ParrotheadCathy

You can buy fat free half and half! I cook with it often.

Since you're just making the jump from mushy stuff, I'd suggest a steamed vegetable to go with that fish. Carrots, green beans, whatever suits you.

You're in the very beginning of being banded. Probably barely back on "real" food. This is a tough time under the best of circumstances. It does get better, though, I promise! But time and a good therapist will get you through the rough spot and once you start seeing the scale move and you start to physically feel better, the emotional boost of being able to say "I can do this. I AM doing this." will help too.

Reneek, I'm betting your boss knows EXACTLY what she's doing wrong and is suffering a lot of disappointment in herself right now. BUT you really cannot offer unsolicited advice. You have to keep your counsel to yourself, and one of two things will happen: Your boss will keep on the path she's on now OR she will come to her senses and get back on track. She may ask you at some point how you are staying motivated and on track, but unless she does, there's really nothing you can say that would be appreciated or wanted. It's sad and I know you hate this for her. It's kind of like before banding. You may have had a thin friend who wanted desperately to say something to you to try to push you in the right direction but kept his/her mouth shut because they knew that unless you were ready and asked for help, anything said would only cause problems.

I took a walk the day I had surgery .... down my driveway, to the end of the street, and back. The next day, I walked a little further. Walking as soon as you can get out the door will help with gas and get you back to your previous level quickly. Do what feels okay and don't push yourself beyond what you feel up to on any given day.

They work the same way. The differences aren't too great. The Realize port is shorter and attaches by crimping to the muscle while the Lap Band port it stitched into place. The Lap Band comes in 10cc and 14cc, while the Realize band comes only in 9cc. The surgeon would choose between the two Lap Bands based on anatomy. The Lap Band has sort of a scalloped shape so that not 100% of its surface comes into contact with your stomach. Supposed to help prevent erosion, though I've read absolutely no statistics about that. The Realize band is smooth. The Lap Band, when filled, maintains its round shape but the Realize Band inflates to create more of a triangle shaped opening. Don't know that it makes a difference. There is a comparison of the two products on this website. I think the link is on the main page.

I believe I am at my sweet spot with 6cc in a 10cc band. How does it feel? Not at all like I expected, that's for sure. I realize that it's not a feeling of STOP STOP STOP because that feeling is way past full. But most of us have had a successful career of eating past full. I try to eat 3 oz of Protein, some vegetables (raw and/or cooked), and a single serving of whole grain carbs. Then I just quit. I've discovered that what is important is that I do not feel hungry for 4 hours or so. That's where you need to be. Not where eating a reasonable amount makes you feel like you ate a foot long sub. I think I always subconsciously expected that "restriction" and "full" would feel like "no way could I eat more" but (at least for me) I'm discovering I was expecting something that wasn't going to happen. Can I eat more? You betcha! Have I? Oh yeah. And I very quickly go from the average meal to "oh my belly hurts". It's not worth it to be uncomfortable so I'm learning to quit when I'm ahead, LOL.

I confess. I don't have this problem but I am starting to get a few age spots here and there. Would laser resurfacing help? I've seen it done on TV related to fine wrinkles and uneven skin tone, etc. And I've thought about going to a dermatologist for a consultation. Anybody here done that?

Very, very common. It also goes away pretty quickly since it's only temporary. Don't sweat it!

"She said that I should just let them think I did it on my own." Oh, please! Like I waved a magic wand and you're skinny? OMG, you still have to make the right choices every day or the band is worthless. I personally didn't, and don't, care who knows I had this wonderful thing done! I've never heard one negative comment about making this choice. There is nothing shameful about having the surgery. It takes a brave person (okay, yeah, lots of us were just fed up, too) to decide to do something about this awful problem we all share. So you tell whomever you choose to tell! There will times when the scale isn't moving the way you want and a pat on the back for taking the giant step will make you feel so much better.

I'm 5-1/2 months out from surgery and I burb when I'm full, when I'm hungry, if I get stuck right after it moves ... you name it! It's embarassing. I thought when I gave up soda the little belches would be gone. I never imagined they'd be replaced by the incredibly deep, loud, ninja burps (ninja, as in sneak up on me)! I thought it was just me and wasn't going to say a word. What a relief to know I'm not alone!

That's a liquid, just as much as Water. There are restrictions on drinking before, during and after meals. Also, liquid doesn't stay in your pouch and therefore doesn't contribute to a full feeling for more than just the time it takes for it to pass on through the stoma. liquids at meals can make the food that you eat pass through the stoma more quickly than they would otherwise and can actually reduce the feeling of fullness and leave you hungry sooner than normal.

After my first couple of fills, I had no dietary restrictions at all. The last 2 specified liquids (not necessarily clear), which would allow protein shakes etc.

Isaviolinist ... you completely missed what I was saying. I got a "regular port" and so far i can't feel it BUT I have scar tissue that I can SEE and FEEL even though the port isn't an issue for me so far. So, what I was saying is that I hope it works out for you that you cannot detect the low profile port OR develop scar tissue that could totally negate the decision about which port!

I was self-pay for surgery and when my one year of post-op runs out I have to pay for future fills. My doctor charges $125 for a fill visit. Have you talked to your existing doctor about what they charge for self-pay on fills? Were a certain number of fills included in the price of your surgery? Does Fill Centers USA have an office you can get to?

Since nobody else mentioned this, I will. I did this for my health! I was taking 3 diabetes medicines (including one that carries a black box warning), 3 blood pressure medications, a cholesterol medication AND an anti-depressant. And my doctor was threatening me with a fourth diabetes medication. ENOUGH ALREADY!!! When I talked to him about this surgery, he said I was an ideal candidate and that all my health problems were obesity related. So I did it! He stopped all my medications for 30 days starting on the day of surgery. When I went to see him one month post-op, he did the standard blood work. My blood pressure was almost normal. My blood glucose (hba1c) was acceptable and my cholesterol was okay too. So he didn't put me back on my meds! Told me to come back in 2 months. Numbers improved, so he told me no meds and come see him in 2 months. A couple of weeks ago, I went back. My numbers were all great. No meds and I go back in 3 months. THIS is what I did it for. Yeah, it's nice to be down 5 dress sizes, I won't lie to you. But I'm the healthiest I've been in quite a few years, no hand full of pills every morning, and I can't tell you how much better I feel. Everything else from this point on is just the cherry on top, so to speak! I'm down to what I weighed right after I had my baby 38 years ago so anything I lose from here on is to look better, dress cuter and stay away from the fat lady stores. I'm sort of half and half ... I buy some stuff in the fat lady stores and some stuff not. I won't lie, that makes me very happy but the health part is why I'm here.

Sounds like it has truly slipped. I've read where this has happened to others and their docs did a complete unfill and put them on a liquid diet for a couple of weeks, transitioning to mushy food for a couple of weeks. In some cases, the band moves back to where it should be. Not always, though. In those cases, the band has to be removed and after a waiting period you can have another one placed. I know my surgeon actually stitches the band into place. He told me this is to prevent slippage. I've had not problems so I can't compare experience to what I was told. I think you should probably bite the bullet and go to your doc for a fluroscope to definitely know what's happened. You certainly can't continue on the path you're on now, vomiting so often. It's not good for you AT ALL. True vomiting upsets your electrolyte balance, and the stomach acid that comes up can erode your esophagus and even the enamel on your teeth. Let us know what the doc says and how you're doing!

Susan's right on the money. Some insurance policies require a 3 or 6 month supervised diet. You can call your insurance company yourself to verify that you actually do have that. In fact, I recommend that. I heard at my doctor's office that some insurance policies have now dropped the supervised diet requirement so you might be affected by that change and the doctor's office is assuming it's still in effect. Definitely worth checking on!

I just got back from the beach a couple of days ago. It was an annual parrot head event in St. Augustine that included a big cookout on Saturday. They had sweet tea and diet soda so I actually took a diet coke. Opened it, took a sip. GROSS!!! It's been since early January that I've tasted a diet coke and that just didn't taste good to me anymore. So I poured it out and after my meal, I went out to the car and got a bottle of water out of my cooler. I didn't give up caffeine completely. In the morning, I make a vitamin concoction that starts with an effervescent vitamin tablet that is vaguely orange flavored, just not enough to mask the vitamin taste. So I checked out all the varieties of Crystal Light. There is a line called "Focus" and a flavor in that selection called "Natural Citrus Splash". Tastes good, and strong enough to mask the vitamin taste. I started adding a tablespoon of Benefiber. Then, one day, I was reading the Crystal Light package and, guess what? "Focus" products have 80 mg of caffeine in the packet (a packet is 2 servings, in case you never noticed). So, I'm still getting some caffeine in the AM and that's not really a bad thing for me.

I'm not trying to burst your bubble but ... I have the "regular" port. I cannot feel it at all even though I've lost 70 pounds. I can feel and see a bit of scar tissue under the incision and no port could prevent that so don't assume that just having a "low profile" port will insure nothing can be seen or felt.

Well, the first fill is seldom going to get you to your sweet spot....it's like the first step. As you get fills, you should find that you can go longer after eating before feeling hungry again, with the goal of being able to go 4 hours without hunger. I'm at 6cc in a 10cc band and I sure didn't get all that at once. It took 5 fills (and an unfill). I'm at my sweet spot now but I had to exercise a little patience in the mean time.

Hi, CC!! Welcome. Your surgery date will be here so soon. Time has just flown for me from the day I had my initial consultation until right now! There are a lot of people here with answers to questions, and even questions of their own that will make you think.

Banded Mom....Maybe my experience will help. When I got my band, there was .6cc left in after the doctor tested it to make sure there were no leaks. At my 4 week office visit, they gave me a fill of 4ccs. Sounded good since I was getting really hungry. Drank a glass of Water, headed to work. By the time I got to my office, I couldn't swallow my own spit. I called and said I was on my way back. They took out 1cc. It was like a block of ice melted in my chest as they withdrew the 1cc. I was petrified to get filled back to that 4.6cc level. So much so that my next fill was was .5cc, taking me to 4.1. No problems. Hmmmmmmmm. A month after that, I got 1cc, taking me to 5.1. Guess what? No a problem at all. Did you have all your Fluid removed? At what level were you when you were too full? It's perfectly okay to "sneak up" on the level with a small fill, but by the same token, don't do yourself the disservice of not using your band to the fullest to get you through your evenings. You're obviously struggling with the night eating. Please understand that your band, if filled to your "sweet spot" or close to it shouldn't cause you a great deal of trouble. If you PB a lot, get stuck a lot, well you're too tight. That shouldn't require a complete unfill though. The removal of as little as .2cc can make all the difference in the world.

A quick call to your pharmacist will get answers as to what is available in liquid form. I haven't taken any meds since the say of surgery except for lysine (an amino acid supplement) before going to the beach and while I was there ... and I had no problem just swallowing the pills. I've heard others say they can swallow their meds one at a time with a little bit of time between pills and others who rather than crush them simply cut them into smaller pieces with a pill cutter.

Everybody is different, but I would have lost my everlovin' mind if I'd stayed home as long as some of you guys! I don't know how I'll ever tolerate retirement. I had surgery on Tuesday and was back at work on Friday with no ill effects.