lapband 8-26-09

I was banded 8-26-09. Pre surgery I lost 20 pounds. 2 weeks post op. I had lost 16 pounds. Within the next 4 weeks I was down about 10 more pounds. I was exercising a lot. The nurse told me to slow down the exercising. Since then I lost the motivation to exercise and have not been eating that healthy. I ended up putting back on almost all the weight I have lost post surgery. I did got a fill from 4cc to 5.2cc and the intern doctor over filled me. It was horrible and I was vomiting my own saliva because it could not go down. I ended up having to have all the Fluid removed and started from scratch again. I have had 2 fills since then. My last fill was almost a week ago. I have no idea how many cc I have because I was first filled to 4 cc then at the last fill the intern doctor told me I was at 3 cc and was putting in 1.2 cc. Now I have trouble with food getting stuck almost anytime I eat anything other than puree or fluids. However, while I have to eat slowly and chew really well I do not get full on a cup of food and I am hungry in less than 3 hours. I am a little nervous to take my Vitamins because they are bigger than food that I am having stuck issues with. I read about everyone's successes on here and I am getting frustrated. I know I have to eat healthier and start excersing again, that is an obvious. Other than those 2 things can anyone give me feedback on 1. How will I know I am at my sweet spot? and 2. Some suggestions on how to get back on track. 3. How are people taking the pills when they have restriction?

I received my third fill at 3:30 pm today which brought me to about 5cc. I was some where between 3.5 and 4 cc before the fill and was not feeling much restriction. Whenever I get a fill I am put on a liquid diet for the first 2 days. At 7:00 pm tonight I took two sips of protein shake and have thrown up three times and have had hicups twice in the last 2 and a half hours. Should I wait this out a day or two and see if it gets better or should I go back to the doctors? I have had so many appointments this week that I really can not afford to take more time and go to the doctor unless it is really necessary.

I am from Rochester NY. I have Dr. Omalley who is supposed to be one of the best. He was on Opra. His bed side manner is a little lacking but my surgery went very well. The issue that I am having now is that the only person that I can see to get my fills is someone who is doing a fellowship. I believe they are pretty inexperienced at the fills. If I want to wait to see the experienced nurse I have to wait till mid February to get my first refill. I am starting to get very frustrated at the process and worried that my boss is having an issue with all these appointments I have to go to. The appointments can take several hours because of the long waits in the waiting room.

I was banded in August and have not been loosing weight. I was not feeling much restriction. I had a third fill yesterday and was hoping that the third fill would do the trick. The doctor overfilled me this thrid time and it was awefull! I had to go in as an emergency and they took all the saline out so now I have to start from scratch. I am very disappointed but the overfill was so painful.

Thank you all for your guidance. The vomiting lasted all night. I did not have anything in my system but found that nothing, not even small sips of water, would stay down. After several calls to the doctor in tears they finally were able to get me in. Unfortunately, they removed all the saline so I have to start from scratch again.

I was banded on August 26th and lost 20 pounds in the first month. I was working out and doing good. About 3 days before my first fill I started to feel hungry and it would take a lot to give me a full feeling. When I got my fill the nurse was reluctant to give me a fill because she thought I was losing the weight fast. After much discussion she gave me 1cc. She also told me that I was exercising too much. So I cut back on the exercising and after the second day of the fill I did not have any feeling of restriction. That was a month ago. I have my second fill scheduled for November 10th. I tired to get the appointment moved up but they could not fit me in any earlier. I am really struggling and at this point have actually put on 3 pounds. Anyone have any guidance for me?

Thanks for all the feedback. I just got my second fill of .5cc two days ago and was worried about not having enough of a fill. However, I have had a small issue with almost having soft food get stuck so logically I know the band is tighter. This causes me to eat slower; I just wish I would see more of a hinderance on my appetite.

Everyone is different so I am not sure if this will help but here goes. My energy levels took about 3 -4 weeks to increase. I have Protein shakes still. I have one first thing in the morning and then my second one when I get home in the evening before I go for a walk. My energy levels have increased significantly. I attribute the increased energy to the Protein powder and walking. I am on a ton of Vitamins (multi, Vitamin D, Iron, Calcium citrate plus D). Are you taking your vitamins? I am down about 23 pounds. Good luck and hang in there.

I am just over 6 weeks post surgery and people have noticed the weightloss. Originally, I was not going to tell anyone about the surgery except for my immediate family. I have a large extended family that is very gossipy. People at work also gossip all the time. After much thought I decided that I would be very open and honest about it to everyone. My thought was that if I kept it a secret and acted like I was ashamed of it then people would gossip about it. If I tell everyone about it and my sucesses then they have nothing to gossip about. When people ask about my weightloss I tell them that I had surgery and have lost almost 45 pounds (including what I had to loose before the surgery to qualify for insurance) I tell them that it was the best thing I did. I share with them that because of the surgery I have been smoke free since February, I quite drinking soda, I am walking 3 to 4 miles a day, I have more energy and I feel great. Seriously, what negative things can they say or think after I tell them all that. :thumbup:

I was banded on August 26, 2009 and after the first week after the surgery I did not have anymore pain. If it were not for having to watch what I eat and having the scars from the incisions I would not even feel like I ever had the surgery. Everyone is different and has different experiences with this surgery. However, I would reccomend talking to your doctor immediately for a couple reasons. I do not think your pain should still be that significant at this point. I am also concerned about your weight loss. I think your weight loss seems a bit excessive. I have been excersizing everyday. My doctor stated that I was losing weight quickly and was hesitant to give me my first fill. But I am only down 22.6 pounds conpared to your 30 pounds and I had my surgery almost three weeks before you. I am sure everything is fine but at least with talking to your doctor you can have piece of mind.

I have a big outing with a large group of friends this evening and we are going to a barbeque restaurant. I do not want to just sit there through dinner. I would like to be able to order something while i am there to slowly eat. I am on the soft foods stage and have not had any problems with lean ground beef so far. Does anyone know if I can have some chili or mashed potatoes with gravy? Or does anyone have any other suggestions of what I can eat at this kind of restaurant in the soft foods stage? On the soft foods stage my doctor said I can eat kidney beans and tomatoe sauce and low fat cheese. I am sure the cheese, gravy, and chili will not be low fat but I thought one night may not be too bad. Or would a bbq chicken that I cut into very small pieces (lack of ability to puree) be a safer option?

I am in the puree food stage (2 weeks post surgery). I had an impromptu family function after work and did not have a protein shake or the ability to puree any of the food. I have been feeling really well and so I thought that eating a little macaroni salad with mayo, tuna, and egg would be okay as long as I ate small pieces at a time and chewed it really well. I also did the same with some beans. Several hours later I started to feel some pressure in my chest and since then I have been having periodic sever chest pain that would last for a couple seconds and then go away. My husband thinks it is heartburn (which I have never had before). However, it is now two and a half days later and I still have it. I have taken GasX which did not help. I am now trying Prilosec. I am worried that I may have done some damage.:wink:

Sorry for not getting back to all those who took the time to respond to my original post. I have been working long hours at work and have not had an opportunity before this weekend to get back to this post. As an update . . . I am okay, the pain took from Wednesday morning to Saturday to stop. I think it was heartburn (which I have never experienced before so it was a bit scary). 1 day and a half after I switched to prilosec OTC the pain went away and has not returned. I am now on the soft foods stage and it is going very well. I am staying totally away from anything with Pasta or flour in it. I feel great which can sometimes be misleading when you think about what you should and should not be eating or doing. Just taking it easy now and being causious when I eat.

Thanks, I had actually called the doctor on Friday and the Nurse informed me to wait it out over the weekend and if the pain still persists or gets worse to call them next week. So I guess at this point it is just a waiting game.

I am 6 days post operation and noticed a very yellow and blue bruise on my lower left side approximately 6 inches below any of my incisions. The bruise is approximately 4 inches in diameter. The bruise is not tender to the touch. I really do not have any bruising around any of my incisions which I am thankful of. However, it makes me more concerned about why I have this bruise. Should I be concerned about this? I do not go into see the doctor till Thursday afternoon, is this something that can wait till then?:frown:

Dear Sandiegokate: I just went to my post-op appointment yesterday and the doctor specifically told me to stay away from certain fruits and vegitables like broccoli while I am in the puree stage. What I can eat in the puree stage is very limited. Obviously Jello pudding, Protein shakes, puree chicken, turkey, or tuna. Egg whites, skim milk, light ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, low fat gravy with chicken or turkey, pureed mash potatoes, puree bananna, and cream of wheat (they make one with 7 grams of protein but it has 3 grams of fat and I only eat half a serving). I am down 11.6 pounds to date and feeling good! Good luck with your journey.

I was banded on August 26th. The pain is starting to subside. I have my post -op appointment on Thursday and will probably return back to work on Friday. I am a little tired but I was not sleeping through the whole night. Last night I could actually lay on my side without pain. I am still on the liquid protein diet and have lost 9.6 pounds in one week. I am looking for puree food ideas for once I start that diet.

Thanks I did not think of that! They did give me three shots in my belly on that side. I thought it was a little higher but I was a little out of it. So how is your post op experience going?:frown:

I am 5 days post operation and I am wondering when and how much or how long I should start exercising - like walking outside or on a treadmill? I am dropping weight (8 pounds so far) but want to keep the momentum going and maybe start toning.:biggrin: Any guidance would be much appreciated.

Does anyone have any good recipes/reccomendations for puree food? I am not to good in the kitchen, more of a convenience food girl.

I keep seeing posts where people say that they are experinceing PB. What does this mean?

I am going on day 5 of post operation and I also have problems with the bloating and the gas. From other posts on here it sounds like that is very normal. A couple posts reccomended GasX. I have not tried it yet as I feel like I am already taking as much pills as I can handle. If it continues I am going to try it. Have a safe and speedy recovery.

I am three days post operation. I have had a little pain (gas) and if I sip liquid too fast. Other than that I am not having too much pain anymore. I am eating a diet of sugar free jello, sugar free pudding, slim fast low carb shakes, and nonfat yogurt per my doctor's instructions. How long should I be on this before I move to puree food? Also, does anyone have any good recipes/reccomendations for puree food? I am not to good in the kitchen, more of a convenience food girl.