jlray

With fluoro, your doc will look on the fluoro screen and then feel with his hand to make sure he has a good idea of where he's about to poke. It should only take the one poke, or two if he uses the numbing shot first (mine does). Then he'll most likely have you take a big gulp of that chalky barium swallow. That's neat because you can see how it goes down on the screen. He'll fill you to a good level, and that's it! Done! They're a snap as long as you don't get woozy. Good luck!

Can I join in on this? I'm having trouble sticking to lowfat. I have a tendency to crave junk like chips and other crunchies. I wanna go back on low-carb, too. Hopefully for life. I'm at pretty good restriction, I'm just not eating the right stuff.

Edit: I'm wondering ... could it be that I need a fill? I'm thinking maybe things that used to sit in the pouch are now passing through, and it hurts on the way down. Is that possible?

Yay congratulations!! Happy Bandiversary. I've been hovering the past couple of months like you, so it's my time to push it, too! Congratulations on all your success.

How long after you swallow something does it take until you know you're stuck? I'm asking because here lately I've noticed that right after I swallow, I'll think, "oh, I should've chewed that better," and I instantly feel the stuck pain. Should it be that quick? I mean, shouldn't it take a while for that bite to work it's way down to the opening? I'm wondering if I might need a fill, but I'm battling with myself that I'm still getting stuck occasionally, so I must still have ok restriction. Then again, shouldn't it be a few minutes after a big-bite or bad-chew mishap before I feel it? I haven't lost weight in about 3 weeks, but I don't wanna go to Mexico for a fill only for him to tell me I'm already at good restriction (fluoro fills). This is hard guesstimation! :confused: Any thoughts?

I agree with this!!! Try a different Protein Drink. I reccommend unjury but I have only had three different brands, and that was the best of those three. I also remember that when I was on Atkins, and I did the Atkins shakes, they were so much better when they were very cold. Hope you're feeling better today. I felt really regretful, too. Several days post-op, I was told they were cutting back at work, and I was last hired, so first fired. (I was actually moved into a different position, but the paycut was huge.) And to top it off, I COULDN'T EAT!! I was so miserable. I wanted my money back so badly so I could afford to pay bills instead of worry about the next few months. Well... not much changed. I'm still broke, but I no longer regret being banded. I've lost about 30 pounds since my first fill. My only gripe now is that I wish I could afford another fill. Hang in there!!!!!!

You can only get it online at unjury.com, but they ship pretty quickly. So you won't have it today, but in a coupla days when you get it, it will be a welcomed change.

I agree!! Unjury is at the top of my reccommendation list. I had the chicken Soup flavor for Breakfast every day post-op until I ran out.

It might be that your swelling has gone down since surgery, so it just feels bigger because it's not surrounded by tender fluffiness. :confused: I was so swollen after surgery, I couldn't find my port at all - all I could feel was the swollen area, and I thought, "ehhh... maybe, is this big lump my port???" Now, I can definitely feel it and know where it is. But like others have said, even if it IS flipped, it still could be very functional, and it doesn't necessarily mean you'll need more surgery. I'm a cash patient, too, so I definitely know what you mean about not wanting any more expenses from this!! Good luck! Let us know what the doc says.

Maybe it's just abdominal pain, from your ab muscles? Have you been working them out? I can't say I've ever had exactly what you're experiencing, so maybe my opinion isn't worth two cents. Definitely let us know what the doc says. Good luck!

Yes, I sometimes feel that life with the band is too hard. I get mad when I can't finish everything that's on my plate. And I don't like exercising. And don't like not being able to wash my food down with a big swig of diet soda. But the reality is that it's not too hard. It'd be much much harder to do the same that I'm doing now WITHOUT the band. Without the band, I'd still be eating twice as much food as what's necessary for my body. And being lazy on the couch with my 44 ounce Diet Coke. It'd be a very easy life - and I wouldn't be losing a single pound. Or, I'd be starving myself to lose weight, and would feel hungry all the time. I'd probably be able to lose 20-30 pounds and then I'd gain it all back eventually, with some extra company. THAT was hard. I understand what you're saying. This isn't easy. But it's better than the alternatives. Even though we know in our heads that it's a lifestyle change, and we're gonna have to work at it, it's a huge reality check when the work actually starts. Hang in there - it's gonna be worth it!!

Well...........They do pass through quickly. But for breakfast, I think they're filling enough (for me, anyway). I do sometimes have one for lunch if I'm in a hurry. It keeps me from getting hungry for 2-3 hours, instead of the 4-5 hours you get from "regular" food. The shakes might not work for everyone, but they've been what works for me.

If I ever weigh 130, I better not be in a size 12!! I better be in no larger than a size 8 or 10 or I will be very angry at the makers of my jeans!! LOL. I'm in an 18 or 20 at 229.

I've never had hummus. I've never even seen hummus. Can someone fill me in. What is it? Where do I get it? What does it taste like? Look like? I've seen hummus mentioned several times on the boards, and would like to know more. I guess I can google it....

I think experienced bandsters are the best, with the most knowledge to offer. I was banded in March of this year, so I'm almost a year and 8 months behind you. Good luck with the other 30 pounds!! And welcome!!

I think your doctor is failing to acknowledge that there is such a thing as TOO tight, which you may be. Not being able to swallow is NOT "a good result." You should probably go ahead and make an appoint to discuss this with him. Maybe in person, he'll take you more seriously. ? Just a thought.

Probably a fast read because those people posted ONCE not a gazillion times each. Hate is far more passionate. But anyway, he'll face his judgement and that's really that. Y'all have fun bashing someone who supposedly "doesn't matter."

I think Michael Jackson was an awesome artist and performer. Anything else he might have done, he went to court for that. No one's bringing up the likelihood that the people who accused him of those things got PAID. Regardless, we're not the judge or jury - he faced them already and that was that. What I think is most sad is that someone has died, and the OP would rather bash him and say "good riddance" than respect that there are fans, friends and family that have lost someone. Really? Even in death, you have no respect? Maybe when you die, someone will say the same. I, for one, would have enough respect to keep my disrespectful opinions to myself. If you don't care, then why would you post this? How rude.

Did you try to eat solids while you were supposed to still be on liquids? If so, that could explain swelling which could cause some of your issues. And if you keep trying to eat solids while still swollen, then you're not giving yourself time to un-swell. Another possibility, like another poster said, is that your doctor put in some fill at surgery (mine did), and it's too much. That's unusual, though, because most doctors only put it in a little bit, they don't fill you to restriction. But ya never know!! I'm anxious to find out what your doc says, so let us know!

I've never actually measured. Ever. Maybe that's bad, but I can tell if I'm eating too much without getting out a cup. Plus, not every food can be poured into a cup for good measure. I just eat until I feel full, and I can pretty much eyeball how much I've eaten. Then again, I used to cook a LOT, so the difference between half a cup and a cup is well-engrained in me.

Well, pre-op (I lost 12 pounds pre-op) my surgeon advised a liver-shrinking diet, which is really just low-carb. I ate a lot of meat, beef, as much as I wanted. Beef fajitas were my FaVoRiTe!! (which, sadly, I can't eat anymore). Then I was on liquids after surgery. My favorite liquids post op were frozen lime bars (popsicles) made with real fruit juice and Protein powder from unjury - it was chicken Soup flavored. I had that powder every morning until I ran out - it was so easy you just mix it with hot Water from the tap. On the go, I packed cup-a-Soups, which I can't reccommend because of the sodium but I will reccommend for flavor. Teehee. BTW I lost 11 pounds on liquids. My favorite Breakfast or quick lunch is a Protein shake I make with strawberry flavored powder from GNC (it's not the best, but it's what I have). I mix it with about a cup of skim milk, a banana, and a squirt of vanilla in the blender. Yum! and it's so filling. It is liquid, though, so it doesn't keep me full for very long. Unfortunately, I haven't exactly been the poster child for lapband. In the past couple of weeks I've gained instead of lost. I've been slumping back into bad habits and I'm struggling to get out. I started eating more protein yesterday. Then I screwed it up when I went to a birthday party and had a hot dog, a few nachos, and some cake. (I'm pretty loose in the evening). I think it's time for a fill. Summer's are hard, though - especially with kiddoes. For me, the main thing to remember is not to let the scale get to you TOO much. If you gain, remember you can lose it again. And when you lose, don't get too over confident, because you can gain it back!! Yikes! Good luck!!

I don't think he's being a jerk, unless he said it jerkishly. :thumbdown: Maybe that's just been his experience with his patients. .5 cc's will make a HUGE difference. However, I have 3.25, and I have good restriction with an average loss of over 3 pounds per week. I think it also depends on the band (mine's a 4cc) and the anatomy of the person. It's kind of a blanket, generalized statement for him to make, but that's JMHO.

I've had weeks where I haven't lost or even gained. However, when I average it out, approximately 44 pounds lost over 14 weeks (that's including the pre-op diet), I get a little over 3 pounds per week. That may be high due to quick loss on pre-op and liquids, but it's still well over 5 pounds a month. We'll see how it slows.

I had coffee the morning after surgery. The hospital gave it to me on my tray. Not sure if it was decaf or not. I have iced coffee almost every day. I was just told no carbonation so that's why I cut out my diet soda. And caffeine dehydrates you so you have to up your Water intake, from what I understand.

I had loss with liquids, most people do. Then I stalled until my first fill - that's Bandster Hell and most people stall or gain a couple of pounds back. Thankfully I got good restriction with my first fill, which I got 7 weeks after being banded.