kefirchick

"I'm Kosher but not shomer, and am probably considered "conservadox" by most people." "Conservadox" I love it! I think my husband is that. Me, I am more like "reformadox." Grew up reform, and now exploring orthodox. So much to learn!

Hi- Thanks for your answer. I am self pay too. I am not having problems, so I really don't want to rock the boat by having a tube stuck down my kishkes, and chance having to get unfilled, refilled, or whatever. I am at my sweet spot, and I want to stay there. As for reflux, I had frequent bad heartburn before being banded, at which time I started taking Nexium. I am still on it. I do have occasional heartburn, especially if my bra is too tight, and my posture is slouchy for one reason or another. Unfortunately, I need to wear a bra in public to keep my girls above my waist ha ha. FIrst thing I do when I get home is remove the double barrelled slingshot, and change into comfy clothes. I also have fewer problems with eating if my bra is loose, or is off entirely. I have had a few PB's, and they are usually when I have left my bra on and am eating dinner under time stress. The combination is is deadly. I also sleep on a wedge shaped pillow, so I have not had any problems at night, when a lot of people get reflux. If heartburn or reflux is new for you, then I would speak to your surgeon. They will probably do endoscopy, but then, there is a reason to look. What would concern me would be a change. If I developed new symptoms, such as new pain, or new onset reflux etc, I would definitely let the doc know.

Help! I just received a "form" letter from True Results recommending that at my 1 year bandiversary, I should schedule this procedure that may or may not be covered by insurance and that may or may not require an unfill.."just to check things out" If I am doing ok, why do I need this? Is this just a money generating procedure? I am not inclined to rock the boat at this point, and dont really care to do it since I am not having any bad or problematic symptoms. I also don[t remember being told I would need this a year ago. Is this something new??:cursing::confused::scared2:

"I would then talk to my primary care doctor to order the test in a facility my insurance would cover making sure my primary care doctor shared the results with my LAP-BAND^® doctor." Hmm. Good advice. I don't have a primary care doc, but I do know a gastroenterologist not affiliated with True Results who may be in my insurance network. I will pick her brain and see what she thinks.

Hi Sue Baby: I just got a letter recommending that I come in for one too! I am a little (actually, a lot) suspicious about being requested to have this procedure since I am not having any problems. Is this just an income generator? I am from the old school of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it.":biggrin: It would be different if I were having reflux, or pain, but I am fine. Was your letter from True Results? Who sent you the letter? Have you ever been told you needed this procedure just to check things out??? Did you get a recommendation to have it done at your one year anniversary? I am wondering if this is something new.......

Thanks Abby. The problem is that my surgeon is one of the people who support True Results, the business. So it seems like a conflict of interest to me, especially since I have never heard of this recommendation. There are no medical/literature references to this procedure in the letter. It just says it is recommended. OK. By whom? Since when? Why didn't they tell me this a year ago when I signed up? Why don't more people know about this? I was hoping to hear from others on the forum as to whether they had been told the same thing. :whatchutalkingabout

True Results is a business that calls itself a Bariatric center. Many of the Docs here in Texas refer their lap band patients to this center to have them do the fills and unfills and barium swallows. The practitioners, as far as I can tell, are nurses and PA's, NOT Docs. However the Docs share charting information with them, and I presume, must have some financial role in the support of the center. (I wonder if I could find some disclosure information somewhere) Over the years, the service they offer has changed, and not for the better. Initially, fills were done under fluoro. Now, they are done blind. Makes me nervous every time I have to get a fill. What if they miss? Does the nurse/PA know what he or she is doing? Is it a new PA, or a seasoned one?? Fluoro is available, and can be done, but only if ordered by a doc, which the docs don't do, probably because it is more expensive, and takes more time. It used to be easy to make or change an appointment for a fill, but now, you have to call, leave a message, and wait for them to get back to you. Once you get there for your fill, people are lined up like cattle waiting in line for their turn. All in all, it seems to be the business of medicine here, and that always leads to cutting corners etc. That is why I am so suspect of the suggestion that I undergo this procedure even though I am not having any problems. I don't remember being told that this would be necessary a year ago. I am a full private pay for full services, so I doubt that my insurance company is going to pay for this. (And why should they, if it isn't even necessary?) Moreover, this procedure was not mentioned as something that would be necessary as part of my original deal. So, I am suspicious. Also, I have not seen anything anywhere on this forum or on google about this procedure as a recommendation just because the patient is one year out. Smells very fishy to me. And unethical. :whatchutalkingabout

Wow! Thank you so much. I am surprised kosher whey supplements were so hard to find. kefirchick

Does anyone know of a good Kosher (dairy or parve, of course) whey or egg based Protein supplement? My son needs to increase his calories (I should have such problems) and was told to take protein supplements. Unfortunately, none of the standard brands in the grocery stores have heksures (did I spell that correctly????) and he doesn't want to depend on only soy products. Thanks in advance for your help. kefirchick

I definitely can relate! If I am eating white meat chicken, hard boiled eggs, or even scrambled eggs, my upper pouch can get painfully full after just a few bites, while my "bottom" stomach is still starving. They say this doesn't happen because the "I-am-full" receptors are supposed to be in the upper stomach. For me, that is NOT the case. Because of the restriction I have, I do think I am at my sweet spot(6 ml in a 10 ml band). It is kind of a catch 22. Ground beef goes down much easier than chicken, but is not as healthy. So I have to use a LOT of willpower when eating foods that go down easy-and I don't mean ice cream, which I avoid like the plague. I am talking about foods like chili-pie, tuna salad, egg salad etc. I have a sort of love-hate relationship with my band. I hate how I feel when I eat one bite too many, but I love the fact that it is there to keep me in line. It was either the band or having someone slap my face every time I ate too much. And the band is much more socially acceptable than having Guido monitor my food intake! :thumbup:

I posted this on the food /recipe forum, but haven't gotten any responses. Here is my issue. I don't think matzoh's are going to work with the band. Two bites and I am afraid i will be hanging over the ceramic basin! And matzoh balls??? Has anyone tried them with success? I am afraid they will swell up and block the stoma too. Preband, I have always eaten macaroons, and all the yummy passover Cookies and cakes available, but I don't want to use the excuse of not being able to eat matzohs as a reason to eat sugary high calorie carbs. Also, I don't think I can chow down on eggs and gefilte fish for a whole week!! Does everyone just do an Adkins sort of diet? What have you bandsters eaten during Passover in the past? Does anyone have any good recipes that are band friendly and Kosher for Passover? Thanks- Kefirchick

You must be my twin.:blushing: I was banded on Dec 21, and have only lost 17 pounds from my start date on Dec 7. I consider myself a slow loser based on what most of the other posters lost in the first four months. However the last time I lost this much at one sitting was in 1995 when I was taking Phen Phen. And of course, I gained that all back once they took the drug off the market. (BooHoo) So, since drugs are out, I am depending on the band to help me keep these 17 pounds gone forever. I would love to lose another 50, but I have a feeling it will take me at least a year to do so, if at all. Check out the slow losers forum. THere are plenty of us out here who are grateful to see even .5 pounds loss a week. We WILL get there. As long as we stay away from crap food, WE WILL MAKE IT!!!!!

btw, do you get the fullness sensation when you are almost at the end of your meal or is it when you feel pain that you stop eating? Regards, Dana :funscale: In answer to your question about "fullness sensation"-I don't ever have the fullness sensation I used to have preband; Now, when my POUCH is full, I start getting pain/tightness up in my chest, and if I have enough self control, I put my fork down, and STOP EATING. If I keep on eating, even one bite more, or heaven forbid, take a drink, I have to meet with the porcelain goddess (if-you-know-what-I-mean-and-I-think-you-do).:thumbup: That feeling is SO unpleasant it kills what was left of my appetite. THat is why the band works for me. It is sort of a negative behavior modification punch in the gut to make me stop eating. My stopping point pain wise usually means I have taken the edge off my pre-meal hunger, but don't think for a minute that I am really full like I used to get preband. I still struggle with hunger. Even with no drinking during the meal, I frequently get hungry a few hours after eating-usually when I have eaten an especially small volume of dry food-like chicken. That and eggs give me a stop signal long before other moister foods like veggies. In fact, The only time in the last 4 months that I got that wonderful "full" feeling without pain was last night after having a bowl of hot chicken Soup with matzoh balls. I actually felt pleasantly full in my lower stomach! However matzoh balls are not at all healthy-they are hi carb high fat slider food. Bad Bad Bad. But Passover is only once a year, so I splurged. That and the warm soup went down really easy, and gave me that full feeling with no upper chest pain. This is why my doc also told me not to drink Soups for meals once I got restriction from my fills. Soup DOES go down very easily, and it helps move any calories you eat along with it down too, defeating the purpose of the band. And don't even think about high calorie cream soups. You may as well be eating a tub of Haagen Das! In answer to the survey-I drink immediately prior to meal time, often warm tea or wine, to fill my lower belly, and then I don't drink again until about an hour after the meal. On rare occasions, I may have a sip of wine with my meal because it is there on the table. But I try to avoid it. I usually just hand my glass to my husband and have him finish off what I started just so it isn't there on the table tempting me.

Calling all observent Jewish bandsters. I don't think matzoh's are going to work with the band. Two bites and I am afraid i will be hanging over the ceramic basin! :puke:And matzoh balls??? Has anyone tried those? I am afraid they will swell up and block the stoma too. :wub: In the past, I have always eaten macaroons, and all the yummy passover cookies and candies available to get through the week, but I don't want to use the excuse of not being able to eat matzohs as a reason to eat badly. Also, I don't think I can chow down on eggs and gefilte fish for a whole week!! Does everyone just do an Adkins sort of diet? Anyone have any good recipes that are band friendly and kosher for Passover.

Oh Thank you! I forgot about chopped liver!!!!! I usually make mine with hardboiled eggs, chicken livers, onions (to wet it down and give it flavor), salt, and schmaltz, of course. In an effort to make it more heart healthy (ha ha) perhaps I will try it with olive oil and or flax seed oil instead of chicken fat. (Ya gotta have SOME fat in your diet). I have never messed with my Mother's recipe, but maybe now is the time to try something different. Now the question is, what platform to eat it on? It is pretty potent to eat all by itself.

Last summer, I started my zillionth diet in conjunction with bike riding for exercise. Brushed the dust off my bike, got myself seated ok, but got terribly short of breath just riding the bike down the driveway, and fell smack dab into my neighbors rosebushes. Even worse, I COULDN'T GET UP!!!! My DH was with me, and at first, even he couldn't lift me up!!!! I was bleeding from head to toe with thorns stuck in my arms and legs, crying from shame and embarasment, short of breath, and 58 years old. I realized then and there that I couldn't do it on my own any more. :sneaky: (AHA MOMENT) I went through the necessary pretests, took out a loan, and got banded Dec 21 (self pay). Although I have only lost 15 pounds, I was able to half my blood pressure medicines, and rode my bike last week for the first time since "the rose bush" incident. (I rode 10 miles(!!!) and did remember to steer clear of the damn roses):tt2:

Hi DLW: What you said!!!! I am 100% with you about the hunger thing.:tt2: The band may keep hunger at bay for some people, but I am NOT one of them. I avoid carbs like the plague, but eating a small meal of good solid protein-if I don't get stuck, does NOT last 4 hours with me. I pretty much am hungry all day every 2-3 hours until dinner. I HAVE to snack or no one can live with me because I am a terror. I am always sipping Isopure, and I eat pieces of Protein bars for Snacks. And during the day, even when I am full in my upper pouch after a meal, I swear that my lower stomach still aches for food-until dinner that is. After dinner, I almost never get hungry again until the next morning. I just wish I could get that satiated feeling during the day. I don't want any more restriction because I can barely eat good protein (chicken) now without getting stuck, and the idea is to still be able to eat real food-not just protein smoothies. If I wanted to do that, I didn't need to get banded. As far as weight loss, I was banded a little later than you-Dec 21- and have only lost 15 pounds.:cuss: I have 6.5 cc in my 10 cc band. I have considered asking the doc for some phentermine-am afraid of what his answer will be, so I haven't had to guts to ask him yet. Man, this is a tough road we are walking! Sorry about the long whine-I did get pretty far off topic. :sneaky: My point to the OP is that MANY of us DO still get hungry every several hours even though we are at appropriate restriction. What I have done so as not to develop intolerable hunger is to divide my calories up into 5-6 meals. I am not losing as fast as some, because I am eating 1200-1500 calories a day, and that is going to allow me only .5 to 1 pound a week. This is NOT the 3 meals a day without snacking that my doc recommends, but if I HAD to eat only 3 meals a day without snacks, I would probably have to kill him ha ha. Sucks to be us, but at least we are trying.

Hi CC: I guess the mushy stage is a good one to be in for Passover. Since I am restricted, besides matzoh, I am afraid of boiled eggs. They are central to our sedar, and I really don't want to miss them. My grandparents used to serve them in a bowl of salt water, and I think I am going to bring that tradition back to our sedar table so I wont be alone. I will have to pass on the tsimmes and mashed potatoes though-way too high in carbs. Maybe I will eat a little dab of charosets and horseraddish. I gotta get some of the tradition in my tummy! And of course, chicken soup, but no matzoh balls wah!:sneaky:

Tuna, cottage cheese, eggs and gefilte fish-Sort of what I am eating now ha ha! If you just got banded, you will be on your last week of mushies or just going to solid food. Well, at least we can eat charosets. I never eat it except on Pesach (don't know why) so I will at least have a little taste of Passover to look forward to. Don't be surprised if your appetite returns with a vengence. In fact, you probably will be able to eat Matzoh because your swelling should be down, and you won't be restricted. As far as Shabbos, I am no longer able to eat fresh plain Challah. I have to toast it, and then I can only eat a small piece. (My first PB was with a piece of fresh warm Challah :biggrin:). Oh well. We gotta do what we gotta do. I am losing VERY slowly, 15 pounds since Dec 7, surgery on Dec 21 2007. But I was able to half my blood pressure medicines, and am now able to exercise again. Let me know if you find some good recipes. I think I will throw a few extra apples in to make sure I have a weeks worth of charosets left over! kefirchick

Dear Bigunc and Little Debbie: I am an equal opportunity lurker ha ha. Cucumbers are ok, but I would recommend peeling them first. Pickles are "wetter than cukes", to me anyway, and flavor-wise, they go well with meat. Once you are restricted, you may have trouble with the peel because the texture is so different from the center of the cuke itself, and if you don't chew it thoroughly enough, I imagine the peel might get really stuck.:biggrin: So far, pickles have not been a problem for me. Watermelon would be good, but the seeds would be bad, so I haven't gone there yet. I can eat pineapple, and often do so for desert, but that may not be forever for me if I get restricted any more than I am now. It is nice and wet too, so as a fruit, I like it a lot.

Believe it or not, I am helped by eating PICKLES with my meal. :biggrin: (No I am not pregnant) I am 3 months out with pretty good restriction, and the no liquids with meals thing really bothered me at first. By accident, I discovered that pickles go down easily for me, and are wet and satiating all at the same time. Granted, they are salty, but geesh- ya gotta eat something! Low fat, low calorie, no sugar-been a real help. Also, olives help keep your mouth moist while eating. In fact, I have been lucky in that I can still eat salads. With a few exceptions (spinach), I can eat most lettuces. So many of my meals consist of shredded or ground meat of some sort on a bed of salad with a little dressing which I often dilute with salsa. Now, I don't even find myself reaching for a glass of liquid after the first few bites, and many meals, I drink zip. Hang in there-it will get easier. If you have hypertension, be sure to ask your doc if pickles are ok. I do realize that salt is a no no for some people. I have chosen to live dangerously on the salt issue if it allows me to continue losing weight ha ha:rolleyes2: I drink plenty of Fluid in between meals, and figure I just pee out the extra salt.

......very very very small pieces-almost shredded, especially chicken. I am almost to the point that I can no longer even eat chicken, which is a bummer because it is my favorite solid protein food. For now, I mix shredded chicken (like you would do for a baby on finger food) and toss it into a salad with dressing. The dressing wets the chicken shreds down, and I am able to eat it without getting stuck. So far, I am not having trouble with lettuce, so it makes a good meal for me.:thumbup: I mix salsa with a ranch dressing to reduce the calories a little. But I still use real dressing. I hate that low fat low taste stuff. I use just enough to wet the food, not to drench it.

Krista: Congratulations on your 14 pounds!:huh2: I got banded before you did and have only lost 14 pounds. Check out the slow losers club. There are plenty of us out there. I finally got good restriction on my 3rd fill two weeks ago, but I am still dropping at only .5 pound a week. And who knows how long that will last. At least I am not gaining. I will say, this is the best I have done since the good ole PhenPhen days. This turtle is in it till the finish line.

Dear Yaz: How are you doing? Are you still banded? If so, just want to let you know that I had the SAME thoughts you did 3 weeks after my surgery. I woke up one morning, and I was HUNGRY with a capitol H!!!!. And I stayed hungry all day. Stayed Hungry All week, because I was trying to eat these damn small volumes, in 3 meals a day, and it just wasn't working for me. I tearfully told my husband that I had made the biggest mistake of my life, had just wasted 15K, was going to be a total band failure, blah blah blah. I even googled band failures to see if there were any other people like me, and I found this forum. (Sure wish they had told me about this forum at the lap band clinic) This forum was a lifesaver for me because I found out other people here went through my same issues, and survived. THese wonderful people helped put things in perspective, because they are "me." They are you too. I STILL think that having this done is incredibly barbaric, and that 20 years from now, there will be a pill that will make the surgery obsolete. And people will be amazed that us fatties went to such extreme measures as to get ourselves banded, or bypassed, or whatever WLS flavor of the day is. But for now, this is the best medical science has to offer. Is it easy? No, and Hell NO. And it may even get worse once you begin the fills. After my first golf-ball-slime episode in public, as I leaned over a filthy toilet in a nasty public restroom trying to barf up 4 measley bites of scrambled eggs, I again wondered what in the world I had done to myself.:eek: But then I remembered that the PB meant that the band was working to keep me from eating too much too fast, and, barbaric or not, I now had a tool that I never had in the past. And I am slowly losing. REEEEEALLY slowly, but something is better than nothing. And hopefully, I will keep it off, once and for all if I keep working at it. And once I added between meal healthy Snacks, my hunger monster is at least bearable. Keep reading the posts, and you will see that most of us work very hard to reach our goals. THis band is not for sissies or lazy people. It is hard work, but at least, it has our back, so to speak. What ever you decide, I wish you the best. I hope you decide to give it a chance. We will be with you all the way. Please post again so we know how you are doing, band or no band.