SaucyBandster

Hi - Wondering if there are any recent bandsters who have used Dr. Rehnke. I ran some searches and it looks like they are several yrs out on here. Would love to talk to someone who is familiar with him and Palms of Pasadena hospital. TIA!

You cant find it at any store? I've seen it all over in the cold section. You can also order it online from any drugstore.

You cant find it at any store? I've seen it all over in the cold section. You can also order it online from any drugstore.

Per my Dr, the nurse and the herb "expert", you can take more than 7500. I take the 7500 daily and it's significant.

Good luck to you!! I think 1000 is too low of an amount. I spoke to a few people at the health food store as well as the nurse and they said to up to 7500. I was taking 1000 preop and then once I switched to 7500, my hair and nails started growing like crazy.

Well it's officially March so all of us Feb Bansters are official now!! For those recent surgeries, the pain will ease up soon - I promise! I was Feb 3rd and had a rough first week and a few thoughts of, "what the hell did I do to myself". Now I am almost one month and all the pain is gone and so is the swelling so the diet officially begins until my first fill which I hope provides some restriction. (Mar 12 is my first fill). Anyways - glad we all made it and are on the other side!! Let the journey begin

What amount of biotin are you taking? I noticed there are many different mcg's between 1000 and 7500. I take 7500 and my hair has grown two inches in the past month. It's crazy.

Very normal and not fun. I went thru this as well. I now add benefiber to my tea and protein shakes to help. It took me about a week to get "normal".

I had a HORRRRRIBLE reaction similar to this. I had horrible welts, red marks and severe itching from the steri strips. I have been using cortisone cream and taking benedryl and it has helped. Also, don't use super hot Water on the welts. I clean with peroxide and air dry them and then use the cream all over. They were driving me mad about 2 weeks and are finally getting better.

I am nowhere near that far in my journey but I do know I started on Biotin as soon as I started my supervised diets. It has done wonders for my hair, skin and nails. My hair has grown 2 inches alone in about 3 weeks which is NOT normal for me. I would definitely try it!

I would love to chime in. I know Pasta is a slippery slope but I am also 100% sicilian and I refuse to have an object that doesn't allow me to partake once in awhile in the food I enjoy. With that said, I was creative and decided to fake myself out on the pasta front. I have been making zucchini pasta. I even blogged about it here: http://saucybandster.blogspot.com/2012/02/fake-carbs-o-mighty.html I get my green veggies in and add a sauce which is Protein. I put a turkey meatball in the food processor and added sauce to make it soft and put it on top of the pasta. There is also a lite ragu alfredo which is very low fat, has protein and light on the carbs and that is divine in a small portion. So there is your Mac N cheese persay. I also bought the shiritaki noodles and split the package into 4 servings versus 2 and added the meat and cheese sauce. Voila, I have my Italian food with low carbs.

Hey Feb bandsters! I was Feb 3rd and I just h ad my 2 week post op appt today. My doc was very pleased with my progress. Since I started my Pre-op, I was down 23 pounds today. I have also already lost over 19 inches. TAKE YOUR MEASUREMENTS IF YOU HAVEN'T YET!!!!! Week one was the roughest and by day 5, I was much better. My only issue has been an allergic reaction to the steri strips. I have red welts that itch like crazy on every incision site. My clothes are already looser and I started my soft food phase. I have been putting turkey meatballs in the food processor with sauce over polenta and eggplant and making a small Italian stack. All soft and yum! Also, FF refried beans with lowfat cheese and a dollop of greek yogurt makes a great dinner. A poached egg with 2 tablespoons of organic cottage cheese for breakfast has been divine. Get your liquids in and start moving!! I wish the recent bandsters the best of luck and the next round of Feb bandsters a safe and easy surgery and a painless recovery!!

YAH! Thanks Thanks Thanks!! There were two spots for the tickers. The one I was pasting worked as a widget on my blog but not here. I didn't realize there were two spots. Appreciate the help - big time

Hi everyone, I am apparantly non technical because I keep trying over and over to add a weight loss ticker in my signature. I am trying to add the HTML code from My Fitness Pal. It gives me the following: <a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com">Free Calorie Counter</a></small></p> I have added it from the Special BBCode and chose HTML and nada. I tried the <> portion and added it there and nothing. It just keeps showing the whole thing written out. Can someone help me on how to add it?? Thanks!!

Ok so it's not working and this is where I am confused. I went to BBcode but it's a pull down menu and there are a ton of options. So I chose html within there and it still shows up as code when I save changes. In fact, I left it so you can see. So is there another selection I need to make in the pull down Bbcode menu besides HTML?

Are you sure the rash is from the pain meds and NOT the Steri Strips??? I had a MAJOR allergic reaction on each of my 5 incisions where the tape was. I am red with welts and it burns and itches bad. They are large red patches around each incision. It's a pain!!

I wish Shapes was closer to me!! I have one in St. Pete but it's a 20 min drive and for the times I want to go (around work time, etc) It isn't the most convenient. I am really searching hard for a gym and need to make a decision quick.

I am so sorry you going thru this! Wishing you the best and an easy recovery.

Wait Wait Wait - I too had this dilemma. I was told by one pharmacist that they no longer carry liquid tylenol. I almost paid a fortune on Amazon. BUT - another pharmacist showed me what was right in front of my face the whole time. Next time - Go look in the cold section and look for TYLENOL SORE THROAT. I figured there was other crap in it like a nyquil. NOPE - ONLY ingredient is Acetaminophen 500 mg They market it for sore throats to make it go down easier!!!! Here is what it looks like: http://www.alice.com/products/1191225?p=1191225&&source=pricegrabber Description Non-drowsy. Pain reliever, fever reducer. Contains 1 Medicine: Acetaminophen 500 mg per 15 ml - Sore throat/Fever; Body aches/Headache. Does not contain alcohol. Each Tablespoon Contains: Sodium, 11 mg Hope this helps others like it helped me!!! I find it everywhere!!!

You are lucky. I was banded 2/3 and my Dr wanted me on CLEAR liquids for 2 whole weeks. No protein, no nourishment, nothing. It was modern day torture. So I decided to make an executive decision and switch to full liquids by around day 5. I am moving on to mushies by day 15 I think even tho he doesn't want me on mushies for like a month after my surgery. I have no idea why he is so conservative but I couldn't handle it.

I have the Flintstones Complete with Choline but the directions say to take 1. Should I take more than 1?? I am wondering if I am not taking enough Vitamins now?

Question. I know you can't eat for an hour after you eat with the Lapband. I get that. But what about in the liquid phase. I am on full liquids. I just had a Protein shake for Breakfast. It obviously slides right down and I am quite full. So do I have to wait after an hour with this as well to get Water in or can I drink water after having a liquid meal?

Thanks! I too love the Pacific Tomato soup as well. I have 3 variations of it and it's divine. I usually add Protein powder to it and use that as my meal. Protein shake in AM Soup w/ Protein Powder lunch Soup w/ protein powder dinner If I am still hungry later - either a SF Jello or SF pudding cup. Water in between. I just wasn't sure if it mattered yet so thanks for the answer.

Why can't I use them? Is this forever? If it's not forever, when can I add them back in? It takes me so much longer to get a gallon of liquids in without a straw. Thanks in advance!