ElfiePoo

Your headaches may be due to a drastic reduction of fat in your diet. While it's not a popular view with many doctors because they're so anti-fat, something to keep in mind is that *fat* is better at controlling hunger than Protein. So during this time, maybe increasing your fat by using higher fat yogurts, puddings and milk in your Protein Drinks might solve the hunger and headache problem. I ate the sugar free (but not fat free) puddings and I'd put sugar-free whipped cream on my little cup of Jello. When I progressed to where I could have thicker things like oatmeal, I'd use half and half instead of milk, put half and half in my coffee, etc. I never seemed to have the hunger issues during this time. Then again I was fortunate enough to have a doctor who took me through the stages and back on to solid food by the end of 2 weeks so I didn't have to test this theory for an entire month. .

I've known a couple people whose doctors had them back on solids within a day or two of surgery and mine had me back on solids at 2 weeks, but still...your band area needs this time to heal. I didn't have to do the Clear liquids after surgery, just nothing thicker than a milkshake and absolutely no solids in it. You *DO NOT* want to take the chance of something getting stuck during this time and you face that risk since your band area is most likely swollen. If you're hungry, then eat...but at least eat the permitted foods. Ok, so you go over your calorie limitations (if you have any), but at least they're foods that will slide through and not do damage. C'mon ladies...suck it up (couldn't resist the pun) and get back to the non-solids. You can do this! .

Sleep? What's that? I *always* have a sleeping problem. So if I can get rid of the headache, that's a bonus.

So yesterday was a good day...today I wake up with a massive headache. God gifts me one hand and slaps me upside the head with the other. My husband says that's my catholic upbringing...it never goes away. Hilda is apparently doing her best to convince me she doesn't need a fill Tuesday. I'm not getting stuck, but I can certainly tell when I didn't chew something well enough and I've actually had a couple sliming episodes. Slime came up...food stayed down. So now I'm being very careful to make sure I drink a cup of hot tea before a meal and take small bites and chew well because I am going to get this fill and I don't want to swell the band area by irritating it. I know, I should probably cancel the fill, but this has been happening for a month now and as soon as I cancel the fill, I get loose again and I'm hungry! So she can just shut up and get with the program. I hope the Excedrin kicks in soon because it's still dark which means I stand half a chance of falling back asleep for another hour or so. Maybe I'll go lie down and do some mental 'positive healing' techniques. Sometimes it actually works if I can shove the pain aside. .

Denise: Love the 'booties'. My sister-in-law has a little dog and she also has a pair of 'red' booties to protect her feet from the snow. Shads: Which teletubbie? <running> .

HB, You're right about the dental care, but you have to be careful about the dentist too! Since they were old enough, my children always went for their 6 month checkup and cleaning. We had the same dentist for 6 years. My oldest son was devastated when they discovered 3 cavities at the age of 16. I was a bit puzzled, since they just 'appeared' and were sizeable enough they should've shown up on his x-rays. The dentist tried to say it was because my son drank 'juice'. Uh no...this was my track athlete who never drank anything but water. Then he said it was lack of fluoride. Uh...so when you said you were doing a fluoride treatment each time,...what were you doing? Then I come up on my 6 month cleaning and the hygienest tells me that I have to go to a special dentist to have my teeth scaled because they're so bad. WHAT?? I told her that just can't be possible since I get my teeth cleaned every 6 months. She tells me that for the last *SIX* years my teeth have not been completely cleaned because they didn't have enough time to finish the job...but nobody bothered to tell me this so I could schedule in the extra cleanings I needed. Then the dentist comes in and tells me I have 6 new cavities. That's when we had the discussion about why my son suddenly popped up with new cavities and now I am too and nothing the previous 6 month checkup. I left and, on the recommendation of one of my employees, made an appointment with her dentist. I ended up with 6 hours worth of teeth cleaning to get me back to normal. My children had 3 hours worth of cleaning each even though their teeth had supposedly just been cleaned the month before. Oldest son did not have 3 cavities...he had 7...and the new dentist said they were big enough to see on the xrays taken the *year* before (we had our records transferred). I didn't have 6 cavities...I had 11. I'm pleased to say that we've been at the new dentist for 10 years now and not one of us has had a cavity since. It's a bit scary that if that particular hygenist hadn't said anything, I could be missing all of my teeth now. As it is, they kept refilling one molar so it's just a shell of a tooth and at some point it's going to crack and they'll have to pull it. Ok...TMI, but I know those not interested will just skip over anyway. .

At 8 cc I could still eat and drink as much as I *wanted* and I haven't felt 'full' since surgery. Some people do get physical restriction...many more don't. .

Don't count on it helping with portion size. It doesn't work that way for many of us. If you're lucky, you'll get that too, but look for cessation of hunger after a meal. .

You forget the 1/4 cup of food. Some doctors are just unreasonable. Set yourself a reasonable daily calorie limit of say 1200 calories and keep track of it in something like fitday.com. You'll still be hungry (because isn't that why we got the band...we're always hungry?), but at least you won't be starving which only leads to cheating. .

You sound like my family. My mom had dentures by the time she was 19. Half of her 9 siblings had dentures very young. My brother had dentures by the age of 30. Years ago the dentist said they had 'soft' teeth...whatever that meant. I had a cousin who took very good care of her teeth. Fluoride, flossing, 6 month cleanings, brushing after every meal...and her teeth are still rotting out of her head. The only thing all that care got her was not getting dentures before 30, but she'll still have them by 50....which I suppose is still an improvement. So don't blame yourself too much...it may just be genetic. .

I used to have horrible hypoglycemic attacks...bad enough that I wore a Med ID bracelet. My doctor said to eat Protein (an ounce or two of cheese was the best) because it would help raise my blood sugar levels slowly and without the body producing a rush of insulin. However, the reason for the hypoglycemia and response is difference for someone who still produces insulin vs someone who doesn't. Someone still producing insulin has to watch how they raise that blood sugar level or risk overstimulating the production of yet more insulin. My understanding of Type I is that low blood sugar is a result of too much insulin being given in relation to what the body actually needed (also affected by stress, etc.). I have a couple friends who are Type I and they were told to drink a small glass of orange juice because it would more readily absorb that extra insulin. My .02...I would make an appointment with your endocrinologist or whoever handles your diabetes...and one with the diabetic NUT. They will be your best resource for how to handle your low blood sugar problems. .

Mine never required a special diet after a fill either. He just said "be kind to the band" and pay even closer attention to the size of my bites and my chewing to avoid stuck episodes. .

You don't say whether or not you're hungry. That's the sign of needing a fill...or possibly just not eating what your body needs. A few ideas though... Your meal should allow you to be hunger free for about 4 hours. If it doesn't, perhaps a small protein snack mid-meal would help (an ounce of cheese, hardboiled egg, etc.) . Yogurt or Protein Drink is fine for Breakfast if it gets you through the morning. lunch and dinner, according to my surgeon, should be 3 oz of protein, 1/2 cup of vegies and 1/4 cup of starch (maybe and only if I'm still hungry). Record everything you put into your mouth in something like fitday.com. You'd be surprised how fast the calories add up with cheese and Soups. Once you know for sure how many calories you're eating, then you'll be better able to figure out why your weight loss has slowed. Don't expect major losses. One person I know only lost 3/4 of a lb per week. I only lose 1 lb per week and that's only if I stick to a 1200 calorie diet. Have enough days at 1600 calories and I don't lose anything. A lot will depend on your own metabolism. Some people see a faster weight loss when they exercise. That hasn't been my experience, although I do feel better. .

Denise, Maybe I missed it (or you said longer than 3 days ago which is about how long my memory is good for these days ), but have you figured out what the problem is with your teeth?? That just doesn't sound normal to be losing them. And you have a way with words, girl. The hamburger episode, while not funny for you, was giving me the giggles...but I can so relate. I rarely get stuck on anything since my refill to 6cc in October, but hamburgers used to give me major problems. Your camping trip sounds like fun! When gas prices went up, my husband refused to pull our RV out of the drive. So after sitting in our drive for almost 3 years, I sold it. I love the man, but every so often I have this errant thought that perhaps I should've kept the camper and gotten rid of him. .

Sometimes taking a *tiny* sip of hot tea (or even plain hot water), will help loosen the band enough that the food will slide through. Sometimes just standing up and walking to the bathroom solved the problem. If you use the papaya enzyme, I'd certainly be careful how often you use it. I've often wondered what it did to the stomach with frequent use if it dissolves the 'meat' so effectively. Perhaps nothing, but I tend to be cautious. .

It's most likely gas or some type of referred pain. At 4 days out from surgery I was on mushies and back on solid foods at 2 weeks so I doubt you messed anything up. I think what your doctor meant by 'if it can go up a straw' was that you should not be eating anything thicker than a milk shake so stay away from solid food. .

Don't look for the band to physically restrict how much you can eat...doesn't work that way for most of us. Look for a cessation of hunger after a 'reasonable' meal (e.g. 3 oz of Protein, 1/2 cup vegie, 1/4 cup starch). If you have frequent stuck and sliming episodes, chances are your band area may be swollen, causing the drinking difficulty. My band gets tight for no reason, but usually drinking a hot cup of tea prior to my meal helps with that. .

Don't depend on the band to physically restrict how much you can eat. It doesn't work that way for most of us. What the band is supposed to do is get rid of the constant hunger. You should be able to eat a reasonable meal (e.g. 3 oz of Protein, 1/2 cup of vegies, 1/4 cup of starch) and not be hungry for 4 hours. Some people do well by having a mid meal protein snack (hard boiled egg, an ounce of cheese, etc.). It's not unusual to have immediate restriction from a fill because your band area may swell a little. It may take several fills before you're to the point where you have enough restriction that the hunger goes away. Be patient. .

Bahahahaha! Thanks for the laugh. .

That hasn't been my experience. When I exercise, I get *hungry*. I finally had to restructure my Tae Bo sessions so that they were right before a meal. Otherwise, I'd do my Tae Bo and then start looking for something to eat. A number of research studies show that while exercise is good for health reasons, there is little difference in the weight loss between groups who just dieted and did not exercise and groups who did exercise and diet. They believed this was because those who exercised claimed to be hungry and ended up eating 'more' after they exercised. Just another thought. YMMV. .

Tanksmama...there is an ignore option where you can put certain posters on ignore so you never see or hear from them again. Over the last 16 months that I've been a member, I've only had to put 2 people on ignore because they're always patronizing, rude and insulting and life is too short to put up with people like that. Hope you're doing better with the 'hunger'. .

HB...glad to hear you're feeling better. There is nothing that can ruin a day faster than a headache that just won't go away...particularly when it's your day off! .

If you're hungry, it sounds like you need a fill but maybe smaller bites? I don't know anything about phentermine but if it eliminates hunger, I can see why someone would use it before the band kicked in. Afterwards, it shouldn't be necessary, no? .

Jenny, The only thing I will say is to very carefully look at the reasons you eat. If you eat because you're always hungry (and you'll need to be honest with yourself whether it's real hunger or just cravings), then the band has a very good chance of helping you because that's what it does...it puts pressure on the vagus nerves which tell the stomach to quit producing ghrelin, the hunger hormone. The band won't stop you from eating sweets. It won't stop you from grazing. For quite a number of us, it also doesn't physically restrict how much we eat...even when we have too much fill and are getting stuck frequently. .

Some doctors/nurses are just better than others at doing the fills. My doctor is not as proficient as his surgical nurse (who usually does the fills). Even though they both said my port has slightly tilted, though, they are able to easily and quickly find the right place by feel and inject the saline. Easy peasy. .