ParrotheadCathy

VERY on-point question, DancingButterfly! Scout...when was your last fill? How much fill in what size band? My first observation is that God helps him who helps himself..... So, first, it sounds like you need another fill, so make the appointment. This also means you will have to be accountable to your doctor...getting on his scales and discussing how much you've lost (or not) and why. Second, journal everything you eat. I don't care if you write on a napkin, just write it down. I have a piece of paper on my desk. When I leave work, I know how many calories I can have for dinner (and I know what I pulled out of the freezer to have for dinner, too, so I can plan what I can eat and how much). Yeah, the slider foods go down really easy but they leave a bad taste in your mind (not mouth!) by making you feel guilty. So don't do that to yourself. Don't have that tempting stuff around. One day, you'll be able to give yourself a treat without going off the deep end, but don't push your luck right now. Third, GET MOVING. You're completely healed. Are you exercising? I get up at 5:00 AM (an hour earlier than I'd need otherwise) and I "wog" .... walk/jog, but mostly walking. I put about 4 miles or so in just about every morning (I sleep in if it rains and I give myself a couple of days off). Finally, if you truly think you are "borderline" bipolar, go see a counselor! A counselor can help you with your food issues AND treat bipolar disorder. My 20 year old granddaughter lives with me. She is truly bipolar and is in treatment. When she's manic, she forgets to eat unless I set it in front of her and make sure she eats it. When she's depressive, she eats without prodding. Now, admittedly, she's 5'7" and weighs about 110 but that's the nature of her personal beast. Without a good doctor, I don't know where she'd be. THERE IS NO SHAME IN GETTING HELP FROM A COUNSELOR, no matter what the problem is. If you have food issues, get to the bottom of them! If you think you have BPD, find out for sure and if you do, get it treated because it doesn't just go away. I don't want to seem like I'm being mean or harsh but you asked for a nudge in the right direction. Just consider it a "firm nudge" from someone who wants you to succeed as much as she wants to succeed herself.!! Good Luck and God bless

Erin, I had surgery on Tuesday and went back to work on Friday. I'm a legal assistant and sit at my computer most of the day. I guess your church cleaning job would depend more upon what the cleaning entails. Vacuuming, just use the arm on the side opposite your port the first time or two. You don't have to do any heavy lifting to clean, do you? I don't recall being given too many restrictions on anything. I was told not to lift anything heavy for a week or so. As for exercise, I was told to start walking as soon as I felt up to it. I walked to the end of the block and back the same day I had surgery. That helped with the gas issues too! The second and third days, I walked a bit more, twice per day. You don't need to wear yourself out, but just start moving and add to the time as you feel more able.

OMG, the first couple of sugar free popsicles are like the biggest treat EVER, LOL. Still love them! Of course I never get to eat a whole one since the baby also loves them so I have to give her part of every one.

Cream soups like tomato. I used to puree cream of mushroom soup, too. You could also puree pretty much any kind of soup that you like...it'll look a little funny but will still have the taste that you like. These will be alot more filling that broth, etc!

If you get hungry in less than four hours, you may still need a little more fill. If you get hungry in less than four hours, it's certainly not realistic to think that you can ignore it for hours and hours. I was told that if I had to snack, to snack on Protein....an ounce of low fat cheese (Kraft and Sargento put up pre-wrapped 1 oz servings of cheese other than string cheese (which I absolutely refuse to eat because it has no taste!), a boiled egg, some low fat cottage cheese....Heck, I've even eaten 3-4 steamed shrimp left over from dinner the night before. Protein takes longer to digest than anything else you can eat. That means it stays in your stomach longer getting digested and therefore gives you the feeling of satiety for longer than other things you could eat. meat....lots of people complain that they have problems with it. The problem is that usually cooking dries it out too much. So, you have to change how you cook it. Here are my suggestions: 1. Steak....cook only to rare or at most medium rare. That way it keeps more of its natural juice. Use meat tenderizer. You may have read a comment from Restless Monkey somewhere on here about papaya enzyme...well, meat tenderizer is usuall made from papaya enzymes. I even sawy Iron Chef Michael Symon (if you watch food Network) cook with papaya enzyme tablets to tenderize a protein. He just put a handful of the tablets in the pot. 2. chicken....stay away from those expensive, tasteless boneless, skinless chicken breasts! They are so dry! Buy the much cheaper bone-in, skin on chicken breasts. Grill, poach, bake, whatever. Just don't eat the skin. The skin and bones will flavor the chicken and help keep it moist. Cook it in chicken stock or broth in a crock pot. 3. Pork....stick with pork tenderloin. Marinate it in lowfat italian dressing and then grill it. Cook only until it is just done. Let it "rest" for a few minutes before you slice it so that it can re-absorb the juices. 4. Fish Fillets....I do this with any fish.....take a piece of foil and place the fish on it. Season with whatever seasonings you like. put a couple of curls of unsalted butter. Seal up the foil, put the package on a pan and bake until the fish is done....the thicker the piece of fish the longer it takes to cook. You can grill your fish and make a topping out of a box of frozen chopped spinach...just boil the spinach, drain it, season with a little salt, a little pepper and lemon juice, zip it through the food processor quickly and spoon over your fish. And maybe these suggestions will help you think of other things you can do! You can also letme know if you have any other questions I can try to answer!

Marmar, if you were prescribed an antidepressant previously, it could be depression. A couple of things to remember....the first pill isn't an instant fix. The medication can take 4 to 6 weeks to build up enough in your bloodstream to make the difference you need. So you start feeling better in bits. It can even be diifficult to say "I'm better" without thinking about where you really were the day you started taking the medication. If one doesn't work for you, move on to another one. There are lots to choose from, different doses and it might take a little experimentation to get to the right amount of the right medication. But it is definitely worth it to wake up in the morning glad to see the day and feeling that you are prepared to cope with whatever it may bring. Sometimes, counseling must be combined with medication so if your doctor suggests that at some point don't be afraid of it.

For the weight loss ticker, go to www.tickerfactory.com and just follow the instructions. There will be a URL you will need to post into your signature block on this website. BE SURE TO REMEMBER YOUR PIN NUMBER!! Once you get it set up, you can click on your ticker in any message you've posted, enter your PIN and then update the ticker information. It will update your ticker on every post you've ever made.

Well, I'm certainly glad it's helping...and I bet you are too! Another lesson learned. That's the best thing about this forum, we all learn from each other....the newbies, the veterans. It's just so much help!

Dita, I can eat pizza but I have a problem with any soft bread so I eat the thin & crispy crust. Obviously, pizza isn't the healthiest thing you could eat so it's a treat but, YES, I can eat it. Don't let anybody tell you that you can't eat anything. Try it at home (so that if you do get stuck you're not sitting in a restaurant) and see. And remember that just because it doesn't work on Tuesday that doesn't mean it won't work on Saturday. Soft bread is the only thing I consistently have issues with. I tried plenty of times and gave up finally because I just didn't want to get stuck on it any more. But plenty of people do eat soft bread (as Restless Monkey and others will tell you). The thin crust does have fewer carbs simply because it's less volume than "regular" crust, and I know that some places offer whole wheat crust, too.

I didn't answer before because I simply have no idea. If you're nauseated I would suggest you call your doctor (always the definitive answer) and see what they think. Have you tried drinking more water? I was thinking that if you're already nauseated you might have a problem drinking a lot of liquid.

Sandi, What a timely post! I've lost 71 and have 63 to go. I've been stuck for the first time for abouat three weeks. Your post reminds me that if I keep on doing what I'm supposed to the scale WILL move. I'd love to chat with you back channel sometime! Cathy parr0thd51@aol.com (that's the number zero in my screen name, not the letter "oh").

It probably wouldn't hurt to ask for 1cc...and stick around and drink a full cup of Water before you leave the doctor's office to make sure it isn't too much. I have 6cc in a 10cc band and I had been thinking I'm at my sweet spot but I might actually need just a little bit, like .2 or .3 at my next visit. Truth is, it's an inexact science for all of us. You aren't there and then suddenly, you're past your sweet spot; or you creep up on it in tiny fills. Don't put too much energy into worrying about it quite yet. Just work with your doc to get it right.

A friend who had a hiatal hernia repaired (but not lap band surgery) said they took a little bit up the very upper part of the stomach and "wrapped" it around the esophagus to get enough "bulk" to stitch the diaphram to so that the gap could be closed. A hiatal hernia is a gap in the space there the esophagus passes through the diagram and because the opening is too big, the stomach can push up through that space. Now, let me add that my friend isn't the best at communicating technical stuff, so that may indeed be Becky's version of what the doctor told her, LOL. But I'm sure it's close.

4 weeks post-op I could eat anything I chose to eat. Please note the word CHOSE. I LOVE Mexican food, love it!!!!! But it is loaded with fat (I mean, those ymmy refried beans may have LARD in them, for pete's sake). My fave Mexican place has yummy fish tacos, grilled fish, and even a "lunch portion" of chicken fajitas. If you don't eat any tortillas, you should be able to eat a small serving of rice (about 1/4 cup is a serving). A taco salad with chicken instead of beef, tell them "no beans", salsa and a little sour cream for the salad dressing is a good option too.

LOTS of us got our first fill as 4 weeks without issue. My first fill was aggressive (4cc on top of the .6 that was left in my band after they tested it before putting it in)....and it was just tooooo tight. They had to remove 1cc. But if you stay at the doc's for a little while after and drink a big glass of Water you will know well before time to go if you are too tight or not:smile:

I took 40 mg. of Prozac for a long time (no longer) and I remember distinctly being told that it MIGHT suppress my appetite some. Not so much, LOL. But I did successfully diet when I was on it once.

Hi, Pjoy! I too was self-pay since my insurance policy has a written exclusion for any weight loss surgery. It's okay though because my monthly payment on the financing is less than my monthly drug copays were costing me and I no longer take any medications at all! Can you tell I'm pleased I went forward with this? Self-pay usually gets into surgery quicker than someone covered by insurance because once you've done the pre-op testing, there is no waiting for the insurance company to approve you. I had my first doctor visit on 1/2 and surgery on 2/10. Not bad! Let me know if I can answer any questions. I'm always glad to try.

Meiko, my prescribed diet is 3 oz of lean Protein and a vegetable (raw or steamed). If I eat that and 15 minutes later, I'm still hungry, I eat a serving of low fat whole grain carb. Most times, I can't eat the carb serving. "Restriction" may not be what you expect it to be. A lot of people seem to expect that they will feel "full" like they are familiar with from before they had surgery. The problem is that most overweight people never really experienced "full" because they ate right past that sensation to "stuffed to the gills". What I've learned by eating the way I was told is that if I walk away from the food I am no longer hungry nor do I feel hunger for 4 hours now that I'm at my sweet spot. That's what restriction means to me. Before I got to my sweet spot, I was told that if I got hungry in less than 4 hours I should eat a small amount of protein like an ounce of low fat cheese or a boiled egg or even some cottage cheese (which is packed with protein).

Parshuter, your port will not even be close to your band ... no chance of puncturing it. The port itself is not soft so they can feel it every clearly (even though you may not be able to). And, the port is self-sealing. They use a special needle, called a Huber needle, that has a bend near the tip. They go into the self-sealing access part of the port at a bit of an angle because of that. I've never read where anybody had a problem with puncturing something by mistake when getting a fill.

I always sleep on my left side (the side my port is on) and I've slept on my left side every night including the day of surgery.

Mom, if you have only 3ccs of fill, you likely are not at your sweet spot and possibly not even close. If you don't have an appointment for another fill, make one. What I was told to do before I reached my sweet spot was to prepare my meal, consisting of 3 oz of lean Protein, raw or steamed veg and a single serving of whole grain carb. If I got hungry again before 4 hours (and you usually will if you aren't to your sweet spot), I was to EAT PROTEIN...a boiled egg, an ounce of low fat cheese, a serving of low fat cottage cheese (which is loaded witih protein). It sounds like you are eating a lot of carbs, which isn't a great thing to do even if you don't have any problem eating them! You should focus on eating a minimum of 60 grams of protein per day.

Miranda, I always tell people to call their insurance company for their own peace of mind. There should be a customer service phone number on your insurance card. Ask if they cover lap band. If yes, ask what their requirements are, including pre-op testing, possible pre-op diet, etc. If they say no, it's not covered, ask if there is an appeals process or if lap band is specifically excluded. Once you have these answers, you will know much better what you are facing! Good luck

Erin, Gas-X will help gas in your GI tract. The gas you are describing is probably from the darbon dioxide they pump into your abdomen to make more room to work. It will go away on its own as it is absorbed into the blood stream and then processed out by your body. To help in the mean time, keep moving. Walk whenever you can, as much as you feel up to .... and move your arms. Someone on another forum I belong to said her doc told her to sit in a rocking chair instead of on the couch and rock. She said it helped in addition to everything else. And that pain does respond to heat....a heating pad, a hot shower, etc. And, yes, it really will go away!

Paige, let me just add that there really, truly is nothing to be ashamed of. You are by far not the only person in your situation. Many here and many, many more outside this little forum. If there is any shame in it, it should fall to those who refuse to acknowledge their situation and the need to take action....and you certainly don't fall in that category. There is a thread on here "so I've got a little work to do". Jason was told he had to lose quite a bit to be a surgery candidate. Rather than fall victim to discouragement, he went to work. And he's made it! And, you know what? You will too!!

Unfortunately, you can't pick where the weight comes off at. My stomach, too, is out of proportion to the rest of me right now. Yes, I've lost plenty in my hips but maybe not the samce percentage as in other areas. I figure it will even out sooner or later. Patience is a tough virtue because you want results your way rather than the random way it happens to work out. You will get there if you just keep working on losing and toning.