daisybug

Rice, white bread and sometimes Pasta will get gooey in your pouch and totally BLOCK anything else from passing through,, then sometimes you experience PAIN, then your mouth gets all slimy & watery and you VOMIT! Fun stuff. Everyone finds out what particular foods do this to you. That's why it's so important to eat small bites, chew CHEW CHEW, and take your time eating. Hope that helps. 278/230/180

I experienced the SAME THING! it's like that the first couple days,, you can only drink so much.. Your upper stomach is really irritated and swolen right now. DON'T FORCE anything,, just sip and you will be plenty hydrated. There is no EXACT amount of fluids everyone needs to be hydrated, trust me. As long as you are constantly sipping a little, you will be FINE :thumbdown: GOOD LUCK! Don't freak out when the gas pains kick in.. take some gas-x strips. They help.

the first couple days are the roughest! Walk just a little bit every couple hours or so, but don't over do it the first 2 days. sleeping, unfortunately, is a bit rough. They don't want you to lay flat at all! It is pretty painful anyway, so prop yourself up. Don't be freaked out if you wake up a bunch of times in the middle of the night. I didn't sleep through the night for awhile. The pain will subside soon, hang in there! Take your liquid tylenol. (if u have it) GOOD LUCK on your journey!! 278/230/180

I think you have a valid point to be mad about not getting another fill. My doctor told me NOT to let a whole month go by if I was NOT FEELING RESTRICTION! He said it was OK to have a fill after two weeks if it was not enough. Of course one thing,, my Dr. is not super agressive,, we only do .5 cc at a time. Not sure if that is a factor or not. I would find another fill center or doctor. Just my opinion. I wish you luck with your journey!! 278/230/180

SWEEEEEEET !! WTG !! That must absolutely feel AMAZING. I really can't wait to join you :thumbup::thumbup: 278/230/180

Viactive chewables are the best ! and u feel like you are getting a treat because they are chocolate. I also have a bottle of Centrum liquid, but it tastes like metal.. yuck, but loaded with everything. good luck! 278/230/180

Pam, You are hilarious!!! I laughed so hard reading your post. We all have been a bit rebellious, haven't we? heehee.. It's strange when we catch our habits in the mirror, huh? I have seen myself slouching too and REALLY try to improve that. Don't worry about your boobs, its no big deal in the grand scheme of things! Your health and vitality are WAYYY more important. Youre awesome! thanks for the great post. 278/230/180

HANG IN THERE!! It happens to MOST of us. They don't exactly prepare you for it though, do they? I lost 14 lbs on the liquid phase for 10 days post-op, then I didn't lose a single lb for 3 weeks after that!! It was SOO frustrating because I was really hoping for rapid weight loss, unfortunately it is a longer road because it takes time to get healed, then get your first fill, then sometimes multiple fills until you have restriction... Don't beat yourself up.. we all experience BANDSTER HELL until those fills start kicking in. THINK LONG TERM! GOOD LUCK!!!!! 278/230/180

You pretty much hit the nail on the head with "anything through a straw". I used the heck out of my blender. I made fruit smoothies with lowfat milk or even plain fat free yogurt as a base, then added fresh fruit like blueberries, banana, kiwi, strawberry, rasberries, (lots of fruit is already frozen fresh at the grocery store) and added some Protein powder with ground up flax seeds too. I also ate lots of Soups like tomato, butternut squash .. the smooth kinds. Another thing if i needed some protein was buy soups with Beans in them and I put them right in my blender to get them smooth, then i heated it up. I kept drinkable yogurts in the fridge and lots of jello/fatfree pudding. I also ate popsicles. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!! 278/230/180

GOOD INFO! thanks

Hi Debbi, It really sounds like your friend is genuinely "concerned" but I am willing to bet that most of those people posting on that site are totally UN-informed as to what you are doing. Just stay POSITIVE about yourself and try not to let the negative comments get to you. It's so important to do TONS of research about Lap band. I bet a million dollars that all those people haven't a clue about what you are doing. They read the news and hear about weight loss surgery when in fact it's probably BYPASS surgery they are mostly hearing/reading about. Just do your thing girl! Don't lose your friend over it.. but I totally understand why you would be upset over the post she made. best of luck to you!!! 278/230/180

I'm so sorry you have to suffer with kidney stones.. My husband has suffered from them for the past 10 years. HORRIFIC pain.. The doctors told him to lay off all dairy, and some other items including spinach and blueberries.. Here's the thing,, he DID stay off all that stuff and got stones ANYWAY!! The calcium kind.. So i just think if your body already makes stones, it will keep doing it regardless. imho.. Take your calcium and try not to stress too bad.. your bones need it! good luck to you!!!!!!!!:cool: 278/231/180

WOW, your fill doctor was agressive compared to mine. I started at 2.5, then only was allowed .5 at a time.. I didn't have any restriction until 4.5 cc. (I have a 10 cc band also) I've been at 4.5 for 2 months and don't have as much restriction so I need to get my booty in and get a fill !! You will have restriction from the beginning and will lose weight immediately! right on.. good 4 u :thumbup: best of luck!!! 278/231/180

Everyone is SOO different when it comes to types of food that BLOCK or STICK. It's one of those trial and error things. As you get more fills, some foods will not go down so easy or actually cause PAIN! If I eat anything gummy like tortilla or bread,, it gets stuck and swells a little which causes pain until it manages to go down. I STAY AWAY FROM IT! I haven't had too much problems with rice, as long as I eat small bites at a time and chew, chew chew... Just eat slow and you will find out what foods work and what doesn't.. Im glad I can't eat all those refined carbs anymore, they aren't good 4ya. good luck!!!!!!!!!!:wink2: 278/231/180

I only waited six weeks between my consult & actual surgery date. I was SELF PAY,, I know it can be much longer if your insurance covers it. Some insurance companies will demand lots of info, etc.... all depends! good luck!!!!! 278/231/180

You are doing GREAT so far Illiana !! YOU GO GIRL ! Don't let your Dad get to you. (easier said than done) Focus on yourself and definitely eat alone or with your Mom. maybe one day,, you could sit your Dad down and have a discussion about how he is NOT helping with his comments. OR you could write him a letter. Just a suggestion! It is bad to keep stuff bottled inside yourself,, YELL BACK !! :biggrin: keep up the good work.. u can do it. 278/231/180

OF COURSE you can do this. Just remember it's not going to be super-easy and just "happen". You will have to work the program and make better choices. Like you said, the band is just a tool, not a FIX. It's really been difficult getting used to eating smaller portions and not drinking with meals, etc.. -all the instructions we are given to follow. My advice is to FOLLOW THEM as close as you can. Don't be nervous about people finding out. You will lose weight SLOWER than if you had bypass surgery ,, so its really up to you if you want to tell people or not !! who cares what they think! Focus on YOU, not them. BEST OF LUCK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 278/231/180

Hi Nick , I was really nervous about being put under too. The nurses told me its very very common to be nervous about that. I was really glad they gave me an anti-nausea shot just before i got wheeled into surgery. I woke up and had NO nausea feeling at ALL! I was thrilled. Ask about that when you go in. also, you never remember them removing the breathing tube, but expect a little bit of a sore throat that day. I had a hard time sleeping the first couple nights because of the pain. (MOSTLY the PORT-area incision). But, every night was better than the last and after about 3 days I was able to sleep through the night without waking up in pain. OF COURSE, this is different for everyone. Everyone has different pain thresholds. It was a little more intense than I was expecting, so prepare yourself for the worst.. get your pain med prescriptions filled before hand. GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!!!!!!!!!!:tt1: 278/231/180

Hi & WELCOME You have an awesome start on your journey! Good luck & try not to get discouraged if the weight loss slows down a bit or even stops until you get some restriction going. I went through an eight week period and didn't lose a single lb. keep your eye on the goal & remember how far you have come already! WTG!!! 278/231/180

5 hours!! OMG! I wonder if you had a "new" anesthesiologist. That nurse should be fired too. i wouldn't let this drop. I agree with the above posts that you should file a complaint with the hospital. In the past, I had a couple surgeries and was DEATHLY ill when I woke up. This time around, they gave me the anti-nausea shot just BEFORE surgery and i woke up with zero sickness (thankfully). I'm just wondering, did they give you that shot ?? just curious. Best of luck with your band! hang in there. 278/231/180

Shoulder pains SUCK! I remember them so vividly because they were SO PAINFUL and sharp. Mine came and went for 8 weeks post-op. The one thing my doctor told me to do was walk, walk, walk. It WILL go away.. 278/231/180

I applaud your honesty :thumbup:Emotional eating is HUGE for me too. I wish there was a cure for it, but unfortunately it is a demon I have to face myself. I think acknowledgement is HALF the battle, so kudo's to you for at least spotting it! I make phone calls and talk to people when I get upset now. Kind of like an alcoholic would do if stressed out and really wanting to drink. I call my "SPONSER" (lol) and talk about it.. get it out.. without choosing junk food to ease my pain. WE CAN BEAT this....

Saima, DEFINITELY get a fill. I am surprised they don't have you coming in to their office once a month for checkups/possible fills. I would start seeing them every month like clockwork, or even sooner if you don't see at least 1-2 lbs of weight loss a week. Start scheduling your appointments on your own since they don't want to help with that. Just my opinion, of course!! GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!! 278/231/180

HANG IN THERE! I know it's frustrating. After my surgery, i lost 16 lbs until I started to eat solid foods again. I felt NO restriction whatsoever and actually gained a couple lbs in the next 4 weeks. At my first adjustment, I still didn't feel any different so I went back every two weeks and got more fills until I finally got it! It took me 5 fills (at half cc's at a time) I finally felt restriction at 4 cc's. I am at 4.5 cc's now and ready for another. I actually have to drink lots of fluids too living in Las Vegas, its freaking HOT. I drink with meals about 50 % of the time. I am trying to do better with that. It's a struggle for MANY OF US !!! Hang in there..:thumbup: 278/231/180 4.5 cc in a 10 cc band

I have read that many doctors are against Lap Band if you have a BMI over 50. The reason they are saying that is because it takes MUCH longer to lose weight with a Band VS Bypass. Also, Bypass doesn't require nearly as much effort (for the patient) as the Band. So,, if you look at long term success rates, Bypass is more successful. THAT SAID,,, Bypass is also so much more drastic of a surgery. I chose the Lap band because I wanted the LEAST invasive procedure. I am happy with my slow weight loss! Its right for me! Please do more research. There is TONS of stuff to learn about both. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!! 278 presurgery 231 current 180 goal