gadgetlady

I don't know why, but lettuce is one of the things that I can get down very easily. I enjoy salads several times a week now. But I would wait until you're on full foods before trying it.

Next time try it without the lidocaine. I did it that way (my dr advised me it was more painful to have the numbing shot) and I didn't feel it AT ALL.

I'll try to make a long story short here. I was banded on 2/6/06, and have lost between 15 and 20 lbs, pretty much due to pre-op and post op liquid/mushy diet. My first fill was on 3/21/06 (1 cc) and I left for a cruise on left for a cruise 3/30/06. I've had no significant change in my weight loss since the fill, but I suspect if I hadn't been on a cruise with readily available high-calorie foods, I would have lost a few more pounds. I'm currently scheduled for another fill on April 11th. I've never vomited or had a pb but I have had some sliming. I am not a morning person and typically wake up late and drink a shake when I start to feel hungry (2-3 hours after I wake up). Then I have a snack sometime in the late afternoon and a late dinner. I can usually eat whatever I want during dinner, but have noticed I have more trouble getting things down during the day. On the cruise, I ate more than usual, as well as more MEALS than usual. I had some difficulty with getting lunch down, but chalked it up to overeating and not chewing enough. On the last day, because of departure from the ship at an early hour, I woke up early and had Breakfast. I had my worst sticking/sliming/almost vomiting episode ever, from cream of wheat and one bite of scrambled eggs. That was yesterday, 4/6. I've been really careful since. Today, I had a shake, some sugar-free pudding, and applesauce. I had trouble getting the applesauce down. Now I'm wondering if I should go in for my next fill on 4/11. If I don't go then, my dr is out of town until 4/25. I don't know if my sticking issues are due to: time of day, flight issues (I've read some people are tighter after flying), or ??? Opinions would be helpful, especially from those who have time-of-day sticking issues (i.e. tight in the am, loose at night). I could stand to be tighter at night, but I don't want to be "CLOSED" (i.e. not able to get down a shake, applesauce, etc.) during the day. TIA!

Much ado about nothing. I use the yellow packets, the pink packets, and the blue packets with equal (no pun intended) intent. I just grab whatever's closest. So many companies have switched to Splenda (sucralose) in their products that I doubt it's going anywhere. The sugar industry is up in arms over Splenda . . . not too tough to figure out why.

Thanks for the input, Alexandra. I never know what to search to find old posts on topics -- seems if I search something like "restriction" I'm overwhelmed w/ the result. I will call on Monday and reschedule the fill. I wouldn't mind being tighter in the evenings but certainly don't want to be tighter in the daytime. I don't know how to get more food in during the day if I can't get it down, though. More shakes? I sure would love to be in the shoes of the people who are restricted at night and not during the day, as evenings are my "gobble down" time.

Well, this looks like it was July of 2004, so no conclusion on whether she's had it removed or not . . .

I know we're not supposed to take these. I regularly medicate, but cramps with my period just kill me. Usually one anaprox fixes it, rarely I have to take 2 (not together, but the cramps last longer than the 4 hours it takes for the pill to wear off). Any thoughts about whether 12-14x/year only will have an adverse effect?

Lean Body (for her) - one packet, mixed w/ 12 oz water (easy!) has 30 g of protein.

My dr says 30 min before and after. He said to drink a lot 30 min before because it 1) clears out your saliva so things don't get stuck, and 2) ensures you're not thirsty and therefore not misinterpreting thirst for hunger.

I don't think you're supposed to count carbonated beverages as water (although I always used to when I drank them -- I figured liquid is liquid and as long as it's not caloric I'm counting it). But I've never read or heard anything that says you can't count flavored, non-carbonated water as water. So I'll happily count your diet Dr. Pepper, but I don't know if you can :rolleyes

Generally, surgeons feel it takes 100 surgeries to be proficient. That being said, if he's done a quantity of gastric bypass (laproscopic), I would imagine the actual number of lap bands vs. gastric bypass would be less important. It's really the laproscopic part that's the big deal, in my understanding. Not trying to talk you out of it and I know nothing about your dr, but if it were me I probably would try to find someone else -- UNLESS I had met with him and a few others and he inspired the most confidence.

Well, I was in my dr's office on Tuesday for my first fill, and of course I totally forgot to ask about Anne Wilson. There was something in the newsletter I received today about some sort of WLS awards ceremony w/ Carnie Wilson there, but no mention of Anne Wilson. I did get a good look at the radio studio within the office. It was WLRN (Weight Loss Radio Network) and I asked when they would be broadcasting; they said 1-2 months, and it would be broadcast over the internet. I'll try to remember to ask when I go in next time. I had to wait 45 min to see the dr to get my fill, so I was in a hurry to leave at the end.

They sure do! My dr said I was only the 2nd patient to opt out of it. I think it may have a bit to do with expertise. I talked to someone who had a new dr do her fill and she said he poked her 10 times before he got it right and she was totally sore. I was poked twice (my fault; I didn't clench my stomach muscles like he told me to) but didn't feel it either time. I did have a very experienced surgeon do it, though. Don't know if that makes a difference. Up until I went in and he told me he thought it was more painless to do it without the numbing, I had only ever heard of people doing it WITH the numbing. For those of you who are nervous, don't be. The worst part was waiting 45 minutes for the dr to come into the room :phanvan

For those of you that may be concerned about how the fills feel, I had my first fill today. I opted to NOT be anesthetized -- they use a needle to anesthetize you to the needle! So I chose to do it without, and I barely felt it at all. I now have 1 cc in my 10 cc band. :clap2:

Try some flavored waters. Fruit 2-O is ok; I've found two I like more: AquaFina Flavor Splash and Nestle Pure Life [insert flavor] Splash. Both are clear, non-carbonated, lightly flavored, sweetened with Splenda. There are a few other brands out there as well.

I was at the dr yesterday for my first fill and he said to be sure to drink a lot of Water 30 minutes before every meal. He said the water loosens up / clears out the saliva so stuff doesn't get stuck as easily (i.e. for reasons other than not chewing well enough, eating too fast, etc.). He also said people misintrepret thirst as hunger so if you drink a lot 1/2 hour before you eat, you won't have thirst signals interfering with your satiety signals. HTH!

Oh -- that's entirely possible! I never asked until yesterday what size it was. He said, or I thought he did, "10cc, standard size". Maybe he said "10cm, standard size" and I just misheard. In either case, I'm happy :-)

Yes, only 1 cc in a 10cc band. I'm actually quite restricted. I LOVE IT!!!!! Fills (and unfills) are included for life :-)

Definite jealousy and protectiveness. Next time she brings the issue up (and it seems she will from past history), say "You clearly have a problem because you seem focused on my breast size. Have you ever considered implants?"

I absolutely would NOT drive or plan on driving. I didn't drive for 2 weeks after surgery (dr.'s instructions) and was glad I didn't. Don't you have a friend who can help out?

I'm about 5 weeks post-op and I feel discomfort in my port area during sex (missionary position). I feel like I have to press down on the port the whole time. I rarely every feel my port at other times. It is to the left and just above my belly button. Has anyone had this and does it go away?

I could only sleep on my back for the first week or so (not even on my side!). But now I can sleep in any position (I'm 5 weeks out).

Well, my doctor's office just moved back in December, and in their lobby they have a room that looks like a radio studio (behind glass, microphones, headsets). There's a sign on the wall that says "Weight Loss Radio" or something like that. I'm due to go back in next Tuesday; I'll ask and find out more about it.

I'm curious about this, too. My dr. did her band, but come to think of it I haven't heard anything about her directly from the dr's office, just online and such. If she's had it removed I wouldn't be surprised if the office doesn't mention it!

YAY! Thank you! :clap2: