AndreaL

I hope it works too. I mean realistically speaking...there is only one more cc left!!! If this doesn't work then I'm going to go into panic mode!! Most of the people I know from my clinic are between 7.5 and 8.5 so I was getting a little worried when the last one didn't cut it. As for the lean cuisine thing...the calorie count in those are great but you are absolutely right about the carbs. My nutritionist recommends the Atkins Advantage meals (if those are available in your area). They have no carbs, just the meat and veggies. Another thing I will do is make a chicken breast for dinner and eat half then take the other half for lunch. I make sure to eat all my Protein first and then fill up with the veggies and a piece of fruit after. If I'm still hungry I will have a FF yogurt. That usually does the trick until about 3:00. Then if I know I can't wait any longer I will have some nuts (almonds are the best nutrition-wise, or toasted soy nuts are a great protein source). That will get me through to dinner. The more protein you have the less hungry you will be. Don't waste precious pouch space on carbs. I can relate to your frustration. I have been yo-yoing with the last 10 pounds for nearly 2 months. Down 5, up three, down 2, up 4. It's driving me mad!! I still seem to be at a 5lb per two week rate. I suppose that's better than nothing, but I had hoped for more. I really need to get active and that should help out. Just waiting for spring to come to the great white north. :tongue2:

I think it was me that said "be honest". I didn't mean it in any offensive way. Its an awesome thing that you were honest with yourself about it and brave enough to share it with a bunch of stranger. What I did mean was be honest with your Dr. Don't be afraid to let him know you slipped up. I'm sure you are NOT the first and won't be the last. You obviously would not have had the surgery if you didn't have some sort of issue with food and I'm sure he/she knows that. Talking to your Dr. about it will allow him/her to come up with some solutions that may may pre-fill life more bearable. It may also let him/her know that you will be ready for a fill ASAP.

I really like the idea of Curves and have thought about joining. I'm just afraid that until I get motivated to exercise I will end up not going and throwing my money away. I like that its women only and that most people going are not the usual muscle heads you meet at the gym. I'm in Toronto and really had quite enough of winter. We have gotten pummelled by snow this month and I can't wait for Spring to get out there and get active. I'm going to Disney World in April and want to be able to have fun and not be worried about hurting every day from walking all over the place. I need to get my oversized but into overdrive. :tongue2:

Thanks for the replies SADES and Shortgal. I had my surgery done in Toronto. The pre-op was not a liquid one either. I was able to have 2 ozs. of protein 5 times a day and veggies twice a day. Mostly yogurt and cottage cheese with a meat protein once or twice a day. It was pretty bad but not as bad as i've read some people have had to do!! I had VERY little restriction until I hit 8ccs and even up to 8.5 I could still wolf down bread. I was starting to get a little worried, but I'm hoping last night's fill to 9ccs will do the trick. I'm always really tight after the fill and I lose 10 pounds the first week then put half of it back on the second week before the next fill. At TLBC we are allowed to get a fill every 2 weeks and my first fill was 4 weeks post op. It sounds like it might be different elsewhere.

I'm sure you are fine. If you had torn a stich you would be in pain. There is no pouch yet for you to stretch. You don't really have a "pouch" until you have restriction. The best thing to do is BE HONEST. Let your doctor know that you slipped up, and see what he suggests. Does your clinic have a nutritional counsellor? If so, consult them and ask for tips on how to make better choices. If not, I can give you some suggestions from my nutritional cousellor. :tongue2: Keep in mind that post op is all about healing, NOT weight loss. That is what is stressed at the clinic I went to. Don't get discouraged if you aren't losing weight during the healing phase. That will all change after the first fill.

If you don't have pain when you are swallowing then the odds are that you have finished the healing process. HOWEVER!!...instead of processed foods, try making yourself some mashed potatoes. Use skim milk and a small amount of butter, salt and pepper. One cup of mashed potatoes should make you feel quite full. BUT...also remember that there is not fluid in your band, therefore there is no restriction. You can't expect to feel like you have just eaten a 4 course meal after one cup of food. I can tell you that once you start your fill schedule it will take less and less food to make you feel full (I am now at 9ccs in a 10cc band). When I was at 8.5, I went out for dinner and had a small salad three forkfuls of mashed potatoes and a third of an 8 oz. filet mignon and I felt like I had eaten the whole cow!! Take your time, choose food wisely. Still go to Applebys, but have chicken breast with steamed veggies and a salad. If you are going to get off the post op diet bandwagon, at least don't roll underneath it at the same time. It's a difficult stage, but it will get easier. Don't beat yourself up about making unwise food choices, just do better the next time!! It's really hard being a food addict.

It won't last too much longer!! I was banded on Nov. 16th. The gas pains should be gone soon. The pressure is the feeling of the band sitting on top of your stomach. That last for about a month with me, but I still feel it a bit when I'm really hungry. I take that as my cue that its time to eat. As for the left side pain, I didn't have any of that. It was sore at the incision site for a few weeks, but I was sleeping on both sides the night of my surgery. From what I have read on some posts, it seems that there may be different methods of performing the procedure. My incisions were SO tiny (about a quarter inch) except the one for my port which was about an inch wide and that one was the most uncomfortable. I really had very little pain anywhere else. The other people I have talked to from the same clinic have said the same. It will soon pass either way and you will be well on your way to a smaller you.

Ang, I hear you about the elliptical. I moved mine out to my balcony because I couldn't stand the guilt of facing it every morning noon and night!! For me, I'm still really heavy, and moving hurts!! So here's a suggestion...you're in BC right? The weather there is pretty mild? Do you have a lunch hour at work? I know it doesn't take a whole hour to eat your 3oz. of Protein right? Take 30 minutes, or even 15 and go for a walk around the block. That way you are exercising AND getting some fresh air in your lungs instead of staring mindlessly at the TV or the wall while going nowhere on an elliptical or treadmill.

Your Dr. or Nurse will probably fill you to the first max. Mine was 3 ccs in a 10 cc band. let them know you have no restriction and they will give you their max. You may feel nothing after or you may feel tight. In my situation, I always feel really tight right after a fill and then within a few days it loosens a little. It doesn't hurt. The only thing you feel is the needle prick when they first inject. You don't feel the band tighten. Definitely eat before. Don't eat too much, but you can eat solid food. You will most likely be on liquids for the remainder of the day at least (depending on the Dr.). You want to eat enough so that you aren't starving the rest of the day, but not so much that you are too full as it may be uncomfortable when the band is tightened.

I had my surgery at TLBC and have absolutely NO regrets. I was treated like freakin royalty by everyone there and all my concerns were dealt with promptly. The surgeon is only in on certain days of the week, which may be why others have had delayed responses. However, in an emergency situation, he is always reachable. I was even given his direct cell phone number after the surgery in case of any problems after office hours. I personally preferred to have my first consult with someone who has had the band, as TLBC's patient coordinator is. I think for some, it is more reassuring to hear from someone with experience living with the band. I would recommend TLBC to anyone, but my personal advice is to book consults with both TLBC and SWLC and get a feel for which is right for you. From what I understand they are both the same price, and TLBC offers lifetime fills, adjustments, counselling and support groups where SWLC only offers fills and adjustments for 5 years post op. I have already had two minor operations to deal with port problems and did not have to pay another dime. Also, I'm not sure about SWLC, but TLBC has the absolute latest technology regarding general anasthetic for obese individuals.

Amayqt, Don't worry about post-op hunger. You will notice a DRAMATIC change in your appetite, particularly for the first month after the surgery. After you start getting your apptetite back, you will notice that it takes alot less food to make you feel full. I am not full restricted yet, and went out with the BF for dinner on Valentine's Day. I had a side dinner salad, about 3 ounces of filet mignon, and four forkfulls of mashed potatoes and felt like I used to after eating 8 plates at the chinese buffet. It is really an amazing thing!!

Lynda, Don't worry about stretching your pouch. That is something that happens over time. Stretching happens when you are full but keep forcing food in. It's not something you can do by overeating one time, or by eating when you are still hungry. Don't worry. I'm sure you're fine and just ready to start the fills. I think we are both from TLBC? When is your first fill?

That is normal. I was also fairly restricted after I started solid foods. I am now 3 months post surgery and am going for my 5th fill tonight. I always feel very restricted after a fill (or after the surgery when the band was still empty), but it loosens up after a week or so. There is nothing to be worried about. It is a slow process and there will be times when you think you must be at a full restriction level and there is no way that you could take another fill and then before you know it you find yourself eating everything you can get your hands on and call for that next fill appointment.

I didn't have staples with my band surgery, just stitches and steri strips. I did have them with a prior C-Section. 52 of them to be exact. My stomach looked like it had its own zipper!! It doesn't hurt to have them taken out. I wouldn't choose that as a fun weekend activity by any means, but its not what I would call painful. It feels like a tiny pinch and it itches a little. Nothing to be anxious or worried about, you'll be fine.

Congratulations. Don't you feel like you have been given a new chance at life? It's a wonderful feeling. Remember this feeling when you hit the small plateaus and get discouraged. It is a slow and steady process, but a life changing journey.

You will be very sore inside so when you do get the urge to eat something with a more substantial texture and decide to try it, you will soon realize why you should only be having liquids. I tried mashed potatoes about a week before I should have started puree and it hurt like hell going down. Your esophagus will swell and is irritated after the surgery and needs time to heal. Liquids provide the least amount of irritation so don't push it. You may think you will be hungry, but you may be surprised at the loss of appetite you have after the surgery.

My first PB experience was McDonald's fries. That was a sad sad day. I'm at 8.5 ccs right now and going for another fill tonight. I am careful about chewing but every once in a while I miss a couple chews and then I can feel it coming. It is more painful to try to make it go down than to just hurry up and cough it up. It's really not as bad as I had imagined it would be. It's a bonus that it doesn't taste like vomit.

The swelling in the feet can be from water retention. This happens to meet when I eat something with a lot of salt (i.e., Chinese food). The rest sounds like an allergy. Benedryll will definitely help. As for the constipation, its fairly normal after the surgery because your fluid consumption is cut so dramatically. Try drinking more water and eat a piece of fruit 4 times a day. You can also add fibre supplements to your drinks for and extra bit of help.

I don't have the large band...mine is the 10cc band, but from my experience, I feel quite restricted immediately after a fill...sometimes lasting up to a week, then there is nothing. I have had 4 fills so far, going for #5 tonight and right now am at 8.5 cc's. It is different for everyone. My mother is at 7.5 and can barely eat solid food after a month. Enjoy the restriction as long as it lasts, when you start feeling it loosen, go quickly for your next fill to avoid gaing back any pounds.

I was banded on Nov. 16th. I have had 4 fills, am at 8.5 cc's and am going for another fill tonight. I still feel the restriction immediately following the fill, then it loosens and I can eat like a horse. BUT I notice after every fill that "eating like a horse" becomes like feeding a smaller and smaller horse. Be patient. It takes time. Be sure to eat protein first because it fills you faster. DON'T get discouraged. After each fill I lose about 10 pounds in the first week and then gain 7 of it back in the second week before the next fill. You have to look at it as a long term solution. It WILL work. Just try to be patient. I know it's frustrating, but think positive. Imagine how fast the last year went by and think about what it will be like a year from now when you have lost 70 or 80 or even 100 pounds. Let that be your motivation!!

OHHH...that makes sense. I wasn't sure if it was something they do if they fill you to the full 10 cc's and you still aren't restricted. I'm at 8.5 right now and going back tonight for my 5th fill. I'm pretty restricted in the AM, but by noon I can eat almost anything and WAY more than a one cup serving. I have a tiny bit of trouble with certain breads, but still think I am eating more than I should be able to. It seems most people are between 8 and 9 cc's and are at their "sweet spot", but I don't feel like I am near mine yet.

I may sound like a twit....but I'm a "new-ish" bandster and just joined this group today. What is a fluro fill??