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Ok, that makes sense. Thank you SuzeMuze. My diet has me on low sugar, good carbs, good fats and protein, protein, protein. I'm just hoping to be able to "gently" find out what's gonna make me sick. But, it's trial and error, sorta. Us gotta have common sense. Thanks for sharing with me. Never TMI around here!✌

Hey - I just had all my 4.5 oz removed from my band because of an upcoming trip to rural China. We were concerned about issues I may have over there (and no way to get help). I will have it put back in mid-November. Anyway, I never even thought to ask my doc but has anyone else had a removal of Fluid? I am very nauseous and having diarrhea/gas (sorry if TMI). Is it just my stomach getting used to more food at one time? It is very strange feeling. Any help advice/appreciated. I am leaving the country and 36 hours and want to know if this is normal. Mama2two

thanks everybody, your replies make me feel better =] the coughing part kinda scares me if i haven't already said that, on a scale of 1-10 how much does it hurt? i also am very worried about nausea, the last time i actually threw up (TMI i know) was march 08, i get sick to my stomach alot and i was sick to my stomach at the PT class yesturday and at my 5 hour course on tues, but i usually dont get that unless im nervous, but i should ask for one of those patches, so it lasts 3 days? i only get nervous before things happen and im fine after, still get one right?

Hopefully I wont be too shocked at my wrinkly appearance when the time comes. I have tried to mentally prepare myself for the ugly, saggy skin. I hope to be able to get a tummy tuck some lipo on my inner thighs and a body lift. We'll see, since I have no clue what all that will cost. It is amazing to me already just how much my body has changed. Sex is now amazing, it always was good but now that he can get his arms around me and I am much more limber from exercising and my fat no longer inhibits us from other positions. Sorry for TMI but I just had to share.

Alot of things could be contributing to this. Water retention would be the culprit I would point at first. Then I would look at the other things... was there anything in your sleeve when you weighed? Are you "regular"? (Maybe TMI, but I "lost" quite a bit after my first real "movement" after surgery.) Try to be patient. It's not been very long, and I stalled out after week one and didn't start losing again until week 3, but am doing great now, at the end of week 4...

I use Syntrax Nectar and Genpro unflavored powders to mix into soups, broth, refried beans, etc. For shakes and such, if you haven't tried UMP, they are my favorite flavored protein powder. For ready made shakes, I like premier protein although (tmi) it sometimes gives me diarrhea.

I’ve been struggling lately with to much eating or eating the wrong thing. Still not eating a lot just getting past Christmas. I’ve had some issues with digestion like everyone else and a previous (TMI warning) anal fissure. Miralax instead of Stool softeners are being used. If it wasn’t for the fissures I would use more fiber. I would like to get back on track and I feel it starts this week. My late night 32oz of tea is not helping Got to cut it out. I’m trying more KETO oriented diet. Body Tech protein every morning I love the cinnamon cereal. I was just checking how is everyone else doing.

I was constipated during the pre-op diet so i never went before surgery.......big mistake cuz by day 3 after surgery i was like ok somethings gotta give and putting pressure on that stomach was NOT fun espec when pain meds make you constipated too. sorry tmi, but I just had to make myself go, not fun but neccesary.

A bit TMI but I can't wait to be able to look down & actually see the lady parts! And shaving my legs won't be as difficult either! ????

I was banded on the 2nd of July by Dr. Ortiz as well. I bet I saw you in the waiting room on Friday when I went to get my teeth whitened! Well it might be TMI, but the whole constipation thing is reality so why not talk about it? Once I got over that "hump" it's been pretty smooth sailing. I've tried to diversify what I get to drink for the liquid portion. Juicy juice boxes pack well in my handbag, and yesterday started with DanActive liquid yogurt and that seems to be helping alot. I've had the fatigue (Not 20 anymore evidently) and some pain. I went back to work two days ago and made it 5 hours before I had to go home and lay down. Yesterday worked 6 hours and will take off mid afternoon today. My biggest work worry is that I actually travel for a living and have to fly to Tulsa on Monday. Packing light and asking for help will have to suffice for now.

Hi Everybody! I love having a group of people who are exactly where I am. I had surgery May 7th, too. It was the easiest surgery and recovery I've had, all except for one thing. I couldn't pee for anything. That kept me in the hospital until 7 pm (and my surgery was at 11:30 am). Turns out that I was so dehydrated, all my fluids (3 bags of IV Fluid and lots of drinks) were going to my tissues and not my bladder. I took a diuretic, and managed to pee a bit, so I was ready to go home at that point. The only real pain has been gas pain, and it is sometimes so painful that I take my prescription narcotic (Loertab liquid) to take the edge off. I also take Prilosec otc and GasX tabs (dissolve on your mouth type), and they keep the pain under control. Ah, and one more TMI piece of info: I was constipated, so I take Miralax and it really helped. I hated the idea of straining with these stitches in me. I woke up this morning with very little pain though. Everybody says that a full week after surgery you do notice a difference, and since we're coming up on Thursday, maybe that's why I feel better. A friend of mine had the sleeve on the same day, and she feels like a truck ran over her. It was laparoscopic, but we just all respond differently to pain. Here's a good thing to think about: if you're in pain, you're probably not hungry. If you're not hungry, you're probably losing weight!!!! I have been hungry, unfortunately. I developed a disgust for those milky Protein shakes, so I went to GNC yesterday and bought PROSlam Energy bullet thingies. They taste like concentrated syrup, so I filled a glass with ice, poured in the drink, then added Water. Stirred up, and it tasted like grape coolaid!!! It was a wonderful way to get 40 g of protein. Another cool food idea: this morning I felt starved, so I cooked some cream of wheat (3 T of Cereal to 1 c water--Tried milk first, but it scalded and was gross). I then put the cooked cereal in a bowl and added 1/2 scoop of protein powder--vanilla flavor. I added splenda, a bit of heart smart promise butter (or whatever they call that stuff) and enough skim milk to make it all liquid. It was UNBELIEVABLY GOOD! :mad2: It was so good, that I actually prefer it to the way I usually eat Cream of Wheat (thick). One more good food idea to try. My mom made me some delicious beef broth. She cooked a roast, drained off the juice, took off the fat, added some wine and seasonings and salt. Man, it tasted like liquid roast! Then I made some instant mashed potatoes. I put them in a bowl and poured some broth over them. I'd stir a little potato and broth together until they were liquid consistency. Very, very good!!! :tt1:I think I can survive 2 weeks on liquids now that I've found these foods. Btw, I have the Realize band. I've read that it doesn't have any fill in it when it's implanted. I think that's why I'm so hungry. Do any of you others have that band? One more thing: if you want some before and after pics for inspiration, go to obesityhelp.com and you can find a section of pics. They're incredible!!! Hang in there, May friends! --Lisa (aka, Venus)

I am 8 weeks post op and only have diarrhea. I have it once in the morning and again once or twice at night. The bad part is the smell.. TMI I know but seriously it is bad like cat poop every time.. I feel like I need to get one of those huge commercial grade exhaust fans for the bathroom.. It even smells up the room attached to the bathroom and lingers for a good 30 minutes. Is it just me? My dr appt is next week so I'll find out but when I was in at my 2 week check up the nurse said some people never have normal poops again.

I have told all that will listen other than my own father. Gosh that sounds bad. But its true, my mom let it slip once but he has never asked me about it or brought it up so when he wants to know i guess he will ask. As far as what you can say I am scheduled to have my Gall bladder out lap. The insicions are the same as the bands except the is one less. (only 3) It also has the same recovery time and hospital stay. 4-6 hrs. So if you are cofortable with that tell your kids as far as anyone else just say a "rutine procedure" Not a lie and not TMI lol good luck...

Tmi im sure but do you had hemroids? Maybe a blood vessel broke?

It's going ok, I haven't taken any of the pain medication, I'm sure that would have helped but pain hasn't been that bad really. Once in a while I get a throbbing from my stomach that lasts about 5 - 10 seconds and it hurts pretty good at that point but doesn't last long. Sorry if this is TMI but I have not had a bowel movement yet, probably not totally uncommon seeing as how I only drink protein and water right now, this is also one of the reasons I didn't take pain meds because I'm trying to avoid any constipation. I have to take the shots in my stomach for 8 more days but they aren't that bad, small needles. So far so good just been sore and was pretty tired the first day out.

Nate-as a mom and a person 9 days post sleeve I am so proud of you! This is a huge decision that you have obviously put a lot of thought into! I struggled with my weight in High School but never put forth a real effort to address it. You are pretty awesome! As a newbie to my sleeve, I only have a few pieces of advice. Stay off the scale post surgery.... You will hear this over and over but it can play with your head. The weight will come off. In the beginning it is to early to analyze every bite you take because your body is going through so many adjustments. Walk, walk walk.... I had read that over and over and took it to heart. There were times in the hospital I did not feel like walking but I forced myself to get up and move. I was off pain meds quick and feeling great when I left the hospital. I walked the halls every 2 hours which was easy in the hospital since they are always waking you. 9 days post op I feel great and even with the cold I have hot the mall or somewhere that I could walk. The last thing, which may be personal but I have a teenager so I feel like an expert, communicate with those taking care of you. If you are having pain or feeling sick let people know. Most of all, communicate about bowel habits. It's more than most want to know but many people battle constipation and it can get serious. Pain meds, low Fluid intake and high Protein set the stage. It's not a big deal as long as you are proactive. Talk to your dr about their expectations and recommendations, just in case! Hope that wasn't TMI but I want you to succeed! Again, I am so proud!! Cyn

My questions is what is PB'ing? This is what happens to me and not sure why, or if its something different: I am about two weeks out since my surgery. My questions is that, I dont have much restrciction, i do feel full but I feel I can eat as much as I did before ( if I allowed myself I could do some damage) Sometimes when i eat, especailly mushy food I find that this flem is stuck in my throat. ( sorry for the TMI) kind of like when u have a cold. well i make it come up and its white/clear and slimmy. What is this and why is it happening? am i eating too much? or too fast? If this has happened to anyone, i would appreciate feedback. Thank you !

I was told at least 5 days, on the other hand, I have been constipated like Maddysgram since the surgery 20 months ago! Miralax, ducolax, and when all else fails phosphate soda. I am now on an Rx to keep me mobile, I know TMI but true!

I had my surgery in May 2009. My first fill was about 5 weeks later. But just recently, the past 3 weeks - I can't eat or drink. Gradually. Now I can't even drink anything. I've made an appointment on Friday to get it checked out. I thought maybe it was drainage blocking it or something, I have bad allergy/sinus issues. Yesterday I got sick, a cold. Last night, I threw up about 15 times - tmi, sorry, but it was the color of red wine, a little thicker. Anyone know what that is? Or why?? It can't be something I ate, I have not eaten. This morning I was ok, still can't drink really. But I didn't feel that uncomfortable stuck feeling I've had for the past weeks. Then I took another cold medicine pill and this afternoon I threw up again, same color. I am going Friday, but I don't like my doctor, he didn't do the surgery. I had it done in Mexico. So I thought if anyone had any thoughts.....:tongue_smilie: I am miserable. But, I have lost 15 lbs since this started. (down a total of 32, I'd like to loose 40 more and keep off what I have already lost!!) Thanks! Susan

I guess there are many people who are looking to get this surgery, and reading other peoples blogs helped me make my decision to get the surgery. So I hope my information helps somebody in the same way. So I'm putting all the details I can remember, sorry if its too long. I woke up 6am to get a shower in, pack my bag, get my baby's stuff packed up, as hubby and 2yr old were coming to the hospital with me. (I felt later how crazy I was for taking him, but we didnt really have anyone else to take care of him, and I felt like I needed my husband. And we had a private room) We arrived before 8, and I got changed. Next, they did the laproscopy? The camera down your throat. I was fully awake, I could feel that, I was gagging, and they held me down. I was so shocked, I didnt expect that at all. The whole process was over in 45 seconds, BUT it scared the %$ out of me!! I said goodbye to baby and hubby, and went to the surgery room. I laid down, and I remember hearing them talk in Korean, but soon I was asleep. I have no idea about time, I was totally out of it after surgery. I had barely slept the night before, I have 2 year old who likes to wake up in the night. All I wanted to do was sleep. I remember waking up in the recovery room and them asking me to walk to my room. Somehow I did. I was in and out of sleep after that. I told them I was so hungry it hurt, not sure if it was true, but it felt like it. My baby was knocking things over, crying to be with me, and didnt understand why I wasnt paying attention to him. I asked my husband to take baby and do something else for the day, since I wanted to sleep. They asked me if I wanted pain medication, and I said yes please!! I fell asleep and woke up many times, it felt like I had slept ages, but I checked my phone and it had been only an hour. So I slept more. I woke up suddenly with uncontrollable gagging. Nothing ever came up, nothing in my stomach, but it hurt like hell, and I wanted it to stop so badly. This happened until I fell asleep sitting up. The girl who had her surgery after me, left at 3pm. I felt stupid and weak, but with more dry gagging, I couldnt give a shit. I got more pain relief, and went to bed for the night. I havent gagged since the first day. In the morning, I was ready to go home. My doc put me under the xray to show me my band and port. it looked normal, but strange to see inside myself. All my body was hurting from gas. The car ride home was torture, every bump hurt. It wasnt my wounds, but my body, from the gas. Shoulder?? I still dont understand why my shoulder would hurt, but it did, all my insides hurt. The doctors told me to walk, so I walked around the shopping center buying some band friendly foods for the next few days. But after that I could barely move, I hurt so bad in every position. Until... I farted. TMI, but the truth is, the next few hours my life got better with every fart. I couldnt burp even though I knew I wanted to. I feel more myself today, day 3. I woke up with another few good farts. I think I have one or two more to go, and then I'll be gass free. I'm scared to eat. I mean, that dry gagging was horrible. I dont want to do it again. EVER. I've had corn soup, apple juice, water, drinking yogurt, and my mashed up medicine in water. I dont feel hungry, but I've tried to drink something every few hours. I can sleep on both sides and my back. my port is directly above my belly button. It feels itchy, so I'm doing my best not to scratch. im still wearing my belly brace because it feels good. When I took it off to show my hubby the incisions (4) I felt like my guts were falling out. So the brace was back on pretty quickly. I'm scared for my fill next week. I hate needles. Do I need to have a fill so fast? I havent felt any restriction yet, but thats because I havent eaten any foods. And when I'm drinking liquids, I always stop myself from drinking too much because I'm scared I'll hurt myself. I hope I can find out my limits soon. I asked my doc about the fill, he said i have a 10 cc band, and its standard for him to put 3ccs for the first fill, because I dont have any restriction yet. Could I be healed enough to get a fill?? worried. The first 2 days, I kept asking myself, am I crazy?? What was I thinking?? Today, I'm feeling better and I know I can make it work once I'm 100%. I was so down at the start because of the pain and gas, even last night I was too negative, but now it's going away, I feel like it will be okay soon.

I know this might be TMI but I don't know who else to ask. I had my original surgery date set for Jan 3, but on Jan 2nd the doctor decided I needed 5 more tests run. I was to begin my pre op diet on Dec 25th for the Jan 3rd date. So I went ahead and started the diet so that when they decided the date of my rescheduled surgery I'd be ready and wouldn't have to wait 10 more dates. What I have found is I am having constipation issues and don't know what to do about it? They did reschedule me for Jan 18th at 7:30 AM, Woot woot which I am totally excited but I don't want to deal with constipation issues up till then nor afterwards if I can ward it off. Can anyone help me and guide me on what to do? The good news is I lost 13 lbs in 10 days. Yeah. Any and all advice would be appreciated.

Oh, I found it! I'm not going to do that specifically but I gained a lot of insight from it. I am going to stick to my tight feeling proteins from now on and lay off the carbs. I guess in my mind I thought I was one of the lucky ones who could eat more. I'm realizing that just because I can, doesn't mean I should. I feel reassured, in kind of a sick way, that my pouch is working. I was a good girl at dinner and ate broiled tilapia. But, I ate it at the rate I was eating my wheat thins. Well, guess what! Sorry to give TMI, but I barfed in a ton of napkins. So, my pouch is still good. Just need to let it do its job without cheating around sliders.

How long has it been? Are you getting plenty of walking in to make things move around? If it goes past 7 days, I'd call your surgeon or head the emergency room. If you are impacted it can affect your organs. Check out this thread from last week: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f178/tmi-alert-constipation-110478/

I suspect UTI as I see you're not a woman. I've had kids and my weight doesn't help, exercises don't help (TMI), I believe that my constant urge to urinate will go away after I lose weight, maybe not.

Hello, here's my story :smile2: I started getting ready for the surgery Monday night. I tried to do things that I knew I wouldn't want to do right away after coming back from the hospital. I scrubbed a bath/shower that needed to be cleaned, unloaded & loaded the dishwasher, cleaned the kitchen, (TMI) DTD with hubby lol. I also had to wash our sheets so I could sleep on freshly washed sheets, per my instructions. I also had to take a shower with a hibiclens sponge and then take another one in the morning. I only ended up sleeping 2-3 hours so the showers weren't that far apart but oh well. I got to the hospital at 8am with surgery scheduled for 10am. (I wasn't early just for fun, they asked me to come that early) lol I signed a couple of papers at the admissions desk and then sat in the waiting room for about 5-10 minutes. Then they took me back to a small pre-op room with a bed, chair and tv. The nurse asked me to get all the way undressed and put on their stylish gown, gray skidproof sockies and blue surgery cap. She had me hop on the bed and asked a bunch of questions and I had to sign another paper. She also collected a urine specimen (to make sure I'm not pregnant I think). About this time my friend Becky arrived, which helped pass the time. (I had driven myself there because hubby needed to be home with the kids.) The nurse came back in and gave me a shot of heparin in the belly and it really didn't hurt or sting, thank goodness. She told me that they would be taking me down to the OR about 10:30 (so I guess it got moved back a little) she also started my IV and gave me some medicine to calm my nerves a little. That stuff was great, it did calm me down and made me mellow. They gave a little light up pager thing to my friend and sent her back to the waiting room until the surgery was over. They wheeled me down to the OR and transferred me over to another bed, put the mask on my face and I was out. I woke up in a recovery room and coughed a little from the breathing tube they had put down my throat during the surgery. I remember looking at the clock at seeing 11:30am or noon. I honestly don't remember much from the recovery room, just that they told me everything went really well. I think I might have cried a little as I was coming out of the fog, I don't know why, but I'm pretty sure I did. Other than earlier in the day when my surgeon came to say hello, I never even saw him at all. They wheeled me to my room, which was a double room and already had a lady in there. My roommate had a lot of health issues, I felt so bad for her. She had gastric bypass in 1999 and then a revision and she came in to have a hernia repaired for the 3rd time. After being in the room for awhile, I wondered where my friend was and called her cell phone. She, my husband and my 17 month old son were waiting to come to my room, but no one let them know that they could come up. That was kind of annoying...but I understand they get busy. They came up to visit and my son seemed a little scared by the IV, oxygen in my nose and leg compression thingees. My daughter was at school, thank goodness, I think she would have been really worried about me. After they left, I tried to take a nap and nodded off a little here and there. My roomate got discharged so then I had the room all to myself. :tt2: I got up a little while later to go to the bathroom and walk the halls. I spent the evening dozing off and on, getting woken up constantly for vitals, blood sugar testing (even though I'm not diabetic) and once, around midnight, I woke up to find housekeeping stripping down the other bed in the room and cleaning that side of the room. Really, at midnight?? As of right now, I am still waiting to be discharged. I actually kind of wonder if they forgot about me...I was able to get the IV unhooked and took a shower. They also wheeled me downstairs to do the swallow test to make sure the band was in the right place (it is). They have not allowed me to eat or drink anything, other than a small amount of Water...it has been 36 hrs since i ate!! I don't know what is going on but I am not having any problems so hopefully they will let me go soon.