UpperWestSide

I ate a piece of chicken tonight and it got stuck. I PB'd a few times and then the feeling of being stuck got worse. I don't think I actually have anything in there but it feels so swollen. I can't even swallow my spit. I keep throwing up and when I try to sleep it feels too uncomfortable to lie down. I will call my Dr in the morning but is there anything I should do tonight? I have tried to drink a little hot Water and I tried to crush an anti-inflamatory to try to reduce the swelling but I can't keep anything down. Help ( I swear I will never eat chicken again)

I gained about 5 pounds once I started on solid food but I lost it pretty quickly. I knew that it would happen thanks to this board and it did not freak me out (ok, maybe a little bit).

I don't think I am quite at my sweet spot but I have had restriction all along. First the swelling from the surgery made me suspect that I might never be hungry again. That went away about a month after the surgery and I have had 3 fills and one slight unfill. I am losing slowly but pretty consistantly with only one extended plataue. But what I have found different about this from a diet is that I have more patience than I used to. I don't try to eat a lot of the foods that they told me I should not eat like bread and Pasta. I eat nearly everything else but in small portions so I don't feel like I am on a "diet" because I am not restricting myself to those bland diet food. I eat a lot of Protein and that helps to keep me full. For me the weight loss may be slower than I had expected but heck, I am not even 6 months out and I am down 55 pounds. I could have never done that before.

I remember that weird taste in my mouth. Nothing tasted good for weeks which helped with the initial weight loss. If you can have any protein that is not sweet that may help. But otherwise, just hold out. It will eventually go away. I was light-headed for about 4 days and then survivied the liquids without much of a problem which was a huge surprise. I was more worried about the 2 weeks on liquid than the surgery. Funny what we get fixaited on.

I just saw on the news that Slimfast has recalled all of their shakes because they may be contaminated with a bacteria that may make you throw up. This could be really bad for those who are recently banded. (it can't be too good for the rest of us either.) Slim·Fast

Scarlotta: Your post is so open and honest that I just had to reach out. All of those things that you are now realizing are not the all of who you are. As a "I'm a bright, friendly, confident woman " you will be surprised to see how many people don't think of you as morbidly obese before those other things. Many people who are overweight still present themselves as confident people. It does not always go hand in hand that we obese people crawl to the corner of the room so not to be noticed. So don't think that this process needs to change how you see yourself. But having said that, it can be very helpful if you are open to examining yourself in new ways. I always thought I knew why I ate and why I was overweight. I must be an emotional eater. But going through this process has given me insight into the more complex reasons behind my eating. And I could not have done that without being open to envisioning myself in a new way. Take advantage of opportunites to investigate within yourself. If you have not had therapy, now would be a good time to invest in some. It makes the process a bit easier if you take the time to look inside yourself. Also, the stress of making these eating changes can really test even the best of us. So give yourself the gift of some extra help. It has made a big difference for many of us. And keep posting here. There are many people who will help with this journey and give you advice. But just remember that not everyone here has the same Dr. giving the same medical advice. Listen to your Dr. and ask a lot of questions. That is what you are paying them for. Good luck with this journey. I never thought I could find a path back to health. I beleive I have and, 5 months out, I would not change a thing. Sure it's early for me. But I have all the confidence that I am on the right path.

Did you lose weight on the presurgical diet? Everytime I have a fill my Dr. says I have to do 2 days of liquid and 2 days of mushies. That always pushes me south a bit in terms of weight. If you have not had to do that I would the "5 day pouch test" as it helps to reset things a bit. Just google it to see what it says.

Unjury is really good. Since you mix it yourself it is thinner and has a really good taste. They also do a chicken soup flavor which is a nice break from the sweet shakes.

I had surgery on a Tuesday and went back the following Monday. But I found I could not work the entire day and basically spent the next week slowly increasing my time each day until I was full time by the end of the week. I would not rush it back and wished I had more time out to begin to incorporate my new eating habits. liquids in the office was certainly harder than liquids at home.

Look, if there was a way to cheat to be thin I think we would have all sought it out years ago. In fact, if someone was smart enough to invent a way to simply cheat to be thin they would have made a million bucks in a New York second. This is not cheating, it is a tool. It take patience and even a bit of humility to make this thing work for you (I sure felt humble the first time I pb'd and slimes my way around the house.) I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving when much of my family will see me for the first time since my surgery. Hopefully they will notice the difference and will support me. I am not planning on sharing the Lapband information with those that don't know. But since I am one of 2 of us who are overweight, the rest should be supportive. The one who is not is my partner and we are working through this together. We are in couples therapy to make sure that we both feel comfortable with my new life. Too bad you can't get your sister into therapy. Best of luck.

Glad to hear it was just a question that your husband asked. There are too many stories on this board of people not doing what their Dr advised and then ending up in real trouble. Don't worry about the weight gain after surgery as that is very common due to Water retention. If you follow the plan it will disapear just like the rest of you. Many people don't even begin to lose weight until after their first fill. I managed to stay steady for the first month and got huge congradulations from my Dr. Good luck to you.

You could very well do a great deal of damage and end up with a slipped band. Don't do it. I looked at your other posts and most of them have centered around not being able to handle the pre-op diet or gaining weight post op. You really should call your Dr.'s office on monday and go in there and have a frank conversation with someone. The band is a tool that really does take a great of work to make it succeed. They need to give you more support to help you through this (as will this board). But if you are thinking of eating 2 days after your surgery then you are headed for trouble. Best of luck to you.

You should say what your insurance company is so people can recommend a dr. that takes it. I have a supportive PCP but she takes no insurance. I use my insurance for all my medical needs except for her.

My Dr. is very strict about eating after fills. I need to do 2 days of liquid and then move to 2 days of mushies. At that point i can add food. But I have found that I have to be careful since things change when you get a fill. Did your Dr. say it was ok to eat on the same day as a fill? I think that would be unusual as there is often swelling after a fill. But call your Dr and check.

The actual fill did not hurt very much. The needle seemed large but the prick hurt less than a a blood draw. Dr's do things differently but my dr (and, it seems, many others) put you back on liquid for 2 days, then mushies for 2 days then food. The diet is because there can be some sweeling when the band is filled and they want to be careful. I look at it as an opportunity to opptomize some weight loss each time I get a fill. When you first get back to food, take it easy. You never really know the level of restriction you will have until you eat something that does not agree with you. I have had 2 fills and found that I sort of have to relearn what works with the band each time as the restriction goes up. Good luck to you.

I have Oxford and they did not require the 6 month pre-diet so that took out a big part. But my Dr's office really seemed to know how to handle the approval process. I followed their advice and it went like clockwork. My practice gave me a set of directions that basically gave me a step by step procss to follow and I had no problems.

You should call your Doctor right away to see what they have to say about the situation. You really don't want to have the surgery and end up with just some holes in you and not the band. But for all of you people who are saying "do what I did and you will be fine"....are you crazy??? (Yes, I know that is harsh). But how do you know what her Doctor may feel she needs in order to be ready for the surgery. Here you are recommending that she not listen to her Dr. before a pretty major surgical proceedure. Would you do the same thing for someone going in for some other kind of surgery? Maybe she has co-morbidities you don't know about or she has a fatty liver you have not felt. This site is great for us to share our experiences, give each other support or to answer puzzling issues. But lets stay away from countermanding medical advice from a Dr. (getting down off my high horse now)

I just had a similar problem. I got my second fill and for the past week I have been feeling that stuck feeling after just a few bites. I threw up nearly every day and I knew that was bad. I thought I was just needing to get used to the new restriction and so I gave myself a few days. But when I woke up on Monday with a sore throat I knew that was a sign of reflux. So I called my Dr. and went in and got a small unfill. No more reflux and dinner sat ok tonight. I don't know what to say about the distance thing for you. That must be tough. My dr. told me to drink a warm drink before I tried to eat. I did but that did not make a difference. I hear from others that it can really help. Good luck to you.

I had my surgery on Tuesday, June 30th and was back to work the following Monday. But I only worked a half a day for the next couple of days. That was not my intent but it turned out to be what I needed.

I don't know about using coffee. The caffine might add to the problem. I would just sip some hot water. Make sure you call your Dr. too because they are there for you to get help from. I don't know if the local hospital has the experience. Please let us know how you do.

My dr. says if things are working don't mess around with them. I lost 12 pounds the first month after my first fill which took place a month after the surgery, so I did not have a 2nd fill that month. I went back last week and while I was down another 6 I could feel that I was getting hungry quicker. So she said she was comfortable whatever choice I made. We decided to do a small fill and now I must really be careful. During the last few days I have eaten some of the things I was eating during the last month and have had some uncomfortable moments. I don't think I need an unfill but I have much more restriction. I look at it this way; each time that the band is filled I have to re-learn what i can eat. Within the next week i should be ok and comfortable with the new feeling. But the chances of PB'ing are pretty good until i learn what my body can now handle.

I eat dark meat chicken mostly with some kind of sauce. I also eat hamburgers, chewing carefully. I have even had a steak but ate real slow and spit out any gristle that was still in my mouth after chewing (not something I would like to do in a restaurant. I eat tons of fish. But I had a terrible case of being stuck on a piece of skirt steak. It was mighty tasty but too stringy and I got stuck for 8 hours. That was a nightmare.

I also went to the NYU seminar and he was the speaker. While I did not feel so great about his style I could certainly see that he knew what he was talking about. I decided to get banded by Dr. Kurian in the same office and am very happy with the decision. I think that the whole practice is very good and while I did not choose Dr. Fielding, I know that many people are thrilled with him. I am sure he is great Dr. But I knew people who had used Dr. Kurian and her personal style worked for me. Good luck and take notes. There will be a great deal of information at the seminar.

I drank a lot of the Unjury shake mix. The chocolate and vanillan were really not bad and I mixed in some instant coffee for variety. Thye also make a chicken soup one that really helped to break all that sweetness. My dr. also let me have one cup of veggies during the two weeks but you need to ask your dr if that is ok.

I ate a small piece of steak last night and i must have not chewed it well because I got stuck. It was really bad and took about 2 hours to finally pass. I threw up about 6 times during that time. This morning I went to drink my regular coffee and I am gurgling really badly. It feels like my restriction has suddenly jumped. I would surmise from other posts that I am very swollen following my episode. Is that probably true? Can anyone tell me what the expected time it should take for this to resolve? Am I wrong for thinking that this is the issue? Could one episode of vomiting really done something like slipped my band? Any advice or feedback would be greatly appreciated. It is the weekend and I don't know if I can reach anyone at my drs. office.