POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

Has anyone else noticed any memory loss since surgery? I don't know if it is related, but in the last few months forget a lot & I have been feeling totally stunned. My husband I now emailing me his daily itinerary so I don't forget what he has told me.

Tuesday night I stared itching all over. When I woke up on Wednesday, I was covered I Hives. On Wed I tried benydril pills and Anti itch creme and nothing worked, I could barely stand my clothes on my skin. I called my Gen MD and she gave me some ointment and pills. They have helped alot but I still feel itchy a lil and I still have the hives. I have stopped all meds (Loritab, Zantac, and Diuretics) I have not called my surgeon yet, I am kind of afraid he will tell me that I am allergic to my band. Open to all comments. Thanks

I just wanted to get an idea of the number of people who were able to lose 100% of their goal weight within or at 1 year post op? My goal is 112lbs, and I would like to know if its realistic. I have seen several places, that band patients lose 50% by the first year, and the the rest over the next 2 years, making a total goal weight in 3 years. Please respond with the time it took you and the total lost. Thanks

I had Lap Band Surgey on 07/25/08. I lost 11 lbs the first week and nothing since. I had one fill on 8/24/08 and don't go back until 9/24/08. I'm totally depressed. I knew this was going to be a slow process but not this slow. I eat around 1400 calories, drink my water, eat my protein and walke 30 minutes every day (about all I can do). Anyone else having this problem? How do you keep from being depressed?

I was banded on 8/26/08 and my Doctor says my new pouch will hold 2 to 3oz or 1/4 cup of food. I was just wondering if I'm supposed to have restriction this soon after surgery because I'm on the liqiud diet still but I can drink an entire tomato SOUP AT HAND which has 10 3/4oz. But when I'm done with that I do feel full. Is this normal or am I doing something wrong? :thumbup::confused::laugh:

I have been reading alot about foods that you dont eat after banding and just wanted to hear it from those of you that are a few months out already and eating solids. I was just banded this week, and will stick to the diet but was wondering if there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Can you eat steak? pasta? salads? sandwiches? rice? mexican? bread? I know the key will be moderation for the rest of my life, but can you eat your 3 or 4 ounces of the foods mentioned above? How is it when you go out to a mexican restaurant with friends? What about a steakhouse, how do they handle you? How do you handle ordering foods at a restaurant? Do they let you share a plate? Tell …

I all, had surgery on July 14,08 I am doing very well,have had 2 fills as of today 9/10 but ran into a problem about a week ago where I was throwing up no matter what I ate, called and went back today and had 1cc removed, feeling sooooo much better and was even able to eat some lunch today. I am down a total of 47 lbs since my surgery, and feeling so much better. I was having alot of pain from not eating but then when I did eat I would vomit, but my Dr and nurse took care of that issue today and I am feeling alot better.

I had my last fill 2 weeks ago today. Last Thursday, I started having issues with reflux, but knew that it was tied to a change in eating times (about 7 hours between lunch & supper) and my menstrual cycle. Had an appointment for a fill today but did not have one. Just met with my NP who agreed that a fill would not be the best thing today. Stick with mushies and fluids. I got back to the office, stole TWO french fries from the boss and made myself a hot chocolate/protien drink. I've managed to get 3 sips of the drink down and the heartburn hit BIG TIME. I finally ended up doing the mad dash for the bathroom and loosing the drink (and getting splashed in the f…

So on Labor day I had a dull but constant pain in my right side. I just figured it was gas or something so I let it go. Tuesday I went back to work with the same pain and I just put a heating pad on it. Needless to say I devolped nausea and went to a quick care place and was told I could have appendicitis and to go to the er. So to cut it short 8 hours later in the er I found out I had a hernia near my belly button. Also they were concerned that I had a strangulation with my bowel and the rushed me to surgery. :scared2:I had surgery Wed. morning and left the hospital on Friday. I am still in alot of pain I can't go back to work until I see the doc on Wed. Talk about hav…

I just got my 2nd fill yesterday, and my doctor only gave me 2 more CC's. So now I have 6cc in and 14cc band. I can only eat small amounts of food at a time, but I am hungry within 1-2 hours. Has anyone else had this problem? Does the hunger every hour go away with more fills? This is REAL stomach hunger, not head hunger.

Okay, I don't think this whole lap band thing was explained to me real well! Yes, I was told that is was only a TOOL and not a cure! Some of y'all are watching your carbs while others of you are counting calories. I noticed that some of you keep your calories between 800 and 1,000 calories daily. I have been told by doctors and other people that if you cut your calories too much then your body goes into "starvation mode" and holds on to everything and you won't lose. I don't see how I am going to get enough calories eating 4 ounces of food! My doctor said to eat 5-6 times daily but still even at that I am not consuming many calories at all! Does your body just eventually …

I am amazed at how full I feel on my soft foods!! Today I ate: Breakfast - 1 oz tuna (I would have had eggs or something but hadn't been to the store yet!) Snack- 1 oz tuna lunch - 2 morning star farms chik nuggets, 1 slice of zucchini (cooked), 1 bite of canned diced peaches (those little snacky ones in the plastic to go container that go in kid's lunches) Snack - sample of polenta at grocery store dinner - ??? I know I should have slowly introduced these foods, rather than eat so many different things. It's amazing to me that I ate lunch as 12:30, had the snack around 3:00 and am still STUFFED feeling!

I WAS BANDED 6 DAYS AGO AND EVER SINCE HAVE HAD PAIN IN BACK AND CHEST. FEELS LIKE ESOPHAGEAL SPASMS AND SOMETHING IS STUCK IN MY CHEST. ANY SUGGESTIONS??????:biggrin:

I have mild asthma and cough a lot. Sometimes I start coughing and then :thumbdown: (graphic material ahead) start retching and cough up lots of clear fluid. Anyone else have this? I've had chest x-rays and it's not pneumonia. I'm hoping that maybe my fat is putting pressure on my lungs and that's what's causing it. Your thoughts? Thanks!

I have been to the dietician and read over the info she gave me but all it says is pureed stuff, getting lumpier over the two weeks and gives examples of chicken and veg with gravey. So if I cook a pasta meal for my family can I have some of that pureed down, what about something with rice, can I have that pureed down? Are there foods I should not puree? I only thought of these questions now and she never said there was stuff you can't puree but then all she said was puree chicken and veg as an example.

What is going on with me? 2 weeks into my 1st fill and I have been naseous occasionally and having stomach cramps in the stomach area between my breasts and belly button area. I am not pregnant if that is a question. Please help me figure out what is going on! I am going to the dr. on Friday but help me in the meantime if you can!

Hi everyone,Im in need of a lil advice please.Im exactly 3 weeks out and am experiencing somethin feelin like a poke to my right rib area,not exactly where the port is but close.Driving and sitting is uncomfortable,it feels like somethins in there that wants out.I walk around stick straight and leaning to the left,like I need to make more room on my right side so I wont feel that "poke feeling".When I lay down,it goes away.Is this normal,I thought that thing was going to be all tucked into stuff and I wouldnt feel it every time I sat down/slouched or bent over.Please respond.........:biggrin:

I just wondered if anyone went into surgery under 200 lbs. and if so did you do okay with the surgery and diet afterward? I will be under 200 by the time I have surgery and was wondering if it would make any difference. Thanks. :biggrin:

I'm still new at the lap-band and trying to figure all this out. This afternoon I tried to eat a bite of a large pretzel, the pretzel-stand type. I was busy talking to people and trying to help my daughter eat, and didn't chew as well as I should have. Needless to say, it got stuck. And it hurt so bad. It was stuck for a couple of minutes, which felt like hours. Now, tonight I am experiencing some soreness in my chest right at the sternum, and little tiny painful burps. Is this probably just an irritated pouch? Has anyone ever had this happen before? I am so worried...

I am feeling pretty good, I went to my first fill dr.'s appt since I've had my surgery on July 1st. Even though I felt good and I had lost some weight already, I was still unsure that everything was ok (I had some big fear that my port was gonna be misplaced or something and I wouldn't be able to get any fills). Well I got my first fill, turns out I had .5 cc in my band that I didn't even know about, the doctors told me that that was what comes in the band (my mex doctors said they don't put any in, so that must be true), so my doctor here put in 1.5 cc... so now I have a total of 2 cc's in my 4cc band!! I feel pretty good, however I still don't feel like I have enough re…

anyone have to do these? i have like.. 12 for post op, that i have to give MYSELF. lol. WOOOW. scariness. the worst part is that it HURTS after the injection. i get huge bruises, red .. spots from where i gave the shot, i think. and i just did one and its bleeding, like *tiny tiny*. but still....i hate them lol. if they weren't as painful afterwards, i would be... BARELY ok with them. :thumbup: here is one that is kinda bigger than my hand lol. (from day after surgery)*GROSS*

feeling miserable ... got banded on 6/28/2008 , lost around thirty pounds .. did not get a fill but really cant eat much ..around 20 -30 gms (around 1 oz ) and I am done and I keep on feeling heavy for a long time ... so cant manage to take enough calories ... one lapband site say that one has to sit errect during meals ... is it so ? for how long should I sit errect after a meal and well is there a way to reduce restriction of an unfilled band

Yeah, I know, crazy title. My husband and I took our youngest son to Football practice last night. While my husband stayed on the field to watch him practice I decided to walk the track. So, I take off and about 20 or 30 minutes, I was back where I started from. I had walked a mile for the first time since I was a teenager. I walked over to where Mark (my husband) had sit up our chairs and sat down with sweat running down my entire face. Now, our sons practice lasts for 2 hours. I decided that after a short rest, I'd try to walk the track again. I did, I walked it again. So, I walked 2 miles last night. That is the exctied part. The pain part. Well, when we g…

I am 10 weeks out have only lost about 10 lbs - I had my first fill on 8/8 and it didn't help much - I am not eating much but weight is coming off very very slow. I get another fill today at 3:00 so hope it helps. I definitely look thinner and my clothes are looser even though the scale doesn't show a change from last week - is it possible to lose inches even though it doesn't show up on the scale? Thanks.

Hey all....I was wondering what people's experiences were with cruising post band. I am not so much talking about not being able to enjoy all the food (I am a little concerned about the social aspect of being the only person at a table for 10 who can't eat much, but Im mostly good with that), but my concern is more the whole being out at sea or in another country and getting too tight because of travel or whatever, not being able to get to my Dr. What can I say...I am a worrier! Has anybody cruised post banding, and if so, any problems? Did you go fully filled, or did you have a slight unfill to avoid potential issues? Thanks in advance for any insights you have to…

I am 2 1/2 months out from getting banded. I just got my 2nd fill on Sept 2nd. I could not tell any differnce since my surgery until now. My question is Does anyone else seem to get the hiccups and burp a lot just a few bites after eating? Does this mean your full and stop eating? Sometimes it is very painful.

Tomorrow at 1 pm I have my dietician appointment to get my mushie diet instructions... well, what do you know? I blew it just now! I made some tuna salad w/ fat free mayo and mustard and had about an ounce. I feel fine and I chewed really, really well... The thing is, I have not been able to tolerate the Protein drinks so for the last 10 days have been living on Green Protein from Trader Joes (It's a juice and veggie drink w/ about 6 grams of protein in the bottle) soy milk and Soup broth! I seriously needed something! I probably have not been consuming more than 500-700 calories in the last two weeks as it's really hard to get them in when I don't have the prote…

If you have recently been banded please read this. I'm hoping to save many of you grief and stop you from driving yourself crazy with unanswered questions. This thread is not directed towards one person and I'm hoping to help some of you out. I've read about a dozen threads lately, and responded to a few, about the following: There are a few stages you will be going through in the next couple of weeks. liquids - they suck, Mushies - they suck too, Soft Foods - Ah, life is getting better and finally Normal Foods. Somewhere in there is Bandhell. I want to cover the sucky stages; Liquids and Mushies as well as Bandhell. Liquids - this is the stage you will most lik…

Ten days after surgery, I awoke in the middle of the night and had the weirdest sensations in my chest cavity. It felt like things were rearranging. I am very concerned. Help!:thumbup:

I have a strange or silly question. Is it or is not ok to use a straw after surgery? If not, what are the reasons.:crying:

Hi everyone! it has now been 4 months since i was banded and since my band date i have only lost 7 LBS i have had 2 fills and now have 6ccs in me! i don understand why i am not filling the restriction that i was expecting? Has anyone else every experienced this? And if so how do i deal? :thumbdown:

I pulled something this weekend near my port area and it still hurts like heck! The Dr looked at it yesterday and said I probably pulled that muscle, but man, when is this pain going to go away. I can't bend over or any kind of activity that requires a lot of movement!

I've read over and over that the main three things you should be concerned about when considering getting another fill are: 1) How much food you can eat per meal 2) How long after a meal until you get hungry again 3) How long it takes you to eat a meal But I just can't figure it out, why does it matter how long it takes you to eat? Is there something about being restricted that actually makes you have to eat slower, or is it more of a function of not being able to slow yourself down when you're really hungry? I haven't had restriction yet so I don't know all of the angles, but the way I see it now is that the time it takes you to eat depends on how long you purpos…

I know everyone is different but is there a rough list of foods that don't go well with the band? I understand that carbonated drinks, high calorie beverages, ice cream and anything soft like chocolate should all be cut out. But what do the docs mean when they say no fibrous food? Can someone give me a good list of fibrous foods because I'm a bit confused. What about things like spicy foods? Also, I am 3 weeks in and if I chew well, I can eat bread ok. Will that change or am I going to be of the few that can tolerate bread?

Looking for input! I had surgery July 31st and am getting my first fill on the 11th. I have noticed in the morning I am usually full fairly quickly but by 4 pm in the afternoon I am starving... I mean.... Watch out... nail down the food because I can't full until I have had more than I should! Does this happen to anyone else? Will this HOPEFULLY go away when I have some restriction. I feel like such a loser after being really good all day until that point of the day. Any insight would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

My baby was starting to cry upstairs and I was so hungry so I grabbed a small container of applesauce and quickly ate 3 spoonfuls. Then I bounded upstairs and rocked her for a while. After a few minutes, I noticed a stuck feeling in my chest. I can swallow water and it goes down, or at least it doesn't come up...can applesauce get stuck? If not, why do I have that lump feeling behind my breastbone? Thanks for any info!

Hi all! My name is Amber and I was banded on 8/26/08. I didnt know there was different types of bands but when I found out I called my Doctor and the nurse said I had a AP large that holds 14cc's. Does anyone know anything about this band? Is it new? I would love to be able to see a picture of this band so if anyone has a pic please post a link. THANKS A BUNCH!!!

Does anyone know of any lapband support groups in Indianapolis Indiana? If so, where? Thanks.

:redface: I was just wondering how much weight some of you have lost on the all liquid pre-diet!?!? I started Optifast on 8/30 and had lost only 3 lbs. on my dr. visit on 9/02. My doctor said that some people lose weight quickly when their calorie intake is drastically reduced, while other people lose very little. As of today, I have lost a total of 9.5 lbs. My surgery is scheduled for this Friday, Sep12, so I have three more days of liquids. I hope i can lose another 3 or 4 lbs.

Hi all! My surgery is September 30th, and I was wondering how long after the lap band do my husband and I have to wait to have kids? I was hoping for 6 months to a year after? :blushing::thumbup: Thanks in advance!:cry_smile:

I am new to this forum and so far I've seen a lot of great advice. I am 2 years post op this month. The first year I did great but for some reason I have not lost any weight in the past year. I have been filled, unfilled, and then filled again and the only thing that has happened is I have gained weight! I've gained back around 15 pounds. My surgeon even told me the other day, "the lap band doesn't work for everyone", i guess that was his way of making me feel better??!?? I've started exercising, increasing my protein and cutting out any sugar and I'm still not losing! Anyone been through this and have advice?

Hi I was wondering if anyone out there has had problems healing. I had a terrible reaction to the shot of blood thinner that I got right before my surgery. Since then, I have been black and blue and even expelling some blood at times. One week after surgery (Aug. 5) I had to get my insicion drained in the Dr's office (not a pleasant experience to say the least). Everytime I go to get it checked the Drs. assure me that it is just taking a while for me to heal. Has anyone else had this problem? I'm afraid that I will not be able to get my first scheduled fill on Sept. 15, because I will not be fully healed. My husband thinks I should ask to have an ultrasound to make…

Guys I think many here need to have some realistic expectations on weight loss with the band. I see lots of people stressed in their first month saying “I have only lost” x amount of pounds and 99% of those people have lost over 10lbs that’s a lot of weight. From all I have read and heard the Docs expect 1 to 2 pounds a week as a safe range of weight loss, that’s puts you at 4 to 8 lbs a month not bad, think about it in just 10 months you will be anywhere from 40 to 80 lost, my guess is you did not get fat in 10 month so don’t expect to get skinny in 10. Sure you can do better then the 4 to 8 pounds a month but be prepared to be working out on a regular sched…

I am currently 10 days post op and still on the liquid diet I started 2 weeks prior to surgery. I have my 2 week post op appointment this Thursday where I will be transitioning to mushies for 2 weeks then after my 1 month post op I will be transitioning to solids. My problem is that I cook daily for my boyfriend and while I am cooking I taste the food to make sure that it tastes okay. Nothing has ever gotten stuck, I haven't gotten sick as I do not have any restriction and am supposed to be filled at 6 weeks post op. I've asked my doctor and he has not given me any justification only saying that it will help me lose more weight, which does not make sense as I have…

I am new to the discussion and do not have my surgery approved by my insurance yet, but I am wondering what is the pre surgery diet?

I'm 5 weeks post op -no fill yet but i've been sick ect a few times this last week :sad:do u think it would be a good idea to go on fluids for a few days to let my pouch rest a while :shades_smile:

I am scheduled to have my first fill on the 15 of this month. I have only lost 12 pounds since my surgery on Aug. 18. I was wondering a few things. What happens while being filled, will this crazy hunger go away after I have my fill, and will the weight stop coming off faster after my first feel. Right now, I am only moving the scales every couple days and I so badly want to move it daily.

Hey guys has anyone had port issues longer than two weeks it feels like i'm pulling stichesand a burning feeling when i rub the skin above the port and ideas????

I was banded this past Friday, I am back to work today. It has been a great experience so far. I am a little sore at the incision, but other than than that I am feeling pretty good, except that my stomach is now growling. I was able to drink about half of a protein shake this morning about 7 am, should I already be hungry.

Hey everyone, I can't believe I'm finally banded...and posting from the "other side". Thanks to all who helped answer my pre-op questions. My surgery was on Wednesday and I am finally feeling somewhat "normal" today. The initial 2 days out were very uncomfortable, but bearable. I suffered a lot of gas pain but much of that has subsided in the past 36 hours or so. I have noticed, however, that I am very burpy (especially after drinking WATER) and really, really hope that this will eventually go away!!! Are most people gasey after being banded and does this eventually settle down after surgery? I also have a question about portion size for the full liquids phase of…