Can eating too much post op damage the band?

[midwife72 0]

I was banded 10/22 and feel like I did 10/21. I have no restriction. I am not getting a fill until 12/6. On another post, someone mentioned if the quantity of food is too much, you could mess up the band. Is this true?

[travelgirl 3]

Did you have any specific post-op diet instructions?

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Usually not as long as you don't push the stages of the diet. Meaning, if you are on full liquids and you eat solids, yes... you can do a great deal of damage.

[txsmile100 0]

Like others said, yes you can do damage.

But my personal story, not that I'm advocating any non compliancy, is, after I was banded, and waiting for my first fill, I could eat anything, just like before I was banded. I was like, what??? (I didn't understand that having the FILLS provided the restriction) I thought something was wrong with my band. I could eat that Wendy's spicy chicken sandwhich and fries with no problem. When I finally had a fill THAT is when I realized what it meant to be "banded". Things changed after that. I was very very VERY afraid I had stretched the pouch. Especially when even after the fills I kept throwing up all the time. LUCKILY I didn't do any damage. I am very thankful that despite my mistakes and all that, that I did no damage to my band and pouch.

[ejbserafin 0]

txsmile100,

I to didnt know I was banded until my first fill, and the first experience wasn't great, I ended up having to have it released because I couldn't keep Water down a week after the fill, I waited another 6 weeks and had a fill on 10/25 and I pretty much am limited to Soups and mashed potatos, how did you find out if you caused damange?

Thanks, julie

[txsmile100 0]

txsmile100,

I to didnt know I was banded until my first fill, and the first experience wasn't great, I ended up having to have it released because I couldn't keep Water down a week after the fill, I waited another 6 weeks and had a fill on 10/25 and I pretty much am limited to Soups and mashed potatos, how did you find out if you caused damange?

Thanks, julie

Hi Julie,

I'm very sorry to hear about your experience and having it unfilled :-( not even being able to keep down water...not a good thing.

How long are you on soups and mashed potatoes for?

When I went to have a fill, I explained what I had been doing and expressed my concerns of stretching the pouch since i could eat SO much! When they did my fill, they did it under the fluro (i think that's what it's called) and the x-ray machine, you know, where they can view your band and pouch and you drink that stuff as they do the fill. They were able to see the pouch and compare it to the size it was at surgery. They explained to me that there was no damage, but it was starting to stretch JUST a little tiny bit so to be careful, not lie down after eating,etc. So everything was okay. When I went back several months later, they said there is no stretching, everything looks great.

Keep us updated on your progress!

[justwaitin2b 0]

txs..... I'm pretty much the same as you..... but I am 2 1/2 weeks post op, and hope I haven't done any damage..... am due to see the Dr. in another week...........do you recommend I go back to mushies now, and try harder to stick to it??

hugs K

[justwaitin2b 0]

txs - did you have any pain or discomfort while doing the wrong thing? I don't have any pain when eating, but my port site looks great (no infection etc) but is hard like an orange around it, and hurts when poked, or some clothes (it's right on my waist line - next to belly button) cheers K

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

txs..... I'm pretty much the same as you..... but I am 2 1/2 weeks post op, and hope I haven't done any damage..... am due to see the Dr. in another week...........do you recommend I go back to mushies now, and try harder to stick to it??

hugs K

Please read this post:

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f11/researching-mexican-doctors-101-a-43575/#post599207

[midwife72 0]

I hope I didn't screw things up.

[txsmile100 0]

txs..... I'm pretty much the same as you..... but I am 2 1/2 weeks post op, and hope I haven't done any damage..... am due to see the Dr. in another week...........do you recommend I go back to mushies now, and try harder to stick to it??

hugs K

justwaitin - i saw the link WASa provided for you, that's got lots of great info, kudos to her! I do want to explain one thing though about my situation. I didn't intend to be "non compliant".. what happened was on my post op instructions it was written such as what to eat "Day 3 - Post Op Appt" I thought that meant Day 3 was my post op appt. I did ask about that and they oh no, your post op is ..and gave me a date. Okay end of story. So I go in for my post op and told them what I had been eating and they said, "didn't you follow the instructions??" I said, yes! And I showed them. Weeelllll "Day 3 - Post Op Appt" is translated to "Day 3 THROUGH/UNTIL Post Op Appt" semantics... so i kindly requested they change the dash with a word for future patients. Does that make ANY sense???? So that's what started it all...a misunderstanding.

If I could go back and redo everything, of course I would. And in following WASa's guidelines, I would go back to the post op diet your doc provided for you... it just isn't worth it to do otherwise. I've been banded for over a year now and only lost 46 pounds, when others have lost quite a bit more. So if I were in your shoes and only 2 1/2 weeks post op, get back on it, dedicated and committed and be excited to see the results!!! You can do it!

txs - did you have any pain or discomfort while doing the wrong thing? I don't have any pain when eating, but my port site looks great (no infection etc) but is hard like an orange around it, and hurts when poked, or some clothes (it's right on my waist line - next to belly button) cheers K

You know, when I very first started to eat wrong it was a severe pain, and I was puzzled. (But duh me, it was less than a week after surgery, no wonder I was in pain!!) But after the week or two of post op healing, there wasn't any pain, since there wasn't a fill. Once you get your first couple of fills, you will have a whole different "type" of pain lol - if that is, you don't eat right or eat too fast, etc.

As far as your port hurts when being poked, I remembered having some tenderness around and at the port site after surgery, too. Since you are seeing your doc in a week you will be able to double check with them, but it sounds like it should be okay.

Good luck to you!

[txsmile100 0]

I hope I didn't screw things up.

When do you go back to see your doc?

[Toribug 0]

Reading this has me so paranoid about maybe I did something to my stomach or port. I'm post op by 3 weeks yesterday and my doctor does the whole first 4 weeks liquid, 2 weeks pureed, 2 weeks soft foods and then I can have real food. I've been doing pretty well with the liquids except I've slipped a few times by eating some thin slices of turkey and some ground up meet. I in no means have over done it but I have gotten so paranoid cause I "broke the rules" that I did something.

[VegasGrace 1]

To much of anything is bad...but I ate normally after surgery because I had no restriction.

[mynewlife_22 0]

I was banded the same day!