Jack

I was tremendously constipated postOp for over a week......not much in gas issues but managed to produce the absolute biggest....uhhhh......"stool" of my entire existence.... and don't be surprised of larger than usual digestive sounds over the next few weeks as your intestinal tract begins to shift in it's daily task

....rarely mentioned in such circumstances, is the results of 'mostly empty colon' due to longish liquid intake, then the addition of several days or a week of even mushies. Our colon contents, depending on lots of variables, can easily account for several pounds seeming weight gain. Measure inches and changing body conformation. NSV will help focus on your real results. Congratulations and cheers on your journey.

It is so vitalizing to go back into my closet and see the couple of items I've saved from my old preBand days.....no matter how I might *feel* making a simple comparison of the Old 56/58 gym shorts I went the day of surgery, with what I wear now.... Like puppies growing into their monstrous paws, we of Tribe of the Morbidly Obese have all spent years or perhaps decades, having our sensitivities mangled by Harsh Realty and visions of being Normo Size. I took me several years to actually believe what I was seeing, and even yet I have plenty to lose. To quote Henry Ford, whether we think we can or think we can't, we are probably right. I've come to prefer to think "I CAN". My body image really is not the measure of WHO I AM anyway... Like the puppies, Bandsters grow into their SMALLER paws.....physically AND emotionally. It just takes a little practice.

welcome back to the world and cheers on your New journey! I enjoyed huckleberry tea in my first few days post op, and peppermint a little later. At first I was so tight I couldn't drink a whole cup of tea before it cooled.

WOW!!!! I had a hard time even understanding there were stores that DIDN'T consist of "XXXX" sizes.... Congratulations!

Earlier recognition 'stuck' is pending helps minimize my own episodes. "Keep eating" in the suspicious time 'not all is right' is NOT helpful at all. Neither is issuing Words of Power invoking the numerous names of the Cretins in charge of all Perfidy in the universe..... So.....my steps are 1) stop everything, relax, assess what you believe just happened. 2) Within a few minutes the degree of misery becomes obvious. 3) Willingly prepare for the ineveitable 'expulsing of the offending wad'. Most often this is several globs of slime followed by a separate solid wad of something that curiously remains identifyably unchewed. Again. 4) Most episodes are over & done within about 20 mintues. Rarely is there any lasting irritation of the Os. A little sip of warm Water sometimes soothes the internals. Most often my appetite has been interupted but may return within the hour. I retreat to softer foods for a day or so. Sometimes it is confusing in trying to assess just WHAT caused the event. Most often I find some mistake in the early phase of that eating period....as in yesterday, trying to finish the 1/2 sandwich from lunch. Somehow within the first few swallows (yes I was hungry and ate TOO FAST) that sensation manifested warning to STOP eating. In the early years of postBand, I didn't recongize this signal and despite a certain unrest, would continue. Too late. Other than the excellent points above in AVOID whatever produces such events, I've adopted a "learn to slime/PB gracefully" method. This includes walking around outside and unloading in the bushes if necessary. Sometimes just taking a little break, walking around and relaxing will resolve the issue for me.

Usually the less we have to lose, the more difficult it is to do such. As the 'low hanging fruit' is easily picked from the ground, we need a ladder to reach the stuff at the top. I once picked cherries one summer after high school. I know the problem with ladders & going after the hard to reach stuff. The goal of topping our your tree is balanced with the extra time & effort for smaller return in the pick bag. Stretching your pouch is an issue only your surgeon can determine. Losing 15 pounds more has little to do with the pouch size, and much to do with what and how much you eat, how much exercies, etc. If you think you have a pouch issue talk with your surgeon. If you need to tighten up your INTAKE calories, there's a host of remedies, include talking with your dietician. Only 15 # to go??? Congratulations!!!!

re: "I am also terrified that I will be the only person on the planet not to lose weight, and the whole world will know it and laugh at me." .......this isn't going to be effective for you......I personally dithered and faunched and worried this one to death myself years ago. It's good to admit it though. Perhaps get photos of yourself now in a given pose at a particular place wearing as little as you feel comforable with, perhaps gym shorts or bathing suit of some kind. Save the photo for yourself. And save those duds for later. In a matter of months you will be totally surprised. Another helpful hobby: measure yourself arm/trunk/legs/head band/ around arch of foot. Add up the inches in your hand written journal. In about a month take another measure, photos. Usually by about 6 months out you'll be surprised/pleased/amazed/. Cheers on your journey.

re: "I asked my doctor and he said that I could have the surgery on a Friday and go back that Monday. But the more I read on the internet I'm seeing that people take anywhere from 2-6 weeks!" My bet is the doctor estimate is right.... At 58 my surgery went so well I was headed home the same day, had a couple days recovery & by day 3 was (somewhat feebly, given) carrying a few bits of firewood in for the stove. I gladly returned to modified work by day 5. I've heard of a few folks needing as much as a week, but we are all different. IIRC, it was near the 3rd week postOp I went on a solo road trip of 4 or 5 days. Learning how to eat in mushie stage in a non-protected envionment was a challenge. Certainly read up on all options to your situation and explore any questions before you consent. Sleeve wasn't an option when I had my Band done in 2004....yet given a bit of hassle and annoyance at times, I'm satisfied it saved my life, and consider myself a Happy Bandster. Should the time come for revision, replacement or repair, certainly I would hope further advanatages were obtainable. As it is, the worst day of my PostOp Band life has been better than the Best day of the last 5 years PreBand. If anyone asks about the (small) port bulge, I tell them that's my Alien Implant. Good luck in your journey.

about 5 years ago there was an angry young woman, forgot her name, that had a variety of issues obvious at least on line... she was sporadic in posting & don't know her real issues....she insisted milk shakes, chocolate milk, snack Cookies & a couple other obvious bad choices, really were necessary for some reason. The last I heard of her posts, she actually started following some rational dietary nutritional schedule and began losing some pounds.

...haven't made it to 'paleo' yet....still too much grain/bread.... but I have grown fond of spaghetti squash in all it's spendor, easily outclassing any Pasta spaghetti I've ever seen. I've also graduated away from the blenderizer-meat whizzer thing, to actual 'meat grinder' that makes the hard Proteins easier for me to chew/swallow without gakking so much. Standard fresh raw most veggies are way better these days, without the sauces etc. I'm not convinced my own PaleoUncles took the time to milk their goats & make yogurt yet somehow didn't discover the advantages of butter. Grill outside is far more satisfying too. I make a marvelous Dutch Oven "veggie pot" using nothing for seasoning but onion chunks & garlic cloves & a bit of salt & pepper...sweet potato or yam works better for me than potatoes as well. Maybe not 'paleo' but I feel like a caveman....

I have the 'mental' concept of Upper & Lower stomach....haven't seen it discussed much over the years. I don't really have a physical sensation of "war of 2 bellies".....just the experience of recognizing I don't have to eat to 'feel full' but eat to 'feel satiety'.... The "fullness' volume-sensors, when last I read up on the neurology of the Stomach, seems to be in the lower part. This fit with my own observation over the decades that I never experienced "satiety" until postOp. I had never even known 'satiety' existed except for various readings. I do know if I focus on the "Belly Beast" of the Lower stomach, my tnedancy is to over eat. The sip/sip/nibble/nibble Upper Belly does wonders for my disposition AND I never get the Errors of Eating issues of PBSlimes etc. For me it works good to train my eating habit to satisfy the Upper Stomach. "The Pouch" works well for me physically and mentally. Keep it happy & all is well. The Habit lingers after all these years, to eat when NOT hungry because I'm 'not full'. The Habid no longer rules, it just reminds how marvelous a job my Symbiant, my Little Angel of the Silicon Fist, actually does work for me.

"Help with OUR diets!" is a daily issue for most of us! I too need a little slick-um at times to get it from sticking on the way down. Often I find that I'm eating too fast or not chewing enough on the hard Proteins when that happens. I really didn't care for Pasta for about 5 years postOp but now have some about once a month. The issue for me is it's way too easy to go from "one high-carb" to "2 high carbs" to ....oops.....whatt'ya mean my clothes are getting too tight.... Since there is an active and highly researchable online data base of such materials, you could help us all by posting what your study has found. A little slick-um goies a long way. There's a red clam sauce around here somewhere that is low cal and Band friendly, I'll see if I can find it. Cheers on your journey.

"have been in pain for the last 2 years..." sorry to hear this Do you have a current active surgeon or fill/unfill involved? I'd be interested in hearing more of your story if you want to share with us.

Bandista: you hit the Tripple Whammy there! 1) waited too long and was really hungry - 2)leftover fish, .... over cooked and I didn't even heat it up -- cold out of the fridge. 3)ate it too fast. That is my notion of Classic Eating Error #1. Same thing happens to me. I know the "too long---too hungry" somehow shorts out my chewing processor and I somewho revert to the old 'gulp & swallow"....and before I can go 'Oops'.....there it is..... In fact, at dinner tonight I had waited too long from lunch, tried microheating the leftover lunch, and it was SO GOOD>....I felt the first unchewed swallow go down and tried to ignore it....but within minutes.....had to spend the next 20 in 'walkies alert'.....I go outside and move about the Estate to relieve my version of the PB Slimes. Yes, it cleared. Yes I finished the meal. The Cues for this is GOING to happen, in time to STOP adding to the misery EVEN if I'm hungry, is rewarded by a far more brief episode of far less misery than Eating Error #2 produces. Good report OP. Be alert out there & most of these episodes can be avoided.

yes, that "PBing" is right on description, and for ME at least, is indicative of a Primary Eating Error.... something I"VE done that overwhelms the normal and rather stately way my Band (my Little Angle of the Silicon Fist) tells me in my enthusiasm I have committed some procedural mistake in reverting back to my Old Bad Eating Habits..... too much too fast too dry I've NEVER had "PB" with nibble/nibble/nibble in a nice slow & easy cadence, that allowed the bolus to become wet & semi-liquid from actually CHEWING before swallowing. It IS one of the more difficult habits I continue periodically to forget. While there have been periods of the Band TOO TIGHT (in my early phase when I didn't recornize the signs for "TOO TIGHT DUMMY--[yes-I was a slow learner]" and I "PBed' or 'got the slimes' daily for weeks on end, in fact I've NEVER actually upchucked anything that resembled 'bottom stomach' material....no digestive juices, no distunct odor of something barn yardy.... "Vomit" IMHO includes digestive juices. "PB" doesn't.

NSV in ANY language is a WIN!!!!! Congratulations & thanks for the story

Early postOp when entering the mushies stage I had to do a several-day road trip. My first away-from-home food was a poached egg at a restaurant and several hours later I tasted a few of the Gerber meat product jars. Gastly yet I was quite hungry. They served me well enough for the short haul. Over all in a matter of a few weeks I ate parts of maybe 6-8 different things. The nice part, was this was convenient and travelled well, it gave me a bite of something when I absoluted had to ahve a taste, and most important, it gave me the NEWLY acquired habit of being able to discard an unfinished food for whatever reason I might choose. If memory serves, the paste jar treat I learned to savor in kindergarden was as delectible. Ah, youth. Good luck.

I prefer a few dried pieces of pineapple personally, as it works fine for what I'm seeking...seems to loosen the bowel a bit. I've not been too experienced using papaya enzyme other than dried slices. They are effective for helping with digestion if that's what you're after. I don't know what the general Bandster results has been.

Metformin has been my daily med for years now, along with glucophage. Given I became somewhat complacent with 1) giving up the C-Pap and 2) going off insulint shots within 10 months of the Band, after about 5 years of weight remains pretty steady regardless of what I ate.... I grew a bit less focuses....ok, careless and crazy....and started dealing with daily esophageal issues and daily slimes/active upchuck the pouch..... too much caloric concentrated carbs too often became too comfortable. I slowly gained a few pounds....then almost 10.... took a big hunk of fill out and lost the upchuck/spasm business....and eventually gained back....enough so A1c put me back in the INSULIN shots territory. So 20 months later I'm 20+# fatter, and time to strive to get back to oral-meds only if possible.

....in the Olden Times of LBT many of us named our Bands....I've got mine filed away under "Symbiant"....

checking in arose, wondering how you're doing lately....

How's it going Tiffany?

any update on this issue?

Discussion of terminology: and very apart from "fill/unfill" and "too tight/too loose" concepts: For myself, these terms are different in important ways from each other "Fullness" this is least desirable as it actually seems to mean I have eaten more than I need to satisfy; "Satiety" means the physical aspects of 'why I eat' have been satisfied by whatever physiological and psycho-emotional components; "Hunger" this was the very most basic, startling and difficult component for me to identify. Most of the eating I had done over 40 years, was not related to 'hunger' but many other reasons including but not limited to social events, anxiety/anger/loneliness/boredom/etc. While I have a far better understanding of 'hunger-what/when/how to tell' even now the 'anxious anticipation of BECOMING hungry' has a curiously powerful effect on my eating behavior. Maybe this is mere overthinking yet conceptually works for my own purposes. PreOp I could be yearing/planning/anticipating my NEXT items-to-be-consumed without any sense of satisfaction in the current food intake. All was external guides: was any more within reach? Could I physically stuff more in with my eating shovel? Would anyone object if I just 'cleaned up' that last 1/2 german chocolate cake and bowl of whipped cream? etc. And having a security sack-o-burgers while on the way to the next meal. All without "hunger" and without "satiety" yet seeking "fullness"....which was of course not a rational measure as related to 'hunger' and 'eating'. My old notion was "appetite" meant 'strive to attain sensory satisfaction via curious/unusual food pairing'...as in "how DOES bologna strips in lime Jello taste? etc. No wonder I was Morbidly Obese. Actually, I was a food-autistic, unable to relate to the normal aspects of food, eating and satiety as a goal.