Syrah

I had a creamy tomato Soup (thick, cheese based) about 2 pm. It had corn and tomtoes in it but I did only ate the soupy stuff. (I'm supposed to be on mushies right now.) I must have over-eaten. It feels heavy in my chest still, about 5 hours later. Just under my rib cage. I feel very full. I don't think it's stuck, but how do you know for sure? It feels like it is working its way down, but very slowly. I am sipping some warm Water right now. I am surprised at how full I still feel and while it's good to be satisfied, I wondered if this is normal or if the food is stuck...

4RE4ME, you are giving me hope! I have the 11 CC vanguard. I am so glad this thread came back up – I was looking for it a few days ago. I am at 7.5 CC and I am feeling some pretty good restriction but I think I need more. I have lost 23 lbs in 7 months.That is REALLY good for me (I lose very slow, and usually gain). I am thrilled with that. But I also realize I need better restriction and that most bandsters loose much faster than that. My surgeon is very conservative. The band was completely unfilled initially. (Some surgeons fill it – to a degree – before they finish surgery.) My first fill (6 weeks later) was 2 CC. Since then I have gone up by 1 or 1.5 CC increments. I appreciate my surgeon’s reluctance to forge ahead recklessly for fear of complications. After all, I think it’s pretty safe to say that slower WL is better than super fast WL, and it is only wise to proceed slowly to avoid problems. I also acknowledge that I have not been super aggressive about getting fills and have been eating too many carbs (as well as protein shakes – they were completely nixed at my last appointment 6 days ago). There are some aspects of the diet that I have fudged on a bit. For example, I have probably eaten too many carbs. I often eat soup + crackers for dinner (bloated carbs fill you up!) while my family eats steak, hamburgers, etc. I was advised to knock that off and dig into the dense proteins. I guess I knew that before but meat is not my thing and I thought reduced calorie soups would be ok. Instead, I'm learning that the bandster dieticians are essentially pushing an Atkins-type diet. (When I was first banded, they were promoting the protein shakes and light meals; they told me the other day that they are changing their tune on that advice - skip the shakes and focus on protein, not calories.) During my fill last Monday, I actually felt (physically) the band tightening for the first time. In previous fills, I watched it on the fluoro screen and saw barium going through very rapidly and without any trouble. I have mixed feelings about this band. I once heard someone say it is used for people who carry most fat in the belly. I don’t – mine’s mainly on my hips and butt and thighs. But I think it is the only band my surgeon’s office uses these days. They like it bc it offers a lot of tinkering and MANY fewer complications, from what they’ve told me.

<p>You just aren't properly filled yet, Joho. My first fill did nothing for me. Neither did my 2nd. I am 7 months out and I just had my 4th fill yesterday. We'll see what it does. So far, no hunger. But before yesterday I was dealing with a lot of hunger issues and my weight loss has been slow. My advice is to be aggressive about getting your fills. If you are still hungry and your weight is not going down, don't beat yourself up and think that it's strictly YOU. Get to the doc and request more fills. The band is there to help you. I'm at 7.5 CCs (out of 11). My doctor will do new fills every 3 weeks. Good luck!</p>

Horns, I got filled to 7.5 today on a VG band. Sheesh! I am hoping this does the trick!

I was afraid of eggs as the pre-op dietician indicated they are hard for many bandsters to tolerate. I was looking for foods that would make me feel "full" and eggs did the trick.

Hi Sparkette - I am sorry for the delay in responding. I have been off the board for a while. Please check your private messages!

Klassicant -- we are practically neighbors! Please check your private messages.

I live in Iowa City and was banded in Grinnell, so I'm probably not much help. I'm not sure where you live but Grinnell is fairly "central." It's about one hour east of Des Moines. Here is the website of the group I used: Grinnell Regional Medical Center These guys are great and have been doing GB for years. Sundberg especially has been around the block repeatedly (though he's not my surgeon). Their focus is changing to lap band. They predict that a majority of their patients will go from GB to lap band within this coming year. Good luck and PM me if I can give you any other info!

I am losing, but slowly. I'm actually OK with that. I feel great and am thrilled to see the scale go DOWN vs. up, albeit slowly. But I'd say I'm losing slowly bc I'm not properly filled yet (and have not been aggressive about this). I am now at 7.5 CCs with the Vanguard band and we'll see if that does the trick. Otherwise I have a fair number of hunger issues but I think I need to beef up (literally) on Protein. Also, I eat too many carbs. Until recently I also drank a lot of Protein shakes which I've been told to dump in favor of food. I also looooove my wine so I need to reign that in. I have a few glasses on weekend nights and I am going to start cutting back to one night, and then cut down from there. I am pretty good about exercising 3-4 times a week but need to kick that up a notch as well.

Nothing negative to report. Most people are supportive but fairly ignorant about the band. I suspect that will change -- my surgeon's office specialized in GB for a looooong time. They were pioneers. But now they are doing more lap bands than GBs.

I'm not quite properly filled yet (though I had a fill today so my story may change in the next few days...) and I find that I can eat almost anything as long as I chew well. (But I have admittedly avoided most meats.) I once slimed and vomited raw carrots bc I was very hungry and ate too fast while working on the computer / not paying attention. It was more the way I ate than the food itself. Blech.

<p><p> </p> <p> </p> <p>Mine too. The theory is that liquid meals don't really fill you up and they are a lot of calories. This was one mistake I made for several months. (I haven't been very diligent about getting my fills.) I am told that food is the best Protein source and will keep you more full than shakes, but that shakes are recommended for GB patients.</p></p> <p> </p> <p>I try to find foods that fill me up. I am on an egg kick in the mornings. One egg plus one egg white and a bit of salsa keeps me full for a few hours. But I had another fill today so we'll see how mornings go, since everyone says morning eating is more difficult once you are adequately filled.</p> ETA: The eggs are scrambled, lest anyone think I pull a Rocky and drink them raw! LOL!

My surgeon's office requires this routinely. Patients have to meet with a psychologist and take the MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) -- a really long multiple choice and / or true-false test. Ditto what FaithMD said. In addition, my surgeon's office is looking for signs of depression so that it can be treated before patients undergo the surgery, if need be.

You will probably be fine right now, since I assume you don't have any fill just yet?

I'm trying!! I've lost 15+ lbs! :biggrin1:

I know everyone has a different opinion, but this seems so smart, from a common sense and basic health perspective. This seems to be my surgeon's approach as well, though they do encourage protein. (I am in the U.S.)

I think 800 max per day sounds a bit extreme, but I guess that would be optimal for fast weight loss. Doesn't your body need about 800 / day just to perform all it's functions? I can see having days where you keep it to 800 but every single day would be hard. KRidder, after you heal a bit the hunger will come back. I'm guessing you will be looking back and thinking, "I can't believe I could barely get 800 calories in!" LOL! Enjoy it while you can. I'm healed and had one fill but need more restriction. My appetite hasn't been horrible, though. Ginger, my doctor's office likes to see their patients eat about 1200 / day. I told them I probably would not lose weight, eating that amount. We'll see. I'm probably between 800-1000 per day right now. My doctor's office does not like to see people go into ketosis. They like to see a healthy calorie level and a loss of 5-8 lbs per month. I don't think 1200 is the "bare minimum" to survive, though, especially for those of us with a bunch of stored calories (fat). Like Edie said, we can live off it for a while. LOL!

For those who have the 10 CC band, this thread may be helpful: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f13/vg-10-cc-bandsters-only-23184/

Emily, you must have the Vanguard band if you have a 10 CC capacity. When you read around this website, be aware that there are bands (like yours - and mine) with different fill capacities and you shouldn't compare yourself to the people with differently-sized bands. You will end up being confused. My impression is that the Vanguard band is being used a lot in more recent surgeries, and by the more progressive surgeons. This is different than the bands most people here are talking about. Be aware of that and don't compare yourself to those with 1.5 or 2 CC fills! Having said that, there is no way that I could eat a hot dog, burger and some pork. To be honest, I think I might have shrunk my stomach somewhat just by being freaked out. I would never even attempt to eat a hamburger because I've heard so much about how beef is not well tolerated. I am not interested in puking or burping all night long so I avoid things that I have heard are NOT good candidates, LOL! Free fills for 3 most isn't a great thing, IMO. My first fill was 6 weeks surgery and my 2nd fill is 4 mos out (mid July). There are not many fills you can get (and justify) within 3 mos. of banding. My research shows that slow fills are optimal in order to avoid complications, long term. Good luck to you!!

This could also be related to age, and it could be coincidence that this is just happening to you now. I'm not sure how old you are, but once I got past 40 (I'm 43), the heavy periods, clots, and extreme cramping have become quite commonplace. This is common with age. Both my personal physician and my ob/gyn have told me to take 3 advil every 6 hours during the first 3-4 days of my period. It reduces cramping, flow voume and clot passage. It is amazingly effective. I was banded just 2 mos ago and have only had one fill, so I am still able to swallow 3 tablets at a time, but this can become more difficult as you are more restricted, so play it by ear. Good luck!

It's not a big deal. I was asked a few questions by the psychologist and then took an MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory), a personality test that is basically multiple choice or T/F. My surgeon’s office required every lap band candidate to undergo this test. For most people who are mentally healthy, the test is very easy and even sometimes humorous. It seems like every third question (which is to be answered T or F) is, "Someone is following me" or "Somene is stealing my thoughts." Don't sweat it.

WABB, it's no coincidence that wherever there's a disagreement on this website, you are often involved, often elbow-deep in the crud. It comes as no surprise that you encountered problems on another lapband mesage board, as well. Perhaps you need to realize that you are often the common denominator in the "drama." A bit of self-reflection might serve you well. Have a great weekend!

Yep, Les, every day gets better. Hang in there!!

Do the best you can, Marcar. Based on your weight loss, it sound like you're doing pretty darn good.

But Alysedg23, I think that's misleading. Almost everyone here reports having been advised -- pre-op -- that the liver needs to be smaller for this surgery and that they should follow eating rules to reduce the liver's size. The fact is that it's retracted for this surgery, and that can be dangerous. It's not as simple as just grabbing the liver with a tool, especially if it's enlarged and slippery with fat. It can rip easily and if you start bleeding from the liver, things can go south fast. If you look at human anatomy, part of the liver covers the stomach. Not so for the appendix and gall bladder. http://www.bestcare-uk.com/images/colon_reflex_points.jpg And those surgeries you mention are often done on an emergency basis anyway, so there’s not much time for a pre-op diet. The pre-op diet is not necessarily just a way to get our bodies accustomed to eating a certain way. If that was true, why not start the diet more than 2 weeks before the procedure? I say all this and I didn't even have a pre-op diet, other than to cut out carbs, sugar and booze. The bottom line -- follow your doctor's orders! I dislike it here when people have differences of opinion and someone demands proof. If someone has been told something by their surgeon and they share that info here, how can they possibly prove it? I have heard repeatedly that an extra fatty liver can mean you have to be cut open vs. have your surgery done laparoscopically. Can I prove that? No.