general_antiope

Give the fill some time - sometimes my band gets sooo ridiculously tight during PMS, it's like I was freshly filled, even if it'd been months. Also, your legs could be different sizes if you tend to put weight on one leg versus another, cross one leg over another (the support leg stays bigger) or sleep on one side. My right leg takes all the abuse!

WOOO HOOOOOOOOO CONGRATS!!! Oh my god that is so exciting!! I am thrilled for you :thumbs_up: What's one thing you're not gonna miss about Life Before The Band?

Oh I know exactly how you feel, I wanted every last tiny detail from anyone! LOL. Deep breaths serenity, it's definitely gonna happen for you!!! I know it! :wink2: :biggrin: For me, it was 2 months after my surgeon's visit, add another month before that for gathering up data, visiting my PCP, psych eval, and boom. Done :hand: Once the surgery date was set, the weeks WHIPPED by. It was so weird. My friend Lexy just got banded yesterday and she said the same thing. OK honesty time. I soooo did not last on the 2 week liquid pre op diet. I lasted all of 5 days, then went back to Wendy's. I felt like crap, I was hungry, I was upset, I felt unsatisfied, did I mention hungry, emotional over being separated from my food when I wanted it. The biggest thing I think was that frankly, Slim Fast, Carnation, all that CRAP is completely filled with preservatives, processed stuff. Since getting on the band, I went to the Blood Type Diet (now the GenoType Diet), and SLOWED DOWN enough in eating to realize my specific body just hated certain foods. Slim Fast is one of them. Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine...any "low fat" food is chock full of monstrously distorted natural foods...and then it was confirmed when I had some testing done and found my body was allergic to preservatives! Ha. It knew better than I did, I just never listened. I could eat 20 calories a day of natural organic food and never feel as crappy as I felt on Slim Fast, Herbalife, Smart Ones, Healthy Choice etc. I think if you try eating low fat Beans, rice, veggies, even if not organic, then make them FRESH, you will slash the fat in your diet, feel full and SATED (which is incredibly important) and drop weight pre-op. I guess the docs want you drinking liquids to 'get used to it' but I think it's BS, personally. Some docs don't even require a pre-op diet, so clearly it's not all about the fatty liver issue :ohmy:

Well, not every doctor is a great doctor. Not every patient is a great patient. maybe what you're seeing is like "the perfect storm" of mutual cluelessness?? :wink2:

Hang in there Peter. And thanks for letting the community and her acquaintences know, that was really thoughtful of you.

katz, there are people who have the band who have no business having the band. They might be better off with the bypass. It's not for us to decide who's "worthy" of it. This is their journey, too... Funny, I just blogged about Impatience in this one obese person I know, too. It's frustrating when others don't see the light like some of us have, but again. All in good time. At least the "clueless" ones have a resource like this. At least they're asking!

Arrrgghh! What, obese people should just....die out? Is that the thinking? You made yourself fat, and now you have to suffer. UGH. I suspect those kind of people think the gay community got AIDS for being gay, too. Yeah, right on, Einsteins. Way to be. Hi, welcome to 2008! There is medical help able to extend and improve the lives of people with heart problems, colon problems, lung problems, liver problems...but no, you think those evil fatty fat fats lack WILLPOWER! Stupid people annoy me. You get ONE body. Suffer no fool to stand between you and your happiness.

Salsa - WOW I'm so glad to hear you found a surgeon you like, even with your challenges :thumbdown: That makes me happy! Oh God coltonwade........you ruined me :smile: Dr. Caridi's site is EXACTLY what I've been looking for. His first tummy tuck picture has a similar body type to mine, except my belly is not currently as full as hers. It got me giddy seeing the possibility of the Flatlands. Heh. Why doesn't he work in PA!??!?! AUUGGHHH lol I hear what you guys are saying (Frangi, Laurend) and it makes sense, though. I am spending too much time on their website appearance as a filter point for who I want to work on me. I'm going to switch around my strategy and focus more on who has worked on the Lap Band, first of all, then eliminate from there. My insurance is not paying for any of this, so I want to make sure I'm being appropriately picky, but not cheaply stingy. Good stuff costs money!

That's exactly what I am afraid of - I checked out the site of three NY doctors who were recommended and one site had 3 of 4 breast lifts noticeably lopsided. I have a minor asymmetry, but I was confused as to why these pics would be up there...if this is their best work...no thank you. Only one of the four had symmetrical breasts and her asymmetry was as noticeable as the rest. And call me crazy, folks, but if you're a plastic surgeon, and you don't believe that your website (i.e. your potential patient's first impression of your ability) is important, than you are TOTALLY in the wrong line of work :thumbup: Holy cow thanks for the link - I checked a couple of Jersey places out and found a very promising Dr. Philip Wey who has some excellent bariatric patient reviews!! I contacted them...that was a lovely find :thumbup: I liked what Dr. Schulman's website (and his reply) had to say. I think my plan will be to spend one more day in consultations, bite the bullet and pay the money in late summer, then make my choice. Thanks for all the help! I'll be sure to post before after pics in the new year :thumbup: Good lord I can't FREAKING WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck Frangipani - That is a lot of work done all at once, but necessary. It sounds like you're gonna have some goooooood drugs :thumbup:

Colton - The docs I asked Dr. Ren about, I wasn't really thrilled with the website of the two people her office recommended. But her office DID recommended them, so I wonder what I'm nervous about? She's worked on high profile patients. I've not had great experiences til now. It's just that the first time I met Dr. Ren I KNEW she was going to be my doctor. She is the top in her field, I read her papers on lap band procedures and how her technique eliminated side effects, her bedside manner was outstanding. She radiated knowledge and caring. I mean, I was all over it. With plastic surgery this feels much less cut and dry. Without the right info on the website, things for me to research, I'm at a loss. I think because the results are so subjective, maybe. Texas - I did actually already PM Dr. Schulman. Thanks for the suggestion :thumbup:

Hi Julie! Thanks for your hilarious commentary all during (and immediately after) your surgery. Very entertaining read :thumbup: I'm curious about the mons lift. The last PS I saw suggested it when I asked if the TT would do something about "bunker hill" down there. I feel slightly abnormal with a pudgy mons, and it's definitely stretched skin. Is there additional scarring from your mons lift? How does it look to you? Thanks :thumbup: Kate

Hi all! Well I am excited beyond measure. I got filled two months ago after being stuck at 205 - 209 lbs for about 2 years, and BOOM I dropped 13 pounds. I've decided to move ahead and plan plastic surgery for December, no matter what I weigh, and stop putting it off. It's been motivating to say the least. I've met with 3 plastic surgeons in Philly who seemed qualified and am not certain I've found "the one." I was banded at NYU and am willing to go back to NY for my PS, but would like to know if there are experienced bariatric PSs here first. I love reading everyone's stories and can't wait to have my own "post op" thread :thumbup: This has been a long time in coming. I need a breast lift, tummy tuck, mons lift, and possibly at a later date, brachioplasty, but the jury's still out on that one. might not need it. Thanks for any suggestions!!

LOL...yeah your dating escapades pretty much have been mine, except for this latest, which could be filed under: Foreshadowing of Drama Thanks for the note about the blog. Which reminds me, I need to update it.

Congrats neveragain!! I have a "date" tomorrow night with a business contact. It's not officially a date, the story is kinda funny and to save my poor soul I told him this would have to be a Social Visit only. Basically, a few months ago, he and I were talking business when I was in a different role at my company. He was so nice and giving me info that I offered a referral bonus, he said please don't bother, I said well at least let me take you to lunch, and he thought I was flirting (which I wasn't)...so I was mortified and embarrassed. Then I thought why not, I've seen his picture, I can do this gracefully...and according to my (useless) friends, they swore he was interested. So I said let's make it a drink after work instead of lunch and we can talk about stuff other than business. (look at me go!) Long story short, we had so many mixed signals, I ended up asking him out several times, making it clear it was personal. He seemed to reject me a few times. I finally said look, I'm not asking you for a shoot-the-breeze thing, I'm asking for personal reasons. He said he had a GF, and I said why on earth would you string me along, then? He sounded confused. I was confused. He asked me to have the drink, I politely declined. Now, several months later, he emails me out of the blue and says he wished we could still be friends, after having his female friend review our emails she told him I was interested and he was being dense as hell. I told him I was over my embarrassment he said no way he was the one who should be embarrassed. He was now single, and wanted to have the drink. So I told him, for my SANITY, this was NOT a date. he said OK. And we've been emailing all week as if it were a date. It's now on a Friday. He's asking me all sorts of personal questions every day about my hobbies bla bla :tongue_smilie: ugh. This crap is hard. Man do I despise dating! If you're married or in a relationship, kiss your significant other. I hope it goes as well as neveragains :>

There's a difference between regurgitation and vomiting - regurgitation is the productive burping, where, when you have something stuck and you burp and it comes up pretty easily - that's the top pouch. Sliming occurs in regurgitation. Vomiting is the lower stomach and is very forceful. That HURTS. The first couple of times I regurgitated (PB'ed) it was a full on vomit with a sore belly...and I could actually feel my lower stomach all crunched up. When the food was dislodged, I stood there breathing and felt the lower stomach relax and return to normal position. Creepy. But the good news is, you can learn to just regurgitate when something is stuck.

I'm a cheese and mashed potato freak. Carbs all the way. I love my mother's Shepherd's pie but tried doing it 100% vegetarian and it was unbelievably good!! 2 heads cauliflower (1 would do, but again i needed the illusion of mashed potatoes) 1 pkg Smart Ground soy "beef" 1/2 pkg lipton Soup savory herb mix 1 yellow onion, diced 1/2 pkg Soya Kaas mild cheddar cheese (dairy free alternative)<--- by the way, this is the best non dairy cheese on the market. i've tried tons, they sucked. This is delicious AND melts properly! Whole Foods has it. 1 can tomato soup 1 - 2 cups veggies - I used roasted carrots, anything fresh or frozen 3 - 5 TBSP butter/margarine little bit of milk, optional salt, pepper I had tons of carrots leftover from juicing so I cut them up with some EVOO and salt and pepper and roasted them for 20 minutes. You can use canned green Beans, corn, peas, anything you want to use up. Once I made this with Steamfresh southwest corn...mmm!!! Those spices were great. Cup up and boil the cauliflower til mushy. Mash it like potatoes with butter, salt and pepper. I used a little bit of milk to make them creamy but they hold Water well, I didn't need it. With some EVOO, brown the diced onion then throw in the meat alternative. After about 10 minutes, I added in some Savory Herb recipe soup mix I had left over. Only needed about 1/2 a packet. Chuck the tomato sauce and whatever veggies you want into the skillet. If they are fresh or raw veggies, cook them first - frozen is already cooked so those can just get dumped in and heated. **NOTE: If you are using frozen veggies, you don't need to add water to the mixture, but if you're using pre-cooked veggies, keep an eye on the mix and add a little water as needed so it doesn't get too thick. In a casserole dish, dump in the meat and veggie mix, layer with slices of the Soya cheddar cheese, then spread the cauliflower on top. Sprinkle the top with some sea salt/fresh ground pepper and bake for about 30 minutes at 350. The cheese does take a bit longer to melt than regular cheese, so keep checking it. This recipe was so incredibly good!! Spices make all the difference with meatless meats. :shades_smile: It's also very band friendly with tons of Protein and vegetables. Just gotta be careful with the butter and cheese. enjoy!

Susan - you'd be shocked. :shades_smile: Slightly different texture, not as starchy, but the flavor is dead on.

Smarty, I'm having the same issue. 3.5 years of banding and I've lost almost 100 lbs out of 150 I need to lose. Every day I get up with a plan, and I"m good on the plan until dinner. Most of my issue is the conscious eating...I'm so tired at the end of the day I eat easy foods in front of the TV. That long list of questions has helped a lot. I'm going to recommit and see how not eating the easy foods, and watch how I do. Keep trying. :embaressed_smile:

HAAAAYYYY!!!!!!!! I might actually be more excited than you are!!! I can't BELIEVE it's happening so soon - after the denial!! Finally I have a friend locally to "band" with ahaha :wink2: Band bonding galore. OMG i am so psyched. Every time I see you now I'm bringing my camera. Lots of before, during and after pics for both of us!! {{{{{{{{{{HUG}}}}}}}}}}}}}

This is such a shot in the dark, but after getting banded I started reading the Blood Type diet which has me going more vegetarian. I figured since the band tended to reduce meat consumption I would try it...eliminating red meat changed my body drastically!! It was great. So I'm kind of following it when I can. My biggest challenge is getting rid of dairy. I can have mild stuff like goat's cheese, mozz, ricotta, cottage cheese...and I've been investigating alternatives in soy products which has been kinda fun. Can't believe how GOOD my body feels when i'm eating 100% Blood Type Friendly foods. No wheat, no flour...but I can do rice Pasta, rice flour, even some spelt. Opening up a whole new culinary world! Curious to know if anyone else is working with the BTD and their band.

I'm kind of a medical buff and I read up on all the scientific data behind it. The doctor who spearheads it - his father, also a doctor, started off like 80 years ago or whatever doing research to see if there was a correlation between certain blood types and diseases. Guess what. There is. It's just increased risk factor, and lifestyle / eating habits have such a huge impact on it, they started looking at whether certain foods contributed to the risk factors. Guess what. They do! For example - I'm a blood type A. Most people with this blood type are apple shaped and carry fat around their belly. Check. Most people with this blood type don't tolerate red meat well - store it as fat - have allergic reactions in mucus membranes - feel tired and run down. Check check check check. Blood type Os live on red meat, burn it as fuel, feel run down WITHOUT it. My O Friends swear they could never give up meat, whereas once I tried it, I felt a million times better. I'm not all hardcore on it, but the few things I have tried have been right in line with what they said, in terms of my reaction to food, and how I feel. Being an A means I'm more agrarian (farmerish) and my diet should be mostly vegetarian with Beans, fish and SOME chicken/turkey for Protein...lots of grains, certain grains tho...and let me tell you. Eating a piece of white or wheat toast, and eating a piece of sprouted wheat toast are two COMPLETELY different experiences. There is such a noticeable difference in my bloating. Rice Pasta vs regular or wheat pasta, same thing. Rice is great for me (Hallelujah!!! CARBS!!!) and rice pasta is freaking delicious, I don't even see a difference. Anyway. It's worth looking into. Since I was aiming for vegetarian on the band anyway, this was right in line with what I should be eating. The Blood Type Diet :: Peter D'Adamo

rharriet - LOL. YAY!! It's nice to meet another tortoise. Who, I might add, DOES win the race at the end. What's your trigger? Lately, I seem to be doing AWESOME during the day but at night I'm not paying attention while I'm eating and eating WAY too much. I'm also picking bad food. I totally meant to get a chicken salad from Boston Market and I ended up with a chicken pot pie. UGH. ANd to top it off, despite my band being tight, I ate the entire thing. Yeah, it took an hour, I was watching Steve Audubato on TV. Tonight I am going to go to the gym and come home with a Protein shake - period. Ugh I feel so bloated and disappointed in myself. Ah well. We can try again today! I never eat like this with other people - only alone. I need a boyfriend!!!!

Hi all! I wanted to share a couple of awesome foods I'm eating at the moment, staring down my last 48 lbs. I'm one of those people who feels ridiculously deprived if I can only eat one food at a sitting. I need variety or else, I've noticed over the last 3 years of band life, I will go right out and eat something bad. Anyway I decided to eat teensy portions of a lot of things to help keep my brain interested in healthy food (other than chick fil a nuggets). This week I went to Trader Joe's and got the following: - Gardenburger Tomato/Basil (10g protein/patty) - Savory Thin Mini Crackers - THESE are AWESOME. Rice and sesame Protein, no whey, flour, wheat...which make me bloat...You would have to eat 36 of them (36 quarters) to get to 130 calories and 2g of fat!! - Red pepper hummus - Butternut Squash Soup (low fat) - Applesauce - Walnut halves So given my desire for variety and not wasting money and food, I'm using the above foods in various combinations depending on what I feel like at lunch time. I can barely finish the gardenburger...my fill is ridiculously tight...but I am determined to keep my protein up, as when I dropped 100 lbs last year I also lost hair because of my poor eating habits. Not so much that you'd notice, but I was freaked out seeing hair on my clothes. I also drink chocolate soy shakes at night. FINALLY found a recipe that I love....Chocolate Soy protein power, light soy milk or Water to thin it out, 1/2 banana, if I'm low on protein for the day I'll throw organic Peanut Butter in there. Considering I'm barely eating 200 calories at lunch, I need the calories at dinner, which is where I tend to be hungriest. I've dropped 9 lbs in 1.5 weeks. So far these are keeping my hunger at bay!

Whey Protein is good in drinks and smoothies...like after the gym I'll get some crushed berries, juice, whey protein, Water or milk, and blend that sucker up. You need to get protein in your body during weight loss! You can also just mix it with milk and it's a protein shake/smoothie...