RestlessMonkey

My surgeon and his staff are my source of much of my information (they are GREAT!) and I did read 2 books on lap band surgery (plus internet searches, plus quizzing to death a couple of people who've had it! LOL) but my surgeon was and is my "go to" source for information, and to clear up any mis-information.

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Well it would totally depend on how restricted one is. Before a fill, most can eat fairly quickly if they choose. And even if restricted, it depends on what the food is. Some things slide on through, others must be chewed to death! My doc says we should finish our meal (regardless of portion) in 30 minutes. Chew well, small bites, but if we're still at it 30 minutes in, STOP (because you can graze and overeat)

ahb08...I am a strong proponent of everyone following his or her doc's post op diet pretty rigidly. I believe in question authority but eating ahead of time post op can be a major cause of slips and other issues. You're hungry just as you thought...you have a loose band around your stomach and that may provide a little restriction but not enough, in most of us, to count for much. You sound like you are recovering well and quickly (Good for you!) and so are hungry. Just hang in there with your post op diet. When you get solids you'll find that you really can't eat as much as pre-band (because there is a LITTLE restriction) but stretching the pouch isn't that large a concern because most food goes on through the stoma to the lower part of the stomach. However as you are restricted it becomes more important to watch your portions and LISTEN to your body. No more scarfing while watching tv (one of my old favorites LOL) because you may overeat and cause a PB or, over time, stretch your pouch. Drinking while you're eating, once restricted, can also cause the pouch to stretch (or so I've heard on here). So you being hungry is, oddly enough, a good sign. I can't feel my band either, and I'm doing really well now that I'm at the sweeet spot. So hang in there; give yourself a chance to get used to your new band, let your body heal, follow the post op diet, and you'll be another happy healthy bandster! :bored:

Just let me reiterate that I don't KNOW...I'm just puzzling it out and applying what I've learned from here, from my doc, from my reading. And yes I would never go to a doc one time and trust his/her judgment that way. I'd want tests etc too, as you would. I know that what is described CAN happen, but I'd want proof it happened to me. I was only trying to answer general questions about pouch stretching etc, not defending the new doc's position or anything like that. I don't have enough info to even BEGIN to do that! :bored: So yes you are right...there's never anything wrong with a 2nd opinion! :thumbup:

This is an educated guess, ok? I know the stomach is VERY elastic. VERY stretchy. So if one has restriction (and no leak) and the doctor KNOWS a person has restriction, and the doctor KNOWS how large the pouch was that he created when he placed the band, then if a person can eat more than he/she should, odds are the stretchy stomach has done just that...stretched. If you think of how small it is (like on the model in the doc's office) and then think you can eat 1 cup of food...it has to stretch a little (does that w/bypass patients, too!) Other things could cause a person to be able to overeat but they are more rare. For example if you overeat and fill your pouch and have food still sitting in the esophagus, most of us have spasms and "burp" the food back up. The esophagus usually doesn't want food sitting there; it's built to move it along. So it's kind of like following the clues...no leak, good restriction, but able to eat too much of non-slider foods leaves what? Pouch is now too big. It's not solid of course, not "eye witness" but all indicators would point to that.

If the pouch is stretched, usually the band is unfilled so that it is almost as if you don't have it...the hope is that over time (and no overeating) it will resume it's normal "smaller" shape without requiring the band to be removed altogether. This is more successful the earlier it's caught (the shorter time the pouch has been stretched out)

Plain...you haven't been around. A girl's got needs you know......

Yes, I think a LOT of band problems (not all, but a lot) can be avoided if we would go to the doctors when things first are wrong, instead of trying to wait them out! Good for you going; you'll do well I'm sure, able to eat more lean poultry/proteins etc. And my name is Jeff...I am female, just have a male name! (long story there!) anyway I'm glad you called your doc.

I'd think no, because of the sticky factor. But to be sure, call your doc or nutritionist tomorrow and ask.

LAL I think you really should make an appt w/your surgeon and ask these questions. I know 84 pounds is great but it's almost too much...especially if you PB every day. You MAY be hurting your band, you may be fine, you may just need to learn to chew better, you may be overfilled...so much that a doc should really address with you. Since I was told that we should expect 1-2 pounds a week I think you're going at top speed. As long as you aren't really losing muscle instead of fat (getting enough Protein? taking a good multi?) then I am not in a position to really say it's too fast! But if you have to vomit or PB to do it, then something's wrong, from my perspective. Call your doc and discuss this with him/her! And here's a link to a tutor for the ticker: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f5/ticker-tutorial-pictures-41782/

Yeah ... no milk is a biggie. (gas issues, I'd guess) I couldn't even have protein shakes until week 2. But, you get through it.

What specifically do your post op instructions say? If week 2 is still Clear Liquids then I'd stick with the drained chicken noodle (or drained vegetable, for example) but if they say full liquids or creamy liquids, then as long as you BLEND the cream of chicken so it's smooth (through a straw) you'll be good. THe enchiladas will need to wait but believe me they'll still taste good...as long as they are very mushy (no chicken or beef unless you really blend them!) I just want you to kick ass!

I like to use the answer a question (esp a dumb question) with a question. You'd be AMAZED at how well it works. "You could exercise and lose that!" "I could? You know this how?" "You had surgery? " "Haven't you ever had surgery?" You weren't that big!!! "How big was I then?" LOL just a tactic I've used throughout my life. Works like a charm.

HANG IN THERE you wild chickie you. You only have 5 more days! I drained chicken noodle Soup (well, strained it and gave the noodles to my husband) and had that. I also took split pea soup and blended the devil out of it (week 2) and had it. If you are on full liquids or "creamy" Soups you can do that. You'll make it; you've come too far now to fall over the line! For my mushies I ate refried Beans and cheese (OMG I thought I'd die) and some cheese enchiladas mashed to mush....things like that. Mashed potatoes. I blended spaghetti and soups and had them (not together LOL) I got a little mini food processor in a stunning pink and used it to mash up lots of things.

YES go to your doc ASAP! You'll get dehydrated. You should NEVER EVER be unable to drink. That is dangerous for you...so not the point of the band. If they make you feel rushed, well, P on them if you get my drift.

YES! As you get restriction it becomes imperative that you take small bites and chew them well. If you do this, and STOP eating before you get to that "uh oh" stage (for me I get an "ok, one more bite and it's coming back up" feeling) you won't PB. Sliming goes along with PB'ing. PB happens when you are overfull or have eaten too quickly or too large a bite. SOME people PB when they try new foods. That doesn't happen to everyone though. So the caveat is it MAY happen to you a little when you try new things; but if that's true you can wait a few months and re-try them. Personally I've only had it happen when I "forgot" and ate too large a bite or didn't chew well (you learn REALLY fast from that! LOL) or if I forget and drink something while I'm eating (OUCH!) some lucky cautious souls never PB, some only do it a little and quickly learn, some prefer to be so tight that it is almost a (dangerous) way of life. You'll have more control over it than you realize.

Can't see mine either. I asked for a low profile port and my beloved tactful surgeon cleared his throat and said "Jeff, you need to realize that sometimes finding the port is a challenge for us surgeons when we try to do fills. When you've lost enough for it to be an issue I will GLADLY put in a low profile port for you. It will be my pleasure" LOL So maybe as you lose...but for most of us, not an issue.

I think you probably know best...if you want to get an unfill, do it. I usually have to BEG my doc for more, not get him to hold back! but either way, we have a say; the band is OURS bought and paid for. If you think it's too tight, it is.

There is no way on God's green earth (as my mother would've said) that I would let them cut up and sew closed my stomach, leaving it inside to produce acid in a closed system, and to cut out part of my small intestines and reroute them. Period. I know it works miracles for some people. I was fat but healthy; I just couldn't see my way clear to letting someone do that to me. I want something I have some control over (fill level) and can remove if needed. I'm almost 1 year out and love my band, have no issues, and would fight tooth and nail to keep it. Respectfully, (and I know there are bypassers on here I respect and wouldn't want to offend) my husband worked as an RN in a GI lab for years and a large portion of the patients were bypass patients...stomach issues, etc. I know the band can cause GERD and acid reflux so I don't want to pretend it is worry free...but what he saw were bypass patients. NOT band patients. HOWEVER....the lap band is not for everyone, just as bypass was not for me but helps many many people regain health and vitality. I suggest reading reading reading, going to a seminar or two or three, really looking at yourself and how you eat and what you need, and then deciding. Fortunately, there are several viable options out there.

My doc...it was totally to shrink the liver. Period. He wasn't really worried about "jump start the weight loss" because post op he feels is for healing, and many of his patients don't even really start to lose until 6 months out. See, they ARE all different! Mine was 3 weeks long but that is longer than usual; I was very obese and had a very large (not diseased thank God but I'm sure it would've been eventually) liver. Many of his patients have 2 weeks. I personally wouldn't do one unless your doc requires it, but then honestly I don't think a person can "get used" to torture, you just bear it. Going without food isn't something I think we ever really adapt to. Just my opinion. For example if i were, a la Paris Hilton, going to have to go to jail for a week, I wouldn't practice never leaving the house to get ready for it! LOL However, we all get to tweak it whatever way works for us!

did you ask the place that TOLD you it was stretched? can you go back to your doc and get a barium swallow (or whatever will show the size of the pouch) I've heard you can mostly shrink it back but would think you need medical guidance to do it and know it happens, if you get my drift.

My experience is much like "Makulafamy" in that I get a feeling of "ok one more bite will be over the top" and this happens amazingly soon. I have good restriction but can eat anything, that was my doc's goal (and mine) I didn't want the band to be punitive or to restrict me. I want to be in control. The band just helps with portions. I ate 2 oz of rib eye steak last night and was done. Full. For over 6 hours. There are some softer foods I can eat more of, and i do occasionally. Largely though I prefer to just eat steak or chicken, something that fills me up and keeps me full so that I don't think about food for hours. We're all different (I'm sure you hear that a lot but it's true! For example I CAN eat bread but I am at the sweet spot; some can't) but you will know. And as to slipping/erosion...if you are following your docs orders you're most likely ok. My doc told me cheating on the post op diet (eating too soon) is a major cause of slippage. Erosion, I don't think they know. YOU will know if something like that goes wrong though, as you learn to listen to and understand your new stomach configuration. Just trust in the process, check with your doc if you have an odd pain or other concerns, and hang in there!

I think for me the ONLY thing I didn't expect was how long it would take me to get restriction. My doc is rather conservative and I have a large band. Once the realization hit I adjusted and dealt with it, but for a while I was fretting that I was failing or something. Depending on your surgeon and his/her fill schedule, it may take you 6 months (or longer) post op to really get restricted and lose well without dieting. If that's the case you may diet or not as you see fit (I didn't want to for many reasons) but hang in there because once you are properly restricted (what they call here "the sweet spot" or what my doc calls "the green zone") you'll realize it was all worth it. So not knowing this wasn't fatal for me but it would've been nice if I'd realized it.

I agree. And I think sometimes Protein is like sunblock...there comes a point when the high numbers are pretty moot! LOL I don't know that our bodies really need huge dumps of protein at a time. My doc recommends 60g a day and that, for me, is do-able. More and I'd be chasing it all day. Good luck to you!