jalomum

Well hello there...I had a similar problem at easter...my pharmacist told me it was fine to break them open and mix them in with a little yogurt or something similar. The first ones I took didn't stick because my throat was so swollen they would only go down one way(big ouch!!) As the swelling subsided that is when the 'fun' started and I had a word with my pharmacist. They taste really disgusting...very bitter and you realise why they wrap them in a capsule in the first place. Sadly not everything in life can taste like cadbury's chocolate. Pharmacists tend to be more up on what you can do with your meds anyway, drugs and their interactions, effects etc are their speciality. Good luck and I hope you feel better soon.

I hope you are getting Metfomin for the insulin resistance that is part of the PCOS. You will need lower doses with less food intake but not having it will make your progress harder. Check with your endo.

AND...If you cannot drink enough fluids/water then you have got a problem that cannot wait too long for a resolution.

I can't tell any difference until I eat something...usually good restriction means I am not hungry until mid-afternoon. Drinking tea is more important to me than eating so I don't do anything to jeopardise that. If I have a bit of a problem then I just go onto liquids. The difference between being just right and too tight was 0.05ml and they are putting 0.3 in you in one go when you are getting close to restriction....you probably need to have it taken out again,,maybe 0.1 out and then wait for the swelling to go down. I hope you get this sorted soon. Gently and slowly does it. It is better to go up very slowly at this stage as the larger steps are just setting you back.

Hi Ninababy. I have a band, PCOS and stuffed up thyroid but good restriction and have lost 43Kg/95lbs since Aug 09...I think it took me 3 or 4 months to learn to live with my band and get my restriction right. Give it time and please be assured that slow weight loss is better than slow weight gain...all steps in the right direction will lead you to your destination. Stick with it girl :-)

Hello Jackie, everytime you bring something back it will cause some swelling and as a result of this the problem may get worse. How was your restriction before you had your fill? Did you need a fill or was it just scheduled in as routine?

You are not being petty, maybe jealous but can't blame you for that. The world is full of this sort of unfairness...families that are childless and would give a child the attention it needed and those that don't appreciate how wonderful children are and breed like germs then neglect their offspring, often creating a degenerate generation of neglected illiterate angry young people. I am sorry for your heartache, I was adopted at birth by a beautiful lady, who went through 3 full term pregnancies all still born, and her wonderful husband...my mum and dad, now sadly gone but the most loving people. I gained them as my parents but would not have wished the heartache and suffering on them just to get myself there :-( Ae you having Metformin and hormone treatment for your PCOS and following a low GI diet? If so this should help to resolve your fertility problem as your weight drops. The metformin is very, very important. If you are not being prescribed it then you must insist that you doc gives it to you. Without the insulin resistence being addressed you will not lose weight.....I have PCOS too, undiagnosed until I was 42.

If the question was "do surgeons ask us to book our surgery around our monthly cycle?' I would have to say that my surgeon never even raised the matter, even though he is a doctor and totally aware that we women bleed (some more regularly than others!!) but if it was a problem then you would think they would all ask us to make sure we were booked in on a 'good week'. That was the long answer, short one is 'ring your surgeons office and ask'. Best of luck :-)

I'm glad you posted that piece of advice, it should be compulsory reading for all newcomers!!! Well said :-)

Don't let them get away with it. Make a lot of noise about this...it is not acceptable.

You are probably not eating enough calories. If you cut your calories too low then your body responds by dropping your metabolic rate. It gets worried there is not a good food supply and wants to save fat to run essential organs until the food supply becomes more reliable...this is the root of all weight-loss evil!!!

Time to be realistic not discouraged...you are still healing and should be eating in line with your surgeons instructions and guidelines. The hunger will not start to go away for real until you start getting restriction from your fills over the next few months. The fact you are feeling hungry quite quickly means the post-op swelling is going down inside you and around your band/stomach and that you are probably healing well...that is a good thing. Did you really think it was going to be that quick and easy?? You need to do some more reading on this site and find out how the first few months of this journey usually go and get your folks to read up on it too so they know how to support you...this is not a crash diet...it is a long-haul life change. Cheer up and chill out :-) I am 10 months out and 95lbs gone...none of them in the first week!!

You're welcome. When you get something stuck that causes thick saliva or bringing food back then it usually causes swelling around the band too. I find after an episode like that ,that I have to stay on liquids for a couple of days to let any swelling go down before I start back on solids slowly and not until late in the day. If it is too tight then you will not notice any improvement even after a couple of days on liquids. Let me know how you go :-)

Hi, It happens when you eat something that sticks in your band, maybe not blocks it altogther but partially blocking it. The thick saliva is your system trying to flood it out in response to the irritation of it being stuck.

Hello If you are not putting any food in that contain fibre then you are not going to get solid stools. Are you adding any clear soluble fibre to your liquids? This will help prevent excessively loose stools and also stave off constipation once you start on small amounts of mushy or solid food. Fibre is your friend :-) Your BM should improve with the addition of fibre. I believe fibre should be a significant part of your intake from here on in to pre-empt problems and as much as I love Albran, it is way easier to put spoons of soluble fibre in liquids :-) good luck

In my experience I don't feel full, just not empty!!

A teaspoon of Bicarb in water is good for getting rid of heartburn and indigestion. It is an alkali and neutralises the acid.

You're obviously very swollen inside. This op really mauls you around on the inside. It may be keyhole but it is a big bloody key!! Stick with thin fluids, everytime something gets pushed back up it aggravates the swelling. As you say, fluids are most important. Get some Protein drinks and add low fat milk to make them really thin then sip them constantly and very slowly. I think once you can stop bringing stuff back then it will start to settle. Good luck.

Short answer: Don't have as much put in. Your weightloss so far is awesome so you can obviously use the tool well :-) Long Answer: The difference for me between a little on the loose side and way too tight was 0.25ml....I was not able to eat right for 2 months and did not loose weight during that period. I could drink ok though so I just held out and waited for the fat pad to shrink a little more and it all to loosen. I asked for 0.2 but she told me after that she had just put 0.25 in.....I am sure it was the .05 that did it!! Not a good way to spend Christmas :-( I don't get hungry til 1pm at least, not had a fill since Dec '09 and probably won't go for a month or 2 yet until I am getting hungry at 11 or earlier....how do you decide when you need a fill? Are you just going for them regularly regardless of how it is working for you or is it when you think the band needs adjusting? It does not matter how much anyone else has in their band, that would be assuming we exactly the same sized insides!! I would be interested to know what your trigger is for getting a fill. I was banded in Aug '09 and have lost 88lbs.

You're spot on, sugar - highly processed carbohydrate - is rocket fuel, it burns fast and hot but burns out quick leaving a craving behind it. Not just sugar either...refined carbs include all white flour containing things. Feel the force, use the force! You have the power.. Corny but true. Hehehe Good luck with your journey.

My understanding is that prevention is easier than cure. Medication can stop them from forming but not dissolve them...unless someone knows different. My research was done a couple of months ago. Some surgeons remove the gall bladder when they perform WLS as it is almost a certainty that gall stones are present. Mine was only picked up on a scan of my Kidneys, 6 months after my band was installed! If I had been aware of it at that time then I would have made enquiries about having it removed during the op. The lady who did the scan said over 50% of folks she scans for other things have gall stones. My doctor says that the fact it is so big means it may not cause me problems but if it does I will have to have my gall bladder out. Bile from the gall bladder helps dissolve fat in food we eat so if you eat a nice low-fat diet it should stop them forming but once you have one I think you are stuck with it. Could be wrong and I hope I am...I will watch this thread...

You have to go slow. If you go fast and are too tight you bring everything back up, this causes swelling and then they have to take extra fill out to allow the swelling to go down. One step forward and 2 back if you rush and you pay for the un-fills as well. When you have had you band longer then you will know how much you need. Knowledge is power :-) Slow down, learn.

Is this just a terminology thing? The whole 'full' thing? I never feel full, but I do feel 'not hungry' so when I do feel hungry I eat something and then I don't feel hungry....don't feel full either. Don't need to feel full, not hungry is where I like to be. I have lost 40kg (88lbs) since Aug '09 with good food, no exercise other than walking and by feeling 'not hungry'.