ParrotheadCathy

cruz -- you're still taking in nutrition. It's just liquid. Liquids in, liquids out. Sudden bathroom cues are not uncommon on a liquid diet.

Had my gallbladder removed in 1984. The only potential hitch, which my surgeon pointed out, is that I had open removal (where they cut you almost from your sternum down to your appendix). That left behind a significant scar and there was the slight risk that the scar tissue could get in the way. But I had not problems from it. If you're B12 deficieint, why not start taking B12 supplements NOW? It is bound to make you feel better. BUT I don't think the routine metabolic panel that is part of the pre-op testing reflects B12.

A cup of food at 6 weeks post-op really is about the average (and some can eat more comfortably. What I was told to do post-op, once I got to solid foods was to eat a meal of 3 oz of solid Protein and a serving of vegetables totalling about a cup. If I got hungry in less than 4 hours, I was to eat something like a boiled egg or an ounce of lowfat cheese or a half cup of low fat cottage cheese. You are totally within those guidelines as far as volume. Only you know if you're eating "on program". As I got more restriction I found that with some foods I can can still eat a cup easily, with others, not so much.

Quote: Too tight because I developed a night cough and acid reflux which I am treating with over the counter drugs and apple cidar vinegar. Too tight because I PB/vomit more than 3 times a day--once on Protein drink with two pills. My question is: Okay, I'm almost too tight, but I've lost more than 10 pounds in less than two weeks. Won't this weight loss (and more loss in the future) "loosen" my band a bit so that I don't need an unfill? night cough and acid reflux are strong indications that you are too tight. Continued acid reflux will destroy the lining of your esophagus and can lead to esophageal cancer. A dear friend of mine is dying because he ignored reflux ... later told us he thought it was "not a big deal". Will your band loosen up? MAYBE; MAYBE NOT. And eventually you may find yourself trying to avoid the PBs and stuck episodes by eating slider foods....and the weight loss will slow down significantly or even stop. I know. I was there for two long months (actually, almost three) where I kept telling myself it was getting looser. But I was getting stuck multiple times per day and PBing at least once per meal. And when it came down to me losing 9 pounds over three months, well, it was time to take action. It took the removal on JUST .2CCS to fix it.

I could have done it. I might have been a bit tired by the time I got back home is all. I had surgery on Tuesday and went back to work on Friday, including a round trip commute of 94 miles. If I'd had a driving need, I could probably have gone back to work on Thursday but was grateful to have that day. How did I do that? Part of it is very much the power of positive thinking. But positive thinking will not completely overcome pain and it doesn't do a thing for gas, LOL.

Well, I haven't had this problem BUT if I get stuck I've found that if I stand up and make sure my shoulders are back and back is very straight, the stuck bit often moves right on then. Maybe it's time for both of us to just work on the posture thing!

The first pair of slacks I bought that weren't elastic waist pants, I referred to them as my "big girl pants"! Yeah, we know the feeling!! Congratulations.

Yes, I had to get 1cc of my first fill removed. BUT I knew I had a problem within the first hour. My advice? Stick around the doctor's office area for a while. My doc requires you to drink an entire glass of Water before you can leave after a fill. I managed that fine, but on the drive to work, it hit me. I couldn't even swallow spit. So I called them on my cell, turned around and went back. So, since you have to travel for your fill, why don't you allow yourself a couple of extra hours afterwards as a precaution?

als, you sound like you're just a bit too tight to me. Ask for an unfill of about .2cc. I know, it seems like a miniscule amount but it saved me. I was PBing every meal, getting stuck every meal....take away just .2cc and I'm fine.

I've had mine for almost 9 months with no problems but there are posters on here who have had their bands for years with no problems. I've corresponded with a woman on the "I'm here to help" thread who has had hers for either 3 or 5 years....can't remember which.

I do one of two things when I eat out. I either immediately divide the food on my plate into two parts and eat one part. Then I get a to-go box for the other part and have it for another meal. OR if there is something good on the appetizer menu, I often just order that. For example, Olive Garden has an appetizer that has 8 grilled shrimp on 4 small, thin slices of toasted Italian bread. I eat the shrimp, maybe 2 pieces of the bread and all the stuff (chopped veggies and stuff) on top of the shrimp.

Have you considered a gastric sleeve (GSV)? That would eliminate the need for fills since it relies totally on the surgery itself. I know there are threads on this website about it. I never really considered it but if I was facing the costs of extensive travel for fills, I think I might have.

Bat wings you can work on with tricep presses. But that loose stuff that basically is covered up by your bra probably isn't going anywhere. I know there are surgeons who do a "bra line lift" just for that reason. I've still got a ways to go and already have a problem there.

Bandit, who is going to do your fills? The band alone is just the start (which I'm sure you've figured out). If you don't have a bariatric surgeon in the Caymans, you're going to have to figure it out or you will be paying airfare every time you need a fill, not to mention if you find yourself too tight even 24 hours after a fill. A lot of the Mexican surgery options include the airfare, etc. in the cost of the surgical package, but I think after that you're on your own. For example: I live in a big city (Atlanta, GA), and I was in a car crash just a month after my surgery and the paramedics wanted to take me to the hospital because they saw that I had pretty fresh surgical scars on my belly...but when I told them it was from lap band surgery, they freely admitted that the hospital the City transports crash victims to wouldn't have a doctor on staff that works with lap bands. I opted to sign the release, ride home with the wrecker driver, and go see my surgeon the next day. These are things you have to figure out before you travel for this surgery. The post-op care is the bigger part of your care because it is ongoing for pretty much forever because even once you reach your goal, you are encouraged to "check in" and have your fill level "topped off" every 6 months.

I wouldn't get too whipped up over this until the rest of the paperwork is submitted. The insurance companies really don't want to pay for anybody's surgery so any excuse is good enough. "What, we're missing a piece of paper?!? Well, we're not asking for it. Just deny the claim...." If, after meetings and submitting paperwork, they still deny then I would insist on WRITTEN DETAILS as to why they think it is not medically necessary.

I was concerned over post-op care, so I went with a local surgeon. yeah, it cost me more as a self-pay, but my doctor is just "up the street". If you go to Mexico for the surgery, research the surgeon really well, and have LOCAL follow-up care arranged BEFORE you actually go have the surgery. Many docs don't want to care for a patient who had the sugery elsewhere...

RestlessMonkey (I haven't seen any posts from her lately) went in for surgery THE FIRST TIME and woke up without a band because her liver was too fatty. The doctor didn't have enough room in which to work. She redoubled her efforts with the pre-op diet (after admitting that she hadn't stuck to it as advised) and the second attempt was successful. I was told by my surgeon that the pre-op diet isn't about weight loss, that it is designed to shrink the liver. Do you know that you have a fatty liver or are you just presuming? Either way, this is one of those questions you need to discuss with your surgeon.

Haven't seen that brand, but I buy the Arnold's Bakery product that is a match for it. Love them. I don't really do sandwiches, but that's my way of having a burger on a bun!

I eat rice fairly often. I cook my wild rice in the amount of water per the package and add chicken granules (you can buy jars of this on the spices row, or on the row where they sell broth). I don't use much salt since the granules are a little salty. I get really good chicken flavored rice and have no problems eating it.

Listen to Kiz and TapShoes....you're too tight. Call the doc this morning and get in as soon as they can see you. A small unfill of, say, .2cc could make all the difference between where you are now and being able to eat and drink comfortably.

Above all else, we all need to remember that we can love our family and friends, spend tons of time with them BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THEIR BAD HABITS. After all, it helped put us on the operating tables!

The band is made of an inert material....not "silicone" per se. I have read of a few unusual complications but rejection of the band is one I haven't seen. There was a man posting on here at one point who had to have his band removed because of a sensitivity to some component but I don't remember more than that. But with as many posters as there are on here, and another internet site I frequent, that's as close as I've seen to "rejecting" the band.

That 6 month diet may have to be supervised. Find out FOR SURE. Also, find out if the lap band surgeon you have in mind can supervise the diet. Some insurance will require some other doctor to be the supervising doctor. I didn't have to do this as a self-pay. I know others have done this, have managed not to drop below the approval weight limit and can tell you more.

I use Berocca and I love it! 50 cents per day roughly doesn't seem outrageous to me. Now, it is not a multivitamin, but I don't have iron issues, etc. I believe if you take a Flintstone chewable or gummy you have to take 2 as opposed to the kid dose of just 1. That would make them cost a basically twice as much as if you were buying them for a child.

When I've gotten stuck, it's been pretty much instantaneous! I can't imagine it taking 3 hours for you to feel it. But that is where the pain is when you get stuck.