Allie2013

I have troubles with Pasta. Geez and I'm Italian

For me it's chicken. I still try and it gets me every time.

Opinions differ about how gastric banding actually works.
My opinion is based on the fact that stretching the stomach wall shuts down the appetite hormones. When your stomach size is reduced from a football to a golf ball you are going to get stomach wall stretch and appetite hormone diminution on much fewer calories.
Also, the food takes a while to empty through the restriction so the full feeling lasts longer. Some patients will forget to eat dinner because they are still full from lunch.
We know about some of the appetite hormones floating around but we know that there are many more and that the way the stomach and the brain communicate is very complicated. The drive to eat is a very powerful biological drive. If the brain thinks for an instant that you're trying to starve yourself it will take drastic measures.
The small stomach pouch above the band fools the brain into thinking you've just eaten a Thanksgiving meal.
In some patients the appetite suppression is very powerful and some patients say they are never hungry after band surgery. Some patients deal with lots of "head hunger" which is a complex process and not easy to deal with sometimes.
As you lose weight, the stomach tissue inside the band loses weight and that is why you need additional fills as you lose your weight. At your goal weight, the stomach tissue thickness stabilizes and the need for fills diminishes quite a bit.
I read a lot of posts where patients do not have their bands perfectly adjusted.
Here's my version:
Perfectly adjusted - full on small meals, not hungry between meals, easy to lose 1-2 pounds per week, amorous feelings toward your surgeon and staff, send them a Christmas card that will bring tears to your eyes
Too loose - hungry, can eat large amounts of food, hard to lose weight, feels just like you are on a diet.
Too tight - everything wants to come back up including liquids, hurts to eat or drink, bad heartburn especially at night (when you lay down), the only thing that wants to go down is Cheetos and ice cream (bad stuff)
I think if you don't fit the "perfectly adjusted" description you should call your band surgeon to make it perfect with an adjustment.
Also keep in mind that each patient's band journey is very individual.
Hope that helps
brad

No, your port is attached to your abdominal wall. Your stomach is deeper in your abdominal cavity.

Big time. My preop was supposed to be for 2 weeks, I didn't get serious until the last 4 or 5 days. Some people don't even have a preop diet. It's designed to defat your liver, not necessarilly to lose weight - perhaps to also prepare you for the changes in your eating habits. But 1) how do they know how fat your liver was to begin with 2) once banded, you won't have a choice but to change your eating habits. To say it is your food police is an understatement. I'm almost afraid to eat sometimes, especially at night.
You'll be fine.

What is "slimed" I am new to the band and have had one filler done 2 weeks ago, but my struggle is that I'm still hungry.

I nibbled a little as I had two BBQs to go to. I used small plates and had no more than 4 bites. However, I did do my Turbo Fire workout this morning.

Teacher here! Okay.. lets see... You were out walking the dog on a Sunday morning when you see the neighbors house being robbed. You reach for your cell when you realize that you left it at home. The neighbors weren't always nice but you remembered they had brought you over a apple pie last thanksgiving (pre band) and felt like it was the right thing to do. So you and Sponge Square Bob Pants (The Dog) jumped into action, leap frog style. You ran around to the back door and crept in.. tip toeing to ensure they didn't hear you. That's when you realize that the family is actually home and still asleep. So you sprint up the stairs (because you are super fit from the walk that morning) and go to tell Josh and JoAnne that someone is robbing the house... They took Nyquil the night before because they both had seasonal allergies. They didn't wake up. It was up to you. You grabbed little Joseph's baseball bat and went charging down the stairs. The intruder heard you coming and pulled out his only weapon... A surgical blade he stole from the hospital he was just released from for a kidney stone. A intense battle ensued. After the ordeal was over he was taken in a stretcher to the county jail and you were awarded "Best Neighbor off the Month" by the HOA and only came out with a few small stabs to the gut... in the end you are a hero, the neighbors and safe and you ended up with another pie (That you didn't even end up eating) THE END!

If you get mildly stuck where food easy regurgitates without force I usually stop eating and than later that day introduce fluids to see how I feel. If all is well I will usually proceed with solid foods. However, if you get stuck and it takes a prolonged period to pass, is super uncomfortable and has symptoms like nausea, acid reflux, or it induced vomiting this is when you should exercise some caution as this type of 'stuck' will have caused some inflammation. To do so, go on a liquid diet x1 day and the next day intro some mushies first and than solids if all feels well. liquid diet can be extended for however long is necessary if you continue to feel sore or if you notice increased restriction (d/t inflammation). chicken is one of those meats a lot of us struggle with us. One day it goes down no problem, next day not even close. Make sure your lean meats are super moist and cut it as small as possible before chewing it down like a lawnmower. Hope this helps

You can cause the sutures that hold the band to your stomach to tear lose and the band can slip. Most docs won't allow solids for at least 2 weeks and many not for 4 weeks.

Thanks Everyone!! Just goes to show the power of working out...and a million squats

Take some time to yourself and really think about what your goals are. Health? Weight loss? Exercise? I find if I start one thing at a time, then add the next in after you are comfortable with the first one. For example, start with looking at food as a survival need, eat only what you need to keep you going, no more. Write down everything you eat. Drink 8 glasses of Water a day. You can do this even before you see the doctor. After you have mastered the basic eating routine add in exercise. Start slow, walking a few times a week. Make it a must do routine. Increase slowly, as you start to feel better and lighter, you'll be able to add in more exercises or more time. I personally hate to exercise, so I bike ride, do Zumba, swim or walk. It's a chore for me and will always feel that way, but I have to admit I feel better after I do it. The stress of the day seems to go away. Good luck and you'll be losing in no time!

I got the Lap Band 4 years ago. I went through a traumatic situation right after. Then shortly began a new career that is very intense. Shortly after that began working the night shift for 5-6 nights, 12hr shifts. It's all been so much and just adjusting has kept me from seeing doctor and focusing on losing weight. I made appt for 7/18 and can't wait to tell doctor to lets move foward. He refused to fill me in the past due to the heavy drinking I was doing. I have stopped and ready. But where do I start?

I'm six months post op and I have no issues drinking a glass full of Water. I also feel I've had enough fills to reach the "green zone". There is swelling after surgery and possibly after getting a fill but you should never be so tight that water doesn't go down easily.

I did GREAT! I am a little over 2 1/2 weeks post op and worked until 3pm (and I work in a hospital that was full of junk food and snacks) then took my kiddos over to family's for a BBQ as I sat there and chatted while everyone else ate, I drank my Water with Mio, I don't care that much about food anymore, Its the reason I had to get this surgery, and now I got the band im not messing it up. I see how easy it is for one to cheat on their diet, believe me I thought about it and that's that just a thought. going strong.

Two months the fist time and now two months again. Head hunger is still there though. I have to physically ask myself if I'm hungry or do I want a quick food fix because I enjoy the flavor? Head hunger does diminish during the green zone, but it does not go away entirely for me.
My doctor explained to me that our pouches adapt and strengthen as we force it to work harder to push food through the stoma. Therefore, your esophagus and pouch become better machines and it can appear that our band has loosened.
tmf

Well, since you asked, I have been told, and have advised others that you should stay on liquids for at least a day after fills. My own surgeon says 2 days clear 2 days full liquids to let the swelling in the band go down. Now, since you have already done the deed, I would advise you to go back to liquids for a day or so. Back to the food choices, baked chicken breast is very dry, you probably should have put a sauce on it to eat it. I stick to either dark meat or eating it with a sauce of sorts. Potato salad, while good, is very tough to digest unless you chew forever. It has a lot of chunky potatoes, celery, etc. Be careful, probably if you had waited a day or two, you could have eaten them okay. Best wishes, have a nice weekend. Karen

Agree with lots of above, my physican also requires 2 days of liquids post fill and than I usually had to progress back to solids, so all in all in usually took me about a week to be able to eat my cup of solids. chicken has always been tricky for me and also potatos of any kind. Try some fish baked, grilled or broiled and some green Beans. The band is is very fickel and some are more sensitive to fills then others, as long as you can get down liguids, are not having reflux I personally would not have an unfill. My personal opinion is that sometimes it takes the body a few days to adjust to the fill, my doctor always said to have patience and keep trying to work at it and find what I could eat. Good luck and make sure you stay well hydrated.

bites are supposed to be about the size of your littlefinger nail... also after my fills I have had to be on liquids for two days afterwards...

I don't know what your doc recommends but mine says two days of full liquids after a fill then back to basics , but talk to yur doc just to make sure and remember not to drink while you eat ,

Slimed is when your body produces saliva to help get down the stuck food and when you burp it up it feels like your throwing up a jelly fish.. Super weird/gross
-BriannaXOXO

I was banded 3 weeks ago. Gas pain was terrible the first night and second day. But from the minute I got home same day as surgery I walked around my block twice. And again the next day. Walking does help get rid of the gas. Also massaging the areas where you hurt. For me the gas pain was like a sharp pain on my left side.
I've been using the treadmill since the 4th day of my surgery this has helped me tremendously.

My surgeon said he recommends having some bread because it fills you up and stays in the pouch longer.

I know I told my doctor with me having a hispanic and black family it will be hard giving up bread, Pasta, and rice. we can't even have tortillas, but it will be worth it.

Yes, I can't figure the weight ticker thing out either.