POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

okay i got some steak stuck a few days ago and had to go into the bathroom and i threw up, all of it, concerned that i caused the band to slip, mess it up, did some damage etc. How would i know if i did mess something up. I was banded july 24 and have had 2 fills. Any advice would be great, thanks much

I have been banded for a little over 3 months. Just went to the Dr. for blood test he put me on Synthroid for Hypothyroidism. I have only been on it for 4 days but this week I lost no weight when I almost always lose 2 lbs, BUT the bad news is I gained a pound instead of losing I was wondering if people who are taking it are losing weight? I know I need to take it the med, but I am trying to lose weight. Anyone have any input? Thanks!!

I got banded on Oct. 7. I am still on liquids. Of course I have been feeling tortured because I haven't been able to eat anything. But yesterday, I was at a college football game with my family. They all wanted to go to a hamburger place. So, I had a small hamburger. But, I was not able to eat but half of it. Then after the game, they were all hungry again and went to get pizza. I ate one slice of a medium pizza. I feel so guilty today, because I don't want to interrupt my healing and mess something up. Please tell me there are others who have messed up this soon after surgery too.

I've noticed (unless it's a fluke) that both times that I've been in a car for over 3 1/2 hours, my band tightened up and stayed tight for a few days. Anyone else this happen to? I've heard of some people having it tighten when flying, but am curious if anyone notices this while in a vehicle for a long period of time?

So I was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience or could offer advice. I was banded like 1.5 years ago. anyway at first I was doing ok, had my first fill and thinks were moving along... well then I had a series of things happen in my life that caused me to get severely depressed. I mean not your average depressed this was like nothing I've ever experienced before and hope to never go through again. I was have panic attacks and then I couldn't get out of bed for months. I would just lie there and cry then when I was all cried out I would just lay there and stare off into space. I went to the doc they gave me medicine, and I was able to make myself get out …

Ok, I have been banded since July 29, 2009. I have lost 24lbs which is good to me. I got my 3rd fill last Tuesday and since then I have only been able to eat like mushy stuff or soup. If I eat any kind of normal food it gets stuck & ends up coming back up most of the time. I have never thrown up until this last week. I am able to keep my protein drinks down but it usually takes me about 30 minutes to an hour to drink them. I can eat mashed potatoes, beans, etc and they go down fine but if there is anything that is not mushy I can't eat it. Does anyone have any ideas of some foods I might can eat b/c I am sick of mashed potatoes & refried beans. One good si…

Oh my gosh im starving and im sick of broth and liquids. How did you all get through this period. I know im not going to cheat on it as I am scared as hell to even think about it, but I want to cry I wanna eat something so bad. This is killing me. I have to b on liquids all the way until Thursday my surgery was this past wed and before that I was on liquids for 10 days.

Has anyone been denied insurance benefits due to weight gain during their 6 month phase?

Hello all, I was just banded on 10/3 and started my soft food diet this weekend. I am having a hard time with it. Everything I swallow it seems I can feel going down and it is not a pleasant feeling. I chew like crazy but I almost want to go back to liquids because this feeling is awful. I have even gotten stuck a few times and the sheer desperation of it is terrible. Do you all experience this? Will it go away?? Any suggestions??

Good morning all. I just had my second fill this past Tuesday. I have a realize band and now am up to 7ccs. After my first fill, 3.5, I had no restriction and could eat everything, although I didn't and did not gain nor lose weight. Now, after the 2nd fill, I definitely have pretty good restriction and am eating about half as much but have gained about 5 lbs. My guess is my body thinks it is being starved and is hanging onto eveything it has and will readjust in another few days and start burning the food again. Anyone else go through this or am I just crazy. Thanks, Tom

I had my first fill 4cc.. no restriction. Second fill 5.5cc total. Many (not all) things got stuck in the beginning, so i concentrated more on chewing and eating slowly.) I think I def had restriction. However..... i have not lost ANY weight in the past few weeks (not gained either) but NO LOSS. If at certain times certain foods get stuck, does this def mean I am at restriction? I am def eating much less than before but still no loss. Does this mean it is WHAT I am eating? There are some things I eat that arent the best option, but I eat much less, so is that ok? it is THIS what is hindering my loss? Do I need a fill? If I don't, why do i feel hungry (sometimes) in betwe…

Ok, a little background info. I had a 10cc band inserted at the end of July. The dr. put fluid in it the day it was inserted and I had complications. He had to remove all of the fluid. He put in 2 cc's at the end of August. I had trouble getting "healthy foods" down like grilled chicken and veggies but the crappy foods (greasy foods) went down easy. So my surgeon added more fluid. He then had me drink some water and I threw it up so he backed some of the fluid out. I am not sure how much is in there right now but since yesterday (when he put the fluid in) all I have done is puke anything I eat (which isn't much) and even drinking the protein shakes is kinda painful. I get…

How much can you eat? I posted on Wednesday saying that I didn't think I needed a fill. Went to my dr on Thursday and he agreed, but said that in a week or so he thinks I will change my mind. Since then I have been pretty hungry, but now sure how to gage if I am eating enough or too much. I was banded on 9/16. For dinner, I ate at Cheddars and had the lunch portion of the salmon which was a small piece. I ate half of the fish, most of my green Beans, and half of the mashed potatoes. I just got home and ate a cookie. Is half of a lunch portion a normal amount to eat? I am stuffed right now and wish I had not eaten the cookie :confused: . For lunch I had some t…

Dearest All Who's Reading, I HAVE A BIG PROBLEM. My mother, who is helping me post op, was excited about me starting the blended food diet today. I asked my doctor if I could have mashed potatoes and he said yes, so I was really excited because it is my favorite food. lol. Anyway, my mother blended my potatoes down, they were from KFC, and tored up a half a biscuit and mixed it in as well and didn't tell me. She thought it was okay, and as we all know bread is not a good thing. I thought it was just little bitty chunks of potatoe or something, i mean they were little. But now.....IT'S STUCK. It's stuck and it's so uncomfortable. I feel like I'm going to puke, like …

I think My evil SIL stole my post op liquid diet information ( I blame everything on her) but I really can't find it, it's not with everything else

So I am one week post-op from being banded. Everything is fine now except I always feel like my throat is being choked ( or that I was choked recently). The spot its right at the bottom of my neck where it meets my collar bone. I dont have this feeling when I am eating but in the middle of the night and through the day none stop I have this feeling. Sometimes it is hard to take a deep breathe because it feels uncomfortable. At first I thought it had to do with the gas because I had a lot of problems with the gas but shouldnt it be gone by now? Is this because there was a tube stuck down my throat for surgery?

even before your preop diet.... was you trying to lose weight..did your doctor require you to lose wieght or did you not care. will it affect the decions of your insurance if you lost weight before the pre op diet?

I have been banded for 6 months. I am doing really well with the band. I had my last fill 3weeks ago. Everything was fine until I woke up this morning with the feeling like something is stuck in my throat. I can eat and drink but that feeling will not go away. Any advice out there?

Hi All, I was banded on October 5. I am at the MUSH stage. I have been eating chicken salad, egg salad-both finely grated. I also have had some mashed potatoes w/ melted mozzarella and garlic, finely pureed chicken and gravy. I also had scrambled egg white with melted cheese. I dislike tuna and cottage cheese. Oh my favorite has been skim ricotta, garlic, sauce and a little melted mozzarella. It is like ziti without the noodles. :thumbdown: I am BORED with these few choices. Does anyone have a special concoction they have made at the soft foods stage? Any help is appreciated. Tracy PS I was weighed yesterday and am down 20 lbs!!!

Hi everyone I am new to this site and am hoping I can get some advice. I was banded Sept 17th and at first it was great, the first 2 weeks out I lost about 5 pounds or so (didn't have an exact measurement around surgery date since their scale is off from my home one). But, these past couple weeks, NOTHING. I am scheduled for a fill on Wed. but am worried to even go in there having lost no weight since they last saw me 3 weeks ago! Is this normal to just not lose anything? I thought I would lose a good amount within the first month, but I think this whole month I have only lost 6 pounds and most of that is from the liquid diet after surgery!

I think My evil SIL stole my post op liquid diet information ( I blame everything on her) but I really can't find it, it's not with everything else

I had a 14cc LAP-BAND® installed on May 28th of this year. I have had 2 fills so far for a total of 4 cc’s. I have a cup of Kashi high protein/fiber Cereal with 1 cup of Hood lo carb milk for Breakfast, usually with a few fresh strawberries and blueberries thrown in. I have a cup of coffee around 10:00 with no sugar and no fat half and half. I have no desire to eat anything else in the morning and while I might look lovingly at a donut I am still too full from breakfast to attempt it. I guess you could say the LAP-BAND® is working in the morning. For lunch around 1:00 I usually have either a cup of Soup and a salad with a vinegarette dressing , or I heat up a frozen Le…

I feel like I've been falling off, doing more snacks than I should (cheese, crackers)... and it's my busiest 2 mo. of the year at work, so no time for the pool (I'd been doing 30 laps 3 days a week). With the snow this week, I am worried about the winter! I've been considering doing the liquid diet for 2 weeks to jump start my brain - have others done this? I did great on the pre-op and post-op diet, with no cheating, not sure what happened now that I'm 7 mo. out and 50 pounds down. (Won't make excuses, just want to own up. I had to fly to FL for 2 weeks, almost lost my Dad, but did well down there, it's when I got back that was the problem.:confused:)

I just had my first fill today! YAY!!! I am feeling really sick and want to take some tylenol, but was told that I needed to be on an all liquid diet. Can I take some tylenol or should I just wait till tomorrow?

Hi all I am about 4 1/2 weeks post op and doing soft foods and still a lot of liquids. I've had one "stuck" episode last week so I know what that is like, but today I'm experiencing some new feelings. I ate a few bites of egg this morning and they did not go down right (almost feeling like stuck) so I just stopped eating. About 2 hours later I had a Protein drink. Then about 2 hours after that I started to get a really strong tightening feeling in my chest, like someone is squeezing me and it's hard to breathe. It last about an hour or two. Then tonight I had a little bit of dinner and 2 hours later I'm feeling the same tightness again. Anyone experience this …

I was banded on Sept 4th, and the last two days have had issues with being very sore and not being able to bend over, sit for too long or lie on my stomach. Today I noticed that about 2-3" above my largest incision(above the navel) it is like there is a lump/knot in there! I have not had a fill yet, supposed to be this WED coming up..but I can not eat more than 3 oz at a time anyway.. My labs last week showed things are going great, I am down 43 pounds now and dropping meds like crazy... So I am pleased with things... Does anyone have any ideas on what could be causing the lump?

3 weeks post op and yesterday I ate a whopper jr, a pack of swiss snack cakes, 12 pizza rolls, chips and salsa all in a 2 hour period. I am sick sick sick of myself. I am so mad at myself. am I alone in this? has anyone messed up this bad. What is wrong with me. :w00t: :eek: :scared2:

Has anyone been getting UTI's after LapBand. I'm 14 months past my surgery and I am on my 3rd one. I was never a big drinker of Water and did really well with the water intake but ended up getting a UTI 8 months after surgery. I took the meds and even had a sonogram which was normal. I was urinating blood during these. That cleared up and now I had it again in mid-September and now again 3 weeks later. All these times I have been totally stressed out and probably not drinking enough. The doctor prescribed both time liquid antibotics. The first time was Bactrim, which worked and the second Cephalexin which must not have worked good enough. A couple of years ago I…

I just wanted some advice - - it's scary but despite my best intentions and even reminding myself how good i feel after exercise or when I have seen a weight loss I can't stop snacking and chocolate being so close at hand at work that seems to be what I grab while I'm sitting at my desk. Has anyone else encountered this problem and got any suggestions? I have lost a fair bit of weight but feel like I'm really going backward and need help to get back on track. I don't really know what to eat and am flailing - - any advice would be much appreciated!

I'm one week post op so I am on pureed foods. I have having a lot of trouble eating and drinking slowly. My dietitian says that we should be sipping 4 oz over 30 minutes and 1/4 cup of pureed foods over 30 minutes. I have baby spoons, but I still can't eat/drink THAT slow. Any suggestions?

Hello, I was banded yesterday (10/14/09) and have extreme pain from gas. There is no comfortable position. Any advise? How long does it takes to go away? Thank you!

I use food when I stressed, bored, sad, etc etc. Unfortunaty post band, I am still using it the same way cause I can still eat chocolate. I don't like gum, but need a new emotional crutch. I'm working on the pyschological issues, but my oral fixation must be met! What have you all used that worked?

I had a BS scheduled as a routine f/u, this is15 months post LB. I had not been having any problems, it was just to check it out. The night before the BS I took 2 pills before bed. It felt like they were stuck. I took small sips but and the feeling didn't go away. I woke up a couple of times during the night, a little uncomfortable but not in any pain. I could not have anything to eat or drink after midnight because BS was scheduled for 7:30 am. I did feel like the pill was still there when I woke up, almost like a little acid reflux but I could not drink anything to make it go away. I also started post nasal drip the day before. All I wanted to do was to take s…

Hi..i was wondering what would be the best time to take all my vitamis. I do 2 grams of Omega 3, 1 gram of Vitamin C, Niacin, a daily vitamin and a few others. I have read absorption depends on may variables such as liquid intake prior or after, lying down etc..All too complicated! Is there someone familiar with the best time to insure my vitamins are being absorbed 100% by my body? Thanks..oh and when can i start, i am 6 days post op on clear liquids...can someone suggest a good protien source? Im worried about losing muscle mass. :thumbup:

i was wondering and i was wondering what slimming is

Anyone have any suggestions on how to keep the weight off after a fill... It seems that the weight goes down right after a fill and while on liquids for three days and then as soon as you go back on regular food... the weight starts inching back up... The first week after the fill always give me a good 5 to 8 pound drop... My last fill was my third and I had great restriction, even fluids were a little rough... It has loosened up a little but still full after about 1 cup of food... And once again, the scale is creeping up again.

I'm one week post op (doing great!) and I'm on pureed foods. I have a Tastefully Simple Party tonight and a birthday party and Halloween party tomorrow night--guess I better bring some protein shakes!!!

I have not been banded yet, but I have one question that I am not getting a clear answer to when asked, so I am turning it over to you... Once you are through a couple fills, how do you manage any medications that you need to take that are larger than a M&M. There are just some meds that are not available in small sizes or in liquid form. How do you manage taking these types of meds, when you have a pretty good restriction. Why I ask? Right now I am taking Mucinex DM, on the package it states DO NOT CRUSH.. That made me think if I can't crush it and need to take this after I am banded, how do I know it won't get stuck?? Any thoughts... Thanks, be well

I keep reading "Chew everything really well!" and things to that nature. Can you ever "overchew" your food to the point that it goes through the band too fast? Thanks!!

Hello! I am going to be banded in 6 days and I am trying to decide what my Christmas weight loss goal should (could) be. Can all you banded tell me how much you all lost the first 2 months after surgery??

I am 52 days out right now. No real complaints but........ I have a strange pain kinda at my incision site. I only have one incision. For an idea of where my one is see this pic: http://www.ucsfhealth.org/adult/images/bariatric_surgery_images/lap_incision_call.jpg It is the middle left incision (patients left so the ride side of your screen) that is marked "10 to 12 mm" in middle of the three. Mine does not tilt down like that though. I guess if you do it only through one incision it does not tilt. Anyway, after I eat I get kind of a stabbing pain there sometimes, but not every time. I have a dull ache there about 80% of the time now. It kind of came on gradually …

Of course I will talk to my dr about it tomorrow. I am at 4 weeks today. I get full really easily. Today, at lunch, was my frist day to eat at a restaurant and to eat a semi normal meal instead of Soup. I got red snapper, mashed potatoes and green Beans. I ate maybe a corner off of the fish, most of my mashed potatoes a(it was a small portion) and a couple of green beans. I ate a bite of creme brulee. I am so stuffed I can hardly move. Before surgery, I would have eaten the whole thing, plus ordered a salad, plus had a whole creme brulee. I am wondering if I should wait for my fill? It seems the band is working the way it is supposed to...I have not had anyth…

Just wondering what is the most common staples used. Any long term complications with either? JUst out of curiosity how many staples does ir require? Thanks...Not eating now...second week so i gotta take up some time!

i had my surgery in january 2009. i have more gas now than ever!!!!!! i am the biggest farter and burper i know. please someone tell me you are too!!! all the time i am just full of gas. eat a little burp and toot alot. i cant even make it thru a meal without burping. and their not like they used to be before the band nice quiet ones. they will only come out loud. omgosh

It's been a while since I have been on here. I was banded on 2/27/08. Since then I have only lost 28 pounds both pre-op and post-op. I have maintained that weight and can't loose anymore. I am completely stumped as to what is going on here. I stopped going to my band doc 6 months ago due to insurance. I have new insurance that will start up in Nov and will go then. So I am hoping I can get some advise from you guys. I am currently at 7cc in a 10cc band. I know I cant go more(tried 7.1 and no go)and if I go less I get hungry and eat more. I was told I was at my "sweet spot" by the fill Nurse. I don't eat but twice a day, which the doc told me was fine. I can not …

I was banded in Sept 07 at at weight of 102kg (sorry from Aus) anyway 6 weeks after I was dx with Multiple sclerosis, total shock and out of the blue. I didnt appear to affect my banding in anyway and over the next few months the band was filled to approx 5.5mls in a 11ml band. Suddenly and for no apparant reason my problems started with constant vomiting, not being able to keep fluids down etc. I had bits taken out and all would be ok for another couple of weeks then the same thing, until eventually I had enough and asked for a full 1ml to be taken out which them put me at 2.6 mls in the band (its fitted with 2mls in it). This was cool and I found myself eating an a…

How much are you suppose to loose in a month? I've kinda plateau but.. im starting to drop again, and i just wanted to know an average weight loss a month.. (if you are working out hard)

As of today, I have lost 33.2 pounds and wish I knew how many inches I've lost. I don't measure but I'm buying myself a tape tomorrow and keep up with it from now on. At quilting on Monday, I was infomred that it was time to retire the capri's I had on. They are too loose according to my friends. Last summer, they were rather tight!:sneaky: Tonight, at church, I had on a new (never worn) pair of jeans. It has been years since I had any jeans. Anyway, I was again told that I needed to retire these new jeans because they were too big..especially in the butt. They weren't too loose when I purchased them last Friday. The only thing I can figure out is that I must be l…

Saturday evening, I started to feel pain deep underneath the general area of my port incision. When I bend or turn too far to that side, it is a very sharp and very intense pain that leaves me holding my side and taking some deep breaths. I have had no pain for a couple of weeks now, until this. It is not constant, and today its not as severe as Sat., but still hurts when I move wrong. I called my surgeon's partner Saturday night (my dr is on vacation) and he said it was nothing. Said I probably pulled a stitch or tore the muscle its stitched too and to relax...it happens. Well, today I called my bariatric nurse and she said I should go in and get checked out to be safe. …

I posted this is the general section but no one responded!! The reason I ask this is because after I eat(dinner)I can look down at my belly and see my stomach protruding a little bit right where my port is. Does anyone else see this? I have pretty good restriction right now but am a little worried. I might go to the doc and ask but I would like to know if this has happened to ayone else.....