shortgal

Mine feels more like a tightness ( not painful just tight) sort of in the area between my breasts. As I eat and the pouch fills up, I get a feeling like I have to take a deep breath before I can take more bites, that's when I know I'm almost done (if not definitely done). A feeling of being not very hungry is also there for a couple hours after a meal. The lenght of time I feel full varies from time to time and sometimes depends on what my meal was. Now sometimes even with this feeling of being full ( not right after eating) but a while after, I can get a craving for something, but If I ask myself if I'm hungry, I really don't think I am, so i don't have anything to eat. If I do think I really am hungry, I will have a bottle of Water first and then decide. Before being banded, I wouldn't even ask the question, am I really hungry, the food was already chewed and going down. LOL.

I personally would not eat solid food if I had heartburn and pain after a fill. I would stay on liquids until I could see the Dr. ( or one in the group). If it lasted more than the three days of liquids you were supposed to be on, I would have gone back for a slight unfill. These things happen, you can get swelling around the band after fills. 3 cc's and 2 cc's would be an aggressive fill for my Dr's office. I got 2 cc first time and then 1 cc each time after. Heart burn and pain is an indication it's too tight and being too tight is not a good thing.

No restriction should not feel like that. Did you eat something and get it stuck? Restriction allows solid food to sit in your pouch and that's helps to keep you feeling full longer. Restriction reduces the size of the stoma, so food going in must be small bites, chewed well or it could get stuck. Did you eat a lot and your pouch is over full?

Easy answer, just stay on the previous stage a week longer and then proceed to the next stage. there is no way I would even think about drinking chicken that's been through the blender. Yuck! So my stage before the pureed stage was "full" liquid, so I just stayed on that one week and then went to mushies. Now if you hate the Protein shakes, too ( I like those) then it's going to be tough. Find one you like now! There are people on the forum that have lost 150 pounds with their bands. Just keep reading around the forum and learn as much as you can!

Hi Susie Q and welcome. You might enjoy joining the thread for band people over 60. It's in the age related support area. Scroll down on Main page, you'll find it. Truly appreciate the sacrifice your family made for our country. Now get your life back and live long as a bander. You deserve it.

There are many groups on the forum, some are for Low BMI people, some are for Georgia banders, others are age related. So search around and I'm sure you'll find some help. You can do an advanced search on the forum, entering you clinic or Dr. name to get previous threads. The advanced search is at the right top of the forum page ( don;t use the google search box) use the search ABOVE that one, higher up on the page. You can also type in PCOS and old threads will come up.

The problem is if you lose the weight WITH the band, but couldn;t keep weight off before, what makes you think you'll be able to keep the weight off, if you remove the band? The band doesn't just help you lose the weight, it helps you keep it off. Why remove it? You can opt to have a small unfill once you hit maintenance. I'm not sure of stats but most Dr's will tell you if you remove the band ( which they usually only do if there is a problem with it) you should expect to regain the weight.

Check the food and recipe section for ideas on which brand people like and different additives people us to Dr them or other choices during whatever stage you have to drink them.

No problem, we all need a kick in the butt occasionally. I'm sure my time will come too and hopefully someone on here will kick my butt into gear!

Just for some mental reassurance that the band is ok, can you get an x-ra? and if that's ok , you can seek Treatment for the reflux. The stress of thinking your band slipped or eroded could be half the problem. Prilosec is OTC.

A muffin or bagel for b'fast?? if they told me that, I would have gotten the biigest one I could find. And had a yogurt chaser! Ha-Ha.

I think six days is plenty. I was ok within a week and I had a hernia repaired as well, had swelling I suspect becasue of the hernia, longer than others on here have mentioned. Good Luck, I wish I could have heard you speak in person, when you asked that question. Love that scottish accent!

I posted on this thread back late Dec. and I'm happy to say still no more reflux. Hoever, if a person's band is too tight, reflux might re-appear. A slight unfill can usually relieve that. I think you'd be more likely to have reflux re-solve if a hiatal hernia is involved and I suppose altho mine was repaired, it could come back (the hernia, I mean and then seems logical so would reflux)

That's not much Protein, if yu have to do that for more than 2 days. You can add Isopure CLEAR pre-mixed drinks. The extra protein will help keep you full and they are considered a clear liquid. GNC sells them. Lots of flavors. Drink them very cold. Some people are not fond of the taste, but I like them and still use them if I need extra protein. Yes, you can get sick of the taste, if you drink them all day long. Low calorie, no carbs and lots of protein! I am having a glass as I type this. The apple melon flavor, becasue I had a fill today and need to be on liquids! Oh and how about sugar free popsicles! P.S. Clear liquids are CLEAR. Milk is considered a "full" liquid and cream Soups are considered "full" liquids as well. broth is clear.

I agree Kbinaz, but I think her Dr. use Floro to do the fills, so he will probably get closer on the first fill, than Dr's that do fills without floro. But even with floro, there can be variables, so if the Dr. really won't give people that might need more than 3 fills, he is doing them a dis-service.

so much of what we are dealing with too is HEAD HUNGER and getting past that feeling that "I should be eating something" --- because - for me - that's what I did before surgery - sometimes just to pass the time-- HOW SAD IS THAT?????? Oh yeah, Head Hunger. That voice that tells your stomach, that it can't possibly be full on a small portion. Our brain tells us, we'll starve if we don;t eat more. If I measure out my portion and eat it, at times I want more, but I find if I stop and wait 20 mins, my brain finally gets the message we're full. If I'm hungry between meals, I drink a bottle of Water first and then re-evaluate my hunger and many times I can go until the next meal. so many new things to re-learn. A day at a time. Some easier than others!

Sades: At least it's one pound gone! I had my fill today. I had planned to ask for .5 cc and then last night after dinner, I was feeling tighter/fuller after dinner than the few days previously. Figures, doesn't it? Like when you have a rash and make an appt and the day of the appt comes and the rash goes away. Day after appt. rash comes back LOL So we decided on .25 cc's instead. On liquids for two days, before I know what this one does. But I have another appt in two weeks anyway. I do feel really close to good restriction and weight loss that was stalled, has dropped again. To make my mother of the groom weddng dress goal, I have to consistently lose 8 pounds a month! Yikes! I've only lost at the rate of a little over 9 per month so far, so don't think that is attainable. Have you tried an all liquid day to jump start weight loss again? I do that. Here's what I have: Protein drink every 3 hours. 8am: One can Atkins advantage shake 160 C 15 gms protein 11 am 1/2 bottle (10 oz) Isopure CLEAR pre-mixed drink. 80 c 20 gms protein. Repeat every three hours until 8pm. If I can't make it all day on the cold drinks, I substitute a bowl of Soup, butternut squash soup 190 c for the Isopure drink at the 5 pm meal and then at the 8pm, I substiute the Atkins shake with the 5pm Isopure drink. 640 calories if you stick to original plan with (85 gms protein) and about 770 calories ( 70 gms protein) if you substiute the last two. That plan got me off the last plateau. The steady protein keeps me satisfied. I don't do that more than once every week or two. Hang in there. all of a sudden, you lose a few.

Every person is different. How the band fits your stomach is different than how it fits mine. so generally, the Dr's will start off slow and build up. A fill can cause swelling, which can happen after you leave the Dr's office, so even if you can drink at the office and Water goes down, the band could tighten after you get home. I've had seven fills and have a 10 cc band. First fill 2 cc's, next five 1 cc and this last fill .25 cc's becasue I felt I am close to good restriction. I don;t pay per fill. I was self pay. $17800 and fills for first year are included.

Most of us have done many diets before being banded and I tried to think of every stage I went through, pre-op, post-op stages of liquids, mushies, soft etc. as one more diet. No, most of us can't stay on diets long, that's why we're fat and need the band, but with good motivation to succeed, most of us can do six to eight weeks. So can you just accept this, for a short time, as just another diet? That got me through. Remember, you will have various stages of restriction after being banded and you might need this "Old" diet type of thinking to get you through. If you follow the band rules, you'll be successful. I was self pay, too. At 56, I tried many diets to lose weight. A few years ago it took me 10 months to lose 30 pounds and in a few months, a little over half was back. I worked back to keeping 1/2 of the thirty off and then got banded before I could gain it all back. Now I'm down thirty more from there in a little over three months! 1/3 of the time that it took me to lose the same amount before the band. And this is absolutely the first time ever I believe I can still lose and get to goal. I know I'll have to work hard later to stay at goal, even with my band. I have no delusions this will be an easy path. And if you're younger, you'll probably lose faster than this old lady, after surgery. Hang in there! it's one more week.

Now that I am losing, I mourn the years I wasted being fat and I sometimes dwell on how I could have done this to my body, now that skin is haning on my arms on legs. I feel like it was a form of self mutilation, even though I don't feel it was intentional. Like the Crystal meth users I see on TV shows that lose all their teeth or the alcoholic that has damaged their liver and then go into recovery. But I don't dwell on that long.. what's done is done. I can only try to fix it the best I can now and enjoy what life I have left now! so you can't run anymore, can you go for long walks instead? The pro baseball player has to quit sometime,too. Most of us cannot do what we did forever. I can't have a baby anymore either. Maybe you're just mourning the loss of your youth? I think it's the rare person that is laid to rest weighing the same they did in their youth.

Name...................Start..........Current..........Goal ......To Go Momto1plus1...............228.8..............228.4.................218 .8.........9.6 Trixie...........................241................224.5............. ....221.............3.5 Osangriared...........262..............255...............250.......... .5 wnt2lose...............226..............219...............216......... ..3 TxArcher...............345..............337...............325......... ..12 Shortgal................188..............185...............182.............3 Can't believe the big numbers you guys post every week. At least the scale is going down again for me, after being stalled for a while! I should be able to make goal. Ok, totally messed this up. I really couldn;t remember last weeks weight, so i went back and checked week three. I started at 189 and goal was 184. Oops. Well I guess I'll leave my new goal at 182 after all! Even better! I do weigh 185 though, I did remember that! I should, I weigh myself obessively.

I really think the five day test is more about getting back on track and affirming for people that they havent' stretched their pouch ( that are worried about that and that it still works, that they are just choosing the wrong foods. Once we let those addictive carbs back in, it's hard to get off again and break the cycle.

wow, that's a lot of protein. Usually the more you weigh the more protein you need, but that's a lot. I was recommended to have 60 to 80 as well. I use the Isopure CLEAR if I dont have enough protein in meals. One bottle is 40 gms and only 160 calories. Some days all i need is to add 1/2 bottle to get enough protein. Depends on the day and what my meals are. I have never worried about drinking before my meal only after. And since I can't drink one hour after eating, I sometimes have to drink before eating to stay hydrated and get my liquids in.

I am curious what you were doing that you got called Freakazoid! Ha, Ha! Are you sure you weren't dreaming that? I didn't wake up in the OR and barely remember the recovery room, I was very groogy after surgery. Seems like you've done very well. The gas will go away, it takes time and walking helps which you've been doing. By day five, I was so much better and I think i was a little more sore becasue I had the hernia repair, too. No ticker? You haven't even said how much you lost on pre-op. Men lose fast. I'll bet it's a lot! Keep up the good work. Shortie!

I still say that 1/4 cup amount is cruel and unusual punishment! Have you checked the food and receipe section for ideas for different stages? I really don't remember what I ate. I know I did not do the pureed stage and jsut stayed on the full liquid stage longer because I cannot tolerate regular food blended up... gross. I think I ate really soft meals, like meatloaf, and some lean cuisines like the macaroni and beef, or the salisbury steak, but maybe that was the stage after mushies that I ate those.?????? I remember having tomato soup and that butternut squash soup in the box.Since I'm on full liquids today, I'll probably have that soup for dinner. I swear by the Iospure clear drink to keep my protein levels up and my hunger down and still use it. I'll drink a glass for b'fast sometimes. 1/2 bottle is only 80 calories but 20 gms of protein. Too much of it and I get sick of the taste but a glass over lots of ice, is no problem. Lots of flavors, too. Each stage will get a little easier. Just had my seventh fill today, a very small one as I think I'm close to good restriction and don't want to be overfilled. The first five did almost nothing and the sixth one got me close to being right. Of course everyone is different and I've lost weight so that would make the band even looser along the way. Also depends on how much saline is put in at each fill. I am loving my band. Last night, I had a salad with grilled steak and grilled shrimp and ate 1/2 of what I used to eat and it kept me pretty full. I had an apple later after dinner. Took me about 20 mins to eat it. I eat anywhere from 800 to 1200 calories a day. I track my calories almost every day and my protein too to be sure I get enough. I eat few carbs, but last week I did have a grilled cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread. It was so good. I need the extra fiber of the whole wheat! After a fill, I am on full liquids ( today and tomorrow) and the first of those two days, I might have under 800 calories and generally no hunger. Once you start getting fills, it will be so much better. The only trouble I am having is lack of bowel movements and gas. Working on solutions to that. Experimenting with benefiber in my water. No bad taste but not working well enough. Packed up almost everything in my closet, it's all too big! Now I have almost nothing to wear! I've only bought a few things as I know I'll keep losing. Hang in!