RestlessMonkey

I didn't use them for the first 6 months or so. Now I do occasionally. I have gum disease and I thought they were vital...BUT when I use then I burp too much (we swallow the air in the straw when we use it) SO I avoid as much as I can

With all respect to your nut (LOL) THEY don't prescribe. Docs do. The doctor will know if it's an issue for you or not! (I'm not a doc either but I question all nutritionists! LOL)

WHO told you that? WHAT absorption issues? Depending on the timing they are so small they should go on through and be processed normally. Furthermore there are alternates like the patch.

My doc doesn't really care what we eat, just mostly wants only 3 meals a day at similar times. This is for life; it has to be something I can live with. I've done diets and bought the special diet foods etc...what a pain in the neck! I eat fairly normally but in WAY smaller quantities. And if we have protein shakes...they are a MEAL not a snack.

Can you go to another doctor without endangering your health? He should be willing to talk to you about what might have caused it (they don't always know) and discussed options with you, like a "revision" surgery to the sleeve, for example.

I wanted to just type LOL but it made me type a "longer" response....so....LOL!

Thanks Kartman! I'm in for the duration! Now that I know what "restriction" means (as opposed to the kind I got as a kid LOL) I'm thinking the sky's the limit! :biggrin:

Sure. It gets better. Just make up your mind to do WHAT THE DOC SAYS pre and for at least 6 weeks post op...set yourself up for success. Tell yourself you can eat it later (because you can).

I started out so high that I mostly just look at mini goals. For example preband I'd never lost more than 45 pounds on any diet. In my mind that 45 was the initial goal. Now I'm looking at 335 because I last weighed that in 2003. As for FINAL? My PCP said if I could ever get under 200 he'd cry tears of joy (LOL) Now that I finally have restriction I'm fairly sure I can get under 200, so I'll see. It is not "normal" for me not to have a rigid fixed goal, but lots of things are different this time. I'm just taking it in small manageable chunks. Right now anything I lose is making a big impact on my health. Later, I'll have to see.

Again agree with Plain....my preop diet listed what I was to have, and I didn't count calories/carbs/etc, just did what I was supposed to! Besides each person has a different threshold for how many carbs are "too many" etc. So you're right to check w/your doc!

Yeah, what plain said! :biggrin: I drink buckets of unsweet tea and coffee each day. I did without any (w/no side effects, no withdrawal) for my preop diet and about 3 months post op. Then when I realized my doc had forbidden it because it "could be" an appetite suppressant, I happily poured myself a big glass of tea :biggrin: No shakes. No nothing. Just delicious tea! Same with the coffee. But if it bothers you for whatever reason you should perhaps forgo it.

I got mine at 6 weeks. If your doc is aggressive with fills then wait, I'd say...(because you don't want to be too tight and him be out of town) but honestly odds of getting restriction w/first fill are slim. I started losing at my SEVENTH. So if you are going to be more like me, then see if you can get going now! :biggrin: (of course you don't know how you'll react, that's the kicker) Ask your doc what he thinks.

Yes it is normal to be able to eat more you have a loose band with no restriction. However for most of us it is VERY important to follow the doc's directions so that you can heal. Peristalsis (digestion) makes your stomach churn and can loosen your stitches causing a slip now or later. You aren't the first this has happened to but it isn't really a good thing...check with your doc. Odds are at 2 weeks you'll be ok but it should be his call. They really should stress more how important the post op diet is.

I'm sure now you're anxious for it to be Monday. Good luck! :biggrin:

Sure! I'm happy to get to help! Tricare requires a "Center of Excellence" surgery (I'm sure that's true for Prime AND Standard) so you want to make sure your doc is affiliated with that accreditation!

I eat real food...no diet, etc, except for the protein shakes. You may eat some cookies over the holidays. Guess what? Even thin people do. They don't pop and you won't either. You may find your taste for them is less, or that you are satisifed with fewer than before. It probably won't be as hard as you are imagining.

High starting BMI , older, no comorbs (really!) and got approved in under 48 hours. In case you don't find it on my ticker, my starting BMI was 67.4. And no, my surgeon never once tried to push me to get bypass.

I have tricare standard and my pcp didn't have anything to do with my band...except to say he thought it was a good idea and giving me a pamphlet for a center that was not covered by tricare!

Sorry I wasn't clear...my point was that if Medicare covers people age 65 and older, then apparently the surgery IS done on older people, so no, being 61 won't automatically block you from having the surgery.

No, it's covered by medicare and that doesn't kick in for most until age 65! I'm 54 and LOVE my band!

My doc in his seminar did say that many with rapid weight loss will lose their gall bladders...since I'd already had mine out it was a non-issue for me. It's not the band, it's the weight loss.

Doesn't your doc recommend one? They usually have a brand or specific NI they want you to have?

Glad you liked it! I was pretty proud of myself for realizing that dieting just DOES NOT work for me because I become so consumed by food that I almost can't function. Am I going to be hungry did I eat enough did I eat too much Can I have that? Do I even LIKE that? Etc etc. AND OMG I can only have this bread and the store is out can I travel 10 miles I have to have it BAH! Drove me insane. But weight is falling off now that I have the band and I have never been more free of worrying about food in my entire life. It is a miracle.

High protein low fat low carbs is like atkins (just don't eat a lot of fat) or I think south beach. I also agree your surgeon could help Or you could just do it yourself. That type of thing is easy. Eat lean meats turkey chicken pork eggs use low fat butter sparingly eat green veggies (avoid potatoes, peas, carrots) bread use cautiously....you can find low carb/high fiber stuff (like my mission tortillas that have tons of fiber but still 5 carbs) and so on. You don't really need a formal diet.

My surgeon will only give fills every 4 weeks or more. It honestly depends partly on WHAT you ate.