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Everthing I eat gets stuck. I'm thinking my band is too restricted. Does it hurt when it gets stuck? What do you do to get un-stuck? Nothing is working for me, and I am not losing like I should. I feel constantly hungry

How do you know if the band is too tight? Here's my problem. Whenever I eat something (anything with the exception of lettuce) it hurts. I can eat two bites of a turkey sausage link, and it hurts. I can eat two bites of cottage cheese and it hurts. I give it a few minutes, then I try again. I chew chew chew! I am ok for the next bite or two, then the third one hurts. Sometime it hurts so much I start getting bile in my throat and mouth, and have to spit it up. If I were to eat a half of a chicken breast, it will take me about a half hour. My doc told me to stop eating after 20 minutes. I never feel full only pain. Then an hour or so later, I'm starving! This leads me to think that my band is too tight. Any thoughts?

Hmmm…Why am I fat… Let’s see, I am an active person, work a full time job, have kids and pets to take care of, remodel houses (flip), involved in charities, etc…I always have something going on, so why am I fat? l Boredom…with as busy as I am how could I be bored? OK, I’ll be honest. My job is boring. So I sit at a desk in an office with bunches of people around for 8 -10 hours a day and all I do is gather data and make fancy reports. BORING! But Hey, they money it good! And I can certainly snack and type at the same time. lBoredom – I can remember when I was a child, coming home from school, nothing to do (my mom wouldn’t let us play outside while she was in one of her depression episodes), but attach the frig, that is when there was a frig to attack (I grew up pretty poor and usually there was no food to attack but junk)! Yippee! And that junk tasted so good! And I could eat and do homework at the same time. And with 3 siblings, it kept us out of mom’s hair so she was happy and not yelling! WIN - WIN lBoredom – I find that I still do the same thing, only now I come home from work, pet the pups, and attach the frig which is always full (a survival technique learned in early life I’m sure)! After a long day of being bored and everything being so bland…all that tasty food exciting all those brain neurons! Wonderful! lBoredom – I don’t have any friends really (I'm way to busy) and those that I do are always so busy, we have to have a “date” to get together. Besides, maintaining friendships take so much energy! AND the kids expect me to be home, cooking something for dinner & taking care of them (who cares that they are 19 & 23)…and the dogs have to be fed. And after sitting in that small cube all day consuming all those carbs, who has the energy to really do anything anyway? And it is so easy to just sit in front of the TV or read a book with a nice bowl of soothing ice cream, yum! And then one day I was listening to the radio, and this silly person was saying that “boredom is only a state of mind”. Golly, he obviously doesn’t live my life. How could I be bored if I am so busy? So why is it that I am so “bored”? Who said life was supposed to be exciting? Who said it wasn’t? (me!) So let me think back. When did I have a time that I wasn’t bored and eating and I was skinny (I hate that term – makes me think of those silly models that wear skin on their bones then cover it with some cloth and try to make us think we should look like them – thank you Cosmo!). Oh, I know. I was outside riding my horse or my bike, having fun. I was playing and chasing butterflies and catching snakes, fun! I was swimming in the lake and diving off my horses back and looking for crawdads at the bottom, fun! I was in the sun, with no cares in the world, fun! So, now I know why I’m fat. I am an adult. I have responsibilities, bills to pay, people to take care of and I am busy! I have no time for me. I have no time for fun. I am bored!

This is such a great thread! I have had this happen to me, but was "scared" to talk to my doc about it. (he is not very personable - LOL). But now I know it "normal". I am about 3 months banded and still working on what works. I have never had the slime, but have the PB every time I eat. I figured the burping was because I do spend so much time chewing that it must allow air into my stomach some how. Does anyone have problem with excessive gas? I have never had so much gas in my life, I am almost afraid to move sometimes cause it could just slip out. So embarrassing! Especially since I work in an office. I try to walk real slow to the bathroom and hopefully get there to let it out. I tried taking some Gas-X but that didn't help. Any suggestions?

I started a 6 month pre-op diet because was required by my insurance. I have a PPO. They taught us about Protein, carbs, simple sugars, etc. We had to keep a log of what we ate. After my 5th month my insurance changed its requirements and decided that the pre-op classes weren't necessary. But I finished that last month anyway. I paid for it and it certainly could hurt. But then after the classes i procrastinated for another 6 months. Finally one day I said "why am I waiting?" and thought "look where i would be if I had done this a year ago, or two years ago?" I am so glad I did it. It is a life style change but one I needed. Best of luck to you! I agree with Carolinagirl...keep you eye on the prize! BTW...I think I ended up paying a total of $1000, including all the pre-surgery testing

Wow, I didn't know there was a choice. I never thought to ask, I assumed it would be just where the literature showed (below and to the right of the belly button) but the I got mine and it is left side below my ribs. I mentioned it to my doc and in his unfriendly sort of way muttered that that is where it goes and eventually you won't even notice it (once it settles down). Could I have chosen where I wanted it?

I use SparkPeople.com. They have a food tracker, weight tracker, workout tracker and allot more!

I felt the same way. I was on a weight loss rollar coaster. I started investigating LBS about two years ago and even took the pre-op classes (for 6 months). I keep thinking that is was just too drastic of a procedure, surely there was some type of diet out there that will work. I tried them all, jenny, weighwatchers, dexatrim, the list goes on and on, but maybe, just maybe there was something else. One day I woke up and thought, you know, if I had just done the procedure two years ago when I first thought about it, I could have been down to my goal weight by now. That's when I decided no more procrastination, just do it. I got banded 10/16/12, and although the weight is not just falling off like I had hoped it would (wishful thinking I'm sure), it is coming off, slowly but surely. Now I think "where will I be in two more years?" instead of looking for another diet to try. I will be 50 in 2 years and will have struggled with weight loss almost all of my adult life. I am excited about flipping the 1/2 century mark with a new body and new outlook on life!

I stopped taking all vitamins except for calcium. I was taking a vitamin (chewable) with my morning and then my evening meal. I was getting sick to my stomach and lightheaded and just thought that i was part of eating. Until the day came that I forgot to take it. I took it later that day and got lightheaded, feverish and nauseated. I though WOW, the vitamin is doing it to me. The next day I tried it again and the symptoms came back. Granted they only lasted about 20 minutes or so...but that was long enough. So I switched vitamins (a couple different brands) and had the same thing. My guess is that my body was telling me I didn't need them. So, now I just stick to the calcium. It doesn't bother me and since I don't get any dairy except for cottage cheese, I figure it can't hurt.

I'm with you! This was my first Christmas with the band. I remember looking at my plate and thinking, "wow, last year this would have been stacked with food". But this year I used portion control. A little taste if this and a little of that. There was actually space between each item (as opposed to being piled on top of each other) I skipped some stuff (cause I new I could't get it down). Not to say that I maintained my calories since I did have a slice of carmel cake. But I did not overeat to the point that I could move like I used do! I am actually proud of myself! Happy New year to you too!

I totally understand your frustration. I do not count calories yet, because I am still experimenting with what foods I can tolerate. My most frustrating is the week before "Aunt Flo" arrives. I gain an average of 5 lbs! Yikes!! And since my Aunt is never regualr, it makes it all the worse. Ah, but after she leaves I lose the 5 and a couple more and am happy again. What a roller coaster! I am going to take Loves advise and take some measurements. The scale is always the best judge. Hang in there!

I think this system is just really slow. One othe thing I had to do was to open the Edit Photo link in a different window. Just right click on the Edit link and chose "open in a new tab". I posted my profile as a URL. To do it, open your folder where you have your pics stored on your PC or laptop. click once to highlight the pic you want. Now look at the address bar. You should see something like C:\My Documents\My Pictures\name of photo I want.jpeg. Copy this into the URL spot on the change my photo page. then click done and just leave it hang open. I went back to the original page and finally (after several minutes) it "popped" in. Hope this helps!

I used this sevice once. I costs about $5.00 a month, you choose what plan you want usually by what store you shop. They do have "diet" plans. I choice the Aldi plan to save money. I found some pretty good quick and easy recipes.

I am in the same boat. Up and down and have only lost 20 in 2 months. Although I have not been counting calories, but I can't hardly keep anything down. I am going to start a journal (after christmas - LOL). Maybe that will help me realize what I am doing wrong My logic is probably a little off, but if I am not eating the same stuff before the surgery and have such drastically reduce portion sizes and sweets, then it would only figure that the weight would fall off. I mean if it took thousands of calories to maintain 280 lbs (beginning wt), one would think limited intake would cause the lbs to go away. Maybe my body has gone into starvation mode (again). I'm getting frustrated!!!

My prayers are with you. God never gives us more than you can bear. Ask him to take some of your burden - Things will get better! Pain in the shoulder area is normal. It's gas. I found that putting Absorbine Jr (liniment) on it and ice really helps. I too could not keep anything down for the first week, except broth. But I wouldn't worry about not getting food right now. Your body is made to go days without. Water however is another issue. Take little sips often. Chew on ice. Carry a water bottle with you and keep track of how much you are drinking. Dehydration is serious, but swelling is usually caused by water (that how the body works) so losing a little water will usually help with the swelling. AND don't forget your vitamins!!!!!

At first I only told my 23 year old son, since I needed someone to pick me up from the hospital. I expected to be home the same day, surgery at 7:30 - then home by 4. I had a bad reaction to the anesthesia, so I took a little longer to recover before leaving the hospital. Anyway, after a series of events, others in my family had to be told. My mom and my kids are very supportive, but my sister and my dad really aren't. I didn't feel anyone at work had the right to know. I am a firm believer in separating job life from home life. But we have allot of corporate lunches, so it is kinda hard to come up with reasons why I am only having Soup and salad, instead of something like I used to order. It is especially tough when they order sandwiches or pizza - I can not get any type of dough products down, without allot of pain - so I usually go back to my desk or find some other reason not to be there for lunch. I have to say that I do miss the commodory of the group lunches, but I have to think about me and my weight lose ambitions. I got banded in October and I still feel like I need to hide it from everyone, and I don't like talking to my family about it. But I needed a support group - and wellah! here you guys all are! Thanks! BTW...Great question!!! OH, and for the intimacy...can't answer that, since I don't have a significant other...for the time being ;}

I am 7 weeks post op. My scars itch like crazy. My port is crooked, but the doc said it will staighten itself out. It is causing a big bruised spot on my stomach and hurts. When I asked how long the scars would stay red and itchy, my doc just shrugged and said they are on the mend. Yesterday, I pulled two 1 inch long strings out of one of my incision points. They came out all full of puss and blood. I squeezed the spot until the blood was clear, then put some Hydrocortisone cream on it. It now feels MUCH better. I am going to mention this to my doc next next week. I don't think the disolvable stiches are disolving as intended! But ever the optomist, I will give them some time! Hopefully I will be one of those folks that hardly even see them in a few months!

Wow, you are doing great with the weight loss! I too was banded on Oct 16, but my weight loss has not been near as dramatic as yours (about 19 lbs). But some of your loss may be because you have lost too much water! So please be careful. Take it slow and just add a little Water at a time. This may sound silly but it helped me many years ago when I ralized I was not getting enough water ( I was getting constant headaches from dehydration). Do you have a friend that smokes? Ever notice how often they smoke? Well, what I did, was every time my friend at work went for a smoke break, I went with him, but for a water break. So it takes 7 - 9 minutes to smoke a cig, I would bring 8 ozs of water with me and took the 7 - 9 minutes to drink it. By the end of our 8 hours shift I had already 32 or more oz for the day! Plus it got me away from my desk (a little exercise!) Today, the only thing I drink is water, tea or cranberry juice. I can't seem to tolerate anything else without getting a bladder infection.