POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

Has any of the veteran sleevers had diastasis rectus abdominis and have it corrected after loosing the weight? I recently found out that is the big lump that comes up when I try to do crunches etc., and that I shouldn't be doing them with the muscle seperation. I have not always been obese, but always had to fight being overweight. I went from 240 to 300+ very fast, resulting in seperation of the rectus abdominis muscles. I understand women often get this during pregnancy. I was looking forward to getting my abs flat again, but have found that I have to correct the muscle seperation prior to doing the normal ab workouts. Anyone find anything that worked well correctin…

I was wondering if you are self pay and you pay to have the lap band surgery, and for some reason or other the band slips or their is a problem with the band, do you have to pay to have another surgery. I don't know how I would pay for any type of repair surgery, I am struggling to pay for the initial lap band surgery.

Hi everyone- I've not really lost in the past 3 months since my initial 21lbs pre-op and right after the surgery and I was hoping for some success stories from people that had the same thing. I've only had 2 fills and no restriction so I'm hoping others had the same thing and can reassure me that they did okay. Thanks-

Tomorrow I will be 4 weeks post op and I am still experiencing discomfort and pain under my left breast when taking deep breaths. I am a little concerned but should I be? Will this go away or is this what I should expect from now on?

I was wondering if anyone could tell me what a leak feels like and how long before that is not an issue? I am 16 days out and loving it!!

I have been having a sore throat for several weeks. I have run out of Nexium and my insurance doesn't cover it. I have been taking OTC Priolsec occasionally. I never had heartburn or reflux prior to surgery. I really don't have any somach issues or stuff coming up in my throat. Just the sore throat. Any suggestions or anyone experiencing the same issue? My surgery was July 25th with Dr. Aceves. I have lost 55 pounds (still not exercising but will definately be adding that soon). Deanna

Anyone go through some sudden nausea? I had some in the hospital and very mild the first couple days out, now it is back and I can't even go into the kitchen. Smelling anything at all just about gives me the dry heaves. At night I wake up with an awful taste in my mouth. I brush my teeth before bed, once during the middle of the night, and again in the morning, but I can't get rid of this weird taste. Almost like some Soup I had about 4 days ago, I keep burping it up. I also have a burning feeling from my mouth to my sternum, just uncomfortable. I called the nurse and she said to keep taking as much Fluid as I can, if I can't get enough in to come to the hospital. Bu…

I am 9 days out.....tomorrow I get to start mushies and soft foods. I have seen the list: cottage cheese Hummus greek yogurt refried Beans Scambled eggs does anyone have any "meal" like tips? We are having company tomorrow night and they do not know I am banded. I am trying to think of something that we can serve that will also feed me without calling attention to myself. In hindsight I would not have hosted so soon after being banded...but this was planned before I got my date.

Okay, I'm a broken record, but tell me again when everyone started eating veggies more? Tomatos, brocolli, carrots, NOT cooked...I might have to try me a beefsteak tomato tonight with a little ranch...I was a major salad eater and I don't think I'm ready for lettuce yet...I liked the bad salads, but it was salad!!

alright so i was just banded on tuesday the 5th. i don't feel too bad, i'm just TIRED. sleeping is such a hassle. i barely slept in the hospital. this whole sleeping on my back thing is not getting it done. last night was my first night home, and i slept most of the night (from 10 to 5:30) in my own bed, but at 5:30 i woke up and my back was killing me. all i wanted to do was roll over on my side, so i called my mom and had her come help me out of bed and move me to the couch recliner. so now here i am, about 20 mins into taking my pain meds and my back still hurts. so heres the big problem; i go back to school (only half days) on monday the 10th. if i keep lack…

I was terrified when i saw the needle but it wasnt bad at all. however when i asked the dr and nurse what size of band i had they couldnt answer me they told me to call medical records at the hospital i had the surgery at and ask them. I thought that was really odd. my doc doesnt know my band size...so now i have to go to the hospital to medical records and get copies of my surgery just to get my band size.. blah.... has anyone had this problem before...

For those of you who have gone through the process. My husband and I are going to do this journey together. We have already spoken with our family physician and she documented our BMI and has given up lab slips. We are going through our insurance for coverage. I have found 3 doctors so far who take our insurance and do the procedure and the problem I am finding is they want us to quit smoking 3 months prior to filling out the application. Which I don't mind at all, anything to do this the successful way but I am wondering, if I wait the 3 months, take all the necessary tests and loose the 10% weight I am required to loose BEFORE my consultation would that set me back? …

OK Don't have a sleeve yet...do have a band....am I wrong to think I will be able to eat normal..don't have to chew my food so much it is gross....larger pieces take longer to digest....I will seriously reconsider if I still have to eat "weird" one of the reasons I hate this band..can't eat chicken, fish, wouldn't even consider a piece of meat!!! (Did eat some ham over Christmas chewed the hell out of it and it still got stuck!) Just starting to log on this board gotten some good info lurking (I think that is the term?) THANK YOU! D.

People talk about getting food stuck as it goes down, but I thought food is supposed to fill the pouch and make you full sooner. So how does it fill and make you full if the food is constantly slipping through to your "real" stomach?

I've been reading LBT and have noticed that some people are putting their meal plans up here. For example, I will see 4 oz. of meat and then 1/2 cup of veggies for dinner. I was under the impression that our TOTAL amount of food for a meal should only be 1/2 cup. Could someone please clear this up for me? I don't want to eat too much, but I have noticed that 1/2 cup of total food per meal is just NOT doing it for me. I am only 9 days out... but I have no fill in my band. I posted a thread previously about eating too much throughout the day... and I got some great answers.... I just want to clear up the confusion about HOW MUCH a meal is. Thanks everyone!:thumbup:

well...the horrid weather in the Midwest caught up with me. I was walking with my snowblower today and slipped on the icy road. As I fell, I could feel one leg going forward and the other twisting behind me. As I twisted and fell to the street, I could feel my right knee dislocate. (I know how it feels, it's happened three other times.) After the firefighters got me to my feet and into the house (I refused to go to the hospital because I have no insurance) I took some liquid Extra Strength Tylenol and started in with the ice packs. However, this is the worst it's ever been. I have a very large muscle or tendon tear on the inside of my right knee area. It's really swol…

Good Morning LB People- I am 20 days Post op and had a few concerns. My band is a 6 CC band and was filled with 2 CC's on the day of surgery. At the beggining, of course I was eating only liquids and everything was fine. I had to crush my pills and mix with yogurt for the first week and a half. I noticed when I ate the yogurt it was thick and I could feel it go all the way down my throat to my stomach. Once i got to soft solids and now solids I didnt have any issue with food going down. Im not sure if this is normal or not.. I have not had ANY breads or beef because I know it's a common "stuck" foods, but I have had NO problem eating anything else. Im not feeling rest…

Hi I just got my frist fill on 01-07-10 at 2pm and they gave me 1 cc and i had lost 9 more lbs from the last vist to the doc on 12-14-09 they say to do liquids for 24 hrs and then go to solids but i am going to do this 1 day liquids 1 day mushies 1 day semi solids then back to solids just so i can get use to the band i did talk to the doc about this he said that would be good if any problems to call the office ASAP:thumbup:

Hi guys, I was banded on oct 13th and everything went great - I have had 2 fills totalling 4.5cc -- everything was going along wonderful, i was at a loss of 29lb a week or 2 before christmas, during christmas and until now i gained 4 pounds, i didnt think i was eating wrong - i was watching everything, and the amounts, since then i have only been able to relose 1 lb so i am still up three and the scale doesnt seem to be cooperating.. given how smoothly and succesfully things were going before i am getting upset. I have a carnation sugar free breakfast with protien powder and skim milk for breakfast, lunch is normally a salad or a lean cusine type meal and my dinner i…

I am at 7.2 in a 10 cc band. I had my 3rd fill on Dec 21st. My band is finally working! Hallelujah! I can eat most any consistency except hard cheese and some breads. I have to chew really well and I can eat a little over a cup of food at a time. I have lost around 8 lbs in a little over two weeks, YAY! Here is my question though:confused:. I have varying levels of restriction and I still get hungry about every 3 hours. Do I need a little added? I know it's not healthy to lose too much per week so I don't want to get so restricted that I lose too much too quick. Any opinions would be much appreciated thx

Any advice besides walking to get rid of this gas pain? Also, anyone pretty much have very loose BMs after they started back on the liquid to mushies? I'm having a bad day.

Hello, I never know what to eat. I have no support and have gained weight because after some mistakes, I got really swollen and started only eating the wrong things that did not hurt like pudding, applesauce and the ultimate bad, ice cream, but after an hour of being stuck, ice cream felt good. Even though it was low fat and sugar free, it was still bad. I initially lost 20 lbs, but now have found them and 10 MORE, my new skinnier clothes don't fit and I just dont have any ideas for daily meals. Please help. Or, if you have a list of diet ideas, please email me. I would really appreciate input from you all. It has been a year and I am fatter, and everyone is noticing. I w…

I had such a successful day today. The first since my surgery... I found protein shakes that I can actually tolerate. GNC's 100% Whey Chocolate Caramel is amazing! I went in to by the Optimal 100% Whey as suggested on here; however the lady in the GNC said that that very company makes the GNC's brand, so...I chose to save money and get buy one get one free. Second success, I braved trying soft solids again. I had some chicken and sauteed onions with some cheese. I ate slowly, I burped alot, but best of all I finally felt full in my belly and not in my throat!!!! Thank you Jesus!! I was so excited and I wanted to share with you all.:hurray:

I had my band tight back in August and since then I can eat one day everything I want and drink or maybe even a week, but then all of the sudden I can't get anything to stay down I vomit as soon as I put something in my stomach. I feel like something is stuck in my chest and even if is soup, puree foods, jello anything. I was thinking for a while that it had to do with the band being to tight but I don't think so because there is days when I can eat anything I want. Does anyone have this problem?????

questions: 1. I will be 6 months out on Jan 31st, will my hair start growing out (it got long but isn't quite thick) and getting thicker again? 2. Is there another way to get enough Protein a day without drinking Protein shakes (they make my stomach really upset now)? 3. For those who are 6+ months out, what is your daily life like, like mainly your daily meal/diet like? (just so i can have a better idea) 4. Did any of you have stretch marks (all your life...before surgery) where? [i have them on my stomach, hips, upper arms, and boob area.] And how much did you lose? Are they still horrible looking? Are you at goal weight? 5. Did you get pregnant (not that i w…

I am 6 days post op and have been following the liquid diet to a t like the Dr. said. I hadn't been feeling much hunger at all until yesterday and today....OMG my stomach is growling and in knots. I am doing my best to ignore it, I have been having some Protein shakes in place of broth and I had cream of mushroom Soup today strained. And drinking lots of fluid! My question is can you stretch your pouch from to much liquid? I have come this far and I want to do everything right, I have determination and the will power to do what needs to be done. I am not normally a paranoid person but today it hit, paranoia and worry.... What if I doing something wrong? M…

Well, I've made some comments on these forums how it doesn't even seem like I had the surgery. I've been able to eat pretty much what I want and the quantity didn't seem to matter either. My first fill was 12/7/09 and they put in 2.5 cc. Didn't do much. Today they added another 1 cc and within 15 minutes of leaving the hospital I was so tight and I was continuously puking/sliming. I left the hospital around 9:30 a.m. and my first noticeable reprieve was a 15 minute interval around 1:00 p.m. where I wasn't in some type of pain. The sliming continued throughout the day and continues now at 8:15 p.m. I did call and they really didn't want to do an unfill and asked me…

I had my first fill yesterday. My dr used his hand found the port and stuck the needle in. It didn't even hurt, but knida made me sick for just sec. Went and took drink water and was out the door. I got 3cc put in 10 cc lapband. I didn't expect to feel anything on my first fill but I do. I feel comfortable restriction. I am suppost to eat only liquid for 48 hours. I hope this restriction lasts cause nI'm lovin it. How long does the restricion usually last???????

Hi everyone, I think I'm identifying something that isn't agreeing with my tummy, that I never had a problem with before: iced tea with lemon! Has anyone else has an issue with this? I don't think it's the tea, I really think it is the lemon, as I've had hot tea with no problems, and iced tea with no lemon, no problems. When I drink it, I can actually feel a discomfort in my stomach. Is this common? Thanks!

I am two months out and I am starting to cheat..not much but I do. I take little pieces of bread, french fries, little piece of cake. I hate myself for this. I should stop doing this. they pass really normal like anything else. i don't cheat everyday but I do every now and then. also I ate mixed nuts last two days. they are healthy but I am afraid they will sabotage my weight loss efforts. I will not take them again.

I had my Band put in 12-30-09. After the first couple days the initial pain of the surgery faded away. Then the other night I was watching TV and started laughing and the area where the port is was hurting quite a bit. And every time I laugh, it still hurts. Then this morning I sneezed and I got a real sharp pain in the same area. Is this normal? When does this pain go away? I'm a bit nervoud and put in a call to my doctor but today is a surgery day so the nurse told me he probably wont call until late tonight.

The thread about the flipped port made me really stop and think. I have been having on and off pain in the port area for awhile now. It's not excruciating most of the time (I can remember one occasion when it was) and some days I don't have it at all, but now I'm wondering if it could possibly be a flipped port. My fill is scheduled for next week (under fluoroscope), so hopefully I'll know then. I just wanted to check how easy or hard is it to flip your port? No pain today (of course) LOL.

I can not believe that as of today I have lost 55 pounds. I feel great, and can not wait to be at my goal weight which is less than 25 pounds away!

I was banded on 10/23/09. My surgery was at 11:30 am and I was home by 4:00 pm that afternoon. To me surgery was the easy part, it was the two week liquid diet that was the hardest. I did stick to it though. Your restriction will go away once the swelling goes down, but be patient. I didn't have good restriction until my 2nd fill. My first fill was on December 7th and I just had my 2nd fill on January 4th. I am down 27 lbs. and feel really great. I have a ways to go but it is a start. Just know that we all will get to where we need to be as far as restriction goes. If you are feeling hungry alot or you have stop losing weight, don't hesitate to get a fill. The …

Im wondering if anyone has found a digital food scale helpful in post banding? I have a regular one, but was wondering if it was something you find you def use and would be more beneficial to get a new digital one?

I'm talking you take 5 bites of something, it sits weird but eventually (after 20 minutes) goes down without an issue. Do you eat again? Do you consider that you were full and try to not eat again?

can u share with me old sleevers how much lbs you lost in your first month? thanks. can't wait to see myself size12-14!!! I am 22 at the moment.

I know this may sound dumb. And honestly, the only people who I have ever found that have this same problem, are people who wrote into this forum on the internet for other people that can't burp (there's about 300 of us). I can't physically burp, never have been able to. I can't make myself burp, and it never comes naturally. Maybe 5 times in my life has it come naturally. So anytime I drink or eat too much, the gas gets stuck in my throat and chest area, and basically sits there until I can find 20 minutes to lie down flat, or let it go away on it's own...(hours). About 5 days post-op, this has gotten worse. Pretty much anytime I eat anything or drink too much…

Hello all, I've done a terrible thing and i'm so scared to go back to the Dr. I have an 8 year old daughter. She has a serious heart condition called Hypoplastic Left Heart has had 3 open heart surgeries. The stress with all that led me to the weight i was. (252) Also her father passed away while i was pregnant. :thumbup: So i've done this alone without him. I am a stress eater. Well she was hopitalized on Dec 26th with some lung issues and stayed 9 days. Well we all know how hard it is to get good food while in the hospital. My nerves got the best of me on day 4 when they were talking about surgery. Long story short i've gained 7 lbs back. I go back for anot…

I was banded on Thursday. Doing OK...generally feeling better each day. Today was the first day that I was able to get down my whole protein shake and a popsicle. About 3 hours later, I started feeling extreme pain in my stomach. I had to leave to get my daughter from after school care and it takes me 30 minutes. Sweating, severe pain, painful burbs and gas. By the time i got to th edriveway, I was vomiting into a cup I had in the truck! About 5 times, nothing but bubbles and saliva because I havent eaten anything since last tuesday. I feel like I did the day after surgery!! I came home and took my meds, AGAIN! Is this normal? I don't understand how I upset anything if …

I had my second fill on Monday and everything that I eat is getting stuck. Does this mean that the band is too tight??? I'm eating soft foods (cottage cheese, scrambled eggs etc) and I'm chewing well. If the band is tight, shouldn't the food be staying in the small stomach and not getting stuck in between?? Or is the band not tight enough and food is getting stuck between the 2 pouches?

Just curious how most people viewed their meals. Pre-band I had a tendency to eat on the go. Many nights, now that my kids are grown, I'd fix dinner and we'd eat it in front of the tv. Now, I put out a decorative placemat, set a place setting and light the candles on the table. I bring all my food to the table and sit and 'dine'...whether it's Breakfast, lunch or dinner and even if it's just a Protein shake...and even if it's just me all by my lonesome. Eating has become an 'experience'. I love my Wood Wick candles because they have a flat wood wick that sounds like a crackling fire place when it burns. Very nice ambience.

I am really worried. 2 of my guy are vomiting. I was banded on the 28th and am scared my band will slip if I get it. Anyone dealt with this?

I was just playing around with the old BMI calculator and the goal I have set for myself (145-150 lbs) is still considered to be "overweight" for my height. I am 5 ft 1.5 inches and I look malnourished at 130 lbs. I'm perfectly content being considered overweight on the charts, but I have to admit it does kind of miff me a little bit that my goal is still out of the 'norm' range. Who am I kidding? I've been morbidly obese for so long, overweight looks like a nice alternative anyway LOL Does anyone else have a final goal weight that is still considered to be overweight?

Ok background on me! I had surgery July 20th, 2009. I've lost 58 so far. Yay me. Well I found out in November that I had a flipped port. My first fill in August was difficult but got it in fine once he found it in my fat hah. When I found out my port had flipped I went back to the doctors office (was at the hosp next door for fill) and they said "Do you not remember it hurting? Nothing?" And after much thought I said I vaguely recalled leaning over out of the computer chair about a month before (oct) and it hurt for a second but it was up under my breast so I thought "well my port's down by my belly button so that wasn't it." And they said "Nope, that was it." Had my…

I am 6 days post op and I am having alot of trouble with hunger. Today I ate a Martha White blueberry muffin and have had no pain or nothing. I don't understand this, My stomach feels fine it hurt the first few days after surgery. I feel like I can eat anything, I know this is not normal. I have called my doctor and they said everything is fine. I don't want to stretch the pouch but good grief. I mean this is driving me nuts.

I am getting banded on 1/27. I have tickets to a Shania Twain concert on 1/29 - just two days later. From your experience - will I feel ok enough to go?

I was going to buy a little notebook to carry around, but my DH bought an iphone for me and they have several apps that allow you to log calories, exercise, etc right on your phone. Very cool! Does anyone use one of these apps? Which one do you like the best? I just bought the app Tap&Track. Look pretty cool -- has a built in database of food items to make calculating your intake easier. What methods of tracking do you all use?

I was wondering if anyone had an irregular menstrual cycle post-op. I had a cycle 4 days pre-op and 2 days post-op, and then again 12 days post-op that is still ongoing?!?! Anyone experience anything weird?

the nausea just isnt letting up and i am getting more weak by the day. even when i try to drink the protein drinks i got, its not enough to help anything. i will let everyone know what happens and when i can be seen. the reason for not going in before now is that my doc was out of town all last week! he may tell me the same thing as the nurse, but until i hear from him i dont think i will be satisfied! hopefully there is a simple solution here and i can start eating again! as of today i have had zero food since before christmas, with the exception of a small bite of peach or small amount of yogurt maybe once a day!