kbinaz

I wasn't on liquids or mushies on day ten either. I was on soft proteins, though. That is what my doctor advises. So I could eat eggs, chicken, turkey, cottage cheese, refried beans and low fat/low sugar yogurt. I would be really careful about what you are eating because your band sight is healing and you need it to heal really well because you are going to need it for a long time and don't want to mess anything up. For me, restriction varies from day to day and also at different times of the same day. But please be really careful! Try to eat only soft foods. And try to concentrate on protein.

Well.... hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it will probably hurt for more than a few days! That port sight is the worst part of the whole process and it hurts for a few weeks. But each day it gets a little better so you can assure yourself that tomorrow it is going to feel better than today and the next day will be even better! I remember feeling pretty close to normal in that area about a month after surgery. Congrats on your surgery and hang in there!

Having surgery is always a huge decision and should never be taken lightly. If you feel that ambivalent about it, by all means you should cancel. As far as the complications you are hearing about with the lapband, I know there are possibilities of complications, but I personally have had very few negative experiences with it and consider my surgery date one of the best days of my life. I meet people every day and spend a lot of time on this sight and I don't see that many problems with bands slipping or eroding. I don't think it happens very often. If you know that many people with those problems, my suggestion would be find out who their doctors are and stay away! Lapband surgery is very safe and there are very few complications. The other factor that influences what kind of experience you have is following the rules! Your doctor will give you certain things to do and as long as you do them you will have very little chance of having trouble. I COULD NOT lose weight without this surgery and I thank God every day that I was lucky enough to have done this. The other thing is, when I did lose weight I was always stressing about gaining it back, which I always did. The band is allowing me to lose weight and keep the restriction I will need to avoid gaining it back. I was VERY scared just before my surgery and literally had a meltdown on the table before they wheeled me in. It was not pretty. I think that is normal. But honestly, the lapband is the best thing I have ever done. (well, it's in the top 5 with my husband and kids!)

That is exactly what happened to me. I lost 12 pounds in my first week. Then nothing. And that went on for quite a while. Try not to stress out about it. I know it doesn't make sense. You should be losing with what you are being forced to eat. But you just went through pretty traumatice major surgery and your body is going through all sorts of changes. Everyone reacts diffrently. I had a really hard time dealing with that so I know how you feel. But, now that I am 6 months out from surgery I look back and it is hard to even remember that situation. The way my doctor explained it is this: In a year, you are going to weigh significantly less than before surgery. It isn't going to matter when you lost it, it will only matter that you lost it. I am a slow loser at best, even now that I have restriction, and I started out even slower. It was very traumatic and I spent a lot of time crying. But trust me, you will lose weight. Just don't give up. Do what the doctor tells you to do and I promise, you will lose! It is just on your body's own time table, not yours!

Physically ice cream isn't going to harm you. It is no different from a protein shake. Nutritionally it probably isn't such a good choice, but I can assure you we all make bad choices occasionally. The band doesn't make us perfect! We are the same people we are before surgery and ice cream tastes good! I don't know when you had surgery, but it sounds like you are not far out from it. Eating the right things gets much easier once you get restriction from being filled. Right now just concentrate on healing. And try not to eat ice cream all the time as it is not a great weight loss tool!

I understand how you are feeling - I felt the same way before surgery. My main problem, I think, was "what if this ends up like every other weight loss gimmick I have tried?" (especially since I was self-pay and it was a huge investment) It is normal to feel all those things before such a major thing as surgery. I am 6 months post-op and I can honestly tell you this was the single best decision of my life (well, marrying my husband is up there too, and my kids!) I only wish I had done this years earlier. Yes, it was scary. Yes, there was some pain - although nothing nearly as bad as I imagined it. Yes, there are major adjustments to this new lifestyle, but if you go into it with the attitude that you will take one day at a time and do what the doctor says, you are going to do great! Get info from wherever you can find it - read everything your doctor gives you, read posts on this sight - be informed, then do what you know you need to do and let the band do what it is designed to do! In a year you are gonna be a whole lot lighter, I promise! Best of luck to you!

You are right, it is nobody's business. But this is one of the reasons I tell everyone about my surgery. There is a lot of kind of funky behavior with the band and I wanted people to know why my portions were so small or what was going on if I had to jump up mid-sentence to PB. I also get really tired of telling waitresses I REALLY don't want water or lemonade or iced tea or coffee or soda... I REALLY don't! If I change my mind, I know who to ask!!! I have gotten to where I just order water to shut them up then push it to the other side of the table to avoid temptation.

I have a 10 cc band, my first fill was 1.5 cc's. (not enough!!!)

Holy moly, I just read the rest of the answers and realized you are NOT talking about thongs for your feet you are literally talking about bathroom tongs for going to the bathroom. I had no idea those existed. Wow. I got along fine without them,too. Yuk. Just the thought kind of makes me queasy.

I think they mean thongs, which are shower shoes. If you are staying overnight in the hospital that might be on your list of what to take to the hospital. Also, they are good to wear home from the hospital because they slip on and that is good after surgery as it is hard to bend over.

I am wondering what is up with clothing sizes and weight loss. I have lost 30 pounds (yeah!) and a lot of inches. When I was banded I wore a size 18W. I can barely fit into size 16 pants now. What's up with this? I would have thought after losing 30 pounds I'd need all new clothes by now but I am still wearing stuff in my closet. Some of my clothes have gotten too big, but I can still wear some 18W's. I went shopping yesterday and was all excited because I thought I'd be able to fit into smaller sizes and I tried on a pair of 16W jeans and they were still a little tight. I don't get it.:thumbup:

I'm sorry you are struggling! I know what it is like to get on that scale and never see it move! Before I was banded I did every diet and exercise program known to man and never lost a pound. (and believe me, I mean EVERY one!!!) It does sound like you need a fill. It also sounds like you really need to concentrate on when and what you are eating when you do eat. It is really important to eat regularly because the band is supposed to be filled up and empty out slowly. It's important to eat enough protein (my doctor says 60g). You should try to eat three meals a day, no snacks. The meals should be mainly protein and vegetables. If you have room, have some fruit. If you are doing that, you really should be losing weight, but it is REALLY hard if you do not have good restriction. You haven't said exactly what it is you are eating, so if you feel like emailing that info to me in a private message I'd love to look and give you some input. (maybe a food log for a day or two) I am a very slow loser, too, even after the band, but I am so happy I have lost the 31.5 pounds I have lost. I'd love to help you in any way I can because I can only imagine how depressing only losing 9 pounds would be. Also, it might help a bit to call your doctor and find out what your fill level is, it kind of gives you an idea of whether you are in the ballpark of what most people need to reach their sweet spot. It would be helpful to know if you are close. Hang in there! Don't give up yet!!!

Trust me, if it were that easy to stretch a pouch, mine would be the size of a watermelon. Thankfully, I finally reached my sweet spot and can't gorge myself anymore! But before I had the right restriction my portion sizes were really hard to control.

I think it is very realistic to only want to be as filled as necessary to lose weight. For that reason, even though it frustrated the heck out of me, I appreciated the slowness with which my doctor gave fills. I have lost weight pretty slowly (but steadily) but was able to get used to each level of restriction as it came rather than suddenly reaching it and having to adjust. On the other hand, I am a HUGE proponent of getting the fills and restriction you need. I needed 5 fills before I got any noticeable restriction at all. (7.5 ccs in a 10 cc band) It made all the difference in the world. I would not have lost the 31.5 pounds I have lost had I not reached the proper level of restriction. I could not lose weight at all without the band and I needed to have quite a bit of restriction before I saw the scale move at all. Even at my sweet spot I am not breaking any weight loss records but I am happy because the band has finally allowed me to lose something!!! So what I am saying is: you need to determine what the right level of restriction is for you. I can eat about 2/3 of a fast food hamburger, but I can't eat the fries etc. that go with it. (And it's a hamburger, not a double cheeseburger!) If I could stay at a level of restriction that allowed me to eat a whole hamburger and fries, AND still lose weight, you better believe I would do that!!! But for me, nope. I need restriction. Just listen to your body and watch the scale. You will know what to do.

Destynee990: And it hurts like heck!

Just for a different perspective... my doctor (very highly regarded, Center of Excellence, not a quack!!) allows her patients to start eating on day 4 (surgery day is day 1) I was allowed soft proteins... chicken, turkey, eggs, refried beans, low sugar yogurt, low fat cheese and cottage cheese. I had no negative repurcussions, my doctor has a very low complication rate, and it made me very happy because I really didn't feel hungry. My friend did feel hungry, and she called the nutritionist and was allowed to add soft fruits and soft vegetables. The thought of being on liquids as long as some people are makes me nuts! I don't know how you guys do it.

You feel hungry because you are hungry! They empty you out for surgery, then put you on liquids!!! Of course you are hungry! Plus, your band is empty- it is not doing the job is was designed to do yet. It was designed to limit the amount of food you can ingest and so just having a band unfilled is exactly the same as not having a band for most people. You are normal! Some people don't get hungry right away because of swelling from surgery. I got hungry by day 4. (real hunger, not head hunger...I do know the difference.) Hunger is actually a good sign - your body is supposed to feel hungry when it doesn't get food, and it is also a sign that you are healing from surgery. Most doctors won't give you your first fill until your hunger has returned. So in some ways you are lucky, you heal well! BUT now comes bandster hell, before your first fill and feeling hungry... not so much fun trust me. I don't know when you are allowed to eat, every doctor is different, but once you are off liquids things should improve. By day 4 I was allowed soft proteins which meant I could eat cottage cheese, chicken, eggs, refried beans and low sugar yogurt. We were told it was not necessary to feel hungry, and once I was allowed those foods I wasn't. I agree with that philosophy, why be miserable? Why make someone walk around starving? My surgeon is highly respected and has a Center of Excellence with very low complication rates and she allows us to eat starting on day 4. After two weeks, I would think you would be moving on to at least a mushy stage. I hope that happens pretty soon for you because lets face it, no matter how much liquid you cram down and no matter what that liquid consists of (even protein shakes) you aren't going to stay very satisfied on them for very long. I am so happy I didn't have to do liquids for two weeks, I would have gone insane. I don't think feeling unbearably hungry is necessary to achieve weight loss with the band. Once I got my fills and reached a good level of restriction I was able to eat very small amounts of food and stay very full. But before that I was pretty much the same me as before surgery and it would have been kind of senseless to go through major surgery for this wonderful weight loss tool, then have to suffer starvation to lose. Eat regular food as soon as your doctor allows it and schedule your fills as often as you can and soon you will be on the road to weight loss AND not be hungry!

BandedmomX6- I am losing even slower than you are!!! So hope that makes you feel better! I, too, have PCOS so I know the struggle. (and my surgeon said I have awesome abs which literally almost made me cry from happiness because I have been working out for 4 years with a personal trainer and hadn't lost a pound so at least that let me know I hadn't been just wasting time. I keep telling everyone there is a 6 pack under all my fat, I am just losing weight to expose what I just know is there!!!) So even with a strong core, I am losing really slowly. Have you measured yourself? I am so glad I thought to measure before surgery because I have been amazed at the inches I have lost - I have heard that some people who are slower losers lose more inches. So you might want to start keeping track of that. Anyway, glad you are having good progress - 43 pounds is awesome!

lapbandade: There was no doubt in my mind when I got restriction. The first thing I noticed was that when I swallowed a bite of food it kind of sat there- in the back of my throat. Even water kind of gurgled down instead of going straight down. (especially right after my fill when I tend to be even tighter) I noticed new noises - mostly gurgling - kind of like when a drain is clogged then you unclog it...and lots of other weird rumblings mostly in my throat or esophagus area) I also noticed that I felt full with very little food. I definitely feel full and I never did with my first few fills. I often can't even eat 1 cup of food, but it varies at different times and from day to day. The other good thing about restriction is that you stay full longer. I know I read people on here who say they don't feel full like they felt before surgery, but I do feel full and I believe it is the same feeling. I feel like I just finished a huge 4 course meal when I have eaten a cup of food. It's really pretty awesome! I always ask my husband "did I eat a lot at that meal?" and he'll say "No, you didn't eat much at all"- I need that reassurance because I feel so full that it seems like I must have eaten too much! I actually have had trouble finishing a frozen meal...something unheard of before surgery. I used to not eat them because there just wasn't enough food there. Now they are too much!!! How cool is that???

You are very lucky, indeed, that you don't feel hunger! But I wanted to let you know that you don't need to 'fear' or avoid fills - there is no reason to try to do this without fills, that kind of defeats the purpose of the band. It is meant to be filled. Granted, you have lost an amazing amount of weight without any fills, and I commend you for that! (you have lost more than twice as much as me!) But please don't go through this experience with the idea that fills are a sign of weakness or failure. I needed 5 fills to get restriction and I can assure you I would not have lost the 30 pounds I have lost without that restriction. (anymore than I could have lost it with out lap band surgery...) If you do start feeling hungry, get a fill. There is nothing wrong with getting them and is the purpose of the band. A very small percentage of people feel no hunger or need no fills to lose weight but they are in the minority. It kind of bugs me when people come on here and make it sound like it is so easy to lose without fills when some of us are really struggling to lose even with lots of fills under our belts! It's awesome that you didn't need a fill for 7 months and I am totally jealous of you for having such an easy time of it, but it's okay to need fills, too!!!

It is a hard question to answer because everyone is so different. Some people feel restriction without even needing a fill and some people don't get restriction 'til they've had 5 or 6 fills. It also depends on how much fluid they put in. My doctor was quite conservative - my first 3 fills were 1.5 ccs each and it took FOREVER for me to feel any difference. I really didn't have restriction until my 5th fill (7.5 ccs in a 10 cc band) As you begin eating again after this fill, just be aware. It may be that, like me, you feel exactly the same as before you were banded. Or you may have some restriction, in which case you just need to make sure you are eating carefully - chew well and eat slowly. Your body will tell you what you need to do! Good luck!

I went through the same thing - I got 1.5 cc fills for the first three, then finally they gave me 2 and it was then I started feeling a little restriction. I didn't reach my sweet spot until fill #5 - when I had a total of 7.5 ccs. I know it is frustrating, but in the end you have to look at your weight loss at the end of a year, not day by day or even month by month. In a year, you are going to weigh a lot less than you do now and it won't matter if you lost it in the first two months or the first 10. I am a really slow loser and waiting for those fills was torture. Even now that I am at my sweet spot I am losing really slowly. But every single pound I get off is one pound closer to my goal and I love knowing the scale isn't going to start creeping up tomorrow. Hang in there - you will get restriction but it may take 4 or 5 fills (or even more).

My hunger really varies from day to day. If I work out with weights, I am way hungrier that day. Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason for it. I just think our bodies are miraculous machines that sense what we need. If you continue to be really hungry, you may need another fill.

A PB happens when you eat too large a bite of food and it kind of gets stuck in your small opening. (So they usually don't start happening until you have had enough fills to have good restriction)For most people PB's are pretty simple and the food just comes up in the same state as it was swallowed without a lot of fanfare. For others, like me, PB's are a major event filled with a lot of pain. I get a 'stuck' feeling and the pain kind of gets bigger and bigger then I start to slime. (I know this is a really gross post, but you asked and I am trying to answer as clearly as I can) Sliming is when thick saliva starts forming and the only place for it to go, since your stoma is blocked, is out your mouth. You swallow some of it, but that just makes the PB worse because there is nowhere for the extra liquid to go. I have to stand over a sink or toilet and let the saliva literally gush out. You don't want to do this with anyone around to see, it really is awful. I look like a cat trying to cough up a hairball. Eventually the pressure kind of builds up and the food along with a bunch of saliva, comes out - like throwing up but less violent. More like a big burp but the food comes out and I immediately feel better. Sorry so graphic, but I wanted you to have a glimpse into the seamy underworld of the PB. If you don't want to experience this, eat really slowly and carefully. But I guarantee you it will happen at least once.

It is like any gas, some of it goes out when they are finished with surgery - like if a balloon isn't tied, some of the helium is going to come out. The rest hangs around in your body and dissipates and some you pass the normal way. It really wasn't that big of a deal. I had very few gas pains and it wasn't like I was hugely blown up after surgery!