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To be on the safe side I do as my doctor said....no pills larger than a birth control pill. That would be about 4-5mm, I guess. However, I 'tested' my Lexapro pills which are about three times that size and are not coated in any way. (A coating or capsule on your pill should give you a hint that they are meant to pass thru the esophagus and/or stomach before being dissolved). I dropped it in a tiny bit of Water to see how fast it dissolves and it dissolved almost instantly. So that told me that if I only drink a full glass of water with the pill it would have no trouble getting thru the band. I also NEVER take any aspirin or ibuprofen or aleve (NSAIDs) unless it's a liquid and always with plenty of water. These are very hard on your upper GI system. Hope that helps.

Hi Gang! First, I want to say that this board has been a GODSEND to me. I have learned so much from you guys and received so much support from here - wow - I can't even thank you all enough. But Thank You All!! :sad0: I cannot BELIEVE I'm finally here writing about my journey three months out; time went so fast but at times, it's like, it's about time!! The journey has been nothing short of incredible, mind boggling and, like Tiff said at one time, a mind twist for sure! It's all good and I wouldn't change a thing! I am so happy I did this!! I have posted some pictures in my album, I'm .5 pound short of 60 pounds today - I figure I'll hit 60 later today after I ride my bike - that's always good for a pound or so. The pics are 50 pounds down and also include the other two that had surgery the same day as me - you all are familiar with Gary_B - that's him before. I'm in the pink shirt. Samantha had rny with Aceves. My goal was 50 pounds by tax day - I beat it by three days. A few observations thus far; people didn't really start to notice my weight loss until I was well into the 40+ pounds lost. Very aggravating. Now, less than 60 lost, some are saying don't lose more. Moral to the story, keep the public tuned out!! They mean well but they really don't know what they are talking about most of the time! Eating has been wonderful; I have always had an Iron gut and that remains. Nothing has bothered me and I'm happy about that. I've only "hurt" myself twice; once when I first went onto solids and ate a hard boiled egg too fast... so that's what sliming is all about... that was horrible, and a second time when I was trying to eat on the fly and ate some wings way too fast again... Not as bad of an episode as the egg but gross nevertheless. I've never thrown anything up but came close these two times. I still have a terrible time slowing down eating - it really is hard for me, especially being around my family that inhales their food. I am trying to get better with that and hope I don't damage my sleeve in the meantime. I do know when to stop, however, and don't do anything to make pain, obviously pain is bad. I also have very bad head hunger sometimes and am thankful (mostly) that my sleeve is there to keep it in check. I was in New Orleans by myself last week on business where every other business is a fantastic restaurant - I thought I was going to go nuts. Double whammy on going out to eat alone, I won't do it because of the tiny portion business... I do find myself obsessing about food more than I like; the old fat girl is still there, no doubt. I'm hoping this gets better, I really hope it does. I am staying under 1000 cals per day, under 25 carbs per day and as much Protein as I can get in - I try for 90-100 g's. I log religiously on myfitnesspal.com. Hunger; I have had plenty but I know it's just gastric juices and not real hunger. My stomach likes to toy with me, however. I've really tried to listen to what my body is telling me and I've found that when I get these so-called hunger pangs, I've noticed that the feeling only lasts for a couple of minutes, usually. If it doesn't, it's rare and it's usually late in the day; I've had to take an extra half nexium on occasion because of this. If I don't, or if I forget to take my dose in the morning, I pay dearly. I'm hoping this gets better but at least I know it's all acid related, controllable, and I'm not truly hungry. Weight Loss; I have been thrilled with the ride so far, haven't had any real stalls but a couple of slow downs of barely 2 pounds in a week. I average about 4 pounds a week, give or take. I am following a very low carb diet while I'm in the losing phase. I know I could just take the restiction and lose slowly but that's not how I work. I am looking forward to a few more carbs once I meet goal for sure, but, I have to say, this has been the easiest "diet" ever. Even starvation didn't take 60 pounds off of me in three months. Not that I ever did starvation for three months... Anyway. I?m hoping to meet goal by my birthday; July 30. I think it?s very possible but I'm not going to obsess any more than I already am! :wink0: Drinking; I was surprised to find that I was/am more disturbed about not being able to chug liquids more than I ever thought I would be. I still can't chug like before but what I can drink is MUCH more than at the beginning. I still wish I could take more, especially when exercising but it's all good. This bothers me more than food issues. I am, however, getting in plenty of fluids; easily 100 oz per day. I keep a sport top Water bottle with me, mix single packs of Lipton or Arizona tea in them, and refill the same bottle for about a week from the tap before I toss it. Trying to do my best to be green. Tried alcohol once, two bloody marys, didn't get intoxicated, really a non-event. Avoiding alcohol now because of the calories. A glass of wine would be sooooo nice, however... coffee has been the best thing ever, I started back probably 2 or 3 weeks out; heaven. Just my one power cup in the morning. I make it extra strong with splenda and powdered creamer. Yummy!! My periods have been a little whacked since surgery... will save the details but I'm hoping they get back to normal... Any regrets? NONE! Would I recommend this for someone thinking about it? Absolutely!!! I know that I had an easier time than many and anyone thinking about this should absolutely do their research including plenty of soul searching. Thanks again to everyone for listening, you guys are the best! Carol

I finally have the green light to eat pureed and soft foods but I'm really struggling. Anything I eat - outside of Protein Drinks - I throw up. I thought maybe I was eating too much or maybe too fast so I weighted out 2 oz of rotisserie chicken and pulsed it in my Ninja. I took 10 minutes to eat it. Still no go. What am I doing wrong? Any suggestions on things to try? Is this normal?

Ok, I've read about the stalls (especially the third week) but for those of you who have lost a lot weight, what was it like early on for you? I think my expectations were that I had so much to lose and was eating so bad before surgery that perhaps I wouldn't have a stall for awhile and lose 7-8 lbs a week for the first 6-8 weeks. Maybe my expectations were too high but when you have 220 lbs to lose the quicker the better. Here has been my weight loss per week over the last 6 weeks. As you can see I had a great pre-op week and first week after surgery but the last two weeks things have really slowed down. I know better than to ask for a pity party on here so what I'm really looking for is insight from someone who has lost 200lbs with the sleeve or well on their way to losing 200 lbs how long it took that first 100 lbs to come off. Hopefully I'll be on here in 2-3 months reporting that the first 100 is gone and on to the second 100. Thanks! Date Weight Weekly Lbs 10/26/2011 440 0 Highest Weight 11/2/2011 435 -5 11/9/2011 435 0 Start Pre-Op Diet 11/16/2011 420 -15 Surgery Date 11/23/2011 408 -12 11/30/2011 401 -7 12/7/2011 398 -3

I am officially 8 weeks out, and I still can't finish most of my food, even in small portions. You're right, I think I drink myself full with all of that Water, leaving little room for anything but my allotments of Protein and veggies. I carry a liter bottle around with me everywhere, and I am always amazed at how fast it gets empty. I hate to repeat myself from other posts, but if you're not all that in to water by itself, don't add flavorings, but rather get some good tasting bottle water. I've found that if I add Crystal Lite and so forth, my tongue expects sweetness at all times. But now that I just drink plain old H2O, I don't crave sweets much anymore. One more addiction down!

Wow. That's FAST! By the way, Full of Grace, I'll be thinking of you on Friday. Good luck and let us know how you are ASAP! Prayers going up for you.

I am a little confused. I had my lap band on 9.9.09 and have had the first fill under fluoroscopy and then two more fills of 1ml each. Currently I have some restriction, in that if I eat to fast or don't chew properly I get this feeling of something being stuck, and if I were to eat more it would be painful with lots of salivating, until drinking Water "flushes it through". If I stop at the feeling of something being stuck, I do get this sensation of wind coming up and a short time later I can eat more. The problem is I am still hungry and wanting to eat more all the time despite the discomfort. Immediately after the lap band was put in, I had satiety and satiation. I could only eat a little soft stuff-scrambled egg for example, or yoghurts, but a little satisfied me for ages and I did not think of eating very much. Am I near to my sweet spot???? Getting a bit disheartened by the whole thing at the moment and it is hard to be positive. My weight has been stationary since I lost about 10lbs around the time of the op.

I can definitely relate. My problem has always been sweets. I am not exaggerating when I say this....it's like a drug to me. I've struggled with it my whole life and I still do. I would mainly eat them late at night. One would lead to another, then another, then another....you get my drift. I had a cupcake at my son's birthday party the other night and that one little cupcake triggered my cravings. That is why I am now doing a liquid detox for a couple of days. I find it best to stay away from them altogether! A couple of suggestions: 1. Go to bed earlier if you are a night time eater. I have found that if I go to bed when my husband does, I don't have a problem. I do, however, have trouble falling asleep so I bring my iPad to bed with me and doodle on that until I get sleepy. I find that getting away from the kitchen at night is a huge help! 2. Go get a fill if you are not tight enough. BUT, a fill will not solve your problem if you are just going to break the rules and eat around the band. All the fills in the world won't help the head hunger. 3. Try adding more lean Protein into your diet. It will keep you satisfied longer. 4. Try to find a hobby that will keep you busy so you don't have a lot of down time. I love to do crafts, so I try to work on my projects while I watch tv, so I don't give in to snacking. Eating while watching TV is one of the worst things we can do. We focus more on the tv and pay less attention to how much we eat. 5. You can still have your burger and fries. Make it yourself. Use lean ground beef, chicken, or turkey. Make baked sweet potato fries instead of driving through a fast food restaurant. There are ton's of healthy recipe substitutes out there for typical junk food. The main thing to remember is....You can do this! Yes, there will be set backs. Pick yourself back up and keep going! It's not easy, but you can do it. None of us got fat overnight, so why would anyone think that we can undo all the damage overnight. Success is a journey, not a destination. Focus on the process! Best of luck to you!

You have only had one fill and sometimes it can take a lot more before you get the sign to stop eating. I know someone personally who had his band completely unfilled because he was going on a cruise and he wanted to binge eat on everything. After the cruise he decided not to get re-filled because he liked his food too much. What was his point in getting the band if food was more important than a weight loss? What's my point in saying this? You probably will need a couple more fills before you feel like there is a stop point. With binge eating there is no stop point. You had this surgery for a reason, it is not a lose weight fast scheme. It takes time for the body to adjust. My friend who had his band unfilled has gained all his weight back plus more! Do you really want that? If you stick with it and choose healthy eating the binge eating will take a back burner to healthy eating habits. There are times when I feel like I could eat the whole world. I choose not to. I didn't have major surgery just to see it all come back. If you feel you must talk to a psychologist and by all means let your bariatric surgeon know. By the way, you can still go on a cruise and lose weight. I've done it and lost 10 lbs on a cruise. I did not deprive myself of anything. I just ate smaller portions. I know you can do this. It just takes time, perseverance and a lot of determination. Good luck and I know you can do this!

I have also not felt full much. I did drink too fast and felt bad immediately and full. It scared me.

Whaaaat? Today is Halloween , the Day my soon-to-be -ex landlord wanted me out of here or well on the way. New place, I filed an application, I hope they look favorably on it. Threw away papers, broken furniture I was going to repair, losing shed in process. Could have moved on this sooner,but you only get paid once a month on Social Security. Second Dumpster filling fast, have Good Friend with truck and several strong friends, don't drive so they will be doing that. Would love to send my,outgrown clothing to Goodwill, serviceable,but not boutique level. Haven't worked office for years, only,things like this were "church dresses", probably,not worn since last family funeral. Haven't burdened you with all this, my problems guess give,my " Big Girl" panties a tug up and see what I can accomplish at this point. Sam the foreman of the workers expected 9 AM, don't know if there will helpersvwith him or they will be later? Woke up and on the,verge of puking, but all that is there is the Zofran I just took. Peace and joy Frustr8, remember Peace and joy, God made you , he don't make,no junk, no matter what evil,landlord in his ivory towet,136 miles away on the Indiana border says. I only have 3-4 hours until the brain comes and it won't stop until Saturday, or so weather report says. 🎃from Central Ohio all my pals!

I didn't have a pre-op diet so I can't really relate to having a doctor's orders to follow a specific plan. However, I did notice that I did the whole "food funeral" thing a bit, too. I think in the long run, cutting out those foods that trigger cravings (for me that was fast food in general, especially french fries and soda) is for the better. The liquids phase post op is TOUGH and the more "clean" your eating prior to surgery the easier I think it is to get through it. But regardless of anything else I'll say that you shouldn't beat yourself up if it's hard or challenging. If losing weight were easy for any of us, we wouldn't be here. If I could just wave my magic wand and stop craving bad food or feeling hungry or hating exercise I wouldn't have shelled out ten grand for surgery! And I hate to sound like a downer or worry you, but some of those foods that I loved before I can't eat at all - even now, 16 months out. So enjoy this time - start slowly making better choices because later on you won't have a choice if you want to be healthy and not hurt your sleeve, but relax about the whole thing. ~Cheri

I know how you feel I have a friend that got her surgery done 3 months after me and reached her goal weight at her 1 year mark... I have had mine for almost 2 years and am still 15 away from my goal and it is not moving granted it came off fast in the beginning but its def frustrating to see other people there and yes when you have the band we know the mistakes we make I know mine is drinking my calories rather then eating but I also know her faults and they can at points be worse then mine but she dropped it so much faster and didn't really work out and still doesn't but her weight doesn't move... I on the other hand have been killing myself working out at this point and I am getting nothing... my weight has not moved either! its def not fun but like you said everyones body and band are different! I guess all we can do is continue to try... watch your calories... workout... talk to your doctors... ask ?s... ask your dr if he/she has any suggestions... I sure would like to know if there is anything else that would help!!!

Good luck.... Feel for u.. I was a nervous a wreck the night before and on thecday. Didn't stop crying for s second. Just kept thinking I was going to die but I made it and I'm 9 days out and carrying on with life as normal. Back at work Dropping n picking kids from school. Even went shopping. Didn't think I was going to recover so fast

Thank you all so much for your kind words! My excersises now consist of Monday wednesday and Friday I do an hour each of yoga, Pilates, step class(or sometimes my gym offers a basic stretch class that's really nice to take instead of step class) and then I do an hour of this really fast paced fitness class where we do a total body work out. Then on Tuesday Thursday and some Saturday's I do an hour of cardio. 30 min on bike or elliptical and 30 min on the treadmill. And then an hour of weights.

Yours is the 3rd such post of the day. Here's a link to another post and topic that dealt entirely with the same issues. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/161522-so-discouraged-and-i-just-need-some-support/ And another: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/161530-very-confused-about-lapband-and-reason-for-it/#entry1893882 Don't mean to put you off, but many of your questions are answered in these two topics. I will say that for me the band was very finicky the first 8 months. I could go a week eating pretty much anything and then suddenly, my band would say, no way, no chicken today. It takes some time to change old eating habits. Big bites, eating too fast and the wrong food mix takes time to change, but you'll do it, in about 3 more months. tmf

I have nothing to compare food bills to because we own a restaurant and usually ate leftovers....but, I am saving a tremendous amount on fast food and alcohol. Carol

my grocery bill is about the same maybe a little less, it does seem to cost more to eat healthy but I am buying less. I save a lot when it comes to eating out. I don't eat at fast food reasturants as much as I used to and I also don't eat at sit down resturants like I used to. If I do I only eat a third and take the rest home for two more meals.

Subject: One year and 85 lbs later The time has come for me to post my long awaited 1st year bandversary entry. What has my band meant to me? I have asked myself this question many times over the last 12 months. I’ve come up with a laundry list of ramblings. Preband – it represented HOPE, Anxiety, and the What if’s of life after WLS Early Post Band – the what the heck did I do? And WHERE THE HELL IS MY RESTRICTION? 1st Fill anticipation – I AM HUNGRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where the hell is my restriction???? 2nd Fill anticipation – I am hungry but not AS MUCH or as often 3rd Fill anticipation – Restriction lasts for about 3 weeks 4th Fill anticipation – OK lets clamp this puppy down!!!!!!! 5th Fill anticipation – HOLY CRAP .3 cc’s was too much fill! I am only able to smell foods and sip soup 1’st UNFILL – removal of the .3cc’s was the difference between soup and FOOD……. And is where I’m maintaining at since January 2008. Also…. Getting an unfill and eating real food is what started the scale moving again. Things that have amazed me: I have POWER over my hunger. I have actually FORGOTTEN to eat. I CAN eat without drinking I CAN be full on very little food. Things that I have realized about myself: Restriction Wise I swell (get tighter) when I’m on my period or when I’m stressed I am tighter in the mornings and more open in the evenings. Foods that worked last week, might not work so well this week. I can raise my hands and do a little shimmy to pop up a stuck item of food Things that I have realized about myself: Non band I am a stress and emotional eater. I crave sweets around my cycle I am pretty happy and comfy in a size 12 It scares me to HOPE for a size 8 or 10 (because it is unknown to me) If I COULD eat pizza…….. I WOULD, so keeping a decent amount of fill is what is needed for ME not to be able to. Dairy Queen has become my go to place for stress eating (and this is NOT a good thing) Things that I had to overcome once banded: Realizing that you don’t HAVE to eat multiple plates of food at a buffet in order to “get your money’s worth” Realizing that people REALLY aren’t LOOKING at how much or how little you eat! Realizing that you CAN keep your band a secret if you want! Realizing that fast food joints don’t really offer much choice, Its cheaper to order an appetizer or alacarte, or split a meal with my 4 year old. Being banded is NOT rocket science, and for me it has worked well because I knew going in that FOR ME and MY GOALS I needed to be in diet mode, and truth be told the scale moves when I am IN MOTIVATED DIET MODE. It stalls when I Go to dairy queen for a small blizzard… but I don’t gain I chose the band for its adjustability and the hopes that I will for once in my life MAINTAIN a loss! Would I do it again? In a heartbeat Will I be rebanded if needed in the future? In HALF a heartbeat! My band has really given me the power over my appetite and that is priceless. Journey with me as I enter YEAR TWO of my Banding Experience

I have never been sore after at stuck and sliming episode, but I definately don't ever feel like trying to eat again for a few hours later. I remember the first time I got stuck.... a tiny piece of chicken that was too dry!!!! An hour of sliming and PBing, plus I made the mistake of thinking.... maybe a couple sips of water will get it down, learned real fast liquids just make it worse. I have found that my band is tighter in the mornings, and if I have some hot liquids an hour or so before my first meal it helps.

Everyone is different. When you are on liquid and purees, yes you are going to miss food. I couldn't watch people eat and for some reason the smell of ham made me want to cry. Which seems funny now. Once you get to the solid phase you probably won't miss much. Sometimes I miss sushi but I'm afraid to eat it yet. I also don't know how the rice will go down. Maybe when I'm further out or I can just have sashimi without the rice. I go to fast food places and I really have no desire to eat anything there. I have salad and can barely eat any of it. I would say the first few months are very hard but some people just seem to have no issues. I think I miss having a drink on the weekends more but even that is going away. I just love losing weight more than food or alcohol.

OK, just tried some roasted chicken for supper. I think I am eating too fast and not chewing enough. I just had one bite and then another and that is all I want. Is that normal? lunch over, heading toward supper, planning on broiled cod fish, soft veggies.

These dates may be off by a day or so.... My info was submitted to the insurance around May 4th (BlueCross/BlueShield of Western NY). On May 13th, I was called by Dr. Arreola's office with the approval and had my surgery scheduled for June 2nd. I had my pre-op appointment May 18th. I was surprised how fast my insurance company approved me, and how soon they were able to schedule the surgery. Hope this gives you a rough idea!

I hope all goes well with your insurance. I'm on the same boat. Waiting on Cigna to approve its only been 11 days so I know I should be more patient. I hope you get approval really fast . Waiting is the hard part.

So tired. Five days in and I have to admit I'm getting bored. Everything is just dandy as far as healing process goes. I took the dressings off of my incisions yesterday and they hardly tickle, to be honest I forget they're there. My stomach still feels a little inflated but it's not uncomfortable. I can drink (water, coffee, hot chocolate/cacao) and eat, (soup, yoghurt, purée, very smooth porridge) freely. That said I don't really want to. My appetite is minimal, which I'm relaxed about, and the only tastes (rather than foods) I do crave are savoury. Unsurprisingly I would be willing to sell my soul for a slice of hot buttered toast. I don't feel any great sensation of restriction in my stomach, my surgeon called to check-in yesterday and he tells me that's fine - it will come later with more solid food. That said I probably had too much soup too fast earlier and very quickly found myself belching. A couple of minutes later I'm fine. The thing I'm noticing most is pure and simple fatigue. Yesterday it was that aching twitchy tiredness then I had my first proper night's sleep. Today I still feel a bit limp and tired but it's qualitatively different, sleepiness rather than muscle ache.