POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

does it seem like a lot?? I have a total of 4.5 cc's in my band Had a fill today and hoping I dont have to have any more fills any time soon!!!!!!!

and the word discomfort is greatly understating it. day 7 post op. i dont have gas pain from the surgery, but now i get it everytime i drink my fluids, which is all i am on right now. is there any way to avoid this? is it going to be like this from now on? my gas is laughing at the GasX that i am taking for it.

Hey Everyone, So I had my Surgery june 2nd, and I feel like I can basically eat whatever I want as long as I chew it up really good. I think because of this I haven't lost as much weight as I feel like I should have. I have only lost a total of 13 pounds, including the 2 week liquid diet. I am just really feeling down on myself. I saw my Dr today but he doesn't want to see me for 5 weeks to see if I will then need a fill. Is it just me being to hard on myself or should I be trying harder to not eat. But I feel like I really don't eat a lot, and i know that when I do eat I am not eating NEARLY as much as I used to. Its like 4-5 bites and I am full. I hardley ever feel h…

My doctor's office originally gave me instructions to do 1 week clear liquid, 3 weeks full liquid, 2 weeks mushies then to transition to solid food. At my 1 week post op appt. the doctor told me to do 10 days full liquid then 10 days mushies which cut about 2 weeks off the post op diet for me. Since they originally drilled it into me that if I ate before 6 weeks, I may cause damage, I'm somewhat nervous to start solid food now. My question is: When you all went to solids...did you go right into solid food the first day you could or did you slowly introduce different solids each day?

Hey Everyone! I haven't posted in awhile and was curious how all of you are doing so far? How is weight loss going? How many fills have y'all had and how many cc's your at now? Hope someone see's this thread:smile2: Renita- banded October 8,2008

I think this will be kinda neat to hear about "first compliment" stories. My first compliment came from the maintenance man at the college I attend. I was getting on the elevator and he was on there already, and said to me, "Somebody is losing, you look really good, just don't lose too much." I just laughed it off and thought to myself-Wait til you see me in the fall!

I asked last week about pain after eating, she expalined that as the muscles start to digest your food, the muscle the port is stitched to may move a bit and it thats waht may be causing the pain she said anything band related will be felt in the chest area Also, I asked her why after and adjustment, it seems like I have restriction and then it evens out and she informed me that you have fat around your stomach band and as you loose weight, you loose that fat also causing the band to have more room, she said it will eventually stop doing that so Im only down 21 pounds in 2.5 months BUT Im not giving up.

Went to the doctor today and he told me what to keep as an "Emergency Kit". He says after walking, moving around, etc. doesn't help if you are stuck, a small amount of Adolph's meat tenderizer mixed with water, or a swallow of Coke will help to dissolve the food. It should only be used if all else fails and not on a regular basis. :thumbup:Good to know:thumbup:

I just had my 1st appt for a fill today and my surgeon could not feel/find my port even with Ultrasound. I am scheduled on Monday to go the hospital to have flouroscopy done for my fill and he will put in 2cc's. Has anyone else had this? I was very frustrated but he said not to worry it isnt my fault. He also said the first few fills are the hardest because when you loose more weight it is easier to palpate the port... Also I found out that even though I gained some weight since being back on solid foods my total weight loss has equaled 2 lbs per week since surgery- so up and down like so many others... how do you deal with it?

Yesterday I had this weird hiccup and then chest pain and was nauseous all day. Now today, I am really tired because I didn't sleep well and every time I yawn I get a sharp pain in the center of my chest. Anyone experience this?

What do "PB" and "slime" mean? I've searched and I find a lot of thread where they are discussed but not specifically what they mean. Something tells me PB has nothing to do with Peanut Butter. :wink:

New here... first post... I was banded in Feb. of this year. Have been doing well, getting fills, losing weight etc. After the last fill in May (up to 6.3 cc) I had discomfort around port site but it subsided after a couple of days. One month later had same discomfort but no fill. Again subsided - thought it might be because of monthly. But yesterday pain and discomfort started again. It feels like after surgery where the muscles were really sore. I have been exercising a lot and have lost about 6 inches from waist since surgery. Also, I can tell that my port is now located about 2 inches from where it was initially placed. Is this normal? Anyone know what is going on? I…

Can anyone relate to this? I had my surgery on June 5th. I felt fine a couple of days later and couldn't stop talking about how little pain I had. Then on the 5th day after surgery I started getting this pain around my belly button. I mean I'm not crying over this pain but its definetly there. I've had it for 3 days now. It's kind of like a burning pain. I keep telling myself it might be gas? Can gas make my belly button hurt/burn? I only don't feel it when I sit still on my recliner or when I'm laying down. Thanks so much. I'm worried it could be something I did to myself because like I said for the first 5 days I didn't feel any pain.

Hi I had my surgery May 28th and I am walking daily. I've felt pretty good with no pains or soreness except today I am very sore. The soreness is in my abdomin, like I did too many situps (and I couldnt do any right now)... I walked about an hour yesterday... could I have possibly over did it? Should I take a break from walking so often? Or is this normal?? Thank you :bored:

I was banded on Tuesday and all went well. I was told about the excess air that gets trapped in your abdomen since they blow it up like a balloon in order to be able to see. I was told that it would feel painful under the diaphragm and around my heart, almost like a heart attack feeling...but that it would go away in 24 hours or so as my body absorbed it back. It's been three full days now and I still have that awful pain. It comes and goes, but it's still there. I have an appt. with my doc tomorrow so if it's still there I'll ask him about it. Was just wondering if anyone else had it take more than a couple days to clear up??

Banded last Wed. and am now on soft diet. I just had a scrambled egg and it was heaven!!! :wink: I kind of feel like it is sitting on my chest, but it tasted soooo good! Maybe this experience will be like tasting everything for the first time! I'm just worried that I'll get carried away and eat too much.

Hello everyone! I just wanted to get your opinion on something. I am going to a university right now, and I am kind of having a hard time following the diet. The life of a POOR college student can be pretty dismal at times. Do you have any tips on food that would be okay to eat but something super cheap? I don't know what to do. And, I think I am able to eat a little more than I should be able to. I won't be able to get another fill until I go home in July, and my best friend is coming home after a mission for 1 1/2 years. She doesn't know I had the surgery, and I want to surprise her with a big weight loss. The amount of food I am able to eat is A LOT less t…

Hi, I had my third fill yesterday and so I am now at 4.8. Last night after eating some fruit and drinking water I felt like I was going to vomit,but only the water that I had came back up and then I felt better. This morning I felt a little nauseated before I ate and it got a liile worse after I ate my omelet and since that I have been drinking my sugar free drink mix..I feel like if I eat then I will surely hurl. Should I wait to see if this passes or call the nurse. I know this may sound strange,but I really don't care if feeling like this will make me not want to eat for a couple of days..a liquid diet is fine by me. Any suggestions/opinions? Thanks!:bored:

Just wanting to know how my fellow august 08 bandsters are doing? As for myself, just a little update. I was banded on the 18th of august. On the day of surgery: weight: 267 pants size: 26 shirt size: 4XL bra size: 44DDD As of today (June 4th): weight: 185 pants size: 16 shirt size: XL put can squeeze into a large depending on what kind of shirt. bra size: 38D I have had a hard journey but all the tears and pain have been well worth it. I am hoping to be at 175 by my birthday which is 1 month and 13 days. I think I can make it with a little exta work, but if I don't make it, I will be darn close to that mark. I hope everyone else has had as much su…

Hi Everyone, I was just wondering has anyone had the surgery while they were in college I'm only taking 12 credits and they are all history classes which I would if I could not miss hardly any since nearly everything is Lecture and readings that are out of class. I have to get the surgery while I'm in this last semester because my insurance will run out when I graduate. So basically I was wondering how fast has everyone gone back to class. I plan to take a week off of work so I can rest when I'm not in class. Thanks everyone!!!!

OMG! What does "stretching your pouch" mean for lapband patients? I didn't know this was a possibility. I thought stretching your stomach was for bypass people. So, we can stretch our pouches? I thought fills are what gave us restriction! Crap! Now something new to worry about? I feel as if on two occasions I have eaten more than a cup of food and I am about 4 weeks out . . .could I have stretched my pouch and screwed this whole thing up already?

Hello all. Just wanted to share a little something I learned about working with the band. It took a long time for me to get the fill level correct so I'd have restriction, and I'm a self pay, so this was adding up. I was still losing weight, albeit the old fashioned way (hunger), but I finally did get to the right amount of fill and was doing well. Since I was not used to the feeling and the food limits I began to PB a lot. Over time the band just got tighter and tighter [everything was getting and staying inflamed]. I had to have an unfill and was sent for an upper GI when I felt better. System fine, band perfect, refill yesterday. So... About $1000 later for the test …

I just don't understand what happens when you are filled to the max....do you stop losing then? I am currently at 8.6cc in a 10cc band, my last fill was on January 9 and I was banded on Sept 22, 2008. With 6 months still to go before my 1 yr bandiversary, I am concerned that I will run out of room for fills long before the 1 yr mark. Just wondering what happens when you reach that point and concerned I will stop losing when I do reach it. Any help is appreciated!

I was banded on june 11th! I'm having problems getting my protein in, it tasted horrible. I need other idea besides the protein shaskes on what people do. Please help? thank you

I'm trying to figure out what my out of pocket expenses are going to be and I'm having a hard time getting an answer from the doctors office...Can any one help? or even give the slightest idea of what to expect??? Thank you!

For those of you who had the sleeve can you still eat fruit? I understand when you get the sleeve you can get "dumping syndrome" from eating sugar. But does that mean natural sugar?

:001_tongue: They used some serious tape on the surgery sites. Not the cute little papery stuff we use that works itself off after it gets wet a few times. I noticed my skin was getting red under the tape and went to pull it off. It is stuck tight. It about takes the skin with it and I worry about the wound scab itself coming off. Plus I am not one of our esteemed RN's here so admit it was making me squeemish. :crying: I didn't take it off the large incision yet. I'll give it another day or two and then close my eyes.

hi everyone, I need some help. I had surgery back on Jan 28th and had a lot of success. I have lost about 65 lbs so far. I have about 40lbs to go. Problem is that I PB all the time, atleast once a day. I try to eat slow and small bites but it still happens. It is very uncomfortable, and unless I drink 10 mins prior to eatting and then drink while I am eatting I have to PB. This is such a problem, I resort to soup with my protien to not have to deal with PBing. Is this normal?? Since my doctor filled my back in April to 7.2cc in a 10cc band this has happened. The last month I really have not lost any weight. I am fearful the problems this is possibly having on m…

I had surgery 5 days ago. It has gone great until today. I have a lot of pain in my middle back. I read this may be due to de-hydration, but I am sipping all day. Any thoughts?

I'm a little over 2 months out with my surgery. I have had 2 fills . My fills total 4 cc. I have lost 40 since I began my preop diiet. The first fill I had lost 7 lbs and from May 5 to June 9 I had lost 8 and next fill is July 14. I haven't had any problems of getting sick and if I'm not careful I can hold over a cup of food. On dr visit with last fill they wanted to know what I had for breakfast and I had a whole banana that particular day and the nurse said I should only be able to hold 1/2 banana and she hoped that I hadn't made my pouch as large as my stomach. I guess everything was ok because she didn't get the dr. Does anyone know the signs of pouch being to big. I'…

I went for my second fill on the 10th and I now have 6cc in a 14 band. I have lost 6 1/2 pounds since wednesday. I hope this lasts as my first fill I had no restriction at all. Am loving it.:thumbup::bored:

I have to admit to being somewhat confused by all the different pre/post diets being posted on this site. I had to do a 2 week pre-op diet of Medifast and Healthwise products. I have read on this site that some have had to do a "liquids only" pre-op diet anywhere from 24 hours to 4 weeks before their surgeries. A few lucky souls only had to stop eating and drinking after midnight the day of their surgeries! I realize that the duration of most pre-op diets is usually based on a person's BMI. The post-op diet seems to be totally at the surgeon's discretion. I was allowed only Clear Liquids the day of my surgery (June 8). The day after surgery, I was allowed to indul…

...and I'm wondering what to do with this second half of a peach. Woah is me. I have SO many problems. I think I'll so shopping at Victoria's Secret to make myself feel better... I love this band.

I cut and pasted the following from Oncol.com a cancer information site. I thought their dietician's definition of a full liquid diet was interesting that it contained eggs. What do you guys think? Ellen Sweeney Cordes, RD, Registered Dietitian at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, responds: A full liquid diet consists of foods and fluids that are liquid or liquefy at room temperature or body temperature. Foods allowed on this diet include milk, plain ice cream, strained cream Soups, fruit and vegetable juices, hot cereals, plain puddings, pasteurized eggs, and all items on the clear liquid diet (i.e. clear juices, clear soda, broth, jell-o…

I am one of those that fights head hunger and self-sabotoging. I drink water but not what I should. A friend suggested keeping ice cubes and sucking/crunching on them. It really is working. I bring a baggie of ice cubes to work also and keep it in the freezer. At home I beat the heck out of the cubes to make them more like chips. It is crazy I know, but crunching them little suckers makes me feel a lot better than drinking water.

So I've been doing really well with eating smaller portions, and making sure to get Protein in. But today was my first day back at work after surgery. I ate a serving of sliced turkey for lunch and some cheese. But it didn't fill me up like I thought it would. Any suggestions on other things to eat that are filling but in keeping w/ lapband guidelines? Thanks!

I say my head because I am doing things I know I shouldn't. I got may band on 3/9/09. By Mother's Day I was a size 14 down from a 22. I had lost about 30lbs and I was very pleased with the way things were going. I had a fill on 4/13 and didn't have much trouble with any food as long as I chewed well. I wasn't hungry and I was easily making the good choices. I was so happy when I was finally under 200lbs for the first time in almost 25 years! NOW I have had two bad weeks in a row. The crazy thing is that June was supposed to be my "jump off" month. I have a trip planned in the middle of Aug. and I wanted to get another 15 or so pounds off by then. I keep eating, …

is it normal to have pain where the band is? Also when I have to burp it is causing pain around where the band is and i have to take a couple of deep breaths to get it to stop. is this normal? thanks

I am 2 weeks postop and I am a little concerned I may have stretched the pouch. There has been 2-3 occasions where I gulped liquids without thinking about it. Then I ate some chicken breast meat and chewed "normally" and swallowed--again not thinking about it. I had some regurgitation afterwards but know nausia or vomiting. I am trying my best to slow the drinking to sips and chew chew chew--but sometimes I automatically react. If the pouch does get stretched, how can you know, and what are the remedies?

I was banded June 9th and have not been able to do what I thought I would be able to do by now... I have a pain that starts at my band site and radiates up into my throat. It is not constant, but it is very uncomfortable and hurts pretty bad. Does anyone else have this problem? Also, I thought I would be able to do more by now, I cant hardly leave my house without feeling bad/nauseous. When I get hot it is the worst and I happen to live in Texas so its always hot. I am really trying to take in more fluids to help... any other suggestions? Thanks!!

How long did you take off from work? I have a desk job, so no issures with lifting. My biggest fear is of getting sick at work. My office is glass enclosed and kinda open to the world! I'm also nervous about getting enough protein and eating stuff that won't make me sick. I'm a gulper when it comes to drinking water, better start practicing sipping.

I had my surgery in July 2007. I lost 70 lbs. I had one fill in December 2007. All was going very well. Then in April 2008 we learned my MIL who lived with us had terminal lung cancer. She decided not to have any treatments and insisted she wanted to live her last months at home which meant my wife and I had to put aside our lives to care for her with the help of Hospice. Finally the long painful struggle ended when she passed on July 4, 2008 just shy of my one year band anniversary. By that time I had not been to see the Dr in several months and had totally not paid attention to my diet. About a month later we learned my Mom had breast cancer. At least her prognos…

today woke up feeling ok,, but throughout the day kinda been nauseated not much but just to wear i just lay down and it goes away, im trying to eat just so i don't get weak seems everything makes me feel nauseated except water..and feeling kinda chillish i checked my temp and it was 99.3 don't know if that would be called a fever or not no swelling no redness..chest still kinda sore when i breath but still doing the breathing excersices and trying to cough every hour..anybody has any words of widsom and relief..just know kno im not the only one u guys know..some comforting

does anyone experience pain after eating? Not "stuck" pain but a dull stabbing pain on your left right under your rib cage?

Hi. Just a cheery update. I'm finally under 200 pounds. I just can't believe it. 10 months and I've lost 78 pounds. I feel so good. Everyone's gonna wonder why I'm wearing that big Kool-Aid smile today. Thanks for the support guys. Take care. Becky

I have seen posts by some February 2009 bandsters, and was just wondering how everybody is doing? Let's here from you! Are you struggling? Is life good? Inquiring minds want to know! (Well, at least I do!) :tongue_smilie: Debbie

I was banded on April 10th, down 26 pounds. I was told today by me hairdresser that my hair is falling out at an alarming rate. She suggested I see my doctor about my thyroid, but I know it is the lapband. ANyone dealt with this? How did you stop it? Any suggestions on Vitamins? I would appreicate any and all input. This was the issue I feared the most with the procedure. :confused: Thanks!

Has anyone had any problems with severe runny stools, actualy like water. I only started to drink slimfast yesterday (1/2 can) and today (1/2 can) but it goes right though me. It started yesterday where my stomach was all gassy and then bam it hit me and hasn't stopped since. Stomach makes all kinds of noises and I better be close to the bathroom. It is concerning as this is the only protein I'm getting and it is going right through me. I am drinking water but that is it. Did anyone have this problem or is it something that will go away? I have to go back to work tomorrow (which is probably not a good idea) and I don't want to have an accident, but I have to drink …

I was at the nail salon today to get a brow wax. Most of you women know that a brow wax doesn't take very long, but in the few moments I was there, I heard an interesting conversation. There was a lady getting her nails done and started talking about her need to lose weight. She looked about 250 or so. Another girl that was there suggested she get the lap band because... get this... it's not a surgical procedure. They just put this strap around your stomach so you can't eat as much. "So how do they get it on there?" asked the first lady. "Well I don't know but they don't have to cut you or anything." "I wonder if I'm too old for that. I might be too old to be ha…

I was banded on 6/10. The horrible gas pain has finally gone away. I wasn't hungry at all until today. Now, I feel hungry all day. Not like I used to, but my stomach has a sort of empty feeling and it makes me nauseous. If I eat a couple of spoonfuls of soup, pudding, applesauce I feel better for about 45 min. and then the feeling returns. Is this actually hunger or something else? I feel like I need to eat something every hour or two.