DonnaMP

Honestly, I was miserable on liquids both before and after surgery. The extreme diarrhea was the worst. That led to the shakes for me. I finally had to stop the protein shakes from the dr's office because they figured out that I was allergic to artificial sweeteners so I switched to Boost high protein. Now, I just avoid all artificial sweeteners.

Maybe not quite that small, but pretty small.

Could be gas or gallbladder. I've known people who's band slipped and they were in nonstop, horrible pain and just about uncontrollable vomiting. Did your dr check everything out when you told them about the pain?

The area around your port will always stick out and be lumpy, unless you have one of the new low profile ports. The more you lose, the more you can feel and see it. I was banded 10/14/10 and mine is still tender and most likely always will be according to my surgeon. If I lean against a counter, or carry a box or laundry basket pressed against it, it hurts.

There *are* protein shots that you can buy. Even Walmart and Target sell them. Sunkist makes some you can get from amazon.com. They're up to 42 grams of protein for 3 oz shot but Biotin is simply a vitamin that some people take for the thinning hair that weight loss can cause.

Biotene is a mouth wash. If you're referring to Biotin, its a B complex vitamin for hair and nails.Its nothing to do with protein. Yes, it helps hair but its not meant to replace protein.

Guess I'm odd, I drink nothing but water...ever.

I would wave it g'bye! Wouldn't get a new band. If I needed something, i'd go with sleeve...no more band

I attempted to have a fill without being numbed first...just didn't work for me. Maybe if they do it under fluoroscopy it would be better..no guess work, no fumbling.

They're uncomfortable for me. The lidocaine burns for a second, I just can't stand the feeling of them searching for the port, hitting the port but not getting the right spot, etc. I see the PA usually and I've had to tell her to stop once because she kept missing the port and stabbing other tissue it felt like. But that was the only time.

Its a protein issue. Not enough protein causes your hair to thin/fall out. I've had it happen drastically and my weight loss was very slow. I hear Biotin works but I can't find the capsules small enough that don't get stuck..soooo...I'm just having to deal with it. My surgeon said it was definately from not enough protein.

Same for me...never know whats gonna get stuck or go down. No restriction right now 99% of the time then BOOM nothing goes down. One thing I do know, if I don't get at least 64oz of water every single day something gets stuck.

I didn't feel any until I got to 5cc's, then had to get an unfill a few months later for an unrelated surgery. When I got back to 5cc's had NONE...took to getting 6 to make a difference. Now...a new unfill for more surgery and I'm at 7 and zero restriction

1cc is practically nothing. Its not at all unusual to have no restriction. Call your dr and tell them that you're eating everything not nailed down and I bet they can get you in sooner You need a fill and you need to be firm about it. After all, they work for YOU not the other way around. You're doing great Keep it up

<shrugs> nobody has to buy my clothes but me. Nobody has to live in my body but me so therefore nobody can say anything about my weight but me. Guess I'm the exception. Nobody has been negative to me.

Yeah does nothing for me either..can't even tell I've taken anything.

I did horrible on the liquid diet. Found out I was allergic to artificial sweeteners during that time. I was miserably sick for weeks. So, yeah I felt pretty starved lol. Liquids in...liquids out.

lol I take 600mgs so sometimes it feels like a whole bottle. I KNOW someone is gonna post that you should never take Advil because its an NSAID and not good for you but use your own judgement. Advil in moderation and at the appropriate dosage is no worse for you than Tylenol.

I don't know many banders who only eat 5 ozs so to me thats not a lot

I use children's liquid advil all the time. I believe its 100mgs per teaspoon. So for an adult 400mgs is like 2 regular Advil. So...4tsps.

If you have proper restriction and gulp...it hurts like crazy. The worst "stuck" episode I've ever had was on water.

Everything about the band is NOT all roses and puppies. There are negative things about as most people find out after banding. LOTS of people go into surgery not having a clue about how it works, how they're gonna feel after surgery and have no real concept of what they're gonna feel like afterwards. If a post seems negative simply don't read it, but the forums are here for everyone, negative and positive alike. If the header of the post seems negative, just bypass it. We're all entitled to have a place to vent about the band.

Pretend like you were banded yesterday. Every day you wake up is a do-over. You know how to eat.

What are you eating? Its usually breakfast that will give you problems if you're gonna have any problems.

The band isn't gonna make you dislike food. Neither is it going to make bad food disappear just because you're now banded. Trust me, you're gonna want food. We need food to even live. The band does nothing more but HELP you control how much you eat. It does NOT control *what* you eat. The only things I can't eat are bread, pasta, sometimes rice, stringy meat, stringy veggies and melted cheese. So its up to ME to control the intake of food. Some days I do good, eh somedays...I eat what I want. And what I want might be ice cream for dinner. I'm not about to beat myself up over it either. The band does help with reminding you that you have a limit. Some people measure every bite they take...that doesn't fit in with my life. I eat until I feel full. Some people have 1/2 a cup...seriously? I'm trying to get OVER my issues with food, not cause more. Each to their own but you'll find YOUR own when and if you choose the band.