Wayne446

Take heart. I'm 27 months out. It's not just a strole through the park. You'll be happy, the pain will subside...You have a few weeks of recovery though...You will be ok...keep yer chin up

Weighed in today, gained back 4 of the initial 21 lost. Poop! Is this a "normal" thing to happen? I see the doc friday and so don't want a lecture!:eek:

Hi gang, its me...today a new symptom of surgery. 2 weeks post op, pain and major discomfort in left side, under arm, chest, rib area when I take a deep breath. Mushies going down fine, cannot eat but about a cup at a time, liquids going down fine. No port soreness or swelling..a lot of gas...both ends (sorry). Any had any such situations? Dr. Lusco on call, said to watch for fever and it was probably soreness. Any comments I am interested. Thanks

Hey Jeri. I am just two weeks out and wondered if you had felt any restriction before your first fill?

Oh yeah, every guy still loves his first grade teacher! Hats off to you KRZYZ!

Yeah girlygirlz, some people take it way too far. Maybe not eating makes us CRANKY! Ha Ha. You gotta laugh though, better than cryin all the time. Reading some of these posts makes you wonder what all the babies are gonna do cause the tears are being used up here!

Just have all your ducks in a row. Everybody thinks about it. Good luck.

It is my under standing that many people gain between surgery and first fill. Google lapbanders hell

Trying not to cheat is relevant to all of us. At the very least we are tempted. I am not out three weeks yet. I had a slice of supreme pizza at the movies last night. I didn't get sick, it went down fine. I chewed the heck out of it and took 45 minutes to eat it. Did I Cheat...well, I guess I could say that but for a month I have eaten a tanker truck load of broth and popsicles. I don't feel guilty, because gang, i would have eaten the whole pizza and drank 500 calories of sweet pepsi before. So, I dont consider myself a cheat...if I could have listened to sound medical advice for dieting in the first place I wouldn't have been banded. I agree we have to try, we have to encourage each other, but for goodness sake, we weren't intended to stop eating for-ever. It took a lifetime for me to get this big, I cannot expect it to be gone overnight. Happy New Year Guys!

ThinnerTimes: Lap-Band®- Complications - Slippage Lap-Band®: Complications - Slippage From time to time the stomach wall can slip up through the band. Slippage causes an hourglass effect with a bulge above the band and extra stomach tissue with in the band. Slippage may be mild and intermittent, or it may be severe and may not resolve. Symptoms are nausea and vomiting and a decrease in the ability to take foods or liquids. Slippage requiring reoperation or removal of the band occurs in less than 5 percent of patients when the currently accepted surgical technique known as the pars flacida technique is used to implant the band. Care is taken as well to make the pouch above the band very small. Normal Location of the Lap-Band® There is a small amount of stomach above the band. Note the diagonal orientation of the band. Slip with Dilation Here the back wall of the stomach has slipped up through the band causing dilation of the pouch above the band. Note how the band is now turned upward. Slippage and dilation will cause nausea and vomiting. In extreme cases the stomach within or above the band may die and need to be removed. Diagnosis Symptoms of acute nausea and vomiting and inability to take liquids or foods Upper GI series X-ray. Treatment Mild slip: Deflate the band, reinflate in one to two weeks Moderate slip: Deflate the band, operate to reposition band Severe slip: Deflate band and operate to remove band Prevention Appropriate band placement by surgeon Careful progression of diet by patient. No solids for 4 weeks Wait at least 6 weeks for first adjustment

THIS IS THE POST BY WENDELL This may help you in understanding the restrictive mechanism of a Lap-Band. The ALLERGAN protocol for Lap-Band fills calls for a six-week delay after surgery, prior to any fills. The purpose for the six-week delay is for the patient’s stomach to heal from the surgery, as well as allowing time for the Lap-Band to “Seat” or “Nestle” into the fat pad between the stomach wall and the interior wall of the Lap-Band. Prior to receiving an EFFECTIVE fill, it is VERY uncommon to have any restriction from a Lap-Band. Some patients will NOT lose weight, or may even GAIN weight until they have received an effective fill in their Lap-Band. Normal weight loss with a properly restricted Lap-Band is between 1 and 2 pounds per week. The normal cycle of fills, restriction and weight loss is as follows: 1. The patient's Lap-Band constricts when the patient receives a fill. Swelling for a few days after receiving a fill is very common. Many doctors require a patient to go on a liquid diet for a day or two after receiving a fill. A fill may have a “Delayed Action” of up to 4 weeks. A “Delayed-Action” means that the fill may not become effective for up to 4 weeks after the fill. That is why the ALLERGAN protocol states that fills should not be performed on patients who will not have access to medical care for at least two weeks after a fill. 2. The patient's stomach capacity is lessened as a result of the restriction caused by the Lap-Band. 3. The patient loses weight because they cannot eat as much food. 4. The residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the outside of the patient's stomach reduces in size because of the overall weight loss in the patient. 5. The reduction of the residual fat-pad causes the Lap-Band to become loose again. 6. At that point, the patient needs another fill, because the Lap-Band is loose, and the patient has a loss of restriction, which allows the patient to eat larger amounts of food. 7. The patient receives another fill and the process starts all over again. Most Lap-Band patients receive several fills to adjust the Lap-Band as their weight loss progresses, and there is less and less residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the exterior of the stomach wall. Once a patient has lost all of their residual fat-pad, fills become less common. As the Lap-Band patient progresses in their weight loss, the effect of very tiny fills (Less than .2ccs) becomes greater and greater. It is not uncommon for a late-stage Lap-Band patient to experience a significant difference in restriction with as little as .05cc of fill.

From what I can research, band slippage symptoms are nausea and vomiting.

Funny, but the Misses Dept holds no appeal for me... Maybe cause I shop at Casual Male... Just being funny...enjoy your new self...you deserve it.

It is my understanding that it is hard to stretch the pouch. A post I read earlier from a 1998 bander (very informative) explained that usually what happens is actually that the esophagus stretches at the bottom since the band is place at a non-elastic place on the stomach...I'll try to find the thread and post it here. It was great.

Destiny...Feeling good. Haven't had pain all year..(ha, ha). Thanks for checkin on me. Happy New Year

LA- I was just wishing you the best and extending you courtesy since you started the thread...I knew you didn't critique religion, may I say again, it will be o.k., and keep us posted. Candy and Fairy, thanks for going to bat for the comments I first made. Cracked Pepper, You offended me in no way. I will pray for your surgery. Happy New Year Banders!!!

LA- Your thread caused some serious critique of my religious positions, but I was trying to help you. My situation was that my wife had used all vacation days, my parents were sitting my g-ma who has had a recent stroke, and my siblings was out of town...I opted not to make a big deal at church, so I was by myself...but everything went fine. You too will be fine. I believe you'll find the hospital staff to be grade A, number 1. Good luck, keep us posted!

Oh Wow, I cannot believe what I wrote was offensive...how on earth if you don't believe my way and believe I am wrong, could it anger or offend you? It seems that if you are only unsettled in your faith would someone elses faith bother you. I DID NOT say that everyone else is going to hell. I stand by what I said. I am PROUD of what I said I do not apologize for WHOSE I am. Jesus said, not me, "For God so loved the world, that he gave His only Son, that who so ever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life". Now what wrong with that? That is straight from the bible. If it was up to me, I wouldn't make it, but thank God, Jesus made the difference for me!

Thanks Lynn. You hear so many nightmare stories I was just worried. Good luck. And tanks again

I thought of those things too. But I told God in the waiting room, if you want me, I'm ready...I accepted Jesus as Savior when I was 9...I don't want to die mind you, but I made peace whith God a long time ago. I am sure for heaven, not because of who I am, but because of whose I am. Grace was extended to me when I cried out to God and accepted His free gift of salvation. I am not my own, I have been bought with a price! The price of God's own Son dying for me on Calvary. So even though there was a fear, I was at peace because I had made my peace. I wouldn't want to undergo anestesia without know what would happen if I didn't wake up.

I too ladies and gentlemen have sh_t my pants!

dan...thanks, I was worried more about infection than anything

Thanks Destiny, It is a pleasure to hear from you...I couldn't take any sh_t from the grammar police tonight! Happy New Year!

Well I'm sure as hell glad to know I'm not ready for the band. My DOCTOR had told me I was, but it seems the grammar teacher knows best. I didn't see the MD after her name either. I wonder destiny, if she never ever cheated...(Uh oh, did I speel dat rite?)

I too have the shoulder pain after i uhh, umm...cheated 9 days out. Everything goes down ok but you KNOW when you have to stop. Tried a piece of biscuit...Thought I'd have to call roto rooter! Ixna on the Iscuitba! Good luck Ya'll!