POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

I keep on reading posts where people say "Follow the Band Rules"...am i missing something?? What are the Band Rules??

Hello All: This site has been fantastic. I will be six weeks out tomorrow. I go for my first fill next Monday. The last couple of days it seems like there is something stuck in my throat. I have no problems eatings (no pain/no feeling sick). It has happened at various times during the past couple of days (Before eating/after eating). Today it was first thing in the morning and I feel like I have to keep clearing my throat. It is that TOM for me and I notice my rings are tighers (sorry guys!) and also I've noticed a little more stuffyness from sinuses. Has anyone else noticed this! It's driving me crazy. Any info would be great! Thanks!! Dee

I was very naive to think that I would lose weight faster than this - I stupidly went out and bought as "incentive clothes" a new pair of size 12 jeans and some other things thinking surely after 4 months I would be in them - I got banded on June 27th so just past 3 months but I can see that my goal of TX-OU weekend on the 11th and my hopes of wearing those jeans will not happen and wonder if it will happen by year end. I am not eating a lot at all and especially compared with what I was eating before - I just had a protein shake and a vitamin water for dinner and my stomach puffed out like it always has and looks like I am 8 months pregnant - I am down only about 10 lbs…

How can one tell if they have stretched their pouch and if they have, what happens, how do they unstretch it? Ok the way I ask that sounds stupid but I have had a long day and I'm really tired here so just bare with me. lol I guess what I meant was, if you stretch your pouch, do you have to have another surgery to get it back to where it is suppose to be?

Hi! I was banded on Sept. 30th and this site has been a Godsend as far as information and answering questions running through my mind. Thank you all so much. My question is when does the swelling go down? Is it just gas or is my body literally swollen from the surgery? Also, advice would be helpful! I feel like I would feel better physically AND emotionally if it would just go down. Thank you!

I have a question. How the heck do I know when i should stop eating. Granted I cant eat very much right now. maybe a cup at the most. usually within 4 oz tho. anyhoo... do know im full when i feel it in my stomach? Its like ive lost the signal my brain is sending. or is the signal when i feel my stomach say ok enough? I dont feel overfull like uncomfortable? how do you know when to stop eating. is it when your hunger pangs are gone?

hey everyone. i got banded on august 12 and immediately lost 10 pounds because of the post-op liquid diet. i've since gained back most of that weight. i've had one fill and thought that maybe i would start to feel some kind of restriction. but no, i've got nothing. i really really really want this to work and feel like i'm eating the way i'm supposed to but it's hard to stop when you're still hungry. i mean, if i could do that unassisted i wouldn't have gotten the surgery in the first place. is this just because i'm not filled enough? i'm scared of failing again but that's how i feel. i'm sorry if this annoys anyone since i know i've read posts complaining about …

Hey All, I received my band on 9-29-08, it will be a week tomorrow. I am still bloated or I still have swallowing. and still some pain and gas. Is this normal ????? How long before I start to feel good again. I also noticed that I have the most swelling in the front of my stomach where the largest incision is.. Anyone else have this swelling in that area(near the navel)... Help:ohmy: Also how long did you all take your meds???????

Hey all! I was banded on August 18, 2008. I have only lost 17 pounds. I am getting really frustrated here. I have had 2 fills so far and they haven't helped me at all. I still can eat like I could before I was banded. I don't, but I could. I eat and about an hour or so later, I want to eat again. I think that I may be dealing with mental hunger, but it is driving me crazy over here. I thought that once I had this band that I'd be able to lose this excess weright. After losing the 17lbs, I have just stopped losing. It makes me feel that I have done all of this for nothing. I have thought about taking diet pills to help with the mental hunger part, what do yo…

I had my surgery on the 29th of september. I had called the nutritionist to find out if SF pudding was in mushies or my full liquids stage. She said they dont normally recommend it till the mushies but it would not hurt me if I feel that I am hungry. Well at that point I put it off another 2 days and today I thought I would give it a try. I am not sure how I feel about this. I just took my baby spook and dipped it in the end of the chocolate SF pudding like 4 times. I do not feel like I am cheating or anything but maybe the fear of eating the wrong thing and getting sick. I am sitting here now seeing how that does with my stomach before I continue. Is it normal to f…

Ive been banded for 1 mo. now, and have thrown up perfectly innocent things,such as 1/2 of a pork chop. Ive kept down more complex things like gyros & smoked beef sticks. there doesnt seem to be any real logic as to what I can eat. When people on the blog talk about being "slimed" (throwing up) no one mentions what slime is (stomach mucus?) what causes it and how to avoid it, if possible. Ill be getting my 1st fill Thursday and wonder if the slime will get worse.:w00t:

Ok..Im two weeks out...doin great! Have a 22lbs weightloss. I can eat! Ive eaten too much. I dont puke or feel sick but I know Ive eaten too much. I feel NORMAL. I dont eat rough things. BUt for instance. AT tacobell...I got a nacho supreme and the soggy soggggggggggggggy chips...Id eat...but chew the crap out of them. I just had a chicken stirp from there today...and chewed chewed chewed. I hope I have screwed my band up. I cant wait until Ic an get a fill. I am working otu 4-5 days a week. I started last week...off really slow. I just feel like a moron for overeating again....

Hi all, My wife has been doing fantastic since her surgery in June. She has lost about 60 pounds. She has hit somewhat of a "plateau" for the past couple of weeks. She has not gained or lost. Is this normal? She is a little concerned. She has had two fills, the last on in early August. She feels great. She started at about 270 and is 210 now. Any suggestions for her? Thanks, Dustydog

Hello, is it possible to strech your pouch if you have not had a fill yet and if so how could one tell???? Thank you

I am 3 days post-op, when I sleep in my bed I get sick to my stomach when I wake up. Is this normal? When I sleep in the recliner I feel ok just a little nauseous. Will I ever be able to sleep in my bed again? I miss my soft bed. :crying:

So I was just banded on Wednesday the 1st and I am pretty scared. I hear people talking about how they didn't need the pain medicine after they went home from the hospital etc thats not me. My entire body hurts and it even hurts to breath in but I am trying to force it so I don't get some kind of lung infection. I guess the needing help getting out of bed and other things like that is really having an effect on me too I feel depressed I just want to know if this is all normal. I am sorry if this is a topic that has been posted before but I don't come on here very often and don't know how to navigate. Anything you guys can tell me would be really appreciated.

Hi, I had my surgery about 2 months ago and I am having port pain. This is the first for me. It feels like it is just so sore like I hit it on something. I think I read that during TOM, it can be sore but I don't know if that is true or not. Anyone know? Thanks! Gilta

I was just banded yesterday, and I am VERY scared to shower! Was anyone told to use a particular soap, or how to avoid harming wounds/incisions?

So its been a week... and the gas pains have subsided... however I'm having what my doc calls esophageal spasms... if anyone has any suggestions... or advice it would be much app... and i will try to keep you all posted on what the doc says for all of you that might run in to the same prob...

I was banded on Aug 26th and I am really struggling with the diet. I have had one fill a week ago and I have some restriction. I already had a little fluid in the band (dr. wasn't sure how much) and they put 2.5cc in my 10cc band. I eat too often and if I follow the diet exactly, I end up getting frustrated and hungry and bingeing on soft foods like chocolate and ice cream that won't stretch my pouch. I have lost 12 lbs. since surgery, but I have been at the same weight for a month. I see so many replies to this same question that say "You have to be committed to the plan" and "If you are following the plan properly, you will lose weight" but how do people go from being m…

I am traveling to Dallas for surgery. I am checking into a hotel the day before and planning to stay in it for at least four days after surgery. I will not have anyone with me. Should I? Do I need to have someone stay with me?

I am pre banded and try to eat like a "bandster" but I give up after a few minutes. I feel that the pleasure of eating is gone when I am so pre occupied with chewing and making sure I'm not swallowing too much. After being banded do you still get pleasure from eating?

Well I had my 2nd fill yesterday. It was 1cc... so the doctor tells me that I'm at 3 cc's now and I'm not going to have much more room for fills. While I was there we also discussed my portion sizes, because at my 1st fill he told me I should be eating an "egg-size" portion. Well, I've really tried, but I usually can eat like 2 or 3 times that amount! He told me that I shouldn't eat until I feel full... that I should only put the alotted serving size on my plate and only eat that!! And then he said that basically if I don't change my portions that this surgery isn't going to work the way it's supposed to work! So now I'm questioning myself. Was this surgery was right for …

My face is red and swollen. No obstruction with my breathing but the rash has spread down my neck and chest to my waist. I called the doctor and he thinks that even though I didn't have a pennicillian allergy, it could've been the antibiotic that was put in my IV during my surgery on the first. Anyone else have this happen? Benadryl isn't doing s**t for me and I look just horrible. Any suggestions?

I was banded at the end of JUne. My weight loss was going along fine but since the first of September I have been at a plateau. I have lost one pound in five weeks. I am walking 5 days a week for about 20 minutes and started keeping a food journal. That only made things more frustrating because I saw what I was eating and still not losing weight. I have the 14 cc band and even though I have about 9 ccs of saline, I am still not feeling any restriction. So I am relying on willpower and to be truthful if I had been good with willpower I wouldn't have needed the LAP Band. I am confident in my doctor but I am definitely sad and disappointed. I just want to know has any…

I won't go into great detail about my surgery yesterday. However, her is my advice for you lapband day. I was totally freaked out the morning of surgery. I was wheeled in the pre-op room, then into the surgery room, then I woke up in the recovery room! I am sore, but they way I look at it, a little pain today is going to keep me from a lot of pain later! Don't be in a hurry to get home. Relax, get as comfortable as possible and relize you will be there all day. Don't be a hero. Take you pain meds! You feel better and can sleep better. You will feel much, much better the next day. I drove my son to school today, dropped off my dry cleaning and picked up a movi…

:w00t: It's been 3 wks and I'm still so darn tired, I mean this is so strange, I'm starting to get worried about this, and sometimes I get a burning feeling in my stomach too. I just want to move forward, what the heck is wrong with me:frown::frown::redface: Hugs Bobbie

my first question is that why cant we eat more than three times in a day if we are not exceding our calories ... is it to break the habit of snacking or is it because too much work in digesting the food can harm the pouch my second question is ... how soon can we lie down after eating and cann we eat or dring in semi reclining position ... i get very tired from works in afternoons and feel like sleeping immediately after lunch

How long until I can drive? How long did it take for you to be able to drive?

I just had surgery last week. My left shoulder, arm and back is killing me. Did any of you have this happen and what did you do? It hurts so bad!! Also, how long after surgery until you stopped feeling uncomftorable? Tomorrow it has been a week since surgery and i am still hurting a little bit.

I started this thread because I've been seeing great ideas for getting your Protein but they're kind of scattered all over the board. I've been using Muscle Milk which has 26g of Protein. The best thing I've found is 'New Whey' which comes in a 3 and 1/2 oz bullet shaped container. It has a whopping 46g of protein! About 4 bucks each. Tastes like thick, grape cough syrup but I can get it down. 'Oh Yeah' has just come out with an incredible Protein Drink as well with close to 40g of protein. Any more suggestions?

Okay so I was banded like 3 weeks or so ago...and my port doesn't really bother me until...I have sex with my husband. Has anyone else experienced this discomfort/pain? Will it ever go away? Thanks in advance and I'm sorry for TMI...lol Take care everyone.

So I got my first fill today and let me tell you it was NOTHING. I was so worried that it was going to hurt. I barely felt it at all, seriously! What a breeze! I do have a question though. My doc wanted to put in 2cc's but he could only get 1cc in. I guess it started to come back in the syringe. I know they start off slow, but does anyone know the reason why they wouldn't be able to get more in at 1 time? I am worried that at my next fill, which is in 2 weeks that they will only be able to get 1cc in at a time. Can everyone tell me how much Fluid is in their band and how many fills it took to get them to their "sweet spot" Thanks in advance!:smile2: Also were you put …

Hi all, I was banded on 9/30. I am to take 3 oz should take 15 mins at least. I have the 1/2 cup broth and 1/2 cup of Fluid for each meal ect that was broken down by the dietician. My cocern is am I taking enough fluid in. I am on Clear liquids. I am not hungry. But I am still quite bloated so that is understandable. I have been told i need at least 70 grams of Protein a day. 1 serving is 24 grams for 8oz. How are you to meet that? Or is that only to be meet in the coming weeks. Is right now about hydration? I am confused. I dont want to get sick Please someone tell me I am doing this right. OR what am I doing wrong.. I know this is a learning process but I do feel a b…

I am just wondering how much one has to eat to stretch out the pouch. I am so scared that I will do this or have done it! I was banded on 9-22-08 and I will say that yesterday I ate more then I was supposed to!:tongue: I didn't eat till I was at the point of vomiting or anything like that but I did have a heavy feeling in my chest! I don't want to have screwed this up by my actions yesterday! Today it will be shakes and only shakes!

Hello. I was banded on 9/9/08. During the Soup phase, I had some textury cream of potato soup and could only go through half the bowl because I felt restriction. After the liquid phase (about 4 days ago), I could only eat a few bites of spinach and felt full. Now it seems all restriction is gone. The last day or two I dont feel hungry and was nervous that I somehow slipped the band since I may have eaten too quickly, didnt eat the proper foods, or drank while eating a few times. I thought that maybe my band slipped, but I have never vomited or had any other side effect besides the fact that I dont feel full anymore. I also dont feel that hungry still. So I was wondering…

Hey All, I wanted to ask a question, and see if I get some answers. I am scheduled for a fill tomorrow, but I feel like I really don't need one, I am never hungry and have to remind myself to eat most of the time. I never get sick and have never officially gotten stuck. I am 6 weeks out and down 25 lbs, so I am losing, I guess I can always see what the MD and Dietician say tomorrow, I was just wondering does everyone need fills or is sometime the band enough to put my hunger in check???? Veronica

Hi - I have just finished week two post op and I think I ate too much today - I feel extremely full and quite uncomfortable. What does this mean? Will my upper smaller stomach be stretchedn and if yes, why is this bad? Will my band stretch and if yes, why is this bad? Thank you!!!! :tongue::confused::tongue::confused::eek:

I just wanted to say think you to all the others who have posted after they were banded. I read this forum daily while trying to make the decision to have the band or not. I did not get a lot of information from my surgeon, and most of what I have learned has come from this web site of books recommended by the people on here. I did wonderful because I took the advise of the some of the posters that made good suggestions and it made a big difference in my recovery and the lady who had hers done right before me on the same day. Please don't stop helping others like you have helped me. Once again, Thank You to Everyone and the people who started this web site.

From reading all the posts it has become obvious to me that there does not exist a standard set of dietary guidelines in the medical community for pre and post surgery patients across this country. Some have to do full liquids only 2 weeks before surgery - others get to eat one solid meal a day. Others only have to do a prep the day before. And then after the surgery the diet varies widely. I am 9 days post-op and am on the clear liquid only diet until I see my doctor next week - then it will be the creamy liquid only diet for 2 more weeks. Many at my point are already on the mushies. By next week some will have advanced to foods like scrambled eggs, etc. This is de…

I called my clinic yesterday because I had gained weight(I am only 2 weeks post op, and was on soft liquids, and starting soft solids) I was told tha limiting my self to eating slimfast and soup was not sufficient. I was not eating enough, can you imagine being told to eat more, thst is a first in my life. So, I am eating more hearty food, and I can practily feel my metabolism rolling. This is great.:tongue:

I don't know if this is unusual or not or if anyone else had this. I am 9 days post-op and this morning I noticed some blood under the strips covering the port incision. It isn't bright red but rather a dark, rust color. I called the nurse and she said it was normal. Just some seepage. It is the only incision that has any pain/soreness at this point. Plus - and this is a super YUCK - I can feel the port.:cursing: She told me this is because I wasn't that heavy going in (196) and this happens to others. too. Has either of this happened to anyone else? I tend to freak out at the least little problem.

hello everyone...i get banded on october17 and i am psyched. BUT..my question is that after being banded, when can i start lifting weights? I love lifting weights and i am excited to go back to it again. I know it isn't going to be for a while, and i know everyone is different...but i was thinking 3-4 months after surgury...any suggestions?

I am 7 weeks post-op, the last 2 weeks I have had pain in my neck and down the center of my chest...along with nausea and burping.... Has anyone had a problem with this? I am planning on calling the doctor when I get back from vacation. I have tried to connnect it with what I ate or how much I ate, but there is nothing in common. HELP:blink:

I go for my first fill in about 1 hour.I think I am more nervous about the fill than I was about the surgery. Can anyone tell me.. Where you able to return back to work after you recv the fill? (sameday)

I went in today for my first fill and was told that they couldnt find the port and it may have twisted to its side. I have an appointment next Thursday with the doctor to re-look at my port. Has anyone heard of this and what am I facing next???:w00t:

Okay, first I will apologize if this thread offends anyone. But I have to ask. I had surgery 9/23 and everything is going great. I am on a liquid diet. Going to the bathroom has not been a problem. My BM's have been very easy up until two days ago. I have not done anything for two days. But I don't feel constipated either. Is this normal? The reason I ask is that I have always had a problem with constipation/hemorrhoids and I sure don't want that problem to come back. I realize I don't have much food in me but I just want to make sure that this is normal and just still my body adjusting to everything it has gone through. Thank you.

Hello All, I was banded on Tuesday, 23 Sept 2008, and I'm feeling great. I moved from clear liquids to full liquids a little early in the process [after 3 days! ]. Now I'm getting bored with the full liquids and wondering what other people are eating during this phase. Recommendations for the next phase [mushies or soft foods] would also be greatly appreciated!

ok it began sunday i woke up and my chest was hurting and so i thought ill just lay here a little longer so it will get better. it didnt. i got up and walked around and it only got worse i had to call my mom crying telling her to get home that something was wrong. when she got home i took a pain pill left over fom my surgery six weeks ago. it didnt even touch the pain. she said go lay back down n see how u feel well at 6 oclock and i was still crying went went to a local er and they did all the heart test and a ct scan and said everything was fine and sent me home still in severe pain (they said to call my surgeon the next day) i called my surgeon they said that it didnt …

It started last week and since then I have been able to keep very little down! I have been Sliming since then and what it seems like is my own spit is blocking my stomach.............I have had an upper GI and my ban has not slipped but it is tight as the devil..........and guess what I haven't had a fill yet! I was suppose to get one on Tuesday but since I am constantly throwing up my own spit the Doctor and I want to see what is going on with my band. This sucks I was doing so well with it too..........the doc thinks that my body may be rejecting the band causing it to become tighter and tighter! So far today I have only be able to keep down water!! Please Please say a …