aubrie

Wheetsin, I always respect your opinions. thanks for the reply. I'm still on liquids (for 24 hours) and am having no trouble with cream soup so i guess I'm not to tight. I just thought with such a big band I would get bigger fills. The last week I was able to pack it away like a truck driver, so I thought I would be pretty loose. I was eating a small steak, half a baked potato AND veggies. I didn't gain, but I didn't lose either. Guess my doctor is more conservative....

My best friend did it about 14 months ago. Her husband was so impressed with her success and so unhappy with himself, he's going to do it in May. They have two elementary school age children who are both overweight. It's getting miserable for them, so they want to be good role models for their kids while they are still impressionable. Both of them watching their weight will also help the kids make better food choices as a result. For them, it's a family affair. I'm so proud of them for doing this and thinking of the future for their kids. I'm reading so many articles these days about childhood obesity and diabetes. they are even discovering that little children can have high cholesterol!! My hat is off to them to prevent their children from suffering weight related diseases. THAT is true love.

Yeah. My port hurts sometimes when I do ab exercises. I can also feel my band sometimes. I get twinges on and off up under my left ribs. sometimes it just aches. Nothing horrible, just nagging and uncomfortable. It started out just being when I ate a good solid meal. Now it flares up whenever it feels like it. It's wierd. I asked my surgeon about it yesterday, and he said the fleeting, mild twinges were normal and mostly a mystery. He would be concerned if they were regular, long lasting and frequent. I'm 3 1/2 months out, so I guess I could still feasibly be healing. I just don't know.

Hi healthychoice! I'm from Corpus Christi and I didn't think it would work either..... But it did!!! Hang in there and welcome to the board. Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions and we're even here to dump on and listen. I don't know what I would do without this support. Good luck to you!

Call your doc. There shouldn't be any blood at all. the band is on the outside of your stomach and shouldn't pinch or cut through. Do you have or have a history of ulcers?

Try peppermint tea. It calms the stomach and the warmth loosens up the stoma. It's worked several times for me....

I noticed you said you "used" to do ab exercises. I think your stomach muscles are just weak. You are trying to do what you used to and you need to build up the muscles first. I have port pain when I exercise as well, but as I get stronger, the pain is less intense.

Seven and a half weeks after the first one for me. I went in at four weeks but had lost so well, he wouldn't do it. So I had my second one 3 1/2 weeks later. It was time.

Okay.... The timing on this subject couldn't be better. I went for a fill yesterday and immediately afterward went to my family physician for my "other stuff". He had gotten back some lab work, and my thyroid levels were also high and he wanted to cut back on my dose. I was MORTIFIED!!! I actually started to panic. I thought, "Crap, it took me years to finally get my metabolism to work and work with me, and now he wants to lower my metabolism?" I was shocked and felt like this would sabotage my weight loss efforts and slow down my metabolism, when I worked so hard to get it going. I see this as a step backwards. If I slow down my metabolism, I will also slow down my weight loss. I spent thousands to go forward and now I'm supposed to readily turn around and head backwards?????? I need some medical advice with this. Any doctors out there? I'm frantic about this.

Make sure you are drinking enough water between meals. this helps you feel full. If all you are eating is chicken, I would add some mashed avocado or refried beans or something. If you eat oatmeal or cream of wheat, don't forget to add a little protein powder. Whey isolate is best for bariatric patients. That should help

Had my second fill yesterday. I have a 10 CC band. Doc put 5 cc in at surgery to test for leaks and left one cc in. I got first fill and he put 3 CCs in. I couldn't tell very much. My tummy would hurt if I ate to much, but I still felt like I was eating to much. He only gave me .5 cc yesterday. That was next to nothing!! I was a little disappointed, but when he put more, I couldn't get water down so we stuck with the .5 CC. So I'm at 4.5 total. I'm feeling very full on water. I'm still on liquids until tomorrow. Haven't tried solids yet. My tummy aches a little. I guess that could be the swelling from the fill.

dry white meat chicken. UGH!! It's got stuck twice now. should have learned the first time. Dark meat is fine. Sometimes tuna in water gets a little wierd. I was afraid to eat bread for 3 months. I woofed down a kiddie McDonald's burger last week with no problem......I was furious with myself. I'm trying to tell myself that I can't eat bread.....Maybe after my fill tomorrow that will be a thing of the past....

newgirl. I'm so sorry for your realization of what happened to you. what a shock to have to deal with. It's a heavy burden, but maybe your subconscious decided that you were stronger now since you stepped up and made a positive decision for yourself with the lapband. Maybe your new found strength is letting you deal with it now. I'm discovering I'm having issues with my mother. I never thought anything negative about her, but now that I'm stronger, I'm seeing all kinds of weaknesses in her that REALLY disappoint me. I discussed this with my sister, and she felt the same way. My sister is 8 years younger than me, and she even told me that she considered me more of a mother to her than our own mother. So it wasn't just me after all. It's amazing how talking about things can bring fresh new perspectives on things. For years I have covered over my sadness and disappointment with my mom. I basically ignored what was bothering me and shook it off. Now I'm facing it. It's painful, but in a way it's a release of some really old baggage. Just like my weight. Hang in there and keep working throught it. We're all here for you!!!

I had my surgery on a Monday. I called the doc the following Saturday in tears. No bowel movement and I was miserable. He recommended Milk of Magnesia. It worked like a charm and I felt so much better. I'm three months out and now still have problems with constipation, but it's improving. I've added three small servings of FRESH fruit to my diet. Increased my water and exercise and sip a few ounces of prune juice at night when needed. It's helps. Also try the yogurt with the digestive goodies in it. Activia? Our local market has their own brand and it's low fat and sugar free. good luck!

I was somewhat restricted when I left the hospital. I only had 1 cc in a 10 cc band, but I couldn not eat what I normally could. When I got my first fill, I didn't notice anything different at all. I'm going in for number 2 tomorrow. I'll let you know how I do.

I've lost about 38 pounds and a lot on my tummy. I noticed that I stand up straighter and don't have my belly pulling my back into a bowed position. I think the shifting of my weight and my skeleton rearranging itself it causing the back to hurt. It's just an adjustment to the changes. Kind of like progressing through pregnancy in reverse!! LOL

I've had the same problem. Exactly. Once I started eating a little fresh fruit three times a day, it has improved. I peel 3 grapefruit sections, eat maybe 3 strawberries or a slice of ripe melon. 2 ounces of prune juice at bedtime helped sometimes. Increase your water intake.

andielmt, We are like DITTO of eachother. I was banded on 11/19/07 too!! I was down 21 pounds by Christmas. I've lost 38 pounds, my stomach feels achey about an hour after I eat. I too can feel my band. My tummy just hurts sometimes. Not even after eating and it is NOT my port. It hurts at all times of the day. It doesn't seem to have a reason. I feel tight when I'm REALLY stressed out. I did my taxes last weekend and I got myself so worked up I gagged on two bites of chicken, it got stuck then I slimed in the toilet. I haven't PBed yet. I didn't notice any difference after my first fill on January 11th. I'm having a second one tomorrow. I was noticing I can eat more and more and I'm also at a plateau of sorts. 1 pound a week is a little slow.

I just eat the fish. I had salmon 3 times last week and my cholesterol is perfect. I love grilled salmon, salmon moose, salmon croquettes, curried salmon. I always lose better when I increase my fish intake.

I have experienced port pain with exercise. My doc said to let it rest for a few days and resume exercise. He said, "You will get used to it as that muscle develops." I'm new at exercising, so I don't know if this applies to you. I work out with dumb bells in the pool for water aerobics. If I overdue it, I'm really sore going home that evening. Now, I've heard that a port can flip over...... That is something you may want your doc to check.

I had a moral issue with mutilating the body God gave me. Cutting out your stomach just seemed drastic to me. I go to a support group twice monthly where 90% of the people had bypass surgery. Many have horrible looking skin. They lost the weight way to fast. Most of them have to have B-12 shots twice a month for the rest of their life. Some have developed LOW blood sugar and get the shakes regularly. They get the "dumping" syndrome when they try to eat sugar. Their surgery is not reversible. If it doesn't go well, TOUGH, you're stuck living that way. If you start to gain weight back, you can't go and have it adjusted like a band. YOu're just stuck. they ALL lose their hair. Not all bandsters lose their hair. the complications in surgery for bypass are way worse and way more frequent. For me, it was a no brainer.....

During mushies I was only allowed canned pears in juice, mashed bananas and soft very ripe melon. Now I can eat just about anything. The skin on grapes gives me a little trouble and I have to peel the pithy stuff off of citrus sections. That gets stuck pretty bad. but once I peel the sections, I'm fine.

I did have to see a cardiologist, but that was because I have a heart murmer and aortic insufficiency - the valve in my heart leaks. It doesn't cause any big problems, yet, but they wanted to be sure. It made my anesthesiologist feel a lot better..... Plus, my cardiologist helped me get my approval by writing a letter of support for the procedure. He felt that a reduction in weight would put less stress on my heart, reduce my blood pressure, and alleviate some chest pain from the leaky valve. Which it has already. If you have any heart defects or problems, no matter how insignificant, I would see your cardiologist. They won't want any surprises in surgery....

Nothing wrong with sugar if you have good self control. I don't use artificial sweetners either. After researching them extensively, I won't put them in my mouth! they also make me feel bad. A teaspoon of real sugar only has 16 calories. I use honey in my tea, but avoid it most of the time. As long as it's occasional, I don't see a problem with it. I'm also not diabetic, so it's not a medical issue for me.

For 4 days before surgery, while I was in the hospital, several times a day, and for several days after surgery, I had to breath into this little breathing machine to strenghten my lungs and prevent clots. Did you do any of that? I also got the massage things on my legs. they felt wonderful!! I didn't want them to take them off. Were you given heperin shots before, during and after surgery as well? I was. You might want to check all this stuff. Sounds like the nurse getting home was more important than your care. Did you not stay overnight in the hospital???