snowbird

Raising taxes is better than bankrupting the country by spending money the government doesn't have. That pushes the burden onto our children. by the way, the war is what is draining all of our funds. Stopping the war will free up a lot of money.

You might want to get a second opinion on that before you spend the money. Just saying.

My doctor didn't have a mushie stage, so I don't know exactly what you are allowed. I did a clear liquid stage for a week, then what my doc called a "full liquid" which included cream soups, pudding, yogurt without fruit, and things like that. Sometimes I put a little instant mashed potatoes in the broth to give it body, but keep it liquid. Check the sugar content on some of the things you are having, like the protein drinks and popsicles. Sugar will give you severe hunger pangs, so I tried to keep it to near zero at that stage. Good luck! You will live through it, though sometimes it doesn't seem so!

I'm kind of with julie on this one. I don't stop eating with my band when I "feel full." I stop when I feel like I'm going to start hiccuping and puking all over the table if I keep eating. If I eat too much, I DO start hiccuping and puking. So much for "feeling full." Sometimes doctors like to blame patients when they don't know the real answer.

Well, wait a minute. I am a happy bandster who used a Mexican surgeon, but doddie is right. make sure you have those things worked out ahead of time. It will save you aggravation and panic later. In some areas of the country it is harder than in others to find doctors who will help Mexican patients. I can get fills near home and I can easily travel back to Tijuana, so I don't have a problem, but some people might.

The band won't stop you from eating when you're bored, but it will limit the amount you eat. It will definitely stop you from eating when you are full. You get unpleasant consequences from eating too much, and it cures you of the desire to keep going when you are full. A couple of episodes of puking the excess back up pretty much cured me. We went out to lunch for Mexican food today, and I ordered a chile relleno and a side of Beans. I ate half the relleno and 1/4 of the beans. Before my band, I would have ordered a big combination plate and eaten it all.

I had 81 lb to lose. Sure, I could lose it without surgery. After all, I've done it three times before. But that's the point. I can't keep it off. Also, my weight was headed up. I weighed 226 when I made my appointment for surgery. I had gained 35 lb in the past year and a half, after losing 65 pounds the old fashioned way. I couldn't stop the weight gain, even though it drove me to tears. Why should I have waited until I gained back the last 30 lb before doing something that has a chance to get me off this stupid roller coaster for good? Now, when someone comes on here and says, "I want the band because I have 25 lb I can't lose" I tend to have the same reaction as the OP's. But maybe they know the same things about themselves as I knew about my weight history, so who's to say?

There's physical recovery, and then there's mental/emotional recovery. Do you really think (not feel at the moment, but THINK) that the enjoyment of eating outweighs feeling healthy and good about yourself, and looking much better? I never see anyone come on this board and say, "I've lost 100 lb and went from a size 22 to a 6, lowered my blood pressure and cholesterol, but I miss pigging out so much I'm going to have my band removed." Believe me, you are suffering the emotional effects of surgery and probably are also going through some "food love withdrawal" but you won't feel the same way when your weight starts dropping. Really, why do you wish you were hungry? When you made the logical decision to have the surgery, you WANTED to stop feeling hungry. Think about it and realize that your mind and your emotions are not the same thing, and your mind can say "yes" and your emotions say "no" until you get them in line. You'll feel better in a few days!

My daughter has been banded 20 months and has lost about 128 lb, but she takes time off from the band once in a while and then goes in for a fill to resume her weight loss after several months of no losses. The beauty of the band is that it is adjustable, so take advantage of it and get back on the bandwagon.

We just went down to TJ for fills and dental work, which we have done several times. We walk across the border and take a cab to the clinic. If you go with a good clinic (like my surgeon's--I will recommend him as I have always been very happy with their services) they pick you up at the airport and do all the transportation to the clinic and hotel, and there is nothing I have ever seen in my numerous trips there to scare me, other than the cabbie's driving! I do think you can do better for a surgeon choice, and not just with mine, either.

Grace, why do you say that? If she is vomiting black stuff it could very well be blood and she could very well be in danger. Don't minimize this kid's concern; it may be justified.

Not looking for a surgeon or fill doctor, but a gp. I'm already banded and very happy with my surgeon and his clinic. Thanks for trying to help, though!

That's a real shame that after going through the pain and expense of surgery you are not having any success with it. I'm sorry if I came across as talking down to you, but some people haven't done enough research to understand how the band works. You obviously are not in that position. It does sound like you have a leak, and maybe an infection. I liked my surgeon in Tijuana, but that is a long way from you, if you are in Texas. There is another excellent surgeon in Mexicali, but that's still far away. Again, I would suggest you go on your state's forum under the Local Lap Band Support Groups and maybe someone knows of a doctor who could help you that wouldn't be very expensive and would be close to you. So sorry!

Chili. We were in Laughlin, Nevada for a mini anniversary trip, and i ate less than half of the cup of chili I ordered.

Fear can be your friend !

This is actually a quote from Doctor Ortiz: Liquid phase is three weeks is 21 days Yes you will hear that some patients did less days of liquids and nothing happened. Well wait until six months have passed and you find yourself struggling with more band adjustments and not feeling the restriction. These patients enlarged their pouch. Once the harm is done it won’t show up imediately, but it will hinder your weightloss and you may never reach your goal. Now I ask you is it really worth it? By the way the only way to correct pouch enlargement is through surgical repair.

You aren't going to feel any problem with eating at this point, but it is very bad for you. The band has been stitched into the outside of your stomach. Eating solid foods causes your stomach to move and work. You may damage your stomach by eating too soon. According to my doctor, many slips and erosions are caused by patients eating solid food too early. Please stop!

TXXANGEL, Why do you think the hives are band related when they appeared a year after you were banded? Are you allergic to anything else? Are you taking any medications? Has your diet changed? I developed hives suddenly last summer after eating some blueberries from South America. Who knows what was sprayed on them! In other words, it could be anything you recently came in contact with. Have you had any fills? What do you mean exactly, when you say the band has never worked? Are you talking about your appetite? Your ability to eat? Again, what is your fill history? Bands don't work unless they are filled. (except very, very rarely) I'm not familiar with your doctor, but usually there is some aftercare included in the price of your banding. Did you discuss this with him at the time? If you don't like him and he is going to make you pay anyway, you might want to look for another doctor. If you haven't seen any doctor since the time you were banded, it is no wonder things aren't working out for you. You might want to try the Local Support thread for your area to see if anyone has suggestions on another doctor near you. Hope you are feeling better soon!

It's normal to go into a bit of depression after any surgery, due to the stress on your body. You do need to ask yourself, do I really want to continue with an unhealthy body and an unhappy mind due to my obesity, just so I can have the pleasure of overeating, or do I want to take charge of my life, my health, and my body? In a few days you will be feeling better physically and mentally, and at that time that question won't be a hard one.

Doctors differ on coffee. Mine says it is fine in moderation, so I have two cups a day. It does dehydrate you, so I'm just sure to drink plenty of other liquids throughout the day.

Isn't it great to have your own little support group within the family! My daughter was banded October 2006, and my husband and I October 2007. Now our daughter has a new boyfriend who is banded too, as well as HIS mother. Our son is the only one who doesn't know what we are all talking about now. I have heard of some of the RN's here doing their own emergency unfills, but I don't know about fills. We go back to Tijuana for ours, although I have thought if trying Mexicali if I don't feel like driving all the way to Tijuana. Good luck and welcome!

Are you in an area where you can ride a bike? It's great exercise, gets you outdoors, and can give you a great sense of accomplishment and wellbeing. I started riding a couple of years ago, and now I try to do 12 miles a day--about an hour. It definitely helps the weight loss. When you figure that's about 500 calories burned, you can see why it makes such a difference. Plus, I feel so good when I come in that I avoid food because I want to see the results of my work. I know I didn't like the idea of everybody seeing the fat chick on the bike, but I'm not doing it for their view; I'm doing it for myself.

You might want to invest in a pair of lightweight dumbbells and look online for some exercises you can do sitting down. You don't need a lot of expensive equipment for these exercises, and they can do wonders for your upper body strength and muscle tone.

My feeling on the pre-op diet versus every other time I've tried to diet, was that it was doable because it was for a specific period of time, not just a feeling that I had to deprive myself for the rest of my life. It has an end date you can look forward to, and you can count down the days you have to keep doing it. Kind of a different place mentally for me, so I was able to stick with it and lose 19 lb pre-op. Besides being good for the surgery, it is a great kick-start to your life as a bandster and starts you on your way to losing weight after surgery.

Sounds like your doctor is more attuned to gastric bypass patients rather than bandsters. Lap band is not a malabsorptive procedure where nutrients are prevented from naturally reaching your body, the way gb is. I take a daily Vitamin capsule and a couple of chewable calciums since I'm past menopause, but I would be doing the same if I weren't banded.