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I can eat just about anything I could pre-op..EXCEPT mac & cheese. Strange right? It's not dry or anything..I've tried twice since Christmas (after my 2nd fill) and COULD NOT DO IT! It gets stuck like you wouldn't believe! Even stranger, I can eat any bread, chicken, or steak I want and they don't get stuck and I have gotten three fills. I feel I have good restriction so I don't eat too much and if I eat until I'm full -it hurts- so that is out!

Missmonaaz, You are my kinda girl!!!!

Zippycat, That is horrible.....I think had that happened to me at the orthopedic surgeon's office, security would have had to escort me out. As for the OB/GYN I would have reported him to whatever medical board could reprimand his prejudiced behind! What an a---hole! (excuse the implied language)!

For atleast a week out of every month I crave chocolate, icecream, and Welch's fruit snacks. I was never one to eat sweets, but I think knowing I shouldn't have them makes me want them (around that time of the month). I do give in to the fruit snacks and sometimes a small piece of chocolate. I know that if I don't, I will go off the deep end. I like the fact the band allows us to make our own decisions without any terrible repricusions (sweats, nausea, etc.). If I give in, I just do an extra 20-40 situps. In my mind I've burned the extra calories off! That's my story and I'm sticking with it!

you will have the port for as long as you have the band. It is how the band gets filled.

With questions regarding right or wrong; or too much concerning your immediate post-op diet (less than a month post-op), you should probably ask the doc. Everyone's doc seems to have a different set of rules. Some doc's say it's ok to have mushies at week two. Other's say stay on liquids until week three. Sorry I couldnt give you a specific answer to your question...but asking your doc really is the best thing until you are atleast a month out of surgery.

I usually have time to walk briskly to the bathroom. It is a very, very, painful feeling in your chest (almost like you've swallowed a pool ball) and it's stuck. You feel it right away. I can control the pb'ing. It's not like vomit.....sudden or uncontrolable.

Before the band, I was the vomit queen....no I wasn't bulemic. I was able to vomit at will. If something didn't sit right, get it out. That was my motto. I hate to have something in my stomach that makes me nauseas. Also pre-menstrual came with vomiting in the morning ( I know I'm on the verge of TMI); but I have not vomitted since I got the band. I have dry heaved during one of my pre-menstrual episodes and after I ate 2 McDonalds Chicken Mcnuggets ... So...all that to say, You are not alone.

dawndannae, I have had my doc answer a personal phone call while teaching interns how to give fills & THEN step out of the room and leave the 2 interns to administer the fill... all while they were asking each other questions as to where the port is and can the other one feel where it should be. Needless to say, I was very very angry! Of course I kindly told them to step back and walked into the docs office, while he was still on his cell phone and told him that it was unacceptable. He was very apologetic and i have not seen the interns since. I thought I was the only one something like this happened to. That could be a new thread!! How many people has had a bad experience with a doc/nurse when they went to get a fill?

Citimom, Did you lose the 20lbs before you were banded?

I have had two fills so far, each time it takes about two weeks for me to be able to eat a little less than before (it takes ny fills sometime to kick in). My first fill, which was 2cc's in a 10cc band, there wasn't to much of a difference. My second fill which was 1cc took about 3 weeks to kick in. I can still eat quite a bit sometimes, but the satisfaction of being full lasts ALOT longer. I ate a meal of grilled king fish, a table spoon if rice and salad ( I ate all of it ) at 4:30pm on Sat. by the time I was ready to go to sleep for the night @ 12am I was still full and had taken a short nap at 6pm. So you do notice a difference. Also as trapped inside said make sure you chew, chew, chew!

This chic is nutz. I don't believe a word of it AT ALL!

I remember reading in my LAP Band literature to avoid extreme temps (hot or cold) it makes the band constrict. It has the same affect. How about if you let the food cool to tepid/room temp. Maybe that will help? Ask the doc when you get your fill. He may have a better explanation and solution.

I agree....have that baked potato, with whatever you want on it! Get it out of your system. Honestly you won't gain any weight from that one potato. Enjoy....

One last thing...... Focus on the positive things. Everything you mentioned are blessings; a new home, college bound children, weight loss and last but not least YOUR HEALTH! Relax! If you feel the need to binge, eat four apples, I'm sure that will help (sweet and crunchy)!

Congrats on the children going to college and the weight loss! You should be celebrating! Raising well rounded responsible children is not an easy task, you should be proud! One way to Celebrate is to go shopping, pick out a couple of sexy size 6 dresses and admire yourself in the mirror, then go out! You have so much to be thankful for!!!!! Oh yeah, I hope you enjoyed the apple (you never realize how good something was until it's gone). One more thing, SHAVE THOSE LEGS, you want them looking sexy when you wear those dresses!

OK ....so today was my office department's holiday lunch. The rule is you must try one or more of everything INCLUDING desserts! Uggghhhhh...... No one knows that I have the band. The food part was ok a tsb of this a tsb of that, but then there was cheesecake. Cheesecake from JUNIORS!!!! I have to admit I had a healthy slice. Now I have to hit the gym an extra hour all because of that slice of cheesecake. The one thing about the band that I absolutely love --- it allows you to make your own choices. There's no dumping syndrome or being stuck in the bathroom because of diarrhea. Maybe that's both a blessing and a curse....... Will you deny yourself over the Holidays? Let me know!

I'm eating a salad now....& I have no problems with it! I've been banded since 10/1/07 and I've probably had about 30 salads since then! Even after a 2cc fill I'm still able to eat them.

Aubrie, Swimming IS exercise! You get to exercise and enjoy it. Ask your G. P. doc about your arthritis meds. He may some other kind of meds that you can take.

SweetPea51, Every doctor is different. Your doctor's explantaion makes perfect sense to me. Because you are losing the 1-2lbs a week (which is what we are supposed to be losing), if he gave you a fill you would obviously lose more. Remember the band only hold a certain amount of cc's of liquid. If he filled the band while you were losing on your own, what would happen when your band reached its limit of fills and you stopped losing the 1-2lbs a week down the road. YOU would have to work on losing the weight solely without the help of fills. He would not be a ble to fill the band with more Fluid. While you are losing on your own, it sounds like he wants to wait until you actually need the help of a fill before he gives you one. FYI- there is a small percentage of people that NEVER need a fill. They just lose weight with the band sitting in place.

JarvisJ, How about telling your In-laws you have to go on a business trip (that the line I used and I swore my huband to secretcy); or you and your husband are just spending time together. I took personal days from work. Luckily for me my boss respects the PERSONAL in the words personal days, so she didn't ask. It's sad that we have to lie because of the negative reactions that we feel we may get from people.

I lied too. My mother in-law cooked a huge meal the evening before surgery and was trying to get me to eat, when I said no thankyou she was shocked. I told her that I had already eaten and that I am on I diet. She asks me every so often how the diet is going. I always want to LOL. I see her about once a week and she tells me that I am looking good. Lucky or unlucky ( I can't decide) I am losing slowly so the change is not too drastic in a short period of time. I just told my husband, mother and sister the truth and it was hard for me to tell my sis (she has a small frame) and mom(she's average). They are very supportive, but I notice how my mom looks on my plate to see how much I eat when we are all out together. Sometimes I chuckle at that too. My husband is very supportive and tells me that I am losing weight (which I love to hear!). I've wandered of the topic...but my solution is tell who YOU want to tell and find a sutible lie errr..I mean excuse.....for the others!

Chicken Mcnuggets and Pork Sausage, they don't get stuck but I get nauseaus like you wouldn't believe. Also no matter how hard I try, it won't come up; so I have to just deal with the nausea.

Miztrniceguy, I am sure you learned your lesson. Rest assure 85% of us bandsters have learned a "hard" lesson. You are not alone in a lapse of judgement. On the "plus" side you HAVE lost 21 pounds! Congrats on that. (We don't all chastize, for the most part we bandsters are pretty understanding). I think WASaBubbleButt is just trying to scare you into not going against your doc's advice. Congrats again.

By the way, my scale at home reflects that I lost 18 pounds, but the one at the doc's office says that I lost 13 pounds....geez!