Anaed2

For sour cream substitute, try taking cream cheese or cottage cheese, and blending it smooth with lemon juice. No sour cream here in France either, but lemon juice works well (even added to thick fresh cream). Deana.

Just a week post-op, I'm sure your tightness is due to swelling. I had definite restriction in the 2 weeks after my op (but I did also get a 1cc fill in a 4cc capacity band during surgery). Unfortunately that restriction has dwindled to almost none now (1 month post-op). I do recall having to sip Water very slowly in the beginning because I felt so tight from the swelling, now I'm gulping down a half litre at a time.... I think I felt things loosening up, which I attribute to the swelling going down, after 2 weeks. Hope this helps. Deana.

There's so much differing information out there. I have come to the conclusion that I will play it by ear and learn for myself what works and what doesn't. My surgeon had me on solid foods 4 days after surgery (only 3 days of clear liquids). He said this wouldn't cause any problems with "healing" and that the reason he now advises an early start on solids is so that patients don't get accustomed to liquid or soft food diets. Although I was very grateful to be eating normal food so soon after banding, I do regret that I didn't get the head start on weight loss that a liquid diet would have given me in the first weeks. I also felt awkward going against the general trend of recommendations given in the literature, or by other bandsters' doctors.... I was told not to drink with meals or too close beforehand, not for the reason of flushing down the food, but because if I drank with the meal, I wouldn't be able to get enough food in (I'd be feeling full on the liquid). I do pretty much follow this recommendation, but, on the odd occasion, if I feel like drinking during a meal or just before, I do. If Soup were on the menu, I'd be taking in liquid during the meal, so frankly, where is the problem? I haven't heard anything about avoiding fibres, only that when I get to a certain level of restriction, I may have problems with some things (asparagus and grated carrots were given as examples). To date, though, no problems. I was told to eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables unless I had a problem with them. I would say follow your doctor's recommendations, and question the reasoning for them if you find them odd, but also do what you feel is right for you, based on what you can/not tolerate (within reason, of course).

I asked my surgeon about getting unfilled at goal, and he said "no way". He gave an example of one of his patients who insisted on being totally unfilled, and who was back two months later and 30 kgs heavier. That completely freaked me out. Of course, he was talking about a total unfill, and I doubt the patient he was referring to was doing any exercise. In fact, it seems like s/he must have just gone back to the exact same eating habits that made him/her fat in the first place. What concerns me though is that I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life being tight and eating minute quantities, but does it mean that as soon as you start eating a bit more, you're bound for weight gain? It sounds as though you're committed to a new lifestyle that includes a lot of exercise. For that, you also need to be consuming an adequate amount of calories, and if that means getting unfilled to a certain point, then I'm sure that's what you need to do. It would seem that it would be a question of finding the right level of restriction (like when you were trying to lose) that enables you to eat enough to maintain, despite the amount of exercising you do, but not enough to gain. BTW, your weight loss is completely inspirational. Congratulations!

Hello Road Queen, First of all, I think you are really brave, and I admire your courage in getting up and moving to a different country. What an enriching experience for you. Things are different in different countries, culturally, linguistically, socially. These are all things that you are having to learn to cope with, and you're bound to have ups and downs. I grew up in Africa (Zimbabwe and South Africa), and have lived for extended periods in the US, UK, Taiwan and have now been in France for 16 years. The only thing I can say to you is that you will look back on these various incidents and laugh about them (even though they make you want to cry right now). You're going to have a nice break in the US shortly, if I understood rightly from previous posts of yours. Enjoy every minute of your vacation and take that time to get some distance from the things that bother you about living in Africa. When you return to Malawi, you'll be all the more able to deal with those things. I, too, enjoy reading about your experiences, so keep on posting about them, and don't feel so alone - there are lots of people out here in the cyberworld sending hugs your way:grouphug:.... Regards, Deana.

I'm only a few weeks out of surgery, so I haven't been rushing to do any exercise. The trouble is though, that I've never really enjoyed it. I lead a relatively active lifestyle (ie. I'm not a total couch potato), doing housework, walking occasionally, gardening.... I was wondering how many of you are losing weight steadily without working out? (I should add that my surgeon told me the band wouldn't work if I didn't do regular exercise!)

Me too, and for me, I can get away with months in between rather than weeks:)!

Alexandra, I agree completely that it's so much more enjoyable to exercise when you're not lugging around the extra weight. I can also see that, apart from the general feeling of well-being that exercise procures, it also plays an important role in toning your body so that your clothes fit better and you look less "saggy". And Kristen, I hear you when you say that exercise is key. In all the years that I did Weight Watchers, my weight loss was often (not always) faster when I'd got myself moving during the week. I just hate the thought of huffing and puffing after 3 minutes and I was so hoping that I could lose weight steadily (at least in the beginning) without having to put in the grind, until I feel physically more comfortable with exercising. I'll probably play it by ear and if I'm not losing steadily, resort to some kind of formal workout.

French and German people certainly do not have the same type of cuisine/diet and their cultures couldn't be further apart.... There's no comparing apples and oranges!

Just to set straight a few misconceptions: I've been living in France for the last 16 years and half my family now is French. French women shave their armpits just as much as women in the US, Britain or anywhere else. Concerning the book, the French eat better quality food than anglo-saxon cultures in general (very little fast food, and mostly fresh produce cooked lightly in olive oil or grilled), not necessarily less, but small portions of a large variety of food groups (every meal is at least 3 courses, but of small servings). They generally do not eat in between meals. Now, why French women aren't fat: when I was at university here, two thirds of the girls I knew were bulimic, and just about all of them smoked.... Also, in general, the French are into physical exercise - walking, biking, and don't drive everywhere in their cars. Now if only I could learn a thing or two from my husband and the rest of the skinny French people I know.... Deana.

I can't help you with the problems you've been experiencing with the unfills - sounds very strange for an unfill - but I am so curious to know more about the 10 years you've had the band. Did you lose all the weight you had to lose in the beginning (how long), and have you been maintaining since then? If so, how tight has your band been over all of these years? What type of band do you have? Please could you share a little more of your (really long) experience with the band. Deana.

Lovely pic! I sew a lot of my own clothes, and can't wait for the day when I'll be able to use a standard pattern without making all sorts of changes to it! Deana.

July5forme, here are some more soft foods not mentioned above: - avocados - bananas - peaches - some pear varieties and here is a recipe for a fish terrine, great on hot days served with salad and cold soft boiled potatoes and whatever sauce you want to put with it (lowfat mayo etc): Boil about 2 lbs of white fish fillet in fish stock for 10 minutes. Drain, allow to cool and remove all fish bones. Flake fish (or mash or puree). Make up one cup of plain gelatine (halve the water requirements on the package). Add about a cup of lowfat mayonnaise (or half a cup of lowfat mayo and half a cup of fromage frais or lowfat soft cream cheese), salt, pepper, dill, any other seasonings you like for fish dishes, even a dash of port or dry sherry. Stir the gelatine mixture into the flaked fish, put in loaf dish and allow to set at least 4 hours in the fridge before serving. Deana.

Congratulations on your banding, and hats off to you for your long drive home from Mexico (just read this on the July crew thread)! The port site will be tender and sore for some time (I just asked my doctor this question this afternoon). I don't know what the knot could be that you're feeling but here are a few ideas: - perhaps you're a bit swollen in that area from sitting for a long time on your drive home. My port site hurts more if I've been sitting for a while at the computer. I also think that the underwire in my bra isn't helping by pushing down on the port when I'm seated. - if you'd been out of surgery for longer, I would have suggested scar tissue.... - maybe the knot you're feeling is the port itself? I hope you'll get an answer to this soon. Deana.

Paulax, I wonder how your surgery went? I'll be thinking of you and sending big hugs your way. Just a note on my port site feeling "warm": I saw my doctor today to have the stitches out, so I asked about this. He confirmed that it is part of the healing process - lots of additional blood circulating around the area is causing it to feel "warm". Deana.

I asked my surgeon about carbonated drinks (I specifically asked about Water, but I really had diet coke in mind:)). He shook his head, but said that I could try it if I liked. However, he was pretty sure it wouldn't go down. I said I was concerned about stretching the pouch if I drank fizzy water, and his answer was that I'd have to drink the whole big bottle of Perrier to even begin to worry about stretching the pouch. The other day I made the mistake of drinking down a rather big pill with some carbonated water. Ouch! This pill always goes down very well with still water, so I won't be doing it again with the bubbles. The other thing I've found is that drinking bubbly water makes me have a whole lot of little tiny burps (fine if I'm at home, but not so great if I'm out to dinner!) I haven't tried diet coke yet (only 10 days out of surgery, with a 1 cc fill in a 4 cc band), but I'm dying to. It used to be a habit to have one big ice cold glass of the stuff every evening before dinner to fill me up. I think I'm going to have to master the art of sipping slowly before I try it though! Deana.

I used silicone sheets for scarring (don't recall if it was that brand) after shoulder surgery 10 years ago. I scar badly as I'm very fair skinned. I used these sheets night and day for about 10 months. I didn't see dramatic results, but by the end of a year my scars were white instead of pink/purple. I have an even older scar from a catheter on the left of my chest for which I didn't use anything special. That one still has a pinky-purple tinge to it. I would recommend rubbing vitamin E cream into the scar daily, and I've also heard about creams with Retin A working well for scars - may be worth looking into.

Dody, I was lucky enough to be in hospital for 3 days after the surgery, and on IV painkillers for the first 2 days. Even with those, my tummy was quite sore and I was generally uncomfortable. I hate to imagine what life wouldv'e been like without them. The good news is that one week later, I really feel totally human again (despite a bit of port tenderness, and odd trouble with gas and shoulder pain). Congratulations on your banding, and chin up, it can only get better from now on! Deana.

Leona06, I've been experiencing the same thing. I was on Clear Liquids for 3 days, then my doc told me to go home and start eating solids straight away. I was so glad because by the 4th morning I was starting to feel light-headed and grouchy from only getting in about 200 calories per day. I still haven't worked out how much to be eating. I'm afraid to stretch the pouch, but I have to eat enough at my meals to get in sufficient nutrients and calories for the day without having to snack inbetween meals. All the Water that I drink between meals doesn't help either when it comes to eating because my tummy's full when I sit down to a meal! I hadn't lost a thing since being on solids, and yesterday I was so frustrated with not seeing any loss for a while that I actually "over-ate" (if you can call one cookie and a few chips "over-eating"). Well, to my surprise, I was down a pound this morning. I recall from the umpteen times I was on Weight Watchers that if I tried to cut down on my points and not eat as much as their lower limit, I didn't lose anything that week. The difficult thing for me right now is finding the right balance between eating enough to lose properly and not eating too much to do damage to the band/pouch. I'm hoping things will get easier with every day of practice.... Also, moving from one stage to another - liquid to mushies, or mushies to solids - I'm sure the body needs a couple of days to adapt before we see the weight moving again. Deana.

FunnyDuddies, I had this pain in my neck, collarbone and left shoulder all day two days ago. It was almost unbearable. I tried rubbing it, lying on that side, taking Tylenol. Nothing helped. Fortunately the next day it was gone, and hasn't come back again. I read that it could have something to do with the band irritating the diaphram. I hope you'll be more comfortable soon. Paulax and BigGirlPantiez, thanks for your input on why my port area could be so sore and a little warmer than the other incisions (which don't bother me at all now). It makes me feel a bit better knowing that it could be part of the healing process. I'll be seeing my surgeon again tomorrow afternoon to have the stitches out, so I'll ask him about it. I find that if I sit for an extended period of time, like at the computer, the pain gets a lot worse. Deana.

You'll be fine. It's totally normal to be nervous beforehand. I was bawling like a baby the night before when I was admitted to the hospital, and had to be given a tranquilizer to calm me down (which I understand is fairly standard anyway before general anaesthesia). I was quite alright when I came around, and now, a week later, I've almost forgotten that I even went in for surgery (apart from getting used to eating with the band)! Sending warm hugs your way.... Deana.

One week and one day post op and my port site feels quite tender, even sore when I push gently on it or brush against something. It also feels a little "warm". Is this normal or am I just being paranoid about infections?

Hello, I was banded on July 11, 2006, in Cognac, France. I'm a week out today. After a few days of tenderness from the incisions, to be expected, I suddenly got really sore around the port area yesterday. May have been that I'd been sitting all day, but my husband changed my bandages last night and said that it was redder around this incision than around the others. I'll be watching this closely incase it's becoming infected:eek:. Today I'm also uncomfortable from left shoulder pain. I've been reading up on the causes, and apart from the gas story (gas hasn't been a really big issue up till now), it seems that my diaghram may be irritating my stomach. Let's hope this will pass quickly :rolleyes! As far as weightloss goes, I did manage to lose 9 lbs in the 4 days I spent on clear liquids in the hospital, but since I've been home, the scale hasn't budged. This may be as a result of moving onto solids since I came home. I haven't been eating a LOT - 3 relatively small meals a day, quite healthy foods. So I'm kind of annoyed that I haven't even lost a half a pound in the last 3 days! Anyway, I'm enjoying reading how others newly banded are getting on - makes me feel not so alone in this rather strange experience! Would someone please add me to the list of July banded? Deana.

Hello from France! I have two concerns that I'd welcome your input on: nerves about the operation and concerns about starting a new job shortly after being banded. I'm scheduled to be banded on Tuesday morning (07/11) and I've been researching this and gleaning first-hand information from this and another site for a few months. My head tells me that I should get the band, but my emotions are all over the place about it. I already have a foreign object in my body due to shoulder replacement surgery 10 years ago (which was a result of picking up a golden staph bacteria during minor shoulder surgery in the US 20 years ago). I think that, as a result of my previous bad hospital experience, I'm terrified of more surgery and all the possible complications and scarring, not so much of learning to live/eat with the band itself (which is reversible afterall). I've got 50kgs/110lbs to lose, and I've lost big chunks of weight umpteen times before through will-power alone, but always gain everything back and then some more, so my brain knows that the band would be a great tool to help me lose it all again, and more importantly, keep it off, but I'm just so darned nervous about going into hospital. Please tell me it's really worth it, and that I'll feel totally normal again after a few weeks, just not be able to overeat anymore.... Another concern of mine is that I'll be starting a new job as legal counsel in a few weeks' time, having taken off 5 years to raise my children. Am I taking on too much at once (band and new job)? I think the timing could have been better, but I have had a state health insurance imposed "waiting period" of 12 months before being able to have the band placed, and the operation just coincides with the time I will be beginning my new job. Will I feel up to the challenge of a new job a few weeks after getting the band, or will I be feeling light-headed and weak, obsessed with my eating and unable to concentrate at work because of being newly banded? I still have one day in which to chicken out of getting the band or would I be better off just getting on and doing it now instead of delaying the procedure another 6 months or so? I would really appreciate any support, advice, comments about my concerns based on your own experiences.... Deana.

Hi there, Sorry, I forgot to check in on this thread when I came home! I'm one week post-op today and came home 3 days after the surgery. Everything went well and now I'm trying to adjust to this strange new thing. I have some moments of regret (especially since experience unusual port tenderness yesterday, and very annoying shoulder pain today), but mostly like the fact that I'm full after quite a small meal! I lost about 9 lbs during the 4 days in the hospital on Clear Liquids, and have lost nothing since then, but my doctor has had me eating solids since day 4, so this perhaps explains why I haven't been losing any more! Thanks for all the support and encouragement I've had from everyone. It's really nice to know that I'm not alone! Deana.