kiz

It's no biggie. I had to wear a hospital gown. They stick little tabs (electrodes?) on your chest, arms and legs. Well, my memory is pretty falty..lol..but I think that's what was done. Then you just pretty much lay there as the doctor runs some tests. You don't feel anything.

Have you seen the movie Juno? If not, you'd love the scene with the ultrasound tech and the step mom. I never think of the right thing to say when someone is rude like that, but the step mom let the woman giving the ultrasound have it when she made a disrespectful comment to Juno. Just try to shake the negativity off. Easy to say, and hard to do, but that woman isn't worth two minutes of your day. I feel very sorry for her daughter.

I mostly drink decaf, so it wasn't something I paid a lot of attention to, but I know it was brought up several times in support group that we should limit caffeine to no more than two cups per day, but I don't remember a time frame from after surgery. From my WW days, caffeine can be a diuretic, so it makes sense not to drink it after weight loss surgery when we could be prone to dehydration. Also, for some people (at least according to the WW I attended), caffeine causes you to feel hungry. I drink regular coffee on occasion, and I don't find that it makes any difference to my hunger though.

As far as I know my port is still in the same spot it has always been, but my doctor did tell me that it sometimes shifts a little as you lose weight.

Personally, I think you should be eating pretty easily. A little slower, a little more chewing, a little smaller bites, but not so significant you feel like you stand out. I think you can stretch your pouch by packing it over an extended period of time. I'm pretty sure that's something I could do because I don't tend to get any reaction to my food (tightness or other telltale signs unless I eat about a cup of good solid food). My doctor wants me to eat 1/2 cup meals (he left me with a 4 oz pouch), which I do. I measure my meals at home, and at that, I stay full 4 to 5 hours and sometimes longer. If you were to ever stretch your pouch, I've read that unless you really packed it, just getting back on track by measuring your meals and not overeating will allow it to shrink back to it's proper size. I don't know if there's any science behind that, but it sounds reasonable to me. I'm not going to test it though. lol

Some docs numb the area and some don't. Mine doesn't, and I've never had any pain. In fact, I can barely feel it. I'm sure part or most of the reason is my port area is numb. Whether I've had my fill done by a NP or the doctor, it's only taken one quick stick. The amount of your fill varies from doc to doc too. Some put a small fill in during surgery, so you might not get as much if you already have some. My first fill was 4.5cc in a 9cc band.

Love the positive attitude!! Good luck, and I hope everything goes smoothly. I was excited for my band date too.

You can never go wrong with clean underwear. lol I had blood drawn, an EKG, chest xray (I'm sure there's another name for it, but I don't know what it is), weight, bp, temp. I think that was about it.

Hi Ashley. Welcome to LBT. I'm sorry you haven't been as successful as you hoped you would be, but congrats on the 60lb weight loss. I don't understand why your doctor doesn't want to give you more fill if you still don't have good restriction. It sounds like you have the large 14 cc band, is that correct? I have the 9cc Realize Band, and I ended up needing 11cc (or somewhere in that neighborhood) to finally get great long lasting restriction. My doctor did my final fill under fluoro and measured the band pressure to be sure he wasn't overdoing it. I believe he only measures pressure with the Realize Band though. I'm sure it has something to do with it being a low pressure band, but I don't know that for a fact. Regardless, whether you have a 9cc, 10cc, 11cc, or 14cc band, with 8.5cc you have room for fill. Some of the fill stays in the tubing, so it's not all in the band anyway. It might be helpful if you write down exactly what you're eating, how much, and how soon you're getting hungry again (if you're not doing it already), and go to your doctor armed with that info. Good luck.

As others have said, you won't get enough Protein with only milk. I was supposed to boost my Protein shakes with a 1/4 cup of skim dry milk powder. Another idea to boost the protein is Greek yogurt added to you shake. I would also try to add at least a small scoop of protein powder and adjust it as you can tolerate it (that is, if you can tolerate it). Isopure is a fruit flavored Protein Drink that has 40 grams of protein/20 oz. However, you should run these ideas by your surgeon or NUT. We don't want to lead you down the wrong path, and have you end up getting sick. They may even have alternatives for you.

That's a good point. Did the allergies start right after you got off the steroids? I had a really bad cold last week with a lot of drainage, and while I could still eat, I could definitely tell I was tighter. I'm sure a hot drink would help, if that's the case.

If something gets stuck, you'll know it. You'll have pain, mucus (slime), burping, pb (productive burp where the food comes back up in pretty much the same condition it went down). Since you swallowed your gum yesterday, I'm sure it went through, or you wouldn't be able to take liquids. A lot of bandsters say no gum because of the possibility of swallowing it. As you get more restricted, you might not get so lucky if you accidentally swallow it. That being said, I do sometimes chew gum, but I only chew it for a short time. I don't think my doctor ever mentioned gum, and I'm really not sure how dangerous it is if it's accidentally swallowed. But just keep in mind that things you get away with now, when you have little restriction, will become more difficult as you get fills. I had intermittent port pain for probably a month, and on rare occasions for maybe three months especially if I had been sitting for long periods of time.

I had doctor prescribed phentermine twice (guess I'm a glutton for punishment), and pretty much didn't feel like eating for a few weeks, but I didn't feel like sleeping either. I lost between 25 - 30 lbs (needed to lose 60), before the effect started to wear off. I finally got to the point where I could sleep, but with that, my appetite returned, as did the weight. At my sweet spot, with the band, I have much the same feeling of satiety, but without the sleep disorder and mood swings.

If you're eating bigger portions and you can eat solid meals, so that you're not relying of soft foods, you most probably need a fill. Try to fit in a brisk walk at lunch, and other times during the day. Take the steps rather than the elevator. Park at the end of the lot. Try to work in more cardio on your days off. Add a little weight training if possible. When your work slows up a bit, hopefully you'll be able to fit in more exercise. Try to start fresh, and not lament the weight gain. With the band, you can always have a new day one. Good luck!!!

I love my Asics, but you really do need to go try on different brands and styles within each brand. It's surprising how different they fit and feel on your feet. Also, if you have a good running store, that was a good suggestion to have them fit you.

It might be ketosis due to your low carb intake. I had a metallic taste in my mouth, but others describe it as a fruity or sweet taste.

My advice would be for you to call your surgeon. You might do better with the band if you have some counseling first with a nutritionist &/or a psychologist. Some pre-op diets are much more restrictive than others, and some people do "cheat" a little, but it sounds like you're having more problems sticking with the diet than most. Cheating with the band can lead to worse problems than just weight gain. Unfortunately, it can lead to major band problems. If it were me, I'd want to make sure I had my head in the right place before going through with the surgery. Whatever you decide, I wish you the best.

Just be sure that you're getting other fluids down so that you don't become dehydrated. If you're having trouble doing that, call your doctor. Some doctors add a fill during surgery. Chances are, as your swelling subsides, your hunger will return, but it's really important that you stay hydrated.

Cigarettes are so darn expensive nowadays. Start yourself a clothing fund for all those new clothes you're going to need as you're dropping sizes with the money you used to spend on cigs. Best of luck to you!! It must be very hard to be dieting, going through the stress of surgery, and dropping the nicotine habit all at once. Vent away as needed.

Welcome to LBT. Good luck with lining everything up with your insurance. I tried phentermine twice (not sure of the dosage) and would lose around 20-30 lbs, and then nothing. While it was working I was nervous and couldn't sleep, once the effects tapered off and I felt myself again, I was hungry and my weightloss stalled. It must work well for some people but not for me.

I may be converting this wrong, but I found that 10cc equals .34 ounces. That's like two teaspoons. I used a couple of online conversion sites. (I'm sorry if I got it wrong). FWIW...my pouch holds 1/2 cup.

I'm very glad to hear it turned out to be that stitch causing the problem and not an infection. Whew! Thanks for letting me know, I was concerned for you.

Welcome to LBT. Others have said it, and it's true, once you get close to your sweet spot, a tiny fill either up or down, may be all you need. I went from okay restriction to fabulous restriction with a 0.5 cc fill. That was very smart to get the slight unfill before. You risk damage to your band if you're too tight. Now, it sounds like you need another small fill. Your band might have loosened up due to shrinking fat around your stomach or you might have been having trouble before due to swelling.

I got my band just over a year ago. I was generally losing a pound/week with little to no restriction, then I gained five pounds and then plateaued because I was eating between meals. My last/sweet spot fill was the first of August. It took me a few weeks to listen to my body that I wasn't hungry and nix the snacking. Now, that I'm back on track, I've lost 54 pounds and have 21 pounds to lose to get to my goal.

I'm glad you know that your port is okay...but OUCH, that sounds painful. Did he say if that was dangerous or if it could lead to your port flipping?