Lab Rat

I had my gallbladder out yesterday and have not had any problems with eating. I am sticking to an easy bland diet. However, before my surgery I had my Dr. take out .50cc's anticipating your problem. Word to the wise...do not be tight before surgery! Glad you feel better now!!

Thanks for this string Audree. I started at a BMI of 38. I am 5'11" and was banded in May '06. Today I have lost 80lbs (260lbs down to 180) about 2.4 lbs a week I stuck to the "rules" for eating and drinking for at least the first 4 months. I didn't start excersising until I hit my first plateau at 210lbs. Now I excersice 5-6 days a week (Eliptacal for 35 minutes at level 9). I am currently at a plateau and have been within the same 2 lbs for almost 2 weeks. I guess the extra holiday cookies and candies aren't helping! LOL! My sister was banded in February with a BMI of 50 and has lost over 130 lbs with another 75 to go. It has been nice to share our adventure and we have our own language to talk about the band when we are in public. Theres no trick to the band. It is a catalyst for change not a magic pill. You can still consume as many calories a day as you wish. Not in the same way as we used to with pasta and cakes. However, you can eat small snacks or meals all throughout the day, throw in a milk shake or 2 and there's your extra calories. Drinking calories is nice since you don't have to worry about your band getting stuck. As with all things in this life its about your attitude, and Audree, you have the right attitude. Keep up the good work to all of us. Happy New Year!

Took my co-workers 60 lbs to notice. I think its hard for other women to acknowlege women 's successes in weight loss. Men have been conditioned not to comment. Another reason we need a buddy during weight loss to encourage us along the way.

Guess I'm lucky too. Just had to go on clear liquids (strict) 3 days pre-op. You can bet I ate my way through a ton of restaurants right before that! Lost 5 lbs. I hadn'y ever heard about a fast for your liver. I thought the 3 day clear liquids was for anesthesia purposes.

I say go for the fill. Who cares about the food! Plus, I agree with disneynut, if you need a quick un-fill who will there be to help you over that long 4 days? Nothing tastes as good as thin feels!

Anybody who is obese has co-morbidities and/or pre-exsisting conditions. You should be ready to discuss all of these with your follow up doctor either here or in Mexico. Or course I agree with gadetlady and believe the surgeons here in the US are the best choice. Why go cheap when it is your life is someone elses hands. And YES I paid cash ($16,000).

I live UnJury. Available only on-line @ www.unjury.com 20 grams of protein per serving and if you mix with fat free milk thats another 9 grams. Chocolate is yummy! Vanilla is a little sweet and I'm not a fan of the strawberry.

I live in Granada Hills. Surgeon was Dr. Paya (Cutie!) at West Hills Hospital.

I too was diagnosed with PTC. I was 23 years old & overweight. Taking the medication was a relieve from the headache pain but the side affects were not fun. Sense of taste was off (not so great for a person who needed food!) and I would occasionally get dizzy. The Nueologist who finally DX'd me said that I had all the classic signs. Overweight, female, young. Never had symtoms again even though weight has gone down and up dramatically since. I was told at the beginning of treatment that the course of meds would probably only be 6 months. Are your doctors saying you need meds forever? I would ask. I did not lose any weight during my treatment. Good Luck!