mrsto

I'm with you on this one. Certain foods are trigger foods, and that hand to mouth activity is a setup to fail. I've done that so many times.....start out with a good day, then the next day I go through whatever the food like there's no tomorrow. My suggestion is, if chips are one of your favorite junk foods, stay away! Anything that calls your name & pulls you like a magnet, shouldn't be in your house.

Mourning is part of the process. I'm sure you will have MANY people respond, telling you that they went through the same thing. It's a huge change. I'm 18 days out, and have had some weepy moments as well. Yesterday I was ready to chuck the whole thing; I was so depressed. I THINK that I should feel elated; I'm dropping weight, the surgery is over, I'm on a path to a healthier life, etc. But I've been very low energy, and just blah! I think also, surgery and all that goes with it, takes a toll on our bodies. You're less than two weeks out, and I think the assault to your body is part of it. But the mourning for the loss of your best friend, food, is very real. Those feelings will probably come and go, but it will get better. Especially when you start dropping sizes! Hang in there.....you are not alone.

I'm 18 days out and having severe heartburn and reflux. Today I thought I might be having a heart attack, but chewed some Tums & felt a little better. Still some chest pain, but not as severe. I'm a little confused by this, because he was supposed to fix the reflux issue when repairing the hernia, etc. Though I'm taking the Pepcid twice a day, I still get a bad sore throat after eating (from reflux), and today was slammed with heartburn......something I've never had. Has anyone had this issue? I called my doctor's office & they want me to come in tomorrow morning. The nurse told me that it's not normal with the procedure I had, and the doctor wants to see me. Now I'm nervous. I just hope this isn't a precursor to another surgery, because I'm telling you.....if it is, I'm getting the WHOLE thing reversed. I'm not up for this sh-t. I'm just.....not. Needless to say, not having a very good day

I feel ya! My doctor has me on Pepcid twice a day, for 30 days post-op. That didn't EVEN touch it yesterday. I went and saw him this morning, and he said that it's too soon after surgery to really know what's going on. He checked me out, asked a ton of questions about my eating; what, when, how much, have I gotten stuck, burped up food, nausea....lots of questions. He said that for the time being, I could switch from Pepcid to Omeprozole (Prilosec). That blocks ALL acid production, and has worked great for me in the past for reflux. Initially he thought that maybe it would help if he took all of the Fluid out of the band. In surgery, his doesn't do a complete fill; only a little bit to start. But after talking with me at length, he didn't feel it necessary to remove whatever was in there. He also said that he would not consider a fill until I'm on solid food for a period of time, and this issue resolves. So, I guess I'm not going to have any fills until a good 6 weeks. We'll see. SO - in answer to Maddygram's question yesterday, he puts a little bit of fluid in during surgery, but it's not a complete fill. I forgot to ask him how many cc's, but I think he starts with something like 3.

Glad you're home and in better spirits. I hope for your sake that they don't have to remove your gallbladder immediately. It's a lot to go through; under the knife two times on one month! What did they say about the inflammation and gastritis around the band? I'm interested to know.....

Thank you..... I'm sure I'll be reporting back after my appointment in the morning. I just remembered, the nurse asked if I took any new medications, etc. I told her no, which is true. However, they told me that I could start back taking Meloxicam (mobic), and I took one last night. It's a pretty strong prescription NSAID; like Celebrex, but not exactly the same. Maybe that could be part of the problem? Stay tuned......

Thanks again......I really appreciate it :-)

DUH......a fill. What was I thinking?? Seriously, I need to go take a hot bath & rest my brain today

Never mind......just realized that you asked if he filled the BAND at surgery. Duh! I'm not thinking straight today. I'm feeling very overwhelmed by it all.

Thank you :-) I'm just having a day of it. In reading these forums & all the issues, I can't help but wonder if this is just the beginning of many issues to come. I SO want to be one of the people who have had a pretty smooth ride, and don't want continual trips to the operating room to fix, correct, etc. I'm just.....a little nervous.

I guess because I know several people who had their gallbladders taken out; all of who had zero issues afterward. My feeling was that it was no more serious than a tonsillectomy. And it seemed to be a no big deal to the surgeon, but surgeons in general tend to be cowboys. Between the lap band and plication, I just hope nothing is completely stressed inside. My intention NEVER was to fix one issue, while creating others. If the cholecystectomy is what's causing this, and it's temporary, then I'm okay with it. But if this is the tip of the iceberg with ongoing band issues, I'm done. I want to lose weight, but I won't sell the rest of my health to do so.

Not sure.....what is a fill? I had lap band with plication, my gallbladder removed, and a hiatal hernia repair. I think he did something to help with GERD as well, but that may have been part of the hernia repair.

I'm guessing that every doctor is a little different, but what is the average amount of weeks after surgery, before the first fill? Right now I'm not aware of much restriction, and it's annoying. I guess I'm in bandster hell - LOL.

Speaking of bras, has anyone had issues with regular bras after surgery? They seems to sit on the upper part of where either the band is, or where they did the hernia repair. I can't quite tell WHY I want to rip the thing off my body, but sometimes it's REALLY bothersome. I hope it's temporary from surgery, because lets face it.......my hippie days are SO over - LOL! Yes.....I'm dating myself

YES - we both can do it!! I think a big part of my issue yesterday, was not planning my food well. Letting too much time pass without eating something that will keep my blood sugar stable, is a setup for a binge. My binge last night was an extra cup of low fat cottage cheese. If this was "pre-band", that scenario would have been more like 1200 calories in one sitting

Nioxin is a great product! I haven't lost any hair (yet), but a few years back I started shedding, and Nioxin saved me. As a matter of fact, thank you Marci....for mentioning it. I think I'll switch back to it now, to hopefully avoid any loss since being banded. Famous1 - you might also want to pick up a product called Biosil. You can get it at a health food store. It's different from Biotin, but between the two, you should see a difference. Here is a link. It comes in capsules or liquid drops. http://www.gnc.com/p...oductId=4022428

Did you try a sporting goods store near where you live? That's where I bought mine.

I would call your doctor. I read this same thing on another post, it to me, it doesn't sound normal.

Missy - thanks for the link. Excellent info!

I understand your fear.....SO sorry you're going through this. Please keep us updated.

Wow, my doc didn't want to see me for a few weeks. I went the Friday after the surgery, but that was just a post-op class. At the 4 week mark I'll see the nurse. They certainly all do it differently!

Yesterday, my food day wasn't planned very well. I had to be at a client most of the day, and figured a Protein shake would cover me until dinner. By the time I got home I was famished! I ended up having close to 1200 calories for the day, which felt like a lot. Only being 18 days out, I like to keep the intake between 800-1000. But I had to REMIND myself that 1200 calories is still a weight loss number. I just didn't like the out of control feeling I had when eating. Like nothing was going to fill me up. Thank God for the plication!

I like the idea of smaller fills more often, until reaching "the zone". I'd much rather move slowly toward that place, then have too much, be miserable, and have to have an un-fill. I used to dive in head first with everything. Over time (and age) I've learned to take smaller steps. It saves a lot of pain and misery along the way! LOL

Yeah, I'm with ya. I'm on smooth/soft mushy foods, and I don't feel that "stop" quite so quickly. I think if it wasn't for the plication, I'd be struggling worse than I am. Monday I can bump up to the next level, which allows white fish, shellfish, chicken and ground turkey/beef & sliced deli meats. Once that type of Protein is in the mix, I'll be MUCH better off! Then, on 4/25, I can add toasted bread, corn tortillas, quinoa & couscous. I think at the 4 week mark, there will be enough dense protein rich food to keep me satiated (happy).

Would LOVE to get a fill three weeks out, but I know that won't happen. My first post-op appointment doesn't happen for one month after surgery, and I'm sure they won't do it then. I'll probably have to schedule it for another time. I think I'll call their office today & find out how it works. I'm guessing the answer will be that it depends on how quickly I heal from surgery.