happygirl02

information can be found by googling... support and encouragement and help is what a forum is all about =D> if things were so cut and dry as "it's not rocket science" (which is a very demeaning statement to make, by the way - why don't you just call us stupid), we'd all have simply started burning more calories than we take in and not have ever needed to get banded , including the ones who made that statement! i hope that you (original poster) will be able to sift through the replies here and find some great advice and some encouragement - even if it is just enough to get you through another day

i too am praying that ultimately you will find your lost item. i have faith that if you don't recover it, god will bring you peace in your heart and he'll provide a way for you to move forward in your grief. i admire your request for prayer - too often we just accept things as they are without giving god a chance to fix it!

sip slowly!

i love your information!! it's always fresh and helpful - even if it's already known, it certainly encourages me to be a better me

i'm curious about the alcohol thing also. so what if it's a lower calorie bevie, and hour after your meal? is that any different than having an iced tea or coffee laced with cream? yes, i know that if i'm counting the calories it's not the wisest, but as far as it being okay to combine alcohol and the band... is this safe and fine?

D - don't ever think you've failed... just begin a new day with a fresh start!

that chocolate shake can truly take off the cravings - so what if they're high in calories - at this point you're not getting many to begin with and it's far more important to stay away from the solids. whatever it takes baby! love the pretzel licking. i've licked a few myself MAKE SURE YOU SPIT IT OUT! actually, once you've licked all the salt off, what remains is kind of yucky anyway. i'm on my last day of liquids - yay me! this means you will be in my position soon enough! keep going david

interesting info from bragman. i tried to get these at gnc here in canada and they'd never even heard of "protein bombs". the store manager told me that if we don't get them but the u.s. does, it's likely they have not been approved in canada. she also mentioned that anything that gives you a surge of protein is pretty much useless because we absorb a small amount of it and after 2-3 hours what is not absorbed is passed. she said we're far better to space any protein supplement throughout the day.

thanks so much for the response! great to hear that it's been fine with many of you. i'll let him know of the surgery and show him where my port is - there just may be a few "moves" he doesn't do and that's fine as long as i get some relief! and julie b, i'll second that order!

i have had back issues on and off for many many years. with my fibromialgia, massage is just not an option - causes me to inflame ( chiropractic care is the only thing that seems to help and i have full coverage for it with my insurance! i'm wondring if it's still alright, seeing as they usually bend and twist my mid section lots.

i am 19 days in and i can definitely attest to how insanely sorry i feel for myself that i have to eat soup and shakes while everyone around me munches on yumminess! but... that being said... i only have 2 days to go and you too will come to the day that you only have 2 days left! the only way to get through this liquid stage is variety, variety. go out and buy some of the ready to serve yummy soups like knorr carrot/coriander, potato, spring veggies, etc. these are nice and thick and don't taste at all like hospital cream soups! you may want to liquify them down slightly with a bit of milk. if you get something with chunks, just blend it smooth. i like to add a dollop of sour cream for some added richness the other thing i have done when i'm really feeling down is to go and get a small shake somewhere. sipped nice and slowly this will make you feel like you are not missing out on ANYTHING! everyday i count down how many days i have left and this way i see that it gets smaller and smaller you can do it!! no more solid cheats - you don't need them and your $7000 surgery is way too important to slip up on just for a couple of crunches. go liquiders go!!

hey! i'm 19 days in and the only glue that has come off is the one near my bra-band (likely from my bra rubbing). the others are still as stuck as can be. i totally depends on your skin's cell renewal - it will slowly start to slough off as the skin under it and surrounding it sheds. love your glue - it is what keeps everything where it should be and keeps things safe from bacteria. if it came off too early you'd have to be doing the polysporin all the time and wearing bandaids!

good job posting the info - i don't think its slander or anything like that! i know that if i ended up at the same doc and found out it was THIS one, i'd wish you'd have named him i'm so sorry for your terrible experience - i can't imagine how you must feel about it all. i just pray that you will be able to erase the whole thing from your mind and start on a fresh note so that you can loooove your band and look forward to the next fill!

hi all - thanks so much for the response! here's another question for you who have had fills with that doctor... did you have to pay an consultation with him before he'd accept you as a patient? i've heard of people having to pay upwards of $300 just to meet with the dr for a consult! great info on the air canada sale - unfortunately that price is only from calgary - from winnipeg it's still 260 each way plus all the fees = $800 round trip!! maybe that's not alot for a surgeon who rakes in $7000 x 9 patients / day but its alot for me!!

hey. with the recent postings of traumatic first fills, i'm starting to feel a little nervous about my first fill (i'm almost at 3 weeks now). i really can't afford the 700 bucks it costs me to fly to san diego and go to occ, being from winnipeg, mb. but... i can hop on a westjet sale to calgary for 90 perway! i'm looking to hear any reviews / experiences will fill in calgary so that i can weigh my options a little better. also, does anyone offer flouro there? thanks for whatever info you have

i hear ya! i'm at day 14 and everyone says "you must be really excited for your first fill!" i don't really know! i'm also scared of solid foods after that first fill. stories of doubling over chest pains and pbing doesn't exactly excite me. but... i know that these are just a few stories! usually you hear more about problems than good things kind of like the news! they're not listing all the places that are doing well - just letting you know where there are problems around the world! i'm sure there are a gazillion stories about life after the first fill. it seems to me that if we just tread slowly and cautiously our bodies will let us know when to stop. dr. o has said that we should test our band... not by seeing how much we can fit in but by seeing how little can satisfy us. good advise, i'd say

i find this topic oh so interesting... i am on day 14 and soup has become the bane of my existance! shakes come in a quick second. when hotty dr. O banded me, he gave me his latest info sheet which described why some patients do well with the band and others feel that it fails them. the main thing was the post-op and post-fill diet. he now is saying "no mushy foods" only smooth soups. the whole "whatever can get through a straw" thing is no longer recommended according to both him and dr. miranda (occ nutritionist). apparently things like chili, potatoes - anything that won't immediately slide through the pouch - will actually have to sit in your pouch for a time and it's not much different than solids in that way. the pouch is swollen do to banding or the fill and adding anything to it will cause it to swell even more and can very likely push the band down your stomach, creating a much larger pouch and less chance of ever feeling restriction or having much weight loss. wow - what a sermon! anyway, as much as i hate creamed soups by now, i certainly don't want my band to slip at all - what's the point of spending 7grand!! i figure if dr. ortiz is supposed to be "the man" than it may be best to follow his coveted advise

so lately i've been reading about quite a few people who cannot eat more than 2-5 bites per meal. period. this doesn't seem right to me at all - i was under the impression that with fill, you should be eating about 1/3rd the amount you would without a band. i'm thinking that most people who have gotten banded ate far more than 15 bites before being banded! why else would we need banding?! i love my food too much to only 3 bites of food and then have to quit for another 3 hours! besides, how are you supposed to get any nurishment with only 9 bites of food per day?! are these people simply too tight? interestingly enough, many of them have been filled at the occ... makes me wonder if it's worth the big trip. certainly can't afford to go and then go back for an unfill! just curious... will be going for first fill soon enough jules

there's always soup pierre! but yes... we should go and share a kids meal somewhere

hey beautiful lady! wish you were closer so we could do this together i didn't have my first "movement" since surgery on friday till TODAY. boy did it feel nice to get that out but kinda hurt on the exit my chest pain was for about 3 days, maybe four and then way better... hardy at all now. you can do it! warm bevies seem to be more soothing and help with the gas issues - broth (low on the sodium though), peppermint tea, camomile tea. always have a mug in your hand and those liquids will do their job. careful on the "help" with the bowels - diarrhea is not going to feel very good right now - your tummy needs calm. love ya!

even the cream soups? cause bandsters, i tell ya, i am STARVING. the more soup i can have the easier it is to live with me at this point (

peppermint tea with some sugar was my best friend for the first couple of days until the gas and bloating subsided. its very soothing and a great anti-nausea

i'm on day 6 and it's not nearly as bad as you fear went back to the hotel same night. incisions are tender for a number of days, port is tender also. up until yesterday i felt very bloated. for the first 2 days i'd get some sharp gas bubbles in the chest but they go quickly... don't do salty bouillon broth that causes even more bloat! warm peppermint tea seems to be everyone's favorite for the gas and bloat. i didn't have any shoulder pain, nor did any of my fellow bandsters from that day... we all felt bubbles in the chest. no saliva from me at all and certainly not a morning sickness feeling. move slowly and take it easy for a few days... it's surgery! you'll be fine

i am still on my 3 week liquids after banding and am starting to wonder if the thicker liquids like protien shakes and cream soups can stretch my pouch if i have too much at once. does anyone know this? or does all liquid just run straight through? thanks! i don't want to do anything to jeopardize this pricey thing!!

i want to be able to wear the outfit right off the mannequin! wear anything but pants (that's all i'll wear right now). parade around naked