NWgirl

Congrats on coming to the other side! I hope the next few days will be painless for you!

I understand you're frustrated, but just keep going back for fills and you will be there soon enough. Try not to overeat because you don't want to cause any internal issues. Keep your head up and you will get to the green zone soon!

What you're describing has to do with either taking too large of bites or not chewing properly. As you get more fills, you will most likely have some serious issues (in terms of PB and stuck) unless you keep practicing the rules. You will understand when you get your first stuck episode, they are terrible!

You want to walk to not only help dispel the gas, but also to help avoid blood clots. I would also recommend when you're walking around to use a small pillow held against your stomach- this really helped me to stabilize my stomach and stop it from moving when I walked.

Like the others have said, stick to the prescribed post-op diet plan given to you by your WLS team. The plan is to help your stomach heal, and the point of it is to keep the stomach from churning to avoid future complications. This is only a short period of time, even though now it seems like it will be forever until you can get back to normal foods. The time will pass quickly.

if you're referring to a barium swallow, then it is an easy, fast procedure. The barium is not anything great in terms of taste, and there are supposed to be two different types of barium depending on what they are looking for. You will be fine.

When I had the fill that put me into the green zone, I had a week where I had some serious food issues. Just take things slowly and chew A LOT!!!

The body is not meant to do just liquids, so we perceive hunger. Did you have a pre-op liquid diet? Just make sure to get in all of your Protein drinks and drink plenty of Water. Follow the advice given by your surgeon in regards to food, as you are healing and it is pertinent you don't let your stomach churn to reduce possible future complications. This stage will be over soon enough.

Also, check with your Dr to see when it is okay to takes vitamins, etc again. Some do not want you consuming vitamins the first week.

I would recommend looking into the "Fitbit;" it is an activity tracker that I find extremely useful to keep me on track. I also use their food tracker and purchased their scale, as it tells bodyfat too. At my 6 month checkup, my psychologist said that bodyfat is more important that the number and to focus on getting to a healthy body fat and not to obsess about a certain goal (like 160). I would also recommend NOT drinking Protein drinks when you don't need them (ie too tight in the morning time would warrant a drink) because the band is designed to work with solids and not liquids. If you are drinking your meals twice a day, you won't get the benefits of the band.

Have you tried a stationary bicycle?

I would also go against the grain and say that you know yourself best. I don't quite agree with wanting to go through surgery for vanity, but it's not my place to tell you it's wrong. If you are willing to live with all the lapband changes and follow the rules, then go for it. I remember a long time ago a person wanted to get the band for about the same amount of excess weight. Another low BMI bander (Jachut) got flamed for reminding the prospective bandster that expected excess weight loss is between 40-60%, meaning if you have 25 to lose, you could very well lose 10-15 and that may be it. Go for it if you are comfortable with those stats and are willing to take the risks and have seriously thought through what a huge lifestyle change this is.

If my journey ended right now today, I would be happy with the amount I've lost. Of course, I want to lose those other measly 45 pounds, but I'm in a much, much better place now! It sounds like you've done well!

I seem to only get the gurgles when I've eaten something improperly- too fast, too big, you get the picture. It's really the weirdest feeling.

I try to avoid chicken because it really seems to be the easiest meat to dry out. If I am somewhere and cannot eat something else because it would be rude, I put some sauce on the offending meat and it will usually pass fine.

I didn't really have too much gas at all. I drank peppermint tea the first four days post-op and then got burnt out on it. About day 6 I got gas pains which only seemed to get irritated by movement of my arms. I was constantly walking and the pains only lasted four days or so. Mine were not terrible at all, but I know some get them bad.

- Small travel pillow or mini pillowpet to hold against your stomach the first few days-week. - peppermint tea, to help with gas issues I recommend that you do not stockpile things like broths or Soups because you may decide you do not want them. I was allowed (on full liquids) yogurt without chunks or seeds, SF Jello or pudding, pureed soups, creamed soups, etc and so I didn't use any of the broths I bought.

I have heard of some Dr's selling complication insurance to self pay patients. If you do go that route, you can ask your surgeon if they have that available. Otherwise, I would assume you would pay out of pocket.

I literally forced myself to not think about the surgery until I was in the waiting area. I knew if I thought about it, I would drift to all of the worst case scenarios and I didn't want to go down that road. I knew I needed help, and so I knew I needed to get on that table, so to speak. Keep your mind occupied and don't drive yourself crazy with what-ifs.

I have had a few occasions where I get a really weird dull/achy pain that seems centered right around my middle. It happens every couple months and only lasts for a little bit, but it is disconcerting. I'm not sure if I should worry about gallbladder issues. After the last one, if it happens again I will schedule a Dr appointment.

My first fill was not done under fluoroscopy (none have been), so the surgeon did have to poke and prod a few times until she got directly in the center. I guess you have to get it right in the middle and cannot hit the sides. After that initial search, she finds it every time spot on. Don't be too discouraged. If you have to go back for repair, it's not too big of a deal. I know we all want to lose, lose, lose, but it's okay if it's not here today, gone tomorrow style

I like this stuff a lot and eat one every couple weeks. Unlike some frozen yogurts I've tried, it actually has a soft mouth feel. I don't like the blueberry and cannot seem to find the raspberry or vanilla bean in my area.

What is your definition of restriction? I only gauge myself on if I'm hungry or not, not if I'm full. If I finish a meal and still feel physically hungry, then I will wait awhile and have a small snack (light string cheese, turkey jerky).

Atkins are okay, although I personally think they are too low in Proteins in comparison to their calorie count. Did you try all the flavors available in Bariatric Advantage? Unfortunately, you will need to choose. I recommend going to the store and buying a pack of Atkins (about $5 or $6) to test. I like their cafe caramel shake (kind of tastes like a skinny caramel macchiato from Starbucks, but a little heavier on the coffee flavor). It looks like they also have the milk chocolate, dark chocolate, strawberry and vanilla. If you have to, buy the vanilla and add sugar free flavoring.

I try to keep my calories around 1200 and I do allow myself more calories on the weekend. Slow and steady.