snowbird

Snowbird!

You are so close to your goal! Congrats honey! And to think you just got banded 7 months ago! That's really good to hear!

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Thanks! We are the same height, and it looks like we started about the same weight. I'm too old to get down to 130; my face would look like an old hag. I'm already in a size 8 bottoms and a medium or large top, so I figure 13 more pounds will be enough to make me happy and healthy. Looks like you are on your way too!

...why you can't drink before you eat. I understand why you can't while you are eating and soon after, but why not before? Doesn't it just run strait through the band. This may not even be a requirement of Dr. Miranda's, I don't remember. I just know that when I went to a seminar in Dallas, the doctors there told me no drinking 1 hour before and 1 hour after. If someone could clear this up that would be great.

Dr Ortiz's rules are no drinking for 15 minutes prior to eating. However, in his book he goes on to say that some people who need more restriction drink iced drinks just prior to eating to close up the stoma a little, which he thinks is okay.

I think the only reason for no drinking before the meal is that iced drinks restrict you and warm drinks relax you. so drinking right before eating may affect the amount of food you can consume. If you are too tight, iced drinks would be bad. If you are not restricted enough, warm drinks would make it worse. I get the feeling from his book that he really doesn't think it is a big deal one way or the other. It's after meals that you really need to avoid it. Maybe someone with more medical knowledge can give a better reason, but I do drink before eating, but not after.

Tanya, were you banded by Dr Ortiz? I know his clinic does tack the port down in a couple places to guard against flips, so if you went to him and had a flip AND they omitted any part of the procedure, they might be willing to fix it and give you a break on the price.

Why don't you just give OCC a call and see what they say about their usual charges?

Hope it works out okay for you.

I am really glad my husband and I are experiencing banded life together. It means we are (usually) moving in the same direction and understand what is going on with each other. Neither of us had any problems recovering from surgery and were up and walking around within a couple of hours of surgery.

Good luck and best wishes on your embarking on a new life together.

My husband and I were banded the same day at age 53. Wish we could have done this 30 years ago, but better late than never!

I make oatmeal with diced walnuts and a small handful of blueberries and a shake of cinnamon. Put some sugar free pancake syrup on the top and it is yummy.

My husband and I were banded October 10, 2007. I have a 4 cc band and he has a 10 cc band. Our daughter was banded a year before we were. So we are a band family!

Sometimes it's just plain old TIME that will cure a plateau. I went 6 weeks without losing a pound. I didn't really change anything, then just started losing again. However, the one thing that was different during the plateau was that I was constipated most of the time. My body just decided to kick it into gear again, and I've been losing steadily since then. Sometimes patience is the only cure, which unfortunately I don't have much of!

It's like the failure rate for anything else, like birth control pills. The rate of failure goes up because you are averaging in people who do not use the product correctly.

However, there are complications with any surgical procedure, and they are not always the fault of the patient. My feeling when I got banded was that this was the best thing I could do right now. A better drug or procedure may come along in the future, and I may have to do something else to maintain weight loss at that unforeeable future time. That doesn't mean the band isn't the best decision right now.

I had my daughter's done while we got our fill and yes it is so worth it! It cost us $250 and her teeth whitened even more 2 days after which Dr. Ana said it would. Meredith is so happy and I love the results... it's so white!!! It's definitely given her a new sense of confidence... she's smiling a lot more!!!! LOL! I on the other hand have more dental work than I anticipated before I can even think about teeth whitening... I had an implant done ... yeah long story but the wrong tooth was pulled out by my local dentist here about a year and a half ago so I'm getting that tooth replaced with an actual crown implant. I'll be back in 4 months for my crown. Price...$1600. Has anyone else done an implant... I know Melody did too she is from Canada. Melody email me if you see this!

My husband's had the bases for four implants done there. He goes back next month to get the crowns put on. Very satisfied with the treatment.

It is amazing, isn't it? Everyone keeps asking us if we feel okay, like we are going to fall over in a dead faint at any moment. I don't know how many times I have explained to people that we need much, much less food to get by than the average American eats.

Since my husband and I are both banded and the kids are grown and gone, we forget how big a "normal" meal is. When we go out to dinner with friends, I am absolutely floored by the amount of food other people eat. We went out to lunch Saturday with friends, and I ordered a bowl of chili. I ate my lunch, brought the rest home, and it lasted for two more meals for me. The friends cleaned their plates, and they had ordered much larger meals than I did. It definitely makes you realize why obesity is such a problem in this country!

So I'm a little confused. At week 3 - Dr. Miranda has us eating solids....right? But I'm reading a few posts here and there that refer to "sticking", or "getting stuck", or breads not being good, etc.

So if our band is not restricted yet, and our swelling is theoretically gone, what's to stop us from being able to eat steak and pizza and....??

Can someone please explain it for me??

I do understand how the restriction works, and how that will affect the foods we choose to eat, as well as, the amount we eat. I'm just confused about the non-restricted phase between week 3 and our first fill??

Thanks bandsters!!! >

Some people do have quite a bit of restriction prior to the first fill, either from just the band or from post surgical swelling. I had a few uncomfortable moments prior to my first fill, when I tried to eat some shrimp and some pizza. It was worse after my first fill, but I could still feel some types of foods before then. I was one of the luckier ones, I guess, who had no trouble continuing to lose a couple pounds before my first fill.

We stress how many people don't have any restriction before their first fill to keep those in that position from getting discouraged. But the whole truth is that sometimes some people DO have restriction before they are filled.

I have read that vomiting or excessive pbing is the main cause of slippage. So indirectly it would be due to not eating properly, since overeating/eating too fast/eating anti-band foods would cause the pbing.

What to do what to do?

Thanks everyone!

Stop trying to convince her, nod your head and smile.

Seriously, we can't get everyone to agree with us, and it isn't necessary to do so. While it would be nice to have her support, you don't need it. Just let your results speak to her in a couple of months.

Without knowing your starting weight, it's hard to evaluate your 25 lb weight loss. However, I would guess that a lot of it is fluids. Back in my very much younger days I could lose 10 lb in a week easily, but not anymore!

My signature has my info. i don't think I will need another fill before I reach my goal of 145. In fact, I may get a slight unfill when my husband goes in for a fill in late May. I have a 4 cc band.

He was banded the same day as me, with a 10 cc band. He's had three fills totaling 7 cc, and he has some restriction but feels he will need another fill in the next 4-5 weeks.

I've been losing weight VERY slowly since my surgery (only 10 lb. in 4 weeks). It seemed I was eating so little, and the weight loss was so slow - I didn't understand it (especially when I have dieted in the past and lost up to 10 lb. in a week). The past few weeks, I could weigh every day and be the exact same weight for 5 days. *sigh*

So a few days ago, I started taking a no-doz pill in the morning with my protein bar and water breakfast. Since then, I have lost 1 - 1.5 lb. per day. I think I really needed the caffeine... since I gave up coffee and diet sodas since the surgery. Or perhaps it's all a coincidence. Who knows, eh? lol

If you used to drink a lot of caffeine, maybe you could try taking a pill form and see if that helps you. :-)

Weight loss often isn't a steady downward slope, but steps and plateaus. I went six weeks without losing a pound, then dropped five pounds in about two weeks. Keep track of your calories for a while and if they are low, you will lose weight eventually. I know eventually isn't the word you want to hear, but it will happen.

Thank you ladies!! I appreciate the support.

I think I have allowed this mood long enough. I will be banded in 9 more days and that is not too long to wait. To kick a habit that has controlled me for 19 years IS something to celebrate and, after the the surgery, I will have two reasons to celebrate. The glass is way more than half full.

Thanks again so very much.

You deserve a big hug and a pat on the back. From what I have read, you gain weight when you quit smoking because smoking irritates the intestinal tract and limits food absorption, so when you stop you absorb more food. In other words, you are gaining weight BECAUSE you are doing so well with the smoking. Don't let it get to you.

There's no need to apologize at all!!

We are all here for each other and we've all complained about something or the other... That's what's so great about the board when you're not able to talk to your friends about your banding issues, and your husband or family is tired of hearing about it you can always find someone that can offer some advice or at least sympathize with what you are feeling

I don't think I said anything about complaining. If complaining were outlawed, I wouldn't have much to say at all.

If any of us could just diet when we knew we needed to, we wouldn't be in need of surgery to help us lose weight. However, to me the fear of causing problems for my band later on trumps the desire to eat solids too early. I can diet for a few weeks; it's the maintenance in the long run that gets me. Hold out for the few days, and stop asking me if it is okay to ignore your doctor's advice. It isn't.

I'm not talking about the people who complain about the diet but still stick to it, nor the ones who look for advice on what to eat from their peers. I'm not talking about the ones struggling with the diet. I'm talking about the ones who give up the struggle after a couple days, eat whatever they want, and then come on the forum looking for validation from other bandsters for their actions. I do get tired of people saying things like, I just ate a hamburger two days post op. Do you think I did something wrong??? Yes, I do, and so do you or you wouldn't be asking!

Furthermore, if you have a serious medical problem, for heaven's sake do not check with a forum for a solution; seek a medical professional. I am serious; the episode I described actually happened on a support forum. If you are bleeding, don't ask stupid me what to do! I never went to medical school, but I'm fairly confident your doctor did. You are paying him big bucks for his care, so use it. Again, I'm not talking about complaining about a little bit of discomfort after surgery. And we all like to check with each other to see if something is the norm. But bleeding is not the norm. Fever is a sign of infection, and is not the norm. Swelling, severe pain, uncontrollable vomiting are not the norm. Don't endanger your health by waiting for us to tell you that.

My list was pretty tongue-in-cheek anyway.

I just want to say thank you to all the women that posted it has been so helpful. I’m getting band 4/17 is their any helpful tips anyone can give me? I guess I'm just getting nerves. Want to make sure everything goes right. =D>

Advice . . . I love giving advice. I don't love taking advice, but giving it is one of my favorite pastimes.

Number one in my advice column is to follow your doctor's pre and post op diet rules. Why stress yourself out by worrying that you screwed up and did my band slip? Did I jeapardize the success of my surgery? Am I an awful, wicked person? Why not just follow the !@#$! diet and stop worrying? It's only for a few weeks at the most. You can do it!

Second, don't set yourself up for failure by setting huge goals. My goals are one or two pounds at a time. Then you string them together and all of a sudden you are down ten pounds. I can tell myself I should lose ten pounds in a month, then I wait till the month is half gone, panic, feel like a failure, and get depressed. Or I can say, "I will lose a pound by Friday" and do it, and feel good about myself. By the way, I WILL LOSE A POUND BY FRIDAY.

Third, if you are feeling really bad, call your doctor. Don't go onto a forum and ask things like, "I am bleeding profusely from my ass. Should I call my doctor. What should I do?" Of course you should call your doctor!! What are you doing asking us things like that?? (By the way, there is very, very little chance this will happen.)

Don't freak out if you don't lose much weight before your first fill. Your band isn't working yet and you should just be concentrating on healing. It is common to not lose or even to gain a few pounds after you go off liquids but before you get your first fill.

Don't expect to lose 20 lb per month. You didn't gain it in six months, and chances are you will not lose it in six months either. Slow and steady wins this race. That's a good overall view, but weight loss actually comes and goes, starts and stops. I might go two or three weeks and lose nothing, then lose five pounds in a week. Don't panic.

Relax. It's surgery, but it's minimally invasive and not that bad. I was tired for a few days, and sore, but certainly not in agony. I didn't even take the four pain fills the surgeon gave me. Take it easy the first week, and gradually move back into your regular activities, and you'll be fine, assuming your regular activities don't include running a 10K race in the first month.

Thank you for your replies. They told me that if I arrived Thursday morning, they would do my pre-op that morning, and then my surgery right after, spend the night at the hospital, Friday to the hotel and home Saturday. It seems like such a quick trip. Do you know if they would allow me to stay and go home Sunday? I would feel much better. Also.. one more question. I have read that some of you are talking about excellent mexican food there before your surgery. If you've been restricted to a pre-op diet, is it ok to have a good mexican meal the night before?? Sounds wonderful to me if you can.

Call the clinic and ask about staying an extra day. Since your fee generally includes two nights at the hotel plus one at the clinic, they should be willing to discuss it with you.

Dr Ortiz told us it was okay to have a good meal the night before surgery. he said don't stuff yourself, but you can have a decent meal, Mexican food included.

Wow, I have been reading all the posts about fills/unfills. I read a post form one woman saying she was paying $500 some for a fill! Holy COW! I am just wondering if this is average for a fill? If so it seems to me that not only do you spend the $8000 for the surgery but then possibly a few thousand $$$ on fills/unfills before you have your band adjusted properly. I am now having doubts because I am barely able to scrounge up the $8000 for surgery and probably $600 for flights, but then I have to worry about a thousand or more $$$ for fills. Then if I don't get the fills then my band might be worthless anyhow (if I am not restricted). I don't know what to do.

It depends on the person doing the fill, and whether or not they use fluoroscopy, which usually costs more. Fills can be anywhere from $125 up to who knows what. I would do some research to see what the costs would be in your area before getting too far into your plans.

You might try lapbandtalk.com, another forum, that has threads for each state. You may be able to get in touch with other bandsters from your area who can help point you in the right direction.

Hi, allcdngirl. Everyone else has answered you well, so I will just say welcome, neighbor. Our home base is Blaine, Washington just across the border, although we spend a good part of the year in Arizona. I too have never heard of anyone having to get stuck food "flushed out" so I would say that is not a common occurrence.

My husband and I are headed to OCC in late May for a possible fill for him and some dental work, so maybe we will see you there.

Husband and I have been banded six months. I have lost 64 lb and he has lost about 40 (he doesn't tell me unless I specifically ask). We are both happy with our bands.