MTBiker

I was banded 11/4, had my first fill of 3.5cc on 12/17, then a second fill today up to 4.5cc. My doctor seems to be going at this pretty slowly. But like you, I have been bouncing up and down within a few pounds since the 10 pound drop the week after surgery. I'm ready to start losing again too! Granted, holiday times are tough, and I wasn't as strict as I should have been. Maybe the band prevented me from otherwise gaining, so that's a good way to look at it. I'm hoping now that with a second fill, and the holidays behind me, that the weight will start to come off again. The dietician today told me that many lapbanders don't lose much in the first stages until the band gets tightened sufficiently, and everyone's sweet spot is different. I actually could feel some pressure in the stomach area when he was filling me today, which was very weird. Not really unpleasant, but it certainly is odd to feel something moving in there, where I've never felt anything before. Sorry for rambling, just wanted to let you know there are others out there like you still waiting for the band to kick in and do its share.

My first fill was yesterday, 6 weeks to the date. I was numbed up, which felt like a bee sting, but it went instantly numb. He found the port easily enough, heck, I can find it just by looking down when I'm standing on the scale. But actually getting the needle into the right place was a different story. The was quite a bit of jabbing and pushing and trying this angle and that angle. At one point he was angled pretty much south of the border, and I wanted to remind him that those were not ports down there, thank you very much. Finally the needle found paydirt. He removed what was in there, 2cc, and then filled it up to 3.5 cc. I'm going back in 3 weeks for another fill, because he doesn't think I will notice it much. I was supposed to be on liquids for 24 hours, but this morning I had a Kashi bar anyway. I'm not noticing any difference. So to all of you coming up on the first fill... worry not, its not bad at all.

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It sounds like you were tightening your stomach muscles. I asked if I should do that when he was poking around, but he said no. I think it might have helped, and I will probably do that myself next time.

Hey Mitch. I posted the following in the November Bandsters forum. Like you , I didn't notice very much restriction. And to tell you the truth, I still don't. I would say I can eat about 80-90% of what I used to. The doctor is having me back in 3 weeks for another fill, since he didn't think I would feel much difference yet. Hopefully you get more impact from your fill. ***** My first fill was yesterday, 6 weeks to the date. I was numbed up, which felt like a bee sting, but it went instantly numb. He found the port easily enough, heck, I can find it just by looking down when I'm standing on the scale. But actually getting the needle into the right place was a different story. The was quite a bit of jabbing and pushing and trying this angle and that angle. At one point he was angled pretty much south of the border, and I wanted to remind him that those were not ports down there, thank you very much. Finally the needle found paydirt. He removed what was in there, 2cc, and then filled it up to 3.5 cc. I'm going back in 3 weeks for another fill, because he doesn't think I will notice it much. I was supposed to be on liquids for 24 hours, but this morning I had a Kashi bar anyway. I'm not noticing any difference. So to all of you coming up on the first fill... worry not, its not bad at all.

I had constipation, and had to rely on suppositories, but once I got onto solid food again, things returned to normal. I think it was due to the restricted diet, and that the dietitians should do more to prepare us for it, and adjust the diets accordingly.

My first fill will be next Wednesday, right at the 6 week mark. I feel some restriction now, I don't eat as much at a sitting as I did before, but I get hungry again in a couple hours. I don't expect that to go away, they say we'll be eating more frequently now, just have to make sure it is something healthy, and that the meals are small in quantity. I'm hoping for a significant restriction, as my weight has been very steady since the initial drop after surgery. How are things going with you? It looks like you are continuing to lose weight rapidly.

Good for you! I had pain meds, which always put me into sort of a twilight sleep that was rather pleasant, but not really a deep restful sleep. I don't know how the morphine pump is, but I read a lot of people on this forum that have it. As long as it is manageable for you, that's what matters the most.

Not TMI for this group, we've all been or will be going through it. If you read my blog, you'll see I had urinary issues following surgery, then constipation for a week. I think it just takes a while for the internal systems to start functioning again, and it affects everyone differently.

Your weight and goal are very close to mine. I was at 239 going into surgery, and lost 10 pounds in the first 10 days after surgery. I am holding that now, but now 3 weeks post surgery I finally feel like exercising again. I am hoping for 220 by Christmas, aided by my first fill on Dec 17th.

My dietitians have a goal of 85 grams for me, but they said that during the liquids and mushies stages, they wanted to see at least half of that, or 42g.

As far as my end goal, I got down to 172 in the year before I met my wife 20 years ago, so that's the weight I am shooting for again. Even at that weight I wasn't thin, but that would still be a pretty respectable weight.

Hey Mitch, my name is Steve. Sounds like you have everything pretty much in hand. I have some of the protein powder mix, and have tried mixing it in smoothies, which aren't too bad, and with oatmeal and pudding, but after couple weeks, its pretty hard to take any more. Maybe the pre-mixed shakes would be better. I did buy some Special K protein water, that has 6g per bottle. So that's good to drink, just a little pricey. I'm on soft foods until next Tuesday, but soft foods are no big deal, I haven't had any problems eating, and no vomiting or nausea. I just haven't had much energy since the surgery. I was going to try to go to the ping pong club tonight and see how I would do, but I came down with a cold, so I will shoot for next week. I'd like to hear more about the youtube blog you talked about.

I am finding that even though I don't have a fill, I seem to get full faster than before. Along with that, I find that I get hungry again in a couple hours, and not a gradual change, it is very quick, and I feel very hungry. Seems a little strange. But its only been 2 weeks, and perhaps things will even out over time. I had my 2 week follow up with the surgeon. He said I could do activities that didn't seem to hurt - I wanted to start playing ping pong again. He said I could start lifting weights at 4 weeks instead of 6 weeks. There's no way I can get 64 ounces of liquids, I struggle to get a 32 ounce bottle of Powerade Zero down in a day.

You'll get some gas pains, that show up as shoulder pain because the excess gas in your abdomen presses on the diaphram, which has connected nerves to the shoulder areas. I tried gas-x when I get home after surgery, but it didn't seem to help much. Other people talk of walking to make it go away. For me, taking another dose of the perscription pain killer, and a nap was the best thing. You'll have to find out what works best for you.

Thanks for the warnings. I was just banded, but haven't had any fills, and have had no problems eating since the band. I do try to chew a little better now, and your warnings will help me keep doing that. Thanks, and I hope you learn to adjust better to your band and its requirements.

That seems like strange advice, but perhaps there is some basis for it at some insurance companies. I was told through my clinic that the BMI at the beginning of the process is what is important, and is what is used to determine if you qualify medically. They want to see a supervised weight loss plan during the 6 months, and want to see that you can in fact lose weight, meaning you'll be able to stick to a new way of managing food. If you were the same or higher at the end of 6 months, I would think that would be more of an incentive to deny you than if you had lost some weight. I lost 40 lbs in the 6 months leading up to my surgery, so I am proof that they won't automatically deny you if the BMI falls.

You've got quite a lot of questions in your mind, so I'm sure you'll do fine once you figure out what works for you. I've seen Video Professor (I think) offered on TV that has different learning packages, including one for ebay. The first one is usually free, so you might start there.

That sounds terrible! I'm sorry to hear that you're having such a difficult time. If you find the cause or solution to your pains, please post it to help us all learn more.

Hi, I'm not quite 48, and don't live in MA, and had surgery one week before you, but if you have questions, I'd be happy to try to help. I also lost 40 lbs prior to surgery, but I know without the band, I'd gain it back next year. I've lost 10 lbs since the surgery, and now trying to hold stead or lose some more. I only had Clear liquids for the first meal post-op, then onto full liquids for a week, mushies for a week, now starting soft foods for a week, then back to normal foods.

The good thing is that there is plenty more where that came from, and believe me, they will come back for more later. It is a good thing for them to do a pre-op test of all your blood work, so they'll have a baseline to compare to down the line when things like cholesterol and sugar levels and such improve.

how are you doing? any issues or discomfort ? any revelations to share with us?

I heard from my dietician that most patients don't lose much weight if any during the first 6 weeks, so if you can lose a little, or at least hold your ground, you're doing great. As far as mushies, I just finished a week of it. I ate pureed chicken, ham, pork, and perogies. Cottage cheese with simply fruit jam for flavor. scrambled eggs whipped with milk and sour cream (great stuff). Quaker Weight Control instant oatmeal that has 6g of Protein and 1g of sugar - also great stuff. all in all, not so bad.

pureed food wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be, and once I got on that, I felt much better. I think my body just wanted more food than it was getting from the liquids. So I have had pureed pork and gravy, pureed bbq chicken, pureed perogis (though the eyebrows of my dietitian did raise up at that one), pureed ham. We have a food processor, which they say is better than a blender for this type of food. Just put it in with the gravy or some broth or something to give a some moisture, and pulse it a few times - no more than 20 seconds or so, or you'll end up with bbq chicken Soup. You want to leave it with a consistency that still requires you to chew it, which is half the enjoyment of eating again. I found that eating the pureed chicken wasn't much different that eating a chicken breast; once you start chewing, its all the same anyway. I did make my wife promise not to bring any baby food into the house, I did not want to go there. I know the weeks ahead of you sound like a long time, but haloween doesn't seem like long ago, and that was already 2 and a half weeks ago. It will be over soon. Once you get on full liquids, there are a lot of creative Protein smoothie blends you can try. Hang in there.