Clynn

Here here! Expressing differing opinions is to be encouraged but that does not give anyone the right to be disrespectful.

Sorry hon, Arlington Washington. Probably a bit more of a drive than you're willing to take.

Had this exact problem when I was too tight. Got an unfill and it went away immediately. It was some of the most triumphant sleep I ever had. You may just need to have some of your fill taken out until things calm down.

Your body will usually give you subtle signs before before you get to the point of PB'ing. They include hiccuping, backache, or a feeling of something sticking in your chest. They're different for everyone and you're going to have to learn what they are for you. Just eat slowly and chew thoroughly. While you should do what you can to avoid throwing up, thinking that you won't is probably unrealistic. It's just a part of life with the band, especially once you get some restriction since after a fill, the rules can change very quickly. Until you get your fill you're probably not going to have a problem.

Try mixing some milk or cottage cheese in with the eggs before you put them in the pan. They will cook up lighter and fluffier and I find them easier to get down that way. Eggs are just one of those foods that some people have difficulty with while others don't.

For some people, hiccups are what's know as a soft stop. It's their bodies way of telling them to stop eating before they get in a situation where they're going to pb. When I get hiccups like that, it helps for me to take in the biggest breath I can, then stretch backwards while holding my breath as long as I can without getting dizzy. Stretching over a balance ball does the most good because it allows me to stretch out the most without being uncomfortable, but I'll use a bed or a sofa if my ball is not available.

Have you noticed yourself getting stuck with any type of food? Breads and pasta seem to give people problems the most, but salad can certainly be an issue. Try eating things which break down easily and chew to goo. If you start throwing up regularly, your stomach can be irritated and swollen, which make eating harder. Try going on liquids for a few days to let things calm down. If neither of these things work, or you have difficulty getting even liquids down, it may be time for an unfill.

Not surprising. Lots of things can throw your cycle off especially if you are a woman. I was supposed to get my period once in the middle of finals and the stress made me late by two weeks. Girls in athletics for school often stop cycling while they are training. It's just one of those things where something gets thrown out of whack biologically.

Your sweet spot isn't going to stay in the same place. There's fat around your stomach and as you lose weight, you'll lose that fat and the band will become loose. To get back in the sweet spot you'll need to get another fill.

Cut out the noodles and rice and any other simple carbs and sugary things. Focus on your protein and your vegetables. You eat so little now, it needs to count nutrition-wise. If that doesn't help, start keeping a food journal and keep track of your calories and your fats. 1,200 calories per day is what people usually shoot for and once you start keeping track of them you may be surprised what's going into your body. I hesitate to give you an actual meal plan as that's not really sustainable but you can always get back in touch with OCC's nutritionist, Dr Miranda, and work out a more structured meal plan.

Different fill places will have different guidelines but the purpose of those guidelines is to make sure your stomach is empty for your fill. I tend to do no solids four hours before and no liquids 1-2 hours before. The after fill diet is a bit more vague since that will change depending on your situation. If you're traveling a long distance for your fill they'll have you try some food right away to see if it's too tight before you start swelling up. This makes it so you don't have to turn around and come back three days later

What do you mean you feel like you have a stomach? Don't you? If everything went down fine then that is a good sign. You'll never learn what your limits are if you don't push them once and awhile. Eat slowly, chew chew chew, and stop if you feel uncomfortable. When you start pb'ing regularly or cannot get enough food down to stay nourished is when you should start worrying about being overfilled.

You can get in touch with Dr Miranda if you're worried but the doctors are just as concerned that you DID the pre-op diet as directed as they are with the weight loss. You can lose fat but gain water weight which will keep the scale from moving and there are a host of hormonal factors which can come into play to. If you're quitting smoking at the same time that can also have an effect on your metabolism. Just keep at it.

Do you mean 6 weeks? Otherwise I don't know what 3 weeks you're referring to. I assume it's not extreme beach volleyball involving lots of body slams and pushing yourself absolutely to your limits in order to win. If you haven't had any complications thus far you should be fine, just take a break if you stomach gets sore.

Depends on your phone and your plan. Check the print for international calls carefully, especially if you phone is capable of internet access and emails. Plenty of international travelers have gotten burned big time when their phone was doing data transmissions for email or simply looking for a signal and got hit with massively inflated international rates. To be safe from this, you can turn your phone off. To be paranoid, you can take the battery out.

I remember a week out from surgery and I had some friends over. One of them triumphantly brought over a bottle of grain alcohol and told me it was a clear liquids and I should be able to drink it. I think if I did it would have actually melted my band.

The rule of thumb for the full liquid stage is that you can have anything that will go through a straw. By this guideline, milk is fine but peanut butter is not. Once you're on solids you'll learn best by trial and error as each person is a bit different on what works and what doesn't. I only ever once had a problem with pills and in fact just took two large vitamin tablets.

When you say noodle soup are you eating the noodles? I can't eat hardly any bread or pasta without getting stuck.

I LOVE roller coasters, and spent three days doing them about 6 weeks after my surgery. If you're going to do something to your band from the outside you're going to have to work at it. Just mind the exercise guidelines for post-op and you'll be fine.

You can drink normal if it doesn't cause any discomfort. Sounds like you're doing fine.

I'm unclear on why you don't want to tell your doctor about this. Were you on painkillers at the time of the accident? Are you afraid the other driver will use this against you in court? On that note, what if you didn't say anything but the other driver's lawyers found out anyway, then they could argue you inhibited your own medical treatment for money. Has your doctor asked if you have a band or any other implants? If they asked for a medical history you should tell them, that's why they ask. It probably won't make a difference or be a big deal, but that's not really your or my call to make.

If anybody does notice you can say your stomach's feeling a little off. Not technically a lie and usually doesn't invite more questions.

An additional fill within 3-10 days is $50, but an unfill is free anytime if they provided your fill.

The word among the local lap-band community is that Dr Neal's office is trying to discourage taking on Mexican band patients. I've gone there for two fills and was disappointed with the last one not being aggressive enough. I've also heard plenty of stories from other Mexican patients about their less than positive attitude towards us, though I've never experienced any of that myself. My last three fills have been with the NW Fill Management in Arlington. There's nothing wrong with a blind fill if you have an idea of what effect it has on your restriction and are willing to be cautious with your fill amount. The price difference allows me to get smaller fills more often which is much less of a shock on my system. If you do end up too tight they can get you in pretty quick for an unfill and it doesn't cost anything.

You really shouldn't be doing shakes as the band has no effect on them. Just eat normal, healthy meals in small portions. Chew slowly and be sure to get enough vitamins, protein, and calories. If you're not losing weight given your diet below, you may already be in starvation mode.