L12

Hmmm, I have Tricare and they haven't set any time limitation on me for fills. My first was one month after surgery, and I've been getting them every two weeks since then. Though I'm actually waiting for three weeks this time since I finally have some good restriction.

I do think you have a good point! Prayer and meditation, and of course exercise all have positive effects on mental health and help in reducing anxiety and depression.

I've had problems with depression and anxiety for years, even before I was even remotely overweight, and I've been on Lexapro for almost four years. Unless your panic attacks/anxiety/depression are related to your weight, I wouldn't think that weight loss would have much of an effect...it probably depends on the reason for your anxiety. Since you only have them while driving, could it have to do with that?

Foreigners CAN join the US military, and many of them do in order to gain citizenship. The ones who can't are the ones currently breaking the law by being here illegaly.

Ok, I'm back--my doctor said "no problem" to NSAIDS (I usually use Aleve). That makes me very happy--I got a podiatrist appointment for Wednesday, so my feet will soon have some relief! AND I think I may have a tiny bit of restriction after my first fill! Good news all around! (Sorry to hijack the thread!)

This is something I'm really worried about... I have terrible plantar fasciitis that flares up now and then, and happens to be bothering me a lot NOW. I am not permitted to do ANY weight-bearing exercise during a flareup, for about four to six weeks, and during that time I'm supposed to take an anti-inflammatory four times a day. I have been putting off going back to the podiatrist for a couple of weeks until I see the lap-band doc and see what he says about NSAIDS. I'm not sure what I'm going to do if I can't take the meds!

Mine is a few inches above and to the right of the belly button. I think that's where my surgeon usually puts it.

I didn't get used to my shakes on the pre-op diet--I hated them with a passion, and could only choke down one or two a day. As a result, I just got used to not eating.

From the seminar, I recall my doctor discussing working with patients who were banded by other doctors. Though I think it was mainly for corrections or revisions, it is possible that he may do so for fills too. He is part of Bradenton Surgical Group - Dr. Jose Erbella and Dr. Gary Bunch. West of central FL of course, but another possible option to check.

Most of the fat-free sugar-free drinks at Starbucks get the majority of their calories from skim milk. If you are OK with the calories in a glass of skim milk, you'll be fine with the calories in a skinny latte or other similar drinks. I pretty much just like the "fancy" drinks made with flavors, milk, sweetener, etc., so I made sure to check on the nutritional value of the skinny versions! Starbucks has a great nutrition section on their website where you can modify each drink any way you want and see the value. Pretty cool if you like to plan ahead for your splurges like I do.

Pretty similar to crzytcher. I had surgery at 12:30pm, left the hospital at 7pm, and was home by about 8:30pm. I had surgery on a Wednesday, and I didn't drive for about a week, though I think I could have by Saturday or Sunday. I was sore for about two weeks, though more so at the beginning. I'm pretty good now, except for an occasional pulling feeling or slight pain at the port site. No big restrictions, just lifting and no major exercise.

7g is without the milk. With the milk, that would be about 16g of protein per drink. With five drinks as recommended, that would be about 90g of protein for the day.

Interesting. I'm past the preop phase, but it looks like it could be an adequate option, especially for those on a budget. Good find!

The National Cancer Institute lists anal sex as a risk factor for anal cancer. Edited to add link: Anal Cancer Treatment - National Cancer Institute I'm guessing that the NCI knows what they are talking about.

I agree with Donna113; unless there are complications or additional difficulties expected, you shouldn't really need that two weeks off. Maybe just a couple of days if you have small children? It's sweet of you to do that though! Personally, the only time I needed any help was the day of surgery. My husband drove me home, got me some water, and helped with my meds that night, but by the next day I was hobbling around able to do everything for myself. I was in some pain and was tired, but didn't need any assistance. As far as specific instructions for meals and drinks, whatever your wife's doctor has directed is the best to follow.

I am allowed to have them, but I only drink one or two a week, if I have them around. I like them, but there's not much in them (more calories than anything), and they don't do anything for my hunger.

I have a cup of coffee on most days, starting about a week after surgery. My doctor is fine with it with no restrictions. I do drink less of it now though (one cup as opposed to two or three) because I have to have it with milk or cream which adds calories. Plus, I'm trying to drink more hydrating, calorie-free drinks like water and Crystal Light.

There's no way I could have driven right after surgery. First of all, the hospital would not have released me if I didn't have someone to drive me home. Second, I was still heavily under the influence of anesthesia, and kept dozing off. Third, I did have some pain, and was moving pretty slow; I'm sure my with the combination of pain and anesthesia my reflexes were not up to speed.

I know of several, but none on your side of the state, unfortunately! If you're willing to head west, I'd be happy to give you a few names. My doc was Dr. Jose Erbella in Bradenton.

You know, I didn't get motivated to begin to run by running itself. I actually never ran until about age 25; I thought I wasn't good at it (which was sort of true!). All through school, gym teachers would introduce running by having everyone get out there and run a mile. YUCK! I couldn't run it all and had to walk some, and was very slow. Teachers made me feel like crap for it, so I thought I just wasn't able to run. I had no idea that THAT wasn't the way to begin running! But in 1999 my then boyfriend/now husband trained for and ran the Chicago marathon. I sat at the finish line and waited for him for hours. I also watched thousands of other runners finish, some graceful, many more awkward, all ages and sizes, and MANY more slow runners than fast. And I also saw the world record broken! It was all very inspiring. So I started running and walking, until I could run a mile without stopping, and just continued from there. I also did a lot of reading, and started treating myself and my body like an athlete. After a while, it became a very regular, positive cycle; run and feel good, feel good and run.

I used to exercise a lot, and was very much into running; weight gain slowed me down then eventually stopped me due to pain and discomfort. But for me, it really gave me a lot of confidence and a sense of power and achievement. I would set goals for myself for how much I wanted to lift, how many reps, or the distance I wanted to run (I was never fast though--I'm built for endurance, not speed!). My biggest achievement was a half marathon. Besides being beneficial for my health, that's what it was--a way to strengthen myself inside and out, and to provide myself with a way to achieve if I just try. There aren't too many things in life that can give you that freedom and that kind of guarantee. I dearly hope I can get back to that eventually. It was a good 50 lbs. ago that I had to stop even walking due to pain. I never felt better about myself than when I finished a good run.

I would have a problem with this too, though I'm not exactly sure why. I think Jachut and the others made some excellent points that make a great deal of sense to me, but...I don't know. I get a sense that you don't think your boss is a very nice person anyway; I probably wouldn't look as kindly on a situation like this if I didn't like the person, either. It does sound like HE may be a bit judgmental or at least insensitive, if he's acting like a bit of weight gain and stretch marks make his life less worthwhile. But...there could be things going on that he's not saying. Good luck dealing with this. I would be very conflicted too in your situation.

I had Bariatric Advantage for my preop diet. It is AWFUL! I ordered the Banana, Chocolate, and Coffee flavors. Of those, the only one I could really stomach was the Coffee, but even that was terrible. And don't take this as advice, but I cheated A LOT, which I don't think I would have done if it had been even a tiny bit tastier. I'd been on Medifast before, so initially I didn't think I would have a problem--until I tasted it. I was allowed some skim milk, cottage cheese, and sugar free jello and popsicles too though, which was my only salvation. My doctor recommended it after surgery too; I tried one sip, and that was IT--no more! Anyway, enough of my ranting! I'm sorry this is the drink you're on. I agree with JayinMA--see if there is anything else you can try! If not, good luck--it is only temporary!

I voted #1. I gained 100 pounds in about three years; all I want is to get back to my old self! It's OK if my husband, family, or very close friends say anything, but for most people I'd rather them just keep quiet--hearing anything about it just makes me remember how different I am now than I was back then--not in a good way.

I was banded on 12/31, and I can tell a definite difference in body odor already!. Over the past couple of years I had developed a not-so-pleasant feminine odor, as well as just a general sour smell all over, both of which have disappeared completely--I REALLY hope it is not just a temporary "jolt" to my body from surgery! Now I'm waiting to see what else this will help with. A couple of months ago my moustache finally came in , plus some long (but thankfully blond) sideburns. And we'll see about my period. My last period was in September UNTIL about 9am on the day of surgery, when it decided to make another appearance. I really hate my body sometimes.