RKidder

Has anyone tried one of the flavored protein powders that GNC has? It's got 54 grams of protein per scoop. I can't recall the name of it. I figure I could get the biggest bang for my buck - and I could make just 1 protein shake a day and the rest of the protein could come from my diet. (My nutritionist recommended 60 grams of protein per day.) Thanks for your input - this site has been an incredible way to see how others are doing with their bands. I will be banded on May 23rd. Peace! Rachel

I found that the pain medication (Oxycodone) caused constipation, and difficulty with passing gas. I walked as much as I could, and drank warm tea. As soon as I could, I cut down on the frequency of taking the pain medication. I was miserable for about 5 days until everything "passed". It does get better - I am 2 weeks post-op. Good luck to you.

I am allowed to have mushies and liquids for the first 4 weeks post-op. I was eating mashed potatoes (there were a few unmashed pieces of potato that went down wrong, I believe), and admittedly, I did not chew well, and I ate probably too quickly. I will not make that same mistake again. I knew better than that - I was not paying attention. I justified by saying "Oh, I have done so well the last 2 weeks, I can probably do ok with these mashed potatoes" --NOT!! This evening I did strictly chicken broth, and warm tea. Thank you all for your kind words -- I had a wake-up call on this one, for sure. Rachel

My first time with PB - golf size pain in sternum, sliming, can't move it down, won't come up. tried warm tea, not helping. brb vomiting with slime, still painful, omg

Pheww, finally done. Brought up everything. Golf ball gone. I will never make that mistake again!!!! Drinking warm tea to soothe. Scary, though. I thought it was going to cut off my windpipe. My poor husband called me from his workplace, and I told him I could not talk on the phone, and he freaked - he wanted to come home. Told him, "no, I will be OK -- I just need time." It was the longest hour of my life. Thank you for your kind words. Rachel

"HURLCHUPS" Anyone? They're not a hiccup, a belch, or a burp. Kind of a combination of all 3. I am 5 days post-op today and darned if I don't get these on a daily basis. Sometimes uncomfortable, always a nuisance. Can't do anything to stop them, so I may as well give them a name! No regrets on getting lap banded though. A bad day hurlchupping beats a good day gorging. Smile today - someone will wonder what you're up to... Rachel

My first marriage only lasted 9 years - but 7 of them were not happy ones. My son saw my unhappiness, and I after seeking counselling (alone, my husband said I had a problem not him), I decided that yes, life is too short to spend it being miserable. I preferred to be happy alone than miserable married to this man. I did not want my son to see emotional abuse as a way to treat women. I wanted to take him away from that. I have since re-married to a wonderful man who is good to me and my son - and they adore each other. My son can finally see how a happy marriage is supposed to be. For 3 yrs before I left my 1st husband, there was no intimacy - and when I asked him if he still wanted to stay in a sex-less marriage, he responded he did. Not me -- I am fortunate that I have a good job and was able to raise my son alone, and did not need my husband to support me. I was raised a "good Catholic girl" and I never thought I was going to be divorced - I did my best to make a go of my marriage, but it was not to be. I never cheated on my husband. I can honestly say I did my best - but you can't do it alone. It takes two to make a marriage work. Best of luck to you - my prayers are with you, as you work to reach a decision you can live with. Take care, Rachel

Hi Fellow May Bandsters! I was banded on May 23rd and feel great! I bagan working out at the gym today. Went back to work last Thursday. I have lifting restrictions of no more than 20 lbs. for 3 weeks. I work on a busy hospital unit where we lift heavy patients in bed, etc. I am beginning to have some hunger pangs now and then. No episodes of vomiting at all. Had only mild nausea the first few days post-op. Still having a lot of gas. I am beginning to be able to sleep on my right side for short periods. I am still a little tender on the left side where my port is, so I can't sleep on that side, yet. I miss sleeping on my tummy, though. Having trouble getting in all my fluids, so I tend to drink more of them earlier in the day. I have lost 16 lbs so far and I am not even 2 weeks out yet! I know this will slow down, so I will take the loss where I can. NO REGRETS, I LOVE MY BAND, SO FAR!! Rachel

Roseanne did not have gastric bypass. She had the "Fobi pouch"...

She is seeking reaction from you. You can't change her, but you can change how you react to her. Your husband and his brothers need to stop cowtowing to their mom. It's easier for them to just "go along" with her behavior than to set limits. That is their problem. Don't take on her issues - make a nice gesture, if she refuses, go on with your plans. Life is full of choices - she chooses to be miserable. She is depressed. You may want to offer to help her seek counselling for her depression. If she refuses, that is her choice. You are not obligated to sit by and watch, however. Best of luck to you, honey. __________________

I met my husband on the internet on AOL 7yrs ago. I was very up-front with my ad and said that I was "built for comfort, not speed" and that "if you are looking for an anorexic, pass me by." I did not want to waste my time or theirs. My husband loved my candor and sense of humor. We have been together 7 yrs and married 1 1/2 yrs. He is my soul mate! When we talk about why we had not met before now, my reply is always, "We met when we were supposed to meet, God had a plan, and she never makes mistakes! Now kiss me, you fool!" I love him and how he makes me feel when we are together - he brings out the best in me. My son adores him and vice versa - I am truly blessed!

Europeans Find Extra Options for Staying Slim food, Ms. Spalliera, an office worker, quickly lost 77 pounds, dropping from 242 to about 165 pounds. She had read about the balloon on the Internet. Now, wearing a denim miniskirt and high black boots, she hardly looks like a candidate for weight-loss surgery. But here she is, at Rome's Policlinico Umberto I, asking for another balloon. Her goal: to lose another 22 pounds. ''This has radically changed my life; I can walk,'' Ms. Spalliera said. ''I can climb stairs. I have a love life.'' Surgical procedures to lose weight have gained popularity in Europe as methods have become simpler and obesity rates have climbed. Though still largely the province of people with dangerous obesity, the procedures are now regarded as so simple and safe by many European surgeons that they are being offered to people like Ms. Spalliera, who, after her initial weight loss, was merely overweight. In Italy, as in most of Europe, the number of procedures carried out has doubled in the last three years, according to medical studies. A vast majority use a simple, minimally invasive technique in which an adjustable band is slipped around the stomach to reduce its size. More recently, doctors have been using balloons like Ms. Spalliera's, which can be inserted through a tube in the mouth and inflated in 15 minutes. ''We can afford to offer it to more people since it is relatively complication-free,'' Dr. Nicola Basso, a leading Italian researcher on surgery for obesity, said of the so-called lap-band technique. ''This has become the most common surgical procedure in Western Europe for weight loss. It has the pole position.'' But even as Europeans rave about their bands and their balloons, many American doctors have remained suspicious, regarding the techniques as not terribly effective and even dangerous. Bands, used for more than a decade in Europe, are just catching on in the United States; balloons are not in the pipeline for approval from the Food and Drug Administration yet. ''There are really profound differences in how we think about weight-loss surgery,'' said Dr. Sayeed Ikramuddin, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the chief of bariatric surgery at the University of Minnesota. Eighty percent of weight-loss surgery in the United States involves a far more arduous and technically demanding bypass operation in which the stomach is cut and made smaller with staples, then reconnected far down in the intestine. While the initial weight loss is often more rapid, complications are more common and many patients are loath to undergo the larger procedure. It is a striking example of the way that patients' options are governed by doctors' habits in even the most sophisticated medical systems. ''It's really just a question of who got used to what first, and what has insurance approval,'' Dr. Ikramuddin said. In some early trials in the United States, he added, the less invasive techniques produced mixed results, and this lastingly tarnished their reputation among American medical professionals. Because the new procedures are widely accepted in Italy, both the band and the balloon are virtually free for patients, paid for by the national health insurance plan. In France, the banding procedure is covered, but the balloon option is not; it costs about 5,000 euros or a little more than $5,900. European surgeons extol the spread of simple weight-loss surgery to the masses, noting that obesity is not just a cosmetic problem. Most obese people have serious medical problems, like breathing difficulty and diabetes, which shorten their life expectancies; weight loss improves the condition of a majority of them. ''This is a lifesaving procedure which is very difficult for some people to understand,'' Dr. Basso said. Obesity rates are rising sharply in countries across Europe, according to the health directorate of the European Commission. Some are catching up with the United States, where obesity rates are 28 percent for men and 34 percent for women. European Union figures show the highest rates for European men in Cyprus (nearly 27 percent) and for women in Greece (38 percent). Dr. Basso said that 1.5 million Italians could potentially benefit from weight-loss surgery, and that many were demanding it, especially now that simpler procedures are available. Davide Rubbio, 48, an ambulance worker in Rome, had missed nine months of work over a three-year period before having the stomach band procedure in February. At about 320 pounds, life was a struggle: he was depressed, could not tie his shoes, had diabetes and was chronically short of breath. He heard about the band surgery on television; it appealed to him, he said, because it did not require a big operation and ''nothing was taken out.'' Nine months later, he has lost 77 pounds and is losing more. ''Now I'm advising everyone I know to have it,'' he said. On both sides of the Atlantic, patients who are contemplating weight-loss surgery generally undergo intensive medical and psychological screening. A patient's body mass index, a measure of obesity, must be above 40, or above 35 if the patient has a related medical disorder like diabetes. (To calculate body mass index, divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared. Then multiply the result by 703.) But in Europe, those criteria are being eroded by the presence of the balloons, and by patient demand. ''You have patients who don't quite meet indications for surgery, but they've failed lots of diets, and they are gaining weight,'' said Dr. Alfredo Genco of the Policlinico. ''So we should do nothing and wait until they get morbidly obese? This is a very safe procedure and can prevent it, so why not give them the option?'' He recently returned from Kentucky, where he inserted the balloon in 10 patients to initiate a trial for F.D.A. approval, which is still years away. His American colleagues, Dr. Genco said, ''continue to think of it as dangerous, but it's just not true.'' ''They don't have experience with the current device,'' he continued. To Dr. Genco, the balloon is a tool to help motivated patients lose weight, allowing them in the meantime to acquire healthier eating habits. He said his own wife, who has been struggling to lose 25 or so pounds for years, is now demanding a balloon. If she fails one more round of dieting, she will try it, he said. In a recently completed clinical trial involving more than 2,500 patients in Italy, serious complications occurred in 5 patients when pressure from the balloon eroded the stomach wall and caused it to burst. Two of the five patients died. On the other hand, almost 90 percent of people with obesity-related illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure were cured or showed improvement after six months of the balloon. Weight-loss experts on both sides of the Atlantic are somewhat mystified about why early trials of banding and balloons were not as successful in the United States as in Europe. Eating habits may be partly to blame, however, as patients must be capable of cutting down on food to benefit fully from the simpler European procedures. Although the procedures reduce the stomach to the size of a coffee cup, they will ''not be effective if it is filled hundreds of times a day,'' Dr. Basso said. The lap band procedure involves the placement of a ring around the stomach through a scope inserted through the abdominal wall. Intended to remain for life, it can be adjusted from outside to regulate the flow of food and can be reversed if there are problems. The balloon is kept in place for six months and is then removed because of concerns that the material might wear out. Massimo Chiovelli was at the clinic last week for balloon removal after losing a little over 68 pounds. Convinced that he can lose weight and still enjoy life while eating smaller meals, he said he could not eat a steak and that he felt full after a small amount of yogurt. He will soon undergo the longer-term banding procedure. Mr. Chiovelli, who is a dental technician and who, like many here, wears clothes that now hang loosely on his frame, said: ''I was just so fat I couldn't take a walk or climb stairs, and at work I just sit all day.''

Cindylou. My prayers and good wishes to you hon. I was banded on 5/23, and I too, have lots of abdominal swelling. It gets better every day, but I still can't put on my pants and expect to zip them up -not! I am doing stretch waist pants for a while longer. I am also having trouble getting my liquids in - 48 ounces max, and I used to drink water like a camel. I can only take 2-3 oz of mushies at a time. Warm tea seems to go down easier than cold liquids, Oral meds (diabetic) have to be split and still they don't go down easily. Take care, I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Rachel

Congrats to you! It took me a long time to be approved also. But it is all worth it! I was banded 1 week ago today! Best of luck to you. Rachel

"HURLCHUPS" Anyone? They're not a hiccup, a belch, or a burp. Kind of a combination of all 3. I am 5 days post-op today and darned if I don't get these on a daily basis. Sometimes uncomfortable, always a nuisance. Can't do anything to stop them, so I may as well give them a name! No regrets on getting lap banded though. A bad day hurlchupping beats a good day gorging. Smile today - someone will wonder what you're up to... Rachel

Susan, I agree with you. I usually know that when I start feeling that, I better not take another bite. So far, I have not had a PB. I am "fortunate" that it has not gotten to that point. Rachel

I, too, was diagnosed with a small hiatal hernia. My surgeon told me that in many cases, after the lapband is placed, the hiatal hernia is reduced and often no other intervention is needed. She said she would see if there needed to be a small repair during the lap-band procedure; stated she could take care of it at the same time. It turned out that it did not need to be repaired, that it was minor. If you can, please get a second opinion from a surgeon who is comfortable/experienced with lap-band procedures. Best of luck to you.

During my hurlchups I don't bring anything up. It is just a funny feeling that feels like part belch, part burp, part hiccup. No vomiting, though. Knock on wood.

My nutritionist told me that based on my height and pre-op weight, I would need to get 800 calories max per day. That is what I am shooting for. I am only 5 days post-op and just barely getting that amount - I have been using unflavored whey protein powder to jump start the protein intake to between 50 and 60 grams a day. Best of luck to you.

I was banded 3 days ago, and I find that while eating, I feel left-sided back discomfort. I was sipping on my 3 ounces of blended butternut squash soup (Campbell's Selects - delicious), and started to have this pain. I stopped, then sipped on warm tea and the pain went away slowly. I suspect I might be a little tight. Just beginning to pass the gas - thank goodness. But nothing else... I find I do better without the narcotics, I am more clear-headed and not in a drug-induced "fog". I find getting in and out of bed so painful, so I have been using a small pillow to "splint" the left side of my abdomen where the port is, and I just take a breath and "bite the bullet" and just get out of bed. Thank goodness, my nurse's training has come in handy - I have been a med-surg nurse for nearly 27 yrs. Now I am on the other side... Having trouble taking in enough water, so I have been sipping on mild herbal tea. Any tips would be appreciated. I am supposed to go back to work next Thursday-now I am not sure if I will be able to -- especially when I do a lot of patient transfers and lifts; my doctor will write me lifting restrictions. I just hope I will have the energy to put in an 8-hour shift. I am walking every day for short walks to get my endurance up. Wish me luck! Rachel

Elizabeth is right. She is seeking reaction from you. You can't change her, but you can change how you react to her. Your husband and his brothers need to stop cowtowing to their mom. It's easier for them to just "go along" with her behavior than to set limits. That is their problem. Don't take on her issues - make a nice gesture, if she refuses, go on with your plans. Life is full of choices - she chooses to be miserable. She is depressed. You may want to offer to help her seek counselling for her depression. If she refuses, that is her choice. You are not obligated to sit by and watch, however. Best of luck to you, honey.

Maude is right - I tend to add liquids (such as a Campbell's Select soup) or a little milk, or bouillon to get the right consistency. I have even added a little watered down unflavored yogurt from time to time - adds a little zip to the meat. Best of luck to you!

Alexandra, My prayers are with you as you wait the awful wait. I am not going to give you any advice. Just know that I am thinking of you.

Yep, 5 days post-op here (May 23rd) and the port site is still sensitive. For the first time since surgery, I was able to briefly sleep on my right side. Getting in and out of bed was the pits! Getting better every day, though. Hang in there!

I am 4 days post-op. I am passing gas and just beginning to have BM's. I am supposed to return to work on Thurs. I have a physically demanding job as an RN (lots of patient lifting, etc), and don't know how I will muster enough energy to work an 8 hour shift. I still have quite a bit of discomfort -- especially when I have this "lump" that won't go down. I have tried warm tea, and it helps a bit. I find sleeping with my head elevated helps that "lumpy" feeling. I am not too hungry and feel I can only take 2-3 ounces at a time. Anyone else experiencing these feelings?