Greekie17

Don't worry...you will get there! I couldn't get past 190 myself for the longest time, then suddenly I dropped to 187.8, where I am now. didn't change anything but mostly stuck to protein first, then veggies. You are almost there and you have done great so far! Happy b'day on July 3rd!

I hope the terrible feeling has passed and you feel better. Whenever that happens to me I immediately stop eating and/or drinking and wait a few minutes for the feeling to pass. I used to swallow a GasX pill quickly with a sip of water but sometimes I was afraid even to try a sip of water to get the pill down. You might be sensitive to the roll now, but may become more tolerant in the future. Remember, one roll is not a downfall and you will be right on track with the next meal and your usual good choices.

Even though no one will define what PB means, I assume it stands for "Puke Back" or something like that? I just came to the forum searching for a sensitivity to smell/triggering gag reflex/ heaving Water but no food/ episode that has occurred twice. I was banded back in Feb. 2012, had some restriction since the surgery, and my first fill only on June 12th (3.8 cc/11 cc band). I am one of those people who rarely (almost never) vomits except when I have a kidney stone (8 times since 2004). Well I do have an extremely sensitive gag reflex. Lately, my gag reflex has been triggered by smell (Gross alert:!!!!!!!) caused right after having a bowel movement. The smell of that has caused my stomach to churn wildly, and heave, and vomit up water but no food. I don't think it's "slime" but I'm not sure. It is so gross and such a horrible feeling. It doesn't occur immediately after eating, either. It happens much later, which may explain the lack of food coming up? All I know is, my daughter says maybe I'm eating too much, not chewing enough, etc., so I pulled out my manual and sure enough, I'm supposed to be eating only 1/2 c.food (not 1 c.) so maybe she's right. I lowered the food intake for a few days and immediately dropped 2.1 lbs., however I feel deprived and still hungry. I guess learning to live with the band takes many months of trial and error. Has anyone else had a sensitivity to smell like mine? Any tips for getting through it and preventing it from recurring? Thanks, Marianna

Even though no one will define what PB means, I assume it stands for "Puke Back" or something like that? I just came to the forum searching for a sensitivity to smell/triggering gag reflex/ heaving water but no food/ episode that has occurred twice. I was banded back in Feb. 2012, had some restriction since the surgery, and my first fill only on June 12th (3.8 cc/11 cc band). I am one of those people who rarely (almost never) vomits except when I have a kidney stone (8 times since 2004). Well I do have an extremely sensitive gag reflex. Lately, my gag reflex has been triggered by smell (Gross alert:!!!!!!!) caused right after having a bowel movement. The smell of that has caused my stomach to churn wildly, and heave, and vomit up water but no food. I don't think it's "slime" but I'm not sure. It is so gross and such a horrible feeling. It doesn't occur immediately after eating, either. It happens much later, which may explain the lack of food coming up? All I know is, my daughter says maybe I'm eating too much, not chewing enough, etc., so I pulled out my manual and sure enough, I'm supposed to be eating only 1/2 c.food (not 1 c.) so maybe she's right. I lowered the food intake for a few days and immediately dropped 2.1 lbs., however I feel deprived and still hungry. I guess learning to live with the band takes many months of trial and error. Has anyone else had a sensitivity to smell like mine? Any tips for getting through it and preventing it from recurring? Thanks, Marianna

I had this same problem for many weeks after surgery (also it started at 3.5 weeks after). Turns out that I was eating too fast and the pieces were too big. Bites should be no bigger than your pinky nail. Chew, chew, chew, and eat sloooooowly. I went for my first fill yesterday and they didn't give me any! Said I was restricted from post-op with air in the band...that was contributing to the lump in throat feeling. Since I had lost 6 more lbs since the post-op visit, they thought I was restricted enough.

I'm very nervous about my first fill next Tuesday. Mainly, I think I have some restriction accidentally left in from surgery- I can eat between 1/4 to 1/2 cup food then get this terrible "lump" or pressure in my throat right below the neck- it's quite painful. Lasts a few seconds/minutes...I never know. Usually I have to take 2-3 sips of water to get it to pass. It hurts and I hate it! So I'm thinking with a fill it will only get worse. We shall see.

Also, say you are 1/2 to one inch shorter, then the BMI will be higher. Wear shoes and heavy clothes and jewelry at the next weigh in, also water-load! 1 gal. water weighs 9 lbs- I have watched enough seasons of the Biggest Loser on TV to know this, lol! I hope you get approved. I started with a BMI of around 41.75 but with 2 or 3 co-morbidities it was approved on the first try. Good luck!

I go for my first fill on Tuesday...I have insurance so there is only a specialist copay of $45.00. However, I think I read on this site that back in 2007 my doc charged $500/fill for self-pay. Hope it isn't that much any more, because I might retire next year and would not have such good insurance after that...would have to wait another 4 years for Medicare.

I go for my first fill on March 27th. My surgery was Feb. 8th. I do feel considerable restriction left over from the surgery. When I eat (sloooooowly, tiny bites, Protein first, no liquids with meals, etc) after between 1/4 and 1/2 c. food I get a painful lump in my throat and must stop eating immediately! Sometimes I have to take a Gas-X pill, which relieves the lump in my throat within seconds. So, my question is, at the first fill will they first deflate the band (to verify if saline was in there restricting me), and then proceed to fill it with however much they are using, or just add in the fill? I do not think it is normal to have restriction after the surgery but before the first fill. Sometimes I get frantic because I am hungry, yet can only consume a very small amount of food. I try so hard to stop before the lump in my throat appears, because it is rather painful. Has anyone had a similar experience? What advice can you give me? Thanks in advance, Marianna

Well, Fellow February bandsters, hope everyone who has had the surgery is now on the banded side and on the road to recovery! I am 3.5 weeks post op, but having some trouble now that I'm on pureed foods. I get a terrible pain in my throat/upper chest after 5-6 tiny bites of my pureed foods, like applesauce, mashed potatoes, or pureed chicken, even yogurt. It started about a week ago, when I started pureed foods. I called the surgeon's office and they think they left some fill (air) in the band from surgery. So I have to go in on Tuesday at 2:15 and they will un-fill it! Yikes! I'm a little scared! Plus I have to go back to mostly warm liquids over the weekend. (NOOOOOOOO! Super-yuck!) They did say my symptoms seemed to indicate a partial fill, because it just became noticeable when I went on pureed foods about a week ago. They said also try canned chicken or tuna which are very soft and mushy. The pureed (real) chicken gets too hard and stringy for some people to tolerate. Too bad for me- chicken is my FAVORITE food! Oh well, I'd rather be losing weight than worrying about chicken!

I called the surgeon's office and they think they left some fill (air) in the band from surgery. So I have to go in on Tuesday at 2:15 and they will un-fill it! Yikes! I'm a little scared! Plus I have to go back to mostly warm liquids over the weekend. They did say my symptoms seemed to indicate a partial fill, because it just became noticeable when I went on pureed foods about a week ago. She said also try canned chicken or tuna which are very soft and mushy. The pureed (real) chicken gets too hard and stringy for some people to tolerate. Too bad for me- chicken is my FAVORITE food! Oh well, I'd rather be losing weight than worrying about chicken!

I was banded on Feb 8th, and my first fill is scheduled for March 27th. Right now I have no restriction, however, after I eat 5-6 tiny bites (I'm on pureed foods right now) I get this terrible lump in my throat where it hurts me to swallow any more. Usually I have only swallowed a tablespoon of food, like mashed potatoes, and maybe a teaspoon of pureed chicken. I don't know if I am eating too fast, or what may be causing the problem. This occurs with all types of food- applesauce, yogurt, whatever I may be trying to eat. So I have to stop for a half hour and finish eating later. Could this be caused by the respirator I was on during the surgery? I have NO more gas pain, very little incision pain, but my gag reflex is super easily triggered, especially by pills. I am on 40 mg omeprazole daily for 30 days to help the esophagus heal. It is causing me too eat very little to avoid throat pain. Any comments or suggestions would be welcomed.

I got banded at 213 lbs on Feb. 8th. I am now at exactly 199, and am exactly 5'1". My BMI is around 40 or 39.8 which is considered super obese (just a hair under morbidly obese) We are all trying to get healthy and overcome our addictions to food and poor habits. I applaud anyone at any age or weight who is taking this journey!

Sounds like you are doing great! I started mushies yesterday (14 days post-op) and I will NEVER eat cream of chicken soup again....NEVER! Had a terrible reaction to a new antibiotic the surgeon prescribed, and ended up in the ER this morning (which was to have been my first day back to school where I work). It was a nightmare of hives, welts, and itching! Also glad to know you are doing so well Bert!

Update to my previous post: Ended up in the ER this morning. Even 4 benadryl tabs did not prevent my hives from going all over my torso, head, neck, back and down 1 arm. My eyelids were swollen shut this morning due to a large welt on each EYELID! Itching driving me frantic, scratching here there and everywhere. An absolute NIGHTMARE! So I call my ex hubby to come and drive me to the ER since I could not open my eyes! Got to ER around 6:15 a.m., got pumped full of steroids, benadryl, another inhibitor, etc. Itching calmed down, feeling better. At the beginning, after they struggled to open an IV, my ex all of a sudden felt faint (he had been watching them try and retry to start it), and he passes out in the ER. So they call a code blue type of thing, revive him, give him an EKG, chest xray, etc- he's fine! It was so funny- we were in adjoining beds in the ER. Thank God he's ok. I guess he still faints at the sight of blood! And he's an athlete, a marathon runner, in perfect health. So now the ER doc prescribes 3 days of prednisone, and a different antibiotic, which I buy. Then the surgeon's office calls me and says under no circumstances should I take steroids since it will compromise my immune system and the internal incisions won't heal- if they tear internally you can actually die from internal bleeding. So good bye steroids. Hello Cipro (another different antibiotic.) Gotta be one of the worst days of my life. Hopefully I'll finally be back at work tomorrow!

I can't believe they did not tell you! How are you supposed to know? I just scheduled my first fill for March 27th so we'll see how it goes. I am on day 2 of mushies (soooo much better than soup!!) but I had a horrible reaction to an anti-biotic (Augmentin) yesterday and last night, and ended up in the ER for treatment (goodbye $250 deductible!). They pumped my body full of steroids (prednisone) and Benadryl and other stuff. The itching has subsided but the humongo welts are still there, just lying flatter against the skin. Now, the battle of the prescribers starts- ER doc wants me to take steroids for 3 days and switch antibiotics, so I purchased those. Surgeon absolutely forbids the steroids which will compromise my immune system and stop healing on my (internal) incisions, risking possible tearing and or internal bleeding which can lead to.....death. Soooooo, surgeon wins! No more steroids although the itching FINALLY stopped! Quel cauchemar, as they say in French! ("What a nightmare!"

OMG! The same thing is happening to me! I am 2 weeks post op. At my stitch removal at the surgeon's she wasn't happy with the pink/puffiness at each incision site so she prescribed liquid penicillin (amoxicillin clavulanate potassium600/5 ml suspension. Surgeon thought it was an allergic reaction to the glue used to hold each incision tight. I took 2 teaspoons yesterday and 1 today. By 5 p.m. the whole back of my head (under my hair) was covered with large bumps about the size of pimples- hard itchy bumps. There was one on my abdomen and 2 on my chin. The doctor on call thought it was an allergic reaction to the penicillin - said to stop immediately- take 2 benadryl then, 2 more at bedtime, and also in morning. It's now 12:58 a.m., having awakened with multiple weals and welts now spread on abdomen, under breasts, and torso. It is so itchy and awful! My daughter developed something like this after having her c-section 20 months ago- similar to PUPS but not. She had to undergo several rounds of steroids to get it to stop. This is devastating- I am supposed to go back to work for the first time in a few hours! Hopefully I can make an emergency doctor appointment for right after school with the pc or dermatologist! I am devastated!

I start mushies officially, tomorrow! And I swear, I will NEVER eat cream of chicken or tomato soup again, for the rest of my life! After 2 weeks on liquids....FORGET IT!

Thanks, everyone, for your encouragement. I have been having a pretty lousy day (exactly 1 week post-op) but I did try some applesauce which wasn't bad, and had 4 oz. of a protein shake. Smells are still making me gag, and I have no desire to eat yet know I must drink something. I might try some soup later and hope for the best. I go back to work on Monday, and hope I can make it through the day teaching 180 kids in high school daily. Pray for me!

Love the new me- you look FABULOUS!

I am one week post op and feeling down and indecisive. Did I make the wrong decision? Everyone supports my decision and is encouraging. I have lost 22 lbs- yet- I look at my overweight body and see all this flab- I feel lousy- all liquids sicken me- feel pretty awful. Sleeping on my back is impossible, taking my regular pills make me gag- will I ever be able to eat normally again? I am plagued with doubt. Can a banded person ever have cereal, soup, a sandwich again? I need some encouragement. My local support group doesn't meet until the 2nd Wed. in March. I want to lose weight and gain my life back, yet I know this current weight loss is not sustainable- it's because I am not eating at all- not realistic- Help!!

I am one week post op. Yesterday my surgeon's office said that these shoulder pains can last off and on for 2 months! The reason I asked them is my pains had stopped last Sunday, but started up again in the upper left shoulder yesterday. Gas X is very helpful. Good luck!

Hi Everyone! Just thought I would check in today, 6 days post-op. Things are improving both pain-wise and food-wise. I wasn't able to have my protein shakes post-op due to the fact that the thought of more sweet liquid made me gag, but today I mixed my Suncoast Bariatric shake with skim milk, drank 4 oz. of it, kept it down and no instant diarrhea. So that is progress! I've been off the narcotic pain killer med since Sunday. Today I had a recurrence of left shoulder pain- not sure why since that has been gone since Saturday. I did go for a short walk outside in the warm sunshine which was nice! Each day is getting better! I am planning to go back to work next Monday, Feb. 20th. The whole surgery was more than I expected, but I am adjusting and can say....thank God for Greek yogurt! (We Greeks are doing something right! LOL!)

South Beach has a recipe for pureed cauliflower that is supposed to taste like mashed potatoes. Don't believe it for a second! Worst tasting slop ever! However, it does LOOK LIKE mashed potatoes......yuck! Good luck!

Just checking in 4 days post-op. Wish I could say that I was feeling greAT but that would be a lie. I stopped the narcotic painkiller last night so maybe that is why. Today was pretty bad, although I am staying awake more and sleeping less. I still am existing on cream of chicken soup since I can't tolerate the protein shakes, so am worried about losing muscle during this period. Tomorrow I will call the surgeon's office for some tips on what to do. Have been plagued by diarrhea since early this a.m. which also is leaving me weak and restless. Each day is getting better than the day before, though, so that is a hopeful step. Good luck to everyone else getting banded in Feb. By next month we will all be old pros at this. Marianna