NewLife4Jen

Hi all- I was banded on April 27th of this year. I have lost all total (including pre-op) 58 lbs. I am so thankful and happy for that. However, after my last fill, I have lost maybe 2 lbs...and it has been three weeks! I am now not making great choices as far as food ( but not horrible either). I am so frustrated as I am (and have been) about 4 lbs from a MAJOR milestone on the scale. I got on the scale today and it showed I gained about 1.5lbs....from what, I am not sure. A little weight gain from the choices I made maybe but not 1.5 lbs! I am even exercising 3 times a week for 1.5 hours. I would love someone that I could talk to, who can understand, who can be an accountability partner. I can be that for someone else too. Thanks- Jen

The last two fills I have had have been overfills. I want to have a good restriction so that the weight starts coming off again. This desire may cloud my judgement to how I really feel when I drink the water in the office. The first time...I knew it was two much but I was hoping to get use to it. Well, I ended up going back the next day and having 0.5cc taken out. I felt so much better. Yesterday, I had another fill of 1cc for a total of 6 cc. Well....in 24 hours, I only had 1/2 to 1 cup of fluids.......PB'd two sips of juice and had constant sliming everytime I had water, I went back today and had 0.5cc taken out. I immediately felt better again. Hopefully a gain of 0.5 cc that I am left with is enough to get over this 3 week plateau that I seemed to have had. Thanks for sharing and glad you are feeling better. Can't be doing all bad.....51 lbs. lost since mid-April.

Hi all- I was banded on April 27th and have lost a total of 40 lbs. so far. But I am missing salad so much. I can eat carrots and snap peas now but I miss more veggies in my diet. My regularity also misses salad in my diet....lol. When did everyone re-introduce salads into their diets? Thanks

Wow....I haven't been here for a while. I was filled on April 27th and have lost (including pre-op diet) a total of 40 lbs. Yay! I realized though that I do recognize that I am getting smaller but I am the same size Because I haven't been exercising like I should. So today, I went back to the gym and worked out for an hour...it felt really good! Cindy-I made the mistake on my first fill to have eaten right before....I mean right before my fill. I had taco bell pintos n'cheese and some chips. That was a huge mistake! Rather than being able to put in 3cc, they had to keep taking some out (for a toal of 1.5cc out) as I kept almost throwing up. It was like a major stuck episode where thewater wouldn't even go down. I asked the substitute dr. if eatinghad something to do with it and he kind of passed by my question. I am sure it did so the next fill with the nurse practioner...I went with an empty stomach (well I had lunch about 3 hours prior) and the NP said absolutely, eating before a fill is not advisable. That fill went great! Hope that helps. Good luck!

Had my first fill today and stitches out....no special needle like I have seen on youtube......just a regular syringe and a tiny pinch. Dr. told me that when they put it in at surgery, there was no fill. So today, he filled me with 3 cc's at first. Then I had to drink water. I managed to get a few sips down, I gurgled. Then he had me take more and WOW! Pain in the chest, water in the back of the throat. He told me to wait to see if it went down. It didn't so he took some fluid out and had me try again. I still felt bad from before and he wanted me to drink more. I tried and still painso out came more and this time, it was amazing how fast everything resolved once the the water could go down. He told me that I had a total of 2.25 cc's still in there out of the original 3 cc's. Liquid and pureefor the next 24 hours. Bring on the bigger weight loss!!!!

So it is almost Day 12. I wasn't suppose to eat mushies until day 14. However, I was literally gagging when I had to have another Soup, pudding, Jello, etc. So, I had something yesterday. Now, I know I probably shouldn't have started with this but I had some Wendy's chili and a plain baked potato with a smidge of butter. I got in about 6 small tsp. of the chili and about 5 bites of potatoes. I felt fulll and stopped. I began to feel human again,........not so tired and listless. However, about an hour afterwards, I felt super full and it was like a heavy bomb in my stomach and throat. I don't recall anyone describing a stuck episode that way. But I felt so sick last night. I chewed a mango/papaya pill which maybe helped a little and went to bed. I still felt bad when I woke up but the more I walked and was up the better I felt. So I tried about 8 small tsp. of egg saladat lunch today. Felt okay at first but then about 30 minutes later....I had the same feeling along with nausea like it was going to come back up but I couldn't burp. Since we have all been on a liquid diet for 1 month and our stomachs are not use to the band yet....is this what I have to go through to get to feeling fine with foods? I don't want this to happen everytime I eat, I am really hesitant to eat now AND I haven't even had my first fill yet! Has anyone else gone through this and if so, how long long does it last? Any other mushy foods that anyone can suggest that may be more friendly tomy stomach? PS....sorry to be TMI but it doesn't help that I have gone to the bathroom once in the 11 days since surgery.

Well its been about 4 days and I haven't lost anything. How can I still be on liquids (like 500-600calories/ day and not be losing anything? I am.walking...not as much as I should as I am tired from returning to work and trying to get caught up with life stuff. Maybe my body is hanging on to weight since I am taking in so little. Do I have to eat more to lose? Really? I am taking in my two shakes a day and milk in the morning. Top it off with water and that is all I'm having. I cannot even think about pudding or soup anymore and still can't handle jello. I am tired of not losing and at timesnlooks like I gained...not sure how. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

First day back to work..................very exhausted! Only 3 more days of liquids...YAY!!! Has anyone cheated and started a day or so earlier? lol Also...non diet related, can all of you feel your port under your skin?

Okay so today has been tough for me as far as being a bit hungrier but that has been managable. However, I could manage that except for the fact that: I WANT TEXTURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry for complaining....there will just be days like that I guess. This week will be sooooooo long as far as fluids. Again, after a month, so sick of fluids. But it will all be worth it as I have already lost 20 pounds. Will try not to focus on it and keep drinking water and exercising. Thanks for letting me vent

So far since surgery (Last Friday), I have only had soup broth 3 times. I figured that since I am gettingmy milk and protein shakes down along with pudding and occasional juice and water that I am okay. But that is ALL I have had so far. Is anyone else surviving on just the shakes and pudding with occasional juice and water? I know that I have to concentrate on getting more water.

Anissa- Like I said in an earlier post, I was that way too. I thought it was just nausea and a part of recovery. But I made sure that I started having more like a protein shake and soup broth. Then a while later, I had a pudding or a popsicle. That helped so much. Do you think part of it is just post surgery/I am sick of fluids/I am missing real food and the way I use to eat? Going to try some hot tea tonight to see if I can get things moving.

That's how I get my protein in.....Frosty Chocolate Pure Protein. That's all I can imagine drinking especially when the regional sales manager at GNC said that the other protein powers are not very good at all and need to build up a taste for it. I liked the Pure Protein right from the beginning. I cannot wait till I can have mushies....I understand the being so sick of the same foods. I will notbe having soup broth for a LONG time and I was really sick of jello but that seems to be working itself out....lol. Next thing is a bit more personal.....has anyone else had trouble going to the bathroom? I was banded last Friday and still haven't gone. I am wondering if there is something liquid I can do like a tea orsomething. Anyone else? Thanks

I was banded on the 27th. I am doing okay so far and realized that some of my nausea was coming from being a bit hungry though I didn't feel hungry at all. ......I guess it was my body saying I needed more food. So I did get a bit closer to my pre-op liquid diet and have been feeling a bit better. I am paranoid about not getting enough Protein (I am fond of having hair on my head..lol) so I am making sure that I am getting in my two shakes a day. It now takes me an hour plus what use to take me about 5-7 minutes to get down. However, I am having the hardest time with Jello......JELLLO! I can get pudding down but everytime I have tried jello, I get the some pain and gurgliness coming up my esophagus which isn't good since I am still having trouble burping. I tried leaving it in my mouth to melt a little but just can't do it. Weird! Anyone else?

Thanks Rebecca....I guess I was not having trouble just never getting any comments. Oh well. I was banded on the 27th and am still very sore. Also...cannot find a comfortable position to sleep...was up at 0430 this morning needing to sit up to sleep. Sleeping on my side gives me some nausea and gives me pain between my ribcage. When does this go away???

Testing........does anyone see my posts? Just curious......may be having trouble

glad that you are getting the support you need inkgurl. Hope that you do get to go home soon

thank you so much....that gives me hope

Is it normal to not be able to burp anymore or will this ability be able to come back after I have recovered? I feel like one is coming and it comes like halfway up then goes back down and hurts so bad. Any help please.....

Inkgurl......I will be praying for you. Try not to be scared...I know, easier said than done. Have faith that this will just be your set back and that you will get better soon. Others have had lots of vomiting,really bad and painful bloating and gas(that is me...almost can't move) and others have had to unfill almost as soon as they had surgery. I am not siminishing what you are going through at all...I just wish for you to be able to relax and concestrate on getting better. Stress can't help. Like I said, I will be praying for you and wishing you the best. Keep us posted.

Hi all- I, too, was banded yesterday and am just home from the hospital. In the recovery room I needed three meds for nausea as well as pain meds. This helped. I managed to walk 20 total las around the very large rectangular nurses station(basically around the whole hospital tower). Once the nausea subsided, the gas has been the worst. I can get past the soreness but around my ribcage (sometimes into my shoulder) ...it is so tight and hurts from the gas. I can't find a comfortable position at all. I haven't had pain meds since 4:30 this morning. A little bit nervous of taking the Loritab due to my history with nausea. I have been able to keep down some soup broth, a tiny bit of diet sorbett, water and watered down cranberry juice (drinking that due to having touble going to the bathroom all night....almost felt like a bladder infection. I wa holding onto all the IV fluids and could not go. This morning, I seem to be making up for it..lol). The discharge nurse said that the gas usually subsides within 2 weeks....I hope that it doesn't take 2 weeks.

Well, tomorrow is FINALLY my day! Yay! The WORST by far has been the bowel prep that I have had to gag down today. Yuck!!!! I am very much looking forward to it. Not nervous at all. I probably will be a smidge right after saying goodbye to my husband and kids. I agree with what others have said....the benefits far outweigh the risks! We all are going to react differently then each other.....meaning some will have problems with gas, some with pain tolerance, and a few might have the very rare complication. I will be trusting the Lord and praying that he protects me, that all goes well, that He guides the surgeon and team. I cannot believe that it is finally here! Already down 10 lbs from 2 weeks of liquid diet with the clear liquids since yesterday. Good luck to everyone being banded this week....especially tomorrow Who else is being banded tomorrow?....just curious

Sitting here waiting and waiting for my pre-op to be done. I have only been waiting for 45 min. so far with only one other person in the waiting room. Not all that impressed with this pcp dr. but it is who i have to see. Then off to the hospital to pre-admit. Surgery one week from today...very excited! Been on liquids for a.week now and looks like 10 lb. weight loss so far.