marfar7

"Found a hospital with a barbaric surgeon on staff, but of course by the time I was admitted, he was gone for the night." Sorry, no advice. I just had to laugh at the typo, I think! Is it sposed to be "bariatric surgeon" or did you actually mean "barbaric surgeon"? Thanks for the LOL! Marci

I couldn't wait for mashed potatoes. I just bouught the ones from the deli, already made. Just needed to heat them up. I savored every bite. Especially having been on liquids for 4 wks. I think u can also have scrambled eggs, egg salad, tuns salad, cottage cheese, etc, can't u? I could on the soft diet. I've never heard of making mashed potatoes with cream cheese. Sounds good, actually Enjoy ur food. Glad to hear ur progressing Marci

I have hypothyroidism and have been banded almost 3 years. The loss of over 100 lbs hasn't affected my dosage of Synthroid, however. They do blood tests for my TSH every 6 mths or so and find it perfect, no reason to change my dosage. I've heard alot of people say that their dosage goes down with weight loss tho. So yes, I have it and have been successful! Good luck to you! Oh, I've had it for over 8 yrs now. Marci

Yes, you're in "Bandster Hell". It's the time after surgery but before you find your "sweet spot" of restriction. It'll happen. You have to be PATIENT. I know how hard that is. You had wls, you want the pounds off now. Unfortunately, it doesn't work this way. I hate to tell you, but you probably won't have restriction after this 1st fill either. Maybe, but probably not. It took 3 fills and 5 mths for me to get restriction. I lost maybe 4 pounds during that 5 months. If you follow the rules, measure out your portions, exercise, act like you actually have restriciton, you'll have more success. Or you can just do what I did - wait till I actually have restriction before losing. Good luck with the patience! Marci

I agree. It took me almost 3 yrs of regular vomiting to slip my band (not telling you to do so, however). I doubt if it'll slip on your first vomiting episode. That said, I definitely don't recommend vomiting regularly. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Sometimes it happens. Marci

It's been almost 3 yrs since my surgery. I still remember that starving feeling of liquids only all too well. I must've misread my post-op instructions, however. I thought I was sposed to be on Clear Liquids + Protein shakes for 4 weeks. I was STARVING. Literally. I added tomato Soup at about day #10. Thought I was cheating until a few months ago when I glanced at my post-op instructions again. I was to be on FULL liquid for 4 weeks! I could've had yogurt, pudding, and any cream Soups I wanted. I could've kicked myself in the butt for starving needlessly. And everytime I would go to Albertsons to stock up on my tomato soup cans, I would smell the deli fried chicken and almost die. Promised myself that would be my first "real" food. It wasn't. I'm glad that you can eat more foods now. The hardest part is over (besides bandster hell of finding your sweet spot, of course!) and you can relax a little. Good going - keep up the good work! Marci

To be honest, only the last fill I've gotten (after almost 3 yrs) was the only one I followed the liquids rule of 24 hrs. My 3rd fill (the one that brought me to my "sweet spot" I was staying in a motel (drs office is 3 hrs away from home). I went to the hotel coffee shop for dinner. I ordered a chicke breast, baked potato, and green Beans (+ a dinner roll). I ate about 8 bites of the entire thing - I was totally full. It made about 5 different meals for me. After having complications with my band recently, I decided to start following the rules. They're there for a reason. Taco Bell is not my friend 2 hrs after fill! I still have a few lbs to lose, but I'm sure I'll make it if I continue to follow the rules! I'm sure they recommend liquids for 24 hrs because of the changes made to your stomach. It's not to punish you! Good luck! Marci

Last year I ordered pancake syrup from Waldon Farms. 2 flavors. Both nasty. Also ordered Carbquick (too expensive). Its a no carb Bisquick5ype baking mix. Made pancakes with it. Worst pancakes I've ever had. I've tried their salad dressing and its good. I think their syrup is gross tho Marci

These look yummy. That would ave me time in making my own veggie chips (slice carrots, zucchini, and snap peas into the dehydrator for 24 hrs). Can't believe walmart sells them! That's usually something u can only find at Trader Joes Marci

Actually, my PA told me that your stomach isn't completely round. There's folds in it, making it like wrapping a piece of paper around a ball. So, it may not hold the exact amount of Fluid that it's sposed to. I have a 14cc band and I was maxed out at 10.5cc. When he put in the needle, the syringe pushed back against him, meaning there was too much pressure in it. I'm sure that as I lose more weight, those folds will even out a little and it'll take more. For the time being, however, I'm maxed out at 10.5 (which had to be emptied cuz of a slip anyway!) I always thought they would hold what they say they are to hold also. I was wrong. Marci

Isn't that funny? I always get stuck on yogurt. I can manage to eat 1/2 container of yogurt over a period of about 30 minutes. If I take 1 more bite, I get stuck. Ice cream does the same thing. And milkshakes. Thought these were sliders? Marci

Yes, it definitely changed for me also. I used to keep my ac at 60 during the summer. Now that's too cold. I've lost 100+ lbs. Funny, one of the side effects of hypothyroidism is being cold all the time. That was exactly opposite for me. Had every other side effect (weight gain, sleepiness), but was always hot. It'll probably change for you too! Marci

My dr also does it by feel. Never had a fleuro. In Jan, however, during a fill. He has a hard time finding my port. He stuck me about 12 times. I was bruised and sore for about a week. He alwyas uses lidocaine also. Marci

Don't u just love automatic spell check? Puts words in that I didn't actually type into my phone. Hope u can understand the above post... Marci

You're gunna slip occasionally. Even the socalled "perfect" people on(don't here do. Especially bat efore u have anyto restriction. For 5 mthsmins after mythe sugery, I hadhave no restriction. I atehave just likelooked I didhave pre band. Lost aabout whpping 4 lbsdays in thata 5 mths. Just startthe fresh tomorrow. And prayI for restrictiona soon. Cuz itI truly does help. Its thebeen only thingtohave that everI worked for me Goodin luck Marci-

Just out of curiosity: Why would anyone with a band want to try yet another diet plan? I'm thru with all diets - I've done them all and where did it leave me? At 248 lbs and having band surgery. I'm really amazed that lapbanders would fall for such diets again. I don't know anything about Advocare, but I've done every other diet plan under the sun. Some of them gave me a weight loss. But thru all of them, I gained it back + some. This time, I'm not gunna gain it back! JMHO... Marci

I've never used mine either. In fact, I think I've since lost it in a barage of paperwork. I've heard Hometown Buffet takes them tho. You'll get the $4.99 childs price. We go there about once a month (my husband is a low carber and can get plenty of meat and veggies there), and I find I can eat healthy there too. I don't think I've ever even finished 1 plate of food. It's such a waste of money taking me to buffets, but I do like to get a little of a lot of things and take a bite of each thing. Too bad I can't take home a box! Marci

Hey everyone, Most of you know about my saga - of the either never fixed slipped band or the twice slipped band. I have an appt on Aug 6th - I figured it wasn't an emergency. Everynite I take 3 different reflux meds and sleep propped up on 3 pillows just to get some sleep. A couple times a week, I cough up a mouthful of stomach acid, run and spit it in the bathroom sink. Last nite, I slept pretty well till 4:30 am. I was awakened by a mouthful of acid when I coughed. Ran into the bathroom and spit it in the sink. It was then followed by a good 2 minutes of vomiting acid (brown liquid that burns). Ok, here's the TMI part - if you're squeamish you might not want to continue. I vomited up a whole black bean. Not too weird, if I'd actually had a black bean in the last day or so. Had black Beans for dinner 4 nites ago. Not only was it weird to see a whole one in there (thought I was good at chewing my food), but also that I'd eaten them 4 nites ago (Monday nite). Last nite was probably the worst stomach acid I've had thus far. Brushed my teeth and went back to bed. Actually forgot about it today till a little while ago, when I told my husband what happened. He thinks I should call my dr's office. It's now a Friday nite and there's no one in the office on the weekend. It's not truly an emergency (at least I don't think). What do you guys think about finding food in my stomach from 4 nites ago? Shouldn't that have been passed by now? I remember taking a nutrition class in college and learning you digest your food in 24 hrs. Should I be concerned? Thanks! Marci PS: I'll try not to bother you guys about my stories of acid reflux for a while!

Please don't feel like that! Patience is the first key to lapband life. For the first 5 mths after my surgery (until my 3rd fill) I lost an amazing 4 lbs! Yep, you read it right. Because I COULD eat just as much before surgery, I did. I didn't get restriction until my 3rd fill. About 7.5cc in a 14cc band. As soon as I got that 3rd fill, the magic started happening. I felt full after just a toddlers portion. I promise you - it WILL kick in eventually. You have to be patient....it will be all worth it soon! Marci

I love spicy Mexican and Chinese food. But now, I can't drink while eating (or I'll actually vomit), so it limits the spiciness I can have. I can eat anything - just in smaller amounts. I've fnd 2 things I can't: pineapple chunks and deep dish pizza crust. Both of those are no-go's. I eat sandwiches (I can only eat 1/2 now), Pasta, rice, and potatoes frequently. That's not saying that you'll be able to eat them tho. You're right, we're all different. You need to look at the reasoning behind those people who don't eat certain things. Alot of people are doing low carb dieting after the band. That limits your food. For me, the reason I had the band was so that I would never have to diet again.To tell me that I can't have bread anymore would be torture. I haven't dieted in the last almost 3 yrs and have been quite successful. A few problems have arisen in the last few months (a slipped band), but it didn't have anything to do with my intake of certain foods. Anyway, I can still eat spicy foods, but I can't drink with them so what's the point? I'm uncomfortable afterwards. Good luck to you! Marci

Happy Birthday! I love Olive Garden! Anytime I go there, I always get the seafood alfredo, which becomes about 5 meals for me. I either get sick of eating the same thing over and over or it goes bad in my frig before I have a chance to finish it! And for those who can't do pasta: Olive Garden will replace any Pasta with steamed veggies. My husband is a low carber and get the scampi chicken with steamed veggies instead of the pasta. And I usually eat about 1/3 of a breadstick and a 1/2 bowl of Soup. Again, Happy Birthday! Great job on your weight loss. We're about at the same distance in our journeys - it's also been 2 1/2 yrs for me and I've lost 104 lbs! Congrats to both of us! Marci

I'm almost 3 years out. My weight loss was slower compared to most on here. The first year (I didn't get restriction till my 3rd fill, almost 5 mths out) was about 70lbs.I began dating then. I had ben widowed for about 3 yrs by then and felt uncomfortable dating. I met my now husband at about an 80 lbs loss. The 2nd year, I lost another 20 lbs, making it 104 lbs in 2 yrs. This is my 3rd year and I began having complications with my band. I gained back about 11 of those pounds. Hopefully after my 2nd slip, they'll be able to remove my Fluid and start fresh. Hoping they won't have to manually reposition it. Even though I'm now having complications, I would do it all over again. It's so nice to wear a size 8! I've never worn a single digit my entire adult life. I gave away all of my size 3x clothing, so I really can't afford to gain it back! Good luck to you! You can do it! You're worth it! Even tho you feel like you're starving right now on the liquid diet, it will be a bleep on your lifetime radar! Oh, and I eat anything I want - including bread, rice, and Pasta. Just VERY small amounts of them. Anytime I go to Olive Garden, it's usually about 5 meals for me. I get sick of it or it goes bad in my frig before I eat the rest of it! My husband complains how much food I waste. Oh well. Better in the trash than on my body! Oh and some advice: Be patient. can't say that enuf. For the first 5 mths and until my 3rd fill, I felt like I failed yet another diet. It was the 3rd fill that got me to restriction, where I could only take about 6 bites of a meal and be done with it. I don't think I researched it too much before, so I truly thought once I got it, I'd start losing immediately. Doesn't happen. Most people need from 2-5 fills before feeling the restriction. Marci

Congratulations! Well done! I don't know anything about TT's, as my insurance won't cover cosmetic surgery at all. But I did talk to my band dr about doing one (he does them on his patients for a reduced rate) and he said it would be about $8,000 with a one night stay in the hospital. My sagging skin (after losing over 100 lbs) is not too bad. The only people that see it are me and my husband and he loves my body! So I can't justify getting a TT instead of a nice vacation for the two of us! $8,000 would indeed be a NICE vacation! Good luck to you! Marci

I've had my band for almost 3 yrs now and I've lost over 100 lbs (now it's less since I've gained a few lbs back). Most of you have probably read my dilemma on another post somewhere, but I'll re-tell it for those of you who haven't: After losing 104 lbs and being within 11 lbs of my goal of 135, I began having severe acid reflux at nite (so bad that I had to take 1 rx Nexium, 2 rx Prilosec, and 5 otc Zantacs and sleep propped up on 3 pillows). Still I coughed up stomach acid all nite. I allowed that to go for 4 months, as I was afraid the dr might take out some Fluid and I would never get to goal. After 4 mths, my husband had had it. He demanded that I go in. After an xray confirmed that my band had slipped, the PA took out 1/2 og my 9cc fill and let me rest for 4 weeks. The reflux was gone! Slept like a baby for the first time in months. I could sleep on my side, could snuggle with my husband again. Life was grand - except - I was constantly hungry. It was like before I even had my band. During the 4 weeks tho I only gained about 3 lbs. When I went in to start the refill process, I wasn't given another xray to confirm that it was fixed. I should've demanded it but didn't really even think about it. He put 1cc in. Still slept like a baby, also no restriction. 2 weeks later, he put another 1cc in. Restriciton is finally back! Yeah! After about 3 nites, the severe reflux is also back tho. Along with the nightime reflux is almost constant heartburn during the day. The meds help with the heartburn but not the reflux (and there is a difference between them if you didn't know this!). I happened to be out of state for 2 weeks when it started again so I emailed my RN and she replied with "You need to come in and get unfilled again". Made my appt for Monday Aug 6th. They will take an xray 1st. What my suggestions to all of you newbies: Watch the PB'ing. I call it vomiting because I wretch just like vomiting, altho it's only the food I'd eaten and not stomach bile with it. After finally getting restriciton after 5 mths and 3 fills, I vomited about 4-6 times a week. I eat too fast (even tho I work on it, I'm far from perfect and it's easier to me to vomit than to learn how to eat slower). I've vomited in parking lots (with my head hanging over the car while in the drivers seat), in the yard, in my bathroom, and many, many public restrooms. It just became normal to me. When I first got my slip, the dr warned me to stop throwing up. When he put the 2nd 1cc in, I threw up my pills that nite. I either reslipped my band from throwing up, or it was never fixed in the first place. I'm working on eating slower, and when a stuck episode does happen, I'm working on suffering thru it and letting it play out. Sometimes I'm miserable for about 20 minutes but at least I'm not throwing up as often. Yes, I said as often. A couple of nites ago, I ate about 1/2 cup of banana pudding. To not let my husband hear me, I took the dog outside to potty. I threw up in the yard. He heard me thru his office window. And I thought I was being so sneaky. I now have 22 lbs left to my goal. I've gained 11 lbs thru this whole ordeal. And this time, I may not even get an unfill. They may have to go in and reposition it. That's another 4 weeks of a liquid diet. All because I made myself throw up so often because I can't learn to slow down. Do I want another band? I've been seriously thinking about it. But my bmi is now only 26, so I doubt my Medicare will even cover an alternative surgery. I think they have to cover band repositioning if it's caused medical problems. Why can't I just trust in what I've learned over the past almost 3 yrs and get it taken out completely? Because I guess I haven't learned that much. I refuse to diet - that means I eat everything I used to eat, just much, much smaller portions. That's why I love my band so much. I can only eat 2 Cookies intstead of 12 ( I know I probably shouldn't be eating cookies at all - but that's dieting to me). I'm terrified that if they take it out, I will regain all of my weight back and I'll be the sad, 248 lb woman I used to be. Who doesn't even have her 3x clothing anymore and can't afford a new wardrobe AGAIN. So, yes, I think I'll have it re-positioned if necessary. I'm hoping they just take out the fluid for a few weeks and we start all over again. It's such a slow process tho. And at $160 each visit and a 6 hr round trip, it's gunna cost a fortune if I have to start all over again. Why did I do this to myself? Why can't I just learn to eat slower and avoid all the throwing up in the first place? Marci

Guess mine is considered cheap by most of your fill charges ($160)! Except that they've never done one under fleuro. It is a 6 hr round trip drive so for gas in a Jeep Liberty, it's another tank of gas (about $60). So I guess the cost they're charging is fair enuf! Marci