2muchfun

I don't know your entire story but it sure looks like you're not getting the support and aftercare you need? Both are so important for a successful journey. And sometimes this is also the patients responsibility. Some patients don't communicate well with their doctors? Some never go back(big mistake). I hope you're one of those who walks in and insists on being successful? Don't give up!

I don't think anyone would disagree with you and I certainly didn't mean for my post to indicate differently. There are so many reasons for failure or slow success. In your case, your doctor is taking his sweet time bringing you up to the green zone. Has he ever used a fluoroscopy for your fills? I would highly recommend this! But, you won't lose much at 1500 calories/day. 1-2 lbs a month at most and looks like that's where you're at? Don't give up and maybe you need to be more assertive with your surgeon? No need for you to be 7 months out and still struggling as you are. Keep in touch.

Gastric Bypass and Sleeve have also "Failed" some people. Although it is much harder to fail with Bypass or sleeve since they're both restrictive surgeries. They physically restrict the amount of food they can consume. The band won't do this. The band simply dims our appetites and much is up to us to recognize the soft and hard signals. The band has been sold for many years as a tool that is "restrictive" and will stop us from eating too much and once the pouch is full, we won't want to eat any longer. We now know this isn't true. Patient selection is so important but there were a lot of surgeons jumping on the bandwagon who had no intuitive skills in recognizing that some people can't and never will control their eating habits unless they are forced to.

I have the same question as enjoythetime? But, don't take this personally, what you did is not recommended by any means. Some of us have very little swelling right after surgery. This means the stoma/band is wide open and the swelling in the stoma area doesn't interfere with food passing to the lower stomach. I too was one who had no swelling. But, we enter Bandster Hell so much sooner and some can't handle the hunger and break the rules. Most patients experience a lot of swelling and eating solid food so soon after surgery could compromise the integrity of the sutures and the position of the band. This could result in a quick return to the ER or hospital for a band revision. So, if you're a newbie, do not disregard the no solids rules till the Doctor clears you. You may not be as lucky as Enuf?

Re: Hunger. You will probably be hungry till your get the adjustment that gives you some restriction/satiety. Most bands have very little saline in them so the band is wide open. This is the phase known as "Bandster Hell". Till you get the fill that gives you some restriction it's just another diet.

I think I asked this before and I still have a difficult time wrapping my mind around your situation? So your pouch is enlarged and now they're going to wrap a band around it? Do they remodel the rest of the pouch below the band if it's dilated? At any rate, good luck with this and lean on us if you struggle with portions sizes and any complications from the band. tmf

That's a great idea. I love A&W root beer floats.

A weigh-in and questions, lots of them. What are you eating. Does food/fluids go down easy? Nausea? This is usually just a check to make sure you're following the rules and a little pep talk. Don't expect a fill. Not likely.

For a few years now I've made the claim, many times, that the most people can expect to lose with the Lap-Band is 8 lbs a month. You, CarolinaGirl and Missy have made me a liar. I know there are others and I apologize for not mentioning everyone but these are the three that just popped in my head. I'm going to have to ask you to share with all of us how you did this in less than a year? Exercise? Typical daily caloric and food intake? How did you stay motivated? Take your time. We can wait. (insert jeopardy music here)

I didn't feel any restriction till my 3rd fill. Even then it wasn't much. I still wasn't eating like a Bandster should eat. I was still gulping big bites and eating too fast. But, as each fill thereafter I sure learned. You could be one of the lucky or smart ones who is already eating small bites, eating slowly and chewing as you should? Watch for the satiety signals like hiccups, burps, runny nose and hunger dissipating as you eat? Putting the fork down earlier is also a good sign! tmf

And what is an I-Band?

LOL..Sweet dreams and you'll have plenty of time to catch up on your sleep this week. Let us know how you feel afterwards?

I don't mean to be the grim reaper here but I've seen other long(not as long as yours) post op liquid diets end with a fill and 2-4 more days of liquids? Doc say anything about this? tmf

No restrictions for me either.

I only had to read the topic in the "new topic threads" on the right side to "crack" up. I was somewhere over the holidays where they had a bowl of jelly belly's. It's like looking for gold nuggets. Ooooo, that one looks like it's marshmallow flavor and oooo, coffee flavor and my fav, coconut. Wife had to grab me by my ear to drag me away.

It's in the right forum now? Yeah, you sound like you're too tight? What kind of slider foods can you consume safely? I usually ask people to open a can of Progresso or Campbell beef, veggie and barley Soup. If you can get this down easily you're not too tight. This is about the consistency you need to be chewing to. I chew soup to this day but never get stuck on it. Now, bread and sandwiches, minor stuck episodes 50% of the time. Tonight, overdone chicken bruschetta and a small stuck/slime episode. For me, it's eating too fast and big that brings on the sliming/stuck episodes. Overly tight bands can cause a lot of damage. Don't sit on this for very long?

Just keep in mind that every doctor has their own idea of how this all should work. For instance, most doctors don't want you drinking anything 30 minutes before a meal, no drinks during a meal and not for 30-60 after a meal. Dr. O'Brien is only one in a handful of surgeons who allow drinking while eating a meal. Your surgeon may have other ideas? It's hard to say why most slips occur. Violent vomiting episodes is one. Poorly placed or sutured bands by lousy surgeons could be another. Here's a short study on slips: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3038361/ I wish I'd been more of a information geek before my surgery but I'm one of those that learns on the go I guess. Contact me if you have more questions?

I like this one:

I just posted on one of your other threads that everyone should click on your gallery. I'm going to do it again: http://www.bariatricpal.com/gallery/member/147342-enjoythetime/ Your transformation is truly amazing. You look 20 years younger and so happy. We're happy for you too.

I also have to say to anyone who follows this thread that they should look at your photo gallery. You've made such an incredible transformation it's truly unbelievable. Click on this link to be amazed: http://www.bariatricpal.com/gallery/member/147342-enjoythetime/

King Soopers(Kroger) carries Okios(Dannon) but they didn't have the dip so I went with the Otria. I made myself a sandwich on Oroweat thin breads with the turkey and used the dip like it was mayo. Great find!!

People's post-op experiences vary greatly. Some suffer incredible pain from the gas that is injected into your body cavity. I was lucky I guess and didn't have all that much discomfort. My biggest problem was the trauma from anesthesia. I still went to work the next day and by 5 days I was working full time again. As far as fluids, you'll be existing on some kind of shake. Just make sure you settle on a couple of shakes that satisfy your palate as well as your stomach. If you have access to a small fridge, popsicles come in handy too. You'll be rolling the dice timewise, but from what I read here, you have a 70% chance that going back to work on Tuesday is workable. Good luck.

One more thing Tosha. So many obese people struggle with soda pop addictions, and I think doctors also use the time and event to break that habit. Regular pop is just simple carbs and have no nutritional value. Too much artificial sweeteners is also not a good thing. For people who consume a lot of soda pop, it expands your stomach which creates a pressure against the band that is not intended. This could cause erosion over a long period of time. tmf

There are a few folks who have had band with plication. You might want to repost this on the lap-band forum.

Annette, you have to stop hoarding all the success. You look damn good now so spread the success around(and I mean my direction)