RestlessMonkey

that's the chart in my doc's office too. Glad you finally decided to read it! :confused: It's bad to be too tight, but a lot of people just don't think it is.

WOW thank Goodness I'm not that restricted! Mother of Pearl! I feel for you, dude! :ohmy:

It depends on where you cross too...I'm from El Paso (across from Juarez) and many people in El Paso won't go to Juarez right now (and we ALL used to cross all the time)...just depends on where you are, and if you're unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Does your surgeon have a nutritionist that can help you? Off the top of my head I don't know all the cals of the items you're eating and I don't think most of us are really educated enough to see if you are eating a good balanced plan...I do know my doc is adamant about NO SNACKS, but what does YOUR doc say? You should be able to get help there!

That depends on your insurance and their rules. Not all require that; the person who handles insurance claims at your surgeon's office may be able to help you with that! :confused:

If you can't drink, you're too tight, and you can get dehydrated very very easily. If warm fluids don't help loosen things up, you may need an emergency unfill; just keep an eye on it!

It wasn't normal for me but apparently is normal for you! If warm fluids go down better, then drink them! It should loosen up as your swelling goes down. If not, you can call your doc on monday; some put a fill in during surgery (thank god mine didn't! LOL) and you may need to have some fluid removed.

MOBIC is an NSAID. It won't hurt your band (which is outside your stomach) but can really mess with your pouch and stomach, especially as you get restriction and a more delayed emptying of your pouch. Unless you are in abject misery, may I suggest just holding the line with tylenol (unless you are not to take it for some reason, and you know don't take over the recommended dose) and call your banding surgeon on Monday to ask him what he thinks.

No. You won't (or shouldn't) get FULL. The chart in my doc's office says "satisfied" and that's what he stresses. Many of us overate and full to us meant, well, stuffed to a more "normal" eater. That's a big challenge of the band, to relearn when enough is enough. You'll get it! :confused:

First, there are carbs in LOTS of things, not just Pasta and potatoes. There are carbs in veggies, there are carbs in fruit, there are even carbs in eggs. Pasta and rice can swell after you eat them (think of how pasta will keep absorbing Water after you quit cooking it, if you leave it in the water) so you might eat to "satisfied" and then have it swell. I don't know about carbs especially "stretching" the pouch, however. I would tell my boyfriend he should confirm with his doctor; it's possible he misunderstood (that happens when we are barraged with info!) Same with you, ask your doc. Some docs prefer a Protein, then veggies (WHICH HAVE CARBS! LOL) then fruit diet...because protein tends to keep one full longer (or at least some think so) etc...but ANY food can stretch your pouch if you overeat, for long enough. Ask your doc for direction, or your nutritionist.

You are safest and wisest to discuss this with your surgeon after the seminar on Tuesday. There seems to be a different liver shrink diet for every doctor. I'm sure your physician will be happy that you are "proactive" and want to get rolling on shrinking your unhealthy liver, so don't waste your money on a diet he may not approve. :confused: In the interim if you just want to be healthier for your own sake, generally a low fat, low carb diet is best to help shrink the liver.

If your weight is causing your high BP then losing will help it, but not all BP responds to weight loss. Time will tell, for you. And yes, (depends on insurance) usually BP that is NOT CONTROLLED by medication is a co-morbidity. If you just aren't taking meds, it doesn't count, again depending on ins. And 140/100 is high esp for your age but maybe it was just a fluke...BP can be like that, if you're retaining Water, stressed, etc. However if it's still high in Sept, take the meds; high BP can really do damage and there are so many meds out there, you don't have to take one with a dreadful side effect. Hopefully as you lose it will get lower. Exercise can help, too!

If you are thinking she'll be worried about you, tell her you've thoroughly researched it and have her go to a seminar with you! (You'll have time since you have to diet for 6 months, and they are free). Usually the seminar goes a LONG way to allaying everyone's fears.

Actually the length of time to go without liquid post meal varies widely...I've seen it anywhere from 15 (what my doc recommends) to 2 hours, and not all have that ban PRE-meal. You'll learn that each lap band doc has his/her own spin on things; so it's usually safest just to ask them what they want.

AAAAIIIIEEEE that's Restless Monkey running screaming from WASa. But, my check's in the mail, right? :tongue_smilie:

Citrical Petites...available at Walgreens and, I'm sure, your local grocer or pharmacy. They are small. They are swallow-able (is that a word? probably not) and they don't have to be chewed. AND yes, they are calcium citrate.

Welcome to LBT! I'm sure you're very excited; Good Luck! :tongue_smilie:

LOL Not with the band (or the sleeve) we don't! :tongue_smilie:

I think that to overcharge someone for something does NOT make that person appreciate it. BUT if you really REALLY think it does, you and Veronda could start sending me $100 a month for your LBT membership! :frown: LOL I'll email my address....checks or cash please! And WASa it's good we disagree occasionally, otherwise it would just be too clone-ish sci-fi odd. :tongue_smilie:

I have heard of people having too much fluid in their bands, and so they eat slider foods (foods that go down easily) and gain. In that case, for people who are too tight, a slight unfill is the correct treatment. BUT I have never heard of a medical facility withholding treatment (an adjustment) because you haven't lost. 1. I'd ask what their rationale is 2. I'd take in a sample diet 3. If they were still pizzy and I didn't agree with their reasoning I'd find another doc.

Do you want bypass? Then find a surgeon you like and get it done. Do you want the band to work? I don't know if it will work for you but I can tell you odds are it will NOT work if you don't keep up with fills. You still have to diet and exercise, but the fills help. Only you know the answers...

One of the big selling points of the band, at least to me, was that I would be able to eat normal food, just less of it. I don't really want something I can't get easily and locally at my neighborhood grocer...no special ordering, no Jenny Craig type stuff or only "Atkins" bars or WW bread. Been there, done that. And elcee, I agree with you totally when you say "I don't want to be different". We are totally sympatico there! I've been dieting, on a diet, or cheating on a diet most of my life! LOL Now I just want to be.

Call your prescribing doc and see if you can get a prescription for the drug that is NOT time released. You probably shouldn't take it on an empty stomach, either (just guessing here). I can swallow BIG pills fine, but again, during my post op phase when i was Clear liquids only (or liquids only) I just passed on the ones that would irritate my stomach.

No, I'm not more willing to "get rid of freebies" and I feel that you are unintentionally implying that those of us with insurance won't really value things as much. You are a pharmacist; do you REALLY think people who pay full price for a drug value it more than those who have insurance? And realize that most of us work our TUSHIES off in jobs for which one of the "benefits" IS insurance. So I disagree with you. Not many people would cheerfully pay for something that should be "free", either. Do you ever say "Gee I really want that. It's free over there but I want to pay for it anyway so I'll appreciate it more"? I doubt it. This isn't a personal attack and usually, as I say, if I disagree I just let things go, but I feel Greta almost had that money stolen from her in an end run around her "legal" insurance payment. I don't think that will make her appreciative, just bitter. I don't know her, of course. Nor do you. But I think your logic, while well intentioned, is flawed.

You might want to post this as it's own thread, rather than have it buried here. To start a thread: Click on "home" on the top left of the screen. Scroll down until you find the forum TOPIC that best fits your question (Ie Fills and complications) Click on that TOPIC. Then at the left will be an area that says "NEW THREAD" Click on that. It will let you post a title and start your own thread; makes it easier for people to see and respond to your question.