2muchfun

I really hate to read these stories. Only because I don't believe you're being supported properly. My doc was never like this and it's almost as if doctors like yours don't understand how this all works. And, it seems like it could drive some patients to fall off the bandwagon altogether. jmo Did your doc support your decision to go with the band or did he/she suggest a more severe type of WLS? You might have to get in your Doc's face and demand a fill. I know I would if I were in your shoes. But, 36 lbs is OK, not great, but OK. This shouldn't be that difficult though. tmf

Short answer: No, you may need a small unfill. I wouldn't go for much. Maybe .25 CC taken out? Wednesday is good. Good luck.

I doubt anyone would lecture over binging being dangerous to one's health and for some it's an addiction of some sort. I was never a binger myself, I just ate the wrong foods and would sit down and eat too much. But sweets, ice cream, cakes etc were never my achilles heel. I still find myself standing in front of an open refrigerator door and realizing I'm not hungry and why the Hell am I standing there? The band has given me the knowledge to know when I'm hungry and when I'm craving. Right now, the band is winning but sometimes I still give in to the craving but so much less now than ever before.

What everyone else said plus, you probably won't feel full or satisfied shortly after surgery. You can expect to wait up to 6 months before you get the fill that gives you enough restriction to evade being hungry much of the time. Many find that zone or close to it within 3 months, but don't expect to get the band and instantly be less hungry. This is a process and the first 6 weeks will be a healing and learning phase. tmf

I've never seen where a patient was allowed pureed foods so quickly. It's almost always liquids for 4-7 days and then Soups and then next phase is pureed? Might want to double check those eating guidelines? Welcome to the band.

So I'm sorry to be too graphic here but remember, someone filled your body cavity full of gas, they pumped mass quantities of fluids, medications, antibiotics and anesthesia into your body. They punched 5 holes in your body, moved all your inner body parts around, shoved a tube down your throat, took an electric scalpel and burned away excess fat and tissue wrapped around your upper stomach, then wrapped a plastic strap around your stomach, stitched it in place with 5-6 sutures bringing your lower stomach up and over the band and then snaked a tube out of your body and then sewed another plastic piece to the muscle tissue on your rib cage. Now, thinking about all that has been done to your body, you're doing quite well aren't you? But yes, you should call your doctor. tmf

Good that you recognize how important after care is for we bandsters.

Call your doctor. That's not normal unless you're eating Soup? tmf

Why I failed on previous diets is because I was always hungry. It's painful/uncomfortable to feel like this every day. But, with the band, I don't feel deprived or uncomfortable. It makes my eating choices so much easier now that I don't feel desperate for my next meal. So, now I eat similar to how I ate before and like Hely, I choose to eat healthy with much better results.

Breakfast: Omelette Lunch: Flatbread turkey sandwich Dinner: Salmon w/salad and maybe some broccoli. 2 Snacks of fruit Doesn't sound like much but it's all I need and I'm satisfied.

We're all your buddy here. Lean on us. tmf

eggs can be one of the hardest foods for bandsters to eat if you have restriction? tmf

It's hard to advise you when your profile is blank? I wouldn't fret over one day. I was bad but I won't be bad tomorrow or the rest of the week. One or even a few days out of the year isn't going to matter in the grand scheme of your journey.

Depends on what part of your throat. is it in your neck or sternum area? Sounds like you still have some swelling going on from the surgery or did you also have plication? It just means you already have restriction and may have to go back to purees or Soups for a while till the swelling goes down? You might want to talk to your doc too? tmf

I sometimes drink with my meals and I see no difference. I don't chug and I try to wait till the food has passed through the pouch, through the stoma and into my stomach. jmo tmf

It's entirely possible the doctor misgauged the fill and filled on the safe side. I would recommend you do what most of us have to do and that's to keep going in till we get that fill that gives us some restriction. If you're going to insist on filling yourself, why not lean on a nurse friend or someone who has some experience?

You should have received a Rx for nausea? Other than that not much you can do but ride it out. It will get better.

Actually, yes you can lose it all by yourself. Of course, you'll have to hire Jillian Michaels, invest in thousands of dollars worth of exercise equipment, employ a full time chef or two and oh yeah, quit your job and the rest of what life you may have right now to dedicate yourself to this effort. And to keep it off, you'll have to do this for the rest of your life. Yeah, no problem. tmf

Ditto on the calories. You might want to check in with a nutritionist. They can offer wonderful advice. tmf

It sounds like you're sliming. Slime is a mucous that coats the esophogus and helps slide food through the sphincter going to your stomach. If you are eating too fast, eating too big of a bite or not chewing enough, your pouch can't move the food through the band quick enough and the food backs up into your esophogus. So you are doing what we call PB. Productive burping. The product of this is slime with food particles that are not chewed properly. Mornings are diffcult for many of us.

Many healthcare/insurance plans provide a set amount of $ for each patient(capitation). For instance, if a doctor accepts a group of patients for a specific plan he/she is given a set amount of money to care for each patient. Let's just say, for each patient the physician or the clinic/practice is provided $10,000/yr to provide all their healthcare. Let's say this clinic has 100 patients who qualify for this plan and either the patient or the patient's employer pays into the plan.100 X 10,000= $1,000,000. The clinic receives $1,000,000 to care for all 100 patients. If the clinic keeps their costs below the $1,000,000 they make a profit. If they exceed the $1,000,000 they lose money. So, the clinic/physician makes a higher profit if they deny elective benefits like this. Many times you can just follow the money and I would bet this physician discovered the $10,000 would go against their yearly stipend. I'm not saying it's OK I'm just saying it was profit driven. And you will see more of this once Obamacare is the law of the land. Currently, accountable care organizations(ACO) are driving many decisions like this. Leaning heavy on doctors, physician groups and healthcare facilities to drive down costs. In many cases they are successful and justified, but in your case I don't think so. jmo tmf

It's perfectly normal. It was for me. I lost 12 lbs the first two weeks and then nothing for 3.5 months. The 3.5 months wasn't normal but it took many fills for me to find restriction. And you should not be concerned with weight loss at this point and not for the first 6 weeks. It's healing time now. Doctors and nutritionists don't tell you in the seminars the whole story. You may not lose fat till you find some restriction. Most weight loss at this point is only Water.

Reminds me of some of the punk bands of the mid 80's.

OK, so I had to look up that Lump song. Here you go forensic:

It's not about feeling guilty over cheating. It's the fact that you can ruin your surgery by eating solid foods before your band has had a chance to heal into it's new position. There are about 5 sutures sewn into your stomach that were placed there to hold the band in place. If you want to be successful you must find a way to obey your surgeons guidelines.