Cocoabean

For me, I get a distant look in my eyes (hubby ID'd this) with a slight pain in my chest, then I get the feeling of a rock in my sternum, then the slime starts. If I stop eating with the slight pain, I can be OK. If I keep eating until the slime starts...there is no going back. Slime means what went down must come up. If I swallow a couple ounces of water, that will often trigger it to immediately come back up without wretching. If you are in a public toilet, put a toilet seat cover in the water, this helps with backsplash when the stuck item hits the bowl. Yes, I've had the splash hit me in the eye. Also watch out for self-flush toilets. My hubby once asked why I'd washed my entire face, including my bangs and removing my make-up.

If I am eating in a group while traveling (esp for work), I break the rules a bit and go for sliders. I bring Protein bars & shakes to eat in privacy, but when eating in public I try to go for things I am reasonably assured of will not get stuck and create a lot of questions.

Very well put!

Sorry to hear about the errosion. As you have discovered though, the band isn't truly reversible. It is removeable, yes, reversible? maybe. The errosion has caused permanent damage, and the band causes scarring around the stomach. Upon removal the stomach does not go back to its virginal state. Like Lellow, if I had to lose my band, I know I would need another procedure to maintain my loss. I don't believe for a moment that I have permanently changed my eating habits. Without the aid of surgical intervention, my weight would go right back up. I'd listen to my surgeon, whom I trust, and figure out my next step.

Ok, so I skimmed and didn't read it is your daughters baptism..so you will be handling the food? Keep strong!! You can do this. It is a big challenge for you. Keep your contact with it minimal. The rest of what I said still holds true. The focus should be on the people, not the food. And really, no one cares what you are consuming. Especially as hostess. You can flit and float around with no one noting if you are eating or now. Best wishes and enjoy the day!

You know, when I was on my pre-op, I did a 50th b-day party and a Superbowl party. My friends knew what was going on. No one offered me food. No one really cares. If you want to fit in: Have a glass in one hand, and a plate in the other (just schmear some dip on it and have one carrot "left over"). When it comes to cake time, I say "I'm good, thanks." And walk away. If someone makes a big issue, I politely take the plate and hand it off to my hubby to dispose of. Keeping it in my hands for as short a time as possible for temptation purposes. So, if you can have a partner there to assist, that can be a big help. But mostly, when I say no, people just ask if I am sure, look at me like I am crazy, and move on. Be strong, be resolute. Visualize yourself being successful. Don't hang near the food table, concentrate on the joy of the event, and being with friends and family.

Since it is your first fill and you don't know how you will react, I'd wait. However, you do have 6 days before you go to see if things are going well. Generally the first fill doesn't cause a rukus. It was my 3rd fill that got me, and I had to go in for a slight unfill. I did postpone my first fill because we had a 10-day cruise planned long before my surgery date was scheduled. I did not want to be just outside of Panama needing an unfill by a ship's doctor. My surgeon was willing to do the fill, but we decided that to wait was the best decision. Since then I have been on several cruises. I have also had food stuck while on a cruise. I have learned to memorize where every bathroom is on shipboard, and that it isn't always easy to hit the toilet in high seas!

I lost a whole shoe size, my pants got longer (or is that thighs thinner?), I had to have my wedding rings re-made with a hinge because they kept spinning so much even the hump would not work. My Tiffany necklace that was a choker (not meant to be) now sits beautifully on my neck. My face is WAY different (see my before and after pics on my profile). I don't recognize myself in old photos.

What does YOUR doctor say? Mine said no for the first 6 months or something (hard to remember 5 years later), he also said that regular soda is empty calories (surgeons are against those), and that diet sodas INCREASE appetite (who wants that?). When I was allowed to consume them, I found that they just gave me the hiccups. Most recently when I sipped on one, I found the taste was not so much to my liking.

Sodas at first gave me the hiccups. My surgeon doesn't mind them. The disgestive system is an open system, so the carbonation will escape, he says, just not always comforatbly. After time, I lost the taste for soda. Beer on the other hand, I didn't drink it when I was actively losing (empty calories). Now that I am maintaining I enjoy it sometimes, mostly without incident. It seems to have less carbonation or something for me.

I have read it has to do with activating the nerves at the top of the stomach. The band's restriction causes food to enervate nerves that normally would not be touched unless the stomach were FULL. This gives the senastion of fullness. When I do my upper GIs with food, I see it pass through pretty quickly. Very interesting!

I do. It doesn't matter the mode of travel either. I think it is just the stress of it all.

If something feels wrong, contact your surgeon again. Sometimes they put in some fill at the time of surgery. Removing it may help. Are you taking tiny sips? The smaller the better. Try some gas-x strips, they may help. And walk-walk-walk. Hope you feel better soon!

Welcome! I was on the low end of the BMI scale as well.

Does your doctor know of the nausea/vomiting? If not, give the office a call and tell them of the pain. Keep up with your pain meds, too. Most important is to keep hydrated, if the pain is stopping you from getting liquids down, call your doctor right away!

Is the port area red or warm to the touch? If so, it could be an infection. Anything new... I'd speak it over with my surgeon, that's why my insurance company pays him the big bucks. Me, I get pain in my port area often. My surgeon and PCP checked it out. It's nothing medical. I think a nerve got caught in a stich. But this is MY normal. You've had something change. Get it checked.

5.5 years out and i still get pain at the port sometimes. i think mine snagged a nerve or something. If I bend just right I get a shooting pain that REALLY gets my attention.

I've had 2 partial unfills. After the first I went back a month later and had the unfill plus more put back after all had calmed down. I am still working from my last unfill point. Getting an unfill is not defeat, just another step on the journey. If you cannot drink liquid, you are too tight. You need to be able to eat SOLID foods. If you go too long, then you may be facing a complete unfill.

My doc is fine with a few sips with a meal. He said I would most likely not have room, and he is oh so right. Like B52, if I drink with food it tends to just cause me to get stuck. Do this over and over, and you find yourself not drinking with meals. I thought there would be NO WAY I could possibly get through a meal w/o drinking, but over time I found that I just don't. If I drink something too soon after eating it might just come back up, or make me mighty uncomfortable. Negative reinforcement works.

Do you mean just at the base of your sternum? You might have something stuck.

I still feel hungry. The band helps me to manage it by helping to control my physical hunger when adjusted properly. Talk with your surgical team about your eating habits; they should be able to assist you with the decision as to which procedure would be best for you.

So true. I am 5.5 years out with no complications, maintaining a 100% EWL. I come and go from here. OP, you can search for studies on PubMed if you'd like to do your own research. I prefer reading studies to taking someone says "a study says..." as true. But some here have linked to the studies. One can almost always find a study somewhere to support their claim, however. So keep that in mind. While I do not regret my band at all, and I stay in touch with my surgeon. I have seen many complications come through LBT.

I woke up hungry. I followed my doctor's orders, as you should do. I will say I am surprised that your doc cosiders fish and mac and cheese soft food. Many bandsters cannot eat fish without getting stuck. However, if your doc and nutritionist are good with it, the there you have it. Don't argue with people, you are following what your team has laid out for you. I moved from Clear Liquids to full liquids on day 3 because I was healing so well. Others banded when I was hand orders to be on clear liquids for 4 weeks. It is very doc specific.

It depends on what YOUR post-op diet instructions are. When I was returned to solids, it was as tolerated. chicken and brown rice are not a crime on my diet. I can't eat breast meat chicken, but dark meat chicken is fine. If your doctor said to eat solids as you can tolerate them, then there was no crime committed, was there? When introducing foods back into your diet, go slowly. Small bites, chew well, wait in between bites to be certain they've gone down. Evaluate often to see if you are still hungry before continuing.

Hello all! Yesterday was my One Year Bandiversary. Since starting the process to be banded, I am down 53.5 lbs. I am down 58.5 from my all time high. I want to post about how my attitude about "dieting" has changed over the last year. Prior to this journey I had tried numerous times to lose weight. Each time keeping a jornal and pictures. Keeping track of my weight and measurements. Obsessing over every bite and every calorie burned. I was never able to make lifestyle changes that were maintainable. It was an on or off mentality. Over the past year my attitude has changed drastically along with my relationship with food. Don't get me wrong, I still love food--but my appetite no longer rules me. In years gone by, my hunger would run my day. That no longer happens. I eat my meal and I am satisfied for a few hours. I don't constantly think about my next meal or snack. I am more active because I don't hurt and it is a joy to be involved in life. After my band surgery, I went about things the way I always have, weighing in and taking my measurements weekly, keeping focus on the weight loss prize. Getting frustrated when things didn't move at the rate I felt they should. Now, at 1 year, I have averaged a pound a week. Not too shabby!! At some point recently, I discovered I am no longer weighing and measuring myself obsessively. On the date of my bandiversary, I didn't even get on the scale! I did the day before as Saturday is the day I check my weight as a rule. The best change of all is that this time, I am relaxed and confident that I will succeed. The changes to my diet are easily maintainable. I don't worry that if I relax my vigilance I will regain the weight. I realize that it has only been a year, but this is the longest I have ever gone without being on some sort of "diet" or "program." All the while losing at a steady pace (over the course of a year, not every week). Another poster in the success stories forum talked of feeling "normal." I so agree with this statement. I no longer wonder if I stand out in the crowd, or if people are looking at my plate and thinking...... At this point, I am very thankful for my band and the chages it has helped me make. Best wishes to all! Denise