POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

I have been banded since 1/09 and have been losing at a good pace (to date 88 pounds) I have had 1 fill, 2 unfills and as of today have a band with nothing in in. The problem is that things keep getting stuck?? (we think) I am currently unable to eat or drink anything for 3 days now. I gave up on food but when I drink it is painful and feels like it just stops somewhere on the way down and sits there. Within 20 minutes it has to comeback up and when it does it is frothy. I saw my surgeon yesterday and he unfilled me and has ordered an UGI to see what is happening with me. His thoughts...band slipped (migrated), eroded or a hernia...I am not sure which one it is, but …

hey guys.... I had my surgery last friday so I am 6 days post op.....when I went to the hospital last Friday morning I was starving lol but ever since I was banded I have not had an single little hint of a hungry grumble in my stomach....I am not complaining it makes me happy! lol But is it normal??

Okay - so I am VERY fair skinned. My paternal grandmother was an albino. My heritage is scottish/irish/german/french ... so very fair skinned and thus, bruise and scar very easily. I researched a bit on remedies to help fade scars and one of the items that came up and, surprisingly had good reviews, was PreferOn (you know by the same people who have those obnoxious commercials about headon?) Anyway, I purchased a stick of it last night - looks like a jumbo chapstick. It was $10.69 at Wal-Greens. It says it's for old and new scars, no matter how old. I'm to apply it to the scars 3-4 times a day for 3-5 months. So, I started last night and will follow-throug…

i had the lap band surgery 6/26 and i have gas in my chest and it bothers me when i drink something cold or anything that i swallow hurts going down it seem to get stuck. Do anyone else experience that or will that ever go away

Just wondering if anyone has had this problem. I was banded on sat, sun i came home and today monday I"M HUNGRY... the protein shakes arent really cutting it anymore.. the soup the tea, the propel still leaves my tummy growling... what should i do>?? :rolleyes2:

I was just banded on 6/19 and last night i had to go ahead and rip off the steri strips b/c it has caused very bad irritations on my tummy...now each incision site is an inflammtory rash.....and the residue of the strips (adhesiveness) is still stuck on on my skin i have been trying to rub them off as gentle as possible, but its hard b/c it just teases the itch that the rash has caused....im getting frustrated with all this crap....i have no restriction and my will power is about to bust...and these damn strips have screwed my belly all up....ahhhh sorry i just had to vent yall....Im gonna start medicating the rashes with cream and hopefully the inflammation will go down.…

I have my 6 month follow up today. I'm actually looking forward to it. I know they will be happy. I'm debating as to whether or not to ask for another fill (would only be my 2nd) I may let them examine and talk to me and see what they say before I ask. My 6 month was supposed to be a couple of weeks ago, but the doctor rescheduled. I had hoped to be below 200 for this one, but I had a hugely stressful weekend of my 50th birthday. I ended up spending my weekend getting an MRI and then my actual birthday being being a pall bearer in my Aunt's funeral which canceled the party I was looking forward to. That might my sister and her husband took me out to dinner and I at…

Hi I am just post a year banded and I am definitely a little tight on my fill right now. I have the "persistant" night cough from reflux and and have started taking prilosec OTC Also within the last week I changed my anti-depressant from effexor to a realated drug call prestique. All of a sudden I can hardley keep anything down, not shakes, not mushies. The weird part is - it comes and goes. yesterday I was fine, today I have pb'd/vomited several times. I see my doc in 2 days but I am curious if it might be the new meds?:rolleyes2:

Ok...so TMI I know but...I am just starting into my first menstrual cycle and I am feeling kinda funny. I was banded 6/19 and tomorrow is my first day of mushies (yeah). I'm feeling a little light headed and dizzy today...could this be that I am just really hungry or is this normal with your cycle after being banded.

I have my surgery on July 15th. I have that first month all planned out pretty much until I know what foods i can eat. But after that, does anyone have any sample food plans they have done that have been working. I know its different for everyone but to seem some would be great. I would love to plan Sunday nights what I will have for the week to help with time and everything/ Thanks! The big change feeling is starting to kick in :thumbdown:

Do any of you have significant varicose veins, and if so, did losing the weight reduce them at all? I'm curious as to whether mine will stay enlarged when I get banded and lose weight, or if they will shrink a bit.

I had to have my fill taken out because I had 4 bad infections going on and I was vomiting, and I couldnt get anything down. In my 14cc band all I had was 2.3ccs in my band and it still made things get stuck. Well, this was last friday about a week ago. Since then I have watched what I ate, and have gained 12lbs. Im so mad, so depressed, etc. I go see my doc today. And I just dont know what to do. For a while, my band was tight. My calories per day is about 300 to 600. I drink shakes, and when I do eat I vomit it back up. It was almost like I had bulemia or however you spell it. Well, I am addicted to doing that. I was dropping weight like flies. Perhaps I had a problem. …

I have been banded for one year now. I have started having some pain on my left side, low, not near my port. I get side aches after I eat. I have had an ultrasound (showing nothing) and a CT scan last week (still awaiting results) and am supposed to be having a colonoscopy (it keeps getting rescheduled). I am uncomfortable all day (not miserable, I know the pain is there though...). It hurts when I go to the bathroom (#2) most. Has anyone else had this?

As I've been reading through the forums, I've noticed a lot of people with the weight loss tickers that have had their surgery only a few weeks ago and many have already lost over 30 pounds! Is that NORMAL? My doctor told me that the average is one to two pounds a week. Please share your first month's weight loss, stories and amounts.

The food that you can not imagine eating again? The food you can not seem to stay away from, though you know you should? Your favorite food right now? Your favorite recipe? I can not imagine eating chinese and mexican ever again. I had fried chicken last night(breast, whitemeat, skin off) and I feel terrible. I did try to stick to potatoes and salad. chocolate and Starbucks will kill me. My favorite food right now are roll ups. Lunchmeat and cheese rolled up and cut into 3rds. I eat 2 pieces of cheese and 2 pieces of lunch meat this way and I find it very filling and a way to get my Calcium and some Protein in. As for favorite recpies I am at a loss, hop…

Allright I know my Doc told me that it might happen but why I havent changed anything as far eating goes and I have been loosing really well. I droped 40lbs since june 3rd only to wake up today and notice 2 pounds back??? I havent eatin any thing more than before? So why, I know its not alot and Ill loose it again but why? hmmmm :thumbup:

hiya all, hope it's all going well for you. i've had my band 3days does anyone out there know of top up services in Brittany, France?

I was banded on April 7th and have had two fills. I'm now at 6.75 cc of a 10cc band and starting to have some problems with breads. Have you completely sworn off breads? Will I ever have that full feeling? I really don't feel full at all. liquids can seem to fill me up, but I'm following the rules and not drinking before, during, or after I eat. How many of you still feel full a lot, but just have problems with bread? That stuck feeling alone makes me want to stop eating. Any advice or experiences you have had would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Andrea

"Success=working with the band!" This is what everyone says! Making sure you follow the rules and the diet, eat healthy, make the right choices....etc. My question is..has anyone ever followed the diet, the rules, made the best choices..etc... AND STILL have not seen results? I plan on making this band work for me and working with the band! Busting my butt in the gym & continue to make healthy choices, cut out stachy carbs..etc. I want to have the BEST success possible! I guess I am afraid that I will be dont everything right and not seeing results. :thumbup:

I'm still working on my six month pre op diet for insurance approving mine but I can choose from lap band, RNY, or DS. I have to admit that I worry about a foreign object being inside of me the rest of my life. What will happen in 20 years? What if I slip and I don't have the money to pay for a resurgery? (insurance won't cover resurgeries at all), What if a natural disaster happens and I have complications and there are no doctors around to operate? (please be nice about this one, I know it is silly but I have general anxiety and it helps me to talk it out so I can face the fear head on, other peoples perspective really helps me) Even though the other surgerie…

OK, I was trying to explain to my husband why I will be in pain the first couple of days after surgery. He doesn't get it. I doesn't know why the band will hurt. He has watched the surgery with me online and still doesn't know why. I told him the port has to be stitched to my muscle, so he know why that might hurt but doesn't understand the rest. I don't know how to explain to him why. It is kind of upsetting me because I am affraid he might act as if it isn't a big deal. You know what I mean...Neither one of us has ever had any real surgeries, so that might be a reason. He has taken 10 days leave from work to be with me and the kids, so I am guessing he actually does car…

I am 9 days post op now....I am on week 2 of my liquidy diet....I am allowed to eat things like sherbert, yogurt, pudding, and creamy soups. I am a little worried because I've been hearing people say that even though they don't get a restricted feeling they are getting full and I am not! My first fill is July 21st which is exactly 4 weeks post op. Do you think I'll notice a difference then? I'm so terrified that I was just cut open and expected to feel hugely different and I don't feel different at all! I need some words of encouragement!

My weight loss has been at a stand still for the pas month or so. I have very little restriction which doesn't help. I've been using the treadmill for the past few days and it has been helping quite a bit. My question is, how quickly did you increase your running time? Like yesterday I ran for about 45 secs.(I know, not much, but it's a start), then today I tried for 50 seconds. It felt really good to be running, but my legs were quite sore. Did you all increase your time faster than that or is 5 secs. a day a good starting point? I've never really been one to like running so I'm not quite sure where to start. Hope this all makes sense. Thanks. Karyn

I kinda like that show but medical shows interest me, I know they can gross some people out with the plastics. Anyway, the last episode there was a woman who wanted the band and the doctors said no because it wasn't quick enough weight loss and she needed to get hers down quickly to remove a hernia. He said that you only lose about five pounds a month. It got me thinking, is that really the average weight loss? I know that losing weight is losing weight but that is how much I am losing by myself on my own. I would like to think that it would be a little more, like eight or ten. Has anyone felt the loss was a lot slower than they thought? Thanks guys!

your food?? I find that I can only eat between 1- 1 1/2 cups of food at the most anyway but I have stopped measuring. I usually just start with a small bit of food and if I'm still hungry, I have a little bit more. My dietitian and specialist said to eat until I feel full (which is what I have been doing) but a lot of people on here seem to still be measuring their foods. If you are still measuring, how much are you eating at any one time?

Hi all, I was wondering if it is normal to be in pain after a fill (and if so, how long does it last?)...I had my first fill this morning and about a half hour after that, my stomach started hurting and hasn't stopped since. Unhappy right now. :-(

Just wondering, From my understanding, I will be on NO Solids for 28 days... (Clear liquids week 1) Do many people see loss during this time? or do you expect to see more loss after the first fill? I am assuming, i will lost Water weight.. Just curious was people's experiences were the first month? :thumbup:

I am having a very tough morning. I am overly emotional. I feel like I could cry at anything. This is my second day on mushy's. I did have a pureed soup over the weekend. My scale hasn't moved in 3 days. I said I wouldn't get anxious if this happened and not to pay attention to the scale but here I am crying at every little thing and I know if stems from that dumb scale! How long until you started to see results after you started mushys. :thumbs_up:

Hi - I had lapband surgery in Sept 2009. Last night I ate chicken which sometimes gets stuck. I tried to eat it slowly but probably ate too much. I had the familar feeling of food being stuck. An hour or so later, it still hadn't gone down so I tried throwing it up. Some food came up, but in the process, I started to get lots of pain/tightening in the center of my chest. During the next 4-5 hours, I got up and would throw and the pain remained. I didn't throw particularly violently - it was normal "lapband" type of throwing. The pain is milder now but still there. It hurts more when I twist my shoulders. Does this sound muscular? or could the band have sli…

Hi there! I've never been on a site like this and I've never posted anywhere, so I'm a little out of my element. I'm four weeks post-op and I'm wondering if anyone has experienced any anxiety after surgery. I kind of feel like (what have I done, did I make a mistake, will I ever feel hungry again, etc...) I've never had panic attacks, but after my surgery I had one. Now I'm on an Anti-anxiety/depression pill. (never had to take that either) I know because of my worrying, I'm loosing my appetite. That's not helping either. I'm trying so hard to keep it together, but I'm worried about EVERYTHING! Has anyone else experienced these emotions?!? Thanks

I am in no pain at all, just a little tired, but I am having trouble getting in the 64 oz of liquids a days the doctor said I need. I am not hungry at all, the smell of food make me want to throw up!! I am getting about 32 oz but can't seem to manages more then that. Any advise?

I just wanted to know what every else is doing or did. I started "mushies" today and it is a BIG improvement over the liquids! This is gross...but I finally pooped! I tell you, it is pretty weird to get excited over a BM, but it relieved the pressure!!!

I had a fill on my band about 2 weeks ago, and I was doing great. About 4 days ago I stared to get sick. Sore throat, body aches, head ache, fever. The usual. Then about 3 days ago, a lot of foods I was eating was coming back up. I was able to keep some down. 2 days ago, more foods were coming back up. Making it difficult to even take medications. But somehow I got it down, and kept it down. Today, forget about it. I can't even keep Water down. After I take a small sip of something, I get a pain in my throat/chest area. I think I might even be puking more than I am taking in. I don't know if this is because I am sick. Or for some reason, I don't know how my ban…

I've been noticing my hair thinning our quite a bit lately. I am 3 months post op today, so the timing seems consistent with others I've read about. I've been looking for Biotin since before the surgery, bit kind of forgot about it this past month due to our military PCS. Does anyone have suggestions for a good chewable biotin supplement? I've read that the 5000mg is better than the 1000mg. Is that true? Thanks - Karyn

Ive heard that certain foods are a no no like soft bread or rice. I'm curious to see what everyone eats in a day and what the portion size is. Do you measure out all your food or just eyeball it?

:rolleyes2:Hi everyone! I was banded on 6/3 and have been doing pretty well. The past few days I noticed the swelling going down (gradually) and I definitely feel better each day. Yesterday I spent quite a bit of time sitting and bending in a way that put some pressure on my incisions. Last night my port incision was so swollen and it just hurt. This morning it's a little better but not much. I'm icing it again and trying to take it easy this morning. Do you think I just over did it? Or, should I be concerned about something more serious? The incision where I have the port is warm to the touch but not especially red in color or seeping or anything. Any words of …

Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you guys know a little something that happened to me Thursday. It started off a pretty normal day. Around noon Thursday, I started having some mild cramping in my stomach. I thought it was just where I had swallowed to much air drinking again and was having gas bubble pains. The pains I was having were persistent and getting worse. By around 6 that evening, I was doubled up in the fetal position on the couch crying like a baby. My husband called my surgeon and the Nurse told him to take me to the nearest ER since I was in so much pain and would not be able to make it to the hospital they use because it was 2 hours away and she thought…

is it normal to gain weight when you go from liquid to musheys and you don't have a fill?

Okay so I know this isn't the most pleasant question but I was wondering whether I am alone in this. I got banded a week okay today and still have yet to have a regular bm. Did anybody else encounter this? The only time I have ever had anything was when I had fat free no sugar added ice cream without taking my lactose intolerance pill first and it certainly wasn't a "normal" BM. I have been taking colase almost everyday since surgery but still nothing.. Anyone else have this?

Hey everyone so I was just wondering what everyones doctors told them about caffeine. I know it is advised against after surgery but I'm a barista, there is no way I can never drink coffee again. I was wondering if maybe if I just had decaf? Not anytime soon considering I just had surgery but I was thinking months down the line. Do you think having decaf would be that big of a deal? I used to drink a TON of caffeine. At least 4 shots of espresso and an energy drink or 2 per day so just let me know what you think. Thanks!

I was banded about a year ago. I have a Realize band and have had four fills. Each time I have had a fill, I don't really notice very much restriction. I do have some, as I could never eat a steak or anything like that, but it is just not like I thought it would be. I thought I would eat a small amount of food and not be hungry. I got my 4th fill last Tuesday and I followed the follow up fill diet strictly. Lost when I was on liquids only, but the minute I start eating any kind of regular food, I quit losing. I am not overeating. I just thought I would not be hungry after eating a small meal. This is not true. I am hungry, very hungry. I eat 1/2 to 3/4 cup o…

So I had my surgery on May 15th and I lost 32 pounds to date. BUT I havent dropped another pound since I started eating again. I am eating extremely healthy. oatmeal in the morning, tuna at lunch and either fish or turkey with a veggie at dinner. I know I am slacking on the Water. I drink 1-2 per day. I have my first fill this coming Tuesday. I am very nervous. What should I expect? Does it hurt (I am a big baby)? Is there a special diet I follor before and after the fill? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!!

So from what I've been reading it seems like a lot of people lose weight with the band without exercising? Is this true? I am questioning because I have never been able to lose even a pound without exercising a lot. I plan on going back to my gym (that I pay the membership fee for every month without going now I have dreams of being tone and sexy!!! Owww!!! LOL!!!

Three weeks after my banding surgery, I am having a hard time swallowing anything (even liquids). What happens is that the stuff goes down - slowly - but then I feel like I have to clear my throat constantly and my neck is stiff. I also burp uncomfortably a lot. I've looked over the forums and this appears to happen to those who have had too much of a fill. However, I only have a new (3 week old) band! The problem is now complicated by the fact that my hunger has returned. So I am STARVING and I cannot get enough nutrition. My daily calorie intake is less than 500 calories, and I think after 3 weeks my body is rebelling. Help!

I seem to have started evening heartburn in the evening..anyone experiencing the same symptoms and taking nexium more than once a day?

I had my second fill on Thursday, and now I think I finally understand what restriction is . I was feeling so frustrated because my weight loss had really slowed down and I was able to eat WAY too much. Now I think I am on the right track. I do have a question though - how are you all getting in enough protien? I am only able to eat a few bites at a time before I feel full, and I don't think I am getting my recommended amount of protien in. I'd love to hear your suggestions! Thanks!

I was finally banded on June 15 2009 , I thought the first few weeks after surgery were gonna be a breeze I was wrong ! The 2 week liquid diet before hand was rough, but I got through it by mixing 4oz of chocolate ovaltine with 4 oz of liquid protein meals. 3 to 4 times a day. I had to continue the same regimen when coming home. The surgery itself was a breeze to me after having a c section almost 3 years ago this was like a paper cut ! I am just now moving on to puree food, pudding, mashed potatoes. I have felt no restriction yet ! I went to see my doctor yesterday and he sid he will adjust band in 1 month to tighten more if I do not consistantly loose more weigh…

I used to be 5'6" but after I gained weight I was 5'5.5" due to the fact that the padding on my backside made me lean back a bit, thus appearing shorter. I am back at 5'6" when I got measured today! Woohoo! :smile2:

So I finally got to my doc and got a little "unfilled" today. I threw up twice yesterday because I just couldn't get any food or water down. I told him this and it was as if he didn't believe me!.... yet I hopped on the scale and since my last visit to him 3 DAYS ago I lost 6.5 pounds. He took out .5 cc's ? [i'm sorry, I don't get the lingo] I originally had 4 cc's in. He said 3 is the bare minimum to have in the band... and more or less said to me that less than 4 is a waste because your progress is very slow. Is this true or was he being a jerk? Ha ha ha :thumbup:

I got banded yesterday (Thursday). Pain is not so bad. Just a general aching. Has anyone else had diarrhea? Its horrible. I know they say liquid in/ liquid out but geez. Have had it since I started the clear liquids the day before surgery.