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thanks! i can see the wisdom of experience in the post and i plan to make great use of it. one query-- why do people use so much coconut water? is it just for the flavor? it seems to add pointless carbs--all sugars by the way. a novice

That link said, no recipes for that search query:(

Thanks for your response. I hope you didn't think I was having a crack at you, only that I was concerned that there was such a huge risk of medical complications for puppyphat if she has/is developing an eating disorder. And I also don't want anyone to think I am diagnoising based on a post on a forum - I just wanted to highlight how potentially serious this can be and it's a cautionary tale for all of us! But please don't think that I was dismissing your suggestion or having a go at you in any way! I also won't talk about this matter anymore on the public thread as I regretted posting it on the forum and not PMing it to puppyphat directly. I would hate for puppyphat to feel she can't talk freely or openly on this forum or for my comments to (in any way) cause more distress. With regards to your query about transfer addiction, it possibly is but it is best to have a consultation with a clinical psychologist as it is such a complicated matter. Cheers, Liss

HI, everybody, I’m newbie here…I just joined this community to get & share some more info about health and fitness with you all. I hope you will help in my future queries. Thanks to you all!

Not quite sure what the question or query was as your post was really difficult to read.

Hear, hear. And people who write posts asking for advice should not be offended when members tell them to call their dr. We don't say it to be mean or to try and bolster the medical profession. We say it out of genuine concern for the issue/query that the poster has raised. - and because we are not medical professionals.

When my mum has a reaction to medications she gets the numbing of the tongue, seeing as you've been on antibiotics for a while you might want to query it with your doctor. Also if you have weird taste check you haven't developed thrush because if the antibiotics.

Happy New Year everybody as its been a while since I was last on here. I'm quite confuzzled & concerned as I have booked my consultation on 6 March 2013; only to be told that I am meeting a Dietician, then the second consultation included in the price is to meet the surgeon & nobody told me that I have to meet the Dietician first? I'm worried that the Dietician will try to put me off for having / wanting the Gastric Bypass Surgery even though I have to pay £11, 000, 00 for it. I thehen I'll have further regular consultations once I've booked my Gastric Bypass. Can anyone help me & comment about their own experiences starting from their first consultation process all the way through up to the Gastric Bypass Surgery, as would very much appreciate it? Kindest Regards Lucii Xx Kindest Regards <br />Lucii24<br />Sent From Samsung Galaxy SIII Using RNYTalk

Congrats to you! I hope it goes smoothly for you. I find the inconsistencies irritating. If it were on a case by case basis, I could understand that and would have no problem with it. I still don't really have a problem with it, but we put our trust in our medical professionals, I don't like being lied to. Just say, "I think you need a sleep study" and not "everyone who comes in has to have one". I too have excellent insurance coverage and I feel confident that those who come in paying cash do not have to have these "extras". I'm just sayin... I'm done with my query. I have my answers. It is what it is. Thanks for everyone who posted. I wish you all well and look forward to hearing about your successes!

hello, welcome to this forum site.It is the best site for your queries,here you can get lots of information about various thing.I have read this question but i am note able to give your answer right now,sorry for that.So i am giving you this expert link for your queries. thanks. ---------------- WATER FILTER REVIEWS AND INFORMATION

Okay.....this is going to be one of those rambling "off your chest" sort of posts. Emotional upchucking at its best (yeah, I know, I put it so delicately, don't I? I'm such a frail southern blossom of femininity.). Seriously, though, sometimes I feel as emotionally hormonal as an adolescent! It directly correlates to a big sudden drop of weight and the release of fat locked hormones into my bloodstream. I intellectually know this, but I hate _feeling_ like this. Combine this with how stupid I feel about how _frustrated_ I feel and I feel like a mess. I guess for all of those who don't speak "Lyra" I should probably explain this.... I've spoken before about how it takes awhile for the mind to catch up to the new body. People treat you differently and suddenly you're dealing with flirting, and come-ons and half the time I'm bloody oblivious to it all because nobody has looked twice at me in years! And no, I'm not complaining, because it's awesome, but I feel like I'm speaking the same language as everybody else, but with a different dialect so that things get lost in translation. It rather reminds me of when I went to England as a teenager and had a little misunderstanding involving biscuits vs. cookies. Basically I need the Rosetta Stone for social situations. I thought I had outgrown my lack of social acumen in my late teens, but apparently not so much. I've gotten myself into some really embarrassing situations because of my oh-so-charming inability to read the bright neon social signs. Add the above together with the fact that I caught Ebola (translation: the flu) for three days and was a miserable wreck of a human and it's been a crazy week. Literally, if a ninja had suddenly broken into my home I would have gladly asked for a quick beheading. Ya'll, I highly highly HIGHLY recommend getting your flu shot this year because you don't want what I had! Granted the flu got me over my little 189ish lb stall (185 now! huzzah!) but it meant that I lost those four pounds in 3 days. Thus my poor body was inundated with hormones besides having to deal with Bubonic Plague. Add on that I feel sad (for no reason, life is good!), frustrated, exhausted, and moody and I'm sure my coworkers are loving me right now. I loathe feeling so overly emotional and finding ways to channel it has been interesting. Running seems to be the best method I've found, along with working on my artwork. Strangely enough though I don't think my bosses would like it if I went for a couple mile run when I should be decorating cakes! *amused*. I know that this too, shall pass and I'm aware enough to be able to reason out why I'm feeling this way and that that it's purely biological. If I follow the normal pattern I should be back to 'normal' within another few days as my body absorbs, processes, and resets...but man, is it aggravating while it's going on! So my query to all you fine readers out there; Does this happen to you? How do you deal with it when/if it does? Any good stories that may bring a smile to my poor, wan face? *puppy dog eyes*. The flu is good for nobody's complexion, lol!

First of all regardless of whether I have been banded four months or four years I have educated myself with this lapband process. I researched it for one year prior to making the decision so I fully understood what I was getting myself into and to be 100% that this was the right decision for me. My surgeon is a the leadind lapband pioneer here in Australia. Before my initial appointment with him I had a list of questions which he answered thoroughly. My appointment was one whole hour, I wasn't rushed through, it was easy to talk to and I felt comfortable with him from day one. Now lets roll forward to me being banded four months and having a "vast knowledge" in that time in relation to the lapband. No, I do not claim to know it all but if I come across something on the forums that hasn't come up with my surgeon or nutritionist I query it with them when I go in for my appointments, gaining more knowledge along the way. I am one of the lucky ones, had a smooth operation, smooth recovery, everything has gone smoothly so far. I have followed the rules given to me by my surgeon and after care team. As you read on these forums there are different sets of rules for so many different people and of course we are always to follow our own surgeon's instructions but to go out there and say you must never do this or that is wrong, you must follow your own instructions but as you can see so many people have been successful with different instructions. So many people who have the lapband really do not know how it actually works. I was confused by it all too but I made it a point to understand 100% how it works by reading, researching and asking questions even if I thought some of those questions were silly at the time. And of course I came across the no drinking rule in these forums (and I respect each person's individual rules) so even though it had been explained to me by my surgeon and nutritionist about the drinking and eating, I still queried it with him over and over and he explained that in the past they believed that if you did drink whilst eating then yes the liquid would make the food too much of a liquid and it would pass through the band and not help give that satiety feeling. He then went on to explain that after studies, conducted by him and his team that it was ok to drink provided you followed the one minute rule as you do with food to give whatever you have above the band to pass through so it helped trigger the communication between the brain and the stomach and at the right consistency. The video you posted is very outdated. When you take the right amount of food into your mouth you chew, swallow and wait a minute, the reason why you wait a minute is so your food passes through the band, the food does not sit in the little pouch above the band, if it does then that's when you get stuck episodes, pb's vomitting yada yada yada yada. Then and only then if you feel you need to drink then you sip, swallow and wait a minute. Not saying that's what you or others have to do, that's what my instructions are. I've dropped 80 pounds since pre op diet, which is 5 months and if I have needed to drink whilst eating I have done so by following the rules and have been fine and proof that drinking whilst eating is not something that should not be done. Now I am sure others who have been given the it's ok to drink whilst eating don't do well, one set of rules does not work for every single person. So yes only been banded four months and yes have been drinking with my meals and yes I have gained a lot of knowledge since being banded through experience and through asking questions. I'm sure as time progresses I may encounter issues and if I do then rather than say oh I know it all I will look into it further and be in contact with my care team to sort things out.

I like to say "Thank you- I'm just eating healthy and exercising." Which is true! If they query further I will tell them "lots of low fat protien and good carbs". Because if you say high protien/low carbs it usually leads to an Atkins diet debate...no thanks : )

Jarrod no worries as posted in your other query, Dr Garcia is wonderful and so is his hospital. He has one floor it is a small hospital but also has an ICU if needed. His offices and staff are on the second floor. Pharmacy is on the first floor. Stop in there on your way out if you need any extra/more medications.

Hi I can't believe that I have been looking at American websites for over a year and missed this UK one! Hopefully there are still sleevers lurking around to share with. I had my surgery with Prague Beauty in the Czech Republic on 20th October 2012 so I am a new sleever. I am at the water/protein shake stage (just about to start week 2) and I have lots of queries and comments plus I will be very happy to answer honestly anyone else who is thinking of the surgery or who have had it done x x x x

I remember having something similar to what you've described, it was like a constant stitch pain , you know like when you run, when I'd breath in it hurt and could only breath to a certain depth, I had it for about two weeks then it settled, it also felt like I had an elephant sitting on my chest for a good two weeks before he decided to move on. Hopefully it's nothing serious for you and just part if the healing process and yes a good thing to query it with your doctor just to be on the safe side.

It takes a while to get the hang if it all. You are right about the slider food part, sliders don't work with the band you need the right textured foods to be squeezed through the band so it can send those messages to your brain to trick it into believing you're full. Also Protein keeps you full longer. What I always do is always have canned tuna or canned Beans in my pantry and if I'm limited with time to cook myself chicken, eggs, fish etc I quickly make a yummy tuna, tomato and onion salad with just a drizzle of olive oil, you meet the texture and protein requirement. Have you seen a nutritionist? If not maybe a couple of meetings with one to guide you how to eat with a band might be a good idea. I only had two appointments because it was part of my aftercare program but if I have any issues or queries she is always available via email or phone. It's just a matter of fine tuning your diet and knowing what to always eat and once you've got that sorted it does make things a lot easier. Do a search on the Internet for high protein foods, print it out and refer to it, I've done this and have it stuck on my fridge.

A flipped port can happen because it wasn't stitched down properly or because of some movement or exercise that you have done, possibly prematurely, that causes the muscle and therefore the port to move. It is quite a common occurrence but the fix is usually pretty simple. $3000 sounds like a lot of money to pay for them to correct this. Have you queried it?

IVE BEEN APPROVED FOR EARLY RELEASE OF SUPER ( sort of ) the bloke rang today to query some things on my application and said it all checked out, I said so does that mean its approved and he said when I get the letter it will be approved, but yes Im pre approved. Rang Super and they said it takes 5 working days to release Super. SOOOOOOOo it might be all done by end of October sleeve included WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO. On a side note Lila I asked if something went wrong would I be able to dip in again and they said yes so its something to look into.......

My Gastric Band was eating me alive! It was December 2009 when I was at my heaviest, 18sone 8pounds appox 119 kg, i won’t bore you with my medical problems/history but, after one heart attack, type 1 diabetes, and a stroke I was a walking time bomb ! You get the picture My BMI was not enough to have a Gastric Band on the NHS. I tracked down a surgeon who was supposedly the best in the UK. After a few consultations he stated a lap band would help. He would not entertain any other option Surgery was performed no real problems, a bit sore but nothing unexpected i was in hospital for two days and was discharged. I had a few problems post surgery, vomiting because I was eating and drinking at the same time (my brain wasn’t in total sync) I was going to the gym and weighing myself every week. The weight came off very slowly. I could NOT get under 99 kgs for many months. I still had my appetite. I stayed a steady 99 kgs, it was a great day when i got under 99kg. In January 2011 i moved to Thailand for a short break. Whilst in Thailand my weight dropped to about 85 kg. I put this down to a change in food etc. Whilst in Thailand I had consultation with a Lap band specialist, i asked him to “loosen” the band as I felt I was losing a bit too much weight, I looked rather gaunt and felt very tired. He agreed and a week later I attended the hospital where he removed 2ml from the band. He told me that I had 8 ml in the band which in his opinion was far too tight and was very restrictive. I left the hospital feeling ok and carried on with normal day to day living. One day I felt unwell and attended a local doctors surgery, The Thai doctor who could not speak good English told me I needed a blood test (the results would be back it 24 hours) The following morning i had a phone call the doctor telling me to go straight to his surgery. I knew by the tone of his voice all was not well, I just had that feeling. I attended his surgery and he thrust a piece of paper in front of me. It was the blood test result. It was obviously in the Thai language but he carefully tried to explain the results. He said very calmly “Cholesterol good, INR good, indication of stomach cancer, everything else OK”. Somewhat shocked I asked what he meant “stomach cancer”. Indication of stomach cancer he tells me, you must go now to hospital for endoscopy and colonenspoy. I was somewhat shell shocked to say the least! I went to the Bangkok hospital where i was met by another doctor who performed the dreaded endoscopy and colonspoy. After coming round from the procedure my first question was “is it cancer” The doctor tells me she is 99.99% it isn’t cancer. She says that “something not right in your tummy plastic thing in colon and tummy”. It dawns on me that she must mean my gastric band. I am immediately sent to see the Gastric Band expert. I sit down and he scratches his head” Not seen before” he calmly smiles and I ask him what does he mean? He tells me “the band is eating into you must come out soon” What does he mean “eating into me” he tries to explain but with the language barrier I had difficulty understanding exactly what he was telling me? I asked again what had happened, he shakes his head and keeps looking at a DVD of the procedure, he was pointing at a small yellow tube saying “ it goes into your colon should not be there never seen before” I question him as one would, “what happens now” We remove, very complicated operation, me do for £16.000, you stay in hospital for about week. Whoa hang on, no way am I letting him near me, it wasn’t the money or lack of confidence in his ability it was maybe a second opinion was needed? He told me in his very charming way that this “not life threatening -yet”. What does that exactly mean I queried He says “Ah you could get fever; poison in body then very serious, could die if not removed” I thanked the kindly doctor and made my way home. I was in a daze, my head was spinning, what do I do. I had no insurance for this type of operation I didn’t particularly want to stay in Thailand and wait for the worse. Mind made up, no option back to UK ASAP. My flight was booked for two weeks later. During this time arrangements had been made for me to have a consultation with the surgeon in the UK who performed my initial gastric band surgery. At the meeting I explained everything that happened in Thailand and the findings/opinion of the Thai doctor. My surgeon seemed “sceptical” at this point, he wanted to do his own investigations and another endoscopy was booked for three weeks time. Come the day I attended hospital and was met by the surgeon, the endoscopy was performed and he confirmed that all was not well. The gastric band had eaten into stomach and the colon was invaded by a tube from the band. Erosion of the band is not uncommon, but eating into and through colon really is. There have only been two other people in the world who have had this problem I am told by my surgeon, he has never seen this condition before. This is a real eye opener for him! I am glad he finds this interesting! Last week i had the gastric band removed. The operation lasted two hours, no complications I am told. I was in hospital for 6 days. I don’t feel any different now at all. The ticking time bomb has been defused! I know weight just under 12 stone, still look gaunt, no appetite. BUT IAM STILL ALIVE! I do not blame anybody for this problem, it just happened to me

The reason the band is much tighter in the mornings is because of Fluid settling down around the band when we sleep, once we are awake and as the day progresses that fluid drains away hence the looser band at night time. I queried this with my doctor today when I went in for a fill and it makes sense. Kinda like if you wake up with swollen fingers or ankles in the mornings and the fluid drains throughout the day.

As the others said you may need a slight unfill. Mornings we are usually tighter because of Fluid settling around our bands overnight while we sleep and as it drains away the band becomes looser. You were probably fine over the weekend because all the fluid hadn't made it the the band area. Now that it has you're feeling much tighter. I queried this today with my doctor when I went in for my fill this morning as I've noticed the same pattern after a fill, not much difference for a few days then a big difference. Also with each fill it's taking even smaller bites of food. Hope you get it sorted out quickly.

I'll be happy when they do actually figure things out and all the Dr's start singing from the same song sheet. There is way too much variance and confusion out there.In the meantime we should all stick to listening to our own Dr, if we are not happy we something they tell us then query it with them. And we should all strive to find what works for us as an individual. e.g I know I'm not going to time the wait between bites. But I do wait until the bite I have just eaten feels comfortable. Sometimes that might take a minute, sometimes it takes longer and I'm sure sometimes it takes less.

This is somewhat of a strange query. Im hoping someone can offer some insight. I would appreciate if readers could concentrate on my question rather then trying to persuade me in another direction (eg suggesting I should just worry about my health). Recently my port broke through my skin. So the port was on the outside of my abdomen with the tubing going inside. I am awaiting further testing as to the underlying complications. However in the mean time i have nil tension on the band as all the fill came out when the port was cut off. Now i am piling on the weight. I have a small degree of self control to stick to small quantities without it. Is it possible to inject some fill into the tube and plug it up somehow? The tube that was connected to the port is still sticking out through a hole in my stomache. However there is nothing to stop any fill coming straight back oy

yes, she has a severe issue with this....her hiatal hernia! so now, any answers to my query?