ParrotheadCathy

Oh, it's gas. It's just not gas in your digestive tract! You see, when they do laproscopic surgery, they pump carbon dioxide into your abdomen to extend your belly to give them more room to work in. After they're done, that gas has to be absorbed into your blood stream and eliminated. It doesn't happen overnight. In the meantime, any gas in your abdomen has the luxury of moving around at will -- and causing you a good bit of pain in the process. For whatever reason, the left shoulder often is where you feel it most. Gas medication won't do a thing for this. The only things that will help are #1 (AND most important) is to keep moving. Walk as much as you feel up to. Sit in a rocking chair instead of a regular chair and ROCK. Hold your arms over your head and move them around. #2 You can put a heating pad over your shoulder (don't put it over your incisions unless you clear that with your doctor) or against your back and that will help some too. And, finally, it will go away on its own.

The needle used for a fill is called a Huber needle (not sure about that spelling). It's kind of long but it has a bend near the end. It's just the part after the bend that is really the "business" part of the needle. Ports are self-sealing and that needle is meant to minimize the pierce into the port so that it self-seals immediately.

PB is almost always user error. If you eat too fast, swallow too big a bite, or a bite that isn't chewed well it can get stuck. That's uncomfortable. Resist the urge to take a big drink to move it; that just makes it worse. Stand up. If it doesn't move, you may find that you are "sliming" .... lots of mucus and saliva. This is paving the way for that bite to come back up easily. And come back up it will.....just that chewed up bite. Not at all like vomiting because there's no heaving, no stomach acid, not all the contents of your stomach. JUST THAT BITE. Not good table manners and therefore, a bit embarassing. But, as I said, you usually get a little warning. If you're out, leave the table and take your napkin with you in case you have to catch the bite before you get to the bathroom. It's not the end of the world and as long as I really do take small bites, chew well, and swallow it before I take another bite, I don't have a problem.

Trust me, there is a wide range of flavors. Take chocolate, for example. A chocolate Protein shake in 5 brands, one will taste much more chocolately, one will have a creamier texture, one will taste like crap (LOL) and one will taste a little weak. Try the Unjry samples (I've heard their products are good, though expensive). If you have a GNC, I've been told they often can sample you in the store with a few choices. What I like may be less than appealing to you and vice-versa, so you really do have to go by the trial and error. For my pre-op, I used a whey Protein Shake from my doctor's office. They suggested mixing it with Water or skim milk. I tried it with water first. Nastiest stuff I ever put in my mouth. Then mixed it with skim milk and OMG the difference was incredible.

GouldMama, bandster hell is that evil period of time after your surgery when your hunger comes back with a vengance but you have to finish the all liquid phase, the mushy stage, get to real food and then FINALLY start getting fills. During that time, it's tough to stick to the eating plan because your band isn't helping yet. I call that period "white knuckling it". It does go away once you start getting fills. As your fills take you closer and closer to your sweet spot, it gets easier. Use this time frame to really learn how you're supposed to eat. If (or should I say "when") you get hungry before 4 hours after a meal, eat a snack of some protein! Protein takes the longest to digest of any food you can eat and therefore stays in your stomach longer and therefore makes you feel full longer. Don't drink your protein either... Eat it.

Alcohol doesn't affect you differently than before the band. But once you lose, it may take less alcohol to have the same effect because of the change in ratio of body mass:alcohol. You may feel the effects a little sooner because you may not be able to eat as much of a "cushion" in advance of drinking and as you lose weight, the alcohol affects less mass and therefore you feel it differently. I went on a cruise with 500 friends 5 weeks after surgery (go to www.parrotheadcruise.com if you want to see what that's like)...and I drank every day. Like before banding. I didn't lose an ounce on the trip, but I didn't gain either. That's what you really have to consider -- the calories. An ounce of rum is 60 calories. Add mixers to your rum, tequila, etc. and you can take in a lot of empty calories very quickly! Beer is carbonated and while plenty of people drink it, I couldn't at first. I tried but it just made me belch nearly nonstop. Now, almost 6 months out, I drank a beer and a half on Saturday with no problems other than feeling really full on just beer, with no food.

Every doctor's pre-op diet seems to be unique. Mine was two Protein shakes per day (and they had to be whey protein shakes) and two lean meals consisting of 3-4oz lean protein and vegetables. Carbs were not on the diet. Others are on Optifast for 2 weeks. Some don't do anything. You'll just have to find out what your doctor chooses. A couple of things to remember. (1) Whey protein is derived from eggs so if you are one of those who are allergic to eggs, tell them it will have to be something else. (2) GNC sometimes offers tasting with their various shakes. IF you have a GNC and you are supposed to pick your own Protein shake, go in and ask "what does that one taste like". (3) For most doctors, the purpose of the pre-op diet it to shrink your liver so that it won't be in the way when they do the surgery. Ask Restless Monkey....her first time in, they closed her back up because her liver was too thick. So, the moral of that story is follow your doctor's instructions Post-op, when liquids are all you can have, Jodi is right about the canned chicken and beef broth -- they're not that good. But instead of straining Soups, I suggest buying a whole chicken, put it in a large pot and cover with Water. Add some salt, some pepper, a bay leaf, some chunks of carrots and celery, and an onion, quartered. Don't even bother to peel the onion. Simmer until the chicken is done. Strain off all the solids and you'll be left with some yummy chicken stock (or beef, if you use a cheap cut of beef). You can puree a small can of diced tomatoes (and I mean really puree them) and add to the beef stock and that is really good.

Do your research now. Make phone calls. Ask your current surgeon if he knows anybody in Illinois that he could refer you to.

Bandster hell was a little rough..... I started getting hungry at 7 days out from surgery. On Day 10, my doc advanced me ahead of schedule because I was so hungry. Thank goodness he's flexible because that saved the day. Since then, I really have no negatives to report. I've lost 70 pounds since I started this (surgery on 2/10/09) and I feel fantastic. Only wish I'd done it sooner.

Heidi, if you can follow instructions, the band should work for you. But it's a tool, not a magic wand. It will help you restrict your eating to 1,000-1,200 calories per day but it is possible to cheat the band by eating bad food choices like ice cream and other sweets or lots of breads. I suggest you find a surgeon in your area who has a free seminar coming up. This would be a fantastic place to get the basic information and to be able to ask questions, find out if your insurance will cover the procedure, etc. You can see by my ticker below that I've lost 70 pounds this year. And, I'll tell you that it feels different than any time I've lost weight before. I haven't hesitated to get rid of clothes that have become too big because I know I won't need them in the future. Before, I think I always knew that the weight would come back. If you want to ask more questions, ask away. Somebody here can answer you. If you want to ask me particularly, you can email me at parr0thd51@aol.com

Well, I had never heard of GSV as a stand-alone procedure -- I'd only read where it was used as a step 1 in extremely heavy patients who doctors didn't want to do bypass on because of the risk. What I'd read was after 100 to 200 pounds, they revised the GSV to RNY. And that was as far as I went with that. After all, they make your stomach tiny and remove part of it. I didn't want anything that drastic. I needed to lose 134 pounds and I thought I wasn't fat enough for RNY. How many times did I hear the phrase "the first 100's a gimme"? Lap band is adjustable, 100% reversible with a minor procedure (there are some surgeons now who reverse RNY but I'm not thinking it's a simple procedure) and I believed that it left me in control of the situation. The risks were part of it for me, and others will tell you that RNY is safer than lap band but I wasn't buying that (and still don't) but that's a personal decision in the end. There is an EXCELLENT comparison of RNY and lap band on the welcome page of this site.

30 grams? Heck, I was told a minimum of 60 grams and that 70 would be better. I'm 5 months post-op and haven't lost any hair beyond the normal little bit. We're all different. Are you taking a good multivitamin with zinc? Biotin works for some but some people say it didn't make a difference for them. But it should slow down and then stop before much longer.

You don't say how much you have to lose or if you have comorbities but I'm thinking if your family loves you, they'll be happy that you are taking action against an obvious problem. I think a lot of people are nervous about telling folks they are getting banded because somewhere in their subconscious they think they are somehow cheating. But here's the deal: YOU'RE NOT. You will still have to make the food choices, put in the exercise time and do what you have to do to use the band to its full potential. If you don't want to tell them, that's your choice. But I'm for telling, just because it sounds like you want to tell them fur are a little nervouse about it. You don't have to tell everybody (yeah, like RestlessMonkey, I told absolutely everybody, including strangers, LOL), but like a lot of things in life, if you sound confident and sure of yourself, people will feel that. And if some random person wants to tell you horror stories, just tell them that you didn't sign up to hear rumors, that you've discussed all the risks with your surgeon and that you feel sure that you will be fine.

Not sure where you're located BUT if you're in an apartment or subdivision with a resident clubhouse, post a message on the bulletin board asking for a walking buddy or gym buddy! Where I live, LOTS of people walk on the track at the elementary school because not all subdivisions have sidewalks and the track is a lot safer. Walking there, I have met other regular walkers and an always count on them showing up and giving me someone to chat with as we walk. I'd suggest driving by a couple of nearby schools that have a paved track at about the time most people get home in the afternoon and I bet you'll find a group of walkers too! Keep an eye on people out in your neighborhood and just introduce yourself and ask if you can walk with them. I know that this is the hardest thing to do, so that's why it's at the end of my list.

Protein. Protein is more dense than anything else you can eat, so it takes longer to digest, so it stays in your pouch longer, so it makes you feel full longer.

I sometimes go to seminars conducted by my surgeon to be available as a patient who will answer questions. He has a slide presentation that has discussion with each slide. They answer some questions during the presentation and then open questioning after. As a patient, I am usually the last part of the presentation and they show my before picture (I'm down 70 pounds but have 64 to go). Each person receives a packet that includes a 6 page patient questionnaire (which you complete and bring to your individual consultation), a form for insuranc information so that they can confirm your insurance coverage and thus be able to tell you the requirements for approval, etc.

Go ahead and schedule another fill. And then find some activity to get you out of the house. Volunteer somewhere. I cannot stay around the house. If I lived alone it wouldn't be so bad because there wouldn't be chips and Cookies and stuff but My 20 year old granddaughter who is 5'7" and weighs 110 and her 15 month old daughter live with me and there stuff is always there, beckoning seductively, LOL. Could you go to a hiking trail away from home that would not only burn up the time spent on the trail but some time in getting there and back home? I do that sometimes on Sundays and can manage to burn up like three hours, LOL. Get some exercise and be out of the house for a good amount of time. This weekend, if I weren't going to the beach, I could go to a charity called MedShare (here in Atlanta) that repacks donated medical supplies to ship to third world countries. Takes half a day and I'd be doing something good. I have also volunteered on a regular basis packing meals for home delivery to people who are housebound. None of this stuff is hard work, but it's really, really rewarding, the other people who participate are always friendly, and it keeps me away from my house and all those temptations.

July 4th!! I cooked for 20 people and nibbled my way through the day and by dinner time, I wasn't hungry (thank God) but I'm sure I ate PLENTY of calories just nibbling.

Gotcha beat! A guy I went out with a few times and then just never heard from again dropped by my house a couple of weeks ago! Out of the blue! Said he was "in the neighborhood". My adult granddaughter and 15 month old grat-granddaughter live with me now and he was plenty surprised to see me in the yard with a small child, LOL. Now, he instant messages me, just chit-chat. WTF?? I certainly didn't know what to think of it. It just seemed very strange.

I'm with RestlessMonkey! The only vaguely rude thing ever said to me was by a child .... a 4 year old who asked if I was going to have a baby like her mother, and I just laughed at that. I've never felt discriminated against because of my weight. I've always gone and done whatever I wanted (even the beach). But I know it's out there; I've just been blessed. The one thing I can say is that at least with people who know me, they probably operated with the knowledge that if they said something mean about it, I'd give it back in spades! But even with strangers, if anybody ever said anything it was behind my back and NOT to my face.

I live in Conyers. Dr. Chris Hart did my surgery (through True Results on Peachtree Dunwoody). Love Dr. Hart. Not the chattiest guy you'll ever meet, but he's incredibly patient and will sit and answer questions as long as you have them. Sista, I didn't meet Dr. Hart until 2 weeks before my surgery but that was really okay. Pretty much all your contact post op is with the staff rather than the surgeon and they are the people that count. A surgeon with an excellent reputation can get the band in safely but an excellent support staff will take you through the rest of it comfortably.

I believe your current weight is in the normal range for your height. If you are still losing and don't want to, perhaps you could add a couple of small snacks to your daily diet? Try adding one and see if that slows or stops the weight loss. If not, add a second. I'm not suggesting ice cream and cake, but a healthy snack like cheese and fruit or something like that. Obviously, I'm not at goal, but it seems like a logical suggestion.

Hey, 155. I suggest you find out what the appeal process is and work with your doctor to file an appeal. Part of it should probably include a copy of your insurance booklet that does not state the limitation. That falls in the range of false advertising almost, LOL. But, seriously, you often can succeed on appeal where you were denied initially.

Sounds spot-on to me, Nellie. Dehydration can cause all those symptoms. Push water...aim for 64 oz. a day. Hopefully you'll see a difference in no time!

I was cleared for mushy food on Day 10 and by 4 weeks post-op, I too was on pretty my all "regular" food. You will be aware of things post-op that never crossed your mind before. Like, many of us are very aware of liquids passing through the stoma. Never noticed that before, LOL. Conceivable, your band could feel a bit tighter for a variety of reasons that are in all likelihood not related to the sandwich at all but it is just coincidentally. The variety of foods that tempt us on vacation may have simply irritated your pouch a bit and that is what you are feeling. As I said before, when in doubt we can relate our experiences and likely allay your concerns but your doctor's office is the ultimate authority. If you aren't feeling more "normal" tomorrow, give them a call.