melmarlem

Thank you! I love being in onderland! :confused: I'm not sure I have any tricks. I really just try to follow the "rules" to the "t". I have 3 meals a day, each a 1/2 cup. No Snacks. Per my surgeon's physician assistant, I follow a low-carb diet. I eat mostly Protein. I don't drink anything with carbonation, caffeine, or alcohol in it. I also don't drink anything 30 minutes before I eat, or 30 minutes after I eat. I think the biggest reason for my fast weight loss is that I've cut back tremendously on the sugar. I don't eat anything with more than 5-7 grams of sugar per serving. Also I hit the gym 5 or 6 days a week for 30 minutes of cardio. Usually I do the eliptical and sometimes the treadmill. I try to keep my heart rate up while working out, in my target heart range. Other than that, I owe all of my success to my surgeon and his amazing team. I am followed VERY closly by him, his physician assistants, a nutritionist, an exercise physiologist, and my own personal nurse :ohmy:. I see them all at least monthly. I guess I should mention that I have the 10 cc Realize band and I've had 3 fills. I have a total of 7 cc's of Fluid in my band. My last fill was a week ago, and I'm just now starting to feel true restriction. Sorry for the long rattle!:redface:

Same thing happened to me last week on accident! I freaked out at first, but I DIDN'T drink anything because I thought that might actually make it worse. It's been a few days, and I feel fine. Won't try that again!! :biggrin:

Try to get plenty of rest the night before! And stay hydrated the day before your surgery, drinks lots and lots of water! When I had surgery I was dehydrated and they had a hard time getting an IV started. Lastly, just enjoy the ride! It's the best thing I've ever done for myself, and I'm sure it will be for you too! Good luck!! :biggrin:

I saw my surgeon on the 6th or 8th of January 2009 and had surgery on the 18th of August 2009. But I had to do a 3 month pre-op diet that was required by my insurance Aetna. Also, my surgeon is booked months out to begin with.

I don't drink carbonated drinks at all or pasta. I do enjoy thin crust pizza every now and then. It goes down fine for me if I eat slow. I eat flat breads occasionally, like tortillas for fajitas or soft tacos. I don't do regular sandwich breads though.

Congratulations!!! I bet it feels awesome! :thumbup:

Congratulations! It's all SO worth it!

Thanks for sharing your story. It's just what I needed to read today! :tongue2:

I'm wondering the same thing. Does everyone experience this? I've been banded since the 18th of August and have 6 cc in a 10-11cc band. I've never thrown up or slimed anything up once. Not even close. I guess I should count my blessings! :tongue2:

I think it is important to get in at least 64 oz of water a day. Sometimes I fall short of this amount though. I don't always like drinking straight water so I drink sugar free kool-aid a lot. The grape is my favorite!:tongue2:

JayTee-You CAN receive the H1N1 vaccine even if you've received the seasonal flu shot. The seasonal flu shot DOES NOT protect you against H1N1, just the same as the H1N1 flu shot or nasal mist does not protect you against the seasonal flu. As a nursing student and in my humble opinion, I definitely think that individuals should receive BOTH the seasonal and the H1N1 vaccine. I did. I received the nasal mist. I had absolutely NO side effects. Mostly I chose to stand in line for hours at the county health department to receive this vaccine because I am exposed to the healthcare field as a nursing student, am included in the age group most at risk (6 months-24), and have nursing clinicals at the ONLY children's hospital in my area. They send all of the children suspected of having H1N1 to this hospital to get tested. Also, I am doing clinicals in L&D and did not want to risk picking up H1N1 from one of my pediatric patients and carrying it to the newborns. The biggest thing to keep in mind about H1N1...is that you become CONTAGIOUS even before you realize you have the "swine flu". P.S. If one were to develop Guilliain Barre from the H1N1 flu shot, it would be evident much, much, much sooner than years down the road, more like hours, days, maybe but probably not... weeks...and to my knowledge, there have not been any reported cases of Guillain Barre associated with the 2009 H1N1 vaccine.

I tell people the truth. I had weight loss surgery. Simple as that. I like to be straight up with people and have found that most, if not all, people have been very supportive. It gives me a chance to tell them about the lapband and my new lifestyle. I'm happy with the decison I've made to have my lapband and I'm not a bit ashamed of taking back control of MY life! Life is too short to worry about what others think. If they are negative...then to he** with them! :wink2: Seriously, what kind of person would fault you for wanting to lead a long, healthy, and productive life? Remember...misery loves company! :w00t:

Welcome back! :thumbup:

I don't have an issue with drinking enough water while working out. In fact, I probably drink too much, too fast. And 27 miles!? You are BRAVE! :thumbup:

The hardest thing for me has been living with "normal" people who eat "normal" foods. Especially with the holidays coming up. While I used to think that my family was trying to sabotage me, I finally realized that I can't force them into my new healthy lifestyle. They are still entitled to eating whatever they want, whenever they want. I have a lapband, they do not. It takes a lot of willpower, but it will get easier as you go on. I always say to myself, "That candybar isn't worth the 55 lbs. I just worked my ass of for!" I've also found that when I feel hungry and it's not time to eat, or I feel like I might snack on something, I go to the gym and work out. I'm never hungry after working out. If I'm not close to the gym, then I look at a picture of myself when I was nearly 270lbs. That is all the motivation in the world to not cheat! Hang in there!! Just don't be too unrealistic with your partner.

Welcome! What part of Ohio are you from? I'm from Fairborn, Wright Patterson Air Force Base area. If you're close, I have a wonderful surgeon to recommend! :Yawn:

You're absolutely right. I went out and bought the gas-x strips that dissolve on your tongue, like a prepared lap-band patient should!! Then I showed up to the hospital with them and when my surgeon's physician assistant came to visit me after surgery he saw them on my bedside table. He said that gas-x strips DO NOT work for the type of gas that post-op lap-band patients experience. Gas-x strips only work for gas that is within the intestines themselves. I can tell you the best thing for gas post-op is to WALK, WALK, WALK. And walk some more! :Yawn:

I had my surgery on Tuesday, the 18th of August, 2009 and was allowed to take a full shower the next day once discharged from the hospital. I had 5 incisions all covered with steri-strips. I was told to leave the steri-strips on until they fall off. However, I was sent home with an On-Q pain ball inserted into one of my incisions that I had to pull out myself once at home. My surgeon did say NOT to take a bath until he saw me at my 2 week post-op appointment. I was a little afraid of taking a shower with my incisions, but it felt really good. It's also a good idea to wash your belly with ONLY soap and water, and pat dry. The steri-strips didn't peel off at all and I ended up taking them off at about 1 week post-op.

I have the 11 cc Realize band. My first fill was 4 weeks post-op and I received 5 cc's. My second fill was 8 weeks post-op and it was 1 cc. I am very close to my "sweet spot" and may not need another fill for a while.

I found out my surgery date at my last pre-op meeting with my surgeon that was called "the history and physical". It took 6 months for me to get a surgery date because I had to jump through 101 hoops for my insurance company. My surgeon's office doesn't schedule surgeries until they receive approval from the insurance company. But if you are a self-pay then it should go more smoothly!

I am not quite 10 weeks post-op, and am down almost 54 lbs. all post-op weight. So far, so good! I would absolutely do it all over again...in a heartbeat! :thumbup:

I asked my surgeon how long before I could fly after surgery and he said 2 weeks. I agree with that. Getting in and out of a car was painful for a few weeks, it caused a lot of pain at my port site.

You're hilarious. Thanks for making me smile! :blushing: