Doddie63

Tammy Jan. If you have a blender or a magic bullet, you can make some really nutrious meals. You can blend fruit into a protein drink, if you are feeling lightheaded, remember you are to have protein every 4 waking hours. As you are still on liquids/mushies buy a protein drink from the pharmacy (some brands take awfull) but you can disquise the taste with blended fruit. Don't worry about losing weight at this stage. It is very important that you allow the stomach to heal and scar tissue solidify the band for strength. I found a warm drink of skim milk or warm chicken broth a wonderful soother and appetite supressor. As for pain in the shoulders, that is gas pains. When the band is put on, the doctor injects gass to blow out the stomach. That has to dissapate so try some "gas X". Another hint I like baby food but most like the magic bullet. As for the ticker, go to the Home Page of this site and scroll down to Suggestions, feedback & questions. DC that and scroll down to How to get a ticker in your signature. I used PhotoNut and printed out her instructions. They are very clear. Again, if you go onto my profile (click my picture) you will get my e mail address. If you want support please feel free to contact me.

Tammy Jean welcome to band land. I go to Dr. W. for my fills and have the band since Feb. 20007. You say rough going. What exactly are you experiencing. Contact me by e mail if you wish and I will try to give you any support I can. Also, we have a support group and there are a few Dr.W. patients going there. We would love to have you meet us if you can manage to come to the Lions Gate Hospital on the 3rd Wednesday of every month. I think the 17th is the next one. Nothing formal just a lot of laughs. Anyway keep in touch, it is hard going it alone and in response to your question on fills, you are given fills until you have a restriction that you find you are comfortable with. That means if you are loosing weight you don't get a fill. If you find you are barfing, shoulder pain, reflux then you get a defill. I haven't reach goal yet, but once you attain your goal, there is no longer any need for fill except maybe to top it up once in awhile. I understand some saline is lost over time.

Glad tosee you found the instructions. Just read on another site a lady has reached her 100 lb loss after 6 years. I found it very inspiring and reinforces my belief in thinking "what is the rush". I have to remind myself of this occasionally because I do envy fast loosers at time but bring myself back on a reality check. I will always be a slow loser and to work with what I got. go turtle go.

melady you probably are too tight and need a small defill. Pain in the shoulders sometimes mean food is not chewed thoroughly enough and is remaining in the pouch. by having a defill for a short period of time, the food can pass through. Also, most successful weight loosers have a fairly loose fill. Everyone has their own sweet spot, but 6-8 ccs in a 10 cc band is fairly common. Hope this information may help.

Go to home page and scroll down until you see Suggestions, feedback and Questions. Click on How to get a ticker in your signture and look for PhotoNut. She gives excellent instructions. I printed hers out and use it all the time.

Hi congratulations on your weight loss and the experiencing the wonderful feeling of clothes that fit better. Turtles unite. There are more of us than we may think. One thing we have in common with others is the fact we will only ever be able to eat one cup of food per meal. Even when we reach the ideal weight, we still will only be allowed one cup of food as maintance. So what is the rush. The old saying "haste makes waste" and I for one am savoring every pound I don't see on the scale.

Dr. Woodhouse is the doctor I go to for my fills. I enjoy him very much. Dr. W. does not have a "clinic" but you become one of his regular patients and are treated the same way. Some people after paying 14K would like to be put at the top of his appointment list but that is not the case. You become one of his patients which I like very much. Going to my clinic in Toronto, I have never seen the surgeon except when surgery was performed and then only seconds before.

Hi Bell. We are all different in how we keep track of our weight loss. I personally must weight every Saturday in the morning. If I weighed in every month I would be back to the big gain or loss as my 4 week cycle does not follow the calendar. Not only that, by weighing frequently and tracking my food, I know when I am beginning to slip and am able to respond in some way to stop the upward trend. On the news a few weeks ago, a study showed people who track their food intake tended to loose more weight and not put it back on than those that don't. I fit that study.

marivan. I also do the dance. On Saturday I was 225.4 and today I am 230 but I know on Saturday, I will be around 228. I seem to show a real low weight, the body responds by retaining water then it dumps it to another low and the cycle continues. I no longer get depressed because I record all weighins. I tried weighing only when I went to my doctors but I got depressed as he told me I gained then I lost. So by keeping track, I can see for myself how my body loses weight. One thing I do know, at the end of the month I am always a bit less. Keep on smiling because when you show weight gains I bet a bottom dollar that is an indication you have lost weight. LOL In time the loss will show up.

margiemma. The best wishes for your surgery on the 16th and the start of a wonderful journey of eating small, healthy and being wise in your choices. As your newself emerges, you will know why you aren't scared. Anything is better than carrying around huge amounts of weight. We all know what that gets us.

Congratulations Soonsony: So very happy you have analyzed yourself and come up with a solution to get you on the track again. Hope others can learn from you

Marivan: What is happening since you saw the doctor. Are you losing weight now?

Congratulations love on your weight loss. Steady as she goes is a great way. You obviously are eating the correct amount, thus no feeling of restriction. If you were overeating you would feel pain. Trust me the experience is not a nice thing to go through. Goober grazing is my archilles heal. The band won't help grazers other than prevent the overeating at any one given time. Are your children old enough to make their own lunches? My DH loves potato chips and cheezies. We have a cupboard only he can reach into where we store them. Yes I have found a way to get up there but the effort is so great that I lose interest. LOL Another hint I have found. Make lunches just after you have eaten and have a full pouch.

Hi: The meeting is the 3rd Wednesday of each month. Sept. 17 appears to be the next meeting. Contact Canadagirl@hotmail.com and ask her. She usually emails everyone a reminder. Also, watch this thread as she usually posts. Hope to meet your there

Post as soon as you can how you are getting along. Good luck. Your journey has started

Hi I copied this from a post of Donna's. The list is excellent and I hope it helps. Doddie These are just a few of the questions that come to mind that are important in helping to make a decision in deciding which band surgeon and/or clinic to go with: · Is there a fee for consultation? · Are any of your staff at the clinic banded? · What other staff are available to patients such as dieticians, nutritionists, psychologists? o Is there a cost for their services? · Does the clinic have a website and a messageboard and or chatroom available for Lap Band potential patients to access? · What percentage of your bariatric clinic is devoted to lap band patients? · What is your medical education? · What experience in term of years and number of procedures do you have in lap band surgeries? · What experience do you have in performing revisions? · If you are a revision, what tests will you need to have done ahead of time to be sure you can have a lap band? · Do you have any statistics regarding your lap band practice and number of patients who have had slippages, band erosions or other complications? · What type of warranty comes with your lap band surgery? · What type of bands do they use and how do they determine the type and size? · Is there a pre-op diet you need to follow? o If so is there a cost involved? How much? · If I don't follow the pre op diet perfectly am I still allowed to get the surgery? · What tests and paperwork do I need to have done prior to being accepted for banding? o Is there any charge? How much? o What is the time span? · Is the surgery performed in the clinic or at the hospital? · In case of an emergency what is the procedure that is followed? · How soon after surgery can I go home? · What type of accreditation does your clinic have? · How do your operating rooms compare to those in a hospital if surgery is performed at the clinic? · Can you give me references from other patients I may talk to, especially those who are a revision from past weight loss surgery? · How long am I required to be in town before my surgery? · Is there a hotel that is recommended? o If so, is there a preferred rate at this hotel? o Is there a shuttle available from this hotel to clinic and back and how much does this cost? · Are my family members allowed to remain in the waiting room while I am in surgery or are they asked to leave until I am in the recovery room? · How long after I wake up can I go home? · What special medications will I need to purchase before hand? o Gas-x? liquid Calcium? chewable multi Vitamins? .... · How long would you recommend I take off work after surgery? · If I have a hernia do you fix this? o Is there an extra cost associated? · How long do I have to have a caregiver with me after surgery? · Is there someone I can hire to be my caregiver if I come alone? · Do you use latex? · Is there a deposit I have to pay to hold my surgery? o How much? o Is it refundable if I change my mind? · How must my final payment be made -- money order/visa/cheque? o Does it have to be in before my surgery or do I bring it with me on my surgery day? · If I have further questions may I contact you or your clinic with them? Even more important is follow up care: · What type of aftercare program does their clinic have? · What is covered in the cost of your surgery in regards to aftercare? · Is there an after hour phone number in case of an emergency or concern you encounter outside of normal business hours? o Is he/she available on call to answer or return your call? o Who responds to calls? · Do you have support groups available locally and in my area? · Is there a fee for any aftercare services? · How soon after surgery is your first fill usually? · What hours am I able to come in for fills and days? · How often between fills are you eligible for your next one? · How are the fills performed and are they with or without fluoroscopy? · Do you have to pay for your fills or are they covered in your surgery fee? o If they are not covered what is the fee? · If you live far away from the band clinic, do they have anyone local or closer to your home who is trained by the clinic to do your fills? o If so do you pay a fee to them and if so how much? · In case of complications post op, if you had a slippage or worse case scenario band erosion is any further surgery to remove the band covered or would you have to pay? · In case of a defective port or leak is the surgery to replace it covered in the lap band surgery cost? · In case of a defective lap band is it replaced at no cost to you the patient? · If you needed a new band for any reason such as the above or band leak, etc., is it replaced free of charge to you? o If not what type of cost would you be responsible for? · At the clinic does the surgeon do your follow up fills or fill nurses? o If nurses, what training do they have and can you meet them before committing to this surgery? · What criteria do they base your needing a fill or defill? · How long does it take when calling to book a fill does it take to get an appointment? · How much time is the fill nurse allotted to spend with you answering any questions or concerns also? · Are any of your staff at the clinic banded? · What other staff are available to help patients, i.e., dieticians, nutritionists, psychologists? o Is there a cost for their services? · Does the clinic have a website and a messageboard and or chatroom available for Lap Band patients to access?

lottacash That is great if you don't need a fill just yet. When you do start, start slowly because it was a surprise to me after my first fill to have restriction. As you heal and become more familiar with the band, your eating will slowly increase. When you get to around 1200 calories a day and find it difficult to get under that, I would then start thinking about the fill. The rule I was told was " when you are losing weight maintain the fill level" and when you are not losing for a few weeks, "then get a fill". But I would suggest you go with small amounts at first. The average first fill is 4 to 5 ccs then slowly increased to an average of 6 - 7 ccs depending on the band of course. Really happy you are doing so well.

Hi: You have confirmed in my mind that Dr. Woodhead is a good surgeon but does not yet think of himself in "private practice". I get the very distinct impression that once you are on his patient list you are a patient with all the rights and privileges MSA patients get. He expects to see you on a regular basis and if an emergency arises to call his emergency line like all his other patients. The problem is some of us after paying thousands of dollars expect priority and don't like to wait in line. My comments do not include your emergency call. I am referring to fills and defills. He gave me the impression he wanted me to go slowly and not overfill. Each time I see him if I have lost weight, he congratulates me but does not offer more fill. I really like that. Sure hope your journey is smoother in the future.

lottacash. Good for you for speaking up. I will be interested in knowing if the afterservice improves. I have been putting Dr. Woodhead as a doctor to see and if there are issues, I would also like to state them as well. Everyone has a different experience with their surgeons or doctors for that matter some good some not so good, but I still think having a doctor in the local area that you can drive to is better than having to fly a great distance for assistance. Just getting a fill is not the only thing that happens as you can attest. I was told by my clinic that taking aspirin or tyenol could create problems with the pouch that is why they recommended liequid prescriptions or crushable. I am so glad you have solved the problem and your journey will now go along uneventful.

Unfortuantely, this is getting to be the norm. The demand is great and doctors are doing the band with little or no thought to the importance of followup. My clinic has become so overwhelmed that they are speedily making a bad name for themselves when it comes to patient followup. Emails go unanswered, telephone calls not returned, messages saying something will be done and it isn't, new programs set up but long time banders not notified, on and on and on. Dr. Woodhead has always been very good to me, never rushes when I see him but when someone has just had surgery and having difficulties he should be available. Has he been told of your difficulties in getting to him? I sure hope so, because nothing will be improved if he is left in the dark thinking he is doing OK. Hope you are doing better now.

Well I saw on TV a food specialist talking about restuarant selections and believe it or not he recommended egg and bacon as the healthiest choices. So in the mornings we ate at Dennys and had the senior starter 1 egg, 1 slice of bacon. I ordered grained toast. For lunch, soup and salad For dinner stayed with the senior menu and ordered anything from Liver and onions to chicken breast with ceasar salad. I stuck with the small portions and once I felt the tightness I stopped. Had a great time and my confidence is sooooooo high now. Good luck on your first try back.