Toddy

First of all, I hope you're not have unprotected sex! Second, BC pills do not make you gain weight -- but pregnancy sure as hell does. I know you're tired of hearing from me, but from your two posts this morning it sounds like you're in desperate need of some maternal advice.

I'll not insult, but I will be honest with my opinions of what I read here. You've been dating four months. That doesn't make you one of the family!!! I am probably your boyfriend's mother's age. Sometimes I like to have a FAMILY dinner. Until mine are in a serious enough relationship to get engaged, I do not consider the boyfriend/girlfriend a member of MY family. If their bf/gf is at the house when we get ready to eat, of course they're invited -- It's the Southern thing to do. However, if we're going out to dinner, they may or may not be invited, but DH and I make that decision and let our son/daughter know. Another thing to keep in mind: As the parents, when we go out to dinner we pick up the tab. Adding an extra person can significantly add to the tab and do you really have a right to EXPECT that? Stepping off my soapbox now.

One thing I think all people contemplating the band, and probably other weight loss surgeries should know: If you're a three meal a day type person this WILL work for you. However, if you are a "grazer" you will be able to eat to your heart's content and you will NOT lose weight. You can even gain!

I didn't have one pre-band, but did have one post band. And then I've had several others since I had band problems. The ONLY one that was truly awful was one where they didn't mix the liquid up very well and it was like drinking liquid cement that was chunky!!!!! I'm experienced enough now to know that it doesn't have to be awful like that and will speak up if it ever happens again!

I firmly believe if your marriage is strong before wls, it will continue to be strong... at least that has been my story. If your marriage has problems before wls, it's most likely not going to improve after surgery. Just my humble opinion.

Are you on blood pressure medication? I had trouble with this right after surgery. Turned out my weight had dropped enough to regulate my BP, but I was still on the meds, making my BP too low. Just one possibility...

There is a distinct difference between throwing up and regurgitation! Throwing up is a forceful expulsion from your stomach. Regurgitation is urping up something that hasn't passed through the band yet. From experience, I have a dreadful fear of throwing up! While not pleasant or encouraged, PBing is not nearly as bad!

Personally, I would never recommend wls for someone that is 20-30 pounds overweight. THIS IS NOT A WALK IN THE PARK, iow, "the easy way out"!

Probably won't be able to lose a significant amount with just a week to go before your cruise. Best bet is to watch what you eat during the cruise so you don't gain significantly and then get started when you get back home.

There really is no "feeling full" post-band that I've noticed. It's just a matter of I've had enough and I'm done. For me, frequently it is that I eat so slow food gets cold and is unappetizing and therefore a lot easier to stop eating! Being stuck is a definite feeling of discomfort. If you're feeling discomfort (sometimes downright pain) then you're stuck and need to reevaluate how and what you're eating.

My gas pains lasted less than a week. Heating pad was the best thing for me. Also, don't spend a lot of time laying in bed! Get up, move around, and don't worry about your incision unless it gets oozie and inflamed. Did the hospital give you a special antibacterial soap to bathe with the morning of surgery? I'm not sure if every hospital does that or not, but I continued to use the hospital soap on my abdomen every day in the shower until it ran out.

As the others have stated, reflux is usually a sign of being too tight. Do not ignore it or things will only get worse and lead to other likely complications!

I've gone through the same thing. First time around I reached the green zone at just slightly over 5 cc's. After having it emptied, surgery to restitch a slip, and adding plication, I'm at just shy of 6.5 cc's and just now in what I could call the greenish zone

Age, genetics, how much you have to lose, how long you've been obese all play into how your skin will rebound. Some say exercise helps -- certainly can't hurt! Me, I'm just glad I am too old to ever wear a bikini!!!!

I actually had that happen a couple of time prior to surgery. My PC thought it could be sleep apnea or acid reflux related.

Several very hard sneezes in a row.

I was banded, the band slipped and when they went in to fix it they did the plication, so I'm not the normal "banded with plication" patient. I don't have any unusual stomach growlies. I did right after I was banded (alone). But nothing since the second surgery.

Strangely enough, chronic coughing is a sign of acid reflux, even if you don't feel it. Acid reflux is a sign of a too tight band. Definitely need to see the doctor for a little unfill!

As stated above, you will need to contact your insurnace and your doctor's office. My surgeon inclued office visits and fills for the first 90 days in his surgery fee, but I've heard of other clinics that include fills for the first year. After the first 90 days with my surgeon, I just have to pay my office visit copay.

I need to do this too, but there are so few before pictures of me... someone would pull out a camera and I'd run!!! I've lost 50 pounds... I'm only 20 pounds from goal and I still run from the camera! However on the rare occasion someone gets a pic now and I see it... I still see the fat me. I honestly look at my photos now and think "Geez, if I'm this large now, I can't even imagine what I must have looked like before." I've gone from a size 22 to a 12/14 but my mental image of myself just hasn't caught up and I'm beginning to wonder if it ever will...

I think one of the keys to wls is to have your "head" in the right place. I think that is a large part of the reason that insurance requires the "psych" visit. If you have an emotional attachment to food, you might want to talk to a professional. I actually started reasearching wls for my daughter, but realized the need to have your head in the right place, which she didn't have at the time... but I did. I LOVE not being able to eat much. I go out to dinner, and take home enough left overs for another couple of meals.

My favorite were the SlimFast High Protein. They are getting a little hard to find, but they were by far the best I tried!

The hospital will give you discharge instructions for things to look for that may indicate you need to call your doctor. Agree that DH just needs to be supportive and keep trigger foods out of the house!! There may be a day or two that you question what you have done to yourself -- this is perfectly normal and passes quickly! One thing DH might need to be aware of if he has any weight issues: Tell him NOT to eat all the food you're no longer eating. My poor DH started doing that as soon as I was back on normal food and now his weight had gone up quite a bit!

My surgeon never mentioned straws and I drink everything with a straw and have not experienced any problem with it. He also never mentioned gum... I don't understand that one. I could understand if he said no swallowing gum. Mine did say no aspirin or ibuprofen at all ever ;-(

Applebees is a good one. I love their French onion Soup and fiesta chicken salad as a lunch combo. The lettuce and the chicken are diced up very small. It's also enough to bring home and have for dinner, too. When I'm eating out, my go-to item is usually the Soups. You definitely don't want to experiment with new foods and have problems in a restaurant. Happened to me once and I excused myself to go to the bathroom in pretty dire straits and lucky me, there was a line of people waiting to use the restroom! I kept thinking any minute I was going to have to go for the trashcan there in front of all those people, but I managed to make it until a stall opened up -- but just barely!