RestlessMonkey

Call your doc on monday and ask him/her what you should take. :biggrin:

You do need 64 oz (at least) of water each day, in addition to your protein shakes. Try it and see if it helps!

Great attitude. It will happen for you and you're probably right; you'll be better situated to be a success! :biggrin:

Would you confirm...a BMI over 135? Not to be judgmental but I was 405 and mine was in the 60's...I'm sure your's isn't 135.

Papaya Enzyme (got mine at my grocery store) helps digest Protein. It's a godsend. Mine is formulated with other enzymes that aid in digesting vegetables (cellulase) and fats (lipase) (although we don't really ever DIGEST fat) and it helps immensely when you are stuck. Acts quickly, too

erinshel...my Tanita HD351's work for me (even when I was 405) and my DH (in low 200's). We check it with weights from time to time. AND...it's like 4 years old now? Really check into Tanita. I got mine from Amazon but I'm sure other places carry the brand. Because Tanita makes LOTS of scales, make sure you buy one with the capacity you want.

I have had a few beers since banding but they aren't worth it to me. They hurt more than they taste good. Since I liked beer, I just don't drink much. Most of the mixed drinks I liked are either fru fru frozen things with 1000 calories (like pina coladas) or they were things like vodka tonic w/lime and tonic is...carbonated! I don't like wine at all, God knows I have tried to like it...so I just don't drink much. How pathetic. I guess if I just HAD to drink I could make do w/a bottle of tequila and some lime! :biggrin:

I haven't had a c-section but I was 53 and weighed just under 400 pounds and had the surgery TWICE last august and breezed through each time. Not everyone is as lucky but for me it was great. I've had dental procedures that hurt more, for a longer time. I love my band.

Are you getting enough Water? And ... maybe that's just how it feels now and you need to get used to it? Sometimes I feel a little resistance when I swallow (although it is not mucouslike, to me. That's slimey. This is just resistance) But it doesn't bug me; I AM different inside so I expect things to act differently sometimes. Ask your surgeon again...and if he is 100% sure it is all ok (and you don't have allergies, and you are getting enough water, and your sinuses check out ok, and you only feel it when you swallow) then maybe some sessions with a therapist to get past it. Not just a "therapy" therapist, but one to help you get used to the new way of eating/swallowing etc? I don't think you're crazy, whatever is discovered; but it's possible your body is misreading something as "mucous"...AND it is also possible that you have an issue your doc has missed (like I said, allergies, dehydrated, whatever). Only you can really decide if you want to pursue getting it checked out, or wait and see if it either gets worse or resolves on its own.

This link isn't exactly about what you were asking...BUT...it has the chart that's in my doc's office to help you decide if you need a fill or not. Sounds to me like you don't. The 2nd post on the thread is the one w/the chart. Hope it helps: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f120/fill-green-zone-66095/

Water first in the AM AND throughout the day! :cool2: Makes a big difference, doesn't it?

I think you were really smart to pass on the BBQ. There will be other ones. And this does pass...think of that. Before you could diet and suffer and lose and then relax and gain it all back. You have the band now; it will help you. You can make it! :cool2:

Daily. I know I go up (water) sometimes etc and it doesn't flip me out. But I need that daily "jolt". Otherwise it's too easy for me to "pretend" I'm doing fine even when I'm not. Now that I have the band and don't "diet" I don't obsess over every pound etc like I used to (amazing but true!) so the daily ritual is a good one for me.

None of them! LOL But I use the premixed EAS Carb Control AdvantEDGE ones...I do chocolate. They are what my doc recommended and I still have them often for breakfast and lunch. It's just food so they don't bother me much any more.

HANG IN THERE. It's hard but vital for you to heal! One thing I did was strain campbell's chicken noodle Soup (no sneaking ANY chicken or noodles though...they can really do damage) and drinking that. It was way better than broth. AND have sugar free popsicles if your doc allows. Week 1 I only got Water, broth, clear stuff...no Protein. It gets better once you can have Protein shakes again. We made it so I know YOU can.

I am SO SO GLAD!!!! I asked my surgeon why sometimes restriction is so "psycho" and he said "mostly hydration" ...I had asked for another "friend" who posts on here and was just at her wit's end. It really changed her band life but I am always reluctant to put it out there...it's such an easy fix to such a nasty problem! I am so glad it helped you! :cool2: I start each day now with 16 oz of Water...BEFORE my coffee. My band is calm and docile all day long! :smile: I mean, it works, but it doesn't turn on me when I least expect it!

Did you discuss this with your banding doctor?

If you can't get liquid down, you'll get dehydrated and end up in the ER. Dehydration can happen VERY fast...it is dangerous. Forget protein, concentrate on WATER. If you can't get 64 oz down, you need to be unfilled. It's nothing to play around with, ok?

LOL I'm a multimedia Monkey. :cool2: But I do make myself move and "earn" the downtime now. Mostly. :smile:

That will get better as your band settles down and your stomach and digestive tract get over being ticked at you for messing with them! :cool2: Although I do burp more after each fill, for a while. Apparently I do because now my "beloved" precious husband will BELCH and then look at me and say "I have new restriction" LOL :smile: And no, he does NOT have a band. He just copies me when it suits him. :wub:

My doc told me something similar. His words were "You're about to head downhill. Your life will go to hell and I can't stop it". Uh, what? LOL But he was right, and being compassionate, and knows me well enough that mincing words would've just given me wiggle room. I had toyed with lap band and wanted/didn't want it for years. But after that I bought and read a couple books, I did internet research (that's how I found this place) and I attended a seminar with my RN husband and asked any question that came to mind. It's a lot to just "TELL" (that is why there are BOOKS about it!) so maybe you could start there? I got mine from Amazon but half price or something like it is bound to have a couple. QUestions to ask your surgeon specifically when picking one would be things like "How many lap bands have you placed" and "Have you had any patients die" and "what are the common complications your patients experience" and "are you aggressive or conservative with fills" and "What is your lap band philosophy" The first are geared toward experience skill and expertise, then you want someone who sees things the way you do. Good luck!

Just wanted to tell you that for some of us, no food is off limits. Bless my surgeon! :cool2: He said his goal is for his patients to be able to eat ANYTHING in small portions and many of them attain that goal. I can eat white bread, dry chicken breast, steak, fajitas, you name it. In fact today for lunch I had a cup of lemon chicken and rice. A splurge, delicious. And 1 cup was plenty. Before I would've had WAY more than that, and egg rolls, and 3 fortune Cookies and probably some wontons. :smile: (awful but true!) It's easy to be more active when you feel better, look better, fit INTO the sports bras (does it seem like they just make them for women who do NOT need to wear them? LOL) and so on. HH is right...research. Personally I LOVE the band. Good for you doing something NOW when you're young. Don't let your life whiz by you while you sit in bed with the tv and your lap top.

I burp more than I used to...but usually it's tied to eating too fast. The mere thought horrified me preband, but now I don't care. I don't belch in public and have never horrified myself and my companions LOL It's worth it for the band, IMHO.

As is so often the case, I agree with my friend Headhunter. In fact, I just went back to my therapist that I had gone to for a year on my own BEFORE I even got the band (she's "behavioral" and really great) but I was having some issues with eating when I wasn't hungry and she really helped me figure it all out. Because...you could've taken a shake or whatever to the church thing but didn't (I recognized that because that's a big one for me...like I make it so I almost HAVE to eat something that will not help me lose! :cool2: ) Anyway, until you get your therapist, you maybe would like to try this: it helped me a lot. (this isn't from my therapist, just one thing I came up with to trick myself into walking the straight and narrow!) I allow myself ANYTHING I want to eat, but only for 3 meals a day. So for example if I want cake and ice cream, I have it. But it's my meal. You totally cut out Snacks and yes you may eat some wild stuff for a few meals but trust me, you don't do it for long. Within a few days you'll be just eating 3 meals a day and then of course the next step is to make one meal "healthy". Do that for a couple days then make 2 meals "healthy" and so on. You see the trend. It kind of helps you sneak up on "doing the right thing". NO GUILT EITHER! NO feeling bad during any phase. Keep thinking "It's just food". Funny how it can help. :smile:

Great! It's funny what a BIG difference a LITTLE saline can make when you are close to your "sweet spot"! :cool2: