themis

You'll feel everything in your chest pretty much. Sometimes you will feel things and hear things from your chest all the way down to your tummy! When my dr. gives me a fill, he'll show me the barium drink sitting on top of the band and ask me if I feel full. I explained what I felt, in my chest and he said that was it, that's what being full feels like. You will also feel tightness there when you are too tight or swollen, usually in the morning. The pouch is on the top part of your stomach, but the belly you have and where you 'used' to feel full, is not the pouch being full. You'll learn as you go what it feels like. Ask your Doc to show you with the flouro and the barium when you get your fill to give you an idea of what you should feel.

You can ask, but I doubt it. You need time to heal. That's the whole purpose for waiting so long. You don't want to risk any problems with the band. I know you are anxious to lose weight, but just be patient. This is a time to heal! Don't expect your first fill to be the miracle you've been waiting for either. Use this time to eat right and by that I mean the 'chew, chew, chew' and work on portion size, per bite, not so much plate portion. Later all this will click... and you'll wish you would've been doing it all along. Sip, sip, sip also important. I didn't realize why until my second fill. Just a few things to remember. This is a process and many (actually most) do not feel immediate restriction with the first fill. If you have problems with tightness, try drinking warm or at least room temperature water or liquids and see if that is easier for you. I had that problem with my second fill. A feeling of 'full' is not in your stomach so much any more, you'll feel tightness in your chest. Learn to recognize this early on. DO NOT CHEAT on your 'after fill diet', this is also healing time. Sometimes you may lose around a 1/2 a cc from your first fill, don't panic. It doesn't always happen, but it did with me. It doesn't mean a leak, just sometimes happens with a new band. If you get stuck and end up PB'ing, try doing a 3 day 'remedial' diet, 1 day liquids, 1 day mushies, 1 day soft foods. PBing can make you swollen and this will help to give time for the swelling to go down without aggravating it further. I thought the fill process was pretty cool and interesting with the flouro. I don't watch the needle though. =]

Well, I have asthma and every time some one sick starts coughing around me when they're sick, I end up getting sick and end up with bronchitis etc. I have coughing attacks and a persistent cough that lasts around 3 months.. and 3 months of dr. visits. Lucky me.. I'm getting sick now.. Anyway, when you cough really hard you tighten your stomach muscles. You don't do this on a normal basis, so it's just like exercising basically, you get sore. Be more concerned if you get pains on your sides. That's when you have inflammation. If you have a persistent cough for more than 10 days, go to the doctor. Musinex DM is what my dr. usually gives me to start with, you can get it over the counter. Coughing can easily give you an ear infection or bronchitis.. so don't let it go.

That is exactly right! I felt the same way when I saw it! Instead of looking at it negatively, read SR's response. This is exactly how you should look at it!:tongue_smilie:

Your doctor didn't refer you to another clinic that does lapband? You might want to check the internet for some one. I'm sure Houston has several physicians. If you're coming to SA anytime soon, I can refer you to mine. He's awesome. True Results has a clinic in Houston, their website is: www.trueresultshouston.com Hopefully another member can refer you to some one in the Houston area. Look under the 'mentors' forum, you might find some one there.

First of all, it's very different now. If you're anything like me, you cheated with the rules, of chew, chew, chew.. and really small bites. You did it when you thought of it, but it's almost always the first bite that gets you. Get into the habit now! The more fills you get, the more this will make complete sense and become a necessity. Sometimes you might lose a little of the saline due to air pockets etc on your first fill, I lost .5 cc's. If you have a larger band, you might take longer to feel the restriction. But it hasn't been that long since you got the fill. Call your doctor and discuss it. Didn't you have to follow a 'fill diet'? I know each doctor is different, but most have a reduced plan similar to the after surgery diet, but with fewer days on each stage. You mentioned eating a regular Christmas dinner just a couple of days later. If you have a 'fill diet' be sure you stick to it. Again, each fill is different and what you did on the first fill you may not be able to do on the second fill. So be sure to develop good eating habits and follow the plan and rules. Pizza is a tough food to eat. You might be able to eat it one day and not the next. I'd stick to thin crust. You might also invest in a toddler's silverware set. This will help you with bite control. Taking your time to eat and chew really well will also help fill you up. You have to concentrate on eating. Sometimes we eat while being distracted, talking, TV etc... so you aren't paying attention. Then you get stuck. I had a hard time adjusting after my second fill, so learn from my mistakes.:tongue_smilie:

Yep.. I remember those days! Hang in there, try the GasX strips and walking.. we're not talking about a 5 mile marathon or anything, but rather than lying down and feeling miserable... walk around.. (and feel miserable! LOL!) Seriously though... it will go away, but be sure to keep GasX (or whatever anti-gas meds you choose that works) handy. I take a couple of strips and keep them in my purse, even after fills, or depending on what you ate or if you drank to much, too quickly... you may need them on occasion. Don't feel like you are immune from the sipping or chew, chew, chew syndrome... while you're waiting for your 'restriction' to arrive at the right spot you may feel like you can gulp water etc. Don't. Practice now, because you're developing good habits for when you need them.

I can personally vouch for Mindy! She's awesome! She's helped me since the very beginning! I don't know what I'd do without her! She's completely honest and will tell you when you're messing up and support you when you need her. I have nothing but great things to say about her! Love ya Mindy!:tounge_smile:

Don't feel bad, most of us do it... part of the learning process. Wait until you feel more restriction. You'll learn why you are supposed to 'sip' your drinks. Take small bites and chew more thoroughly than you ever have! Don't forget after PB'ing... go back to the liquid phase for a day or two and follow the same 'fill' eating plan... just in case you are swollen from the PB.

Well, I'm assuming your cheating concern is the kit-kat... my concern is that a kit-kat is not a soft food. Be very careful about cheating with foods after surgery that your system may not be ready for.. this not only applies now, but in the future when you get fills. I just got my second fill and learned why you are to sip your water, for which I never had an issue with drinking water until this fill. Can you imagine if I didn't chew correctly? Much less have foods that I shouldn't eat? You're still swollen and just like with fills, need time to adjust to foods. If you're missing a kit-kat, try grinding it up, I'm sure after going through all the trouble you won't find it as appetizing or eat as much... it's best though if you find an alternative food. You may also want to try a delay. When you want a candy, don't give in on the same day you want it... tell yourself to wait a couple of days and try something else instead. I think Jiffy makes a sugar free peanut butter, eat a spoon of that instead. You'll find that later you'll want something else. I know when I get fills I always want a steak or something I can't have yet... by the time I can have a steak, I don't want it anymore. Try some Oatmeal or Cream of Wheat or applesauce.. sugar free ice pops, puddings etc while you're on soft foods. I hope this helps and gives you some options.

I can drink before, but not during and try to wait up to 1 hour after, but at least 30-35 minutes... basically try to wait as long as you can.

Sorry to hear about all your issues. I stand corrected. Unfilled bands apparently do have restriction. Everyone posting on the forum should be taken seriously. Since I guess I'm still a newbie... I'll stop posting, since I'm being irrational.

I don't have a problem with people posting negative experiences on the forum... What I have a problem with is some one who comes on the forum and posts for the first time with this thread. It justs doesn't have credibility. Look how many posts you have, obviously your opinion would be more credible... the only posts this person has on the forum is for this thread. They mentioned reading this forum during their problem period looking for foods that they won't throw up. Obviously they knew about it. Not to mention the lack of facts surrounding what happened. People want to know the facts of why things happened. I personally don't understand why some one would be banded for so many years without a fill and have all of these issues. If it's true, that doctor must be horrible and they should be suing the doctor for not reacting sooner. I realize the band isn't for everyone, but there are better ways of informing everyone of your disappointment/problems without joining the forum just to post this thread. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions but there are better ways to get your point across than the way they did... that's all. There's no restrticiton when you don't have a fill, so if some one is throwing up, there's a problem. If the doctor isn't doing anything... that's a bigger problem. The thread should probably have been "beware of using this doctor" ************

Exactly what I was thinking! We all know at least one of this type of person.... you could tell her you're going to school to be a doctor and they'll still tell you how wrong of decision that is... My mom is like that... that's why she doesn't know I ws banded.:teeth_smile:

I agree... here is where I have a problem.... There are people here who join this forum way before getting banded. We all use this forum for support. Where were you when you were going through all this? Why do you just 'join' just to post the same thread on every forum? This is what discredits you and force people to see you as a 'troll'. Sorry the band didn't work for you. But you can't just 'join' a forum and post something nasty and expect everyone to take you seriously. If you were posting under a different name before, you should have continued using the name to post these threads. If you just want to post 'hate threads' join Metal Sludge!:teeth_smile:

Funny, I just had this conversation with some one else the other day. I had the same problem. There's a little voice that keeps telling you to do it on your own. Well, here's the facts. You are doing it on your own. The band is a tool to help you, you still have to watch what you eat, exercise, drink water etc. You don't just get the band and 'poof' you're thin. Get the band because it is a great tool to help you lose weight. How many diet products have you tried? How many more will you continue to use if you don't get the band. Why not get something that is proven to help with your commitment? My dad died of a heart attack from being obese at 47 years old. I'm 47 now. I wasn't willing to wait to see if it happened to me too... are you?

Be sure to drink a lot of water. I wouldn't be too concerned about how much you're eating at this stage. You don't have restriction yet until you get a fill and what you are drinking/eating is going straight through to the lower stomach. You need to eat your meals slowly and drink plenty of water and heal at this point. It's perfectly normal not to lose weight and your weight will flex a few pounds off and on, not to worry.

I had phenergen suppositories that helped me. But thinking back, I think the chicken broth didn't do to well with me either. Don't drink cold water right now. That made things worse. After about a week you can try cold water again. Try vegetable broth and see how that does.

Mine was about $200. But I had to take heparin shots (blood thinner to prevent blood clots), not many people take those though... The liquid vicodin (pain) and phenergen suppositories (nausea) were the only other things I had to get, both were probably $40 combined. Wal-mart had the cheapest prices. Sometimes the doctor will have a 'deal' with a certain pharmacy, you might ask. Mine had a pharmacy in the same building and had special pricing, but didn't have any heparin (since they're phasing it out), so I went to Wal-mart.

Breakfast: Skim milk- (1st) Cream of Wheat or oatmeal I wasn't too innovative on the other meals... but my popular meal was ground beef- Sloppy Joes made with splenda and KC masterpiece low carb bar-b-q sauce. Hamburger patty with slice of melted cheese. Meatloaf made with half ground beef and have ground Turkey Mashed potatoes or baked potatoes on the side... Refried Beans and ground beef with chili sauce (I work in a Mexican restaurant, this was quick and easy... kind of a home-made impromptu chili. Tuna helper but I made it with salmon instead of Tuna (personal choice, I don't eat tuna- I'm a huge dolphin activist.) But... today I found a new treat! Peter pan creamy Peanut Butter, made with Splenda!!:smile2: It has 9 grams of Protein and only 4 carbs. It's filling and tastes great! I wouldn't have known the difference between that and regular peanut butter! You might want to mix it with a banana or or eat some applesauce on the side to help swallow since you can't have Water while you eat. It also makes a nice little snack in between meals that has a good dose of protein. Hope that helps.

Yes, it is normal to gain a bit or not to lose weight during this time. It is a time for healing and transitioning. Don't worry, you're fine!

No problem! Glad I could help. I do recommend finding some one who used the same doctor as you as a band buddy (that is successful). You'll have a lot of questions and they can help you and knowing they used the same dr. will ease a lot of your questions and concerns, since everyone is different. I did a search on here to find my band buddy, if you can't find one here, check with your doctor to see if they can invite you to meet some of their successful patients. Good luck in your journey!:confused:

I'm on regular foods now too, but I haven't gained anything... I'm still a bit apprehensive about foods and still eat mostly soft foods like mashed or baked potatoes and cream of wheat and oatmeal... I do eat meats too, but just once a day. (yah... I'm a whimp LOL!) But I'm losing about a half a pound a week still more or less... You won't be able to eat as much as before banding... I was sure I would have gained, but nope. Just don't splurge on sweets and junk food and fast foods and I think you'll be fine.

I've got news for you... you are going to do it on your own. You don't just get a band and wah-la you're thin... it doesn't work that way. It helps you to feel full quicker so you don't eat as much. You still have to follow the rules, the plan etc. There are many overweight people still out there with a band that don't follow through. I've met some. They eat junk food, sweets etc. on a regular basis. They already stretched their pouch. I had the same thought as well though, you almost feel like a failure that you aren't doing this yourself, but the truth is you haven't done it. You are in your 40's like me and it doesn't get any easier. My doctor told me the average woman gains 10 pounds a year after 30. Don't delay getting the band because your mind is convinced otherwise. Let the facts speak for themselves. How many more years do you want to wait, and how many more pounds will you gain trying, how much money will you spend on diet products to help you lose? My father was overweight, had high blood pressure and had a heart attack at the age of 47 and died. I am overweight and have high blood pressure. I am also 47. I got the lapband because I don't want to have a heart attack like my dad. How much time are you willing to cut your life short because of your stubbornness and pride? If you have doubts because the surgery doesn't seem right for you, it's one thing, but because you think you can do it yourself... my question for you is... then why haven't you? When I asked myself that question, I had all kinds of excuses, but no real answers.:confused: Do you? Sorry if I seem harsh... I don't mean to be... I just know how I felt, I've lost 20 pounds so far and feel in control of my life... finally.

If it bothers you that much, don't buy McDonalds for the kids... It isn't any better for them, than it is for you. But I know kids don't care. I would also stay in my room while my kids ate in the other room. If you cook though, have your soup or whatever you are eating while they eat dinner. Make something the kids like that you don't... in my case, kids love mac-n-cheese, I don't... they're happy and I'm happy. It's normal to be more hungry as you are healing. Protein drinks (I like the Atkins) help also. As for Iatetheskinnyme, most of us had liquids for two weeks, so you're way ahead of the game. You're still healing so it's yes it's normal that you get full so fast. Try liquids only for 2 weeks and you'll understand the hunger pangs that us 2 week liquid people felt! LOL! I still love the cream of wheat!:confused: