aubrie

I typically don't have a problem with steak. A good quality juicy one..... But chicken breasts and pork chops? I tend to have to really work at them. the texture of the meat is different. It's almost like it swells the longer you chew it. It evolves into a nasty ball. I guess it's just to dry. I LOVE steak. Thank God I can eat it. I got stuck on my first bite of pork chop last night, but two nights ago I ate a good hefty steak. Go figure. I know what you're saying. It puzzles me too.

I put my arms up over my head and walk around and tap on my sternum. sometimes it helps and I can feel the offending item kerplop into my stomach. Other times I just suffer it out. I try to give my tummy as much room as possible. Sometimes if I try to force a burp it helps too. I'm so sorry. I was stuck last night. I don't get stuck often and have never PBd. But I got my third fill last Friday and things are a little more difficult these days.

LOL!!! that is hilarious!! what a creative mind. To bad I don't have any money to invest. All mine is in my gas tank!!

And I've had the opposite happen. After being constipated and miserable, I felt like I had to go and went flying to the bathroom. I let er rip and all that happened was a lot of hot air. What a disappointment!!! LOL

The support goup that I was required to go to was 95% bypass patients. There were only 2 lap banders. The Bypass people were actually militant and RUDE about my choice of a band. They did EVERYTHING they could think of to sway me, and I was having none of it. I complained to my doctor and he said to KEEP GOING and prove them wrong. And that's exactly what I've done. Matter of fact, I'm even more successful than a few bypass people on my weightloss. Now I just want to go and stick out my toungue and say, Nanny nanny poo poo, you were wrong...... they all insisted that I wouldn't lose anything. Now when the new people come and clap at my weight loss, I tell them PROUDLY that oh... by the way I'm a bandster, you CAN lose weight with a band, and I have no side issues with it what so ever. I've changed a few minds needless to say..... My doc just grins. He's kind of made me the poster child for lap band at the support group and I don't mind one bit. Some of those poor people look HORRIBLE!!

My surgeon gave me a nausea patch to put behind my ear before surgery. It's good for several days, so even the ride home was not a problem. He's an angel and I'm thankful that he did it. He gave me an extra one for when I got home, so I didn't expereince any nausea what so ever. But I guess it must be normal or common since he gave me the patch automatically.

Jodi.... this must depend on the brand of milk and how they process it when they remove the fat, because the brand of milk I buy at my grocer's has a marked difference in the amount of carbs. the more fat, the less carbs and visa versa. But it makes sense that each brand may play with the ingredients to get the desired taste for their brand. How wierd. I'll start looking at the other brands and see how they measure up. this entire thing has never been brought to my attention before nor did I even realize it was an issue. thanks for answering me and bringing the difference to my attention. My surgeon recommends milk. Funny how they are all different as well..... For my age, he says I need the Calcium to lower chance of osteoporosis, and is healthy for weight loss. He is not a supporter of "no carb" diets.

After 7 months, I've discovered that my stomach just makes wierd gurgling noises and that it doesn't necessarily mean they are hunger growls. Now that I have less belly fat, it seems I can feel and hear it??? I don't know. But I'm slowly figuring out the difference between the two. Hunger growls are rare. Gurgle, squishy, liquid noises are more common. It's wierd what you discover when you are more in tune with your body.

Okay, so you lose your weight and get of fthe "sprinkles". You're so used to having over flavored, super enhanced food, that normal flavored food will taste like shit, and you won't enjoy it anymore. what a shame!!! Ever eat a perfectly ripe, cold peach on a hot summer day? Where it runs down your elbows and you're in heaven? That's a healthy pleasure in life. One of the things I've noticed since being banded, is how much better food tastes. You have to slow down to eat, instead of shoveling the gobs in your mouth, and actually get to TASTE it. When you do indulge in a restricted food, you appreciate it. why take that away? If enhanced flavor helps you lose weight, then I'll have to say that being banded does that for me. What I do eat is REALLY enjoyed and I don't need "sprinkles". I have reservations about making foods taste super salty and super sweet anyway. Neither of which is good for you in the real world. So to match that effect without sprinkles you are setting yourself up for high blood pressure and insulin dumps you don't need. whole thing sound silly and irresponsible to me....

I'm GLAD I don't get aggressive fills. I'm learning to eat with the help of the band, and not depending on the band and having to deal with PBs, vomiting, and not being able to eat a lot of foods. To me that is not quality of life, and I'm in this for my HEALTH and quality of life. Vomiting daily, is not what you should be experiencing. That's trading one eating disorder for another as far as I'm concerned. I've heard of to many people tossing up their food just to lose an extra pound a month. I've had three fills in 7 months, so no, I don't think my doctor is trying to make a quick buck off of me. He is SUPER nutrition conscious and I'm grateful for that. I am not self pay, I have insurance, but he is out of network for me, so there is a bit of a cost involved, and I have a $400 deductible. I wouldn't say he's conservative in the amount he puts in, that's in the average range, but is more conservative in how often he does it. I've lost close to 60 pounds in 7 months, so I'm happy with that.

Before banding I used to go religiously every day, sometimes twice. since banding it is a constant issue that I have to watch. I take MOM if it gets to bad. three or more days. but my doc recommended a few ounces of prune juice at bed time, and also to eat 3 or 4 grapefruit sections a day. The sections must be peeled so there is no pithy skin attached to get caught in the stoma. It's hard to chew. So far that has worked like a charm. it's been difficult to get used to the change. I also have more gas than I used to, so I can't do metamucil or anything. That gives me so much gas I double over crying in pain. whole foods work best for me.

A week after surgery, your clothes won't be tight anymore.....Since you'll be on clear liquids, you'll drop weight like crazy.

Good lord!! It sounds like they didn't even look at your chart. I've been to doctor offices before where the receptionist took a lot of liberties that she shouldn't have. Some of them think just because they work in a medical office, that they can give advice. Make certain that the person you talk to on the phone is a nurse. I had contact lens problems once and called the doctor. The woman on the phone instructed me to gently press on the outside of my eyelid and squeeze my eyes shut. She said it sounded like I had air trapped under my lens. I did, and damned if the lens didn't fall apart in a bunch of tiny little pieces and float around in my eye. I had to go in and have them removed professionally by the doctor. It turned out she wasn't even trained or educated. She just answered the phone and set appointments. She got in a LOT of trouble. I thought she was a nurse. Next time you call, ask for the nurse first. I'm just so thankful you said something in time!! good for you.

Liquids in, liquids out did NOT apply to me. I was so constipated after surgery, I called the doctor in tears 6 days later and in pain!!! Sorry I can't relate to the loose poo, but I really think you overdid it going back to work. Take care of yourself!!! You just had major surgery. I was out for 10 days, and still could have used a couple more.

I would just return the question with another question... "Why would I want to remove my appetite supressant and gain all the weight back, when i worked so hard to get it off?" Maybe when they realize it was a dumb question to begin with, they'll stop asking..... :smile2:

nat36... Have you told your doctor this????

OOooopsie.... I posted further up. I had a bit of trouble with dinner last night. I got stuck on tiny bits of meat. I've never had that happen before. the few times I've ever been stuck were from eating to big a bite and not chewing. I didn't PB and got through dinner, but it took me an hour to eat. A lot of it went in the trash. That is a new experience for me. Time to reassess my eating habits again!!! I think I may have good restriction now. Before I didn't have much at all. I'm not getting sick, or gurgling, so I guess that's a good thing.

Yes, that's fairly accurate. You don't get fills during or immediately after sugery because you are healing. The band is stitched in place so it doesn't slip. All that has a healing process. Gettiing a fill would irritate it and slow the healing process. The fills are progressive for a reason. One, you don't want to get sick or lose to fast. the other is that there is a fat layer around the outside of your stomach. As you lose weight, that fat layer decreases in size which causes your band to loosen. As a result, you feel less restriction. the fill helps fill up the space left by the lost fat. Does that make sense? Aggressive fills are painful and not very healthy. You would end up vomiting a lot and being miserable. Dehydration from not being able to take in liquids would also be a problem. who wants to go to the emergency room for an I.V. drip? Not me. So, it all goes in a progression as your body adjusts and your eating habits change. My first fill was 3 cc in a 10 cc band. 2nd fill was 1 cc and my third fill was 1 cc. I already had .5 in there from surgery when he tested it for leaks and emptied it, so I have a total of 5.5 cc. My doctor is not aggressive with fills. I'm 7 months out and have only had 3 fills. all doctors are different, but I'm very happy with him not rushing it and making my life miserable.

Fills are a progression. If you fill to quickly, you'll get sick a lot and lose to fast. That's not the point with the band. You must have time to transition to your new eating habits. Old habits don't change overnight. Neither do your eating habits. Be patient. It's all for a good reason. I just had my third fill last Friday, and it's the first time I've really felt good restriction. Despite that, I still lost 57 pounds. I changed my eating habits. Hang in there. It will all work out.

I just had my third fill to 5.5 cc last Friday. I didn't feel it until last night. WOW what a difference. I would have to say a teaspoon was my previous bite size. NOT LAST NIGHT. I had microscopic bites of pork chop and salad and chewed until gross, and it still got stuck. I didn't PB, but it wasn't very pleasant. The only thing that went down easy was the butternut squash. Had two cups of coffee this morning before I tried to eat. The warmth helped so I got down my 4 oz. of cottage cheese without a problem. We'll see how it goes.....

yeah....the gas build up is a problem. I didn't notice it right away, but there is definitely a correlation.

Bypass surgery became an ethical issue for me. I couldn't, with any clear conscience, surgically remove and discard a perfectly good, functioning organ, that God blessed me with. Your stomach works just fine..... It was ME that wasn't functioning properly and I NEEDED to learn how to do that. The band gave me the tool to do so without chopping up the body God gave me. If my stomach was diseased, okay, but it wasn't. You cut out things like cancer, tumors, gangrene, cysts and fybroids..... Not your perfectly functioning stomach. I also agree with KDlee..... If I end up getting really sick down the road, I want every option available to me to fight it. ie: cancer.... And we're all mature and informed enough to know that your diet helps you fight cancer. I may need the extra nutrition someday. You never know. Why eliminate the options? Not to mention carrying a healthy child to term..... I'm no longer child bearing age, but many of you are. I COULD NOT without feeling horribly guilty and selfish, carry a child for 9 months with serious absorption problems associated with bypass. That's irresponsible and just plain cruel. If you choose to breast feed afterward, what kind of quality of milk would you have??? Poor babies......

I'm sure that's why they only recommend 5 days. Ketosis is the reason why I avoid the Adkins diet. I just don't think it's healthy long term. MANY of the people I know who did it, now have cholesterol problems months after jetting off of it. Good enough reason for me to avoid it.

**wink** Take them to a restaurant with you then present your card for child's portions!!! LOL then maybe they won't argue with you. either that or call the funny farm!!

Oh Crap!!! They came out way to small.... anyone know how to make these bigger??? they were so cute!