Jodi_620

These are samples. I pretty much eat what I did pre-band just not as much, I focus on lean Protein and low processed carbs. Breakfast: 1/4 cup eggbeaters with veggies, cheese, meat added to it. OR 1/2 cup oatmeal cooked in 2/3 cup skim milk with berries or raisins added. Lunch: Salmon patty with mayo, shredded lettuce and diced tomato on top. OR Diced chicken, lettuce tomato, shredded parm cheese rolled in 1/3 -1/2 slice of multigrain wrap bread with a little ceasar dressing. OR a small bowl of chile Dinner: Varies A 2-3 ounce serving of lean meat and 1/2 cup serving of high Fiber colorful veggie and a serving of fruit if I want it...otherwise I have the fruit later in the evening.

LOL, As a former PA girl transplanted to Virginia or the "Worshington DC area", these terms are quite familiar. I grew up a little east of Pittsburgh in Cambria County and instead of "Yunz" it was "Yinz"...but same difference. One thing that I notice too when I go home to see family is that all men, whether they be friends or complete strangers, call each other "Buddy". We have our terrible towels all ready and will be rooting for the Steelers (even DH who grew up a Redskins fan)....If it couldn't be the Redskins then it has to be the Steelers!!!! GO STEELERS!!!!

My doctors rule is to wait 7 days, if I still do not have enough restriction then go back for another fill. It could take four or more before you really start feeling it.

You may not be getting enough nutrition. My surgeon wouldn't approve of your diet. Once I got past the healing stage I was expected to eat a large variety of three solid meals per day. I am not to use shakes as a meal, I am not supposed to eat soft mushie foods as a meal. Feeling worn-down and tired is a huge sign that you are lacking in something. The goal is certainly to lose weight but to do it healthfully with a diet that you can follow for life. Are you able to exercise sufficiently on your diet? I think I would be too tired and dizzy to move around much if I ate like that and I was not a strenuous exerciser until very recently. I do not measure but I eat an average of 3/4 cup of food per meal. Veggies, meat and cheese added to 1/4 cup of eggbeater or 1/2 cup of Cereal with 1/4 cup of skim milk for breakfast. lunch and dinner is solid lean Protein with fresh veggies. And I have managed to lose steadily eating that way. I have had a ton of energy and felt great...Just something to consider.

Just take it slow and listen to your body. Move as much as you physically can and rest when you need to. Do not forget to sip on water all day. Recovery wasn't all roses and sunshine for me either which was a huge disappointment after hearing so many people say that they bounced right back. The first week is the hardest, I still had some moderate pain during the second week. It took almost two weeks for me to be able to sleep in bed again. But after two weeks I really started to see improvements, pain was very minimal and I was able to eat normally. Hang in there, it will get better. All that I have experienced has all been worth it!

Congratulations! It's in there but until you get a fill or two you are not really going to begin to use it. What you are experiencing is just part of the process that we have all been through. Be patient.

I would call the doctor back, maybe he/she can have you come in and check your Fluid level to make sure everything is OK. Did they do the fill under fluoro? They could do that to check your band and your pouch. I disagree on the bread thing. There is no set rule that food tolerance is the same for everyone, lots of people here can eat bread.

I did for several months after surgery, I am not sure but I think it was four or five months. But it did eventually go back to normal.

It could be due to you being sick. I have not had any kind of sickness (flu, cold, virus) since being banded but I have read here that some people get tighter when they get sick. Some people get tighter during time of month, I do a little but nothing extreme. I know I immediately get tighter when something stressful happens. You may have a stomach virus which usually doesn't last more than 24 hours. If you are still having problems today then you should call your doctor. He may want to do a slight unfill until you are feeling better.

In my experience, I PB if I take too big of a bite or eat too much. There is no wretching the food just comes up. There is a little slime mixed in but it is basically the food as it was when I swallowed it. I get stuck if I didn't chew well enough. I know as soon as I swallowed but it is too late. The pain can last from a couple of seconds to several minutes, but eventually the food goes down. (Although when the pain has been too intense, I have taken a swig of Water then bent over the sink to force it to come back up) Both of these things seem to happen at or above the pouch. Sliming usually happens when I swallow something that I didn't or couldn't chew well enough...fibrous veggies, a pill...oh, and dried apricots were a killer! :thumbup:. It is not like throwing up at all, the slime just comes up on its own and you can't control it and it can last for quite a while. Your mouth just keeps filling up with thick clear mucus and you have to keep spitting it out, you can feel the slime traveling up and it makes you feel so gaggy. This seems to happen because the food got stuck trying to pass through the band. What comes up should come up easily, for some it comes up in a burp or a cough and it should be just food in the form it was swallowed and maybe a little mucus...no stomach acid. If you are doing a lot of wretching or vomiting with stomach acid then you should see your doctor. The wretching can cause slippage and vomiting stomach acid too often can cause esophagal problems as well as other issues and excess vomiting means something is wrong (too tight, slippage, virus....) Of course you don't want to have anything come back up, whatever the cause you need to find it and correct it.

Simply put, what your coordinator said is not true.... Some people, YES...most, NO. If you think about it, if it were true do you think that all these insurance companies would be paying for this expensive surgery if most people would need another expensive surgery in a year or so?

If it comes back up it is PB'ing. If you eat something and you feel pain in your chest area then you are stuck, it may also feel like food is backing up in your esophagus, sort of a gaggy feeling. Believe me, if you ever get stuck you WILL know. Ever swallow a drink too hard and get that air bubble pain in your chest?...that is alot what being stuck feels like. If it gets REALLY stuck you will start to get phlegm backing up into your mouth...that is what we call sliming.

Getting stuck is not a sign of proper restriction it is a sign that you are not eating properly or eating something that disagrees with you. I was able to get stuck on some things before I ever had a fill. Signs of needing a fill are eating too much, not staying satisfied between meals and weight gain...sounds to me like you need a fill.

If you are throwing up, call your doctor right away because too much throwing up can cause problems like slippage. How long has this been going on? Did it start with the fill?

If you can find it, try Flat Out bread, original or multigrain (I don't care for the flavored versions). Most of the grocery stores in my area sell it, usually in a wire rack display near the deli case. If you are not familiar with it, here is a link to see what the package looks like. FLATOUT BREAD :: Better than sliced bread :: Flatout, the fastest way to fit.

Would need more information on what insurance you have and what answers you are looking for.

I think that being comfortably satisfied on a sensible amount of food and staying satisfied for several hours while losing weight is the ultimate goal and the true meaning of sweet spot. I am told not to eat until I feel full (which is uncomfortable). Some people like to be tight others say that causes a potential for slippage or erosion. Personally, I have had fills where I was in your position and satisfied but not full and other times where I wanted to jumpstart my weightloss and got a fill to be tighter. If you choose to be tighter expect some discomfort, you will make it more likely to get stuck and PB, you will feel uncomfortable if you eat more than just a little bit of food and when you are full it will be more of an uncomfortable feeling than a satisfying one. Having seen both worlds, I would prefer not to feel tight for too long. But really, restriction is a personal thing...how comfortable do you want to feel and how fast do you want to lose? It takes a few fills to get the feel of it and find what works for you.

Congrats on officially becoming a Bandster! Wishing you a quick recovery!!!

If it is the same thing I had, you can't really manage it with a masage or heat pad. It comes on sporadically and goes away before you could plug in a heating pad. It is like an extremely painful and slow burp, I could actually feel the sensation in my stomach like most people feel just before a burp but it would just be followed by pain. It would stop me in my tracks, I would hold my eyes closed tight and hold my breath hard until it would pass in a couple seconds...It would start at the stomach and slowly travel up my esophagus...there was no rhyme or reason to when it would come on.

pizza was my weakness but I am watching my carbs and can't deal with the crust on most pizzas. I buy lowcarb wrap bread or tortillas (whole wheat) and use them as a substitute pizza crust. I put on the sauce and the lowfat toppings (white meat chicken, mushrooms, fresh spinach leaves, red peppers, onion, 2% milk-cheese. It comes out sort of like a crispy extra thin crust pizza. One wrap only has 7 grams of carbs and I am only eating 1/2 or 1/3 of that. DH, who's trigycerides were getting a little high likes pizza that way too now. I have been mixing my own trail mix as a munchy for DH and I. I mix cashews, peanuts, almonds, macadmia nuts, raisins, dried cranberries, dried tropical fruit and whole grain Life Cereal together. It is a nice healthier munchy that satisfies both sweet and salty cravings and I am satisfied on about a tbs. or two.

I had the same thing for about a week except I couldn't burp (still can't). But I was told by my PA that it was likely due to my hiatal hernia repair (done with Lap Band surgery). It had something to do with gas passing up the esophagus, when it reaches the area of the diaphragm (where the hernia repair is made) it causes pain...something like that don't remember exactly. Could you have had a hernia repair too? (Some bandsters do and are not told right away...I didn't know until I called about the pain).

That is not hunger, it is gas. It is a problem most of us have-especially early on. GasX will help a little (I always had to take a double dose) and it does get better with time.

I actually did strained Progresso chicken noodle soup after a couple weeks of plain old Swanson low sodium broth. I strained all of the noodles, veggies and meat out and drank the liquid. I got the idea from someone here...the broth is much more satisfying that way than with just straight broth (it tastes better and satisfies hunger better). DH would just open another can and add my noodles and meat to it so there was no waste. They have low sodium versions too.

Don't change your diet. Just follow your doctors guidelines. If you have been overeating due to the holidays then get back on track and let your doctor know that when you go in for a fill. You are in the early stages and it will take a while to get to proper restriction, maybe four fills or more. You doctor guages your need for a fill and how much of a fill by how much you are eating, how long you stay satisfied and how much you have lost. If you have gained, then fine, your doctor will know that a fill is needed and maybe perhaps a little more saline this time. But if you go on a liquid diet to try to quickly lose that weight before your next fill, it will appear to your doctor that the first fill did pretty well and you do not need much of a fill or maybe even no fill at all.

Auggies, thanks for the congrats...I love the band! Does this happen after eating/drinking or just in general?