and gotten therapy, without the band. Apparently you feel you needed the surgery to make all that happen and for you I'm sure you're correct! However not everyone looses without a fill, and most gain weight back if the band is removed and no other surgery takes it's place. Again I hope it works for you. For most of us the band is needed throughout to provide portion control. Not just to "learn" a new lifestyle (I haven't learned diddly frankly; I'm 54 and had a year of therapy plus nutrition classes, health classes, etc. way before I got the band. What I've learned about diet and exercise with the band is nothing I didn't already know) Maybe people who never gave weight loss a true honest try in the past would think the band isn't necessary long term? But again for many of us after years of diet, exercise, classes, therapy, the band is the missing link. I'm not tossing it out once I get to goal, it's what will help me stay there. And that is true for most bandsters. It's not FEAR, it's knowing what works.

If you can't get/keep ample liquids down you'll dehydrate, pure and simple. You'll end up in the ER. You need 64 oz of Fluid daily minimum. If you can keep that much liquid down, then it's up to you whether you want to wait or not. Did you eat something that got stuck? Is that a possibility? If so, try some papaya enzyme. If no, then that isn't likely the culprit (and although I'm not saying the nurse is wrong, I've never heard of "doing liquids for 7 days" so the stuck matter can pass through. I find that mildly assinine, but that's just me I guess) Anyway if you can stay hydrated, you can wait if you want. If you can't, you need attention now.

Some of them are interesting, aren't they? I found that FAQ section when I'd already been on here a while, but it's a little gold mine of info! :biggrin:

Coloradobanding: your stance is one common in people who are just researching. Most think "I'll use it and then lose it". And as I said it MAY work for you! But it doesn't for most. If you could keep it off without the band you should be able to lose it without the band. The band controls portions and most people aren't happy, satisfied, or even functional just eating 1/2 to 1 cup of food. The band doesn't make you choose healthy stuff; you should be able to do that without it (ergo you don't need it) the band doesn't make you exercise, you don't need the band for that. The band just provides portion control and satiety on less. Once most of us lose that built in "STOP" signal, we regain. I hope you don't. But I still believe that if you can eat just 1/2 to 1 cup of healthy food per meal without the band (ie once you get to goal) then you didn't need the band to start with. I hope your plan works for you; truly. It just doesn't usually. You may be the rare one; I don't know you from Adam. :biggrin: Stats, though, show that people who have the band removed generally regain. Again, if you can control your eating on your own "at goal", you should be able to do it "before goal". Those are the successful dieter who don't "need" any additional tools, and they are in the small minority.

Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum - FAQ: Lap-band Abbreviations that should help you! :biggrin:

Coloradobanding: If you can remove the band and keep the weight off, you didn't need the band to begin with. There are people who must have the band removed and manage to keep the weight off, but that percentage is slim. It's as slim as the percentage of successful dieters who lose and maintain by using diet and exercise alone. To think that you could use the band, lose, then have it disabled is like thinking you can diet and exercise, lose, then quit exercising and watching what you eat and stay where you are. If you stop doing what made you successful, odds are you'll regain. It may work for you, your plan. You may be one of the lucky few percent and if so, good for you. I think maintenance is the big plus of the band, not initial loss. You know yourself best of course. But the band isn't a belt you wear one day because it works with your outfit, but that you toss back in the closet when styles change.

you misunderstand. I make sure I get 64 oz of Water and if I still want more liquid then I have tea. And no, not all docs/nuts feel everything Fluid counts as water, but each person should do what his/her doc says. I make sure I get water as a personal choice based on something my general practitioner told me years and years ago. But do what your doc says. Personally, to me tea isn't water, diet soda isn't water, crystal light isn't water. That's just according to me and my doc though; opinions differ. There's also liquid in food too; I don't count it either.

I don't think you go into "starvation mode" in 3 weeks and actually 900 calories is a pretty good amount. I've done my "preop" diet, with my surgeon's supervision, post op for as long as 30 days and lost quite well (and it had a max of 500 calories each day) There's some controversy about "starvation" mode; think of pictures of prisoners of war for example, or people like Karen Carpenter who died with complications from anorexia. We have stores and stores of fat for our bodies to pull from. It's not as easy for the bodies to get the energy from the fat as it is, say, from a hamburger, but we can do it. So I think that while it's possible for people who are dieting and exercising to not eat enough and lose more slowly (furnaces need fuel to burn!) it's also not likely for someone like me, say, who is pretty sedentary and still hugely overweight, to go into starvation mode if I'm getting enough Vitamins and Protein each day. You will probably lose over 20 pounds on this 3 week diet; think how great you'll feel! But do call and tell him about your blood sugar (you're diabetic, I take it?) It's REALLY important that you be on liquids only for a time post op (your band needs to heal into place and I'm assuming your surgeon is like most who have people on liquids for a while post op) Otherwise, hang in there. It is worth it and the odds of you starving and not losing are really minimal this early on. Now if you were to try this for a few months I'd say maybe...but not for the limited time you'll be on liquids only.

I was told to avoid caffeine if it's an appetite stimulant for me. It's not, so I still have my coffee each AM, and I have my unsweetened iced tea throughout the day. I do, however, make sure I get at least 64 oz of water in, and the tea is just extra.

Try starting your day off with 16 ounces of water; give it a few minutes, then see if you can eat "whatever" for breakfast, if you're tired of shakes. Most people are tight in the morning (and loosen up during the day) because they need hydration (and no, I love coffee, but it isn't hydration! LOL)

Although originally a doubter, I now LOVE the papaya enzymes! Different enzymes aid in the digestion of different things. The "papain" in papaya helps digest Protein (only dead matter; it won't hurt your living tissue) and mine is formulated with Lipase (for fat) and Cellulase (veggie matter/starches) so it covers a broad spectrum. When I am stuck (which happens rarely now thank God) chewing papaya enzymes can prevent a PB and that's a GOOD thing (they can cause slips, and it's best to avoid them if you can, although you don't have to panic every time you have an incident) I usually just chew 2 of mine (they are "NOW" brand), give it a few minutes, and relief! If it's BAD, I chew 4 (a double dose). It has NEVER taken 15 minutes to work for me. I'm shocked at how quickly it does relieve the pain, but at least for me, relief is almost instantaneous. And it's not in my head, either (LOL)...I quit salivating/sliming, the pain goes away, things relax. AHHHH. I truly completely prefer the enzyme route to PB ing. It is less painful, it is less traumatic on the old body. I think they are miraculous!

It's your choice, you know. I can say "no don't eat" but you're a grown up. If a cheeseburger means that much, then do it. I surely can't throw stones at your house because I've been there and made the wrong choice more times than I care to count. At least your husband is cooking for the kids; I know of some poor souls who feel they have to cook for the family while trying to just do liquids. Just to put it in perspective; you could maybe leave the house, go for a walk, go to another room, go ANYWHERE but a restaurant or grocers while they are eating! And this is ONLY for a few weeks. Not the rest of your life. Most women I know are pretty tough and say "I can do ANYTHING for a little while". This isn't the rest of your life, it's just for a little while. I think you can do it! But, you know yourself best. Often when we diet a french fry here or a cookie there makes no impact but pre- and post- op it can make or break you. You can do this. If you want to.

There's nothing wrong with slowing down, 6 pounds to goal or not. And you're right about the GERD (you know you are! ) because it's better to lose slower than to damage your "innards". :wink2: Enjoy your evening!

Apparently my google engine is more adult! :ohmy: I entered "sex change surgery" and SRS came up.

If it works for you, by all means do it! For me, the thought of measuring and weighing and counting each and every bite of every morsel of food I put into my mouth from now until the day I die gives me horrors. And then to have to write it down or journal it or track it? Good god. And then to review it? ARRRRRRGH. No thank you. Life is too short for me. Give me liberty, or give me death, thank you very much. That's why I love the band. I don't have to do all that if I don't want to. And if others want to, they certainly can. The band is an equal opportunity diet aid. All dramatic joking aside; for me when I "diet" I food obsess. Can I have this? Can I have that? Do I have enough calories to eat a good dinner? I overate by 25 calories OMG what will I DO??? Or worse "I blew it at lunch might as well keep on eating like a pig at a trough NOW" I thought about food 24/7. Now I don't. I am free free free and I love it. Food is just fuel for me now; I finally tamed that lion. I'll never go back to that obsessed sad dieter.

I think you should try drinking adequate water and eating per your doc's schedule for you and see if that stops. if not, call the doc. If so, well, you cured it.