hmarko

I haven't tried salad yet because i thought it could be tricky but I will say that after exercise I am less restricted.

you could be pb'ing because you are eating too fast. The more restriction you have the more you need to eat slower I am learning this the hard way. do my stopwatch trick. see if it helps. Does it happen in the first few bites? 3 cc's wouldn't be giving you a lot of restriction so its probably from eating too fast.

I am using a stop watch. I chew 20 times and then start the clock and wait 30 seconds. It has helped a lot! It makes me focus on it. I haven't had a stuck episode at all though I am having other problems due to a cold they are still not major. MY saliva is coming up in bubble like a baby - its not thick and its like in tablespoons. They are letting me ride it out with mushies. On phone/email w/ NP daily right now he thinks i can get away without unfill... and I can eat lemon sole so that is part solid. The post nasal drip he thinks is causing the froth. Such a variety of responses we get!!!

thinin10 I think the salivating is from being too tight just a tad... I salivate well after eating. I'm still in between mushies and solids and carrots I won't even try (anyway they are too high glycemic for me but have you tried raw stringbeans w/ hummus?) thanks for reminding me about that. Can you post that recipe it sounds really really good - is it in the life after lap band book? I think meatloaf and cauliflower mash is in there. I do not foresee any fills after this one being more than .2 if I make it without getting unfilled! I'm trying to hang in cuz i also have a cold! ugh.

I think you will see a huge difference with your third one. I looked at your blog - but did not see how much your doc goes up. If he takes you anywhere near 6 or even 5.5 I think you will notice. I'm at 5.9 now. I had to stay on the liquids for almost 4 days; now I'm ok w/ eating mushies but I think I will be careful here too. I've very very tight. I was so happy to have my flaked lemon sole and honestly that meat was a little tough this time what is up w/ that? I've had PB's from the 1st fill which was 4.7 - but I seem to be unique. I don't think it is fast eating either but I am getting the feeling its an esophagus issue. Now I am eating w/ a stopclock no joke! this way if I pb then I can say well I did what I was supposed to! So I can have slime or a pb (1 a week it has been) then go and eat 2 cups of food (that was before this fill). My doc said she is MORE worried about the episodes (she doesn't use the term PB) where you are throwing up for hours due to being stuck... thats when to go on liquids. The other thing is from not chewing enough or not waiting too long. She told me that the esophagus takes 30 seconds to push through the food so if you chew your 15 times then swallow and not wait the food will pile up and up then you get the pb or slimes but those are usually gentle not what i call more forceful. ok I'm off to take a nap now!

actually i take it back - you lost 50lbs! that isn't slow at all! Agreed no rush for the fills. Where are you at do you know? cc wise?

hi Dana - you are doing great! I lost about 35 lbs and I just had my third fill which was a bit aggressive (my fault she was on the fence and I pushed her over). With that I lost about 6 lbs this week alone - 3 of which I am sure will come back. I was on liquids for about 4 days. Doing better now just ate some flaked fish and holding it down. Yesterday also was able to hold down mushies. But it was rough there for a while. I had been walking home every day 1.5 miles and the other day I walked home from my doctor's appt which was nearly 4 miles. I was also going to the gym but that has now stopped as work has taken over (I was going in the AM but now I have 2 7am meetings and 1 8 am meeting so its hard). I should just go during the day at work. I'm happy with the results so far, i feel so much better both physically and I am a new person mentally. I put on those last 25lbs very quickly this year and it really changed me mentally. Now I am lower than i was in the last 2 years. And in 10 lbs I will be seeing weight i haven't seen in 10 years. I baseline this at how successful or not I have been in the past.. i.e i never managed more than 15-20 lbs then regain now I'm at 35! YAY. Keep up the great work! And don't be too hesitant to go for fills.

Wow 7 cc's on the second fill total is ALOT. Do you have the realize band it sounds like you have the lap band as that chart you speak of is on their site. It does seem the Realize band takes more cc's before people feel restrictions just based on what I read here. I am familiar with the chart they always ask us where we are when they do a fill to determine how aggressive to go. I had my third fill (surg 9.11) on dec 1 and they took me up to 5.9 from 5.2 and I was THIS close to going back in on Friday for an unfill. I woke up 2 - 3 times choking but I am also realizing now that I can't eat too late anymore. only the first time was legitimately due to being too tight. I had to be on liquids for 3 days and I am being VERY careful now w/ mushies. I eat w/ a stopwatch to make sure i chew for 30 seconds and then wait another 30 seconds. I noticed when a bit too tight you salivate as if your mouth is watering when hungry. But its not from that. Actually what you said sounded interesting. we get a fill when we are yellow to take us to green. Does your practice start you at red then get you back to green? Green is the sweetspot. I can honestly say I was red those first few days after the fill and if I called them they probably would have taken a couple of cc's out. and if the night choking was going on for consecutive days I would have called. But it did not and I was able to keep down my Protein shakes (thin) and liquids. So for example I went in and said 70 pct of the time i am yellow and 30 pct green plus i only lost 2.5 lbs this last month -so she said she was tempted to go to .7 and i said do it. But it was probably more than i needed. Or maybe just right I'll know in a week. My office wants us in there every month for the next year (whether we need fills or not). I think they want to keep tabs on us and I don't think everyone goes but I like to go because I think people run into trouble maybe when they can't tell they need a fill and suddenly they start gaining, then they feel like they failed and don't want to go back. So my plan is to go every month. I mean they may do .1 or .2 up or down little tiny adjustments thats the beauty of the newer bands you can refine the fills alot more. are you down 14 PLUS 29 or 29 overall. Either way you are doing great. I lost 14 lbs pre-op too now I am at between 32-35 (not sure now that I am off liquids if I will regain 3 lbs back). Our guidelines are to lose 1-2 lbs a week (if its more we should get a bit of an unfill and if its less we should get a fill).

I did ok - I ate small quantities thats the beauty of this thing though my cals were still full of fat and such. I was also due for a fill so I did get a couple of days of actually getting up to 2000 cals but I ate some junk. Anyway cost me 3 lbs then I went to Dr for the fill and she went more aggressive cuz all I lost was 2 lbs in the month. Now the weight is dropping like a stone mainly because I am a bit overfilled but doing better now. Able to hold down mushies finally after 4 days... Up to yesterday I was mainly on liquids (3 days).

What are you up to in fills Dee? I agree no matter what we are eating less than before - Thanksgiving was like that with me. Though the calories themselves were packed!

Yes teaching university; lower BMI; and for the record I've never had any children. The upper abdomen incision is about 1/4 inch and it is for the liver retractor so they can pull it up and get it out of the way - watch the video I mentioned its cool.... Here it is I found it YouTube - single incision lap band

BTW dr Fielding has a video on You tube of the SIL procedure its pretty cool just search for it.

They are ALWAYS very busy. There were a few patients the day I went as well. I know the hospital was saying a bunch of lap band patients were coming up to the floor as I was leaving. THe waiting room is usually jammed I am shocked i only had to wait 5 mins the other day for her to see me! Its going well. I lost 35 lbs (you can click on my ticker here and see the progress) I started at 242 I think I was at 227 day of surgery from the liquid diet etc etc. I had my 3rd fill the other day. She was tempted to go a bit more aggressive because i was in the 'yellow' zone 70 pct of the time even though I Have had pb's (that is from eating too fast) and after the pb's I could still eat quite a bit. So by aggressive it would be taking me from 5.2 to 5.9 and I said yes do it... now I'm too tight. I'm keeping liquids down but if i can't do mushies by monday I'm calling them. The truth is the rule that Gaspar told me was if you can't do mushies by the 4th day come in for an unfill... however its not an emergency long as I am keeping liquids down so I am trying to see if the swelling going down will help. This week I am dropping like crazy since the fill on Tuesday. I probably had 2 lbs of Water weight tuesday when I weighed in.. but now i am down like 6 lbs. (but that is usually water - when you cut back cals and food you usually lose that and gain back 3 once the food comes back into the equation). She likes to do the first fill but I messed up on the date of my appt and couldn't go when i was supposed to really go so Gaspar did it. He took me right up to 5.5 and i couldn't swallow water (they make you do that) so then Frank the other NP took out .5 and I was ok. Each fill is better and better but all of them you are still eating less than before. what I did before my first fill was I baselined certain foods like sushi (cuz some say they can't eat sushi and i love it). But i haven't tried it since I've been filled and there is no way I'm trying it any time soon the way THIS fill is going :w00t: Actually that is all I baselined - the other thing i love is lobster. But I haven't tried it. I'm thrilled with the surgery - yes its a learning curve. I didn't expect I would have that much trouble trying to get a grip on eating slowly! Tammy is saying to keep on eye on this maybe if it continues they may test my esophagus. I've gone to group and I also post on the NYU yahoo board too. So the support is great. Right now I've resorted to eating w/ a stopwatch!!! Today I seem to be holding down thin mushies - I went and rode (I horseback ride) and that is such a vigourous workout i find I tend to be looser after. Will take a hot bath and I did read here also that taking liquid motrin after a fill may help w/ the swelling and in fact I was wondering the same thing so I did that too.

That is so interesting I was wondering if this would help. I'm a bit overfilled since Tues..... basically on liquids... managed small amt of yogurt with slime (but after hot liquid I was ok). May go to duane read right now!

75 miles? Not me :wink2: I'm lucky if i get 40! I guess i can count the elliptical trainer which i haven't been getting to since work has cut into this time too (7am calls). So I'm on day 3 after mythird fill and still unable to go to mushies. A little yogurt and I'm sliming. Hoping after riding tomorrow I'll loosen up some. In any case not an emergency keeping liquids down. I guess if no improvement by Monday I'll call the doc.

Some doctors don't do it yet (I think), it is relatively new - I was at a teaching hospital... and also they don't do it on everyone either (so my hospital had certain criteria which I suspect had to do w/ weight). Reason I say that was because in the consult we were talking the regular 5 incisions but then she said on day of surgery since I got smaller she can do SIL.. I don't know does anyone else w/ SIL have any input?

Are you at NYU too? I had Dr Ren do my surgery she is great.

Crawling because this month was 2 lbs that was why she gave me more of a fill - she was debating between .5cc to .7 and I talked her into .7. They always ask us where we are on the chart (do u have that? the yellow/green/red chart?). I said 70 pct of the time yellow; 30 pct green). I also did mention I had a PB or slime a week - she wasn't too concerned about that as long as its not episodes of 4 hours of throwing up. She said I just really need to slow down the eating and wait 30 seconds before next bite (Now I will really need to anyway I'm sure). But overall i'm happy and hey its the most i've lost in about 10 years I can only manage to only lose 15- 20 lbs before regaining. Plus I'm fitting into clothes I haven't fit into in 5 years. So its all good. I am able to do protein shakes so will ride this out possibly till monday where hopefully I'll be restricted BUT able to eat. I've also been able to drink my water. As long as I can do that I'm ok otherwise I'll have to go in for an unfill which i doubt will be necessary. Of course if I can't keep food down by monday then I'll have to.

Amanda your transformation is incredible!!! Thanks for posting I'm crawling along which was why she gave me more of a fill this time... but oh boy - liquids are a struggle and forget thick soups! This should be interesing. Well I'm holding the liquids down but to top it off it ain't fun to have post nasal drip when you have had a tight fill!

I have SIL - incision in my belly button and the liver retractor in my chest (just 1/4 inch). My port is to the right of my belly button. I had some restriction on day 1 because I was no too hungry and ok w/ drinking liquids though I was able to drink them faster than i thought. I still can gulp water though that may be over with this last fill. I feel the port if I palpate its a lump. I am at 36 BMI - it may depend on how much fat you have in that area. The more you lose the more you will feel it.

Hey gang: I had my third fill today - this months weight loss - 2.5 lbs (UGH!!!). She gave me .7 cc's now I'm at 5.9. I feel like this is gonna be tight. A vente latte made me full. I have to say my fills are a total non event - some people complain of pain when they stick you. Nothing. So I hope this gets that scale moving! 3 weeks ago it moved all at once then now i'm up 2 lbs. Whatever. Not really. I mean when I was at 5.2 cc's there were days I was totally in the green zone (what others call sweet spot) but most days I was in yellow zone (needing more restriction) but STILL way better than without this thing. Curious if you have a realize band or a Lap band. 7 cc's is a pretty high fill amt to feel you are doing so much yourself. Unless by that you mean - the head hunger and wanting ice cream and stuff. I'm usually ok though I totally broke down this past weekend and had a cupcake and guess what - had i checked how many calories are in those cupcakes BEFORE i got it i would NEVER had - stay away from CRUMBS cupcakes 780 cals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! insane isn't it? BUT once it was in my hands I couldn't throw it away though the thought did cross my mind.

Oh NO! Sorry to hear that but at least they kept the restriction in! That is weird that this happened. Did you ever feel any pain before that? Did the Dr have any theories? Also was it major surgery to have it removed? Crossing fingers for a speedy recovery! I'm going tomorrow - 3rd fill. Though honestly if I could wait two weeks I would but I need to schedule them in advance.

I'm learning the hard way to follow these rules: after a fill two days liquids two days mushies. Else I pb easily. Any PB's also liquids rest of day - try mushies next day if not stay on liquids rule of thumb is if you need to be on liquids more than 3 days then unfill. But sometimes that alone will improve things by getting the swelling down. Lastly TOM - I have had both - a lot of eating AND too tight.

Now beer is another story - when I said a week that includes no bubbles. You can def eat more if you drink. It relaxes you thus makes you less tight and less prone to the esophagal spasms that can cause those PB (that I at least get). Of course if you are bombed yes you would prob want to eat more - frankly for me I think it is an effect on my blood sugar that alchohol has which makes me want to eat.

same as homewith2 - when i went for my one week post op they said I could have alchohol. Just be careful as you will be on liquids and lo cals so it will hit you.