general_antiope

I wish I had something great to tell you. I unfortunately don't suffer with Diabetes. But Type II I heard can be brought under control with diet and weight loss. The "sweeteners" they put in the Slim Fast/Carnations...I wonder if that's the problem? Mention this to your doctor. Maybe he can recommend you swap out the Carnation with a Protein shake with better ingredients. I am a HUGE fan of Soy protein. Sometimes the whey protein can wreak a little havoc on people's insides. For me, the Soy's incredibly delicious, moreso (and I love the chocolate flavor better) and is packed with protein. Protein makes you feel satisfied. If your doctor is clueless (which i doubt) it might be worth going to ask a holistic nutritionist if there is food you can swap out to help control your blood sugar. I am not an expert on diabetes, but if these readings are new and high, there has to be SOMEthing in what you're eating that's really upsetting your pancreas.

The monthly visits are very important, whether you're losing weight or not. The doctor wants to monitor your progress. Too much weight being lost, they're going to unfill you a little bit. I know that might horrify some of you, but I lost a lot of hair during my 100 lbs fiasco that scared the bejesus out of me because I ate terribly, nothing nutritious, mashed potatoes loaded with butter and southwest eggrolls...but I kept losing because my restriction was so tight. Fortunately I have a lot of hair and it wasn't noticeable except when I wore black suit jackets...but I put a stop to that by going vegetarian and following the blood type diet, which is the last regimen I will ever need! If you are not losing fast enough, they'll bump you up a little. I could swear the thinking at my doc's office was: 1. Fill - liquids 2 days (lose weight) 2. Mushy foods 2 days (lose more weight) 3. Solid/regular...which makes you maintain for another 3 - 4 weeks til next follow up. Like clock work, 4 - 8 lbs a month. I always lost the most during fill time and then it was just my body dealing with the lost fat. Then my body would be like "OK...lord...we can survive with those 8 lbs, I just made the adjustments, we should be able to hang on to calories again!" and then I thwart it with another fill :wink2:

I'm always burping no matter what I do, rolling over in the middle of the night, after drinking anything, no matter how small the sip, and forGET about trying to kiss men :wink2: I just avoid dating until I'm done losing weight and can ease up on the restriction. I've flown and don't have that kind of response, though. And definitely not while driving. I'm certain it's due to space left in your band, air in your band, barometric pressure, the thin air? Mountains I could understand, but hills seems a little weird. Maybe the trip just coincided with a "tight time" during your fill. Sometimes my band is just uber tight. It happens based on my moods, too...sometimes during PMS and other times for no reason I can figure out. Hormonal/enzyme related probably. You might want to mention it to your doc.

I had lower back issues for about 8 years, resulting in surgery and a conversation with the orthopaedic doc who said "You can never jog again, or walk as an exercise. And sports are out of the question." Despite being overweight even as a teenager, I was physical and very competitive. I liked volleyball, softball, soccer, and I was in a co-ed adult softball league by the time this all happened. Without any exercise after back surgery, I got fatter and fatter, which led to the band. Now I am 106 lbs lighter and I actually ache to work my muscles. Nothing hurts on me and I feel so happy some days that I jog to my car...and then stop suddenly, hoping I didn't just dislodge a disc...but those few moments of stretching my legs and feeling the wind and feeling stronger and lighter than I EVER have in my life...ahhhh.... I've tried walking, and it feels marvelous and energizing when I'm doing it, but the next day I pay for it. I decided no more tempting my back for another surgery as I have a degenerative disc, ergo, a wildly unstable lumbar spine which will never revert back to normal. I just discovered Yoga. I've been doing Vinyasa Flow (Seane Corn) merely to stretch my muscles and make me feel like I'm accomplishing something by at least becoming more flexible. I can do the whole tape without a problem, so I decided to try a class. With humans. And my droopy-skin belly. And my gurgling neck. Last night I went to a class for the first time :biggrin: Hot Flow Yoga. OK so 95 degrees and two buckets of sweat later, I feel unreal today. It was amazing to be there with an instructor, who would push on me during Downward dog and really intensify the stretch...changing my foot positions so slightly and making the whole pose feel immediately better/deeper/challenging. I could barely keep up with the class, I had to stop from time to time and hang out in child's pose, from about 20 minutes in to the next hour, my muscles shook and trembled in every pose, but I kept my breathing strong and steady. Every time I fell out of a standing pose I just grinned to myself and went right back at it. I kept waiting for my body to give out, quit, have total muscle exhaustion but that time NEVER CAME :wink2: I cannot believe how amazing I feel today. Now I want to try every single Yoga out there!!! Anyone else into this amazing physical and spiritual practice?

I can't tolerate breakfast, or else I eat sooo much by the end of the day. Once I could pound all 10 Hooters Hot Wings (breaded of course) I realized breakfast had to go. :wink2: today I woke up hungry, which happens occasionally and I'll eat...I notice when I eat white flour I get hungrier. 10am - 6 mini spinach/soy snacks in wheat crust 2pm (now) - 1/2 package of palak paneer (spinach and paneer cheese mmmm) tonight...hmm...prolly hooters wings if I keep freaking thinking about it.

You are in AWESOME hands at NYU!! I did tons of research back when I was looking into the band and settled on Dr. Ren there, and frankly I would have loved Dr. Fielding, too! The people there really *give a crap.* They're in this to change people's lives. I can't say enough about that team. I don't know Dr. Kurian but if she is working with Ren and Fielding, oh my god. best training ever :wink2: Keep us posted on your progress. I love meeting other NYU bandees!!!

Honey - The best way to get back on track is to help yourself! We can't do it for ya, sweetie. First thing I would do if I were you would be to scour the boards, first of all, and understand the lap band back and forth. if you don't want to/don't have time, then call your doctor and become a pain in the ass until you are properly educated. If he will not fill you, find another fill doctor. Or keep calling back. This is not only your right, it's your duty. You didn't get the lap band only to go sit in a corner alone and NOT lose weight, did you? This is your life - be active in it, not passive!

Give the fill some time - sometimes my band gets sooo ridiculously tight during PMS, it's like I was freshly filled, even if it'd been months. Also, your legs could be different sizes if you tend to put weight on one leg versus another, cross one leg over another (the support leg stays bigger) or sleep on one side. My right leg takes all the abuse!

WOOO HOOOOOOOOO CONGRATS!!! Oh my god that is so exciting!! I am thrilled for you :thumbs_up: What's one thing you're not gonna miss about Life Before The Band?

Oh I know exactly how you feel, I wanted every last tiny detail from anyone! LOL. Deep breaths serenity, it's definitely gonna happen for you!!! I know it! :wink2: :biggrin: For me, it was 2 months after my surgeon's visit, add another month before that for gathering up data, visiting my PCP, psych eval, and boom. Done :hand: Once the surgery date was set, the weeks WHIPPED by. It was so weird. My friend Lexy just got banded yesterday and she said the same thing. OK honesty time. I soooo did not last on the 2 week liquid pre op diet. I lasted all of 5 days, then went back to Wendy's. I felt like crap, I was hungry, I was upset, I felt unsatisfied, did I mention hungry, emotional over being separated from my food when I wanted it. The biggest thing I think was that frankly, Slim Fast, Carnation, all that CRAP is completely filled with preservatives, processed stuff. Since getting on the band, I went to the Blood Type Diet (now the GenoType Diet), and SLOWED DOWN enough in eating to realize my specific body just hated certain foods. Slim Fast is one of them. Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine...any "low fat" food is chock full of monstrously distorted natural foods...and then it was confirmed when I had some testing done and found my body was allergic to preservatives! Ha. It knew better than I did, I just never listened. I could eat 20 calories a day of natural organic food and never feel as crappy as I felt on Slim Fast, Herbalife, Smart Ones, Healthy Choice etc. I think if you try eating low fat Beans, rice, veggies, even if not organic, then make them FRESH, you will slash the fat in your diet, feel full and SATED (which is incredibly important) and drop weight pre-op. I guess the docs want you drinking liquids to 'get used to it' but I think it's BS, personally. Some docs don't even require a pre-op diet, so clearly it's not all about the fatty liver issue :ohmy:

Well, not every doctor is a great doctor. Not every patient is a great patient. maybe what you're seeing is like "the perfect storm" of mutual cluelessness?? :wink2:

Hang in there Peter. And thanks for letting the community and her acquaintences know, that was really thoughtful of you.

katz, there are people who have the band who have no business having the band. They might be better off with the bypass. It's not for us to decide who's "worthy" of it. This is their journey, too... Funny, I just blogged about Impatience in this one obese person I know, too. It's frustrating when others don't see the light like some of us have, but again. All in good time. At least the "clueless" ones have a resource like this. At least they're asking!

Arrrgghh! What, obese people should just....die out? Is that the thinking? You made yourself fat, and now you have to suffer. UGH. I suspect those kind of people think the gay community got AIDS for being gay, too. Yeah, right on, Einsteins. Way to be. Hi, welcome to 2008! There is medical help able to extend and improve the lives of people with heart problems, colon problems, lung problems, liver problems...but no, you think those evil fatty fat fats lack WILLPOWER! Stupid people annoy me. You get ONE body. Suffer no fool to stand between you and your happiness.

Salsa - WOW I'm so glad to hear you found a surgeon you like, even with your challenges :thumbdown: That makes me happy! Oh God coltonwade........you ruined me :smile: Dr. Caridi's site is EXACTLY what I've been looking for. His first tummy tuck picture has a similar body type to mine, except my belly is not currently as full as hers. It got me giddy seeing the possibility of the Flatlands. Heh. Why doesn't he work in PA!??!?! AUUGGHHH lol I hear what you guys are saying (Frangi, Laurend) and it makes sense, though. I am spending too much time on their website appearance as a filter point for who I want to work on me. I'm going to switch around my strategy and focus more on who has worked on the Lap Band, first of all, then eliminate from there. My insurance is not paying for any of this, so I want to make sure I'm being appropriately picky, but not cheaply stingy. Good stuff costs money!

That's exactly what I am afraid of - I checked out the site of three NY doctors who were recommended and one site had 3 of 4 breast lifts noticeably lopsided. I have a minor asymmetry, but I was confused as to why these pics would be up there...if this is their best work...no thank you. Only one of the four had symmetrical breasts and her asymmetry was as noticeable as the rest. And call me crazy, folks, but if you're a plastic surgeon, and you don't believe that your website (i.e. your potential patient's first impression of your ability) is important, than you are TOTALLY in the wrong line of work :thumbup: Holy cow thanks for the link - I checked a couple of Jersey places out and found a very promising Dr. Philip Wey who has some excellent bariatric patient reviews!! I contacted them...that was a lovely find :thumbup: I liked what Dr. Schulman's website (and his reply) had to say. I think my plan will be to spend one more day in consultations, bite the bullet and pay the money in late summer, then make my choice. Thanks for all the help! I'll be sure to post before after pics in the new year :thumbup: Good lord I can't FREAKING WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck Frangipani - That is a lot of work done all at once, but necessary. It sounds like you're gonna have some goooooood drugs :thumbup:

Colton - The docs I asked Dr. Ren about, I wasn't really thrilled with the website of the two people her office recommended. But her office DID recommended them, so I wonder what I'm nervous about? She's worked on high profile patients. I've not had great experiences til now. It's just that the first time I met Dr. Ren I KNEW she was going to be my doctor. She is the top in her field, I read her papers on lap band procedures and how her technique eliminated side effects, her bedside manner was outstanding. She radiated knowledge and caring. I mean, I was all over it. With plastic surgery this feels much less cut and dry. Without the right info on the website, things for me to research, I'm at a loss. I think because the results are so subjective, maybe. Texas - I did actually already PM Dr. Schulman. Thanks for the suggestion :thumbup:

Hi all, Well, the scale started moving for me again since I decided to finish up and get my plastic surgery and be DONE with this journey :thumbup: I'm looking to get PS in December and wanted to have my doc picked in a month or two so it's set, and I have a goal to work towards. I've met with three PSes in the Philly area and am not sure if my expectations are out of whack. One guy I liked; he had good before/after of bypass patients, he does a lot of breast lifts/augs and his pictures are beautiful... and although he says he has worked on lap band, he worried me when he made a comment about needing to be careful about not pulling down on my abdomen too much and popping the port off. It sounded like he never dealt with the band before. When I asked him later on if I would be the first Lap Band, he said nope. But I feel like I don't have enough information. I'm still gunshy with him...but out of the three I feel the most confident in his ability, his hospital affiliation, the work I've seen, and his bedside manner. One doctor was a complete b*tch to me and I walked out of there offended and furious at the treatment I got, as if she looked down on me for being overweight in the first place. So I thought to check with other doctors, there's a bunch in NY (where I was banded, and who Dr. Ren recommended) but everyone wants $250 just for the consult in NY, and with the cost of gas and driving, this is getting cost prohibitive just from a scouting perspective. IF I'm going to go to NY for the surgery, I want to consult with the doctor I think can do it. I can't afford to blow $1k just to see who I like best. Well I can, but I am absolutely unwilling to. But these websites make me nervous. There's not enough variations in the people with the before/after. I want to see people with my body type, and the good/bad results, so I can be well informed about what I should *REALISTICALLY* expect. I am normally not a fearful person, but I am inexplicably scared at picking the wrong PS when I'm self pay. I want to go under the knife knowing I did the best research I could. I called four other PSes in Philly and when I asked if the doctor had experience with Lap Band, I got answers ranging from "The what?" to "Yes, he's done bypass patients." To which I would say "No, Lap Band. Has he worked with the port with the Lap Band". And she replied "Yes, like I just told you, he's done lots of bypass." It was like a Laurel and Hardy sketch. Any suggestions? Am I making too much out of the Lap Band part - if they have experience with weight loss patients, does it REALLY matter about Lap Band? Sorry for the novel :thumbup: Kate

Hi Julie! Thanks for your hilarious commentary all during (and immediately after) your surgery. Very entertaining read :thumbup: I'm curious about the mons lift. The last PS I saw suggested it when I asked if the TT would do something about "bunker hill" down there. I feel slightly abnormal with a pudgy mons, and it's definitely stretched skin. Is there additional scarring from your mons lift? How does it look to you? Thanks :thumbup: Kate

Hi all! Well I am excited beyond measure. I got filled two months ago after being stuck at 205 - 209 lbs for about 2 years, and BOOM I dropped 13 pounds. I've decided to move ahead and plan plastic surgery for December, no matter what I weigh, and stop putting it off. It's been motivating to say the least. I've met with 3 plastic surgeons in Philly who seemed qualified and am not certain I've found "the one." I was banded at NYU and am willing to go back to NY for my PS, but would like to know if there are experienced bariatric PSs here first. I love reading everyone's stories and can't wait to have my own "post op" thread :thumbup: This has been a long time in coming. I need a breast lift, tummy tuck, mons lift, and possibly at a later date, brachioplasty, but the jury's still out on that one. might not need it. Thanks for any suggestions!!

LOL...yeah your dating escapades pretty much have been mine, except for this latest, which could be filed under: Foreshadowing of Drama Thanks for the note about the blog. Which reminds me, I need to update it.

Congrats neveragain!! I have a "date" tomorrow night with a business contact. It's not officially a date, the story is kinda funny and to save my poor soul I told him this would have to be a Social Visit only. Basically, a few months ago, he and I were talking business when I was in a different role at my company. He was so nice and giving me info that I offered a referral bonus, he said please don't bother, I said well at least let me take you to lunch, and he thought I was flirting (which I wasn't)...so I was mortified and embarrassed. Then I thought why not, I've seen his picture, I can do this gracefully...and according to my (useless) friends, they swore he was interested. So I said let's make it a drink after work instead of lunch and we can talk about stuff other than business. (look at me go!) Long story short, we had so many mixed signals, I ended up asking him out several times, making it clear it was personal. He seemed to reject me a few times. I finally said look, I'm not asking you for a shoot-the-breeze thing, I'm asking for personal reasons. He said he had a GF, and I said why on earth would you string me along, then? He sounded confused. I was confused. He asked me to have the drink, I politely declined. Now, several months later, he emails me out of the blue and says he wished we could still be friends, after having his female friend review our emails she told him I was interested and he was being dense as hell. I told him I was over my embarrassment he said no way he was the one who should be embarrassed. He was now single, and wanted to have the drink. So I told him, for my SANITY, this was NOT a date. he said OK. And we've been emailing all week as if it were a date. It's now on a Friday. He's asking me all sorts of personal questions every day about my hobbies bla bla :tongue_smilie: ugh. This crap is hard. Man do I despise dating! If you're married or in a relationship, kiss your significant other. I hope it goes as well as neveragains :>

There's a difference between regurgitation and vomiting - regurgitation is the productive burping, where, when you have something stuck and you burp and it comes up pretty easily - that's the top pouch. Sliming occurs in regurgitation. Vomiting is the lower stomach and is very forceful. That HURTS. The first couple of times I regurgitated (PB'ed) it was a full on vomit with a sore belly...and I could actually feel my lower stomach all crunched up. When the food was dislodged, I stood there breathing and felt the lower stomach relax and return to normal position. Creepy. But the good news is, you can learn to just regurgitate when something is stuck.

Susan - you'd be shocked. :shades_smile: Slightly different texture, not as starchy, but the flavor is dead on.