madpassion

I had mine for 4 1/2 years and recently had it removed. I THOUGHT i had no side effects, until recently reading some other womens side effects i realized how many i had. I've lost about 30% of my hair. I've never had a thyroid condition in my life, but after getting my mirena I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. I gained about 60 lbs after getting my IUD, I lost about 80 after being banded but then my weightloss stalled for about a year, even following all the band guidelines, nothing was coming off. Since having my mirena removed last month i've lost 10 lbs. My sister also has the mirena and has experienced severe anxiety since getting it. Finding out that is also a side effect, along with her recent migraines. I dont necessarily regret it. I loved having no periods and it served its purpose. Im just surprised how many problems i didnt realize it was causing.

I had my first fill yesterday. Last night I ate maybe 1/4 cup of tomato soup. For breakfast today I had an 8 oz protein drink which took me about an hour to get down. For lunch again I had a small amount of tomato soup and was very full. For dinner i tried potato cheese soup, but mashed the potatoes up with a fork really well. I got through less than 1/4 cup and felt like it was just sitting in my throat. I took a very small sip of water to help get it through and ended up throwing it up. I added a bit of water to thin the soup and tried again, but threw up again. I waited about an hour and took a sip of water and ended up having to spit the rest of the night. Is this normal right after a fill or might it be too tight?

I had surgery June 14th, and went out for drinks and dancing on July 3rd.

I started drinking again about 3-4 weeks post surgery. I felt a buzz after about 3 oz of vodka :cool:, but im assuming thats because I hadnt had a drink in about 2 months. I mixed it with zero calorie Vitamin Water and found I could taste the vodka much more than if I had mixed it with, say, orange juice, but I was able to tolerate the taste better than before as well. Dont know why. As you get smaller it takes less alcohol to get you buzzed too. I've had drinks the last 2 weekends and it hasnt affected my weight loss, so as long as I keep losing I dont see a reason to stop :wink2:

I pay $700 a month for my family to have health insurance that doesnt even get used unless theres an emergency, which there hasnt been in the last 5 years. The way I see it, I dont owe my insurance company, or anyone else, ANYTHING ! I've figured out that no matter what anyone on a message board says, I'm the only one who knows what I'm capable of. I know I'll succeed no matter how much alcohol I drink (My surgeon actually advocates a glass of wine per day. Too bad I prefer cognac :smile:). I know that just because I might have 1/2 a tall frappucino once in a blue moon, that doesnt mean I'm going to fall back into the habit of a venti every single day. I read these boards every day, but rarely post because most of what I see is people telling others "You messed up so now you fail" or "This has been asked before and I'm tired of answering it" Wow! If you dont want to answer, than dont, and save the replies for someone who does. If all you have to pass on is "You dont deserve a band" then keep it toyourself.

At my highest weight I wore a size 24, which is also what I wear now, which is also what I wear now, 35 lbs smaller. I see other people post who wear a 24 and weigh about 50 lbs less than me, so it makes no sense. It's so confusing. Remember when Anna Nicole first came out in the Guess ads, she weighed about 155 or 160, and I thought she was one of the most gorgeous people I'd ever seen. I guess it's how you carry it.

Hahaha ! I've been there ! When I was on the preop diet i just wanted a Twix SOOOO BAD and told my friend "Im just gonna do it, im just gonna take a bite and spit it out" but then I knew I wouldnt be able to commit to the spit. I knew if i bit it I was gonna swallow it. I went and looked at the vending machine and thank goodness there were no more Twix's. I did do it the other day though, my kids had pizza, and i just kind of held the cheese in my mouth for a minute, savored the flavor, then spit it down the garbage disposal and poured myself some broth :biggrin:.

I had my first appt on Feb 3rd, and my surgery was June 14th. When I went in for my appt right after I got approval I was pretty disappointed that they scheduled my surgery for 2 months out, I was hoping to have it sooner as well. You should tell the office that you will be calling every morning to see if they have any cancellations, and that you will take that appointment.

I found out during my pre op testing that i have hypothyroid, and it didnt affect my approval at all. I would think that if you have hyperthyroid and still gain weight that it would be even more reason for you to be approved

I have Blue Cross. They asked for 2 year weight history, or history of attempts to lose weight. I didnt have any of that documented, so I didnt submit it, and I was approved on my first try,

My dr let me pick my own, as long as it had 26+ grams of Protein, and less than 6 grams carbohydrates per serving. The best one i've found is Body Fortress whey protein chocolate flavor. The vanilla is awful, at wal-mart. A 2 lb canister is about $16. The key with any of them is that it should be low carn so that your liver shrinks.

I freeze my shakes. When lunch time rolls around I just grab it out of the freezer at work, and it's not only tolerable, its actually delicious. I eat it with a spoon, like ice cream. The biggest motivator for me has been seeing the scale move down daily. I have a 4 week diet, the first week i did awful, but since then i havent messed up once. The thought of spending all that money, only to wake up with no lap-band because I just had to have a brownie is also a big motivator. Today there are homemade cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing in the breakroom. That very thought is what has kept me from digging in.

Mine is 4 weeks of: Hi protein low carbs shakes with 6 oz Water for Breakfast and lnch 4-6 oz protein and a green leafy vegetable for dinner 64 oz of water per day The first week I totally biffed it!! but now i've buckled down and got serious. I know i've got hunger induced delirium though. I've been thinking about cupcakes for 3 days, and i dont even like cake. Yesterday I saw a peppermint patty commercial and it was the most glorious thing i've ever seen. The grocery store by my house just put out these single serving seafood packs. 4 oz of salmon, or tilapia, or scallops, etc for $1 each. I bought enough to get me through the whole pre-op stage. they're so convenient.

I have a bella cucina rocket blender, which is like a Magic Bullet knock off for half the price. so far ive only used it to mix shakes and to whip up eggs so they'll be nice and fluffy. No problems yet.

I have a 4 week diet of liquid Protein Breakfast and lunch, with 4 oz lean protein for dinner, so my diet might be different than yours, but one thing i've found to kind of take the edge off the hunger is to boil 1 cup of chicken broth, once boiling drop in 1 egg white, to make a kind of generic egg drop soup. It's under 50 calories, less than 1 gram of fat, less than 1 gram of carbohydrates, but lots of protein, and fills me up for the night

Stomach ache huh... It gives me heartburn.

My pre-op diet is 4 weeks of: 6 oz Protein shake for breakfast and lunch 4 oz of meat and some broccoli for dinner. I did a 2 week "trial run" and it wasn't that bad. The thing thats getting me through it now that its the real diet is the thought of them cutting me open, and then closing me right back up because my liver is still too big. If i wake up without a lap-band i'll be devestated !! I mix the Protein powder with Water, so its not really that thick. The vanilla was awful, but the strawberry is tolerable. By the time dinner rolls around that 4 oz of salmon is the best thing i've ever seen in my life :thumbup: