mbranham0306

I too have this problem. I called my surgeon and they said (since they're 2 hours away) to call my family doc and see if he'll do testing. So I'm calling him today. I'm also taking 100 mg of Coreg everyday and they're going to cut it back to 50mg after today. I'm thinking that could be part of it too. Also my BP has been 100/60 or lower all the time (that's with taking me off 2 bp pills). The last 2 evenings my heart rate has been 50. :thumbdown: Thats scary to me!

I too feel your pain! There was a post about benefiber packets & a peeled apple. I take those everyday! I know everyone is different but they don't seem to help me. I also take a stool softener every day. Last night I again had to resort to Milk of Magnesia which will make you want to go really bad but still hurts like hell when you have to force it! (Pardon my language) I don't like all this pain when I have to poop. I called my surgons office and they said to use the stool softeners with the Miralax. So I'm going to get some Miralax this evening. Man I hope it works!

I forgot about something. I had to take my actigall for the first few weeks by opening the capsule and mixing it with something. I also used sugar free koolaid for a few weeks.

I always kept a bowl of the pudding you make yourself (sugar free made with skim milk) in the refrigerator. Just put a spoon full in with meds and stirred. Worked great! Hope this helps.

I had a lump under my incision too. When I went back to the doctor after surgery, he said it was scar tissue and it would go away. I had my surgery on 7/10 and it has indeed went away. I thought it was weird too but the doctor was right. I'm not sure about the red skin--if its really red and you have a fever I'd call the doctor. Good luck and hope you feel better.

Hi, I probably should've posted this in the exercise forum but wasn't sure. Anyway, I wanted to ask what exercises have worked for you in relation to tummy sag? I've lost 50 pounds now and my tummy is really saggy. Just trying to figure out if there's anything I can do besides plastic surgery--my insurance won't pay for that :biggrin: Any suggestions? Thanks!

Hi! I have a question that I'm sure has been answered on here before---everytime I ask something it seems thats the case. Anyway, what is the difference in carbs and net carbs? Which one do we count? This is very confusing to me. Thanks in advance for any answers!

I just hit the 50 pound weight loss mark! :biggrin: I'm so excited. I was even more excited when I went to Walmart Friday and found a pair of jeans I could wear. I haven't had jeans in years! I'm 5'6" and I'm 270 right now and wear a 26 pants and 30/32 shirt. I can't wait to see what size I wear when I lose more. This is a cool thread! Interesting to see what everyone wears.

I'm sooooo excited this evening. I went to walmart this evening and tried on clothes (this was the first time in a long time for me--usually order online). I tried on a pair of jeans---and guess what?? THEY FIT!!!! It's been over 15 years since I had a pair of jeans! I almost did the happy dance in the middle of the store! :w00t::w00t: I feel so awesome and I'm so happy that I had the band done! I also got a shirt and a bra! (on a side note--has anyone lost a lot of inches in their boobs? 5 inches here :w00t::w00t:).

I got my first fill today (after not needing one the last time!). Well all of a sudden last week I was starving, so I called and went and got my first fill today! It wasn't bad at all--I thought it just felt wierd having that needle go in your port. I got 3cc--my first fill for my 14cc band. :thumbup: I'm excited actually. I worried about having this for the first time, but it wasn't anything bad like I imagined. And I'd lost 5 more pounds! Whooo hooo! It sure feels good! This is the best I've felt in years and I'm so thankful I had the band done.

First of all, congratulations on your weight loss, that is awesome! Secondly, who told you that? I'm not a doctor but the purpose of having the lap band is to give yourself time to lose the weight. My surgeon has set my goal for 3 years. 30 pounds a year. He also told me that lots of people will surpass that and I already have BUT he stated there are also people who lose more gradually. And by the way, there is nothing wrong with that. I was always told that my weight loss should be slow. I agree with unforgettable. This band is a tool to help you eat healthy, exercise and be an all around better person. In my opinion (and I'm no expert), setting too big a goal just sets you up for failure and then this band is just like a fad diet that I'm sure we've all tried before and failed at. You've done a great job so far, just keep up the good work and don't worry about losing so much at one time.

I had my surgery on July 10th and went back for my first visit on August 10. I wasn't getting hungry and could stay full for around 4 hours without being hungry. Well.....now I'm HUNGRY!!!!! It just hit me yesterday that I was hungry and I shouldn't be cause I'd had lunch about 2 hours before. So I'm only good for about 2 hours now. I don't like being hungry! Not at all! Grrrrr... that's a whole week away!

I went for my first checkup today and didn't get a fill. I've been eating about every 4 hours and not getting hungry in between so I didn't get a fill! She told me that sometimes people just don't need a fill. There's a guy that had his surgery the same place I did that hadn't had a fill at all for 3 months. Then he finally needed one. I think that's cool and of course I read about it on this site! :thumbup: We also set my goal weight today to 180 instead of 145. Interesting. I feel great today! :wub:

I take 10 pills in the morning and 7 in the evening. I do split most of mine in half because they are quiet large. I've found that taking my with juice really helps me as I mix my actigal with juice. When I first started taking my medicine after my surgery, I kept a bowl of f.f sugar free pudding in the fridge and used it to take my meds. Maybe that would help you? They say everyone is different. I'm finding we each have to try our own thing to make this work. As far as the calcium chews--have you tried Viactiv Chews? OMG! They are just yummy! I use the caramel ones. My friend takes the chocolate. They are awesome! Good luck!

My surgeon gave me a big 3 ring binder full of information right before my surgery. I was on this diet 2 months before surgery. For my diet, its 100 grams of carbs a day, Protein is 70, fat is 25 and calories are 1200. It's working for me. I would also say ask your surgeon though. Everyone appears to be different. I was even told that I could eat potatoes and Pasta (whole wheat) but that I must watch the servings and not eat it but a few times a week. Like I said it works for me but everyone is different.

It's only been four weeks for me and I might feel like having some fun mentally but definetely not physically! When I had my hysterectomy it was almost 9 weeks before we had any fun. My husband is very understanding (thank the lord!). It'll just be better when you finally can do it! :cool:

Help! I have alot of pain at my port site suddenly and some swelling around it. I thought maybe at first that I was stuck because my stomach was hurting and I felt kinda strange. But its my port site. I haven't ate anything different or done anything (that I can remember) that would have hurt me. I'm 4 weeks post-op. I do remember sneezing very hard yesterday a couple of times and it hurt. Would that maybe tug my band and make me sore? Thanks for any imput and I do plan on calling my doc today. Thanks!

conratulations--that is awesome! :thumbdown::smile2:My surgeons office actually gave me a big three ring binder of information before my surgery. One of the things in there was a measurement spreadsheet for all parts of your body. It is awesome. I took my measurements the night before my surgery and plan to do it once a month (that's what they recommended). I couldn't wait any longer than yesterday so after 3 weeks I've lost 3 inches in my waist. For me, that was just so wonderful! I never really understood about the whole inches lost thing. I've only lost 13 pounds since my surgery. Keep up the good work--I hope to enjoy shopping somewhere besides lane bryant as well.

There's only my boss, another worker and I at my work. I work in an attorney's office and there is another attorney and her secretary there too. I have told them, they knew what I was doing (I've been off 3 weeks). I do worry about the lady I work with when I go back. She wasn't very encouraging before I had the surgery. She'd bring homemade candy and Cookies to work and try to get me to eat them. Whenever I was eating lunch (good low carb stuff), she'd say something like she'd just eat whatever she wanted and not worry about it. The thing is that she is overweight too. She's even talked about having the surgery but she's not commited enough. She said she could never do without chocolate. Well, I haven't been able to eat chocolate in 5 years so I think I can manage this. I'm just afraid that she'll start with the candy and crap again. I won't eat any but you know it'll be tempting! It just makes me sad and now I dread going to work tomorrow. :thumbdown::frown:

Jennifer, I'm sorry to hear about your mother. You're wonderful to have stepped up and took care of your siblings. I know that must have been hard. My dad died about 5 years ago but he always said that going through hard times only makes you stronger. I believe that is true for you too. I guess my turning point came when I had a heart cath last June. I have had heart problems for 5 years now (ventricular tachycardia) and take lots of medicine. Well, when I had my heart cath, my doctor asked me if I'd thought about doing the lap band. I had heard some stuff about it but wasn't sure. The more I thought about it and the more I read about it, I really wanted to do it. The other thing that motivated me is that my husband (of 3 1/2 years) loves to do things outside. His whole family loves shopping at the mall for hours, hiking and going to theme parks. Well, I can't do any of that stuff because of my health and of course because I'm so fat. That really made me sad because I want to be able to enjoy my life with my husband. He never complained and always understood. He just stopped going with them. That was sad for me. I was so lucky to find him and I want to be able to have fun and do things with him. That was what really made up my mind. He is so supportive of me,no matter what I want to do. He has been awesome since I've decided on this surgery and he can tell everyone exactly what I'm supossed to do and eat. He's wonderful! :wub: This is a great thread. I like hearing the stories.

I was told by my doctor that I would never be able to drink carbinated beverages again because yes they cause gas but also when you drink the carbonation it fills you up and makes you less likely to get your nutrients (and protein) from food that you need. Also all that gas and bloating caused by the pop can cause your band to slip.

I agree you need to stay off the scale. Do whatever you have to but don't weigh yourself everyday. It'll drive you mad. I had my surgery on 7/10 and have only lost 12 pounds since then. Most of the reason for that was that I really couldn't eat much at the beginning. I am exercising now and that does seem to help. Take it easy on yourself and just calm down. As I've heard many times on here-- you didn't put the weight on overnight and it won't come off overnight. Just have some patience. It'll be okay.

I had the same problem when I first had my band, I have to cut up my pills (I take over 10 in the morning and 8 at night). So now, I have 20 pills in the morning and 16 at night after cutting them up. I have to admit that the first morning after my surgery I tried taking my medicines with Water. It about killed me--that was way too much water to drink that soon. What I figured out that worked for me is using pudding to take my medicine with. I make sugar free pudding and just keep it in a bowl in the fridge. Every morning I get a 3 oz. cup, get me 2 small spoons of pudding and just put my medicine in it. I can take all that medicine with 2 small spoons of pudding. Its worked wonders for me! I still have to do this--I'm 3 weeks post op today. I too had a time released capsule and they just changed it to two small pills. You might want to ask about liquids too. Some of the medicine comes in liquids. Any capsule if its large, can be opened up and mixed with juice--thats how I take my actigal every day. Also, getting everything ready once a week is a great ideal. I have a weekly medicine box and it works out great. Yes they tell you no Snacks, just 3 meals, but a few bites of s.f. pudding to take medicine with is I'm sure going to be okay. Just ask the doctor. Also, I do snack on a Protein bar most days between Breakfast (at 5am) and lunch (at 12 noon)--if I didn't I'd starve! LOL It seems like alot of crap to have to do but it will be worth it. That's what I tell myself every Saturday when I fix my medicine for the week! :crying: Also, this is not for good, when I lose weight I'll be able to lose most of my meds too! That might be the case for you as well.

I think with the pineapple, if you can eat it with no problems, they want you to have to unsweetened pineapples. That's what my doctor said anyway.