Ms.Mel

JenniB, You may be OK taking pills with water, but as you get more restriction, you may find that pills do not go down as easy. I've had more than one "stuck" moment with one of my vitamins. This caused me lots of problems. Now I request my meds from the dr. in small pills or in liquid form. I have also moved to chewable vitamins. My favs are the Centrum Silver chewables. I don't mind the taste or the texture. I've tried the Bariatric advantage and I could not handle the taste or the texture. In reality the taste isn't too bad, but after awhile I just didn't couldn't handle them anymore.

I posted this quite awhile ago and since then I have had to be unfilled 3 times. the 3rd time I was throwing up blood. They figure it was because of the long term (16+yrs) use of the NSAIDS. I am no longer taking them and am not allowed to take any kind of NSAID again. I just wanted to send out a warning to those of you that are still taking them. Not saying that this will happen to you, but please be cautious. I'm getting my fills again, but it is now a slower process. I've lost about 60 lbs in about 16 months, and I'm going at them at a much slower pace. take care ....

hi ChaCha. i too, deal with arthritis. i was taking an anti-inflammatory (nsaid) and after an irritated pouch, an unfill, and dehydration, i was unfilled and was told to stop the anti-inflammatory meds. i went on Arthritis strength tylenol and have been in pain since. i wish that i could give you good news on this issue, but alas, i don't think there is any. I am in constant pain and have decided to take my nsaid drugs occasionally and not on an everyday basis. I'm going to see a joint specialist this January in hopes that he has some good news for me. I'm pretty sure that a knee replacement is in store for me, as i know that my knee is in bad shape. I will be checking back occasionally to see if anyone else has anything to add or any news that i haven't heard of. Take care.....

Hi I didn't have to give up my arthritis meds, but i was strongly suggested to stop taking them just after i had to have an unfill--due to illnesses, intolerances, allergies. I was taking an Nsaid for osteoarthritis. I am now taking Arthritis strength Tylenol. Believe me it isn't the same but it helps. My goal was to get enough weight off so that I will stop hurting. However, with almost 50 lbs gone, I am moving a lot more and it seems I hurt a lot more....go figure.

Hi I thought I'd check in to see what the 50's gang was up to. The new makeover of this website looks good. I haven't posted in quite awhile but I have been lurking for several months. This one post caught my eye and I just have to comment.... What exactly are you worried about... the hunger or the vomiting or the possibility of another cancellation??? Your best bet is to take time to read, Read, READ all the valuable information that the internet has to offer regarding the lapband. This forum as well as many others, is the best place to start. Keep asking questions...

Hi Debbie, I worked with my PcP and my pharmacist and they found pills that were small enough for me to take, and also found a couple of pills that could be crushed or dissolved in Water. It took them a few days to find pills that I could get down. I agree TALK with your Dr. They will help you find something that works for you. You are one of the lucky ones.....I have lost about 40 lbs. (ticker doesn't match actual weight loss) and I still deal with high blood pressure and bunches of pills. I guess it is mostly heredity and no so much my diet after all--RATS! Keep the lines of communication open with your surgeon and Primary Care Provider.--They will find what you need!

I'm glad you pain finally went away. Hope all is well with you.

I had back pain in about the same area that you described (just below my sholder blade and just to the right of my spine). I had this pain for about 3 months. I figured it had to do with the way I was sleeping. Since my surgery I had to change the way I slept. Before surgery, i tended to sleep on my stomach, and since that was a little difficult I must have been trying to sleep in a different position Causing different muscles to be used. I also think that the pain may have been because of the weight loss and learning to use different muscles while my incisions healed. My work often has me sitting at my desk and I had to learn to hold my self up rather than slump. It has almost been 4 months since my surgery and I don't have that pain anymore. Hopefully your pain isn't anything serious.

Your post states that this is "...for women who've had weight loss surgery of any kind at least nine months ago." Does that mean that this is not for someone 4 months out of surgery? Please i would like to know....I think I would like to go Thanks,

Melissa, Welcome. Go the the discussion forum page and then scroll down to frequently asked questions. Under the sub forums, go to forum frequently asked questions. There is all kinds of information there about how to do what. My next peice of advice, is to take the time to look over this whole site. There is a lot of great information here. There are other sites as well that offer just as much information. Take your time and read, read, and read some more. Good luc

I found out that i couldn't tolerate any of the whey Proteins either. I found this one and it tastes like SF grape koolaid--not bad. I drink it mixed with Water, but I'm sure it can be mixed with just about anything. It's called Liquacel. I bought it online through colonial medical--here's the website: Liquacel - 1 oz Packets :: Medical Nutrition :: Dietary supplements :: Colonial Medical Assisted Devices

Amanda, I too had a difficult time drinking water at first. I think it was because I was in the habit of gulping and not sipping. After each of my fills I have had to retrain myself to go back to sipping and not gulping my drink (First thing in the morning start off with something warm--it helps soothe your stomach). Now I take two or three small sips at a time and wait, then repeat. Eating and drinking has become a whole new dining experience. I am learning how to pause after each swallow. This way I don't pile too much in at a time--that's when you really feel uncomforable. When I was first home from surgery I ate a little bit at a time, and I ate often. My favorite thing to eat was egg salad. It went down easy and I could eat it without difficulty. I also caved in and ate things that we aren't supposed to, but I was told that I wasn't to worry about weight loss the first 6 weeks. That time is all about healing from the surgery. Don't beat yourself up for caving in. Tomorrow is a new day. As you can see from the above posts, protein shakes come in many different varieties. I found out that I became extremely intolerant of whey protein drinks for about a full month or so after surgery. Now I can tolerate them once in a while. (I have switched to soy protein instead). I spent a bunch of money on protein drinks that i can't tolerate. Papaya pills really do work. They don't taste bad either. Good luck and welcome to bandland:thumbup:.