bigmumma

Hi, I was banded about 2.5 yrs ago and so far so good. until last week......... I got sick late last yr and became underweight and exhausted, so went and had a small unfill. In about 10 weeks i regained 7kg...i little too much for my liking at I was hoping for about 3.5 tops..... but I found myself in much better health. So last week i went back for a small fill as I found my portion consumption was increasing, as was my appetite and i was looking for food in between meals...not cool. My dr gave me a teeny tiny 0.1ml adjustment (i know it sounds crazy but it did make a difference) ..... taking me up to a grand total of 6.1ml in a 10ml band. in the first few days i did notice a slight restriction which was what i was after. however on the 3rd day I managed to eat a fair amount of pork mince in a meal for dinner - it has been disaster ever since I am struggling to keep drinks down unless I go super slow, I am super sliming (ewwww), and can't even keep Soup down. everything comes back up within minutes. What i am trying to work out is if I need to unfill again or am i blocked from the mince??? Have tried walking, bending and stretching, burping and pineapple juice (which came back up). I went for 18 months without a fill/ unfill so I have kind of forgotten what it feels like in that week post fill....sounds daft i know ! Does anyone have any sure fire methods to remedy blockages that they can suggest before i head back to my dr who is over 250 km away:( all ideas greatfully accepted !!! ps - lost 39kg (biggest loss during illness) now back to a total of 32 kg loss

hi Holly not meaning to sound gross here, but i threw it up which was extremely unpleasant !!! it was definately the pork as that was the last Protein i had eating before becoming blocked...ewwwwww.....

thanks for that tip. can you tell me where you get your papaya enzyme tablets from if you are in Australia?? cheers

which country are you in Shelby??? I am in australia - the brand is ""Clements Iron"" also contains zinc, manganese, idonine, B1,2,3,5,6. a good all rounder

well the official verdict is that it was indeed a blockage. After my last post I was able to finally remove it.......and it was indeed to pesky pork mince that I shall never have again !!! (famous last words)......I did kind of freak out by the fact that a solid food matter could remain stuck for so many days though......that is foul anyway i think the constant small sips of pineapple juice worked a treat...shall keep this one up my sleeve for next time..I have been telling all my fellow lap band buddies to try it too if they get stuck. thanks for the help !!! cheers

thanks Karen - shall try coke next time too !!

wow CeeCee - 11 pounds in 9 days is a lot .......are you taking any multivitamins?? I take a liquid combo of vits and iron....helps keep the energy levels up. Glad your blockage has gone and you re feeling better now

thank you everyone for you kind replies. I think the pineapple juice may have helped to move along what was most likey a blockage......still not convinced though and think i may need an unfill.....at least today I have managed to keep small amounts of hot liquids down and a little bit of soup. YIPPEE !!! and am most definately feeling more comfortable. Shall give it a few more days and if i am still feeling too restricted than I shall go back to dr. I don't want to not eat !! I like eating and it is not healthy to eat too little....but finding that balance is sooo hard - especially when i only had such a small amount in my fill..... shall wait and see - but thank you so much for your ideas - very much appreciated

thanks for that tip SashaWLS - shall give it a go....feeling desperate at this point. just swallowed bi-carb soda with small amount of water to see if that will help. I used to use that remedy for reflux....

Hi there, It has been quite a while since my last post...(nearly 3 yrs !!)....... but i find myself in a similar situation - not sure if I am too tight from a recent tiny fill (0.1 ml...yes seriously!!) or if i have pork mince stuck from 4 days ago....... I had 0.25ml removed earlier in the yrs - got too thin after illness and felt like crap. before that I had not needed a fill in 18 months and felt good. I needed to gain some weight back. that worked a treat - 7 kgs up, but all i wanted was about 3.5......trouble was I was starting to eat bigger portions, then look for more food in between meals. So i had 0.1ml put back in last week .....would you seriously think that would make a difference? YUP !!! it slowed me down and whilst I could still eat most things i was eating less volume. Then 3 days later i had a meal with pork mince and ate quite a decent amount.....I have not been able to keep anything down since - not even Soup....... starting to get tired and crabby now. lots and lots of sliming happening and constantly feeling my mouth filling with salivia when i go to bed - having to sleep upright...... Not sure whether to try the suggestion of pineapple juice, or go back and have the tiny amount removed again.... ARGHHHHH...really don't want to do that either. Has anyone else who has been banded for quite a few yrs found themselves in this situation???? any suggestions ??? Cheers big mumma

oh you lucky thing missing out on the Fluid stage - as much as I love Soup i reckon it may be while before I venture back to it!! my dr recommended 3 weeks of it - I barely lasted 2 and had enough. generally I am not feeling overly hungy - today being the exception!!!! most days I get to about 2 pm before getting a bit of a niggle - so I am pretty happy with that. I had a very soft cooked omlette on Sunday at about 2 ish and did not feel like anything else until the next day. Brilliant! I am really missing cheese, just as you are missing bread and butter. What I would give for a creamy wedge of camerbert right now..........note to self - must not obsess :tongue2: better go and get my kids sorted. talk soon sal

Hi K I am not in your area - in tassie, but I was banded on 3rd sept....... I have found this a great site to read what others have been through and where they are at now. SO far so good at my end - I am about 6kg down in week 4. Would have liked more off by now - but I am being realistic and getting anything off has to be better than a gain!!! Also i was not in the morbidly obese range to start with and was well aware that having less to lose would be reflected with a smaller initial loss. I am onto mushie food - ah heaven!!! the food processor has become my new best friend. Last night I got brave and had some spag bog with the Pasta chopped up very finely. That was really good. WEll I hd better go as it is time for my daily walk...........Looking forward to seeing how you progress. Sal

Hi Sus So what is life like now after that first fill?? did it hurt much to have it done?? I am a big wuss when it comes to pain, ha,ha,ha. What has your eating been like since the fill - are you still not overly hungry? Six 6kg off is fantastic - you should be proud of yourself and not look at a 0.1kg gain as anymore than your bodies natural daily fluctuation. Don't be so hard on yourself. I don't look at anything under .5 kg as more than daily fluctuation to be honest. your goal of a necklace sounds lovely too - I hope you find something that is just perfect!! I have not come across any good recipies as such - I have just been blending up whatever my family is having for tea. Last night I had spag bog unblended which was great. I just cut up the past very finely and made sure the meat was fine too. No problems!! I am really really hungry today though.....hmmmmm..........have been thinking about food for at least the last two hours :tongue2: Ah well - I guess it had to come at some point. The one thing I am really missing is cheese. OMG - I love cheese so much and would just about kill for a peice. tragic I know....... Well I had better dash and get some washing sorted, and some tea on the go for the family. One great thing is the money being saved on groceries at the moment seeing that I am eating less than kiddie size portions. I hope you are well - looking forward to hearing how you are going post fill. See Ya Sal

Hi Sus, i so agree with you about the book being nothing but trouble. I felt obliged to take it - but there seems to be very little that matches up with what Dr W says. anyway - I am just doing what feels right at the moment. Some nights i have soup for tea, other nights might be a bit of mash veg. last night I actually put some chicken kiev and roast veg through the food processer then thined it out with milk so it was like runny baby food. OMG - it was awesome. so delicious!!1 I had about 1/3 cup worth and felt so satisfied to be eating something semi-real!!!! I am enjoying my day off today, although my little man is still not 100%. He has an ear infection. ouch...Do you have children??? I have three - aged 4, 7 1/2 and 10. I have been a bit crabby this week - not sure if it is the post lap band blues or just feeling a bit tired and run down. At least I am not so cranky today :mad: The Wii sounds like so much fun. We are planning on getting one for the kids for x-mas this yr. I will definately get the Wii fit set up too. I have been walking of an evening all week - we even went in the rain and wind the other night - our umbrella's flipped inside out - but hey - no excuses right!!!! walking is my exercise of choice and I am lucky to have great little town to walk around and I always feel safe at night too. Can't wait to hear how your first fill went and how you go over the next few weeks. My band has been feeling really tight early in the mornings - do you have that too? talk soon Sal

Hi there - Gee I hope the gas is gone in two months - not looking forward to more of that :biggrin: Lucky you getting your fill on Friday. I hope it goes well. I have just been for a good walk with my fellow LB buddy - we were done within 5 days of eachother. It is good to have a close freind to share the journey with - but it is hard not to compare progess too. She is doing so well - has lost twice the amount of weight that i have and was banded after me. I am really happy for her ans so proud of how she is going - I just wish I was going as well as her too. I know - early days yet and my time will come. I am extremely impatient!!!! I Have walked each day for the last three which is good. I have ventured back to sloppy mash for the last two nights - and added a litte bit of mince last night and little bit of sausage tonight. I can't eat more than about 4 dessert spoons full - but i feel like I need it. Finding that I am very tired in the arvo. Not to mention crabby :frown:. I am not interested in much during the day though - but I make sure I have at least a few spoons of yoghurt and a little soup over the day. I am a bit confused about this eating business - Dr W says liquids for four weeks, yet the book he suggested I buy from his rooms outlines soft mushy food now (I will be three weeks on Thurs). hmmmm........i am just trying to listen to my body and do what feels right. Did you buy the LAP-BAND® book??? hmmmm - not much else to report today. I have been off work for the last two days looking after sick kids. I hope to god that I don't pick up thier gastro bug!!!!! that would be awful at this stage. Can't wait to hear you news post fill. oh forgot to add that milo and tea are my drink of choice atm - but also found making a banana and chocolate sustagen smoothie pretty good too - just seems to take forever to get through!! See Ya Sal

Good luck Emma with your op - I hope it all goes well and you recover quickly. Looking forward to hearing how you go. I was banded on the 3rd sept - so it is still early days for me.

hi - I have been looking for others who have also gone through Dr Wilkinson. I was banded on 3rd sept 09 and would love to talk more with others who are in the same boat - and on the same island!!! So far so good - only one real day of sooking about having more bloody soup - but that has passed!! I have tried a little bit of mash veg - but quickly found out that I was not quite ready - felt too full. My only complaint so far would be about the god awful pain that was from the residual gas after surgery. That was worse than my incisions. Dr W really should warn you about that and perhaps come up with a few suggestions as to how to ease the discomfort (i resorted to de-gas pills which took the edge off a little). Hope to talk with you all a little more. sally

HI - I was banded by Dr Stephen Wilkinson - Hobart Private Hospital (TAS, AUSTRALIA) on 3rd Sept 09. Just wondering if there is anyone else who has also gone through Dr Wilkinson??? I would love to hear from you:smile: Sally

wow - this has been really interesting to read!! I am 2.5 weeks post surgery and have lost 4.5kg so far - although to be honest I think I was expecting more!! During the first week and a half I was having lots of Soups, yoghurts, custard, jelly and even had a very small amount of mash veg as I was feeling quite hungry - but over the last week my appetite has decreased heaps, and I have not lost any weight at all. All I really feel like is Soup again - but I do worry about setting my body into starvation mode as I am having so few calories per day. I know it is only very early days for me and the weight will come off in time. But I want to make sure I am doing all that I can to help things along. Your replies have been helpful as my Dr has not provided any information about daily calorie intake - he just has a guide about which foods to reintroduce at certain times. Thanks everyone :biggrin:

hi everyone - I am new to this site and finding it so helpful to read how you have all been going. I am 5 days post op and so far so good. I also had a hernia repair done at the same time as the band (didn't even know I had a hernia!!), so I have had a bit of discomfort in my diaphram from that and still can't deep breathe - but basically the pain is very manageable - more of a discomfort really. I am starting to get hungry - but find that soup etc fills the spot quickly. I reckon I will loathe soup by the end of next week :thumbup: I returned to work yesterday which was a bit of a stretch - but seemed to get through heaps easier today. Can't wait to hear more of your stories. Sal

hi there. i am 5 days post op. i had awful gas pain in the first 3 days, also made worse by having a hernia repair done at the same time as the band. My lovely nurse recommended drinking peppermint tea and sucking on mints (they must dissolve in the mouth). I was not too keen on the tea at first - but it was an absolute god send. I would definately recommend it to help with gas. Hope your shoulder pain eases soon . Sal