HeatherO

I had a lot of diarrhea in the first couple of weeks. Not really bad, but noticeable. After a few weeks and more solid foods, it just went away. When I did have this problem, it was always directly following meals. It might just be your body adjusting to dietary changes.

I was banded on a Friday and back in the office the following Tuesday. Pain was not an issue but it was a little difficult. I found that I was tired and grumpy. I could have taken naps at the desk I was so tired. I am a business analyst so my job is complicated intellectually but not demanding physically. By the next week I felt normal again. By the way, I was really low on Protein with the Clear liquids the first couple of days and I had no energy. I picked up some Isopure ready mixed Protein drinks and I was feeling a lot better afterwards. However, I can not be sure that the Isopure helped or if it was just the additional day or two of healing that made the difference.

I am finding that I PB on this more often than not. I try it again every once in a while but I still have the same problem. I only buy lean turkey or chicken lunch meat from the deli. I don't get it . . . it seems like it should be easier than regular meat. I eat chicken, turkey, fish and beef (even hamburger) without issue (well, occasionally chicken strikes me the wrong way but not always). I am sticking to a low-carb, high lean Protein diet and am losing well. I cook everything at home but sometimes I just need something prepped a little faster. Deli seemed the right way to go. It is so much softer and moister than the others and it is easy to chew to nothingness. So why am I always sickkkk? Does anyone else have the same problem with this kind of meat?

Thanks for sharing this. I have been very curious about the true differences.

Check out Belite weight on the internet. They do fills at Hospital Angeles in Tijuana with flouroscopy. I like the flouroscopy because they can fill you up agressively while still ensuring that you can get things through. The hospital is very modern and professional. My first fill was effective and I read online that many fills dont give much restriction during the first cycle. I pay $100 a fill with flouroscopy but it may be slightly more if you transfer to them. It is also very close to San Diego and they have security guards managing the parking in front of the hospital. It is a quick drive in but tedious to cross back over the border.

Refried beans mixed with a little broth to soften it with a little mozarella cheese on top was heavenly when i went to mushies. It is strange that I don't eat this now . . . but it really hit the spot after the liquid diet was finished.

I never pb'd until I had better restriction. It never happened before my first fill.

I am not sure about your monthly cycle . . . but for me I automatically gain 2-3 pound within 1 day during a certain time of the month. When it is over after a few days I am back to normal or even a little less. It is hard to lose during the period when you are on solid foods but before you get your first fill. You will be hungry but you just have to be diligent about calories and quantities. For me, I only managed not to gain during this period and I wasnt losing until I got a fill.

I have found that you can find good food or options anywhere as long as you are careful. Theme parks are always big enough to have a couple of healthy choices available.

I am not so sure that 2-3 weeks is necessary. I think at least 1 week is certainly reasonable and should be required. I think the primary reason is that it helps to get people in the right mind-set. How much of overeating is habitual . . . which makes it difficult to regroup and change eating patterns. I can't speak for everyone, but for myself the liquid diet was very difficult because it was my habit to eat certain things in certain amounts. This is exactly the reason why I found the liquid diet to really be a help to prepare for the lifestyle change. It wasn't easy for me, but I really wanted this to work and I am willing to put forth the effort. So I did the diet and worked very hard to stay steady through temptation. I have sometimes given in to temptation but I feel that as long as we do our best to make the right decisions the majority of the time we can be successful. As far as your friend is concerned, if she is eating these unhealthy things and not following any diet guidelines now then I am not sure that a different pre-op diet would have made a difference. I hope that she will find the inner strength to move beyond unhealthy eating patterns for her health and peace of mind.

Welcome back!!! How are things going for you so far?

I am happy you posed this question. I don't understand why Tylenol does absolutely nothing for me . . . but it is true. I get frequent headaches and liquid advil used to knock them out in 30 minutes. I take Tylenol and I don't feel any better . . . in fact I think I feel worse because the headache has a chance to reallllyyy take hold if you know what I mean.

That is great news. Congratulations!!! I keep getting stuck and then lose a few, stuck and then lose a few. It seems to happen every 5 pounds or so :0) Now I dont panic about it because I am getting used to it. It is almost as if I just need to give my body time to adjust.

I can see a big difference. :0) Before the band I avoided pictures like the plague. Now I really regret not getting more before pictures that show that level of detail. I am motivated to take some now before I get much further along so that I can share them as well. Congrats on your shrinking waistlines.

There is no metal in the band unless you have a version much different than most. I flew 4 days after I was banded without issue. Even if you did have something internal that caused the detector to go off, they would just pass a wand over your person and maybe ask a question or two. You can still pass through after they verify that you are not carrying anything inappropriate.

Everyone offered great suggestions . . . there are a lot of options for this problem. I would most strongly agree that other than the occasional use of a laxative for a specific issue, you should not take them regularly. It is not healthy for you.

I would definitely look at getting a different doctor if her doctor thinks this is normal. If he is also the one who did the original surgery, I would try to seek a different surgeon to replace the port as well.

Hey . . . Is anyone interested in getting together around the Cleveland area? I dont personally know any bandsters in the area and would like to meet some new people who understand the journey :thumbup:

I am willing to carpool if the dates workout. When are you heading back down that way again?

I went to Mexico with my husband for surgery. Surgery was in Hospital Angeles through Belite weight and I had a very good experience. If you would like to speak to any local people who have been there and done that . . . send me a message. I found a doctor to do fills near Akron, Walter Chlysta, but he is charging $500 with no floro. I went back to Tijuana for a fill but I will not continue every time. I think I will probably end up in Columbus for fills. I started calling local docs in Cleveland for fills and you would think that going to Mexico for surgery is like having the plague or something. I know I can go to Cincinnati to Trace Curry's office but it is a bit far. I am going to keep looking for a better, less expensive local option which I'll post if I find it.

I liked the lower risk of complications, decreased expense, decreased downtime. Best of all, it is adjustable. If I am willing to put in the work, there is no reason why the option would not work for me. It was hard to make the decision but once I did I have never regretted it for a minute

I think you should definitely see a doctor. There are just too many different reasons and no way to easily tell without professional advice. It may have nothing to do with banding.

I think I only waited about a week and a half. I know the doctor said when you feel up to it you are ready. There is no restriction as long as you are careful and feel well.

Carb cravings are a bear but I found a way to eliminate them for the most part. I find that if I eat a few carbs . . . I want more and more. I try to avoid them altogether and eat almost all protein/non-starchy vegetables. There is some kind of trigger with me and maybe you are affected by it as well . . . give me a couple of crackers and I will certainly want more and other carb laden items as well.

I am a couple of months out so I have a couple of comments to add. 5 eggs are simply too much for comfort. I think it was more of a quantity issue than the eggs themselves. It is difficult right after surgery and you are able to finally eat more but you are still in the uncomfortable time before having your first fill. I know for me, I had to learn to overcome habits. At that stage, my mind thought I want a lot but I simply couldn't eat it all without suffering for it. You will soon learn you are satisfied with a lot less. chicken . . . what is up with chicken? Almost every experience with being extremely uncomfortable had chicken involved. Yet I can still eat chicken I just have to be very very very comfortable with it. I can be miserable after properly chewing two bites. I also find that if I only eat chicken alone, I am more likely to have a problem. It may have been a little early for you to start with the chicken but it could also just be the chicken itself that was a problem. This issue has come up at every stage of my banding journey when chicken was involved. I still incorporate it into my diet because I love it. I also find that if I brown it good and it is a little tougher I tolerate it better but some other people say softened chicken is easier. Even deli chicken can give me problems and how easy is it to chew that properly??? It must be something with the texture. Before your first fill, 2-3 oz is good to go by but is extremely difficult to stick to because you can get verryyy hungry. It is more a suggestion than a physical impossibility. The fill should make all the difference in the world once you get to that point in your banding journey. How much actually fits in there now? A whole heck of a lot than you would probably want if you eat slowly and it is really soft. At this point after surgery, you will have to rely more on yourself to stick to the eating plan than your band. It is not easy at 3 weeks, that is why they call it bandster hell . . . but it is only a temporary situation. If you can limit your quantities now you will find things will go much easier for you down the road.