leatha_g

In the meantime, continue to read, read, read all the posts you can. You'll find that this is a very common phenomena of nearly all newly banded folks. In no time you'll be celebrating your losses like everyone else!! Remember protein, protein, protein, walk, walk, walk, chew, chew, chew.. Welcome!

if you're on mushies there's lots of things you can have. tried refried beans thinned with some salsa and melted cheese on top? oatmeal? yogurt? mashed potatoes?(not your best choice, but it works) anything you can puree to mush? protein shakes, sugar free pudding, jello?

4. It becomes hard to wipe your own pieces and parts. 3. Tennis shoes and flip-flops just don't look good with fashion. oh.. what fashion?? 2. Your heart wears out far more quickly than if you were more healthy. 1. If a bear/burglar/snake/whatever shows up in your bedroom it's helpful if you can RUN.

Good luck! You'll be up and around in no time!! Sending prayers up for your uneventful surgery and speedy recovery!

YAY you're looking great girl!! Great job!! Way to go!!

Who employs who here? He's 'firing' you? Boy.. he must be REALLY important..

The first few weeks you will be weak and get tired easily, but you will work back up to anything you want to do. I recommend walking several times a day at least until your incisions have healed over. Also, your port incision will take longer to heal and may be tender for quite some time. Again, walking is a good alternative. But you will be able to get back to your water aerobics, treadmill, even stronger workouts before you know it! Of course, as always, check with your doctor and see what they recommend. Good luck on your surgery!

Bless your heart!

Sounds like swelling to me. Many people come directly out of surgery with post-op swelling. Some have issues with swallowing liquids at all for the first few days, but all eventually get through it and get over it. As long as you are able to get liquids down, albeit slowly, you should be fine. You just don't want to become dehydrated. You will definitely notice a new pressure in the upper area of your chest at times because the pouch created above the band is at the bottom end of your esophagus. Occasionally, air will tend to get trapped and you'll feel pressure, or when you drink or eat too quickly or too much you may also notice this. Go slow.. try warm liquids. I even used a straw for smaller sips - some docs forbid straws due to gas. So mostly, follow your docs orders and listen to your body's signals. Welcome to the banded side!

Hot water w/lemon juice was on old Diet Center trick. Same thing. It cuts the mucous, helps to clean the yuck off your teeth after sleeping, also gets the bowels moving early in the day. It truly does work.. and if it helps the band to loosen up a bit, that's all good too!

Very pretty. :couch2: Happy Birthday!!

No leather, either. No bare feet in the shoes. Clean socks only and changed daily. In jr high, I was the world's worst for not wanting to wear socks. Not a good idea. She might even need to change socks during the day for awhile. Been there, done that.. I don't envy you. :couch2:

Imartinez, So glad to hear you are okay now!! Yes, all too often we think we can move along in our diets because we 'seem' to be able to tolerate more solids, etc. No one really knows the damage that might be done when doing this; either immediate or long term. The object is not tolerating solids, it is healing the band in place. Allowing the stomach to remain 'quiet' long enough to develop scar tissue which helps to 'anchor' the band in place. I am really sorry to hear you had to go through an additional surgery so quickly, but I am very glad that you came here to warn others so that they might avoid the same error. Good luck on the rest of your journey!!

For those of you who are considering or already have permanent makeup. I just wanted to interject a bit of food for thought here. I am scheduled for an MRI/MRA today and in questioning me to make sure there are no metal parts and pieces that might cause issues with my testing, one of the questions asked is whether I have any tattoos or permanent makeup of any kind. Apparently, there are metallics in the ink used in tattooing/permanent makeup which may render you ineligible to have an MRI/MRA in the future. I am not sure if people in the business of doing these tattoos, etc are informing people this could present a problem for them if they ever need an MRI in the future. But, it might be worth looking into before making this type of decision. I found it interesting and thought I'd pass it along. (Please don't shoot the messenger.)

Yep. I understand. :couch2: I'm sorry to hear you're having such a hard time. I'm sure I'm following closely behind you. I'm just avoiding the band doctors as long as I can. I want to keep my band and I've had 3 surgeries in the last 3 years. None of this can be good for your body, especially when you (I)have systemic lupus and blood clotting issues.

http://www.teamflex.com/nutrition/high_protein_foods.asp http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/nutrition/high-protein-foods.html http://www.rnyachievegoals.com/ProteinFoods.html there are a few good ones. :couch2:

Were you able to check with Dr Veninga? I'm really sorry you're going through so much trouble. Do you think you'll try to have it replaced? Was there any talk of the esophageal issues? Big hugs to you! Please keep us posted!

I have ONLY lost 70-75lbs. But, I have kept it off now over 2 years. The last time I lost 50lbs pre-band. I gained it back twice as fast as I lost it. I certainly do not believe I could have lost this much OR kept it off without the band. NO...

Liquids WILL often go through when hard proteins will slow you down right away. Don't judge too quickly. You may get some surprises when you incorporate good solid table food again. Good luck and go slow!!

Are you eating hard proteins? Soft foods allow us to eat more than we think we should. Also, is your band a smaller band which only holds 4cc or a Vanguard which holds more? Some folks have thought they had a small one only to find out they had a VG and often that takes more tries to get to that 'sweet spot'. I understand the frustration. Keep us posted!

LOL, thanks. That's too funny. No one wants to be me.. lol, but it's a nice compliment nonetheless. God bless you both!

You're exactly right, Shelly. You should NOT feel the liquids 'just sitting' there. It sounds as if you really need an upper GI or flouro to see if your pouch is dilated. What happens is that it forms a bowl-like structure above the band and even though(or because) the band is really too tight, it still allows you to eat, but goes nowhere for extended periods. Often it backs up when you lay down at night. Having food sit in this distended pouch can't be good for you.

Way to go Chris! Me too. 3 yrs out - 75lbs, still maintaining. Some days are harder than others, for sure, but hey.. could we have done this well without the band for so long? Nope... Congrats!!! Now - to get back to where we were.. that's the hard part now..

I never had any symptoms at all. I found out I was slipped when I went for a fill. Unfortunately, the man who gave me the fill OVERfilled me and instead of diagnosing a slip, he made a statement about pouch being dilated (he left the fill in). He wanted to charge me for an unfill the following Monday, so I called someone with more experience. I couldn't swallow my own spit. The wiser fellow said the instant he saw it - slippage. However, please don't borrow trouble. It's very very very very common not to have any restriction immediately following your surgery. Some do, some don't. Once you've healed, then the attempts begin to find your restriction. Go slow.. this is not a race. Good luck!

Yep, ladies man, male chauvanist, etc..