socalgal3

Hey all! I am back from my fill appointment. I got 1 cc. I shared a ride with a girl who weighed less on her surgery date than I do now! hahaha I am on liquids for 3 days. I was so glad to hear that everything looked fine under fluoroscopy! I was nervous! Let's hope the pounds start leaving now!

Congrats Barbara! That's AWESOME!

My doctor does fills that way, but I didn't know they were "dynamic"! Fills are always done under fluoro at Dr. Ortiz office, but they do make you sit up and drink to see how it flows through. By the way Cathy, you are doing great! 82 pounds gone forever! I get my fill Wednesday and I'm kinda stressed but excited to have restriction-at least some! Happy new week everyone.

Yes, you can eat Chinese food IN MODERATION. Overall, Chinese food is very high in calories, fat, sodium, sugar, etc. There are healthier dishes, but some vegetables may not go down easily. It really varies on what eat person can tolerate after being banded. Just be careful and follow the rules of chewing thoroughly, eating slowly and measure your food and you should be ok.

I only had to have an endoscopy after I was diagnosed with a slipped band. They wanted to make sure there was no erosion. I barely remember it. I hate bananas so I'm glad I don't remember! haha But while I was "under"(I get knocked out easily!) the doctor said I was crying! So maybe it hurt, but I wasn't aware of the pain. Like Helen said, when I was "aware" they said I was done. Good luck! Hopefully you won't need one.

My largest scar is 1 inch. The other 4 are less than 1 cm. I am currently using Neosporin Scar Solution bandages to reduce the scarring. My doctor used the surgical glue, so I have no stitch marks, just straight lines. I drove myself home from the hospial the day after the procedure and was feeling 100% a few days later. My surgery cost $8500 in Mexico self-pay, but I did finance. There are several medical financing places, but see if your insurance covers it. It took me less than a month to schedule the procedure in Mexico. There were no "pre-banding" appointments such as psych, etc. that you may have to do in the US. I had to fill in a big packet and then I went in the morning of my surgery for pre-op tests. Keep researching and let us know your decision.

One regular meal shouldn't ruin the banding, but if you continue to eat solids before your doctor tells you to, you will be in danger of not healing properly, a slipped band, etc. This is not a time to lose weight, it is a time to heal, so don't fret over pounds right now. Explain the situation to your doctor and they may opt to fill you at 6 weeks instead of 8. Keep yourself BUSY! That is the best way to keep your mind off of food. Try creamy soups, soft foods, etc. and hang in there!

Phil- You are still healing as Libra said. There is still post-op swelling, so you won't be able to consume much-even liquids. Some doctors put fluid in the band at the time of surgery, but usually they don't. The tightness you feel is swelling and gas. You are probably lightheaded from the remnants of anesthesia as well as the lack of protein. It will pass. Just relax and follow doctor's orders and stay in touch with your surgeon. Take some liquid Tylenol and rest.

I have left-side pain as well. My urine is a normal color. Someone else on here suggested it may be constipation. I am going to the doc Tues. and will ask about it. Let us know if you find anything out about yours!

Be careful with Lambrusco Poodles-sometimes it can be sparkling or fizzy/frothy/foamy.

I had pain on my left side and someone else on the board said it might be constipation.

Well, most of us didn't "eat Normal" before banding. That's why we needed the band. We probably ate enough for a few people and not the best choices. Also, eating too fast with big bites and basically inhaling food. YES, you will start to eat like a normal person and this will feel quite ABnormal. I still get bummed sometimes that I can't eat bread and certain fibrous foods, but there is plenty of variety to substitute those foods with. I can eat steak, but some can't tolerate it. There are no hard, fast rules on what you will be able to eat. Best of luck to you during your banding journey.

bikergrammy- I am a closet bandster too. I told one friend who has been very good about it. Never mentions it or acts any different, but I'm not sure other family and friends would react the same. I really wanted to be able to tell you all that I weigh what my ticker says by now! I have exercised everyday this week and been very good about calories. I haven't gained though. I was at 189 this morning and I am constipated with PMS!!! When do you all weigh? I usually weigh in the morning when I wake up before I get in the shower. I weighed 190 yesterday am and I went to the doctor yesterday afternoon and was 194 on their scale. But that was shoes and all.

I just wanted to clarify since you were seeking help from people banded relatively the same length of time as yourself and you have a full year over all of us! Good job on your progress so far. I hope I lose 100 pounds!

jlynn- I was looking at your signature. What was your weight on surgery day? Did you lose 100 pounds in 2 months??

That is a good theory! I haven't had a BM and I do get constipated before my period for some weird reason. Sorry if that was TMI!!! Is Miralax prescription? Maybe I'll try something over the counter. PS-I got Flonase today too due to my post-nasal drip which makes me tight too.

Before I had my unfill, I was not constricted to the point of not keeping anything down. I just had some pain. They told me my esophagus was swollen and it needed to rest. My only instruction was to take Maalox. I went back in January after I had horrible heartburn and couldn't keep anything down and was told I was slipped. At that point, since I had no fill, it was determined that repositioning surgery was required. I guess if they catch it early, you are lucky or whatever, it may go back into place.

ellgee- You can also do a search here under Food for liquid stage and mushy recipes. That might help. People get pretty creative! Do you all have a pretty big burp shortly after eating? Is that the food moving from the pouch to lower stomach or what? How long, for example, does it take you to eat a protein bar? I eat one in like 5 minutes, so I don't want to be eating too fast. That's what got me in trouble last time. Does anyone have pain in their back on the left? I've read alot of people having pain on the right and I guess that's the gallbladder, but I have pain on the left. Not sure if it's my band or just my posture, stress, etc. It's bad when I PMS, so I was thinking maybe the swelling it tightening my band and making it hurt? I'm trying to go in for a fill next week, so I'll ask the doctor then....if they ever call me back. PS-Has anyone heard from Leila?

I didn't actually get re-banded, just repositioned. They told me there was a 50/50 chance when they went in of saving it or removing it. The doctor said, if I can save it, do you want me to? I said yes without hesitation. Sometimes I want to rip this thing out of me, but for the most part, I am happy. Yes, there is a chance of re-slip, but my surgeon said he put extra stitches to lower the chance of a reslip. I am maintaining right now because I have no fill. I hope to be filled next week and the loss will start again.

So sorry to hear that ellgee! I hope that the unfill works for you and you don't have to undergo another operation like I did! I don't have any recommendations of fave foods, as I was pretty miserable at that time. I did puree different soups and they were good. I know some people do baby food, but I never did that. Best of luck and keep us posted!

I don't think anyone of our Junebies has had erosion, but I had a slip and Randi recently had to have her band removed. We have daily struggles of trying to figure out what foods we can eat, getting the proper fill amount, head hunger, etc. I think Barb was losing some of her fill so they used the thicker Omnipack solution. Maybe ask your doctor about that. Welcome to the June Crew and keep posting!

No, mine moved down. That makes it tighter because the muscle tissue is thicker and there is more of it below. I had no fill at the time of my slip. I still would recommend liquids and you want any swelling to go down and don't want further complications.

Are you having any symptoms? When I had a slipped band, I couldn't eat anything, so that basically forced me on liquids-which were also hard to get down. It depends on how bad your slip is, how you feel and what you can tolerate. I personally would do liquids or mushies to prevent further damage. I hope you are better soon.

Ok, for some reason my brain read "nasty" not "tasty". I live near the border, so I'm all about Mexican food! Just can't overindulge...

Just curious....why does being Texan mean you don't like tortilla chips? I'm from California, so maybe it's a "Texas thing" I don't get!