3 months PO and what I HAVE LEARNED from my band

[mindy327 1]

Hi everyone. I wanted to give my 2 cents on what the Band has done for me and what I have learned here as well as getting to KNOW my band...

History- I was banded in Mexico June 2nd with a RElize band 11ccs with 2 put in during surgery and have lost 46 lbs. 230 pre opp. Yes, that is a lot

but I have struggled with my band and finally getting to the point that I have learned how this thing in by body works for me. I had a ton of ?s.

Some get scared like me and ask "is this normal?" What do I do? With the lap band and the gracousness of American Drs, from what I have

learned is everyBODY is different. My Doctor in Mexico is a great doctor and did my TWO best friends bands. They have sent him 26 other

people as referrals so I was able to get an exdraordinary amount for my band. 4100$ TOTAL! BUTTTTT The POST opp services at his clinic

are far too uneducational.... I was not given a post opp diet. Just from what I had done homework on I got one that seemed to be the most

detailed off the internet and followed it. I went to soft foods after 3 weeks and did a DUMB stupid move. I ATE A BITE OF A pizza HUT breadstick

and got painfully stuck about 6 weeks after my surgery! Not goooood. I swelled up sooo much I was to a point I couldnt even get down liquids.< /p>

I didnt know what to do so I went to the emergency room to have my 2ccs taken out. Little relief! I know why now, but then didnt understand....

1. Being Banded in Mexico Save Money but Lacks post opp care- My doctor has numerous assistants who speaks broken english. I called to ask what to do and

was told TO COME IN! Not like its next door! I said "I cant get down liquids!" Oh you need to have a FILL! A FILL? WTH? He was not understanding

what I was trying to say. I couldnt even get a plane ticket to SEE the DR for 2 weeks... Didnt have two weeks. I needed Help NOW. So ER Here I come!

2. DONT EAT food that is on the NO NO List!- Its there for a reason. Not being really eductated on it was the most difficult part. I did my own homework and

would eat foods that really were not what I should be eating. So glad my uneducation didnt result in a slip.

3. Doctors in America DO CARE for Mexico Patients- I was in tears, not knowing why I gradually was getting tighter and tigher (thought I had slipped or something was

terribly wrong with my band. I was scared to go to the doctor here thinking from what I had read that they would not touch me with a 10 foot pole. Not exactly true. With only 2 ccs then none( all was taken out during my hospital visit) and still very tight with no fill inside of my band, I had to go to a few ERs to get the help

needed because most ER doctors DONT do fills or educated about bands. So I did some homework and found a hospital with a Bariatric Center the DR was so helpful. I had my ccs taken out and he did an upper GI to find out if it had slipped. No slip! Yeah, but still couldnt eat. He said to go to liquids which I did but apparently NOT LONG ENOUGH!

4. IF YOU get stuck really bad, do Clear Liquids for 7-10 days! - I had gotten a lot of suggestions to go to liquids for 24-48hous but never longer than that.... There

was the problem. When you get that swollen your body needs time to heal. Kinda like going back to original Post opp diet plan. Introduce softs sloooowwwly.

Even the doctor here said," I dont know why you cant eat... Some dont tolerate the band so maybe we will have to take it out!" Sooo I found at the hospital I went

to, a nurse and a nutritionist who put me on speaker phone. They had me tell my story, and said "you need to go to liquids for a week! Give it time to heal. Those

ladies saved my mental anxiety! Now I go to their support group at the hospital to talk to other Banders!

5. Sliming is a daily routine- Ive learned MY BAND doesnt like foods before 1pm. I get a lot of mucus during the night so the first drink/food is a process. I HAVE TO EAT

slowly! Take a bite and walk away for 10-15 minutes till the what I call a "SLUG" goes down. then I can eat my cup of food.

6. liquid Lidocaine is a miracle liquid- IF you like me get band discomfort or some pain due to recent banding, I was perscribed liquid Lidocaine! Holy cow. It numbs your

throught and all the way down to the band. Again, thanks to American Doctors.

7.My band is empty and thats enough! and unfills dont work instantly! Getting an unfill isnt a miraculous ordeal. It takes time to let the swelling to go down. But I have no

fill or ccs in my band and it is plenty tight. Its perfect actually. I found my sweet spot!

Everyone has different experiences with their band, so what I would say to all seekers of advice, to just be patient and do what youre supposed to do. Ask

questions, theyre okay to ask. Hope this helps someone.