stratcat

Hi, I just wanted to tell u that the surgeons often do this to make the band snug to prevent early slippage . It is not supposed to be tight at all, but I WILL tell you that my inital fill amount was only 2 in a 10 cc band. Your first month is over and if your experience is like mine -- things will only get better and easier. Good luck.

Hi. my name is Terri, Welcome to the post band community. You sound like you are doing very well. The band is there, and if it is't acting up -- great. The bands are put on either without fill, or with just enough fill to make them snug on the stomach. The discomfort is from how much you swell. I hope you are respecting the band enough to stay on your doctor's diet ) liquids for the first 3 days or so for sure). The stomach needs to heal and the less you make it move to digest the faster you will heal..and the less you will swell. I too was lucky and had almost no bruising and surprized the PA at my 1 week check up with how healed my incisions looked. Remember if you get antsy, that the band is going to be in place a LONG time. Basically, my medical folks did not care a wit if I lost weight the first month. Tthey kept stressing that the first month was all about healing. And in restrospect - I am glad they took the pressure off and made me understand the overall longterm picture. I am of the radical school of though that I am going to ENJOY my weight loss journey and will eat what I want. And I credit it to my PA, who when asked at the 4 week point what I should be eating now, said whatever I wanted that I could tolerate. Don't get me wrong, I drink slim fast protien shakes for Breakfast sometimes, enjoy cottage cheese, and have ordered Nutrisystems for for its convenience - I do eat low cal and diet food, But I WANT to eat them. My weight loss journey may take longer because I eat what a normal person eats, but I simply refuse to eat like a fat lady on a diet anymore. The band gave me that freedom. About the itching........ oh yeah baby....Never knew itching could make you so crazy did you? .. I put bandaids over mine so I could rub the bandaids rather than the incisions to get some relief. It goes away. The other thing that is normal that NO ONE told me is that post band folks either become constipated or (if you are like me) have watery BMs. I am lactose intolerant: shakes, protien drinks and the like made the old adage liquid IN LIQUID OUT so very very true for me. And because I am so lactose intolerant and was so unprepared, it was worse for me. About day 8 I got ahold of some Hummous and about teared up I was so grateful for something that was extremely filling and not milk-based or like mashed potatoes- had milk in it. As far as how to diplay you weights I think most people do this: And, IMHO, i like it to read it this way too. Some people have to do a two week liquid fast before surgery and they get credit for their weight loss prior to surgery this way. Highest/Day of Surgery/current/goal so I would be 320/306/271/172 Good luck, and keep posting.

I read about this in one of the age-specific forums and wanted to put it out to the general population........ Are your doctors recommending medic alert bracelets for bansters? Does an EMT or Emergency Room doctor need to know about our bands in order to modify emergency medical treatment ?

I did (banded 2/15/11) - then I got my second fill. Before my second fill i though this was kinda easy and weight loss, while slow, was amost automatic --- if you did as you were told. I could eat everything I wanted. Hamburgers, salad, rice, dry chicken........I was grateful for how easy it had all been for me. NOW - I am too tight to eat first thing in the morning. I am "Urping" and throwing up -- more in this week than since my surgery..... Forget bread, no dry meat, the new law is SMALL bites, CHEWING till liquification, and SLOW EATING. Each swallow now needs time to clear the stoma. The nurse said this is completely normal and expected and DESIRABLE. It is honestly hard to eat. Nurse said to be careful not to take the easy way out and eat softer high calorie foods. It has been a RUDE awakening.

OR as much as this web site. BIG THANKS TO ALL WHO MAKE THIS SITE SO GREAT.

I used to dream throughout the night that I was eating during the first 3 weeks after being banded. I woke up expecting to be full. I would be so dissapointed...I remember checking the pillow to see if it was wet and chewed on because the dream was so real. I had many of the same thoughts, ideas, fears and reservations. I remember thinking about how wonderful it feels to be full of a great meal like THanksgiving and how I hated giving up pigging out on my favorite foods. I was going to miss that feeling of comfort, well-being and love. Then i realized that I equated being full to being well taken care of - and from there to love. Pretty messed up -- but to be as overweight as i am - I do have some food wires crossed. BUT, i take my thoughts seriously and work through them, Like the example above, I equated being full to being loved. So, hopefully, now I can overcome the temptation to go wild on Holidays etc. Dont think that thoughts related to the "old days of pigging out" are not normal == > AND Don't let anyone tell you that such thoughts and ideas are not normal in a period of EXTREME change such as the banding experience, Just acknowledge that change is very scary and we hang on to what we know even though it may not be best for us. BTW-- If I knew a good councilor, I would probably see that person monthly. I make do with my nutritionist but if I make goal and lose 145 lbs I KNOW that I will do better if I have some help adjusting. I got fat when I was 28 and I remember the trauma of the shallow friends who dropped me, and the negative reactions from strangers that I had never gotten before. It was hard on the way up, it will be hard on the way down. Now, i kinda hide behind my fat, and use it as cammo. I think I will have to learn to deal with people in a different way once I am considered "attractive" again.

I have had no serious problems. I am lactose intolerant so milk shakes and cream Soups gave me the runs. BIG TIME. I am eating just fine, almost too good. By the Smith Hospital standard you eat clear liquids/low sugar juice for the first 3 days after surgery. Then you can start with other liquids. At the one week point - cream soups etc. At the two week point - mushie veggies. At the three week point - pureed meat. Then you just work up. Fills are every month and you go back to liquids for a day and a half. I do not know about Tri-care. Maybe ask your insurance company who they use in Georgia to do lap bands (this was a helpful hint in one of my getting started booklets) --- Some insurance companies recommend doctors. And then You need to check the doctor out - My dr , for instance, has done laps for 10 years, does over 100 per year, and has stopped performing other bariatric surgeries because he sees laps as being superior and really believes in the band.

Wow, good info to have. Thanks.

I had surgery on Thurs, 2/15/11 and stopped by the office for about 20 minutes Friday on the way home. My surgery was 2 hours away and I stayed overnight. I went back to work on Monday. It was not easy, and I was not 100%. But I was missed interaction with people . It was a 3-day weekend (President's Day) and banks were closed so I could have stayed out on Monday, too. The truth was i was anxious to get back to work. And I had a business trip Wed and Thurs. and wanted to get caught up before we left. I ended up overdoing it and took Tues AM off. The business trip went fine but I left as early as i could the first night and rested that evening - None of the usual dinner and socializing. Just mashed potatoes and gravy from Bojangles in front of the tube. My PA told me that this is how most of their working patients have surgery. If you ask me, I would recommend choosing a weekend where Monday is a holiday and you get a bonus day off before heading back. I also recommend naps - It seemed to help my body tremendously. I, and it seems most of the people of my acquantance, feel OK (not great but not totally bad) after surgery. Some talk about mall trips and family visits - I took it easy. I wanted to maximize my body's healing. ( I am 48 and not 18 anymore, plus, as i shared, I have a demanding schedule). I woke up, ate, showered, walked, made phone calls, read, napped and repeated till bedtime. For those 3 days I felt totally pampered. Good luck, Terri

Hi, I just wanted to repeat what my PA told me over and over. THe first month or two are for healing. Give yourself time and work with the band . It sounds like you are having issues eating (maybe your healing is not through yet). And, if you are eating the things that you can eat they are probably softer things which is TOTALLY understandable - BUT maybe they are sliding through and not filling you up and giving you a feeling of satiety. Talk to your doctor or PA - they want you to be successful and you need some reassurance that your process, however slow it may seem, is on track. If you have not had fills, I would suggest that you get with your PA or doctor. I would be gaining big time if I had not had my first fill at the 4 week point . I really struggled until the first fill, and now am struggleing wainting for my second. I wanna tear that fridge up!!!!!!!! . I am three days ahead of you (banded 2/15/11) and will have my second fill on Wed. And I am counting on it to help me reach my goals. Good luck, I hope I have helped.

I never heard of this site, it sounds like you think it is a good tool, can you tell me more about it? Thanks

I drove the 2 hours south to Valdosta's Smith Northview Hospital and Dr Burnette (Albany) did my band. 2/14/11. I had great results and am doing fine. They had a special cash price for self payers. $10,000. I recommend staying overnight === if not in the hospital, in a local hotel. The drive back was alot better the next day instead of right after surgery.

I am posting to say Aversion stuff works - it took me 6 months before I could eat pizza again.

BRAVO I am so glad that you posted this to help the pre-banded folks. And I second everything you said - that i know about - (banded 2/14/11 - so still very new)

I am 6 weeks post op, and I want to ask others about their journey, and naturally, share mine. Mine has been so incredible - even the not so good parts because I learned so much. But I can identify several phases and hope you can share even more. 1. Hope: I will get a lap band. Lucky me!! 2. Fear and trepidation: All the questions that keep you up at night - and if you have forgotten ANY of this, just go to the pre-lap boards. It WAS and IS a big hurdle. My heart is still touched when I read some of these desperate posts. 3. Reality hits: Success with the band is NOT automatic. This is going to take a lot of effort and be a long process. I have alot to do and the success depends upon me. 4. Behavior Modification begins: You either start the liquid diet before surgery or you have surgery and start Clear liquids. Your best friend food is gone. And you miss your friend, confidant, and lover. This is the part that threw me: I had no idea how much I depended on food to lift me up, console me and medicate all the bad things away. When I asked myself what the heck was going on, I realized that I was experiencing grief. Seriously. I GRIEVED for my lost friend: FOOD. We would never be the same. And I should have been overjoyed, but I was not. I was uncomfortable and off-kilter, 5. Learning to eat all over again. (this is after the doctor stops telling you what you CAN eat). I actually asked my PA what I could and should eat. (yes, I was that lost). He said something wonderful: "What ever you want and can tolerate. It is about Quality and not Quantity now. " The band will keep you from eating too much if you follow the rules. This section assumes (and this is a big assumption) that surgery has gone well. Meaning that your band allows you to eat about 1 - 1.5 cups of food, you only get hungry every 4-5 hours and that you can eat without getting stuck constantly. If you are not here yet, do not loose faith. Keep working with your heath care team. 6. Learning to trust the band: Learning to make the band work. If the band will keep portions small enough for me to loose weight, then my decision is as follows: I want to eat like a normal person. I want to eat small portions of food that I love. I will not eat like a fat lady on a diet, anymore. I will eat normal things that I like, and loose weight at my own pace. I will only eat a salad if I want a salad - and you can bet that the salad dressing will be something I love and not the lowest calorie slop that I can find. Don't get me wrong - I am not punting low fat cottage cheese and slimfast breakfasts - and I have Nutrisystems for my grab and go meals/snack/desserts. But I LIKE those things, want to eat them and enjoy them for one reason or other. I want to enjoy my weight loss journey, not hustle to the end with only one goal (the scale) in sight. First - I have 100 more pounds to go - it will take a long time. Second - isn't this when I should learn to eat normally - when I have medical supervison? Band-fills and a Nutritionist who is happy to help? And Finally, some folks actually say the slower the better. I would put in that for me it will be: the more I can normalize and naturalize, the better. And, so that is why I call the next section: 7. Living with the band. Normalize and naturalize eating with the band. I am not here yet. I am still stuggling every day to deal with the old habits. Evenings are the toughest. I want to eat in front of the TV. I want what I see on Food Network and on commercials. I could go on, but I think we all know the "evening shuffle to the fridge". Making a cup of Tea helps.

As far as I can see, everything you have written is normal and occurs to all of us. Here are my thoughts and opinions: I. I could not do it on my own- and I tried and tried and tried - and I am so glad i got help (banded 2/15/11). I lost 50 lbs 3 times in 5 years. I gave up - that kind off loss was not good for me. 2. About the pain, I don't know who told you about horrible pain: No one here is telling stories about horrible paid. In fact, check the post op board, most are surprised how well things go: They DO complain about the gas pains (and they are really uncomfortable) but no one is asking for morphine. Its more a big discomfort than a horrible pain. 3. Children: People have children with the band. There is a whole forum on this site for concerns. Check it out! BTW: My hubby's cousin had a baby with the band and she was close to 40. The baby is BEAUTIFUL. 4. Eating all your faves before the band is installed. Normal, but not a good idea. The operation goes better if your liver is small since they actually move it out of the way during the operation (they DO put it back). The liquid diet prepares the liver and eases surgery. You are also saying goodbye to your old friends (sort a speak). One last date with fetticini alfredo, one last lasagna, I actually experienced grief. I loved food and it loved me. I posted about this on the post op board. This is something many experience as well. Here is what helped me: The band is COMPLETELY removeable. And, I did not call it an operation. It was a 45 minute PROCEDURE, as far as I was concerned. Good luck, keeping asking questions, and hope it all goes well. Terri