mtnman428

I also just got the book "Weight Loss Surgery with the Adjustable Gastric Band" and "Before and After". I rented them both from my library. Before my surgery I also bought and read my Dr.'s book called "Lap Band For Life" from Ariel Ortiz. That was informative. I haven't read the others as I just picked them up tonight. 010308, I would suggest that you at least call your surgeon's office to see what they recommend. They may be able to give you something to help prevent (hopefully) vomiting. As I recall from the book, I'm pretty sure it did say that (of course) you should try to avoid vomiting, and to call your Dr. for anti-nausea medicine. The force from vomiting can cause band slippage. Good Luck and I hope you all Get well soon! :thumbup:

Maybe try some sugar free/fat free or reduced fat fudgesicles. They taste great are chocolatey and solve some of the sugar cravings all with little calories. There are many sweet, healthy things that still taste great like low-fat or sugar free puddings (butterscotch with Fat free Reddi-Whip is my favorite), yogurts. You can have a few chocolate covered strawberries. Now a days they even make a ton of 100 calorie packs/things, like klondike bars, oreos, etc... Then there is always the Dr. favorite, fresh fruit, but that doesn't always completely cure my cravings. Good luck!:thumbup:

LOL!!! I haven't realized that yet. I'll have to go check it out.

Oh good! My home page is back to normal again on my computer too! Yay, they listened to us, and thanks for emailing them Auntlucy...I was planning to, but never got to it.:thumbup:

Oh wow...that's good to know! I didn't know/think that Fillcentersusa would even call to check on you weekly. I do have aftercare lined up with a local surgeon here after I have my first fill in Mexico, but that is good to know incase I do not like the place I have lined up for my future local fills. Although the closest fill center to me is about 2+1/2 hours away.

Carrie, to me that sounds absurd that your Dr. won't give you the information about your size band and level of fill! I would demand it from him/them. It is your body and your medical records and you have every right to know! (and I think legal right as well, but not sure on that) What if God forbid, some kind of emergency happened and for some reason the ER asked what size and what amount of fill that you had? Maybe your Dr. thinks that he is helping people by not making them think about the size and amount, but that should be left up to you to decide. My Dr. told me my size band when I asked and explained why.

Hi, I flew for 6 hours back home just 3 days after my surgery and I was more than fine. Just make sure that you have somebody help you lift your luggage or anything over 10LBs. The biggest problem was that my stomach was swollen and I almost had to ask for a seatbelt extender, but luckily I got it snapped! My flight (check with yours since they have all gotten so cheap now) on Southwest still offered free drinks, so I had plenty of juices and liquids the whole way home. By the way, what kinds of jobs do you all have that you get to travel?? I want one!:biggrin:

Yes it means Productive Burp.

Hey I was going to suggest that book too ("Eating Well after Weight loss surgery"). I just picked up a copy at the library yesterday, so I haven't tried anything from it yet, but I plan to, and I have 3 weeks to do so (for free)!

What is it??? Just a stress test? I'm not sure if I had one until I know what it is.

Has anyone tried to eat low-fat Italian sausage (or regular, turkey sausage, etc..)?? If so, do you have to take the casing off before eating? I'm on solid foods now and I was thinking of making Italian sausage in the crockpot with peppers, onions and red sauce, but I don't want to if I can't eat it.

Thanks all....I'll try it! That chicken, asiago, spinach sausage sounds awesome too!

Hey everybody! I have to strange questions, if anyone can help. 1.) You know when you brush your teeth, then your tongue, and sometimes that brings up your gag reflex?? Does this hurt the band or cause slippage eventually? I have been brushing my tongue even more often lately (due to the high protein), but sometimes it makes me gag, then I wonder if that is like the same vomiting sensation and is actually hurting my band. :thumbup: 2.) When did everyone start using a straw and/or chewing gum again?? I'm 25 days out and I miss using a straw-I have actually forgotten and drank from 1 in my Iced coffee a couple of times. I also like to chew gum when I work out and miss that. So when would it be OK (if at all) to do these again? Thanks!

LOL! I'll bring you some if I can stay with you in Australia...I've always wanted to go there! Thanks.

Yes I'd say to definitely call the Dr.s tomorrow. It may not have anything to do with your pre-op diet, and God Forbid that it anything more, but it is always better to be safe than sorry. Then you can also double check about your BC. Good luck!

I think the main thing was that she said that she was hungry. I experienced some of that on my pre-op too. As long as you took the healthy approach to that; which, you did you'll be fine. On the post-op diet, yes, that one is important to not "cheat" on, if you have to be on clear liquids (and so on), then you have to keep to that. But for me, the post-op process was (dare I say) easy because I didn't crave food and did not have physical hunger (for awhile). By the time I moved to full liquids I could feel some hunger at times, but as soon as I had some cream soup or something it filled me right up. Also I feel that it is easier (hopefully) right after surgery to stick with the program because that thought is always in your head that you do not want to jeopardize your band over anything.

Thanks girls. Juli-I do not swallow gum...just chew it, lol. I do not know why brushing my tongue sometimes makes me gag, but it does. I think it is when I brush towards the back of my tongue, which, would be similar to sticking your fingers down your throat and causes you to gag. Stomach acids do not come up, but it does sometimes cause more saliva or makes my eyes water. I have stopped going too far back though to prevent this from happening.

What if you buy yourself some time? Call the center that did the fill within the 72 hour period to schedule the free unfill. Then if you feel that you don't need an unfill cancel the appointment. Will that work do you think, or do you have to physically be there within 72 hours? :thumbup:

I don't believe that it was a poor choice at all. From what you said you ate, grilled chicken, lettuce, vinegar, they are all part of a healthy diet and should not enlarge the liver-unless maybe in mass quantities! As others have said that was part of our pre-op diet. I actually had three different pre-op diet plans to choose from. I chose to do 2 protein shakes a day and 1 healthy dinner, then green salad in between if hungry. I lost 13 Lbs. pre-op (12 days) and my liver was fine. I was required to lose 12. Since you have already lost 10 and now you'll be on clear liquids for a couple of days, I'm sure you'll be fine. Also on the night before surgery my Dr. let me eat regular foods that day, as long as I didn't go over the top and I ended all eating by 9PM. Good luck and let us know how it goes!:thumbup:

Thanks! And true that!:mad2:

I like that suggestion of attending a seminar that talks about both. Even though I was definite on Lap Band I attended a seminar anyway (to learn more) and it covered both surgeries. I still went with the Lap Band and it definitely solidified my decision. With the lap band there is no malabsorption, no dumping syndrome, no rerouting or cutting of the intestines. Lap Band is the closest surgery to your real body. Also Gastric Bypass doesn't always work over time and some people gain some of their weight back. Although you could eat around the band too, but the plus is that you can always get more of a fill for more restriction. Also if for any reason you absolutely couldn't live with the band for some reason, it can be removed from your body. Good luck with your decision!

I think that it is normal, and it depends on how much you can eat and are losing if you need another fill. My Dr. said that some people lose most of or all of their wieght with only 2 to 3 fills throughout the whole process, but he did say that women tend to need more fills than men. I have not had any fills yet, so I cannot tell you from experience.

That is EXACTLY why I prefaced my statement with, "I have no personal knowledge of Juarez"... and also restated that I have never been there, and to be careful and do your research for anywhere. I will also add (which, I have in other posts) that I did not go out walking the streets of Tijuana after dark or alone either. I did feel comfortable during the day though, and I wouldn't go as far as saying (or not saying) that Tijuana is more dangerous then Juarez. As for the Dr. from Juarez, I read about his death on a post here on Lapbandtalk, so I can neither confirm or deny that as fact. As I said (and I'm not making it up, nor do I have anything to gain-you can rent the DVD), Bordertown is based on true events, which, happened in Juarez with more than 5000 girls/women being raped and killed and found places there. Much of it was covered up-this is real and scary, and yes some of that may happen in Tijuana, and even Arkansas. However I wouldn't put all of my faith and trust into a facilitator, whom is gaining money from getting my business, as they may assure you that it is safe. The main point is to just be careful and use caution always when in a new place (or anywhere). :thumbup:

I wasn't told to stick to a cup of food or under either! I do feel some restriction without a fill yet, but I've only been on solid foods for 3 days now. The thing that gets me too, is that today the scale said that I gained a pound and I haven't gone over 1150 calories!!! So now I don't know if I should ride it out (probably) or go down to 900-1000! I don't want to go that low though because then I won't have much leeway (to go lower) when I do get a fill and I don't want my metabolism to shut down...even though I think it already has.:thumbup: I've been getting help on here though and the advice to stop concentrating on/counting calories too, so I should try that. It's just so hard and scary to break that calorie counting mentality!:(

I (and I think most) had a pre-op diet. It depends on every Dr./patient. I also believe that the quality was equal/better, then some in the US. The nurses and Dr.'s were more readily available, and kept checking in on me. It's not to say that you can't have a bad experience in Mexico (or anywhere for that matter). It's all in the process of doing research and trusting that you did your own homework on any surgeon that you may choose anywhere in the world.