kuurtamo

When I've had fluid added in the past, I've had a few days where I needed to um... "remove" the offending items from my stomach. Soft things included- like spaghettios or mashed potatoes. Granted, I'm making very poor choices, such as eating bread... But I've made it a habit of eating the wrong things several times a day and then throwing them up when it causes pain (i.e. bread). I only do it when in pain, but I seem to be giving a "devil may care" attitude to whatever I eat. Regardless, the frequency with which I am making myself throw up is a little bit disturbing to me. Any thoughts?

I'm concerned that I've started abusing food to take care of that gaping hole inside of me that I have stopped using... in any case, when I've had fluid added in the past, I've had a few days where I needed to um... "remove" the offending items from my stomach. Soft things included- like spaghettios or mashed potatoes. Granted, I'm making very poor choices, such as eating bread... But I've made it a habit of eating the wrong things several times a day and then throwing them up when it causes pain (i.e. bread). I only do it when in pain, but I seem to be giving a "devil may care" attitude to whatever I eat. Regardless, the frequency with which I am making myself throw up is a little bit disturbing to me. Any thoughts? __________________

...and yes, I am concerned that my band will slip. But I'm not sure what that feels like, or what to look for.

I get a feeling of fullness, but it doesn't seem to last- at least the hunger is there. I'm pretty sure it's psychological, because sometimes I am PB-ing and yet craving more food... So is there a time set on how long I wait between meals? I've seen between 3 and 4 hours- but that seems pretty often. Just Curious. Oh- and I'm not a binge-eater. I do the 5-6 oz and eat in the right order... I just don't lose that desire to eat. But I don't want to push it or stretch out my pouch. I only have 25 pounds left to lose... so I'm kind of waiting for my "sweet spot" without having food get stuck (just had .5 cc's removed because of this- I can't get it just right- it's either too much or not enough- argh!)

Wow- I didn't even think of that! Yes, i am drinking enough, but perhaps the question I should be asking is how soon after eating can I drink? Maybe I am washing out all of the food?

Don't do the drugs, man! LOL! The band will take care of your cravings and appetite- you won't need any additional assistance. If you want to "prepare", then start timing yourself as you eat, and make it take 20 to 30 minutes to finish a meal. Also, chew your food until it's practically dissolved. that's the best way to prepare yourself. DOn't worry about portion size or frequency- you will get there. Start with the basics- stretch the time it takes to eat waaaay out. Like, take a bite, chew, swallow, put your fork down and wait 30 seconds to 1 minute before picking your fork back up. REally really hard to do, but damn, it works- because you get full faster and on less food.

Hey everyone! I was hoping someone could help me out- the layout of this site is a little confusing, so I need some help... How do I join a group? I've (kind of) figured out how to join a thread, but joining a group seems to elude me. Also- posting new posts is enormously confusing to me. I have to basically search the site for like 10 minutes until I can find a link to post a new thread! Any suggestions or step-by-step instructions would totally help. Thanks in advance!:willy_nilly: __________________

Absolutely! A bowl of mashed potatoes made with some skim milk and a tad of butter- maybe throw in some garlic salt? Also, there's always deviled eggs or egg salad, potato salad, crock-pot fare (slow cookers almost digest the food for you!) or chowders like clam or corn. As long as you chew really really well and keep to soft foods, there's really nothing that you can't have at the mushy stage (besides bread, rice and pasta. Avoid them at all costs!) Don't feel like you have to throw food in the blender to eat it- there's lots of options out there that are both healthy and delicious! Another option is to eat before you attend the party, and then bring "normal" food for the rest of them, sticking to healthy beverages like fruit juice or crystal light. You can even bring some cran-grape juice with you- that's pretty festive! Good luck to you!

Since the port was sewn into the actual muscle, it is possible that you overextended yourself when you turned, bent, got out of bed, etc. and made a micro-tear in the muscle surrounding the port. Even though you are 4 weeks post op, the rate at which we recover is different for everyone. And even though it was laparoscopic, this was still a surgery- so healing on the inside is hard to track, since we can't see it. :willy_nilly: I made a slight tear in the muscle surrounding my port site by overextending myself and riding my bike. Such a thing usually takes between 3 days to a week to heal, but the pain is pretty intense and stabby. Every once in a while I'll twist the wrong way or something, and my port site will hurt again for a few days. It's just a foreign object in our body that we aren't used to yet. Once you've had more time to heal, it will get much easier to become "mobile" again- depending upon your definition of mobile, of course. I mean walking up stairs, riding a bike, etc. I've found that alternating heat and ice works- you can almost immediately tell which one is better by trying both. And ibuprofen is best for muscle pain- it is an antiinflammatory, which aspirin and tylenol are not. Good luck to you!

Hey everyone! I was hoping someone could help me out- the layout of this site is a little confusing, so I need some help... How do I join a group? I've (kind of) figured out how to join a thread, but joining a group seems to elude me. Also- posting new posts is enormously confusing to me. I have to basically search the site for like 10 minutes until I can find a link to post a new thread! Any suggestions or step-by-step instructions would totally help. Thanks in advance!:willy_nilly:

Wow- that is phenomenal! Kids are great- they really tell you like it is. They don't have the filters that most of us gain as we age- so if she's calling you "little nana", you know it's the truth! Congrats!:willy_nilly:

What do you do when your husband/wife/partner is trying to sabotage your weight loss? I mean, he brings me bowls full of cookie dough for christ's sake! I tell him not to, that i have no self control, but every time I look sad or upset, he brings me effing food. I am at my wits end!:thumbup:

That's exactly what he's doing. My mom taught me to feed pain and anguish with food. So he's following the example of what I've done in the past- he knew that it worked for me. I just have to change my own thinking and behaviors, and find something else to fill the void- otherwise my addiction to food will become an addiction to something else.

Okay, so I had a talk with my husband. He's a pretty literal-minded guy (read: engineer), so I drew out a picture of the stomach before and after the surgery. I explained to him that I could only hold so much, and while in the past I could eat crap, but at the end of the day fit in something healthy like veggies and lean meat at dinner, I no longer had that option. Whatever went in there was the ONLY thing that went in there. I went on to show him my fingernails and hair. They are growing weird, and my hair is falling out from malnutrition. I told him, even with vitamins, I'm not getting the basic nutrition and minerals that I need. Every single thing that I put in my stomach has to be something that my body needs- otherwise my health will fail. And that's the reason I did this- for my health. I think he understood a little better after that. I also told him that I didn't care if he ate ice cream and french fries every night- but to not bring them into the house, since i had no self control- at least not yet. I said "If you have to, run to dairy queen, eat there, throw away the evidence, and come home. But don't bring it in the house" I think he got it, but we'll see. :willy_nilly:

I ate too much, too fast about 3 and a half hours ago. So at least we know what I did wrong. But I can't do any PB's, (I tried- believe me) and I tried gas-x, I tried sipping hot tea... I can feel the tea passing through my stoma and into my stomach and into my gut... I can actually feel the path. It seems to be bypassing the actual clog. I need help! I don't want to go to the ER, but if someone else has gone through this and can help? I ate stringy veggies too fast and didn't chew. Is there any digestive enzyme in the stoma, or will I have to barf this up? Once again, it's been 3.5 hours and it still HURTS!!!

I ate too much, too fast about 3 and a half hours ago. It was stringy veggies in an eggroll. So at least we know what I did wrong. But I can't do any PB's, (I tried- believe me) and I tried gas-x, I tried sipping hot tea... I can feel the tea passing through my stoma and into my stomach and into my gut... I can actually feel the path. It seems to be bypassing the actual clog. I need help! I don't want to go to the ER, but if someone else has gone through this and can help? I ate stringy veggies too fast and didn't chew. Is there any digestive enzyme in the stoma, or will I have to barf this up? Once again, it's been 4 hours and it still HURTS!!! I've jumped a few times, I've tried making myself vomit for about 5 or 6 minutes and got nothing (sorry for the image) I've tried sips of hot tea. I've tried downward-facing dog yoga pose. I've tried lying flat on my back. It's vegetable matter, so it won't move and it won't dissolve. I really don't know what to do other than stick a frickin drain snake down my throat. My hubby is out getting pineapple juice. We'll see. __________________

It's been about 4 hours at this point- any movement probably would have done it's job by now. Does anyone know if we have digestive juices in our little pouch, or does food just sit there until it's small enough to pass?

I've jumped a few times, I've tried making myself vomit for about 5 or 6 minutes and got nothing (sorry for the image) I've tried sips of hot tea. I've tried downward-facing dog yoga pose. I've tried lying flat on my back. It's vegetable matter, so it won't move and it won't dissolve. I really don't know what to do other than stick a frickin drain snake down my throat. My hubby is out getting pineapple juice. We'll see.

please? anyone?

My doctor asked if my periods had changed, and I understand that your change in weight can change your periods and make them less frequent, but i seem to be getting mine every 2 to 3 weeks! Has this happened to anyone else? I was always right on the dot- every 28 days. I've started to gain back weight that I've lost- I'm not sure where I should be on my band fill. It's pretty tight in the morning, but then I can eat and eat my way through the day. Since I've lost all this weight and gained it back, my total loss is closer to 6 pounds. And I was banded 9/28/09. Totally disappointing, and the extra periods suck. Any thoughts?

Hi, my name is Kristen, and I got the surgery on September 28th. SInce then, all I have lost is 10 pounds- and all of that was in the first 2 weeks. I haven't lost anything since then! Before my first fill I had to come in because I was throwing up (I'm pretty sure it was just the stomach flu) and they removed all the liquid from my band- 3.5 cc's. This was the remainder from the surgery. I stopped losing weight after this (of course), and got my first "official" fill 2 weeks ago- I am at a total of 2 cc's. Not very much I know, but they were concerned. I still haven't lost any more weight, and now I have permanent acid reflux! Granted it started about a week after the fill, and I'm pretty sure it was because I took some antibiotics that were rough on my stomach, but it just won't stop. I have a prescription for liquid lidocaine that I take every 4 hours with maalox to help with the pain, but I'm afraid to tell my clinic, as they may just remove all my fluid again. Has anyone gone through this NO WEIGHT LOSS phase? It's been 2 months- seriously. Is it because I don't have enough fluid in my band? I am always hungry! I only eat the prescribed 4-6 oz at a time, but in a couple hours I feel hungry again and start all over. Please let me know if this has happened to you- I am so frustrated and scared that they will remove the band. Help!:ohmy:

Hi, my name is Kristen, and I got the surgery on September 28th. SInce then, all I have lost is 10 pounds- and all of that was in the first 2 weeks. I haven't lost anything since then! Before my first fill I had to come in because I was throwing up (I'm pretty sure it was just the stomach flu) and they removed all the liquid from my band- 3.5 cc's. This was the remainder from the surgery. I stopped losing weight after this (of course), and got my first "official" fill 2 weeks ago- I am at a total of 2 cc's. Not very much I know, but they were concerned. I still haven't lost any more weight, and now I have permanent acid reflux! Granted it started about a week after the fill, and I'm pretty sure it was because I took some antibiotics that were rough on my stomach, but it just won't stop. I have a prescription for liquid lidocaine that I take every 4 hours with maalox to help with the pain, but I'm afraid to tell my clinic, as they may just remove all my fluid again. **Part of my surgery was a hiatal hernia repair. I have had GERD for over 10 years, and I have had several surgeries to remove scar tissue from my esophagus. It seemed that the reflux went away after the surgery, but returned a few weeks later. ** Has anyone gone through this NO WEIGHT LOSS phase? It's been 2 months- seriously. Is it because I don't have enough fluid in my band? I am always hungry! I only eat the prescribed 4-6 oz at a time, but in a couple hours I feel hungry again and start all over. :ohmy: Please let me know if this has happened to you- I am so frustrated and scared that they will remove the band. Help!

I was diagnosed with Gerd over 10 years ago. I have had several surgeries to remove scar tissue from my esophagus. I am well aware of the dangers, and I appreciate your concern. Part of my banding was a hiatal hernia repair. This got rid of my reflux temporarily, but it seems to have returned. I already take Nexium, and this seems to be breakthrough acid reflux. I am concerned because the hernia repair should have gotten rid of my GERD completely.

anyone out there? I have several views but no responses...

I got banded with a bmi of 30- but I had some serious health problems. You say that you are "perfectly healthy"- if that is the case, then why would you want to get banded? The question you have to ask yourself is this: "am I doing this *truly* for my health, or is it for vanity?" Be honest with yourself. Mine was about 70% health and 30% vanity. But I had breathing difficulties, sleep apnea, a hiatal hernia and rheumatoid arthritis. I really think you'll have a hard time finding someone to do this for you in the US unless you can prove massive health issues like I did. Good luck.