GracieBelle

2 minute noodles, soups, crackers cheese & chutney, mash potato, quiche, zuccihni slice, frittata, omeletes, dips, tin spaghetti or baked beans, anything from the frozen section you can oven cook - I like a potato ball with a cheese & cracked black pepper flavour or chicken tenders or fallafel. Now leave me be, I gotta go & have a pappodum with tzatziki & Malai Kofta (amazing Punjabi veg balls in a thick sauce). Life is not over with the band - I'm loving it. It's like you can have your cake & eat it too.

Everytime my weight plateau'd and remained the same for 2 weeks, I got a fill. I was on a mission!

What Greg said. Good luck everybody.

Only if I eat too fast. My band is tighter in the mornings too, but not at night.

Wow. There's bugger all humidity where I live. I haven't experienced that. I did go to Bali though a couple of years ago. Didn't notice anything different though. Was too freaked out about the bombs cause they went off just before we flew out! I think our body temperature might effect it though. I have days occasionally where I struggle with everything and I don't know why, but it settles. So, who knows?

My friend had slippage & she suspected it when her weight slowly crept up, & she was eating a little more than normal. Twice (in 7 years), my fluid level has increased on it's own. This can sometimes happen-the x-ray compound must expand or something. But I could certainly not force things down with water. In 3 or 4 months you must have eaten something other than allergy tablets or else you'd be dead! Maybe you've fallen out of the habit of chewing well & eating slowly? I can't swollow tablets any bigger than ant. The hurt you feel with your 2 or 3 bottles of water pushing your food down may be indigestion. Does it burn? Try an antacid. I swig a little Mylanta before my first wine of the evening cause it burns otherwise. My friend metioned above, can push food down with water, but I could never do that. Good luck.

The first wine of the day often burns all the way down. A swig of Mylanta (antacid) fixes that.

I think they tell you to not do anything too soon to cover their asses too. It's precautionary, not to say go out & go crazy, of course!

My daughter was 1 when I had the surgery. I told my husband he'd have to take a few weeks off to do the heavy lifting of my stay at home mum life. After a week he got bored & went back to work (self employed, family business). I was shitty as hell at him. We have 18 stairs in our house too. So I did what I could & left the rest for him to do when he got home. My daughter took her naps downstairs & I'd sit down when she wanted to be picked up so she'd have to climb up on me. It worked out fine. Even getting her in and out of the car seat. Just really take your time. If you can call the day care centre, tell them you have a hernia or something & ask if someone can come out to the car in the mornings when you arrive to get your son out. I had no one around either. Don't worry. You'll be o.k.

I caught gastro (stomach flu I think you statesiders call it) not long after my banding. I was chuckin every half hour for about 4 hours. I was terrified the band would slip. It was fine. In 7 years since the banding, I've had many a throw, lol, some cause I ate too quick, or drank too much (ate not enough), even cause my bra was too tight! I wouldn't stress.

My surgeon comments on the long time between seeing him, but if all's well, why make the 186 mile trip to the city & pay $50 for nothing? He now visits my area every few months. I'm 7yrs banded. 2 times I found I was struggling getting things down & the fluid had increased. I have a mix of saline & xray compound in mind. This can happen & it's no concern; they just take a little out & put you back where you were.

hahahaha. Love this! I wish I'd done that; there were plenty of times!

You prove how everyone in different. We do what we gotta do. I have my band at max, it's the only way. Protein is hard for me, mostly a tiny bit of shaved turkey, some cheese or egg white omlette. The only carbs I have is crackers or potato chips, mash potato. Did you used to be a runner always or have you taken it up since you've lost weight? I wasn't too bad in primary school, but I've never gone jogging. My boobs we're always too big! I definately would rather be where I am now too, than where I was.

You're welcome sweetie. You are sooooooo not alone. In fact, I think we may becoming a majority! Just for now, focus on the weight you're gonna lose & how wonderful thats going to make you look & feel. I'm gonna keep blogging cause I'm finding people are pleased to get complete honesty about all this. I'm also hoping it supports those who read it, informs them & encourages aswell. take care.

Some people absolutely floor me with their comments & questions. I'm usually so thrown by their audacity & complete lack of social skills, that I'm tongue tied. I've practiced a few combacks to help. If they ask a too personal question, I reply, why do you want to know that? or I prefer not to discuss very personal matters with people other than close family & friends. or that's a bit nosy, don't you think? (with a smile). Or 'it's not very intersting dinner conversation, what do you do?' Answer their question with a question about them. If they don't get a clear message, then be blunt!

Mrs Olsen, you're a bee-arch.

Totally! It's like they're thinking out loud. Um, we can hear you! My husbands Nana said loudly at a family gathering, "here's another two people who've put on weight", about my brother-in-law & his wife. Her own grandson. They drove for 2 days to get there & it was no, "hi, great to see you". And they were only a little overweight, certainly not obese either! How rude. My mother-in-law anounced loudly to the whole chinese restaurant, on my birthday dinner, in front of my parents, husband, little daughter & friends, "Oh, you wont be able to eat all that, you'll have to take half of it home!" All our meals were brought out, & mine was no bigger than anyone elses. :frown:

Restless monkey's right. And at 33yrs old, your collegen productions would be about to slow down so the sooner the better for you I reckon. Your genetics could be good & also the amount you lose (is it likely to be massive?) If I went through is again, I think I'd wear support stockings & tops kinda like they put on you after lipo. It may or may not do a thing, but I'd have liked to have tried that. Altimately, the result of being a normal, healthy weight & size, far out-weighs some saggy skin hidden under clothes. Check out Jachut (member here), she's 42 & looks amazing. I have a blog about life 7yrs down the road if you're interested. Its at www.lapband-7yrslater.blogspot.com

I understand your fears. I've had my band for 7yrs & haven't had any problems with it. 2 of my friends were banded by my surgeon & they both had slippage & needed it replaced (going well now a few years on). Techniques & the band itself are getter better constantly & this should translate as fewer problems resulting. Ask your surgeon about his statistics ie: how many has he done, how many redo's, how many & what kind of complications has there been? etc. If he wont gladly share this with you, consider looking for someone else. Good luck

Good luck Deb. I'm sure it will happen & it's gr8 to hear you say you're so ready; I was too & I think it definately helps you to be dead certain & eager to get on with it. I think in time you will notice 90% of your health problems get better & even disappear. My knees stopped hurting after I dropped the 1st 22lbs, my psorises went, my back pain lessened, my depression left me, my cholesterol when down, my energy returned. My friends the same; & she even stopped needing blood pressure tablets. Hope it happens for you really soon. Good luck again. :w00t:

Your amazing Jachut. Good for you! I can't get over your tight body! We're about the same age & I've had tt/lower body lift/revisions & 2 boob lifts & I still wobble like a huge bag of jello! It's horrible to see me run. I have to for hockey & it's not easy. I'm the same re: good or bad eating...scales stay the same. :w00t:

definately, don't beat yourself up. You'll be surprised how this process works. I'm 7yrs post banding, I know. I totally had to have chips & gravy when I was pregnant. I did love my carbs. But now, chips are so uninteresting, it's not even funny. Some kind of metamorphasis happens during this process. Also, you eat what you shouldn't & it makes you sick & you then become negative towards it naturally. Don't be your worst enemy & berate yourself. You're doing a good thing & you'll be dancing & laughing your head off living life again to the full in such a short time, it will shock you. Trust me. Head high!!!!!

Sweet kisses, dry skin is a sign of dehydration. Try and increase your H2O, see if it improves.

shaved turkey & chicken from the deli section is a great snack. I find protein bars too dense & can only eat one nibble an hour so I gave up on them. Try protein shakes. You should have vitimans. I was on Vital Greens (in Australia) it's a powder and I mixed it in orange juice. But don't worry. I stopped taking it and ages later I had my annual check up and my doc said my vitimin levels were high & if I was on a supliment I should stop! I said does wine & whiskey provide good nutrition cause I've had a bit of that! lol. Hair loss can be because of the surgery, the season or you could be worried about stuff. Sounds like your port is close to your stomach. Mine doesn't stick out. I'm hoping one day I'll have a 6 pack and it will (a 7pack, perhaps?? he he). I'm not sure what pb-ing & sliming is (I'm a little new to this even though I was banded 7 yrs ago). But I have more salivia and it's thicker, I'd say. I have had vomiting from time to time and gastro etc. and worried about the band slipping but not problems to report. All the best :-)