cakegirl

Haha!!!

I had horrible neck pain after my surgery. I went to a chiropractor and one adjustment put it back into place. When I told my surgeon about it, he said it was probably because they push your head to once side sometimes when you're being operated on. I can imagine the pain could come back with a fill or with any other "trauma" to the body if the undlerlying cause is not addressed.

I kept getting painfully hungry between meals until a few weeks after my third fill. I can assure you that it's not always like this. Now I don't get hungry until about midday, and once I eat lunch, that does me until at least 5pm. Just because a certain amount of fill made you too full on your last fill, that doesn't mean that you won't tolerate that same level of fill at some point in the future. Maybe your doc could put in 0.5 and see how you go with that?

What possible reason would I have to want to exaggerate or lie about my experience?

So today I'm wearing a brand new (i.e. not stretched) Australian size 14 shirt --- AND IT FITS!!! Plus, I saw a new surgeon (for something unrelated to the band) today, and in taking my history he found out that I'd had the band. He exclaimed "But you're not that big! Why did you get the band?!" I was like... ummm, I used to be bigger than I currently am!!! :D

Yeah, I'm definitely not going to buy any fancy or expensive clothes until I'm at my goal weight. But I have now got some $8 jeans and $6 shirts from Kmart that fit, and I feel great!

Wow, that's GREAT!!! (Amanda, NSV = Non scale Victory)

It can make it easier. I have a friend who went on metformin and the weight just fell off her. It wasn't directly because of the blood sugar balance, but it was because her blood sugar was more stable, so she wasn't craving sugary food any more, and wasn't getting ravenously hungry, so she just ate less, and more healthy stuff naturally. Me, on the other hand, I went on metformin and the pill at the same time, and just put on weight! Then I got the lapband

Maybe you should visit a chiropractor to get your spine and skeletal alignment checked out. I used to have lots of similar unilateral numbness/tingling problems but with some visits to the chiropractor (and I now go once a month for maintenance), I got it sorted out.

Water, black tea, green tea, herbal tea.

I love dried fruit and haven't had a problem with it. I don't eat much because of the calories, but I do love it and am not going to deny myself a couple of dried apricots every few days.

You need carbs for your brain to function, so I'm sure that having one serve of starches like your croutons or a little bit of mashed potato is fine. My doctor told me to aim for 800-1000 calories per day while in the weight-loss phase of the band, and that we'd then adjust it up slowly once I get to my goal weight until we find the amount that allows me to not gain or lose. I'm 5 foot 5, and 86kg, which probably had a bearing on the calorie range he gave me.

Silken tofu goes down very easily, and it's so soft it can just be blended up and added to drinks, Soups, etc. Or you can have little lumps of it for texture. And then there's firm tofu and tempeh as well for when you want to chew more. I was vegetarian for 12 years but started eating meat again when I was pregnant and very anaemic. I still eat it, although I don't really like much meat, and I've been thinking about going back to vegetarian again. I wouldn't go vegan, but that's just because I've got hens so I have a never-ending supply of eggs! I'd give up dairy before I gave up eggs! Plus they're very easy Protein sources, and I can eat them guilt-free because I know there has been no animal abuse or exploitation involved in getting the eggs

I have a question for those of you that have the card that allergan gives bandsters that allows them to request children's menu items or for cheaper buffet entry. I'm in Australia and I got a band of a different brand (midband) rather than the allergan one. I want to ask my surgeon to provide me with a letter or card that I can show to try to get the cheaper options... Especially because my family is going to a buffet for Christmas day and it's $75 per person! I REALLY don't want to pay $75 for a small plate of food! Anyway, I was wondering if someone could tell me the wording that is on the front and the back of the card so that I can draft something similar to give to my surgeon as an idea about what he could say. Thanks in advance if you can! Rebecca

I used to drink a fair bit of coke zero, but after having those couple of mixed drinks and suffering through the gas getting stuck in the bottom part of my stomach, I can confidently say "never again".

I'd definitely be calling my surgeon. A bruise with no history of injury (like, if you weren't punched near the port site yesterday) can indicate bleeding, and if you're bleeding internally near your port, you need to see your surgeon ASAP. Good luck!

Well, since my epiphany, I've lost 1kg! YAY!!!

How exciting!

That's great! Getting you closer to your goal AND burning up your calories!!!

We have to pre-pay for the Christmas lunch, so I'll make sure I go in when they're quiet and see if I can see a manager to arrange payment. I'll let you all know how it goes.

I just wondered if anyone else had this. I've had 3 fills now, and after each one, I've got a killer headache for the rest of the day. I have had to take painkillers for it, but once I've gone to sleep, I wake up the next day fine. Is that usual? Does anyone know what causes it?

Hm, each time I've had a fill, I've had breakfast beforehand, so I don't think it's from liquids... I forgot to ask my doctor yesterday because I ended up not getting a fill, so I'll have to try to remember next time I see him!

I have had a little bit of carbonated drink, and it is horrible - the bubbles all get stuck in the bottom part of my stomach, and give me gas pain like the early days after being banded. I have to lean forward and shake like a crazy person to try and get the gas up into the top part (the pouch) and burp it out. It's horrible. So not worth it.

Not all doctors require a liquid pre-op diet. Some just want you to do atkins or something similar, which would be really easy to follow with your dietary restrictions. And then post-op for your liquids you could have the soup etc mentioned above. Talk it over with your doctor - I'm suree s/he'll have some ideas for you

I felt more comfortable with the band - the idea that it was adjustable, reversible, etc. When I met with my surgeon, he agreed with my choice. He also does sleeves, but he said my BMI was on the lower end of the obese scale, and he recommended the lapband, and to keep the sleeve in the back pocket in case something went wrong with the band or in case I ate my way around the band and got even heavier.