NeenBand

I just wish I could get on some. I need them, but my body won't tolerate them for some reason. My doc is even stumped.

thebestme is right, aloe is a godsend. I used to drink it all the time when I had bad GERD and diverticulitis pre-banding. I've picked it back up again since being banded. It's very healing to the entire digestive tract. From the esophagus all the way downtown.

It is getting better, thanks all. This is such a learning process. What's normal, what is too much, etc.

Pam, I am experiencing the same thing! My boyfriend keeps asking me how I like it and I'm still in shock and aawe that a cup of food makes me feel as full as when I ate 1/2 a cake. People who are not obese have no clue how amazig that feeling is to us.

LOL Thanks Captain Jack. :-)

Wow. Can it re-tighten if you go back to liquids? I'm currently taking in about one cup of mushies a meal. Is that normal? Is that too much?? One cup seems to make me feel full. I wonder if "full" is good thing though? It's hard to be a newbie. :-) My next question is, what can they do if your pouched is stretched and won't go back?

Hey is it normal to feel discomfort in the port area when breathing in? I'll be one month post op on the 13th.

Me too Eileen. As a newbie it's hard to tell what is normal and what isn't, etc.

Ah, I see.

Hi Jillia, I have suffered with depression all of my life, starting in my young adolescence. It's actually getting worse and worse. I am not on any anti-depressants because I can't find one that I can tolerate. I want to keep searching though, and am afraid to with the lap band, because sometimes vomiting can happen.

I didn't know you could slip by eating too quickly or too much. I thought slips occured from vomiting or other trauma to the stomach.

Ditto the Smart Balance

Just to update you, the doc thinks I just pulled at it and should take it easy for a few days. I actually have a reffering pain on my right side too, in my ribs.

I use Splenda and I will NEVER buy anything with Nutrasweet (aspartame) in it. In was a relief when Splenda came along. Nutrasweet gives me headaches and I have heard too many REAL stories like the one Poodles mentioned to ever think it is safe even in small amounts. I read Nutrasweet is partly owned by one of the FDA officials and that is how it was able to come on the market here. Bastards.

That's horrible! I would have panicked for sure. I have always been put under for mine. I would demand NOT to have it done like that again, or go to someone who puts you under.

So what is the verdict? An underhanded attempt by Nutrasweet or is it really going away?

Oh I do hope you are right Alexra! I'm waiting on a call back from Dr. Bertha now. I wasn't even thinking when I moved the kitty litter. Gah!! Thanks for the congrats. And YOU, by the way, you look incredible in your signature picture.

They told me 2 weeks! I feel so stupid!! I better call. What happens if you pop a stitch? What if I have to have surgery again??! Oh my god. STupid stupid stupid.

Hi all, I purchased a bunch of yogurt cups before surgery. I'm not able to eat them right now and the are going to expire. Can I freeze them or will it make the texture funky?

:phanvan Having squeezing/throbbing pain where my band is and into my esophagus. Saw my surgeon on Thursday and he said it sometimes happens when the body is getting used to the band. I would like to know if any of you experienced this and how long before it went away? I am 12 days post op and I sure hope it goes away. It's not a pain I could function well with on a daily basis.

Janet, about the shoulder pain, for me , it's my stomach (gastritis) Because I've been fine all day and because I'm feeling so tired, I decided to have the first cup of coffee in a month.Coffee really triggers stomach problems for me. Well, 15 minutes later, the left shoulder pain started.

Thanks all. :-) wyldvelia, it did make me lose a lot, and I even had my period! I lost 17 lbs!!!!

Glad he found out what was going on and your feeling better.

I felt the same way, so I totally understand. Three things for me: I needed more fluids, I needed to up my calories (used egg drop soup and I immediately felt better) and also realizing the anesthesia really knocks me for a loop and wwas still having an effect. I needed two weeks before I thought of doing anything really, even making dinner for my boyfriend. Perhaps you can call in some sick days?

I'm so sorry. He was still so young, and a handsome boy too! They give us so much love, and become an important and loved part of the family. It's very hard on us that they live shorter lives. A great quote on this that comforts me is: "We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan." --Irving Townsend, from The Once Again Prince