btrieger

I drink to excess every so often. I wouldn't recommend it but I did verify with my surgeon prior to surgery that drinking alcohol would be ok. If he said no, I would have either not had surgery or found a surgeon with a different answer. I take 7 pills every morning and 3 every night and have not had one get stuck yet in the 7 months since surgery. There is NO wrong stuff for everyone. I have no problem eating anything except soft corn tortillas. It all depends on the person, how tight their band is and if they chew enough.

Here's my weekly 09/18/09 365 09/25/09 362 10/01/09 359 10/07/09 352 10/14/09 346 10/21/09 343 10/28/09 339 11/03/09 335 11/10/09 332 11/17/09 329 11/23/09 324 12/01/09 320 12/08/09 316 12/15/09 314 12/22/09 310 12/29/09 308 01/05/10 303 01/12/10 299 01/19/10 296 01/26/10 293 02/02/10 291 02/09/10 286 02/16/10 281 02/23/10 275 03/02/10 270 (surgery day) 03/09/10 266 03/16/10 265 03/23/10 264 03/30/10 259 04/06/10 255 04/13/10 257 04/20/10 254 04/27/10 251 05/04/10 251 05/11/10 247 05/18/10 248 05/25/10 244 06/01/10 242 06/08/10 239 06/15/10 236 06/22/10 234 06/29/10 232 07/06/10 228 07/13/10 226 07/20/10 225 07/27/10 220 08/03/10 222 08/10/10 222 08/17/10 220 08/24/10 216 08/31/10 214 09/07/10 216 09/14/10 216 09/21/10 213 09/28/10 214 10/05/10 208

My cardiologist told me to try and limit sodium to 2,000mg and not go over 4K. What is your take on carbs Betsy? There is a big difference between the 250 I was given and the 80 that Sparky said.

The dietician with tell you all about Portion Control and how to judge things using your fist, a deck of cards and a pair of dice. Counting calories is simple. Just do it online using Calorie Counter, Diet Tracking, food Journal, Nutrition Facts at The Daily Plate or FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal. For the sake of argument, this is probably your supervised diet, not your pre-op. Good luck and keep your head up.

What does eating right mean? Are you getting at least 50g of protein a day? Are you drinking at lest 64 ounces of water a day? Try journalling everything you eat and drink if you aren't already doing so. Many of us under estimate how many calories we actually take in. There are sites like Calorie Counter, Diet Tracking, Food Journal, Nutrition Facts at The Daily Plate and FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal that you can do this on for free.

I haven't done much more than walking and little jogging and that works. Garner up every bit of willpower you can and get out the door. Walk around the block. After a while you will actually enjoy it. You'll meet neighbors you never knew you had. You see things that you never noticed driving by in a hurry to get home. When you are comfortable with that, walk a little further. Use the stairs instead of the elevator. Park further from work or the store. Walking is an amazing thing and almost everybody does it every day.

If it is truly stuck, anything you drink will just back up behind it and probably come back out the way it went in. Hopefully it will pass soon.

Talk to your pharmacist. Many medications have alternative forms. Capsules are usually time release, meaning a similar medication is probably required.

Walk it off. It will dissolve over time. Read the side of the bottle and if it does NOT say "Do not crush" get a pill crusher at the drug store. If it DOES say, "Do not crush" ask your pharmacist if there is a liquid alternative to the medication.

I support the baby comment. It was by far the funniest thing ever posted on this site. I listened to my mother belittle me from day one practically until the day she died. Blaming me for the pain she went through with the C-section.

Honey, you aren't whining. You have legitimate concerns. Hopefully some of those that are whining will read your post and realize how lucky they actually are. I'm not a doctor but I do play one on Halloween. Any surgery is traumatic to your body. It has to pull together everything it has for the healing process. That sometimes means borrowing from other places. This can exaggerate or make visible pre-existing issues. Such as asthma. With time and bed rest, you will feel much better. Just take it one day at a time.

I'm not a carb counter but I have been told by nutritionists in the past to try and keep my carbs under 250g a day. 70g does not seem so bad. How many carbs have you been told to keep it to? I do watch sodium and 600mg is a little high but not a showstopper either.

I looked at my policy and gave Aetna a call. They said no cosmetic surgery. I didn't bother pushing any further. I am having a an umbilical hernia fixed at the same time and insurance pays 100% for that. So, my final quote for the panni is $4,870 out of pocket with a guarantee of no hidden costs. Crystl, no six pack with the panni. The muscles aren't touched. Just the hangover/apron.

It is the place to share feelings and I was sharing mine. :thumbup: I am not trying to intimidate anyone from posting their feelings. I am just trying to make people think a little more. I don't see anything constructive in post that say, "I started my liquid diet 8 minutes ago and I am starving" or "I only lost 30 pounds in the last 4 days" or "I had surgery 2 days ago and didn't loose[sic] any weight in the last 3 minutes." I would never ever criticize anyone for saying they were sick and I don't think anyone else is.

I open the container and dig in with a spoon :thumbup:

I consulted 3 different plastic surgeons and all 3 said no showering until the drains come out.

Good luck!! In about 3 hours you will be thinking, "is that it? I'm banded?"

Thanks. I have never been one to stress about not exercising. It is the not showering for 1 to 2 weeks that is going to kill me. I stink after a day :thumbup:

If you convince yourself that you are going to be hungry and require 10 buckets of slop a day to get by, you will be hungry. The entire process will be an uphill battle from there. If you know that this is for the best and are willing to take the Meal Replacement shakes in stride. You may be hungry or you may not but you'll probably be able to persevere. Prior to surgery, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the shakes just to see if they worked as prescribed and was excited to find out they did. I did those shakes for 4 weeks and can't remember being hungry. I even accidentally missed drinking a couple of shakes. Following surgery, when I was given the OK for "regular" food; I was not given a volume limit. I was told to cut food small; chew each bite 25 to 30 times and stop eating when I was satisfied. I did just that and was never hungry. I am no super man. I have nearly no will power. Therefore, I am convinced that if I can do it, anyone can. My biggest issues with the whiners are that they are poisoning the minds of people like you who are just now starting out. They are also hurting each other because they insist on justifying each others complaining instead of thinking.

I am not the only one. I was not "sore" at all. I was a bit uncomfortable with gas but I've had hangover that felt much worse. I am not alone and I don't think I am even in the minority. Many of us had no pain at all. People tend to post more when they are in pain and don't bother posting when surgery was as boring as can be.

Thanks!! It is very comforting. I was expecting a lot of pain from the Lapband surgery and had none. Hopefully it will be a similar experience.

I wasn't. Never took the stuff because I had no pain whatsoever.

I'm a guy too. Thanks to my band I can look down and know this immediately without having to find a mirror or ask a stranger what is between my legs. The best way to get unstuck is to try and not get stuck in the first place. It will happen but we all need to pay attention and keep the occurrences down.

I'd be surprised if it cost you more than $15K but it is always best to be prepared for more. Keeping it local is best. The after care is just as important as the surgery itself.

It may be completely independent of your fill. It is getting colder out and the weather may have something to do with it. Speak to your PCP or surgeon and see if they think it could be band related.