RestlessMonkey

No great secret (although i don't ever mind PM's) just that when I FINALLY got restriction (it has been a LONG process for me) It has made a world of difference. It is just so easy to forget about food. I just realized my stomach was growling; no wonder since I ate dinner about 7 hours ago! LOL Now I'll just go to bed. I NEVER would've done that pre-restriction. It has truly been miraculous for me.

I think you need to call your doc. My doc was quite explicit about what we were to eat, and when...stressing slipping or worse could occur if we cheated. All docs are slightly different; only your doctor can decide if you need tests to see if you've damaged yourself or not.

Hi Becky! Babe this is something my doc addressed in the seminar; he said almost all his patients (bypass and band) lose hair somewhere from 3-6 months out, that the only one who ever needed a wig owned a wig shop (LOL) and that supplements (protein, multis, biotin) and other products (rogaine, nioxin) didn't really seem to help. He said that it seems to be related to the trauma of the surgery and that it always grows back. In fact while I could tell I lost hair my hairdresser (who's been my hairdresser for 20 years now) said it never seemed noticeably thin to her. I'm past all that now; just hang in there and you'll be past it too.

ANY time you have trouble breathing you need to tell your doctor. Seriously; even if you feel it improves sometimes. Call your doc.

I know any surgery can be scary, let alone your first. The first time I had surgery I was petrified. I hated hospitals; people DIE in hospitals! But it was also fascinating (the OR looked nothing like I had imagined! LOL) and I came through great. Modern anaesthesia is a wonderful thing, and with all the info they'll have on you (from tests tests and more tests) you're probably safer there than taking a walk in your neighborhood! :thumbdown: But, it's still scary. PB happens usually when a bite/bolus of food won't go through your stoma (hole caused by the band), either because the bite you took was too large, or because it wasn't well chewed, or because you are already full. It usually happens as you get restriction, not when the band is unfilled. Your esophagus wants the food GONE, not sitting there at the top of your stomach. If it won't GO DOWN, it comes back up. That usually is accompanied by coughing, "slime" (mucus your body produces to coat the offending object, making it slick and easily transported) and some bouts of just liquid coming up. (everyone is different, this is just generally) There is no stomach bile involved and so recovery is usually quick, relief (having food stuck isn't comfortable) is quick, and so on. No horrid aftertaste, no erosion of enamel. It isn't "good" in that it causes your band to contort as you contract to expel the food, but it isn't as drastic as vomiting. Hope that helps! :laugh:

Welcome and good luck! :thumbdown:

Nausea is common after surgery. Just follow your surgeon's instructions; if you are worried about it call back and ask that they phone you in an anti-nausea prescription now rather than tomorrow.

I hope your new provider even covers WLS and lap band in particular. Any way you can get the surgery done before the change?

Cleo's Mom...I know you had a horrific experience. I THINK I was even one of the posters who encouraged you to get a 2nd opinion! What happened to you shouldn't happen to a dog! BUT All surgeons don't treat their patients like your first one did. You know this, right? They don't all treat patients like they are stupid (and honestly some ARE kind of behind the ball! No one here, but it happens). You're just so unhappy; I hope things look up for you soon!

Respectfully, call your surgeon's office tomorrow; tell them you NEED A LETTER releasing you to work. Tell them if they want to put lifting restrictions in it that's fine because your job is a desk job (or whatever) Terll them if they can't just "do" one for you, that you MUST come in and be seen, because you don't have 3 weeks paid leave accrued. DO IT. They'll accommodate you. Sorry I can't help with the other.

May I suggest you try this? Try getting at least 64 oz of water each day for a few days and see if your issues number 1, 4 and 5 don't resolve? Get 4 16 oz bottles and drink one over say an hour, space them out, but get it in. By day 3 you shouldn't be having the "tight in the morning and noon" issues. I say this because I have a friend who posts on here who was really struggling with similar issues. I offhandedly asked my surgeon "Why is the band tight sometimes and not others" and he offhandedly answered "hydration. When you are hydrated things seem to to through more easily. When you aren't your band seems tight". I happily shared that with her; she was miserable and felt she couldn't eat most things part of the time, other times could eat too much, sliders went down too easy etc. She was quite unhappy with her band and experience at that point. She said it my info changed her band life. I am really good about drinking the water and do NOT have the "tight now not later" issues... Could be my surgeon is right? They are sometimes. Just try staying hydrated with water for a couple days and see if it helps you. It may not; that may not be causing your issue. But superficially you sound like a classic case. Don't GULP the water; think trickle hose not flood :smile2: Good luck!

Honestly...now that I have great restriction, it's easier to follow a plan. IF I eat protein dense foods like steak or baked chicken breast, I am literally full for HOURS. Truly. no physiologic hunger. I find that so liberating, that when I have a choice between something like the steak or white meat chicken, or say bean burritos, baked fish, enchiladas, chips? I pick the steak/chicken because I know it will 1. taste good and 2. fill me UP I get tired of being hungry. Doc has been adamant about NO SNACKS and now that I have my fill to a good level I find it is easy. I literally go HOURS without even thinking about food. And let me tell you if someone even 2 months ago had told me I'd be in that place today I would've ROFLMAO. But, it's true. Hopefully something similar will happen for you!

Literally half (or just over) of the almot 60 I've lost has happened since 5/7 when I FINALLY got filled to good restriction. Seriously; after the fill I made a decision to go "carb free" for a couple of days (re-did my preop diet) and I felt so darned good NOT being hungry that I've mostly just kept it up, unless we had company etc. You DO have to work with the band, I'll be the first to admit that. BUT it works WITH you if you give it a chance. Eat those protein dense foods like chicken breast and steak...give them a chance. Decide to go a couple days without any carbs except some green veggies...low fat...jump start your loss. Understand I am not advocating eating that way forever. But during the weight LOSS phase, it may help you not be so hungry and carb-seeking. Try it. You may just amaze yourself. I truly honest-to-God prefer now to eat the "right" stuff because then I am free from hunger for hours and hours. I find that liberating and wonderful.

You guys hang in there! You'll see!

I think odds are she took the .5 cc out exactly as she said. The odds of your scenario happening are not likely, and would of course be malpractice. Often as we get close to the green zone just a little makes a big difference. Make an appt with your surgeon to get some put back in.

I'm glad someone got it! LOL :w00t:

You're more likely to get good aftercare if you stay in the system...but other than that I can't really help you with your dilemma. Sorry!

I could take pills fine. If you are having a problem, I suggest you call your surgeon and tell the office you can't take the pain meds given.

Many surgeons don't like taking over someone else's patient. I do post this any time I see someone here considering going to Mexico or away from their "home" for surgery. Literally we SHOULD be able to figure out to ask; but when we're getting the band I think most of us are focused ON the band and don't have an idea/understanding about how very important follow up care is to success/health.

I've had the band just under a year, have pretty good restriction, and can "tolerate" anything. (I keep my band tight enough that I can eat about 1/2 cup of food and stay full for hours) As Cleo's Mom says, some prefer their bands to be so tight that they can barely keep their own saliva down; to me that just sounds like hell. I'm losing fine at this level; just at 33 pounds since May 7. What you'll be able to eat post band will depend largely on you; not only your physical make up (strong esophagus, for example?) but how you use and maintain your band.

Logically they have to be, as long as you adjust your purchases to suit your new appetite (as you get restriction)... If you can only eat 1/2 to 1/4 (or less) what you used to, you will only need to buy 1/2 to 1/4 as much food FOR YOU... It will definitely be cheaper than doing a "diet" like WW etc.

My doc began stressing this more as I got closer and closer to restriction. It started at...."Only liquids for the rest of the day" to "Liquids for two days, then mushies, and see how you do". My first 4 fills did NOTHING for me; I could've gone from the fill to Whataburger and chowed down and it wouldn't have mattered. LOL

I love my band. It does take work but I don't mind that. I would never have the courage to have a more invasive surgery (and all respect to you Headhunter; I think you are pretty darned fair considering your bad past experience!) and anything that cuts up, re-routes or removes part of our functioning innards is too invasive for me. I've lost just at 60; over half of that since I got restriction (FINALLY!) May 7. I'm sure some do get exasperated with the band because it is a process. Average loss is 50-60% of excess 3-5 years out...so that means some lose all their excess, some none. Do pick the option YOU think will work for you.

Our food budget has dropped to nothing. For example we had rib eye steaks and baked potatoes for supper yesterday. I will be having the rest of my steak tonight and tomorrow (fine with me; I LOVE IT!) My husband is just eating whatever (foraging). Our bill is literally 1/2 to 1/4 what it once was.

Chris this isn't strictly true; many of us DO eat less but the body doesn't absorb MORE caffeine because we only drink 1 cup than if we drank 2, and the food stays in our UPPER stomachs longer. Most digestion occurs in the intestines. Alcohol is not digested normally so some may think they can't drink as much but actually liquids (which is the form most of us get our alcohol IN! LOL) go through as fast as they ever did for those of us who aren't so tight that we can't swallow our own saliva. So I'm getting from my 1 cup of coffee in the AM essentially the same thing I WAS getting from it prebanding.