Carmen188

Hello everyone, I love to drink water, before i had surgery on Sept 13, 2010 I would wake up in the morning and drink one of those 16 oz plastic bottles. What I'm wondering is it safe to drink that much water at one time? I have started to drink my water again, like before and it seems ok when I drink it I don't drink it too fast but is it safe? am I stretching the pouch? Sorry if this is a dumb question..it just concerns me! thanks in advance for your input.

Hi! congrats on having the courage to have the surgery..good luck on your journey.

I would say wait it ou, give it a littlebit of time your body is adjusting to no food.

Maybe your esophogus is damaged, my surgeon warned me that if i over ate too often and forced my esophogus to work too hard that it would eventually give out and I would not be able to eat normally anymore ...just a thought

Hi how did you do it? how did you lose 98 lbs??? I was banded on sept 13, 2010 and have only lost 20 lbs...i am not dieting...I can't eat as much as i used to..I have 4cc's in my band, can you give me some advice.

Hello, my name is Carmen I was banded on Sept 13, 2010 I have only lost 20 lbs since my surgery I have to admit iam not dieting anymore like I did before the band and it feels good, but i am not losing weight either but I'm not gaining so far either..so that's something..Welcome!

Hi, it took me a little over a year to make the commitment, I had an "epiphany:" after working out at the gym one day (a zumba class) my knees hurt ... i hated looking at myself in the mirrored room, i saw all the thin people and just decided that I was tired of struggling and yo you dieting. It's a good thing..but i warn you it's still a lot of work for some of us, it's no miracle solution but it makes things easier I think anyways there's my two cents good luck.

I read the reply's from one of the ones who actually answered your question instead of lecturing you it sounds like you did not cause your band to slip. I had a scare like that myself, I ate 3 pcs of pizza one night and all night long i felt this fluttery feeling in my chest area..it was weird but it went away, I had an appt with my surgeon and asked her about it..she said that it was my esophugus trying to push the food down and if I continued to make my esophugus work so hard it would eventually stop working and I would have permanent damage and have to have the band removed and I would not be able to eat normally again...it was a scary moment. sometimes I still eat too much but knowing about slippage and damaging esophugus's keeps me mindful of the irreprable damage I could do to myself. I was under the mindset that if I could eat something without throwing up I was ok...I didnt think of the damage I can do to my body by eating too much...It's food for thought LOL

Me too, I used to watch them before I had surgery but now I cannot..I feel uncomfortable watching them, it's weird. I don't feel like one of them anymore....even though I am still just beginning stages with the band. Not to sound negative but from my own personal experience without help I feel that the people who lose tons of weight will eventually put it back on. and I don't feel the same way about food anymore, i don't fee like it's my enemy, I don't feel like I have to deprive myself of every good thing. Does anyone understand me? Am i crazy or does the band give you all the same hope?

Please don't panic you are going to be ok, i felt a lot of the same feelings you felt..I had that same thought in my head "how could I have done this to myself" I was not happy the first week..not happy at all, i had this horrible pain in my shoulder that lasted for 2 weeks I thought I was going to have to live with it for the rest of my life but it went away. I did not have the symptoms you wrote on number 1. but I bet it is normal because of the hernia they fixed. Give it time you will get better. just stay calm, take your pain medication..sleep as much as possible. you will be able to eat again I promise you!! You will be able to eat, it's still work to lose weight even with the band, but it is a tool and if you use your tool you will have success. i know i told you to sleep but walking might relieve some of the gas you are experiencing. What you are feeling is normal you're going to get better in no time at all that discomfort, pain, fear will all be a distant memory...write it down so you can looks back and maybe help others on this site later who may experience the same symptoms you have now.

You should be able to handle the pill, I was banded on Sept 13, 2010 and the surgeon prescribed prilosec for me the day i had surgery, I never had to take them, never got sick. I take glucosamine capsules, fruit capsules..tylenol with no problems what so ever. give it a try, that's the only way you'll find out if you can handle them. good luck

I had the most horrible shoulder pain imaginable..I guess you can imagine lol it will go away, it's from the gas they use to inflate you...you'll be ok i promise! walking helps..

Well said, that about says it all for me too. I was banded in Sept 2010 and have only lost 20 lbs due to my own lack of trying, however I am maintaining a weight of 257-259 which is somthing I never would have been able to accomplish without my band. The beauty of the band is the inability to REALLY overdo and say ok i'll eat as much as I want this week and start my strict diet on Monday..it doesn't happen that way, after you eat too much you feel it and you are ready to start your Monday diet that very day. Good luck!

Hello, I had an hour drive home after my surgery and i was sick from anesthesia all the way home and quite frankly miserable. I don't think you should be lifting that much weight that soon after surgery it surprises me that your surgeon says it's ok. I was off for 4 weeks and it was wonderful I needed to be off that long to get accostomed to my new way of life and eating. you will be suffering at first i had a horrible pain in my shoulder from gas it was bad! i though it would never go away but it did. Just be prepared for the worst..it's bad at first but gets better and becomes a distant memory as time passes. good luck!

Hi, it's not a cop out it's a tool for us overweight people who just can't seem to keep the weight off, it is harder than I thought it would be, I seem to have less willpower than I did before the surgery but I can't eat as much as I used to so that's a bonus, just be aware that it is still going to be hard to control your appetite, the appetite is still there. good luck to you!

I was banded Sept 13, 2010. weight on day of surgery 277 today's weight 258. I admit I have not been trying at all what with the holidays and all. Seems like I am at long last able to stay the same and not balloon back up to 280-300 range. if nothing else my band is helping me keep the weight off, i still eat too much surgeon said she didn't think i needed a fill i probably do but I am afraid...maybe I am not ready, i do not want to damage my esophogus by continuing to eat too much. good luck

if you can wait then wait, for me it's been pretty easy going, I have never thrown up (aside from anesthesia on day of surgery) however I don't think you're body will be in any shape to be walking around Disneyland after surgery it takes a while to get strong again and I had terrible shoulder pain from the gas they used to open up my "body cavity" to do the surgery. I'll be honest i wasn't up to doing anything fun until at least 3-4 weeks after surgery it was hard. and that doesn't even take into account it being scary eating food for the first time. i think you should enjoy disneyland be careful don't gain weight and have the surgery when you get back.

awesome dude ..i'm inspired! i was banded on Sept 13, 2010 and have lost 20 lbs I saw the surgeon today she said I don't need a fill I have 4 cc's i'm not sure how big my band is, i just need to get on track with excercise and eating right..I have to stop eating at restaurants..they just don't work for lap banders. well keep it up man I find your story inspriring.

Don't worry after the surgery you will still be able to eat food..good food and enough to make you happy, the surger is not a miracle you still have to work on self control BUT I find that having the band prevents me from eating as much as I could before lap band surgery, i went through the holiday season and kept my weight down...so what i'm trying to say is if perhaps you are afraid everything will be so different for you in regards to eating it won't be that bad, it will be good I am not proud of this but I had 3 slices of pizza last night and didn't die..i was uncomfortable but i didn't die LOL before lap band i probably would have had 5 or 6 pieces of pizza...hang in there keep trying you'll get there, one day you will just all of a sudden come to the decision that it's either the right thing for you or it is not. good luck

Hi Lynn, I know exactly how you are feeling about 4 years ago I lost over 100 lbs on my own..i was doing good then got sidetracked by an old boyfriend and let it all go, I gained back 60 of the 100 I lost and just could not get back on track to save my life. I went to the first post op "seminar" where they explained everything but it took me a year to finally make the decision to have the surgery, I was banded on Sept 13, 2010 and have only lost 20 lbs, the holidays have come and gone and i put on about 7 lbs from the lowest i got after surgery. I am trying hard to get back on track, i go on weds to possibly have my first fill..i'm a little nervous about it but I feel like i can eat too much now and must be stopped somehow someway!! LOL I don't regret the surgery yet I feel that this "tool" will help me not be 300 lbs again..I feel that it will help me keep the weight off even if I don't ever get skinny I think it will help me in the long run because I cannot eat nearly as much as I used to. For instance..tonight i had pizza..it was delicious and i had 3 pieces..pre surgery i would have had about 5 or 6 pieces ... I know that's terrible..but it's the truth. the band stopped me at 3...so that's a little taste of what banded life is like, you can still eat good food but less of it. Good luck to you on this tough decision you need to make. Carmen

yes i have that problem as well...as a matter of fact at this very moment i am contemplating getting something to eat..i'm not hungry but i want to eat.

Come on fabulous give people a break, we come here for support not to be chastised and reprimanded by you, and as for "your going to be hungry" I think hungry is not the right word your are looking for, Most times it's not hunger that makes us eat but what my nutritionist calls "head hunger" just wanting to eat, if you eat correctly with the band you do stay full longer but those old habits can creep back up on a person once the initial healing takes place and you find that you are able to eat just about anything again. I find it very interesting to read the questions that the new bandsters ask and also the longtime bandsters..it's all very helpful, why should i search around on the site if i don't feel like it..give us a break and find a new site to harrass people on.

Oh man I know exactly how you are feeling that pain I had from the gas was the most horrible thing I have ever experienced in my life, I thought it would never go away it made me regret having the surgery but it did go away and now it's just a distant memory ... but it was BAD! Good news though ti goes away in about 2 weeks from surgery day..it did for me anyways..you'll be ok I promise! LOl hang in there