Gardner

Thanks for your advice. I guess I'm feeling like I have to live with this hunger for the rest of my life. And then, I can see how I would start eating more, because I hate this extreme hunger so much. I am still curious about the science of the whole thing, though. I may go out on a google search and see what I can find. Just haven't had time to do any of that.

OK, so maybe burning is the wrong word. When I was 18 I fasted for 5 days. The empty stomach feeling is something I'll never forget. That's where I am now. I'l eat and about 3 hours later I'm hungry and it's real "gotta eat now" hunger. It's not painful, and I never had this extreme hunger before - of course, I was eating toooo much before the band!

What do you know about the science of the stomach after the lapband? When I get hungry, I have a very strong burning sensation in my stomach. Is that above the band or below the band and what causes the burning? Will my stomach allways burn when I'm hungry? How long does the food stay above the band. My guess is that it digests and then drips through the band slowly. I'm also guessing that the full sensation of the stomach is at the very top near the esophogus. The burning is somewhat frustrating. I guess I'm just finally at the point that I want to understand why my stomach feels as it does, and what's actually happening down there! Thanks for any ideas or real knowledge you have to share.

I didn't do any liquid diet before surgery. My doctor had us on Atkins for 2 weeks. I think for one meal, if you go for protein and stay away from carbs and sugars, you should be fine. My understanding is that the doctors want our Liver to shrink prior to surgery so that it's not in the way. Good luck, and enjoy time with your dad.

The guy that referred me to Dr. K had his surgery in Mexico. He pays $150 to Dr. K for each fill. He about flipped when I told him $15. So the $150 is probably pretty reasonable. I had my first fill last week and I don't think I got enough. I still eat about the same amount of food as I did before. My best friend got 4.2cc and I got 2.6. She's having great restriction. Is anybody using fitday.com? I use it religiously and love it. It helps me convince myself I'm not hungry. I've been running about 1100 calories per day and losing about 1lb per week. Seems like it should be more. I could never have stuck to that low of calories before lap band.

Today was the first "real" food I had - a chicken breast and mashed potatoes at a luncheon. When I'm home I'm still blending the chicken. Guess I'M CHICKEN! Should I be trying more? My friend has been much more adventurous than me.

Hi to everyone. I started reading this thread about a month before my surgery. Started at the beginning and finally decided I couldn't possibly read everything! I had surgery July 30th with my girlfriend in Denver and have been doing really well. I have a question for you. We go back to Denver for our first fill next Thursday and I've not really been trying regular food. It's been 20 days since surgery, and I'm not clear on the eating. Should we be eating regular food before our fill? Thanks to everyone for all your honesty. I have learned so much and have really enjoyed watching you support each other.

I just read the article at the request of a concerned friend. I was banded July 30, 2008 and have had no problems. But I'm very careful. My son had RNY July 30, 2007 and had a bowel obstruction the same day as my own surgery. It was very scary. He had 2 surgerys within 24 hours. While the article definitely was one sided, it was not without truth. My son has been a model patient and has lost 180 lbs in a year. I personally didn't want the extreme surgery and risk he took. You notice the article didn't really have much to say about banding!