newly banded and NOT so good :(

[Elliottsmama 0]

This might be posted twice cause it klicked me off...

I was banded about 4 weeks ago and i have 3 BIG issues

1. i can eat completely normal...COMPLETELY NORMAL! no excessive chewing necessary

2. I gained back all the weight i lost the week before and week after surgery :thumbup:

3. I have some serious pain at my port site that wont seem to go away

I feel like i'm failing...help...please...has anyone else had this happen?

thanks

Pam:frown:

[reverie 49]

I'm going to say that your swelling from surgery has gone down and you're in the lovely "bandster hell."

While you've found out that you can do all of these things, you need to find the strength to realize that you aren't making the changes you're supposed to be making. Because you don't have a fill yet, you're not going to have restriction; and while the band will work for you once you have proper restriction, right now you need to work with it and not go back to the old ways that got you to where you are.

Yes you can probably eat anything and everything right now, but, you know you aren't supposed to. You need to find a way to get yourself to follow the rules. That means chewing, no drinking with meals, etc.

It'll get easier once you get your fills going, but for right now it's all up to you.

As for your port site, it will be tender for awhile. Try using a hot compress if you need it.

[vlp1968 83]

I suggest you eat the right foods (high protien, low carb, low fat) even if your portions are larger then they will be once you have restriction. Also, allow yourself Snacks so you don't get too hungry inbetween meals. I also highly reccomend an excersise program. Start out slow, then gradually increase your time and/or intensity. You can do this! Good luck!

[healthyby40 0]

If you were just banded 4 weeks ago, then you're probably supposed to still be on pureed foods at this point, right? My doc does 2 weeks full liquid, 2 weeks pureed, 2 weeks mushies. most other docs have something similar, although the time frames may be slightly different.

You shouldn't be eating normal even if you feel you 'can'. You can be damaging the healing process. You just had major surgery on your stomach. It needs time to heal properly.

Try to get back to the basics and follow the doctors orders. I wish you the best of luck!

[Ocnlvr 1]

I was banded on Aug. 5th: I am doing the pureed stage; next week I move onto mushy stage: I could probably eat more than I do, however, I am sticking right to what I was told to eat and I measure out everything. This has helped me to "make myself feel full", I have lost 14lbs since surgery and 10 prior to surgery for 24lbs, the scale hasn't moved down for about a week now, but I am staying steady at the 24lbs. I go back to the dr on Sept 15th, I guess he will do a fill then? I am not sure, but I feel satisfied with what I am eating. I agree with the others, stick to what you are supposed to eat and add in exercise. Hang in there, you will make it thru and be successful.

[BetsyB 9]

I know it's frustrating--but each of the things you've described is completely normal. I wish that doctors and their support staffs prepared patients for this!

It's really common to experience no restriction after the immediate postop swelling goes down. You will gain restriction over a period of time--probably several fills.

It's also very common to regain weight lost on the preop liquid and/or Protein diet. You can really limit this, and you can even lose. But in order to do so, you have to choose the foods you eat very carefully and--here's the hard part--reconcile yourself to being hungry. Because until you get a fill, you'll be white-knuckling it, just as you did with any diet you went on before surgery.

The good news is that it will be the LAST time you are hungry in the name of weight loss!

The port pain is very common, too. As the port becomes embedded in the muscle tissue, it really does hurt. And the placement of the port can be irritating, as well. Mine can be irritated by waistbands, for example. Even 7 months out, some movements still cause twinges, and there are days when it is achy.

As long as you don't have increased redness, swelling, drainage, or really significant pain, I would not worry about it.

I know it seems like a lifetime, but you have been banded a very short time. It really, really does get better, I promise. Right now, you're in a very difficult period--but work with your doctor to get to good restriction, and it will all be worth it

[Lose to Win 0]

I was banded in July and will have my first fill this week. I appreciate your post as it gives me hope again.

[pixistix 1]

I was in the exact same position for my first three months. It was a miserable, depressing time. I felt like a failure, like this was just one more thing I was going to f&%! up.

But wait! Let me tell you about good restriction, also known as WHEN YOUR BAND ACTUALLY STARTS WORKING! Everybody's experience is different, but this is what happened to me.

I've had 7 CCs (in a 10 CC band) for the last six weeks and it's like I've been reborn. It's like the difference between night and day! Not only can I not eat very much, but I don't particularly WANT TO! That's the weird part. I used to crave junk and fast food -- to the point of obsession and complusion. Now, I'm just sort of losing interest.

I keep healthy stuff on hand and it's just not worth going out of my way to drive to McPoison's. And I'm loving the gym. You should see me doing pull ups (okay, they're counter-weighted pull ups, but so what! I'm strong!!).

I told my doc I was losing interest in food and he said, "Yeah, I hear that all the time." So we're not just talking about physical restriction (which there is plenty of and it's great), but I think there may be some kind of chemical changes going on.

I don't claim to understand it, but it's WONDERFUL.

So my advice to you is, follow all the previous posters' advice, take it easy on yourself, and hang in there. It can take a while to get your restriction just right for you, but don't give up. The miracle is coming!