Grandma26

I had my gallbladder out in 1989. Back then I was cut open diagonally across from under my left breast to my right side (about a 12" incision)!! (now I hear they usually cut an opening no bigger than your largest incision for your band). I haven't had any problems with food since my surgery, I was/am able to eat anything without problems.

Hey Erin....relax baby girl!! ...you are setting yourself up for failure if you don't. Please talk to you Doc about it before it gets worse. Anxiety can be dealt with and if untreated you are in for a rough ride. You can do this! Most people have success with the band and thoses with serious issues usually, and I stress the word "usually" not followed the plan their Dr. has set for them. I hope when you are a few more weeks out you will start to feel better and a little more comfortable and confident with your band. A friend of mind has been banded about a year and she gets that feeling in her throat if she eats certain veggies. They believe it is gas or, it's not enough to make her throw up, sort of a mild reflux. She usually drinks an herbal tea or clear broth and it helps. Hugs, G'ma

I love wraps! Quick, easy and low cost. If I have leftover chicken, or cook 1 chicken breast I can get 4 or more wraps out of it once it's sliced. My granddaughter loves peanut butter on a wrap with sliced bananas. My favorite is sliced chicken with sauteed fresh spinach and red pepper, or chicken with thinly sliced apples, water chestnuts and FF ranch dressing. You can make lots of combinations. I can feed my husband,myself for less than $5.00 depending what I have in the cabinet/fridge and the kids think it's fun food. I buy bonless chicken breasts when they are on sale and freeze them individually, this way I can take out only the amount I need. There are some fun ground beef/turkey combinations too!

Hi Susan, You aren't doing anything wrong. The first 6 to 8 weeks are for healing and a lot of people don't lose anything during this time. Are you drinking all the Water your Dr. wants you to have each day? I have only been banded since 6/25/09 and I have learned from others that a lot of people don't start loosing significantly until they have had a few fills. It will start to happen soon, just take it one day at a time.

At least all the food items you had for dinner are healthy choices. Did your Dr. set portion sizes for you? I am only allowed 4oz. (1/2 cup)meals plus (2) 2 oz Snacks if I need them at this point. I was banded 6/25/09. My Dr. set the portion sizes and I don't think it will increase for a few ore months. Sometimes when I am hungry I take a tbsp. of Peanut Butter and that takes care of the hunger for me.

When I was on liquids I had the liquid in/liquid out syndrom but then I suffered through serious constipation when I started the mushie stage, I thought I was going to wind up in the ER. I tried Colace, MiraLax, Beneifiber all of them , nothing worked. I took good old Philips Milk of Magnesia and it worked wonders within a short time.

Broccoli calls me all the time. When I was on my liquid phase I was craving veggies! Now that I am on regular food my band doesn't like broccoli. I tried pureed, chopped, stalks chew to mush, doesn't matter my band rebels! lol I am not craving any junk food at all yet which I am very thankful for. I guess I ate so much of it before being banded I am living off the surplus still stored in my body!!!

I only have that problem if I eat or drink to fast. Slowing down has decreased the belching substantially.

WOW and I was worried that my 1/2 cup serving for dinner was heaping instead of level........ lol Your sisters friend will pay in the long run. You reminded her what can happen if she doesn't follow the Drs. plan. Unfortunately some people think that they get banded and the little weight-loss fairy (sister of the tooth fairy) comes in while you sleep and the weight magically falls off regardless of what they eat. Hopefully she will be ok and reaize you are trying to help her and get with the program.

I was able to resume walking 2 weeks post -op. I couldn't do any other excersises until 6 weeks post op. I think you have to heal a little more before you worry about the scale right now. I know you want to see it moving downward but if you do too much to soon you may have problems later on.

WOW that brought back memories of two weeks ago when I had my first "stuck". I found out fast what slime and PB'ing meant!! lol If it happens again I think I am going on liquids for the rest of my life!! I don't know if you ever saw the movie The Excorsist, but I suddenly felt like that famous scene with the green (pea soup) slime! It took over my body and scared the bejeeeeezs out of me! I stayed on anything without lumps in it for a week.

Hi Deb, I am 57 and was banded 6/25/09. I wish I had done this years ago. I finally said enough is enough as I watched the scale going higher and higher and more things going wrong with me. It's finally nice to see it going down and feeling good. Good Luck!!

Stop being down on yourself, go to the seminar, and read all you can, then make yoour decision! Try to keep a positive outlook, it may make it a little easier for you. We all feel at some point before surgery that we should be able to do this on our own! Well....I realized I can't do it alone, and doing nothing was making it worse because I kept getting bigger and bigger. Most people I know, including myself are soooo happy we did this and would do it again! I am re-learning to eat only when I am hungry and I love it.

Hi, I use Centrum Silver Chewables for my multi-Vitamin, not too bad and I can get them down, and I use Viactive chocolate/carmael chewable for my Calcium supplement. I usually can't tolerate Vitamins but don't have a problem with either of these.

Definitely call your DR. but for the time being are you eating slow? I found I had to give the food time to go all the way down before taking another bite. My 1/2 cup portion was taking me about 40 mins to finish at first. It got better, now I have a hard time making it last that long.

I have had one 3cc fill so far. I don't feel restriction or don't get that "full" feeling after I have eaten, but I eat my 1/2 c at a meal and that's it until snack if I can't make it until the next meal. I wait at least 3-4 hrs between meals. Some days it's easier then others. Maybe my next fill will help, but the dr. put 4cc's in and I could not get water down so he took 1cc out so not sure how the next fill will be!

Remembering that the band is not a "magic bullet" that it will still take really hard work to be successful. Take one day at a time and one lb at a time

I was getting discouraged getting on the scale everyday so now 2x's a week is good for me.

yeah, but what about the platform shoes!!! lol (I am a little older that 54)!! lol

Hang in there ! It gets better. but to answer your question...what have I done?........You have just kick started the rest of your life! The decision to have WLS is one of the hardest, but in the long run the best decision you could have made for yourself!! Good luck, and once you are over the first hurdle, the jumps get easier! The potions don't get bigger for a while but it does get easier. lol

I had a serious problem with NOT going after being banded. I thought I was going to wind up in the ER for help. Finally resolved it's self with the help of good 'ole Milk of Magnesia(sp). Now I take a softener everyday. Because we are eating small portions by the time out intestines are full enough to void it's a little hard. WOW that's TMI!!! lol Hope it helps!

noooo...I can't get it away from my grandson long enough!! lol Have fun!

I'm sorry to hear you are so discouraged...have you spoken to your DR about this problem? Maybe you need to have a little un-fill to allow food to go down. Just a suggestion...maybe the "not right choices" you are making are high in calorie/fat even though the portions are smaller, maybe a healthier choice will kick start your weight loss. I am fairly new here so I don't know a lot yet but I would talk to your DR/NUT or PA before you get yourself sick or dehydrated.

At some point we will all start moving down the scale!! Since I went on all foods the scale is moving slower but I am trying to stay positive about it. I know in my head losing it slower and steady is better, but visually I want to see a smaller number!! But then again I have always wantd instant gratifiation, that's why I weight what I do now.....lol Hang in there, we will make it.

I could shower the same day as surgery but I couldn't take a bath or swim for 6 weeks. They worry about infections, especially at the port incision.