Elisabethsew

In the U.S. we now have ways of preventing this. Also, there is usually a divider up on the OR table that separates the surgical site from the upper part of your body. Did you have general anesthesia? Where did you have it done?

I find it was a lot less after I was completely healed... give it 6 weeks.

Start by making a food diary and try and exercise in the evening after your mother comes home. Go out walking. She'll see you exercising and it will give you time to be alone. If you don't lose weight after making the food diary, print out the diary and go to a dietician so he/she can make suggestions. Can you take some summer classes or get a job or volunteer to be out of the house more?

Best of luck for a smooth surgery and a quick recovery.

To "work the band" optimally, you should have hard protein for your "main meal" of the day. This includes beef, pork, fish, chicken, soy, etc.). You need to cut the protein into SMALL pieces, THOROUGHLY chew each piece, and eat 4-6 ounces. I was told to eat all the protein first, then the veggies and then the starch. Often, I can get in the protein, about half the veggies and just a few tastes of the starch. When people are too restricted, they go to "softer" foods and avoid hard proteins because they can get these foods PAST the band. Often, this can result in weight GAIN not to mention damage to the esophagus, etc. if left too tight for too long. I will sometimes have spaghetti with a meatball and that's fine. We're supposed to eat like "normal" people. I typically have 4 oz of lite ricotta cheeses, coffee and vitamins for breakfast, cereal or a salad with some turkey or tuna for lunch and a balanced dinner (fish, steamed green beans, rice for example). I buy 100 calorie pack snacks and 60 calories puddings and 80 calorie fudge pops for treats. I hope that helps.

Congratulations on having the surgery and for sharing the picture of that beautiful grandchild... a wonderful payoff!

I started at 314 and weighed in yesterday at 304 so that's 10 pounds. My personal goal is to get out of the 3's and into the 2's.

"Cleanses" are NOT necessary and you should be very careful with experimenting with them because they could alter the electrolyte balance in your body and land you in the hospital. As an RN, I know firsthand the damage some of these "cleanses" can do and more teens are doing them for a "fast weight loss."

Chicken, bread, some fish dishes, etc. all give me trouble going down but salads go down well and pose no problems... thank God! LOL. I love salads and would hate to give them up.

If you're weak and starving, you need to call your surgeon or his/her dietician. You are NOT taking in enough water and the protein level is low. They will clarify your questions and likely advance your diet. Make the call.

Welcome and congratulations on being banded. You'll find a lot of good info. here. Jump in and ask questions as they arise.

I really don't find myself craving food but, if I had to choose between the two listed, it would be the salty/crunchy.

Welcome and congratulations. It takes a full 6 weeks to recover completely from the surgery so don't push yourself. Follow the MD's diet instructions, stay hydrated, stay away from processed foods and get plenty of rest. Also, gradually increase your exercise.

My meals are challenging because I work 12 hour night shifts. Therefore, on days off, I live like a "normal" person and on nights I work, I have to "alter" the meals. I do this by taking one measure cup of cereal to work and have it at 3 AM with some skim milk. That a 2 cups of coffee during the shift keeps me from starving.

I got "proper" restriction 2 weeks ago with fill #3. What is feels like? I guess the best answer is that you experience appetite satisfaction with a lesser amount of food. You CAN'T keep eating because if you do, you'll vomit and/or get a horrible pain in your upper chest. PB'ing is nothing more than vomiting if you ask me. The only difference is that the food is in the stoma and not in the stomach. It's like adding too much to an already full glass. The result is the extra fluid flows out. With a PB, the extra food/fluid just comes right back up. Because this food has not been mixed with bile acids, there is not the burning that is associated with "traditional" vomiting. Bread was fine for me until I got the 3rd fill and now it's a no-no food. I do find hard crackers are more easily tolerated so I put tuna or chicken on them instead of bread and eat slowly and chew completely. Some people do OK with toasted bread. If you're already getting that golfball feeling and can't tolerate bread, be careful with the second fill. You're VERY close to restriction now.

You've been through so much and it's amazing how well you're handling things. I'll keep you in my prayers that the numbers fall into the required range so can have your surgery and be free of so many worries.

I can well imagine how good you must feel being able to eat again after only liquids for two weeks. It seems a lot of people do better with food as the day progresses. Dinner is when I have my "hard" protein and I'm learning to cut 1/2" x 1/2" pieces of food and chew completely before swallowing. It's been 2 weeks since the third fill so I'm still "feeling my way." I hope you have continued success with solid foods... take it slowly.

It took 3 fills for me to achieve "proper" restriction and it "kicked-in" right away. Congratulations on your success, Kelli.

Soap and water for a few days and/or rubbing alcohol does the trick.

I have done sooooooo many diets: - over the counter meds (mostly a caffeine high causing heart palpitations) - phentermine (took a dose and landed in the ER with a severely low blood pressure and super high heart rate... flushed those suckers) - weight watchers (balanced & healthy program but I am not one to count points for the rest of my life and group meetings tend to bore me) - nutrasystem (no the food is not better in my opinion... high is salt and meat dishes are fatty) - LA weight loss (this one REQUIRES you to eat 2 of their candy bars a day... to the tune of @ 320-350 calories. Like I need to waste cals on candy????) - Atkins (you better have good kidney function to tolerate this killer diet) So many diets, so little success. My best success came from doing my own healthy eating plan... lost over 200 pounds but old habits resurfaced. I was banded before I regained it all... kept 90 pounds off.

I don't agree that this is the employee's problem and not yours. If might very well become a big problem for you if you don't act on it. I would suggest calling a meeting with the employee and have a 3rd party present (either your equal or your superior). Spell out the problem, what will and will not be tolerated and consequences of this happening again.

It's great to hear that you're feeling better and don't have band problems. Do you plan on having surgery for your other problem?

The leading surgeon on Long Island is Dr. Alan Geiss at Syosset Hospital and he's done well over 1000 procedures. His office staff is wonderful. Give them a call and ask what it costs for self-pay. As you probably already know, nothing on Long Island is cheap.

I did Nutrasystem and did not care for the food at all. I hear the Jenny Craig food is much better but never gave that a try.

Before gaining 10 pounds you better check with your insurance company. Why? Some insurance companies want to see proof that you've been at a BMI of 40 or > for a certain period of time (years in most cases).