RestlessMonkey

Hey Kartman! I drink iced tea in buckets myself, superoctane caffeine charged, with no trouble. But since the jury is out on Water, OP should get enough per her surgeon's guidelines (as I said) to stay hydrated. For all I know he told her to only get 8 ounces a day :eek: Or none...but she needs to follow his medical direction especially post fill to make sure she's hydrated. We all process things differently as you noted, and usually medical types don't count latte as hydration! :smile2: There is some medical debate about whether or not both lemon juice AND caffeine/coffee are diuretics. Jury is still out, as far as I know...so that's why I said water, not lemonade or latte. Major point...stay hydrated. If you can't, go to ER or call doc's after-hours number.

Yeah, you have to do what works for you. Having been told this works NO this works No do this NO NEVER do that all my life (LOL) I want science. In that respect, my surgeon is a "go to" guy. The nutritionist was not so, um, up on things. That isn't always true. I think she's since moved on because I never see here at his office; but again my doc gave me science and I respect that. He's way more than just a "cutter". Bottom line, though, they still don't really "know" what works. It's a thorny problem, and we just do the best we can (and what works for us) while the scientists thrash it out.

Some do, I've read. So far for me, if I'm gonna feel it, I feel it immediately. :eek:

Maybe you're taking too large a swallow? I don't feel "air" sometimes but something more akin to what I THINK I'd feel if I swallowed a small golf ball. Is it like that? Just take sips or small swallows but (very important this:) Make SURE you get the Water in per your surgeon's guidelines. It is vital. If you can't get enough in over 24 hours, you can quickly dehydrate. And it needs to be water, not lemonade or SF latte, ok? :eek: Otherwise yes it should loosen up a little. If it doesn't you need a slight unfill; the point of the band isn't to limit us to a liquid diet. For now, take it slow, be careful, stay hydrated, and have a good 4th!

I thank God never have felt that way but it is not uncommon. It is pretty common, in fact. Hang in there; as the other posters told you, it will get better!

Another thing to remember, as a dear friend from WW once told me: Holidays are about being with friends and family, people we love. If I need food to "get through it", I don't go. If I can go and follow my "diet" and laugh and love and enjoy the group, I do that. There'll always be another hot dog, another burger, another ham or turkey. But the people I love...are worth everything.

No. In fact with some insurance networks it's illegal. I agree with WASA; find another surgeon. They need to make money, I totally understand that. But price gouging is price gouging and that's just short of criminal.

Congrats to you both!

KTK1982...get them to send (email?) you the requirements IN WRITING.

I am not a tax pro (but frankly neither are many at H & R block! they do get training but not in depth like, say, a CPA) ANYWAY I think you can write off any medical expense if it is something like more than a percentage of your income, for example. If I were you I'd check out the IRS website for "medical tax deductions" or something like that. Trust me, your doc cannot approve a deduction, if you get my drift. The IRS decides, taxes aren't usually on a "case by case" basis. Check it out.

I'm sure that your mesh will not be a problem for a skilled surgeon. Go to a seminar, and ask the surgeon afterward....I know you'll be reassured. Good luck!

Welcome. Do you have a lap band (or other WLS) or are you still in the "thinking" stage?

Clear a heating pad with your surgeon though...some sutures are made to dissolve over time with heat and using a heating pad can speed that up prematurely! Otherwise yes, walk walk walk and hang in there!

blklab70!! thanks for your words of support... but don't take me as gospel! LOL I didn't get to 405 by knowing it all! LOL I just think I realize that while some things are pretty cut and dried (like if you stick your hand in an open flame it will PROBABLY burn unless you have an asbestos glove on or are a superperson) lots of this is kind of, um, fuzzy? My doc did take about 10 minutes (which is HUGE in a busy surgeon's practice) and go over the science, and his thinking, with me, maybe partly because he knows i was a nursing student and interested in the "why", and partly because he knows me well enough to know I am a hard sell! :eek: So I'm not trying to promote an agenda but what he told me made sense and its working for me (and you! and your smart doc!) so I have to say his point may be valid for some people who are struggling. :smile2: But I'm just out here trying to figure it out like everyone else. If I'm wrong (and GASP it does happen! LOL) call me out, ok?

jms...I didn't post that to insult you, just in case it seemed that way. I trust my doc a lot but he is a human. He also says "snacking will cause the band to fail" and I know from my readings on here of many successful bandsters who snack. In weight loss, as in life, so often there are no hard line, easy answers! HOWEVER...personally when I have allowed myself longer to eat, I find I tend to graze. I can eat a LOT more if I take longer. And I don't eat a whole steak...although if I took an hour I could probably get an 8 ouncer down. For a former grazer, that "small meals throughout the day" line of thought, or "3 small meals and a few snacks" thought, doesn't really work. I've tried it. My own personal best success I've found is when I (who am quite hard headed) have finally done what my Doc told me to do. So the advice my own surgeon gave me is NOT "malarky". It just may not work for you.

I'm actually shocked you COULD eat that much! how did you? Even if I want to eat more (and sometimes I do...I'm human too! Sometimes it just tastes GOOD) I can't...I PB it! I can't help but wonder if you really overate maybe you aren't as restricted as you thought and therefore are less likely to have hurt yourself? I know my logic seems convoluted but I think it's sound. And I've had carbonation too...once I drank 3 ultra light beers! BUT it took me forever. So not worth it. Did you almost "chug" the carbonated bevs, or did you drink? did they hurt? (it almost does for me)? Horrible to see after all this time we can still react so "wrong", isn't it?

I'm still large but my friends are my friends (picky broad here) I'm "friendly" with everyone but only have a close core of people who are lifelong friends. Most of them knew me thinner, knew me fatter, and love me (lucky girl I am!) for things other than my weight. I've never had a friendship based on eating like some people I've read, although in college I had a couple based on drinking! LOL those are long gone! :eek: Life changes and people come into and go out of our lives. If you lose any, they weren't good core friends anyway.

My doc says NO Snacks or the band will FAIL! I know bandsters who snack and are successful, so he's not 100% right...but I find I personally do better if I follow his rule. It's hard sometimes, but overall easier than it was when I would allow myself "a little something". Apparently I still haven't mastered that "moderation" thing! LOL He (my doc) says if we eat 3 meals a day at the same time every day, we can train our bodies to be hungry then. Having worked for years with a set lunch time I know he's telling the truth so I'm really working on that. I know in this day/age with our modern lifestyles it's hard to find 3 times that work every day of the week, but I haven't given up. It does seem to help with cravings and desire to snack. And if there is something I MUST have and the feeling lingers longer than 24 hours...I incorporate it into a meal.

Thanks for your nice comment about SA! :eek: It's hot right now though; we've had days and days of temps over 100, and summer just getting in to full swing. And no there aren't as many with "great" credit but unsecured loans will be even harder to come by, not easier. You can surely try if you want...I don't work for a bank or finance company etc just know what I've experienced in the past, what I've heard in the news, what I've read on here. Get your credit reports and check them out, then decide if you want to go for it! Good luck whatever you decide. I will say that to repair your credit you almost HAVE to have some revolving credit and keep it sparking, but again am not a pro.

katwnm63...no I truly don't! I weighed my steak dinner just recently out of curiosity...and it was about 2 oz. Somedays I get 3 down, sometimes less. Everyone has a different approach once they have the band and have healed so I don't presume that my way will work for anyone else, but I'm a "mature" adult and have dieted off and on since I was 16. I have found that dieting makes me totally food obsessed. Weighing and measuring and counting every bit of food makes me insane. I am constantly fretting over how much and when and OMG what if I'm still HUNGRY etc. And the thought of having to weigh or measure out every meal for the rest of my life would almost send me into tears! (don't mean to be dramatic but when you need to lose a lot, it gets REALLY old) I have after doing WW many MANY times got a good eyeball to "guess" how much I'm eating but I don't sweat it or weigh it. Tonight for example I had a chicken thigh and a couple teaspoons of corn. I ate until satisfied and quit...left a little chicken. As long as I'm doing well i don't feel the need to weigh. This has gotten easier as I've gotten restriction but before I hit my sweet spot I still didn't weigh, I just "listened" to myself and tried to learn new signals of "satisfied" rather than relying on a unit of measure to tell me to stop, or rather than eating until I was "full". It's hard to learn but I think I'm getting there; we all have to do something we can live with. Some people like to calorie count, chart their meals, etc. Not me. I just want to be able to eat to live, not fret over it. So far, so good! I find I often go HOURS without even thinking of food now (miraculous in and of itself, especially in the evenings when i used to really graze) so the freedom from "food" is wonderful to me. So far my doc is pleased as punch with my medical condition and progress so I guess what I'm doing works for me! A person who isn't so obsessive about counting weighing portioning etc might do better to use the scales, a measuring cup, etc...we just all have to work it. I know 4 oz of meat is about palm sized...but I just eat until satisfied, not until a portion is "used up".

What diet did your doc give you to follow? Mine allows only 3 meals a day and we can have Protein shakes but only if they replace a meal. No Snacks no grazing. And how much frozen yogurt? It's probably not helping and is a slider food. If I were you I'd make an appt, go back to my doc for a fill, and have another consult with the nutritionist. S/he should help get you back on track.

How low is low? In these economic times, I think especially for an unsecured loan such as CreditCare (they can't come take back the surgery if you don't pay) you'll need a fairly high score to qualify. I've read on here 700 or more but that isn't a guarantee...

I would suggest that you discuss this with your surgeon before proceeding.

My surgeon is adamant that we eat in 30 minutes. Not scarf...but after that it can negate the effects of the band. I eat my 2-3 ounces of steak in about 15 and then am full and done.

Since the 4th is a holiday and you don't want to be in the ER then! call your doc tomorrow and run it past them. Let them make this call for you.