Alexandra

Birdee, I went through this for a while. We all eat together at my job and pretty much everyone eats very quickly. I just started picking apart my lunch sandwich and eating the insides with a knife and fork, essentially making a salad out of it and tossing the bread. No one said anything, to my surprise. Avoiding bread is practically a fad these days; just say you're on Atkins for a time if anyone asks. If you're eating out just order an appetizer. Really, I doubt people pay as much attention as we think to what we eat.

Hi Chris, IMO another fill is asking for trouble if you have restriction at other times of the day. There is a theory that eating in the evening CREATES tight restriction during the morning, which in turn makes people avoid morning food, eating more in the evening, and starting the cycle again. If you're eating very little in the morning followed by a lot more in the evening, you might want to try leveling out your calories over the day. Are you actually *hungry* in the evening? Or just able to eat more which lets you satisfy the munchies? Before getting another fill I'd try to figure out if it's the first or the second. I'd approach the second by changing my evening routine--one thing I've done that helps is literally walk around with a Water bottle and drink it constantly. I've been known to put away 64 ozs of water after dinner. I will also go upstairs to read and get away from the TV and refrigerator. Of course, if you're not feeling full after meals and are physically *hungry* in the evening after dinner, a fill might indeed be in order.

Hi Mary, On another list there's someone who must be going to the same doctor as you. She asked about having to take 3500 mg of Calcium and everyone agreed there, too: the doctor is treating his banded patients the same way as RNY patients. The consensus is that there is NO reason to take that much calcium or to avoid dairy. As for blood work, I've only had it once since banding, last week in advance of my one-year checkup. The surgeon did order it once before but it coincided with my annual physical so they didn't make me do it twice. Frequent testing is a hallmark of RNY surgery, not banding, assuming all else is equal.

I've heard nothing about this, and I have connections in high places at insurance carriers who know I care about this kind of thing. What did you read that made you feel better? Has there been anything in print about it?

Oh my god, that's a horrible tragedy. I can't imagine that a woman of that size wasn't under very close medical care for her pregnancy, notwithstanding the fact that she was a bypass patient as well. Wow. There was, I'm sure, some failure of care along the way--which could have been her own, of course. My heart breaks.

My sentiments exactly.

Leatha, and Penni, I'm sorry I mixed you guys up! Honestly, I'm so dizzy at work I don't know what they hell I'm doing. Please forgive my insanity. PENNI--have a great time in Jamaica. LEATHA--how are you feeling? You probably posted it elsewhere but I missed it. DeLarla: What you're imagining ain't the case. Imagine two small girls down the hall, a mommy exhausted from chasing them around the halls with their nightgowns, and a daddy who has to get up at 5:00 a.m. and you've got...well, I'll tell you what you HAVEN'T got. The title of this thread.

My doctors' advice was just one Multivitamin plus 1200 mg of calcium daily, but the calcium is something my PCP has been saying to me since I turned 40. It has nothing to do with being banded, just with being a woman of a certain age. The multivitamin is likewise good advice for pretty much all adults. Banding surgery does NOT create nutritional deficiencies on its own. As we eat less and less, though, it is certianly possible that our diets become less balanced (I know MINE is). That's the reason for Vitamins.

Mary, is there some medical reason your doctor tells you to avoid dairy? Banding is no reason to by itself, although some people report increased lactose intolerance afterwards. If you're not having problems, though, why would you be told to avoid dairy? Remember that information you get here is in no way intended as medical advice. If your doctor told YOU to avoid dairy altogether, there might be some medical basis for that. Please make sure before you disregard his instructions.

Of course I looked. Even though that three-letter word is more of a four-letter word around this house most of the time. LEATHA!! That's GREAT news!! Now you can go enjoy yourself in Jamaica, mon. Have a rum punch for me, OK??

Hopefuol, what exactly does your insurance denial letter say? If it's just a matter of incomplete documentation, that's not a denial at all, it's just more red tape. Does it anywhere say that the procedure is not covered? Or is it just telling you it's not approved at this time? They are very different things; don't give up being hopeful!!!

Hi Mary, That does sound like an awful lot! I'm taking between 1000 and 1500 mg a day, using Viactiv chews and dairy products. Is there no dairy in your diet? Why does your doctor say to take so much?

Darcy, I just asked on another thread how you are doing. Glad to hear you're closer to figuring it out, and more important, that you're feeling better!! And Lisa, I was going to do the same thing Darcy did. What the hell is with your wound? My god, child, you should have been healed long ago. You poor baby!!

Darcy, does this mean you're feeling better? Last I heard you weren't able to tolerate solid foods and were heading for an endoscopy. Are you OK?!??? My Monday morning weigh-in was cool. A new low of 254! I'm a happy camper.

when I was four weeks out, I was just getting familiar with the way solid food felt and went down. The mental image of my recent stomach surgery was PLENTY to keep me from bingeing, as long as I was careful to keep from getting too hungry. My opinion is that 4 weeks is too early for a fill, cruise or not. Give yourself some time to get used to the idea and the physical reality that there is a barrier inside you keeping you from overindulging. You will not be able to eat as much as you could pre-surgery, even if you don't have a fill. You may THINK you can, but when you really analyze the amounts you will see that you are satisfied on much less food. Let yourself get used to THAT idea, because it can be hard all by itself! So take your cruise, enjoy yourself, and RELAX! A cruise would be a TERRIBLE place to have problems. Even minor issues could ruin the cruise for you, and at worst you could find yourself having medical trouble in a place where no one can be found to help you.

Cateringqueen, you will find that people at different stages of their banded life have very different answers to this question. At almost a year out here's my daily intake: Breakfast is an Atkins Protein bar, usually between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. lunch is the insides of a deli sandwich. When I was first banded I used to eat the entire sandwich minus the bread. Plus the olives, pickles, or carrots that came with it. NOW all I need to eat is the meat and cheese from one-half of the sandwich, and I'm done. dinner is usually a piece of meat of some kind, and a couple of bites of whatever side is on the menu. And many evenings I'll end the day with some ice cream. That's my weekday routine. Today was Sunday, and I had the Protein Bar for breakfast, and about two slices of chicken breast (maybe 2 ozs?) later on. For lunch I had the last piece of my daughters' PB&J sandwich, the corner she didn't eat. Then for dinner I had a hamburger patty with a slice of cheese. My family eats out all the time, and at restaurants I'll order an appetizer for dinner or just pick from the others' plates (depends on where we eat). I do get salads at fast food places, but can never finish them. I drink Water all day long, remembering to not drink right after a meal. I know I don't get enough produce, and I'm working on that. But the miracle and blessing is how little food it takes to make me satisfied! I'm loving it (as they say).

Been there, done that. It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "tree-hugger!" My wished for you as well, that your days of PBing are over. You're a true bandster!!

I've wondered about this, too. Given ALL the facts I cannot understand why someone would choose RNY over banding unless there is really a dire health situation that requires immediate and substantial weight loss. RNY boosters seem to gloss over the fact that the effects of the surgery will fade after some time, and to say the risks are essentially the same as those with "any surgery." Hah. There's a lot of talk about the "tool" aspect of WLS, and how patients have to use it correctly or it won't work. But there's no TIME to learn to use a bypass correctly--immediately after surgery RNY patients are forced to eat their tiny amounts and avoid any foods that might be problematic. This strikes me as a formula for emotional and psychological difficulties, added on top of the various physical challenges RNY surgery presents. Yikes. Nope, I don't get it. People opting for bypass often see it as a path of immediate results and can't or won't see past the near future. I know I used to believe that "if I can only get this weight off I KNOW I'll be able to keep it off!" But we all know that's not true, and even having compromised digestion and metabolism won't guarantee permanent results. *Being* thin doesn't mean one will *stay* thin. EATING LESS is all that can make that happen. And one doesn't necessarily learn to eat less with the bypass.

Bright, that is an AMAZING photo!! It looks professionally done. Was it? Sigh, back to the drawing board...

So this is what a personal trainer will do for you. I've been working on weight machines for six months now, and have only felt the merest twinges of achiness after even what I thought was a challenging workout. This past Thursday was my first session with the trainer and he showed me various free-weight exercises. We did a couple of sets of each, and he talked a lot about how much more efficient these moves are than anything I could do on a weight machine. They're a lot faster, too, he says, because one exercise involving the whole lower body replaces four or five machines to do the same thing. Well, that boy knows what he is ABOUT! Yesterday morning I woke up and started to get ready for a trip to the Bronx Zoo. I was a bit stiff but figured it would work itself out. But as the day progressed I realized that I must have worked every little tiny muscle in my legs in a way I haven't done since the last time I went skiing! You know that pain? Holy CRAP!! My legs are killing me! My husband says it's a good kind of pain, but I'm not so sure... Today I'm still stiff but feeling a little better. I probably didn't do myself any favors by trekking all over the zoo yesterday, but I survived. Moral of the story: Weight machines are wack. Free weights rule. Watch out world!

Bright, I wear a 42DD too! Can you buy from the US, or is shipping prohibitive? I get mine at justmysize.com and have had great luck with the Playtex brand. I've sworn by the 18-hour line of bras for years. They're not sexy, but comfortable and confidence-inspiring. Donali, thanks for the info! Did you know Cacique is the name of a bird? I just learned that at the zoo the other day, and thought of you when I saw it. Maybe I'll get one and surprise the heck out of hubby.

I'm feeling a bit better today. I can't believe it's taken three days for this pain to subside! Of course, not being able to rest might have something to do with that. I'm *amazed* at how little actual work there was involved in creating this effect. Those free weights, when we do them right, really pack a punch. If I'd known the difference I'd have bought some 5 and 8 lb weights for my home and gotten a book! It's simple and can be done anywhere. Marie, the upper-body exercises we went through are simple too. Two 8 lb weights in a three-part lifting motion works all the muscles in the upper body, especially the shoulders, back, and arms. Those exercises didn't make me hurt, but I can feel the work I did. The trainer said that when we do these exercises correctly while standing, our abs get all the workout they need too just by keeping us upright and balanced. He said that training with additional weight is overkill for abdominal work because all that would tend to do is make the muscles larger. And for the vast majority of people, like us, all we want is for them to be stronger, but not bigger. For that, all we need is the usual crunches or to involve them in other exercises by standing. My trainer is kind of a dork in the personality department, but I do think he knows his stuff. :eek:

Wow, Bright, that is fascinating! And you're absolutely right--this may be the nugget of information that saves someone else from a huge amount of aggravation, discomfort, and frustration. And see, it's not the band!! Good on you (and Britney) for figuring it out. Let's hear it for the blondes with flat tummies!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

You can't stretch out your stomach on liquids. My rule of thumb was to have something whenever I wanted it, because the worst thing I could do for my state of mind was to get too hungry. I stuck to liquids and mushies, but didn't worry about calories or times of meals or anything. What's the point? Getting banded isn't about finding a new diet to make us miserable; there'll be plenty of time for learning the new way to eat after healing.

Donali, you are a queen. Nothing can tarnish the respect we have for your unflagging dignity, and the high esteem in which we hold you. Love the bra!!! Your boobs sounds a lot like mine--I love they way they look when I'm painting the ceiling. :eek: But honestly, does that bra keep them, ahem, separated all day long? Or is that a special-occasion kind of thing? I'd love to buy something like that but I'm afraid I'd be adjusting it all day long. Shore is purty, girl!!