Elisabethsew

I like to keep it simple and have found the envelope system accomplishes that goal. The money really does add up over time and it forces you to NOT live beyond your means.

Do yourself a favor and ONLY weigh once a week in the AM after you pee. A plateau is considered 2-3 WEEKS of staying the same weight so you're doing fine.

I was required to do 2 weeks of a full liquid diet and then two weeks of a soft diet and finally got to solids on week 5. After 12 days on the full liquids, I called the dietician and told her I was starving so they moved me to a soft diet. You need 4-6 weeks for total healing and different surgeon's have different diet requirements. Call your MD and tell them you're hungry and bored with the diet. They will likely give you the OK to advance it. Go for soft foods like fish, meatballs, meatloaf, peanut butter, soft cheeses (cottage, ricotta), puddings, textured soups, etc.

I'm glad to hear all went well and hope you're feeling less sore.

Firstly, don't compare yourself to your husband. He IS going to lose faster than you. Secondly, your band is unfilled so what you're experiencing is perfectly normal. I had to wait 8 weeks for a first fill. Call your surgeon and schedule a fill. Remember, it can take 2-3 fills before you get proper restriction so be patient.

I like to keep things as simple as possible. Have you ever considered using the envelope system? First, pay yourself 10% of whatever your take-home weekly income is. Put it into a bank account and forget about it. You'll be surprised how fast it grows. If your company offers a 403b or 401K plan, do that instead. Next, take the rest of the paycheck and allot the money into envelopes with a label on each... mortgage/rent, utilities, food, etc. Whatever is left, give yourself 3/4's of that amount and use the other 1/4 to pay off credit card debt. From this approach, you'll be able to decide what you can and can't afford. This might mean having friends over (pot luck and BYOB) for dinner rather than going out, taking your lunch to work rather than buying out (have a bring your lunch picnic with co-workers), etc. You're young and have many years to save and learn to be financially responsible. As for make-up, go to the drug store and buy common brands. It's not the price of the product, it's the art of applying it. I hope that helps.

Before making ANY decisions, I would take your x-rays to the original surgeon who put the band in and discuss your status with him. It sounds like the MD you saw wants to take your band out so he can talk you into bypass.

My surgeon has patients come back every 4-6 weeks to be evaluated and weighed. After the second fill, I finally achieved some level of restriction and did not think I would be given a third fill when I went for my visit yesterday. However, I was questioned about what I was able to eat (an entire sandwich at once, no problems with bread, bigger than desired portion sizes) and the decision was made to go forward with a third fill. I was on full fluids all day yesterday and today I am advancing to a soft diet for one to two days. I do notice that I am less hungry and feel fuller more quickly so I'm glad I talked things through with my surgeon and went ahead and had fill #3. Bottom line? Talk to your MD and be honest so that together you can make optimal choices.

You're in good hands with Dr. Geiss and he's got a long record of proven success with MANY years of doing all sorts of abdominal surgeries. I just went today for my third fill and find everyone in the office to be very nice and supportive. September is a great time of the year on Long Island and perfect weather for recovery.

Have a speedy recovery and get lots of rest. Try moving to just tylenol ASAP and get up at regular intervals and walk. You'll feel more like yourself in about 5-6 days.

Foods on my soft diet list included meatballs, tunafish, chicken salad, soups, fat-free & sugar-free puddings, fish, scrambled eggs, fruit smoothies, frozen yogurt, low fat yogurt, sloppy joe without the roll, etc.

I have known Dr. Geiss professionally (I'm an RN) for MANY years. Since he's done so many lapband procedures (well over 1000) and has a great reputation, I had no problem choosing him as my surgeon. When is your surgery date?

The link you provided has been deleted so it appears spam does get flushed as soon as it's discovered.

Before you start scheduling tests, call your surgeon's office and ask how current they want tests to be. Some want test results to be within 3 months of the surgery and you don't want to have to do them twice.

My MD required the medifast shakes also. I paid extra for the ready to drink (RTD) shakes and found the chocolate flavor to be quite good.

You might want to try out LITE ricotta cheese. 4 ounces has 140 calories and 10g protein. It's my favorite breakfast!

I doubt you'll get insurance approval in the U.S. if you are only 55 pounds overweight. Many people have been banded in Mexico with good results but they accept U.S. insurance so you'll need to self-pay. Good luck in your research.

I am assuming you did not have any bad blockages of the common bile duct because there is no medical reason (or surgical) to wait 2 years after heart bypass for gallbladder removal. Having worked in open heart surgery, and now orienting others there, we've sent several people back to the OR to have their gallbladders out a week after bypass surgery (even those with low ejection fractions). Bottom line: If you have symptoms of gallbladder disease, go to the hospital, have a sonogram and a DISIDA (HIDA) scan, and if you're blocked with stones, they'll schedule surgery.

Productive Burp!

I used to love pizza but, since being banded, I don't crave it and would rather "use" those calories eating something healthier and more satisfying.

We have a new item in the freezer section called Freedom frozen treats... creamsickles, fudge pops and 2 kinds of ice-cream cups that are all sugar-free and fat-free. The fudge pops are huge and 80 calories. The cups are 130 calories.

I had my gallbladder out 4 years ago and can tolerate any foods. The purpose of the gallbladder is to store bile. When you take in a high fat food or meal, the body signals the gallbladder to release bile to help digest the fats. Once the gallbladder is no longer there. The common bile duct constantly drips bile right into the gut. So, if you have a very fatty food or meal, you have no reserve of bile. For some people, this results in GI distress, diarrhea, etc. I hope that helps and that you're recovering well.

It would make life a lot easier if surgeons told patients that the inamed port is exactly same (and made by inamed) as a mediport. Remember the word, MEDIPORT. In my hospital, I teach critical care nurses, oncology nurses and IV nurses how to access these ports. Since almost all hospitals have patients with mediports, letting the MD know it's the same exact port might help with getting you the person who can truly help unfill a lapband port.

I'm realistic about my ability to lose weight and think 8 pounds a month on average is about right. That would mean 40 more pounds off for Christmas... my 100% favorite holiday.

I need a total left knee replacement so, naturally, my weight shifts to the "good" leg. Over the past 5 months, the pain in my heel has been awful. I contemplated getting an x-ray (thinking I had a stress fracture) but what's the point when I can't take weight off the "good" because of the left knee? Talk about a Catch-22 situation. I look forward to what others suggest. As for stretching, it helps the tendon but NOT the heel pain in my case.