Sharpie

My daughter worked at the hospital in the OR with my surgeon and recommended him. I also had talked to a local lady who had the lapband years ago. She had my surgeon and loved him. He has done thousands of lapbands and has a great reputation. AS far as the statement by the sleever , the sleeve is the flavor of the week, everybody thinks it's great and they have to bash the band to make their point. I did not want 80% of my stomach removed or my intestines re-routed . My decision was mine, My Dr. did all of the surgeries but I chose the lapband. I had my band 2 1/2 years ago, I have not had one problem . I don't appreciate the band bashers .

I remembered the "Metabolic Centers" That was a place here where you could buy their shakes, puddings, etc. and weight in weekly. it was pretty expensive and it would work if you only had their Protein stuff. any variance would throw you out of whack . It was another failed diet on my part and if I had all of the money I have spent over the past 25 years or so on gimmicks and so called weight los programs I would be wealthy. The lapband was my last hope and 2 1/2 years later I'm still at my goal and living healthy. I hope I never go back to where I was.

You will do great Liz. I wish I was as thin as you are but I am okay with my port not sticking out. You cant even tell I have one except a small scar. I have had 3 fills and it hasn't been painful at all. I don't want more surgery either but think at some point I will have to have my apron done. am holding off as long as possible. Take Care and heal well.

I could not eat that if I wanted to. I haven't had a real burger in 2 1/2 years. I have grilled burgers and had just the burger no bun with lettuce and tomato on the side. Hubby and I went to a movie today and out to eat at Cedar River which is a seafood restaurant here, I ordered shrimp, slaw and some applesauce. I only ate about 4 shrimp a little slaw and a spoon full of applesauce. watching other people eat was amazing and I was one of the volume eaters, could out eat my husband and 6'4" son in law. but the portions are huge in most restaurants and it's obvious why Americans are obese. We live in the land of Plenty and most of it is plenty unhealthy for sure. Eating out is not my favorite thing because I can cook better than most of the restaurants . plus it's expensive. I am anxious to try Pannera Bread though it's supposed to be healthy. They just opened one up here. I heard their turkey chili is good. might have to go there next week.

Had a girl I hadn't seen in awhile come up to me and asked me if I was okay? Did I Have a serious health problem? I told her no I was fine. She had this look of concern on her face and said well I hope you don't have anything bad like Cancer. I said why would you ask that? she said you have lost soooo much weight. I had to tell her that I had weight loss surgery to prevent more serious health issues. She said oh I am so relieved and she is on the heavier side so I am not sure how she really felt about it. Sometimes we have to be honest and forthright with people even though initially I thought she was being rude. I think I look great and I feel great but for people who haven't seen me since I lost weight, it can be a shock. It is good to know she was worried I guess.

use a heating pad on your shoulder pain. liquid Tylenol helped me. I did not have to inject myself. I had that done in the hospital but I stayed overnight also.

honestly I was really sick of protein shakes by the time I got off of liquids . I was happy to eat regular foods. they say for a stall to up your protein .. I haven't had too many stalls but I increased protein and cut carbs. cutting too many calories will cause your body to get resistant to losing. Again once you have surgery you will get a guide from your surgeon and hopefully there will be nutritional counseling . my pre op diet did consist of protein shakes /or bars and one lean cuisine at dinner, it was around 1000 calories and I lost 10 lbs in the 2 weeks prior to my surgery.

after you have your surgery make sure you sit down with your nutritionist or your Dr. the amt of Protein should be 10% of the calories . Can be more but you might ask your Doc how much more. They advise to get in at least 60 grms protein a day and about 1200 calories . You won't get that much at first but after you start on real food you will be able to gauge it. I found muscle milk, pure protein and lean shakes by GNC are a pretty good ready made- I also do 5 grms or less of sugar. I have been banded 2 1/2 years and rarely use shakes . I sometimes use them if in a hurry.

I have never tried this particular one but it looks like it's a pretty good balance .. 100 calories for 15 gms Protein. it's over the 10% amount my nutritionist told me to look for and the sugar is low also. Are you already banded? or have you had weight loss surgery? I couldn't tell by your profile. check with your nutritionist if you have one but it looks relatively good.

sometimes people want to compliment but don't know how. I think he probably meant well but didn't have the finesse that you expected. Don't be angry for long, just remember to forgive and forget. It's part of the process I think as well transform from former obese people . I know I am not as sensitive as I was when I was heavier. I hope you become friends with the couple if only for the sake of your kids. There are many people in my life that I didn't really want to hang out with but because my kid was involved with their kids I made a effort to be cordial. Pick your battles wisely there will be plenty of them in the future.

Not sure I would drink alcohol at this point but I'm sure your Doctor would be the best person to ask. I know at 3 weeks out I probably couldn't have drank if I wanted to. I might have opted for a fruit juice or Water with lemon .

final word on this.. I love it when Sharon Osborne who actually had weight loss surgery now pimps for Nutrisystem. also Jenny Craig is another nasty food at a high price. Actually Weight Watchers was the best nutritionally sound program I was on but after I went to meetng after meeting and nobody seemed to be losing weight I got discouraged and quit.

oh I forgot I also went to a "diet" Doctor. took B12 shots, was prescribed fastin (speed) and they sold diet products like Cookies and chips and shakes.. The fastin made me hyper, mouth was constantly dry and I ended up losing about 25 lbs but as soon as I stopped going to the very expensive Dr. I gained it all back and more. None of those so called diets worked, what has worked is the band that stops me from overeating and has changed my outlook on food. I still have a few times that I eat sugary foods but it's short lived and I am back on track the next day.

HCG female hormone (I did the homeopathic) ate 500 calories a day for 21 days then had to do a maintenance phase where you could eat more calories.. I lost weight but felt so deprived I went nuts after a few rounds. Lost 50 lbs , gained back all plus more. I had no energy and lost hair. They stopped selling it in the US but I was able to get it through the internet.

I have bc/bs of fla. but it's a medicare supplement and my surgery was paid for by them and medicare but that was before Obamacare became the law of the land. I have heard from others that had to go on it that they cannot get bariatric surgery but I'm not sure if that is the case all over. Insurance companies love it because they can just collect money each month and exclude things they don't want you to have. I hope you can get it resolved .

You might be surprised how well you do. The main thing to remember is stay hydrated, even if you have to sip slowly, make sure you get plenty of liquids.. Also walk as much as you can and if you get the shoulder gas pains, use a heating pad it really helped me. Important to remember that you did have surgery, take it easy don't overdo and follow your Doctor's instructions. Best of luck to you and I hope you have a good recovery. For problems with constipation, use milk of magnesia or good ole prune juice.

had my band at age 66, medicare and BC/BS paid 100%. I have had fills for the past 2 years and follow up appts as needed. no out of pocket. I haven't had any complications with my band but hopefully if I do I can have a revision or another surgery . I doubt I would get 80% of my stomach removed but depends on my state of health and mind at the time. I am enjoying a new lifestyle of mobility and good health. I am diabetes free, normal blood pressure and normal cholesterol levels in many years.

I would go back to the original surgeon and get a referral. You might want them to do a barium swallow so they can see how your band looks. I am glad you got out of your relationship and can now focus on you. I think once you get a fill and start back on your plan you will do well. Hope is never lost and it's never too late.. I sometimes get discouraged but I come here for support and I also watch the 600 lb life shows to see how brave and courageous those folks are and through all of their struggles they keep fighting. I am hoping you will be successful as well.

had my band surgery 1/15/13. only issue I had was some nausea while in hospital which I attribute to pain meds. they have always made me sick. stayed one night, went home next day. scars are minimal can't hardly see them now. cannot feel port or band at all. eating slowly and chewing well has been challenging but old habits die hard. I have reached my goal and feel wonderful. I can and will get stuck and slime or pb if I eat dry or reheated foods. Otherwise I can eat what I want but I get the signal to quit. I am hoping my band last forever but if it doesn't I will probably either have another band or go without. I am afraid of bypass or sleeve. too drastic and too permanent . My husband had esophageal cancer and after chemo and radiation lost a tremendous amount of weight. if he had 80% less of a stomach or re-routed intestines we would not have been able to keep him from having malnutrition. so, since I had that experience I don't want to take that chance. Everyone has to take their own journey and for some the bypass or the sleeve works great. Regardless of how you do it , improving your health is always a good thing. Since being banded I am so much healthier , no more diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure and a lot more mobility. Do what is best for you and your situation.

refried Beans with cheese or sour cream was always a go to for me.

funny story about coffee.. went to my lapband doc prior to surgery and was discussing the rules. told him I heard we couldn't have coffee if we had lapband or wls. I told him at my age I didn't have a lot of things left that I enjoyed , like eating, smoking, drinking, or sex (lol). If I had to give up my coffee that was a deal breaker.. he laughed a lot and said I guess you can have coffee. I usually just drink a cup in the morning but I so look forward to it and then every now and then in the afternoons. so, I haven't had any issues with it and I don't intend to give it up .. Glad he told me it was okay.

Oh Liz I am so happy for you. I would love to go to England one day and Ireland. they are both on my bucket list. How awesome you must feel going from practically immobile to walking everywhere and now traveling England.. Wow what an accomplishment. So very proud of you and yes the lapband works and I am hoping you and I will have ours forever. I too miss some of the old banders.. Catfish, Carolina girl, Missy, Too much fun, are a few that come to mind. But, people move on and continue with life sometimes and probably don't need as much support anymore.. I still peek in to follow some of you and I am so excited to see how well we are doing. I do get to go to Alaska this year finally. had it booked last year, husband had a major heart surgery and cancer so we had to cancel. This year has been better and I think he will be good to go.

I am so looking forward to our Panera bread opening soon. I know I will like their turkey chili,, actually Wendy's isn't that bad for you if you get the small chili it's not bad and has a good amount of protein. I also love chic fil a chicken tortilla Soup in the winter (they only sell it then.). I try to stay away from fried stuff as much as possible. my husband loves anything fried. bet I could fry a shoe and he'd eat it.

Thanks LIsa. I am thankful that I was healthy and able to be at their wedding.. My new Grandson is serving in Omaha in the Airforce and my Grandaughter is going to attend the University of Nebraska in the Fall.

I have sat alone at night in front of the tv and ate a gallon of ice cream.. I ate until my tongue was actually frozen. then I would hide the container in the outside garbage so my husband wouldn't see it. I would fall into bed in a coma and was almost lethargic the next day. That kind of slobbery is what made me decide to have my lapband surgery.