Toddy

PB is a productive burp, where you just regurgitate food. Not to be mistaken with vomiting, which is a forceful expulsion from your stomach.

Feeling full post band is very different than feeling full before being banded. I never get that, oh, I'm stuffed and can't eat another bite feeling. I just simply get tired of eating and I stop. The band is not a magic bullet that will prevent you from over-eating. You still have to exercise some self-control. If you're a "grazer" you will still be able to graze all day long. There are band rules for a reason: You follow them and you will lose weight; you don't follow them and you may as well have never been banded.

Are you feeling any restriction at all? Everybody reaches the green zone at different levels -- they shouldn't be telling you you're almost there; you should be telling them how you feel. At 5.8 cc's I can understand not being in the green zone, but I think you should feel some restriction, even if it's very limited. The next time you go in for a fill, you might want to ask your doctor if he'll pull all the Fluid out to measure it and then put it back in, that way you can make sure there's not a leak somewhere. Also, it makes a difference whether you have a 10 cc band or a 14 cc band.

You'll get as many different answers to this question as there are people answering. I've had the surgery twice. The first time the pain was not very bad as far as the incisions went. The gas pain was the worst, and the pain meds and a heating pad made it not so bad. The worst part of the surgery first time around was the weakness and light-headedness I had off and on (mostly on) for the first seven days -- it had me wondering what I had done to myself!! After seven days, I was pretty much back to normal. The second surgery I was really dreading having to go through the gas pains and extreme weakness again. However, even though my second surgery was more involved (band re-stitched and added plication) I had very little pain at all and didn't experience any of the weakness at all. In fact, I re-arranged my living room furniture less than a week post-op! Fortunately I didn't do any physical damage, and I definitely wouldn't advise anybody to do that -- it's just I felt that good!

I usually have to learn to re-eat with every fill. The first few days after a fill I'll struggle with regurgitation. Then I'll wake up one morning and my goal for the day is to NOT regurgitate anything. Since I make it my main goal for the day, I'm very focused on my eating and pay attention to every bite I put in my mouth -- very small bites and chew extremely well, and then pause long enough between bites to let the previous bite settle in. When I make it through an entire day with no regurgitation, I feel like a winner, I have mastered eating with the level of fill I'm currently at and I just keep going like that.

Where are you from? Are you traveling to Mexico to get your band? I always worry about people that travel long distances for band surgery, because the surgery is only PART of the process. Bands require A LOT of maintenance in order to even work -- I'm talking about at least monthly visits initially -- and that's provided you have no complications. If you are traveling a long distance for the surgery, make sure you have a physician lined up near where you live to do your fills. Some physicians will not treat patients that had their bands done elsewhere. I don't want to be discouraging -- WLS is a major decision and I just think everyone needs to go into this surgery with eyes wide open.

I'm not a fan of Lean Cusine or WW frozen dinners, but I occasionally eat them when my dh is out of town and I don't want to cook for one. Well, I've finally found some that I like and look forward to eating instead of just eating them because I'm feeling lazy. The Atkins brand meals are REALLY, REALLY good!! They are more expensive than LC and WW, but they are so worth it. The two I've tried have 22 grams and 16 grams of Protein. Just wanted to share a food tip!

When I was diagnosed with a slip that would require surgery, I went under with three possible options: 1) that the band would be restitched, 2) that the band would be removed, 3) that the band would be restitched with plication. I was lucky and had the band restitched with plication. The only thing I know for sure, I don't want to ever have to try to maintain my weight without a surgical tool of one sort or another. If I had had my band removed, I would have gone through the necessary healing process and then had the sleeve!! Never again do I want to have to do this on my own!!

Frist, B52, no rice or Pasta... I had the Beef Merlot, which was beef and broccoli, and the crustless chicken pot pie, which was just chicken and veggies in a very tasty sauce. I don't have a problem with Water retention, so I concentrate on calories, fat grams and Protein,and don't really pay a lot of attention to soidum As CG said, it's just a once in a while thing... not a daily habit! Oh, and they run about $3.50ish

I chose not to tell my two sisters or any of my friends. They all found out about it after the fact. Both of my sisters reacted negatively... until they saw me (we all live in different states) and saw how much healthier I was. And now they ignore the fact that I had wls, but they heap on the praise for my new and improved health. One of my closest friends (that I really thought would be judgmental) found out after the fact. Instead of her judging me, she was full of questions, and has now had wls herself!!! She is off her diabetes meds and her CPAP!!!! There are still a few people that I would prefer not to know about it... but if they do find out, it's no big deal...

Your problem sounds like too little research before chosing the band, and then too little education by your medical staff during the banded process. The band is not a cure; it is a tool... and if you're not fully educated, you are at a distinct disadvantage!

I'm flirting with the green zone and having a little bit of trouble with rice and Pasta. It just amazes me that those two things you think of as soft food, but there is no way to chew them down to "mush"! I can eat pizza as long as it is a really super thin crust (which was my preference even pre-band). I call it pizza on a cracker!

Mine slipped after eight months and only two instances of vomiting. My surgeon was extremely surprised that it had slipped. He said I was the earliest slip they'd ever had in their practice. I don't think he believed me when I told him I had only vomited twice. My advice: Do everything you can to avoid vomiting! But don't confuse regurgitation with vomiting. Reguritation is more of a burp that brings up recently eaten food; vomiting is a forceful expulsion from your stomach.

Definitely do liquids for at least 24 hours after a fill. If your doctor hasn't already told you that, I'd wonder why. Every doctor has different recommendations of how to do things band-wise, but liquids right after a fill is very consistent!!

Some doctors choose to put in a small fill during surgery and others do not. My doctor did not put any in my band during surgery. Also, I can't imagine needing painkillers after a fill. I have absolutely no pain after fills. I haven't had pain meds since a day or two after surgery. I have heard of instances where an anti-anxiety drug was needed prior to the fill, but no pain meds to my knowledge.

I had six... besides the four for my previous gallbladder surgery. I look like I've been sliced and diced... just glad I'm too old to wear a bikini... even if I'd never had a weight problem. Skin just reaches an age that it is much prettier covered than exposed!!!

2 cc's is a pretty large fill for someone that's obviously very sensitive to the band. Everybody is so different. Whatever you do, don't let the band stay too tight because that can cause a lot of problems!

It was only after the fourth or fifth fill, when I finally got into the green zone, and I could only sip water. That's actually when I knew I was in the green zone!

I'm with tmf on this one, I just like food!!! No emotional issues, just good times and good food always go/went hand in hand!

Words to live by!!! I'm flirting with the edge of the green zone and when I eat the right food everything works like it should... satisfied quickly and for several hours. HOWEVER, if I eat junk food, which I did this weekend when we were entertaining, I found that chips, dips, Cookies, etc. (basically any high fat slider food) go down very easily and don't fill the pouch up. In other words, it was just like I'd never even had surgery!!! The band just doesn't work at all with slider foods and anybody considering the band needs to know that!!

I've had surgery twice. The first time, one week off work was NOT enough. So when we did my revision surgery with plication (a surgery I thought was more drastic than the original) I took two weeks off, but could have easily gone back after three days. Each person is different and even each surgery is different!

As I was reading this, I was thinking to myself "Gee, I don't really see a whole lot of that." Then I remembered... if the title of the post is really negative sounding, I pass right by it without clicking I like to help those that have a legit question because we all have had those! But the ones that are upset because the band just isn't making them skinny... I breeze on by!

We entertained over the weekend and A LOT of junk food ended up making its way to my kitchen. I snacked on some of it yesterday... and the effects showed up on the scale this morning. So, I went straight downstairs, dumped chips, dips, cookies, peanuts, etc. down the garbage disposal. Some (my dh included if he knew would call this waste, but is it really a waste if the food has absolutely no nutritional value?? I don't think so!!

I love your post! My husband is doing the same thing, eating what I don't finish. That's why I didn't feel the least bit bad about throwing away the junk food... he doesn't need it either. He has put on at least 20 - 30 pounds since I've been banded.

Sounds like you're just regurgitating, BUT you do need to see your doctor. To all of a sudden begin having trouble keeping food down, you're either eating too fast, taking too large of a bite, have really irritated your band, or you could very well have a slip. Only your doctor can diagnose a slip. My band slipped after only two incidences of vomiting (the forceful expulsion of food from the lower stomach). While slipping that early on is not the norm, it can definitely happen.