I♡BypassedMyPhatAss♡

I agree with Helen. I recently started using My Fitness Pal, and I've been doing better since then, it seems to put everything in perspective for me, and seeing the added benefit of adding exercise is a motivator for me. My surgeon tells me if I get stuck in a plateau, it means I need to change something up... like a different exercise. She said we have to work different groups of muscles etc... and I think the same is true for diet... varying your diet too, that's why I think Carb Cycling works

Here's some info about Carb Cycling... http://chrispowell.com/carb-cycling-101/ Chris and Heidi Powell have a lot of info on their websites, and Heidi has lots of good recipes that fit into Carb Cycling nicely. Best Wishes

Have you asked your doctor to prescribe you some anti-nausea meds? They may help enough to allow you to get in more fluids, which in turn will make you feel better altogether... 25 oz of fluids a day is worrisome, so make sure you call your surgeon. Best wishes

Have you tried Carb Cycling? http://chrispowell.com/carb-cycling-101/

I think our society is in "Instant Gratification" mode with everything. For the first 8 weeks, people need to realize that they are healing from major surgery. Focus on your Protein and nutrition for now, these are key to healing without complications. After you heal and become more active things will start falling into place. You've just entered the Journey of your life, not a marathon...

In the beginning I had hiccups, but now that I'm at green zone, I get shoulder pain. Weird I know...

My surgeon told me that until your band is filled optimally, it's just another diet, and if you're losing before you get restriction, that it's due to what you're doing, and not so much the band. So give yourself some credit. It'll all fall into place as you get more fills and restriction.

Early on I would hiccup, but now as my band has more fill, I get shoulder pain. As you get more fills everything changes. Restriction, appetite, even your taste in food. Things I used to love to eat, I can't stomach the thought of or taste of anymore, and with each fill, it's in a sense, like starting over again (for me anyway). You'll get to green, just be patient, and enjoy your journey and most importantly focus on your Protein and healing at this time. Protein is a necessity when healing from any surgery.

Literally food for thought! This has inspired some new recipe ideas... Thanks Alex

I started back in October to. I finished all my appointments and still did not have a date so I called the dietician and the psychiatrist to have them refax my stuff. Once that was done I got a call to schedule my date. Maybe you should call just to make sure everything is in place I agree, for me it was waiting for the other doctors to fax over my previous weight histories. After I realized that it wasn't a priority to my insurance coordinator at my wls's office, I called to inquire as to the hold up from my previous doctors, once I did that, they sent the histories, and everything fell into place. You have to advocate for yourself, cause sadly you aren't often a priority (sadly) to others. So take the initiative to do the insurance coordinators job. I couldn't even get my first appointment with the surgeon until all paperwork was sent to their office. Best wishes

IKR Sandy!

Believe it or not, just as B-52 mentioned above... we do research and in a sense have a lot of "book knowledge" about the band and how it will affect our future lives. But as you heal, and get fills, you get a little more restriction each time, so it's a learning experience that you learn along the journey. With each fill I got, and the restriction increased, it became a whole new learning experience, and you quickly learn to respect your band. It just really depends how determined you are to be compliant and determined to reach success. You MUST respect THE BAND, your SUCCESS is dependent upon it, if you can grasp that and apply it to your daily life, you will do fine.

I would say you're very informed and you've done your homework. I think one of the most important things to consider prior to having this surgery, is to make sure you're prepared to make a lifetime commitment to following the rules of gastric banding. Just from being on this forum, I've noticed some people that run into complications because they never followed the rules their surgeon gave them, so they would have band success. Some revert back to drinking soda, and things like that. Also be aware of any medications that aren't suitable for banded patients. I have a condition, that I had to discontinue a certain type of medication and switch to another to protect my band. Best wishes

Yup, it's amazing how little I eat now. I didn't realize that my portions were out of control either cause everyone around me were consuming the same quantities. My child eats more than me, he just giggles at the food portions on my saucer. I think as a whole America has become super sized from super sized portions, it's so obvious that the acceptable portion sizes are HUGE. If you eat a truly normal portion, and leave food on your plate, the waitress thinks something is wrong. It's definitely been an eye opener since becoming banded. But I'm so happy I took the first step to begin a journey of a thousand miles

Hey Supra, welcome! One thing that helped me be more comfortable was to sleep in my recliner, or at least alternate between the bed and the recliner. Hot showers, heating pad, walking and Gas X for the gas pain in my shoulders. Diet varies from doctor to doctor, but my surgeon told me to avoid acidic foods (like tomato soup) cause it could trigger irritation, since its' acidity causes increased production of stomach acids. As for the pain, each person is different, I think I only took about 5 or 6 of my pain killers. If you're still in pain as you near the end of your prescription, call before you run out and ask for a refill. Each new day is better than the previous. Happy healing

Hey Sweet, welcome! I know of 1 guy here that is a younger wls patient. He's in college too, but he's a sleeve patient. But it may be nice to have a chat with him anyway. His name is ljmasterdebater, if you want to look him up. He's in the chat room a lot of evenings, if you want to try that too. Best wishes

Thanks for sharing SMART with me RIb! I never have set a NY goal before, but I definitely need too. I think exercise needs to be my goal. It's difficult for me to be excited about it lol. Happy New Year everyone and may each of you meet your set goals this year! Thanks again Rib!

Hey Tony, I'd call your doctor, it's ultimately their call, they may do a partial unfill. I know the swelling takes a few days (or longer) to subside. I've heard some people say they toughed it out and it eventually got better after a couple weeks. But I've never experienced anything like which you described. Did you follow your surgeons post-fill diet? I know someone that didn't stay on liquids and went to solids too soon and irritated their stoma. I'd call your doctor and go back to liquids until you see them. Best wishes

Have you tried Papaya Extract? It's supposed to help with stuck episodes. I have some on hand, but have never had to use it. I would call your surgeon if it's not going away.

I guess it would depend on why your band didn't work for you. Were you compliant with your diet and did you exercise? Perhaps you should address this question to your doctor, he or she has your history and can best answer this for you. Best wishes

I haven't vomited since being banded either, but I have heard, that if you begin vomiting, do not wait, call your surgeon or get to the ER as there can be dire consequences for the band with vomiting. Maybe you could ask your surgeon for a prescription to have on hand in case of nausea/illness. Best wishes

Thank you for explaining your journey, you provided lots of useful information. Best wishes on your upcoming port replacement also

The worst part for me was the gas pain in my shoulders. But by day 5 I was back to normal doing light cleaning around the house. But everyone is different. I had my gallbladder taken out 2 weeks ago and I took 1 pain pill post op, and never had any pain at all. But everyone is different, I'd call your doctor if you're in that much pain still. Everyday you should at least see small amounts of improvement, especially 2 weeks out. Best wishes