2muchfun

Your doctor can appeal to the medical director. Their decision is BS of course.

I gotta say, Pastelies and burgers won't give you a lot of satiety and they're not a healthy choice if you're trying to keep your caloric intake low. Also, they have a lot of processed flours and other ingredients that can spike your insulin levels causing you to be even hungrier later. jmo tmf

I never notice for several days because I'm on liquids or soft foods and can't tell till I can eat solid food.

When my band is adjusted properly I eat a little bit of everything I like and no one really notices. I throw away food if I add too much to my plate. I try to stay away from foods that may not agree with my band but sometimes I still get stuck out in public.

I had very little pain and discomfort too. Great, aint it?

I've never heard the slime production overnight comment. I doubt that happens. Slime is simply saliva/phlegm that your body produces to aid food in your esophagus to travel through the sphincter and into your stomach. Slime is produced immediately upon eating food and if you're stuck, it continues to produce and can back up into your throat. It's produced in your esophagus not your stomach. Since you're new to this, you could be consuming bites too big, eating too fast or not chewing enough. Learning to do this can take months. I know I thought I was following the rules early in my journey but I now know I wasn't. There are also foods that cause all of us problems in the mornings. Breads, eggs and dry meats can and will cause difficulties. Yes the band is fickle. Restriction can change from day to day depending on sodium intake, TOM, stress, illness and even heat. Good luck. tmf BTW-PB'ing is OK in very limited situations. If it becomes a daily occurrence, you might want to talk to your nutritionist or doctor. Exessive PB'ing can cause your pouch or esophagus to dilate.

Just be prepared to have to work real hard at this? This is not an easy way to lose weight, but if you follow the rules you have a great shot at being very healthy. You will have good times and some bad times. This can be a roller coaster ride. You will have to learn to listen to your body and your band. Good luck!

For me, it was discovering that I ate big bites, didn't chew well enough and I ate much too fast. This caused several stuck episodes. I noticed from fill 1 that I ate less food and was satisfied just a little sooner than pre-band. But, a lifetime of eating fast and big was the most difficult issue for me to deal with. Fill #3 really hit home and required that I eat slower, chew more and eat much slower. With each new fill I felt satisfied longer.

I do like your attitude! Here's a comment from another bandster's blog from several years ago. I've posted this many times but it seems to hit home with me every time: "In my case, the most fearful thing I had to do in order to succeed with my band wasn't switching to skim milk, surviving a liquid diet, or giving up bread. The most fearful thing was giving up my emotional attachment to food. In the nearly 5 years since I was banded, I've made a lot of progress with that, but the attachment is still there. It forms one of the innermost layers of my turtle shell. Working on that layer will probably be a lifetime job for me. At times I'm not even sure I truly want to get rid of it altogether. At times I'm afraid that if I shed my shell completely, I won't be able to survive. On the other hand, I seem to be doing fine without that thick old b***h layer. So I'm going to pay attention to my dreams rather than my fears and pray for a miracle. And why not? It can't hurt to try!" Welcome and good luck to you.

What are you eating for breakfast that is getting stuck?

Egg drop soup was one of my staples at this stage. Protein and very satisfying.

Bagel dough is the worst for we bandsters. I still eat bagels a few times a year but I buy the orowheat flat 100 cal bagels and go very slowly. I try to make sure each bite makes it through before munching on the next bite. You're so lucky to have a doctor who responds so quickly.

If you lose enough weight it could be visible. Men's ports are usually sewn into the muscles on our rib cage and protrude somewhat. No big deal. tmf

I had no pre-op diet so I'm not much help? But, you might get better comments if you could post what your doctor's pre-op diet plan is? We all have different doctors and each Dr has their own protocol? tmf

One last comment? Eating slower will be one of the most difficult issues for you to deal with. Don't beat yourself up, it takes months to break this destructive habit. You cannot just change a lifetime's eating habits in a few weeks or months. Especially during the post op phase. Once you can sit down with a normal meal, and your band is adjusted properly, you will be forced to eat slower and chew bigger. Or, you will have stuck episodes, painful stuck episodes. So, it won't come overnight, and it may not come in months, but these new skills can be nurtured and developed over time if you just commit to it and focus on them. tmf

From the 2nd week through my 16th week I had virtually no restriction. Like you, I was in Bandster hell. It's no fun and it pissed me off that no one ever told me about this part of my journey. I read about it here all the time and advise others that they are in "Bandster Hell" but I never saw it before my surgery. It's just a situation you'll have to find a way to deal with. For me, I ate more than the one cup of food but I tried to make sure I was filling up on healthy foods. I did stay away from pizza, taco bell and fast foods(occasional slip) so I lost 12 lbs initially and didn't gain or lose any more weight till my 3rd fill 4 months after surgery. I think I'm somewhat typical. From what I read here on the forum, most people don't start to feel any satiety/restriction until their 2nd - 4th fill. There are many on either side of that ratio and most all of us have went through some stage of Bandster Hell. It can seem like you're hungrier now than before surgery. I know that's how I felt. You're going to have to hunker down till you get that fill that takes away your hunger. Just concentrate on eating good, healthy food. Good luck. tmf

I'm curious? What kind of diet has he put you on? Seems like you would want to stick to slider type foods so that you don't do any more stretching?

I avoided "events" for a month after surgery(11/28/11) Did have to go to a couple of xmas parties so I ate before I went. Wasn't that big a deal. You're still healing and eating foods that could damage your surgery is highly not recommended. I ate oatmeal, refried Beans, thick soups, lots of Protein shakes to keep eating demons at bay.

3+ lbs a month sound about right if you're consuming 1500 calories a day? Most women only need about 1600-1900 calories a day to maintain their current weight. If you're burning 300 calories a day more than you consume, that's 9000 calories burned a month. You have to burn off 3500 calories to lose one lb of fat. So, sounds like you're right on?

If it's on the internet, it must be true!!!???

40% failure rate? BULL! Where's your documentation? People like you come here often to lay down these awful assertions and then provide no evidence to back up your silly claims.

???

Bandster hell snuck up on me too and I never heard about it before surgery. LOL Pissed me off too.

All WLS techniques have their pros and cons. But the band does require more maintenance than the others? Surely you knew this going in right?

I have two friends who also went bypass and did well. I researched everything but the sleeve and still came up with the band. For me, I felt like all I needed was something to help with the satiety and help me to eat less food. Also, I liked the idea that it was adjustable and if it didn't work out I could have it removed or revised to bypass or sleeve. Keeping my stomach intact was important to me. You have to decide what's important for you. WLS may be what you need but only you know what the right choice can be? tmf