B-52

There is some confusion when "Gas" is mentioned here. There are 2 types. One is the typical gas you get within your digestive system, stomach, bowel, etc. That will result in burping etc. Gas-X and other remedies will help this along. The OTHER type of gas is air that the surgeon literally pumps under your skin - fat layers that inflate you like a balloon (exaggeration) This lifts the top layers away from your organs making it easier for the surgeon to work. After surgery they do their best to extract as much air as possible before stitching you up. Some are better than others. You may not feel anything for a few days. Then the "Bubbles" start to accumulate under you ribs, sternum, and eventually move up to your Left shoulder. There is nothing you can take orally to relieve this! It is a standing order in hospitals to get people with abdominal surgeries up and walking as soon as possible. They say that's the only thing that works. Moving around will speed up the process, not relieve it. Heating pads can help with the pain. I had wished I could have soaked so I could go to the gym and sit in the HOT whirlpool all day. That would have been great! Having said that, one can have BOTH types of gas problems after surgery. That's why people say Gas-X "worked a little" or I felt better after a good belch. But the other gas, you have to ride it out hoping the OR people got most of it out.

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out Kid!!!!

Sounds like your band is doing it's job. I may or may not say you are too tight. I would say it sounds like you are not making the right food choices. Perhaps you have picked up some bad habits, and have learned the little secrets to eating around the band. Increasing your chances of getting stuck, and vomiting. You may need to get self-motivated again. IF it was me I would go on a straight liquid diet for 2-3 days, then mushies, then solids. In other words, go back to what new bandsters have to learn during their post-op learning period from the start. (what I call boot camp - basic training) Proper food selection, calorie counting, meeting daily Protein goals(and fiber) and getting plenty of Water. If someone wants to cheat the band, they can. At the risk of getting sick all the time.

I have been trying for days to change my photo/avatar. I go to my settings, change the photo. The new photo will show, but when I click "Save Changes", the old photo will reappear. I even went to lengths to remove my old photo from the system, even from my desk top, but it keeps coming up not matter what. Any ideas??

I know the feeling all too well.

No, but with a tight band I have learned to do it by necessity. I can feel the food and can tell when it has safely passed through the band. Sometimes longer than 30 seconds. Eating too fast will overload the pouch, and is a sure way to get stuck. I also put the fork down.

Thank You. But it wasn't me who did the work. I never had sleep apnea, confirmed by the pulmonary workup. Although my Wife would beg to differ!

Yes but just think of all the compliments you are going to get from all those people you have not seen for a while. That in itself will motivate anybody! With every food I love on the table, I am determined to at least TASTE everything there. I'll start with the sliders first and work my way up to the stuffing.

Yes it is. And don't get alarmed if it loosens up on you also. Don't know why but it can fluctuate. Once in the Green Zone it gets more consistent.

Thanks; I did manage to change it using a "Gravatar"

Today, November 22, is the anniversary of the assassination of JFK. Can everyone remember where and what you were doing when you heard the news? I was sitting in my 6th grade class. Our teacher had a real sense of humor, and was known to pull some pranks now and then. So when someone came in and told him, he was visibly upset. When he then told us, fighting back the tears, we all burst out laughing. Needless to say it did not go over very well. They dismissed school and sent everyone home that day. Just like that. No buses, everyone just walked home. Don't think schools do that anymore.

Same here. My port sticks out like a 1/2 golf ball under my skin. I can palpate the tube a few inches as it moves mid-line then disappears. (goes deep) I just ate a Protein bar and can feel my band with every swallow. The restriction slowed me way down unless I get stuck. As a matter of fact, I think the last swallow is still sitting there.

I have (had) diabetes where I was taking 60 units of lantus at bedtime plus oral meds before meals. triglycerides, cholesterol, etc where all out of control which resulted n Cardiac surgery. I was banded 1/31/11, and since then all my bloodwork is within normal limits, I am no longer taking any meds for my diabetes, other meds have either been dc'd of cut in half. I get lab work done every 3 months before seeing my PCP. I anticipate further improvement as I am still loosing weight and have increased my exercise plan dramatically.

Are you bummed because you won't be able to enjoy the foods you used to eat? Many people get blue during the holidays for many different reasons.

I am at the point where I cannot eat anything that is breaded and fried. Chicken, fish sticks, etc, etc. Foods that are crunchy. Even raw vegetables which I used to love to snack on such as carrots. I simply accepted it and it is now a food I do not ever consider eating. There are other foods on my personal "do not eat" list.

I use "MyNetDiary" on my I-Pad2. It is fully loaded! Not rated very high because it costs $10 so many people are afraid to purchase it without knowing what they are getting. Seems the free apps are the most popular.

I have not detected it to that level, but I have scratched my head a few times concerning posts that were illogical from someone who supposedly underwent this surgery. Perhaps it is one and the same. I'll look deeper when these posts are made.

Been away from my computer for few days. Opened my e-mail and down came a long list of new posts from this website, and ALL were NEGATIVE! WHAT A DRAG! Then I find a post from a person who is considering the surgery but having 2nd thoughts because of all the info he/she is reading here. THAT got to me! So I need to vent. First, I have to give disclosure that what I say is only from my own personal experiences, and of course, everyone should follow what their Dr. says, not a stranger. I LOVE my band. It is the best thing I have ever done, and without a doubt has changed my life and probably saved it too. It is doing everything that I had hoped and imagined it would do! And I can honestly say I do not have one single complaint or problem! People say it is a "Tool" that you use and with a little hard work and determination you can make it work. Well, sorry, I have been on more diets that I can remember and this is the EASIEST weight loss experience I have ever imagined. I have undergone major bariatric surgery and had a foreign object put inside me to change my eating habits...and that is exactly what it is doing. The main discipline for me is making wise food choices. And for that there is a learning curve! First, it has controlled and curbed my hunger. There are times when I know it's time to eat and I just don't feel like it. Second, when I do eat, the amount of food I can eat is very, very small! I could not overeat if I wanted to! Recently people here have stated they dread the thought of Thanksgiving and not overeating and ruining their progress. My only anxiety is that I WON"T be able to eat my favorite foods! I've thought this through and think I am going to at least have a "Taste" of everything on the table. But I will have to save the stuffing for last because that's not going to work at all. I still go out to my favorite restaurants. I drink coffee all hours of the day. I enjoy an alcohol drink now and then. I don't measure/weigh my food. There is just so much that will fit in my pouch. If I did weigh/measure what I ate I am sure I would find it to be proportional to what I should be allowed. In other words I can't overeat no matter how much I may want to! My Diabetes is completely reversed! At one point I was taking 60 units of Lantus at bedtime, plus oral meds during the day with meals. NO MORE! GONE! I now go to the gym and workout like a madman. Not because I have to, but because the things I can now do are amazing (to me) and I can't wait to get back and do it again! I wear clothes that are "Normal" sized. Bought 2 winter coats that are MEDIUMS! I have not had a fill since May. I tell my Dr. everything I am doing. He says I am in a good place, exactly where I should be, in the Green Zone. Go and enjoy your life and I will see you in 3 months. I have to say it continues to get better every week as more old habits die away and new habits are learned and become second nature. I get up and go to work and come home everyday. There are days I do not even think about being banded. (like having bridgework) I need to say it took me 4 months from surgery to get to this place, where things started to fall in place. THAT was when my weight loss journey began. NOT when I had the surgery. And like I said, it keeps on getting better. There. I'll get off my soapbox now.

I no longer get e-mail notifications whenever new posts were made. Has that changed also?

I'm having problems also. Been trying to change my photo/avatar. It shows the change in my profile, but not anywhere else. What did you do to get it to stick??

Very well said. Voices from real life experiences is what we need more of around here. Not repeating things they were "book learned" or "think" what is correct. People have to realize that there are people from all over the world reading these posts to learn for their life's sake. The best advice (and most accurate) we can give is what "We actually experienced" I'm 10 months out and 15lbs to my goal. I should get there for 12 months. Mr Dr is very aggressive also. It really helps. I really like it when I walk into my surgeon's waiting room and all eyes are on me as if to say "why is he here ?". The girl's behind the desk always joke with me saying I should come around more often and tease all the overweight ladies.

Interesting. That's good to know. I assumed it was a pst-op occurrence.

It took me 4 months with a few fills before I could say I hit the "Green Zone" and my weight loss journey truly began. Even then, when everything fell into place, all was not perfect but I knew then I could start applying all those things I was taught previously. I have not had, or needed a fill since May, and it still keeps getting better all the time!

Sorry, I disagree. The band not only restricts the amount of food I take in, it also restricts the type of food that goes in. There is NO WAY I can ever eat a cheese burger ever again! French Fries are dangerous also, as is pizza. If you are eating these items than you are selling the band short. Having the band, and having it adjusted properly, is the EASIEST diet I have ever been on, and I have been on many over the past 35 years! It's hard to call it a diet, because any diet I have tried I have failed at. So I needed surgical intervention to do what I could not do on my own! There is little or no work involved. Only thing I needed to learn is how to "Listen to my Band" My band tells me when I am hungry, which is not often, and my band tells me when to stop eating, which is very soon after starting. Also will tell me certain foods are off limits - like CHEESEBURGERS! When people say you have to "Work the Band". I'm really not sure what they mean. I let the band work me!!! "Living in the Green Zone" If you can eat a cheeseburger without getting stuck, then you may need a fill or 2 I can only speak from my own personal experiences and how it is for me. Not what I have been told.