kiz

The "search" button is on line just below the before and after pictures, third from the end. There's also a "search this thread" feature just above the first post in a thread.

This thread will get you through the mushie stage. You'll find lots of great ideas and recipes. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f82/mushies-stage-recipes-17637/

Welcome to LBT, jojo. The first thing I did was to go to the weight loss surgery seminars and investigate gastric banding on the Internet. That's how I found this site. Do you have any questions in particular that you want to ask?

Hi msd, and welcome to LBT. I'm sorry that you're frustrated though. Have you had a fill yet? Don't expect a miracle with your first fill, but it will help. Are you measuring your food? ("I think my portion size is a fair amount not as much as before the band.") I think measuring is very important, especially at first. You probably are eating less than you were pre-band, but unless you're measuring, you can trick yourself into believing you're eating a lot less than you really are. Also, what kind of foods are you eating? You may be eating foods that aren't conducive to weight loss. Are you getting any exercise besides the walking you're doing with your job. The walking is good, of course, but are you getting your heart rate up at all and do you feel like you're getting a work out? I'm not really asking you these questions for your answer, but those are the things I'd be asking myself. I'm not going to be a super fast looser either, but I'm making healthy food choices and exercising, and in the long run, I'll get to my goal in a healthy manner.

Well, doodle, if you're going to have ONE problem, this is the one problem to have. lol

Some of the most knowledgeable posters are longterm banders. There's only so many things you can say about gastric banding, before the same topics get repeated ad nauseum. If it weren't for the other chatter, our longterm friends may grow tired of re-answering questions for newbies to bands like me. Anyone is welcomed to join in the side chats or ignore them, but it's really no skin off anyone's nose since for the most part those topics are in the off topics area.

Hi Wendy. I'm very sorry to hear about your grandma. Of course this isn't the same, but I felt I had to attend a going away party for my friend's son who was leaving for boot camp. The party was two days after I had surgery (surgery Thurs, party Sat). I didn't tell them I was having surgery, and I wanted to keep it private. I was off my narcotic med by then, but I was still taking Tylenol, however, I forgot to take any before the party. Anyway, I did just fine, and really just felt a little sore around the port incision.

Everyone recovers differently, but I would have been up for it. There's no guarantee that you won't have complications, but if you follow all of your doctor's orders, and nothing unforeseen happens, I would think you should be just fine. With that in mind, I would have a backup plan, just in case, since it's such an important day for your brother and his fiancé.

That's totally normal. You have very little restriction now, so your food is probably going through pretty fast. You'll need to go by your doctor's recommendations, but before I had my first fill, I was told to keep my meals under 1 cup and to add a 4th heavy protein snack rather than something low cal. For instance, 1/2 tuna, Greek yogurt w. added nuts & high fiber cereal. They call this period "bandster hell".

That's what I thought you were saying, but I couldn't believe it. If, by chance, you have your records, I would first try to correct this myself with their billing dept. Between the two of you, I would guess this may run into a significant amount of money, and it would be prudent to get legal counsel if you can't get anywhere with their billing office. I'm very sorry this is happening to you. I'm self pay too, and I get free fill for one year. After that, I pay $200/fill.

Are you saying that you were originally charged and paid $50/fill, but now they're re-billing you for those fills at $450/fill, so that you now owe an extra $400 for all those previous fills?

Congratulations. I'd take it as a good sign too.

I'm so sorry you didn't get your fill. I know it's very disappointing. Right now, you're just on a diet for all practical purposes. I know it's hard to wait, especially after the six week mark, but I hope you get your appointment next week. When will you know your date? If possible, can they squeeze you in earlier?

Don't worry, pchefmel, you'll be able to sleep on your left side. If you're sensitive in the port area, try to baby it (don't poke around trying to feel your port, wear loose wasted clothes as much as possible, etc). It'll heal before you know it. The first week after I had my band, I told my husband that it felt a little creepy having this band inside me cinching part of my stomach. I wasn't having anxiety about it, but it was a little weird. I rarely even think about it now, and I definitely don't find it creepy anymore, especially when it's doing it's job...then, I love my band!

I had a couple of the sutures pop through too. They were snagging my knit tops and were uncomfortable. My doctor's office said I could come in for them to cut them off, or I could do it myself. They said to never tug at the sutures though. I took a pair of nail clippers, sanitized them and my incision with alcohol, and snipped them off. It was no big deal, and it felt much better. The site healed great, and I didn't notice the little bits of sutures that were left after I clipped them.

At my two week check, I was told I could start using aloe or vitamin D on my incisions if they felt itchy. I had a great moisturizer that has both ingredients, and that's what I used. My main concern would be an allergic reaction. Personally, I would test any product on another area before putting it on an incision.

I had the same thing, and my doctor's office said to press on the area slightly to get the stitch to pop out as much as possible and to cut it off with sterilized scissors or nail clippers. They said to definitely not pull on it. I just cleaned a pair of nail clippers with alcohol and clipped the little piece sticking out carefully, without touching my skin. It eventually completely disappeared. It's very common and nothing to worry about.

Pre-fill - Liquids only two hours prior to fill Post-fill - Liquids two days, mushies two days, then regular diet.

So far, I can still eat anything. Bread, pasta, pizza, etc (I'm measuring my food, and I'm mindful of sticking with 1/2 cup meals). I've only had a couple of very thin slices of steak, just for the taste, because I'm a little afraid of getting stuck with steak. I've not pb'ed, and the only time I've felt a very little stuck was not too long after my last fill when I was eating tuna on toast. I think I'm very close to my sweet spot though. I have an appointment coming up, and I think I'll ask for a .5 cc fill.

Some of the posts really concern me that there are people with such severe eating disorders that any type of WLS would be putting the cart before the horse. Of all the WLS's, it seems to me, the band is the one that is least a magic bullet, not that any of them are, but the it seems that with the band you need the most self control. I do think there are people who have buried their head in the sand when it comes to learning what they need to know to be successful, but I also feel there are doctors who are not giving the proper instruction and screening prior to banding. I don't get frustrated with the posts you're referring to as much as I pity some of the posters and some of their situations. I guess I feel very fortunate that I've found a very good medical office, I have a supportive family, and I have had the time and inclination to research the band, both pre-op and post-op. I've also found LBT to be a wealth of info, and I appreciate the time people take out of their day to help one another.

Follow the instructions on this link for adding a ticker. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f5/ticker-tutorial-pictures-41782/

That's a very good article, MacMadame. Thanks for linking it.

Hi Rosemary, and welcome to LBT. Congratulations on your weight loss to date, and good luck going forward. You'll find lots of great info on this site, but don't hesitate to ask any questions that come up.

I take the adult chewable vitamins made by Walgreens, High Potency A thru Z. I believe they're the store brand of Centrum's. I also take two sugar-free Tums for added calcium.

I've flown since being banded, and I've noticed no difference whatsoever. My band is not super tight, so that may make a difference, but I was able to eat and drink normally on the plane.