cheryl2586

Im a year post op and happy with my decision. Some times its agony when you are sensitive to foods but you learn to live without them. I dont miss bread I eat chicken salad on pretzel flips, I dont miss pasta or rice even though all my meals were pasta mainly. If you ever look at a gym rat are they eating loads of bread and junk NOOOOOOOOOOO! So neither do we. Its all trial and error. You can be scared, unhappy, wanting it out because in fact the ones wanting it out never learned how to deal with it. Its all a process and you can either be ready for the process or not. If you go through all the surgery and fills to hate it then why get it done in the first place. Yes there are foods you will not ever be able to tolerate but there are so many foods that taste just as good. You have to remember its all relearning our bad eating habits that got us where we were to begin with. A word to the wise if you want to live a long healthy life then do it. If food is more important then dont. Eat to live not live to eat and nothing taste as good going in your mouth as being thin.

Yes Chocolate is poison. I ate then had a fill on the 30th however I am a scale horder every single day and I gained but now I have lost 6lbs in three days after my fill. I have been cleaning like a mad woman today and havent thought about eating just a protein shake this morning with some blueberries in it. I find that berries keep me way full for a long time. Well happy New Year people and onward we struggle day to day. I also found out that chocolate tears up my stomach so bad it really wasnt worth eating. My guts are so sensitive since surgery sometimes when I eat things that kill me I wonder why I bothered.

If its the side where your port is it may hurt for 3 to six months. Mine hurt for a long time because it is sewn in the muscle. If it hurts to sleep on your side then try the other side or your back.

1. Eat to live not live to eat 2. Try as many different healthy foods you can to be successful the same old thing everyday is a sure set up for failure 3. Know that we all got obese because of bad habits and food choices and we didnt go through all this to be fat ever again.

The old saying from a dear friend of mine nothing taste as good as being thin was something that has stuck in my mind over the last year and you know what she is right. I still have about 40lbs left to get to my goal weight but this journey is not easy, its not always fun, its hard as hell some days in the beginning to stomach eating soft scrambled eggs but the end result is going to be awesome. You will and can do it as long as in your mind you always remember its not going to always be a cinch to lose weight. It will be a slow process in the beginning your weight will drop off fast hopefully but everyone is different but then it will slow down to a snails crawl. Slow but steady wins the race. Chin up and know we are all here for the same reason.

Also I would like to add if you dont quit smoking before surgery and decide to quit after you lose weight let me enlighten you on my dumbness. I lost 70lbs from December of last year til May. That was without one fill either. I quit smoking around that time because I thought now I can lose the rest of my weight and not smoke WRONG. Guess what my weight loss stopped for five months and I gained 4lbs back and the scale was going up not down. I just had my first fill on the 30th and I have lost 6lbs in three days but that is three lbs more I could have lost had I just quit smoking from the beginning. Believe me if you think that you can quit smoking after you lose weight it wont work. Girl be good to yourself and do it now. I have no desire to smoke anymore and its only been a little over 7 months it wasnt worth the weight loss stop or having to get a fill because I failed. Do it now so your body can adjust to you not smoking. We gave up our habits to live longer. Yeah its hard and sucks royally and sometimes when Im having a bad food day I wonder why but I know why because I want to live, be healthy and not be obese anymore. Do it for yourself not for us or anyone else.

Well whenever I get stuck the doctor told me to drink warm fluids behind it to make it pass because you really dont want to vomit. Its not pleasant but the fluids do help get it down. Whatever gets stuck for me I dont eat anymore. Dont ever try Frosted mini wheats they are too bulky and hurt like hell going down lol

I dont know why people get the misconception that they wont be hungry because they got banded. You still have a very active bottom part of the stomach that is working and not being filled. You will see a difference when you can eat real food. Yeah it sucks royally those weeks after surgery when your hungry and want to eat everything in sight but it will get better I promise. Also when you need a fill you will find yourself more hungry also. The band is not going to stop your bodies ability to be hungry.

Lying about quitting is not helping you. Let me tell you this. I work in surgery and the problems smokers have when they wake up from surgery are from staying in the hospital longer due to the smoking or being vented cause they just cant breath after anesthesia. I smoked too before my surgery but quit in may and it wasnt a pleasant post op experience. Do yourself a favor and quit or you will have to deal with what could happen afterwards. Just a loving message because I know what smoking does to people post op. Quit now and dont lie about it.

My port site hurt for about three months after surgery that is normal to have pain in that site for that long because its in the muscle. Its healing. I couldnt lay on my side for a month or so. If its red and hot it could be infected if not then its part of the healing process

I have been banded for a year and have always been hungry I cant say I was as drastic as eating a bagel but go to bed hungry just the same. I had my first fill after a year of 2cc's he put in 4 but that was too much. Im not quite as hungry anymore. I dont know how some can not be hungry because I always was. I lost 70lbs really fast but then was stuck for five months because I moved and had trouble finding a surgeon who would take me. The only thing I can say is that the band is a tool to let you know how to eat and thats about it. The rest is pretty much trial and error. I deal with constant gas since banding but its not painful just annoying more than anything. I dont regret getting it done and hating what we wanted is probably not something I would say. Im uncomfortable with it at times but I dont regret it because it gave me my life back. You just have to know your limits and what you really cant eat. I still after a year cannot do bread or cereal and have been miserable since my fill with gas but I wont change a thing. I asked my husband was it right for me to get a fill and he reassures me that it is. He also is so supportive when Im not having a good day. Maybe whats wrong is your support system and not the band its self. I think anyone with a band gets aggravated at times but having someone reassuring that it was worth not dying is my biggest help and gets me through the worst days. Chin up and hope you feel better soon.

My best friend and I had surgery on the same day last December 09 I lost weight rapidly she had three fills before she even lost one pound then it started coming off. I just had my first fill one year post op but I was at a 5 month stand still. Couldnt do much because I moved and couldnt find a surgeon until recently who would do an adjustment. I have lost 5lbs in two days. Everyone is different. Everyone has different results dont get discouraged. I wasnt happy about not losing weight for five months but 70lbs was a huge weight loss to begin with with no fills. You have to go with the flow its all trial and error everyone is different just be patient it will happen.

You are experiencing normal things. Where ever your port was put will hurt the worse and yes you can hear your stomach doing all sorts of things that you never heard before. Banding changes your bodies digestive system to perform in its normal state so being gasy may last forever and having a loud stomach may last forever however the pain you are feeling when getting up is the surgery. My port site hurt for about three months before it finally stopped. You will learn over time your body and what its doing. I had my first fill after a year and its causing me to salivate more that too shall pass I suppose. Its all a learning process.

Most surgeons want you to lose 10 to 15lbs before surgery for your own safety because being over weight and having surgery is a risk in its self. If you dont lose weight on your own before surgery most doctors will put you on a liquid protein diet before surgery about two weeks. I never had to do that its all about your doctor.

If you cant eat you are too tight. You will not lose weight. You have to be able to eat to lose weight its that simple. Breakfast: Protein shake with berries cause my band is a little tight in the morning for food but that happens lunch at least 4 oz of some kind of meat and veggies snack yogurt or sugarfree pudding or cottage cheese dinner beef as much as I can tolerate maybe 3 oz because beef wil make you lose weight quicker but everyone can not eat beef Sometimes I eat salad with meat and its a healthy salad You got to get that band loosened or your setting yourself up for failure Excersise is a must if you want results. If your doctor is a real doctor he would have told you the band is slow but steady anyone even on a diet is going to hit a plateu I did for 5 months got a fill 2cc's it was enough I have lost 70lbs with no fill now only 2cc's you dont want to be tight its not healthy and if your hair is falling out its because you are lacking protein because you cant eat it. Relearn your eating habits. Being tight is not going to make you lose weight at all its only going to make you miserable.

Well sorry to ruffle your feathers but its the truth. We all got obese drinking and eating whenever we wanted the lap band is a tool not a fix. Anyone can lose 23lbs drinking only fluids for three weeks. You lost 23lbs because you havent eaten not because of the band. What a protein shake your considering food. Just wait you think that losing weight with the band is easy cause its not. You will put it on as quick as it came off alcohol are just empty calories and if you dont want advice from people who have had the band for a long period of time then start a website for immature banders that cant take advice.

Well I must say this you openly admit you have neglected her for over 4 years. Thats the way to go and now you want back in because she is beautiful and thin. You need more than prayer you need to realize that women are not meant to be treated any kind of way and then when she looks like she did when you married her 11 years ago you want it all back. I feel sorry for you and your actions. You probably have lost her for good unless she sees how selfish you were and decides your marriage is worth saving. A lesson to be learned a marriage is a union between two people out of love if you decided to break that then its your fault. Sorry for being harsh but men need to stop thinking they can act any kind of way and when the chips are down they feel sorry for themselves. My husband would never treat me that way.

I didnt even attempt alcohol til six months post op. You guys are too new to be varying from your diet already and Im not saying that to be mean but if your already trying things you shouldnt be then you are setting yourself up for failure. Stay strong and stick to the script you will be much happier in the end.

We didnt get fat not eating what gave us comfort. I gained over the holidays but had a fill on the 30th and have lost 5lbs in two days. I can not eat sugar it is an addiction for me so I have to stay away from it. You have every right to feel sorry for yourself because it is a failure. But it takes failure to see why we ended up obese. Chin up and start over.

All I can say is in time we will all be where we want to be. It takes time to get off of years we have put on. Thinking of being thinner and wanting to see yourself there is good but it can also be depressing when your not reaching your goal. One day or should I say one moment at a time.

Nuts may be a good source of protein but they are very very fattening. I wouldnt do pretzels either they may get stuck. Eat something before you get on the plane that you know will hold you like some scrambled eggs. I was eating nuts and guess what weight gain. Its not worth it.

You wont regret it. It takes much practice to get the eating down right but you will be fine. I was 46 when I had mine done a year ago. I dont regret it one bit. Save your life or continue to have more problems. I chose surgery because I had high blood pressure, chronic back pain, and on 5 meds for my stomach. All is gone and Im happy.

I have always been hungry since day one and its been a year. We never allowed ourselves to get hungry before. Its all a learning experience. I lost 70lbs with no fills just have my first fill on the 30th. When you diet arent you hungry????? Yes you are. You are dieting. The band is only a tool to let you know the right portions to eat. I have a small bowl I eat out of I got from the dollar store its about 3 to 4 oz. Thats what I fill and eat three times a day. When I started wanting more food and snacking I knew it was time for a fill. Thinking you wont be hungry is a misconception the bottom part of your stomach is still working and there. Hunger is a necessity for your body to know when to eat. I guess at about 12 days post op I added soft foods. Im back to square one again after the fill liquids for 24 hours and soft food all weekend.

Labs, upper GI, stress test, sleep study, chest xray

Your throat is sore because of the tube they put down. If you are vomiting anything call your surgeon lap band patients should never vomit ever. It can make your band dislodge you are too new post op for it to adhere to your stomach