MollyRN

Elcee - I have to admit that I giggled when I saw geographic tongue - but no....I don't have anything like what they list there.

Thanks everyone for all of this input. The PREDOMINANT issue I have is the metallic taste, but my tongue feels the way it would feel if I ate a ton of citrus fruit, you know what I mean? I am going to my PCP tomorrow - will write back with his determination.

Thank you Betsy for weighing in....I was waiting for you! I have done a low carb diet before and not had these issues. In fact, I feel like I am really not working that hard on what I am eating - Proteins first and really that is it. I am losing 2-3 lbs per week and I feel really good. I will make a doctor's appointment at my regular doc about this. I don't have my typical signs of yeast problems - which I have indeed dealt with in the past. As far as this having to do with surgery, it started about 6 days into my pre-op diet so it cannot be related. I have not tested my ketones but I think I will buy the sticks today just to have that measurement in mind. Thanks.

Completely agree about the pain things - in fact, that's my current topic on my blog. I absolutely did bring this up with my doctor and they didn't seem really phased by it. I am eating about 1300-1400 calories per day and there are SOME carbs in the mix - although I admit, most of it is Protein as I really only feel good if I am eating about 65-75g of protein per day. I really just wondered if there were people out there who had the same thing and when it went away... My nutritionist sent me to a website that contains the following: What is ketosis? Is it dangerous to be in ketosis? Ketosis is among the most maligned and misunderstood concepts in nutrition because it is often confused with ketoacidosis, which is a life-threatening condition. Ketosis is the accumulation of ketone bodies in the body, which is the end result of fat metabolism. When carbohydrate intake, as well as calorie intake, is sufficiently limited for a long enough period of time, the body is forced to use the fat stores for energy. When fat is burned (metabolized) it produces ketone bodies, which are then used instead of carbohydrates for energy. Excess ketones are excreted through the urine and their presence can be measured by testing the urine with a ketone stick. Ketosis is a natural adjustment to the body's reduced intake of carbohydrates as the body shifts its primary source of energy from carbohydrates to stored fat. Ketosis is not an abnormality nor does it present any medical danger to the patient. Ketosis only presents a danger to the patient if the patient is an insulin-requiring diabetic, i.e. a Type 1 diabetic. Everyone is in SOME degree of ketosis all day. The most sensitive tests of ketosis ("NMR" and "blood ketone level") show that we all have ketones under any condition. For instance, anyone off the street (not dieting or exercising, having just eaten) may have a ketosis reading of 0.003 to 0.01; most of us are up to about 50 after not eating overnight; after completing a marathon, runners have readings of over 100; in the first week of a diet (whether or not it's "ketogenic"), the readings are around 200-300. It would be difficult to make a credible argument against ketosis, which has been used so successfully with both healthy people seeking improved fitness and nutritionally fragile children with epilepsy, diabetes, and cancer. What is Ketosis? Simply stated Ketosis is a measurement of fats burning. Burned fat is broken down into Ketones, which the body uses for energy. When you burn a larger amount of fat than is needed for energy, the left over Ketones are excreted through the urine. Ketones can be measured by checking your urine with a Ketone stick. A pink to purple color indicates that you are in Ketosis. In addition to losing fat more rapidly, most people report feeling less hungry and more energetic while in Ketosis. Because the body burns fat stores, after it burns available carbohydrates, the Lean for Life weight loss plan is designed to help you achieve Ketosis by limiting your daily total carbohydrate intake as well as limiting total calories. Most adults achieve Ketosis when their daily carbohydrate intake is somewhere in the range of 50-100 grams. Dietary Ketosis itself is not dangerous to a normal, healthy person.

Betsy....I love you. I look for you and your comments. I had my first fill last Thursday - and the majority of my time with my surgeon was talking about exactly what you said here. I lost 5 lbs in my bandster hell period up to my first fill (in 3 weeks) and I did it by dieting honestly. I was starving. But I knew that I had to hang in there until the band was "turned on." My doctor spent awhile explaining RESTRICTION - RESTRICTION does not mean that you cannot eat things....It means that you don't get hungry for a long time. I wish people would use this term correctly on this site. The flow thru is RESTRICTED, not our diets. Our diets have to be SELF RESTRICTED. We have to make good choices and we have to take responsiblity for the things we put in our mouths. So if we are unwilling to do some of the work, the band isn't going to pick up the slack. I am excited with my first fill - got 4ccs and today I ate 2 times and finally feel full for about 5 hours between meals. That is band restriction. Molly restriction was the decision to eat chicken instead of a cupcake

Anyone notice a metallic taste in their mouth? Started during the pre-op diet. Forgot to ask the doc today...

Got my first fill today. Nutritionist said "We installed the band 24 days ago, but today we turn it on." Excited. Got 4ccs, which I hear is a little aggressive. liquid going down - feeling good. Anyone else able to feel the tubing move inside of them during a fill? Little freaky... no pain though, doc went in blind with no numbing...but darn, shouldn't he know where my port is? He put it in afterall!!! I put some other observations on my blog A Lead Singer

I had my surgery on July 26.... this was mild pre-op but now, I might as well be sucking a penny!

I got 4ccs on my first fill yesterday. I asked how he decides and he smiled and said, "experience." When I was leaving, the nurse said that my doc was a little aggressive with the first fill but that the pay off would be good - MY FINGERS ARE CROSSED! I am scheduled to go back on September 13.

How are you feeling today? I can feel the tightness without even drinking something - is that in my head???

Froggie....I looked it up and I think you are right. It's a good thing right?? It has gotten increasingly strong. From what I read it means that your body is burning fat, is there a down side to that? You just changed my entire feeling about my metal mouth!!!

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Me too! First fill.... got 4ccs though! A little scared!! How did your doc make the determination about how much to put in?

I am excited to have my first fill tomorrow. I am 23 days out from surgery and my weight loss has now pretty much leveled off - I am hoping for a little jump start tomorrow even though I know that it often takes a couple of fills to get it right. I know the doc does the fill and then has you make sure you can swallow Water. Do you go back on liquid for a couple of days?

For me it was 9 days exactly :cursing: 5 days where I just ate/drank what I had to... a couple of days feeling happy to have shakes and then hunger set in. But it has been manageable and I have stayed in control. My first fill is this week and I am happy about that. I liked the promise of not being hungry and I am ready to feel that!

I can totally relate - I am 3 weeks now and I am hungry more than I expected to be. I pretty much am dieting right now... but I get my first fill this week. Call your doctor and see if they will do it sooner. If not, fight fight fight. It won't always be this hard - this is bandster hell right? Don't give up. Two weeks will fly by ..... you can do it.

Taking on the air stretches a new pouch....burping or not.

AWESOME!!!!!! I am LIVING for that day...so cool. Congrats and keep up the awesome work!

I totally spent hours doing the same thing the days after my surgery! Funny!

My surgeon is George Fielding is kind of one of the leaders in the field of laparoscopic surgery (not just the lap band) and he explained the reason most people do a preop diet and it does relate to the liver. They need to manipulate and lift the liver. Imagine doing this to a piece of bread, it may crack or break. The liquid diets make the liver more flexible and thinner (most of us have fatty livers to begin with). I think the pre-op diet probably correlates to overall statistics on outcomes, honestly. If you do the research, the doctors with the lowest negative outcomes probably are the MOST conservative preop.

Please...please please... could someone give me a sample daily menu of theirs? With quantities included? I am really trying to figure out how to get enough Protein, without a lot of fat, into two or three SMALL meals per day. And also, anyone know how much fat is too much fat in one day?

I love the blogs! Mine's below.

I know someone who had their surgery put off and I also know someone who could not have their surgery laproscopically because of the condition of their liver.