POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

hey everybody, I didnt get any fills recently sine 5 months ago, but the problem is, i can eat now more qty than before. this started happening after the third fill, so did anyone had this problem, and what is the solution for it ? Thanks for the help

Hi everyone... Well, I was finally banded on April 21st and am a week out. So far I'm doing okay (thanks to the help of my fellow bander and friend, Tina - who has been a joy), but I do have a few "issues". For the past few nights I wake up out of a sound sleep due to pain in my (i believe) area where the band is - is this normal? I mean I know I don't expect to be healed overnight, but the pain although not constant does occur daily and this worries me. I called my doctor and he told me I was slightly filled during the surgery and said that if I wanted to come in to have my port drained a bit... I said no and have my first follow-up this Thursday. He mentioned …

I am 6 days postop and feel pretty good but I get soooooo......hungry about 1 hour after eating something. I feel like I am starving. I think 6 weeks of this will drive me crazy. Does it get better with time? It makes me feel pain to nausea. Does anyone else feel this way? mama59:thumbs_down:

Hi All, I assume food getting stuck means there is restriction. I can eat one type of fish yet, another one gets stuck and wont go down. Some times chicken works, other times it wont. I feel like I am hungry a lot. I never feel full. Satisfied, maybe every now and then. My stomach seems to growl a lot. Does that mean I still have a way to go to my sweet spot? Could there be something wrong? Thanks! JJ

I'm going insane. I'm *starving*. I was banded 4/23 and was on clears in the hospital but told I could advance to full liquids when I got home for two more weeks. TWO MORE WEEKS!!!??? I am so SICK of cream Soups and broth! It's getting to the point of feeling nauseous every time I look at Soup. Yesterday I was so desperate I sucked on about 10 Goldfish crackers until they completely dissolved and then drank Water. It tasted good but then of course I panicked (I was fine). Please tell me it doesn't last forever. I'm feeling so sick right now but I'm also so hungry. :biggrin::smash: WHAT DID YOU EAT????? (and yes, I'm still thrilled to be banded)

I am new, and I have my first Dr visit Wednesday at 10am...I have been reading quite a few concerns on the liquid diet after surgery and many people still need to chew something...Can anyone give some advise on chewing suger free gum???? Can we have it??????:confused2:

Would they get the lap band for free if they qualified? Just something to think about...

I was banded on March 14th. That seems like so long ago. Anyway, I had my first fill on April 24th. I guess my band came from the manufacturer with 2cc in it. My doc wanted to add between 2 and 3 more and I was only able to take 1.3cc comfortably. So I have in me total 3.3cc. I have a 10cc band. Well, Friday I did liquids. This was awful as we spent all day at American Girl and the food looked and smelled delicious. LOL! That night I went to Panera and got two soups as I was starving. I was able to eat ½ of one and a whole of another. In the evening when I went to bed I felt awful. It felt like it was sitting in my esophagus. Saturday I ate small but…

Hello All! I am Jennifer, and I was banded a little over a year ago. I recently for the past week have been having a burning pain in my stomach all the time. It does it when I havent eaten, when Im eating, and after. I am hoping the band hasnt like eaten through my stomach or something, but its always scary when something involves the stomach since we do have a band on it. I have only had one fill back in February 08. If anyone has had this problem or knows what it might be please let me know. Thank you. Jennifer

Are you happy with the site of your port? Where is your port? Where do you wish it was? My surgery is May 27th. But I would love to know if there are any problems with the sites that the Dr. put your port. Both of my knees have been replaced. One knee has the incision right down the center. The other knee has the incision on the side of my knee. I sure do wish that both incisions were on the side of my knee because I keep hitting my one knee incision on EVERYRTHING. I would love to know if there are any downsides to a certain port site. Thank you for any help.

Help have anyone experienced severe bloating and stomach pains after banding -- I got banded on March 16th 2006 started having bloating of the stomach december 2007 makes you look like you are pregnant --any advice. mytime:crying:

Hey all, this is my 4th day post opp. and i was just wandering what did some of u all eat like your first week or two after surgery???? I'm doing pretty good on the liquid and popsicles but I am starting to crave something else!!! thanks to all who can help....

I am yet to be banded but I have this image of my body shrinking (YES!!!)and my excess skin just hanging there(NOO!!) what happens to it does it shrink as well. Also if your able to answer that for me maybe someone can tell me if those first 2 weeks on only fluids, are you STARVING, or does the protein and the whole healing thing keep you satisfied? Thanx so much

I was banded on May 1, 2007. To date I have lost 9 pounds. Nine pounds in nearly a year! Iv'e had three fills, I don't remember the exact amounts but the first two were big, the last one was small because my doctor didn't want to put much more in because I was having pain trying to eat meat. I have the inamed band, again I don't remember how much it holds but it's not a lot. I keep a weird schedule, I'm a night owl so I don't eat much during the day. So far two doctors have told me I'm not losing weight because I'm not eating enough. That seems so weird to me but I researched a lot before I got this band and I remember reading that that could happen. So I'm trying to mak…

Do you excercise and if so for how long and what do u do in your workouts. I know that getting up and moving is way better than doing nothing. I really need to get my motivation back in regards to working out. I have a twisted way of thinking that when i get banded i will be this super chick that will run on the freekin treadmill everyday for like an hour and such... which im sure is poss. but because of my boob factor.. uhhhh no..lol... I would have to wear 2bra's and 3-sports bras to keep them from smacking me in the face...lol.... but really... I haven't really truly worked out in like a month or so which is truly sad.... when i do workout i normally do the elliptic…

my surgery date is 5/6. We are having a birthday party for my daughter on the 17th. How long after surgery did people have their first alcoholic beverage. I'm thinking I might have a glass of wine. Thanks for the input

I was banded on April 17, 2008. I'm so weak from not getting any food. I am still on full liquids and I drink the slim fast low carb (when I can find it). I'm losing a little bit of weight, but I'm very weak. Is that normal? My belly itches something terrible too! (Posted on behalf of Miss Daisy.)

I was trying on smaller (and sexier ) underthings today, and noticed that my port has shifted about 2.5 inches upward and can now be felt. I just had a fill on Saturday, so I know there is nothing wrong with it and when I lay down, it is by my scar. I am surprised that it has moved. Is this common with weight loss and reshaping through exercise?

I might be calling the doctor later if things don't improve. I KNOW I"m not gettiing in the recomm. amount of fluids or protein, I'm lucky to get in 2 bottles of water, and maybe 20g of protein. It's not like I know i shouldn't, I CAN"T. I get too full, and it still feels like theres an air pocket in my stomach, so it's like trying to eat a meal, when you feel like the biggest belch needs to come up and won't. Last night I felt feverish and my temp in my ear was 100.1? Now no fever, my incisions have started to bleed a little yesterday under the sterie strips, i might have done too much? I don't feel like the docs office is that concerned with aftercare, and i feel like …

I am very nervous about having my first PB. How long after you eat something that doesn't sit well do you feel the need to pb? Is it immediate or like an hour later? I'm almost 2 weeks post-op and will soon be starting more solid foods and would like to know before I venture out what to expect. Would I have time to get to a bathroom?

I was banded on 4/14 and since have not had any problems. Yesterday I was in the car with friends and my husband and my husband was in the middle of screaming about something and at the same time I was eating cold cuts. I was chewing them throroughly and then everything went black and I felt like I was having an anxiety attack. Its like a faded out and then everything came back into focus really slowly and everything was bright. I thought that it was because my husband was screaming so I dismissed it. Then today I went to my parents house and was eating provolone cheese. The next thing I know I am on the kitchen floor. I opened my eyes and then threw up the cheese …

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could share their experience of moving into solids. What did you try first, what about bread or pita bread? How about rice?

So my doctor has me on a boat load of vitamins and minerals. I take about 8 pills every 12 hours. I have been able to swallow them up until my first fill on Monday. I was just wondering what vitamin regimen does your doctor have you on? Please list the names amount that you have to take daily and if you've been able to find then in liquid form or chew-able. I am having to crush mine and I have it. Thanks!

I am on liquid for about two weeks and pushing into mushies after the first 10 or so days. It seems as if others are on liquids for a lot longer. Do you think this will be too soon? Just curious how it worked out for you...

I know this is a weird question but my doctor's office gave me these spongey things and told me to clean myself in the shower the night before surgery. I jut can't remember how to use them. She said to use one to clean all over but it's the second one that I can't remember. Is it only for my stomach area? Did anyone else have to do this and if so, please help me out here.

Did anyone else have their port swell up and get super hard? I am day 9 (been swollen for 3 days now though) post op & my port site is super swollen & hard as a rock. No redness or pain (just typical soreness), just hard & feels like a baseball cut in half & put inside me. I have also been sneezing like a lunatic for some reason today & man does that HURT!! Thank God I didnt start sneezing before now!

Well, 1 week post op check went really well. Incisions healing really fast, Dr was surprised. Did find out that pain in my left ribs when I breathe is from a partially collapsed left lung. Nothing I can do about it except force myself to take deep breaths thru the pain to force my lung to re-inflate itself. Dr gave me a respiratory spirometer to use & that does seem to help even though it hurts like hell. But good news was no pneumonia or blood clot. I have also lost 6 more lbs!! YAYYYY!!!!!!

Hi all, I was banded on Wed 4/23rd, everything went quickly and I was in my room recovering by 1pm. I had a bad time with the pain meds making me nauseous and after trying several different types, I said forget it and just have been on Tylenol. The stuff you have to drink so they can xray you and make sure there are no leaks was pretty horrific and almost made me puke. Came home on the 24th and just took it easy. The pain from the surgery is not that bad but I get migraines and for some reason had 3 in the last 2 days so I am dealing with that too. Feeling ok at this time and I am on stage 2 diet already as of today and had some thin Cream of Wheat, oh it tasted so good.…

Hi Everyone, So I had my surgery on friday, everything went well, while the doc was in there he found a hiatal hernia which he repaired. My gas pain is basically gone, now I just feel bruised up and especially around the port. I am on tylenol because I had an allergic reaction to the percocet. Started my protein today, have been having headaches anyone know what could be causing them? Yesterday I was quite sore and had "what did I do" moments but just tried to keep positive thoughts. I also want to THANK everyone who posts because it really helped me know what to expect and when I was going through the gas pains I tried everyone's suggestions. Thanks Everyone.

Hello, I got the band in last August and have had two fills. I keep on throwing up. I've stopped eating almost everything and even throw up sometimes with cottage cheese. The doctor just told me that I need to stop eating so fast. I have family and friends who will tell you that I am on my second bite when their almost done with their food. I am starting to get depressed ( you would to if every time you ate, you felt like someone was stabbing you in the chest.) A lot of the time I just eat things that I know will go down without me throwing it back up. One time I ate ice cream for dinner because I knew that I wouldn't throw it back up. My question is: Is the…

I was banded Tues April 22. Four days ago. I jumped on the scale today and have gained 3 lbs. What's up with that. I'm following all of the rules. Hardly eating anything.:smile2:

I'm 3 weeks post-op AND DOWN 15 POUNDS!!! After I eat or drink I get a sharp pain in my right side about waist level. My 11 oz protein drink (SO GOOD!!!!!!!) I drink on the way to work (15 minutes) and I have that sharpness. Today I drank it over the course of 1/2 hour. Then 1/2 hour later had 5 bites of pudding and have had the pain for 30 minutes now. Not "painful" or unbearable but it's definately noticeable. Anyone else have that?:smile2:

I was banded on 4/21 and have been going from sweating to freezing ever since! Last night I woke up at 4 AM with a soaking wet pillow and pajamas! I have never experienced anything like this pre op. Is anyone else have this same experience?

Hey guys! I got my lap-band put on a little less than 2 years ago, June 22nd will be my 2 year anniversary! I have lost 90 pounds, and am feeling WONDERFUL. I am a college junior @ the university of north texas, and am writing a final paper for my journalism class about lap-band. Just ALL about it, and need some quotes from ANYONE who would be willing to just give me a little blurb about their success, their failures, their struggles, how things have changes since surgery.. just ANYTHING, really. I can be reached @ elizgillette09@yahoo.com and would absolutely love to get some of you guys in my paper! There wouldn't be a better source to talk to than a fellow lap-band…

I'm being banded on Monday and am very nervous, not about the surgery but about the new lifestyle. I keep reading posts from people who are so excited and are counting down the days until surgery. Why don't I feel that way? I've been battling my weight all of my adult years. I've been on every diet, lost weight and then regained all of it back plus some. But my life is pretty good now except for my weight. I,m jsut so scared about PBing, sliming, food getting stuck, gas, etc. Do I really want to live like that? Does anyone have any words of encouragement?

I am 4 days post op. Things have gone pretty well. I was in misery the first two days with neck, back and shoulder pain. I took the liquid Vicodin every 4 hours which helped alot along with the heating pad. I did two full days of clear liquid and have advanced to some very thin cream of wheat this morning, baby food applesauce and creamy vegetable soup for lunch. I feel relatively good and haven't had pain meds all day. I took some Milk of Mag yesterday without results and took a glycerin suppository about 30 minutes ago with no results. Does anyone have any suggestions or comments. I think I would feel less bloated if I could only "poop" if you know what I mean..…

Just a bit curious; I notice that some people have got higher goal weights, than for example, myself, which is doctor stated 145, me stated 135 - 125. Are you taller? I'm 5'3". Obviously body build has much to do with it, but wonder if I am being too optimistic and wishful.

Today, the area around my port incision is hurting pretty badly. I have had no pain for quite sometime until today. I did have an anxiety episode this week where I was gasping for breath and coughing a lot and maybe I aggrevated something? Should I be alarmed or wait a few days and see how it feels? It's pretty sore when I move or bend. Crazy.

I'm trying to be patient taking it one day if not one hour at a time here, had surgery Wed. AM, I KNOW I'm still healing and will be for a long time. But i can't get in the required amount of food/protein therefore I"m tired, weak, lethargic. I don't know how some went back to work in a few days?? I'm shocked, I think I'm doing well, up and about the whole day, and in a recliner if I sit. I just feel like how am i going to get my strength back if i can't eat? Will my pouch always limit me to eat this little, or is it just really swollen and tight? I feel like I'll never feel back to normal..... I know I am having a bit of a pity party here, I"ll get over it soon!

Hi Everyone, I was banded on 4/8 and I actually feel great and have felt great for at least a week. Even so, I have thought of a million excuses for not doing some kind of exercise. I hate exercise, but know it is very important in this journey. I've seen many banders post that it is the one area they are lacking in. Today I did it. I went out this morning and walked for 35 minutes! I feel so pumped now, I'm even thinking of doing it again tonight when it cools down some (I live in S. Florida). I know this will help with weight loss and I am determined to do a 30 minute brisk walk at least 5 times a week. I was very down earlier this week when I didn't lose a…

I am reading so many posts about the lack of communication between doctors and patients before and after surgery it makes me wonder how everyone is being treated. I have this feeling that many wouldn't know what to do if it weren't for this message board. What has your experience been like? I'm still going through the steps needed to get banded but so far I have received a lot of info from the nutritionist, once when I had an hour, one on one appointment with her and then I had to attend a 3 hour nutrition class with her. I received over 150 pages of info at both appointments. I also received a packet from the surgeon when I attended a seminar and then received a …

I was banded on 3/3/08, all went very well. Very little pain, but after about a week i started to eat muchie food i was so hungery. I still am losing weiht, am not over doing it but i broke the rules. I've eaten rice, some very soft pasta, and some soft eggpant not lots just 2 or 3 spoonfuls, but I feel bad about it. has anyone done this viv:huh2:

:sad:Hello everyone! I got on the scale this morning because I was feeling kind of bloated in the past few days. I have gained 4 pds! I know that "my monthly Friend" will be starting soon. Does this effect my weight loss? I think I usually do gain during that time however, I don't think that its going to start until later next week. So, I don't know if that IS it or not? I have never felt this bloated before! Should I be worried or is this normal? I have been able to eat more ( I am almost 4 weeks post op) and I haven't had a problem at all with any food...IS this normal? Should I feel some sort of restriction? OH boy am I kind of depressed about this weight gain! Can…

Never thought it would be this bad! OMG! the gas pain and the rumbles! I hope in a few weeks i'll look back and this will all be a blur. Did any of you get the feeling days postop that you had to burp real bad but it won't come out? I hope it's the gas working it's way out and not the band itself. I have to keep reminding myself that everything is swollen and not to push it. Oh i can't wait to feel normal again!

I have seen a lot of variation in the post-op diets, but most of them seem to include a mushy food phase. I had 4 days of clear liquids, followed by 5 weeks of full liquids, then 1 week of processed solids (blending everything to cole-slaw consistency), then solids. I am still on full liquids and would love some mushies, but my surgeon said no. I think most people are on mushies after a few weeks. Hating it, but following instructions.

I was banded yesterday and don't really feel like eating but I feel like I need fuel, so i don't get weak. I'm sipping a protein shake, and going to call my doc, but did you all eat broth, and crystal light and what not for the first few days? My instrc. say CLEAR/FULL Liquids after sugery, but no specific days to start....hmmmmm

i'm 5 weeks out, have had 3 fills (6.5cc's in a 10cc band) and i have no restriction, always hungry - no pb-ing...nada. I can eat just about anything - all Proteins including steak. I have not yet tested Pasta, rice or bread but yesterday I went out for thai and ate an entire order of red curry chicken and two spring rolls with no problem and afterwards was still hungry so had a few pieces of sugarfree candy and was STILL hungry!!! i really wonder if i got a "dud" band...but then I have hope that "maybe" my next fill will put me at restriction. i really am a bit scared that i'll max out my band and not feel restriction and there goes $17.5K (self-pay) down the drain.…

I thought I was doing so well. I had my surgery in December and got down to 263 lbs. I am up to 266 now and have been up / down for almost a month now. I am MAXXED OUT in my fill. I am manic depressive. Please, nobody make fun of me because it isn't my fault I have this. The meds that I take give me massive sugar cravings. That's how I gained all this weight in the first place. The sugar is the easier item to slip through the band. I do very well during the day, then at night I become almost insane with needing to consume sugar. One med I take occasionally makes me sleepwalk/eat at night. I know that I need to see my doctor and I will on Monday, he's been aw…

I am getting frustrated as I have the surgery on the 15th of January and have only lost 1 stone or 15 pounds. My body is getting somewhat smaller though my stomach is remaining quite large and it is extremely hard. I need advice as to is this common and does anyone have a suggestion on how to get rid of the hardness in the belly. Thanks! -Shellhisto :confused2:

Banded on 3/24/08 have lost 48lbs since the liquid diet 10 days before. My problem is that I have some arthritis in my lower back but now my left hip is constantly bothering me in the evening hours. Has this happened to anybody else, and what did you do/take for the pain that does'nt upset/corrode our tiny pouches. Thanks for any help.