RestlessMonkey

Thanks excarolinagirl! PB means "productive burp"...its kind of like a baby spitting up...(I haven't done it yet) but it hurts, people say. It's when you eat something too fast and/or don't chew well (or it's a food you can't process....some have them) and it gets stuck and won't go through your stoma (the hole or passage between your new tiny tummy and the lower chamber) That has to go somewhere...your esophagus spasms and up it comes. No bile etc like normal vomit, just lots of mucous that people call "slime". AND JMEGIRL...about the gum. Even people who NEVER swallow it can forget and swallow it. Think...gum and restriction can equal a very bad situation. Surgery, band removal, if gum is positioned right it could be life threatening because of blocking hydration etc. Most (not all) docs say "don't even bother, just avoid it"

I think until midnite....none after you need to see what rules and regs your doc requires (for preop) and/or what your hospital or clinic requires for whatever tests your doc orders.

Some surgeons say no to straws, some don't care. When you use a straw you swallow whatever fluid, but also the air in the straw. That gives some people gas. I don't want MORE gas right now (LOL) so no straws for me.

nazzy I did It's pretty common to fast for the preop tests, and vital you fast before the surgery!

I don't plan on ever wearing a bikini, and I do plan on having plastic surgery when I lose enough, more scars. I'm actually proud of my scars! LOL BUT I can see how younger women wouldn't feel that way. I'd go to a dermatologist and ask what to do. S/he will probably want you to wait until you are healed before putting anything on them, but can tell you the best product for your skin type etc.

Jillbeme...I wanted to point something out to you, too....they probably should NOT have prefilled you before surgery. Many patients have issues immediately post op and have trouble swallowing Water, even without any fill, because they stomach etc is swollen. Why? Because surgery was just performed on the area and things swell when they are traumatized! I'm telling you this because once you want a fill, unless your surgeon fills you too aggressively (and that would depend on how big your band is) the odds are SLIM you'll have another such incident. And some people don't ever even need a fill; just the band alone is sufficient. You may be one of those lucky souls! So get one when you quit losing or are struggling, and when you do, remind yourself the first time was an odd fluke.

For me, thinking cookies are evil etc doesn't work. They're just cookies. The ONLY power they have over me is power I give them. Period. You ate them, it's over.

Stacy, it's JUST COOKIES! Get a grip and put it in perspective woman! Big woop. You husband and kids are alive and with you, you are on the road to being a frisky broad, you've come thru insurance and those nasty preop and postop diets, and you ate 8 cookies. What a big hairy deal! You KNOW until you get sufficient fill the band most likely won't do much. I ate a donut today! I am not going to hell over a donut! I may not eat another for 3 years. I get my first fill Oct 9 and was told it may take 4 times OR MORE to feel sufficient restriction. You KNOW this. So stop being so miserable about 8 lousy cookies, crying and so on. You were tough when you had to do that liquid thing, you were tough when it mattered the most. Now, you can relax a little. Try to make good choices but if you occasionally eat a cookie, move on. I know once you get the proper restriction you'll be eating like you're supposed to, protein then veggie then fruit, and you'll drop weight like it's hot and you'll feel great. Don't be so hard on yourself.

True! Insurance is a weird animal. Good luck...I hope they reapprove you!

Good! I was thinking/hoping they'd say that but you never know. Just make sure you drink enough to get enough protein in! Want to keep those muscles and heart healthy! :thumbup:

well for whatever reason, if it was dropping they NEEDED to stop so that's a good thing. I can tell you that my surgery had to happen twice; the first time my liver was still too fatty. And my insurance (tricare standard) covered both. Aetna should pay for the second surgery; they approved it before and if you are cleared now, I can't imagine why they would say no. They can't have expected the team to risk your life by proceeding!

What caused your heart rate to drop, do you know?

I would never have gotten the band if it meant I would never be able to eat "normal" food at all! I plan on having a little cake on my birthday, a cookie at Christmas, etc. Just not in the quantities I used to! and I will have part of a burger, not a double with fires and a shake! I had begun to think of the band almost as a punishment for being fat, and had to be reminded that it's a tool only. We each use it the way that works best for us. For me (and you!) that means watching our p's and q's but occasionally going a little wild! :thumbup:

I'm not a Syracusian and no Dr. Simon but congratulations! And ask away any questions. This place is generally a good one for tons of info! All surgeons are different and they all tweak the program their own way, but you can get a concensus!

Sorry I can't answer. Why not call your surgeon? I was banded 8/29 and have no restriction whatsoever. Unfortunately, I can eat anything I've tried to so far! That pain may be gas but you would recognize that by now, I'd think. So best bet is to call your doctor.

Welcome and good luck to you! Just a caveat...don't get the surgery until you go that extra 10%. Take whatever time you need to get your questions answered and decide if it is indeed the right step for you!

I haven't had the band a long time but I too asked those questions before I agreed to the band, and so can probably help you...at least until a long-timer comes by! When you are in the "losing weight" phase, you want to watch what you eat and make healthier choices consistently. Things like alcohol and pizza don't give you enough nutritional bang for your buck. You want to optimize that Protein to calorie ratio and lose in a healthy manner....dropping fat and not muscle. So it's important at the start. However once you get to a healthy weight, and even while you are losing if it is only occasionally, you may eat a wider variety of foods. Yes, have 1/3 of a burger and a few fries. Have some pizza. Have a cocktail or two. It is life and you will live it. You will be able to eat most things (no chewing gum, no carbonated beverages, and as my doc's office says, many people never eat stringy red meat) you ever did. Even white bread, if you still want it, can be eaten if you mix it up with other textures so that it doesn't ball up. For now, white bread would be a poor choice anyway because you need protein protein, not refined flour etc. I hope this eases your fear a little. The band is a TOOL...not a punishment, not a life sentence. You will find the amount of restriction that works for you and a way of eating that suits you best. You still have choices.

Congratulations! Getting approved is a giddy feeling!

My doc mentioned this in the weight loss seminar. I'll sum up what he told us. All his patients lose some hair (in varying amounts) at about 3-6 months out. It grows back, and the only patient he's ever had who needed a wig owned a wig store. :thumbup: He said they've recommended all types of supplements etc and none have had an effect. He told us it is from the stress of surgery and the drastic change in eating and that every single patient, including the "wig" lady, had their hair grow back as thick or thicker than before. He said "brace yourself for it, don't buy a lot of supplements to prevent it because you most likely can't, and get through it". Hope that helps. Yours should've warned you.

Darn I just had a nice long reply and internet explorer ate it! ANYWAY 28 weeks, 75 pounds, (and if you lost some of that preop then this number would go down a bit...) that's 2.67 pounds a week. That's not wild. Assuming you are younger (you didn't post your age) and assuming you are eating adequate protein, taking vitamins, etc. then why worry?

did the band cause your ulcers? If not, why not get unfilled (assuming you have fills), heal, and start over again? You (or your insurance) paid a lot for the band and I'm sure you had good reasons for getting it. It is VERY had to lose weight "on your own", we all know, we've mostly all tried it before!

see my tape had to stay on a bit longer and the itching started like a week or two afterward. I think you should call your surgeon and see. Itching can be a sign of healing, but if you have a RASH, (and you didn't cause the rash by scratching!) then you are probably having some localized allergic reaction to something in the wound sites...like the suture material used, or some such. Best to call and find out what they want you to do.

Although statistically one is better off choosing a surgeon who has performed hundreds to thousands of whatever surgery you are having done, statistics are just numbers. You are smart to meet him and decide and you are right that the more experienced doc will most likely be there to help, in the unlikely event that the need would arise. :thumbup:

Here's a tutorial someone posted last year that should help! http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f5/ticker-tutorial-pictures-41782/