2muchfun

PureVida, I love this topic and it's so different for each of us. What amount of restriction is the correct amount to be in the green zone? I think I could handle another .25 CC fill but I prefer to enjoy a little leeway with a looser band. I still struggle with the eat fast/big bite syndrome, so looser is better for me. It's going to be different for each of us. We can all adapt of course but some not as easily as others. Sounds like you were in the red zone for too long? There's no harm in sneaking up on the green zone. My doctor did it with .25 CC injections. Probably took 2 more fills to get there but in the meantime, I learned many lessons on how I should be eating with restriction. There are many on the forum who recommend getting fills under fluoro and gawd I wish my doctor had the equipment to give fills this way. tmf

Hello newbie! Don't take this the wrong way? You will be better off starting your own thread/topic. There are only 4 people following this thread at this time. Your post is what they call a "Hijack". It's not as bad as it sounds and we all do it but in your case, if you start a new topic, you'll expose your question to hundreds of eyes and not just 8. To answer your question, yes it's normal. I didn't feel any restriction till my 3rd fill. Eating properly(Protein first) is essential. You're in what we call "Bandster Hell". It's that period of time where the band is not adjusted properly yet and we still have that old appetite before surgery. Basically, you're still on a diet if you want to lose weight until your band is adjusted properly. Good luck. Hang in there, most all of us had to endure this phase. tmf

This is often a topic of discussion. For most of us it's not a black and white issue. We live in the grey area most of the time. There's is no ding or loud noise when we should stop eating unless we've gone too far. As someone else pointed out, mindful eating is a must to find success with the band for many of us. This concept is so foreign for those who have never been banded or are newly banded. And for some, the "bird song" never appears or if it does, it's ignored or shielded from our "mindful eating" brain neurons. Once your band is adjusted properly, you will reach a point where the food no longer is appealing. That feeling that most thin people subconsciously obey, will/may strike you like a bolt of feathers and you will understand your first aha moment. Pay attention, your success may depend on it. tmf

Our bodies(including the stomach lining) ebb and flow with illness, sodium, TOM, stress, altitude and inflammation from irritants. The band doesn't really change but the stoma opening expands and contracts with these different issues. Think of your fingers and if you wear a ring, are there times the ring fits tighter or looser? Retaining Water from sodium and the other stresses work on the band the same as they do on your ring finger. tmf

I don't know how many CCs are in my band and neither does my doc. We just know it works and that's good enough for me. Maybe inquisitive minds want to know but it's unnecessary information imo. tmf

I'm also one of those who believe that if you burn more than you consume you should be losing fat. Are you tracking your calories/day. Many people count every bite that goes in their mouth and know within a few calories how much they consume? And Karen's suggestion that you sit down with a nutritionist is spot on. I did so about 2 years ago and she nailed down about 300 calories I wasn't counting. Eliminating those bad calories made a huge difference for me. tmf

Soft aerobic workouts should be no problem. Treadmill, elliptical on low settings should be fine. Just no lifting, bending or stressing the abs for a few more weeks?

My doctor explained it like this. Our esophagus and stomach are controlled by or are muscles. The esophagus uses peristalsis to massage food through the esophageal sphincter and the pouch is part of the stomach and also contracts and expands to force food through the stoma(band). These muscles seem to gain strength as they are stressed by food swallowed. Being stronger they push the food through easier than before giving you the sense your band isn't working as well. Seems to make sense to me. Before being banded, our esophagus just massaged the food through the sphincter and it fell into our stomach. Now, the pouch fills up and as we continue to eat, the esophagus and pouch must work harder than before to push food through the stoma. This could all be BS but it does make sense to me. tmf

15 mile and 1 hr 20 minute bike ride. Burned off 1179 calories. tmf

Many new lapbanders suffer from eating too fast and too big. Highly unlikely your band has slipped. When you do have a stuck episode it's wise to eat soft foods, liquids or Soup to allow the pouch/esophagus to recover from being expanded. Expanding the pouch is uncomfortable and can cause some inflammation for a day or so. Our stomas are very fickle. Many different issues can cause the band area(stoma) to shrink in size due to illness, sodium, TOM, inflammation from stuck episodes and so on. You will find this to be the case for many months to come. We just have to roll with the punch and adapt. tmf

26 lbs is more than average and much more than I lost the first 4 months. 6 lbs a month is the number most doctors tell us we can lose and you're doing it. Be proud and happy you're doing better than most. tmf

Lady is right. But it took me 3 fills before I felt any restriction so don't be surprised if you feel nothing with just one fill.

The band is around your stomach, not inside your stomach. Pepto Bismol will flow through like a shake so I see no problem with it?

It's sort of a "Petite" NSV?

Many bandster's underestimate the trauma done to our bodies during surgery. So I'm sorry to be too graphic here but remember, someone filled your body cavity full of gas, they pumped fluids, medications, antibiotics and anesthesia into your body. They punched 5 holes in your abdomen, 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, the surgeon then wrapped a plastic strap around your stomach just below the lower esophogeal sphincter, stitched it in place with 5-6 sutures bringing your lower stomach up and over the band suturing the band in place and then snaked a tube out of your body and then sewed another plastic piece to the muscle tissue on your rib cage I know we were all told this was a minimal invasive surgery, but it's still very traumatic to a group of organs that have lived the good life for years and years. tmf

The silver lining here is, you were banded and because you were banded you were able to revise to a different surgical technique. You still have a stomach a surgeon can work on. This may not be the case with other surgeries? And, you probably know what to expect with the sleeve this time around. A total commitment or bust! Good luck.

I see KCGal answered your question but here's video of Catfish's(forum member) fluoro to illustrate it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjCZ3YjMzE0&feature=player_embedded

Sorry, I missed the pre and post op part. I had no preop diet assigned and post op was liquids for 4 days, creamy drinks and Soups for 4 days then mushies for 2 weeks. My post op diet was quite easy for me but for others, not so much. Each doctor has their own protocol so you'll need to check with him/her to find out what they require?

You better keep your eye on this forum because you may not know what you're getting into? WLS can work but usually most patients know what they're getting into? Reading here a lot can educate you. I'd recommend two books. Jean McMillan's Bandwagon and Alex Brecher's The Big Book on the Lapband. There's a lot of work we all have to do to make this work and sometimes doctors gloss over the difficulties we face. I heard over and over from doctors and nutritionists that the small pouch keeps us from eating too much but that's simply not true. If we eat the right foods(healthy and lots of protein), our appetites can be reduced so we eat less just because we're not as hungry. It's the eating the right foods part that trips up a lot of people. Most of us do not diet. The pouch won't stop you from eating milkshakes, chocolate, mac and cheese, regular soda pop, crème brule', deep fried chicken, tacos, potato chips and so on. We can eat these till the cows come home and the pouch won't stop us unless we have discipline. Keep reading. tmf

Cold or hot both go down the same for me.

It's a 5 day diet to help WLS patients reset and get back in their groove. Not necessarily meant for lapband patients even though it says 5 day pouch test. Go here: http://5daypouchtest.com/

It sounds like you just need a fill and focus on eating healthy. Even if you get the sleeve or bypass, you have to follow the rules. And if your band isn't adjusted properly you most likely won't follow the rules. That's why we all got banded. None of us are good at following diets and that's what you're on now unless you get your band adjusted. imo tmf

Sliming happens when food builds up in front of the stoma and in the pouch. It then backs up into the esophagus. It can happen if you eat too fast, too much, take too large of a bite and quite often with dry meats like leftover chicken. As long as you follow the rules for bandster's, it shouldn't happen. If you're too tight from fills or swelling, this can also cause food to get stuck in the pouch and back up into the esophagus. The throat is trying to aid the excess food to slide through with overwhelming saliva. Some never experience sliming and PB'ing. Nothing to really fear. It happens. Dozens of times for me.

It's always a good sign you may need a fill. Talk to your doctor. If you are hungry between meals and find it easy to put away more than a cup of food without stuck episodes, you may need a small fill. tmf

Haylln, your story is so compelling. Please post more often of your success. BTW-I saw your spock pic. You're so right, where did you hide all that weight cuz you look fabulous now.? tmf