This is weird.. I can eat

[bandedUpSylvie 3]

Hello everyone I am a new bander!

So I had lap band fitted in about 5 days ago. My hunger did not go away at all. I could eat stuff right out of surgery. I actually ate a paprika/brocolli/cauliflour/cheese salad and a tiny bag of peanuts 2 days after op. I suck. However It went down like a charm, shouldn't I feel restricted abit ? I felt it going down, since obviously I did chew on everything for a long time. I am hungry still , all the time. I havn't touched any forbidden foods (as in, the ones that got me fat in first place) but I can easily eat alot of vegetables (I crave them like they be candy..........). Sure I feel my stomach filling up and slight obstruction as food goes down, but nothing more. I have no problems, no reflux, no vomiting.. no nothing...

My band was fitted in empty and I got 1st fill in on week 6. My question would be - did I just spend alot on money on something that is doing absolutely nothing? How is it possible I feel absolutely no different after this? I called my surgeon, all they told me was -'just try to stick to diet and dont eat bad foods. We will see after your 1st fill'. Um, ok. But having read this forum I see people have hard time eating for quite a while after op, whereas I was SO READY to dine day after.... What is wrong with me >.< Am I a failure?

[2muchfun 8,927]

Did your doctor not give you instructions not to eat solid food for a time? What were your post op diet instructions?

[2muchfun 8,927]

FYI-Many of us can eat anything we want within days of surgery. Your band is not filled so the stoma is wide open. BUT, most all of us are told to not eat solid food. We're told and instructed to consume liquids for a week and mushies for up to 4 weeks. solid food early after surgery can compromise the surgery by causing the sutures around your stomach to tear away.

tmf

[bandedUpSylvie 3]

Yeah, judging by how well most people here are taken care of by their doctors, I'm starting to think mine is terrible.he may be a decent surgeon but he clearly doesn't give a damn. Either way, all he said - 'stick to good food, chew everything properly if it's more solid, and don't cheat on ice cream'. Fantastic dude..not.

Still doesn't quite answer my question - why am i so terribly hungry all the time? From the moment i got woken up...

[2muchfun 8,927]

What you are feeling is common and normal. It won't change till you get enough fills to give you some satiety. You're in what they call, "Bandster Hell" and will be till you get that one fill that gives satiety.

tmf

[bandedUpSylvie 3]

@2MF - thank you for the info, I'll try to avoid it :S But it's just really challenging when I feel like i did before surgery for most part.. I do congratulate myself on not eating any carb-loaded food, sticking to veggies and natural yoghurts mostly. But There still is no 'ok i'm full, time to stop eating before you compromise your stomach' feeling

perhaps it's time to find some other bariatric doctor who could advise me more.. I'm just so terribly confused. And angry that I don't feel much effect

[bigcheese 50]

Hello everyone I am a new bander!

So I had lap band fitted in about 5 days ago. My hunger did not go away at all. I could eat stuff right out of surgery. I actually ate a paprika/brocolli/cauliflour/cheese salad and a tiny bag of peanuts 2 days after op. I suck. However It went down like a charm' date=' shouldn't I feel restricted abit ? I felt it going down, since obviously I did chew on everything for a long time. I am hungry still , all the time. I havn't touched any forbidden foods (as in, the ones that got me fat in first place) but I can easily eat alot of vegetables (I crave them like they be candy..........). Sure I feel my stomach filling up and slight obstruction as food goes down, but nothing more. I have no problems, no reflux, no vomiting.. no nothing...

My band was fitted in empty and I got 1st fill in on week 6. My question would be - did I just spend alot on money on something that is doing absolutely nothing? How is it possible I feel absolutely no different after this? I called my surgeon, all they told me was -'just try to stick to diet and dont eat bad foods. We will see after your 1st fill'. Um, ok. But having read this forum I see people have hard time eating for quite a while after op, whereas I was SO READY to dine day after.... What is wrong with me >.< Am I a failure?[/quote']

You should find a nutritionist. My doc allowed mushies after few days. They actually made me eat cream of wheat in the hospital. I started soft food at 2 Weeks. I to felt like I could eat anything, it gets better with fills. But find a nutritionist. It will help

[jennybean 175]

Wow, I am surprised at some of the doctors out there.

Mine gave me VERY detailed and informative package on everthing from the schedule of introducing food, to what to eat and how the band works, how fast to eat, what to avoid, pre-op instructions, post-op instructions etc.etc.

[ChicagoRose 650]

The concern here is that you are able to find someone that is medically certified in Lap-Band nutrition to help you on your journey. Your stomach has undergone a great deal of trauma with surgery and you have to be very careful with the follow up instructions so you can heal properly. It is incredible to me that there is such diversity where surgical procedures are concerned.

GOOD LUCK!!

[GuyMontag 1,264]

For most the band is pretty wide open at first and you begin to get restriction with fills/adjustments where they add more saline solution/fluid to your band.

[2muchfun 8,927]

Sylvie,

Don't feel alone. I was in Bandster Hell and could eat anything and everything I wanted for 4 months before I finally got my 3rd till that gave me some restriction/satiety. This is how it is with the band. Of course, it would have been good to know this before surgery so I wouldn't have been so pissed for so long. My doc and none of the seminars or nutrition classes said anything about this phase of our journey(or I wasn't listenting).

Try to eat healthy food. That's the only way I was able to avoid gaining weight.

[bandedUpSylvie 3]

Thank you very much for all the replies and support people, really means alot! I will just approach food carefully and hopefully after a fill or 2 this will get better. Still annoyed with my surgeon for living me hanging like this , sigh.

[PrettyThick1 1,860]

Whoa...I don't think I've read anyone post something so flippant before. Are you trying to hurt yourself? Why on earth would you eat solid foods right after surgery? You're going to end up being one of those people complaining that the band failed them...I see it coming, train wreck waiting to happen.

I don't wish anything bad on anyone, but you're asking for trouble.

[bandedUpSylvie 3]

No, I'm not a complete idiot, I didn't go back to eating how i did before surgery, and while lacking knowledge of how I should approach the post op diet (as I said before, my doctor didn't exactly spring the knowledge on me) I still did well. I don't think you caught on to the fact that only solid foods I ate were cooked vegetables which I chewed to oblivion. I explained exactly why - I did not know better and I did the best with the knowledge I had.

"You're going to end up being this and that' - how do you know? From what I read, theres a ton of people who followed post op and failed. There's lots of people who messed up and in the end came out 'victorious'.This is why I'm here looking for help and not looking for anyone to tell me I'll end up screwing this up.

If you truly don't wish anything bad on anyone then perhaps you should change your tone coz to be honest, it sure looks like you do -.-

[cheryl2586 3,053]

First of all anyone that has any kind of major abdominal surgery does not eat whole food after wards. I think most if not all of us were on Clear Liquids for at least two weeks after surgery and then to mushie food and making your way to whole food about four to six weeks after surgery. Not only did your surgeon fail you, I would look for someone else for follow up care. If you eat regular food and do not give your band time to adhere to your stomach you are setting your self up to either have a slip or it erode. My suggestion would be to stop right now eating whole foods whether you are starving or not because you are doing more harm to your stomach then good. We all have been hungry and no one died because they were hungry. If your doctor is not going to give you proper instructions to follow post up then you need to find a new doctor right now. As a matter of fact I would call his office and give him a piece of your mind that you got no instructions to follow post op. Im sorry I am not giving you hell but your doctor has totally put you in hell right away. Do your own self a favor and at least stay on clear liquids for 7 to 10 days.