Sophie248

I talked to my bariatric nurse again today about my scarey incident. Besides the possible irritation of a stomach nerve from the fill, the pain/passing out could have been caused by my taking Nyquil just before going to bed and it just sitting in my pouch. She recommended flushing out my pouch with a glass of water if I take Nyquil again at night. I wanted to mention this as a warning.....Don't take Nyquil and go directly to sleep . It could cause . I'm feeling much better now, and full on just liquids again .

I talked to my bariatric nurse again today about my scarey incident posted earlier. Besides the possible irritation of a stomach nerve from the fill, the pain/passing out could have been caused by my taking Nyquil just before going to bed and it just sitting in my pouch. She recommended flushing out my pouch with a glass of water if I take Nyquil again at night. I wanted to mention this as a warning.....Don't take Nyquil and go directly to sleep :notagree . It could cause :faint: . I'm feeling much better now, and full on just liquids again :clap2: .

I talked with the bariatric nurse. She thinks the new fill plus laying down put pressure on a nerve in my stomach, and this is what caused the severe pain. The Dr said he would do an unfill if I wanted one, but the nurse encouraged me to wait and see. I've been drinking liquids all day, and can feel them gurgling through my stomach so know I'm not blocked up or anything. I layed down this afternoon for a nap, and no pain, so hopefully all is well. I hadn't heard that nerves in the stomach could do this. Felt like I was being stabbed and it wouldn't stop. It was almost like a near death experience due to the things that flashed through my mind. I wonder if anyone else has had this stomach nerve pain issue? I'm also worried if this is a sign possible errosion. :phanvan

Had my first fill yesterday afternoon (1cc in 4cc band), and everything seemed fine. Liquids were going down well, etc. I was sleeping maybe 1 hour, and woke up to terrible stabbing pains in my upper stomach. Worst pain I've ever had. I got up and went in to the bathroom and ended up passing out twice in there (due to the pain, I think). I remember waking up partially in the bathtub. It was truly terrifying. I've never passed out before. Thought I was dying in the moments between conciousness. My husband heard the crashing around, and found me passed out again in the hallway and helped me up, then I felt really nauseated and spit up some acidy tasting, clear liquid. I sat up most of the night for fear of waking up to the pain again if I went back to sleep. Plus it hurt when I would try to lay down anyway. I called my bariatric nurse this morning, and she thinks the pain might have been caused by a nerve ending in my stomach that may have been irritated by the fill and also the extra pressure when lying down. I'm drinking liquids now and can feel them trickling down, so don't think I'm too tight. I plan to see what happens today before I decide if I need an unfill or not. This was truly upsetting. Feeling good so far today, though. Had 1 cup of soup and 1/2 cup of tea and so far, so good. I will see if I can lay down for a nap later, or not. Hoping this doesn't happen again.:phanvan

After all this time wondering if I would ever be able to eat over 1000 Cals again, I finally lost my restriction. I'm 6 weeks post op on Monday, and for the past four days I've been ravenously hungry :hungry: , and have been consuming 1600 - 1800 cals/day (yikes). I'm hungry again about an hour after I eat. My stomach kind of has this aching feeling all the time now too. I hope I'm not over stressing it. I'm going back on liquid protein diet today to get this under control - probably until my fill on Wednesday. On a postitive note, I've increased my exercise. Hiked hills for a long time yesterday, and am doing gardening, yoga, and PACE circuit training. This is probably the reason for my increase in appetite.....that and PMS :phanvan Tammyj, You look great! Keep up the great work everyone!! This is working :clap2:

This explains why I'm still feeling so restricted. The surgeon said he put the smallest band in. This was after I woke up, so apparently I didn't have a choice. I thought it was strange that lots of people are describing no restriction, but this explains it. I have a fill appt on the 18th (6 weeks post op), and I really don't want it. I haven't PB'd or anything, but I'm finding it still difficult to get 1000 cals in, and I never expected the weight to come off this quickly. It's going a little fast for me. I will probably refuse the fill, but think I should still meet with him because I haven't had a post op appointment yet.

Thanks, Brenda! My appt with Dr. Rhorer is at 2:00, and I meet with the nutritionist at 2:30. Wish our times were closer together as I would love to meet you to discuss your experience. That is so awesome that you are so close to goal!! Great job! Shawn, Sorry support group was a bust. I was a little concerned when I found out others had quit going, etc. Would be nice if there was another group that would meet with a little different format.

No I didn't have to have a supervised 6 mo diet history. but I did have to list all the things I had tried. I have BCBS federal.

I was approved by BCBS with a BMI "just barely" 35 and high blood pressure. I had to gain a few lbs also, but glad I did. I would have never gotten my overeating under control without my band. I had tried for 19 years.

I'm so happy! This morning my weight finally started with the number "one"! It's been a long time.... As an added bonus, I actually get to start eating real food tomorrow (as long as it's soft and moist). No more baby food!! Not sure I know how to chew anymore as I'm so used to sipping/slurping and swallowing. I'll really need to concentrate on chewing well to avoid any mishaps. I think I'll be using lots of salsa, and maybe broth to moisten things. Does anyone have other suggestions on low fat/cal sauces?

Hello! I'm very excited today because I woke up in "Onederland!" I'm 4 weeks post op, and I can't believe how fast this initial weight loss is. I'm noticing a definate difference in how my clothes fit, and have lost 11 inches. I'm still on pureed food, but tomorrow I start soft/moist foods for 2 weeks. Don't know if I know how to chew anymore or not. I'll have to be really careful becuase I'm so used to sipping and swallowing. I can see an accident happening. No PB's or throwing up yet. I'm a little nervous about the fill appt I have on 4/18. Really don't know if I can handle any more restriction, and don't want the problems everyone talks about (PB's, can't eat certain healthy foods, etc.). Still can only get in 1000 cals a day, and I'd like to get in 1200-1500. Shawn, I can relate re: the exercise. I was doing ok on getting walks in while the weather was nice, but now it's yucky again.... Let me know how support group goes. I called the nutritionist the other day to ask a question, and she was a bit short with me.... I'm meeting with her on the 18th after my fill appt. Sharon, From what I hear it takes time to find the "sweat spot" on your restriction. You've lost quite a bit alreay! Have you tracked inches? Take care!

Have you checked measurements? I lost 20 lbs fast, then didn't lose for a week. Checked measurements yesterday though, and 11 inches are gone!! Seems to be how my weight loss goes. Lose lbs, then stall a bit and lose inches, then lose lbs again. I bet exercise will kick start the loss again, and those lbs will be melting away again soon!

Thanks for starting the new thread! I was HUNGRY for the first time yesterday since my 3/5 surgery. Seemed like I was having too much pureed food, but when I entered everything in Sparkpeople.com, I had only consumed 1300 cals. A day like that pre-band would easily have set me back 3500 cals. I love my band! Now I'll need to work harder on that head hunger.....

I've taken measurements, and guess where my 20 lbs has come off - 2 " off my calves (the skinniest place on me), my hips, and my thighs. Nothing off my waist yet. It's strange how/where we lose it. It has to come off our gut sometime though......I hope. Congratulations on 20 lbs gone for good!!

I feel exactly the same. My fill appointment is 4/18, and right now I can't imagine getting any more restricted. I hear all the horror stories about the fill problems. I'm almost 4 weeks post-op and barely getting in 5 ozs of pureed food at a time, and struggle getting 1000 cals. Don't think I want more restriction than this. I'd rather not get filled and take the weight off gradually. My concern is when my weight starts to go up and then I will want a fill. Hope my Dr agrees. Congratualations on your arrival in Onederland. I hope to join you soon!

Thanks for the list! I'm printing it to use for a reference.

I've heard that also. Recommendations are to avoid any NSAID's (including Ibuprophen) as they are stomach irritants and can cause ulcers and possibly erosion. Liquid Tylenol or Vicoden was all that I was told to take for pain.

I was told to crush pills for 3 months. Since my surgery, I'm down to only 1 BP pill now! My BP has already lowered enough to get off one of my meds. I also don't need my Wellbutrin for anxiety/depression anymore. Life is good!

I got sick with the flu and had lost 10 lbs by 12/28. My consult was scheduled 1/10 and I knew I was under the 35 BMI. Needless to say, I had a 13 day feeding frenzy to "make weight" for insurance approval. I felt horrible doing it, but look at me now.....it's already gone and more! It's sad that we have to work the system, but I guess it was worth it considering I am now paying 10% of a $17,000.00 surgery. It's also sad that this surgery costs this much in the States.

I'm a bit nervous about the rate of weight loss too. I was really expecting it to go a little slower, and would be happy with 1-2 lbs a week. I'm fitting into clothes I haven't gotten in to for a while, which is good, but the possibility of the skin not shrinking back and more stretch marks and sagging skin make me nervous. Plus my mind needs to catch up with what is going on here. I'm supposed to have a fill in 3 weeks, but I think I'm going to wait if I'm still as restricted as I am now. I'm full on 3/4 cup of mushies, and can only get 1000 calories in. Maybe 3 weeks will make a big difference though.....we'll see.

The books will be really helpful. I also maintained a level of denial about my weight ~ it helps us cope. We have to look in the mirror and see the real picture when we start this journey. Remember to be patient and forgiving toward yourself. Someone posted this on another thread, and I printed it to use as my bookmark: Originally Posted by anng Try looking at it this way......You have just thrown away your very favorite and most comfortable defense mechanism that just plain wore out. It has probably been with you forever and you have no idea where you even got it. Now you get to go shopping and pick out a new one that is up to date and will bring out the very best in you. What you pick out is completely up to you and you and nobody else and it will be all yours. At least this time you get to choose willingly! Ann :clap2:

Ann, Thank you for this...I am printing and saving it as a reminder and to help me during those difficult moments. Do you mind if I share this quote with my March 2007 group?

I purchased two books that were highly recommended to help learn to cope with compulsive eating and emotional/head hunger: 1) The Taming of the Chew - by Denise Lamothe, PsyD, HHD 2) Body Clutter - by Marla Cilley and Leanne Ely I'm working my way through he first book gradually now. I'm learning about the reasons I overeat (overate) - including physical, emotional, social, & spiritual. The next section will be about ways to heal/how to change. It seems to be really sound and practical information. My big delima prior to deciding to go through with this surgery was that I knew I never really worked to deal with my compulsive overeating behavior, and I wondered if I should do this work before the surgery. Someone suggested that having the band as a physical tool while doing the head work at the same time would make it even more productive in stopping this behavior once and for all. That was the best advise, and I'm so glad I have my band as a safety net to allow myself to finally work through these issues!

Congratulations and welcome! I had my surgery on a Monday and was back to work at my desk job that Friday. Didn't have any problems, but work was about all I could do for the day. You'll need to get home and rest right after. Hopefully your mom will be able to shuffle kids and cook. The sooner you get up and walk after surgery, the sooner they will release you. Make sure the anisthesiologist gives you the stuff to prevent nausea. Lortab is a wonderful pain med, and so is the anti nausea med (Promethazine). Lots of people don't even get cath'd with this surgery. Best wishes.......you'll do great!

I was worried the first week also re: my calories, protein, and fluid amounts. Could only do about 40 ozs and 400 cals. It gets easier to increase volume the second week. I try to get a protein drink in every couple of hours and sip something all day long (Medifast drinks/soups, slim fast shakes, Isopure, broth, juice). I add unflavored protein powder to whatever I'm having. I also add melted cheeses and sour cream to my soups. I'll be 3 weeks post op on Monday. I'm averaging about 1000 cals and 70 gms protein, and having 12 ozs of pureed food (4-6 oz at a time) and 65 ozs of liquids. Had to work my way up to this gradually, though, and didn't push it at all. I think I'm going to call my nutritionist tomorrow to make sure I'm on track with this. I worry that I might be having too much pureed at a time. I think the recommendation is 2-4 ozs, but I thin mine out until almost drinkable. Anyone getting other recommendations for pureed?