123crod

I went through this a couple of months ago and I dropped my carbs down to hardly any and it took about 6 weeks and I dropped 10 lbs. Now I am on my last 20 to lose and I am having to change up my carbs all the time to get the last off too. As far as my surgeon is concern I am finished but I am still 170 lbs and want to lose at least 20 more. Cheri

Congratulations to both of you. I started lurking around this site about a week before I had surgery 16 months ago. The best thing you can do for yourself is find a support group to join and go to on a regular basis as well as visiting this site as often as you can. It is important to be in touch with people who are going through the same things you are. My Doctor's support group was too far away for me to go at night due to work and traffic so I found some people on this site who lived in my area and we started our own support group. We meet once a month and talk on the phone and e-mail each other. It has helped us all so much. We are all different ages with different bands, differernt Doctors, and have been banded for different amount of time. Good luck to you both. Cheri

I will be praying for both of you. There is a Christian Brandster Thread on here too, you should post there too, we all pray for each other. Cheri

You are worring yourself sick. Please let yourself relax and get some rest, that is the only way you are going to get better. Your body is trying to heal from surgery and trying to fight off a virus at the same time the last thing you need is more stress. I am almost 16 months out and have the flu right now, I did go to an after hours/weekend clinic for cough med to keep me from coughing. Since I was first banded I have had trouble with my band and my body when I get stuck (my fault) and have vomited my whole meal numerious times over those 16 months. For some reason when I get stuck it never goes down but always up instead. I could wait it out for hours trying not to vomit. Anyway I think it takes a lot to slip your band . . . so at one week or one month out I would not be so worried. Please let yourself relax and heal. Stress does not let you heal. Stop worrying about seeing your Surgeon right now it is up to you to let yourself heal up . . . . in a couple of weeks you can deal with the surgeon and his office. I always saw my doctor at every appointment and he is the only one in his office that does the fills and they are always under floro so I know all those times of throwing up did not hurt my band so I can understand the need to be able to reach your surgeon I would give yourself time to get better and then call him directly if he does not remember you remind him everytime you call him and he will start to develop a realtionship with you. But you are already running to another Dr. Make him do his job if I remember you were self pay I was too. Do let him take your money and not give you the aftercare you desrve, but do it later when you are healed up. Cheri

Don't see why it would hurt anything. I take meds for anxiety sorta similar. Just if they are time-release don't crush them. Just make a simple call to surgeon's office and ask always best to ask. Cheri

The name of that place is “Beliteweight” in Detorit I saw it it on another thread. She has her chioce of Mexico or Detorit for the same price. My doctor has lowered his price for self pay to $10,000 he is a great Dr in Houston. Cheri

$12,999 and included one year of office visits and fills. Well worth it like others said. Almost 2 years later he is charging $10,000. That always happens to me. Cheri

I counted mine but you do have to itemize and not take standard deduction. First time in years I got a refund instead of paying. Cheri

I too have the flu. I am not going to have any unfill. My surgeon said if you have to cough alot due to flu or something go to Dr and get a prescription cough med. They gave me Hycodan and one teaspoon every 4 - 6 hours. I really works. Cheri

Hey Axel haven't we been through this before and then you private messaged everyone and got kicked off. Maybe you have a new name but same old story! Cheri

For some reason I like the new site format kinda refreshing after 15 months of looking at the old one. I have the flu today and I have no voice at all. My hubby is probably enjoying the no talking thing . . .trying to stay in the bed as much as possible as Monday brings work and Tuesday brings Grandbabies and work. Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving! Cheri

We call them bullets. But your body can only absorb so much protien at a time so drink ½ at a time and the other later in the day. My Dr. made me stop using them as he wanted me eating protien and not drinking it as that is how the Lapband is designed to be used. Walmart also sells them. Cheri

If I was you I would not go to Juarez, It is too dangerous down there right now. My husband is from Mexico and ½ of his family lives in Matamores and it is very dangerous there too. Juarez was just on the news again today. The cartels are threatening all the teachers (federal employees in Mexico) to turn over their Christmas Bonus or teachers and children will die. I met a Lady on this board and she was scheduled through some program to have her surgery in Mexico too but a couple of days before a lot of people died there and she call her company and said she could not do it so they told her is could go to a Dr in Detroit instead for the same price. If you are interested PM me and I will call her and asked the name of company. The first weekend in November I went to a WLS Conference in Houston. Met a few people who had the Lapband and Sleeve in Mexico and were very happy with that Dr and he is not in Juarez. I am going to give you his name, BUT I know nothing about him EXCEPT what I was told. I was banded in Houston, but these people spoke highly of him and he was one of the venders there giving out information that is why I have a card Dr. Guillermo Alvarez Toll free # 1-888-214-5884 website: www.endobariatric.com Please be careful in whatever you do. We are all dying to be skinny but we do not want to be dead really!!! And people are dying in Mexico right now. I am sure we will now hear from everyone who has been banded in Mexico, but it is the truth it is not safe down there whether you live there or are visiting not right now anyway. Please research really good where you will be going and if you will be on your own anytime. How you will get back and forth from the hospital to the border. The drug cartels do not care who you are. Also you do have to have a passport or a passport card (45.00) to get back in US unless you are flying then you need full passport. You can pay a little bit more and get it in less than 2 weeks Cheri Rodriguez

You can still have movie night with popcorn. I can still eat some you will just have to eat one piece at a time Cheri

I aready cooked Thanksgiving dinner on Monday night for my family. I cooked it all incuding turkey and roast. I ate a very small amount of some mash potatoes and that was about it. I have been feeling really tight. Tried one tiny , tiny bite of a roll and it went down so I took another small bite it became stuck for 2 hours with all the company at my house. Yesterday I started on an Herbal Cleanse for 10 day to see if I can jump start weight loss again, so I will be in the boat with you tomorrow. Just remember it is only one meal. Hang in there! Cheri

Stick with it. You can do it!! It is all worth it, I promise. I could have spent this last year gaining weight or losing weight, the year would still go by. Find something that can replace food with, such as a book, bath or call up a friend when you get hungry. Every pound you lose now is one less pound you have to lose later. I was on Medifast for a long time once and I drank so much of it that my skin started to smell like the soy. Call your surgeon's office and ask if you can drink a different protien drink instead they would rather you do that than eat. Muscle Milk light chocolate is good and not high in fat. I buy mine at Sams, HEB, Target or GNC. Hang in there you can do it. Food does not comfort us, just makes us fat. I also just started a Herbal Cleanse for the next 10 days and I bet it taste worse than what you are drinking Cheri

I like the new look!! I had to look around to find things but it is refreshing as I have been looking at the old format for 15 months. I love the spell checker, but remember it only checks spelling not if you used the wrong word . . . but spelled it right. Cheri

Since I already had a “Thanksgiving Dinner” with my family early as stated above I decided to start a 10 day Herbal Cleanse to avoid all the leftovers in my house and to try to avoid any weight gain maybe get some weight loss. Cheri

I crushed all my pills for 3 months and then gave up and just took them and so far so good. I take all of them but that one after i have had coffee. That pill they want me to take when first wake up and then wait an hour before drinking anything but Water. Cheri

Even with Floro that is too high! I was self pay too but all my fills are under floro, The first year was free but now I pay $100 for fill and $150 for fill with floro. And we wonder why insurance cost so much. Cheri

I cooked Thanksgiving Monday night for my husband and our son's family. We do it a few days early so my poor kid does not have to choose Mom or Mother-in-law. Also this way they do not have very large meals on same day. Anyway I was very good only ate good stuff. But the next day when all the leftovers were alone with me all day the were homemade rolls still siting the. I like a dummy told myself I would only eat one bit and throw the rest away . . . .well one bite so tiny turned into a bigger bite and then 2 hours of being stuck. Please be careful with your choices. I knew I can not eat bread []

I was fat because all my life I used food to comfort me. Now I choose other things to feel better 99.9 % of the time

food was my friend too, my comforter, but just like in an abusive realtionship you would not stay and take the abuse. Food allows you to do the same thing . . . move on and let a hot bath comfort you, a good book and chat with a friend on the phone. We all know we never felt better really when we ate for comfort. No guilt in a hot bath or good book. Cheri

I think It was good for me to experience being too tight once so now I know it is not for me. But I think it was a good expreience for me to know what it felt like. NOT GOOD!! Cheri