emjay

I use liquid or children's chewable Motrin when I get a headache or for pain. Not very often, but take with food and you should be fine. It's my understanding that physicians are concerned about them sitting in your stomach, but if they are chewed or in liquid form, they should not "sit" very long. Hope this helps!

Best of luck Abby! You're going to do great! It will be the best gift you could ever give yourself for Christmas!

Hi all - I'm in. Tried to set a realistic goal. I'll be thrilled to meet it by New Years! Best of luck to all who enter! Hopefully we'll never have to see these numbers again!

Just as a side note - They do fills in Columbus on certain days also and also have support group meetings in Columbus. You would need to check out their website for more info or call. Good luck!

Abby - I know your in Cleveland, but I have been very happy with Dr. Bradley Watkins in West Chester (northern Cincy). They also have Saturday office hours for fill appointments if that helps with your work schedule. I don't think he is in any networks though and that may be an issue with you. However, I am pretty positive that he would be able to do your surgery before the end of the year. I know of a girl who just had it done and the time from her initial consult to surgery was about 3-4 weeks. You can check out their website at www.cincyweightloss.com. They have been very accomodating and most if not all of their office staff has been banded and understand the process very well. Personally, I have had 4 fills to date after about 6+ months and don't feel I need another anytime soon. Anyway, I just thought that may be an option for you if you really really don't want to wait. Best of luck with whatever you decide. Mary Jo

I have found sugar-free syrups also at TJ Maxx or Marshall's. I drink Diet Ocean Spray juice/drink (5 calories per 8 oz). Comes in a 64 oz bottle for about $2.00 at Walmart. Cranberry, Blueberry, Grape, Pomegranate. Pretty close to drinking regular juice. I took about 3 sips of Diet Coke the other night because for some reason I had a yearn for it - but after all the burping it caused me, it really wasn't worth it. But sometimes I do miss the lack of choices.

Congratulations Tracy! Wow I can't wait until my bandiversary rolls around to see what I've been able to accomplish in a year. You have alot of the same mentality that I do in trying not to compare my progess with others and not sweat the small stuff. I am so happy to hear your progress and your outlook after a year into the band. Best of luck always!

I agree with Happy2lose...it's about the same. The liquid diet was a b*tch. 2 weeks before, 2 weeks after. I could have ate wood and been happy. And bandster hell is not a whole lot more fun. Just because if you are expecting to lose alot of weight immediately after banding, you really have to rely on your own will power. And you do need a great mental mindset to do it on your own. Once you get some restriction, you will feel so much better and the weight should (hopefully) fall off at a more respectable pace. The first couple of months you need to use your head and not your band so much. Try and develop new eating patterns. Like a told my SIL, your way of eating needs to be adjusted...it's not good or bad, just different.

It really sounds like your too tight. I had a couple of your symptoms a few weeks after my last fill and wondered if I was too tight. Then I had a stuck episode where I spent 2 hours in the bathroom and nursed by band for 6 weeks. Now looking back, I was too tight. I just didn't want to get any fill taken out. I could always eat chicken, bread, and many things that bandsters have trouble with. But I also had reflux from time to time, sliming, and a constant gurgle when eating or drinking anything. Mine finally started to loosen up about 10 days ago, but it's been over 2 1/2 months since my last fill. So, to be honest, knowing what I know now, I would have went and got a little taken out. There is no reason to suffer through that, and if it is causing you to eat slider foods or not get enough liquid in, you're going to set yourself up for future problems by eating the wrong things or dehydration (which makes the band even tighter). I didn't have near the restriction problems that you seem to be having and I was concerned. Please think about getting a slight unfill. The pbing and reflux really isn't nothing to sneeze about and shouldn't be happening that frequently.

I hit that mark just a few days ago and am thrilled also. Yeah, the skinny minnies can't relate. But we can do our little happy dance anyway. Congrats! It's a great feeling!

Diet? Not really. I mean I have made a change of eating healthier than before WLS. Eating more protein of course. I try and stay away from sugar and refined carbs by choice. Since we eat so little post-band, I try and choose more nutritional foods than ever before. But that's not to say I don't enjoy an occasional treat. (Just not the whole thing!)

I've noticed (unless it's a fluke) that both times that I've been in a car for over 3 1/2 hours, my band tightened up and stayed tight for a few days. Anyone else this happen to? I've heard of some people having it tighten when flying, but am curious if anyone notices this while in a vehicle for a long period of time?

I use the Motrin children's chewables. It helps with occasional headaches also. Take them with food if you can. Better than suffering. I guess I feel like the chewables or the liquid will pass through the band quicker and are less likely to cause problems.

I've also taken Synthroid for many years and it should help you lose weight because you have a sluggish thyroid to begin with. The synthroid help to get your TSH back in an acceptable range. Not sure why you are gaining weight instead of losing...it doesn't really make much sense. Possible that your dosage isn't quite correct and I'm really not sure how long it takes for the medication to work in your system. It has never really affected my weight loss no matter what kind of diet I've been on. You may want to consult with your family doc or band doc on this one.

Down 15 lbs to far - I think I'm going to make my goal this time! Today I'm celebrating my first "mini-goal". I'm no longer considered "obese" according to the BMI charts. Yipee!

LisaMc - I'm glad to hear that your perspective has changed and frankly, 40 lbs in 2 months is OUTSTANDING!!! It is hard to have realistic expectations when you see glossy ads and commercials making it sound like it is the magic wand needed to overcome obesity. A really good doctor will tell you the good and the bad and what your expectations should be, BUT even then you like to think you will exceed those expectations of what is considered normal weight loss with the band. You should be really proud of what you have accomplished so far. I think the first 3-4 months are the very hardest part because you are defining a new set of rules to live by and need to find different ways of dealing with the reasons your overate with something other than food. After a few months, at least for me, I noticed I've lost my appetite for many things I couldn't even keep in the house before because I had no willpower. I've had turtle cheesecake and pumpkin swirl cheesecakes in my freezer now for about a month. Those would have been gone within a matter of days before surgery. And ice cream - I end up throwing away if I buy because I never eat it all before it gets freezer-burn on it. I still have my weakness with potato chips but we just don't keep them in the house at all and that works for me. I'm really glad you are seeing progess on the scale. Frustrations are all a part of it - whether it's not seeing the scale move or being able to eat on tight days, but take each victory as it comes and enjoy the slide down!! :thumbup:

Thank you for your reply...I wondered if it was just me or if something else was causing this. Guess I will just have to prepare when traveling.

Sliming can happen when you eat too fast or take too big of a bite and you start to "super-salivate" but feel like if you swallow anything you're going to vomit. So, you start spitting anywhere you can until the feeling goes away or you pb (production burp - where you spit up your last swallow of food) or do the whole hurl. :thumbdown:

Support, acceptance - it does vary. And any of us that have been on this site for awhile knows that sometimes you have to choose your words very carefully or get bit. But I come to this forum not only for support but also for someone to give me a reality check and call me out on it if I am not doing what I need to do to stay focused. You know, like a good friend - not one that just agrees with everything you say. The kind that reminds you to hold yourself accountable. That being said - Bandster Hell is absolute hell, there's no other way about it. My SIL is to be banded in a couple of weeks and I've been very up front with her about what her next couple of months will be like. Encourage anyone you know that may be considering going thru this process to go to a support group if they can and hear what those who are already banded are struggling with, tips for the transition to bandster life, and mutual support. You can hear all the great things that the docs say and the commercials make it sound so easy, but hear from the actual people that have had it and see if they would do it again, their experiences, and see if it is the right choice for them. I really feel for ALL of you going thru bandster hell right now. It is the pits. And honestly, I think the first 3-4 months (the pre-op and post-op period included) were far the worst part of the process because you still remember you're old eating patterns, have little or no restriction and are truly going thru more than just physical withdrawal, but it also requires a change in your mental attitude. Hard...you bet. But it really does get easier if you try and stay focused on the goal.

I have slimed in front of my car at a hotel where the parking lot faces a busy road in the city. Also slimed in some bushes in an artsy town where we were shopping. Other than that, inconspicuously in my glass of ice Water at the table at a restaurant when others were thinking I was taking a drink, I was actually spitting it out. ALWAYS keep a small plastic container in your car - you never know when it may come in handy.

Lindsay - I'm going to be frank with you and say that your message had alot of excuses in it. Believe me, I know what it's like to be dead tired after work and not want to go anywhere but home. But we recently started a support group of bandsters in our area that meet once a month and it is extremely helpful like Junbug says. It keeps you focused and motivated to stay on track and make positive changes. And hopefully if your screwing up and making excuses somebody will have the decency to call you out on it (in a supportive way). I really believe the first few months are the hardest because you still remember your old eating habits and have to develop new ones and new ways to cope with the reasons you were over eating in the first place. Forums are great to have a chance to message with those having similar experiences but the face-to-face support groups can be a great help to keep you on the right track. You need to find what works for you. Force yourself to take time to exercise, only bring foods in the house that are healthy foods for you to eat and stay away from slider foods. It is normal to feel a little depressed at times after surgery. If you're not at the correct restriction yet, alot of the weight loss is of your own doing and not really the band helping you. So continue to get your fills if you're not at the proper restriction. I sincerely want you to do well. It is quite easy to fall back into old patterns and behaviors. You need to find some new routines that will make a positive impact and keep you progressing. Please don't get discouraged and think this is all a bad decision on your part. You need to give it a sincere effort (both mentally, physically) and follow the proper bandster rules to see if this is going to work for you. Otherwise you are just kidding yourself if you expect the band to do it all for you. As they say, they banded your stomach - not your brain. I wish you the very best.

Scale is finally moving again. Damn hormones. Only 7 more to go. Should be a great Thanksgiving.

Slider foods tend to be different for different people. For me, chips, cookies, rice cakes, not necessarily "soft" foods as you can see. A slider food for you is whateve you can eat way too much of and that doesn't stick with you. Candy is another common "soft" food for people. So you may just need a trial and error. But those foods, if you choose to eat them, you need to really pay attention to and restrict the amount you eat. If you can't - stay away from them!

I really dislike doctors that chastize their patients when they should be encouraging them. My advice is what others have said. Keep a journal of what you are eating, when/how much you are exercising and make sure to show it to him. If he STILL gives you crap about the lack of weight loss, stand up for yourself and tell him you deserve to be treated better. That you will respond better with encouragement than with criticism and that he is doing his patients no favors by reacting that way. I know it may be hard, but sometimes they need a reality check. Remember, YOU are the one who sacrificed for this surgery and are the reason he is getting paid. Don't let him forget it. And if he doesn't feel like he can support you, then ask for a referral to another physician who can do your after-care. Maybe that will give him a reason to take notice. Best of luck to you and don't get discouraged. Just follow what your supposed to do and don't be in a race to get there. This is a lifetime commitment.

I've never heard of this but it makes sense. My physician's office took all my fluid out once to guage how much was in there, but just that once since they put some in during surgery and then let it drain out, the amount that stays in is different for everyone, so they like to know how much is in there for reference at some point.