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I learned a lesson last night - don't let yourself get too hungry! Here is the story: I get home and just wasn't hungry, we were headed out the door by 6:30 to go to a meeting, our meeting was over at 9:00, we get home at 9:15 pm and I'm starvin'. So, I make myself a few shrimp, that didn't help, I grab some chips and make myself about 5 or 6 chips with some cheese on it and it kepts going from there, I don't even remember everything I ate. I just remember grabbing different things trying to satisfy my hunger. I just felt like anything I ate was not filling me up. Moral of the story - eat something if you know it will be awhile before you can eat. I should have had something small before I left for the meeting. Some almonds perhaps, maybe a protein bar, something instead of letting myself get too hungry. I learned my lesson! I didn't get to exercise last night because of the metting so I took last night off. But......Tonight - It's on! Right after my "Biggest Loser" show, I will be headed to the gym for an hour of circuit training/working the upper body and cardio at the same time. Weight - didn't weigh this morning - just didn't want to face the scales after my late night eating. I was surprised that I didn't have any reflux. Usually if I eat that late, I'm up all night with reflux. I think I've losened up quite a bit again. But my band flucuates so much, I think I will monitor it the next few weeks and see if it gets tighter again. I really thought this last fill would last me - but now, once again, I'm wondering? I'm thinking also that I will never have that tight restriction everyone talks about. Don't get me wrong, I've got restriction, I can feel it, its just not as tight as I would like it. I would like the band to FORCE me to take small bites, to FORCE me not to eat bread, to FORCE me to chew, chew and chew. However, none of this happens for me. I eat regular bites of food, I can eat bread (but I chose to stay away from it), and I chew like I did before the band. I will say every now and then the band gives me a reminder that it is there and I think, Oh, I better slow down. But for the most part, I forget its there. I have found there is only one thing I can't eat - Hamburgers! No matter how small of bites, no matter, how slow, no matter what, it gets stuck. I have given up on ever eating a hamburger again, and I'm fine with that - they are loaded with fat and calories, so thank you my little silacone buddy for forcing me NOT to eat Hamburgers! If this is it for me, if this is the most restriction I can get, then I'm okay with that too. I know that this restriction will keep me from gaining all my weight back. I do get full on a lot less food than I used to eat, so for that, I'm thankful. I just read about so many bandsters talking about how they can't eat this, or that, and how they have to slow down and chew chew chew or they PB.....I've only experienced this a limited amount of time, and that is usually right after a fill. It last a day, sometimes 2 weeks, and it has lasted a month before, but it always leaves. PBing is something I rarely, if ever do. I can't even remember the last time I PB'd. I'm losing count on how many fills I've had. I keep it updated in my journal so I can remember, but I thinks it like 16 now, or maybe even 17. It makes me wonder if I really do have a leak? My doc has tested it and says I don't. Speaking of doc, I go see my band doc tomorrow. He just wants to see how I'm doing after almost 3 years with the band. I think I will talk to him about this and see what he thinks. Okay, I guess I've written enough in my book now, so I better get to work.........:confused:

I'm getting my second fill on your surgery date. You should expect some pain on week one and gradually get better from there. I had my surgery on 10/27/08 and I've lost nearly 20lbs...some people have lost more...some less.

They are taken for precautionary or if u have a history of blood clots, i know my surgeon gives it to every patient the day of surgery and 10-12 days after surgery.

It has been eleven days since my surgery and I have lost 10 lbs already and feel very good.

Hello! I'm new, and was just banded Monday. I have been reading on the site and for about six months and have a quick question. Did anyone else have a hiatal hernia repair with their band surgery? I had and enormous tear in my diaphram (about the size of a fist) and that had to be repaired at the same time. The Dr also pulled my stomach down and stiched it in place. I was in massive pain and wasn't even able to get liquids down until today. :sick I ended up in the hospital for a few days this week on IV fluids. This surgery seemed to be about 10 times more painful than I thought it would be, plus the complications with the hosital stay and stuff. Anyone else has trouble getting liquids through at first? My stomach has been so swollen inside that nothing would go through. I feel like this has been going so bad, I hope everything works out! :nervous Thanks for being such a great support! I'll try to keep my chin up.

Hello all my bandster buddies! I know you all have been waiting to hear how everything went with my surgery and I'm here to tell it all. (LOL) Had to check into the hospital at 10:30 and my surgery was suppose to start at 12:30. Needless to say I didn't get wheeled in until 1:15 (but it's all good). Got in the room and all I can remember when I got into the OR is the anesthesiologist over my head and that was it. I was out like a light! (LOL) Anyway, I remember the nurses telling me that I was back in the recovery room and I over heard a telephone conversation with one nurse and my niece on the phone. Got wheeled into my room and from then on I was on the go. I got out of my bed immediately and began to walk. One of the nurses made the comment when she walked in is " I like this already!" I guess normally they have to make people get up and move after surgery, but I was determined to get out the next day so I took it upon myself not to wait.(smile) The last time I got on the scale which was yesterday (05-17-05) I had already lost 10 pounds. Yippeee!!! Total motivator! Had no complications accept my GERD was acting up something fierce, but knew that was bound to happen with the change. My sister had to laugh at me the day after surgery when she fixed some chicken broth for me and saw how big my serving was. She had to be funny and bring it out to me on a huge plate.(Smile) All and all, I do not regret my surgery and already going on a week post-op. So for all of you that are having a hard time or think that you may have a hard time after banding, stay strong and think of the ending results. Do everything that the doctor says to do and by all means do not over eat. I am fortunate because I haven't gotten sick and pray that I never do (hate puking). You all take care and I will be posting pics as I gradually shed the pounds. Take care and God bless you all!!!!

Good Morning Sleevers!! I have a question regarding the ability to eat without effort 4 oz. of food. I feel that I can easily eat more but, stop myself at that point. My surgery date was 9 Feb 15, so, I am about 2 1/2 weeks out. I started soft foods 1 week after surgery (fish, tuna, green beans). I guess each Surgeon is different. My surgery was completely pain-free and, though I am off work for 6 weeks, I could have gone to work the same week. I am losing fine (hit a stall now but, not too worried) but I am concerned that if I am able to eat so much now, in a month I will be eating a much larger portion. Also, it takes me about 5-10 minutes to eat meal. I have forced myself to slow down to minimum of 20 minutes. I can drink 32 oz of Water in about 5-10 minutes too. I can't eat salads yet. Sorry for the long post!! My actual question is: Are you or were you able to eat so much 2 1/2 weeks out or, is this due to my having a revision? Let me give an sample of a days worth of food: 1st meal: Protein shake 11 oz. mixed in my decaf coffee about 10 oz. 30 minutes later: water, water, water 2nd meal: 1 scrambled egg with 1 oz. of chicken and laughing cow wedge water 3rd Meal: 4 oz. grilled chicken breast w laughing cow wedge or chicken salad w light mayo 30 minutes later: water, water, water 32-40 oz. 4th Meal: 4 oz. grilled chicken breast, 4 green Beans water w Crystal Lite 5th meal: Protein Shake or string cheese with 1 slice of budding turkey wrapped around water, water, water

You're so right. I only have about 10 more days of this. That first day was a little more difficult than I expected. "This too shall pass" My Dad used to tell me that all the time!! Thanks so much!! Female NC HW:280 HT:5'9" VSG:9/6/16

so im 10 months post op. kinda at goal (ish) might go a little lower. i work in a place with 2000 people. every single day i have to hear something about my weight. you look great! or OMG you're so skinny (not in a good way). or you're wasting away! etc etc. is it bad that i just don't want to talk about it anymore??? i'm just over it. the journey is long and hard and now i just want to move on and "BE" without having to think or talk about my weight or body anymore. i just want this to be the existing 'me' and not have to be reminded every single second of every minute of every hour. am i gonna have to quit my job so i can go somewhere where people just see this me as the regular me they've met and will know moving forward? when does the journey become something in my past that gets to stay there? i feel like im not even getting to be THIS me cuz the old me is on my back still. end rant

I was banded on March 23, 5 days ago. From about the 20th of Feb until March 19, I had lost 20 pounds! And in the last week, another 8. I went back to work and people are already noticing in my face and upper body that I am loosing. I am feeling it some, but since I still have lots of swelling in my tummy, my clothes are a little tighter that I would like. I have been cooking for my hubby & son, and doing ok...but last night the hungar pangs started. Since I was making sketti, I took some of the meat chewed it up until I got all of the flaovoring out, then spit it out. It was good, but just for the flavoring!!! That is what I miss is the different flavors...although adding extracts to the protein drinks help, my pallet is not very forgiving of me keeping all those good flavors from it! My 1st goal is 75 pounds by Christmas...I want to stay on that track. As soon as I am released to swim, we will be going to the Y Friday-Sunday so I can start that way, then back to walking and hopefully bike riding in the near future!

Hi Joe! I just met a bandster who is an EMT recently. He was taking about three weeks off but after that expected to go back to work full-force. My doc's instructions about exercise and strenuous work are basically that by the time you'll feel like doing it you'll be healed enough and it won't be a problem. Laying on your side/stomach is just a matter of time and healing. I sleep on my left (port) side all the time and while I can feel it there is no discomfort at all. The only time it might be a problem is if you're laying down on a hard surface, but then you could just shift around a little till it's comfortable. By the time you've lost lots of weight you'll be more concerned about your bones sticking out than your port! The port is not at all obvious under my skin, but I have a ways to go yet. If it ever becomes a problem I know there is a smaller port that can be installed, a "low-profile" port. But that would involve another scar so I'm probably not ever going to go there. Of course it's possible to "eat around" the band. Calories are calories, and if you take in too many you won't lose or may even gain. The band makes it MUCH easier, though, to eat healthfully and in appropriate portions. That's really all there is to it. And IMO, the band is perfect for anyone who wants to lose weight and who isn't in immediate need of results. If the patient is willing to see the pounds come off at a measured pace of 5-10 lbs a month, banding is the answer. Measure that pace of weight loss against the risk of complications with other surgeries, and you'll see why we picked the one we did. Good luck, to both you and your mom!

I am in a stall too!! I lost 22 lbs since my surgery on October 19, and I have been in a stall for a couple of weeks! I may have broken the stall because I don't weigh now so there is no way of knowing! It made me get crazy mad like you did and my fiancé took my scale and put it in the back of his truck lol so I will find out how much or how little I have lost next week at my dr appt !! You are not alone

Thanks for all the kind words everyone! The pain in my chest is a bit better today. Before bed last night I experienced very sharp pain in my right shoulder.. it lasted about an hour. It was so bad that it brought me to tears.... thankfully it didn't last all that long. I've been prescribed liquid codine for the pain and haven't had to take any since 10:30 last night... it's around 5:00 am now (I'm still jet lagged) and I'm getting ready to have my first taste of clear Soup broth. Hoping that my recovery will continue to go smoothly. I'm flying back home tomorrow (about a 3 hour flight) so I'm hoping that I'll be feeling comfortable and don't have any pain sitting on the plane for that long. To anyone who's considering having this done... the first day kind of sucks. But if the way I'm feeling now is any indication of how my recovery will continually progress, I should be back to normal in no time.

i am new here and desperate. I really need help/advice. History: I was banded in Oct. 2005 over the years I was not the ideal patient. I had to reschedule and miss appointments due to not being able to take off work. So, I have not been able to utilize the band to its fullest potential. I could not eat until around 10:30 or after daily. Also I had begun eating tons of ice cream because it went down easily and I love it:( I have lost from 265lbs or so down to 223lbs. Not very much. This is what I need HELP with: In August of 2010 due to the X-ray with Barium my Dr. realized my esphagus had been enlarged. Nothing was going down. Apparently the food I was able to eat was just sitting in my esophagus until acids dissolved it. So, Dr. decided to completely unfill my band. I was supposed to go back in 6 months and have the esophagus checked, unfortunately becasue of work I haven't done so. I know I have been able to eat more food than before, especially ice cream becasue I have gained 24pounds. For the past 72 hours I have been unable to get anything but broth and water down. Today I can barely get the broth or water down. I have to force it down and it hurts. I have been reguritating everything I try to get down from broth and water to ice cream jello and tea. My Dr. doesn't see patients on Fri, and I am wondering what I should do or need to do. am very miserable and tired of hurting.Anu insight you have and will share is greatly appreciated. Amber

Good luck! Sounds like you are doing an awesome job on the pre-diet. I'm 22 and was banded at 19 years old. You are in for a fun ride. At your size you will see amazing results with lap band. I'm excited for you! My uncle had his done when he was pushing 400 lbs and now after 6 years he is at 200lbs and looks too SKINNY. Hope to hear from you after the surgery!

If you want the ultimate Medical Tourist experience go with Dr. Illan's team. They use Florence Hospital- no strip mall.- excellent nurses. He has a Facebook support group- go to Baja Bariatrics to join. This group is very active and will answer all of your questions and cheer you on. My SD was 10/10/13.

I was banded on 8/13/07 and then re-banded on 8/17/07 due to slippage and herniation. I didn't have any complications after that except starting my fills later than most people do. Since about the end of this September (2008) I've been experiencing some vomiting after eating. This was attributed (by my dietitian and surgeon) to not chewing well enough and eating too fast. I took the advice to chew better and slow down. The vomiting was almost instant and the relief was as well. I'm sure that some of you know that feeling of relief when the food isn't stuck anymore. This past week, I had a BAD experience with lunch and was vomiting for almost an hour after only eating a couple of bites of my lunch. It hurt-I had pains in my stomach that I had never had before and I've never vomited more than once after eating a meal and this time it was 3 times. In between vomiting, I had these awful sharp pains that traveled from my stomach up my esophagus and then nothing happened, and I would get another one that started in my stomach and traveled up. I had never experienced this much pain from vomiting before. I was scared, because of my complications so early on-that I decided to contact my surgeon's office. They again said it was from not chewing well enough and/or eating too fast. (This was food that I had tolerated before and not had any problems before that day) They told me to do Clear liquids the rest of the day and if I couldn't keep anything else down or got the sharp pains in my stomach again, that I would need to go to the Emergency room of the hospital that she is in-which is 2 hours from where I live. Luckily, I was able to keep some Soup down for dinner and avoided exercising for the night, just to let my body settle down. The soup made me sick to my stomach, but I think my stomach was just sensitive from the vomiting earlier that day. So needless to say, I didn't have to make the 2 hour trip to the ER. Well, this past weekend, it happened again. I had dinner on Saturday night (leftovers from dinner on Friday night, that I had tolerated fine on Friday night) and this time I had the same thing happen- I felt sick for about 10 minutes before I finally threw it up, then still felt like I needed to vomit again. This time I vomited twice, and it hurt again. The pains in my stomach weren't nearly as bad as they had been during the week when I got sick, but I still felt like it hurt more than it should have. Now I am having pain/discomfort/pressure in my port area. Sometimes I experience discomfort just because it's there and sometimes it's when I'm exercising. I had a fill on 10/14/08 and now have 2.5ccs in a 4cc band. So I am a little over half full. I still don't feel like I am all that restricted, although I have lost quite a bit of weight since surgery (although I am discouraged by losing weight slowly and wish I could lose more) The prospect of needing an "unfill" has come up, but I feel like it's counterproductive to my weight loss. I have to drive 2 hours for everything and I don't want to drive up there again to get Fluid taken out of my band- it's discouraging to think that might be a possibility. Soooo, basically- I am kind of worried because I'm afraid that my band might slip again, or might be slipping, or eroding-or some other BAD thing. I don't think my surgeon would do another band on me, and the idea of having to have surgery again is UNTHINKABLE! I had such a hard time having it twice in one week, I don't think I could do it again. Has ANYONE out there experienced anything like this? To be vomiting at this stage in the game is frustrating because you think it's something would deal with in the beginning-not over a year out. And does anyone know if a band will slip suddenly, or can is slowly slip until it's completely slipped? I know what signs to look for-because I had a slip before and it was absolutely awful. It was right after surgery, so I thought the pain and stuff was normal, until I started to vomit blood-that's when I knew something was wrong. I haven't vomited blood this time, but I'm just paranoid about this. Does anyone have anything for me? Trying to be patient and positive about this...

I had two weeks liver shrinking diet.. consisted of protein bar or shake for bkfst, lunch and lean cuisine for dinner. I dropped 10 lbs. it really wasn't too difficult

BMI has dropped 5.4 points! Lost 31lbs (including what I lost 10 day pre-op diet) Starting weight 252lbs Today's weight 221lbs It's been SO hard and I've struggled with the puréed stage, only 4 more days of it!!! But I've gotten some energy back, I'm sleeping better!!! Can't wait to see what the next 5 weeks has to offer!! Kim

I had my surgery Aug 1....so I am nine days out. I get my Protein shakes in..no problem...I drink Water...sipping and with a straw no problem...I've lost 10 pounds. What I'm confused about is why am I having no problems... everyone else talks about their lactose intolerance or nausea etc. I'm worried my surgery didn't work. I can drink as much as I did BEFORE my surgery..I have ate eggs and mashed potatoes with Isopure Protein powder added. I can't eat but about 5 bites before I feel it so I stop. I'm just scared to death since I have had no problems that my surgery isn't really working...

My doctor said that is what the rumor is...but the straws really only cause extra gas...which I never had a problem with to start with...I've heard it put every way...you just have to go with your gut...after 15 years as an ER nurse...that's the best advice I can give...just finished (push) mowing my half acre yard...many would say don't do that 10 days out...but I know my body..I even went back to work yesterday..just told every one I couldn't lift!!!..,haha I was going crazy at this house!!

Allegedly and according to my Nutritionist, 7-10 day stall is totally normal at the 3-5 week stage. Mine lasted 2.5 weeks. Bounced around .02 and .07 of a kilo repeatedly. Don't freak.. Your break will come..

My doctor didn't specify an amount I needed to loose before surgery. My liquid diet was strictly to shrink my liver. Any weight I lost during that time was a bonus. 19 pounds is good. That's a lot of weight. Don't get too bent on "is this enough", because then all your progress won't feel like enough. Trust me I've been there. Everyone is different. But you're doing good!

Hi Clv I had my surgery 10/3/08 - I also drink Isopure - they have 40 grams of protein and they come in different flavors, punch, rasberry, applemelon, pineapple, etc. There are also NEW WHEY bullets. They are 3 oz, 42 grams of protein. They are also different fruit flavored. You can get them at health food stores, GNC, etc. Hope this helps.