KarenH

I am concerned that I may have stretched my pouch (my own fault) by drinking pop daily. I had stopped for 7 months postop and then picked it up again. I simply need the caffeine and do not drink coffee or tea. I notice that I can consume larger quantities of food. I still have great restriction (I wonder if not too good as I constantly burp after eating for at least 30 minutes) I read one of the threads that talks about band slippage. I never considered that aspect - just pouch stretching. So, my NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION is to stop this permanently. I just wondered if the pouch will shrink again after a period of time. I certainly hope so! Happy New Year to all. Thanks for any knowledge you care to share on this. Karen Lost 50 lbs - put back on 5 this past month. 11 months out from surgery.

I had my surgery on Thursday and returned on Monday. No problem. I do have a desk job. I monitored my intake and was happy that I had been able to accomplish this without having to tell everyone! Good Luck to you. I am sure you will be okay. Just remember to listen to your doctor when he/she tells you what and when to eat. K

I am just looking for some advice on what to do to help relieve the swelling after my second fill. I had 1 cc for a total of 3 cc's in a 10 cc band on Thursday. I have pain and obvious swelling as I am having difficulties with Water and Protein shakes passing through. I have tried to eat a little bit of cottage cheese and thought I was going to make a trip to the ER. Other than time, is there anything I can do to help reduce the pain/swelling? Your thoughts and suggestions would be welcome. Thanks, Karen

I am an idiot! I was banded in January, 2008 and I had my second fill on 9/11/08. 1st fill 2 cc(no problems), 2nd fill 1 cc - 10 cc band. First day I thought I was doing great, had liquids and I tested the waters by eating a couple of crackers before going to bed - all was well. Yesterday morning I had my Protein shake - also no problem. Yesterday afternoon, I took an advil and it was all down hill from there. Swollen, massive pain in my chest, everything I drank came back up. I spoke with the doctor (and of course I did not tell him about the advil) and he said it normally takes 24-48 hours for the band to adjust into its new adjustment. I had acid reflux several times for the first time last night. I am much better this morning. Drinking small amounts of tea. I think the acid reflux scared me more than anything. I hope to start mushies in a couple of days. Just goes to show that I should have listened to my doc and not pushed myself! Karen Lost 40lbs. Goal 100lbs.

Oh, and p.s.. I didn't take anything stronger than ibuprofen. I do recall feeling "pulled" by the port site when I walked for over an hour. Karen

I have to agree with Hollie519. I had surgery and was up and moving immediately. I did have some difficulty sleeping on my stomach for the first couple of weeks, but all else was pretty much back to normal right away. Just another instance of how differently we all react to surgeries/medications/different foods. Karen

People are too funny! Yes, we gotta laugh along the way! K

:lol:This is complete silliness, but I got quite a little chuckle from this. Must have hit me at just the right time....... I was speaking to a friend about why I cannot drink diet coke and how it stretches the "pouch.". She started giggling and said it sounded like I was turning into a kangaroo. Okay, I couldn't help myself. Just had to share. This is probably as old as the hills! With all the stress out there I thought a giggle was due! Karen:tt2:

Afternoon/evening seems to be a "hungry" time for me. My doc suggested that I have a small snack - apple, veggie - to hold me over until it's time for dinner. I was eating too much, and too quickly. Stuck! I am 4 months out from surgery and have lost 34 pounds. In the beginning, I too felt I had enough restriction without any fill. This worked fine for me. I lost 18 lbs before my first fill at 2 months. The doc put in 2 cc's in my band. I have been back twice since my first fill and each time we have decided that I am still restricted enough to lose the weight at the pace we have discussed (1-2 lbs per week.) I did have a month of eating too much "easy foods" and only lost 2.5 lbs that month. That was totally my fault. That "sweet spot" has been hard for me to find. Good luck to you! By all accounts on this site, we will be able to find it! Karen Banded 1/25/08 Dr. Peter Rantis Weight loss 34 pounds Goal 90 - 100

thanks for your suggestions. Is there really any difference between benefiber and metamucil. I realize it will be personal preference, but if anyone has tried both could you let me know which one you prefer and why? Also - Laurinda - I wouldn't mind those recipes for cookies! thanks! Karen

I have two questions. First: How do you get in your Fiber each day when the bulk of our diets is supposed to be Protein? I have the beginnings of diverticulosis and the doc told me to eat more fiber. I had to laugh at the "eat more" as I think I am eating more than I should already with the band, and I have questions on how to get more fiber in my diet. Anyone taking and supplements and are they working for you? Secondly, I remember the dietitian telling us to make sure to sip Water between meals to make sure you get all your fluids in. Okay, I don't have to sip. I can still gulp down a healthly 8 oz of water in seconds. Is this normal? Too much? A sign of pouch stretching? I would think any Fluid would just flow through the restriction. :biggrin: Banded 1/25/08 Weight lost - 32 pounds, Goal 100

thanks for the reply fatandoverit. I went to the doc last week. I had only lost 2.5 lbs. over the course of one month. I have to admit, I was eating Cookies and candy quite a bit because it doesn't get stuck. He wanted to give me a fill, because while I have lost 30 pounds since 1/25/08, I am not where he would like me to be. I REALLY like and trust this doctor. I don't feel like he is pushing me. I explained that I am pb'ing several times a week, and always when eating with the family at dinner. We decided to wait a couple of weeks to allow me to work out my eating issues (practice eating slowly again). I think I am having issues with losing more weight. I am currently at the weight that I get to by just dieting and then I always end up gaining it back. I need to sort this out, too. I scheduled my next fill in 10 days. I will take the bull by the horns, and learn to eat more slowly, smaller portions and NO MORE SWEETS! Thanks again and good luck to you, too! Karen

fatandoverit - I would like an answer or an explanation to your question, as well. I have spent the last couple of months pb'ing regularly and not from overeating, but from eating too quickly. This evening I made ribs for the family. I thought I was chewing carefully, but think I ate to quickly anyway. Well, I have spent the last 2 hours pb'ing and I still feel stuck. I only have 2 cc's in a 10 cc band. I am due back to the doc in 10 days. I am thinking of removing 1 cc. I have also found that I am essentially following a diet like weight watchers and exercising every day. I am beginning to wonder if I need any fill because right after surgery I knew I could not gorge myself, ate fairly decently and never pb'd. Now that I have had a fill, I am continuously pbing (several times a week) and I sometimes slip into old habits thinking I can eat something sweet because at least it doesn't get stuck. Did anyone go through this, and if so, what did you do? Karen