mommieburger

I drink when I get my cravings. However, I don't mean alcohol! I drink lots of diet Snapple teas, Crystal Light and other low calorie drinks. If that isn't working I'll have black decaf coffee or tea because sometimes I need the warmth to feel "full". If none of those work, then I have to leave and do something. I go window shopping, walk the dog, clean the house, do laundry--whatever will help me to get past the moment. If all else fails, I set aside 3 whatevers (usually cookies) and eat them slowly. The times that I haven't followed my own advice, it has let to a binge. I now recognize the warning signs and try to control the moment.

I had a similar experience and my pain lasted for 15 minutes before I managed to free the trapped air. This story is a little distasteful: About 5 weeks after the surgery I ate a larger than recommended piece of meat. It took a few minutes, but the radiating pain came and I was sure I got it stuck in my band. I tried pounding on my chest, but it hurt badly and I was finding it hard to breathe. Finally, I stuck my fingers down my throat to try to vomit and dislodge it. I wasn't able to vomit, BUT I released the trapped air and got immediate relief. I don't recommend this method, but before you go to the emergency room you may want to consider other ways of releasing that air that are more in line with your body. Your doctor should give you some better ideas.

I heard lots more horror stories about the rouxen-Y surgery, but what tipped the scale for me in favor of the band was actual people and their experiences. Throughout my travels, I just didn't meet anyone with a genuine SERIOUS surgical problem. I'm not talking about bad food stories, I'm talking band slippage and such. Yeah, there's a lot tales out there, but keep it in proportion to the millions who have gotten the band over time. Ever play the telephone game and the story at the beginning turns out vastly different at the end? Maybe some of these tales have been "embellished" and retold multiple times to make it look worse than it is. I'm not saying it can't happen, but technically, we can get struck by lightning, contract the bubonic plague and lose an eye with a BB gun too. Stay positive.

I'm sorry you aren't feeling well. I have had that "back pain" too, but it was due to trapped air when I ate or drank. I found a way to burp and I felt better. I'm not sure what is going on if you aren't able to drink, but you can eat solid food. Are you eating and drinking at the same time? I was told to wait 30 minutes after I ate to drink liquids and everytime I forget and drink, I either have to vomit or I get that pain.

Try Bali brand. Also, call some dance costume sportswear and lingere shops. Sometimes they have people on staff that can fit you for a bra. Ask if they measure and make recommendations. Often they can order you the right one the first time!

I was banded in December 15th and had my first fill January 28th. I GAINED weight between my surgery and the first fill and was feeling very discouraged. Of course it was my own fault with Christmas goodies abounding and me unable to eat "real" food and the Cookies went down smooth. Anyhoo, I started the whole self-defeating behavior thing that got me to this weight in the first place until I said 'STOP"! I'm not going to do this to myself. Don't fall back into your old ways. This is a new start for you--don't let those old habits back into your life! I have only lost 8lbs since surgery, but I got this surgery because I have stubborn fat so I just have to be MORE stubborn that it is! Excercise more and stay positive and focused. If you give up, your fat wins and its WAY too early in the game for that! You'll make it. You are not going to be a statistic! Buckle up and ride for the log haul. Write back soon!

How much water/liquid are you drinking? Are you staying away from caffiene and sodas? How many calories are you taking in daily? I'm glad you have an appointment with your doctor in March, but perhaps he would be willing to move that appointment up a little? It sounds like you need a fill if you have REAL hunger. If you have head hunger and are finding it hard to resist, try drinking water/Crystal Light/diet Snapple or get up and find something to do with your hands that will take you mind off of it. Knit, crochet, do crosswords, sudoku or scrapbooking. I'm a writer and I work on my book to take my mind off eating. You are doing the right things, like exercising, but stress makes it harder to lose weight and it doesn't sound like you are getting a lot of sleep, that affects weight loss too. Don't snack between meals or eat while doing something else as you will eat more than you realize. Measure your food and wait 15 minutes after consuming the measured portion before eating more. Sometimes your mind has to "catch up" to your body. Journal your calorie intake. If you can't resist, an between a menu choice might be sugar free popcicles. Make sure you load up on Protein and eat that first ALWAYS during a meal. Stay away from "slippery" foods like Cereal, yoghurt and mashed potatoes. Keep working hard--you are going to make your goal before you know it!

I've only had one fill and it was virtually painless. He said there would be a "pinch' and that is what it felt like. Watching him wiggle the needle around was weird, but it didn't hurt. Congrats on the surgery and Happy weight loss. Don't worry, this will be a breeze. Just make sure they let you drink Water before you leave to see if the band is too tight. They put 3 ccs in and had to take 1.5 out because the water wouldn't go down. I've adjusted so I'm ready for my next fill. No sweet spot yet!

I used first aid tape and gauze pads to cover the incision sites after the rash from the band-aids. I kept moving the tape to different locations until it was healed to prevent the same rash problem. That worked! P.S. the itch will go away once you stop re-taping the same sites. I put antibiotic cream on the welts to keep them soft and moisturized.

I had a rash also, but it was after the steri strips fell off and I started using band-aids. Doesn't sound serious, but your doc will know the score tomorrow. Congrats on your surgery! Happy weight loss!

I was banded Dec 15th and had one fill. Since the surgery, I have lost only 8 lbs on a <1000 calorie/day diet. My dietician recommended I eat more, because it seems my body has gotten used to the limited intake. It is the same amount of calories I was on with the liquid diet prepping me 4 weeks before surgery. In short, except for a few lapses, I have been living on 1000 calories for 13 weeks. Has this happened to anyone else? Any ideas to get my body burning fat again?

I've taken to wearing shorts under my skirts to keep them up! I'm not financially ready for an intermediate wardrobe yet as I am saving for the BIG shopping spree! Woo Hoo! Great Job everyone! We can do this! (duh--we ARE doing this!)

Thanks for the advice! I had been working out, but only one committed day a week and then whenever I could fit it in. I'm not a slacker at home, but I sit all day at work. I guess I need to get moving more to make up for that. I'm going to up that committment to two days and try for three or more. The funny thing is that when I went to the gym last, I had only had about 800 calories that day and after working out for 2 hours I "lost" those few pounds I had gained in the last week. Must have been Water weight. Thank again!

That gas problem happened to me too. It was scary as I thought I had something stuck in my pouch! I tried to vomit it up, but I haven't been able to successfully vomit since the surgery. However, when I tried, I BURPED repeatedly and felt immediately better. I've been very careful to eat slowly and chew really well after that incident. Good thing you had some sound advice to help you out!

I was told it could cause ulcers in the pouch and possible internal bleeding. As they said in my lap band class: "No NSAIDs" are a forever rule.

I was 5 weeks out before my first fill. I gained a few pounds before that too. It was over Christmas and Cookies seemed to go down well after surgery. <g>

I was banded on Dec 15 and had one fill. I don't have much restriction yet so this has been an uphill battle for me. What I did when I was hungry, was drink Snapple diet teas. For some reason they kept me "fuller" than other diet drinks and it was a treat to myself because they are a little pricey (almost $1 a bottle). I keep reminding myself that a lot of my hunger is in my head--not my body. A 1/4 cup of food is too little for you to be eating 2 weeks out so I would increase that for sure, but stop and ask if you are physically hungry or if you just want to eat. I found that 80% of the time I just wanted to engage in the process of eating. I restricted my calories to under 1000 to continue to lose weight and found my body just reduced it's metabolic rate to compensate. My dietician actually told me to eat MORE. Now I change it up so I "outwit" my body and get it to burn more fat. Until I get decent restriction, this tool isn't doing any more than I could have done on my own. Remember, they didn't BAND your brain! <hugs>

Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum and I have been enjoying the posts! Thanks for the information and encouragement!. My question: I was banded on Dec 15th and stuck to the liquid diet for 1 week. I have been eating mushy foods since, but I've experimented with a few other things over the Christmas holiday. Long story short, today I woke up, ate a banana and took my pills, but felt nauseous and dizzy about 1/2 hour later. Then I had a Greek yougurt trying to calm my stomach down thinking I didn't eat enough protein. It worked for about 10 minutes then the problem came right back. Evertime I eat something, I feel better, but temporarily. I have felt this way ALL day and it doesn't get worse, but it doesn't get better either. Is this normal and what can I do about it? Is it possible that my "cheats" have affected my band? Help!

I think you may be right about the protein. They required 5 shakes a day in the liquid phase, but now that I'm in the mushy, I'm supposed to get 80g of protein from regular food and that isn't happening. Without being able to eat "meat" other than tuna fish type stuff, I'm not coming close to 80g. I'm going to get a flavorless protein powder to supplement my meals. I'm not on BP meds but my BP has fluctuated wildly during this whole process. I've seen numbers that my teenage daughter has! Maybe it was just too low today? Overall, I've lost 42lbs pre-op, but only 5lbs post-op.I got this surgery because I can lose weight on a diet, but the minute I start eating normally again, it comes back like gangbusters. I've actually gained 2 pounds this week and I'm discouraged. No, I haven't had any fillings yet, so I'm "normal" as far as my stomach capacity, and maybe I've taken advantage of that after being restricted to 960 calories/day pre-op. I wondered if I was dehydrated too. Thanks for the reply and the encouragement!