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

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

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

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!

That is so amazing! You are a true inspiration! I hope to follow in your footsteps!

Well said Sapphire!

I am also a nurse who accesses all sorts of IV and PORTS due to my work in the Trauma ER/ICU. And still, I wouldn't do it. Too risky. But the ER's are full of stupid people who do stupid things and I just say, well that's job security. Sounds like she's going to do it. What is she going to do if she punctures her line? Or gores out her port with the wrong needle or the wrong angle? Do you think the surgeon is going to appreciate that? I think he'll be mad and not want to help if something goes wrong. One thing I've learned from being a RN is that you don't mess with a Surgeon's work. It isn't pretty if you do. But again, I'm sure she's going to do it- at least once and find out that it isn't like watching ice skating on TV. Hautemama

Name, real or screen~ Hautemama Age~ 36 Weight on January 31st~ 232 Goal Weight for February 28th~222 Exercise Goal for February~ ride my exercise bike 30 minutes daily Dietary Goal for February~ increase my Protein to 60 grams a day Personal Goal for February~ fit into my red halter dress for Valentine's Day Date Banded~ Jan 11, 2011 Total Weight Loss Since Banding~ 30 pounds

Oh Donuts! I don't know how you survived, lol! Good for you not eating one!

In my area, most of the restaurants are listing the calorie counts for each menu item. I was shocked the last time I went to IHOP. Nothing under 1000 calories! It's easy to see why people become overweight with all these so called "healthy" food out there- its hard. I agree with making your own or sharing one with a friend. Just don't beat yourself up over it and get back on track. Slow and steady wins the race! Hautemama

I had feelings of regret since I've gotten banded 3 weeks ago. The first was after I woke up in recovery and felt like my insides were hanging out. The second after spent 3 days in the hospital dry heaving - being too sick to take care of my little girl. Each episode was situational and I felt scared, worried that I made the wrong choice because I didn't feel good. But just as I have had feelings of fleeting regret, I've also had feelings of great joy when I step on the scale and it keeps going down- or when I sit down to a meal and get full in just a couple of bites when I used to clear the whole plate. As a nurse, I see this in my patients who under go life changing experiences- whether its having a baby or getting diagnosed with terminal illness. I think its very normal and very human to experience the ups and downs of life. I've never had a black or white moment in my life where I didn't question what I was doing. I believe that has helped me to make better decisions because I took a moment and really thought about decisions I was making. Yes, I do find it mind blowing that someone could eat a cheeseburger the day after surgery. Probably because I was too sick to even drink Water. But I'm sure the time will come that I will eat something I'm not susposed to. After all, I got my stomach banded not my mind. Every day I know I have to make good choices. But nobody is perfect. Mistakes will be made. The important thing is to get back on the wagon. And if this happened to me, I would hope that I would have support to get back on the wagon instead of telling me what an idiot I was. I don't know about you all, but I know I've had my share of people tell me to diet, eat less, don't eat that, exercise more...blah blah blah. How effective what that for you? How about someone calling you a fat whale? Did that work for you? It didn't work for me and that is why I am here, banded and all. Hautemama

Wow, after a really really rough start, the weight is just flying off. I lost another 7 pounds in the past 4 days. I'm 16 days post op and doing well with soft foods. No more dry heaves, very mild nausea- mostly in the night. I feel so much better and really great about losing 30 pounds since the surgery. Today I walked 4 miles! I haven't done that in years. Sorry to brag, I'm just so shocked that this is happening for me. After years of trying diets and failing to lose weight- this feels so great. Love you guys! Hautemama

Hi there. I've been on a soft diet for the past week. And I have been losing weight like crazy. At first I just started with yogurt, cottage cheese, and mashed potatoes. Now I'm eating soft luncheon meat, well cooked soft carrots, and well cooked noodles as well. I find that after just a couple bites of food, I am extremely full. Kinda like eating a thanksgiving dinner. It's the weirdest feeling. I'm sure others here might have better suggestions but these have worked for me. Goodluck! Hautemama

I think most of us if not all of us are here because we have made poor choices over the years. Otherwise, why would we need WLS? This should be a safe place to vent and confess our short comings. Nobody is perfect and I would hope we could all be supportive. God knows I need the support! Hautemama