kiz

It really is ashame that the surgeon didn't remove your gall bladder during your lap band surgery, that's for sure, but I did want to tell you my gall bladder scars are tiny. If I had a flat stomach, I would wear a two piece for sure with my gall bladder scars, and I don't think anyone could even see them. I had even forgotten all about them until I was having lap band surgery. I had my gall bladder surgery before the Internet became so widespread, so I didn't have a message board or the abundant information at my fingertips as we do today. I never knew about gas being used to expand my stomach, so maybe not knowing made a difference, but I didn't have any sort of post surgery gas related pains. Granted, I only had a little after my lap band surgery, but it was enough that I would have noticed had I experienced it before. I was also nursing and caring for a new born baby (who's almost an adult now..yikes). I think I tend to snap back pretty quickly after surgery, but my gall bladder surgery was even easier than lap band as far as recovery due to not having port pain. Best wishes to you, and I hope everything goes well.

I'm not a vegetarian, but I like them, and keep a box in my freezer for a quick, easy, and healthy protein meal. Personally, I don't find them to be very similar in taste to a hamburger, but they are the shape and I use the same condiments. I think I've only had Morning Star Farms.

Never heard of such a prohibition. I could eat soft ground meats and soft fish during my soft food stage after two weeks. Solid meat proteins are generally very important for bandster's satiety, but there's exceptions to every rule, particularly when it comes to band rules. I would probably investigate some band vegetarian menus for good ideas for non meat and filling meals.

I had my gall bladder removed several years ago, and from the beginning, there's been no noticeable difference in the way I digest food including fats. I've never had any pain as a result of not having a gall bladder either.

In addition to what Hummingbird said, you can stop getting them altogether by going to User CP and then click on Edit Options. Go to Messaging & Notification and select No Email Notification in the scroll down for Default Thread Subscription Mode.

This is dedicated to everyone who ever attempted to get into a regular workout routine. :thumbup:

JoJo, brings up a good point. You really should be able to handle solid meats, although a lot of people have issues with very dry meats. You also mentioned that you're sliming very often. A very small unfill might make a big difference in your food tolerance. If you're able to handle more solid meat, you might find that you have the same or even better level of satiety between meals. As far as the slime, I would think it's something that's produced to help move food along, and it kicks into high gear when the body needs its. But that's just my guess. The papaya enzymes helps break down Protein, so it really helps some of us, others say it doesn't help at all, when meat isn't going down the way it should.

Sunrise .

The papaya/pineapple enzymes only cost in the neighborhood of $3 at TJ's, so well worth the try. They're in the Vitamin section. I've only had to use them a handful of times, and I've taken three. An example of when I've used them was when I was at a rib place on vacation, and my husband and I were sharing a rack of ribs. After a couple of bites, I could feel the meat getting tight. I was going to stop eating but decided to try the enzymes, and I felt things loosen up in less than a minute, and I was able to eat dinner. Another time, it was with left over roast beef, and I started to slime (thankfully, I was at home), and after chewing a few enzymes, I was back to normal within a minute.

PB is short hand for "productive burp". Generally, it happens when you don't chew something thoroughly enough, the band is too tight, or it's a food that a bandster just can't tolerate. The food comes back up pretty much in a solid piece, not after digestion has started. You'd also probably have "slime" (a lot of thick saliva) first. The papaya/pineapple from TJ's is TJ's brand. For bandsters that have had good luck with it, have used various brands, and I think often it's papaya only. One person mentioned that they had used Walmart's and it didn't do the trick, but other brands had worked for them. I'm not sure what they'd used though.

I'm glad you liked it too. Her progression during the week cracked me up, and boy, there have been times that I could relate to those exact feelings.

You can go to the top part of a thread and click on Thread Options to subscribe to a thread. If you post on a thread, you're automatically subscribed. I'm not sure if that's something you enable/disable though. Then, go to Quick Links at the top of the page and click on it to see all the threads you're subscribed to. You can also get email notification if for threads you're subscribed to when new posts are made. You can enable that function under your User CP, Edit Options.

I use the clear dissolving Metamucil or Benefiber in my warm drink (coffee/tea/hot choc), and I can't even tell I've added it. Also, I try to get the most bang for my buck when I chose my foods. I buy the double fiber Nature's Own bread, Thomas' English Muffins w. 8 grams fiber, my salad base is almost always spinach, I sprinkle ground flax seed on salads, chili, etc. Speaking of chili, I make mine with 5 different types of Beans including green beans. I buy the small cans of spinach, have 1/2 can for a snack occasionally. I also have 1/2 cup of high fiber Cereal (dry) every morning (Khashi has a high fiber/high Protein cereal), and I sprinkle Fiber One, All Brand (buds), blueberries, pecans &/or walnuts in my yogurt or salads. If you like prunes, they make a good snack. It's important to find the right balance of soluble and insoluble fiber in your diet for your system. http://www.healthcastle.com/fiber-solubleinsoluble.shtml

Old thread revived.

Mine wasn't so much that it was too much, it was poor quality meat that I couldn't chew up well enough. I learned to just say no to tough meat..lol Have you tried papaya pills for stuck or tight food situations? I have papaya/pineapple enzymes that I bought at Trader Joe's, and they're chewables. They can be little miracle workers. Someone mentioned that they bought some at Walmart that didn't work as well as others they had bought. You can find them on line, and I would think Vitamin shops, and possibly pharmacies. They're very inexpensive, so well worth a try.

I was just going to say chicken and broccoli! I learned to stop when my band says stop with that meal. I could tell the chicken was gristly and not going down well, but I took the proverbial one more bite. I also had chicken and broccoli at a different Chinese restaurant and the chicken was much more tender and I didn't have a bit of problem with it.

Welcome to LBT, Tammy. The first step for my surgeon's office and others in my area is to go to a seminar to learn more about weight loss surgery options and their practices. The doctors &/or seminar facilitators gave us a lot of information, including a packet about various insurance companies and what they generally cover. Since I didn't have WLS insurance, I can't say for sure what the next steps were, but it seemed that at that point you were supposed to contact your insurance providers to get the nitty gritty details.

I'm surprised that you've been told to take so many Vitamins as well. Most bandsters report taking a multi-Vitamin plus a Calcium supplement. That's also what my doctor recommends (I take adult chewables). I've also added B-12 with my doctor's approval. Like most everything else, there can be a wide range of recommendations from our doctors. I've been banded for over a year, and at my 12 month blood work check they checked everything from A-Z, and all my tests came back within the normal range. As far as hair falling out, my personal belief due to hair loss I experienced after previous surgeries and childbirth, it's hormonal. I started losing hair about 6 weeks after surgery, but within maybe six months it stopped and grew back as thick as ever. If it was due to a lack of vitamins, it wouldn't have stopped as suddenly as it started, and I wouldn't have had regrowth. I'm glad to know your doctor isn't selling the vitamins. That was a good question. How big are the vitamins? With good restriction, I'm not supposed to swallow a pill bigger than an M&M.

Bonnet .

Off topic... You're clearly to young for the Dick, Jane, Sally, Spot (the dog) and Puff (the cat) reading books. :bored:

Crazy Who didn't see that one coming?

squirrels .

You'll get answers all across the spectrum, but my doctor is fine with an occasional glass of wine.

We have private insurance through Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield. I had it before I had my band, so I don't know if it's a problem getting it post-band.

Puff