Devana

Paulax, there is also Dr. Woodhead in Ladner. canadian bander had his/her surgery done by him. His number is 604 946 6500.

White light for you PlanB. I know it will go well. Visualize your new slim self to get yourself to sleep.

Dyna Whey is pretty good. It's available from Superstore, 30 scoops/portions for $24-26. Each portion has 30g of protein and 1g carbs. No neurotoxins (aspartame). What really makes it attractive to me is that it's cold processed which means that if you take a couple of selenium tabs with it, you get increased glutathione production (the grandaddy of antioxidants) equivalent to the really high priced multi level marketing glutathione products. My fave is the strawberry-kiviburst and I think it's the most popular flavour because they're often out of it.

Carol, your body is probably in ketosis with your fast. You excrete ketones in your urine and on your breath. I'm not sure you can do much about it as it's nothing to do with the cleanliness of your mouth or teeth. I just kind of increased the distance of my personal comfort zone somewhat so as not to offend anyone!

Victoriana, those rings look to me like a broken grommet or snap fastener. Were you fully gowned when this was taken? Maybe you pulled off a grommet on your jeans when you were getting on the table or something. Remember, the things you see may not necessarily be in your body, just between the radiation and the film. I was in the position of taking spinal X-rays of people for awhile in the 80's and at that time a lot of women were getting their tubes done with metal clips which could be seen quite clearly. The interesting thing was, though, that these clips sometimes became unattached and were not where they were supposed to be. It wasn't unusual to see them quite a ways away from the fallopian tubes. Yikes.

"Ingestitorial assault".........perfect, Jack.

I can't seem to figure out how to search for something. I haven't seen a bar or button or anything. I have a feeling it's somewhere very obvious.

I have a receipe for a kind of Reeces square. It DOES taste like the real thing and you can leave the chocolate part off, which is unfortunate because I think there is some value in working for that little bit of peanut butter inside. Totally addictive, however I'm proud to say I haven't made it in about 5 years.

My decision is made, I will be banded. However I need some help with my decision on who to do it. What I want to know is this: I like the idea of going to one of the very experienced Mexican drs. I'm scared enough of all this to want someone who's performed thousands of band surgeries rather than hundreds. However, I'm far away. My worries are complications and fills. I don't know if I feel comfortable having my dr so far away, and I've read enough here about fill difficulties that having the performing dr do them may be preferable. Also, I wonder what flying for several hours is like a couple days after surgery with an abdomen full of gas. Any pressure difficulties? There are drs close by I could choose. The proximity would be comforting, I'm sure, and it would be easy to get to them for fills. The overall surgery cost is more, but it may even out in the end if I have to make several more trips to Mexico for fills. These guys won't fill anyone other than their own patients, by the way. Any input would be welcome.

Yikes, Kelliebelly. I agree with all the good advice you've had. Here's another thing you may or may not want to try. A lot of people can control acid reflux by taking vegetable based digestive enzymes. If you just ask for them at the healthfood store you often end up with bromelain. What is better is something that contains lipase for fats amylase for carbs protease for proteins This can often work when meds don't. However, I'm talking about unbanded pts and I have no idea how it would work with the band. The best of luck.

Does anybody remember the line about chewing, "Thirty-two times keeps your tummy from danger then you can stay up and watch the lone ranger" ?? Maybe not. Good thread by the way and very good advice from all of you. I'm finding myself repeatedly failing with my self imposed prebanding diet changes. I'm feeling like a screw-up and wonder if I'll ever be able to work the band effectively once I do get it.

Has anyone tried tryptophan? For some people it can be amazing. It's an amino acid that is easy to get depleted in the body. It's the substrate the body uses to produce seratonin and it's used for many other things as well. People with fibromyalgia are often have low levels. I had to fly back and forth between here and England for a few years and flying against the sun gave me jet lag so bad I would lose a whole week trying to get back on track. So I would take tryptophan at bedtime over there and, even though it was an 8 hr time difference, I would go to sleep, have wonderful dreams and wake up totally refreshed. There was a bad batch made in Japan in the late 80's that had a filler that caused health problems in the people who took that particular batch. It was unavailable for a time after that. However, it was resolved that it is safe and for several years now it's been available in health food stores and pharmacies under it's chemical name 5HTP. My husband has dealt with insomnia off and on for years and manages to control things, most of the time, with combinations of 5HTP, melatonin and liquid coral calcium. The liquid coral calcium can be pretty effective for some people as well.

Hi Jen, this sounds all too familiar. I have been in that rock bottom "dark night of the soul" place a couple times in my life and it seems I had to be there first to then go on and get insight and make major changes. You've already begun changes with your banding. I was just reading a fellow's post on my local area band forum and he said that he was surprised at the great increases in his life as his weight decreased, increased self esteem, energy, confidence, peace of mind, physical attractiveness, interest in the world around him. There have been so many good suggestions on this thread and if you just start with one thing that makes you feel good, and just try to believe that more goodness will be coming your way.

Mandi, yes, I did mean Dr Woodhead. I have to admit I was a bit frustrated at the response I got from his office. I guess I have to remember that the person who answers the phone, although representing the Dr, isn't always a reflection of him or her.

Thanks so much to all of you, you've certainly given me a lot to think about. I live on Vancouver Island, a fair ways away from Mexico. The cost to get it done nearby would be about $12,000. I'm going to do a lot more checking around for fill drs. Even going to Washington State wouldn't be too difficult.

Hi Jeanna, there are a couple of drs on the lower mainland that I've called. Dr. Woodland in Ladner, 604 946 6500. I didn't get much information from his receptionist. She seemed suggest that all the information would come only at the $400 first consultation. Call though, you may have better luck. The other is Dr Leung in Surrey (I imagine he's in Richmond) 604 581 2515. His office was very helpful. They sent an information package out right away. The cost is $12,500, there's a 2-3 month wait. Remember that you can take I think about 13% off the price for the US dollar.

I have been lurking for quite awhile, and I've learned so much. I'm now at the point that I want to be banded for sure and I have it narrowed down to three doctors. I want to thank all you posters. I am in awe of the amount of emotional and physical bravery I see on this site. You have been a wealth of information and inspiration, that has helped me with my decision. Devana Just trying to arrange the financing.

Hi there canadian bander, how was your experience with Dr Woodhead? He is one of my choices, however I'm having a bit of trouble getting information. The assistant on the phone said that I would have to book a consult at $400 to learn anything. Now, I realize that I get that back if I proceed with him but she also said, when I pressed her, that the price was changing and that it would cost somewhere between 13 and 20K. It seems a lot to spend just to find out all the information I would want before I decide on someone. However, if you had a very positive experience and if I can get the new price narrowed down a bit I may go ahead. I'm finding that it's easier to get financing for Canadian procedures rather than out of country ones. By the way, do you know how many bands Dr Woodhead has done? Thanks Devana

Jenna, thanks. I read, or maybe I should say misread your post and thought you were having trouble finding the search button too. Someone on another thread told me how to find it so I came back here to pass the information on to you. Yikes. My only excuse is that I'm suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and it's really affected my memory and powers of observation (case in point). It's almost like a mild brain injury. Oh well, time is healing. I'm a lot better than I was.

Thankyou Kim and Anwyn. Where I get the surgery done depends on my financing. Companies that provide financing for this type of thing don't do it for Canadians in Mexico. At least I haven't found one so far. If I do it here I will be able to get financing but it will cost several thousand more. I've still got lots of calls to make and I believe it will involve some financial jiggery pokery but I'm determined to do it. You're right, this site is indeed a great resource and it's given me the confidence to go ahead.