Astrasmom

I'm there with you too. I have 6lbs to go until Onederland. I can not wait. It's been so many years.

Good luck on your surgery today. I wish you a speedy recovery. Keep us posted.

You really don't want to swallow pills. Gas-X strips disolve on your tongue. If you can find chewable gas pills, go for it. But Gas-X is the most effective.

Don't be nervous. Just remember to cut your portions very small (About the size of an M&M) and chew at least 25-30 times before you swallow. Practice that and you will be find in the long run.

I am the gurgle queen..haha This is VERY normal. Think of your band as a funnel that's exactly what it's doing. Funneling your food and liquids. I promised my husband I wouldn't eat or drink before bed because my gurgle is loud at night..lol

You really should find out if someone is covering for your doctor. Not to scare you but green/yellow phlem is usually the signs of infection. You don't need a fever to be sick. Plus you want to catch it before it turns into pneumonia or Broncitis. Which can also happen after surgeries.

First off congratulations. Secondly did you have any fill put in during your surgery? Some do but most of us don't. If you did have fill put in you might need some taken out. If you did, then it's normal what you are feeling. The swelling should start to go down in about a week to a week 1/2. You should be only sipping at this point. You should be able to consume a shot glass full of fluids in 15 minutes. It helps sometimes to burp after it goes in (Of course not while anyone is around). You still might have some gas inside too which is why you will also feel uncomfortable. Hang in there. Things should get better. If you find that you can't keep anything down, call your doctor immediately.

Sorry to hear you were crying but no you didn't lose it. You have been through a great change in your life. It's normal as well as getting sick of the chicken broth. Things do get better. Give it time. Try some sugar free ice pops if you can at this stage. They are Yummy. And help with the swelling.

I have a problem with all red meat. I think because it's not moist enough. You could try mixing it with something like beef broth. I tend to stick with the chicken and fish though. I also can't do bread. pastas I can do once and awhile but not too often. Lettuce isn't good for me either. I prefer baby spinach instead.

My doctor told me that before you reach the right restriction you could lose and gain weight. You aren't failing the band. And you can't base your weightloss on others. It takes time for your body to adjust and it will take you time to get to the proper restriction. My doctor doesn't beleive in telling me how much fluid I have in my band because he doesn't want me focusing on that fact. Especially when I get to capacity he doesn't want me thinking "OH my god I can't do anymore restriction what am I going to do." I guess this is maybe why I have been so successful. I will tell you that I have had 5 fills and yesterday I had a tiny bit taken out because I was over filled. I eat my 3 meals a day and I can go 4-5 hours inbetween without being hungry. I do not do snacks. I do reward myself once and awhile with the good things (ice cream, wine, cookie..etc). You will get there. You have to change your mindset though as someone else posted. You aren't a failure. You are a success. Food is a failure. And as someone else said, you didn't get this way over night. The lapband is not a miracle cure all where you will ultimately become thin as soon as it's placed in your body. It all takes time. You just hit a bump in the road, get back on the path and keep going. Work with your doctor. Call him and tell him what you are feeling. That is what they are there for. Good luck to you. Things will get better. I would also suggest that if you have the ability near you, find a local support group. It really helps.

Actually my doc said Coffee is a no-no and even Decaf was a no-no because it still has a bit of Caffine in it. Which is a natural dihuretic and will dehydrate you. I was told for each cup of coffee that you drink it takes 2 glasses of water to replace what you have lost. So, yes please check with your doctor to see if you can have decaf or not. All doctors are different.

As bad as it may sound I think that every person in their banded life should experience getting stuck at least 1 time. That way you know what it feels like and you know you aren't having a heart attack or something. It's also a great learning experience that teaches you that you really need to chew better. I wish I could say that it's only happened to me once but each time is a learning experience for me. I'm glad that yours didn't last that long.

Well I'm actually in Little Egg Harbor which is on the North Side of Egg Harbor, near Tuckerton. :biggrin: But you are correct. Egg Harbor is a very nice place and I know the Days Inn that you are talking about.

Hi Hal, I was like you too. I wasn't the least bit nervous. I was more anxious in getting the surgery done because I had to do the 6 months of supervised diet before the surgery. The day of the surgery I was very calm.

I want to have a family picture taken. I want to keep walking into places and have people continue saying, "WOW you look great. I almost didn't recognize you." I want to have skinny fun with my husband :biggrin: I want to be able to look food in the face and be able to control myself not have food control me anymore. And last I want to get a total make-over from hair, to nails to toes, to make-up to wardrobe..ahhh!

Sometimes this happens if you aren't getting the right Vitamins or you aren't eating the right foods. I don't need the extra iron pills. If you include a Multivitamin and eat the proper sources of iron enriched food you should be fine. Which include... chicken and turkey blackstrap molasses nuts egg yolks dried fruits, such as raisins, prunes, dates and apricots liver lean red meats, including beef, pork, lamb seafood, such as oysters, clams, tuna, salmon, and shrimp, etc. Beans, including kidney, lima, navy, black, pinto, soy beans, and lentils iron fortified whole grains, including cereals, breads, rice, and Pasta greens, including collard greens, kale, mustard greens, spinach, and turnip greens tofu vegetables, including broccoli, swiss chard, asparagus, parsley, watercress, brussel sprouts

1> Coffee- This depends how long your doctor makes you stay in the clear liquid stage. For me it was 1 week. 2> Husbands Doctor - You will have to see how you feel. You may be a little to sore and you will probably still be on pain medication. You won't be able to drive though. 3> Your doctor should have given you and eating/drinking plan. If not you should ask him soon. 4> There are several people who leave the hospital the same day. This again all depends on your surgeon. In my opinion the one day stay in the hospital is worth it.

Your body goes through all kinds of changes after you have the surgery. I would call your GYN and ask them if it's normal for your cycle to come because you have the IUD. I know for me, when I was heavier my cycle was all messed up. After I lost the weight my cycle started to become normal again. Of course I am pre-menopausal now so wouldn't you know my cycle is being weird again. :biggrin:

Sounds like you might be a little too full. You should be able to eat solids. The way my doctor does it, the day of the fill you switch back to liquids. The next day to soft and then back to solids the following day. The swelling should have gone down by now. I just posted somthing about to much restriction. I thought I was doing my body good by toughing it out, but your really not doing yourself any good. The nutrients that your body needs aren't getting it. You won't lose the weight that way. I would definately go back in and ask the doctor to take out a small amount and see if that helps you. Stay in the Green Zone. This might help you. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/you-green-zone-25523/

Ok well 4 weeks ago I went for my 5th fill. Everything was going great for a few weeks. The last 2 weeks I just felt so uncomfortable. Things were going down but it was just feeling too restricted. Solids were not staying down like they should be and even liquids were starting to actually hurt going down. I was getting regurgitation at night, and also night coughs. I was so afraid to call the doctor to have fluids taken out because I have done so amazing with my weightloss so far and didn't want to gain the weight back. Until yesterday, I couldn't take it anymore. I also finally convinced myself that I am not doing myself any good by riding it out. I wasn't getting the nutrients that I needed. Plus being too restricted will slow the weightloss down anyway. WHICH IT DID. So the doctor took out only a tiny amount yesterday and I feel so much better. What's my point to this. Pay attention to your body. Don't be afraid to get an unfill if you need it. You honestly aren't doing yourself any good if you are too tight. Not getting enough nutrients, calories, food intake can actually slow your metabolism down and keep you from losing the weight. While reading some of the posts I came acrossed this one that was tremendously helpful and I thought it should be shared with everyone. Especially the new banders. Please pay attention to your Green Zone. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/you-green-zone-25523/

There are alot of us that can't eat eggs. It really sounds like you did get stuck. You may have irritated your esophagus. I would try liquids for a day and if it doesn't feel better by Thursday when you go to the doctors I would definately mention that.

Congratulations on the start of your journey. I wish you much success. You may want to try Gas-X strips and a heating pad for the gas. Make sure you walk as much as possible. Good luck to you.

Great attitude. And Congratulations. You should be very proud of yourself. Remember it's ok to slip up once and awhile. And it's ok to reward yourself once and awhile. It's not a diet. It's a lifestyle change. Diets are boring and don't work. There is nothing easy about this process. We all work very hard to get where we want to be after the lapband process. We deserve to feel good about ourselves. The main words EVERYTHING IN MODERATION. The more weight you lose the better you feel about yourself, the more compliments you get. It's totally amazing. Thus far I have lost a total person on the outside. On the inside I have gained total person (Self confidence). Texassparkles is right anyone can do this if you believe in yourself and understand that the lapband is just a tool. You have to work at it. You can't expect the band to just be placed inside of you and you will automatically start losing the weight. Not going to happen. You also have to remember that old habits aren't going to go away over night. Some may haunt you for the rest of your lives but you do learn how to deal with them a little better as time goes on. Life is a highway. You can either keep following the highway or you can get off. It's all up to you. Good luck to everyone. And Texas keep up the amazing work. :biggrin:

This is normal after a fill. Some of it could be swelling which most of the time goes down in a week or so. And yes when you do have your period you do swell a little more. What you need to look out for is being able to keep food and fluids down. If you can't then chances are you are to tight and need to have some Fluid taken out. A good restriction is feeling full and not hungry in between meals. You shouldn't experience pain and you should be able to keep things down. To much restriction (even if you can keep food down) is also not good because you aren't getting the proper nutrients. Good luck with your fill.

Hiyah MSLadybug. You have come to the right place. You are correct your first place to start would be to see if your insurance will cover the procedure. Then you want to attend a seminar. Feel free to ask question and read as much as you can. This is a wonderful place for information. I wish you luck in your travels. Please keep us posted with your decisions.