GayleTX

yes, any time you have an episode (stuck, thow up, etc) go back to liquids for a day or so. an episode usually causes your esophagus to swell and it needs to have time to go down. fresh bread is ordinarily a no-no for the rest of your life for a lapbander. and sandwiches should really not be on your menu, espcially this early....just 5 weeks!! if you have to have a little bread, you can toast it very crunchy. But remember that white bread (as well as other white starches....potatoes, rices, Pasta, corn) are high in calories and will keep you from losing as quickly as you could without them. Always eat your Protein first and a few veggies if you have room and you can push the scale right on down (and also eliminate the cravings that white carbs cause when they cause the sugar in your body to crash). When you get stuck like that, it's normal reaction to try to drink and push it down....but that's the worst thing you can do. Try walking around, bending over, massaging your tummy, chewing some papaya tablets (if it's protein that's stuck....it's won't do anything for bread).

No wonder you've been on the outs with her....sounds like she's not very considerate of you, your situation and doesn't 'hear' your words. She needs to hear them again. All of you staying in close quarters for that long is a true recipe for another falling out and another 5 years of estrangement. Don't let it happen.

Even tho you could survive on liquids (providing they are protein supps) you don't need to be throwing up....it can irritate the esophagus and set you up for problems in the future. Call your doctor!

Mine was 62 and I was on meds for diabetes, high blood pressure, gout, depression, arthritis, cholesterol, triglycerides....total of 11 scrips. A year later I am 39 BMI, and take only a diuretic and Tylenol.

Of course you can. But if you are serious about losing weight, you wont'.

Don't let the doctor discourage you. He's giving you a tool and you can use it to the best of your ability. My surgeon says I have lost as quickly as any patient he's had with a lapband. I am 13 months out and have averaged 10 pounds a month...I'm not losing that fast now but that has been my average. Right now I'm losing about a pound a week. I have probably lost more quickly than some because 1) I weighed more than some people.....fat goes fast in the beginning. 2) I have been very compiant - I eat by the same rules that the RNY people eat by. Gastic Bypass is good for about 18 months; after that time, you are on your own. The LapBand is with you and functioning forever - even if you backslide you can start all over and it will still do its job.

If they disqualified people for being on anti-depressants, the LapBand people would have to go out of business!! From reading the boards the last two years, I'm guessing the majority of us are on them. Or at least at the time of consult we were. Many people are able to come off them when the weight starts to go and life begins to look a little better.

You'll know, believe me, you'll know!!! Whatever you do, don't try to 'wash it down' with water....that is a natural, logical thing to do but it's the worst thing you can do - it will just come back up. I find that bending over the edge of my bed (it hits me about my waist) and putting pressure on my body helps.....kinda like a Heimlich Manuever, I would think. Sometimes I just go to bed with a towel and something to spit in because I'll wake up upchucking (PB'ing - sliming - whatever) when something been stuck a while. As you learn to eat (and it takes much longer than you'd think) the episodes will stop - or at least be much less frequent - and life will be better.

How much water are you taking in? Dizziness is often a symptom of dehydration. I know drinking is not easy right now, but just on sip, sip, sipping.

Dr. Maese in both Ferris and Highland Park takes MX patients. All I pay is my regular doctor office call co-pay....$25.

I've heard so many wls'ers say one of their goals is to be able to buy something at Victoria's Secret....if you're ready to shop there now, here are some coupons that might make it a little easier. Victoria's Secret Coupon Codes - all coupons and promotional codes for victoriassecret.com

It's hard to avoid eating a fast food places no matter how we try, isn't it. Here's some info I thought was intersting: A recent poll of 523 Californians showed just how difficult it can be to judge the calories, etc in fast foods. The poll, commissioned by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, asked respondents to identify nutrition-related information -- fewest calories, least salt, most fat or the most calories -- among choices at four popular restaurant chains. Not one respondent answered all four questions correctly. For example, one question asked which of these four options at McDonald's had the most calories: two Big Macs, two Egg McMuffins, one large chocolate shake, or four regular hamburgers? The correct answer -- the chocolate shake -- was given by only 11 percent of the respondents. To be fair, McDonald’s 32-ounce Triple-Thick Chocolate Shake has only 30 more calories than two Big Macs (1,110 compared with 1,080), and 53 percent of the respondents chose Big Macs as the highest calorie option. But still, 68 percent of the respondents got every question wrong. (Try your luck on the other questions, online at http://www.publichealthadvocacy.org/menulabelingquiz.p

This is the hardest part of the journey.....the part that requires the most self-discipline. It is helpful to be sure and get in all the Protein supplements you can....and eliminate all the white carbs - that will help keep your blood sugar from bouncing and dipping down to where it makes you feel hungry. It's very helpful for craving control....and it will help you start to shed the pounds. Be sure to get in all the liquids you can....water, tea, SF drinks, etc. Your goal is 64 oz a day but that may be hard this early in the game. Your protein goal should be 80-100 gram a day from now on, but that is hard also this early....just keep sipping! Best wishes to you!!

And there is soooo much outdated information still floating around. Please dont' believe everything you read in a message board.

There are so many sleep study center cropping up all over the country that you shouldn't have to wait very long.....if one can't get you in, try another (just be sure your insurance with play nice with them).

Munching on almonds and peanuts is helpful to me.....and they are good for you and high in Protein. Also when I think I'm hungry or want to munch, I fix a warm drink of some sort.....hot tea with SF syrup or herbs in it seems to curb the cravings....or a mug of coffee with a scoop of chocolate protein helps a lot.

IMO.....your family is thinking backwards!!! Those are all co-morbidities - reasons insurance companies approve patients for surgery!! I was 62 at time of wls.....had been on diabetic meds for 20 yrs, blood pressure meds and gout meds for 30 years, arthritis meds for 15 yrs, anti-depressants for 5 years, had had one heart attack and 4 heart stents within the psat 3 years before wls. etc etc etc. I was on 11 script drugs a day (some of them 2-3 times a day) and I was part-time on a walker, hadn't been able to do my own cleaning/shopping/etc for 2 years and was shopping for a wheelchair (size extra-wide, thank you). Get the picture? I came thru the surgery without a hitch, have had no complications other than inflamed isophagus caused by my arthritis meds (so I've cut way back on them). After only 4-5 months I was off diabetes meds, after 8 months I was off blood pressure meds and completely off anti-depressants and most of the other stuff. Within 4 months I was walking a mile a day, I'm now working out at Curves 3X/week, do all my own cooking/cleaning and shopping again. My lab readings are perfect. The walker has gone to the storage building. I have lost 133 pounds and am still losing. I have a LIFE and a FUTURE!! Now why would anyone not want you to have a surgery that could save your life and give you an improved quality of life? I am grateful every day for the encouragement and support and push that my family and my doctors gave me. And proud of myself for adhering to my new lifestyle and for sticking to the rules and being a compliant patient who eats right and plans to do so from now on. Best wishes to you!!

NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS BEING THIN FEELS. I'm not thin yet, but I am headed that way fast! I don't even remember the liquid phase right now a few months later.....it's temporary!!! Just think.....next year at cook-outs we won't have to worry about breaking a lawn chair....or having one stick to our butt when we get up....or having them sink in the mud or sand. And if you're like me, you've tasted every kind of bbq, chip, and bean that's made. We know what they taste like....we don't need to try them again. What we need is to get thin and healthy and have more fun in the future. You can do this!!!!!

My son was the one who kept pushing me and encouraging me to have the surgery....sat thru seminars, took me to consultations, stayed with me at the hospital, went to my follow-up meetings, takes my pictures every month - his support has meant so much to me that there is no way I'm going to fail. Therefore.....when I reach Onederland, we are going to do something we have both wanted to do for years - we are going to take a ride in a hot air balloon!! We've already located one, checked out the prices, times, etc - we're gonna do it!!!

Clear liquids means CLEAR liquids.....sounds like you are rushing things! You have to have time to heal! Avoid the spicey things for a while even when you get to the next stages. Don't damage yourself while you are healing!! Some clear liquids suggestions: Water Crystal Light or sugar free Kool Aid -(use more water than usual) Sugar Free Jell-O Herbal tea, Celestial Seasonings tea (warm drink are very soothing) Sugar Free Popsicles broth or Boullion, heat then blend in a spoonful of Any Whey** New whey Protein Bullets are clear and come in varied flavors...., Grape, Orange, Punch, etc nectar brand protein is clear, thin, tastes like fruit juice (blend into kookaid or chrystal light). Full liquids are such things as: plain yogurt or light yogurt without added sugar or fruit pieces skim milk sugar free pudding (homemade or protein pudding) sugar free Jello potatoes pureed in broth thin cream of wheat or cream of rice thin, blenderized creamed soups tomato juice or V-8 Mushies/Soft Stage or Puree food suggestions: Protein helps with wound healing, muscle and skin re-growth, and repair, creating fullness or satiety, as well as preventing hair loss. Every meal and snack should have a good source of protein in it. The purée diet includes the foods you have already been using plus very soft foods like: soft scrambled eggs low-fat cheese, mozzarella 'string cheese' sticks low fat small curd cottage cheese part skim ricotta cheese poached fish filets mashed with a little of the cooking liquid small amounts of mashed banana for flavoring sugar free applesauce pureed canned Beans such as pinto or black beans refried beans

Caution: Some soft drinks may seriously harm your health Expert links additive to cell damage By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent Published: 27 May 2007 A new health scare erupted over soft drinks last night amid evidence they may cause serious cell damage. Research from a British university suggests a common preservative found in drinks such as Fanta and Pepsi Max has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA. The problem - more usually associated with ageing and alcohol abuse - can eventually lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's. The findings could have serious consequences for the hundreds of millions of people worldwide who consume fizzy drinks. They will also intensify the controversy about food additives, which have been linked to hyperactivity in children. Concerns centre on the safety of E211, known as sodium benzoate, a preservative used for decades by the £74bn global carbonated drinks industry. Sodium benzoate derives from benzoic acid. It occurs naturally in berries, but is used in large quantities to prevent mould in soft drinks such as Sprite, Oasis and Dr Pepper. It is also added to pickles and sauces. Sodium benzoate has already been the subject of concern about cancer because when mixed with the additive Vitamin C in soft drinks, it causes benzene, a carcinogenic substance. A Food Standards Agency survey of benzene in drinks last year found high levels in four brands which were removed from sale. Now, an expert in ageing at Sheffield University, who has been working on sodium benzoate since publishing a research paper in 1999, has decided to speak out about another danger. Professor Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology, tested the impact of sodium benzoate on living yeast cells in his laboratory. What he found alarmed him: the benzoate was damaging an important area of DNA in the "power station" of cells known as the mitochondria. He told The Independent on Sunday: "These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: they knock it out altogether. "The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it - as happens in a number if diseased states - then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA - Parkinson's and quite a lot of neuro-degenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of ageing." The Food Standards Agency (FSA) backs the use of sodium benzoate in the UK and it has been approved by the European Union but last night, MPs called for it to investigate urgently. Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat chair of Parliament's all-party environment group said: "Many additives are relatively new and their long-term impact cannot be certain. This preservative clearly needs to be investigated further by the FSA." A review of sodium benzoate by the World Health Organisation in 2000 concluded that it was safe, but it noted that the available science supporting its safety was "limited". Professor Piper, whose work has been funded by a government research council, said tests conducted by the US Food and Drug Administration were out of date. "The food industry will say these compounds have been tested and they are complete safe," he said. "By the criteria of modern safety testing, the safety tests were inadequate. Like all things, safety testing moves forward and you can conduct a much more rigorous safety test than you could 50 years ago." He advised parents to think carefully about buying drinks with preservatives until the quantities in products were proved safe by new tests. "My concern is for children who are drinking large amounts," he said. Coca-Cola and Britvic's Pepsi Max and Diet Pepsi all contain sodium benzoate. Their makers and the British Soft Drinks Association said they entrusted the safety of additives to the Government. :drum:

Are you asking would depression be considered one of the co-morbidities that would give you a better chance of being approved by insurance? If so, I think that depends on your insurance company and how your policy is written.

You'll probably be hearing the wierd noises from now on.....sorry. It's just part of it. Pretzel nuggets??!!! Not a good choice!! liquids for the first day, then ease out into mushies and real food gradually. (pretzels are not quality food anyhow, are they?)

I'm impressed!! We need to clone that man!!

Plateau's are just a part of the journey....don't let it get your down! Even when the scale is not going down the inches are.....dig out a pair of pants that are a little snug (we've all got them, don't we) and try them on as your guideline for losing inches.....it's very encouraging to see the pants start to loosen up even when the scale is being stubborn.