ADF139

Karyn, Unfortunately I will be having corrective surgery... I'm looking into getting the RNY. Even with a few fills I have little to no restriction and I've begun to gain some weight (talk about insult to injury). I also have acid reflux, which I never had, and I am on Prevacid and find myself unable to get off it, even though it should have gone away when I was unfilled. I would talk to your doctor about getting a slight fill and see how the feels and if it works for you. I hope it all works in your favor.

Wanabthin, If this is the first time that you had the problem and it was a short duration that the band was too tight I'm going to be optimistic. There is always a possibility that a complication occurs, unfortunately one I'm experiencing now. A few months ago I came to the realization that I was too tight and was PBing, not everything I eat, but a good amount, but I was having no pain. What made me realize that I might have a problem was when this was occurring and I was not losing any weight, and although I was too tight, I didn't necessarily feel the restriction (except for when I would PB). When I went to my temporary surgeon (I go to college away from home so I was seeing a temp) she had be do a upper GI and saw that my stomach was protruding from my band and she immediately unfilled me completely. When I finally came home I went to my surgeon and when he compared my upper GI to a recent one after I was completely unrestricted he said that my band might not necessarily be slipped but I have a prolapsed band, which means that when my stomach came through the band and then back down again, it kind of left some stomach hanging over the band. Now I really don't have much restriction despite the fact that I was recently filled and my doctor has already said that I most likely need corrective surgery. My case became a worse case scenario and I am only letting you know that there is always the slight chance, but I really don't want you to be terrified. Like I said, I think that you just got a bit to tight and needed to be unfilled a bit and that's why you PB'ed and felt the pain. Ask you doc about the possibility and see what he/she has to say about the matter. Don't worry too much about it, good luck tomorrow and hope you get that fill.

Hey everyone, I was just wondering if anyone knows whether it is safe to play a contact sport being banded? Now that I've lost weight and can exercise without the risk of keeling over, I joined my college rugby team and have been practicing for a semester. If you don't know anything about rugby it involves hard-core tackling without any padding. You would think I would have thought of the concerns before playing. It actually just occurred to me when I realized how easily I could feel my port. Now that I have games coming up I've begun to question whether or not it's safe to play a contact sport. Let me know if anyone has heard from doctors or anyone about this issue.

Unfortunately I get this too. I think it may also be caused by stomach acid that's coming up. It seems to happen when I haven't eaten much.

I agree with MouseCrazy it is definately a "very individual thing". For me, my biggest problems are chicken (dry or moist), red meat (needs to be really moist), rice, breads, lobster and shrimp.

For anyone who loves a good latte, Dunkin Donuts makes latte lites which are made with skim milk and Splenda and for a small it's 0 fat, 0 sugar, 13 carbs, and only 70 calories. You can get it in different flavors (or just as a latte) like caramel, toasted marshmallow, coconut, chocolate or hazelnut (the flavor syrups i'm sure bring more calories and sugar. It tastes delicious, no bad "lite after taste." A great drink if you ever find yourself needing an afternoon pick-me-up.

Fabfatgrl, if you are still looking for a doctor or for a new one since you feel like the fill wasn't helpful, try contacting Dr. Marc Bessler at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. I'm not sure if he does just fills, but if he does he is absolutely wonderful. He's also one of the bariatric surgeons who was on Gov. Pataki's team when he was at Columbia.

Soy crisps are my favorite. Not only is it a delicious snack but its healty and fills you up for awhile. It's great because for half a bag of soy crisps it is only 70 cal, 2 fat, and 4.5 protein.

Slim Fast Carb Option Breakfast bars. The chocolate chip tastes just like a chocolate chip granola bar.

Hi, my name is Abby. I got banded on 9/16/05 at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in NY by Dr. Bessler. I just turned 20 a week ago and getting banded was the best birthday present (even though it came early) I could ever receive. Before my surgery I was pretty set against being part of any support group, but then I found this site and I think it, and everyone on it, is absolutely wonderful and your questions/thoughts/ideas are great. If there is anyone who has not had their surgery yet and is nervous about it or considering not doing it please, please talk to me. I can say enough great things about it and I'd love to tell all about it to anyone who needs to hear it.

Basic Cheesecake 1 8-ounce container fat-free cream cheese ½ pound soft tofu ½ cup egg substitute 6 packets artificial sweetener ½ teaspoon vanilla ¼ teaspoon almond extract 6 tablespoons egg white substitute ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar butter flavored cooking spray 1) Preheat oven to 350 F 2) In large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese, tofu, egg substitute, sweetener, vanilla, and almond extract until smooth and creamy 3) In a small bowl, using an electric mixer, whip egg white substitute with cream of tartar until it forms stiff peaks 4) Gently fold whipped egg whites into cream cheese mixture 5) Coat an 8-inch square cake pan with cooking spray and pour in batter. Place cake pan into a baking pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes 6) Let cool for at least 4 hours. Calories: 59.13 Protein: 7.98 g Fat: 0.84 g Carbohydrates: 3.91 g Cholesterol: 5 mg Fiber: .34 g Sodium: 185.46 g I got this recipe out of a cook book for bariatric surgery patients (Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery by Patt Levine and Michele Bontempo-Saray). This cookbook has some great recipes and breaks each one down into the amount of calories, fat, etc. You can buy it at any Barnes and Noble or online.

Starting with protein shakes is a great idea. My doctor told me that I should start incorporating protein drinks into my diet at least 2 weeks before my surgery in order to lose some weight and also to shrink my liver to prevent any problems during surgery. I replaced breakfast and lunch with a protein drink, lost some weight and I'm still keeping the protein drink in my diet. I recommend the Myoplex Carb-sense which you can get at any GNC store (it's a little thick so mix it with some skim milk and you may also want to add a sweet and low for taste) or Optifast (I'm not sure where to find it so try to look on line or ask your doctor. If you want another form of protein replacement I recommend the Slim Fast Carb Option breakfast or meal bars. They taste good (like a granola bar) and are 14 g of protein.

I've never tried the slim fast drinks, but if you are looking for a protein shake I recommend Optifast. I recommend the chocolate flavor, it tastes just like chocolate milk. It tastes good (even better when you mix a little milk in to thin it out. It's not sold in any nutrition stores that I know of (I got it from my doctor) but if you ask you doctor he/she probably knows where to get it. If you are looking for a quick source of protein I also recommend the Slim Fast carb option breakfast bars. The chocolate chip tastes great like a granola bar and is 14 g of protein. Since I'm not a breakfast person I take one with me in the morning to school.