WLSResources/ClothingExch

@@jintycb, to some of us, Kama Sutra is a way of life and serious biz. Please be respectful.

Double "S." If you need one, it's ripe for a mnemonic. You might base it on sugar or sweetness.

Age may slow the process for some "grown-ups," but you'll see that so many lose weight at a fast rate. No matter, you will lose weight at a surprising rate barring very unusual circumstances. A better question to yourself might be "What do I want from surgery?" If it is to lose weight and have a better chance at maintaining the weight loss than you've had in the past, you'll be way ahead of the game. It's too easy, given expected stalls and the possibility of behaving as a mere mortal, to be unthrilled if you include specific numbers in your goal. Follow the guidelines given to you by your surgery practice and you'll be in good shape. That maintenance is not a given bears mention. The sleeve will greatly minimize your capacity to overeat, which, in turn, helps maintenance. Maintaining, however, requires wise choices forever after. Too many people go in expecting no-effort maintenance because they know only what they want to know or believe; this, regardless of what they've been told and read along the way. Best wishes.

If you just had the procedure, it might be swelling around the incision. Your post isn't quite clear, but swelling is the only thing I'd be able to think of anyway. Grapefruit, huh? Quite something, or so it appears.

You'll find that quite a few people expect magic despite being told it doesn't work that way. They tend to hear or know only what they choose even when no one ever spoke of it. I'm glad you're not one of them. If you do cardio and strength training, in that order, they will help the weight loss along. They'll be good in many other ways, too.

Thanks for explaining. Having a band myself and not knowing that ports (the plural was puzzling) are used during bypass surgery, I just expected you were talking band. I'm glad you're going to consult another surgeon. You're not difficult; you're a person with accessories. All the best to you.

Keep doing what you're supposed to do and things will shake themselves up. I gather from being at BP that stalls, even early in the process, are expected. Question: Are you serious about having expected "magic" or is that a jest?

I saw smaller bottles a few years back in a local supermarket. Check the Torani website for ordering directly or for local availability. The size may have been about 14 oz., but I really can't say as I didn't buy; I was wanting the 25 oz.

You're under no obligation to tell co-workers. When asked, why not say, "Yes, I decided to change the way I eat so that I can take of the weight. I'm also exercising to help it along." Include the last part only of you do exercise. In either case you're being truthful.

I believe that you're feeling down for no good reason. You seem to be living with some misconceptions about band surgery and what follows. You're also contradicting yourself, if I understand what you're writing. I hope I can help you get to a better place. The first weeks after surgery are about healing from it, not about losing weight. That you lost seven pounds in the first four (is that it?) weeks is quite nice. Lost weight is lost weight. Most people don't feel that "a lot" has changed in the early days. For most, getting the band adjusted to the point where it is a good, working partner takes at least a few adjustments. It may also involve adjusting to remove Fluid. The process is more an art than a science. I know one person who reached his goal and has maintained it for many years with an empty band and never one adjustment. He is quite the exception. Even when a band is at optimal fill, it can change, either suddenly needing more or less saline. I have no doubt that this sounds discouraging to you, but better to know it now than never. In fact, all band people should be aware of this, among other things, from the very first. You say that your appetite and eating pattern has changed. This tells you that the band has begun to pick up steam. A good thing. You last weighed on 13 July, so you don't know what further loss you may have had since the seven lbs. As you seem to feel little control over matters now, I suggest that you try to eat meals on a regular schedule. It's also important to use a food tracker and enter everything. My Fitness Pal is popular and people say it's easy to use. I use the tracker at sparkpeople.com, a large website dedicated to health, fitness, weight loss and the like. It also has a fitness tracker. The site doesn't espouse surgery for weight loss, but I find that no problem. There are "teams" of people who have had surgery. Livestrong.com is a similar site. The amount of saline in an adjustment or in a band is meaningless on its own. What matters is having the amount that will, again, make for a good partnership. You're in good shape.

A food scale by all means. The answer to this question, however, is a matter of simple arithmetic. Look at that mischievous grin; the OP is testing us.

It's primarily a matter of common sense. It's easier to measure Soup by volume than ounces. I doubt that anyone anywhere measures it by weight. Salmon steak? Weight. Vegetables most often by volume. Chili? Volume. Follow the terminology in the printed guidelines you received from your surgery practice You'll be fine.

I believe that "eventually" contraindicates raw fish and shellfish as "soft foods now." Tough, rubbery and chewy don't qualify. Maybe later. My sympathies. I further believe that oysters on the half-shell and sashimi are reasons to live.

@@jintycb I was unaware of the acre and the marker. Thank you. As a Citizen of the United States, I Decree that each Man, Woman and Childe who treads on my Acre will tithe me 20 pence. Let he who Fails to Honor the Law of my Sovereign Acre know that I shall Annex the Kingdom and not one, but all its Horses. There, I feel better now.

To answer your question: Yes. And I did, though the circumstances were different. My band was placed on a Monday afternoon and I was scheduled to go to radiology the next morning for esophagram (a.k.a. "barium swallow"). I was fine for the rest of Monday sipping Clear liquids and whatever else I may have been given. Tuesday, though, the moment I tried to swallow the barium, it came back up. It was fortunate that my medical plan had required the overnight stay to qualify for coverage. For the rest of Tuesday I tolerated no clear liquids. I made liberal use of the self-administered painkiller thingie. My surgeon, whose reputation was solid, couldn't explain for sure, but thought that there was either internal swelling that would go down or that there may have been enough fat on the non-visible side of the stomach to make the band much too tight. She recommended waiting a couple of days to see if the problem self-corrected. On Tuesday my feeling was "Get this thing out of me and let me go home." By Wednesday, I thought, "After all this, there is no way in hell that I'm leaving this hospital without a band." Thursday afternoon came, but no improvement. The surgeon slotted us for the OR on Friday, when she replaced my 10CC-capacity band with a 14. It was great and I went home Saturday after a successful esophagram. As you say, the decision is yours and some of your comments lead me to suggest a couple of things. There were no grounds for you to have felt "humiliated." You did nothing to feel that way. You've waited more than three years to even consider new surgery. If you are leaning toward it -- and you seem to be, hence your being here -- by all means begin the steps. At the same time I think you can benefit if you see a therapist or even a life coach (not that I'm positive about what a life coach does) for a while before going into an OR. Sorting out some emotions and the past event may send you on your way with a positive outlook. It will, in turn, also prepare you to pass the psych eval. Deciding which surgery best suits your body and goals is another factor to explore. Clarify one thing, please. You imply that you have the band in place and that only the port is absent. Is that correct? Or did you just mean that you want to wake up in recovery with a proper surgery?

It's common to be irritable or worse for a few or several days or even longer. My solution 15 years ago was to let people know that I was in my first days without smoking. I also stayed away from people as much as possible during my worst moments. No one banished me from their lives and no relationships suffered. People understand, but do let them know what's going on.

No, it isn't "just" pureed food. It's a scourge. It should be declared unconstitutional. Anyone who feeds that swill to babies should be punished by having to eat it. Some of the fruits are okay, though. Nothing else.

All those people who describe food as a source of comfort. Too many never get that it's nothing of the sort. It's more a means of eating one's self into a stupor so as to shut down the pain and its sources. I also recall talk of "last meals" and last pig-outs during the support group meetings I attended when I was still exploring the possibility of surgery. When my time got closer, I thought I'd do that last fling(s). It occurred to me, though, that it would serve no purpose. What's one more or one less? A "last meal" became meaningless and pointless to me. I recognized that I'd never miss what I chose not to eat and it has played out that way. How 'bout meeting at Maoz on Union Square? If the 7th Ave. shop is more convenient for you, fine. For mac & cheese, we have S'mac, which I did eat (the "nosh" size -- very Scottish) while losing weight quite nicely. It was rare, though, because, for a short time, I had a "club" of four lapbanders; we stopped in at S'mac a few times after support meetings.

@@gina171, sorry about that. This link indicates "ebook," but is good for the paperback as well. (Edited: Another link that won't work Title: "The Weight Loss Surgery Coping Companion: A Practical Guide to Coping with Post-Surgery Emotions" Author: Tanie Miller Kabala, Ph.D.) http://www.amazon.com/Weight-Loss-Surgery-Coping-Companion-ebook I have the revised and the original editions, but haven't taken time to compare them. If it means anything, this is the review of the original edition that I wrote in Amazon: "With so much written about weight-loss surgery itself, it's good to have Dr. Kabala's book as a guide through the emotional aspects of weight loss. It addresses clearly the familiar doubts, fears and obstacles. There is space for responses to the written exercises, but it would be smart to write everything in a separate journal. A journal becomes the record of our evolving emotional (and physical) landscapes and our growth through the weight loss journey. The most eye-opening chapter for me is "How to Cope with Identity Confusion." Dr. Kabala was wise to include clothing choices, as clothing is a big part of how we express our personalities. The large questions that arise with significant weight loss -- Who am I? What do I like? What do I want? How will I express myself in ways that feel comfortable? -- are given clarity and a format for finding answers. Because the book is about dealing with the common roadblocks, people who are considering surgery can benefit from it, too. I think the same holds for people who are losing weight without surgery."

I say with near certainty that I have yet to see rudeness in response to bariatric questions, as you describe. The same holds for posts which might be interpreted as "You are doomed, you blithering fool." On many occasions I have observed intentional rudeness in topics of more general nature, the kind of rudeness and low quality seen in many websites; when asked "Why?," the authors usually reply, "Because I can." My point is that I must wonder whether BP's zero tolerance policy applies in the latter cases? I don't use smiley faces for a couple of reasons which are irrelevant here. Correction: Once. A BP denizen sent a snippy note with a smiley and another that looks like a nasty smirk. (I've seen it on posts where, in context, it was more of a friendly or conspiratorial wink that fell short in its execution.) My casual response note included the same two faces as a little test. The recipient became doubly snippy, which told me that it had indeed been intended as a smirk. "It is possible that you could write a post that is genuinely meant to be helpful, but the person could accidentally interpret your post the wrong way." -- There will always be someone who will misunderstand anything. Little can be done to accommodate the wide range of language and communication skills on hand.

Certainly call if the problem doesn't resolve itself. Despite the Water you were given at your adjustment appointment going down well, it's not all that unusual for things to change soon after. The action of the band can change any time. Someone might have a band that is a perfect work partner and, then, after months, not so much; it might lose efficacy or feel too tight. If you do have some of the new .5cc removed on Monday, be aware that, down the road, you'll need it back. You may need more than that. Bands had a long life of being known as fickle bittches (double "T" to get past the censors). I hope you don't, but if you ever have this experience again, don't wait to call the office. The main thing is your comfort and ability to nourish and hydrate normally. I'll add, though, that my own practice won't charge for another adjustment if a patient goes back in on the same day or the next. After that, a new change will be billed.

Splinters, too? Ouch. Is "Dub" short for "Rub-a-dub-dub?" (That's a rhetorical question.) @@8petals, I'm glad that, despite the first day's brutality, your attitude is great.

You can also check under the "Forums" tab, then down to "General WLS discussion," then to "recipes..something." You'll also find a number of cookbooks written for WLS if you google. Even better, countless "regular" recipes suit the purpose.

There's a book which addresses, among other things, the question of discovering or defining one's tastes/identify after surgery. I've written a bit more about it in response to others' posts. I also wrote a review on the first edition at Amazon a few years back. As I recall, I was most struck by the material on finding one's identity in regard to your topic. Here's a link from the author's website to the new edition. http://www.drtaniekabala.com/book