finallyncontrol

I agree with Yvette there should have been a booklet or a package given to you when you went to the seminar?? Anyway this site can tell you a lot as well as www.lapband.com can too. I was told the straw can allow you to suck up too much air when you swallow and cause you discomfort in your band. Some people have no problem with this and others don't. I didn't even try..I throw out the straw immediately. Another item that is debated is chewing gum..I was told no gum chewing..reason behind it is if you were to swallow it you would get stuck really bad and could end up in the ER depend on the size of gum you were chewing. I gave up gum before being banded. Then after being banded I realized that if I can forget to chew my food well enough and get it stuck I could probably forget and swallow my gum. The bottom line for me is I guess in some cases I am not a risk taker..so no straws and no gum for me. I will also say that my doctor is on the strict side...I hope that helps.

You should be very proud and want to shout it out!! Keep up the excellent work!!

Yes, you will slime again..unfortunately you learned very early on what it is all about. I really think the wrap was too much to handle. It would be too gooey to process in my opinion and then followed by the drink..that just makes me cringe but we all have to live and learn. Just check off the box and start tomorrow on a fresh foot!! Take care!

Great job Vicki for going to the doctor!! You should be feeling so much better now and should start seeing some results!!! Stay positive and make your dream come true!

Welcome to Bandster Hell...believe me it DOES get better than this!!! Just give it time. The more you can walk the quicker the gas will leave. The pain in the middle of your chest..that is actually where the band band has been install and is trying to adjust to being inside your body. This is the healing time where you are very swollen and the band is adjusting...this equals discomfort! Are you able to have sugar free popsicles? You can sort of bite them.. I wish you the very best on your journey..just hang in there it WILL get better trust me!

You will be fantastic Monday! People will be just in awe and will be taking notes so they can do exactly what you did and are doing!! You can hear your excitement in your words. I am with you about my mind catching up..it will take some time. I was called skinny minny..yeah right was the first thing that came to my mind! Then I heard a beep while I was walking so of course I got over in the grass..then I thought "the grass" I am walking on the sidewalk why would I get in the grass...it was some car that was going by! LOL Yeah one day my mind will catch up and I will be able to accept compliments from others than my husband and my 3 yr old. Take care and just be yourself on Monday!

Yeah I am going to have to go with Elcee on this..probably the wrap on the soft taco was too much to handle or process (or too much food as Elcee said). Drinking to quickly after eating = sliming...or if something is stuck you can slime as well. I do eat at Taco Bell but I also waited 2 months..12 days post op may be a little too soon. It may not be the best but I eat the mexican pizza..the middle of it..it is the "mushiest" to me. I hope these responses are helpful and I wish you the best!

Unfortunetaly I still get my salt craving during the ovulation time but while I am actually having my period I could careless if I eat whereas before I would eat every sweet in the house. So for me it is 50/50. At first my cramps were worse as well. So glad you have made the decision to become a bandster..it will be the best decision you will have ever made!! I wish you the very best on your journey!!

Don't wait for the call back..call them. As twilightlover said you need to be headstrong. Take control of YOUR band. Persistence will pay off. Everyone's body does work differently but everyone needs restriction. I found my sweetspot around the 5.5cc area in a 10cc band. To me this is not a diet this a lifestyle change. I eat all types of food..steak, chicken, pork, hamburger..you name it I eat it BUT all in very small portions. I had to learn how to stop eating when I was satisfied not necissarily when I was full..that is a big difference...kind of like what twilightlover said..stop when you should. I actually get the hiccups when I am full so I quit as soon as I hiccup and I am done. This has helped me be very successful!! I wish you the very best on your journey..but please don't wait for your phone to ring..call thiers!!

I have a 3 yr old who didn't sleep for the first 18 months and until last month slept in my bed. He thinks I sleep with him in his big boy bed in his big boy bedroom..but I sneek out after he falls asleep. He still wakes up no later than 7..but of course since it was Saturday..6am straight up!! So I am still learning about what sleep is all about...

Oh, I tyipically wait about an hour..that is just me. I believe I was told 30 to 45 minutes.

trixj..here are a couple of suggestions..1) at the beginning of your meal get a large glass of ice and set it on the counter...when it melts you can drink it..it should take about 45 minutes or so and you will have an ice cold glass of water. 2) not sure what your custom is after dinner in particular with the dishes..you could help clean the table and help with the dishes. That is what I get caught up with..cleaning the table and doing dishes and the next thing I know 30-45 minutes have went by easily. 3) any type of distraction..as soon as you are done eating read someting..go online..take a walk..any type of distraction that can take your mind off of drinking. I hope this helps.

I agree with Elcee..a slight unfill should help you quite a bit. You are too tight. Teacher07 you concern me as well. Have you spoken to your doctor about possibly having an eating disorder. I have heard about developing eating disorders with the band...similar to what you are saying..forcing the extracting. This is not something to blow off. Please talk to your doctor. You should not do this daily. I wish both of you the very very best and I hope that you both contact your doctors very soon. Take care.

Oh..humming bird I get them at Sam's Club..they are already pre-packaged with the bacon on them..just put them on a baking pan and throw them in the oven..they are the nice big ones..not the little ones I saw the other night at the grocery store. Other than that I put scallops in gumbo or chowder if you want either of those recipes..not sure if either of those are band friendly (calorie wise and such). I don't eat either of those I just make them for my husband..nice wife I am??

what a topic..I have been craving scallops for the last two weeks...I want the bacon wrapped ones and yes I want them to just melt in my mouth!!! I must go get me some!!!

Here is my opinion...I would cut out the soda immediately..for one it is wasted calories and two the carbonation just bloats your stoma and allows you to eat more. Here is my story...as soon as I was off of mushies I started eating regular foods just smaller portions and made good choices (with my dr's approval). After the first fill I got some restriction so my portions got a little smaller. This continued to happen and the next month another fill and so forth. I took the word diet out of my vocabulary and use a change of lifestyle. I eat everyday foods but in very small portions (typical dinner...chicken cordon blue, scallop potatoes and green beens). I no longer have desires to eat sweets..if I am craving a cookie..then I have 1..not a whole sleeve of them. If I must have chips..I eat 4 or 5 but not a whole bag. I never drink with my meals. I have a 3 yr old son so there are snacks in the house at all times..we have SF popsicles..that is our favorite. Keep things on hand that are good for you. Everyone in my house eats the same thing. Anyway my point is..if you control your portions, eat until you are SATISFIED..not necessarily full..eating everyday foods will work. I have lost 103 lbs in 7 1/2 months. Keep a positive attitude, believe in yourself and you can do it!

You all need to keep in mind that your first 4-6 weeks is healing time not to worry about losing weight! You need to give your band time to heal and to adjust to being inside your body. You do not have any restriction right now. You are swollen from the surgery. You were put on an IV when you were at the hospital that was full of liquids..so you gained weight there. This was a MAJOR surgery. I know this is much easier said than done..put the scale away until after your first fill. Then you can focus on losing weight. As Chickadee said you have to be eating and working out before things will start to happen. Bandster hell is just what that...emotions going crazy!! Right now focus on getting your liquids in and as much protein in that you can. You need this to heal properly and to sustain some sort of energy level. Think about going on mushies and what you will be making...start planning those menus. I wish you all the very best!

hmmm....talk alot and and as Janet said rest between each bite. Seriously the best advice I could give you is to make sure you don't forget to take small bites, chew them properly, rest between bites and make sure it went down before taking another one. The worst thing you could do is fall back into the habit I had of eating quickly and trying to talk at the same time...that will definitely equal getting stuck. I wish you the best!

If you guys want to see some really good work..check out this website. It is a really good friend of mine from high school. Here is his bio and website... Joel Robinson: I'm a Horror and Comic Artist specializing in character portraiture. I produce Prints of the Macabre, do interior spots for HorrorHound magazine, design convention posters and create artwork for various bands. The Art of Joel Robinson I wouldn't be surprised if he was at the Indiana show..Joel is in Dayton, Ohio...which I refer to as my home town whereas I live in Florida now. I hope you enjoy his site! Take care, Michele

very well said!!

BCBS of Alabama...fought for 2 years and they denied me so I self paid. After the surgery I submitted all my receipts and they reimbursed me 50% for the anesthesia and denied the surgeon and the hospitals bills so I filed an appeal. Now 7 months later I got a letter stating that they have reversed the appeal and are going to reimburse me for the surgeon and the hospital..just not sure how much...anything is better than nothing...persistence and faith is paying off!!

I am addicted to the EAS Myoplex Lite Chocolate shakes...got to have one a day..started with them at pre-op and now 7 months later still craving them!! Creamy chocolate milk!! Yummy!

Ice cream had always been my downfall as well..my treat was going to be when I had lost 100 lbs I would treat myself. So I made it..hit that marker and found out that my band doesn't like ice cream!! Now how many bandsters do you know that can't handle ice cream???? All I did was slim for 45 minutes off of 3 bites!! Of course I tell my surgeon this and he looks at me and says.. Now Michele I don't want you to be able to eat ice cream! and I reply with...can't I treat myself a little after losing 100 lbs..and he cracks a little smile (a little one) and says Yeah I know you do very well with your "lifestyle change diet plan" but I am happy to hear that you can't eat the ice cream it will help you in the long run! I do love my Dr but he is strict with me and I prefer that!! I guess the only solution I can offer is do not buy the ice cream..replace it with sf products..popsicles. That is only thing I can think of. Sorry.

To me this is not a diet at all..from the minute I got my first fill (and with my doctors approval) I changed the word "diet" to "lifestyle change". I eat anything I want just in moderation. I don't log or count anything. There are some foods I don't eat because the band doesn't like them..tortilla chips and ice cream. I pretty much gave up bread because it fills me up too fast but if I really have to have a bite I will with no problems. I don't have any cravings for any surgery foods at all so I just don't eat them. My surgeon told me yesterday I need to add some sugar to my food list (now that is a first). I am slightly addicted to sf popsicles. I cook a lot so I know what is in what I eat but I eat everything...steak, chicken, hamburger..you name it I eat it just very small portions of it. So is this a diet..absolutely not..but was it a lifestyle change..absolutely!!

I agree with Leigha and BTrieger. My pre-op was 3 shakes a day and water..nothing else. As well as Leigha my doctor had the right to sew me back up if he saw that I hadn't followed his guidelines once he opened me up and I would be out $14k that I had already paid. I looked at it as if I was willing to cheat on the pre-op then I might as well not go thru with the surgery because I would just cheat on the band. You have to have the right mindset and be ready for this. It is a major change in life. As for BTrieger..he lost 95 lbs on his pre-op and has been very successful since being banded. I have been banded for 7 1/2 months and have lost 103 lbs..so it doesn't have to be a male or female thing. This site is for support and most everyone is supportive in thier own ways. BT's response about caps is a known email ettiquite..emailing in all caps is referred to as shouting. I hope every has a wonderful day and the best on thier journey.