I have had mine for almost 11 years. The only protein powder I like is Jay Robbs egg white protein. But these days when I do my veggie smooties for breakfast I just use non fat greek yogurt it blends well and is loaded with protein. I use frozen spinach, orange wedge, cucumbers, celery, and water. Use more water if you need it thinner.

With Jay robbs I use a lot of frozen pumpkin with pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract, yummmmmm

Sorry I dont remember how I slept. But as I lost weight my port did flip and ended up settling right at my belt line so when I had my tummy tuck they moved it so it would not bother me as much. I would also get like a cramp where the tube was because of the scar tissue but that was nearly a year down the road.

Alcohol is dangerous especially in the beginning, not only will it hurt your poor little tummy but you can easily swap addictions since you cannot eat to comfort yourself but you can still drink. Not to mention tons of empty calories, for me after a few drinks I loose all my will power not to snack. Carbonation will hurt it is way too much bubbles for your tiny belly, you can experiment with it way later, I can now enjoy a glass or two of champagne if I really want to (usually only once a year at my anniversary!).

For stuff that is just stuck and doesnt want to go down, I will sip warm water and stretch my arms way up high, also relax! My tummy will tighten if I am cold or stressed. If it comes up and you have too many of those issues happening you could really hurt yourself and your band. Remember you band is sewn to your stomach and typically a little flap of stomach is wrapped over it (check with your surgeon). But if you cause your stomach to vomit it is stressing that stitch and it could slip or ****eyed causing all sorts of issues!

And finally, probably most importantly the people on the board who have had nightmare issues are all right! I am not sure why some of us are okay and some are not, but honestly I think it is an issue of operator error (you! over eating!) and for the bulk of people their bodies just do not like that band in their bodies and their bodies start to fight against it. Some of these poor bandsters have had life long problems, I am not a doctor but if you feel at all bad or unexplained things are happening (even if not in the vacinity of the band, one lady had arm pain) run to the doctor! And dont stop going until they help you!

For me it is all about the reality of what I am consuming. Do not kid yourself, or sugar coat or give excuses on why you feel you can eat this or that. JUST DONT! Dont eat sugar, starch, garbage. It its all too easy to eat a bag of Doritos so dont even start!!

Good luck to you

don't do it. More people have had problems with it than not. Some of these problems are irreversible. I suggest visiting the failed lapband forum on this site.

It?s not too late to lock-in the Early Bird pricing to the 2017 ObesityHelp National Conference! Buy your tickets by July 31st to save $25! Regular admission price begins on August 1st.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/events/registration

Mine seems tight if I am excited, anxious etc... Any overly emotional response, but I do notice stress is the most. And thought you may be excited to see your family, for me I notice that being excited is also paired with the nervousness of me trying to not eat all the yummy food at family events. And more so trying to hide that I am not eating so people dont make those comments, you know the loving/teasing ones about you being too skinny or not eating enough. I find if I keep busy by helping clear

We went to a BBQ yesterday and I almost did not go because I worried about all the food and drinking. I ended up going and being able to eat decently and just had a few glasses of wine. Even nearly 11 years out I still struggle with the social aspect of eating. Or controlling what I am eating.

Oh and if it is cold outside or I am cold FORGET IT! My band will be super tight, so I just sip warm water with lemon or something like that.

If I'm understanding the OP correctly she said NOT a Trickle of saline would go through so why try less? If it's not going through it's not going through. And in respect to the Bypass, Revisions are Common with band removal regardless of what kind you have. But you don't have to have a Revision if you don't want to just get the band removed. And as long as you making a payment even if it's $5 a month IMHO it's better than keeping the band due to long term complications that can arise.