RestlessMonkey

Until you have good restriction, there really isn't much of a pouch, so nothing much to stretch. Once the band is tightened and the "stoma" is small, then yes. You may "pouch pack" and stretch it but you have to work at it and abuse it over time. The stomach is sturdy stuff.

OMG! Good advice for those who "self-fill" :redface:

What IS your preop diet? That will inform what food you should take/have.

Pardon me while I ROFLMAO. Ok, no, she is nuts or at the least misinformed. Exploding bands are not a concern. :redface: Ok back to ROFLMAO.

Don't worry; it's the initial weight that will matter. You'll be fine.

I know that you aren't SUPPOSED to be full. You are supposed to be "satisfied". Big Difference. If you can eat a subway you probably can use more restriction. Pouches do stretch but not usually before you're well restricted. Just watch your portions, chew well, and quit when satisfied, not full. See if 3/4 of the 6" subway will do you next time, for example. Personally I can't eat "beyond" full now that I have good restriction. In fact that's my signal to stop. I'll be eating along and burp a time or two and then realize "Ok chickie, one more bite and it's coming back!" and I stop. That's usually at about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food. After I got the band but before I hit my sweet spot? I could eat a chick fil a and a regular fries...for example. (hate subway so can't compare there) In fact my last fill I told the doc "I can eat a hot dog w/bun; that's too much" He agreed. Now I can eat about 1/2 to 3/4 of a hot dog/bun. Much better Watch it, hang in there, and let your surgeon know how much you can eat until "satisfied"...that can help him/her gage how much to fill you. OH and one other thing...I can eat all the bread but usually I just do Protein and a veggie...2 oz of steak will fill me up and last, and I lose well that way. I find I'm choosing things that have more "bang for the buck" if that makes sense! Your pouch should be fine!

What type band do you have if you don't mind? Just curious (monkeys are, you know! LOL) since I haven't until your post even heard of a band that holds 15 cc's... great loss, by the way!

My surgeon covered this in his preop seminar. I'll paraphrase here: Almost ALL my patients will start to lose hair, and lose hair, from about 3 to about 6 months post op. supplements like Protein or Biotin don't seem to effect it. NO ONE but a lady who owned a wig shop has "needed" a wig or toupee, and EVERYONE has had it grow back. It seems to be related to the trauma of surgery, as best we can tell. So don't let it bother you, buy pricey supplements if you think they'll make you feel better, and wait it out. It will pass. I could tell I was losing hair but my hairdresser (who is GREAT and been doing my hair 20 years) said it never got thinner where she could even tell. At almost 1 year out I'm back to "normal" anyway. So...hang in there. It will pass.

I didn't need Gas X...and they don't help at all with the pumped in gas that surgeons use to make the surgery easier. (And a GOOD surgeon can remove most of that; mine did) Gas X (simethecone) just breaks gas up so you can burp it out, and I had NO trouble burping! LOL but it helps some people. However I'd check with the doc to see if s/he recommends it first.

My surgeon is very skilled and yes, can do bypass reversals. The sleeve isn't because the stomach is removed...but bypass can largely be reversed if you have a great surgeon both times. You wouldn't GET it thinking you could just have it reversed, but in some instances it can be. If you aren't comfortable having part of your stomach removed then the sleeve isn't for you, no matter what anyone else may say to you. I don't know who's been confronting you but perhaps you could tell them to take a flying leap? LOL Ok maybe not...There's always someone somewhere who can tell you what you SHOULD do or what would've been better. I would just ignore them, personally.

Good! Since the 4th is coming up you don't want to end up in the ER! Your surgeon's office won't mind you calling and telling them what's up with you...better safe than sorry. :redface: You're learning a whole new way of eating; it's a process. Good luck!

I LOVE my band. I would duel to the death to keep it. I've never EVER had a moment's doubt about it. Loss was very slow for me at first because my doc is very conservative with fills but STILL worth every cent. I can eat any food I want. If I make good choices (like something Protein dense like chicken breast or steak) I stay FULL for a good 6 hours. Miraculous. Weight is coming off nicely now. I wouldn't trade my band for a million dollars. If you have specific fears, post and they can be addressed. The major change it has made in my life is this: I am in control now. not my cravings. ME. I think it is wonderful.

After your bad incident, did you go on liquids only for 24 hours or so? I've read that is often recommended (didn't get it from my doc though, just anecdotal here) Either way, if even water is hurting or causing pain then you may have, at least, irritated your esophagus. Call your doc and get some guidance; they may want you to come in, or just do liquids and then slowly progress back up to regular food again. Best if a pro makes the call! :redface:

Contact your surgeon about this!

Actually I've been camping in the Gila (Arizona) in the snow and that was groovy. Heartfire I'll go camping with you if you promise to smash any bugs that even THINK about looking at me, ok? (Benefit of camping in snow...no bugs)

EVERY person is different. You may "mourn" food, you may not. (I have NOT. I've been so glad to finally be free !!! and thanks to my great surgeon and the education he's given me, I can still eat anything I want. ANYTHING. so there's nothing to mourn) You may still feel fat as you lose, you may not. You may be frightened as you get smaller, you may feel empowered. IF you encounter emotions or issues that are bothersome, some therapy can help you. You may not. Our reasons for obesity, our personalities, body types, are all so different. Just trust yourself, get help if you need it, and get ready to get healthier!

Try reading the customer reviews. They are very useful.

I lost a pound a day on the preop diet my surgeon gave me. You may not lose 30 pounds but you'll lose a good deal. Just follow the guidelines. If your doc thinks you can do it, odds are he's had patients who have "done" it. AND if your doc gives you a diet, USE IT. Not something you liked from the past, or something someone says "worked for them". Just follow your doc's orders and you'll get through it!

They won't cancel your surgery because you lost some weight on the preop diet if you already qualified for the band. Don't worry!

I have a lap band and love it. Period. But they both work. Pick whichever one you want! If you don't know, pick the one your surgeon uses most.

Actually if it were me I'd go to another surgeon. Bypass is one thing but for the band follow up care is absolutely VITAL to the success of the band. Unless you want a couple of years of this mess I'd find someone else. Good luck!

Go back and see your surgeon,. You need some medical advice pronto. You probably need a fill but your surgeon should be the one to figure that out for you.

Don't have them on hand. Seriously...no one NEEDS sweets (not even those grandkids. I bet they'd rather have a healthy grandmaw than candy). If you don't have them you don't eat them. You probably need another fill, too. You might discuss this with your surgeon. 2 cc's doesn't mean good restriction for many people. Good luck!

My only caveat is this...for many people, unless you are of the lucky few who get restriction easily and quickly, unless you diet in the early days post op you won't lose. I didn't really start losing until May of this year and I got my band last August. HOWEVER!!! It took me that long to get decent restriction and many don't require that many fills, or will diet and "white knuckle" it until the restriction happens. Diet = crazy food obsessed Restless Monkey. Dieting got me to 405 pounds, so I don't do it. So aftercare is vital, it is a tool and you have to maintain it and work it, but if you do that the dividends are almost miraculous, IMHO. I go literally for 6 hours and don't think of food...that never happened to me before. I love it, but it's not for everyone. You'll figure out if it's right for you. Good luck!

Welcome and good luck!