Joenissan

Anyone thinking about lap band surgery MUST do all their own homework before jumping into surgery. My experience is only mine, of course, so everyone will have a different outcome, opinion, and experience. After almost one year with the lap band, here's what I've found. First, DO NOT go into this thinking it's the answer to all you problems and the weight is going to drop off overnight with no hard work from you. Not gonna happen. My feeling after 11+ months is this.....had I known then what I know now, I would never have gone through with lap band surgery. I'll explain.. You have to be able to diet even with the lap band. You have to stop eating junk and DO NOT expect to feel satisfied after any meal....although the latter differs person to person. My feeling on this is simple, if was able to diet, I wouldn't have had a $52k surgery. It's a tool only. And a minor tool at that. If you like to snack and can't cut out crap from your diet, don't waste your or your insurance company's money. It's not gonna end well. I was made all these promises and now realize it was just to get my money. After I eat I'm uncomfortable, not full or satisfied. I have a 14cc band with about 8cc in it. I know it's what I'm eating but again, my homework wasn't extensive enough to know all this which is my mistake.....which is why I'm posting this, so I doesn't become yours as well. So, if you're a 3 meal a day person and just need to cut down on meal sizes, and you can change what you eat to a more healthy diet, and you exercise daily, it should work for you......however you can easily do this on your own without the surgery if you're structured and have willpower. Just don't expect miracles without a lot of work......something I wasn't aware of even if I should have known better. Good luck and remember, DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST!!!! -Joe

I was banded on 7/9/13 and had a little bit of a rough couple weeks but seem fine now. My problem is that as time went on, I was adding stuff like scrambled eggs etc....soft stuff. Then, after having to go out of town due to a death in my wife's family, I found myself eating more and more of stuff I really shouldn't have been eating. Stuff like macaroni salads etc. I'm now, after only 3 weeks post surgery, eating normal foods...albeit much less and having to chew it til its like pudding. Aside form this, my question is this, I can eat with no problems and am reminded if I forget and eat a little too fast. But I keep waiting to feel full but I don't! I know to stop because I can feel that it's sitting there and I can't fit anymore but even so, I'm still hungry. So I wait a few minutes til that awful feeling passes and eat a little more. So I guess I'm wondering is that because I've had no fills yet? Will there come a time where I will get that feeling of being full or will it always be this way? Any insight is appreciated. Joe

Thanks so much everyone! Keep the good thoughts coming.

Yeah it's fairly normal for some people. They inflate your abdominal cavity during the procedure and not all of the CO2 gets out sometimes. I was lucky and only had the pain in my left shoulder for about a day then it was gone. Move around a bit and try and relax! Lol. It'll be behind you soon.

Good luck! I was banded back on July 9th. It all goes by fast so take a deep breath and try to relax. The surgery itself was really a big nothing for me. Sore for a few days. Just stick to the diet you're given and you'll be great. Keep us updated and again, congrats and best of luck to you!!!

Thank you both so much. I know what I'm not supposed to be eating, even though I have sort of strayed, but I'm eating small portions and chewing the bejesus out of everything so I'm sure I haven't damaged anything though I'm sure I've not lost very much since my surgery. I'm due for my first fill on the 7th. I was just wondering if, after a fill or two, will I feel full after eating such small meals? Right now, though not over eating, I'm still hungry after eating. Thanks again for your help!!! Joe

Hi all. I was banded on 7/9/13 and I'm starving! Lol. I know I wasn't supposed to start regular food yet but we had a sudden death in my wife's family and had to be out of town for a few days. Kind of difficult to stick to a liquid soft diet in those circumstances. Anyhow, I'm thinking I may need to move up my fill from mid August to a sooner date. My problem now is that I thought I was supposed to feel full faster but it seems I just get a weird feeling that comes on without warning while eating.....like its not going down. Luckily it last just a few seconds. And that's even while eating really slow and chewing the hell out of my food. Seems to be normal for some. I'm hoping a fill will help change that.

Hi! I had the exact same problem so of eggs dont sit we'll with you, your stomach swelling hasn't gone down enough yet. Give it another day or two, you'll be fine. Just be sure, even though they're scrambled eggs, to chew the bejesus out of them. Lol. Also yogurt worked well for me. Remember, I'm new to this as well so I can only give my experiences so far.

Hi everyone! I'm Joe. I was just banded 5 days ago on 7/9/13. I was extremely sore for the first 3 or so days. Between the shoulder gas pains, incision and stomach pains, I was miserable. But thankfully most of that has past and moved up today to creamy soups (such a tiny bit though) and was able to tolerate a few ounces of eggbeaters. Yesterday I tried a scrambled egg.....guess it was too soon. Lol. My first fill is scheduled for the beginning of August. I just can't wait to be able to eat something normal again. Nice to meet you all and love ready all the experiences here. Very very helpful to know other people have had some of the same experiences so far.