GavynsMum

The band/stomach area

Had a .5 cc fill last Wednesday. Felt fine until Friday afternoon. Friday evening had throat pain, tightness in chest/ band, and gas pains. Yesterday at noon I was back in the office for an unfill. They took the .5 cc out and said to come back in a week. Never threw up and could still drink liquids...it just hurt. I am still sore today but not in pain. Anyone else have this soreness and how long did it last after your unfill? I called today and asked for a barium swallow order just to take a look at everything and will be getting one tomorrow. Thank God I work at a hospital or my paranoia would be 10 x's worse Sent from my iPhone using LapBandTalk

I had my galbladder removed in January. At times when i was having an attack i thought i was having a heart attack. They were very sudden and sharp and right in the middle of my chest under where i assume my band is. I did an ultrasound for stones (none appeared) and a barium swallow. Both were ok but i knew something was wrong. Very gassy, had to be in the bathroom very suddenly and frequently, and these sporadic chest pains (middle of night/early morning were the worse). I pushed for a HIDA scan and it popped up in the 20's so a lap chole was scheduled in the following weeks My symptoms were def not normal and my NP was reluctant to believe it was my galbladder. Her nurse had had the same symptoms and had her gallbladder out months before so her nurse helped push the HIDA scan. I would push for a HIDA scan (which are long, boring, and uncomfortable btw) and if it comes back normal my next route would be an EGD to rule out erosion. Erosion scares the bejesus out of me too. If left to long it can cause necrosis and that just makes my heart beat all funny just thinking about it. I actually spoke with my NP about this very thing this morning and she said if you catch it early (which usually shows up as irritated tissue ont he EGD) they just unfill and watch the irritation and wait for it to heal on its own. It is when it isnt caught that it turns ugly. Which made me feel a little better but not much Let us know what you find out and i would def push for more tests. You are your best advocate and I KNEW something was not right and wasnt going to give up until someone sorted out. Also, eat as low fat as possible; fatty foods will trigger an attack like nothing i have seen. After i found out it was my gb i ate a lot of rice and Beans. Now I eat as many low fat vegetarian meals as possible because fat wrecks havoc on my digestive system still to this day.

I started having problems with the high animal protein diet back in November of 2011. Apparently my gallbladder was deciding to go crazy. After the gallbladder was removed i was having bowel issues. One extreme to the next. I looked at what i was eating and then decided to eat a couple of weeks of plant based low fat and it was AMAZING. I bought Lindsay Nixon's (the Happy Herbivore) cookbooks and subscribed to her blog and have started phasing out meat and consuming a lot less dairy. Her cookbooks are amazing. The recipes are all from scratch and the ingredients are stuff you can find at your local grocery (even walmart). Made her pumpkin bread with Maple Icing last night (How good does that sound!). The Engine 2 diet is on my list to read but right now i am fully satisfied with recipes in my current books and my own imagination. I still eat seafood and low fat meat occasionally (like maybe 1x a week) but in much smaller portions (2 oz at the most) than the past. I tend to eat meat when i am rushed or didnt plan my meal. I love vegan boca burgers (at sams you can get 16 for $9) but eat them sparingly since they are processed. Same with Gardein products. Gardein has BBQ skewers (good with BBQ sauce on a bun), BBQ shreds, and buffalo wings. They are a little pricey but my Kroger's puts them on Managers Special and/or with a Q they come out real cheap. I hardly ever buy them full price. I eat a lot of beans, greens, and lentils, quinoa, grits. I incorporate bread, brown rice, and pasta and after that i am pretty satisfied. I eat a lot of "sides" but jazz them up to make a meal. Did you know you can sub oil for applesauce in baked goods and eggs for mashed bananas? This has been a gradual process and I will most likely never be fully plant based but my goal is to be 90% plant based. I have a hard time giving up yogurt and have not found a good substitute. There have been so many benefits other than the regularity. My skin is better, i feel less tired (especially after a meal), my hair is growing faster and my scalp is less oily. During this process I have also learned to pay more attention to ingredients (and not only in food either) and how my food is made. I watched Food Inc. and Forks Over Knives and read the China Study to get my will-power in gear. I stalled in weight loss after my gallbladder attacks started but if i stay on track with my new diet my weight slowly starts dropping again. I just have to make sure i stick to my allowed calories as well as watch what i eat. Plant based isnt a miracle cure but has become another tool to help my lap band journey. The other benefit is that buy cutting back meat and dairy you spend a lot less $$ at the grocery store! Would love to have a Vegan/Vegetarian board on this forum!

How are the January 2011 Bandsters doing?! I am half way to goal. Just got a fill and have started experiencing left shoulder pain It eases up when i walk and stretch....so i guess it is a good incentive to walk and stretch. Hit a plateau the last two months but hopefully this last fill will help. Already can tell my amount of food has cut back. How is everyone else doing?

Healthy Choice (the steamer bags) are a good option when in a pinch. I also dont mind the smart ones as they are perfect calorie and portion wise. I would second the organic frozen meals. You pay a little more but it isnt as processed and tends to be a better flavor and quality. Also, i dont do frozen meals that often because of the salt/sodium in them. When i eat processed food i tend to bloat horrible and retain Water like a sponge. If you are looking for fast and easy there are a lot of crock pot recipes and casseroles that you can make in advance and eat off for weeks. If you arent a good cook it is super hard to mess up a crock pot or casserole recipe. You just dump everything in and let it cook. My husband wasnt on the healthy eating plan but since i started cooking healthy but yummy foods he has jumped on the band wagon. He is in the military too and since switching to less processed his energy has gone up. Some easy recipes are Salsa chicken with canned nacho cheese Soup and black Beans, venison or turkey meat balls, mexican casserole, red beans and sausage, scrambled egg and sausage mufins. All these can be cooked on a weekend and put in containers and frozen. The best containers are the ones the mexican restraunts use (the round metal ones) becaue you can dole out portions and just pop them in the oven. Good luck!

Mine was just over a year when I had surgery. The following keep me on track; - crockpot (salsa chicken, red Beans and turkey sausage, chili, pulled pork, rotisserie chicken) -tuna pouches (mayo, mustard, and relish packets are awesome too) -canned chicken (pre boiled chicken) -boiled eggs (egg salad super yummy) -egg beaters and precooked turkey breakfast sausage, both cooked in microwave -frozen egg muffins or leftover crustless quiche. My little one loves these too. -taco meat or fajita meat. Both easily precooked and thawed when needed. good in low carb wraps or on lettuce with salsa, rotel, or avacado. -Greek yogurt -cheese sticks and lunch meat -tilapia, thaws extra quick. Virtually no prep time and low cook time. -salsa/rotel and sliced bellpepper Hope these help. I know more just can't think of all of them right now.

Can never find anything healthy at a chinese buffet so i stick to the sushi. Luckily our chinese buffets have awesome sushi. That and soup fills me up. The noodles, rice and anything in sauce is horrible calorie choices. I am also in the south so ours have crawfish, steamed cold shrimp, and lots of crab.

My Np gave me the same news at my appt last week. Can't wait to hear just overweight. Congratulations and keep up the great work.

Walmart sugar free angel food cake with sugar free marzetti glaze and free cool whip!

Congrats! What great progress!

Salsa Chicken: Put chicken in crockpot and cover with salsa or rotel. You can also add taco seasoning, corn, and black Beans to this and shred when done and eat plain or in a tortilla. Chicken Adobo: (someone on here had an authentic recipe...i dont think mine is) 3 lb of Chicken breasts (or other parts), 1/2 cup of vinegar, 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 6-8 crushed garlic cloves. cook on low for 8 hours. You can also add vegtables to this (i.e. carrots, onion, cabbage). To tone down the tang you can add 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Serve over rice. This looked yummy and may be my next try....after crock pot stuffed cabbage. Crock Pot Thyme Chicken Ingredients 2 cup chicken stock ½ cup white wine ½ tbl dried thyme 1 clove garlic (minced) 1 lemon (cut in half) 3 lbs (1.5kg) Chicken Pieces Method 1. Place everything except the lemon and chicken in the Crock Pot. 2. Give the lemon a bit of a squeeze into the crock and then add the entire lemon (yes the entire thing). 3. Mix it all together. 4. Add the chicken and stir around as best you can to coat all in the liquid. 5. Cook on low for 7-8 hours (see note above). 6. To serve I poured out some of the liquid into a saucepan, added about a tablespoon of corn starch (cornflour) that was disolved in Water and brought it to the boil for a thick, thyme gravy. Notes Serves 4-6 Serve with rice or mased potato and vegetables.

I have to find another word for restriction. "Restriction" to me has a negative connotation. I know this sounds crazy but It makes me think of a python wrapped around my stomach that squeezes when i eat something. I dont want to be restricted in what i can eat i just want to be able to eat less and stay full longer. What words have any of you used, other than "sweet spot" to describe the perfect balance of amount of food and feeling of fullness?