Doddie63

Oh! I should also say I live in North Vancouver, BC and know what you mean by feeling alone. Also, I couldn't eat anything but cottage cheese for two weeks and found it difficult, but not impossible. Call the clinic if it gets so bad you are going to break down and eat other stuff. They will give you some ideas that they allow only to patients having difficulty. Doddie

Kero. You are not out of the ordinary. You will find that all of us have gone thru the gauntlet of emotions. Even after as we struggle to change our old habits we go to the net for assurances from others that have experienced what we are going thru. There is always someone who can help. You wil be scared, happy, apprehensive, second guessing yourself but after you cross to the "other side" I would be very surprised if you don't join the chorus of "I wish I had done it sooner". You will also find the rare few that have complications and I believe you will find they still believe in the band. If you join the CanadianLapBanders (run by a TLBC nurse) you will get into the support group for the TLBC. Other clinic patients also belong. This website is excellent along with this one. Hope this helps. Keep posting and you will find support. Doddie

When I was put on a pre op diet, it was based on my weight. Some people were on the diet 3 weeks, I was two and I know of one person who was one week. The purpose of the pre op diet is to shrink the liver to allow the doctors more room to work around it. It is very fragile and can be damaged. Thus the importance of sticking to the diet. By breaking the diet, you make the work difficult for the doctor and maybe a bit more risky for you. I was told it didn't matter how much I ate as long as it was the prescribed drink/food. So if you are week and hungry, call your clinic and ask them what you can have to help you thru the hunger dizzyness. Doddie

Tulips. Hang on to that dear OB of yours. They are a rare flower in the medical profession. Doddie.

As I learned a long time ago, family members can be enablers and do so with a smug feeling they are only giving advice. But their adviced is hurtful, uninformed and dangerous. Stick to you guns and tell no one that might sabatogue your efforts. Your dad sounds like a typical doctor. Not many have much use for medical aids to loose weight. Maybe, someday, as we prove them wrong, the medical fraternity will come to realize they were wrong. Just look at the medical history and see how some things that were done in centuries gone by are no longer practiced today. Doddie.

Hi: I think with most of us when we deny ourselves the cravings become stronger. Have what you desire, but don't keep it in the house. Go and buy what you want, eat what you feel takes away the desire and then have the psychological uplift by having the power to throw out what you don't want. You can get a lot of this stuff at the bulk section in a grocery store. Buy only a little. Enjoy. Your weigh will still come off.Doddie

Hi Donna D. is correct. If you are from out of town, and able to take the fills as scheduled, make sure you don't take too much of a fill each time. I understand with th Fr. Midband, 6 - 8 ccs is the norm but I feel restriction at 3. I will try for 4 next week but as I am from Vancouver, I have too far to go if I made a poor decision. Doddie

Wecome to bandland. You will find the TLBC has a tremendous support system. Doddie

I had my band by Dr. Yau and in my humble opinion, he is very good at what he does. He is one of the pioneers that brought the band to Canada. The TLBC has a tremendous support organization for their clients in Ontario. I don't know the nurse you had, but their is one that left at the end of June who did not have good people/communication skills but the others seem OK. The fill nurse is very good at what she does and can be a bit short at time. On the whole, my experiences have been good and I would say without hesitation, that you have made a great choice. Doddie

I have eaten apples and would suggest your peal them. The pulp is very easy and chews down to a liquid fairly quickly. The skins could be a problem if you have a tight restriction. At this time, I can eat the skins. I also eat nuts such as cashew which chew down to a fine pulp as well. Doddie

Hey you two. How you think you pronounce words and how others hear you are two different things. I never thought I had an accent until travelling in the deep south. Everytime I said something I was immediately asked if I was English or Canadian. It was so funny, because here I was thinking the southern accent was strong but at the same time they were thinking what accent I had. LOL

Hi Argon: Forget Vancouver if you want a place to live cheep cheep. The rents and real estate have taken off and doesn't look much like things are going to eas off. We are one of the most expensive cities to live in but I here Calgary is catching up with us. Interesting reading your comments. I am finding it most frustrating to loose weight this time. I start the month at 265 and by months end I am 268. Net month I will start the month at 268 and be 265. Been this way for two months and getting pretty ticked off. Any ideas anyone.

I didn't have to worry about a bra. Got no boobs to speak of. LOL Doddie

I wore loose baggy gym sweats (try shorts in this heat) and tea shirt no bra. More importantly, take gas X and a pillow for the ride home. You will be given a pain killer prescription but I went to my local GP and he gave me a painkiller that suited my other prescriptions and my allergies. Doddie

Great choice great people, excellent doctor. Even though I am having trouble with getting my fills in BC, I would still go back to Dr. Yau. I am sure others would praise their doctors but Dr. Yau was one of the pioneers that brought the band to Canada. Doddie

Hi: Going to far away, can bring complications with the fills after surgery. Many doctors will not take on the after care of another surgeon. Many GPs, don't like to do the fills so unless you are prepared to fly back to wherever you had the surgery check it out carefully. So if you get stuck, you have the the upleasant choice of going to ER where the snarky doctors and nurses tell you that it serves you right for having a band done privately. If you want my outright advice stay in Canda close to home. Speaking from experience. Doddie

You are absolutely correct in deciding to go slow and easy with whom you tell. Everyone is used to us going on diets so that is all they need to know. "I am watching my intake and being successful". You are not required to give any details on how you do it. Doddie

Maybe there are on vacation?

Yes I whole heartedly agree, but my DH has always done his own. Now I think we will be looking at an CA. We are planning to claim my band costs next year so hopefully he will get a CA. I must admit, when you see the statistics about how many errors are made by professionals because of the complexities it makes one wonder about the people who make up the rules. All I know, over the years, he has had no problems with his work so hopefully I can convince him to let others have the headache. Doddie

Whats with telling people? Why do we have the need or compulsion to do this. One simple word when people make nice comments about loosing weight is "Thanks". Bad comments get bad comments back. Sort of like when people say "Good Morning how are you" your don't respond with "well I had a bit of whatever etc". We usually respond "Good Thanks" . The less said the better. If I want to discuss my weight, I do it with my doctor, DH that's it. Anyone else is out of the loop. I have had too many experiences in the past when I opened up and talked. Not good. Doddie

Relax. The weight will come. Right now you must concentrate on following the rules to allow yourself to heal and the stitches around the band to build up scar tissue to anchor it solidly. I can only suggest what I have been doing. I forgot about the scale and concentrated on changing one bad habit. It take 3 weeks to change a bad habit if you are consistant in practicing the good one. Once you feel in control then start on exercise that you like. By then you should have your fill and can start measuing your food. The full feeling is almost the same with everyone. You feel a pressure in your throat like a marble is caught there. If you eat more, the pain begins. You must stop when you feel the "marble". If you don't you probably will have to PB. Hope others will give you some advice but this is the course that I have been taking. Doddie

Maybe your are right. But over a year we ran into an unbending burocracy that quoted the rules over and over again and would not budge. For instance, they clawed back his OAP and when he proved it was their fault, they would not reimburse the money they took. They told him he had lost it forever even though it was their fault. It was only constant visit to the office and forcing the issue we got a manager to tell him how he could get his OAP arrears back. It was the end of that year, my DH had a stroke shortly after he got the zero balance. I have no love for the CRA

So far, I haven't lost enough weight for anyone to notice, however, the ones that know I have the band keep asking me "how do I feel" as if I am about to die. My family GP shows no interest in whether or not I succeed even though when I told him, he told me he would support me. Ha! he doesn't even weigh me. The only support I get is from my husband and the two support groups I go to. Doddie

I just wish and hope, I will ever be small enough to wear a bikini. LOL

Take it cool susansilver. I had my 2nd fill only in June. It took two weeks before I felt restriction. I haven't followed the fill schedule as given by the TLBC because frankly I couldn't afford to fly back to TO, but I have found after the first and 2nd fill, it took about two weeks for me to feel a tighter restriction. We are all different so wait and see. Doddie