POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

I had lap band done over 16 months ago and have lost 88 lbs. Im concerned because I have a sore throat (esophagus) slot lately.. any one else have this problem? Another thing I was wondering is like if I drink water and then lay down I have this gurgling thing that goes on up and down my throat (not sure if I am explaining this clear enough) and lastly.. how long should you wait from eating and laying down? I must say I have been away from the forum for awhile and I will be researching and chatting on here to find my answers.. but any help you can give me would be appreciated :blushing: thank you Missy

Is it possible to hit your sweet spot 4 weeks after your last fill (Fill #2) or have I done something to myself??? I had a fill over a month ago, 5cc's in a 13cc band, and have been doing ok, about 2# loss a week, literally the night before my 3rd fill, I had a hard time eating stuff I have been eating with ease this whole time, ie sliced deli meat,cheese.. I went to my appt. and told them about my night, and they held off my fill til next week. I have been exercising 2 hours total a day and really haven't changed my eating habits, no vomiting or PB's.. my weight loss has increased, so I am happy just think it's odd that it took 4 weeks after a fill to feel it?!?

Just curious to know if anyone here is working out while banded, or perhaps you're not working out. Do share and tell. Thanks!

Hi everyone, I was banded May 6th of this year and was doing really well until I hit a brick wall three weeks ago. I had my 3rd fill on August 3rd and the doctor and I were hopeful that this would get me in the green zone but it hasn't. After losing two pounds by the end of that week, the last three weeks I've bascially plateaued. I've gained and lost the same 1.5 pounds. I am getting my Protein and Water and exercising almost every day. I've changed up my exercise, varied my calories but never more than 1200 and still haven't been able to break this plateau. The only good thing is that my scale is recording body fat loss even if there has been no weight loss. Since …

It good? It sounds good, what would your ratings be on those 2?

Hi there lap banders, I've just joined the forum today and really need some help and advice! I was banded 9 days ago in Belgium and after 5-6 days of feeling full after tiny amounts of food and having loose bowel movements with severe dizziness, I suddenly feel really hungry all the time. I can now manage a full plate of Soup with 5 small crackers all at once and even managed a Belgian chocolate with some prawn salad (very well chewed) the other day. I'm only supposed to be on liquids for the first 10 days after surgery and feel upset that I cheated and managed to eat salad and chocolate. I am crying all the time and feel very depressed right now! What is really wo…

Hi so i was banded on 8/10 and im getting my first fill on 9/17. I am a single new yorker and i love to hang with friends i was not letting the band get in the way of that. I refused to drink my meat so this is what i did. Im just sharing what worked for me this week. @ a mexican restaurant i had( not all on the same day) a small cup of black bean Soup.(did not finish it all but it was good to get out the house) chicken enchilada another day. moisted the chicken with the refried Beans and fork smashed it. didn't eat it all but my friends ate the second one (since two came on the plate) a few spoons of guacamole on day it was a table appitizer so i just had a tast…

Today is my 6 month bandiversary. Well i weighed myself this morning and am happy to say that i am 155 putting me only 10 pounds from goal! I'm so happy. i never thought i'd see 175 again much less be steadily heading for 145. My size 10;s are getting loose and i've begun buying 8's. There was a time i'd have given anything just to get into a 12. Not to mention i'm now off my diabetic medication and all of BP medication besides a water pill. I no longer am so tired that i need a nap everyday. I have so much more energy. I no longer run from the a camera or get depressed at the site of a mirror. My mom would be so proud of me!! My children are always telling me how great i…

Well, apparently I freaked out over some rapid weight loss, and resultant crinkly skin features... following surgery, and I am guilty as heck - as I have been deliberately loading high calorie low density "foods" into my twice filled banded stomach. First step is acknowledging this is what I am doing. Next step is getting back on the bandwagon and riding this to its necessary conclusion. With each fill the restriction is increasing, to the point I am not sure I can actually find a meat I can consume. It is 99.9% chicken drenched/doused/prepared with liquidy "gravy" stuff. I finally got over my fear of veggies, and I now eat carrots, broccoli, and squash, cooked/stea…

I was told that if you don't loose most of the weight you are striving for by the 8 month mark, chances are not good for you to reach your goal weight. Any Truth in this. I had surgery at the end of May, want to loose 130 and have only lost 47. I had two fills, have very little restriction. I am going to keep going, but weight loss is VERY slow....less than 1 pound per week. Can anyone out there let me know how long it took to get to your goal weight?

Ok I am so hungry this week I could eat my arm, it is 6:00pm right now and I have already had 1000 calories and I am so HUNGRY! I hate this! I called my docs office today and moved my fill to next Wednesday 9/2 (it was 9/9). I just could not wait. So this 3rd fill will be 2 1/2 weeks after my 2nd fill. The scale has not budged from 230lbs and I am dying to see 225lbs but with this hunger I might not ever get there! It's weird....my fills seem to be great the week after I get them, and then week 2 I seem to be getting more hungry eat time! BLAH I am hungry lol. Someone tell me they have had something similar happen to them!!!!!!!!!????????????? :thumbdown:

How long does it take for your body to absorb the medication?

I am really wanting to get a spray tan today because I have a wedding to go to on Saturday and I am wearing a dress (I have not worn one in a long time!) so I want my legs to be tan. They spray the tan on you by a person, not standing in the box...so I feel like really self consious. Are the used to seeing all types of body shapes/sizes? I'm sure they are right? not just skinny minnies tan right? Please help ease my nerves...or let me know if I am right and am going to be very uncomfortable! Thanks!

I recently had my second fill. First fill was on Aug. 1st. Doc injected 2cc into my 4cc band. and even though I have very slight restriction, I pretty much had no difficulty eating most things, and after a couple of weeks was not losing any. So I went back for another fill. He then injected .5cc into my port and although I told him to add a full cc, he expressed concern that it might cause some tearing (of what, he didn't say) if he added that much so soon. So I let him do what he knows best. I have lost a little more, but now feel like things are sloooooow, even though my last fill was 9 days ago! Does this mean I've not hit my sweet spot yet? Maybe I h…

You know, many of you have been talking to me, mainly these past 4 days. Ok this feeling in my throat/top of my chest is really driving me nuts! That feeling isn't pleasant and I'm getting annoyed cause it'll go away and come right back I'm trying my best but I have to feel this way for another week, I'm going to be seeing my dr next week and it's going to suck cause I planned going clothes shopping this weekend for school and it's the only time I can go, I was so excited and I didn't plan on getting whatever I got the nurse never said anything about reflux but she said I might have a narrowing like whatever that is. I feeling like I'm being punished by not being able to…

How did your grocery bill change post-surgery? Did you find you were spending a lot less on food than you did pre-surgery or was it about the same because you bought more expensive products? I ask the live alones because you only shop for you and maybe the cat, unlike the family bandsters who shop for a whole lot of mouths. I don't have a large income and I'm a self pay so I'm hoping that a good chunk of the money that formerly went to groceries can now be diverted into paying the bank back for the surgery. If that plan isn't going to work then I may have a potential problem :thumbup:.

I had my 2nd fill last Tues, my doc added 2 cc's which brought it up to a total of 4cc's. Thursday I had what I think may have been getting stuck. I wasn't paying attention to my chewing, and I had terrible pain. It went down on its own, but there was a lot of bubbling noise, and it felt as thought I might vomit. Since then it seems that I get a little discomfort everytime I eat something that isn't soft. I don't know if I am eating to much or too fast, or if maybe I am just too tight. If I am eating too much than I can't eat more than maybe a 1/2 cup of food. I had very little to no restriction before my 2nd fill, so I have not experienced these feelings before now. I a…

I got my second fill a little over two weeks ago now and I have been SUPER tight (eating maybe 6 bites for meals and too much PB for my taste), but I have been toughing it out... I lost great the first week and after that I have really stalled out - Talking to my team today the think I should have .5 CC removed as I might be in more of a starvation mode... Anyone else had this problem... It seems so contridictory, but if that is what I need to do to get moving so be it... it is so frustrating to eat very very very little and see no movement!! I feel really good as far as never being hungry, but I am not eating much and feel pretty bad after just several bits.. I…

I'm going to be a senior in high school this year. I will be 5 weeks and 4 days post op when school starts, I was realllllly excited to go back, now I'm nervous to go back. I'm going to be telling my schools nurse about it(very good idea) if she's there tomorrow and I need to find out who my gym teacher will be (cause they forgot to give me a gym period) so I can tell him/her about it and hopefully they don't tell the other teachers, should I tell the principle too? Anyways my biggest fear about going back is getting sick, like nausea sick anywhere during the school say even on the bus. And I worry about not getting enough sleep, I don't get enough now it's like I can't g…

I was just banded on Mon. Aug. 17, on the 18th I felt pretty good, but today I feel bloated and sore and have a gurgley stomach. Now I am scared I did to much yesterday and did something to the band. :biggrin: I am just going to stay in the recliner today and walk around a little bit.

I'm getting really frustrated. I know it's normal to stall when you go from mushies to real food, but my scale hasn't moved in weeks. I've lost 26lbs since surgery (july 10th) and I'm not upset about that, but the scale just froze! I mean, it hasn't moved an ounce in two weeks. I'm eating right. 3 meals, small amounts of the right foods, no snacks, lots of fluid, I just don't get it. Any advice out there??

ok i have pains on the left side of my rib cage at the bottom. it hurts to cough take a deep breath and it hurts when i walk and move. when i sit down it bothers me as welll. i was banded 8/11/09 so tues will be a wk. could this be gas still or should i be worried?? i have been up moving to work out the gas out. please tell me what is this has ne one gone through sumthing like this:sad:

SOOO...I had my 1st fill 2 weeks ago and am going for another on Sept. 1st. I only had restriction for less than a week. I eat very healthy and find it HARD to hit my 1000-1200 cals a day! I know this will only get harder when i get more restriction and eat less. I have not lost any weight since my fill. I know eating under the required calories can cause you to not lose weight also. Anyways...Last week was a crazy week and I ate fast food alot because I was never home. So i was prob hitting 1200 cals if not a LITTLE more. I DROPPED 4 lbs!! AND I WAS EATING BAD! My personal trainer friend said its cause my body was needing more cals to generate my metabolism. SO...if this…

So I am only 19 days post op and I have really been obsessing over not losing more weight. Currently, I have lost 10 lbs since the operation and 5 in the pre-op diet, but I have talked to several friends that have had the procedure and they lost like 20 lbs the first few weeks (similar weight & size to me) so I was getting super depressed. I finally had my husband hide the scale on Saturday night. Silly as it sounds, I feel like a big weight (no pun intended) has been lifted off of me. I am going to weigh in once a week and do measurements as well to see my progress and to (for once in my life) not worry so much about numbers and focus on how I feel. Just wanted …

I am still on mushy/all liquid diet and I go to real foods on Thursday. Did y'all transition slowly to real foods and how? Or did you just start eating normal? I am a bit nervous as I haven't received my first fill yet (Sept 8th) and am getting increasingly hungry. I want to be careful not to have a free for all when Thursday comes! What were your experiences like?

I thought I ate too much but it's been hours since I ate. I just looked up the symptoms and they said one of them is gas. I have gas all the time but this is the first time I have ever had this pain that is on the right side. How do you know if you're having gall bladder problems. Mac mentioned that my nausea could be gall bladder related.

Last night, I tossed and turned -my back is killing me and wakes me up. So, I tried sleeping on my left side. It hurt like heck, but I tried to not give up. The upper part of my stomach, where all of the incisions and port are felt like.. my guts were pushing the port. it hurt terribly. My back is hurting so badly from sleeping on my back for 5 weeks. Do you know if is possible to make the band or port come out of place from side sleeping? fyi... I am still hurting with a burning pain at all of my incision sites. I've taken a half dose of hydrocone, but still hurt. I would really like to hear from someone who has experience with this kind of problem -side sleeping …

from checking out many threads... i see that people get filled Very frequently!! and others get filled a couple months apart? I also spoke with a woman (my contact at the OCC, where my surgery will be done) ..and she was only filled 3 times in 3 years and is at her goal of a 95 pound loss... She mentioned that the may depend on the type of band that their surgeon used? Any thoughts?:thumbup:

Can anyone tell me why we should have liquid medicine instead of pills?

I got a call this morning to say I had been approved. She got everything together yesterday and sent it off to Medicare this morning and within a couple of hours I had been approved.. I am so excited. Now I have to wait till 10/23 to see the surgeon because he is booked till then and 3 weeks for the surgery. Please hurry up Oct and come on, I am so ready for this. Claudean:thumbup:

so I went for my first post-op visit yesterday.. I lost 9 lbs!! and he put me on liquid diet.. I feel like a new person.. I was really questioning myself on Saturday if I made the right choice. But now the meds are done and I am drinking my yummy shakes.. I am a happy woman!!

There was a thread about a week ago asking people about their NSVs (non-scale victories). I am starting it up again... I went to the dr's office today and they didn't have to use the XL arm cuff to take my blood pressure!! When I sit in a chair with sides or arm rests...my thighs don't touch the arm rests anymore!! When I lay on the couch, there is enough room for my dog to lay next to me & cuddle rather than lay at my feet!! :thumbup: Please share yours too!

Sorry for posting so many threads but would mac n cheese be alright for a mushy/puréed food? Cause that kind of cheese sounds good right now it's the microwavable kind by kraft could just purée it?

Ok, so I was banded a month ago and don't get my first fill until Thursday September 3 which is another week. I am sooo ready for it. Ok, I have lost 17lbs since surgery which is great. However last week the doctor told me I could go to regular food so I have been. I haven't hardly eatin anything at all. Ok for instance here is my regular day. For breakfast I have a protien shake, for lunch I will either eat a salad or some potatoes or a toasted sandwhich and then if I am hungry around 3 or 4 I will eat a sugar free pudding and then for supper I will eat maybe beans & rice or fish or chicken. I don't eat hardly anything comopared to what I normally eat. The p…

I got my first fill today (after not needing one the last time!). Well all of a sudden last week I was starving, so I called and went and got my first fill today! It wasn't bad at all--I thought it just felt wierd having that needle go in your port. I got 3cc--my first fill for my 14cc band. :thumbup: I'm excited actually. I worried about having this for the first time, but it wasn't anything bad like I imagined. And I'd lost 5 more pounds! Whooo hooo! It sure feels good! This is the best I've felt in years and I'm so thankful I had the band done.

I have anxiety issues that come and go, and because of breathing issues was put on a different anxiety med - pristiq - which actually has appetite suppresant qualities. Sunday night I ate something that I should have known wouldn't be good, and I was right, I threw it up for about 10 minutes. so, all over right? wrong. Yesterday i couldn't even get milk down, just came right back up. anything I tried to eat/drink came right back up. Needless to say it was a miserable day. Luckily the pristiq kept me from being hungry so it wasn't too miserable a day but i was dang thirsty! even apple juice came back up. seems to be ok today though. I'm doing shakes all day to ma…

Ok so here is my situation... I have a infection. I am 17days post op. When I went to my 1 wk apt I saw my doc partner. My incision was oozing a little at the time green and his partner who saw me said its normal and incsions can ooze for months after surgery. I told him I did not feel comfortable and maybe I should be on antibiotics,,and he told me not to worry about it. Since then its gotten much worst, I think its getting better and then its not. It is now still oozing green crap (non-smelly) and it looks like the stitches ( I was glued) I did not have (no stitches) opened up at the top. ITs about the size of a pinto bean. ITs about the width of a bean and I was t…

I have the 10cc band got my first fill in July 2cc and my tube contacting the port had .8cc, this time I got 1.4cc. I am trying to take it easy usually when it comes to eating soft foods, but I really wanted some meat, so I grab a slice of lunch meat, (ham), I didn't chew that well and that was my frist true experience of getting something stuck.OUCH it was so painful. I even fill alittle sore in the tummy! Who else has experienced that?????:thumbup:

Hello!! I am getting my first fill tomorrow! I am very excited! Since I am "empty" right now, I can eat pretty much anything with no problem.. and I have lost nothing more since the liquid phase after surgery.. Anything I should know? I am hoping that this is where the weight loss really begins..and I hope it does! After 3 weeks, I was back in the gym, but still no loss.. I was told to only have Clear liquids a few hours before and 3 days of liquids after (this coming from Dr. Ortiz..I am getting filled here in Maryland). Also..I have an 11cc band... was is a typical cc you get the first time? I am assuming that is different for everyone? I am not afraid of needl…

Before surgery, besides being addicted to food, I was also addicted to diet cherry Dr. Pepper. Love it, but I was good and only drank a can a day.... I didnt have it on my pre-op diet and since surgery 3 weeks ago, I have been dyin for some. Just a sip as carbonation makes me burp worse than a sailor, and thats saying alot since I am married to one.. Tonight, i got my soda and was drooling watching it in the glass, waiting impatiently for it to go flat. My friend told me to stir it with a spoon vigorously, another friend of theirs had banding, and thats what she does to be able to have an occassional soda.. Stirred it with a spoon for about a minute, flat as a bo…

Hi- I am here looking for a little insight from anyone who may be able to provide some. Let me say my surgeon is extremely qualified and has done thousands of surgeries. I was actually recommended by others who have had RNY and Lapband done my him. My dilemma is that I was banded 6/18/09 and went in for my fist fill about 6 weeks later. He does all his fills under fluoro to ensure the band is positioned correctly and there haven't been any slips. He's also extremely aggressive with his fills. Anyway, during my first fill I laid on the table and he told me to tell him once I start feeling pressure. He kept looking at me and finally asked "did you not feel any pressure"…

Hi, I was banded July 20th 2009. Since the surgery I find that I am constantly thirsty. I always drank a lot of water. Now it is not as easy as I start feeling full if I drink too much at once. Is this thirstiness normal? And how do I keep drinking without feeling icky and/or stretching my band? I have gotten several headaches which I suspect are from dehydration

I'm not trying to be inappropriate here, but I really don't want to ask my surgeon this question!! I was banded almost 9 weeks ago. Has anybody else had port pain during sex? (My port is lower right abd) I think it is more when I contract my abd muscles. so I try not to do anything too strenuous. However the other night, I had to stop because my port site hurt and my husband felt really bad about it. Then last night, I guess I was kind of holding my abd for support (I thought inconspicuously)during it and he asked me if it hurt...and I lied and said I was fine. On a normal day, I might have a little soreness or none at all. It's just during sex. I'm hoping everything is o…

I had my first fill today and i didn't have my usual doctor, i had a different one who was to do my fill. Upon finding my port when he stuck the needle in he couldn't get it into the port. After trying and trying at my own expense ( was very painful with my neck and legs in the air also ) he got it in but he had to go under it. After he had filled my port (2 ml? i think ) he told me my port had rotated and it's upside down. How does this happen? The doctor also told me it happens to about 10% of people who have lap banding, my response was " oh trust me to be in that 10%". Has anyone ever heard of this, even more so had this happen to then? Is it related to slippage at al…

Would love to hear from anyone banded within a few days of 7/27/09. Compare notes....LOL

Hi, I'm almost 5 weeks post op, and whenever i bend over from a standing position, like to tie my shoes or pick something up, I get a "squishy, scrunching, rubbing feeling" sor of deep in my lower abdoment, sort of to the left. The first time I noticed it was about one week post op, and I feel it each time I bend. Anybody ever feel anything like this? Banded 7/23/09 280 pre op / 273 at surgery / 255 now

So many people have said I have reflux, weird feeling in throat and bad taste and burping oh and weird bubbling feeling. What causes it? Does it go away on it's own or do I need to get something for it from my dr? Do you suggest anything that works that I can ask my dr. I've had this feeling since Saturday and it's annoying! It kinda makes me feel nauseated but not coming from my stomach but my throat! Lol so yeah

Hello, I am five weeks from surgery today and had my first fill today under x-ray. It was painful and I bled everywhere...no hint of lidocane... She first took out everything I had to measure and I was surprised it was 3ccs, she then put all of that back in, added 2ccs, had me swallow contrast and then added .6cc more. So I have a total of 5.6cc in my AP band after my first fill. Does that seem high to anyone else? I expected the band to be "primed" but 3ccs seemed high to be in there initially. How much does it take to prime the band? Also, I was surprised to see that my band was at an angle as I thought it was supposed to be perfectly horizontal. She assured m…

as most of you already know...i had a tummy tuck last monday....i insisted on reaching goal b4 surgery...i weighted myself the sunday b4 i went to the hospital and made it to 160.8!!!!!!!!!! i was so nervous and busy getting ready for surgery i didn't even get to celebrate reaching my goal!!!! but i did it!!!! i lost 136 pounds in 10 months and 10 days...i'm currently at 157.7...no appetite since surgery and had approx. 3-4 pounds of skin removed. but yes i did...i made it to goal!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm 7 mos out of surgery. Doing quite well. Lost about 65lbs (I need to update my ticker). My band seems to be very "testy". Some days I can pretty much eat what I want, but in small quantities. Some days I cant eat a THING! It's frustrating to say the least. Today I had a yogurt for Breakfast - no problem. Then I had some grapes - really good big fat juicy green ones - PROBLEM! Could it have been the skin?? I also had some very well cooked string Beans - Everything came up - all afternoon - This goes down as a BAD food DAY