bandfun4me

Who said it is not a problem. I would call the dr office right away. That band is stitched on the top side to your stomach. If you are having nausea feelings call your dr. get something for that if needed. The stitches need to be set and also the band. The dry heaves is your stomach having spasms maybe. I would not think this is a good thing. Can you get any fluids down maybe warm tea or broth. Good luck:thumbdown::wink:

My Blood pressure dropped from 130/84 to now,102/68. regular basis. Synthroid was cut in half at 3 months. I am now 11 months and 26 days out. feel great exercise 2x day total 2.5 hrs. Soon, much less medication!!

When I am too tight, like 7 days after a fill, I can swallow water and it feels like I have swallowed a golf ball. If it is stuck I usually start a massive saliva thing going until it finally goes through. I have no problem telling the difference. The tightness will wear off as the stomache waslls thin out. IF you are way too tight, even the liquids won't go down .

I have had 8, and yes there were a couple that caused more pain the day after, and one that he was on the edge of the port and when her pushed a little more, it actually slipped off the edge of the port and bent the tiny needle. He has only done the early fills under the flouro, my belly fat has been at a min and you could see and fel my port easily. Then the others he hit it the first time. I actually think my port is not flat, it must be turned downward just a tad. He hits it best when he sticks about 3/4 -1 inch lower than my incision. The most soreness has been whe it took 2 sticks. Not really any pain at the fill time.

My First baniversary date is Jan 18,08. I pretty much followed the doc's rules for pre-op. I was scared if I did not, something serious might happen. I did follow post-op to a tee as well. I was off pain medicine except for the nightime dose at bedtime after 5 days., Only way I could drive. Back to work on day 7. I was given a strict exercise regime for the pre-op as well. In a two week period(while on pre-op diet) we were to exercise and work up to 60 minutes for day before the surgery. So I hit it hard and nothing for 3 days, then back to walking on day 4. Seemed to work great. Doc would not allow any slacking at this point. Things sorta transpired in stages the first few months, evenb the shoulder gas pains, this too shall pass, you will work through it. I don't think I would change a single thing. Had only minor issues with PBing and getting stuck, you learn fast what NOT to do. I am 10-15 lbs form goal. Exercise/cardio twice a day, feel great. Hang in there all you new bandsters!!

I have had 8 fills, total of 8cc now. He did not numb me the first or second time(flouro) and He ask me if I could tell the difference. I could not. My port also sticks out and is pretty easy to see after 11 months and down 65 lbs. A couple of times he had to stick two times and I have had tiny bruises both times and is a little more sore for a few days. Not a problem. My doc normally, puts 2 cc in syringe(clear) and make sure he pulls out fluid and then puts all but 1 cc back in. He has either give me .5cc, 1cc or 1.5 cc(early on). I am probably pretty close to sweet spot. I sometimes can go hours, like 6 before the hunger comes back. normally eat about 3/4 cup food and sometime get 1/2 slice Whole wheat bread down after. I have learned to eat, everything is chewed till liquid. No problem getting stuck in months, the fullness takes over now. Don't sweat those fills, they should be just a another walk in the park. As long as you do those liquid/mushies afterwards. :cursing:

I agree, you will have to work a little harder if you wnat to lose more weight. Yes, the loss will still be slow, but you will lose at a gradual pace. In the beginning I was told cardio 2-3 times daily (3x15 min) as yoiu increse your time you can drop a session and soforth. I was banded in jan 08 down 65 lbs size 16/18 to a 6/8 now. I exercise 2x day a hike at lunch fo 3 miles and the gym at night . Before I was doing the treadmill at 4:30 am till my sessions got to long. then switched to afternoons and the evenings in the summer. You will have ot chnage ot work it in for yourself. Weigh that food out if that is what it takes, set a timer for 30 minutes and stop eating after that. This is your new life, treat your band with care don't abuse or try to work around. it will work. Keep regular dr visits, i go every 6 wks now. I have 8cc in my 10 cc band. I try to eat the good for-me -foods. Here you don't call it cheating, we call it making bad food choices, This is hard work. not like the gastric, your restriction will ease as your stomach wall decreases the fat content and you will need more fills. simple as that. Until you get to the max. good luck.:thumbs_up:

Again, hang in there! The more you move the more gas dissapates. Gas is like helium it also rises in the body, I had terrible gas pains in my shoulder for a few weeks, most noticable late in the day. Did you get the liquid pain medicine, if not ask the dr office to call you in some, take it as called for, I went back to work on day 7, the hardest thing was sitting still very long. The longer I sat still the worse the pain and the gas was. I took naps in the bed to stretch out, I think that helps the gas as well. I walked up and down the hall. Did not lift anything over 5 lbs( per dr. instructions). Keep pushing those protein shakes, or drinks., The more the faster you will heal. It really is amazing how it will help your mood as well. Welocme to the world of bandsters. I am 1yr out this month. Good luck on your journey.:thumbs_up:

I have had 8 fills total 8cc in 10 cc band. Scrambled eggs have not been my friend after fills, patty sausage or any other kind is not my friend either. Did you do your liquids and mushies after your fills. My restriction would kick in on day 6/7 after a fill each time. I would change my list of proteins and give it some time. My tightnes jumps around during the month, water weight, monthly periods stress. I think it all plays into this. It normally would loosen up in the afternoons for lunch and dinner. For about 6 months after each fill it was a frozen Banana protein shake in the morning(6am) for breakfast. then a high fiber snack 10am. I will be a year out on Jan 18. Hang in there. Take your time. Remember to set your timer so you only have 30 minutes to eat, if you are not finished with your meal on your tiny plate you should stop. that is how we lose the weight. You will probably feel full in about 20 minutes or so. Good Luck:tongue2:

I too have this problem, it is good in one way. I can exercise heavily before I get to sweating. I was banded in Jan 08, I have realized the more I exercise to keep my body warm the better my weight loss is and the warmer I stay. If I am just sittin around the house I normally have on an tank/undershirt type under what ever else, either a sweatshirt or a tee shirt. Most of the other threads that discuss this relate it to the weightloss factor and your body trying to maintain a normal temp. It is having to work less due to less fat there on the old body. THis is something I can cerainly learn to live with, instead of the excess wt. :wub:

Are you saying 2 years zero lbs.? Either no restriction or too much. Sound like you need to slow down on your eating. See the nutritionist at your Drs. Use the diet outline they give. Remember the band is only a tool, you have to learn how to use it. My doc is pretty strict on following rules, get a fill, you should be on all liquids for 2 days then mushy for 2 more days and then ease into your diet. Measure all your food, either weigh it or use a measuring cup. It will not happen if you are not dedicated. Lap band work is not easy, but the results are worth it. You should n=know that after two years. Are your exercising any at all. Cardio 2 x aday would help, start with 15 min each time and build up. I was banded in Jan 08 and down 65 lbs. I am 15 lbs to goal and it is very hard at this point. I think some bandsters get the mentalitiy that once you fall off the wagon you cant get back on, wrong! wrong! wrong! You have to alter your entire life, chnage everything to keep from falling into the old habits. It sound like you have learned to work around your band. If you are tight in the monring, getyour fluids in early. protein shakes, water, cryatal light whatever, as the day goe on use the softer proteins. Journal EVERYTHING you eat. keep up with your proteins and ounces your drink. Work , at it . it will come. Does your doc use the FLouro light when he does a fill, to see how much goes through the band. Start slowly, limit your eating time and chew chew and chew till food is liquid. You are at a good place to get a lot of advise. Surely you may need a heart to heart with yourself. Good luck. you can do it!!:wub:

Made partially through the 1st day. Back to the gym with regular workout. Then aftrernoon 3 mile walk. Morning protein shake , light lunch with solid protein and protein shake for dinner, lots more water again. down 1.5 pounds. Back to gym for day 3. very sore agian today. Good, I deserve it, looking for more pain tommorow. I have 2.5 weeks before I am back to Dr. Need to get down another 2 lb. Burn baby burn. I'm a hangin in there. Jump start that burn again and again. Thanks for the push, youall are great. I am not alone!!:tongue2:

I had my cpap prior to my surgery of course. It was on my list of things to bring to the hospital. Well the hospital - due to liability and Fee, they want you to use theirs and your mask. My mask did not have the same connections to the hose as theirs. so I could not sleep with it, with all the heart monitor stuff around my neck/bed, really dry air in hospital as well, nose would not stay unstopped. They actually only wanted me to bring my own due to wanting the settings off of it. I have used mine 95% of the nights since I was banded in Jan 08. I have lost 65 lbs, so I could probably do with out it. I don't travel with it anymore and still feel fine afterward with energy and such. your choice, better to take it and not have to make a second trip to get it. Good luck, i am sure you are very excited!! WOO HOO!!:laugh:

Great posting. I too need to let go of that dessert table. I had my 8th fill the week before christmas. So I am due. Things are really tighter this time, doc gave me 1.0 cc this time to help with that holdiday munching. It works, I have cut out that morning and afternoon snack. Gotta be close to that sweet spot. I am still 10 pounds from goal and bouncing around as much as that scale is 4 x day. I confess, I too am a scale addict. Bandiversary is Jan 18, would love to get at least half of that 10 off. back to exercising 2x day I guess. We can do this. Best resolution I can think of, getting an early start is wonderful!! thanks for the push:rolleyes2:

I agree, you need to let the tummy heal and you have to let the band rest so the stitches that tie it to the outside stomach wall are set and healed afterward. That the reason for liquids and more liquids. The extra protein helps the healing along and the liquids heal your soul and set the stage for the ongoing weight loss. Yep that food taste good, but remember we have to chnage our old addage on how we "normally" eat. I was a borderline case, I had to do six months diet with Dr care and nutritionist and quit smoking before my dr would do surgery and my insurance would cover it. Every diet had tried in the last 20 years had been a waste. After my surgery I just kept telling myself that major weight loss would taste and feel better than any food at any time. I would not even touch anything with suger for 6 months, Now I will have something sweet from time to time, if it is sweetened with splenda. no real can sugar.I fought too long and hard to get approved for my surgery. I now have had 8 fills with 8cc in my band. normally eat less tahn a cup of veggies and protein. some day two fruit as snacks. I am down 65 lbs , 10 pounds from goal. I have to fight even harder now. Food is good, I just have to use it to live not only because it taste gooood. Good luck on your new journey, keep those fills going to keep your in the restriction modes, keep your dr informed if you are not feeling restriction.:smile:

The important question here is: Are you head hungry or tummy hungry? I am 11 months out and I remember the growling that went on after surgery and for a few days. I made icy thick protein shakes that made it feel like something substantial was actually going into my tummy, but would melt and maybe help the swelling at the same time. After about a week the panging stopped as it gets used to getting the shakes and broth and such. To me it felt like the bottom part of my tummy that was making all that rumbling, so I just said to myself, I have to fill that up too, So I drank more fluids, and then more fluids, more shakes. I kept my protein up around 100grams for the first couple of weeks using shakes and fortified fudgesickles(pudding and cottage cheees and FF evap milk. Then more crystal light, more water, I managed to get that EXTRA 80 oz in most days. the rumbling will subside. At this point it has been maybe 3 weeks since you have had any major carbs and bad food. Going cold turkey on your tummy puts that furnace in gear to burn more fat and so make sure you are doing as much walking as you can. use that tool, make it work for you, treat it nice. I was a 16/18 and now 6/8 down 65 lbs 10 to go to goal. Good luck!!:biggrin:

Sorry about that! It can be bad, but we do learn from our mistakes. in the first 5 months I had that happen a few times. Slooww dooowwn and Chew, chew and then chew some more, tiny fork ( I use seafood fork) down in between bites, 1/4 inch food pieces, one at a time, this will also aleviate some of the belching from the "too big" bites. Set your timer for 30 minutes. This will help you learn how much you can eat. If yu cant get it down to mushy in 30 minutes, BBZZ times up. wait til next meal time. Remember we are having to train ourselves how to eat the corect way. It will take time. I was banded in Jan 08, down from 16/18 to a 6/8, 10 pounds form goal. It is a struggle at this point, I now have 8cc in my 10 cc band, I normally keep my full feeling about 5 hours after eating. Good luck!!:biggrin:

Try not to be so nervous! My doc puts me on 2 day all liquids, then 2 days mushy, back to normal foods, just be careful at this time. You may be a little hungry from just the mushies. I have had 8 fills, 8cc in a 10 cc band. No fail, for each of these fills, it takes 6 days for the "new restrictions" to kick in. Doing the liquids first after a fill lets your stomach rest while the saline levels out in the band. I have seen other time-frames for restrictions from other bandsters on here. The plus here is, this also jump starts your weight loss again. Remember this is a journey. Ususally on the first fill they will use the FLouro light and let you drink that white barium or something like that and watch you swallow and see how it goes down through the band. If your insurance pays I would suggest they use the Flouro, that way they can maybe get more saline in at a time, they will also allow for the extra morning restriction that comes with the band as well. Mine attempted to get an pecil eraser size trickle down through the band. Good luck on your journey.:biggrin:

I am about 85%, My goal is 10more lbs. from 206 to 144, 10 more lbs puts me in the top of the normal range. I am short and muscular build as well went from a 16/18 down to a 6/8. More butt needs to go, tummy needs a little more tightness. I am 11 months out. These last 2 months just seem like a looong Plateau. I am very patient, in for another fill on monday , currently have 7.0 in a 10cc. There is only so much time in the day to exercise, 2 hours 6 x week is all I can do right now, it is the addiction in my life, better than food I guess. kudos to us all, I have seem some on here that are not very patient and give up and start eating just because the scale does not move fast enough. This is a long lifetime commitment, hang in there!!:wink2:

Good luck to all you that still smoke. I was a smoker, but my dr rules were, no surgery unless you had been smoke free for min 4 months. We also had to sign a agreement concerning exercise, smoking and eating. The reasons are in there words, you want the surgery to get healthier, so smoking is not healthy, non exercise is unhealthy and overeating is unhealthy. They ask each month about these things and do the bloodwork every 6 months, if you fall off the wagon, I suppose you wont get anymore fills. Not complaining, All my numbers are good, plenty of exercise, watch every little seafood fork of food I eat from my little bread and butter plate, no seconds. 7 fills 7.0cc in 10 cc band. Very close to that sweet spot, maybe my next fill. I am very happy with my band and I treat it accordingly, I want it to last the rest of my life..(;.) Iwas really glad to give up those cigs after 20 years, Woohoo, we all need a reason to do something.:wink2:

wow! I am not alone. Banded in jan 08.11 months out, slept all summer with a quilt on my side of the bed. Ladies, it is NOT just the excess weight coming off, I was told it comes from the blood thinners they give us at surgery, you know to prevent the blood clots. I have noticed when I do my lunch time walk outside (45-55 temp) late in the afternoon I feel this chill go through my arms and hands. Just a little later I can touch my leg and it just radiates heat. I think this cold feeling is a good thing. When we exercise it leeps us warm. If we sit idle we continue to stay cold. It must be a silent motivator. Most nurses have told me it is coming from the blood thinners, so Prepare for the long haul. I was able to donate to red cross blood drive last month for first time and she had to give me a heat pad to warm the tips of my fingers before doing the needle prick. watch your iron as well took me 3 months to get it up enough to donate with them. Now maybe I can get new blood in my veins and it will keep me warmer. Just a thought....:wink:

I agree you need to take a deep breath and take your time. You are healing now. you need proteins to help the healing along and you need alot of fluids as well. I am 11 months out. I remember drinking constantly. Either Frozen protein shakes fotified pudding pops with cottage cheese and SF pudding mix and evaporated milk, real substance stuff for two weeks before moving on to the mushy stage, drink , drink and then drink some more. My dr instructions were on day 3 to start walking 15 minutes and add 5 minutes per day, so after a few days I started walking 2x per day. I am 10 lbs from goal now. Give it time, let your body heal and do your isometrics while lying down and and then strectch those legs. Good luck!! Welcom to the new world of bandsters.

Welcome to bandster world. Good luck! Remember that determination you had when you found out there was a tool out ther to help keep you from "overeating"? Refer back to that thought for the next 12 months and you will succeed. don't let anyone get you off track, But don't beat yourself up if you fall off of the wagon, crawl back up and continue on.. way to go!! I am 11 months out and 10lbs from goal. I luv my band.:angry_smile:

I was banded in Jan 08, I have had 7 fills total 7.cc in a 10cc band down 62 lbs. very slow these days. I am 10 lbs from goal. With the amount of exercise I do, my nutritionist told me I need to consume between 1300 and 2100(metabolic breathing test) calories a day, she said if I go lower than this my body goes into the fasting mode and stores everything as fat. currently 144 lb. Just like the before dieting , you get close to goal weight and your body needs to re-adjust. You are lucky on the fill, you have a lot of room left for help. once you start getting fills your weight loss should go back into overdrive. If you get them on a regular basis, if keeps your loss going, the liquid day after a fill sorta helps remind us that we have a band to take care of, and what it is there for. Good luck, keep in touch with your dr, that is what you paid for.:angry_smile:

I think you are feeling your Esophogus and th upper portion of your new tummy. I remember feeling this tightening feeling when I first got up in the morning, ThenI discovered it was from being tight. I was getting on the treadmill at 430 am and could hardly swallow cool water, so I switched to a little warm water or decaf just before starting my walking. Only small sips, As the day goes on the feeling went away. Again, this was in the first few months post op. So I still had a internal fat tummy wall. As my weight loss grew this was no longer an issue. Sometimes I feel this now, very seldom. It tells me my band is working!! Reminds me to drink more water or fluids as well. Cannot eat during this feeling either, which is ok, I can get the extra fluids down. Good luck on becoming a bandster. I love my band 11 months oiut and down 62 lbs, 10 lbs from goal.