nachae2005

Banded 7/10 and got my first fill 8/6! For some reason I thought I had 2.6 ml put in when I was banded, but when they measured it there was 4.2 ml. I am still having good restriction but getting hungry after only a couple of hours, so they added 0.5 ml for a total of 4.7 ml. Getting the fill felt strange, but did not hurt. And I'm feeling better than ever! Lost a few more pounds and am satisfied quicker and for longer periods of time, too! Very pleased with my band so far!

Is it whey concentrate or whey isolate?? Whey concentrate has a lot of lactose and gives me the WORST upset stomach..... unjury is pure whey isolate and <1% lactose. Also zero fat and zero carbs, and 21 g protein. Ordered some today, the unflavored variety. Will see how it goes

So my weight loss stalled last week I wan't getting any Protein in because the taste of Protein powder makes me nauseous ( I had one successful chocolate espresso one, but next time I tried it I gagged at every sip).... BUT I found GNC's Lean25, and after 2 days of doing one shake each morning I dropped 4 lbs. I guess I booted my body out of the dreaded "starvation mode" with the protein! Still don't love it but it's doable.... and worth it! Also curious about the unjury unflavored protein powder... anyone tried it?

How long before you all had your first fill? I'm scheduled for 8/6 which will be 3 weeks and 6 days out from my surgery... I'm on mushies and doing fine, def feeling some restriction after less that about 1 cup of food. My dr's office scheduled the first fill for 4 weeks out, but I've read some stuff that recommends waiting 6 weeks......

A week and a day out (banded 7/10) and every day gets better! Down 15 lbs since surgery! Still gassy and bloated built not much actual gas pain remaining. Still on liquids til day 14 - having lots of cramping, particularly with cold stuff, and having a hard time getting my calories, not to mention my protein. Doc says I'm still very tight and swollen, not healed enough to move on to mushies. Steri strips came off today and incisions look good. Port incision and surrounding area is still tender and bruised. Overall very pleased and can't wait to advance my diet and get more active!

Question: Who is hungry, and how do you know? I know that sounds oxymoron, but I mean it! I am not "mentally" hungry at all. Idk if that's fear of eating real food or the band - but I'm not hungry. The reason I ask this question is because I'm discovering that I've never been "physically" hungry in my life. My stomach has growled, but I've never been HUNGRY from not eating. I feel at times (over the last day or two) that my stomach is turning over on itself, cramping... like growling x 10000. Is that hunger? Kind of feels gassy, like when the "growl" is almost over there's some bubbliness, but its not like the other gas I have had (gas and liquids crossing the band in opposite directions, kinda bubbly). Anyone else having anything else like this? It comes in waves, is better after eating (drinking) but HELL during. Also does anyone else have a crampy kind of feeling when drinking sips? it's much worse for me with cold liquids that warm or hot ones. It kind of takes my breath away. Makes me feel like air is stuck...? Like I could throw up or burp really big. Ugh all I know is I have 7 more days of liquids and tbh I'm scared of moving on to mushies :/

I am post op day 5 and losing my mind craving something crunchy! So today.... I feel so embarrassed about this.... I chewed up and spit out a handful of potato chips. I brushed my teeth after to make sure I didn't swallow anything at all. I refuse to eat solids and regurgitate and risk messing up my band, and I'm not even hungry. I just needed to chew something so badly! I feel absolutely ridiculous, but have to ask- is this something many of you battled in the liquids phase (or even beyond, with texturally problematic foods)? Is it ok to do?

You can buy steri strips at most pharmacies. If the skin is still moist, not dry and healing on the exposed edges, you can steri strip it back closed tight and see if will heal smoothly. Even if it's kind of dry I would try it just to keep in closed and covered so it doesn't get infected. I had glue but it stayed coming off after my first shower, and 2 of my incisions were a little bit open. I put new steri strips on per the Dr office and am letting them fall off on their own.

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You shouldn't take your steri strips off unless your dr explicitly instructs you too. You can trim the loose edges that have lost their stickiness. Eventually the whole strip will be loose and come right off. Unless you have VISIBLE EXTERNAL STITCHES then the steri strips (or dermabond glue, for some) are the only thing holding the epidermis (top layer of skin) closed. There are absorbable sutures holding the muscle and fascia together, and possibly an uninterrupted running stitch with something very fine and absorbable, but using strips or glue ensures a smoother scar line than external suturing. You may have some suture "grow out" before it has time to absorb, and you can trim it close to the skin with clean scissors. It may be green, blue, or black. As far as staples, its uncommon to use them after laparoscopic surgery unless the patient is very large. Strictly follow your Dr's instructions regarding their care. All of the above is true for any surgery, not just Lap Band. And I'm a RN, so this comes from my experience and education, not just opinion. And like with everything else on this forum you're doctors advice supersedes anything anyone else says!

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Wow! Hope that reassured you, because you are looking great!

I am an RN. I work in the Cath Lab. I returned to work today, post op day 5, and did fine. Even circulated a case. Had to have help to put on my lead to stay within my weight lifting restrictions, and our crew is awesome and lots of fun so I was hurting from laughing lol but it was great overall. Did some monitoring and recovery, and of course didn't move any patients! Everyone in the lab knows about the surgery. I'm am open book and we are really like family, so I couldn't have kept it to myself if I wanted to - we all eat together every day! Two other girls in our crew and our clinical coordinator are banded as well, so that is a great support system for me at work.

Awesome! Congratulations on your success!

Banded July 10. Still battling gas pain. Back to work with restrictions. Not hungry but def sick of liquids! Down 10 lbs since surgery.

How exciting! Freedom from the angst of pcos was one of my primary motivators to get banded. The weight, mood swings, infertility, facial and body hair.... hoping for some balance! Good luck to you! I will check out the pcos forum too, thank you!

As the title of this post suggests, I am new to Lap Band - and new to this forum! My name is NaChae. I am a registered nurse, wife, and mother of 3. Since I had my first child I have struggled with PCOS and my weight. I have tried diets, workout plans, and all kinds of diet pills, but every success was short lived. The weight just kept coming back. After being on prescription diet pills (Adipex) off and on for the last year or two, I started weighing the long-term consequences of these pills on my overall health. A girl at my job shared her Lap Band story with me and I started consuming all the information I could find about it. To my surprise my husband was completely supportive! After a few office visits, some financial finagling, and an EGD.... I was banded on Wednesday, July 10, 2013! I'm still on thin, mostly Clear liquids. I'm not really hungry at all, but I'm eating (drinking lol) on schedule and taking in plenty of Water. Pain is tolerable, but definitely there, particularly where my port is located. I'm very excited about my future with Lap Band. I can't wait to shed the excess weight and show everyone the me that I am inside. <3 NaChae Starting weight: 220 lbs Current weight: 216 lbs Goal weight: 135 lbs

Same here!I I feel the burp building then it kind of fizzles out. But I need the satisfaction of burping! My PACU nurse said sometimes after a week or 2 bandsters will "vomit air" which sounds like what a pp mentioned. I am patiently waiting

I have BCBS of IL as well. Used true results Dallas. My coverage was BMI >40 or >35 with 2 comorbidities. Im over 35 but without comorbidities.... but I had "hernia repair via Lap Band" coverage, so after an EGD to show hiatal hernia (practically everyone with excess belly fat has at least a small one) I was good to go. Did have to pay a couple grand out of pocket though.

Going back tomorrow. I work in as an RN in a Cath Lab, but I will be monitoring (documenting in real time on the computer, at a desk) or in the office doing scheduling/QA stuff. The most active thing I'll do all day is go for my morning walk and get in and out of a chair a few times all day! I really love my job and miss my coworkers, so I'm excited to get back!

I felt like I may be getting constipated (pod 4 for me) too.... then today I had massive bm... like diarrhea mixed with formed stool... stomach was cramping unbelievably, but afterwards I felt 100% better! tmi probably, but just my experience! As a nurse I've heard your first lg bm after anesthesia usually clears the sluggishness out of your system, but that could just be one of those myths that get passed on and on... Long story short, despite all the warnings to take a stool softener lousy op... it wasn't an issue for me. Would like to know about the anti-diarrheal though....