Lunabeane

I'm glad you brought this up again. I spoke with the Dr. the other day and he reiterated that after the first fill that it was appropriate to come in between 2-3 weeks until restriction is reached. On several different occasions Rachel has given me misinformation. I have it from the Dr. himself that he will not force me to wait six weeks between fills...which I think is awesome.

Good for you! How many grams of carbs are you eating a day and how many calories are you taking in?

I'm interested in going low carb. I was diagnosed with pcos about six or seven years ago. Low carb works well for me but it does get difficult for me to follow. How many carbs are you allowing yourself and what is your general daily caloric intake? Thanks for starting this thread!

I'm super nervous about fills. My first fill is on June 27th. I think that I would feel better if I knew if the filler guy used a numbing agent ... maybe I'll give a call tomorrow.

I had seven days of Clear Liquids...it blew. However, it was over soon enough and I never suffered once minute of nausea after surgery. chicken and beef bullion Jello 1/2 watered down cranberry, grape, apple juice Water crystal light brewed iced tea

Now now, Jimbo. I'm all about people smoking what they want to smoke but you have some misinformation. Every person is different physiologically, psychologically, and neurologically. Addiction takes many forms. Unfortunately, not everyone can smoke pot and be productive in their daily lives. They can't get up and go to work, rear their children, pay their mortgages and they can't see that their issues are directly related to the chemical that they are introducing into their system. Addiction is simply a behavior pattern that continues even when a person is faced with adverse consequences...i.e., continued usage of a substance after faced with threats of incarceration, rehab, or adverse health concerns. If you can smoke a bowl like you can have a beer then good on you...that means that you are one of those people that can regulate your behavior and lead a relatively normal life. However, don't negate the fact that there are people that are addicted to substances...like pot...physiologically, neurologically, and psychologically. THC builds up in the brain which chemically changes your brain albeit for a brief period of time. Your brain will function differently than my brain after we smoke the same amount of pot for the same duration of time. That said...I get drug tested at work...so it's a moot point these days anyway!

What a success story!!! Congratulations!

My port is about 2 inches ABOVE my incision.

Ugh...I'm glad I avoided the nausea as well. Call your Dr. and ask for a script. My Dr. didn't give me anti nausea meds to bring home because he said that he wanted to know if I was feeling ill. I would call as soon as possible and tell him what's going on.

This is at the university level, right? It's not like she's references children in a middle school science class. Furthermore, she's complaining about adults enrolled in university level courses. While I would expect this behavior at the elementary or secondary level, there is a certain decorum that is appropriate at the university level.

I met with my surgeon before surgery for about 15 minutes. He met with my husband after surgery and explained everything to him. After surgery he came into see me twice in recovery. He noticed that there was blood in the cath and stayed with me while they put me on antibiotics. He came to my room and checked on me the following day, as did his Intern. In addition, I met with his NP a week later and with him when I was three weeks out. We were given the cell phone numbers of his nurse and his NP in case of emergencies. He's just one of those guys that makes you feel calm as soon as he walks into the room. I'm really glad that I chose him. He did well in my "interview." Two other potential surgeons failed miserably.

Amen! I'm dealing with one of the "worse case scenario" students right now. No change of career necessary...just more diligent students with stronger work ethics. BTW, we have the same birthday!

I don't recommend making yourself throw up. I'm sorry that you aren't feeling well. I think that you need to just wait it out.

Have you tried calculating your BMR? If you deduct 500 calories from your BMR you should lose 1lb. a week if you continue your exercise. In addition, my Dr. suggested that I try consuming 800 calories a day and I had a 2lb. weightloss in 3 days. I've also had some success with staggering the amount of calories that I take in each day. By that I mean that I eat 800, 900, 1000 on alternating days. I've only lost 20lbs. but I'm also only 4 weeks out.

Do you have a post op diet that your dr. asked you to follow? There is a reason why he/she asked you to adhere to the diet. I know it's hard but try your hardest to stick to the clear liquids. Have you tried jello? It's a bit more filling than broth and watered down liquids. As for what you have done to the band...the what ifs have kept me on track...because I'm neurotic about stuff like that. If I fold and break the rules I automatically think the worst. Get back on the clear liquids and follow the criteria that your Dr. gave you. I know that people were given different criteria...and that everyone has the "best surgeon" and "most sought after surgeon" in the universe but you chose yours because you trusted his/her competence. It's now time to trust that he/she gave you the best advice that they could give. You can't know for sure that you didn't do damage to your band but you can get back on the wagon and do your best to follow it through.

My fingers are crossed for you. The more you lose now the less you'll have to lose after you have surgery. Good for you!

Myralax!!! Tasteless and textureless and works in 24 hours.

I'm sorry that you are having a difficult time. I've never experienced what they refer to as bandster hell. I've never liked that term much as it's just a time when you are asked to test your limits. Is it stomach hunger or head hunger? I have found that if the majority of my caloric intake comes from protein that I am not hungry. I keep my carb intake to a minimum and I'm not hungry very often.

Is the 24 months medically supervised weightloss a requirement of your surgeon on the insurance company?

I've lost 20lbs in four weeks. Even though I hope that I'll wake up 120lbs one morning I know that there is no way that I would have lost 20lbs in 4 weeks on my own. I try not to be disappointed because of the slowness as it's one of the reasons I chose the band and not gastric bypass. It would have taken me months and months to lose that kind of weight. So...no...I don't regret it and I don't think that it was a waste of time or a bad decision. I know that I would have been unhappy with gastric bypass and constantly fearful that I was going to fall ill. Now...I know that I have to get off my butt and use the band to my advantage. Good luck!

Thanks Sue...but I don't have a fill yet!!! That's what is unnerving me a bit. What happens when I do? I'm scheduled for my first fill on June 27th. The way my sinuses are I could be absolutely fine by then but it could be worse. I took the Zyrtec D and a priolosec before bed last night and woke up feeling a little better than I have been. I had been avoiding this because the ephedrine keeps me awake at night but if this is what I have to do then so be it. Thanks again!

A friend of mine was put on optifast with the intention of her losing 100lbs before having the band put in...so it is a possibility for some surgeons to do this. I had never heard of it before but my friend has a hernia and heart defect that was concerning to her surgeon. She lost the 100lbs, had her band put in and her hernia fixed and now she is on her road to recovery with her heart.

I'm having a huge problem with post nasal drip. I'm currently taking Zyrtec D (which is the only thing that stops the drip) and prilosec for the nausea. I'm so sick in the morning that I can't eat until after I drink some hot tea or water. I understand that some people use the Neti Pot but it hasn't worked for me.

My Dr. suggested that I drop down to 800 calories a day. I prefer to fluctuate between 800-1000 to keep my body guessing. I'm having some difficulty recently with my sinuses and I've been crazy nauseous with the post nasal drip. Yesterday I couldn't get more that 600 calories in but today I made it to 925.

If you are on full liquids then you should consider trying the carnation instant breakfast no added sugar powder. It comes in vanilla and chocolate. Furthermore, you can get most of your protein from the Protein Powder mixed with some yogurt if you don't like the smoothies. I was able to meet my daily protein requirements during the full liquid stage by mixing nonflavored protein powder into my creamed soups, eating yogurt, and drinking the carnation instant breakast with some Peanut Butter mixed into the blender.