ParrotheadCathy

I don't know where you are, but there is a chain called Fill Centers USA that has offices in lots of places. You can go to their website and put in your zip code and they'll give you the address(es) of the closest center. Many surgeons offer support groups that are free. Check out the surgeons near where you live and see if they have a support group you can go to. Journal everything you eat. So many people say that it what has brought them back on track. You can do it on a sheet of paper or use one of several free websites for this purpose.

Erin, sudden flash! I remembered that some doctors put some fill in the bands at surgery. Check with your doctor to see if you're one of those. You may need to have some Fluid removed! And MomWifeLove is right on .... being dehydrated can make you nauseous. That means that if you get a little unfill in the above circumstance, you would be able to drink better and would be better hydrated and that could solve the problem. BUT you have to CALL YOUR DOCTOR.

I'm 15 away.....may there be one more person in onederland each day!!!!!

Erin, it may be as simple as changing your nausea medication! call the doc as early as you can, go see him if necessary, do what he suggests and hopefully you'll feel much better FAST. You're certainly not the only person to experience this and so soon after surgery it is definitely common to feel like you've made a big mistake. Email me if you need to! parr0thd51@aol.com that's the number "zero" in my screen name instead of the letter "oh".

I walked a mile the same day I had surgery and 2 miles the next day. I immediately stepped back into taking care of my house and granddaughter and greatgranddaughter, who live with me. Surgery on Tuesday, back to work on Friday. Bottom line...take what your doctor says and LISTEN to your body. Do whatever your choose to do but stop if your body says "enough".....trust me, you'll know.

Erin, you really shouldn't have any problems! Just remember not to take big gulps of any liquid. And, believe me, the soup feels so good going down because it's hot, LOL. I've always loved soup for that reason.

Sit down job? That's me! What I would do is plan to go back to work on Monday then. You may be tired that afternoon (I was, but not terribly so) but if you can get a little help with family dinner that night, and your child(ren), an early bedtime will be more than enough to set you right for the next day. I believe in the power of positive thinking, LOL. I believed it wouldn't be that bad to go back to work when I did and it wasn't.

Erin, it doesn't sound like it's really heavy cleaning so I'd say give yourself 3-4 days if you can. Then for another week or so, don't push the vacuum with the hand on the side of your port because it could make it sore. At first, don't lean over, squat down .... and I think you'll be fine.

Hated the taste of Flintstones! I use Berocca Performance. It's a Vitamin from Bayer Australia. They don't sell it in the US but you can buy it from Canadian pharmacies for around $.50 per day. It is an effervescent tablet that dissolves in a glass of Water. I add some Benefiber and a tube of Crystal Light to it. The Berocca comes in three flavors (I buy the natural citrus) but the flavoring they add doesn't completely hide the taste of the Vitamins so I use the Crystal Light. This is not a complete vitamin, but contains all B vitamins, some Calcium, magnesium, zinc and a couple of other things. My doc has checked my Iron level and I'm find so not worried about the fact that there isn't any iron in it.

That depends so much on you! We're all so different. I had my surgery on Tuesday and went back to work on Friday with no problem. I've heard plenty say they did the same thing or maybe a day more...but there are also plenty who needed a week or even gave themselves longer than that. Have you had any surgery before? How quickly do you heal? What kind of work do you do? (I sit down all day. If I'd had to stand a lot, I would have needed through the weekend.)

My PCP "signed on" immediately! When I asked him about it, he simply said "You are an ideal candidate for lap band surgery". We discussed it further and I went for it! Now, when I see him, he praises my decision as the best thing I could have done. If you feel you have a doctor who doesn't support you when you have a problem that needs addressed, find another doctor. It is a "buyer's market" and the only way you can truly express your displeasure is to find another doctor or, if the offense is serious enough, to file a complaint with the medical board.

I've had liquids get stuck because I took a swallow that was too much! They tell us to sip but until you get liquid stuck, I don't think it completely sinks in. Nowadays, I can get it into my mouth and realize it's too much to swallow at once. It's just part of the learning experience.

VERY on-point question, DancingButterfly! Scout...when was your last fill? How much fill in what size band? My first observation is that God helps him who helps himself..... So, first, it sounds like you need another fill, so make the appointment. This also means you will have to be accountable to your doctor...getting on his scales and discussing how much you've lost (or not) and why. Second, journal everything you eat. I don't care if you write on a napkin, just write it down. I have a piece of paper on my desk. When I leave work, I know how many calories I can have for dinner (and I know what I pulled out of the freezer to have for dinner, too, so I can plan what I can eat and how much). Yeah, the slider foods go down really easy but they leave a bad taste in your mind (not mouth!) by making you feel guilty. So don't do that to yourself. Don't have that tempting stuff around. One day, you'll be able to give yourself a treat without going off the deep end, but don't push your luck right now. Third, GET MOVING. You're completely healed. Are you exercising? I get up at 5:00 AM (an hour earlier than I'd need otherwise) and I "wog" .... walk/jog, but mostly walking. I put about 4 miles or so in just about every morning (I sleep in if it rains and I give myself a couple of days off). Finally, if you truly think you are "borderline" bipolar, go see a counselor! A counselor can help you with your food issues AND treat bipolar disorder. My 20 year old granddaughter lives with me. She is truly bipolar and is in treatment. When she's manic, she forgets to eat unless I set it in front of her and make sure she eats it. When she's depressive, she eats without prodding. Now, admittedly, she's 5'7" and weighs about 110 but that's the nature of her personal beast. Without a good doctor, I don't know where she'd be. THERE IS NO SHAME IN GETTING HELP FROM A COUNSELOR, no matter what the problem is. If you have food issues, get to the bottom of them! If you think you have BPD, find out for sure and if you do, get it treated because it doesn't just go away. I don't want to seem like I'm being mean or harsh but you asked for a nudge in the right direction. Just consider it a "firm nudge" from someone who wants you to succeed as much as she wants to succeed herself.!! Good Luck and God bless

Erin, I had surgery on Tuesday and went back to work on Friday. I'm a legal assistant and sit at my computer most of the day. I guess your church cleaning job would depend more upon what the cleaning entails. Vacuuming, just use the arm on the side opposite your port the first time or two. You don't have to do any heavy lifting to clean, do you? I don't recall being given too many restrictions on anything. I was told not to lift anything heavy for a week or so. As for exercise, I was told to start walking as soon as I felt up to it. I walked to the end of the block and back the same day I had surgery. That helped with the gas issues too! The second and third days, I walked a bit more, twice per day. You don't need to wear yourself out, but just start moving and add to the time as you feel more able.

OMG, the first couple of sugar free popsicles are like the biggest treat EVER, LOL. Still love them! Of course I never get to eat a whole one since the baby also loves them so I have to give her part of every one.

Cream soups like tomato. I used to puree cream of mushroom soup, too. You could also puree pretty much any kind of soup that you like...it'll look a little funny but will still have the taste that you like. These will be alot more filling that broth, etc!

I agree with Jodi! I, too, eat 3/4-1 cup of food at a time. I don't eat frozen meals at all so I can't compare on that -- I pretty much cook everything for myself. My favorite "treat" is to go to Moe's for lunch. I always get a salad (no shell) with chicken, black beans, salsa, cheese, onions and jalapeno peppers. I always loved their chipoltle ranch dressing and found a light chipotle ranch (I believe it is Marzetti) in the produce department at my grocery store and I use that. I can eat the whole salad but I think it's because there's a fair amount of iceberg lettuce involved. Otherwise, the 3/4 - 1 cup holds true.

If you get hungry in less than four hours, you may still need a little more fill. If you get hungry in less than four hours, it's certainly not realistic to think that you can ignore it for hours and hours. I was told that if I had to snack, to snack on Protein....an ounce of low fat cheese (Kraft and Sargento put up pre-wrapped 1 oz servings of cheese other than string cheese (which I absolutely refuse to eat because it has no taste!), a boiled egg, some low fat cottage cheese....Heck, I've even eaten 3-4 steamed shrimp left over from dinner the night before. Protein takes longer to digest than anything else you can eat. That means it stays in your stomach longer getting digested and therefore gives you the feeling of satiety for longer than other things you could eat. meat....lots of people complain that they have problems with it. The problem is that usually cooking dries it out too much. So, you have to change how you cook it. Here are my suggestions: 1. Steak....cook only to rare or at most medium rare. That way it keeps more of its natural juice. Use meat tenderizer. You may have read a comment from Restless Monkey somewhere on here about papaya enzyme...well, meat tenderizer is usuall made from papaya enzymes. I even sawy Iron Chef Michael Symon (if you watch food Network) cook with papaya enzyme tablets to tenderize a protein. He just put a handful of the tablets in the pot. 2. chicken....stay away from those expensive, tasteless boneless, skinless chicken breasts! They are so dry! Buy the much cheaper bone-in, skin on chicken breasts. Grill, poach, bake, whatever. Just don't eat the skin. The skin and bones will flavor the chicken and help keep it moist. Cook it in chicken stock or broth in a crock pot. 3. Pork....stick with pork tenderloin. Marinate it in lowfat italian dressing and then grill it. Cook only until it is just done. Let it "rest" for a few minutes before you slice it so that it can re-absorb the juices. 4. Fish Fillets....I do this with any fish.....take a piece of foil and place the fish on it. Season with whatever seasonings you like. put a couple of curls of unsalted butter. Seal up the foil, put the package on a pan and bake until the fish is done....the thicker the piece of fish the longer it takes to cook. You can grill your fish and make a topping out of a box of frozen chopped spinach...just boil the spinach, drain it, season with a little salt, a little pepper and lemon juice, zip it through the food processor quickly and spoon over your fish. And maybe these suggestions will help you think of other things you can do! You can also letme know if you have any other questions I can try to answer!

Marmar, if you were prescribed an antidepressant previously, it could be depression. A couple of things to remember....the first pill isn't an instant fix. The medication can take 4 to 6 weeks to build up enough in your bloodstream to make the difference you need. So you start feeling better in bits. It can even be diifficult to say "I'm better" without thinking about where you really were the day you started taking the medication. If one doesn't work for you, move on to another one. There are lots to choose from, different doses and it might take a little experimentation to get to the right amount of the right medication. But it is definitely worth it to wake up in the morning glad to see the day and feeling that you are prepared to cope with whatever it may bring. Sometimes, counseling must be combined with medication so if your doctor suggests that at some point don't be afraid of it.

For the weight loss ticker, go to www.tickerfactory.com and just follow the instructions. There will be a URL you will need to post into your signature block on this website. BE SURE TO REMEMBER YOUR PIN NUMBER!! Once you get it set up, you can click on your ticker in any message you've posted, enter your PIN and then update the ticker information. It will update your ticker on every post you've ever made.

Well, I'm certainly glad it's helping...and I bet you are too! Another lesson learned. That's the best thing about this forum, we all learn from each other....the newbies, the veterans. It's just so much help!

Dita, I can eat pizza but I have a problem with any soft bread so I eat the thin & crispy crust. Obviously, pizza isn't the healthiest thing you could eat so it's a treat but, YES, I can eat it. Don't let anybody tell you that you can't eat anything. Try it at home (so that if you do get stuck you're not sitting in a restaurant) and see. And remember that just because it doesn't work on Tuesday that doesn't mean it won't work on Saturday. Soft bread is the only thing I consistently have issues with. I tried plenty of times and gave up finally because I just didn't want to get stuck on it any more. But plenty of people do eat soft bread (as Restless Monkey and others will tell you). The thin crust does have fewer carbs simply because it's less volume than "regular" crust, and I know that some places offer whole wheat crust, too.

I didn't answer before because I simply have no idea. If you're nauseated I would suggest you call your doctor (always the definitive answer) and see what they think. Have you tried drinking more water? I was thinking that if you're already nauseated you might have a problem drinking a lot of liquid.

Sandi, What a timely post! I've lost 71 and have 63 to go. I've been stuck for the first time for abouat three weeks. Your post reminds me that if I keep on doing what I'm supposed to the scale WILL move. I'd love to chat with you back channel sometime! Cathy parr0thd51@aol.com (that's the number zero in my screen name, not the letter "oh").

It probably wouldn't hurt to ask for 1cc...and stick around and drink a full cup of Water before you leave the doctor's office to make sure it isn't too much. I have 6cc in a 10cc band and I had been thinking I'm at my sweet spot but I might actually need just a little bit, like .2 or .3 at my next visit. Truth is, it's an inexact science for all of us. You aren't there and then suddenly, you're past your sweet spot; or you creep up on it in tiny fills. Don't put too much energy into worrying about it quite yet. Just work with your doc to get it right.