La_madam

Angela I have a pill baby and I am also a pill baby so it does happen I do not think your Dr. will put you under if you are pregnant..just my opinion Everything happens for a reason Angela I truly believe that Best of Luck to you

Monday 1/24 189 -2 lbs for me this week, I love my new fill

Nancy, you are exactly right the air is right below the band. I get it all the time honestly you are not alone, my pouch is fine not stretched one bit. Today I drank so much water and I must say it really cut down on the air and gas..I'm still gassy but it is not nearly as band or as painful as yesterday or days before that. It does not matter what I eat, but no straws and gum and lots of water does help! I have the opposite problem I can not burp so mine comes out the other end but in the mean time all that extra air that would normally come out in a burp doesnt so it just stirs around in my tummy all day long..another pattern I have noticed with this gas is , it does not start until the late afternoon everyday at around 3 ish and last until I go to sleep..strangest thing, but I the weight loss is great so I live with it and as long as I know nothing is wrong I'm dealin with it Hang in there Nancy, you are not alone .

Emmy, refired beans are great during the mushy stage...hummus is also good too, avocado is also good with a little salt & pepper. For a sweet tooth try mixing peanut butter with Ricotta cheese, sounds gross but is delicious.

Angela I agree with Paula take a home test , sometimes stress can make your period late and we know how an upcoming surgery can stress us out. Plus have you been on any pre op diet becasue that can delay it too..before you cancel your surgery , take a home testto be sure, you have a week so do not panic yet

Julie, you are normal of course it is normal to feel hungry with only liquids..some of the grawling you are feeling could also be gas..it gets better as you progrees to mushys then solids..

I asked my doctor about this very thing on Monday when I was there for my fill I do not know if many of you know but the band acts as a one way vlave which iswhy so many of us have trapped gas and burp more often then pre band...I was told also that most of us who are now banded become air swallowers since we have to concentrate on such smaller bites and chew so well. Drinking with straws and chewing gum both do not help it..I have eliminated the gum and the straws since Monday and am doing better..One other thing I have focused on this week is really really drinking alot of Water and it has helped immensely..I have trapped painful gas every day but this week has been alot better for me..Nancy your analogy of the one way valve helped me alot this is why I asked my Dr. about it on Monday and Ortiz talks about it in his book

You can do this.. theday is almost over and tomorrow is your day! Think of today as the beginning of the new you ..hang in there

Lots of Love coming your way Lauren..we all will be thinking of you

Hi Aimee Welcome...what a fantastic job you have done so far withyour weight loss. I know what you mean about the bandsters group , I feel the same way about most of those Yahoo groups, this is why I have chosen to stay right herewith all of these loving caring supportive people. You will be happy you did too:)

Julie every doctor has different post op instructions. I was on clear liquids for 2 weeks post op..at day 8 I was allowed to add skim milk and day 10 I was allowed protein drinks. At 3 weeks post op I was on full liquids and weeks 4-6 I was on mushy foods. Did your Dr. give you any post op instructions to follow as far as diet? Your body feeling tired is alot from the anasthesia and the whole surgery itself. Lack of calories will also make you feel week and tired. It is normal and iot does get better each day..you will notice a huge difference once you are able to add some protein shakes to your liquid regimen...hang in there

Mo, how much of a fill do you have? You said you were banded on Nov 9th 2004 and have had 3 fills so far? It could be that you are filled just a tad too tight. As little as having .2 cc's removed can make a huge difference. Also people do not understand that when you PB and do not do liquids for 24 hrs it is a vicious cycle. Once you PB your esophagus is irritated and swollen so the next solid food you eat the same thing can happen your esophagus needs a rest and time for the swelling to go down.. this could be why it keeps happening, maybe do liquids for a day or 2 and then resumme solids and see if that helps. I know from experience trust me. The other thing is, the less you PB the better off you will be and the longer your band lasts. Pbing often is a major factor in band slippage. My nieghboor PBed 3-4 times a week and her band slipped now she has no band and is gaining weight back rapidly...What food are you choosing? I have had 3 fills and this fill I can not do any rice or breads or pasta NO WAY! I get the pain in my chest. So I just eliminate those foods ..Sometimes the food will go through the band but you still will have the slime and foamy white stuff..your esophagus goes thorugh one hell of a work out trying to get that food either out or through the band..there is a thread on Esophagitis from me here , if you do a search it is very helpful..Good Luck, if this continues to happen even after restinf your esophagus Iwould cal lyour Dr. maybe you just need a slight bit of your fill removed...

Pati, sounds great I am glad you have it all worked out. I hope your fills go very smothly for you. As long as you are happy with your decision that is all that matters right? Good Luck

Leg Cramps are from a lack of potassium..try orange juice it has lots of potassium and the V8 is loaded with potassium too...I had the same thing first 2 weeks post op. They get better

Hi G Dr. Ren is an excellent doctor she too has just come out with a book I believe itis called Living with the Lap Band or something like that. Congratulations and best of luck to you

Lisa call your local Doc and schedule a fill, maybe then you will get restriction once you made the appointment..It happened to me twice. If not then go get a small fill, it can not hurt right? Plus see if what Lopez told you is true see if you truly have 1.7 cc's because I agree with you a .7 jump you should be feeling some restriction or more then you had ..This is why we get the band to help us with our eating and portions. The band is designed to be filled, right? With this fill I had on Monday my food obsession is gone. and Iam lovin it! I say go for it! Some Dr's will tell their patients after a fill if they still feel no restriction in 2 weeks the to come back for another fill .. You are no different and you said there is a chance you may lose your band down the road or you think you may be rejecting this new port too then why not go get a fill and lose as much as you can while you can. Just my opinion

Great analogy Leatha! I love it..thanks for posting it!

I have a different view on this subject. I had mine done in Mexico and yes I live close to the border, but even if I did not I would continue to do my aftercare with my original surgeon..I chose him for a reason his experience and knowledge of the band not the price because believe me I could of gotten it done cheaper. Does he use flouro when he does fills? Is this the price with or without fluoro? If he does not use flouro do you feel comfortable with that, alot of us here like the fact our Dr's use flouro it gives peace of mind To me that is so important for me to actually see my band and my port and my restriction..2 of the girls who had surgery the same day as me live out of state and they both fly into San Diego and go to TJ for their fills. Not to mention US docs are very conservative with their fills so in the long run you may need several fills if they only give .5 cc's- .7cc's at a time. Would it be cheaper in the long run to go to TJ and have Kuri give you a decent size fill under flouro? These are the questions you need to aks yourself Who's to say you will need more then 3 fills. For me I Just had my third and I know this one will get me to goal 25lbs from goal ..Everyone is different I know..sometimes though we just have to work a little harder ( mental things) instead making the band do alot of the work, the less ammount of fills/ unfills you have the longer life your band will have according to Ortiz /Martinez

I was told by my Doc that anytime you have the reflux and or mucous at night, you need an unfill..maybe not a complete unfill but a partial unfill. As little as .2 cc's can make the biggest difference to get those pills through and eliminate the mucous at night. Maybe ask for a partial unfill for the time being

Although it has been said that the band can help patients with GERD then band can also cause GERD if you are filled too tight. Ill' succeed, I do not wantto burst your bubble..but if you feel as though you are filled with acid and air pre band..be prepared, I have never had this much air and acid in my system then I have since being banded. Most of us here have more air then pre band. I live on Gas X and Maloxx . I do not have GERD though which Iam thankful for just lots of air and rumbly tummy. I hope for you are different, maybe it iwill have the opposite affect on you

Ryan & Patty.. I am with you all the way. Ryan you know I can relate to what you are going through.. My thoughts will be with both of you. ((((HUGS))))

Melissa if it continues to leak please call your Dr. this is exactly how Lisa's started out with her tubing protruding then a continuous open wound that leaked.

How true How true Paula Being sick has is bonuses Cold-eze worked well for me Leatha also the liquid Tylenol for cold & flu

Hi..I was banded in Mexico and did not have one in Mexico. There are others here who will share their experiences that did have to go through a physch evaluation. I have not heard anyone yet who has been denied because they failed their evaluation..Good Luck

Or like taking your car to the mechanic becasue it is making a funny noise and the minute you pull up to the auto shop the noise is gone My last fill I mentioned this phenomenon to my Dr. and he says he hears it alot so maybe the mind does play tricks on us or should I say our bands