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I've actually never been a soda drinker, think it makes my mouth taste nasty and my teeth scummy so my question is about other carbonations. I love mineral water which is often carbonated and since alcohol is out during the first few healing months it would be nice if I could have a club soda with lime or something when out with friends. So is the big worry over carbonation because of soda-carbonation and its empty calories, or is it over the tiny bubbles? I'm a month out and yes I will ask my surgeon but, soda water - thoughts, comments?

Which PPI are you on? Are your calories matching your activity level? As stupid as it sounds, GasX strips contain some sugar alcohol which triggers some funky hunger like feelings for me. It's not hunger really, it's just this funky strange feeling I get. I was able to isolate it when I was snacking on Protein bars. On the PPI, are you taking it on an empty stomach and waiting a minimum of 30-60 minutes before eating? This is on my RX of Prilosec, and I have a girlfriend down here that went on Protonix (generic) and her bottle reads the same.

I dont know a Dr in that area, but I am sure there are plenty. It actually sounds to me like you are too tight, therefore cannot eat a reasonable amount of food, so you settle for alcohol and proberly other "bad" slider foods. I would consider getting a unfill....I have noticed that I do not lose weight when I eat a lower calorie diet. And just so you know, I was in the same situation. I have been banded 3 years. I lost 30 pounds the first 6 months. The nothing. I disnt have real good restriction and I didnt make good food choices. I finally decided i needed to use my tool! I started going to the gym 5-6 days a week and realing watching my food. I went and had a fill...I know have great restriction...and I have made it to my initial goal...I now love the gym and really into weightlifting etc...I feel great and look even better... Dont resort to drugs...use your tool...and yes, its not a magic pill...u have to put in some work!

Hi Brian, I don't think I'm really qualified to answer most of your questions because I am just getting ready to get banded myself, but from the research I have done I think you need to find a new dr who can help you figure out why you cant stop throwing up. I'm sure you already know that drugs and alcohol won't help solve any of the problems that you are having. Have you considered talking to a councelor as well, I know it has really helped me overcome some very difficult circumstances in my life. I will be praying that you find some answers and that you will be able to overcome all the obstacles that you are facing now. Try to look back and remember all the things that you have already overcome and how far you have come. I know that that is not always an easy thing to do, but it always helps me to think about where I could be compared to how far I have come. Take care and God bless you, Wendy

Hey everyone, Name is Brian. I have had the lap band for about 3 years now. I lost 50 pounds in the first 3 months with the band. In the last 2.5+ years I have not lost any weight in some cases I maybe gained a few. I have a 10cc band and have 9cc`s currently in my band. No restriction. You would think that not loosing weight is the worst part. But its not. No matter how little I eat. No matter how well I chew my food. I am constantly throwing up, It has had serious Psychologically hurting implications. I am self medicating with alcohol on a constant basis and I am constantly thinking about going back to smoking methamphetamine's to loose weight. I have survived through drug induced heart attacks(2) and I have also survived a shooting 1 bullet in my side and 2 in my stomach, and I dont think I have ever felt lower then I feel now. Lots of people know I had the Lap Band and I am always the center of Jokes that I dont know how much more I can take. Is their any RESTART that I could do? Like Open my band all the way and fast to shrink everything ? Like you would restart your computer when it is running slow. I also need a doctor Local to Los Angeles where I live. Who is caring and will help me. My doctor is about 3 hours from Los Angeles and its too much to go up their and even when I am up their he has little advice to give me. PLEASE HELP.

I was told no alcohol & no carbonated or caffeinated beverages. Acceptable clear liquids are: decaffeinated tea and coffee, sugar free kool aid, sugar free jello, sugar free/clear popsicles, clear broth and bouillon, crystal light, minute maid light, diet snapple and sugar free/ low sugar protein supplements. Hope this helps

So those who've read my posts know that I asked a lot of questions before surgery about post-op depression, and have had a few struggles since my surgery with the problem. I've had a lifelong history with depression and anxiety, and have at various points in my life done therapy and been on just about every medication known. None of those things worked, long term. Note: some people do suffer real physiological depression post-op. It is well documented, and you should always talk to your doctor if you're struggling. I'm just posting my findings so that some of you might have a head start in unraveling this ball of twine. What I'm finding is that my depression is almost entirely related to physiological factors. In short, when I take care of my physical needs adequately, I'm not depressed or anxious. In fact, when I'm getting enough sleep, food (especially carbs -- yes, the evil carbs!), Water, and exercise, my mood is very, very good. When I AM taking care of myself, I'm calm (not anxious), hopeful, and generally a pleasant person. However, any of the following will QUICKLY put me into a tail spin: Not getting enough sleep. I don't know how many times I'm going to have to re-learn this lesson, but for posterity, here it is: if I don't get enough quality sleep, I'm a wreck. This is getting more pronounced as I get older, and has gotten dramatically more pronounced since the surgery. It used to be that it took a week or two of crappy sleep (or not enough sleep) to bring me down. Now a day or two and I'm a wreck. Not getting enough exercise. This is intimately tied in to sleep; when I am exercising regularly and vigorously, I sleep better. But even if you take sleep out of the picture, exercise has worked better for me than any antidepressant I've tried, and it has worked quicker. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of better living through chemistry; if you need AD's, take them, but for me, exercise is much more effective. It can nip an anxiety attack in the bud, and 15 minutes of brisk walking in the sunshine (or even in the gray... come on, this is Seattle!) can prevent an entire day of blue moping. Not eating enough. If I don't eat enough food, or good enough food, I am a mess. I get wobbly and cranky and prone to irritability and depression. Worse, I tend to compensate-eat later, and eat far more calories (and far worse calories) than I would have if I'd just forced myself to eat properly to begin with. Also, I've noticed a strong correlation between mood and carbohydrate intake in particular. I guess it makes sense; taking in far fewer calories means I have far fewer reserves to spare, but quite often snapping out a blue funk is as easy as drinking a glass of skim milk (which has both Protein and milk sugar -- a win/win combination of carbs and protein, according to my nutritionist). Not drinking enough. This doesn't make me blue, but it makes me feel ill and grumpy, and that often leads to OTHER bad behaviors that precipitate blue-ness. Drinking too much caffeine. Of course, overindulgence in caffeine is always a shortcut to feeling icky, but since my surgery I've found that my tolerance is much, much lower. One big cup of coffee can make we wired and jittery for hours, followed by a deep crash of exhaustion and depression and anxiety. It's almost not worth it anymore. Drinking too much alcohol. Similarly, alcohol is a depressant so this shouldn't be that surprising. What's surprising is how much stronger the effects are now. Particularly, unfortunately, the negative effects -- two or three drinks and I'm hung over, moody and anxious the next day. Just like caffeine, it's to the point where the "fun" is almost not worth the cost. None of this means that I can avoid other good mental hygiene, like keeping social contacts strong and so forth. But ultimately, I find that simply taking care of my body -- doing the things I should be doing anyway -- is the most potent antidepressant available. It's as simple as this: when I take care of myself, I don't get anxious or blue. When I don't, I suffer.

No one can make you feel like a failure without your permission. If someone tries, smile sweetly and think, "Permission denied, sucker." No one who has recovered from alcoholism is a failure. As for a device controlling your eating: it is a medical procedure to help you cope with a medical problem. Would you hesitate to use insulin to control diabetes or an inhaler to control asthma? As for encouragement, I can only tell you that the band is working well for me and that I would do it gain in a heartbeat. Good luck and great blessings to you.

I am going to Vegas next month and I will be about 2 1/2 months out from surgery by then. I would love to be able to have a drink socially here and there, but I don't want to harm my tummy. has anyone tried it that soon and if so was it ok? Thanks Sherri

Good for you, August, on all counts. When I had surgery many years ago, I was concerned about the use of pain pills. A very wise nurse who was also AA told me firmly that even addicts and alcoholics had the right and need to be pain-free after surgery, and that if pain pills were used properly, there was no danger inherent in the use. When the pain quit, so did I.

My doctor is OK with alcohol in moderation. I had my first glass of wine about a week after surgery. Hope that helps! Catherine

My doc says that an occasional glass of wine or mixed drink is fine but no beer/carbonated beverages. The only thing about alcohol is that there are extra calories...

Every doctor has different rules. Mine recommends against alcohol until goal is reached. That's not a safety guideline, though--it's geared to maximize weight loss. (He's a low-carb kind of guy--and it's worked really well for me.) Other doctors are okay with light alcohol use, but recommend against carbonation.

How long before alcohol consumption after lapband surgery?

I'm going in on a Friday and hoping to be back by Monday (Tuesday at the latest). My twin sister had lapband surgery last year and took a whole six weeks off. She has an excellent employer!! I do know that she was not allowed to drink alcohol for 1 year. It's something to do with corrosion of the band. You may want to research that before you partake! A year out she enjoys a drink now and then.

alcohol swabs:thumbup:

Rubbing alcohol. Or my Dr said to let it wear off naturally if it was too close to the incisions.

Hi. I have a knee problem that makes walking difficult. About 16 months ago I finally went to a Orthopedic surgeon about the pain. Horrific. In a very harsh way he said I was to young for a replacement and that I was fat. Yeah like I did'nt know that. Well I started swimming everyday (7 days a week) and some food choice changes and lost 30 pounds. Despite these changes at 39 I got a blood clot in the brain and had a mini stroke). At one of my many doctors appointments afterward one said to me "Have you ever considered weight loss surgery?" I was devistated. Because I felt like I had been working on my weight and I still had a stroke! Three weeks later I went to my First Consult. I totally understand that it's hard for you to do weightbearing exercise and strongly recommend swimming. I use a waterproof MP3 player which makes exercising so much better. I'm really lucky in that my family has been very supportive of the surgery. My brother is a recovering alcoholic so my family knows we (as a family) have addictive personalities. I am not telling anyone outside my immediate family (plus one friend who has weight issues whose sister is considering Lap Band). It boils down to the fact that this is your body and you're the one who has to live with it's problems. No one else.

Alcohol - of the rubbing sort Same way you get price stickers off of glass frames :thumbup:

Please DO NOT feel like a failure if you decide to get banded. I used to feel like that and then one day there was a "click" inside me and I didn't care what other people thought. It's about YOU and what you need to help you lose weight. Some of us just need a little help and that's what the band is--a helpful tool. I'm not banded as of yet, but I can't wait!! This is a way for us to live life the way it was meant to be lived. No one bats an eye if an alcoholic or a drug addict gets help so why is it so bad to get help with food??

Hello there! I love this site as everyone is so honest and open and it has really helped me with my research and options. My short (but often unfortunately repeated) story is a weight struggler from aged 10 now 34 need to lose for my little one's sake and mine. Sick of seeing person in a mirror that is not me. need help - drastically. I lost 4 st in 4 mnths on CD last year (loved the mid bit where I was released of thoughts of food)- nearly gained all that again - same old story diff diet ... I know a band will suit me as when I had my 2 pregnancies I was lighter both times at the end - than at the beginning! NHS/ PCT won't fund so only option is to go private (prob diff story if i was an alcoholic or drug user). Now or never for me as the beleif in myself losing weight virtually none. Hadn't much money so was relieved to find europesurgery; I was scheduled to be banded with Chris De Buyrne(? is that right) in Belgium at beginning of Sept but family intervened - or rather sister - and stumped up £3k (bless her) for me to stay alot closer in UK and have package which includes psycholigical assistance. So now I am awaitiing my LAP-BAND® op (with Spire) in Sept - date tbc! Any other Septemberbanders (hee!) out there? please say hi! x

Its all a learning process. Don't feel bad. Another thing that may have made you tighter is the alcohol. It dehydrates and my band tends to be tighter when I'm dehydrated. So, as much as possible drink cold water. The other poster that says warm/hot liquids can worsen the swelling is right. I got too tight after a fill and drank warm broth thinking it would help and it pretty much closed me entirely up for a few hours. My doctor told me afterwards to only drink cold liquids if I ever feel that tight again.

fyi-per my dentist, sugar fee mints have sorbitol...an alcohol....which is drying and causes bad breath.

Alcohol calories are always the first burned, even when the body is in deficit, they are such a ready source of energy. So if you drink, and drinking, even white wine can certainly add up calorie wise, the rest of what you eat will only be burned after the alcohol, its really just sugar. Everyone here knows I'm no fan of high Protein diets but it is certainly true that if you take in sugar and readily burned refined carbs, then you are giving your body such an easy source of energy that it will always burn in preference to fat. Your body only turns to fat if your glycogen stores are fairly depleted, and that will never happen if you keep filling up on sugar. I like my wine too though, not sure whether giving it up is worth it to be 10lb lighter, lol.

I'm sure you hear this all the time, but let me start by saying you are an awesome parent to know you needed this surgery to be there for your babies. ((((HUGS)))) to you on that. With that being said, I currently have the Lap Band that I am having LOADS of problems with. My husband also has the band and has lost 20 pounds in 5 years, he can still eat the "old way". I believe once I recover he too will convert to this surgery once our insurance decides it's cheaper than all the problems associated with the Band or RNY. As far as your food issues. What really helped me when I was going through my "withdrawals" from food was to really tell mysel that "The Colonel", "pizza, Pizza Dude", "The Golden Arches and all of them had done me WRONG. Basically they were all slowly killing me and taking me away from my friends and family. Why would I stay with a friend who continually hurt me physically? I wouldn't and neither would you. So if food is your friend then why would it hurt you so much? I understand correctly eating food isn't like alcohol or drugs or cigarettes you have to eat to live. But that's just it, you eat to live not live to eat. They did surgery on your tummy not your head. And until you get to a point and you will that you realize all the awesome benefits you get from giving up the beast that has hurt you so badly over the years you will feel this way. You've lost 23 pounds so far which is amazing. Your ticker says you want to lose 95 more pounds. I would be willing to bet within the next few months you will be almost half way to the remaining goal of 95 pounds. Write down a list of things that you want to do that has nothing to do with your scale weight. Such as taking your kiddos on a roller coaster, fiting into a regular airline seat w/o an extention, bending over to tie a shoe without feeling like you can't breathe, etc. Basically write out all your Non-Scale Victories and put that on your refigerator. When you start "missing" food look at the chart and by all means mark through each goal as you achieve it. Doing that will keep you motivated. As a single parent I would be willing to bet if it came down to doing something for the kids or yourself the kids would win everytime! Well you are doing this for yourself but also for your KIDS. They will have an even more awesome and interactive dad than they have ever had. You developing a closer relationship with your kids will fill the "void" you my feel without that extra food. YOU CAN DO THIS. You may also want to write down a list of everything you hate about being obese. This will give you an actual list of how your old friend aka food has "done you wrong". Perhaps this will make you miss it all the less. Another suggestion is to take up a new hobby or two that has absolutely NOTHING to do with food. Also when you go to visit folks, be there for the company, NOT the food. You are there for adult interaction, not whatever is there to eat. That's a hard one I had problems with that one for a long time because nobody ever serves others nasty food. lol. Take care my friend and remember you are never alone here. I sincerely wish you and yours the best.