Sunta

Hi, I had them for years and had all kinds of halter moniters, ekg's, etc. and all came back normal. Boy I hated those palpitations! The thing that helped me the absolute most was getting control of my anxiety disorder. I was helped tremendously by therapy, medication, and by books about how to help anxiety disorder. I may have "outgrown" my panick attacks somewhat as my therapist says can happen (got them alot in college but am now 36 and haven't had one in over 10 years) but I do think I was helped by the aformentioned things. Another thing which helped alot with the palpitations would be to ignore them and just know that they could not hurt me. I have not suffered from palpitations in years except when I am very nervous or upset. I firmly believe that getting control of anxiety is the key. Try saying to yourself over and over "these are caused by my mind and they cannot hurt me. What I am feeling is ok. It is ok to have palpitations so I will let my body have them until it feels like stopping and I will be just fine." Saying this to myself helped me alot. The more I just "let" it happen and didn't fight against it, the better I felt. Best of luck to you.

My surgeon had only done 40 bands when I got banded and I had posted this same question. I heard from quite a few people who were banded by newbie band surgeons and none of them had any problems. I'm four months out and so far am very happy with my decision. LAP Band surgery is a much easier sugery for these surgeons than almost any other laproscopic surgery. One quote sticks in my mind by a girl whose surgeon told her "compared to the bypass, inserting a LAP Band is like clipping a toenail". That make me feel alot better. I'm sure you'll be fine!

I have come to the conclusion that fast food isn't really "food" but rather processed "food-like" substances that have been separated and then bound back together with some kind of polymer. I can eat nearly every food in the world... except fast food. I PB every time I try since my second fill. I used to eat fast food a minimum of 5 times a week, my favorite being McDonald's cheeseburgers and fries. Now, there's no way that stuff is going down. Being stuck and PB'ing every time I've tried fast food while being able to eat every other food under the sun (except sushi rice and scrambled eggs) has convinced me that something funky is going on with fast food. I guess if I had to eat it because I had no other choice, I would get a salad.

I read in my doc's office that going cold turkey on a food was much better than trying to have small amounts of the food, if it's a trigger food for you. The theory is that going cold turkey will eventually eliminate the craving altogether and you will lose your taste for that food. I know for myself, I have much, much less of a sweet tooth since avoiding sugar after being banded. If you do try this, you must cut out all artificial sweeteners also. I bet that if you did this and suffered through the withdrawl period, you would lose your sugar cravings. Now when I look at cake or donuts, the idea of them is actually icky to me. And before being banded, I ate sweets every single day of my life! Lots of sweets! So, I do think it can work...

Italian: any kind of Pasta, meatballs, sausage, gnocchi, salad, roasted peppers, bread dipped in olive oil, anything on the menu really Seafood: Any fish, crabs, shrimp, anything on menu Chinese: Salt and Pepper shrimp is my favorite (I'm having some for lunch today!), noodles, soup, chicken, veggies, eggrolls, dumplings, little bit of rice. I can eat almost any food. The only things that are problematic are scrambled eggs, sushi rice, and fast food (can't eat fast food at all; PB every time since my second fill!)

I have definitely read that this is possible and becoming more frequent as more and more GB people gain their weight back after stretching their pouch.

I have a blood clot on the back of my hand from where they put the IV in. I'm almost four months out of surgery and it's still there. Docs say it's in a "superficial" vein and therefor there is no worry. That being said, I would absolutely get it checked out, as I did, to make sure it's nothing to worry about. Good luck.

1. Legalize Gay marriage. The fact that it is not legal is an atrocity against basic and fundamental human rights in our country, especially since there is supposed to be seperation of church and state. 2. No babies in movie theaters. They can't enjoy/pay attention to/understand the movie anyway and have ruined countless movies for me with their screaming. 3. No talking in movie theaters. Violaters of this law should be banned from the theater forever. 4. Legalize marajuana. I don't even smoke it, but how dare anyone tell an adult what they can and can't do? Pot is healthier and far, far less deadly than drinking alcohol. 5. Legalize prostitution. I don't do it, but how dare anyone tell anyone what they can and can't make money from? It's the world's oldest profession for goodness sake! If prostitution were legalized, it could be regulated and therefor spread less disease, plus it would be great for the economy. 6. Healthcare for everyone!!!

Hi, My name is Becky, I'm 36, married, live in Philly, have two cats, and am a marketing director for a Web design company, no kids. I got banded on February 21st of this year at Christiana Hospital in Delaware with Dr. Peters and so far I've lost 31 pounds. I think this is a great thread! Let's keep it going!

Let's see who writes! Post your prose, poems, short stories, etc!

Wow, Karen, amazing stuff! Thanks!!!

Thanks Carlene! I love it! I really enjoy reading people's stuff. Who else has some poetry or creative writing to share?

Hi! I'm still having this problem and just the other day, a co-worker bought me a bottle of "Tequila Rose" for my birthday. It's a creme liquere and since the bosses were out, we were all drinking in the office! Now, I tried looking up the calories on it and while there were none posted anywhere online, I decided to look up the calories for Bailey's Irish creme since I'm sure the two drinks are similar. GASP! Bailey's has 90 calories PER OUNCE!!! OUCH! So going by that count, I probably consumed 1,200 from the Tequila Rose! UGGGH! How depressing! I like the advice of not eating with pot and therefor avoiding the munchies! Although, when I smoked it in college, I once ate an entire Entements bananna cake, an order of cheese fries, and half a large pizza in one sitting! LOL!

Hi, Nuts do not contain cholesterol. The only foods that contain cholesterol are animal products. Nuts contain fat which is different from cholesterol. Nuts can lower cholesterol and they can also raise it if they are roasted. But they in themselves do not contain it.

Starr Leather Rock At your service...

Hi Ladies (and gents): I've been really busy lately and haven't checked in on our thread for weeks! Just thought I'd post a quick update: Total pounds lost: 30 (The scale is moving slooooow, like less than 1 pound a week now!) Gym: I've been really bad!!! I haven't been going regularly at all. I am so busy after work all the time I have no time to go! I swear I'm going to be better about this! Band: I currently have a total of 1cc due to losing half my fill at my last appointment. I seem to have decent restriction but can eat anything and everything except sushi rice, McDonald's, and eggs. I can even eat bagels and tortillas and fluffy bread! However, I get full on a small amount and stay full for a loooong time! Seems it's working exactly as it should, but I just have to be better about exercising! Still I shouldn't sniff at 30 pounds in 3.5 months! Hope everyone is well and loving life!!!

Hi all! Now that Sopranos is ending for the season soon, what should I do with my life? I'm also depressed about Big Love ending. I need show suggestions to Tivo to fill the deep, depressing, endless void left by my faves going off the air! What shows are you TIVO-ing???

I was a fast food addict before I got the band (though I would keep it to small portions and order kid's meals, I would get fast food several times a week). Since getting my band, I have tried fast food exactly three times, two with disasterous results. I nearly PB'd on Mcdonald's twice, and suffered terrible pain. Now, I can't even look at a McDonald's without feeling sick. I did ok with the KFC Snackers, but have only had them once because fast food is really gross and for some reason now, I don't want it at all. I wonder why I couldn't realize before the band that fast food is disgusting, but now after the band, I totally realize it? It's strange how much the band effects my thinking and has changed my tastes completely. I also now barely have any sweet tooth whereas before, I had a major sweet tooth. I can now have tiny amounts of sweets and not want any more at all. However, I still have a major problem with chips, doritos, popcorn, pretzels, any crunchy snack food. So, I almost totally avoid those as I know they will go down waaay too easy.

Can I point out that sepsis can develop after any surgery? It is not LAP Band specific, so the fact that he got sepsis after LAP Band is not related to him getting a band vs. any other kind of surgery, correct? He could have gotten it after gastric bypass, gallstone removal, or any other type of surgery.

Thanks you guys!!!

I think texture of food has alot to do with it. I find I can eat chips and popcorn like there's no tomorrow! Somehow everything else is limited but certainly not crunchy junk foods. On the other hand, I can also eat unlimited amounts of salad, which I should focus on instead of chips, which are my downfall...

A woman on here had a bad blockage and was throwing up black coffee grinds and thought she had a slip. She had to drive hours to Mexico to her doctor and he found out she had a blockage due to a hot dog. Needless to say I have not tried a hot dog since surgery!

Well I don't go to church, but I still met my one true love! I met him at college and we have been together for 13 years and married for nine. I know alot of people who met people online. It seems like a great way to go. Best of luck, I'm sure you'll find the right one for you!

Salad is a very easy food for me and I love, love, love it! I just went to Ruby Tuesday's on Monday and had the salad bar. Filled my plate with crunchy yummy fresh veggies, pickles, hot peppers, and then tiny sprinkles of bacon bits, sesame sticks, raisins, three bean salad (I mean, teeny tiny 1/4 teaspoons of these high calorie things adding up to maybe a teaspoon all together; just for flavor) and topped it all off with low-fat dressing, salt and pepper. YUMMMMMM!!! SOOO good and so healthful! It's one of my favorite foods.

Hello and welcome! Although I'm not a vegetarian, my best friend is, and I spend lots and lots of time at her place cooking veggie Indian food (she's from Bombay). Indian food has some unbelievably delicious choices for vegetarians. I love Paleek Paneer (spinach with cottage cheese) and all of the yummy nutritious veggies with exotic herbs and spices. One of my favorite dishes that she makes isn't strictly "Indian", but a variation on the British Beans on toast. Let me tell you, I thought beans on toast would be extremely horrible, but I am here to say that the way my friend makes it, ALL of our friends, including me, beg for it on a regular basis! It is literally one of the most delicious foods I've ever eaten. It's also super high in protien and Fiber and super low in fat and calories! And it's extremely fast and easy to make. Here's the recipe: Two cans Vegetarian Baked Beans (Heinz) 1.5 or two fresh green Chili peppers, chopped 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped Two fresh garlic cloves, minced One onion, chopped One turn of the pan of olive oil Sliced whole grain bread Directions: Pour about one turn of the pan with olive oil and heat. Sautee garlic, onion, and chili peppers together until all are somewhat soft. Pour baked beans into pan and cook on low to medium heat for about ten minutes to let the flavors sink in. Add in cilantro and lower heat. Simmer for five minutes. Serve over toasted whole grain bread. Let me know if you try it and how you like it if you do!