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I also had an adjustment in December and I didn't feel any difference until last week. Mine always take at least 2 weeks to a month before i can tell. I received .1 and as of Friday I feel like I'm back in the green zone. Good luck! If you feel like you're too tight definitely let your doctor know.

For some people, it can take up to a month to feel the effects of a fill. It has always taken a minimum of 2 weeks for me. Inability to tolerate food and heartburn is a definite sign that you are too tight. Your doc/surgeon will likely suggest a small unfill.

Same as above a slept in a recliner but I did it for 3 weeks as I am a side sleeper normally and would not have handled that (I tried after 1.5 weeks and went back to the recliner)

Im was just sleeved on 12/21 which is onky 2 weeks ago. However, i am 5'8 and started at 280. Between preoo and post op i am now 240. Ive lost 40 pounds in 4 weeks total. Sent from my SM-G935P using the BariatricPal App

Awesome! I'm at less than a week now, I'm the 20th! I'm super excited and a smidge nervous now. Doubt I'll sleep well Sunday night, in a hotel room too. Driving clear across AR to have it done, and don't fancy being up at 4am for a drive only to have it done, then drive 3 hours back the same day so we're going over on Sunday, finding the hospital, and relaxing before the big day! I've been on the diet since the 1st and haven't weighed in about a week and a half. I refuse. LOL I hope your poison ivy gets all cleared up and good luck!

I saw a doctor other than my surgeon for maintenance, who said he'd remove all Fluid and measure it before putting any more in it. Knowing is important because it let's you and your doctor know how much of an adjustment can be made. Sadly, I had to go back to my surgeon for a fill, and, without knowing what was in my band, he added more. I haven't been able to keep food down, barely keeping liquids down, and I'm going back to get out of this red zone. Luckily, because it's within a week of my fill, they aren't charging for another one. I always wondered what would be the big deal if your band was too tight, you'd just lose weight faster. Uh uh. It's miserable. I can burp up Water, can't even keep down liquidy mashed potatoes. It's been almost a week of this, and i don't think he'll could be worse... Be informed, know what works, and encourage your doctor to do the same. Or find another one.

Tomorrow will be two weeks post op and today I started my mushy phase. I was excited and nervous. Made myself a scrambled egg with a little 2% cheddar cheese on it. I was able to eat the whole thing, chewing slowly in about 15 minutes. It felt different going down than the shakes and liquids did, but it sure was yummy!! My stomach feels full, it feels a little different than it did after the shakes or broth. I am just sitting down for a while letting it settle before I drink some unsweetened ice tea with unflavored Protein in it and take my walk. I was expecting to only be able to eat half of the egg though?? I am not worried though, I am quite happy that I was able to eat it ok. I am going to try turkey and swiss rolled up for lunch and then the ricotta bake for dinner. We will see how the rest of the day goes. And of course in between I will be drinking my Water. I am just so blessed and happy that my recovery has gone the way it has so far. I only had trouble with one Protein shake I tried not sitting well with me, (but I didn't throw up) other than that all the shakes and Soups went down really well. I find I can drink my water at more reasonable rate, I don't have to take such little sips anymore. That I like. So I am hoping in this next phase I do as well. Come on Sherman (that is what my daughter named my new stomach) together we can do this!!

This makes sense for me today then - I ate tuna salad - noodles are carbs and therefore I wasn't filled like when I eat cottage cheese. Now I know!! I have been trying to figure out why I ate it three times today at about 1+ cups per time! I have not been having any bread, pasta, sugar, etc. and I've been fine, but today I felt like I was "bad"!! I didn't like that feeling at all. Plus I had 1/2 size oriental chicken salad from Applebee's last night and for something that used to be my absolute favorite thing, it wasn't that good! It was the first time I had eaten salad since my banding, too. Boy, you learn something new every day This board is awesome for advice

I am such a slacker with updating. I'm so busy trying to get everything taken care of before surgery, but I know I'm going to regret not being able to look back on these posts! My surgery date is 11/6.:scared2: I'm still kind of in shock that I'm getting banded in 10 days! I originally started looking into the band last year, so it's crazy to me that I'm actually going to get one now. I had my preop appointment yesterday. I told Sue I was a nervous wreck even though the surgery is so far away, but she said that she would be worried if I wasn't worried. That makes me feel a lot better. I found out that Aetna will pay for an overnight stay. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I understand it's better to be there in case something happens but I would much rather be miserable at home. At least at the Reston Hospital all the rooms are private. I love my boyfriend so much.:wub: He's going to spend the night with me there b/c he knows I'm upset that I have to stay. We only live 5 minutes from the hospital and it's kinda silly for him to stay, but I appreciate it! I've been buying supplies like a fiend. I've decided that none of the protein shakes are good so I'm going to stop wasting my money. They're all either milky, chalky, smelly, or something. I only have a 7 day preop diet, so I'll just drink what I have and deal with it. The only thing left on my list to buy (for the moment) is pajamas. I am SO not wandering around the hospital with my butt hanging out of that gown! I'm most confused about the financing part. I called Aetna, and she said my out-of-network out-of-pocket maximum is $2000 + $300 deductible. I don't think insurance covers the $2500 program fee from my doctor's office though. So I took out a Care Credit loan for $5000 and hopefully that will be enough. I have yet to see a bill from anyone but if I show up for surgery and everyone is expecting a check I want to be prepared! I'm also confused about the short-term disability at work. Does anyone else work for Booz Allen Hamilton? I know they cover it, but the process is a little weird. I plan to take 2 weeks off b/c the environment is very dramatic on client-site and if I'm grumpy, hungry and in pain, I won't be able to grin and bear it as well as I do now! I start the preop diet on 11/30 which is messed up b/c I can't have any Halloween candy (but my boyfriend and I already ate a couple bags we bought a few weeks ago, so I guess I'll be fine. ). I'm not too concerned about the liquids, I'll do what I have to do to make it easy on my surgeon, but I am worried about the headaches. I've done other diets and the drastic change in calories gives me ridiculous headaches. I think Sue said tylenol was the only pain killer I can take. I'll call and confirm that. It's lunchtime so I need to figure out what to go get. I know this sounds weird, but it's almost a relief that I'm going to be on liquids. It's so exhausting for me to decide where to go, what to get, what size, etc everyday for lunch and try to eat healthily, then hate myself when I just end up getting a burger and fries.

I started writing this 2 days ago. I am suck a slacker! I can't believe I had LAP-BAND® surgery 5 days ago! :confused: Hospital: I had my surgery at the Reston Hospital. The pre-op staff was great. They kept me mildly entertained and tried to tell jokes to keep my mind off everything. My boyfriend almost fainted when they were trying to find a vein for the IV. It took them 3 tries but they finally found one (Apparently I have small, rolling veins...). After the anesthesiologist and Dr Robert Pinnar came in and left. I had about 10 minutes alone with my boyfriend before they wheeled me out. Those were the worst 10 minutes ever! Tears just started leaking out of my eyes. They wheeled me into the operating room, asked me to move over to the other bed, and I don't remember anything after that. I am disappointed with the post op nurses b/c no one seemed to know anything! They'd bring me some pills, I'd ask if this pill was too big and she'd be like "hold on, I'll go ask". Then she'd come back an hour later for her rounds, I'd ask if I could take the pill, and she'd just say 'yes' with no further explanation. I don't think any of them were familiar with bariatric surgery. In the morning, I waiting around for 3 hours for some Dr to come and discharge me. Eventually a nurse came in and said I could be discharged. I told her that the Dr never even came in and saw me! She just said to sign the papers, take my prescriptions and I could leave. So basically I was waiting around for nothing. Pain: From some of the stories here, I was expecting to be in excruciating pain. I guess I am lucky. I really haven't been in any pain. :confused: When I woke up in post-op, my incisions were stinging but that's the most pain I've felt. Since then it's been mostly discomfort and pressure under my diaphragm and gas. I spent the first night in the hospital and asked for the IV pain meds only when I was trying to go to sleep b/c I just couldn't seem to get comfortable. I took the percocets the next two nights when I came home. I probably didn't need them, but get into bed and trying to shove pillows around and get comfortable was a little painful. Scars: I think my scars are going to completely disappear. They look great already. one weird thing: my port is in the middle above my belly button! I thought everyone had theirs to the right btwn their waist and bust? I'll ask my Dr about this at my post op appt. I'll put pictures in an album. Overall, I'm mostly just tired. I've slept 10 hour nights for the last few days. I'm a little bored, but I'm glad I took off two weeks from work. There's no way I could make the 45 minute commute and my temper is still a little short b/c I want more than crappy protein shakes!

Hi, I'm 11 days post-op and am supposed to still be on liquids until day 14, but the boredom was so bad, I've been eating small amounts of mushy food. I'm then supposed to have puree for the next 2 weeks, which sounds like overkill, especially as if you are eating soft foods and chewing intensly, it's all going to be pureed by the time it gets to your stomach. I'm about to check out the recipes section here; I cant believe my luck to find this site, as I havent found one for us here in Australia.

What are the signs of a stretched pouch? Are there anyone out there feel like their pouch is stretched and if so how many weeks or months out?

I am 18 months post op and am so depressed because I am not loosing. I don't have any energy I have no will to do any of my exercises I am taking my Vitamins and b12 I am traveling every week for work, which then I start falling back into bad habits-even though I am conscious of it...arrgghhh Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm hoping to get back to the gym in the next week. It's been way longer for me since I've been in the gym due to health problems, but looking forward to getting back into it. NSAIDS are definitely a no-go anymore. There's way to much risk in getting an ulcer post-op. It sucks because I loved my ibuprofen as well. Tylenol will hopefully help a little. Stretching and hot showers used to help me get through it. DOMS is a b!tch...lol

I'm the exact same way with muscle loss. I used to lift off and on, and I've never been this weak. The number 1 thing to deal with the soreness is to keep working out. Once you get used to it, the DOMS will only be bad when you increase intensity. My first week back, I hurt all over. After that, only bothers after a major workout, and it's never as bad as it was at first.

I think the band will help you in that when you are not hungry, your body is burning fat. Hunger pangs make the body hold on to whatever it has and then it starts taking what it needs from your muscles - not existing fat cells. Jump start your metabolism by drinking a Protein Shake not more than 20 minutes after you get up in the morning - I do 2 scoops (52g) and I don't need to eat anymore for several hours. I don't like eating very much either, which is really how I got in this mess to begin with. I'd rather not eat or have junk food, but when I'm full of protein, I'm giving my body what it needs and I'm not hungry for junk. You'll do fine! Try muscle milk...its almost like drinking chocolate or banana (my favorite) milk, but without the dairy! It's a bit pricey in ready to serve bottles, but if that's a meal for you then it's actually less than you would spend eating out and you're just as full. It also helps you to feel stronger almost immediately. I've been doing this for just 1 week and I've already lost 2 lbs and I haven't "starved" yet. Just pay attention to what your body is telling you and try not to feel hunger pangs - when you do, your body is essentially turning to your muscles for sustainence - not your fat cells.

I'm 4 weeks post op and had my first drink on Friday nite, a Smirnof Ice. It was before a meal. Honestly, I didn't feel anything. I've heard that you feel it sooner but never felt a thing.

good luck it gets alot easier. make sure you get your Protein and fluids in. the first 2 stages of not eating anything solid gets old quick but its only for a couple of weeks. i was sleeved on 12/11 and start my regular diet on 1/6. looking forward to some chicken. in the first couple of days i would mix my Water with no sugar added juice it helped with taste and made getting my Fluid intake in alot easier.

Fluids are more important than calories right now. All fluids count, not just water. Try some Gator Ade...it has electrolytes and some sugar to help give you a boost. Little meals eaten frequently is the key, but as long as you can get fluids in, don't sweat the nutrients too much right now. Your body has a store of nutrients that would take a few weeks to deteriorate significantly. Sip, sip, sip!

I would be very careful with drinking so soon after your surgery. If you are eating mushy foods, a glass of wine might be all right. I wouldn't try it on an empty stomach, though. Your system probably won't tolerate as much alcohol as before surgery and it might still be extra sensitive. As far as drinking later on, it is not prohibited, but can irritate your stomach. The one thing that I held on to as long as possible was the early committment to eat right and follow my new banding plan. I hadn't even tried eating bread or noodles until this past month. (I am 4 months out.) Keeping that initial motivation going as long as possible has been very successful for me. Now that I have given myself permission to try more foods and treat myself occassionally, I have to fight the temptation to over indulge. Take it step-by-step and you will do fine with all the new choices you will need to make in the weeks to come.

So I am meeting with nutritionist and psych on same day this week. I am nervous since I am 1 yr out of an abusive marriage and I was honest about stress and the feeling of depression on the questionnaire. I have never felt any self pitty and I have always tried to remain strong for my 10 yr old daughter. I firmly believe my faith has driven me and the leaving him was the BEST choice for my little one and I. But now I am afraid the psych might say, the lap band is no good for me...someone please advise what the psych eval may consist of...

I find my band extremely touchy if I go a long time without eating. It gets very tight. It might be as simple as that. Try to get some nutritious liquids down a bit more often during the day perhaps. You do get random tightness too, you'll learn your band is not usually the same from one day or week to the next.

I'm also three days post op and like you also miserable. I haven't come close to my daily Protein or liquid totals but what I have been doing is sipping, sipping, sipping at Water and my Isopure whenever I think about it even during the night. You don't want dehydration at this early stage. Just keep it simple for now. And my doctor cautioned against using straws as this adds air to your stomach with each sip. Good luck! My diet program can be found under http://www.kp.org/misg Go to bariatric surgery > patient resources

I had a kidney infection the week before and they just administered additional antibiotics, but find reschedule the surgery . Sent from my iPhone using RNYTalk

I get it...I'm actually quite excited about missing work for a few weeks. It will be nice to relax! Even if it is while recovering... I am lucky in that my family is quite supportive. I've even told a few people at work and most of my friends, so I feel very supported. Rely on us if you don't have people you can talk to in person! I feel like people don't always get it right away, but I've been trying to explain to people how I came to this decision, and most all of them are on board now...As far as my goals go, if I lose the 90 that I listed, I'll be a tiny version of myself. Lol. I would be completely thrilled losing 60 or so...so we're kind of on the same page, although I have a little farther to go than you. :frown1: What's your biggest fear/concern with all of this?