POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

I went for 2nd fill yesterday and as I previously stated I had a kink in my tubing (which was found at the first band fill):biggrin:. But the first fill went in once she stood me up. Well yesterday that didnt happen and now I have to have a small surgery to have the excess tubing cut down so it won't kink on me anymore. Just wondering if anyone else has had this issue before?

I'm getting so discouraged because it's been 4 months since my surgery and I've only lost about 6 pounds. At first the fills didn't seem to matter past the first 3-4 days and I was able (and did) eat whatever I wanted. My fill is at 7.5 now so I'm rapidly reaching the max, but I'm still not losing! I know I eat wrong; lots of sweets, which I've NEVER eaten, but I have a tremendous craving for sweets now. I eat too much because I don't feel that full when I eat until AFTER it's all been swallowed. At that time, my LOWER stomach or abdomen area is what feels bloated and too full, not the area where the lapbad is. On top of that, after this last fill I started vomit…

Hello all! So the first of my five steri-tape strips came off today, and I have to tell you, I was a little freaked out by what I saw underneath. It was an open incision! YIKES! There was definitely red slightly puffy skin stretching upwards from the incision - but the opening itself does not appear to be infected. I think it just looks kind of icky because it's healing. Did anyone else have this issue? And if so - did the incision close itself up without the need for additional re-stitching/glueing? To be on the safe side, I already spoke with the surgeon, he had me email a picture of it, and seemed to think it looked ok (though the quality of the picture I don'…

I've been banded since feb 29. I work out about 5-6 days a week at the gym I went camping with my sister. she has a comfort bike. I went today and bought one. I love it, I rode it home 45 min. I'm hoping this will get my weight loss going again. it has slowed the last 2 months. I'm loving my band. I'm loving my gym I'm loving my bike. its hard work, but the lifesytle change has changed my life.

Help! I went for my first fill at 6 weeks(was suppose to be earlier, but had to go out of town). Dr. couldn't find port, he poked around with needed and hands and it has hurt ever since. He is not the Dr who put my band in, that doctor moved away, this doctor has put some in others. I tried to tell him where it was. So he has to do it under Xray. Ever since the visit last Thursday I have had pain in my mid chest and back, with some nausea. Called the Dr who put it in and he is coming to town in a few weeks, so he said to wait for him. NOw I think the pain I'm having is Gallbladder! I have done exactly what I was suppose to eat and do post op, and I'm very frustrated…

Well, today was my intro to PB. I am just wondering if eating too fast, or too much causes this. I really don't think it was too much because I hadn't eaten much at all. I ate a small piece of baked chicken, and it was moist, and a small piece of meat loaf. I was eating out and alone and I think I just rushed it. Not a good feeling at all. I surely want to know what caused it, so I don't do it again. I appreciate your answers.

I got a fill this week on tuesday. Too much water, milk, shake all comes up. I did keep some stuff down. I don't dare have food yet not even mushy food, liquids hurt. has anyone else had this issue?? Is it normal after a tight fill??? How long should I wait before I see dr.?? viv

hello, i am currently going through the process of getting banded and i am looking for anyone who may have been banded in norfolk,va and i would love to hear from anyone who is like 3-4 years or so out and pick their brain a lil.:wink:

Hey everyone I'm just about two and half weeks post op. I am just curious how many grams of protein I should be getting everyday. My doc cleared me for mush food... or anything that I can press a fork through, fish, chicken.. finally some "real" food. OK thank for the help!

I was banded on the 7th Aug and i have still got stomach pains, the shoulder pain has gone, but the stomach is very tender and sore, I go back to the surgen next week, i am hoping it has not slipped. I have only been drinking Optifast as the docter ordered, and V8, coffee, water. Alot of the time i am double over and walk as if i have a carrot up my bum :biggrin: I had to take last night off work because of the pain. Is this normal pain for the first week? and when can i start to feel better?

Okay folks.. I have had nothing but clear liquids for 19 days!!! 19 Days!!! Now as of today I get to have soft/mushy... My mashed potatoes I had for lunch today were the best thing, I think I have ever tasted. :tongue_smilie: Granted it took me 40 minutes to eat 1/2 a cup but I don't care. They were so good. I was terribly nervous to eat anything because I didn't know how it was going to feel. I took the first bit and I thought it was small, then I waited for a second. I felt a little bubble in the back of my throat and then it went away. That happened after almost every bit. Needless to say I was very aware of my bit size and my consistancy before swallowing. I never tho…

I was so out of it and felt they took me back way to soon. i could barely stand and then after the centrine, I lost it. Any damage done?

My incisions were glued by my surgeon no stitches or staples. Today I woke up the glue is soft like its slowly wearing away and the incisions burn and hurt like they will pop open. Is this normal for anyone else? Im scared to move and I know I need to be walking so I dont get blood clots. Any info is helpfull :scared2: Thanks

Ok, this my problem. I was banded on the 23rd. Of July and I have been on many diets and weight loss plans in my life. I am still well over 300lbs and have been that way for awhile. My problem is, I have lost 40- 50lbs before by watching what I eat and exercising 5 to 6 days a week. After working out that hard I have always seemed to hurt myself and injured my foot, knees and hips. I have been told this is because of my weight and injures I accrued in the military. How can I loss the weight at a good pace so to one day be able to workout again? I see a lot of people here saying they workout 5 days a week. I have no access to a pool which would make thing much easier. I do…

Yea, so I went on vacation and for the first 3 days, I did very well. Brought my own food, made good choices at family outings, etc. Then, I "tried" some different foods, discovered I could eat them with no problem, and ate them; lots of them! I discovered wine, and even vodka was not an issue! I've lost 20 pounds since the end of June, and have gone from a size 22 to an 18. I'm still very pleased, but today (in 2 hours) is my first fill. As all of you know, this process is tough and expensive and I just don't want to continue to mess up. Should I get back on mushies after today's fill? I also realize I need to get back on mydailyplate.com as that was SO helpful t…

How do you know if you have something stuck in your band??????? I think I ate to fast tonight, chicken, and felt uncomfortable for about 45 minutes. Then I've been throwing up, small amounts, for the past hour and a half or so. I tried sipping some water, just to have it come back up a few minutes later. I feel like a dork and don't want to call my doc over something like this. HELP!

Hey all - I was banded on August 5th. The first couple of days I was overwhelmed by how well I was actually doing. Sure, I had the port pain and all, but I was able to keep most of the gas pain under control by getting up and walking around the house quite often. Over the past two days however, the gas pain/bloating has actually increased. The gas bloating really acts up when I try to eat (can't eat much because of it), and the gas pain which is stubbornly stuck in my left shoulder won't go away. Sometimes it even radiates up my neck, the back of my head, and oddly enough my left jaw/ear. It becomes even worse when I lay down on my back (can't lay on my stomach or …

Good Eveing Everyone! I am on day six of my three week liquid diet and I am sooo bored.. LOL I am tired of the Dannon Yougart Fusion for breakfeast and the soups for lunch and dinner... Can someone share some of your ideas with me?? All I can say is.. I can not wait for the mushy stage.. LOL

I'm two weeks out from surgery, and from the pre-op diet to the end of my first week after surgery, I lost 9 kgs (about 19lbs). This week, I moved to mushies, and the weight loss has slowed down considerably. I am using Fitday, so I know that I am only having about 1000 calories a day (sometimes less) because it's all I can manage to eat and I am exercising - either walking or cycling - everyday. By my calculations, I am definitely burning more calories than I am eating. So how come I have only lost about .5 of a kilo this week (about a lb)? My scales seems to be all over the place, sometimes putting on weight and sometimes losing. It feels like I'm plateau-ing despite …

Anybody else have to wait 3 months for their first fill??? My dr's policy is 3 months from surgery. Most other people I've talked to have had a fill after about a month. Really really tired of waiting!!! :confused2:

i was just banded on the 8th and am already worried about what a fill will feel like. Does it hurt? I'm sure it gets better than this. :wink2:

Ok so I explained my lack of weight loss to my brother and my mother and both were amazed that my scale hasn't moved in 2 weeks. I have been struggling to just get in 500 calories because I'm just never hungry... Anyway is it possible I might just be retaining a lot of Fluid? I'm usually a verrrrrry fast loser...I just always put the weight back on. And my mother has had bariatric surgery and is aware of how things go. I don't drink a lot either...probably not good at all but I'm just never really thirsty either. Also when my mom had surgery...she had congestive heart failure and she ended up finding out (after entering the hospital and being put on lasiks) that she…

Hi there I had my surgery done on friday aug 8th.. woke up this morning feeling great took a shower.. and started my full liquids.. had a carnation instant breakfast.. now its afternoon and the gas pain is becoming unbearable.. also the pain where they put the port is strong.. any help (tips) getting through this would be greatly appreaciated.

Please i need help or support! Right now i feel like i have failed! Im gonna fail every one. Everyone is counting on this to work, epecially myself, and my parents, who forked out the money do genourously for me to have the surgery! I dont wanna let them down and most important i dont want to let myself down! I am eating less and excercising more!!! I just dont get it! I was banded June 12th, 2009 and weighed 254. Now August 11th i still anywhere between 248-250 depending on the time of day!! Im so discouraged!! i have had one fill. i am at 4ccs. My next one is Sept. 5th. I cant wait. I have PCOS, and have been reading some threads about it. Could this be affectin…

I'm 5 days post-op and feel hungry almost all the time, and I don't mean head hunger, I mean physically - my stomach growls, I feel weak, etc. I'm trying to get all my protein in, drinking milk, chicken broth, tomato soup, etc. I have to be on liquids for 2 weeks. Is this going to get better once I start solids??? I was ready for "head" hunger, but I didn't think I would be REAL hungry! I keep reading other people who aren't hungry at all and thinking what is wrong?

Since this really snuck up on me I thought it might be worth passing on... The first couple days after banding I had the 'gas pains' in my shoulders, neck, and chest that are pretty common. I walked frequently and they went away. I say this only because on the forth day post-op, when I began feeling like my stomach was tight and 'overly full' I attributed it to what I was eating (clear liquids, jello) thinking I was putting to much in too quickly. So I slowed down, and than really slowed down, because after only a couple sips it started hurting and felt like my stomach was going to 'pop'. Then I started getting nausea and came close to vomiting (felt like I ripped out…

How does everyone feel about lap band surgery or any wls for teenagers??

My wife and I both were banded in Sept. 07 and have lost over 100 pounds each! We are thrilled with the new us but my wife is having concerns. She now has trouble making herself eat. She gets hungry but just nibbles on small stuff thinking that she is still too heavy when she looks in the mirror. All of our friends who haven't seen us for a while don't even recognize us! She has tried to explain how she feels but I just don't know how to help her. Any suggestions? She is now just about 20 pounds heavier than she wants to be.

I have noticed that a lot you say that you either are eating low carb, or you comment that possibly someone should eat low carb, if they are not losing enough weight, but I cannot find anything that tells me what my limitations on carbs should be. I got packets of paper from my Dr and I cannot find anywhere in there, an estimate on where your carbs should be for a day. I know that all Dr's have different diets, but I was wondering what seems to work for you all.:whatchutalkingabout

I went in for my first fill at 6 weeks post-op appt - they put in 1.5 but had to take out .25 because when I was drinking my water I heard gurgling. Okay, so this morning I made a protein shake and it went down but very slow and I did feel tightening in my chest as it was going down. Is that how it is supposed to be with first fill? Does it loosen up after a few days? I read on someone's post that just because it feels too tight at first don't have too much taken out or it will be too loose after several days and will be sorry didn't keep it in - I can't find that post to read it again but does anyone else have any advice? I was down 8 lbs - took 6 weeks but 8 down is …

I had my first fill about 2 weeks ago and have no restriction. My second fill isn't for 3 weeks. Does anyone know if Dr. K in Aurora, Colorado lets you schedule an earlier appointment for a fill or do I have to wait the month?

My first fill is on Aug 13, and I am SO hungry right now. My hunger also increases before my cycle starts, so I think that is also contributing to it right now. Please tell me after my 1st fill it will get better! Right now I don't feel ANY restriction at all. Is this normal before the first fill?

I'm totally confused abiut this stuck thing. Does it happen in your stomach or in your throat? I keep having a hard time with a bad choking feeling like when you get something stuck in your throat and need a drink to wash it down. Is that stuck or is there a different feeling of stuck that I have been fortunate to not have experienced yet? I know your not supposed to drink with meals and I do very well not to but when this feeling happens it's almost impossible not to drink because it feels like I'm gonna choke to death. Has anyone else experienced this.

I am 4 months post op doing well but, now losing my hair? Any one know of something I can take to help prevent this? Please help.

i am almost 1 month post op, and all is well. i am 20 lbs down since surgery, and a total of 40 lbs since starting pre op diet on july 3rd. im back at work in the florida heat, and have not had any problems. i have had no food issues, and am trying to do the best i can considering i really dont feel that full feeling with the reccomended amounts, but they are a little more, 1200 to 1400 calories a day. is this normal to not have restriction before your first fill? i am not eating junk and bad food, which i know is important, and im still losing weight, i would just appreciate some support and input. thanks…

First off... I want to apologize.....I don't want to be one of those doom and gloom nothing good to ever say kind of people (and normally, I'm not) But I have to say this surgery has not been too kind to me yet (though I know I am a bit different case than most) I am now 8 days post op and still in a LOT of pain. I am still having gas pain (though my surgeon insists it is not gas.. that it is the band I feel) Many people have told me they have the exact type of pain (mid breastbone, spreading up and out) and my surgeon told me that is NOT gas...though people think it is. I am sucking down GasX like crazy anyway, it is helping marginally. My other major issue is i…

Hi people, I have just been banded 2 days ago and i am wondering if you could tell me things that i should be eating. My surgeon said things that would fit up a straw but any ideas? Also should i be getting these windy pains at the breastbone? I read that this is normal but if u have had this when does it go? Also how long until the stitched disolve and did you manage to keep them dry? Thanks guys and gals:thumbup:

:crying:This is my first experience w/ getting sick post band. I was running late this morning and didn't eat breakfast or take time to pack my lunch so I bought a toasted bagel w/ cream cheese at work. First clue should have been...I haven't eaten any bread since my surgery (duh). I must have eaten too fast and not chewed enough because now I feel like I'm on the verge of throwing up i.e sweaty, queezy, and overall sick nausea. Anyone else experienced this? If so, what should I do - just wait it out or drink water to push it through? :confused2:

Hi! I finally have a surgery date! :thumbup: It is September 2nd and it will be here before you know it. I've been to the nutrition class but can anyone share some of the "must have" items you needed after surgery? What in the world did you eat/drink those first few days. The nutritionist recommended Isopure because of the protein content, but it looked as thick as molasses!:thumbup: Any ideas would help! Thanks so much for all of your support over the past few months!

Can anyone tell me why most Doctors do not want you to have caffeine after LB surgery? Thanks

I'm curious to see where everyone is on their eating stages. I was banded on 7/29/08 and are just about done with mushies..I'm pretty confident that soft foods are close but I just wanted to get a pulse check on others that were banded around the same time. How do you feel? What are you eating? If you are on mushies, what are you eating to stay full??:wink2:

I am 3 1/2 months post op. I had my 2nd fill a week and a half ago now at 4 cc's. That visit definately has made me fill the restriction now. Since then I have struggled with food going down, just painful. I am not sure if this is normal or if its because I am really not chewing my food down to a mushy state and/or haven't learned to slow down. Liquids go down fine, so maybe its the chewing thing; however, I have had a lack of appetite since then only wanting the protein shakes. Today I am now just starting to eat a very little bit of solids comfortably, ensuring I chew, chew, chew a billion times. The ailments I have now: 1. This morning I was in severe distress due t…

Okay so I don't know if I pulled a muscle or something, but I feel very tight in my stomach and like I can feel my stoamch muscle moving a little. Ahh is this normal?

Went to the doc today (my MD) he said while I was in surgery getting my band they took a biopsy of my liver.... I didn't know that. I guess they do it or this doc does on fatty livers.... and I have non contagious Hepatitus.... Boy what a shock... I was not ready for this one.. Has anyone else been thought this.....

:thumbup:hi everyone im new to the site and i just wanted to say hello i have been banded for 12 days now and am very happy i have lost 12 kilos which is 26 pounds i go on purees in 2 days a bit nervous i do have a question for everyone though how do people go about preparing there meals for work or not just for work just in general every day living i hope everyone else is doing very well with there weight loss thanks for reading

I started mushies this weekend and am wondering if I understand this right. In my rules packet, my doc says only 1/4 cup food at a time. Does this apply to when I'm still on mushies and have no liquid in my band? After my two bites of food, naturally I'm still starving! I'm also wondering how on earth I am to get any variety in my diet other than the two bites of scrambled eggs or whatnot. And I misunderstanding the rules?

I'm being careful to chew but I am 14 days post op. Have handled every food I've tried. I'm now starting my soft dental diet. And I'm allowed shredded meat, soft bread, etc. I'm eating a tuna sandwich (one slice of bread, lots of tuna, diced pickle, small scoop light mayo)...Shouldn't be a problem right? Just paranoid about messing up my band. Has anyone ever FELT their band slip? if so, what does it feel like?

I have my 6 week appointment today and first fill. I have been doing great- no problems until last Thursday night I made some cream of wheat thicker than usual and it got stuck and I had to throw up. Since that time I have had trouble eating, throwing up almost every time I try to eat and I think I can feel my stomach or esophagus being irritated from it = I do not feel well this morning at all - tried to drink a protein shake but it felt bad going down as well. My question is: I was so excited about getting my first fill but worried now that with the fill I literally won't be able to eat a thing -will this irritation from being sick the other night heal in a few day…

Oooh, my incisions are itching, especially around the port. I'm trying to be good and not scratch, but it feels so darn gooooood to do so! Anyone else encounter this or have any tried and true suggestions?

Hello! I am going tobe banded on the 26th and I'm very excited. The only worry I have is if I will be able to take care of my 11 month old very well in the days after the surgery. She is 11 months, 19 lbs., and she cannot get around on her on yet, so I do a lot of carrying. My doc said it is OK to lift up to 20 lbs., but I am more concerned with the bending and twisting that come with taking care of her. Has anyone dealt with taking care of an infant after surgery? Any tips or suggestions on how to reduce the stress of it upon my body? PS- Hubby is watching her the first two days and nights after surgery while I sleep and get the gas out.