POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

OK, this is my first post. I found this site about a week after I had my band placed. It has been so helpful to me to see what everyone else is experiencing. So, thought I would share. I had my band on 6/29/09. I went for my first fill today. Absolutely hate, hate, hate needles. I waited in the exam room for about 45 minutes and made the mistake of looking at the supplies about to used.....AGH! Tip- DONT LOOK! Anyways, he got me on the table lying flat on my back, had me raise my feet a couple of inches up, poked around my port with his hands a few seconds, and bam! He was done! I swear I was in shock at how simple, quick, and painless it was! I would never mislead anyone…

My mom knows someone who hasbeen banded a while ago 2 yearsago I think well she was sick for a week and a half when she got it, I hope I come around sooner than that it dissapoints me for being sick this long but everyone is different, I just hope I feel better soooooon!!!! Makes me upset that I'm like this

What are some of your favorite work outs that you are able to do soon after post-op? Just want to get some new ideas!

I was just banded today and I had a great experience so far. I did have a hiatal hernia removed at the same time. My question is about going back to working out (I am pretty active, despite being overweight). I normally do the tredclimber 2x a week, spin class 1x and also competitive volleyball once a week. I asked my doctor when I could go back to doing this and he said a week or two. I am completely baffled. I thought I would need some more time. Is there anyone out there that plays a team sport or that is pretty active and can let me know how long it took to get back on track? TIA

I am almost 5 weeks post-op, soft soild food stage and right now am suffering with constipation really bad! This is new for me but over the last week it has gotten worse. I have been taking MiraLax for the last 3 or 4 days and no relief. Any suggestions?? ...and does this eventually stop?

I was banded on the 4th, came home from the hospital yesterday, and am doing well today. Working on getting in my Water and walking, so far so good. How is everyone else newly banded doing? ~Carol

Has this happened to anyone? I feel like a hamster on a wheel. I am eating my Protein. I am drinking my Water. I know the drill with eating protein first... and limiting sugars and refined carbs. I don't drink with meals and I wait 30 min after. I take time eating s l o w I am eating more than I know I should. I went in for a flouro because they suspected dilitation and there was nothing. Pouch was fine and they would not give me a fill because they said I looked retsricted- but the barium shot through me so fast... What do I do?????? I am up in weight and going crazy. I just went to the endo today to have bloodwork done to test thyroid (last had it che…

I'm 7 days post op now was wondering if it should be ok to try some yogurt or what do you suggest?

There was a post on p'bing. I have tried to look for it, but I can't find it now. I apologize for having to ask this, but what exxactly is p'bing?

I was banded on Monday 8/3 and was put on Clear liquids for two days afterwards. I lost 13 pounds during the pre-op & post-op diets. Yesterday I was allowed to start the full liquids phase for the next 7 days where I can add cream Soups (strained, of course), thinned out cream of wheat & Protein shakes. I think I'm following the diet but I got on the scale today & I gained 2 pounds...ugh! I'm starving within an hour after eating, I don't feel full AND I gained weight. Am I doing something wrong?:scared2:

Will post more later, but I am home. Things went very well. I am sore (ya' think?), but it is more than manageable with the meds. And a hospital is NO place to get rest! Lordie. Slept two hours today already. Still getting used to that odd feeling when what I swallow hits my new belly. More updates to follow.

Hi! I'm new to all this and need some help I was banded on 7/27 and will be starting my pureed food stage on 8/5. Can you tell me how thick that is? I was told it needs to be like baby food but is that like a milkshake? Any help would be great!! Thanks so much!:smile2:

In the past I have gone to this Dr. for diet. Now he has a line of products www.nutritionalweightsolutions.com. He had some of these before I stopped going. I like the B5-B6 spray and I do think it has a little appetite suppressant in it. I have also tried the Attain, Creamy Vanilla. I not an expert on protein shakes but it tastes the same to me as many others. But, he does have many products that you can buy on line. B-12 spray etc. I am not associated with him in any way other than I was a past patient. If anyone looks at this could you tell me if the Attain is comparable to protein and sugars in other products. He compares it to slim fast optima on the can a…

I normally sleep on my stomach so its been hard to sleep on my back. I just had surgery today, but I was wondering if anyone has problems sleeping on their stomach.

After loosing at a steady pace since surgery, for the first week ever, I have gained back 2.5 pounds. Arrghhhh!!!! My first fill was on the 24th of July and he put in 4.5cc in a Realize C band. So I have very little if any restriction. I have an appointment on the 21st of August for another fill, and I want to ask him to be more aggressive this time, but I have a feeling he won't. I am very disappointed in the gain and in my self.:wink2::mad:

I was just curious to find out if people measure (or at least measured the first few months). I normally don't measure, but I measured some chicken for my lunch tomorrow and 3.5 ozs was much more than I have been "guestimating." And...when you measure (take meat for example), do you measure 1/2 cup as 4 ozs or do you weigh it? Just curious. Thanks!

Just curious as to how many cc's before you hit your sweet spot. I had my 2nd fill yesterday and now have 4.5 cc's. I was a bit bummed at doctor office since I lost 11lbs since surgery (June 4, 2009). I see how amazing many of you are doing and feel like I am losing beyond slow - the doctor said I am doing well, but 4lbs in 5 weeks.

I was banded 07/30. I am on the mushie stage and have felt great! Recovery was nice and easy. I am supposed to drink 2 ounces of Protein shake every hour and have 3 mushie meals a day...2 ounces each. It has been great up to this point but today I am STARVING! Why the sudden change? I ate Breakfast 2 hours ago and am keeping up on the Protein Shake..I am also drinking my Water. I am not supposed to snack in between meals but the protein shake is not doing it for me this morning. Any ideas on why this is happening or what I can do?

We can form an August banster group together.

I was wondering how many different types of bands there are out there? I myself have the realize band in place.

Hi, I have been worrying myself all day today over leakage, not that I have any symptoms, but it's something that concerns me all the time as I am a compulsive worrier. From what I have read, a lot of leakages seem to emerge 2 weeks post-op. I have an idea of the symptoms but is there anything you can do to prevent it occurring other than following the diet to the letter? I worry that I may eat too much and may staples my burst as a result. Can leakage occur further down the line - say at 6 months etc and are there foods that are more likely to cause this damage. I have been fine since surgery last week but have just started with indigestion, which I guess is pretty n…

Hello Everyone.. I am sched for Surgery March 7th! yeaaah I was wondering how long the "general" recovery time was for everyone. I am having the surgery on Friday and was wondering if it was unrealistic to expect to be at work on Monday?? ~Destynee~:mad:

I just had my 1st fill (3cc) and my doc was going to put 4 cc in, but thought it was too much right now. He said if I need more he will do it. I am curious on how this is supposed to feel. I can for sure tell I am not as hungry. When I drink Water, I do have to go slow cause if I go to fast it kinda hurts. I just got it yesterday so I dont know yet. I just had Soup for lunch and it seemed to go down smooth. I am burping a lot. How did you feel after your first fill? How did you know you needed more in your or some taken out? I just want to make sure what I am feeling is normal.

:wink: Tonight at dinner I slimed for the first time.... I was eating pizza which I have had before and dont know if i didnt chew enough or ate too fast but it was not fun nor pretty.... Finally after much "sliming" and burping and damn near almost vomiting I felt better.... stopped immediately and waited 30 min and finished my needing to feel full with a Protein shake... All is now good in the hood again....

Hey guys, Im 7 days post op, the cut to where the band would be is damaged scar tissue and a very hard lump because of that, has anyone else experienced this??? The scar tissue is also under my port incision too. My main question is that I always feel like I have a huge stitch that I cant get out and it causes discomfort, does anyone have any suggestions??? Thanks in advanced.:ohmy:

OMG I have had heartburn for the last 3 days now and nothing is working to get rid of it. I tried calling my doc but he will be out of the office till the 14th. Before being banded the only way to get relief from this feeling was to vomit the acid out of my stomic. I don't know how I can do that now that I am banded. I am pretty sure the doc left some saline in the band when he placed it. I don't know what to do. With the insurance I have I can't just go to any other doc. I don't know if I can wait till the 14th...... Jennifer

How soon did those of you that work outside the home go back to work? I'd love to have it on a Friday and go back Monday but I just don't know how realistic that is? :sneaky:

Hello there everyone. I am in need of some quick healthy edible Breakfast foods. I have just started my new job and I am in training so eating in the class room is allowed. I get up early very early but it just seems that I can not get my one cup of coffee in and then have time to eat at home before I leave. I am trying to eat at the same times daily and since I have to wait 3 full months for my next fill (my choice) because my job has a NO TOLERACE for being absent and I simply can not miss work. I am doing really well down 25lb and I have had 1 fill already. So I am just looking for input on some fast yummy good for me food that I can eat in the mornings. Thank…

I am 5 months post op, the last 3 weeks AFTER MY LAST FEEL I HAVE BEEN FEELING VERY NAUSEA, HAS ANYONE ELSE EXPERIENCED THIS?:wink:

Just got back on here..and thought that I would share! I got banded in Feb 2006 and have lost 87lbs and have kept it off. I weighed 215 lbs when I got the band and now weigh 128. I have kept my fill in for the past 1.5 or so without seeing my Dr. and have been just fine. I would be glad to answer any questions if there is anyone out there who needs help! Just write me..I have before and after pic on my profile! Wish everyone good luck!!! :wink:

I want to know all about your awful sugery day, what you went through,and how you got through it? what they gave you for pain? just tell you whole story.

I haven't really had anything besides water and a Popsicle here and there, will I get sick? I'm adding in protein shakes again tomorrow

I know that this journey is about living a healthier life and we shouldn't dwell in the past but... I'm just wondering what or if you have had a Ha! In your face moment...You know the moment where you see someone that you haven't seen in a while; that was particularly mean to you because of your weight and you show up looking all HOT and you can see the astonishment in their eyes... I'd love to hear some stories if anyone would like to share.

So I am 11 days post op and I had an episode of BP/sliming last Friday b/c I ate too big of a piece of fish. Lesson learned... Today all I had was mushy food and I took a drink of Water (way past the 30 minutes required by doc after eating) and I feel my mouth filling w/ saliva and getting that queasy feeling. I go to bathroom and throw up slime about 3 times. WTF!? I ate slow today and didnt cheat. I havent even cheated at all!:smile2: It was so random. has this ever happened to you? My dr hasnt even given me a fill yet. Sigh. I am getting so paranoid I want to just go back to the liquids stage even though that isnt a good idea. Help!

I have tried to stay positive, I have stayed with the program to the letter, I get on the scale at the same time every morning, I want to continue to have hope... but like all the diets all the years before, stepping on that scale, instead, is sending me into depression...especially now when i have had the highest of hopes ever having the lapband. -i was banded 18 days ago and have been back to full activity, including my karate classes for over a week (docs approved) - i had a fill at surgery and feel "some" restriction, BUT, will get stuck if i push it (twice). averages per day are 900 cals , 28 carbs and 52 Protein... DOC agrees i should be losing weight with these…

Hey guys! Randomish question.. I am 19 and weigh about 250 (really big for my tiny height) and my main issue is with portion control. The only reason that I am not much bigger is because I usually get a lot of exercise. One of my biggest (and fav) exercises is jumping on the trampoline for an hour or two in the evening. Has anyone jumped on the trampoline since they have gotten the band? My surgeon (who has a band herself) says that their is no problem with it but I am still afraid of shaking something loose... so how about it, anyone jump on the trampoline?

I am having the worst pain...I know it's gas, but I mean, every single time I take a sip of water or anything, it hits my stomach, then a large gas bubble comes up and I burp. The burp hurts so much (like my chest is gonna explode) then I throw up the water and this mucus stuff. My family physician gave me a shot of phenergan to try to keep stuff down. I kept down about 8 oz of water, but that's all I've kept down since surgery. But the phenergan has worn off and everything is back to the way it was. He said if I couldn't stop throwing everything up I'd have to be admitted for dehydration. I feel like I have made the biggest mistake of my life. Please, is anyone in the s…

Help! I have alot of pain at my port site suddenly and some swelling around it. I thought maybe at first that I was stuck because my stomach was hurting and I felt kinda strange. But its my port site. I haven't ate anything different or done anything (that I can remember) that would have hurt me. I'm 4 weeks post-op. I do remember sneezing very hard yesterday a couple of times and it hurt. Would that maybe tug my band and make me sore? Thanks for any imput and I do plan on calling my doc today. Thanks!

I think I'm scared because I've gained/lost weight so many times and it feels like I'm in that cycle again! I was banded 7/3/09 and did great. I survived (barely!) the 21-day post-op liquid diet per surgeon's instructions. I'm now back on "normal" foods, but I have no restriction because I haven't had a fill yet. (I don't have my 1st fill until 9/12 - long story, clinic not opening until then) I've recovered nicely and I've lost 20 lbs. (includes pre-op loss). But, I HAD lost 21.5 lbs and I gained back 1.5 lbs last week. I'm doing my best to eat what I'm supposed to in the quanities I'm supposed to, but I admit I'm eating more carbs than I should. I've made some really go…

I'm just curious about how much weight people have lost at 6 months post op. I have lost about 37 lbs at 5.5 months out. This seems a little slow to me, so I started doing protien shakes again to day to see if I could start losing again and I go for another fill on Monday.

I am a week out of surgery and feel awesome, i've lost 20lbs in a week so far. However I am really having trouble sticking to the diet. I'm wondering how it's going to effect me if I stray a bit?

Okay, I'm almost off mushies and I have NO appetite, especially for yet another shake or bowl of Soup. Just the thought makes me nauseated. So my Protein and liquid intake is WAY down. I'm forcing myself to drink Water but not nearly enough. It's been this way for a few days. Any suggestions?? I'm off mushies on Thursday. I can't even think of what sounds good except maybe a few bites of normal food.

Like how long did it take for you to be yourself again? Your normal self

Hi everyone just thought I'd introduce myself, Im from Sydney Australia, and Im 7 days post op. Im excited about my new journey ahead and looking forward to everyones story's and queries. I've already lost 6kgs which I think is about 13ibs??? Anyways thanks for your time guys. And good luck to everyone pre and post op.:ohmy:

Hi, I will pay for my surgery and I am a little concerned that my doctors are not requiring me to do certain things that insurances ask for our own good. For example, I am not required to have a psychological eval, lengthy pre-op diet, more nutritional counseling (only one), and some of the tests that other insurances require. I will talk to my family doctor about this on Wednesday to see if he may recommend some things. But I thought it would be good to get your opinion. I am readnig an excellent book on WLS and this surgeon talks about the many patients he sees who are not able to cope with WLS because they never worked on psychological issues. Others had hernias o…

How do you know if you are stretching out your stomach? I've had one fill so far but I'm still hungry. I just want to make sure that I am not stretching out my stomache. Any advice?

Hi all! I was banded this morning and honestly, my stomach does not hurt that bad....just sore. I only have two incisions and one is in my belly button, but my back hurts bad and my chest feels so tight!!! I can get breaths fine....breathing doesn't hurt, but gosh it's so tight!! Tell me it's just the gas and that it will go away! I am burping, but only a tiny bit and I am walking all over the house every 15-30 minutes - so when is this gas going to start moving OUT???

I've had such a bad week. I had my second fill (1cc) last week (for a total of 5cc in a 10cc band). I could get the sip of water down in the Dr's office so I was sent on my way. The whole week has been miserable. I did my day of clears, followed by fulls. It's been a week and yogert, pudding, protein shakes still cause major pain. Nasty reflux that won't go away no matter what I do, and fluids just hurt going down as well. So, the Dr squeezed me in today. He was going to take out the cc. Well, he couldn't access the port. Stabbed me a few times and told me he couldn't get it. So, now I have to go to the hospital tomorrow for an upper GI series and an unfill under flourosc…

Question...im going on 4 weeks post op. I have no fill, and therefore no real restriction. Thursday I'm going to a mexican restaurant for lunch. I know i can probably do Beans....is rice out? I was trying to think of what i could have with the beans.... A chili rellano - is that out of the question? Just trying to plan ahead... Any suggestions. This restaurant doesnt have Soup.

ok so i had my second fill on friday. i did the liquid diet for 2 days and i was fine.. monday i went jet skiing and it was really bumpy it kinda hurt my stomach, but the pain went away. Then yesturday when i was doing my crunches i had soo much pain in the center of my tummy right below my ribs. it felt like where the band is and i had to stop. all last night it hurt and today it hurts. i pushed down on that spot and it was hard, i dont know is that was my band or if it was swollen. but im still in pain.. HELP PLEASE!