hautemama

Hello. Some of you may remember me from January when I first got banded. I had alot of problems with nausea and ended up hospitalized for several days. Well, for the past 4 months, I have been doing ok. I have lost almost 40 pounds with really no effort and I hate to say it, but no exercise. I just simply ate less, ALOT less. I didn't follow the Protein recommendations or really anything about the lapband diet. Well, my eyes are opened now. On Tuesday, while at work, I began vomiting blood. I spent the past three days at the hospital undergoing all sorts of scopes and tests. I was really worried something was wrong with my band. The diagnosis was severe gastritis- in otherwords, as my doctor put it, I have lost the entire lining of my stomach. The likely cause? Stress. And God knows I've had alot of stress. Infact, someone sent a social worker to come see me at the hospital and after I unloaded on her, she asked a Priest to come see me. She never did come back. Guess it was too much for her too. Anyhow, my point of the story is to take care of yourself- not just count protein or cups or whatever. But work on your mind. My stomach didn't make me fat, my mind did. This was a huge wakeup call for me to stop, slow down, and take care of myself. I hope this helps someone else out there. Hautemama

I'm 3 months post op and have had no fills and no saline in my band ever. Month 1 post op, I was sick and lost 25 pounds. Second month until last week- I lost maybe 1 to 3 pounds. I could eat more though I was scared to eat too much. Then all of a sudden last week I started losing again. My appetite is minimal. That is HUGE for me since I was ALWAYS hungry- I'd even wake up in the middle of the night to eat. Now I go 4 -6 hours between meals which are quite small and I feel so full. There's another post on here about not losing which is very helpful to read.

I forgot to add that I was banded on Jan 11, 2011. Lost 25 pounds right away first 3-4 weeks because I was so ill after my surgery. But then, it just stalled- for about 4weeks- no real activity. Now at 3 months post op- I'm losing again- with no fill at all.

I stalled for about 4 weeks- lost a few pounds but really not much activity. Then all of a sudden last week- it's picked up. No change in my diet- the scale just started to move. Incredible since I have not had a fill and there is no saline in my band at all. I can go 4-6 hours between meals and when I do it, it's very small amount. And I hate to say it, but I have been so busy orienting for my new job- I haven't exercised. But since last week- I have lost 10 pounds. I am so glad to read these posts about stalling and unstalling. I was wondering what the heck happened. Hautemama

It's the port. I was banded in January and had the same feeling. Now that I've lost over 30 pounds, its really apparent where the port is when I feel around. Sometimes, my port area is sore and I still can't get comfortable laying on my stomach. But overall, it does get alot better. Hang in there.

I ate some ravoli today with a coworker at my new job. Since I'm Catholic and it's Lent- I can't eat meat. It was the only thing on the very limited menu at the small place across the street from work. I think I ate too fast and maybe alittle too much. Now I'm sore - but no sliming, no burping, no nausea- nothing. And definately haven't been hungry the past 7 hours. Anyone else have this happen?

This is a great question. I have been wondering the same thing. But what bothers me the most is bread. Any kind of bread food. Absolutely HORRIBLE. meat too can be a problem but not as bad as the bread crap. Steamed veggies go down really nice. All you can do is try alittle bit and see what happens. Hautemama

I've read a couple of posts about people saying that maybe it's band irritation vs. a slippage. Can you irritate your band area and if so, what kind of symptoms would you have? I'm concerned about this after a couple of stuck episodes though I have no symptoms of slippage and am still losing weight without any saline in my band. Thanks! Hautemama

I'm thinking just alot of stomach acid from the stress of the surgery on your body. I was banded 1/11/11m and get alittle acidey sometimes- I chew two tums and it goes away. Hang in there and keep reading to find out what's normal and what's not.

THanks for all your replies....its very comforting to hear that others experience the same thing. Sometimes I worry my band has slipped- though I have no nausea, no vomiting, and only occasional very mild acid reflux. Hautemama

Hi all, So I am about 2 months post banding and having problems eating solids- in the mornings. oatmeal, liquids, yogurt, go down just fine. I thought I had read on here awhile back, that some people were having this problem. I haven't had a fill yet and there is no saline in my band ( I asked). Yesterday I tried eating an egg- and ended up PB'ing it up. Been this way for about 2 weeks since I advanced my diet to include meats. Trying to get in all that Protein the doc wants me to have daily without resorting back to the shakes. Any advice? Hautemama

Ok I can help. I'm a nurse and what our doctors do for our chronically constipated patients is first. Stop the Miralax. You have to drink at least a liter or more of Water a day to be effective. Secondly, it produces alot of gas and bloating. Basically they think its a waste of time. Some people who have just slight constipation might think it works just fine for them. But for you, going once a week- its just not worth your time. What we do is start Senna S- not plain Senna- but Senna S- its an herbal stool softener with a mild laxative. It softens the poops then has a mechanical action to push it out. You could start with once a day and then go up to four times a day. Ask your doctor if he thinks this is right for you. Some doctors are Miralax fanatics- I think it's because the vendors for Miralax come by the office and tell them all these grandiose things about it and leave them good food and nice presents. That happens with alot of medications that become popular. Unfortunately, they end up not working and the patients come to see me in the ER later on. Senna also comes in tongue strips in the children's medication area in grape flavor. My 9 year old is chronically in the hospital for severe bowel shut down syndrome and this is one of the things the specialist prescribed. The next thing we try is lactulose- and it comes in liquid or powder. It's a prescription so ask your doctor about it. My daughter also takes this every night and she hasn't been hospitalized since November. Activity is very important as is taking in enough fluids. In the children's department they sell Fiber gummies which also are a great idea. Let me know how it goes. Just don't wait too long to call your doctor- if it's been 3 days its time to call. You could get a bowel obstruction from the stool sitting in your colon- because the colon keeps drawing out water out of the poop - and that turns it into cement. I hope this helps!

I'm almost 4 weeks post op and it still jabs me when I bend or lean forward. Glad to hear that it gets better though : )

I got banded on the 11th and since then have been experimenting with various soft foods and meats. Some things go down better than others and boy does my stomach let me know when it doesn't like something. Just taking it one day at a time : )

Hang in there. My WW leader actually was positive about the band, saying to come back when I was ready. I hope all goes well for you- and don't give up!