Peanut

I have a horrible pain in my left side, near the bottom of my ribs. It feels like when you run and get a stitch (or charley horse) in your side -- that is really the only thing I can compare it to. I am at work and I cannot sit in a comfortable position to make it stop hurting. The only time that it is somewhat alleviated is when I lie down at night. Does anyone know what this could be and why?? My port is on my right side, so I know it's not from that.

I had my first fill on Thursday and I have had a swollen throat ever since (feels like a sore throat you might have with congestion). Has anyone experienced this? If so, when does it go away? Also, my doctor only filled with 2 cc's because he told me that they will gradually increase it over a year. Is that a normal amount for 1st fill? What is the maximum fill that most people have in their band? I wonder how many more fills to expect. How many fills did you have before you noticed restriction? I haven't had any yet. Thanks for your help! :help:

angel, I am also about 3 weeks post-surgery. I wonder if there is any correlation there? What about the rest of you?

Yes, sometimes it does seem like it is after I eat. Other times, it comes about for no discernible reason at all... I wish we could figure this out! It's very uncomfortable...

...but I was banded on 9/28 and I haven't been sticking to the fluids. I am so ashamed that I am so weak, but it's been really difficult for me for some reason. I was on medifast before the surgery to drop some weight, and I think that doing that on/off for a month before and now having to go back to fluids again is driving me bananas. I just want to feel some texture in my mouth, to have that full feeling in my stomach again. Instead, I always feel sick afterward. You'd think I'd learn but I've already cheated about 3 times since my surgery on Friday. The first time was Sunday night, I had probably the worst thing I could have - a spoonful of peanut butter!! Then yesterday, I had a cracker and cheese in my Soup, and today I ate a small package of crackers! What is wrong with me? Why am I such a failure? I'm really embarrassed to admit this and it really makes me question what my long-term success will be with the band. It is very unlike me to be so weak! I went on a liquid fasting diet twice for more than two months in the past, not to mention all the other restrictive diets we have put ourselves in the past. Has anybody gone through this? Does anybody have any advice for getting back on track? I seem to have the mentality now that I've already screwed up so what's the point on being diligent? Thanks in advance for your help and sorry for my ranting... Thanks for listening.

Thanks, everyone! I really appreciate all your encouragement and advice. I will try the hot drinks and see if that makes a difference. I'm really glad that there is a forum like this where we can receive support from each other. Thanks, I really needed to hear your kind words...

Thanks for your response, Rain. I know you're right, too, I need to just make the decision for myself to stop cheating. I hope that it's not too late and that I haven't already done long-term damage to myself. Thanks for your encouragement. It makes me feel better to know that I'm not the only one who struggled through this time.

I'm a sept bander, too. I was banded on 9/28, and I'm having a really hard time sticking to the liquids. I'm starving! It probably didn't help that I had been on a medifast diet prior to the surgery to drop some weight for the surgery so I feel like I've been drinking fluids forever! I've lost about 5 pounds in the past 4 days. How bad is it to start the mushies early? I feel like I just need something with some substance!

I got approval for my surgery back in March, but due to other obligations going on in my life these past few months, I had to wait and schedule it for June. Well, I found out when I went to my pre-op appointment yesterday that I have gained about 25 pounds since then , which put me over the limit for my insurance to pay. Consequently, I had to cancel my surgery until I lose the 20 pounds. I am so disappointed!! :cry I wish that they (at my dr office, who handled the insurance approval) had told me at the time that I needed to be within a certain weight range to qualify because I would have been on a strict diet until my surgery (especially since I was on the high borderline of the range to begin with). I think from the anticipation of things, plus studying for a major exam for admission to grad school, I gained some weight due to stress. I'm just sick about this whole thing... I was so ready to do it. For those of you who did have weight to lose before your surgeries, what did you do and how much weight did you lose? I'm trying to find something that will help me lose 20 pounds pretty quickly, but reasonably, so I can get back on track soon. I really appreciate your advice

Hi, eyespy, Here is another thread that discusses Protein shakes that people enjoy: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f76/protein-shakes-33926/ I did want to say that my nutritionist told us that it was more important post-diet to be getting in protein anyway you can (even if that is through caloric drinks). If you can't find another Protein Drink you like, you might just stick to what works for you, at least until the solid stage when you can eat protein foods that you like. Good luck! ~Peanut

Great advice! I will be sure to get some and get started taking it! Thanks for your well wishes, too. ~Lucy (Peanut) Congratulations on your surgery! I'm glad to hear that you had such a quick recovery, too. I will be sure to keep moving when I get home. You have a great attitude about things and I'm sure you'll continue to do great! Keep me posted on your progress! :star: ~Lucy (Peanut)

I can't believe it's finally here! I started this whole process back in August 2006. I just had my last appointment with the nutritionist before the surgery, and tomorrow I'm going grocery shopping to stock up on all the liquid goodies for the first two weeks. I'm really excited to be joining the ranks of the rest of the bandsters! :biggrin1: Besides just sharing my excitement, I wanted to ask if anyone has any last minute advice on surgery day or adjusting to being banded? How long did it take you to get back to relatively normal? I am embarrassed to admit this but I work in a kind of hostile work environment where I won't be able to disclose that I'm having the surgery. It has nothing to do with being embarrassed about having the surgery (all my family and close friends and anyone who is important to me in my life knows and shares my excitement) but more about that my boss is a miserable woman who tries to make things difficult for me and would use this against me if she knew. I can't leave my job due to my excellent health insurance (I have Crohn's and my treatments are $1500/mo covered by insurance), so I'm stuck here for a while, unfortunately. I plan on taking off for a week after the surgery; do you think that I will be feeling well enough to fake being normal after a week? Do you have any advice on ways to avoid PBing or other complications at work (or is that even an issue the first two weeks on the liquid phase)? I really appreciate any advice. I don't really know what to expect. Thanks for reading!

Hi, Edie, Yes, that's a really good idea. I did do a liquid diet a few years ago for a couple months, so I could say that I'm doing that again. Even when I do reach the blended foods part, I could still continue drinking Protein drinks/other liquids during work. (This might also take care of my other issue of being afraid to PB or vomit at work.) Thanks for your input and congratulations on your progress! :clap2: I hope I do as well as you. I'm jealous! ~Lucy (Peanut)

Hey, Chefschoon, Thanks for the reply and advice. It sounds like you had a really speedy recovery! Did you do anything special to get yourself back to normal so fast? I will call my pharmacist about getting the liquid Tylenol and GasX strips you suggested - thanks for the tip! It looks like from your ticker you've had some great progress so far! Congrats! ~Peanut

Hey SimplyMe, We have the same band date! Are you nervous? It's finally just starting to become a reality for me even thought I started the process back in Aug 06. Good luck to us both on the 7th! :clap2:

Hi, everybody! Great site - I'm so excited to join! About me: I started looking into lap-band a few weeks ago, and everything has been a blur since. I have attended an informational seminar, briefly met a bariatric surgeon, and checked on my insurance (does cover with medical necessity). I have my first "official" consolt on Thursday (8/24) with the surgeon I am hoping will do the surgery. I am kind of a special case, too, because I have Crohn's disease. As you might know, gastric bypass cannot be done on Crohn's patients (due to inflammation in the intestines), and many surgeons won't do lap-band on Crohn's patients, either (I was flat-out denied by two surgeons via email, based on this fact). However, my Crohn's disease is limited to my terminal ileum (lower end of small intestines - where it and large intestines meet), so I didn't really see why I should be outright excluded. I was lucky to find (the only lap-band) surgeon in my area who said he would consider patients on a case-by-case basis. Hopefully he will be willing to do the surgery because I'm ready! Like all of you, I have tried tons of diets in the past: Weight Watchers, liquid diets, physician-directed diets, exercise, Atkins, etc., and while I do lose weight, it never stays off. Worse, I usually gain back twice what I lost. It pains me to say that I am at my all-time high of ~300 lbs - hopefully this will be my lifetime high, too. I have a lot of motivation to lose weight. I have been with the most wonderful guy in the world for 5 years, and we (I) have been putting off getting married because I didn't want to be overweight on my wedding day. Also, we are both getting into our late 20s/early 30s and want to start a family someday pretty soon, and there are risks to both mother and baby from being obese, not to mention that I might first run into fertility problems from being overweight. I am also applying to medical school next year, and I know that, officially, weight discrimination, or discrimination of any kind, is not allowed in admissions, but unofficially I think it happens often. I don't want my weight to keep me from my dream of becoming a physician, especially when I meet all the other qualifications. Also, I want to set a good example to my own patients down-the-road, by managing my own health well. While I'm pretty lucky that my overall health is good, besides the Crohn's, I don't have the physical stamina that a 28 year-old should have. I can't walk far without getting winded, and I have to sit down often. I can't exercise for long, and I avoid the gym from feelings of embarrassment. Not only that, but I also have gotten to the point, lately, where I avoid social gatherings altogether, under the guise of needing to "study" (even on Fri/Sat nights). It's not fair to my friends or my boyfriend, who, despite my protests, often stays home with me out of guilt. I have back pain, fatigue, sleep apnea, pre-diabetes, and several other conditions common to obese persons that I am hoping to overcome. I understand that the surgery can only take place after the patient has proven to be on a physician-directed diet for 6 months. I think that would, optimistically, put me at early- to mid-February 2007 for my procedure, assuming no other obstacles in the meantime. Since I've become sure that I want this procedure, my B/F and I have been looking at getting married in fall, in late September. Does anyone know what is the average weight loss over the 6-month period following the surgery? I'm looking forward to talking more with all of you and hearing your stories, as well. I wish you the best on your own weight loss goals! ~Peanut

Thanks, everyone for the warm welcome! :scalesno: I'm really excited to be a new member of this site. Thanks K@t and Ralheit for sharing your info/advice with me. Congratulations on all your progress!! L8bloomR - I feel the same way! It is frustrating! It seems counterintuitive to be on a "diet" for 6 months, when the rationale for the diet is that traditional diets don't work for us.

It's really sad that our society is still so accepting of such blatant discrimination and hatred. It is the last socially acceptable form of discrimination, and it's so wrong! BTW, sbmorgaine, you rock!