HeatherinCA

Good luck and congrats!

Hmm.. are you sure you weren't overfilled? Sweet spot is when you can go 5 hours without eating. But you said it right there, you can't "eat whatever you want" and lose weight you have to stick to your 900-1200 calorie diet. Stick to your diet and you will lose weight. no matter how filled you are. The lapband isn't some kinda miracle genius, it helps you from being hungry so you can eat less and not be hungry.

I had a lean cuisine pizza for dinner I don't have any problems with food getting stuck. I tolerate bread just fine, as do a lot of people. Mostly though, pizza is pretty bad for you, but I allow it in lean cuisine form, it's 350 calories, they have a few different kinds, it's so yummy! I don't like to eat it when i'm out, because it's hard to contain yourself to one piece.

Are yo sure it's not your port? thats where mine is, above my belly button, like below my breast bone.

I had no taste or smell for like a week after surgery ahha, it came back. It's from the anesthesia.

Today it is 6 days. Still no BM. I'm assuming that is normal as I don't even have an urge. I'm really worried about all the things I am feeling. No food = no poop obviously. 1: Left side under rib, what is this pain/discomfort I am feeling???? It is such a sharp pain, that when I move a certain way it is almost like a Stitch from running feeling and takes my breath away. It's very painful and I'm trying to take just pain pills for night only, to see if I can sustain the pain, as I have to get used to it once I start working again. Pain from surgery is normal, gas pain, and the pain from cutting into you, it's normal. If you are having abnormally bad pain, call your doctor. I was up and about by day 5. Not 100% but well enough to go to the store. 2: I constantly feel my stomach growling - is this normal???? Why is this happening??? The pain is so great at times, that I feel nauseous. I can't even think about drinking anything. Gas, you aren't eating... Drink all your Protein and Water, force yourself 3: Why can I do ok laying on the recling couch, but horrible if I try to lay in bed? Well @ 5 am today I woke up on the couch sleeping on the right side. So I decided again to try and lie in bed to see if I can do it. I did, that I fell asleep for 4 hours. Yea it hurts, because of healing, it'll get better. I couldn't sleep on my side for probably 2 weeks. 4: How long is recup time? I thought I'd be able to go back to work Monday, I'm still taking Pain pills at night just so I can sleep I have a very LOW tolerance of pain, so if you do too, how long before you returned to work? I don't want stay home if I should be pushing myself. ( I read somewhere that some of you are experiencing people judging you....I do have supervisors who are very judgmental and and I don't want them to say anything to me like well this is what you wanted, you should come back to work. I am already hearing it from my own family, can you believe it. This is what you wanted....stop complaining already about the pain. Boo hoo......I still had surgery.... Day 5 I was up and went shopping and stuff... I was in virtually no pain by then.. and I went on vacation 10 days after surgery. 5: I am barely drinking, I'm lucky if I can drink more than 15 oz of Protein shakes. I'm trying to just shake and not blend, but finding them hard to get down. What is an immersion blender. I normally would use the Bullet blender I have from Medifast, and it works great, but the doctor's nutritionist suggested that that would just cause me more gas pains. Trying to drink these shakes is horrible. I have also seen many of your reports saying that some of you are already eating soft foods...lucky you, I cannot have soft foods until after a month. It's gross, but drink them. a whole month w/o food? That's nuts.. this isn't bypass, are you sure? Try Isopure it's fruity at lest, something different. Also get the pre-made shakes they taste better. 6: Water seems a little easier to get down. and I can eat Ice pop and Jello....but how long before I can eat food another 3 weeks, how will I last???? I'm just dying for real food, but I can't wait for cream of broccoli, cream of tomato, or maybe something else. Yea, I still feel like this. You can have those can't you? If you aren't on Clear liquids you should be able to have pureed Soup. 7: Stopped heartburn meds, but gas pains are yucky. Did anyone else stop their heartburn medications? I was on Zegreid and Pepcid. Gas pain are from surgery. They pump you full of air. Just walk, and use a heating pad. 8: When I drink I feel like I'm putting water into oil and that the water drops to the bottom, and the oil floats on top. WHat is this I am feeling????? Because you are swollen from surgery. I haven't walked, due to weather, but I don't even want to walk. Everytime I take a breath, I get that sharp pain from the left side under my rib.Thank you for all of your help. WALK it helps with the pain. IF the pain is so horrible you can't bare it, then call your doctor.

All Protein is gross, just drink it haha. I perfered the pre-mixed ones, then it's not gritty. Vitamins, I did chewable Caltrate... I do Viactiv now and gummy vitamins not sure if you can have that on liquids though.

Yes, Stay positive, forgive yourself, you will make mistakes. Also, this isn't rocket science. you MUST eat 900-1200 calories a day, or you won't lose weight, no whining if you are cheating and not losing weight. I know everyone says it isn't a diet, but really it is. I can't eat like a fat person and lose weight, I have to eat like a skinny person. I see hundreds of posts on here about not losing weight, it's that simple, don't follow the diet, you won't lose weight. Also if you are not banded yet. Not everyone gets sick and pukes all the time. I've never had a single problem, never PB'd, no food has ever been stuck. The band is for hunger control. When filled properly, your hunger should cease for 4 to 5 hours. I would say look for that, instead of "restriction" because the band won't stop you from eating.. there is a hole in it, food goes through. If you are eating your 900-1200 calories a day you should be satisfied. Whereas pre-band I would have been starving all the time. Don't snack or graze. Everything had calories, it can sabotage your diet. Eat as much Protein as you can, but I don't think you need to be obsessive about it, or drink Protein shakes. i haven't had a shake since my post opp liquid diet. Remember those shakes can have hundreds of calories, they are Meal Replacements.. Also, it's all mental, 90% of this battle is overcoming food addiction. You have to change your habits.

I don't remember it being that bad! But it's like that with any surgery. My doctor is a bit far too. I've only seen him twice since surgery, and probably won't need to for a long time, so it gets easier (unless your doctor gives you like 10 tiny fills) But the food planning, and remember what you can and can't eat quickly becomes a full time job after surgery it's a little easier for me now, over 4 months out, but it's still a constant "can i eat that?" battle.

The fake sugar makes you want things sweeter.. could be that? I had no sense of taste or smell for like a week after surgery from anesthesia. Maybe from that?

Yea, I get that, I feel really burpy if I eat too much.

I get the gummy Vitamins, no need to purchase the Bariatric Advantage... vitamins are just pricy though. I get Viactiv (or the store brand) for my Calcium, and the One A Day gummies for my multi. and I take a liquid b12.

yea, just don't go crazy! I go out all the time, I just allow myself no more than half of the dish I order. And I try to make it something some what healthy.

Every doctor does it different. If your doctor doesn't have a fluroscope, he's gotta do it little by little. I got 5.5ccs in my first fill.

I flew, I had no problem.

Yea, I don't really feel any different. I don't take pea size bites or anything, and nothing has gotten stuck. I still can't overeat too badly or I feel TERRIBLE, and I have gas and it's just not pleasant. I am generally losing 1-2lbs. I mean, if I'm not it's 100% my fault for overeating. I'm kinda scared to get more fill, because I don't want to start getting stuck. I'm thinking I'll wait till I start getting hungry again. 04/21/2011- 247.0 04/12/2011- 248.0 04/11/2011- 249.0 04/08/2011- 250.0 04/06/2011- 251.0 04/01/2011- 252.0 03/21/2011- 253.0 this is my chart.. I mean I think I could be losing a *little* more. It's kinda like I go a week and a half with no weight loss then, I'm down 2lbs in 2 days. Isn't it crazy how it affects everyone differently?

Well, if you are hungry all the time, a fill should help with that My incision areas feel a little strange, and slightly sore, not enough to bother me, but when I touch em it feels odd. How on earth are you supposed to know when you need a fill? I mean I'm not hungry, so I assume I'm good? I'm just curious if I did anymore if it would do anything. 1 fill 5.5ccs J&J 10 or 11cc band Yea, I can go 5 hours without eating and not be hungry (I could probably go all day if I had to). Which I feel is the "sweet spot" unless I'm missing something. I can still eat anything. But if I over eat I feel uncomfortable.. but no PBing, and no physical restrictions from any type of food.

No, this is your new life! You don't get "time off" from eating correctly! If you can't eat and are throwing up constantly you are probably too full anyways right? The plane rumor is false. There is no problems with flying.

Ooh! I'd like to be able to comfortably do a roller coaster again. I always tell my friends "I just don't like it anymore" but the truth, it's just not comfortable, or I don't fit, and it's embarrassing! I guess along with that sit comfortably in a movie theatre seat, and an airplane seat. It's getting a lot easier, but I want to not be touching the sides ahha. My #1 thing is I want to be able to go in to ANY women's clothing store and buy clothes. Now, I won't ever be skinny mini, I'm a big girl, I'm tall. But I want to be able to buy anything I want from New York & Company, or Express a regular store. Hell, I'd love to buy some cheap disposable clothes from Forever 21! ahah

No idea! You are really still hungry all the time? It's not mental? Hmm. I'd triple check your diet. I know me, I make excuses oh yea I eat 1200 calories, when some days, that's false, I just pretend I'm not lying to myself. If you are eating 1200 calories a day and exercising, there is no physical reason you aren't losing weight. You can try shaking it up a little bit, eat a little more or a little less, or exercising a little harder.. sometimes your routine is just in a rut.

I know what you mean! It's just pure willpower to not eat that junk food. For me, if I had looked at the package in the movie theater size and saw that those Reese's Pieces had 400 calories for that box. I would be turned off, I mean I'd be upset about it, but I wouldn't want it knowing it's 400 calories.. That seems to be doing it for me lately. If I'm in doubt I read the label, that usually turns me off if it's too high haha. My lunch didn't even have 400 calories ya know? For me at the movies I love picking up some sugar free Hershey's or Dove chocolates (they have em at like Target, Rite Aid). They are 30 calories each piece and having one or two, slowly, kicks the craving for me. Or just in general finding a low calorie version of something that is just as satisfying. Like Popchips instead of Potato chips.

Aww I'm sorry you are having problems

Yep it's normal. That's actually the goal of the band to not have any hunger! For now it's swollen like you have fill.. you will probably start to get hungrier in a few weeks before it's time to have fill

Yea, when I was on liquids.. but once i got on real food it started to go away. I don't feel weird at all now. If I want something I eat it... I just try to keep everything within reason