emjay

Congratulations! I was banded in April 2009 also and have just about 5 lbs to go. Can't remember the last time I felt this good! I'm happy for you that you met your goal. It's quite an accomplishment. Enjoy it!

Your fears are valid and many of us go through the same thing before surgery. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith. I too had fears of losing my main source of comfort - food, and not being able to eat some of my favorites after banding. Also, for the lack of a better word, a friend in food. But the truth is food shouldn't be your source of comfort. That is why many of us struggle in the first place. I will tell you that banding altered my relationship with food in a good way. Once the weight started coming off and I began to feel better about myself, I wanted to continue to eat healthier and exercise more. I could see the results and I liked it. I wish I knew what to tell you on how I was able to change my relationship with food, but I do know that because I couldn't eat as much and was satisfied, my appetite for more food just wasn't there. What you are going thru in questioning your relationship with food and if you need surgery is pretty normal. It would probably do you some good to sit down with a therapist that specializes in obesity and see if that would help alter your dependence on food as a comfort. Best of luck in whatever you decide.

If you can - try and take some liquid Motrin (it could be swelling) followed by a glass of Water to flush it down. Or if you think it is nausea, take the Rx that your physician prescribed and see if that works. My first impression was that maybe your band was too tight as some surgeons put a little saline in during surgery, but if you're able to swallow and drink fluids okay than I would say that is more than likely not the problem. I can't say I've had any experience with this. It may be due to the gas used to pump up your stomach during the surgery and this is just how it affects you - instead of shoulder pain, etc. If so, try walking and moving around as much as you can. That seems to help somewhat. Also a heating pad on your rib area may help. I'm kind of grasping at straws, but those are some things that may be causing your problems. Good luck and keep on the doc's office if you don't get relief.

I never had reflux prior to surgery or heartburn for that matter. Did have the hiatal hernia repair also. Now occasionally I will have heartburn from certain things, like red wine. And I will get reflux if I eat right before I lay down. My suggestion would be to bring it up with your physician and see what he/she suggests. Try TUMS, Pepcid AC or something over the counter and see if that helps. Experiment with different foods and see if something you're eating is causing the heartburn. Drink plenty of fluids, particularly non-acidic fluids (avoid juices, caffeine if possible, lemonade-type drinks and see if that helps).

I agree with you totally regarding the lack of knowledge that bariatric centers/surgeons/staff are telling bandsters before surgery on what to expect. This is the second post in 2 days that I've seen that people just expect the weight to start falling off. For most people, it DOESN"T fall off the first couple of weeks, or even months due to the lack of restriction. It is pretty much up to you to eat right and heal from the surgery. Don't be concerned about weight loss at this point. Everyone just wants the weight off overnight and with the band it doesn't happen that way. What is happening to you is really pretty normal. Be thankful for ANY weight you've lost prior to any fills. Drink your fluids, get plenty of rest, start exercising when your physician gives you the green light and eat according to the bandster rules. It is very difficult at first but you can do it. Just don't expect the world right away. It will come.

That the whole experience would be better than I even imagined. That you do have to "work" at it. The band is maybe 50% of it, but eating better and exercising get much easier when the weight starts to come off. That the importance of food in my life has diminished more than I thought it would. I still struggle with it, but I'm able to pass things up more than before surgery. That I underestimated how good I would feel about myself and how much better I feel now that the weight is (almost) all gone. That the first 3-4 months are very hard and like dieting. But with motivation, you can continue to lose weight. That most people are ignorant about lap band and may say really stupid things, not meant to be mean spirited, just that they don't know any better. Don't let them get to you. That there are people that think they know everything there is to know about lapband and what may work, but really only know about what works for them. Or that they think they know, but don't. That you may get alot of questions if you choose to have surgery and tell people, because they don't understand how it works. Some for curiousity, and some because they're interested. That there still is somewhat of a stigma with having surgery and to be prepared for those who may make harsh comments.

Ditto here on the reusable water bottle. Get one with measurements on the so you know how much you're drinking. Also for constipation try mixing a little Metamucil in water every day and drink that. It helps to keep you fuller longer (it gets thicker as it sits) and it helps to keep your stool soft and "moving" along. My surgeon recently recommended it to me over Benefiber and it works much better!

pretzels are a no-no one week out. You are probably still on liquids or mushies yet. Don't wreck your band while you are still healing. It can only lead to trouble. Make sure you get adequate Protein. Not all Protein shakes are alike. Some I can't gag down and others aren't bad. You may have to experiment. Get an unflavored protein and mix it with your pudding, cottage cheese, potatoes when you get to the mushie phase. You can also put a scoop of unflavored in with Crystal Light to help. Add something like Metmucil to your Water. Increases your Fiber intake and as it sits (or as it gets more to room temperature) it gets thicker - like a gel. The pink lemonade flavor isn't bad. It also helps to keep you from getting hungry. (The whole Protein shake and fiber diet). And don't be too hard on yourself, my gosh you've lost 13 lbs already!

By best advice for staving off the hungries is loading up on your Protein and Fiber instead of refined carbs and moderate your fat intake. (Some of that Atkins logic comes into play here). Protein and fiber help keep your satisfied for longer periods of time and refined carbs seem to just make you want more of them. It always seemed to take about 3 days of really watching it to get the cravings totally out of my system after falling off the wagon. But sugar seems to be an evil I can live without if I stay away from it. No doubt the first 3-4 months are really hard. You don't have proper restriction and you still haven't tackled your food issues. Once restriction is in place, it does tend to get easier. Try and keep your mind busy, stay active and plan your meals. Keep journaling if you feel it helps you. Remember why you had this surgery and what you want your outcome to be. You CAN do it!

I think your friend will find out soon enough that there is work with the band. She may lose weight, but she is more than likely not going to lose it all unless changes are made. The best thing you can do for her is not judge her, be happy for her trying to get healthy and support her when she struggles along the way. Just gently remind her of what she needs to do, not harp on what she is doing wrong. It may appear to you that she hasn't tried to diet or exercise, but she may not be telling you everything either. Don't work yourself up because it appears she hasn't tried to lose weight on her own. Celebrate the fact that she is willing to do something about it.

I had surgery about 6 weeks ago and did not get an unfill. It was outpatient and while I was a little tight from not drinking fluids, I didn't have any problems. However, I don't usually get nauseated from anesthesia anymore due to the better stuff they give you these days. I think it's a personal preference if you do. If you tend to easily get nauseated, then maybe a partial unfill will do.

Don't be so hard on yourself. You sound like you're depressed about the whole situation and that can be from the surgery. If you doctor failed to tell you that this takes time, then he/she did you a great disservice. The first couple of weeks are for healing and the first few months are very difficult without having proper restriction. Basically, without the restriction, you are doing most of it on your own. You need to keep your appt's for your fills, follow the band rules, try and eat healthier and exercise. The band won't do it all for you. They don't call this "Bandster Hell" for nothing. Just be realistic...you didn't get overweight overnight, it isn't going to come off overnight. But if you follow the proper rules and get to restriction, you will have success. Keep your chin up and please be patient. It will come.

I was a hotbox for years. Now I'm usually on the cool side. Even in hot weather, my "hot" is alot less hot than it used to be. Something for you to look forward to!

I had surgery recently for something that could have possibly been caused by constipation and my surgeon recommended Metamucil daily instead of the Benefiber I was taking. Just one glass a day helps keep things going. Benefiber seemed to have no effect on me and possibly made things worse. But I'm sure it varies for every person. The Metamucil has been working well - but I recommend the pink lemonade flavor...the berry is awful. For added help, Plumsmart Light helps, lots of fluids, high fiber cereal like Kashi, and heck a suppository or laxative if needed. Just try and get one with an added stool softener to help things along and avoid straining.

The Bullet is great for protein shakes. Use it every day. Seems to hold up pretty well and blends wonderfully.

I'm 5' 7", goal weight is 150. Maybe 145 so when I have clothes and shoes on I'm 150. Which is in the normal range. I always thought I was big boned too, mom always said I was "solid". Turns out it was mostly padding. I'm noticing now that I'm really just a normal built person. How I chose this goal was about 7 years ago I got down to 164 lbs and at that time my goal was 150. When I was at 164 I thought, okay, 14 lbs and I'll look great. Now I guess I really want to show myself that I can make my goal, then evaluate if I need to lose 5 lbs more or stay where I'm at.

I'm trying to work through that one myself. I'm the lowest I've been since 9th or 10th grade (30 years ago) and I still feel like I'm overweight. It takes looking at a picture to fully realize what I look like - the mirror is a distorted image of me in my mind. I'm not sure I know how I'm going to feel when I get to the point where I don't want to lose any more weight, because I've NEVER been there. I've never not been on a diet, or wishing I could lose weight, or thinking about going on a diet. Never got to the point that - okay - I'm happy where I'm at and this is where I want to stay. It's hard to imagine not wanting or needing to lose any more weight. So the mental aspect of it is something I need to work on. That being said, I think I'm doing better now than I was 20 lbs ago. I feel like my mind is starting to catch up with my body. But I don't know if those feelings will ever be resolved.

It seems to be different for everyone. I can eat practically anything and not have trouble. I've never had a "sandwich" with a bun, but have had some with toasted bread and they go down fine. Pasta, bread, white meat chicken, steak - no problem. I'm very lucky since I still feel the restriction but it doesn't limit the type of food I eat. On the other hand, if by "worst" you mean the foods to avoid, or at least limit, they would be anything that slides right thru the band and doesn't keep you feeling satisfied. i.e. chips, chocolate, ice cream, etc. High in calories, low in nutrition.

Fills are easy. I've never had a painful one yet. Kind of feels like a mosquito bite when I do feel it, but I've had a couple where I never even felt it! Quick and easy. Make sure you can drink water before you leave and off you go.

Hi all - just reading a number of your posts and it was bringing back alot of memories of being newly banded. I was banded last April and just want to let all of you know that you are in for an amazing journey. I wish you all the very best of luck and hope your journey is all you want it to be. Always keep in mind the bandster recommendations (they are easy to forget when the weight starts falling off). But they are really what keep you and the band successful and healthy. Enjoy every pound lost and every mini-goal you meet.

My guess is to guage whether or not you are too tight. A classic sign of being overfilled is reflux/heartburn...especially if it was not something you have experienced previously. It was my first sign of being too tight.

Ugaband - you sound just like me a few months ago. Scared the crap out of me because I never had a problem with reflux before and the gagging, coughing and burning was not fun. I could only drink small amount of Water at a time and most food was just uncomfortable to eat and took a long time. I also would pb or slime 2-3 times a week which I did NOT want to have. I ended up with a .1 cc unfill the first time and when I still had occasional reflux I had another .1 cc unfill and that took care of the problem. Now I only get it occasionally if I eat 60-90 minutes before bedtime. Not something I normally do. I feel now that I'm at the perfect restriction and I don't have any foods that are a problem for me to eat. I still can only eat small amounts so the volume really didn't change and I stay satiated for hours. I was scared to get an unfill for fear that I would be able to eat more and always be hungry. But that didn't happen. It just made everything more comfortable...eating and drinking and little if any reflux. Honestly, looking back I don't know what I was thinking to stay that way for 6-8 weeks, but I'm sure glad I got the unfill. Life is so much better now. Please consider just a tiny unfill and see if that works for you.

I can't say I had the periods of exhaustion like you are having, but I've noticed more so than ever how sensitive I am to carbs. Even with the reduced intake in food, if I happen to eat a meal a little heavier on the carbs, I am nodding at my desk for 1/2 hour. But that being said, you are healing and shouldn't necessarily worry about that kind of stuff right now. If you are able, continue to rest when you're tired. I don't see a reason that once your body adjusts and you are taking in more foods (and more variety) that it shouldn't straighten out soon. Best of luck in your journey.

I can't pick up that much

sb01 - I am purposely going to be very general in my answers because I feel like the journey is different for everyone. In my experience, the change in my mindset has been the most difficult. Normal varies depending on what level of restriction a person chooses to be. When I was too tight, I got acid reflux at night if I ate less than 3 hours before bedtime or drank 1 1/2 hours before bed...never a problem pre-surgery. I also would slime and pb a couple of times a week and most things I would try to eat were very uncomfortable. Not that they wouldn't stay down, but difficult and uncomfortable so I would avoid or limit those foods...which may make you choose "slider" foods defeating the purpose of the band. It was hard to me to get in enough liquids during the day because I could only take very small sips and the Fluid felt like it sat at the base of my throat, then would finally go down. It took a 4-5 months to get used to and be satisfied that a little food is all I would be able to eat. I went through a period of buying way too much, or ordering way too much, and not being able to enjoy it. Now, it is second nature. Cheating for me tends to be potato chips, because I can eat them fast, eat alot of them, and they go right through. Not healthy, high calories, and no nutritional value to me is cheating. I'm not perfect, I still do it...just not so much. Now when I eat, I tend to follow a pattern that is technically not what many dieticians or physicians recommend in that I eat dinner in front of the tv or computer usually. You are supposed to be "mindful" of your eating. But after the band, I simply put what I want to eat on my plate and it may take me 1/2 hour to 40 minutes to eat it. I don't bring an endless bag of something and munch, I just eat what is on my plate until I'm full. When we go out, it can be difficult because my husband eats like it's his last meal, but he is okay with me taking time to eat and doesn't push me (I tend to push myself). Since I don't eat as much, it's not much of an issue. A day's worth of food maybe a Protein shake for breakfast. A small sandwich made with toasted bread, cheese and meat for lunch. A yogurt with a handful of granola for mid-afternoon, and 3-4 oz of meat and a few forkfulls of cottage cheese, mashed potatoes or mixed fruit for dinner. If I get the munchies in the evening, I may be a handful of granola, a couple of flavored rice cakes, or a handful of nuts. (This is a "good" day). Bad days...we all know what those are like! I wish you all the success you can have with the band. It has been the best thing for me no doubt!