ATL-Jen

I am 5 weeks post-op, myself, and am going for my first fill today. I don't have my FULL on appetite back but it is considerably more of an appetite than I thought I would have. I still WANT the wrong foods all the time. I find myself salivating over the thought of waffles drenched in syrup. But, I have tried a bite and it makes me sick. As I understand it, it takes some time for your mind to match your stomach. I am thinking for us chunky-types that a lot of our "hunger" is psychological. They say you should take great precautions in not throwing up for the first 5 weeks post-op but I don't know how you keep from it. If your mind doesn't match your stomach and you eat more than you should without knowing yet what a "full" sensation is with the band... ?!?! I guess that is why we are told to measure stuff. That must be my problem because I am an expert on yacking. Let us know if your appetite changes with the fill. Hopefully, I will get my stuff together and finally find the banding Nirvana.

I am in the same situation exactly! Banded Dec 14th too! Just recently, I developed an excruciating pain that filled my thoracic region, went up my neck, into my jaw and arm and even down into my leg. I did nothing but moan. Drugs didn't help me either. It was a build up of gas but it has been almost a week now and I STILL feel like someone has beaten me across the back with a bat. So, please, let me know what your test results show. I have my first post-op visit next week. Thanks!

Holy CRAP! I could write a book on this topic. Apparently, I am either deaf, stupid, or just plain hard-headed because I am just 1 month post op and I have gotten "stuck" three times!! The first was the worst. I am southern so I use grits as a comfort food. Plus, its consistency meets the requirements for the post-op menu. I am guessing I was hungry and, per usual, I was shoveling that stuff down like I was afraid somebody was gonna steal it. Anyway, the grits made a nice clump which blocked off my band entirely. So, anything that went down after had no where left to go except back the way it came. Good lord! I am talking a fountain!! I was still recovering from the surgery and there I was purging so violently that I started cramping in my thoracic area which led me to believe I was having a heart attack. Cut to me being driven to the ER and 4 family members individually from all parts of GA violating all traffic laws to meet me there only to be told... "False Alarm! Fat girl got her grits on a little too fast!!" Man! I was EMBARRASSED! And, lemme tell you, I ain't had grit one since. I am a fast eater and always have been. I used to swear I must have been in prison or the military in a former life because I could consume an entire plate of food in less than 5 mins. That is still a problem for me. That is the main reason I get stuck now. My treatment: #1 is Prevention. I have to do multiple things while I eat. I need to be chatting on the Internet, working in the kitchen, folding clothes, and take a bite every now and then. #2 - if it STILL happens, I try a little Fluid to see if that will wash it down. If it is REAL stuck, that fluid just comes back out. #3 - Sounds crazy but I hop up and down to try to jar it loose. (I am a real treat to watch in a restaurant). I am going for my first fill next week, I ought to have GREAT stuck stories after that one. I am a real moron when it comes to medical stuff. I try to do what is right but it is like I forget until AFTER something bad happens. Anyway, don't be skeered. Stuck is temporary. Weight loss CAN be for a lifetime.