hiddnstar

I don't see a problem with wearing a medical ID for lap band. It may not be as urgently important as "allergic to penicillin", "Diabetic", or "Alzheimers", but it brings a certain piece of mind for me. ~hiddn

I did. I bought a necklace from sticky j jewelry online. They use medical grade stainless steel. I like mine. One funny thing...the chain it was on seemed too short and I mentioned it to a friend of mine who had had gastric bypass surgery and lost over 100 pounds. She told me to keep that chain because it would get longer as I lost weight. Sure enough, it is a looong chain now! sticky j also has a variety of bracelets including some beaded ones that look pretty. My doctor does not recommend a medical ID, but I felt better having one. I live in a rural area and he is the only doctor who does lap band. I have my name, his name and phone number, and LAP BAND on it. hiddn

I love Indulgence calcium. It is chocolate and I take one twice a day. I really look forward to it and NEVER forget because it's so yummy! hiddn:wink2:

:smile2: Hi I was banded July 7th. I get my 3rd fill this coming Friday and am hoping for good restriction. My doctor is conservative on fills which is something I appreciate. He fills slowly which allows me to get used to the new feel of it each time. I have some restriction but have not gotten to the sweet spot. Im finally feeling pretty good most of the time, now. This is only a recent development. Does anyone else have the sensation of a tight bra around your ribs? My doctor says I am particularly sensitive to the band and he thinks that is what I am feeling. I am starting to lose some hair. Not clumps, but definitely lots of strands all over. I understand this can happen with any surgery or shock to the system -- so will be waiting it out. One thing I especially like -- I can eat pretty much all organic! I could not afford to do that before the band, but now that I don't eat very much I can buy organic. I still do buy non-organic items like protein drinks and Safeway's turkey pot roast. I love eating out and taking most of the meal home to divide into several more meals. My friends are very matter of fact about my restrictions and just take them in stride. No big deal. I'm happy about my decision for this surgery. July Butterflys -- Take wing!! love, hiddn:thumbup:

Hi Where do you get powdered peanut butter?! Thank you for your breakfast idea. Im going to try it! hiddn:smile:

I like chocolate muscle milk. I just found Monster Milk, with 45 grams of protein by the same company. Bought some but havent had any yet. One reason I like MM is that it is lactose free. However, because of the expense I cannot have even one a day. I bought a canister of Unjury and like it. I find I am unable to get enough protein each day unless I have some kind of high protein drink. hiddn

I use a spoon for my shakes so that I dont add any excess air. I use the powdered Unjury chocolate splendour. For other foods, I was pleasantly surprized to find that my Ultimate Chopper purees perfectly and it's a nice, small size!! Glad you are planning ahead hiddn

There-in lies the potential problem! :thumbup: When something tastes particularly good, Im always at risk of sliding back into my old ways. I bought choc chips and a semi-sweet choc bar under the guise of "making brownies for my work buddies". I havent made them, yet, but most of the choc chips and half the bar are no where to be found. (and I live alone with my cat) So, just a friendly word of warning. No matter how motivated and serious you are about losing this weight, you HAVE to pay attention to what "calls" you and turn a deaf ear if it isnt high in protein. And enjoy your hummus every once in a while. Luckily it stays good in the container for quite a while :thumbup: Hang in there and keep on shrinking! ~hiddn:thumbup:

i was banded in July and I can eat hummus with very thin, crunchy crackers. deliscious and filling, but I didnt realize that there isnt that much protein in hummus. So be careful about dropping back into old habits (like Ive done). I am now trying to have hummus and crackers in limited quantities and make it a treat --not a regular thing. ~hiddn

Hi You can get unflavored protein powders that can be added. One I like is AnyWhey. I believe it has 18 grams of protein. You have to be careful with most of them, though, as they get clumpy if added to something hot. Just do a Google search. ~hiddn~

Thank you for being such an inspiration!! I have read your posts before and they are always helpful to me. My doctor is telling me I will want to consider having the excess flab taken off in about a year. I am pear-shaped. Heaviest in my thighs...so Im taking weight off quickly in my upper body (and my feet!). Are you willing to share whether or not you have had any surgery to remove excess skin? I do NOT want that surgery. I am 54 yrs old, started at 280, now down to 240. Id appreciate anything you have to say about it. hiddnstar

Im finding I can eat just about anything right now after having my first fill. So...Im kinda pretending that I can't. I have been very careful because I don't want to get anything stuck, etc. So, Im eating "as if" I have restriction :confused: The one I DO notice, though, is that I am rarely hungry!! Im so very happy about THAT! I no longer wake up hungry. Yahoo!!! For me, if it stays exactly this way I can deal with it. But Im sure with the next fill (or possibly two) I will get the restriction people talk about. Im glad to hear what I wrote earlier about my first fill was helpful. My doctor does only the first one at the hospital under the florascope. My next one will be in his office. One word of advice, wear an old top and old bottoms. My doctor says the betadine can stain clothes... Hang in there everyone! We're all doing it one bite at a time! love, hiddn

I was banded July 7th and had my first fill Aug. 13th. My doc uses a floroscope for the first fill, only. I was glad I wore sweat pants and a loose blouse. Wearing a bra was important because he had me tuck my blouse up under it so that when the table lifted me into a standing position my blouse would stay out of the way. I layed on the table and they used the scope to see the position of the band and exactly where my port was. Found out I have a size ten band. The doc then painted my belly with an antiseptic. He inserted the needle, which hurt very very briefly -- somewhere between getting a blood test and a shot. By the time I felt it, the pain was gone again. I only felt it go thru the skin. Once it is inside the port, it is contained in there -- not in me, so I didnt feel it. Then he raised the table so I was in a standing position, while keeping the needle in the port. This did not hurt. He had me sip a watered down version of white stuff, flavored with lemon-lime. He put in a little saline solution. Had me sip more. Put in more. Had me sip more. Then we were done. He put a bandaide on the port spot. I felt slightly different leaving, than when I arrived. Cant put my finger on it exactly. Afterward, when I got home my face was somewhat flushed for about an hour. My port area was slightly sore for about 1 day. I also felt more comfy sitting in a chair that leans back a bit rather than straight up. Now, two days later I feel good. The only difference Im noticing is that I am not hungry I stuck to the full liquids for two days after the fill. I'll be finding out about restriction today, I guess. I hope the details are helpful to someone. I was scared about going for my first fill, but it was truly no big deal. In fact it was kind of exciting to be moving on to the next part of this journey -- Lets see what this being banded is all about! I feel, personally, like the band is my back-up support. So far I have been able to stay on a strict diet. If I have a weak moment, the band backs me up. I am not looking to the band to do the work for me -- that is my job, and Im actually finding it fun! hiddn

I did. I love the organic bananas and especially the apples n oatmeal one! They came in a package marked only on the cardboard, so once I took the little container out you could not see it said Baby Food. It was easy for me to carry for a quick snack when Id go out of town. Could only eat one bite of the yellow squash -- yucky. hiddn

cottage cheese is a good one. Also, what works for me is to add unflavored protein powder to sugar free pudding. I use the Any Whey protein powder that you order online. It came within a few days when I ordered it. You can make a creamed soup with out the cream by steaming veggies until soft and blend them with a little broth in a blender. And remember to cut your food in tiny pieces -- dont try to take a regular bite to chew a thousand times because there will not be room in your mouth to chew it as much as you need to. Even though you can eat regular food now, it doesnt mean you have to -- especially since you will be away from everything familiar. Id stick with mushies and full liquids, myself. hiddn

I wore a loose cotton dress that was calf-length, slip-on sandals, and nothing else. I didnt want to bend, stoop, or have move any more than absolutely necessary. I took my new lapband med alert necklace with me and put it on just before I left the hospital. The nurses all came over to see and admire it...which made me feel good hiddn

May I get your recipe for homemade protein ice cream? I loved your recipes on the link above! hiddn

Hi, Im in Mendocino County, 125 miles north of San Francisco. Banded in July! hiddn:rolleyes2:

thank you for sharing your experience. i will get my first fill on aug. 6th and am nervous. your post was helpful. hiddn

I like the organic apples and oatmeal. I use flavorless Protein powder called AnyWhey to add 17 grams pf protein. hiddn

Doesnt WW have a record as well? Its best to show the actual weight loss history I think. hiddn

Has anyone experienced trouble with your system adjusting to the different food stages for healing? Specifically, I am moving from clear liquids to full liquids as of today. I am worried that I will develop more intestinal gas (not surgery gas) as my body tries to adjust to the different food. Sunday I will be at a social event, a small group meeting indoors...plus a long car ride down with two other people. I wont go if I have a lot of intestinal gas or am likely to have it when we go out to dinner (I'll have broth). Gas X helped this morning. Thank you for any and all responses! hiddn

Im 7 days out and I felt hungry a lot during the last 7 days. But each day I felt better, especially a lot less discomfort getting in and out of bed or up from a chair. Just today I started the full liquid diet where I can add protein powder to food, etc. This has helped with my energy and out look. Hang in there. It's true what the other bandsters say -- it gets better. hiddn:wink2:

I am also one week out and just this afternoon started full liquids. I wonder if it would work to add protein powder to your protein drink? I really really dont know...Im just asking. I use Any Whey which does not have a flavor of it's own and can be used in baking and drinks. I have mixed it in soups and pudding with success on the pre-op diet. Hang in there! This is the time to heal. hiddn

I was banded July 7th. I was on full liquids for 4 days, clear liquids the day before surgery. And now on clear liquids for the 9 days between surgery and seeing my dr again. My dr said specifically no jello during this time. I eat chicken broth, clear misso soup, juice, water, hot tea, and popsicles I made from juice. When I made the decision to be banded, I was excited a lot of the time. It was when I was given a surgery date that nervousness also entered the picture. Trust in my dr was worth a million. When you get home from surgery, be sure to do the breathing exercise to get your lungs open and clear from surgery. Im still doing them. And walk, even if it is just 3 mins at a time at first -- and you dont want to! It may be your big accomplishment for the day some days :grouphug: Congratulations for getting this far. Youre saving your life! hiddn