RestlessMonkey

I've only heard of a six month waiting period in conjunction with diet and exercise...documented by a physician. I'd call tomorrow and get clear info on why the waiting period and what's expected during that time. Did you go to a seminar? They have lots of great info.

I think you should call the doc. You're just 2 weeks post op...probably you're ok but it's really safer to just ask! He gets a LOT of money...I'm sure he and the staff won't mind at all! :thumbup:

I was told 1-2 pounds a week and that's what I'm losing, now that I have restriction.

If I were you I'd just CALL my surgeon. Depending on placement of your port, port pain shouldn't signify a slip. I'm no doc however and even if I were, I'd suggest you contact your surgeon. Your surgeon knows your case and should be able to tell you what to do.

Whatever isn't an insurance requirement, you'd need to ask the surgeons (both at Day One and Loyola) what their rationale is. There's nothing wrong with asking; I never have a test done unless I know the "why" of it.

Now that I am on food...if I have a shake, it must replace a meal. Nothing with calories in between. And like I say, I do better that way...but I think it has to do with blood sugar and insulin.

Funny the different advice we get. My surgeon is adamant that I DO NOT SNACK and have only 3 meals a day, protein first. And honestly when I do what he says I lose better and feel better. I think this just reconfirms how very different we all are! :mad2: I'm glad you got information to help you!

Call your doc now! Don't wait. It may be nothing, it may be something...it may be something that requires quick treatment. Your doctor will NOT mind a phone call about this! If you were fine and then had pain 5 days after the surgery, that warrants a physician's attention.

I know you're impatient but if you have diabetes it can impact your recovery, so they need to know about it. The abdominal ultrasound is something I did, it's no big deal...Hang in there!

I wasn't that sore. And honestly I'd think trying to use tongs etc would be worse than just "doing it". It is GOOD for you to bend a move a little (not do aerobics or something, but move) because that way internally you're less likely to get adhesions. You'll have pain meds at home...

I have a scale at home. I weigh whenever, actually...usually Thursday is my weigh day but it's no big deal. Oddly now that I have the band I'm not worried about it any more. I'm not dieting, I'm just living. I've "said" that before but now it's really true...and I know that if it isn't down today, it will go down tomorrow or the next. It is a wonderful feeling.

I agree with the stuff for your lips (but I use softlips, not chapstick LOL) And I love t-shirts and used those. And the pillow. You might want to see if you can get your pain med prescription today and get it filled now. And shoes that are easy off/easy on so you don't have to bend and tie them. Gas X is for gas and some people swear by it but I think honestly that's a placebo effect. The gas pain is from gas pumped into your abdominal cavity to "spread" out your organs and make surgery easier. Gas X doesn't even begin to touch that type of gas. Most surgeons try to remove as much of it as they can before closing you up so you may or may not have much discomfort from it. I didn't. I was sore from surgery but not too bad. Good luck!

If you can't get water down, call your doc asap. You don't want to get dehydrated. He can do a slight unfill....that's WAY better than you ending up in an emergency department later in the week.

My surgeon has his patients promise to not get pregnant for a year post band ... he feels it's dangerous. It doesn't pertain to me but I think why get the band to get pregnant right away...have the baby THEN get the band...or have the band, lose and get healthy and THEN have the baby! :biggrin: You don't want to lose while trying to grow a little one! The band won't stop you from having a healthy baby. As to the skin....Odds are if you lose a lot of weight there's going to be skin. Whether you have bypass, the band, sleeve, do weight watchers, get stranded on a desert island, whatever...you remove the fat, the skin will sag. How badly depends on many many factors including your age, how long you've been fat, your skin type, your nutritional status, etc etc. Skin is an organ so people who work out to tighten it are misinformed...the muscle UNDER the skin tones up, but the skin will do what it will do. For many young otherwise healthy people, it's almost a non-issue. For someone like me who weighed 400 and is 54, I'm facing plastic surgery. But it's better to be saggy than fat. Hands down.

I'd say that you will need to avoid boiled chicken for a while, if you're sure you chewed well, had small bites, didn't drink with the meal, and so on. Its not uncommon ... you just had a fill. Now that you've vomited your stomach and esophagus are probably irritated and I think most docs recommend just drinking fluids for a day, then back to mushies and soft food, and advance as tolerated. Try the chicken (it is a problem for some) again in a few months!

I don't have any idea if your band has slipped but if you are throwing up after every meal and feeling pain each time you need to call your doc.

I just about NEVER go against a professional's advice...that's what we pay them for. They study a lot to get that degree. And I'm sure the Nutritionist told you that caffeine can cause ulcers. It probably can...but it is very very very rare. Most ulcers are caused either by a bacteria (H. pylorii) or by excess stomach acid over time. Caffeine CAN stimulate the stomach to produce more acid (so can lemonade, for that matter...or orange juice) but from what I've read, the evidence does not point to caffeine causing ulcers. Having said that, if it irritates your stomach, avoid it! You may be one of the people it DOES impact negatively. In fact, caffeine can actually be good for you and right now they are doing further studies because people who drink a lot of it...like 6-8 cups of coffee a day, are less likely to develop diabetes type II. So don't go against your doc's advice...or at least, find out the reasoning and then see if it applies to you. I've been drinking unsweetened iced tea since I was about 4 (50 years now) and don't have an ulcer yet. My dad drank at least 2 pots of black coffee a day and never had a digestive issue...that's anecdotal of course and not scientific. My point is, within reason, do what works for you. Since my doc said to avoid caffeine because it is an appetite stimulant, and because it does not stimulate my appetite (one of the few things, apparently, that doesn't LOL) then I drink my unsweetened tea, and my 1 cup of coffee each day. HOWEVER! I make sure I get at least 64 oz of plain water too. Dolphanatic...I think decaf coffee MAY have more acid than the real stuff...? Check it out. I would hate to think of you having Decaf to avoid an ulcer and ending up with one because of the extra acid! Again..I'm not a pro here, just another consumer. You'll of course do what you know is right and I don't mean to be an enabler! :biggrin: Here's a link to a study published in JAMA: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/246/3/248

It won't hurt you to go without the full amount for a week or two. As you heal you'll be able to fit it in more easily. Until then, just relax and do the best you can. The stress over it is probably harming you more than the lack of 40 g of protein each day!

Caffeine isn't bad for the band. For some, caffeine is an appetite stimulant (for others, it's a suppressant, and it's been in OTC diet pills for years) If it doesn't stimulate your appetite, it's fine to have. Carbonation doesn't hurt the band, but it can bother your pouch and stomach. It hurts me when I drink carbonated beverages. It's best to avoid carbonation, or to at least let it go flat first. We don't need the internal "expansion".

Hello and welcome!

Just hang in there. As my doc says, we are re-learning how to eat. It takes a while. I've found that if I drink while I eat it hurts like the devil, if I have the hiccups they hurt a little, and that if I get that "swallowed a golf ball and it won't go down" feeling, having my husband hit me (open handed) on the back between my shoulder blades often dislodges it and I feel better immediately. There's a learning curve to it! And I did want to reiterate (if you actually LIKE grits shudder LOL) try them again in a few months. My doc says often a food won't sit well initially but if we give ourselves time to adapt to our new situation, that they can be successfully reintroduced later. So if you love grits, you may very well be able to eat them on down the line.

Good luck! :biggrin: Remember to line up after care locally or plan to travel back to your operating surgeon frequently during the first year...aftercare is as important as the band itself (something I've learned by having the band; didn't really know that before. I was so focused on getting it, didn't really think about HAVING it! )

Vomiting is true vomiting from your "lower" stomach. It has stomach acid. PB is more like a baby spitting up...no acid, just mucous and the offender. It happens because your esophagus spasms. When food sits at the opening of the stomach and won't go in, it has to go somewhere, so it comes back out. That's PB and it stands for Productive Burp. Slime just refers to the copious amount of mucous produced when something is stuck. Usually if you PB it means you ate too fast, didn't chew well, or are over full. I'd avoid grits for a few months, if I were you. If you have a bad session of being stuck, most recommend going back to liquids for a few hours to a day to give your stomach a chance to settle back down. Good luck!

Check out Dr. Kirschenbaum in Aurora Co. I have absolutely no personal experience with him but from reading these boards encountered his name frequently. He WAS doing the surgery for under 10K. I don't know if he's good or any of that, so you'll need to check it out thoroughly. You might also try google...googling "Lap band surgery for 11,000" etc

Essentially no it won't happen. You will find an occasional person who thinks it has but usually there is some other issue...ie they don't really have that much fill, or they have a leak, or some such. If you think about it logically, there's only so much room in there. Once they place that band around your stomach and tighten it, the hole gets small. You get restriction. Allowing for various swallow strengths and eating styles and stomach configurations, you will alway eventually get restriction with the band (realize or lap band) So don't worry.