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It doesn't have to be water. Other fluids count too - most nutritionists forget to mention that. I only drink water when it is really hot, other than that I drink tea, no sugar and a dash of fat free milk. I am not dehydrated.

Whilst I feel sorry for you having a problem with a lapband is no different to having any other kind of medical emergency. Dr's are in business to make money, they cannot operate for free. The US healthcare system has always confused and confounded me and I am glad that I am not part of it. I would have thought that it was essential to have some form of medical insurance - if you are not insured how do they treat emergency medical situations? I am lucky that living in Aus we have a public healthcare system. However it is underfunded, overloaded and very slow.I know if there was an emergency situation and I wasn't insured I would get treatment. For anything elective the wait can be months or years. Therefore I keep my insurance and make sure that it covers my band. Being insured is a bit of a double edged sword - it means you get treated quicker but you also end up paying a fortune in out of pocket expenses because of the difference in the scheduled fee and the actual fee the Dr's charge. I hope you manage to sort something out and get some relief soon.

I'm always cold - probably because the layer of fat is no longer there to keep me warm. I often have brain fog but i think that when you are in your 20 - 30s it is due to Mummy brain and after that it is due to menopause. Most of the time I have zero libido - I think that is due to having been married for 18 years( If Shemar Moore came knocking I might feel a bit different). I think a lot of the things you are experiencing are normal. Most people don't have heaps of energy and a libido like a rampant rabbit etc etc. Advertising and Tv make us expect life to be a lot different to the reality. We lead busy lives and that in itself makes a person tired. If your thyroid has been tested and the results are normal then they probably are normal.

You are probably eating a lot more than you realise, plus it is not the amount you eat but what you eat that also makes a difference. You are probably subconciously doing it as you know your surgery is coming up. I wouldn't stress too much as help is at hand, that is why you are getting the band.

Go and get a shot of maxolon or similar from your Dr to prevent you throwing up.

I actually find a soft poached egg on a slice of toasted wholemeal bread is a really satisfying breakfast. Mixing protein and carbs for me is more satisfying than just eating protein. Carbs are not the devil that many people make them out to be and they do have their place in a healthy balanced diet.

That is bad!

It is a breakfast drink in a box. Tastes like milkshake but also has added fibre. Don't know if you have them in the US , I'm in Aus.

Sounds like a coincidence.

Next time you need to eat on the run grab and Up and Go. They are a much safer bet.

Meatballs aren't really mushy.Mushies are things like mashed vegies, tinned fish etc. Meatballs are really dry and hard . Try sucking on crushed ice, if you are swollen it will help to make the swelling go down.

Try a different shake. Phone your Dr's and ask for an alternative

I thought it was common knowledge that the medical profession always does things to suit them selves not their patients!

How old are you? Are you close to menopausal age? Periods often get longer and heavier as we get older due to changing hormones and it probably has nothing to do with the surgery. I had a hysterectomy earlier this year as my periods were also getting out of control. In the months leading up to surgery I had mine for approx 61 out of 78 days. Plus it was heavy as well.

There are also not very many long term studies of the success of the sleeve. It has not been widely used as a stand alone procedure prior to the past couple of years. Most people who have the sleeve have probably not been sleeved for more than 2 - 3 years. Once the long term results are in it will be easier to make a judgement.

That's great to know.Always useful to know where to find an expert.

You have been through so much and your strength and focus has understandably been on your children. You have now realised that to be the best you can be for your family you need to look after yourself too - something that a lot of parents forget. Good luck in achieving your weight loss goals and healthier self and all the best wishes for your son.

Donna, it is really easy at the beginning of your journey when you are excited and highly motivated to swear that you will never let junk food pass your lips again. It is not quite so easy 2 or 3 or more years out. The problem with food is it is all around us, temptations are everywhere. It is not like illicit drugs that you can avoid completely - you have to face it everyday. In reality there is no such thing as "junk food". All food has some benefit. If you were faced with the choice of starving or eating a pie, or a piece of cake or some icecream I think the choice would be not to starve. For me and I am sure for many others the point of getting the band was to be able to have a healthy relationship with food and to eat like a normal skinny person does. I want to be able to eat without obsessing over every mouthful. I don't want to be on a "diet" for the rest of my life.That includes eating "junk" food occasionally.

We know what your question was but it is a very strange question. Patients don't usually need to know where to get the needles as the Dr or other trained professional doing the fills has all their own equipment. I can't imagine that they would ever ask you to supply your own.

Junk food is always going to be easier to eat than healthy food - that is a huge part of the problem. Ice cream and candy dissolve and turn to liquid before they get to the band. Cookies do the same - this is why they are called slider foods. Also lots of junk food is reconstituted and high in fat which also helps it to slide right past the band. the thing is though that they won't keep you from being hungry. The band controls hunger when you eat good quality healthy food especially meats, chicken fish etc. If you can't eat these you are too tight and should get some fluid removed.

Cheryl I understand your frustration with the band if it is not helping because of your style of eating but if it is not actually causing problems why have it taken out? I wouldn't put my body through surgery unless I had to. You could just have all the Fluid taken out of your band and leave it in. That way if in the future you decide it might help you then you could get it refilled again. If it starts causing problems have it taken out. But really if it isn't why go through anaesthesia and everything unless?

Why do you need to get your own needles? I hope you are not thinking of doing your own fills.

You are supposed to chew them. Some people swear by them. I have tried them numerous times and they haven't made one bit of difference for me.

Being banded hasn't been work for me either, I have lost my weight easily. i am now 2.5 years out though and I do notice a difference. I can eat lots of things that I couldn't eat initially and they go down far easier. I also don't think it controls the hunger as much but a lot of it is head hunger. I have slipped back into a couple of bad habits lately. I will eat a biscuit(cookie) with my cup of tea in the morning when I get up before Breakfast etc. But I think the difference is I am more aware of my limits. I still weigh myself daily and so long as I am under 51kg I am happy - if it goes over that I know I need to tighten up and be more careful. I still eat way less than anyone else at mealtimes and I have to eat slowly which is how i know my band is still working. I also don't think i need another fill as I don't think it would make a difference - a lot of my non hungry eating is because I want to and I can. When that starts becoming a problem then I will have to get back on track. But I think that really the band is now working for me the way I always hoped it would. it is allowing me to eat like a skinny person. That is I eat what i want , when i want , without having to think too much about it. The daily weigh in keeps me on the straight and narrow. If i see that i am gaining I can cut back . I think this could be how it should work when you get to maintenance though - because if I carried on eating the way i did when I was first banded I would have probably carried on losing and got to a point where i was underweight. Hopefully that makes sense.

Glad you are OK. I have been told that guzzling coke works but I have never tried it. It supposedly works better on things that are in bits rather than one big bit. e.g it would work better on rice or minced meat than on a chunk of carrot. I always suck on crushed ice when I have a problem. Sometimes it takes a while but it does eventually seem to clear it. papaya enzymes have never helped me one little bit. I think when this happens it is a case of trial and error to find out what will work for you and it also depends on what is causing the blockage.