POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

I am feeling down like a failure. Like I should have had Gastric bypass. Im not loosing. I'm not dieting, Im living normally. But Thinking and eating healthier. like i've limited snacking and foods like ice cream etc. I had my surgery on March 3ed. It's been 4 month's and I've lost...11 lbs. Now since i starte the diest and everythign before i've lost like 21 but WTF. I'm exercising and I've had 3 fills as of today. And nothing is happening. My doctor says...live your life dont worry about Dieting and how much protien your eating, the weight is going to come off. Just be paitient. My band has 4.5 cc in it...Can anyone tell me where there "sweet spot" is? Or how long it to…

I was debating whether to post this yesterday but today I feel the same. I am normally a VERY positive person - I make most of my friends annoyed seeing the positive in anything I can. I went in for my pre-op testing. After sitting through all of pre-op testing stuff I started to feel very discouraged. Here's why: Self disappointment - I know exactly what to do without the band. The dietician sat there explaining how to eat - normal food, normal portions after we have our bands. At first I was all for it then I started getting down on myself thinking.. 'you have a great life, perfect babies but you just can't stop eating! Now you have to get surgery to control yourse…

There are two things I just don't understand about banding (probably more things, but 2 things today lol): 1. If I have a 10 cc band (which I do) and another person has a 10 cc band and we both get a 2 cc fill for our first fill, why would such a fill be a restriction for one person but no restriction for the other. I have heard time and time again that it depends on the individual whether a fill restricts. I don't understand how the same cc's would not produce the same result. 2. Why would a fill take a couple of weeks for one person to feel a restriction and for another person it might take a couple of weeks? Please enlighten me. Okay, maybe I'm not the shar…

Hi. I was banded on June 18th. I've lost about 12 pounds post-op (plus 20 preop). I'm so happy to never see those 32 pounds again! Anyways, I have a question. I am sure I am overreacting, but I can't feel my port I think. All I can really feel under my big incision is the hard scar tissue. Is it possible that the port has flipped or am I just being so paranoid? I have realize band which has a lower profile port, but I'm so nervous I'm going to go for my fill in a few weeks and the doctor won't be able to find my port. I did the situp/crunch thing that I hear people talking about but I still don't think I can feel it. Anyone else have this experience? If so, did your p…

Does anyone have any suggestions or things that have worked for them when they hit a plateau to break it and restart the losing cycle. I have hit a plateau and have not lost in about 2 weeks... it is VERY discouraging. Any suggestions would be welcome!!!

I was banded yesterday. Felt terrible yesterday and today is worse. It's not the pain, but ache that is bad. I cant lay down flat or else it hurts. I have to sleep in a recliner just to take the pressure off. I have tried walking, gasx and all, but no go. My stomach is rumbling and I feel hungry but the worst part is that I feel nauseated when I do consume liquids. When I stand, my lower gut hurts - what is next?:thumbup:

I'm three months post op and have been having a pain on my left side. It feels just like after you exercise (walk/run really hard) and your side hurts. Does anyone know what this pain is? It just started this last week. If I lean to my right it makes it feel better. Weird, huh? TIA! Andrea

For the past couple of months, I have noticed that I am having bruises pop up all over my legs. I don't remember hitting them on anything, and cant figure out where they are coming from. Does anyone else have this problem since they had the lapband placed?

hi all....i was banded may 15th and pretty much having a lack of restriction by 2 weeks post op and eating whatever i wanted by week one. Im calorie counting and have been losing about 3-4 pounds weekly. Im totally satisfied with how things are going. Im hungry alot and sometimes i feel as though im a bottomless pit and feel no fullness when it comes to my stomach. but if i were to take a drink of water (yeah i know we arent suppose to drink with meals) directly after a bite, it feels as though the food is stuck in my throat(way down at the bottom) and that uncomfortable pressure takes place. Is this a sign of my band maybe has slipped and is much higher then it should be…

I've been waiting for so long, and now I'm on the fence, so I had to share. My progress shown on the bar below is based on my bathroom scale, its a good quality one and seems consistent. I've also been tracking my weight and looking at my BMI chart on the WII fit. They read a ltitle different, but both are consistent. This morning my bathroom scale has me at a new low of 201.5 and the WII fit has me at 199.9. I guess I'll wait for the bathoom scale for the official celebration. 1-2 weeks if I keep my recent pace. Oh, the Wii had me with a goal of 195 by today, I didn't make that, so it suggested I set a new goal of a BMI of 22. I don't think so, I'll have to figure out…

I am 10 mos out and have just developed gout!! It's very painful! Has anyone else had this happen? All the pre-surgery conditions contributed; obesity, high cholesterol, then a low calorie diet now adds to it. I have been trying a natural treatment, herbs and vitamins, but no relief yet. ! I am seeing a rheumatologist tomorrow for some meds.

I have been banded for one year and 6 months now and for a month i have been feeling this "Click or Nudge" type of pain where my port is located (Between breasts) I went to the doc, and he said nothing was wrong and gave me pills to reduce infection IF I HAVE ANY as he said. No tests were done. I have been waking up daily in the night as if i was choking BUT my band is not tight at all! Im @ my sweet spot. Yesterday i was having dinner, i guess i did no chew well (brocolli) and i vomited, which caused my stomach to Twirl or how can i put it, i felt as if my stomach was being squeezed as if you squeeze Water out of a towel, i have PB'd many times but this was th…

I decided to get the single incision Realize band. He went through my belly button and there is one itsy bitsy cut at my breast bone area. My pain is minimal. I keep waiting for the BIG pains but none yet. I just got home from the hopital so am heading to my family room with my pillow and blanket to rest. Yeah!!! It is finally done:thumbup:

I had surgery July 2 and I am still very bloated. I actually weigh a few pounds more than when I went into surgery! Is this normal? How long does the bloating last?:confused2:

I had the surgery May 28th. I have been eating normal foods now for the last 3-4 weeks, and will get my first fill in 2 weeks. I can eat now like before surgery , except that I have to be very careful to chew and chew and not swallow anything to big as it is really uncomfortable when it gets stuck. This slows me down and I usually get tired of eating before my plate is empty. And my food gets cold! I started this process at 300 lbs a little over a year ago. I went into surgery at 285 lbs, partially from the 2 weeks of liquid diet prior to surgery required by my doctor. Another 2 weeks of mostly liquid diet and then mushies after surgery got me down to 277. I have been…

Standing straight up really pulls at my gutt. This is a little more pain than I was expecting I think. LOL

Has anyone used Dr Cynthia Long (in Maryland) for their lap band surgery?

Has anyone experienced a post-op hernia under your incision? I have a swollen, firm mass under my large incision. It does not hurt. I am going to get a CAT scan to check it out. I'm 2 weeks post op. Anyone else experience something similar?

BANDED JULY 2nd ...ON LIQUIDS FOR 10 DAYS I'M NOT REALLY FEELING HUNGARY AND EVERYTHING STAYS DOWN. BUT THE CRAVINGS ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY:cursing:.. I TOOK A BITE OF MOZZARELLA CHEESE BUT I DID NOT SWALLOW IT, I CHEWED IT AND SPIT IT OUT..IT CURBED THE CRAVING.. HAS ANYONE EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THIS?:smile2:

Hi everyone, I am currently a little over 5 months out and my surgeon thinks that I have developed a hernia above my port. I haven't been feeling well off and on for the past two weeks and have a golf ball size spot above my inscision that hurts a lot to touch. Has anyone had this happen before. And when it happened did you stop loosing weight. I haven't lost any weight in the last 3 weeks. Is there something that I can do to prevent this in the future and did you have surgery to correct it? What was the surgery like and how was the recovery time? I am scared of having surgery again. Also, I wanted to get pregnant and will I have to wait a year after surgery on he…

Hi, I was just wondering how long it was, post surgery, before you started eating regular food (not mushies)?

Hi all: I was banded on June 30th so I am just 5 days post op. I still have some pain that I can easily attribute to the surgery. But just below my sternum feels like there is something there. Now of course, i realize that this is probably the band but the feeling is a bit weird. It sort of feels like something is pulling inside of me. If this is the band, does that feeling go away with healing? Is it the swelling? I am not too worried but it is a feeling I did not expect. Any thoughts? By the way, in addition to the band, my surgeon found a hiatel hernia and repaired it. Thanks

Hello, everyone! I had my 3rd fill in March and Wow! I finally got what I wished for. I dont think I'm too tight or have too much restriction, but I cant help still eating at the same speed and still taking big bites. I've lost 66 lbs since October and continue to lose slowly, but steadily. Im not looking for sympathy or judgement. Here is my question: Because I eat too fast and dont chew my food into mush or take small bites, I tend to throw up. So, is it really THAT bad to throw up and what can it do to me after a long period of time?

So I had my first fill about a week and a half ago, and aside from having to take *slightly* smaller bites when I eat, I have not seen a difference in my food intake. I can still eat 8 - 10 oz. per meal (every 3 hours), and I can still eat just about anything. Does this mean that I already need another fill? Am I being impatient? Does it take more than a couple weeks to start "working?" My NP made it sound like after the fill I'd feel immediately restricted, and I really don't. What has your experience after the first fill been in terms of quantity and quality of food? Thanks for any help or insight!

Has anyone else experienced nausea after getting your first fill. It's been about an hour. I only had a Protein shake for Breakfast hoping to avoid any unpleasant after effects. Looks like it backfired. Anyone else experience anything like this? Also, my doc has me on solid food after my fill. Most of the people on this forum say they have been on liquids and/or mushies for 1-2 days after their fills. Feeling pretty crappy ... please help. Thanks. f

I have been cleaning out closets and found quite a few things I thought I would pass on. However, trying to find the clothing x-change on here took the better part of 30 minutes (boy, they hid it good!) so I thought I would post a link. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/groups/clothing-x-change.html I will be glad to tell you more about any of the items I have listed that you might be interested in but please be considerate of my time and if you aren't really interested, don't ask for pics, measurements, etc. I am glad to provide them, though, if you need or want them. I am only asking for prepaid shipping through PayPal. I have appreciated the gift of clothing thro…

Hey! I have Blue Cross Blue Shield (Illinois) and they did not cover my surgery due to the fact that my company excluded it from their policy. I paid cash for surgery and I found out fills are going to be $300 afte the first 3 free ones. Does anyone know if insurance would cover just the fills since they are not surgery? Has anyone done this or heard of it? I was just curious cause I have amazing medical coverage and was bummed when they didnt cover surgery. I cant afford $300 a pop!

I was Banded July 2nd The post op for the first 10 days says clear liquids, broth and jello only but how many times can you eat the jello and broth? as opposed to liquids like water or apple juice. are u supposed to consume the broth and jello like the other liquids (4oz.) every hour to help keep you hydrated?

I have read a lot of you talk about drinking Slim Fast. Just be careful because they are FULL of sugar and carbs. My nutritionists HATES them and told us to stay far away from it. I remember when I was on Atkins being shocked by the nutrition facts on them! Just a heads up! Happy Banding!

I can't imagine what it's like reaching goal and then switching to maintain mode. What does THAT feel like? I've always been on the "gotta lose" track, so I'm curious about what happens when one reaches the finish line.

I am one week out today. I have already lost some weight, but I am struggling. I feel like I CAN NOT take another drop of soup. I am on full liquids now, but I don't know what else to have besides soup and protein shakes. I am losing my mind! My parents are right now eating grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables. :drool5: I don't know if I can make it another couple / few weeks till I can maybe begin to eat food again. This is really hard. Help! :Cry:

I had my surgery on July 2nd and am healing nicely with similar experiences as others here. My surgeon, Dr. Moran in Raleigh, NC, does put a little saline in the band to start off right off the bat. Being on the liquid diet, I haven't noticed any "difference" in taking the liquid food in. In other words, I can drink a swallow or two or three of liquid or even a decent bowl of broth and I did not notice any obstruction or anything that told me to slow down. I have had some belly pain but that felt surgery related an not stomach related. I have felt satisfied if I eat two Jello cups and a bowl of broth that might be different than before but I can't be sure because i…

Ive looked and looked and haven't seen anyone post this problem so here goes.... I was banded 10-15-08 and since banding almost everytime I eat I get pains in the pit of my stomach like ulcer pains. sometimes I can breathe through it and keep the food down, other times I have no choice but to vomit, I have asked everyone I work with that has been banded and no one has had pain in the pit of their stomach with the band its always been chest or throat pain. Well tonight as we were watching fireworks and I had the most severe lower abdominal pain (low like belly button area/lower intestines) that encompassed my entire lower belly and into and around to my lower back, we wal…

I'm looking for some comments on how people did in the first few months. Initially, with the pre-op diet, and being newly banded (May 12) I lost weight pretty quickly. (about 25 lbs by my one month point). My loss had slowed, but then I had my first fill. My doc requires a 24 hr liquid diet after a fill, so that seemed to help me lose a few lbs quickly. A week after my fill I was down by another 6 lbs -- but then I hit a plateau! (I really don't notice much difference w/this fill either). So, I am now about 7 weeks out and my weight hasn't changed for about 2 weeks. I'm frustrated. I guess I thought the loss would happen more quickly in the beginning, and it sc…

can someone tell me if there is pain associated with stretching the pouch? i dont believe this is what i did as i eat the alloted amounts. i have a "cramp" in my abdomin area it is best to describe it as a stitch, or the cramp you get when you run. it doesnt hurt when i sit or lay down, and is relieved with tylenol, its a pulling feeling i hope i am describing this correctly can anyone help? its annoying and becoming concerning, about 2 days now. did yard work pretty strenuos could i have simply pulled something? what happens when you stretch the pouch ?? help any advice is appreciated. no nausea, no vomiting.:smile2:

Anyone else out there experience this? I was self pay and had to pay again to have the defective band replaced. :thumbup: :tt2: Any others out there. :tongue:

So its that time of month and I've realized I'm back to having NO self control, like before I got my surgery done. Its always around my time of PMSing. Otherwise, I'm pretty good about sticking to a diet. Since surgery I've been very paranoid about what I eat and its almost like, if I enjoyed it, I must've gained 20lbs just from eating one small meal. Anyone else having this whole thing mess with your head a little bit? I'm more obsessive with my weight than ever before. And I went for a fill about 2 weeks ago. I'm due for another next week.... why is it that I'm able to eat more towards the end of those 3 weeks? Am I stretching my band or something? Thanks ladie…

hey so i was just wondering how you know if something got stuck or not? is it something that when it happens i'll absolutely know? i had sushi tonight and i have this weird chest tightness/pain type feeling and idk what it is. i'm also very gassy, my stomach is rumbling and im hungry but i dont want to eat anymore. thoughts..?

How long does it take for stomach pain to go away after surgery? Thanks.

129 pounds down!!!!!!!!!!!!! who say's we cant lose just as much weight...just as fast as a bypass patient???????? i beg to differ!!!!!!!!!!! show'em what u got my fellow bandsters!!!!!!!!!! my ticker won't update....lol

I was wondering since vsg have reduction in the size of the stomach. Has anyone had any problems post op drinking the 4 liters of Fluid for a colonoscopy? I have a history of colon polyps and I need to have colonoscopy frequently. thank you any information is helpful Shawnacmt:scared0:

Was a beautiful one. No gas, two incisions, just soreness on the incisions and the hospital staff monitored me and provided the support I needed. It was a beautiful awakening from anesthesia, now I am home, excited for every new day ahead!

Help! I am about 3 weeks post band, I have been eating soft foods mostly, but I admit I have cheated a couple of times. I have not been nauseated at all after anything I have eaten, but for the past few days I am getting sharp pains on the right of my belly button every time I eat. This happens even on the first bite, so I know it's not because I am full. I think my port is right where I am getting these pains. Anyone else have this problem?

I have my port located under my breast in the middle, and the other stitches below it, now from time to time, i feel pain in my stomach or belly, its not a killer pain but i feel a bit of an itch or more of like my belly is full, i dont know how to explain it. My fill is normal, i can eat but small portions, i have been banded for a year and 3 months now, and lost half my weight, but the thing is, is this normal??? should i be worried and go to the doc? i was there like a month ago and we don't do Xray or any sort when i get a fill, its all done by me sipping water and telling him when the fill is alright. He said everything was perfect and me slowly loosing the w…

Hello, everybody! I had a quick question about eating meat after surgery. I've heard that it is okay to eat tuna or very moist chicken during the "mushies" stage of the post-op diet, but the paperwork my nutritionist gave me says to stay away from it. The post-op diet suggested to me is as follows: Week 1-Clear liquids and Protein drinks Week 2-regular liquids and Protein Drinks Weeks 3 & 4-mushies Week 5-regular food, chopped into tiny bits Week 6-regular food :thumbup: I know that different surgeons suggests different diets to their patients, and I was wondering if anybody had any thoughts on the issue. I'd appreciate your input!

I've been thinking about this alot. My dietician said that I don't really have to worry about the drinking before but mainly after (although I'm not following her advice and I am actually drinking and then waiting 15 minutes and then eating) But really my question is. If it's liquid which goes straight thru why exactly do we have to wait so long and then eat? I understand the after part - Because it pushes food thru and is painful and if you push the food thru then you're going to be hungry again. But can anyone really tell me why we have to do the before? Thanks

I am one week post op. Everything has been going great and I am down 16.6. YEAH!! However, I have dry mouth, a coated tongue and am REALLY thirsty all the time. Has anyone else had this? It doesn't seem to matter how much I brush or drink Water.

I've just joined a calorie counting website and have logged in my calories for today, I've only eaten 360 calories today when I need 2000!! I have also realised that I'm not eating nearly enough Protein (which would probably explain why I feel like I'm still always hungry)... I need some ideas on quick, easy "snacks" that I can have that have plenty of protein in them....what are you all having to keep you going and get your calories uP?? Thanks in advance!!!

Sorry, just deleted this thread as someone posted the same thing!!

I am approximately 6 weeks post-op and have not had my first fill yet. Since beginning "real" food I have not found food that is intolerable.So far I can eat anything. I've never felt "stuck" and bread and other foods that other people seem to have problems with go down for me with ease. Is this because I have no saline in my band yet? Can I expect the food intolerances to start after my first fill? When did you have your first "stuck" experience?