papoose

My doctor uses flouro. I lay down on the table and he inserts the needle into the port. My dr. is good i only get stuck once to put the needle in. Then I sit up and stand up (with needle still inside of me) I swallow the barium, he watches how it goes down and then adds saline. I drink a little bit more and he decides if I need more or not, if not he just removes the needle. It is so easy, not even painful, just a little pinch. For the rest of the day I am on liquids.

Ugghhh! I am going through the same thing. I have tried everything everyone has said above. I am 6 months out and have lost 70 lbs. Yesterday I went to a health food store in my neighborhood and told the guy my problem. He gave me some type of enzyme pills and said to have two before each meal and drink plenty of water. Also to have mushy fruits, papaya, mango, etc. He also gave me probiotics and said to take at night before I go to bed. I had the enzyme pills last night and before breakfast and lunch. I had fruit for breakfast and drank plenty of water this a.m. I feel like I have to go so I am waiting to go. I love the band, but don't love the constipation that goes with it. I think it is because we do not eat as much food, plus we don't eat a lot of fats in our food.

I just told my co-workers my new addiction is shopping. I am trying to stay out of the stores, but I have nothing to wear that looks decent. I am going to Las Vegas in 2 weeks so I think that is a good excuse to go shopping.

Also do a web search for the 5 day pouch test and try that. I have seen people on this site talk about it and use it. Good luck.

I was on it before I had the lapband surgery. And I gained a lot of weight. When I started complaining about the weight gain my dr. changed my medication to cymbalta, but then that made me so sleepy all day. Once I had the surgery my pain stopped so I stopped taking the medication. I am sure once you start losing weight the pain will stop. Good luck.

My Dr's instructions are no soft drinks or carbonated drinks. I think that means no Sprite or Diet cokes. Sorry. Soon you won't even miss it.

WOW, what a great feeling. I went to the Avenue last night and bought 5 pairs of capri pants a size 16 and was so pleased with myself. My problem is my pants size, because I am hippy so I probably will be shopping in the full figured stores. Good luck and lets keeping dropping sizes.

I was diagnosed with FB about a year before I had my lapband surgery. I was on Lyrica and Cymbalta. Lyrica made me gain weight and Cymbalta made me so sleepy during the day. Once I had the lapband surgery and starting losing weight all my pain went away. I used to have body aches all day long, pain in my feet. I had so many nerve tests. In less than a month of the surgery I stopped taking Lyrica. I also was on high blood pressure medication. My blood pressure is now normal. Once in awhile I will take Tylenol. I am down 65 lbs. Now my aches and pain is from exercising. Good luck, hope you feel better.

That samething just happened to me. I got .8 ccs fill about 3 weeks ago. Every other day I was getting stuck, I had to throw up to feel better. I was going to call the dr. but then i was afraid he would unfill me and i did not want that. So I decided to just eat slowly and chew my food really good. This week I feel so much better. I don't feel so tight. I tried on a size 16 pants, but could not zipper or button it up. My size 20's are getting baggy. I am going away next month so I am going to wait to shop the week before I go. I have no spring clothes to wear. I can wear 14/16 tops and dresses. All my weight is in my hips. Good luck and remember to chew chew your food.

Wow, great work, you look good. Don't you enjoy shopping now? I had my surgery on 9/22/10 and have lost 65 lbs. My dr. said to go down to 170. I am trying very hard. I feel like I am very restricted after my last fill. So I am being very careful with chewing and eating slowly. I have had a couple of episodes of being stuck and throwing up and it is not fun. Good luck to you.

When I get stuck, I make myself throw up. It is such a terrible feeling and so much pain. Get some papaye enzyme pills. That helps, but also makes me throw up and then I feel so much better.

I had my surgery on 9/22/10. My Dr. is very conservative. I have only had 3 fills for a total of 4.8 cc's. From reading on this site I noticed people have a lot more cc's in them and they are still not restricted yet. He said I may only need 1 more fill. I had my last one on Feb. 1st and I am very restricted. I go for another appt on March 15th, but I doubt if he will give me a fill. I feel so restricted. I am having a hard time, I think because I don't chew my food well enough and have not been eating small pieces. So I have had a few episodes of throwing up. So far today I have done very well with my chewing and eating slow. I have lost 65 lbs. so far.

I am going through the same thing. My fill was on a few weeks ago. I am at restriction so I am having a very hard time. If i do not chew, chew, wait a few minutes in between each bite, I will get stuck. Then I have to make myself throw up. Today was a good day, because I made sure I took my time eating and chew, chew. I really concentrated and it worked. Good luck.

TKW is correct. Your stomach swells after a fill. Like she said you may need to move your bowels. I just got a fill 2 weeks ago and I seem to be losing a lot slower than before. I have thrown up a couple of times from eating too fast and not chewing enough times. So my scale has been up and down.

I have to agree with the staff at your doctor's office. I just got a fill and when I eat too fast and swallow big pieces of meat, I get stuck. I am in so much pain I have to throw up to feel better (I know I should not be doing that, but it is the only way I feel better). I don't get acid reflux anymore at all. So try and slow down your eating and chew, chew and cut off very small pieces of food. I was told the size of an eraser. That seems to work for me. Good luck.

Everyone has answered your questions except throwing up. I have thrown up and it is awful. Once you get stuck you throw up to get what ever stuck out. It just sits on your chest. It happens to me because I eat too fast and don't chew my food very well. I really try to cut up small pieces and chew chew. It is very hard. The throw is different from how you used to throw up. I don't really see any food, it is mostly mucus or something. You really shouldn't be throwing up. And don't eat or drink anything right away after you throw up. You should just relax. That's my take on it.

I have that problem some mornings and I have been banded since Sept. It started after I got my fill. I try to eat egg whites/cheese and some type of meat. My band is tight in the a.m. Try drinking a warm cup of tea in the a.m. before eating. A lot of mornings I will have oatmeal. At lunchtime it starts opening up. By dinner time I have no problem eating. Good luck.

I had my fill on 2/22. The Dr. put in .8 cc, I only have about 4.0 cc's. Since I got the fill I am trying to decide if I need to get some removed. My problem I think is that I am tight in the a.m. I am able to eat a few bites in the a.m. I start getting hungry about 11:00, I am able to eat almost all of my lunch, which is 4 ozs. of chicken most days. By the time I get home to eat dinner which is about 7:00 p.m. I am starving and have no problems. I also noticed since the last fill I really have to eat small pieces and chew, chew. I have thrown up a couple of times, but I know it is because I have not chewed properly, the pieces are too small and I was hungry. So I am learning this process and realize every day is different. It normally gets better in about two weeks. So good luck everyone and make sure you chew, chew and eat slowly in between bites.

I had my surgery 9/22/10. I have lost 65 lbs, I have had 3 fills, I think I have 4. 5 Fluid in my band. My dr. gives very small fills. He told me I probably only need one more fill. My last fill was 2 months ago, I just had one last week. I notice i have a hard time eating and drinking. I need to chew my food a lot and I am eating a lot less. I lost 1 lb. this week. I weigh myself once a week. 1) All of a sudden I now feel pain and soreness on my band side. I used to be able to sleep on the port side. I now find I can't, if I fall asleep on that side it wakes me up. I guess because we lost a lot of stomach weight. 3) Those BMs are not like it used to be. I take a lot of stool softeners. I drink Protein drinks that have fruit and vegetables in them. I eat a lot of chicken also and it has to be very tender. I can eat ground beef and ground turkey. I try to eat vegetables. I always feel I am constipated. 4) I am trying not to eat quickly, I have thrown up a couple of times in the past week. So I am not sure if I am overfilled or not. And I hate that overfill feeling. I think I get that when I am constipated, so I try to keep my system going on a regular basis. It seems that when you have a fill you have to start all over again. I was told by the nutrionist that if you feel you don't need a fill don't take one. I see my dr. on 3/15 but that is just to see how I am eating and then he will schedule a fill for 2 weeks later if he feels I need one. Are you exercising? I can't seem to exercise. I notice I do have a lot of energy. My daughter is making me go tomorrow night. Good luck and enjoy your vacation. I am going on vacation in April, so I need new clothes. I plan on shopping at the end of March. I notice my pants are very loose so I am probably going into a new size pants. I am loving this weight loss so much and all the attention I am getting.

Try the 5 day pouch test. It's on the web.

I just had a fill last week of .8 fluid. I now have a total of 4.3 fluid. I don't know what size band I have, everytime I ask my Dr. he never tells me. I also feel very full after a few bites. I can eat solid food. I notice when I don't chew correctly or keep shoving food down my throat that I do throw up. When I chew correctly and wait in between bites I don't seem to have the problem. So I think I am going to push through this. Hopefully in another week I should loosen up. But at my last visit in January my Dr. told me I probably won't need too many more fills. He also does his fills under flouroscopy in his office.

I love spanx. Started wearing them about a month after I had my surgery. I feel I don't jiggle as much with them on. And they kind of smooth your thighs, stomach and back out. I know that exercise will tone you up, but spanx also help. They are expensive, but not as expensive as some of the other stuff i have seen. And they last a long time.

I just had my 3rd fill today. He put in .8. Told me just liquids today and tomorrow I can go back to normal eating. I am starving, I wonder if I can have Soup tonight. Or should I just stick to chicken broth. I drank tea, Water and Protein shake today. My stomach is growling.

I am from North Jersey. Dr. Gritsus did my surgery at Valley Hospital in Paramus on 9/22/10. I have lost 63 lbs so far. I love him and his staff. I go to his office in Paramus, since it is close to my house. I used to go to support group meetings at Chilton Hospital. But it is such a drive and rush to get to in the evening's so I go to the hospital support group in my area. Good luck to all of the New Jersey people.

I just got over a stomach virus also. Mine was diarrhea, the worst case. It woke me up at 1:00 a.m. in the morning and did not stop until 5:00 p.m. the next afternoon. Everytime I laid down I had to jump up and run to the bathroom. I was so weak and my stomach was hurting so bad, I could not drink or eat anything. I guess my stomach was swollen around the band. It is three days later and I am still not eating or drinking the right amount of food. I am due for a fill on Tuesday, and have been hungry, so I guess it worked out well. I just wanted to say these viruses are not fun when you have the band. I was just so afraid I was going to start throwing up like my husband and daughter was doing. Glad everyone is feeling better.