HeatherO

I am over a year post-op and unfilled right now. Breakfast - scrambled eggs with a little cheese. lunch - slice of french toast and a banana with a glass of orange juice. About 3 or 4 home fries (very small but just enough to get a taste of them). dinner - Homemade beef stew with potato, eggplant, onions, garlic, beef and a little olive oil. 1 slice of italian bread. A very tiny slice of valentine's day cake that I cooked for my family.

I did it too. I stuck religiously to the approved foods on the post-op diet, but I definitely did overeat on occasion. Everything was fine afterwards and I went on to have success with the band. It is really hard in the beginning to make that psychological adjustment, but it does happen if you keep working on the behaviors. All of us struggle during those early days, just know that it does get better if you keep trying to do the right thing. I wish you the best of luck over the coming weeks. A little restriction will make all the difference in the world.

I had soreness or a burning sensation after surgery as well and I think it was part of the healing process for me. Mine was definitely not a problem. Definitely give your doctor a call just in case. You also want to keep your eyes open for signs of infection. This could be extra redness around the incision, a feeling of warmth around the incision site, swelling, puss or discharge.

Many people are tight in the morning and open all the way at night. I am one of them. I would usually have a shake for breakfast but could essentially eat anything around dinner time. I also noticed that if I took a nap during the day, I would be tighter when I woke up. I think that it is just a normal part of banding for some of us. Port pain can be caused by a variety of different reasons. If the pain is strong or if you are really worried, I would call your doctor again to see if they can get you in. The most common cause of port pain in my case was a change in my exercise routine.

I would also suggest an unfill, either full or partial. That way you can focus on getting healthy during this stage, taking in lots of fluids, and if you are nauseous, you aren't as much at risk for injuring the band. I wish you the best of luck with everything. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

I decided not to share information about surgery with other people to avoid this issue of people watching my every bite. My husband, brother and a couple of close friends know. Even within this group, my husband gives me "the look" from time to time and I get some questions. I am happy that I don't have to explain myself all the time . . . after all, I did this to be normal and normal isn't having people watch your every bite.

What a great story, thanks for sharing. I agree about the entire relationship with food changing. I also learned that even though the mind set changes, when I am unfilled completely . . . the hunger beast starts creeping around in my mind again, lol. Life is different post banding, without a doubt. I think you should definitely post this in success stories. Just take a mundane picture of a flower or butterfly or someone climbing a mountain, anything at all will due as long as there is no copyright. It doesn't have to be personal.

I wouldn't do it, but that is just me. Is there an advantage to being banded . . . well losing all my weight in less than a year without starving myself seems to tell me that there is. I would personally feel dishonest about it unless I fully disclosed about the band, which I don't disclose (so I would be hiding my advantage). On the flip side, I wouldn't be offended if someone else chose to enter the contest after being banded.

My weight is down overall. I recently gained 5 pounds since I had an unfill 2.5 weeks ago. However, at about 24 weeks I am at a net loss of -11 pounds (154 at conception and currently 143). My band tightened sporadically during pregnancy. I was fine for the most part but occasionally with drift from eating fine to having trouble with liquids in a couple of days which led to 3 emergency unfills. I now have to stay empty until the baby comes. Just keep in mind, heartburn is a common side effect of pregnancy as well as banding. Either factor could be causing it. I am happy the slight unfill will give you some relief.

I also agree with filing a complaint . . . I am sure you are not the only person that she has spoken with that way. It is important that you let people know because the practice will just keep losing patients with no idea what the problem is if no one ever speaks up. Congratulations on the pregnancy :0). You have already lost a significant amount of weight so I am sure you will be healthier now then you would have been before. I wouldn't think you need an unfill if you can still eat well. If you focus on a healthy diet, getting exercise (which may help you to feel better as well), and getting regular medical care (with a different OB, that's for sure) than you will probably do fine. Many people in the low 200's have very healthy pregnancies and babies. Just make sure to take care of yourself.

I had to have a complete unfill 2.5 weeks ago due to extreme tightness. At that time I only had 4 cc's in the band. My band doctor said they will not give me another fill until after the baby comes . . . so I guess I have a few months to go with a lack of fill. Currently, I am still at a net loss since I conceived but I am pretty sure I will gain with my unfill in place. My hunger has returned with a vengeance.

Wilowcat, thanks for posting the article. I love to see actual studies as opposed to anecdotal thoughts. I agree, it has only been recently approved in the US and most of the posters are from the US so you won't find many people that far out from surgery that are posting. Also, how likely is it that you would continue to post on a specific forum for 15-20 years :0). After a while life takes over and there is not as big a need to stay on forums.

I don't know the actual cost of the band. It seems highly unlikely that they would do a hernia repair as a primary and just tack on a band. I have never heard of this before, but I do know that it goes in the opposite direction where they add a band and fix a hiatal hernia as a secondary. Please let us know how it goes and what they say.

Well, I caught up on all the missed pages :0) I just want to say hello to everyone. I am sending all my prayers and good thoughts Kat, Manda & Kinsey's way. Talk about bouncing around on the scale . . . I looked this morning and I have gained 5 pounds since I had my unfill on January 29th so 2 1/2 weeks . . . AARRGGGHHH!!!! How is that even humanly possibly??? I am just hoping it is just water retention and not fat accumulation. Am I a bad person if I don't have the heart to change my weight ticker today?

I remember this too. I took the Lamaze classes and thought, I am a strong woman, I am going to skip the epidural and do this au natural. Well . . . I have decided against a repeat of that logic after an excruciating forceps delivery and really bad tear. I also remember at the end begging for an epidural but told it was too late. I wouldn't recommend it, lol. Anyways, I also have that really strong memory/vision of labor . . . it was the focal point of the breathing exercise at the height of my misery. The doctor on call had evidently had hair replacement surgery, but it was a severely botched job (early 90's). His hair on top of his head looked like evenly spaced rows of corn. I think people would have been surprised at my "focal point." lol.

I forgot about this part but you are so right. If you have some comfortable shoes that you can walk in but also slip on and off it is very helpful. Alot of bending and tying right after surgery is difficult if not downright unpleasant.

I would personally schedule the surgery for after the trip, or move the trip out a few weeks if you can. Reason being, you want to really enjoy your time there when you are feeling your best. You will be on a super restrictive liquid diet after surgery, feeling at least a little under the weather, and easily fatigued.

That is wonderful news. The tiniest amount removed can make all the difference in the world. I am happy you are feeling better.

If I am super tightly restricted, I can't eat it unless it is crunchy, thin or toasted and I have to eat something else with it. However, I found that the worst combination, that is instant pb city for me with tight restriction, is lunch meat on white bread. The combination of white bread with the moist lunch meat seems to congeal in a non-to-comfortable expandable clump in my stomach. My band is more open now and I can eat it easily without issue. It is not uncommon for me to have 1 thin slice of fresh baked italian bread with dinner if we are having something that you typically eat with bread as an accompaniment. Restriction level has a lot to do with it. The trick is to find the least amount of restriction that allows you to eat a full diet of healthy foods while still facilitating weight loss.

It is entirely possible to be too tight with 2 fills and 3 cc's. I reached my sweet spot on the second fill . . . if it would have been any bigger, I couldn't have tolerated it. Also as far as only having 3 cc's, everyone has a different sized stomach. Some people never even get a fill because they already have restriction after banding and some people have to go over the capacity of the band to reach final restriction. It is so different for everyone. It is not unusual to only need a small amount of Fluid to reach restriction. Good luck and please let us know what the doctor says.

It is absolutely normal and you are doing great so far. I felt the same obsession over numbers at that stage after banding . . . because I had been down 25 pounds before. It is not until you start breaking new ground and get to 50+, 75+, etc that you start to really move away from emphasizing numbers and feel a lot different. Just think of where you will be by summer if you continue to lose 1-2 pounds per week. I had the most fun with that. June will put you at xxx weight and size ??? . . . July will be . . . , and on and on. You are doing great so far, definitely enjoy your success while knowing there is much more to come in the not so distant future.

It sounds from your post that you have a classic case of being overfilled and a small unfill is definitely in order. Left shoulder pain, reflux & heartburn are all clear signs of being too tight. Lack of weight loss is also a sign in that you can't eat normal foods so there is a tendency to go more towards slider or mushier foods that will pass less painfully but have more calories. They also have a tendency to stay in your pouch for a much shorter time, have more carbs and so you can get hungrier faster . . . and too many carbs have impacts on your blood sugar making you extra hungry. I found that I actually lose best and most steadily without regular discomfort when I can eat the most foods, such as lean Proteins, comfortably. I can also eat bread, Pasta and rice if I so chose because I have been keeping my band looser. I just know to avoid them in excess because I don't lose as much if I eat them regularly. The truth about successful banding is that there is a balance, or sweet spot, that allows you to eat the widest variety of foods while feeling satisfied from hunger cravings. Unfortunately, many of us completely skip the sweet spot by being overly tight which causes potential complications and we lose the truest benefits of banding. These aren't myths . . . but if you are too loose you can eat a lot and stay hungry, or if you are too tight you can't eat the most beneficial foods comfortably and might start eating more of the wrong kinds of foods which causes hunger. Ask any long-term successful veteran bander how tight they keep their band . . . and you will find that most find a relatively loose band more conducive to success without discomfort and a more normal lifestyle. Banding only does so much . . . you have to be able to eat sensible varieties of foods and recognize and heed your bodily triggers that it is time to stop eating. Keeping your band so tight that it physically prevents you from having to make these choices is not helping in the long run. Perhaps Jachut can even chime in on this issue as well . . . I believe she keeps her band at comfortable restriction levels as well.

Right now I am unfilled and it is the same for me. It can be stopped for the briefest of times and then falls right through. I think it is becuas eyou are not very tightly restricted yet and havent reached your sweet spot. I have spent most of my time banded at my sweet spot . . . and I can say it works exactly as described. You eat comfortably, but are full quickly and it doesn't move through the pouch for the longest of times. If you overeat it is uncomfortable and stays that way for a long time. You will certainly feel the difference once you hit your sweet spot.

I don't think coughing alone can cause any kind of band slippage. Vomiting is bad because it is forcing intense pressure up through a very small opening, but coughing is not forcing food up or down through your stomach. I think you can feel sore afterwards but that should be all. I definitely agree with finding a good cough suppresant to give you a little relief. I really like sucrets better than anything else to help eliminate the urge to cough. I hope you feel better soon.

I don't drink so it doesn't affect me so much. I can tell you that post banding you will definitely affect you more because you are eating less. It is the same concept as drinking after dinner or before dinner . . . one glass of wine feels a whole lot different depending on what else you have ingested that day. I would suggest giving it a little more time, or if you do drink, just limit it to one non-carbonated small beverage like a small glass of wine. You can always have juice instead.