RestlessMonkey

Mrs. Bubba I hope it's something that I can describe but NEVER experience. The thought of going around urking my food 3-4 times a day leaves me cold. My doc says if I feel that way it's a good indicator I won't have to. I hope he's right! My motto is "NO PB" LOL

I can tell you guys what's wrong with it if you want to know. When you eat ANY food (and it can be soft fish, or Beans, or whatever) your stomach CHURNS like a little washing machine to aid in digestion. We all do it; we don't feel it (just another miracle of our bodies). But all digestion isn't acid and enzymes...it's also that motion churning what's called "chyme" and preparing it to move on through. The stomach does not "recognize" Clear Liquids and broths and many other drinks as food. Ergo, it doesn't churn when you drink a cup of chicken broth. Now do you see the problem? During surgery your surgeon will pull your stomach up (or down) over the band and stitch it into place. Until that has healed, you risk tearing your sutures. You MAY feel pain now or you may not feel it until you are well down the road. If it doesn't heal properly, you can be PB'ing in 6 months and BAM get slippage, pain, face another surgery. You will think "Why did this happen to me?" It will be because you ate tilapia way too early, and your stomach did it's thing like it is meant to do, and in so doing, tore loose some of the sutures holding your band in place. I know most docs don't make this clear...it's partly that they expect us to do what they tell us. They overestimate us sometimes! But this is for your good...not to get you "used to starving" or any such foolishness. Just to let the band settle in to place and heal properly.

Another thing to have...Adult Liquid Tylenol. You most likely won't want or need heavy duty pain killers all the time (and remember codeine can constipate you! So watch that!)

WARNING ABOUT HEATING PADS! Check with your surgeon. There are types of internal stitches some surgeons use that dissolve with body heat. You heat things up with a heating pad and MAY actually dissolve your stitches before it's time. So check first! As to things to have....lip balm. Even if you NEVER have chapped lips, your lips will be dry after the surgery!

You've only had the band for a month! The first 6 weeks or so are for healing, not weight loss. You will lose once you get fills! Give yourself a break, here! You'll (probably) have the band the rest of your life. You need to let your body heal and the band settle in place properly before you start worrying again about losing.

I hope to NOT weigh mine. If I wanted to weigh and count I'd still be doing WW, honestly! The thought of forever having to count each cracker out or put back 1/2 ounce of chicken left me bored and exasperated. HOWEVER if I find i'm not losing then checking portions is a great idea, and useful to rope me back in. I agree weighing is the best way; and often you get MORE when you weigh it than if you just use a measuring cup. The have inexpensive electronic scales at amazon and I'm sure you can find them locally at places like Target or Wal-mart. GinaJ you've lost a LOT of weight, though...are you sure you have a "problem"? Looks to me like you have things going your way!

I think you need to really check with your surgeon. I know that they often don't want people with sleep apnea to use their C-pap machines because of the pressure of the oxygen....your doc can tell you how long to wait before it's safe. He can even give you a note if that will help you!

Luckytolose...I feel real empathy for you! Bless your heart. Call your surgeon tomorrow. They should have some tips for you! You've had your band almost 3 months now and if your PB'ing has been mostly within that last 6 weeks of the 12 weeks (make sense?) I'm sure you haven't caused your band to slip. It should stand up to some of that ... it kind of goes with the territory! So don't worry about that part, but do call your surgeon. You need to be able to get nutrition and I'm sure you didn't sign up to drink nasty Protein shakes the rest of your life! Until tomorrow though, go back to clear liquids and let your tummy calm down, ok? And MissBubba: PB means "productive burp" which is what many bandsters call it when you swallow something that gets stuck and for whatever reason (fullness, too large, whatever) doesn't go on through the top tummy, stoma (hole created by band) into the larger lower tummy portion. When it sits there it can't go down and so comes back up. Very uncomfortable.... your esophagus spasms, you produce lots of thick mucous they call "slime" and out comes the food.

yes! scrub it well (it'll hurt but bite your tongue and do it) with a good antibacterial soap like dial, then put neosporin or bacitracin on it and cover it with a large bandaid or some gauze and tape. Check it again tomorrow morning and if it is still oozing, call your doc. That yellow could be the start of an infection but if you aren't warm etc you can catch it now! Good for you!

Ed, I think you are right, your info may be dated. The lap band is a very successful weight loss surgery and I can recommend a book or two (available from Amazon and most likely your local barnes and noble or borders store).... I got my band 8/29 and never had a moment's nausea or vomiting. HOWEVER (caveat) the point of the band is to FORCE Portion Control by restricting how quickly one can eat and how much one can eat. If you try to sit down with a plate of fried chicken or a big juicy steak and chow down like the "old days" (just naming 2 favorite foods of mine here) you are going, once your band is tightened, to be one very unhappy camper. food that can't go through your "stoma" (the small opening to your stomach that is formed by the placement and tightening of the band) will get "stuck". If it can't go on down, it goes back up! That is unpleasant because it involves esophageal spasming, gouts and bunches of thick mucous affectionately called "slime", and an enraged stomach. No bile or acid comes up so it isn't really normal "vomiting" but it is still mighty unpleasant. You can begin to see that, most times, this is caused by user error....if you don't chew at least 30 times before swallowing, if you take too large a bite, or if you are full but keep eating, BAM! up it comes. The big plus of the band, of course, is that you CAN eat steak (especially once you've lost your excess weight) and be full and happy (and healthy) with a much smaller portion that what used to satisfy you. Some people prefer their band super tight and so will be prone to PB and Slime (PB means "productive burp, by the way) Others, like me, will prefer to follow the rules, use a little will power, listen to the old body, and hope to avoid EVER doing that PB thing. Not all vomit, slime, PB. Just some. As to having it removed? Maybe in the early days. Bands are more kindly devices now. They slip less and rarely erode, but the first ones were larger and more rigid and had more concommitant problems. If you (god forbid) get a disease and need "more" nutrition, the band can be loosened (unfill, they call it) and in rare instances where you develop an autoimmune disorder of some sort, the band can be removed. (try that with another bariatric surgery!) Aside from any surgery being risky, the band requires one to change eating habits. (no drinking with meals; it washes food through and negates the positive effects of the band) No carbonated beverages ever (champagne, soda, beer, tonic water) because the gas they cause is misery and can in extremes do damage. If you eat out of boredom etc the band can't stop that; it only curbs true physiologic hunger. The "head" hunger is in your boat. So you can see it may be an effective tool for one to use to lose weight. I liken it to a hammer; it won't build the house unless you pick it up and use it. But for driving a nail, it's very very useful to have it!

Wow I am really glad I don't have ANY restriction yet! I'd be scared, too! Are you chewing well, small bites, and not drinking with your meals per your surgeons orders? If you are, I think you need to call the office and go in...they "may" have filled you some during surgery and it may be too much! If you chewed too fast or whatever, just try to learn from the "mistake" and don't do it any more. Either way, I think if you go back to Clear Liquids for 24-48 hours and give your inflamed esophagus and tummy a chance to settle down, you SHOULD be ok. But if you are following all the rules and still PB'ing and never had a fill, call your doc tomorrow, ok?

lea2015 They make tylenol for adults, too and it should be safe for you to take the dose recommended on the label, if you need it. If you can't find it just ask your pharmacist! :embaressed_smile:

this should help: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f5/ticker-tutorial-pictures-41782/

While on the surface it may seem shortsighted for the insurance company to try to stall and even deny any patient who is obese and needs surgery, but always with an eye to cost, many employers will frequently switch insurance companies to maximize the coverage at a cheaper rate. So a person may have Aetna for 2 years, then Blue Cross Blue Shield for a year, then on to someone new. So Aetna could feasibly be out a chunk of money to pay for surgery, and then the person get switched to a new insurance company and Aetna get no "benefit" in insuring a healthier individual. Confusing, isn't it?

Insurance is a private consumer-driven industry over here. It is often a benefit provided by employers to their employees who pay only a portion (or rarely, nothing) for the benefit. Most employers want to maximize coverage and minimize cost. Insurance companies are in business for the money...so many of them will require prerequisites before the surgery can be performed. Some require a 6-month supervised diet and occasionally a person decides to continue on that path rather than get the band. There are other clearances various insurance companies may require (exercising for 3-months, various post op tests, etc) Because the policies are underwritten by different companies, and because employers can often modify policies to suit (ie some exclude bariatric surgery, or psychiatric treatments for example) what a policy covers is often confusing and obfuscated. That's why 6 people across the USA may have, say "Aetna" and have 6 totally different policies. Then we have our government funded coverage for the disabled (medicaid) and the elderly (medicare), and coverage for active duty and retired military .... so you can see why we all have a different tale to tell.

I apologize for picking on your mom! I shouldn't jump to conclusions. :embaressed_smile: But just don't go be around them, they are so toxic, you don't have to submit just because they are family. Shame on them!

Re the Beneprotein...it only has 6gm per scoop of protein...and unless you use multi scoops that isn't very rich. I have K20 water mix ins that are 30 cal and have 5 gms of protein and 5 gm of fiber....Might be good for a little tyke but I think we are supposed to get 60 or more a day. Of course, if you use it as a supplement instead of a replacement, that should work! :embaressed_smile:

I agree with the other posters I will gladly answer any questions I can but don't feel like we should be "band salesmen" It is personal decision that does carry some risk (but then, so does doing nothing) This site is a good source of info, attending a seminar by a good surgeon is another. I can also recommend a couple of books if you want to pursue that route. Good luck to you, whatever you decide!

Your profile doesn't say how old you are. If you are an adult living on your own, just don't go. Be too busy. Whatever. No need to "go off on them" because clearly that just feeds their negative opinion. Stay away. IMHO your mom let them treat you like this when you were younger so they all think it's ok. You need to stand up for yourself since your mother never did....(it's not her fault but IMHO she shares fault if she let them treat a child like they treat you now) Just say No thank you.

I can tell you the epiphany I had that led me to quit feeling that way. I felt getting the band would be "cheating" in some way...that I SHOULD be able to find a good "diet" and stick with it. Then one morning a few months ago it occured to me...that If I needed a pacemaker for my heart, I would NOT say "NO that's cheating. Not everyone needs a pacemaker for his or her heart, so I shouldn't either" I WOULD say "OK let's move let's get it let's save my life!" Well....I think of the band as a pacemaker for my appetite. Not everyone needs or wants one, not everyone who needs one has the courage to get one. But I did. Sounds like you want to save your life, too.

Even people who "NEVER" swallow their gum can accidentally swallow it. Once you have restriction, swallowed gum can mean a trip to the ER and surgery. Most (not all of course...they don't ALL agree on anything LOL) surgeons tell their patients to just forgo gum because that 1 slip up can mean a world of hurt.

Welcome! You did great quitting smoking. I liked the Eas Carb Control AdvantEDGE shakes...well, as much as you CAN like a protein shake, anyway! Good luck on your surgery!

Midwestchickie, are you sleeping good? Take a nap or two if you want. You have done marvelously and you will make it. Maybe your body is just realizing you aren't going to give it what it's used to...? I don't remember hitting a wall at day 7 (all told my preop diet lasted 5 1/2 weeks) but I had good days and bad days. Eventually my body actually got used to eating only 600 cal a day and I was feeling pretty good! It won't be long now!

Ok once you have that RMR test will you post and tell me what they did to achieve it? I know you can calculate it with weight, age, height, sex, and activity level (and in face I have several bookmarked places that do just that) but as to a test? Did NOT know they did that. How cool! Don't forget to post, will you? or private message me? And...GOOD LUCK! It is so exciting! :thumbup:

Then I'm at a loss. Glad you aren't diabetic and your BP is ok...but at a loss. How much protein are you getting? Have you always gotten dizzy if you skip a meal, for example? Things that can make you dizzy are low blood pressure, low blood sugar, certain drugs, inadequate oxygenation, inadequate hydration, or something wrong with your inner ear (like motion sickness)...or sometimes people have vertigo but that's still an ear thing. Does any of that fit you? If you're getting 60 or more grams of protein a day and are adequately hydrated, beats me. Is it just when you get up? (from bed, or from sitting?) if so, that could be orthostatic hypotension and until you see your doc, I'd just tell you to stand slowly and carefully...put feet on floor and give yourself a chance to "gather" if that makes sense. Any of that seem to fit?