Jodi_620

You may be on to something with the stress. I can not take the least bit of stress anytime near mealtime. Also I don't even want my DH to talk to me while I am eating because I always have issues if I am distracted. For me, things like stress, distraction, being in a hurry or being overly hungry cause me to slime much more frequently than my eating methods do.

Oh yes!!! It took about a month for me to feel better in the port area. You have swelling from the surgery and stitches in the nerves and the muscles that you use regularly. The sensations I felt varied through the healing process. I had swelling, pain, burning, numbness, tightness and the sensation of something shifting inside me. It is all normal and will take the longest to heal.

I am not a couch potato but was never much of an exerciser, so joining Curves was a good first step for me. There are many great points to going to Curves. It is a good workout for new-timers. It is a comfortable all women environment It is a total body workout It only takes 30 minutes Mine is in a very convenient location and has excellent staff It is a simple, structured workout. I have been going since January and have lost 2" from by chest, 4" from my waist, 1" from my arms, 3" from my hips and 2" from each thigh. I can feel muscles that I didn't have four months ago. The workout is easy and I am surprised at the results I have seen already. I am not sure that I would go this route after my first year. I may tire of this routine by then and want to try something different. But for now it is a very good plan for me.

Congratulations on being banded!!! I had both surgeries done at the same time too. Yes breathing issues are normal. A hiatal hernia is when there is a tear in your diaphragm at the location where your esophagus passes through it. To repair it, they put a couple of stitches in. Your diaphragm is the muscle you use to talk, breath, cough etc. so issues with such things are quite normal after hernia repair. I actually was pretty tight and couldn't talk or move around much without getting winded. I had insurance and did not stay overnight. Once I was awake and could pee on my own, I went home. I was given liquid Vicodin, a nausea medication (disolving pills) and antacid pills. I went back to my surgeon for follow-up 1 week later. I was glued so there were no staples to remove.

Not exactly. Although research does show that artificial sweeteners can cause us to mentally crave more goodies, the artificial sweeteners do not affect the blood sugar like regular sugar does. When we have blood sugar spikes from eating sugar and starches we get a physiological "need" for more sugar and starches, not just a mental "want". I am insulin resistant and am prone to the affects of sugar and starches as are many of us. I wouldn't recommend too much of either (sugar or sugar-free). They don't have much nutritional value and are empty calories alone or within the products. But when I do crave something sweet I choose something that will have less of an effect on my blood sugar.

You have to watch the calorie and fat content too. Many of those sugar free goodies are quite high in both. I do not indulge in goodies on a regular basis. I need to leave room in my pouch for good nutritious food and as long as I am still in the losing stage I want to watch the in-between meal snacking. But when I do get a sweet tooth I eat 1/2 a South Beach Cereal bar or a SF Fudgecicle or Popsicle. South Beach also makes an oatmeal cookie snack that is pretty good if you watch how much you eat. BTW, sugar alcohol will give you gas and possibly diarrhea so you may want to keep that in mind. But it does not affect your blood sugar.

I was not to eat, drink or smoke after midnight before surgery. I had to be at the hospital at 6AM so I had my last cigarette at 9PM and went to bed. I had hiatal hernia repair along with the surgery and my diaphragm was very weak for several days after surgery. I would get winded just walking across the room or talking in full sentences. It was not like the congested lung type of breathing issue, it felt more like if you could imagine, someone sitting on your stomach and you try to draw in air but can't. I just didn't have the strength it takes to draw in the smoke. But for the first 2-3 days I was zonked out from pain meds and didn't even think about it anyway. The third or fourth day I suddenly realized it had been days since I smoked but knew that I was still too weak to draw in smoke. I knew that it takes approx. five days to get the nicotene out of your system. I had reached the five day mark and I realized that I would have been a fool to turn back at that point. I still wanted a cigarette but I did not "need" one. In my 20 plus years of smoking and trying to quit I had never made it that long. All I had to do at that point was to combat the physical addiction which takes about 4-6 weeks and I would be smoke free. No, it is not easy but each day got a little easier and a little over a month later I was rarely even thinking about it anymore. I have been smoke free for 10 months and two weeks now!

Hope you had a Happy Easter too. There is no magic number, how much we need in our band is very individual. If you are eating less not hungry and losing weight then you have just the right amount...if that is more or less than someone else it doesn't matter. If you get stuck occasionally then that means that every once in a while, you eat too fast, forget to chew well or eat too much-getting stuck is not an indicator on restriction.

It is probably your esophagus that is hurting. From my experience we can get stuck in two different areas, above the band or at the band. 1.) When we don't chew enough or swallow something that is too big to pass through the band opening it usually results in sliming. You will be uncomfortable, gaggy and sliming until the food dislodges itself. 2.) When we don't eat the right way (too fast, not chewing, too much...) the food gets stuck trying to pass into the pouch. The food backs up into the esophagus and you can get chest pain. You may also cough or burp the food up. You probably have some swelling from your stuck episode and should take it easy for a while and use this as a lesson to take small bites, chew and eat slowly.

I am with Dr. Pinnar too...I second what everyone else has said about him and his staff.

Not sure about the weight control but I can say for sure that the Quaker High Fiber is definitely more filling than the regular oatmeal. As a matter of fact I figured that out this week. I had been eating the High Fiber for two weeks and it was keeping me very satisfied until lunchtime. Yesterday I found one package of regular oatmeal in a box in my desk so I decided to use that one up--I was hungry two hours later. :sad:

I don't measure, I eat until I am satisfied and I would estimate that amount to be 3/4 to 1 cup per meal. I eat three meals per day and strive for no in-between meal snacking. After five fills and being at my sweet spot for a few months, I can say that I was never satisfied on 1/4 cup nor would I ever want to be so restricted. At the volume I am eating now, I am still able to sit down and enjoy a sensible meal and have lost weight consistently. I measured out 1/4 cup once just to see...In my opinion that was little more than a sample, certainly not a meal!

I would give it a couple days to see if the problem is due to swelling. I know that for the last couple fills it took around 4-5 days for swelling to go down. I always get a little "acidy" just after a fill. If you are unable to get water or food down then definitely go back right away and if you don't feel better in a few more days then a slight unfill may be needed.

It is not just about getting hooked on it again. The carbonation can cause some serious gas pains and some believe it can stretch the pouch...I agree with hairnv, keep that habit in the past.

Not sure why you are agreeing with me, that is not what I had in mind at all. In my opinion, if you have to have pudding then make it yourself from fresh ingredients and then you know that it doesn't have all the preservitives and chemicals that the pre-packaged stuff has.

Nothing wrong with putting her in her place and blowing off some steam. But what will really get under her skin is to use her criticism as motivation. In my opinon, for some reason (because she's a bitch?) she seems to want to see you fail. Just wait a few months when the weight loss really starts to show...I'll bet your sucess will really eat her up!

Yes, it is possible to realign the band by simply unfilling it--depending on the the type and severity of slippage. There is no way to tell for sure whether it will slip again, only time will tell but it is possible that it will not. To try and avoid another slippage you should take fills slowly and not allow yourself to get too tight and of course be sure to follow all the bandster rules carefully.

For mine: I was weighed-in and the surgeon discussed the surgery in more detail. He asked questions about my medical history. He wrote out all the necessary orders for pre-op tests (bloodwork, EKG, surgery release letter, upper GI). He explained pre-op and post-op diet and care. He explained the required visits with the psych and with the nutritionist. I scheduled my visit with the psych. He answered all my questions. At the time I did not know if my insurance would cover it, so while I was with the surgeon the insurance coordinator was on the phone with the insurance company.

I don't have the same insurance but that is what my doc charges my insurance company ($295). I am at 10 months and I have had 5 fills and 1 unfill, I have not had a fill in three or four months and I don't see the need for one in the near future.

Sounds like she is either too tight or she still has some swelling from the fill. She should call her doctor.

I have never heard of this before. Thyroid disease is not curable, only treatable. I was told by my endocrinolgist that I will need to stay on Synthroid for life. Once your numbers level off you need to keep taking the meds to keep the numbers level and also have them rechecked from time to time to make sure your dosage is right.

I haven't posted Before and After pics yet. I will do so when I actually reach goal which shouldn't be too long now.

I remember in the beginning having my clothes get looser even though the scale was saying that I didn't lose any weight. Can't tell you why that is but don't get too crazy about the scale. Sweet spot is not determined by how the food goes down but rather how much food it takes to satisfy you, how long you stay satisfied and how steady the weight is coming off.

I have been hypo for seven years now. As long as you have your levels under control with meds, there is no reason why being hypo would keep the band from working. I did have to lower my Synthroid dosage after losing about 65 pounds.

2 hours??? that does make it nearly impossible to get enough fluids! Mine was only an hour in the beginning and is down to 30 minutes now. Talk to your doctor but mine recommended a non-stimulant laxative to help in the beginning. I used Philips Milk of Magnesia. Just start with a tsp if that doesn't work try two tsp, the smallest dose necessary to get you going without making it too loose.