how to maintain after surgery

[Eishiba 0]

My girlfriend has had the lapband surjury done. Its been 6 months now and she has a 8 cc band and has about 3-4 cc's so far. She just went and got another cc. She hardly eats anything and what she does it usually throws it up. For example last satruday she tried some breakfest, took three bites, and it was back up 10 minutes later. That was about noon. Come about 7 or 8 at night she had a piece of cherry cheese cake(which is very yummy by the way) and ate about half of it. That was one day. Even before she got the last cc when she ate she was always getting sick. I know getting sick is part of it but in my opinion she needs to be getting SOMETHING in her or else its like starvation. Whats the best way for her to take care of herself? I don't mind any comments on understanding things or corrections I need. She also goes back in the middle of febuary for another 1/2 cc.

[sld21 26]

getting sick is not part of it....something is wrong with either too much of a fill or wrong choices in food or too much...she should talk to her doctor and nutritionist.

[Soexcited 64]

I had my surgery 11/25/09 I have had 2 fills and now have 4.5cc's in my 10cc band. I eat very small amounts of good healthy food, I have never thrown up. I have gotten food "stuck" from eating too big of a bite or too fast, but the food does stay down.

Sounds like shes got too much in her band AND/OR she is not chewing tiny bites like she should. Cherry Cheesecake as her daily food intake is a disaster....she should eat 3 meals a day. Here is my typical day for an example for you....

Breakfast: A cup of fat free yogurt

Snack: A high Protein Drink

Lunch: A piece of Protein like grilled salmon, steak or turkey.

Snack:Cheese& cracker

Dinner: Another peice of protein (about 4oz) fish, chicke, pork, etc. A green veggie like spinnnich or broccoli & maybe a few bites of potato or Pasta.< /p>

Desert: no fat Jello pudding or a fat free fudge bar.

All good healthy foods. She needs to eat and take a daily Vitamin so she does not become mal nurished...best of luck, you came to a great place for help.

[Eishiba 0]

She says she is chewing her food slowly, fully, and taking small bites. I was thinking of suggesting to increase her chewing and do smaller bites. Her version of small may not be someone elses I'm assuming. In reply to sld21, certainly she isn't eating too much right? I really don't think she is eating enough...at all.

[Zuftie 0]

My girlfriend has had the LAP-BAND® surjury done. Its been 6 months now and she has a 8 cc band and has about 3-4 cc's so far. She just went and got another cc. She hardly eats anything and what she does it usually throws it up. For example last satruday she tried some breakfest, took three bites, and it was back up 10 minutes later. That was about noon. Come about 7 or 8 at night she had a piece of cherry cheese cake(which is very yummy by the way) and ate about half of it. That was one day. Even before she got the last cc when she ate she was always getting sick. I know getting sick is part of it but in my opinion she needs to be getting SOMETHING in her or else its like starvation. Whats the best way for her to take care of herself? I don't mind any comments on understanding things or corrections I need. She also goes back in the middle of febuary for another 1/2 cc.

She needs to call her doctor. I was told if I throw up a lot to see my doctor as quickly as possible. She may need some of the Fluid taken out. I had to have that done because of throwing up everything I ate.

[Eishiba 0]

She needs to call her doctor. I was told if I throw up a lot to see my doctor as quickly as possible. She may need some of the Fluid taken out. I had to have that done because of throwing up everything I ate.

She doesn't seem to throw everything up, I know she doesn't handle bread cause of how it reacts in the stomach. Like she had a little bit of steak a few days ago. I think she isn't chewing fully or something. I can't catch on to any common factors in what she eats and throws up.

[ElfiePoo 109]

Whats the best way for her to take care of herself?

Getting sick is *NOT* part of having this band. Has she been 'throwing up' daily and several times a day since her surgery? If this has been a common occurrence, then she needs to talk to her doctor because that type of behavior over so many months may have caused band slippage. At the very least, by this point she probably has some serious swelling around that band and it would be in her best interest to go back to a Liquid Protein shake diet for awhile to allow any swelling to go down.

There are so many variables that it's hard to guess what might be the problem but she should immediately talk to her doctor. This is not normal.

Based on the behavior (and quantity of food) that you describe, one would assume that she's dropped a considerable amount of weight since August?

.

[ElfiePoo 109]

How to maintain after surgery

Each meal should only be about 1 cup of food total. It should be primarily Protein, then vegies and then carbs. A typical dinner for me would be 3-4 oz of protein, 1/2 cup of vegies and 1/4 cup of potatoes, rice, Pasta, or bread.

Here's what I had yesterday:

B: 1 sl bacon, 1 egg, 1 piece of toasted bread (1 oz)

mid-morning snack: low cal/low carb Protein Shake

L: 3 oz fish filet, 1/2 cup sauteed cabbage

mid-afternoon snack: protein shake

D: Shrimp scampi (4 jumbo shrimp), 5 roasted baby carrots, 1/4 cup rice pilaf

evening snack: protein drink

Eating a piece of cheesecake when nothing of nutritional value has been eaten that day is a bad choice.

.

[kiz 1]

My girlfriend has had the LAP-BAND® surjury done. Its been 6 months now and she has a 8 cc band and has about 3-4 cc's so far. She just went and got another cc. She hardly eats anything and what she does it usually throws it up. For example last satruday she tried some breakfest, took three bites, and it was back up 10 minutes later. That was about noon. Come about 7 or 8 at night she had a piece of cherry cheese cake(which is very yummy by the way) and ate about half of it. That was one day. Even before she got the last cc when she ate she was always getting sick. I know getting sick is part of it but in my opinion she needs to be getting SOMETHING in her or else its like starvation. Whats the best way for her to take care of herself? I don't mind any comments on understanding things or corrections I need. She also goes back in the middle of febuary for another 1/2 cc.

First, I have to agree 100% with the others that getting sick is not part of having a band. It might happen on occasion, and I believe some people are just more sensitive than others, but it should never be routine. I really don't believe that this is a problem with the number of times she chews her food or the size of her bites, because, from your description, it's happening far too often. Also, this is not a starvation diet, and as you described, that's exactly what it has become.

Second, I hope she discusses these problems in detail with her doctor. I can't imagine why she would get another fill at this point, and although I don't know the particulars of the situation, it sounds to me like she actually needs some Fluid removed. As was mentioned, a too tight band can lead to major band complications. One being slippage. Also, sometimes bandsters are under the misconception that the tighter the band the better, but as food becomes less tolerated, solid healthy meals are replaced with easy to digest slider foods which are often higher in calories. For instance, the cheese cake you mentioned. Not that a bandster ought to never have a few bites or even a piece of cheese cake, but it shouldn't be used in place of a meal. Our meals are much smaller now, so we need to be able to eat good nutritional foods.

Edited January 18, 2010 by kiz

[Eishiba 0]

Getting sick is *NOT* part of having this band. Has she been 'throwing up' daily and several times a day since her surgery? If this has been a common occurrence, then she needs to talk to her doctor because that type of behavior over so many months may have caused band slippage. At the very least, by this point she probably has some serious swelling around that band and it would be in her best interest to go back to a liquid Protein Shake diet for awhile to allow any swelling to go down.

There are so many variables that it's hard to guess what might be the problem but she should immediately talk to her doctor. This is not normal.

Based on the behavior (and quantity of food) that you describe, one would assume that she's dropped a considerable amount of weight since August?

.

First, I have to agree 100% with the others that getting sick is not part of having a band. It might happen on occasion, and I believe some people are just more sensitive than others, but it should never be routine. I really don't believe that this is a problem with the number of times she chews her food or the size of her bites, because, from your description, it's happening far too often. Also, this is not a starvation diet, and as you described, that's exactly what it has become.

Second, I hope she discusses these problems in detail with her doctor. I can't imagine why she would get another fill at this point, and although I don't know the particulars of the situation, it sounds to me like she actually needs some Fluid removed. As was mentioned, a too tight band can lead to major band complications. One being slippage. Also, sometimes bandsters are under the misconception that the tighter the band the better, but as food becomes less tolerated, solid healthy meals are replaced with easy to digest slider foods which are often higher in calories. For instance, the cheese cake you mentioned. Not that a bandster ought to never have a few bites or even a piece of cheese cake, but it shouldn't be used in place of a meal. Our meals are much smaller now, so we need to be able to eat good nutritional foods.

Sometimes she doesn't vomit. Sometimes she can go a day without it. She usually mentions feeling like she is going to though. Alot of times when she eats I notice she stops. I suppose thats when everything is working its way down to the lower part. But thats where I get lost cause I thought it was supposed to let you go longer while "full". She waits about five minutes and then goes back to eating. She usually makes the comment, "don't mind if I get up and go to the bathroom just in case." At the time I would tease her a little about vomiting cause I thought it was normal and we tease each other all the time knowing its not out of being mean. Now that I know its not normal to be vomiting its serious to me. I think I want to get her to start keeping track of what she eats and keep record of what comes back up and what stays down. And ye, she has lost weight since then. About 16 pounds is what she said.

[kiz 1]

I really admire you for taking such an active interest in your girlfriend's health. I'm sure none of us had surgery to trade one health problem with another.

Writing down her meals, and what and when she feels like she's going to lose her meal is a terrific start. (There are bandsters who have something called "first bite syndrome" in that they sort of clamp up after the first bite or two, but then can resume eating normally). Having these details in writing will be very beneficial to both her and her doctor when she goes in for her next appointment.

Also, if she doesn't have one, she should ask for meal guidelines from her doctor. The Realize Band web site and I'm sure the Lap Band web site as well as here on LBT have very good suggestions of meal plans, if in doubt.

The way most doctors explain the band concept is that one shouldn't feel physical hunger for 3, 4 or sometimes 5 hours after a good solid meal. My doctor recommends 4 ounce meals, because that's the size he leaves the upper pouch. As elfiepoo has said, she eats 8 ounce meals...it varies. Others say to eat until you feel satiety. So, it's always good to have a clear understanding as to what your doctor recommends what and how much you should be eating, and based on that, when we need an adjustment.

Edited January 18, 2010 by kiz

[ElfiePoo 109]

And ye, she has lost weight since then. About 16 pounds is what she said.

Ok...this is just my .02 and my opinion based on the limited information here.

If I understand correctly, her surgery was in August and she's only lost 16 pounds since then? If so, then this doesn't compute with the idea that she's eating 'very little' because it's all coming back up. She's obviously eating enough to almost maintain her pre-band weight.

She may be a closet eater...eating when you aren't around. She may be throwing up her food because she 'literally' has stuffed herself.

Which brings up another possibility...bulimia. A bulimic and a band are disaster. The bulimic will eat until they're stuffed, throw up and then start in again. It has nothing to do with hunger. They're feeding a psychological problem. The band won't stop them from doing this. It will just make them throw up sooner. Eventually, however, this vomiting will most likely cause problems with the band. She could possibly even have to have the band taken out and be unable to have another one put in. I know of a person who had this problem. They had so damaged the stomach where the band sat that the scar tissue prevented them from place a new band.

What she needs to do is start over with the 5 day pouch test (it's below with links to the site for more info). This will allow time for any swelling (due to her vomiting) to go down and get her reacclimated to how she should be eating. A good, normal restriction is to be able to eat about 1 cup of food for each meal and be full for about 4 hours after each meal. If she's hungry and eating to excess (to the point of throwing up), then she needs a fill. If she gets things stuck frequently, she may need an unfill.

Then again, she may just need to avoid those foods. I have good restriction where I can eat most foods if I chew them thoroughly and take small bites. However, there are a couple foods I simply have to avoid because they get stuck. It is what it is and I deal with it. Throwing up is not dealing with it.

5 Day Pouch Test

Days One & Two: liquid Protein

low-carb Protein shakes, broth, clear or cream Soups, sugar-free Gelatin [/url]and pudding.  Read more .

Day 3: Soft Protein

canned fish (tuna or salmon) eggs, fresh soft fish (tilapia, sole, orange roughy.    Read more .

Day 4: Firm Protein

ground meat 

(turkey, beef, chicken, lamb), shellfish, scallops, lobster , fresh salmon or halibut.  Read more .

Day 5: Solid Protein

white meat poultry, beef steak, pork, lamb, wild game

 Read more .

Edited January 19, 2010 by ElfiePoo

[nkara 0]

is she telling her doctor this? I doubt he would be putting more saline in to her band if he knew she wasn't able to keep food down.

also eating steak and bread might be the problem as well. Everything I've read and my NUT told me that those are two foods that some people might not be able to tolerate anymore after surgery.

She needs to re-adjust her diet and see how it goes and definitely not get another fill until this is solved. She can get anemic, malnourished. It's not worth it to loose the weight quickly if you only going to be sick from it.

[Soexcited 64]

I agree with elfiepoo ..... suggest she do the 5 day poutch test and she must talk to her doctor. I hate to be blunt and please dont take this badly but she lying about a few things here, nothing is adding up?

[Aries32 0]

This may not be what is happening but for me in the morning, there are certain foods I just can not tollerate and just avoid due to bad reaction. By mid day, I can eat a sensible lunch with no problems.

meats, breads are not in my favor in the am. I have a few ritz crackers with my coffee in the am.

If I do not chew well or drink with my meal no matter what time in the day I will get sick quick. I can sip, if I am thristy but I have had to learn to take it easy and work along with my band. Trial and error is part of it for most.

I too at one point needed to take some of my Fluid out. I'm almost at 11 cc in my 14 and can eat better because I've learned althought still have my moments of taking my time and what I should not eat in the am.