Danistar

Hi This is a great thread. Let's see.... Like so many have already said, I would like to not have the horrible foot pain. I would like to be able to walk in Dollywood without thinking I will have a heart attack and die Bending over would be thrilling. To get married to my sweetie in a normal size dress To stop using my CPAP machine No more pills is my goal! Crushing them is horrible and I HATE taking them To be able to walk up and down the stairs without thinking I will have a medical emergency No more Diabetes and needles for me To be proud of the way I look for the rest of my life

The other thing I would try is go to a Lap Band surgeon and ask them their advice. If you have serious health problems, they can help you to figure out what to put in a letter for your PCP to write to send it to the insurance company.

Hi I sure agree with what all everyone else said. So you didn't eat the best thing....just pick yourself up and dust yourself off.

Yes it sure sounds like you are too tight and need to get a little taken out. Reflux seems to be a symptom that you are too tight. Take care, let us know how you are doing when you go back to the doc, ok?

I would be very careful with Papaya tablets as they have an enzyme that dissolves protein. Would it errode the band? I don't know for sure but maybe you should ask your doctor?????

Hi check with your doc who has prescribed your medication. I converted to just "coverage" insulin for high blood sugars. The doc took me off the long acting stuff because it can throw you into a really low blood sugar situation. You are right to ask this question.

hi Fee This is the first time I have been on the board all weekend. I guess we have to give people time to read and write, huh? They make us sign this really complete list of what may happen in surgery. I signed that and then my doc burned a hole in my bladder with a laser instrument. This is a few years ago, when I was having a simple hysterectomy. I was disabled for six months and had to have reconstructive surgery on my bladder. I was drowing in a mountain of bills that the hospital was sending me and was helpless because of what that hospital did. I called lawyer after lawyer and nobody would take my case. What a miserabe situation. If you are interested in pursuing this, you can phone different attorneys specializing in medical suits and ask their opinion. They will probably ask for a copy of your medical records. All you do is call the hospital and order your records from the Medical Records dept. They will have you pay a fee. Then you can forward them to any interested attorney. My experience is that they are not interested in what they consider to be the 'little things" and will only go after the cases where they amputate the wrong foot! But good luck, please let us know what you come up with if you choose to pursue this. The attorneys don't charge for the initial phone consultaion.

hi I am so sorry that you went through that. I have been told that drinking soda pop is one of the worst things for us. Does it errode the band? Does anyone know? Yes it's really hard to have to give up the comfort of over eating when we are frustrated.

Hi and welcome home!!!!!! I am so glad everything is going well for you. Huggles

Hi everyone This is a very interesting discussion and DeLarla thanks so much for sharing all of it with us. I am a 57 year old who worked as an RN up till 8 years ago. I remember in the old days that we used a strong disinfectant to soak rubber tubing and the rates of infection were not high. In fact we had less infections in the old days, maybe because it was before Managed Care came into being. Nothing was throw away then and it was a high quality of rubber. Perhaps the difference these days is that everything is made to be thrown away and so if clinics attempt to disinfect it, the materials become erroded and then harbor bugs. It sure makes sense to me what you said DeLarla. I am sure glad that I didn't have to go to a second rate place and get complications and infections. I am so very sorry DeLarla and all of you out there who have had these horrible problems. It sure can take a toll on your health to keep an infected port or whatever inside of your body. You will get sicker and sicker until it's taken out. That's standard medical practice in the US. As for the reuse of hypodermic needles, I wouldn't put it past them. Anything to save a few pesos. I lived in Mazatlan 30 years ago and my experience with the Mexican Hospital there was really an eye opener. They did not have trained nurses working with the patients. It was filthy at that time and I was horrified that people had to be treated in there. They didn't even know to turn the oxygen tank on my friend, who was blue and having severe respiratory problems. They put the nasal cannula on her and left the oxygen off!

Hi Nykee Have you taken a nutrition class before you got your weight loss surgery? I wonder if you missed out. You should be eating protein first, then veggies. Then see if you have some room for Junkie stuff like sherbet and cheesecake. Which isn't feeding our bodies with good nutrients. Our nutritionist explaned that we need to be very efficient in what we give our bodies so we don't become malnutrioned. He says always protein first, because it provides your body with what it needs most, and then veggies or other carb. Is your hair falling out? I was thinking that maybe you would do really well on a couple of protein shakes a day before you eat any junk, that way you will get what your body needs the most. Could you be craving the junk because you are not getting the protein you need? Love and huggles

Wecome back Judy. I am so happy for you. I had my surgery on Sept 12th and I am feeling really well now. I am in a smaller size already and look much better.

I am THRILLED for you!!!!!!!!

Think of how much fun you will have with your son when you can get out there and be active with him. I am praying that everything goes smoothly and you have no problems. Let us know how you are when you get a chance, ok?

I had to take stool softeners for three days before the problem was solved. They had given me Barium before I left the hospital and I was totally miserable. Milk of Mag is good too. And like everyone already said, drink lots of fluids. Sorry you are having problems, I have continued to have constipation and it's really miserable.

My doctor said "I fitted you with the smaller band because you are doing so good in your weight loss"... I had lost a lot of weight prior to the surgery. So maybe that means that if you are smaller in there, you get a smaller band.

Wow what a horrible day. I sure don't know the answer but I wanted to let you know that I am thinking of you and wish you weren't having the problem. Caring to you. Would you please let us know how it turns out?

Hi don't worry about it. The Psychologist doesn't want to tell you no. They want you to be a sucess.

Hi I had a son like yours, and I wasn't a good disiplinarian either. I sure wish I would have been able to. But I had been tortured and abused in my home growing up and was always trying to give him a loving childhood. I forgot that children actually thrive on boundaries and that they need to be told "no" and be taught how to handle their frustrations, like everyone else. You are seeing what kind of behavior he has now and in my opinion that's a great step forward. I couldn't see what I was doing wrong and he is 30 years old now. He does not have respect for me and I know that I have created it. Yes go to parenting classes, watch Nanny 911 and that other Nanny show, they are really informative. Do it now so he can learn how to be a sucessful adult. This is the job we are supposed to do for our children. I loved what DeLara said, it is really great advice. Please keep us posted on the progress, I am pulling for you all.

Oh it sounds like you are miserable right now, and I really feel for you. Withdrawal from something you are addicted to is really hard on a person. I am a recovering addict alcoholic and have sure gone through the ups and downs through all of my recovery. AA and NA have helped me so much. I am in my 81/2 years of sobriety now, and those 12 steps and all of my friends at the meetings have helped me so much. And that's how I got addicted too....percocets for a long term complication from surgery and then another repair surgery. When it was time to give up the Percocets, I did it but I went through withdrawal symptoms, and started drinking more to get that good feeling. It progressed until I had developed an addiction to alcohol too. I'm so sorry you are losing your hair too, that's gotta be horrible for you. I have read other people saying that if you keep on taking your Protein shakes and make sure to get the maximum protein every day, it stops the hair loss. I can't remember how many grams of protein a person needs though....can someone tell us? I am pulling for you. You have already done a fantastic thing and lost all of those pounds.

I am the biggest chicken in the world, and I have to say that aside from some pain the whole experience has been just fine. I had pain because I can't take IV narcotics or Percocets or Percodans, but that only lasted four days. I get my first fill Nov 1st so I may not like that very much, although my doc says he numbs the area first so what do I really have to be afraid of?

Hi you definitly fit in. I'm sorry you have had so much trouble, what a miserable ordeal. I hope they will ok it. Maybe persistance will win them over. Hope so

I was just banded three weeks ago. I don't have any advice because I am so new. But I wanted to let you know that I really care about what you are going through and I am sorry that you have to face this. What a remarkable weight loss you have gone through. I really admire you. Thinking of you.

Oh this sounds so miserable. I don't understand it exactly, but my surgeon said that this surgery would CURE my acid reflux. Since the surgery I haven't had to take any meds and have been fine. I was originally sent to this surgeon's office for surgery for the reflux. When I went in, he said "I can just do the regular surgery on you for the reflux or I can do the Lap Band and help you lose the reflux, your extra one hundred pounds, and all of your health problems related to your obesity." I don't understand this, does anyone else? Why would the Lap Band help my reflux and others are reporting that all of a sudden they are suffering from it?

Hi This is something I recently read. If you eat active live acidopholus culture in yoghurt the breath will get better. Yoghurt balances your system out, and you need it especially if you were on antibiotics. The antibiotics kill good bacteria also, so you can get an overgrowth of yeast. Hope this helps