S@ssen@ch

I think we all have those fears, pre-op. It's normal to worry about being able to comply with the "rules" or being able to live with the changes necessary for success. I know I did. Although I now know that I am addicted to food, I was in complete denial until the last 6 months or so. Yes, that's AFTER I was banded. You're one step ahead of the game by admitting it now. Remember, addictions are not cured only treated. After your banded, if you so choose to go through with it, you will find yourself feeling satisfied with a significantly smaller amount of food. It may be hard to believe now, but it's true. You don't have that deep hunger that makes you want to eat and eat and eat. The worst may be the head hunger you spoke of, but if you listen to your band you simply will not be able to eat those large portions any more. If you don't, you will experience pain and you will probably see that food again. I can't help you with the diet cola. I wasn't much of a soda drinker pre-band. I had stopped drinking caffeinated beverages in 1993 at my doctor's recommendation, therefore I just didn't drink a lot of soda. It wasn't so hard to give up and I really don't miss it. Also, remember you may go through a mourning phase. Many actually mourn the loss of food as their consolation, their "friend", the thing that helps them cope and comforts them in times of stress or other emotional need. My recommendation, if you do have the surgery, find something else that gives you satisfaction.....a passion if you will. Whether it's drawing, reading, exercising, the list could go on. Something to focus your attention on besides food. Good Luck,

Any time I've gagged performing fellatio, it was more of a response in my throat itself and had nothing to do with my stomach. What happens is you stimulate your gag reflex. Unless you do this often and actually force yourself to vomit, it shouldn't affect your band at all. Your stomach muscle isn't contracting unless you vomit as a result of repeated gag reflex stimulation. Good luck and have fun! BTW, I would probably wait to "stimulate your gag reflex" until after you've healed properly. Not that you can't perform fellatio, just be careful not to stimulate the gag reflex because you may be a little sensative immediately post op. Vomiting is to be avoided, if at all possible, during the healing phase to allow the band to heal into place.

I take a children's chewable complete multi and 1 other med about the size of a birth control pill, every day. Haven't had any trouble. I was told that as long as it's smaller than the size of a pencil eraser it should be O.K. Any time I've had to take something else, like a pain pill, cold medicine, or tylenol I just break it into pieces small enough and swallow it down. I have used applesauce, yogurt or SF pudding, something of substance helps it to go down. I don't like the taste of crushed meds, so if I can break it up I do. I also hate the taste of liquids so if I can get it in pills that I can break up, I do. I haven't tried a capsule bigger than a nexium. Didn't have trouble with it, but don't have to take it anymore.

After I found out I was approved, I went into what I called "training mode". I didn't call it a diet, but I guess that's what it was. I did my best to eat as I believed I would have to eat post-banding. I tried to make healthier choices, eat smaller portions and eat slower. I even trained myself to not drink with my meals. I lost 19 lbs from consult to surgery. I had my fair share of "lasts", but I didn't overindulge and reminded myself that there was a fair chance that I'd still be able to eat it after I was back on regular foods.

Vegas, While I'm sorry for your experience, I thank you for taking the time to write it for us to read. It's experiences like this that help me to remember to take it slow and chew, chew, chew when I eat. I've had a few "hold my breath" moments but have been fortunate enough that whatever it was passed. Thanks again.

I'm with ya Jachut. And, although Johnny's a bit skinny for my usual tastes......he still makes me so-o-o-o HOT! Maybe it's his attitude. Someone once told me they didn't like him because he always looked so unkept and "greasy". Well, I didn't have an answer for that. I like his natural and rebelious sense of style. What can I say?

Gina, Not to burst your bubble.....but a 3 1/2 week plateau isn't all that long. After all the significant weight you've lost so far, your body needs to adjust to that loss. As someone else mentioned, replenish it's fluids where they belong. Measure yourself. You may be losing inches and as frustrating as it is to not see pounds lost on the scale.........those inches are just as important. I'll give you my own example. I haven't lost more than 2 lbs since February (that's a 4 month plateau, and I've had a big fill in between). BUT, I've lost 2 clothing sizes. I'm O.K. with that. Just because the scale is being stubborn, I'll take the smaller clothing sizes. That means something's changing and something shrinking even though the scale isn't budging. Remember, if you're exercising and building muscle......muscle weighs more than fat. It also metabolizes more energy even at rest. So muscle is good. That may be another reason that your scale isn't moving. Be patient, it'll move again when your body is ready. Stay the course, make the right choices, follow the rules. It'll work.

I'm at about 14 months out from surgery. Currently, I don't regret having the band. I'm very happy with my life and my new, healthier and smaller body. I've lost 75 lbs and I can (for the first time in my life) see my ultimate weight loss goal as a realistic possibility. I have, through the journey, regretted what I've done. For months, I was having what my doctor told me was esophageal spasms. I had no reason not to believe him. I was suffereing terribly and blamed the band. I told myself that if it didn't get any better I'd have to have the band out because no one should have to live like that. When I finally got angry at my doctor, I found out that the "esophageal spasms" weren't spasms at all........they were gall bladder attacks. Now that my gall bladder is out, I feel normal again and am doing well. As others have said, I think your band experience depends on what expectations you bring with you. Be as knowledgeable as you can. Be realistic about what the band does and what your roll in the weight loss process is. For those who have suffered slippage, erosion, reflux......I can fully understand various regrets. It is absolutely normal to have 2nd thoughts as your surgery approaches. I know I did. But I kept going to my online support, writing in my personal journal and reminding myself why I was doing this. For me, through knowledge came strength and resolve. Good Luck

Of the choices, I had to pick Colin.........BUT, if I had my choice of ANY, I'd pick JOHNNY DEPP.........AHHHHHH

If I have to have a snack, I'll have a string cheese (you can get them in low fat) and maybe 4 crackers (depending on the crackers). It seems to be very filling and usually less than 200 calories as long as you choose low fat cheese and low fat crackers. I also like those individual cottage cheese containers with the fruit by Breakstone's. They're pre-portioned and taste pretty good. It's a nice switch from the plain old cottage cheese. The South Beach high Protein Cereal bar is about 140 cal and has 10 g of protein. I love 'em for a quick pick me up. They come in Peanut Butter, cinnamon raisin and I think chocolate fudge. I know you said you don't eat yogurt, but here's an idea for everyone (just in case). I like a 4 oz. light yogurt with 1/4 cup of cheerios mixed in. I know it kind of sounds weird or gross, but it's really great. The high protein pudding is good, too but I got kind of tired of it. I made little SF custards and kept them in my refrigerator for an afternoon snack. That was a nice change after eating a pudding cup every day for weeks. If you can tolerate eggs, a hard boiled egg is also a good snack.

Saul, You didn't mention whether you'd had a fill or not, but if you're vomiting with nearly every meal I'd say there's a problem here. Either you're too tight, you've just not gotten the rules down yet, or there's something more serious wrong here. If you're confidant that you're eating slowly enough and chewing well enough....AND the vomiting isn't caused by the actual item that you've eaten (because some foods are high risk, like breads and dry meats and eggs and fibrous veggies), I'd contact my doctor and let them know right away. Either way, all this vomiting isn't good for you or your band. It puts you at risk for slippage. Personally, I'm more than a year out and the only vomiting I've done has been related to gall bladder attacks. That's right, no PB's or vomiting for me related to eating. So, it can be done. Good Luck,

Amy, Hope you're feeling better and now that the antibiotics have had a chance to get into your system, I sincerely hope they're fighting the good fight for you. As for the fever and the pain, you mentioned alternating tylenol and motrin. When I read that, I thought of something we used to do in the hospital when a patient just couldn't keep a fever down. We alternated the tylenol and motrin, but did it every 2 hours. So that basically, you got tylenol every 4 hours and motrin every 4 hours but you were taking medicine every 2. Am I getting confusing? Here, I'll do a timeline: 8a tylenol 10a motrin 12p tylenol 2p motrin 4p tylenol 6p motrin 8p tylenol 10p motrin get the picture? Since they're two different kinds of medications that work on both pain and fever, it won't hurt to do that. What happens is that while one is starting to wear off, the other is in full force. Double team this and you should feel better. You couldn't do this with aspirin and motrin together, they're related. But tylenol is different and you can do it with motrin or aspirin (preferably motrin). Good Luck,

I love Jack's analagy and sincerely hope he's right. This negativity is hurtin' my mojo. I left another board for this very reason. I came here and felt welcomed into loving and supportive arms. Then.......I'm away for a few days at work and what do I find? HATE and DISCONTENT. WTF? Why can't we all just get along? Don't we all have the same basic goal at heart?

Risking more argument, but seeing as this has turned into one of "those" threads I feel the need to quote some important versus that those who feel they are so passionately correct in their opinions and actions continue to argue. In your anger do not sin; do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Ephesians 4:26-27 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power. Nahum 1:3 A quick-tempered man (and woman) does foolish things. Proverbs 14:17 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1 Now, I'm not one to usually quote scripture but I see the most argumentative individuals seem to be devout in their belief that they aren't doing anything wrong by continually calling names (saying that they didn't), fighting and arguing (in defense of others, so they say). Maybe we should all take a lesson from the most humble and LET IT GO!

Getting the thread back to the orininal intent.........I'm so glad that someone posted this information about trolls and flame wars. In the past couple of weeks, for some reason, I've seen a lot more discontent than normal. Hopefully we can all learn how to deal with the negativity that some individuals (and no one has been singled out here, folks) post instead of instantly feeling the need to respond back to that negativity with more negativity. Sometimes it's best to ignore rather than be insistant that we're always right. Special thanks to the original poster with such insight to post this information.

I agree with GeezerSue and Marianne. No one said this was going to be easy. Personally, I think the liquid diets are probably the hardest. Especially pre-op. For me, the first 2 or 3 days were the worst. I was even dreaming about food. But if you stay the course, be strong and know that you're doing this for the right reasons. Know in your heart that you've made the right choice. You can overcome it. After that 2 or 3 days, it really wasn't that bad for me. I was getting excited about the surgery and had something else to focus on. Post op was easier because the post-op swelling helped with appetite. I was also so focused on making this work that nothing seemed to bother me (even when my family was having succulent dinners right in front of my face). You can do it. If you're really struggling, call your doc and make sure you're doing what they recommend. Maybe somehow you're restricting yourself too much. Good Luck,

I think it's interesting how we all have different tastes when it comes to various foods. Personally, I never understood the obsession with Krispy Kreme. YUCK! They really didn't have a good flavor, the one or 2 times that I tried them. The fillings weren't worth my time and extra calories that I'd have to account for. I agree with Dawg......they smell so much better than they actually taste. I was across the street from a Krispy Kreme and almost broke down and tried them again. But had flashbacks from the last time and knew that I'd be so disappointed. Then there's the whole preservative thing. Who the heck wants a pastry or doughnut that's been around for 3 or 4 days? If they're still soft and lucious, something's wrong with that picture. In my home town, there's a little bakery that makes their own pastries, doughnuts, cookies, etc. They're light, fluffy and flavorful. The fillings are homemade. I have to restrain myself and only treat myself once or twice a year. HMMM, it's been about 3 or 4 months now. LOL

What a happy and sad day. Deepest sympathies about your mum. It must be very distressing for you and the mixed emotions of it all. I can only imagine. On the other side of the coin....GOSH! 204 lbs. WOW!:confused:

Seppi, I had my gall bladder out in February and I was having the same things that you're describing. The guy who took the gall bladder out was clueless, said it had nothing to do with the gall bladder. I was so worried that something was wrong with my band, but had lost some faith in my band doc because he misdiagnosed the gall bladder. What I did was start drinking about 4 oz of aloe vera juice before bed, in addition to the things that MelodyJ recommended. I took Nexium for about a month or so and combined with all those other things, it seemed to get better. Now I only get it if I make poor food choices or eat too much. The only thing I did differently that MelodyJ recommended is that I DID use pillows because my DH refused to raise the head of our bed (the bed itself really wouldn't work well with that anyway-4 posters, solid wood, etc) So, what I did was make about 3 pillows into a wedge like configuration that starts at my butt so that I'm not bending at the waist. My doc said that by bending at the waist it would make it worse, so I figured the wedge would serve the same purpose as the raised head of the bed.

I found it! I found my focus and my groove again. :clap2: I'm back on track. I'm finally back down to 207. That's 4 lbs lost in a week. It's amazing what a motivator that is. I've been logging my food again. I've been doing well with my protein. My caloric intake has been 1200 or less. Other than today, I've been exercising every morning when I get up. I feel good. Tuesday, when I was eating lunch I noticed that the first couple bites went down VERY slow. I could feel them going all the way down. I had never experienced this before. It made me realize that I really had restriction and made me wonder if I was at that "sweet spot". I don't know. All I know is that I'm doing much better, feeling much better, eating healthier and life is good. Now, today I don't feel quite as tight as Tuesday but that doesn't make me jump to conclusions that I have a leak. "This band be a fickle Bitch" as I've heard other's say. I still have restriction, trust me. I felt the last couple bites of my dinner. And on to another day. Thank God for this band!

I found it! I found my focus and my groove again. :clap2: I'm back on track. I'm finally back down to 207. That's 4 lbs lost in a week. It's amazing what a motivator that is. I've been logging my food again. I've been doing well with my protein. My caloric intake has been 1200 or less. Other than today, I've been exercising every morning when I get up. I feel good. Tuesday, when I was eating lunch I noticed that the first couple bites went down VERY slow. I could feel them going all the way down. I had never experienced this before. It made me realize that I really had restriction and made me wonder if I was at that "sweet spot". I don't know. All I know is that I'm doing much better, feeling much better, eating healthier and life is good. Now, today I don't feel quite as tight as Tuesday but that doesn't make me jump to conclusions that I have a leak. "This band be a fickle Bitch" as I've heard other's say. I still have restriction, trust me. I felt the last couple bites of my dinner. And on to another day. Thank God for this band!

I don't have anything like that, but from the cyclical nature of it......"and randomly, maybe every 30 minutes to an hour" that sounds like peristalsis. Peristalsis is the bowels trying to push something through, the contraction of the smooth muscle of the bowel. I guess since you're having pain in your lower abdomen, my next question would be......are you constipated? You mentioned that you're a little swollen and sore. Could also be a sign of diverticulitis. Have you been eating a lot of nuts, seeds or things with hulls? These things irritate diverticulitis. Just a thought, not to be taken as actual medical advice. Make sure you actually ask your physician.

This is a great post. For the last year since I was banded, I had always wondered what people were talking about when they said that.......until I experienced it. About a week ago, I got a fill. My doc requires us to move from liquids to puree then slowly back to regular foods after a fill because of possible swelling, etc. I'M SO GLAD HE DID because when I moved to solid foods, often I can feel those first couple bites go all the way down. Here's another kind of colorful description that isn't exactly right, but close. Imagine before you were banded and you got a pill "stuck" and you could feel it laying there in your esophagus. It's kind of like that. You can feel something there, a pressure, but it might be moving.....then all of a sudden the pressure is gone. It's not necessarily painful, you can just feel it.

First, if you've had the ultrasound and have had gall stones ruled out it's going to be hard to give you symptoms of a true gall bladder attack. Most are pain in the right upper abdomen, just below your rib cage. They can start out as a mild, dull ache and build up to a sharp, very intense pain. OR, they can just literally come on all of a sudden as sharp, very intense, stabbing pain. It often radiates to the back, again just below the shoulder blade or rib cage and can be the ache or the sharp stabbing described earlier. If a stone were to lodge in the common bile duct, you may even turn yellow because it has blocked the passage of bile. When the gall bladder is malfunctioning, the symptoms can be similar. However, depending on the level of functioning it can be very intermittant (not consistent in frequency). You can also get episodes kind of like dumping syndrome. The only thing that crinkles my brow.....that yours hurts when you take a deep breath. That makes me wonder if it's not something else. But, it could still be the gall bladder getting sore from when the diaphragm pushes against it. Also, when the gall bladder is malfunctioning, it can go into spasms. If you feel little twitches (let's hope they stay little) in that area, it might be the gall bladder having a spasm. My personal experience with stones..........THE MOST PAINFUL ATTACKS I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE. I'm not kidding when I say I begged my husband to kill me. I contemplated suicide during the attacks. The pain was unrelenting. Worse than my dislocated hip. Worse than childbirth (unmedicated by the way). It was horrible. My doctor misdiagnosed me and told me I was having esophageal spasms, so I tried to endure these ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE attacks for six months. Go get your HIDA scan if you really believe it may be gall bladder.

I didn't mean to start "something" with the battin' for the other side comment. I just heard it is all. Guess the guy who told me that was one of the jealous ones who needed to boost his own ego. When he told me, he pointed out that it's kind of curious that Vin never seems to have a female counterpart and it never occurred to me to verify his allegation.