travelgirl

Yeah, that's why I'm hangin in there. She's too good a friend to me (and has too much dirt on me) to just walk away from. Maybe your friend will start missing you, and come around.

Lol, is you REAL name Brenda by any chance? She moved away, too, and we talk mostly through e-mail and such, as well! Wait, I haven't abandoned my friend....it can't be you... I really do hope things work out for you both. Hang in there!

I have a friend who is so very dear to me who cannot seem to stop complaining about her life and the awful things happening to her long enough to even ask how I'm doing. I love her dearly, so it's very difficult to hear the things she's going through, because it hurts my heart. It is also hard to swallow when I'm going through something difficult, and try to reach out to her, only to have her run over me with more of her stuff. This is ongoing for a few years now. I know she doesn't mean to do it, she's a better friend than that, however, she does it without realizing she's doing it. Just because your friend didn't SEEM to mind talking about your stuff when you spoke, doesn't mean she didn't feel wrung out by it. Don't get me wrong, I'm hanging in there, because she really does have some awful stuff happening to her, and she needs a good friend, and I would never just walk away But here's where I'm coming from.... maybe your friend needed you, and you were too busy with your own stuff for her to feel like she was being heard? I don't know if this is what's happening with you and your friend, but I thought this might give you a different perspective. Maybe she just needs time.... I don't know. I hope things work out for you. :welldoneclap:

LOL, you'll be ok. Try reading some of the threads asking "would you do it again" or look at some of the polls with that title....Most everyone (with a few exceptions) would do it again in a heartbeat. Keep in mind that most people that post are looking for support here. Most people don't come on here and post "gee whiz, I'm having such a great day, no incidents to speak of as far as my band is concerned...." That's why you see such a seemingly large number of complications and problems vs. success stories here.

I found a poem that seemed appropriate for this question. The Man Who Thinks He Can If you think you are beaten, you are. If you think you dare not, you don't. If you'd like to win but you think you can't, It's almost a cinch you won't. If you think you'll lose, you're lost, For out of the world we find Success begins with a fellow's will - It's all in the state of mind. If you think you're outclassed, you are; You've got to think high to rise; You've got to be sure of yourself before You can ever win a prize. Life's battle doesn't always go To stronger or faster men; But sooner or later the man who wins, Is the one who thinks he can. -- Walter D. Wintle

You can find out what they are when you go to meet with your surgeon, or go to an informational seminar. We could list them all here, but every surgeon's "rules" are different, it seems, so that would not be helpful. Find out what your surgeon says, and try to follow that as closely as possible. I know I didn't answer your question, but I hope this helps anyway.

Yeah, I'm with you, Pam. I have had absolutely no trouble with anything I've tried to date. I even spent a week in Vegas which may I say is NOT a band friendly place.... Also, Pam, to answer your question(s), you can go to McDonald's website, and "bag a McMeal", and you can see all the nutritonal info on everything you put in the bag. It's pretty cool. Put a big mac and lg fries in there if you want to have an instant heart attack! Unbelievable! I'll probably do the Grilled snack wrap on occasion, but they weren't all THAT good that I'll go out of my way to go have one on purpose if I can help it. Does that make sense?

Learn something new everyday! Thanks!

Just call your surgeon's office and tell them that you'll most likely have your period, and ask them how they'd like you to handle that. Good luck!!!!!!!

Ok, don't beat yourself up. There seems to be a bit of that going around on this thread today. :guess You're only 4 weeks out from surgery. You may not have any restriction yet. My doc said that until you have your first fill, once the swelling from the surgery goes completely down, you may feel extremely hungry, and have no restriction. He said that this is PERFECTLY normal and even expected, to some degree. Jump back in right where you are, go back to your surgeon's instructions, and try to follow them. You are NOT a failure! Unless you are having constant or recurring pain, I'm sure that your band is just fine. If you are still concerned, call your doc and tell him what's going on. The beauty of the lap band is that even when we backslide, our band doesn't give up on us. We get to start over whenever we feel we need to. Like me, right after lunch today. (I posted a confession earlier... ) (((((hugs)))))

Tracy, I think I would have been just fine if I'd opted for the grilled version, and only had ONE instead of TWO. I at least wouldn't be feeling so guilty right now, anyway. I'll just have to work twice as hard at Curves tonight when I go work out.

Maybe you could use those convenience checks they all send out periodically, write the checks to yourself, deposit the money into your bank account, and then get cashier's checks or write a personal check with the money. Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor, this is just an idea I had before I found out that my surgery would be covered by my insurance.

Ok, after reading my last post here, I realize that I might have come off as a little "holier than thou", so I'm going to make a confession here. :kiss I did something really stupid today at lunch, and I totally regret it right now. I was in a rush, so I decided to try one of the McDonald's snack wraps. I pulled in the drive thru, and only saw the crispy ones listed. I've never had one before, so I didn't know how big they were.....idiot me, I ordered TWO, one honey-mustard and one ranch, since I didn't know which one I'd like.:embarassed: So I'm sitting there, eating the first one slowly, chewing very well....taking small bites,:rolleyes and it all goes down pretty well....and instead of telling myself that I'm not hungry anymore (which was TRUE) and calling it good, I sat there and I ATE THE SECOND ONE!!!:omg: And then I went to enter in my faux pa (sp?) into Fitday, and I'm looking at McDonald's website, and realize that they DO have grilled snack wraps,:tired and that I would have been much better off if I'd ordered just ONE of them (not two, and NOT breaded)....:think And now I'm kicking myself, wondering if I've set myself back a week (I know I haven't, not over one stupid mistake), but I can't help feeling like such a heel. Just because I CAN eat that stuff doesn't mean I SHOULD.:faint: Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. (((hugs)))

Beware! If you stay on mushy foods past when the doc recommends it, you could be setting yourself up for a stall or plateau (or worse, weight regain)! The mushy foods are for the healing stage, and then you should be on to more solid foods. Mind you, you should still probably avoid anything tough or chewy, and go easy on the carbs. Just my 2 cents...

Awesome! Love NSV's!!

LMAO ! I just found this thread and had to bump it. :bump2:I laughed so hard at some of these. Let's see how long we can keep it going this time.

Walk, walk, walk, walk. Also, when she gets tired from walking, have her sit in a rocking chair and rock, rock, rock. That keeps that gas in there moving around, and keeps it from settling in one place which is what causes most of the pain. It will eventually find it's way out, but meantime, keep the old body in motion, and lots of people swear by heating pads or those therma-care sticky heat Patches. Good luck!!!!!

I wouldn't be too worried unless you're having trouble getting in enough liquids. Most of the weight loss at this point is Water weight anyway. How do you feel? That may be as important as anything else. What does your doc say?

Aww, Judi! Welcome! It IS scary, but not as scary as the alternative. I was diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, all in my pre-op testing. I knew these things were looming, I just hadn't realized that they snuck up on me so quickly. Not even 2 months post-op, and already 2 of these issues have almost resolved themselves.

I love it! I'll definitely be using it!! It puts them FIRMLY in their place without being rude back. LOVE IT!

UG. I spent a week in Vegas a month after being banded, and we found NO place that would honor the card. Most of them just don't have Kid's menus, or Senior Citizen discounts or anything. I just ended up wasting an awful lot of expensive food. The days of cheap buffets in Vegas are GONE, GONE, GONE. There was no refrigerator in our hotel room, so I couldn't even TRY to save it for later. I did get the go-ahead from my surgeon to start on solid foods prior to going, so that was good. At least I didn't have to lug around baby food with me....Although I might have saved a small fortune, had I done that.:noidea:

Actually, it normally only takes about 20-30 carbs per day to bring a person out of ketosis. For me, anything over 15 carbs gets me out of ketosis. Can you have clear juices? If you can, some apple juice or white grape juice would do the trick for you. And it wouldn't take very much of them, either. Good luck!!!!!

I can't wait for that NSV! I am SO limited on what I can wear on top as I carry most of my weight around my middle. I can't WAIT to be able to shop in normal stores again!!!!! Wally World, HERE I COME!!!! (in a month or 2....):paranoid

To help alleviate the shoulder pain, you can walk, use a heating pad, rock briskly in a rocking chair, stuff like that. Just keep that air moving around in there, and eventually it will find it's way out. Otherwise, it settles into different areas and causes this pain. Good luck, and congratulations! Welcome to bandland!

My doc wants me to drink at least 8 ozs of non-caloric fluid (water, tea, crystal light...) just prior to eating. As soon as I take the first bite, push my drink aside (or better yet, finish it all before eating) and then not drink anything again until 30-45 minutes later. The key for me is to remove the drink from easy reach once I begin eating. It can be done, you will not die, I promise.