kiz

Thanks for describing your band leak problem, melly, and how your doctor diagnosed it. It's really helpful. I agree with you, if I do ever have a band problem, that type of leak is the one I'd prefer. You haven't been banded long though. Did your doctor say how you happened to get a micro leak?

My doctor never talked to me about a goal weight either, but then again, I didn't bring up the subject. They just asked me what my goal was, and other than that, we didn't discuss it. I picked my goal based on a healthy BMI. It's about ten to fifteen pounds more than I weighed in college, but with my body build and my age, I think that would suit me. Once I get to my goal, I might try for another five pounds, but I want to see how my face holds up. I getting to the age that tiny wrinkles are starting to appear, and I've seen people who've lost a lot of weight age ten years in their face, and I don't have ten years to spare (lol). Even though I have 25 pounds to lose, my husband thinks I look fantastic and I'm feeling great, so depending on how things go, that next 25 might be my where I decide to stop.

LOL...I've never had trouble getting in my 1/2 cup meal either, regardless of when I've had my last drink. I'm not sure I buy the theory that the liquid in the pouch might lesson how much I can eat either. My personal demon is that if I get too hungry I tend to graze on junk food. I avoid liquids near meal time because I'm more concerned that if there's liquid in my pouch when I start to eat, it'll dilute my food and let it pass quickly. Even though my doctor says that water in my pouch might give me an artificial feeling of fullness, I'm more concerned that my food won't stick around long enough to signal my brain that 1/2 cup of food is dinner. :biggrin:

It sounds like you're not allowed protein shakes. If that's the case, you might want to ask if you can drink Isopure (looks like Gatorade). It have zero carbs, 40 grams protein, 160 cals per 20 ounces. It's a fruit flavored drink, and it comes in several flavors. I know The Vitamin Shoppe sells it, and I'm sure it can be found at similar stores. (Sorry about the bathroom problems. Hopefully, you'll start to feel better soon).

I'm guessing you're asking about post-op diet. For the first two weeks following surgery, besides Protein shakes, I was supposed to drink plenty of Water to stay hydrated. I could also have clear broths and sugar free Popsicles and Jello. Isopure also makes a clear fruit flavored Protein Drink that I buy at The Vitamin Shoppe. I'm sure there were lots of other clear liquids I could have as well (it's been awhile since my surgery), but hopefully, your doctor will have you talk to a nutritionist and give you a detailed list of foods that you can have, and when you should add soft foods to your diet. Doctors all have their different rules regarding this, so that will be what you should ultimately go by.

Great question. I really don't understand it either. chicken is one of my staple foods, and I fix it, usually baked, once a week. I've eaten it out many times too with no trouble. However, the only real icky stuck episode I had was with stringy tough chicken from a Chinese restaurant. I ordered the chicken and broccoli (takeout), and I kept eating when I knew with every core of my being things were not right. It was the first time I had gotten stuck, and I was naive enough to think I could just power through the dinner even though my body was begging me to stop. My chest felt tight, my nose started running, I sighed, hiccuped and then all hell broke loose..lol I slimed for a few minutes, grabbed some papaya enzyme chewables I had on hand (for just in case), and felt better after a few minutes. Thankfully, I was home.

Hello, and welcome to LBT. As far as fills, there's no standard answer. The first fill after surgery is usually 4 to 6 weeks, but after that, a lot depends on the doctor and you're body's response to the band. Some doctors give very small fills, while others are a bit more aggressive. Some give fills as you feel you need them (ex. not losing weight and able to eat larger portions), while others follow a stricter protocol of following the calendar (ex. fills every three months). This is one of the questions that you'll want to ask potential doctors.

I added my answers to your questions in red.

I have the Realize Band too, and occasionally I would have some port pain. I remember it happened once, after I was probably around four or five weeks post-op, during a long car ride and another time after stretching to feel my port. The Realize Band port is anchored by metal hooks not by stitches (unless your doctor anchored yours differently), so chances are you're just are sore from the trip and stretching.

I would probably stay away from the chicken just because you're still in the soft food stage, and you haven't had it solid. Some people have problems with chicken, and I would rather try a potential problem food at home first. On the other hand, since you're comfortable with ground beef, the chili sounds like a good option for you. Mashed potatoes and gravy would definitely be a soft food. BBQ beans would be soft option too. Since you're at 3 1/2 weeks, as long as you take your time and don't get distracted by conversation, I think you should do just fine.

Hi, and welcome to LBT. It sounds like you're getting off to a great start. It's always nice to get that first fill out of the way, so you know what to expect. Good luck!!

Michelle, thanks for letting us know how you're doing. I'm very glad you saw a doctor and got an unfill. Maybe that will all you need plus some time for your stomach to heal. I hope you get good news from your from your upper GI series.

You should go in for a fill. Sometimes, when you're getting close to a full band, but not quite, just a small fill helps. Personally, my band has more fill than normal. My doctor did it under fluoro with a pressure fill. Even at that, I'm only at my sweet spot. No pb's, sliming, indigestion, etc for me (not that I'm complaining, I'm very thankful), while others can't tolerate half as much saline fill as I have. We're all so different, and hopefully a little tweaking will get you to the point where you feel restriction. Also, from what I understand, you can expect a small amount of seepage of Fluid over time, so you might have more room for a fill than you think. Make sure your doctor pulls out the fluid that's in your band to check (if he doesn't regularly). Good luck, and let us know how you're doing.

Belle, did you call your surgeon to ask for a referral to a doctor in your new area? Moving was also a concern of mine, and I asked my doctor about how it would be handled during one of our pre-op meetings. He said that he would help me find a new doctor in the case of a move, and that it happens regularly.

Some pre-op diets are more restrictive than others. Also, I think it depends on what one classifies as a pre-op loss. I was self-pay and only had the two weeks to lose, but many who have WLS insurance are on a 6 month diet and may include that total in their loss. Some people just plain lose faster than others. Anyway, try not to get too hung up on the numbers, but I know it's hard. Good luck on your upcoming surgery!

No, kristi, it was not a mistake! I've had my band for a year, and it was absolutely the best decision I could have made to get me back in the game. I still want to lose about 25 lbs (give or take), and I'm still losing, but I can participate in so many activities now, that I didn't have the energy or endurance to do B.B. (before band). I can hike, I'm going snow skiing for the first time in ten years this winter (before I got so heavy I was an avid skier), I'm not mortified to be seen in my swimsuit, etc, but most of all, I feel much healthier and I know I've added years back to my life. I noticed this is your first post, tjr, and first off, congratulations on your baby. If there's anything you think we can help you with to get back on track with the band, please ask. You can start a new thread to give us some background info and why you think you're having problems. Granted, the band doesn't work for everyone, but I know there's a lot of knowledgeable and very helpful people here who would be more than happy to give you helping hand.

Hi Kentuckyblue, and welcome to LBT. I can't believe it's been a year since I had my lap band surgery. In the first days after my surgery, I tried to take it easy as much as possible, although I did go to a party (Water in hand) two days later. I don't have any young children, and I'm a SAHM, so I think being able to rest a lot and not worry about any heavy lifting helped me heal quickly. I also followed my doctors orders to a tee as far as diet, breathing exercises, and walking because I really wanted to avoid having any post-op problems. Good luck to you, and I hope you're feeling well.

Lisa, if you begin to feel like you're not going to be able to stay on the liquid regimen for two weeks, I would suggest you call your doctor and see if he would amend his diet recommendation. He must have his reasons for wanting you to stay on liquids for two weeks, and we all have different reactions to our fills. I've read several people say they don't get the full restriction from their fill until two weeks later, so maybe that's his reason for being more restrictive than others. Some doctors are much more aggressive with their fills than others, and so that could influence the type of after fill diet that is recommended. I wouldn't change my diet regimen without speaking to someone from my surgeon's office first. I'm sure you chose your doctor because you trusted his judgment, so while his diet does sound rather restrictive, I'd get more info from him before making any changes myself. You might even find that his diet works great for you and it boosts your weight loss.

I've never had that kind of long term reaction, but it does sound to me like the chicken and rice got stuck and after passing left your band area swollen and irritated. I think it's a good idea to call your doctor's office for their opinion, particularly since your surgery was so recent, but I imagine you will be told to do two days of liquids and two days of soft foods to let your stomach rest and heal.

Tonya, I'm sorry you're feeling so nervous, but it's understandable. I wouldn't begin to try to talk you into one type of WLS over another, but I can tell you, that like Lisa, my band surgery was very easy. I had a super quick recovery, and I've never regretted a day of having my band. It was absolutely the best decision I could have made to improve my health and life. Hopefully, you've carefully researched your doctor, and I also agree with Lisa that you need to make sure you have after care lined up. Good luck with your decision.

I've had several fills and I my doctor doesn't use lidocaine, and it's never been painful. Whether the doctor or the NP does my fill, they've always hit the port on the first try. They find my port by looking at the scar and then going down and pressing gently on the area. If you have a fill under fluoro xray, (my doctor always does the first fill under fluoro so he can make sure everything looks fine), you can see the port and watch the barium go down. It's pretty neat. I don't get a bandage because there's never been any bleeding. Just like so many other things with the band, the protocol for eating/drinking varies by doctor. I'm not supposed to have any food two hours before a fill (I can drink). I'm supposed to stay on liquids the day of the fill as well as the next day, then go on soft foods for two days. I have a 9cc Realize Band, and I think my first fill was around 4.5cc, but it's been a year, so I'm not exactly sure.

Slime comes up from your esophagus, it seems. It's like a thick saliva or mucus. I think it forms naturally to help food pass through, but when you have food stuck it over-produces and comes up. Another term you'll see is PB (productive burp). That's when the food comes back up (you'll usually have the sliming first). I'm allowed three 1/2 cup meals per day plus a snack. My band is placed to allow for four ounces of food in my pouch. If your band is looser, the food will go through the band a little quicker, and you can eat more quantity. My doctor's goal is to get his patient's to feel satisfied for three to four hours between meals on the 1/2 cup servings. I don't sip my drinks between meals. I drink normally then. If I have something to drink during a meal, I only sip then to make sure I don't drink too much.

I'm probably a bit unusual, but I don't have any foods that I can't eat except for stringy veggies...celery, asparagus stalks, and the like plus milk on Cereal (the milk pushed the cereal right into the band area and I had a sliming episode..not fun). The worse stuck episode I had was with very tough stringy chicken from a local Chinese restaurant, but I don't have problems with any meat including steak in general. I drink soda very rarely now, and I just let it go a wee bit flat first. If I drink a fizzy drink before it has time for the carbonation to wear off, I feel it right away, and I really believe, based on that feeling, that it's bad for the pouch. Will do. It's not a problem at all. I think the trick is to stay very well hydrated between meals. On rare occasions, I will sip some Water, or have a small glass of wine during a meal, but I can definitely tell that I can eat more and I get hungry quicker if I drink more than just a few sips while eating.

One of the doctor's in the practice that I go to said in an info session that he has found that his self-pay patients are his most compliant. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that the self-payers get one year of fills and appointments with their contract, and after that, the fills can be very expensive. Also, if a self-pay patient needs a fill, they get a fill, without any additional paperwork, insurance approvals, or secondary appointments if the fill wasn't preplanned. All in all, the first year, it's easier to be a self-pay patient. I have health insurance, but it doesn't cover weight loss surgery. I can't say that by paying out of pocket that I feel more motivated to make it work, because losing weight is something that I desperately want to do, and regardless of how the bill was paid, I am motivated. Having this type of surgery is a huge commitment, so I would have been just as vigilant researching my options and then following the rules after the fact no matter how I was going to pay for the surgery.