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I don't know if you noticed (this site has sooo much stuff), but there's a forum for people in Canada. They might have more info. Also, if you type in "Calgary" in the "Search LapBandTalk.com" search engine (which is actually google) it brings up people talking about doctors in Calgary (as well as other info). I hope this helps a bit. ~Fran

Froggie, please tell me what kind of problems you were having with your cpap. I thought that after losing weight I could stop using my cpap but my sis told me that I stopped breathing while sleep one night. I started using my machine again but started having big problems with bad congestion in my chest. So I cleaned it every night instead of every 2-3 nights. And I lowered my humidifier. I continued to have problems and just felt sick in general when I used it. I couldn't sleep and would take it off during the night. What is a titrating machine? Did you have to go back to the sleep doc or to your GP? Currently my cpap is on the shelf in my room because I absolutely cannot sleep with it on. I also have asthma.

YAY Brian! Welcome to the wonderful world of lapband! My advice is this: remember this is a journey ... you will not arrive at your goal weight tomorrow. Let your body heal as your doctor instructs. AND, read this forum. The people here are great, yeah some are naysayers, but you need to hear that too because given the proper restriction they change into YAYsayers ...lol (corny, I know). Anyway, just about everything you will go through or can think of will be mentioned on this forum. Use it in good health. All the best to you! Fran

Hi Tracy, I just read yo post. It's 9:30 p.m. her in L.A. so I set my DVR to tape it. I'd be interested in know what you thought of the show. I will probably watch tomorrow when I get home from work. Hope you post you thoughts about the show, whether it's worth watching, etc. Fran

I am so sorry to hear you had to have a second sugery. I wish you well and hope you have a speedy recovery.

Have you tried a hot liquid, maybe that will help.

Oh, duhhh me... I can tell you that when I stopped weighing several months ago, I had lost about 55 lbs. Also, the clothes that are too big for me now are not the clothes I was wearing before surgery; they are clothes that are 3 sizes smaller that a friend gave me BEFORE my surgery that I hadn't been able to get into. Now that are getting too big, YAY!

Kellyodoran, I have no idea what my current weight is because I was obsessing about my weight and weighing every morning and getting mad when I didn't like the numbers. So, one day I stepped on the scale and it said "Lo" as in the "battery is lo". I decided that this was a good time to stop making myself crazy and I stopped weighing. I only know that I need new clothes but, because I don't feel I have lost enough in the stomach area I refuse to buy new. So I wear the same clothes every week. It's getting very boring. The legs and hip area of my pants are starting to look a little ridiculous, but I'm just not ready to give in ... but I may have to soon. LOL Most of my tops are too big too. My stomach is the last place I lose, so I want to give it another month to see what happens.

Without "proper restriction" (i.e., the sweet spot) it is no easy task to stay on the wagon or even get in the wagon. There are those who will tell you that you must eat according to the diet your doctor gave you, or that you must eat healthier etc, etc, etc. They are all correct! But, you and I both know that if we were so good at that we wouldn't have gotten the band. Some of us can manage to eat "right" without the sweet spot and some of us can't. That being said, I used to have the hardest time just like you. I could follow my food plan during the day with ease, but when the sun went down I turned into a ravenous munching monster -- and never the good munching stuff either. I tried EVERYTHING. But, you may do better than I. I will suggest the 100 calorie snack packs and if you can stop at one pack, GREAT! Also, if you get enough Protein at dinner you might make it through the evening. If your hunger is actually "head hunger" and not a lack of nutrition, you may need to journal, or talk to a therapist or a good friend -- someone that understands where you're coming from. One thing I tried that may work for you: I would make sure I ate a lower number of calories during the day so that in the evening if I went a little crazy I would still be within the number of calories that I wanted to eat for the day. May work for you, may not, just a suggestion. Eventually you will eat as well at night as you do during the day. I am at my sweet spot and I no longer munch all night. In part because I can't keep down more than a cup or so and in part because I have been working so hard lately that I am too exhausted to overeat ... all I want to do is sleep. LOL Ultimately, you will have to decide whether you want to reach your goal quickly, whether you want to go leisurely or ... if you want to go kicking and screaming (for a while I chose the latter, I'm much better now, thank you very much ). It's a journey and sometimes we struggle, but this forum is full of great information and support. If my suggestions don't work for you, there will many others here and maybe one (or more) will have a suggestion that will be just right. I wish you the best on your journey.

3 weeks for first fill. 2 weeks for fills after that. But I am at my sweet spot now so I haven't needed a fill for a while.

My doc says drink up to 5 mins before eating and nothing for an hour after. Amazing how docs can be so different. I do find that if I drink just before I eat I am unable to eat much and therefore will not get enough nutrition. So, even though I can drink up to 5 mins., I don't because it is not the best thing for me. I usually give it at least 30 mins.

While I didn't have problems after surgery ... just the gas that caused awful pain in my shoulder, only I didn't know it was gas, I thought they had laid me on my side during surgery and that was the reason. Alas, after a week (or two) the gas pain got better. Didn't have nausea and had very little pain when I went home the next day. BUT, and here's the rub ... I am a slow loser. I read this wonderful forum and there are people losing weight in leaps and bounds over me and, initially, I got a little down on myself. Eventually, with the help of my therapist, who is an obesity specialist, I realized that if I was going to have continued success with this band I could not compare myself to others. I tell you this because at this point you don't know how fast/slow you are going to lose weight, and you should get the REAL right up front. You are unique and like no one else on this earth. You will make up in your own mind how you will use your "tool" and how much you are willing to do to get to your goal. Don't beat yourself up when you falter, just remember that you can do this! This forum has a wealth of information and some very wonderful, supportive people. Take what you can use, and leave the rest behind. I hope that you feel better really soon and that the (anesthesia) blues go away quickly. I am soooo happy I got the lapband and I hope you will be too!

For me, the fact that the band is the least invasive and has the shortest recovery time cinched it for me. I have had two major surgeries (one being back surgery) and I was not interested in going under the knife like that AGAIN. Whew! Recovery from those surgeries was tough! The band can be removed or, at the very least all the Fluid can be easily taken out. I don't predict that I will do either, but if I had to I'm glad that I have the option. Also, I know a number of people that had gastric bypass years ago and are back up to or passed their original weight. With proper restriction it would require a particular brand of self torture to regain your weight once you lose it all. Even if you eat sliders, you'd have to eat day and night to regain -- not that some people could not accomplish this, if it were truly their goal. But, because the band is a "tool", you must "work" with the band in order to lose weight. The work you do changes your relationship with food and that's something that no amount of organ removal can give you. Because, in the end, it's our heads -- not our stomachs -- that make us overeat. I have had food issues my entire life, my sister, on the other hand, has always been thin. It would NEVER occur to her to eat when she is sad, tired, lonely, happy, etc. She eats when she is hungry, and sometimes not even then if she is busy doing something. My band is priceless to me -- no matter how long it takes me to reach goal weight -- because everyday I learn something new about myself and how I use food in an abnormal way (i.e., for comfort, cure boredom, etc.). The thing is that with my band I cannot overeat, so I have time to think and sit with my feelings. I have learned that it is not the end of the world not to put something in my mouth when I am angry/sad/lonely. That I can face whatever comes without food to sedate me. For me, without a doubt, the band is the answer. For you ... well, that is for you to decide. All the best to you in your search.

Although I thought that with my band I'd lost sufficient weight to stop using my CPAP; it appears that I was wrong. My sis spent the night a few weeks ago and I asked her if I snored, she said yes, not loudly but it appeared that I had stopped breathing. So, I went back to using my CPAP. Here's my question, or rather two questions: 1. Did you ever wake up in the middle of the night with a bad "rattle" in your chest, as though you had bronchitis or pneumonia, and coughing up phlegm while using your CPAP? 2. Can you recommend a really good sleep apnea forum? I appreciate any and all information you can give me. BTW, my CPAP is set at 12 and it has a humidifier. Thanks so much. Fran

Well John, according to every allergist I have seen over the past 30 years ... I am allergic to EVERYTHING! LOL Unfortunately, it's true. From cologne to paper to plastic to dust to grass to cardboard, and the list goes on and on. Sad thought that I might need my CPAP forever. But if I do, I have to get this congestion/coughing/choking thing under control. Thanks for the info. Kosy2 -- I am guilty of not cleaning the Water tank every day, usually every 2 days and last night I was so exhausted that, even though it was time to clean it (it was day 3) ... I didn't, just put it on and went to sleep. I do use distilled water. And, it is true that the times I have had congestion in my lungs has been on the nights that I have gone more than 2 days without cleaning the tank. Guilty as charged. I will clean it tonight, turn down my humidifier a bit and see how it goes. Thanks for your response and for the cpaptalk forum. I am going to check it out right now. Many thanks to all. ~Fran

Thanks Kellie2, it never occurred to me that it could be my humidifier causing the problem. I keep mine at #3 ... LOL Could be that I am doing it to myself ... who knew. I will give it a try.

By the time I was at 12 weeks I had had 5 fills AND they cost me ZERO dollars. Something is wrong with this picture. You MUST live far off the beaten track if you must travel so far to get a fill. Okay, so maybe that can happen, but then, under those conditions for your doc to be ultra conservative with the fills is just insane! It is true that you should be doing more to help yourself (i.e., making better food choices, exercise, etc.) but seriously, without proper restriction one can become very depressed and things can take that slippery slope downward. Keep reading this forum and take the suggestions of those that have success. If you can't get to a doc that is closer to you, then talk to your doc about a bigger fill or at least a fill more often. Don't give up! You can do this!!

Please don't feel like a failure. If you don't have restriction you can find yourself feeling like a failure. The truth is you can't fail if your band is not actually performing as the tool that it can be. Some people are good at following a diet/food plan without having restriction, others are not. The people that are not will need their band filled enough to give them restriction to help them stay on the path. Put all the effort you can into eating right and exercising, but don't beat yourself up if you are not seeing the results you think you should. Not only are we all different, but if we could just follow a diet and lose weight and stay thin we would not need the band. Some of the posts I have read about how "stingy" the doctors can be with fills are just crazy! Once a month, once every six weeks, not until you stop losing weight ... this is crazy! People are hungry from not getting enough nutrition and not having restriction and their doctors act as if the people are just statistics on a piece of paper. We are all REAL people with REAL issues about food and all doctors need to recognize that and treat each patient accordingly! I am fortunate that my doctor is not one refuse me if I feel I need a fill. I have not seen my doctor in more than 3 months because I have enough restriction, but if I called his office and needed a fill tomorrow, he would do it. I know my body and I know when I need a fill. He gets it. I wish you the best. And, remember that even if your doctor is slow and stingy, eventually you will get to your sweet spot. Don't be so hard on yourself. You can do this!

While it is true that I have lost all over, my stomach is the slowest to go. UGH! And my boobs ... they are going, but they were so big to begin with that they seem to be hanging on for dear life! LOL My legs look like twigs compared to the rest of me. I hate that, but I always lose in my legs first. My face is noticeably smaller, my wrists are tiny (but they were never big, just much, much smaller now). But happily my "back fat" is coming down. YAY! I don't know if my stomach will ever go away, but I will keep trying! Fran

Congratulations on your decision to take this journey! On the forums page of this site there is a forum for prebanders. Also, your doc should give you all the pre-surgery and post surgery do's and don'ts. But, this site is very informative. I am a Type 2 diabetic and I was on 1000 mg Metformin 2x a day. Within a couple of months after surgery I was off meds altogether. I periodically check my blood glucose and it's always good (80 - 106 usually). There are a ton of message boards on a variety of topics pertaining to the lapband on this site. I think you will find it interesting and useful reading. All the best to you.

All the best to all of you on this journey! Brainsss ... if "you'll be fine" doesn't work for you, how about "trust God, he didn't bring you this far to fail you now"? You are in my prayers too. :-) One last thing for you newbies: Read this forum! The post-surgery forum is chock full of information and experiences that you may go through. Remember the band is a tool NOT a miracle. You get out of it what you put into it. Congratulations!

The reason for the pre-op diet is to shrink your liver so that the doctors can easily get to the spot they are placing the band. I had insurance problems so, they called me about 5 days before my surgery to say "we're on" so I didn't have a lot of time for the pre-op diet. Fortunately, the doc was able to do the surgery. The problem comes in when someone is obese to the point that the doc cannot place the band because the liver is too big. So, starving yourself may not be necessary, but losing weight will keep you from waking up to find out that the doc was unable to do your surgery. All the best to you on your journey.

Hi Sabrinaa, Just making up your mind to do the right thing is easier said than done, isn't it? I feel you! We all have different reasons for holding on to our weight, some more benign than others. From your post it sounds like you could use some support. Doesn't sound like you are a person that just follows your doctors orders just because he/she is a doctor. I get it, not everyone is like that. But, sometimes we have to consider that, at the very least, our docs aren't trying to do us harm. So, when your doc says you need to be on liquids after surgery ... you should probably follow this edict -- it is likely for your safety and well being. You may not feel the results of pushing the envelope now, but down the line you may truly regret it. That said, you probably should try to follow an eating plan and maybe go to OA or see a therapist -- one that specializes in food disorders, etc. I found seeing a therapist very helpful with helping me get a grip on why I eat or rather why I overeat. The bottom line is, when you test the limits of your band you are only sabotaging yourself. Our biggest issues are in our heads, not our stomachs. Be good to yourself by doing things/eating foods that are going to further your goal of losing weight. Read this forum! There is soooo much information here and the people are great. Trust me when I say "you can do this!" All the best to you on your journey.

"There's also the knowledge that most people don't fill restriction until their 4th fill swimming around in my head. If I DO pass on getting a fill and get it later when I feel like I desperately need it... That first fill probably won't do anything for me and I'll then be waiting for the next 3 fills before I feel restriction!" I think you hit the nail on the head. You should get your 1st fill as scheduled because it will likely not give you restriction. As a result, you can continue to eat the way you have been eating (only chewing better) and maybe with this fill your hunger will be at bay a little longer, then with the next fill a little longer than before, etc. By the time you get to your sweet spot it should be smooth sailing all the way to your goal weight. You sound like a success story waiting to be told! Congratulations, you are doing great!

Feeling disgusted with yourself is counterproductive. Give yourself a break. Your vacation is not going to last forever. Take a deep breath, relax, and just try eating less at each meal. Chances are you won't have restriction after your first fill so, you have to go easy on yourself so you don't sabotage your progress. You are so early in the game that this little hiccup will be but a distant memory when you finally have restriction and the pounds start to drop! Hang in there, the best is yet to come! All the best to you on your journey!