thebandedgirl

I could, or I imagined I could, for a few days after surgery. It went away pretty quickly, though.

I'm sure you'll reach restriction again. It's really frustrating to try to get the right amount of fluid in your band, especially since you were already there...and now it's changed! Hang in there!

The gas pain sucks and it feels *so* good when you realize that the pain's gone. Gas X helped a little, but walking as much as I could was really the best solution for me. Luckily, it's just my boyfriend and me. When I'm on liquids and mushies after a fill, he's on his own. I don't cook

I'll add my name to the list--details in my signature

It's difficult, but you can do it!

You're in bandster hell. You're going to be hungry for a while, unfortunately. As I've said on this site before, I was hungry when I went into surgery, I was hungry when I came out of surgery, and I remained hungry until I could eat solid foods. Uncomfortable? Absolutely. It's doable, though. Hang in there!

I personally wouldn't risk returning to work after two weeks. My surgeon told me no lifting anything more than 10 pounds for at least three weeks after my surgery. I didn't heed that advice and started lifting the mattress to make the bed, lifting 20 pound bottles of Water, etc. after about a week. I had to have surgery to resuture my port in place. I can't guarantee that's why my port stitches failed, but I'm fairly certain that it was at least part of the problem. Of course, you should listen to your surgeon; I don't think anyone is telling you to disregard her instructions. I would just err on the side of caution

Best of luck to you, Delores

Congratulations, Brent!

I didn't want my band OUT, but I definitely wondered if I'd made the right decision in the days after I had surgery. The feeling has subsided over time, though.

I've spent some time in Hamilton; I miss my visits to the East coast! I was close to 300 pounds when I started this journey; not over 400, but still more than many people I see posting here sometimes. There are plenty of people who started off at higher weights, though. Don't worry, you're not alone :smile2:

I think the most common negatives people experience are: 1) Frustration when trying to get "proper restriction." It's elusive and sometimes takes numerous fills for some people to get there. 2) Re-learning how to eat. Small bites, lots of chewing, small portions. It's easy to forget yourself and revert to old habits, which can cause problems. 3) Giving up foods you love. I adore bread, but I can't eat doughy bread anymore. Toasted breads and crackers work well though. And note that some people can eat anything they want :smile2:

I'm with the other commenters here. Give your band a chance to work before you give up on it again. As others have said, some people get fills beyond the capacity of the band. Work what you have before you resort to something more drastic :smile2:

Congratulations! It's great that you got your approval!

Your doctors will walk you through the process. You might have to do a doctor supervised diet for six months with monthly check-ins for insurance approval, even though there is documentation with check-ins every three months. You might not have to, though; it all depends :smile2:

Welcome to LapBandTalk, Bluebell!

You're awesome :smile2:

I wish that my surgery had been approved 100%. Congratulations :smile2:

My gas pain was excruciating and frustrating, but I survived it. I walked like a fool. Around the apartment, around the complex, in the middle of the night, whenever. But it is SO different for everyone, as others have pointed out. You might have a lot of pain, but you might not have any.

I blog here: Banded Girl I started my blog to chronicle my journey and to help others who are on the same path as me

Don't go with fruity drinks made using syrups. Drink gin and tonic or something like that. The mixers and syrups contain a lot of sugar and calories.

I'm interested in reading the responses you get to this question--I'm hungry a lot, too. I've been experimenting over the last few days, because I noticed that I wan't eating a lot of fat. Skim milk for shakes, low-fat beef for burgers, chicken breasts with no visible fat, tuna.... So I've tried adding in a serving of nuts in the afternoon, and that's seemed to help. I bought 2% milk to use instead of skim for my morning shakes to see if that helps with satiety, as well. I don't know if this where the answer lies, but maybe it's worth considering.

This is such a general question--can you come up with anything specific we can answer for you? Otherwise, I advise you to read blogs and read the message board here. You'll get a lot of information that way :biggrin:

The itching is just caused by healing :biggrin: I'm having the same problem now on my port incision, five days after revision surgery. I had the same problem with my tattoo a week or so after I got it!

Congrats at 1 pound a week lost! You're right on track :biggrin: