HeatherO

I had the same problem my last fill and found the fill was great, I just had to adjust. I found I had to go slower and chew more than I was used to on the previous fill. When I had the first pb, I did not go on liquids and so I kept pb'ing. After I spent one day on liquids, one day on mushies and then revisited bandster rules for eating slow and chewing well, I found that I had actually found my sweet spot. Pb's beget more pb's if you dont let your tummy relax a little afterwards.

Your options are pretty open. I actually found something I could eat at McDonald's by the way. A grilled chicken patty is perfect if you don't have many choices on where to go. Sometimes I will take a grilled chicken salad but I dont eat the dressing. You want to be careful after flying or if you eat in the car. You can be a lot more tight after flying. Having something get stuck in a car is not a pleasant experience either. However, if you are 5 weeks out and have not had a fill yet you may still be relatively open and not have much of a problem. Options are really pretty open. I have found that many restaurants have cottage cheese or similar items that are easy for me to eat in a pinch. Even a little oatmeal or eggs for breakfast work well. You may just want to get an extra plate and share what your co-travelers having if it is a family member. You can't eat much and portions are oversized everywhere.

It is normal to be nervous of course. If your surgery is anything like mine, and it will be, other than the night before and day of jitters, when it comes time to the actual surgery, you fall asleep fast. You don't even have time to think about it. It is almost like you close your eyes, open them and it is done. Recovery is not bad either. You won't be in pain because you will be medicated. You may be tired and sleep alot, but that is no big deal. I never finished my pain pill prescription if that tells you anything. I was only going to take the pills if I was feeling really bad . . . it didnt happen . . . other than being tired and a little sore I was just fine. Giving birth is a lot scarier and more intense. If you could make it through that, being banded will be a walk in the park . . . close your eyes and open them it is already over with minor discomfort and fatigue.

Other people have done this as well. You can also find other threads regarding this issue. If you are feeling relatively OK, then I don't think you did any permanent damage. However, you are still healing. It is dangerous to eat regular foods before giving your stomach a chance to heal Cola is not recommended for bandsters at all because the carbonation can stretch the pouch and will feel really uncomfortable if you have restriction. It is best to eliminate this from your diet completely (some people will drink it flat a little further into their journeys, but for some reason flat diet pop tastes really terrible to me). Definitely go back on your doctors post op diet and stay on it until you are done. By allowing yourself to heal completely, you are increasing the likelihood for better band health and success in the future. So you made a little mistake, the world hasn't ended and it is time to get back on the wagon and make the best of it. :0)

If it is the same feeling that I had, it is completely normal. I still get the feeling from time to time, specially early in the morning when the first thing I ingest is something really cold. I also notice I have a lot of small relatively silent burps but it seems par for the course with banding. I noticed that if it ever made me feel uncomfortable, I could force a burp to come and sometimes a big yawn helps. If it ever becomes really painful, definitely call your doctor.

Perhaps you can contact them directly. I have never heard of band failure in this way before.

Name................. Current........... Goal......... Lost HeatherO...............172..............155.............0

While your waiting on what the doctor says, you should definitely follow your instructions for wound care that you got post surgery. The site needs cleaned and bandaged.

Mine have been 2-3 times as bad post banding.

The bulimic lifestyle is not healthy banded or unbanded. It is still something that you will need to address regardless of whether or not you have the band. It almosts seems as if you are settling in for the bulimic lifestyle, feel that it is impossible for you to do any better, and giving up your band is just making it one step easier to allow yourself to be victimized by your compulsions. You say you will not give up the behavior even if you are risking your life. Why settle for an unhealthy lifestyle? You said that you quit for 6-9 months prebanding and was working with a therapist. You had control over it then, what is so different about it now. Why do you give up on yourself this way? Bulimia will still has great risks even without the banding, it will just be a whole lot easier to engage in it after the band is gone.

I know for me I decided to get down to a normal BMI before pregnancy. I am hoping it will be a little later this year. I want a very healthy pregnancy along with a cute baby bump as well :0). Also, I have a child who is 16. I know all to well what it is like to have a new baby. It will be extremely hard to focus on exercise and diet when a baby is taking up so much time and attention. Anything having to do with "you" time will go on a back burner. Even sleep becomes a luxury. I need to get the work done to get back on the healthy track before I complicate everything with a new arrival. I really want this weight off and it is my first priority.

I had sneeze, cough, laugh stress incontinence as well. I could catch it if I would really clench if I felt something coming on. I did exercises and such but it only helped minimally. My weight is down and now it is now completely gone.

My last fill was tight and I had good restriction for the first time ever. I pb'd and then for almost a week kept pb'ing. What I learned from that experience is that I was making a mistake. My stomach was irritated but I did not take a couple of days on liquids to allow it to settle down. Once I did that, I didnt have anymore problems. A day of liquids followed by a day of light mushies will do wonders for getting you off the cycle of pb'ing, sliming or just being generally uncomfortable.

I looked into wls 3 years ago and I felt like you. I did not go through with it at that time. However, it stayed in my mind and eventually I came to the point earlier in this year where I finally decided to make the plunge. I only have one very real regret . . . why didn't I do this sooner? It has been a great experience for me and for many others. Definitely review more posts regarding polls on regrets or satisfaction, look at people that have posted who have had the band for some time. I think what you will find is that there are a lot more happy banded people than unhappy banded people. liquid stage is no fun, but it passes and you don't have to go back. If you decide not to go forward, where will you be several years from now?

Great post!!!! The Lap Band is the best thing I have ever done for myself and I don't regret it for an instant. My worst day now is better than my best day in the land of obesity. It was definitely, completely, wholeheartedly worth it.

You might be just fine. I would give it a week as long as liquids are going down. Once you reach good restriction you are not supposed to gulp. I know every fill for me caused me to need to revist the bandster rules. Most importantly, sip, eat slow and chew to goo. I would always say give any fill a week for you to decide whether or not it is a good fit. Your fill sounds ok to me so far.

I started at curves a couple of years ago. It was OK but it came to a point where I could not get much of a workout anymore. By going a lot faster you are supposed to increase the intensity of the workout, but i was going ridiculously fast and there was just not enough resistance. It was also open very limited hours when I was usually working. I never could understand why the ones I attended would never be open on a Sunday. It was almost like they were open housewife or retirement hours but werent really geared for those working full time plus jobs. I ended my membership at curves and joined the YMCA about 1 1/2 years ago. I was embarrassed and self conscious at first, until I realized that no one really cared, it was only me and my own thoughts. No one was watching any more than a passing glance that most people have from time to time. There was never a negative moment, people just mostly worked out in there own little sphere of existance. As time went on, I became a regular and now people are always saying hello and see you next week, etc. Now I can do aerobics in the front of the class instead of hiding in the very back corner :0) Anyways, if I have learned anything at all, it is that most of our worry about what other people are thinking is in our own heads . . . so I let it go and don't worry about it much anymore. Besides, if you are overweight and working to get back in shape, who can begrudge you that???

Hang in there, it won't be long until you are losing again. I was able to start losing again during bandster hell before the fill. I did it by cutting out all processed carbohydrates. No potatoes or oatmeal, bread, certainly no sweets. I stuck to lean Proteins and vegetables. I also started kicking up the exercise at this time. At this stage it will be a little more like dieting, but you can definitely do it if you stay focused.

Birth control certainly helps. Since I have lost weight, even with birth control, my periods have gotten 10 times worse than they were before. I also found that if I miss one pill, even if i take it the following morning, my period starts with all of the increased unpleasantries. I can continue taking my doses every day with only the partial day missed (because I always end of taking it as soon as I realize I missed it) and I still have an uncomfortable period session. I then have it again as soon as I start my off week. I tried going off birth control and using alternate means of preventing pregnancy to see what that would do to my monthly cycle . . . it was absolutely terrible. It was like going back to the days in middle school where the cramps were sooo bad all I wanted to do was lie in bed and moan. For you long timers out there who have maintained weight loss for an extended period . . . is this temporary? Is it just exceptionally bad now because excess hormones are being released as the weight comes off? Will it even out once I hit the maintenance phase?

Always check with your doctor first. You really should not vary from your doctors post-surgery instructions unless you are given the OK. If the doctor says it is OK to move up the dietary schedule some, go for it.

Amen to that.

I won't missing going shopping, thinking I have something that might fit ok and trying it on in the dressing room and then, seeing there is no way it is going to fit me in a flattering way. Going shopping in certain stores and seeing that the biggest size they have is one size below what I need. Traveling abroad and feeling as though you are the heaviest person in the country, not just the room. Actually it is kind of sad coming back in that I can blend in easily and not be the heaviest here. There is a huge difference in body size here as compared to many countries abroad. Obesity has become such an epidemic here that eventhough you notice how overweight you are, other people just blend in to the background.

Oh the joys of pregnancy. It seems to be par for the course and a little unavoidable. I had to keep taking catnaps or become a zombie. Good luck.

An unfill is definitely the way to go if you are vomiting regularly. You will feel so much better and be so much healthier if you can get more nutrition in as well. You can always get another fill once the baby comes.

Wow, I am very sorry to hear that. It is sad to think you just had the port issue correctd and now this. I hope they can do something for you that does not involve complete loss of the band. Best of luck to you.