Cheryl Ann

Every once in a while, something will get stuck -- usually when I forget to chew thoroughly. The food does come up bit by bit, and yes, there is "slime." It's messy and gross, but so are a lot of things in life. Anyway, if anyone else reads this thread, would you be so kind as to address my questions? (If a gurgling sensation while drinking is normal after a fill, or if it is a sign of too much? Or if will it calm down once any swelling following a fill subsides?) Many thanks!

My experience was great. If you want to lose weight quickly, lap band is definitely not it. It's slow and steady. Gastric, on the other hand, is a faster way. That, too, can be done laparascopically, but the recovery is a bit tougher.

Bluekygirl, I love that analogy your doctor uses; I need to remember that! I don't think you mentioned what size band you have, and how many cc each fill was -- and I'm curious. Could you let us know? It would be much appreciated!

I had the same yellow you describe, and I chalked it up to bruising (which is what it was, at least in my case). I didn't notice a lot of purple bruising, but I might have had some and just didn't pay much attention to it. I think that yellow (and often green before it) is just another, later stage of bruising, like when you get a black and blue mark, and as it heals, it turns the same colors. As far as the imprint, my guess is that's probably normal too, because a bruise is blood under the skin -- even if it's yellow at this point. Press down, take it away, and the color returns, just like when you have a sunburn. If you don't have any other symptoms -- like excessively hot skin, discharges of any kind, etc. -- you probably have absolutely nothing to worry about. But if it still concerns you in a day or so, definitely call your doctor. He or she might tell you that it's part of the normal healing process, but at least you'll be hearing it from them.

I had my second fill a couple of weeks back, and went up to 4.5 cc. At 5 cc I couldn't swallow Water, so .5 was taken out, and everything was/is fine. A couple of times this past weekend and today I ate the "wrong" foods too fast, and PBd (not a pleasant experience!). Yesterday it was on a hard pretzel (the snack-size kind), but today it was a doozy -- a steamed veggie spring roll. I slimed and spit up for a good 10 minutes. So my question is: How does PBing correspond with restriction? If you have a PB episode, does it mean you are at your correct level of restriction, or does it have nothing to do with it? I personally feel that I am NOT at an ideal level of restriction, so my guess is that the two aren't necessarily related, although I could be wrong.

Thanks for the info and advice. It's so hard to undo years of habit; not only do I need to focus on chewing, chewing, and more chewing, but also learn what I can and cannot eat. I definitely took it easy afterwards, to give my espohagus/stomach a rest. Being able to eat a good 11 or so ounces of food and only starting to feel some fullness must mean I'm nowhere near restriction though? (I base this on pre-packaged meals, like WW and Lean Cuisine).

I'm an inch or so shorter than you, and hope to get to 155 -- but ideally, would like to weigh between 142 and 147 (a 5 lb. margin to "play" with). In a perfect world, I would weight 132. Everyone has a "magic number" and that would be mine. However, as I get older my expectations get lower, or maybe I'm just afraid to hope. I've been as low as 110 (and unable to gain), and as high as 252 (and unable to stop gaining), but most of my life has been spent at or under whatever my "ideal" weight should be. That said, I agree -- it's how you feel about it that matters most. The fact that you have made it so far makes me believe that you can make it as far as you decide. I hope I am even close to as successful as you have been!

I had my second fill today (I'm a patient of Dr. Ren at NYU), and it went well. I've been very, very hungry for the past couple of weeks, so this came in the nick of time! Ann (the PA), was wonderful. She first removed my last (and first) fill, and all 3cc came out (which she said was unusual, but good). She then went on to give me 5 cc total. I went and drank some Water, but after a few sips it was apparent that the water wasn't going down quite right. She then removed 1/2cc, and I felt fine. Amazing what a difference such a seemingly small amount can make! I have another appointment in three weeks. Hopefully, I will see some progress on the scale between now and then.

I've had two so far (three, if you count a slight unfill). No anaesthetic, no flouro. The first time my surgeon (Dr. Ren of NYU) did it, and today, Anne (the PA), first filled, then unfilled me slightly after a few sips of Water (I was a bit too tight). When I read stories about doctors "digging around" I swear, I feel faint! I guess I'm lucky to be having such positive experiences so far. My port is close to the surface, which may be one reason it has been so easy. Evidently, I don't have quite as much subcutaneous fat as I have visceral (which is probably worse Healthwise, but then again, that should one day be a thing of the past!)

I had my first fill earlier this month (4 weeks after my April 7 surgery), and am positively starving! I haven't lost anything since that visit, but haven't gained, either. If I'm staying the same, it's only because I'm letting myself go hungry. I can't wait until I have some restriction.

I had my first fill about two weeks ago -- 3cc in a 10cc (APS) band -- and also feel no restriction. When drinking Water directly afterward and before I left the office, I could feel the liquid going down, but it became apparent after four days on a modified diet (two days liquid/two days pureed) that there was no restriction. In fact, I spent much of yesterday on the prowl for food, lol! I wonder how much of a fill remains in the tubing? It must be a decent amount.

I had my first fill today at NYUMC, with Dr Ren. It was nothing with nothing. She told me to lay down, put my hands behind my head, and contract my abdominal muscles as if I were doing crunches. She was in an out in seconds. Even during that relatively brief period of time when I could sense the needle, I asked her, "That's IT? It's nothing!" I got 3ccs, by the way, in an APS (10cc) band. Afterward, I was instructed to drink a cup of Water, which I did. I could definitely feel it going down. What they were looking for were signs of the water "sitting" there -- which I would feel in the center of my chest -- which would indicate too much restriction. Although I could definitely feel the water, it did go down. I was also told to start off the mornings with warm liquid, which relaxes the band (like tea, I suppose, or coffee). I was told to stay on liquids for the next two days, then pureed foods for the third and fourth days -- and was cautioned that I may begin to feel considerably more restriction within a few days. If the restriction turns out to be too much (such as being unable to swallow anything, at worst including my own saliva), I would then have to come in and be unfilled a bit before my next scheduled appointment, which is three weeks from now. In the 3 weeks since my post-op visit, I have lost 6 pounds. However, I really haven't lost anything in the past week, and have been getting kind of hungry -- so this fill has come in the nick of time! Another thing: The small mass beneath my port incision, which I assumed was merely scar tissue, is actually my port. So it turns out that my port can be VERY easily felt. (And all this time I've been probing in the general vicinity, wondering where it was!)

I was nervous about the whole thing, too. Since the only needles I've ever experienced in my stomach were for the amnios I had when I was pregnant with my children, those were my points of reference -- and boy, was I ever (thankfully) wrong! Dr. Ren explained that since the port is sub-dermal only, and not sub-muscular, there's little or no pain involved. However, since the placement of ports seems to vary so much (according to what I read here), and people's anatomies differ (as well as change individually as weight is lost), I would imagine these things account for different experiences as well. I do wonder, though, if some of this may lie with who is administering the fill. I will find out in three weeks, when someone else in Dr. Ren's office will be filling me. Also, since subsequent fills consist of unfills (to check saline volume), and then refills, then I would imagine whatever pain is involved is doubled. Not a pleasant thought, I know! I hope everyone's first fill goes as well as mine. I hope I have allayed some fears!

Update: I've only had liquids today, and they seem to go down rather easily, without feeling liquid going down as I did this afternoon right after the fill. I do feel kind of nauseous now, though. Not sure if it's because I haven't had enough to eat (drink) today, or if it's part of the process.

I decided it was, in fact, scar tissue -- and guess what? I had my first fill today (which was so fast and painless), and asked my surgeon about it (Dr. Christine Ren, of NYU), fully expecting that she would confirm this assumption. And guess what? It's my port!

My husband comes home rather late, so dinner takes place hours beforehand. I sit with them when they eat, but it's easier to eat after they're done.

I try not to eat with them because of the exact same things you go through with yours, but even if I am eating alone, a fight breaks out somewhere in the house -- and it isn't long until they come running into the kitchen. I never enjoyed eating with them pre-band, because I felt I was choking my food down in between screaming at them to let me eat -- and now, of course, don't want them anywhere near me during a meal. However, they're beginning to understand that when I hold up my hand or point to my mouth, it's a reminder that I'm eating and to LEAVE ME ALONE. I swear, living in the wild would be better.

I was banded on the 7th. You'll be surprised at how good you'll be feeling in just a couple of weeks, and will soon forget all this. I also sometimes experience the same discomfort, but it's a way of letting me know that either the food isn't right, or I'm not chewing well enough. And I still get gas pains -- almost every night -- on my left side, under my rib cage (don't know why, but it's like clockwork). Pearlygirl, welcome to BandLand!

Thanks, everyone!

I should start out by saying that my port is to the upper right of my belly button. Anyway, I have ongoing disomfort in my left side, which feels like when you've walked or run too much -- like "a stitch in the side" kind of feeling. I am 13 days out of surgery, and otherwise feeling good (albeit with some unusual food dreams at night). Has anyone experienced this?

So funny! (and good girl!) I'm 12 days out, and he hasn't DARED (he's afraid I'll bite his head off, I think). My guess is in the next day or so, though.

With only two steristrips remaining, I've notice that while outwardly my incisions look fairly smooth, when I feel them it's a different story. The tiniest ones feel as if there is a tiny bead beneath them, while the larger ones feel bumpy/ropey beneath the skin. My port incision and sternum incision are still covered with steristrips, but I can feel some bumpiness through them. Is this a normal part of healing? I tend to heal very quickly and evenly, but then again, these are not exactly paper-cuts, lol!

Today's the day...and I'll be thinking of you, Hunee B. I can't believe 10 days have already passed since my surgery. Before you know it you, too, will be looking back at it. You'll do great!!!

"No NG w/o scope" means that is case of emergency, a nasogastric tube should not be blindly inserted, as it can cause some pretty serious damage.

I'm feeling good! A little hungry, but not too bad. I had a dream about eating an eggroll last night, though!