kiz

I got a bottle of chewable Natural Papaya & pineapple Enzymes at Trader Joe's. I would think any health food store would carry them too. I had a stuck episode with chicken one day, and as soon as I chewed one, I had immediate relief.

I almost never burp. I probably burp less now than before surgery, and I never thought about it until this thread popped up. I bet it's because I no longer drink carbonated beverages. I have had two stuck episodes, and I burped like crazy those times. I didn't PB though.

motivated, I had my first fill at six weeks. At my four weeks check-up I was starting to feel hungry and was worried about eating more than I should and stretching the pouch area. (My plan allows for three 1/2 cup meals and one light snack). The NP told me to keep my meals under one cup and to add a 4th 1/2 cup "meal" heavy on protein (ie. tuna, Greek yogurt w. nuts & high fiber cereal added, egg w. cheese, etc). This really made a huge difference, and I was able to hold on until my first fill. I don't know if your doctor would allow that, but it wouldn't hurt to ask if you feel like your hunger is getting out of control.

I have the Realize Band, and it's a 9cc band. I reached a point of very good restriction at between 8cc and 8.5cc. Along the way, I felt restriction, but at the 8cc point, I really felt like my hunger was very greatly reduced. However, I've read everything from no fills needed to 9cc's needed for good restriction. I think a lot depends on our anatomy and the amount of fat around our stomach.

I had laparoscopic surgery several years ago, and the scars faded away to faint white lines that are barely noticeable in about a year's time.

If you have a Catholic hospital in the area that performs WLS, you might want to ask if they have funds available to help people in the community with limited financial resources.

It's funny you mentioned all the billboards in CA. I live on the east coast, and my husband was in L.A. last week on business. He commented on all the billboard advertising for lap bands and even mentioned the ones that said "if you want to lose 50lbs+..." It sounds like they must be everywhere.

Wow, PSJ, that must have been one heck of a stomach virus. I also asked the nurse practicioner in my doc's office about this. She said they would call in a prescription for me, but that if I was vomiting more than a day, they'd want me to come in for an unfill too.

I've been stuck a few times and have had the sliming issue twice, but I've never PB'ed. I call stuck when it eventually goes down without a PB.

Welcome to LBT, tacfkit2, and congratulations for meeting your first goal! There's no guarantees, but getting a gastric band has been amazing for me. I recovered quickly from surgery, and I feel fantastic and look better than I have for years. Good luck!!

You said you can eat okay most of the time, and eat a lot of food with no problem. Then you said you when you eat the "right foods", you get stuck and you also said you get stuck "a lot". By "right foods", do you mean non-slider foods? If you're eating a lot of slider foods, you're going to be able to eat a lot and you're going to get hungry quickly, because you're by-passing your band. When you eat the "right foods" are you chewing your food well, taking small bites, and not rushing through your meal? I think it's easy to go back to bad habits, when the band isn't at the proper restriction. You're going to have to figure out if you're "cheating" your band by the foods you're choosing, or if you need an adjustment. It's kind of hard sometimes to think these things through, but I hope by re-reading your post, you're able to answer your questions. Good luck..I know it's tough. At times, I've had some of the same issues.

Physically, I think I felt the most hunger on days two and three. Psychologically, I felt I was well on my way after the first weekend was over. I'm not sure how much weight you might expect to lose, but I'd guess anywhere from five to 15 lbs.

That's such a funny story about the M&M's, terilynn. I'm sure your kids thought it hilarious too. My kids STILL have their Christmas candy leftover, and I had to get it out of my sight. Thank goodness their lean and seem to take after my husband's family, but darn, I wish they'd eat that candy. lol Debbie, I love how you were able to put so many of *my* feelings into words. I've gotten so much support from this site, even when I'm not part of the conversation. It's just so helpful to know that others are experiencing some of the same things. I'm also sure it's saved a few frantic phone calls to my doctor's office. Thanks for the good wishes, slim-n-tn! How true that is, ohpuhleez. Prior to being overweight, I ate such tiny portions, and never thought about my next meal. After having children, some kind of vicious switch was turned on in my brain, and I too, was hungry virtually all of the time. It's amazing to have this tool that has brought me back to a normal cycle with food and hunger.

I'm so sorry you've gone through all of these difficulties. I know there are others who have had their port flip, and I'm sure they'll respond. I just wanted to send you a warm cyber hug.

"I know her name is Dr. Leslie Parks Finley. Does anyone have any more information about her? Does anyone know where she had her surgery or who her surgeon was?" Hackettsue, here's a link to a thread where her case was discussed on LBT. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/well-respected-ob-gyn-dies-banding-complications-82714/

You probably will have your first fill, if you need one, four to six weeks after surgery, but it does vary. I don't get numbing, and I barely even feel it. It's never hurt.

I was told 24 hours after my last narcotic pain med.

I attended a seminar given by a Realize Band rep last August, and someone asked the same question. The rep said there was room for over-fill. I had an appointment with my doctor for a fill two weeks ago, and we were talking about the max fill amount too. He also said that there was room in the band for an over-fill. We didn't talk about the amount though. I have a friend who has a lap band, and hasn't been able to get restriction, and she also has an over-fill. She has a little less than 1cc over.

I was starting to get hungry between meals before my first fill. My office wanted me to be sure and keep my meals less than 1 cup, so they suggested I add a heavy fourth 1/2 cup snack high in protein, instead of 3 meals and a light snack. For instance a Greek yogurt w/ added fiber cereal and a some almonds, tuna, etc. I hope that helps a little.

I had a previous laparoscopicsurgery, and the scars faded to white lines after about a year or a little less. They're barely noticeable.

I could eat it as is.

1. What are your symptoms of fullness? Will I ever slime or PB? Measuring my food is key for me to stop eating. I measure 1/2 cup. At 5cc's in your band, if you can eat more than 1 cup of food, and you're getting hungry fairly soon after eating, you probably need a fill. I'm at 8.5cc's now, and getting to that point, I usually felt restriction for the first two weeks, and then it tapered off, and I would get a fill. I've never had a PB, thankfully, and I had one experience with slime, and I don't want to go there again, ever. If I've eaten too quickly or taken too big of a bite, I start to get a pain in my chest. I've also recently found out, that my nose starts to run, and I hiccup. However, I don't want to eat so much that I get far. For me, those things happen when I'm starting to get a little stuck. 2. If you chew and take small bites so as not to get stuck - food goes through the pouch right? Well...how do you get that full feeling any quicker than the non-banded person if no food is staying in the pouch - because if food stayed in the pouch...you would be stuck right? Does this make any sense? My doctor has told me to NOT chew my food until it's liquid, but to stop when it's well chewed (I think he said paste like - yuck, I know). That had made sense to me, and I haven't been one to chew my food to death. It's important to chew your food enough that it doesn't cause a stuck episode, but not so much that it looses it's consistency. You're right, you do want it to stick around in the pouch area for awhile. 3. When I reach the "sweet spot" I read about - what will it feel like? I already can't hardly eat a banana w/o it hurting! Will I ever only be able to eat half a sandwhich? What happens that tells you to stop at a half? You'll know you have good restriction when you feel satisfied with 1/2 cup (volume) of food and you're satisfied (no physical hunger for 3 to 4 hours). The pouch is big enough to hold 4 oz of food, so that's what you want to eat. Some people rely on feeling full alone, and don't measure, but my doctor says to measure, and that's what is working for me. Now if you're working with head hunger, and I'm sure all of are from time to time, that's a different animal, but when I'm feeling satisfied from my meal, the head hunger is almost extinguished. Sometimes, it takes a little time for you head to register that your stomach is full. By measuring, you're taking away the old habit of overeating, because once the food is gone, you're done. If your band fill is at the right level, you should feel satisfied for 3 - 4 hours.

Welcome to LBT, Kellie. I've had my band almost four months, and I have zero regrets. I feel much better and look better than I have in years. The band does require some work on your part. You have to make good food choices, listen to your doctor and follow his/her diet recommendations, get fills as needed, exercise is a plus, some people have to give up certain foods that don't do well with the band (for me, the only thing I've given up is soda and beer except for an occasional sip on rare occasions due to carbonation, but I haven't had any problems with other foods), etc. The best thing you can do is research the band to make an informed decision, and it looks like that's exactly what you're doing. Good luck!!

I take the Walgreen's brand of Centrum's High Potency A to Z Vitamin in a chewable. I also take Calcium. About two weeks ago, I started feeling really exhausted, and I couldn't get enough sleep. I had only felt this way during my first months of pregnancy. Honestly, if not for a hysterectomy, I would have been sure I was pregnant again. I went to the Vitamin Shoppe and bought liquid B12 (it's very tasty, and you just take one dropper full/day) and a liquid Vitamin D that you just add one tiny drop/day to a drink or food. I also got a small Iron tablet to take. The multi vitamin gives 100% of the daily recommended allowance, so I just got a small iron pill that gives an extra 35%. I see my doctor in two weeks, so I'll go over these Vitamins with him, but after taking the additional vitamins for a week, I feel much better. I really can't recommend anyone to add these vitamins, but I do feel better. A couple of years ago, I tried to lose weight on phentermine, under a doctor's care. Every two weeks, I had to go in for a check, and to also get a shot of B12 for energy because of the reduction in the amount of food I was eating. Although, I lost weight on the phentermine, I was still eating more than I do with the band. I'm surprised that B12 isn't recommended.

Thank you so much, chacha and debbie. This time last year, I had given up hope of ever losing this weight. I can't believe how far I've come. I had vaguely heard of the gastric band, but had never really considered it until last May. Now, instead of me, it's the stack of clothes that are too big for me to wear that's getting larger.