piercedqt78

Dr. Pleatman in MI has a great set rate, he is a member here so I am sure you can find more about him if you do a search. ~Mandy

I have a glass of ice cold water, it not only makes my band too tight to actually eat any junk food but sometimes it fools my body into beliving that I have snacked. ~Mandy

I am at 1.6 in a 4cc band. I was overfilled at 2.0 but just removing .4 was a major relief. It also depends on the size of the band, different bands hold different amounts of saline. ~Mandy

I just want my tummy and breat lifted. My arms are not too bad, they were never big to begin with, the little sag that is there can be filled with muscles. My tummy is already hanging and my boobs were sagging from the baby 4 1/2 years ago. I can live with saggy boobs but the tummy has to go, I have to tuck it into my pants now. I know, I know Too Much Info. ~Mandy

Make sure you cook veggies thourghly and you should be fine. I have problems with broccoli from restaurants but at home I have no problems at all. I steam it with a bit of lemon juice and some Mrs. Dash and it is great. I eat loads of beans as I am not a huge meat eater. You can also have soy meat replacements they have tons of protein and most of them taste great. Do you eat eggs? Dairy? Both are good sources of protein. Also fish if you eat it is good for you all around. I have a banded friend that is vegan (sp?) and she has no problems with her nutritional needs at all. Good luck with whatever you decide. ~Mandy

Also try blending the protein shakes with ice. It makes them thicker and will fool your body into believing it is getting real food. I also ate my broth with a spoon from a bowl, it helped me to think it was real food. I added a few instant potato flakes to my broth and that helped too. Most chinese take out places will make egg drop soup without the eggs. It is a nice thick chicken broth and it really fills you up. I know it feels like forever but one day you will look back and this will all be a blur to you. I was banded July 28th of this year (Just hit the 5 month mark and I am am half way to goal) I can hardly remember my post-op diet. Seems like ages ago. It does get better. ~Mandy

I order a kids meal and if it comes with fries or a bread stick I request that it be left off the plate all together, not substituted for anything else. I try to stick with grilled chicken or a burger with no bun. I can't eat fries or rice at all and don't do well with broccoli so I skip most side dishes. I will sometimes order mashed potatos with no gravy but for the most part I have the meat and maybe a bite of hubby's baked potato and I am done. If there is nothing good on the kids menu don't be affraid to ask for a half portion or ask the wait staff to wrap half before it comes to the table. I have also asked for a box or doggie bag before my meal arrives. At home, I have always dished meals in the kitchen and we eat in a dining room. I eat off of a saucer and never go for seconds. Everyone in the family is less tempted to over eat if the food is in another room. This worked when I was in OA and still works now. ~Mandy

pcos is poly cystic ovarian syndrome

There is a product called elamax you can get it at the pharmacy, usually behind the counter. It is around $12-$15 a box but it works wonders. I use it on my daughter before she has to get shots and she has even slept through them. I also used it on her ears before getting them pierced and she didn't even flinch. She was 2 1/2 at the time. If you can get emla cream it is really good too but harder to fine. There is also a product called hurricane that is the highest lidocane allowed by law without a prescription. I talked to my doctor about a script for that new cream that prevents the hiar from growing back, he says it works but my insurance won't cover it. It is called vaniqa and here is a link to walgreens information about it: http://www.walgreens.com/library/finddrug/druginfo1.jsp?particularDrug=Vaniqa&id=17148 ~Mandy

I am guessing that they charge that much knowing what the network allowance is so that they can write off the rest on their taxes? I spent the night and was in a major hospital and my bill was only $33,000 for everything. I paid around $500 in copays and such. My insurance paid about $17,500 so I am guessing the rest is written off and is tax deductable? ~Mandy

I can eat enough food to almost cover a small saucer. A normal meal for me is 3 or 4 oz of meat (about the size of a deck of cards) and a few bites of veggies. It is about 6 or 8 oz total. I can eat an order of pintos and cheese and the inside of a steak taco from taco bell. Tonight I had 6 shrimp and 3 bites of fish and I was full. I usually order a kids meal and have veggies instead of fries, I eat about half of it. I can eat about the same as my 4 year old daughter does. Does that help at all? ~Mandy

I didn't list bandages because I was told not to rebandage after the first 24 hours. I had glue not stitches or staples. I was told to let the bandages fall off in the shower and then let the area air dry. No ointment or bandages were needed. Make sure you ask the doctor what s/he wants you to do with your incisions. ~Mandy

CIB is carnation Instant breakfast. Here is my list for about to be bandsters:: lab-band shopping list heating pad flexible ice pack liquid tylenol (they make adult strength) chewable or liquid gas-x a few books or movies comfy clothes (loose waisted shorts or jumpers) squishy pillow for car ride (guard against seatbelt) a sports bra (doc said no underwire for a few days) protien shakes flavored water make sure you have a good blender I bought a drink mixer for the protien mix (cost $10 at walmart) broth or stuff to make broth sugarfree popsicles and jello sugar free gum (ask your doctor) sugar free breathmints (ask your doctor) *Ask at your pre-op for the pain med prescription so you can have it all ready to go when you get home, our walgreens has to order liquid pain meds and it takes 3 days to get them. ~Mandy

I have never had any problems with the shells on beans and I love black beans, they seem to have a really tough shell. I think as long as they are fully cooked you should be fine. ~Mandy

I take a liquid vitamin everyday. (ok, most days) My doctor says that it is a good idea but he really has never pushed the issue. I have a total blood work-up every 3 months for the first year and then every 6 months thereafter. At my last fill I was told liquids for the next 24 hours and then mushies, and then soft food, then regular food. I asked if I could have protein shake that same day, he said you can always have a low calorie protein shake. I am like many other bandsters, I can't eat solids before 11:30 or so but a protein shake makes a great breakfast. I will take a vanilla atkins shake and toss in a few ice cubes and some banana sugar free syrup and voila breakfast. I have a collection of sugar free syrups and make several shakes that my family loves, I have everyone drinking them now. I am not saying that my doctor is right or that anyones doctor is wrong, but I have lost 52 pounds in 5 months, I am not going to change what I am doing now. ~Mandy

Just a word of advice, now is NOT the time to make wedding plans. I know that you are in the process of planning a wedding and that can be really stressful. If you are healing and stressing over the wedding plans you will heal slowly. And some people (me, me, me) get really emotional after surgery, from the meds, the life change or the lack of food. Oh and sip, sip, sip. Then walk, walk, walk. That is the best advice for any new bandster. I hope you heal quickly and painlessly. ~Mandy

She is only in the main room, if you go to a different room she stays in the main room. ~Mandy

I wish I could take credit for that great list but I can't. Before I was banded I posted on here and ask what I would need. I simply keep a list and now offer it to anyone that is about to be banded. I used almost everything on the list and my healing was super easy. Best of luck to you, I hope your recover time is short and easy. ~Mandy

Make sure you tell him that some of those kisses are from LBT~Mandy

For dinner last night I had a Pintos and cheese and the inside of a steak soft taco from Taco Bell. That is about my normal amount of food at each meal. ~Mandy

I did a small chili from wendy's with some sour cream in a blender and it was enough for 2 or 3 meals in the beginning. It is loaded with protein and fiber. I also did spagetti sauce in the blender, and my favorite was guacamole. ~Mandy

When I was on mushies and "full liquids" I did wendy's chili and some sour cream in a blender, it looks gross but taste really good. I also added some V8 to thin the mix. If you have a Trader Joe's near you they have some great soups that are thin and have no pieces. I love the tomato and roasted red pepper, it taste like spagetti sauce and is very filling. You can locate a store at www.traderjoes.com They have lots of band friendly foods. ~Mandy

Wow is he ever cute. I just love babies, as long as they belong to someone else. That was a very Merry Christmas for your family. ~Mandy

I have 2: 1. I want to keep a neater house, that is hard with a 4 year old. 2. I will never abuse my body with food again, I am not saying that I won't have a cookie or dessert again, just that I won't make entire meal out of sugar or carbs. ~Mandy

The water in the mouth is the bodies way of helping the digestion process. If you spit it out it will be slimy (sorry to be gross), that is what we refer to as sliming. It also helps to protect the esophagus, acting as a lube to help get the food down or up. If I am stuck like that and I can't get it up by coughing, I drink a dixie cup of cold water, and whatever is stuck has always come up. It's gross, but better than being in pain. ~Mandy