Doxielover

I have only had one fill, so I am not an expert, but I don't think I am going to get another one just yet. I can eat everything and am loosing 2 lbs a week. I could probably loose more if I get a little tighter, but as long as the scale is going the right way I would rather loose at a good pace and eat a little bit of everything. Like Wasa said, it's only been two months for me, and already, I don't really care about food like I used to. I still oooh and ahhhh over somethings, but I truly don't crave carbs. I don't miss pizza, Pasta, potatoes etc. If you would have told me that 3 months ago I wouldn't have believed it.

:welcome: Dr. Mike! Thanks Wasa for getting us such an awesome specialist. I am only 3 weeks out, but i know this will affect me at some point, and it would be great if I could go to my doctors with some expert data.

Thanks Kat, I have been so emotional these past few weeks and that is not like me at all. Your answer really helped me and Rose thank you for asking the question because I though I was alone on this. I am an emotional wreck, I am happy I am loosing weight, but I will still cry at anything, and I mean anything.

Oops, I double posted instead of editing!

Hey Sweets! Hang in there, you only have max 4cc's in your band, assuming they put back in the first 3 they removed because you couldn't burp. I just started full solids yesterday, and I feel your pain! This time is for healing and practicing your eating habits, not for beating yourself up. When is your next fill scheduled for? Don't forget you are not alone, I haven't lost anything this past week, nothing, nada, zero, zip. I have been recording EVERYTHING I eat, making smart choices and exercising for at least 1/2 hour a day ((sigh)), I know it will come, just I want it to be NOW! Please don't hate yourself. Your time will come, just need to hit the sweet spot and all will be good. Good luck with your interview, let us know how it goes.

:welcome: Angy, I am from Ontario and the lap-band is not covered here. We can claim it on our taxes, but we do not get anywhere close to the $16,000 back. There is a Canada section that you can go through. There are many members from the west and they might have more information if it is covered by B.C. healthcare. I am happy you are doing your homework on the lap-band. I hope it is the right tool to help you reach your goals. Can you contact the better business bureau and see if there is something you can do about your curves contract? Maybe contact your credit card company as well.

:welcome: Mine was done by Dr. Cobourn in Mississauga. I had a lot of complications from a previous cancer surgery, so that is why I opted for him, in case I needed emergency aftercare. It was $16,000, it was done on August 15th and went off without a hitch. I am really happy with the aftercare too. They have fantastic nurses and a dietitian that follows up regularly. Here is a link to lapbandtalk's Canadian portion of the forum which has lots of great threads, I found it super helpful before I decided on the band and Dr. Cobourn.

Like life, the band is what you make of it. It is a TOOL and only a tool to help you achieve your goals. There are up and there are downs, but at the end of the day, once you have proper restriction and if you follow the rules you should loose weight. There is no exercise switch, you have to get up and move. There is nothing wiring your jaw shut (which is a feature I would love!!) so you still have to make smart choices about what you eat. It is not magic, but if you are willing to commit to it vs going on with your life as it is now, where will you be in a year? 50 lbs less? 100 lbs less? vs. at your same weight or more? If you need some re-assurance, this thread always works for me, I truly want to be able to post in there one day!. I know why I got the band, I couldn't take my life anymore, I could stand waking up in pain. I was self pay too and it was the best $16,000 I ever spent.

I am doing okay, I get to start 100% solids tomorrow I am sure I will put on a bit of weight before my fill, but I am sticking to under 1200 calories, so I am trying to be optimistic.

I would never tell my sister about my lapband. I know she would never have anything positive to say about it. So you are not alone have relatives who don't get it! Just try (I know it's hard) to be teflon when it comes to her comments. She clearly has some of her own self-esteem issues since she asks you if she should get a lap-band. And sometimes when you're down on yourself the easiest thing to do is lash out at someone else's confidence. The old, if I am miserable, I am going to make everyone else miserable too!

Hmmm, maybe there is more than one of me out there? I may have joined at one time, but it is not a board I am active in. But now you have me curious, so I am heading over there ASAP :eek: I didn't have to put on socks, they must have put the compression cuffs on me too, but they did put a sock like material on first (I guess for sanitation and comfort reasons) so I hope we are talking about the same thing.

I knew they were there for all of 2 seconds and then I was out cold :notagree:notagree:notagree:notagree:notagree But for those 2 seconds they felt really good. When I woke up in recovery they were gone. Are you spending the night in the hospital or are you in and out of a clinic?

For anyone interested as to how their dog food rates, here are some independent studies: Dog-a-ware Dog Food Analysis What's really in dog food?

Our clinic flushes the band on surgery day and leaves about 3cc's in it. You might want to phone your clinic and see if they do something similar and if so maybe they can remove all liquid until you heal. I am really sorry you are having to go through all this pain. I don't think 16 days of pain is normal, most of us are super hungry at this point. I would keep following up with your surgeon until you feel 100%

Here is a link from from e-medicine.com HERE. In section 3 of 11. I read their terms of use, so I didn't want to cut and paste the section - but there is lots of good information there.

Our Dr. said two weeks, but you might want to check with your doctor.

Did you ask your clinic? I think I read that at Dr. Cobourn's office they kept a couple boxes of each flavour to exchange incase someone didn't like a particular flavour. This goes back to January, but they still might - not sure who your surgeon is. Surgical Weight Loss Centre

Been there, done that! I did my "good-bye food" tour for two weeks before I started my 3 weeks of Opti-fast. The only good thing was I was so sick of food, that I actually looked forward to the break. Unfortunately, I put on 10 lbs that I had to work on getting off which made my journey that much harder. Just try to do your best, don't beat your self up if you have a bad meal, just hop right back on to plan, and make the most of the pre-surgery weight loss.

For me, it is dairy too! I haven't given it up yet, as I am trying to cut splenda , well all fake sugar as I am getting a rash and I think it might be caused from that. If my skin doesn't clear up soon, I will go back to the splenda and try giving up all dairy and see if that does the trick, as I know it will help my gurgling tummy issues.

My hubby is a total and complete geek and he falls into "normal" body weight. But yes, I do see my self doing a lot more physical activity as I loose weight, and things I would not even consider doing right now. Like riding roller-coasters, or going white Water rafting. These are things I want to do, but am limited because of my weight. But even at a normal weight, I don't see myself joining a soft-ball team. It is a super interesting question. I hope to have a great answer for you in two years

I was told no gum, and as far as I know that is forever. Like Michee said, it is an air issue, like carbonated soda.

OMGosh! I am so sorry this happened to you!! I hope you are well on the road to recovery and 130 lbs. I can't even tell you how much I hate hospitals because of incidents like that. I actually went code blue because nurses were ignoring my call button after my thyroid surgery. I know they must get a lot of annoying people buzzing it for nothing serious, but how would they know if they don't investigate?!? Take your hubby's advice, it is great that he loves you enough to worry about you (I have one of those too) -- just take as much Water as you can, but don't push anything.

I went for my 2 week check-up at Dr. Cobourn's office and met with Sue. She said I was doing awesome! I was really excited. We just went over some basic stuff, like I could go swimming, have a bath etc. She clipped one stitch that I had. Then we got to the topic of food. She said I could start on soft foods right away, which included fish. I practically yelled at the poor lady "can I have salmon sashimi?" She said yup, so that is what I had for dinner, I don't think I have ever been so excited. I told my hubby, that I think this is the first time I actually "tasted" it, because with each piece I took 5 little bites, chewed the heck out of it and put my chopsticks down in between. I know I don't have my first fill yet and I am technically still in "bandster's hell" but it has just been upgraded to purgatory. I am so happy that I did this, I already feel so much better. And I am on my way to Twoterville!

I was banded on August 15 and like you I am really starting to get my hunger back. I am following the rules with Protein etc. too. Just wanted to let you know you are not alone and I am in hell right along with you. Just keep up the good work...hey, if we could survive the pre-op diet, we can do this too!! I find just getting up and walking around for 10 - 15 minutes helps and drinking lots and lots of Water helps a bit too (not much, but a bit :girl_hug: )

What are your post op diet instructions? I just had my two week follow-up today and was given approval to move into the soft food stage now (which includes fish), but before that I was on liquids only. Your body is healing and that is where the pain is coming from. Follow your doctors instructions -- even if you drink 2000 calories and gain weight during this phase it is much more important to have only liquids than having smaller low calorie food which will involve you chewing and causing your stomach acid to work - this could affect your band adherence. If you are in serious discomfort, I would call your doctor and go for a follow-up.