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My surgeon doesn't schedule a fill based on dates. He takes into consideration my weight loss, my hunger, the amount I can eat, etc. I have set my sights on 2 pounds a week (8 pounds/moth average). Anything over that will be a bonus.

The ticker: go to www.tickerfactory.com Design the ticker you want then copy the code in the box under it when you are finished. Come back here, go to Quick Links, Edit signature, paste the code in there and you'll have a ticker. I just did my first week of soft/mushie foods last week. I didn't gain but my weight loss slowed significantly. The prior week I lost 8 pounds, this past week only 2. And by the way.. Hershey's kisses?? *smacks your hand* Stop that. You just underwent surgery to help you. Now get smart and stop going for the same things that brought you to this point. *tsk tsk* Susan aka Watch Dog

The drinking while eating has to be my toughest. I am supposed to begin that at six weeks and even though Ive tried to wean myself and be ready for that six week mark.. I fail. I get so thirsty when eating that the food seems to stick in my throat. I have noticed that the couple of times I did manage it, I stayed full longer so I know it's what -has- to be done. About chewing a lot. A tip I learned from my DH last night. If food gets to the back of my mouth, my instinct is to swallow it.. even if it's not chewed well. So what he does, and I do too now, is look down while chewing. It forces the food more to the front of the mouth, keeping it away from the back of my throat until Im sure Ive done the 'chew to goo' and then I raise my head and swallow. Sure, you'll look like you're either obsessed with looking at your food or praying it will stay down, but what the heck, it works!

My surgeon told me that the average band weight loss is 8 pounds per month. That is about 96 pounds in a year, if you are average. Some work harder, some just lose slower. But I'm with Jack on this one. It shouldn't be which way can you lose faster, it should be health. With the band you have a minimal invasive surgery which can be reversed if you change your mind. With the RNY, youre stuck for life with what you get. The eating and digesting problems, the super rapid weight loss that leaves many sick with saggy skin and looking very old. And then there's the mortality rate of RNYs. Geesh. My surgeon told us that there is no other surgery he performs that has anywhere near the mortality rate as the RNY. One more interesting fact.. the US is the only country that still does the bypass surgeries. All of the other countries have stopped because of the serious risks involved. Top that off with the stats that are showing RNY patients begin to gain the weight back after a few years and you have a huge red flag in my mind. Even though I see some with erosion or infection problems, there is a huge majority out there that have no problems at all and see excellent and lasting results with the band. Ive only been banded 3 weeks, so Im just a baby at this, but there's no doubt in my mind which is the better, safer, smarter choice, and I don't mind speaking out about it to anyone who will listen. Best of luck to you!

My understanding is they put a tiny camera down your throat and into your stomach pouch to look at the stomach lining from the inside, checking for erosion. I could be wrong though.

Welcome Max! I know well that feeling of excitement and nervousness. It's a huge change/commitment to make in your life, but one that will eventually give you so much more in life to enjoy. Spend some time reading through the posts in the various forums. You'll gain so much knowledge there that you'll feel like a pro by the time you go in for the band. Let us hear from you when you get home, and keep us posted on your progress.

I was sitting here last nigt, chatting with justamom and dawg in the LBT chat room (why dont more of us use that? what fun!) and I reached up and laid my hand on my chest near my shoulder. There was this instant flash of thought thru my mind.. "What the hell is that??" It was my collarbone! I forgot I had one! LOL

The reason its hard on your kidneys is because too much water will wash all of the sodium out of your system which is necessary for carrying water to your cells and so much more. Check out that site I listed above. It has great info and is a quick read.

If you go into the forum that best fits what you want to talk about, you'll see a button for a new thread, or new topic. You'll find the forums on the main page. Welcome to the site! I hope you read about the Mexico docs before you go. *shhh* Did I say that outloud?

If all else fails, open a can of green Beans, wash them off, NO butter or salt, and heat them in the microwave for a minute. Then sit and eat them slowly like finger foods. One at a time from the bowl. My theory is this, replace the good associations of eating that stuff which makes us fat, with eating something that's good for us and soon we'll lose interest. *laughs* Hey, when did you ever get head hunger for something that was actually good for you?

Holy cow.. I was also banded on Jan 9, 06 and since then Ive lost about 15 pounds. Did you do three weeks of liquids? What are you eating? Id say its way too soon for a fill, you should still be swollen and need to give that band time to settle in real well before a fill. (not a professional opinion but one that I think makes sense)

Thanks Patty, but at this time I'm the only person I know (not online) that is banded. That's really too bad that noone wants to fill around here. Could be because it's so new in this area. Dr. Cahn has only been here a year and he's the only lapband surgeon in Idaho, that I know of anyway. In his information seminar he and Dr. Anderson said they don't fill bands installed by other surgeons because it opens them up to liabilities (law suits) that they want to avoid. I have seen some people post on here that they went to their primary care provider and talked to them about the simple fill process and got them in touch with Imed (?) Ill check that to be sure it's correct. I hear that the training on fills is simple, the proceedure is easy. I guess the trick would be finding someone that really understood the band and would know how much fill you needed. Best of luck to you on this. Keep me posted on your progress. Are you living in Boise? Edited to add: Oops, it's Inamed and check out this thread: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=13561

Hiyas Dee.. welcome to the club.

Weighed today. Only a two pound loss after a week. Complete depression hit me and I can't shake it. So worried about all the band erosions I'm reading about here. God I hope I've done the right thing and not wasted my money in search of a pipe dream that will prove to be wasted time, pain and money. *sighs* Have cried a lot today. Maybe I need to get my Efexor upped.

Weighed today. Only a two pound loss after a week. Complete depression hit me and I can't shake it. So worried about all the band erosions I'm reading about here. God I hope I've done the right thing and not wasted my money in search of a pipe dream that will prove to be wasted time, pain and money. *sighs* Have cried a lot today. Maybe I need to get my Efexor upped.

Hiay Patty, I don't know of any off hand. I know my surgeon and his assistant doc won't do fills for anyone other than their own patients. But they did say they would be happy to refer people to someone in the area. Here's the office number if you want to give them a call and ask them to point you to someone in the Boise area for fills. Dr. Robert Cahn (208) 706-5285

You might find this article of interest: http://www.ediets.com/news/article.cfm/cmi_1290038/cid_1

Hey Leener, Thanks for the soapbox approval. Since you are a vegetarian, be sure to read that article I put in the food forum. There is important info in there about getting the Protein you need as a vegetarian. And, the more I read about people losing their bands to infections and erosions the more nervous I get. I invested my meger inheritance in this lovely little band, if I were sitting here with no band and my thoughts of what I 'should have done with that money' I think I'd lose my mind. Here's to a wiser and healthier us!

Only if we know in our hearts of hearts that God didn't want us to. Why would God -not- want us to do something that is clearly better for our health? Well, good question. One to ask him, for many times throughout the Bible he asked people to trust him when it appeared that he "couldnt possibly expect -that- of me?!" Abraham and Isaac comes to mind. As a couple of people have said here. If you are struggling with whether or not the WLS is right for -you- and whether or not God wants it for you, you should be on your knees seeking his will. Not the support or justification or validation from people on a message board. We are here to share support and mutual experiences. We cannot tell you what God would have YOU do in YOUR life. When it comes down to it, it has to be between you and God. What he does in my life may not be what he would choose to do in yours. And I thank him for being so caring and so wise to know what's best for each of us rather than giving us all the same answers.

To The Best Me.. Cathy, we all struggle with the battle of serving our own flesh and you took a HUGE step in your life to win that battle when you submitted yourself to surgery and forced modification of your eating. Do not condemn yourself for weaknesses, but rather admit them and ask for continued strength to continue the battle. I have a feeling that God is smiling at you right now. He does love a humble and 'broken' spirit, for it is then that we truly find him. You're doing great, girl. Smile and keep going.

Hi Jamie! Grats on your banding and welcome to the club! And you know what they say about gas... this too shall pass. *grins* (no laughing!) Look forward to hearing about your progress!

For those of you who have taken this product... I was concerned when I read in the article (see first post in this thread) that hoodia not only takes away all hunger but it also takes away your desire to drink. This can't be good, in fact it could be dangerous. Have any of you found it hard to keep up your daily water intake when you were taking hoodia?

To Wendiss - when I was on liquids (only a week ago) I was craving meats too. I wanted steak or meatloaf so much I could hardly stand it. Then I realized that was my body screaming at me - Give me protein!! And I realized I was supposed to be getting 60 grams a day, not the 30 I was mistakenly so proud of hitting every day. Ugh. Once I got the Protein up, the cravings stopped. Something very odd that has changed for my tastes is coffee. I was a coffee addict in every sense of the word. Always had my cup of coffee with hazelnut creamer and splenda in my hand. But since the band, the taste has changed so drastically that it seems foul. I can't stand it! Isn't that odd? I had one small pat of butter on some green Beans the other day and the butter tasted so odd. Sweet and not so appealing. What?? Me not like butter?? *laughs* I think this is a good thing, no?

I just couldn't let this pass without bringing more attention to it. This IS the best adivce anyone could offer. It is the answer to the question. The rest is merely the opinions and thoughts of us silly mortals who think we have it all figured out. :amen: PS Thanks ShavieLou! I haven't been called darlin' in a long time. Made me smile!

Don't get me wrong gals. When I say its a sin, it's important to remember there are many interpretations of that word. If you took it to mean, judged and condemned, that's not what I meant at all. I guess, without getting into a huge debate about the subject, I would say that -to me- sin is being outside of God's perfect will for us. Do I believe in free will, yep. Do I believe that all sinners go to hell, er no. We are all sinners, we mess up. It's our hearts that are judged. And I know that God knows each of our inner struggles that led us to obesity. He is a loving and forgiving God that cries when we suffer. He knows that sin and suffering go hand in hand. So, please.. don't anyone think I was pointing the finger of damnation at fat people. Good heavens no. I just think God would have us cherish and care for the life that he has given us so that we might be in a better position to do His will when he calls on us. I for one know that I am not a good witness to Gods blessings when all I do is sit in my house in shame and humiliation, slowly killing myself by "comforting" myself with food. I guess that was more my train of thought here. Sorry if I came off harshly. I certainly didn't mean to.