kiz

If it's an even trade, and it makes my band life easier, I'm all for it!

Mine are chewable tablets. I've only used them a few times when I could tell the meat I was eating was making me feel tight and could possible get stuck (so, after I started eating). Personally, I wouldn't recommend using them all the time, because the band works best when your food stays in your pouch and takes longer to digest. Also, it wouldn't be good to get into the habit of over stressing your band, but in the case of an occasional emergency, they've worked like a Get at of Jail Fee card for me.

Which band do you have? I have the old Realize band that holds 9cc. I have in the neighborhood of 11cc in my band. My doctor does a special type fill, a "pressure fill" under fluoro with the Realize band. He hooks up a gauge to measure pressure as he's giving the fill. I think he only does those fill for people like me (and you) who are having trouble getting good restriction. My last fill (the pressure fill) was 0.5cc, which, thankfully, gave me perfect restriction. He said he had a few other patients that needed as high as pressure as I had. It was in the 40s, but I don't know what that means, except that it was on the high side. I've kept my restriction now for three months.

I can certainly understand that. Just try to keep your eye on the prize. Try to get creative with your full liquids (there should be lots of examples in the nutrition forum on LBT). If you can, try to do something to keep your mind off your hunger (easier said than done, but we've all been there, so you're at the right place for support). From the food and Nutrition forum (although always check with your doctor's diet plan):

That's good to know too! I've seen people say they didn't work for them, so it could just be the brand. Since you know they work for you, it must be something with the Walmart brand. I got mine at Trader Joe's for $2.50. They worked great too. You got me curious about the ingredients in my tablets: Mycozyme digests starches. Papain and Bromelain also digest Protein.

Thanks, Donna. That's good to know. My papaya/pineapple enzymes just say "chew one tablet with meals". lol Mine doesn't have amia, but in addition to bromelain and papain, it does have mycozyme.

Believe me, this rough patch doesn't mean you've made a mistake. I know you know it's important to follow your doctor's instructions, but post-op, it's even more critical because your stomach is healing. Call your doctor's office if you feel like you just can't stick with it for their advice, because many times I've seen where people have been given additional foods they can eat to help pull them through this period. Good luck!! It's well worth the pain.

I was also under the impression that papaya enzymes were only for meats too. I've seen people recommend them for other foods though. I've used them two or three times, but only when meat wasn't going down comfortably. They worked like a charm. Even though I've rarely needed them, I always keep them in my purse, just in case.

If you haven't been able to drink since Monday, in my opinion, you need to see your doctor ASAP. Hopefully, you'll just need an unfill, but don't wait because you'll become dehydrated. Sorry this has happened to you.

I just read this recipe online for healthy food swaps. I haven't tried it, and I'm not sure how well Greek yogurt would freeze, but I'm going to give it shot. Skip: Processed frozen treats Pick: Frozen berry pops Mix frozen berries with low-fat Greek yogurt, spoon it into small paper cups and freeze it on sticks for a healthier summertime treat. They're inexpensive and easy to have on hand. Freezing doesn't harm the nutritional value in the berries, which include Vitamin C, manganese and fiber.

If you really want to eat on the cheap (and you're with a close friend), and you don't want the bread - order one sub with extra meat, it costs next to nothing, and ask for extra spinach (grrr to the Subways that only have iceberg lettuce). You can have a nice little meal for about a dollar..lol I can still eat bread, but with something like a sub, I have to tread carefully. I take very small bites if I take a whole bite or more normal bites with only one side of the bread at a time. I can eat about a 4 inch sub this way. I order the whole grain or whole wheat, whichever has the highest Fiber and use just a smidgen of the no fat dressing. That's mostly because I think they pour too much on if you don't ask them to go easy on it. On Biggest Looser, I saw Shay order a Subway sub, and she asked them to shallow out the center portion out of her bread. I thought that was a great idea. I've never tried the wraps, but I think I'd have to be careful with those as well. If I order a small black bean/chicken soft taco, I eat the filling, and only a little of the wrap.

Your welcome Nancy. It's quite normal to be apprehensive, especially about an elective surgery. I had a couple of surgeries previously (gall bladder and hysterectomy), and it was different when it was totally my decision to make. Just keep gathering information, and feel free to ask questions as they arise. For me, being well informed was essential and ultimately calmed my nerves. ---------------------------------------- sberrys, congratulations on your approval, and good luck with your surgery!

I absolutely LOVE it! I've had no problems, although it did take quite a while for me to get long lasting restriction, but once I did, I would call it perfect. I would do it again in a heartbeat, and it has been worth every penny it cost as a self-pay patient. Having a band has met all my expectations plus some. With optimal restriction, I eat three 1/2 cup healthy meals/day + one healthy snack, and drink plenty of fluids in between. I don't have those ravenous hungry pains I used to experience that led to my grazing my way to obesity. It's been work on my part, for sure...following the rules, getting exercise, making better food choices...but the band has given me the power to do those things.

I was self-pay, so things move a little differently then if you have WLS insurance. I had a BMI less than 40 with no co-morbidities, but I didn't have any insurance qualifications I had to meet. But as best as I can remember, I either left the office with a surgery date, or they called me within a day or two to put me on the schedule. But I knew leaving the office that I was okayed for surgery, unless something came up negatively on one of the tests. If that would have happened I'm sure my surgery would have been postponed.

I'm sure it varies from doctor to doctor, but at mine they measured my weight, asked my height, took my blood pressure and temp, checked my heart rate, took a medical history and answered questions I had about the surgery. I think that was basically it. I also got on the schedule for surgery and made appointments for additional pre-op tests and classes.

I take a liquid vit D (in the winter) from the Vitamin Shoppe. You just add one drop to food or liquid for 1,000 IU / 250% RDA. I've taken liquid calcium, but they also come in chewables.

Cathy has perfectly described my understanding of restriction. The only thing I would add, is that I've seen your initial problem of feeling too tight with your first bites has been referred to as "first bite syndrome". If you do a LBT search, you'll find that several banders also have that issue and tips on how to learn to minimize the reaction.

I totally agree with most of lipstix's post, although, I would give the bf the benefit of the doubt until you've sat down and had a heart to heart talk to him about how much harder this is for you when he's bringing home junk food over the weekend. What you said in your post about the difficulties you're having is the perfect opening. He may not even be aware the effect his weekend eating habits is having on you, so don't feel the least bit guilty about asking him to make a few changes to help you. Ultimately, this is for your longterm health. Having WLS and living with a band is not something you've done on a whimsy, and you deserve the best possible environment (at least in your home and with your bf) to make it work. You could also ask him, if you haven't already, to help you start a light weightlifting/cardio program, so that the two of you could work out together on the weekends. Another very important point that lipstix made is that this isn't good for your child either, especially a child with at least one obese parent. It's important for both of you to role model good eating habits, which in my opinion can include "junk food" on occasion, but not as an every weekend occurrence. Good luck, and I hope you're able to work this out with your bf so that you're working together to get healthy and that you have a long, happy and active life together.

Sugar('s) Daddy Ken will not be happy when he sees how Barbie let herself go..lol He's the real deal. Barbie's 'Sugar Daddy Ken' Doll Raises Eyebrows - ABC News

Based on popular opinion on this thread, I think we can amend Lupe's great siggy quote from: "Nothing tastes as GOOD as Thin feels" to: "Reese's Pumpkins taste as GOOD as Thin feels"

Polls pop up as New Posts when someone votes. That's probably why you're getting the notices even when no new posts have been made. You can unsubscribe. Just go to the top of the thread and go to Thread Tools.

I'm self-pay too, so I know what you mean about the worry of not having the luxury of insurance to fall back on. I think that's part of the reason I tend to err on the side of caution. As you said, better safe than sorry.

Donna: I'm very sorry to hear you ended up in the ER this weekend from dehydration. I hope you're feeling better now. Lapband0505: With that type of sudden restriction I would call my doctor ASAP. If you've been able to eat solids for the most part, and now you suddenly can barely get down a simple liquid like broth, you may be experiencing a slip or some other problem that needs to be addressed medically. If you catch it sooner rather than later, a simple unfill could right it. Regardless, as Donna said, you're could become dehydrated very quickly.