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Today is one week since I was banded and I can't believe how easy it has been thus far. My surgeon requires 30 - 35 days of clear liquid fasting, I can't believe that I have this much energy on broths and water, the odd dash of cranberry juice. I feel great. I am wondering how the heck I am going to make it to day 30 or anywhere near that. But as a dear banded friend of mine said, we can give up anything for the short term and we must do the best to give our bands the best chance. Much like what we had to do when we got pregnant, giving up alcohol and such. Anyway entering week 2. Very glad I have this place to come, to get inspired and read everyone else's story. Cheers Paula

OMG, I forgot to respond to everyone's replies. I actually get this..like every 2 to 4 weeks it seems. The first 2 times was before I had healed very much (I'm...7 weeks out now?)...and I got so dehydrated I was sent to hospital for a long duration of IV fluids. They also gave me some meds for abdominal pain/cramping (I had already taken the 2 different meds my surgeon had prescribed for this and he prescribed Tramadol as well, but Tramadol does nothing for me). When the 'meds' I had at home were not enough to suffice and after hours of enduring the agony, I actually did call dr both times. That 1st hospital visit also gave me some type of pain relief but I have no clue what it was. It was not what I had on hand, nor was it a heavy duty narcotic. The 2nd time I had this kind of pain I was sent to another facility to drink soapy water (I was only a few weeks out and it was one of worst things I've ever had to try to drink, esp with being not even 1 month past operation. Scan showed no leaks, etc. The 3rd time, I was told to go back to hospital I had scan at. Was kept overnight. Was in awful pain. Scan done again and only thing they could see this time was that my esophagus tended to spasm which answered question of why I felt my throat and 'restriction' were locking down sometimes after even a small mouthful of water. Only thing the hospital offered me for pain relief was IV tramadol. I didn't even pay attention as I was so completely miserable..I just noticed that I had NO pain relief during the 15 hrs I was @ hospital, unlike 1st one i went to where they gave me something that helped. THUS, I have resolved to NOT go back to a hospital I do not let my dr know any more when I have these..episodes? It seems the ONLY test that can be run during these horrid events is just the soap drink/check your GI tract/pouch? No thank you. If I am going to spend almost a full day ((or what ends up being a full day out of commission), with no way to even take the edge off the pain..then I'll stay home and keep trying to get through it. I don't know if it is the dang opioid crisis or what, but my prescription history shows i do not take ANY pain pills as a general rule. They just are usually not worth it. They could check previous hospitalizations and see that 90% of the time I turn down heavy duty pain meds and opt for 'less powerful' pain meds (tylenol, etc. and no, not tylenol with anything added). That is why 10 days ago...on what I now see was the 4th time to have the exact same symptoms I just posted here. I should have given the backstory.... My fingers are crossed that I never have another episode again! If i do though, I'm just staying here. It hurts enough that if I could drink alcohol and IF that even helped anything, I MAYBE would do so...but that is not my preferred way to handle things.

This is me hugging you (((susan))) Beth. I feel very strongly about this issue, obviously. Having so much personal experience of the pain that even seemingly non malicous comments that can be made. I think I just wanted people to know that they do hurt people. What she said offended me, but I'm used to it...I did get through my coming out. It is the people who live their whole lives miserable because they can't stand who they are because of the things they have been taught, and the boy who kills himself because he can't deal with the fact that he is gay when his church teaches him he is evil and will burn in hell, I get upset because of the drug and alcohol use in the gay community- especially in the south- because they are taught to hate themselves. That God hates them. I know that I came across harsh, but you can't be nice about things like that. Or at least I can't about this particular issue. It's too dear to me.

Haydee and laura, so excited for you both....2 lil beebee girls..went out for dinner and had 2 margies...and enchiladas...yummmm-hopefully we get to stop for lunch when we get by my sisters' for a margie lunch...omg..am I becoming an alcoholic??? Saw a pic of Kat on FB-did she go to wedding too??/ Curious...was wondering if any contact was made with the "others". Ok, going to bed, gonna be on the road early --allegedely....:redface:

I have a caution for you on drinking. Prior to surgery, I drank pretty rarely, but took Vicodin for back pain twice a month. Since surgery, if I take pain meds or drink alcohol, I get jittery and agitated. The last time I had a glass of wine, my friend was talking to me on the phone and noticed it in my voice. He suggested maybe it was the result of the extra estrogen from losing so much fat. I did some searching online, and it turns out alcohol can suddenly raise estrogen levels by quite a bit (like double), and too much estrogen can make you anxious and jittery. It isn't too horrible, but it makes me avoid drinking. The calories never affected my weight loss. Have fun on your vacation!!

Alcohol goes down just gr8 for me no diffent to b4 the band, when i stopped drinking it made no difference to how much weight i lost.

I completely eliminated alcohol almost three weeks ago. It hasn't affected my weight yet but I feel better about my choice. I made a fill appointment today with my NP for next Tuesday. I did join the Divorce Care group and tonight is the third session. It does help, so far. My second wedding anniversary after moving out is coming up next week as well. Seems like my life is in a holding pattern. Can't lose the weight I want, can't complete the divorce. There must be a lesson in here somewhere. Anyway. This next fill is going to be tricky. I get stuck more often these days, but my hunger has been coming back after three hours. It used to be 4 or 5 hours between hunger pangs. I sure hope I don't go too tight and mess things up. I've been wearing the same size clothes for a year. I guess that's a good thing, right? I just wish the clothes were a couple of sizes smaller.

Miper - I'm not sure the objective is to feel full, so much as it should be to feel not hungry. If you can eat your meal and stop before feeling full, then that's great! Don't be in a big hurry to get cinched down tight. That can cause serious problems in the long run. Some of you may have already read this but I'll post it again for those who haven't. <TT>How to Tell When You Are Perfectly Adjusted You are losing 1-2 pounds per week. If you are not losing 1-2 pounds per week: A. You may need an eating adjustment 1. Are you eating 60 grams of protein a day 2. Are you eating 25 grams of fiber 3. Are you avoiding all liquid calories a. Soup can be sign of “soft calorie syndrome” b. Alcohol contains a lot of calories – 7 calories per gram (1) It’s also a stomach irritant c. Fruit juice is just sugar water 4. Are you making healthy food choices from a wide variety of foods? a. Are you avoiding soft foods b. You can’t just eat what’s easy c. Cheese is glorified fat 5. Are you drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day between meals 6. Are you eating too much junk a. Chips, chocolate, nuts, ice cream, cookies and other highly processed junk foods are too calorically dense to be regular parts of a healthy diet. But don’t avoid them completely to the point where you feel deprived. b. Stay out of fast food places 7. Are you getting in two servings of calcium daily 8. Do you always eat the protein first 9. Then the vegetables or fruits a. Five servings a day b. Potatoes are NOT a vegetable 10. Is your portion size appropriate? a. Meat or fish (1) 3 ounces – the size of a deck of cards b. Vegetables (1) ½ cup – the size of your fist c. Starch (1) If you eat the protein and the vegetables first you don’t need much (2) Avoid: rice, potatoes, pasta 11. You might try avoiding artificial sweeteners a. Some people think that artificial sweeteners stimulate the appetite b. They are HUNDREDS of times sweeter than sugar c. They teach you to like things too sweet d. There is no evidence that people who use them are any thinner than people who don’t 12. Avoid most diet foods a. Real food usually tastes better b. Real food is more satisfying than low calorie substitutes c. When you are only eating a tiny bit the caloric savings is not that great (1) Use a teaspoon of real butter instead of a tablespoon of diet margarine (2) The body has no way to break down artificial fats a. They may go into permanent storage b. Some people think liposuction is the only way to remove hydrolyzed fats from the body </TT> <TT>B. You may need a behavior adjustment</TT> <TT>1. Are you eating only when you are hungry? a. If you’re not sure drink 8 ounces of water and wait. 2. Are you eating three meals a day? a. With maybe 1 or 2 small snacks 3. Are you sitting down to eat? 4. Are you eating consciously? a. No distractions, turn off the TV, put the book or newspaper away, pay attention to your food and your companions 5. Are you eating slowly? a. Put the fork down between bites b. Take 20 to 30 minutes to finish a meal c. Taking longer might cause the pouch to begin emptying 6. Are you taking small bites? a. Tiny spoon, chopsticks, cocktail fork 7. Are you chewing well? 8. Are you drinking with your meals or too soon after your meals? a. Practice water loading between meals b. You won’t be thirsty if you are well hydrated before the meal 9. Are you stopping at the first sign of fullness? a. Sometimes it’s a whisper: not hungry, had enough b. Hard stop versus soft stop 10. Do not eat between meals. Stop grazing. 11. Do not eat when you are not hungry</TT> <TT></TT> <TT>C. You may need an activity adjustment</TT> <TT>1. Are you getting in 30 minutes of physical activity at least 3 times a week? a. Over and above what you would do in the usual course of your day b. Could you make it 4 or 5 times a week? c. Could you make it 45 or 60 minutes? 2. Are you taking advantage of opportunities to increase your physical activity? a. Taking the stairs instead of the elevators or escalators b. Walking on the escalators instead of riding c. Parking your car further away from the entrance d. Getting out of the car instead of using the drive through e. Getting off the bus one stop before your destination f. Washing you car by hand instead of the car wash g. Playing with your kids</TT> <TT></TT> <TT>D. You may need an attitude adjustment</TT> <TT>1. Are you committed to your weight loss journey? 2. Are you totally honest with yourself about how much you are eating and exercising? a. Log your food and activity on ww.fitday.com for 3 days 3. Are you using food inappropriately to deal with emotional issues? a. Have you identified what the emotions are that drive your eating? b. Can you think of more appropriate ways to deal with those emotions? c. Are you willing to seek help from a qualified counselor? 4. Are you attending and participating in support group meetings? 5. Have you drummed up some support from your family and friends? 6. Have you dealt with saboteurs realistically? 7. Do you have realistic expectations about the weight loss journey? 8. Are you still obsessing about food, weight, dieting, eating? a. Obsessive – compulsive thoughts (1) Obsess about something else b. Perfectionism (1) All or none, black and white thinking c. Patience with the pace of healthy weight loss 9. Are you acknowledging your successes with non-food rewards? 10. Have you learned how to take a compliment? 11. Are you giving up diet mentality? a. Stop weighing yourself several times a day or every day b. Stop dieting c. Stop depriving yourself d. Stop defining food as “good” and “bad” e. Stop rewarding and punishing yourself with food 12. How do you feel about all the changes taking place?</TT> <TT></TT> <TT>E. You may need a band adjustment</TT> <TT>1. You feel like you are making healthy food choices in appropriate portion sizes but getting hungry between meals? 2. You can still eat white bread, fibrous vegetables and large portions. 3. You are having to struggle to lose 4. You are gaining weight in spite of eating right, exercising and having a good mind set.</TT> <TT></TT> <TT>F. You may need your band loosened</TT> <TT>1. There are times when you can’t get fluids down 2. You are vomiting too much a. How much is too much? 3. Do you have frequent reflux or heartburn at night? a. Do not lie flat or bend over soon after eating b. Do not eat late at night or just before bedtime c. Rinse your pouch with a glass or water an hour before bedtime d. Certain foods or drinks are more likely to cause reflux: (1) Rich, spicy, fatty and fried foods (2) Chocolate (3) Caffeine (4) Alcohol (5) Some fruits and vegetables a. Oranges, lemons, tomatoes, peppers (6) Peppermint a. Baking soda toothpaste (7) Carbonated drinks e. Eat slowly and do not eat big meals f. If you smoke, quit smoking g. Reduce stress h. Exercise promotes digestion i. Raise the head of your bed j. Wear loose fitting clothing around your waist k. Stress increases reflux l. Take estrogen containing medications in the morning m. Avoid aspirin, Aleve and ibuprofen at bedtime (1) Tylenol is OK n. Take an antacid (Pepcid complete) before retiring o. Try other over-the-counter heartburn medications p. See your health care provider 4. See your health care provider immediately (or call 911) if a. You have a squeezing, tightness or heaviness in your chest, especially if the discomfort spreads to your shoulder, arm or jaw or is accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, irregular or fast heartbeat or nausea. These could be symptoms of a heart attack. b. If your symptoms are triggered by exercise. c. If your pain localizes to your right side, especially if you also have nausea or fever d. If you throw up vomit that looks like black sand or coffee grounds. Or if your stool is black, deep red or looks like it has tar in it. These are symptoms of bleeding and need immediate attention.</TT> <TT>(Note: Pepto-Bismol or other medications with bismuth will turn your stool black. Iron supplements can also make the stool tarry.) e. If your pain is severe</TT>

Can't really vouch for post band, but I'm a long time low carber and my goal was always 20-30 after subtracting fiber/sugar alcohols (aka net carbs). that was being very strict, tho. Most of my carbs would come from vegetables or quest bars

I have not personally experienced this, but I have heard divorce rates are high for people who have WLS. However, it sounds like you dodged a bullet! We don't need an abundance of food and alcohol to have fun!

14th September here. There's no pre-op diet for me other than one day of clear liquids on the 13th and NPO the 14th, but I've been weaning myself off caffeine, sugar, and alcohol and reducing the intake so that I don't go from, say, 2,700 calories a day to 300 overnight. Hungry but not as hungry as I thought I would be. Covid test is tomorrow (seems odd given that it's still 2.5 weeks until surgery), labs and scans Monday, pre-op meeting is 2nd September.

Hi-- Thanks for all your great suggestions! So far, I have: scheduled time off work started sampling sources of Protein including drinks spent time reading online threads purchased a new scale that is accurate! sorted out my closet/drawers by size in to totes purchased a "Wii Fit" and "Walk Away the Pounds" DVD picked out my loose clothes for surgery day purchased Gas-X strips, chewable Vitamins, liquid tylenol switched my prevacid presciption to a chewable What I NEED to do (that I know now): stock up on protein drinks/liquids/mushies switch over my anti-depressant as I know it is too big (I'm praying my voltarin is a size I can take!) practice eating differently start my high protein/low carb diet eliminate alcohol and soft drinks do my measurements/weigh in/pic Hmmm...that's all I can think of now. Enjoy your day!

Well Hello everyone, we are fast coming up on our 1 year surgiversary and I came in to check to see how everyone is doing. As for myself I'm glad to see that I'm not alone. My weight loss is very slow and I have been at a weight plateau for about 3 months now. Like a lot of you though my inches seem to be going down and I am back into a lot of my dresses that I was wearing the last time I lost a good amount of weight BL (before lapband) . I had an appt last friday to get another fill. I think that would have been my 4th or 5th not sure but I cancelled it because when I went for a fill at the beginning of June I had not lost anything and my Dr accused me of eating cake and ice cream (slider foods) I was a little miffed because I'm not a sweet eater at all. Why do people including these weight loss surgery Dr's think that if your overweight you must be sitting on the couch eating Bon-Bons with empty ice cream containers around you? I'm at a point where I can't eat much at all but I do eat the wrong things sometimes like I will eat fried shrimp. I can only eat about 3 or 4 at a time but it would be better to have the shrimp grilled or steamed and I eat late sometimes and I'm not shy about having a drink now and again and I know for a fact that alcohol stalls my losses and bloats me. So I take responsibility for my slow loss. I plan to make an appt to get my next fill just before my 1 year surgiversary which will be on 8/16. Hoping that I can bite the bullet now and at least lose another 10 lbs before then bringing me to my halfway point. I'm disappointed because I wanted to be like those star WLS peeps that lose 100lbs in a year but I guess I will be like what the lap band research says that will lose 1/2 their excess weight the first year. Wishing everyone continued success.

My surgeon was very frank about the reasons to not go with the band, the biggest reason being its too hard to cheat and has the lowest long term success rate. Basically no matter how filled you are you can still get fat if you transfer addiction toward alcohol or milkshakes. Either way, my decision was based on the long term information on the procedures and was not ready to remove part of my stomache.

Been on this forum a while....I did leave for a while, about a year....it started to get to me and I had enough. When I first had my surgery, and found this site, (Lapband Talk)...there were many veterans I considered my mentors, and followed their personal testimony's with interest... But they are all gone......left. I noticed there are many other people who are doing well that just "Drop off the Radar"...did they have a major setback? Failure? Speaking from own feelings, I don't think so......bottom line, successful people simply do not fit in here, and don't have much in common....other than once upon a time they were beginners also. *****I am 100% successful...lost ALL possible weight. *****I finished this weight loss journey...done ...completed...reached my destination with a new life, a new outlook on what and how I eat, along with a love of exercise.... *****I have no hunger, no cravings, could care less about food or eating...a complete reversal from pre-surgery days. *****I will never Diet again, I eat what I want, NOT avoiding life's pleasures such as ice cream, Beer/alcohol, chips, etc, etc. *****I have no fear of overeating, the band sees to that...I have tried to overeat and find it impossible...does not matter where I'm at, vacation, a party, holiday dinner, venues may change but my surgery is a constant..... *****As a person with Lap band surgery, I cannot comprehend the notion of "Getting off track"....or the need to re-focus and start over....as long as the band does not have any issues,. I have NO FEAR of ever gaining the weight back! ******I have NEVER had a single issue with my band...the beginning "learning Phase" was tough, VERY Tough...but once that was past, it has been the EASIEST thing I could have ever done.....I don't even think about it! Bottom line, ALL my medical issues ( and there were many) have all been reversed or gone....I did have a heart attack, and that damage to the heart muscle is permanent..but tests show new arteries have branched out by-passing the damaged one... I can on and on...... Having said all the above, sounds pretty good, right? YET...in a environment of negativity, I'm the odd ball here....I'm the one who has to make excuses...TOTALLY out of sync. So why stick around? Because of all the negativity I feel SOMEONE has to stay in place and show people that this can and does work.... YET, by simply sharing your own life story, it hurts other people's feelings? They feel bullied??? It's no wonder successful veterans move on. It got to me once and I left for a while, and it's starting to get to me again... I see patients and families everyday in Clinic who are experiencing catastrophic medical situations, 10 times worse than anyone here is experiencing...(best of my knowledge) and I deal in Pediatrics so I see kids as early as 12 months old, whose lives will never be easy..... and yet I do not find anywhere as near, if any, negativity as is found on this forum.... It's crazy....either you want it or you don't....

Sorry, he's right. The Band won't follow the Bander rules for you, keep you from putting the wrong things in your mouth, or keep you from eating too much...only you can do those things and you'll have to in order to lose the weight. It takes a great deal of committment. The only thing the Band will do for you is help take the hunger away between meals. BTW-I started out with a similar BMI and although I've been very successful and committed to many diets in the past, this WL has required even more committment. It was easier for me to follow a diet plan and only eat certain foods...it's much harder to make an entire lifestyle change where no food is off limits...and even harder to have to finally deal with the head hunger and food issues that got me fat to begin with. For me, any WL surgery is like an alcoholic hitting bottom...you have to be ready and committed to make the changes or you'll fail. I'd be asking myself how ready am I to do what it takes? Good luck on your decision...if you decide to do this, we're all here for you and will help you through! -BG

Maybe a direct irritant effect of concentrated alcohol on your stomach lining? I do drink alcohol (one year out from my sleeve) but it's mainly wine (11% as opposed to the 40% in spirits) and luckily I haven't had any ill effects. Also, as Old Salt says - new food intolerances aren't uncommon after bariatric surgery. Might be worth changing around the type of whiskey that you drink to check whether another might suit you better!

Alcohol should definitely not be in the pre-op diet. Alcohol is known to cause liver inflammation that lasts up to a couple of weeks.

Hey girl! I feel you. My surgeon told me no alcohol for 6 months but seems it's because of calories rather than safety. I'm 7 weeks out and I've tried wine, beer and liquor (I've told y'all I'm a rule breaker....but I'm 100% honest with my support group and medical team) and beer was by far the worst. I mean two drinks and I was hurting.... thik it's the carbonation. Wine and liquor I did fine with but I'm VERY careful about the amount and I drink extra water. Good luck!

not at goal yet. first 20lbs pretty much flew off but after that i had to work my butt off lol. work out 3 to 5 days a week. always do cardio and then some weights. try not to eat sugar, carbs, caffeine or alcohol. i cheat a little here and there but mostly i stay on track. can't over eat cuz....well cuz i can't so that's good lol. original goal weight was 160 but now i'm thinking of going to 150 or even 140. i'm in a loose 12 right now. would like to see what it's like to be in single digit size! good luck everyone. SW: 232 CW: 165 Goal: Not sure!

My condolences. Did your friends death help you to choose the VSG vs the Bypass? Thank you, and yes. Even though I can rationalize the ultimate end to their lives was not directly caused by the bypass, I know there are enough links that for them, the bypass was related to their deaths. Their situations certainly contributed to my choice for VSG because I knew I wouldn't have the same absorption changes that they had, and that probably contributed to the alcoholism that led to their deaths. They both had some initial complications with their bypasses, and instead of getting the issues corrected, they chose to "cope" and self-medicate with alcohol, and their lives completely spiraled out of control. They didn't realize things would get so bad so fast, but Denise in particular couldn't keep food down (vomiting + dumping constantly), so a drink or two would hit her brain hard and fast. Wes began having seizures after his bypass, so he lost his job, went on disability, etc. His situation felt very hopeless, so he chose alcohol where Denise just kind of stumbled into it. Anyway, all of that to say that they bypass by itself did not kill them, but there is a long link back to it, and their situations contributed to my having the VSG done not once, but twice. (My initial surgeon left behind fundus in my original sleeve surgery, and when I sought help to have that complication corrected by a new surgeon, he suggested retorting my intestines and turning the pouch that had formed into a bypass. After thinking hard again about Denise and Wes and the slippery slope they ended up on, I said, "No thanks. Please just fix my sleeve," which he did one month ago.) The bypass is great and it works for so many people, but the devastation it caused for my friend was enough to make me say no to it. Since in the end, the weight loss results are pretty similar for VSG and bypass (bypass loss starts faster, but they seem to even out over time), the choice was easy for me. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I plateaued for 7 months. I joined Weight Watchers 1 week ago and lost 5 lbs my first week. I follow the core program which is high protein, fruit and vegies. I get approximately 3k calories a week extra for alcohol or whatever. I really like the program and it works. You should give it a try if you are plateaued. How many calories a day do you eat?

Hi kakatalady612 thank you for responding! I have not given up coffee but I have given up alcohol and sugary carbs and potato chips...pretty much most of the things that got me to this point. I just had a "Boost" protein drink for lunch. I hope you get your date soon, I feel like the only weirdo getting sleeved in March. I work for a University so I had to shoot for spring break to take two weeks off. I hope to lose a little weight before surgery as well, that would be nice. My husband takes all of that Omeprazole stuff, if he doesn't his stomach goes CRAZY. I hope to have us both eating much healthier after my surgery.

With my surgeons blessing I tried alcohol just recently (4.5 months out) keeping in mind that it is empty calories. My preferred drink was rum and Diet Coke so I had rum and crystal light. Well, it tasted so bad that I couldn’t even get it down fast enough to get a buzz. So for me, knowing that I was just drinking a ton of empty calories that tasted bad, it wasn’t even worth it. But no, it definitely did not hit me harder or faster??

Anyone have alcohol intolerance after surgery? I had bypass and the few times I’ve drank vodka now (a common drink pre-surgery) I get very itchy all over my body.