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I am from South Florida and was wondering if anyone is going to the lap band conference in Dallas TX, Oct. 3-5.

I woke up today feeling great and for the first time no reminders of my surgery. It is important to take the time to recuperate this isn't a race to the finish line. This is the start of a new way of life.

Are you sipping your protein drink? Also, I suggest the liquid pain meds as well. My doc put in a pain releif system so I didn't fill my script for heavy pain meds. I really didn't need them. There can be alot of swelling and sipping helps to get things down. I was told to sip everything the first couple of weeks and I had little discomfort.

5ml = 1 teaspoon So 10-15 ml would be 2-3 teaspoons. Try using a graduated cup, like the ones they give with kids meds or cough syrup. Kitchen teasoons are all different and may not give an accurate measurement. Hope this helps.

My doctor will not do a fill earlier than 6 weeks after the previous fill. And in my case, waiting until 3.5 months for the first fill, with the next one on July 17, it is quite possible that in 6 months I will have had only 2 fills. Not what I anticipated, but what I had to do. Still waiting for test results to determine if I will need to have my gallbladder removed...which if so, may delay the fill schedule longer...

If you have insurance and only have to pay your co-pay, you should still go for a check in with your doctor, even if you don't have a fill. My surgeon has me come every 4 weeks, even without a fill, just to keep record of my weight loss and to monitor what is going on with me. Or, wait a week to be sure you won't need a fill soon. I've stretched a few of my appointments out to 6 weeks for that purpose... Remember that the purpose of the Lap-Band is to allow you to feel more full (less hungry) with less food. If you're losing 1-2 pounds a week consistently and aren't super hungry, then you're not in need of a fill. Many people expect to slime, PB, etc., but that isn't what should be happening....ONE thing to remember--you should be measuring your food. My doctor talks in terms of 1/2 cup to 1 cup of food per meal....not just calories! Congratulations on your weight loss! Sounds like you're doing great! :smile:

I am scheduled for surgery next week to fix my deviated septum. Has anyone had surgery after the band and not had it unfilled? I'm at such a good level of restriction and I don't want to mess it up!

First off I feel GREAT! I have lost 27lbs in 3 weeks....I am transitioning to the "slush and mush" phase and loving it. I now have 4oz yogurt at lunch and I feel FULL! I won't lie and say there haven't been some hard times ( watching my kids eat pizza! ) but this has been so worth it. I fly to Florida on Sunday to look for our new home....I am excited and nervous wondering if the seat belt will fit on this trip....when I went down in February I can tell ya it was an act of god getting that buckled as I refused to ask for an extender. Cross your fingers!! I will let you know how I did. :0)

Hi All, I had my first fill yesterday, and my dr did it under an xray, and immediately I felt full without eating. Unfortunately later on I got a headache, because I didn't eat and eventually started to vomit. The weirdest thing was that I was "HEAVING" and nothing came up, until about the 4th heave, where very little fluid came out. It was a bit scary. Today is a bit better, and I am not eating as much, but am scheduled to go back for my 2nd fill in 3 weeks. Just a question.. Is the first fill normally where you would feel fully restricted, or does it take about 2 or 3 fills? Also, my doctor instructed me that mere walking was not enough, that I had to get on a "TREAD MILL" to maximize the weight loss. My surgery was on 1.23.07, so I guess I should get started. I did Join the gym and am scheduled to start tomorrow, at an attempt to do 3 days a week. Any advice on starting out on the fills? I am just so anxious to see some true weight loss I don't know what to do!:help:

I was also on that preop. I had 2-3 sausage links in the morning and for lunch it ranged from lunch meat rolled in sliced Colby jack to a BLT minus the bread (used iceburg lettuce as the bread). dinner was mostly chicken grilled with green Beans, spinach or salad with very little dressing. I still eat that way for the most part. Most of my weight loss this far (~22lbs @8wks) happened in the two weeks preop an the two weeks post op. Hope this helps! Sent from my iPhone using LapBandTalk

I'm in law enforcement and was recently banded. After 6 weeks post-op, I'll be considered "fit" for duty. A band should not impede you from entering law enforcement provided you meet height/weight requirements (which I did when I was hired - I gained a large amount of my excess weight after a nasty injury).

A little history: I have been having "stomach" problems (constipation, diarrhea, stomach/back cramps) since the middle of August. I have had a full GI work up (EGD, colonoscopy & small bowel follow through) and my GI tract is perfectly normal/healthy, with the exception of a med. sized hiatal hernia that is being repaired during my banding surgery. My PCP and Gastro. Dr. feel it is female related. I saw my Gyn. today. He suspects endometriosis and I'm scheduled for a laparoscopy on Nov. 19th. My band surgery is scheduled for Nov. 2nd. Should I wait on the band surgery and hernia repair? It stinks because my hernia is quite the little devil and gives me trouble at least a couple times a week and I was really looking forward to getting that thing taken care of. I just wanted to see what most people thought. Thanks for any feedback!!

I agree stress can cause it to be tight one day, or if you are really bloated, or perhaps you irritated it with something you ate previously. I was feeling that last week quite a bit and feeling like I may need another unfill. I also noticed I was having a lot of sinus issues and an ear infection. Now that the sinus and ear pressure passed, my band seems to like me again. Glad you are taking it easy and it passed.

I was just banded 2/7 at Orange Coast Memorial Hospital, Dr. LaPorte's practice, but Dr. Ali specifically. All ok so far but only have lost 3 or so lbs so far. How about you? Robin, Mission Viejo

I've been on atkins for 2 weeks. Surgery is tomorrow. For 2 days, I've really wanted a Dr Pepper. I don't usually drink sodas but for some reason, that's all I want. I just found out that Diet has NO carbs!!! So freakin excited!!! Since sodas aren't really possible with the band, this totally made my day =) LOL

Just as you can see from the above posts, everyone is different and every doctor is different in their instructions post-op. My doctor, specifically, said to sip slowly (only 1 ounce every 5 minutes). As I've gotten further into my post-op phase, I have been able to drink much faster (faster than my doctor requires) and I haven't had any problems. I don't do large gulps of Water, however, but I will take several sips at a time without hesitation. The only time I have slowed down (besides my initial post-op weeks) was after my first fill because of swelling. I've heard that drinking to fast can actually cause the pouch to stretch; but, just as everyone says, liquids pass right through the band, so who knows. Play around with it and see what you're comfortable with!

I am scheduled for sept 3rd. So excited. Been changing my diet for the past two weeks so pre op diet didn't shock my system so drastically . I started eating slowly and stopped drinking beverages during meals. I have to say not drinking water or vitamin water zero was harder than I expected. Thank god I stopped drinking pop a year ago. I am officially suppose to start preop on tues but have just decided to start a day early for ease of my routine for work. I've already lost seven pounds pre- pre op. it's been great to hear everyone's experiences. Good luck all

Oh yes!!! The last meal.......to be honest, now I can't even remember what it was. I kept getting a low grade fever(due to sinuses allergies weeks before) and went off my pre-op diet because I thought they would not do my surgery. :ohmy:I then got another letter from my PCP saying I was fine. So I was back to the pre-op diet. Although, there were no amount of pounds that I was required to lose. You have a great attitude. I am sure you will be fine and reach your goal. :blushing:

Good luck, I had my surgery yesterday. I stayed overnight in the hospital. Everything went great. I really have not had much pain. I took pain meds twice in the hospital and now taking tylenol ES. I didn't even take any in recovery. The recovery room said everyone is different some pain some not. I may have just got lucky or have a high pain tolerance I'm not sure which. Don't be too nervous its probably not worth it. I spent an entire week obscessing about it. Now i regret that to a certain degree.

How's it going? I'm doing well. I stay at one spot for a couple weeks then lose 10 lbs quickly. I'm still working on being under 200 by my 28th birthday on May 23rd. I hope everyone is doing great!

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I have been battling anemia since my intake exam. It has become a problem for me. They said that if I am still anemic before surgery they won't do it. My surgeon though, ALSO asked me to lose 20 pounds (which I did.) Then the nutritionist asked me to lose 10 more pounds (Which I did. ) The anemia is worse than EVER. And they want me to go on a liquid fast for two weeks before surgery. How is that going to solve my anemia? I feel caught between a rock and a hard place. I am trying to eat Iron rich foods. I have been taking a one a day plus iron. Eating total Cereal for Breakfast and three ounces of red meat at dinner, while still keeping it to the 1200 calorie limit I've been set at. But I'm still anemic. And on nov 3 I am stupposed to start a liquid fast to shrink my liver. I expect my rbc to go downhill from there unless I cure myself real good. Any ideas? I'm so frustrated. It's like starving myself while curing a chronic problem. It's way too hard. I am doing all the nutritionist said and even she's at a loss. How long does it normally take to cure anemia? I'm getting so discouraged. Does anyone know what I can do , especially during a liquid only phase of the pre op diet, to cure myself of chronic anemia? I am taking the one-a-day plus iron pill. Should I go buy extra iron tablets and kind of take a bunch of them each day or something? I am so frustrated and I really don't know what to do. My nutritionist gve up and said ask the pcp. My pcp just shrugged and asked abut my periods. No magic shot in the arm to take it away or anything. I still feel like this is going to jeapordize getting the surgery. I've tried so hard to lose all the weight and do everythng they said. I hate to not get the surgery after all this. can you help me?

Hi thats great i also was on a cruise 2 weeks ago but i put on 2lb and i thought i did well [lol] but i lost it again last week, well done you

Please forgive me if this is already a topic in another forum. I couldn't find any information on it. I can barely get any food down until mid-afternoon, and even then it's not really substantial (a couple of bites maybe). I know that it's important to start eating early in the day, and throughout the day, so that I'm burning calories as I take them in. By the end of the day though, I'm really hungry and I'm trying to cram in 2-3 small meals. Any suggestions?

Went into hospital at 8:30 am and sat and waited until almost 1pm when they brought me into the OR. I had zero nerves or worries, just ready to get in there. After surgery I was OUT of it. Nurses or whoever told me when I was in my room they would not give me pain meds if I was going to sleep as the pain could not be that bad if I was able to sleep through it. I was so out of it I didn't care at that point. Woke up a few hours later with the worst abdominal pain ever and was ready to kill the pain med lady. She seemed to take here time getting to me... The next few hours went by and every time a nurse asked if I needed pain meds I told her to fill it up. I wasn't going to pass again and deal with what I did earlier. Pretty much slept on and off until about noon the next day. I had a lot of abdominal pain (gas) and nausea. Did not vomit at all but it sucked holding it back. I did not want to know what the belly pain would feel like hacking anything up. I had a lot of phlegm so coughing that up was bad enough. Did my swallow test and that went well other than the taste of the liquid. Started sipping water and broth and that also went well. Walked as often as I could when I was awake. Had my last dose of pain meds friday around noon. Nurse offered one last shot but told me I would have to wait an extra hour before discharge if I did, I passed. Did get a shot of the nausea meds though. Got home after 7pm Friday evening and pretty much sat on the sofa and fell asleep. Woke around midnight with nausea and gas pains but just went up to my bed. I had an old foam cushion that I cut to sit on an angle and put my pillows on that so I was almost in a seated position while sleeping. Woke at 4am with the same nausea and gas pains and was kind of out of it. So I just sat in silence and tried sipping my water and clear protein. Took until about noon for the nausea to subside but the gas pains were still there. I did figure out that If i stretched my neck looking straight up and breathed deeply in and out while having the gas pain it would sometimes release in a burp or just air bubble escaping. That works wonders and I've been doing it since. They sent me home with liquid Tylenol with codeine and I took a dose of that late evening just because of the belly soreness and sore back, hip and knee joints. Was just enough to take the edge off. Got down about 40g of protein and 60oz of liquids. I did way myself just to see and I was up 2lbs from surgery date, expected. So woke this morning and feel so much better. No nausea very little gas pain but still have to make sure to sip my liquids. Don't think I'm hungry as it just feels like belly soreness. Havn't had a meal since Wednesday morning. Joint pain has gotten less and belly soreness is lower. Already down 8oz of bone broth with protein which by the way tastes horrible. The most bland watered down taste ever and the clear protein drinks have the horrible fake sugar taste. But If that's the worse of my problems I'll take it. I see some of you are having protein shakes, is that part of the clear liquid diet or just approved on your program? It's not on my list of "ok's". Anyway, Thanks for listening/reading. Sorry for the super long post and BEST OF LUCK TO ALL ON THIS WONDERFUL JOURNEY!!!!!!!!