teacherica

Jodi_620 I have had 3 fills. The first did nothing, the second gave me a lot of restriction until I lost about 15 lbs and now I am on my 3rd fill. It was so tight that I was on liquids for 2 weeks and I have been on mushies for the last 3 weeks. It has only been this last week that I started eating solid foods again. I tried scheduling an unfill after week three, but the Dr. was unavailable to fit my schedule, so I just decided to tough it out. I am finally eating solids, but I also notice that the quantity I am eating is a lot more. I am reluctant to go in for another fill because the last one was so tight, but I don't think I should be eating so much. (I had two regular size portions of lasagna, plus a regular size piece of cheese cake at my sister's birthday party. I haven't been able to do that for a long time.) The Dr. has told me that just eating mushies is not where I should be. I should be able to eat regular solid food. My question to you is: How long after a fill should I be able to eat solid foods? Should I try to get another fill? Thanks for your advice.

It is very common for people to use a different Dr. for fills than the one that actually did the surgery. Just find a place, do some research and find out their policy and what paperwork they need from you. The least you can do is call their office and ask them. I wish you all the best!

What you are talking about is psychological hunger. It does go away as you start to eat mushy food and regular food. Try more variety to your liquid intake. Try smoothies. Jamba juice is great and even Starbucks has a great banana chocolate vivano drink that is only 260 calories and is a Protein drink! I love those. I don't feel deprived when others are getting the good stuff, I just get creative. I get Soup from Subway, and once I was okay to eat mushies, rice and Beans from Taco Bell. When you get to mushies, try eggs, refried beans and mashed up rice. Baby food is also great to add for more nutrients.

Thanks for all the information. I feel better about having my espresso. I will definately stay away from carbonated drinks though.

Can someone please tell me why it is bad to have anything with caffeine or anything that is carbonated? I went to starbucks and dranks a Vivianno Protein drink and added espresso to it. I feel guilty about adding the caffeine but it went down without any problems. I don't drink soda or coffee, but I would like to know why it is bad for the band. Thanks Erica

I have noticed that I have tended to eat more mushy foods than solid foods lately, because they are pretty much all I can get down. Slider foods to me means any food that slides down easy that is not good for you to eat. Any food that is healthy for you is considered mushy food to me. I don't consider rice and beans slider foods because they have nutritional value, I consider them mushy foods. I do consider ice cream and milk shakes slider foods. Either way, the Doc. told me not to get into the habit of eating mushy/slider foods only. The band should allow me to eat healthy solid foods. Thanks for all the advice. I think I will call the Dr. and see if he wants to unfill me.

Why is my band so picky? Some days I can eat, some days I can't eat. I don't think I'm eating things that irritate the band. I have had 3 fills and have successfully lost 30 lbs post op sice my surgery, December 3rd. I have 5.8 cc's filled in my band. I was a little tight after fill number 2, but it loosened up after 2 weeks and was really tight immediately after fill #3 which was two weeks ago. My problem is that my band has been real picky. I was so hungry last Friday, but I couldn't tolerate any solid food - not even mushies that day, until evening. I ended up eating 3 cups of Soup, had a milk shake (I hardly ever have those) and a few bites of mud pie. It all went down with minor problems. Why I couldn't eat any food until dinner time? Saturday and Sunday, I couldn't stop munching on food. I had animal crackers and graham crackers dipped in milk and macaroni and cheese. Things went down fine. I even ate fish with very little problems. Today, I am soooo hungry, but I tried to eat rice and Beans and after 3 bites, I PB'd it and I can't tolerate any other mushy food. I have only been able to keep liquids down. This is really frustraiting!

How long should I wait before I go in for an Unfill? It's been 2 weeks and I know that the fill usually loosens up after a while.

Don't worry about not losing much weight your first month. The first month isn't about losing weight, it's about healing. You are lucky if you lose any weight during the first month. I lost 15 lbs and gained 5lbs the first month. My Dr. told me it was all normal. I didn't do much better after my 1st fill either. Dr. said it may take a few months and a few fills before losing weight and feeling restriction. My second fill was when I started to lose the lbs and I felt the restriction. Now, I am losing 10 lbs a month and have lost about 30 lbs post op. (My surgery was December 3rd). Relax and be proud of yourself.

My second fill was pretty tight. I could drink water fine, but protein drinks were a little difficult. It took over a week before I could switch over to mushies, but I chose to wait it out only because I could drink liquids pretty well. If you are having a hard time with water, go back and get the unfill!

I may be too tight, but I can eat regular food, just not like I used to. Good news is I am scheduled to see my dr. this coming Monday so he will decide if I should get some taken out or get another fill. I am worried about getting the right nutrients in but I do make sure I have at least 2 protein shakes a day and a smoothie and v8 juice along with a vitamin. That way I cover all the food groups. I do know that my band is getting looser now. I am starting to get hungry sooner and I want to eat more.

The name of the protein shakes from Costco is Premier Nutrition Protein. They come in a case of 24. You can normally find them by the pharmacy area, not necessarely around the weight loss shakes.

My Dr. filled 2.5 cc's on my first fill. It did absolutely nothing for restriction. He told me that would probably happen. Don't be discouraged if your first fill or even your second fill gives you no restriction. My second fill was very different. Again, he put in another 2.5cc's for a total of 5 cc's. I could drink Water but I had problem with Protein shakes that day, so I knew it would be very hard to eat food. I couldn't eat solids for a week after that. Very slowly, I was able to tolerate mushies, then regular food. I am 3 weeks into my 2nd fill and I am down 10 lbs. (I also workout) I still have problems eating solid foods, sometimes it's no problem, sometimes I PB everything. I stay away from bread, or dough, I won't even try honey or any hard food. I still am on soft food. The hardest part is training my mind to pick smaller portions. I get very upset when I am very hungry and can only eat 3 or 4 bites. My stomache says no more, and it takes a few minutes for my mind to let go, but I am not hungry if I step away from the food. That part sucks.

Any good Protein shake should have at least 15 grams of protein, should be under 200 calories per 12 ounces, and should have less than 20 grams of carbs. It should also have 25% of the daily recommended amount in: Vitamin A Calcium Vitamin D Vitamin K Vitamin B6, Vitamin C Iron Vitamin E I get my Protein shakes from costco. They have 30 grams of protein, they are 160 calories and have 5 grams of carbs along with all the major nutrients. They are also less expensive than going to the grocery store or GNC. (They cost $28 for a pack of 24) They also taste great. I have done a lot of research about this and have talked to Nutritionists about this. Your body needs to consume at least 60 grams of protein, about 80 grams of carbs and about 1200 calories a day to survive. If you work out, you need more. Consider than when buying your protein shakes. Good luck and read the label!

Hello All, I am frustraited. My right knee is not doing so well. I did 2.5 miles last Monday and Wednesday, but my knee said no for my Friday workout. I ended up going to the gym on Sunday and working out on the Eliptical for 55 minutes and completed 4 miles. It was great. However today I am suppossed to jog again and my knee won't let me. I hope it will be better by Wednesday. I also realized that I am suppossed to be up to 4 miles by the end of this month, up to 8 miles by the end of March and up to 12 miles by the end of April. I feel overwhelmed because of my darn knees! At least the weight is coming off.

Good luck Ladies on your surgeries. Rest assure that you are in good hands. IF you have a nurse named Ami, she will take good care of you. I was scheduled to go in to surgery at 1:00pm on a Wed. That Wed morning, they called me to go in an hour early at 12:00pm. I arrived at 12:00pm and filled out final paperwork. I sat there until 1:00pm in the front office. They made me take off all my jewlery. Once they took me to the back room, I had to take off all clothing accept my underwear (optional). Ami, my nurse hooked me up to an IV and I waited to see the Dr. Dr. Salimitari asked me if I had any questions, and he explained the procedure. I waited in the back room until 2:00pm. Take a good magazine or something to keep you occupied. You can't take anyone back with you to the back room. My mom said the whole procedure from 1:00PM until they woke me up and she was allowed to take me home was about 4 hours. She went to get my prescription filled next door. When I woke up, my tummy and boobs were real sore and I was real sleepy. Not too bad. TAKE A PILLOW for the ride home. Good luck.

I had a similiar experience. I had an IUD put in about 4 months before surgery. That makes my periods lighter, but 2 weeks long instead of 1 week. The day of surgery, I started my period. It continued for 4 weeks! I asked my surgeon if the band was related and he said no and that I should check with my OBGYN and make sure I don't have an ectopic pregnancy. I am not pregnant and am now 2 months post op. My last period was back to normal.

sasseestar, I was banded on December 3rd and so far I am down 21 lbs post op. It has been about 2 months for me. I have had no complications with Dr. Salimitari and I look forward to seeing him again on the 16th for another fill. He was even willing to give me a fill early because I was getting frustrated and didn't think I was losing weight fast enough. The truth is, you do lose about 10 lbs a month - and I have to work hard to make sure the weight keeps coming off. Hey Everyone, did anybody else get a letter about a Support Group offered by Top Surgeons in Beverly Hills? If so, did anyone go?

Glad to hear from you guys about this. I had my last fill about 2 weeks ago. I am able to drink liquids pretty well, but I seem to PB everyday. I drink smoothies and protein drinks most of the day, and by the evening, I want a meal. The meal with real food doesn't go down so well, but I am learning to listen to my band. I know when I eat too much or too fast - it will come right back up. If I take two bites, put the plate aside for a few minutes and then go back to it, I do much better. I gave up on eating off of regular size plates. I think too that mentally measuring my food to a 1 cup size helps determine portion size for me.