FailureIsntAnOption

Good, I'm glad you realize the what I was trying to explain. There are many people that think the band is going to loose the weight for them and it doesn't.

Welcome and congratulations! Donna

Good for you! This is a big decision. I don't want to worry you or be negative but I want to make sure you realize that the band is only a tool that will help you to eat less. Everything else is up to you and it does take a lot of work if you are to be successful with the band. You will have to make healthy food choices and you will have to exercise regularly for the rest of your life. If you can do both, you will have great success with the band. You will not lose weight if you don't exercise. I wish you great success and truly hope you become a happier, healthier you. You are much too young to have the health ailments you mentioned. Sincerely, Donna

I have no problem taking my pills, I do break the larger ones in half though. I only needed liquid the first week or so. I bought liquid tylenol and never even used it. I also bought a pill crusher and never used it.

I'm sure you can find it in a drug store or health food store. Not sure exactly what it is or how it works but I've read that it works for some people. Erin, get away from your computer and go for a long walk.

Hi, I was banded in April of this year. I do like my band and I am losing the weight. I do wish I would have researched and considered getting the sleeve which doesn't require as much follow-up care. The band is a very fickle tool, some days I can eat anything other days I can't eat a thing without getting stuck and vomiting. In my opinion, there is a very big learning curve with the band as far as the task eating goes. All in all, I have no regrets other than not having WLS sooner. I hope this helps you with your decision. Donna P.S. Remember, the band is only a tool. You will need to work very hard to lose the weight. I spend 8-12 hours per week exercising.

I ate a salad with grilled chicken for lunch yesterday and had a stuck episode but I did not vomit and waited for it to pass. It never passed. Long and short of it, I struggled to eat dinner and finally vomited 7 times and whatever was stuck from lunch finally came up. I try not to vomit because I don't want my band to slip but sometimes you just have to get that stuck sucker out. I'm not sure what you had get stuck but try the papaya enzyme. If you are able to still drink Water and not have it back up on you then you probably don't have anything stuck. I couldn't even drink after lunch yesterday and after trying to eat dinner I thought what the hell was I thinking even trying to eat.

Jennifer, Your friend obviously has issues. I can understand your frustration with her blatant disregard for her own well being. Your friend needs some serious help. Her food problems are obviously far worse then any of ours. I feel sorry for her and her children since she will most likely end up with a shorter life span if she doesn't recognize that she has a problem and seek some help. Donna

The goal is to have enough restriction so that you don't eat too much. It sounds like you may be at perfect restriction. Just slow down and concentrate when you eat. Chew, chew, chew. Eating less is great! It does sound like you were stuck but it was able to work its way down. When I get stuck I slime. Meaning I have to keep spitting out saliva. The stuck food will either make its way down or come back up. If it comes back up, you should return to liquids for the remainder of that day then go at eating again the next day. Hope this helps! Donna

I can't eat scrambled eggs unless I put something in them like tomatoes. I do better with eggs over medium.

Nomebug, You do know the foods you are speaking of are all slider foods right? Real foods will stand by you longer so don't make slider foods a way of life.

I stopped all caffeine prior to surgery but now I drink a cup of coffee when I need to. It really wont hurt you, but do it in moderation.

Obesity is an ongoing viscous cycle. Exercise has totally put my body levels back in order. I sleep so much better with exercise as part of my daily life. Yes, it's tough to get started but you have to do it. Being healthy isn't just about the foods we put into our bodies, it's all about mind, body and spirit=BALANCE! Even though I am still 100 pounds overweight, I am in the best physical shape of my adult life and owe it all to exercise and eating healthy. Stop making excuses and just do it! If I can do it anybody can. If you have pain from bad knees, hips etc., you will ache either way. Push past the pain. At least you will be healthier, at best the pain will improve once the weight comes off. Stop being lazy people and stop making up excuses for your laziness. I assure you, most thin people don't like sweating and working out anymore then us fat people.

Call your surgeon's office tomorrow morning and ask about support groups. Make a list of all your questions or concerns so you don't forget to ask. Message me anytime Erin and I will try my best to help you. Donna

Here is a list of foods that I have problems with: rice, bread, dry chicken, scrambled eggs, dry pork, steak, roasted beef (deli beef ok), hard boiled eggs. Anything dry or cold chicken is a problem. You will need to experiment to find out what foods you can tolerate. Toasted bread seems to work ok for me.

Anything hot should work. I've read other posts where people say the same thing about the feeling in your throat so don't worry Erin. My 20 year old daughter suffers from anxiety Erin so I totally recognize the signs. You really need to find a way to cope with it. You may benefit from meds, counseling, meditation, prayer, support groups, etc. This is no way to live Erin, please for your own sake, get some help.

Aww, I know you do Erin. Anxiety can be treated. Maybe your doc can give you some help with this. I did a new workout yesterday and my abs are killing me but I know there is a reason for it and everything will be okay. For about the first 6 weeks after my surgery I would wake up sore in my stomach. Your body is still recovering so I really don't think anything is wrong with you. Take some tylenol and it will probably get better. As for the throat, it's probably just a residual feeling from your stuck episode. Drink some hot tea and see if that helps.

If you have a stuck episode and vomit it is best to back to liquids only for 24 hours to give your stomach a rest and time for the swelling to go down. For me it can take a while to adjust to a fill. Take it slow and easy and don't eat those tough to swallow foods until you are sure you can handle it.

Something I forgot to mention.......If you have a stuck episode and vomit, you need to finish off the day with liquids. If you continue to eat, you will most likely continue to get stuck. Your stomach becomes inflamed after vomiting and it is almost impossible to eat after that and it isn't good for your band to force it.

Either you are too tight or you need to modify your eating behavior. I had the same issue but I knew it was me either eating too fast, taking too big of bites or not chewing enough. This still happens to me on occasion especially if I am really, really hungry it will happen with my first couple of bites. Set your fork down after each bite and focus on chewing. You may need to eat alone to get used to how you need to eat. My husband eats very fast and sometimes when we eat together I find myself trying to keep up. This always ends in me vomiting. If this doesn't help you you may need to get a slight unfill. Donna

I think you are just using muscles in that area and possibly irritate the muscles. Try another position and see if that helps. If not, mention it to your doc. I don't think you will cause your port any problems having sex.

From all your posts it seems to me that you are really stressing hard over your band. If I were you I would make an appointment with your doc and tell him just how fixated with worry you are about your band. I think you are needlessly consumed by fear. I don't believe that the FDA would approve something for our bodies that is that easy for us to mess up. Just focus on eating right and following the rules of the band and you should be okay. Yes, there are those who's ports flip or bands slip but worrying isn't going to change the outcome. There is no reason why you can't live a normal life with your band. When I eat something that gets stuck I generally know within a few minutes. If it hurts really bad, I drink a sip or two of Water and usually it will come right up and I feel better within minutes. I have days when it seems I can eat just about anything. Other days, I struggle and am lucky to get in a couple of bites. It's the nature of the band to be fickle. You are probably experiencing gas. I frequently get gas pains from foods that never gave me gas before the band. When I need to have a bowel movement I get stomach pains that last until I am able to move my bowels. These pains feel exactly the way you describe yourself to feel. There was a study done on worrier's and the finding was that only 5% of the things we worry about ever even turn out badly. Most of us worry needlessly. You really need to try to go about your normal life and stop fixating so much on your band. Try to enjoy your weekend Erin. Donna

Paul, It sounds like you are ready to make the change to a healthier lifestyle. Good for you! Donna

I actually thought perhaps this was the problem and began to add back a little fat (tablespoon of p-nut butter) to my diet and just up'd my workout to offset the fat intake.

Like the old saying goes.... You can lead a horse to Water but you can't make him drink. Some people need to make their own mistakes in life to learn valuable lessons.