genesishanna

All day I have had this lumpy/stuck kind of feeling somewhere in my throat area. I have been able to breath and eat (salad and nuts) and they go down just fine. I just have no clue what this feeling is. It started early this morning and I had not had anything to eat or drink by then. It hasnt moved with liquids and I can breath fine. Has anyone every experienced anything even similar to this?

I know its hard and I didn't believe it would come, but that half a fill made a big difference.

I was banded almost 6 months ago and I just had my 5th fill before I felt restriction. Talk about feeling like a failure. I was losing and gaining the same 8 pounds for 4 months, it sucked! I felt like such a failure because I went back to eating anything since I truly had no restriction. My 4th fill was my biggest, 2cc's which brought me up to 6cc's total. With that, It was hard for me to digest chicken breast that was it. When I went back to the doctor I figured I would need another 2cc's to get this thing working and he only gave me .5cc (thats all) I was sure I would fail since I didnt see a difference between 6cc's and 6.5cc's. But wouldnt you know GREENZONE! It finally worked. Please be patient that my only advice to you. Everyone is different on here so you may not always find the answer that will work for you, but one thing that will work in the long run is patience.

YES!!!!! I lost weight before Zumba, but I lost inches with it. I had the DVD's for months before surgery. ABout 3 months after surgery and friend invited me to a class and I was hooked. I dusted off those DVD's and now I do Zumba at least 4-5 times a week. I love it and I am not an exercise person at all... well at least I wasnt until recently.

I eat tooo many nuts and now that I am at what I think is my green zone, I get my fill of them much quicker than before. Popcorn and gum have never been a problem. I even swallowed my gum once while banded. Honestly I was so nervous, but like anything else it passed eventually. I chew gum every single weekday while at work, but I only chew half a stick at a time which worked in my favor when I swallowed it.

So, my day 5 ended in the Emergency Room. Every day I have been in these forums trying to get answers on how to relieve gas, and all things related to the land band. Well I am thankful for the many replies I've received from my fellow-banders based on their experience, but not everything is for everyone. I got up yesterday and said that I would go outside to the stripmall and do some much needed walking, since that was clearly the cure-all for the gas pain I was experiencing. However, when I came home my gas was not relieved at all, actually I came home and threw-up because I was so damn nauseous from all the gas. Regardless, of how much I hear of others complaining of the gas, I knew that there was something not normal about this, especially since the night before I woke up at 2 a.m. to bow-down before my porcelain thrown. In all my years of being a big-girl, I knew that being bulimic wasn't the way to shed the pounds, so the idea of getting to this point in life, doing a six month supervised weight-loss program, and undergoing surgery was not going to results in me all of a sudden losing weight by throwing up all my foods (or liquids) in this case. This is not the way. I have managed to lose 9 pounds in 5 days and under different circumstances that would be cause to celebrate, but this was not the way. So about 4pm I called my Doctors office and they told me to come in and I did. He asked no real questions, he just had his needle ready to remove the fluid from my band. Remove the fluid from my band, WTF?! Okay, so when did he plan on telling me that I had fluid in my band? We talked about this before surgery and I knew that my first fill wasn't until 9/14/11.It may not seem to be that bad for some, but for me, I felt a bit violated. I am not that hard up for weight loss that you can just do anything with me without telling me, especially something that would make me sick. I knew something was wrong because I had no appetite at all, and drinking water made me full and nauseous. I mean don't get me wrong, I don't want to be able to go back to eating sandwiches and burgers, but if you tell me to drink 64 oz. of fluids, I want to be able to do it painlessly. So after he removed all the fluid, he said that I should feel immediate relief, but I didn't. He advised me to go to the ER to make sure I am not having a HEART ATTACK! You know how they say that when your facing death your whole life flashes right before your eyes? Well in this case, my how big-girl existence and reasons for choosing this surgery flashed before me. I began to question whether all of this was worth it. I mean, okay... I've been a big girl all my life... yeah it has limited the places where I can shop, but overall I was not unhappy with myself. Honestly, I had no co-morbidity ( nor have I ever heard of it) until I started this program and that was obstructed sleep apnea. Which I am starting to believe every person at least 20 lbs overweight has it. I mean honestly- was it really worth it; a heart attack? I immediately went to the emergency room. I was seem immediately and the did the whole million-dollar work-up on me; EKG, bloodwork, X-rays etc... they gave me a different kind of medicine for my nausea, and and IV. But guess what? They had nothing for the gas! I never had any regrets prior to this. I contemplated this surgery for 3 years before I committed to it, so in my opinion that was well thought out, unlike other things I jumped into without thinking about. I can't say that I have regrets now, because I don't; however, I can say that while I sat on the hospital bed for about 10 hours, only 10 slimmer than when I started this journey, I began to rethink things. I am okay. I like myself. I love myself actually and there is nothing that has changed about me on the inside. Whenever I make any decision on my life, I have to remember that, because honestly, all the reasons for me doing this surgery were non-existent for those 10 hours. I am not saying that I made a mistake, I am not saying that I wouldn't do it again. I am just saying that I would re-evaluate my reasons and learn to be content where I am, because there is a high cost for the price of beauty..... In conclusion, since the fluid is gone and the band is more loose, I am able to pass the horrid gas easier (Thank You Jesus)! I also learned that I do not want super restriction on my band because I do not want to be sick. I can deal with a slower weight-loss, its not worth my heath. I also learned that my body is my forum. It will tell me when something is not right, and that is who I should be listening to instead of these LBT forums. I am thankful this morning for the experience. I am especially thankful that since I had that IV last night I am well-hydrated . I am going to complete this journey, one step at a time.

So far I am 3 months post op, Ive had my 3rd fill and not much restriction. I will say that I no longer go for 2nd's when I am eating a meal, but other than that I can eat anything I desire. I am still trying to be careful of what I eat, without depriving myself. It seems to work. I have also become a Zumba fanatic, I just cant seem to get enough. Im thankful for my band, but I have learned not to completely rely on it. I have to put forth the effort in other ways if I really want to make this thing work. Its been slow progression, but as long as I get to my goal I will be alright.

Hi, I had an interesting conversation with my doc last night when I went in for my fill. I thought I'd share some advice she gave me. When we were talking about my upcoming trip to LA, she immediately asked how soon I was going and said not to eat a big solid meal right before or during the flight. Here's why - when she and her husband were flying to Mexico, her husband partially inflated a neck pillow. After takeoff, they noticed that the pillow was now extremely filled due to the change in air pressure. They let some air out of it and a few minutes later it was again filled to the max! She said it was an amazing visual and something she wanted to share with her patients. Basically, you're not at risk of bursting your band or anything, but it WILL tighten your band, and therefore eating while in flight could be a problem and make my tummy upset :thumbup: (she thought drinking would be okay). Her advice was to just have a light soup or something for dinner before I fly, but then just have water while in flight, so I don't get uncomfortable from changes in the band while in the pressurized cabin. Has anyone else heard this advice? My doc is pretty sharp, so I'm not taking any chances!! Source: Flying with a band - advice from my Doc

This post scares the me terribly! I had my first fill today, but I fly on Sunday for my 7 day cruise. The doctor knows I am going so he only gave me 1.8 cc's. He didnt want me to go with no restriction since my appetite have been picking up lately. He just told me to let me know if everything feels oka by friday so they can remove the fluid if necessary. I just have to pray and have faith that everything will go well.

I am happy I found this post because the 2 time I feel like I overate, it was confirmed with a headache both times. Once my food was fully digested the headache went away.

Ive done pretty well with portion control. I am 4 weeks post op and have never gone over 4-8 ounces (with no fill). Today I had a bowl of Broccoli and Cheese soup from Subway. I was able to finish the whole bowl which was 310 grams (abt 11 oz). Then I slowly ate 1 chicken wing portion for the first time since surgery. Do you think that was too much. I think I was able to eat so much soup because it was like drinking liquid. I know I need to take responsibibility with portion control, but Im just surprised that I was able to finish it with no problem.

I sure will, thanks for the encouragement - Nicole

Thanks for your post, Im not going to beat myself up about it too bad. I was just so surprised that I was able to take in so much and was trying to figure out why. The soup had 220 calories, so I was ok in that area. Im still new to this so the smallest thing will freak me out just a little. I wish you the best with your band - Nicole

I ate so well during the mushy stage. Ipre- prepared food such as egg salad and pureed chicken salad ( puree the chicken first). I also ate cream of wheat with low-fat milk and splenda , which was surprisingly great! I made Turkey wings and string beans for my family and pureed it in the blender and it maintained its great taste, despite the texture. Someone on here told me to use the lowfat refried beans, heat up aby 2-3 oz, spinkle with some low fat cheese and but taco sauce on it. It taste just like the inside of a burrito. On fast food days I brought home Wendy's chili and pureed it in the blender for another delicious treat. Last but not least, Maryland crab soup blended together was soooo good. The key is to take the same foods you would usually eat and puree it, just make sure its healthy choices.

OMG.... I thought I was the only one! I fantasized about licking pizza or something. It was the craziest thing and my friends would laugh at me because of it. Not being able to eat will give you some crazy thoughts, but trust me you are not alone! Funny thing I had some pizza in front of me the other day. My plan was to take the cheese of and suck on it (don't judge me) then I was gonna lick all the sauce off. I fantasized about it. Funny thing is when I went to tear a tiny peice of the cheese off, I lost my appetite. I just had no desire for the pizza at all and I am just 3 1/2 weeks post op. This band will make you think ( and do) some crazy things.

I am only 3 1/2 weeks post-op and on soft foods, but I must say that I enjoy what I eat but in a different way. I appreciate it even more now, plus I am satisfied. For example, I was worried about mushies, but I made some Turkey wings and green beans for my family and they smelled so good. I was afraid the texture would have turned me off, but it didnt - It tasted great! Today I had abt 3/4 crab cake for dinner. Before I loved crab cakes and would just eat as many as possible until I was full, or got my moneys worth. However, it wasnt until I got the band that I was able to really sit back and enjoy the crab cake. I enjoyed it so much that I was able to taste the different ingrediants in it and not just eat it because it was a crab cake. So to answer your question, yes - I do enjoy food!

I am 3 weeks post op and on soft foods. Tonight for dinner I had abt 1/2 cup of soft broccoli w/chesse sauce. I also picked at half a chicken wing. I ate until my broccoli was gone, there was no indicator that I was full. Now i full full, but kind of in my chest area. I started drinking 30 minutes later and I have no problem with my fluids going down. What's this feeling?

It helps alot, thanks! Satiety is new to me and I cant say that I fully know what it is based on experience, but I am still very new and have a lot to learn. My doctor told me the same thing about protein first, but I was scared to eat the chicken to be honest with you. I'm still learning what all of this means as I move through the stages. Thankfully, next week I will be on solids again so it wont be too much of a question if I am eating the wrong thing.

I have grown to love UNJURY chocolate Splendor. I started with the sample pack and was disgusted until I tasted the Chocolate. Its well worth the money, especially if you get the discount with the autoship.

I have grown to love UNJURY chocolate Splendor. I started with the sample pack and was disgusted until I tasted the Chocolate. Its well worth the money, especially if you get the discount with the autoship.

How about some pulled pork or chop barbeque.

Thanks for sharing, I was banded on 8/12 and I leave for my 7 day cruise on 9/18. Im suppossed to have my first fill 4 days before I leave, but I dont think im going to do that to myself. I just have to deal with weight gain if it happens, but I dont want to get sick. Im mostly scared of being tortured by all that food that I cant eat, hopefully, I will be able to stick to my small portions and be full enough that the food wont tempt me too bad.

What have you lost so far? Im 10 days post-op. So far I've dropped my first 2 babies (17 pounds total).

Hi, I had a really hard time with my band the first week. I tried to turn to the boards for assistance, but I couldn't deny what my body was telling me. I went to my Doctor and he had to unfill the little bit of Fluid he added during surgery. I also had to get an IV for dehydration. It wasnt anything to worry about, but I had so much restriction that it seemed like the gas couldnt move. It got to the point that I couldnt hold anything down, so when i would go to throw up it was gas that would come up. Thankfully, once he removed that fluid I was good to go and have been passing gas ever since.