RestlessMonkey

The point is to protect your band and allow yourself time to heal. Goodness...you can be doing damage and not know it but 6 months or a year (or whenever) will be on here posting you've slipped or have an erosion and wondering why on earth it happened to you! PLEASE...follow your doc's instructions. You got to where you are today by doing what you think is right; it's time to let your doc guide you for a while. Call tomorrow, say what you've been eating. He may tell you fine! He may want to do tests. Let the pro guide you through this. Stomachs churn to digest (and no we don't feel it, but it happens)...so you may be shaking things loose without ever knowing it.

Take some deep breaths. I CAN eat ANYTHING and I have fairly good restriction (I eat about 1 to 1 1/2 cups and stay full for up to 6 hours). I avoid carbonation because it could make my pouch swell etc (and honestly I can sip a soda or beer and then i burp for several minutes so it's not worth it) BUT I eat bread, I eat chicken. I eat popcorn. I even had a Peanut Butter sandwich for lunch the other day (1 piece bread and about 1 tablespoon of PB...and I was full. it was great) Please realize there is a way you will eat to reduce your weight and then a way you will eat to maintain it and live your life. Look at the thin people in your life. Do they NEVER have pizza? Do they NEVER eat a piece of birthday cake? Do they NEVER have Thai food? Chances are they indulge in all those things, but they don't do it as often or as much as you did. See my point? This is a tool and it is portion control, it isn't a punishment. It isn't food prison. I have even had fast food occasionally. But before where a huge burger and fries and a shake wouldn't quite fill me (shameful but true) now I eat 1/2 a burger, a few fries (there are always about half left in a small order) and I pass on the shake. I don't do that often because it isn't that healthy but I CAN do it if I want to. Just chill out and trust yourself. Information is good but you can analyze anything to death. Let the worry go if you can, believe you've done all you can to prepare for success, and then quit worrying. (and do NOT double your anxiety meds unless a doc says you can. Too much can be as bad as not enough, depending on the medication!) Instead of worrying about today, why not spend a little time giving yourself some positive reinforcement...think of what you'd like to do when you lose x amount of pounds, or what style of clothes you'd like to wear that you can't now, or what active lifestyle type thing (bike riding? tennis? shopping marathon? LOL) that you'd like to do as you lose. Focus on the good stuff.

I have to say, while I am a person who "tells" about my surgery, I would be 1. horrified if a neighbor actually CALLED me..and 2. Ticked like you are at unsolicited advice. I hate that. He's lucky you were so nice!

If you didn't bring it up, why did he? If you didn't tell him, what would posess him to just start in about lap band surgery?

Regarding a quick fix, let me point this out to you. Some people with heart disease can control it with exercise and diet. Some need medication. SOME...need a pacemaker. Would your family, if you needed a pacemaker, say to you" OH that's a quick fix" or just be glad you got it? See my point? I just told the people who love me. They've seen me struggle all my life, they know I am smart and strong and stubborn, and they are all glad. My husband was a little reluctant because he thought the band had complications similar to bypass, but because he respects me, he went to a seminar with me and realized he was misinformed. So my advice? Just tell them. If they know you they shouldn't think you are lazy or taking the easy way.

My surgeon is another who says we should be able to eat all foods. (except carbonated bevs, and I'm going to ask about that one next time I'm there). I get full on it faster and he doesn't want us snacking, but popcorn goes down fine! :cool2:

I agree. While money shouldn't be the only reason for choosing a surgeon, it is an important reason. There are doctors in the USA who do the surgery for under 10k. For my surgeon, an all inclusive package (including 1 year of fills) is 15K. There are organizations like "Care credit" who offer financing for medical procedures. Before you commit to 25K or so....shop around!

I guess it would depend on what drug is in the patch...

Hello and welcome! :drool:

it probably is an idiosyncratic reaction to the lorbtab. Dilated pupils can be a sign of lortab withdrawal but if you've only taken it a couple of days, that wouldn't apply...unless you're just sensitive to it! I think if those are your only symptoms, just get a good night's sleep and if still dilated tomorrow, call your doctor!

Actually opiods (like lortab) cause pinprick pupils, not dilated ones. They suppress the SNS and that is the system that causes dilation.

No eyedrops? No atropine? Any other meds? If you prefer you can PM me or email me jeffthurston55@gmail.com don't mean to be nosy but it SHOULD be a drug reaction, not to reglan or prevacid though

What drugs are you taking? Pain meds? anti-anxiety? anti-nausea?

Yes I've heard of it. Of course the pouch can stretch (stomach material is stretchy!) If it is, often deflating the band relaxes everything and the pouch (no longer stretched) can shrink substantially. It doesn't really work with our whole stomachs (you know like when you blow up a balloon and then let the air out? It's never really the same! elasticity reaches a point where it stops...) but the pouch, depending, usually relaxes back enough to do the trick.

It TOTALLY depends on what your surgeon gave you (or nutritionist) as a post op diet. Probably yes, but just follow your directions and you'll be fine!

You're still operating with a "diet" mentality! It's just food. I personally know "skinny" people who eat pizza, cupcakes, burgers...just occasionally, not daily! Like I said; don't feel guilty, it's just a waste. You'll have "splurges" from time to time. The band is for life, not for a while! You have to be able to cut loose sometimes. :drool:

Each surgeon is different. Mine had a strict "clear liquid only" during week one...which meant water and broth, essentially. Week 2 we could have full liquids (that's where the tomato soup came in; before that it was a no no) and then we advanced to mushies (but they had to go through a straw!) and so on. Like I said..I feel your pain, but just hang in there and do what YOUR doc approves. IE Lapbandtalker got to have milkshakes but they were NOT approved by my doc, especially for the 1st week or two. (and not because of calories, but because of digesting milk)

You're on solids now, right? pizza may not be a "diet" choice but it's a "human" one. Unless you're allergic to it or for some reason your doc still has you on mushies, you'll be fine! The "welt" is probably just a coincidence or a bug bite; just keep an eye on it! (treat it as you would a bug bite, assuming your surgical incisions are healing well as they should be at almost 3 months! ) :drool: Don't feel guilty!

What kind of welt? If you are sure it is related to your surgery, call your doc. Are you sure you don't just have a bug bite, or didn't scratch it or something?

Again, I'm with HeatherO. It is referred pain from the diaphragm which is moved around and really irritated during the surgery. That ties in with the "deep breathing". One week post op it isn't gas any more. (gas we generate from food etc doesnt' escape the stomach and intestines...it either goes out the mouth or out the other end. The gas they pump in to our abdominal cavity to make surgery easier is a different ball of wax; not treated by gas x because it isn't IN the stomach and intestines, it's outside there. THAT gas can discommode the diaphragm too and cause the pain; gas x won't touch it. If it does, it's coincidental!) Anyway it will abate as your diaphragm heals. It sends a nerve signal that causes your muscle to spasm. Having my husband rub my neck helped me because it released that cramped muscle. And...exercise but don't go full bore panting etc yet. That heavy breathing was when mine hurt the worst. Mine was gone in about 3 weeks; yours shouldn't last much longer than that. If it does,. check with your surgeon!

What HeatherO said! :thumbup: I vote hormones, mostly. And you may just lose hair regardless. I got plenty Protein and still lost some. My doc says it's really common, and whether you supplement or not it happens, and it stops within about 6 months. So panic or not :tt2: but it will probably fall out for a bit and the quit. He said best medical guess at this time links it to the trauma of surgery. ? I just know mine fell out starting at 3 months and quit at about 6. My long term beautician never could tell even though I thought I would end up looking like I had the mange!

Some doctors are more conservative in their approach to fills (some literature suggests aggressive fills can cause esophageal spasms and a host of other problems, although some surgeons DO aggressive fills). Just hang in there! It's a process. Use this time to practice. (chew well, small bites, no liquid with meals, whatever directions you were given)

Hang in there. Like you, I was NOT one of the lucky ones who "wasnt hungry" the first few weeks. I woke up in recovery ready for a steak and a baked potato! (I did NOT get it! LOL) It is VERY important now that you follow your doc's instructions so that you heal and your band heals properly in place. (digestion causes the stomach to move and can either mess you up now or set you up for slips/erosions etc later on) It will pass! You can do it! If you are really about to kill someone by Monday (or whenever your surgeon is open) call and ask if you can advance. We're all different and what's right for someone who may post here isn't necessarily right for you. (for example my doc didn't allow us Protein shakes during week one but your doc may approve them! Or you may be able to eat sugar free Jello etc) So hang in there, check with your doc, you aren't alone and it will be worth it!

Yes. You should tell your surgeon. In fact, we (my surgeon's patients) weren't to have ANY protein during week one. It is dangerous to eat "food" (no matter how thinned) early. Please call your doc, tell him/her what you've done so he can decide if you're probably ok or no, and take his direction. Don't feel bad; we all get hungry (or we wouldn't be here!) but you must follow the post op insttructions to ensure healing etc. (and guess what, most of us don't like the broth and protein shakes either. It's just for a short while! :thumbup: )

Do talk to your surgeon about your concerns; adhesions are a real side effect that become more likely with more surgeries. I will say I've had three (one to remove my gall bladder and 2 to place the band) all later in life and I don't have any adhesions, or at least none that give me symptoms. HOWEVER I will say I've done this: 1. tried to pick the BEST surgeon with the most experience in my procedure and 2. from recovery, tried to move and act normally. This is important; moving, bending, stretching (not vigorous weight lifting mind, but normal activity) can help keep the adhesions from forming. They won't prevent them 100% but can definitely help. That's why post op I always sleep in my bed from night one, I stand up straight to walk, etc. Plus I don't let myself get constipated etc (ask your surgeon) I want EVERYTHING working normally asap. This isn't to say that if I am in pain I grit my teeth and bear it but for me the more normally I act, the quicker I feel normal. And I know a LITTLE pain (like if it pulls a little when i would stretch) is ok and can prevent a bigger pain. Your surgeon can help you there, and if in doubt you can call them. There were times I asked my husband (who has been an RN for 25 years) "Is this ok? This hurts, is it normal?" So call your doc if you are unsure, but just move move move! :thumbup: Recovery for me really was easy, though; but I think it is about 99% because I was ecstatic to have the band and had a surgeon who was very good, and adept at removing the gas before closing me up.