2muchfun

I agree with PJ. Most all of us went through this phase. It's called Bandster Hell and it will last till you get the fill that gives you enough restriction to feel satiety. Till then it's a diet.

Joanne, did you get a second opinion? Your pouch is just an extension of your stomach and it seems that if one goes on a liquid or mushie diet, the dilation would shrink? Or, is it your esophagus that is dilated? tmf

Can you eat creamy soups or soups with soft veggies? What foods are causing the problem?

One week should be more than enough so two is just icing on the cake. Be careful though, I had mine on 11/28/11 and the Holidays are extremely difficult to maneuver around all those tasty foods. Work is always good to get away from food?

You should speak to your doctor. Water should not hurt anything. BTW-Most all of us got extremely hungry till we got that one fill that helped with satiety.

Each doctor has their own regimen they want us to follow and for most of us it's similar to yours. It's difficult I know, but it will get easier.

Refried beans sprinkled with a little Queso Fresco. I make the refried beans myself and it was so needed during the post op phase. Canned refried works too but it's so easy to make on your own.

For many people there's a fine line between maintaining a low BMI and we who struggle keeping a BMI within obese territory. I heard the comments before the band too. I didn't need the band? Huh? So many people do not understand that we all have different metabolisms and different psychosis towards food. We all drew the short straw in this area. But, the band can help us behave like those folks who eat a little food and stop eating because we're satisfied. I could never have done this without the band, NEVER!!

It is in the beginning. After a while it diminishes for most of us. It's just your stomach wringing out the last of the food left in your stomach. It can also be due to hunger and other issues but usually it's just your stomach contractions wringing out what's left in your stomach. jmo

For many years I always started a new diet right after the first week after the Holidays ended. And, very often I would come down with a cold that would delay or waylay my diet for a few weeks. After many years of this happening I started to believe that my body was having a little tantrum because I wasn't feeding it like I had for the previous 6 weeks. Maybe this is our bodies way of coping with the sudden change? I know I'm one of those guys who feeds a cold, fever, ache and pain where my wife just shuts down when she gets sick. Does my body know I'll feed it when I'm sick??? Maybe we're lowering our immune system defense somehow but I hear ya. But I don't think it's bacteria or virus leaching from our cells when we diet. Just a way our bodies cope maybe? tmf

You and I have something in common. I recall a week or two after surgery the UPS guy knocked on the door. I pulled my shirt over my head and pointed to my incision sites and loudly exclaimed, "Look what I did". LOL What a doofus I was. Looking back I wish I would have been a little more discerning about over exuberant announcements of my surgery.

You'll be in "bandster hell" until you get the fill that gives you enough restriction for the band to work it's magic. That may be 1 fill or 6. No one knows. Till then, like our esteemed forum member B-52 says, "Until there's restriction...It's just another diet"

24-48 hours.

Limiting any processed foods, processed flours, pasta, sugar, potatoes and most starches. Going on a very low carb diet for a few days can help the body to rid itself of excess fluids.

Yeah, I was there September of last year and I've pretty much stalled at 25 lbs from my personal goal weight. I've just been maintaining for the last year and I'm OK with that. Looking forward to after the Holidays to take another shot at >160.

I ripped open the Kit-Kat bag tonight myself. The Halloween flavor and the white chocolate are good. Giving them all away tomorrow night. I swear

It's often said here, that the band goes around your stomach and not around your brain. We all struggle with the eating demons in our heads. Having your band properly adjusted will minimize those cravings, and it also keeps you satisfied with less food. It's the cravings for sugar or processed foods that many deal with. Find other things to do. Find healthy food alternatives to oreos, soda pop, chips and crackers?

My wife had a stomach bug that was causing her incredibly bad breath. Seems like it would come and go and sometimes it seemed like it would wreak just from her body. This went on for 2 years till I spoke to a doctor who suggested it was "Helicobacter pylori". She went in to see him, got some pills and she's been fine ever since. This bacteria causes a stench so bad it would knock a buzzard off a S**twagon from 10 feet. http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/5927/1/Stomach-Bacteria-That-Causes-Bad-Breath.html

I lost 12 lbs the first 2 weeks and then nothing till my 3rd fill 4 months after surgery. It happens and you just have to keep going in for fills till you start to feel some satiety? For me, I started getting stuck on some foods(around the 4th fill) and of course that was the signal that I needed to take smaller bites and chew much more. But, from that point on, I felt less hunger and lost weight consistently.

Or you need to take smaller bites, chew much more and take longer between bites?

Most patients lose 0-30 lbs the first few weeks but once we go back to solids or mushies it's easy to gain some of that weight back. It's no biggie since most of the weight we lose the first month is Fluid retained in our fat cells. Many of us went through Bandster Hell after the first two weeks. The portal/stoma is wide open usually and this makes it easy to consume lots of food. For some reason, the hunger cravings kick in big time and it's a difficult time to push through so gaining weight is common. It's a good idea to measure/weigh your food at this time and try to eat healthy to avoid gaining weight. This is just like being on a diet till you get the fill/adjustment that helps you to feel satiety for 4 hours.

You haven't even had surgery yet? The goal of a pre-op diet is to shrink the liver not the body. If you happen to lose weight it's just a bonus. And any weight lost will be Water as others have said. But relax, this is a very long journey and you're not even in the starting blocks yet. tmf

I agree with the others that this is so unfortunate for you and we all wish you a full recovery. This appears to be the which came first story, the chicken or the egg? Where and when did the infection begin? Our bodies are designed to reject parasitic items and it does appear yours did the same. My only concern with someone who may have gone with another type of WLS is this. If the infection was not a result of the band, what would the infection have done to a bypass or sleeve? Would all the plumbing have to be removed and the patient have to live out their lives with feeding tubes? If I were making a bet on where the problem began, I'd have to go with the band rejection theory? Although, why would it? This is definitely an example of how unique each of our bodies are and how the body reacts to any kind of stimuli.

Why would you need an acupuncturist?

I go to a restaurant and eat what I want and as much as I feel like eating. I don't order chicken unless I know it's going to be moist or served with some kind of sauce to help it slide through easier. I seldom order steak because I can buy it cheaper at home and I cook it better than most restaurants. I make exceptions for Capital Grille or Morton type restaurants but those are once every 2-3 year jaunts. I'm also very careful with breads or bread type appetizers.(one of just a few foods on my limited list of foods my band dislikes)(your food list may be diff) I pay no attention to the drinking rules some doctors require. In fact, I almost never drink and eat at home but I always drink and eat at a restaurant. There are few things worse than getting stuck in a restaurant and have to painfully watch others consuming mass quantities of food. And I do mean painful. Why ruin a family outing with a stuck episode? Bear in mind I only eat out maybe 8-12 times a year so I'm not going to deny myself the pleasure of a good meal or ruin a good meal by adhering to home rules. The band will still keep me from eating too much food which is why I had the surgery in the first place, so, over-indulging rarely happens. tmf