CherieRyde

Wait .... what? I've never heard of the plication before. Now I'm a little jealous because my band has decided that it hates me. I've been considering revision surgery because of the issues.

Speaking as a dental professional .. this is pretty common. We are working our joints pretty hard when chewing everything as much as we need to before swallowing. Do yourself a favor .... don't stop chewing things as much. Also, be careful of WHAT you are eating. I tried eating raw carrots the other day. My jaw started popping, so I chewed a little less. The carrot pieces (even though they were tiny) got stuck and I had to throw the carrots back up. THAT pain was worse than the TMJ issues. Also, apples with the peel are hard for our bands, and we should be cutting them anyway. Remember ... small bites, chew a lot, and be careful. I'm still learning and I've had my 1 yr surgerversary. You've got this.

Take at least 20 minutes no more and no less to eat your meals. Sit and enjoy the food and try not to mulit task while eating if you can help it. If you are eating past 20 minutes you are eating into your next meal, if you are finishing your food before 20 minutes slow down. Practice getting in all your Water for the day, if your drinking your not eating...and if your hungry try drinking some water first and then waiting 30 minutes before going to that snack or next meal if it's been less than 3-4 hours since you last ate So many tips and tricks that will help you as you get your band filled that you can put into practice now and all these will help with the ultimate goal of losing weight and getting healthy! Exactly what was said here. There are iPhone apps intended to help you eat slower called "Eat Slowly", and "Chlow". I'm planning to try Chlow this week while I debate on ordering the 10s Fork ( http://shop.slowcontrol.com/index.php ). I mean .. the fork is a $77 piece of equipment while the apps I mentioned are free. There are also several apps designed to remind you to drink your water throughout the day. I use "Hy". It really does help, and I've noticed a HUGE difference in the way I feel.

I agree with the other two posters. Your band is right under your sternum. You have to push down rather hard to actually feel it. The port is MUCH easier to find and will eventually bulge as you loose weight. My surgeon explained these things to me, so I wasn't surprised when I was able to locate both the band and the port.

At 4 weeks post op, you are still on mushies, correct? Also, I can feel my band, but it's difficult. The port is easier to find through. Where exactly are you feeling it?

It's ... hard to explain. It's just a sensation of being "done" with food. There should never be pain though. If you have pain, then you've tried to eat something that your body is NOT pleased with. Sadly, this happened to me yesterday with a ripe banana. Go figure.

I chose the band because there's less of a chance of me having an allergic reaction. I'm allergic to the staples they use for the sleeve. Otherwise, I'd have asked for the sleeve.

"I am concerned about the Lifestyle changes that are required post-op. They seem pretty restrictive to me." Honestly, if you really want this to work, you'll want to follow your surgeon's guidelines. To be honest, you will learn that the "restrictions" are rather lenient. You will only be able to handle but so much in the beginning. After that, it's on you to keep the weight-loss going. It's hard work, and the band isn't a magic wand that will make all of the pounds drip off. It FEELS like it is at first. But then you realize that you really do have to take the bull by the horns. You will also learn a LOT about yourself, your addictions, and your limitations. You have to be up for this or you will have a lot of difficulty. For example, I didn't know pre-op that I'm an emotional eater, a carb addict, and a sugar addict. I knew that I'm a caffeine addict, and I thought that I could handle all of this with NO issue. Then I started the pre-op diet and started coming off of everything. The headaches, the cravings, and everything else that goes along with detoxing and withdrawal took me by surprise. Once I had my surgery, I thought that I was in the clear. But oh, no. Nope. I have to make the CHOICE every day to walk away from the things that call to me because they are the very things that caused my weight issues. Sure, I have cheat days. But sometimes those cheat days become cheat weeks, and I have to detox again. It's worth it though. Does that help?

Same here. I stayed with it for my pre-op, but I don't use artificially sweetened anything post op. I simply cut down on the amount of sugar I take in.

No coffee. It defeats the purpose. What you are experiencing is withdrawal. We've all been through it, and we all came out better for it. You will too. Just stick with your surgeon's plan, and you will be OK.

I do have email. I'll send it to you privately. Also, after the 17th, I won't have a free day until June 28th. I'll be out of town on Tribal business and then I get home *just* in time for my mother in law to come stay with us for a month. Whee ....

Sunday the 10th is Mother's Day, so I'm going to be busy with the family. The next time I'm available is the 17th.

I wouldn't take the chance. Sure, you are an RN, but he's a surgeon. He's taking his time to make sure you don't have any issues. Let him do his job, but also bring up your concerns with him when you see him again.

There are a LOT of parks and forest preserves that we could go to. The days that it's easiest to meet up with me are Sundays. As far as weather is concerned, it looks like this coming Sunday will be pretty, so a walk around Phillips park would be nice. OR we could meet at Red Oak Park for a nice walk along the trails they have. Either way, I think that a healthy picnic lunch and walk would be fantastic. Which location works best for you guys? What time works for you?

I wanted to sit on this for a little while before commenting again. I wanted to read what everyone had to say before I opened my mouth again. @@drgthemd, where did you go to medical school? Where did you do your surgical rotations? When did you get your own lap-band? That last one is critical because unless you HAVE one, have watched a barium swallow, or have otherwise witnessed how fast the food goes through the band, you have no real idea of how fast the food passes through the band. All you have is speculation. To say "One thing for sure, when a patient with a properly adjusted Lap-Band eats solid foods, it will definitely pass more slowly through the band than it would otherwise." without truly knowing is irresponsible. Yes, different foods behave differently when being swallowed. HOWEVER, an improperly adjusted lapband has the potential to cause a stuck episode. All of us who have experienced a stuck episode form our own stupidity know how horrible that is. I had the experience of having slightly too much saline in my band, and that caused numerous stuck episodes while eating solids, but I had no issues with pureed or soft foods. You see ... being a doctor, or claiming to be one .. I'm not sure which you are yet, is NOTHING compared to being the patient. All of your experience and education tells you one thing, but from what I'm seeing, it doesn't jive with what we are living. Or. Maybe the food in Cali is different than the food we have in the Midwest.