sally123

I have had the lap band for five years. Does anyone have trouble with melon and/or salad greens? I throw them up almost immediately. I miss cantaloupe and watermelon. Salad would be nice. I eat slowly and chew it thoroughly but I can' keep it down. I can eat everything else. Any ideas? Thanks.

Yes it is hard! I am 5 tears after lap band. I have cravings everyday of my life. I still can't figure out what will go down and what won't. The same foods cause different reactions...no consistency. I also had one emergency surgery and had a replacement lap band. With all that, I can say that the lap band is a gift. I no longer hate myself every day. I have clothes I love and feel good in. I would do it again in a flash and have NO regrets. Best of luck to you. I wish you much happiness in your life.

Does anyone have problems eating watermelon or honeydew ? Most of the time that I eat it, I throw it right back up. More so in the evening. Sometimes in midday it is ok. Thanks for your comments.

I have been banded about 31/2 years. my weight has slowly gone up. I gained about 35 pounds. it has taken me a year to start dieting again. in the last two weeks, I get up every morning and don't hate myself. hopefully that will be enough to keep me going. I do not fit into my new clothes...a bummer but I will again. good luck! you can do this.

I was rebanded due to slippage on May 26. My first surgery was in December 07. I am in considerably more pain then the first round. There is no sign of infection, however, I have these large protrusions coming out of my stomach at 2 of the incision sites. My stomach looks like I have hills and valleys. Does anyone know if this is normal. I see the doctor on Monday. I am worried she is going to look at my stomach and say uh oh...that is not supposed to be that way. I am quite worried. Anyone know of what a rebanded stomach looks like? I am at my goal weight so there is no place for the swelling to hide. At least that is what I hope is the case. I am still taking morphine, not a lot but it is the only thing that completely takes away the pain. If you have any info, please write as I am getting more and more anxious and the stress does not help. Thankyou.

Hi. I was not feeling well and could not eat nor drink. I knew I was getting dehydrated so I I tried everything, sipping every 5 minutes, gulping water, etc. I am not exagerating when I say I probably threw up 50 times. My stomach pushed up threw my band . I was not in excrutiating pain. I just knew something was terrably wrong if I could not keep liquids down. Sometimes your stomach can self corret if you stay on liquids for 2 weeks. However, you really need to have it checked out. I lost about 17 pounds in 4 days which I have gained back but I was so sick. My port was replaced but not my lap band. The doctor readjusted my stomach and built up a wall where my hernia was weak. The surgery was difficult, and the recovery worse than the first time, but I am so glad I have the lap band and that there are ways of taking care of problems. In any case, Go see a doctor. The slim fast might be the answer but it is not worth taking chances. Best of luck to you.

Hi. Thanks for answering. I am now 4 weeks post op. The swelling is mostly gone. It did look weird and scary but I am ok now. I appreciate your comment. Your friends stomach will go back to normal. It just takes time. My best.

Hi. I had my port replaced and other stuff on May 26th and I still hurt. This is 5 times worse than the initial banding a Year and half ago. I think that the pain is normal, at least my doctor told me that yesterday. I had other stuff done too....a hernia fix-up, my stomach shifted back through the lap band, so I know the doctor did a lot of internal stuff which accounts for the pain. I wish she could have done a tummy tuck while she was in there. Hope you and I feel better soon. Good luck!

Hi. I had my band replaced about 2 weeks ago so I do not know if the same advice applies. I was told not to lift anything over 10 pounds for a month. I am sure I should not be doing ab exercises either. My stomach needs time to heal. Since your surgery was less extensive, maybe what you did was fine. However, if you are feeling pain, you might want to take it easy for awhile. Good luck.

Banding is a slow process. We all want overnight successes. We all want that miracle. Banding is slow. I was banded December "07, just had complications and was rebanded May 26th. I am in the liquid phase of my diet (again). One thing I learned for me, is that you never get that feeling of fullness that you have experienced pre-band. You have to listen really carefully to your body and you will get different kind of cues that tell you to stop eating. And you need to listen, even if mid-bite. Even if you left the food you love best for the end of the meal. I also have been filled and unfilled a zillion amount of times. My band responds to stress. A nightmare? Can't eat for 3 days. For some people, the sweet spot changes. Life before the band was hard. This, with all its difficulties and I am sitting here with fresh incisions, is worth it. Take your time, you will get there. Believe in the process and root for yourself!

Hi. I just had an emergency lap-band and port replacement, the whole thing!. I had a terrible slippage 17 months after my initial banding. My stomach looks like the surface of the moon. I am going to a fancy dinner, the first since I was a teenager that I could wear something really nice, and I am so swollen there is a 6 inch gap between the side of the zipper. Elastic waist for me. In any case, my stomach has hills and crags and looks very strange. I do not think I have an infection, no reddening at site, normal temp. I am thin now. Is this what it looks like when you are not overweight? The first time, I was just round and swollen.

Hi. I am glad your surgery went well. Mine was also on the 26th. I do not think it hurt so much the first time. I suspect that there were more adhesions to deal with, at least for me and more cutting. I also had a port replacement. The swelling is going down although my stomach still looks like i swallowed rocks. I too am back on liquids then mush for a month. The big psychic difference is that I am only thinking of maintenence, I am not trying to loose more weight. That is a gift. So, good luck to us both!

On Monday I must have thrown up 50 times, totally exhausted and dehydrated and in pain. In the past few months, I had three "attacks" where I felt extreme, sharp pain above my rib cage. I think this was the beginning of a slip. I went to get it checked out and each time had an unfill. On Tuesday, I went to see my doctor and my lap band had slipped. I also had a small hernia. That afternoon I had surgery. Wow, the second time around hurts a lot more because all the adhesions had to be opened and I think there is just a lot more probing around. My port was also changed since I had a high profile port and it looked like i had a tumer on my body. I should mention that I was banded December 07 and lost 120 pounds, 10 pounds in the last week from being so sick. So here I sit at 3:30 in the morning, ditsy from morphine an thinking about that beautiful new black dress upstairs which I did not try on yet because it arrived while I was in the hospital the last three days. And I can say that even with the complications, and numerous trips for fills and unfills (I am hard to regulate) and knowing that this has been an intense journey, I am thankful every day that I had this done. I am happy that every morning I do not start a diet again, and every night hate myself because I failed once again. With all its problems for me, the lap band saved my emotional and physical life.

One of the ways of dealing with food you crave that your husband wants in the house is to try and substitute if possible. We keep lemon ices in the freezer because I do not like the flavor. After you are lap banded you might not be able to eat the bread anyway. AS for chocolate....I actually buy chocolate. I am usually able to eat a small portion and if I get out of hand I do not get it for awhile. I also eat chocolate calcium chews and that works for my cravings. They taste good, are good for you and low in calories. They are my bedtime treat. Also dark chocolate is better for you so buy the expensive stuff and maybe less will do. I also like the kettle type popcorn in the 100 calorie packs. Some people have difficulty with popcorn. You will find that out quickly whether you are or not. The popcorn is sweet and filling. Also my other "trick" is to put sugar in my tea. I try to not drink sugared teas but if I am desperate for some sweet, it often satisfies my cravings. I do not use sugar substitutes, only the real stuff. Ultimately, there is a world of food you can't eat on a regular basis if you want to lose the weight. It would help if your husband was able to give up the foods that are difficult for you for awhile but you will have to get beyond that. The lap band is great. As I am sure you read over and over again, it is a tool but I feel like it has been a gift to me and I wish you the best.

As soon as something was too big for me, off it went. I gave them to friends or donated them. I tried to buy things that were flexible, meaning they were a little tight in the waist or had some elastic in them. Buying clothes is a process, much like losing weight. You won't want to wear all black anymore and you will actually decide what you like since you will have lots of options. I had lap band surgery in December 2007. I am 3 pounds from my goal. I used to wear a huge size, I don't know what it was since I wore men's t-shirts and big sweats. Now I can wear size 4 and 6. I am giving away the last of my clothes. I have a complete new wardrobe. Yay! Just keep on the path and have fun shopping.

Give that girl a hug.

It does get easier...notice I didn't say easy. You invest a lot of time, energy and hope in the lap band and that helps with the craving. Also smaller clothes with actual, non-elastic, waistbands help too! Good luck on your surgery and hew life.

For what it's worth...I had a fill, was too tight, and went back in two days foran unfill. Still too tight, and went back in 5 days for an unfill. Then no restriction, so went back in 5 days for a fill. Had a fill and still no restriction so I will go back again (4 days ) for more fill. The band has it's own mind. If you are not feeling any restriction, or are having a problem, insist on being seen. You know and I know how much weight can be gained in a short time and two weeks is a long time. I know that losing weight with a good restriction is a slow process but with a problem, time feels endless. Good luck and remember...the doctors are supposed to be there for you. It is a service and you are paying for it. Good luck.

I had this. It was due to too tight a fill. I was unfilled a bit and it stopped. For whatever reason you have this, it is scary, scary, scary! Hope you can resolve this quickly. Good luck!

I'm sending you white, healing light. My hopes and heart are with you.

I have trouble drinking also. Every time I drink something cold, I throw it up. I drink hot coffee in the am and then hot tea the rest of the day. I am not drinking enough but it is hard to keep it down. I am fine with eating, I have a good restriction so I am not hungry most of the time. However, i am often thirsty

Hi Kerry. You have "waited it out" and it really sounds like your too tight. It is better to go slowly even if you get frustrated because you need to eat and keep it down. If you are having trouble with liquids and are pbing and have acid reflux, you are stressing your body. I am sure that having a doctor three hours away makes you hesitant to go, but this is long process and you have to be healthy while you are doing this. Good luck and I hope you feel better soon.

Some people who are close to 40bmi gain some weight so they can meet the insurances requirements.

Don"t hate yourself. You have not failed...just hit a bump in the road. Just restart and get going. It took a long time to get to the high weight we once were and it takes time to lose it. you can do this. Good luck!!

It will be great. You will be fine. You will be released from both a physical and psychological burden. So Happy Independence day ! And good luck.