Helmut

my only tip would be to have lots of variety. Don't play the easy game and eat the same stuff. It is going to be the most difficult part of this adventure. I know it was for me. All I was allowed was the optifast shakes so it got pretty boring real fast.

itchy inscions are normal after a surgery. The healing process can cause the wound to be very itchy. I have had several knee surgeries and they are always like that. My lapband wounds were as well. All you need to watch for is redness with painfull wounds and or weeping of the wound. If it does not ease up withing a few more days i would go to the doc at that point.

I know she is your mom buy you need to set the table straight with her. Honesty can hurt but in the end it is always best, She is likely unaware of her behaviour.

being well versed in karate I would say do not do it. Your concerns are very real.

wow very scary really. Love the humor you put to it though.

Yup i had the same issue. Lasted for many weeks after that. Remeber that it is alien to our bodied and whne you actually see one they are pretty big really and hard. So they are bound to cause some discomfort. It does go away though and whne you can feel it easily it is kinda cool really(a guy thing i think)

Well this is confusing. You state that they did NOT see the fluid going in then you say that they added another 0.5cc. Which is it? Or do you have an 11cc band that was topped off when they tried to add 1.5cc? Either way you have a lot of fill already and definitley should be feeling it. The band does not get looser after a while. You become used to the flow through it and general adjust your behaviour accordingly. When your doc does the fill does he remove the existing to verify that the known amount is still there? If not they should, there is no other way to detect a leak. If the band is not leaking and not knowing your current eating patterns I can only assume that the problem is how you are using the tool that has been given to you. Sorry for being blunt but not every issue we encounter is the fault of the band or the doctors. Maybe post a week long sample of your diet and excercise routine for a fair evaluation.

Well Hello. My emotions before surgery were exactly what you stated yours to be. I was banded in Canada so no insurance company rules to go by. We have to pay out of pocket for it. The surgery was no problem at all. Some post op pain from gas was the main issue. The surgical wounds did not hurt at all. The only scar you will notice is one about 1 3/4 inch long where the port is put in. In time that will become skin color again and you won't see it at all im sure. The others are very small and I don't notice them. My doc did not send my to a psych becaus ehe feels they are not required. Reason being is that they can only respond to what you tell them. Meaning people will twist the story to get a wanted outcome so why waste the funds. I am inclined to agree with him. Doctor did his own evaluation. Nutrionist was seen before and after surgery. They also sent me home with lots of paper to read and learn from. I was banded on Mar 29 2012 and have lost 40lbs so far. I eat pretty much anything i want just very small portions. I treat myself once per week with a treat like ice cream too. The bikini is definitely do able for you. Just take it slow and the skin should tighten up for you. Good Luck

Well i can speak from a guys point of view. I was hesitant at first too. The whole macho thing invaded my brain as well as feeling like I would be a failure for going that route. After the fact i am very glad i did it. For me there have no compication and only positive results. The surgery itself was a bit scary too. I have had many surgeries in the past on my knees, 11 in total. However, i have never had anyone in my gut poking around and that scared me for sure. But, i plowed on and am happy i did it. I hope this helps him with his decision. One thing to note though. This is no wonder cure for obesity. You have to put in the effort. By the way i can't see any reason why you could not both be done at the same time. The recovery is really not much to write home about. A little bit of discomfort most from the gas. SO you can help each other out.

look up a you tube video by BANDED WENDY. I remember watching her vidoe diary before my banding and she also mentioned the same think. If i had to guess i would say it is more related to positioning as she pointed out. The port is stictched to the muscle so will move with the muscle. Also there will be some scar tissue around it. SO maybe the scar tissue is tearing up a bit. Just thinking out loud here.

No soda will not erode the band. What you eat and drink does not even come in contact with it. What can happen is ulcer formation in that area or any other area of the gut. As far as your reflux at night I would suggest to stop eating about 3 to 4 hours before bed. Drink only water before bed.

The pain is caused by pressure from gas and swelling on a nerve that we feel in our shoulder. Get up walk around, use the gas x strips. Walking is the best. hate to say it but your going to have to tough your way through it. It is going to start to really die down after day 3. That is typically when the swelling starts to subside. If folks like myself have it without getting a hernia repaired. Took me about 1 week for it to be fully gone.

Try no to be nervous. It is such an easy procedure. The needle won't even qualify as a bee sting. Barely feel it.

I was banded on March 29th so have been on solids for several weeks now and this is what I have found. I can eat almost anything I did before except the following. Any kind of wrap Cheap cuts of beef Any kind of lettuce Any bread that is doughy or gooey when you chew it These items all give me "so called stuck" issues no matter how i chew them Other than that no trouble at all. What ever you do only try new things at home. Don't want an embarrassing moment in public restauraunt.

I would get this issue nailed down before you go any further with fills. I have the same issue of eating while doing other stuff but no ADHD. I just like activity. If i find i am eating to fast i just stop eating for a bit. That seems to help. If you cant manage that then try smaller bites. My doc says about the size of my thumb nail for each bite.

A cup of food is what you should be eating. That is normal. Are you sure there is no fill right now. Standard is that he fill about 3cc in surgery then go from there. You should not have any pain in the band area. maybe some around port or the big incision. A fill at 3 weeks is early. There will still be some swelling in the area but im no doctor. STOP STOP STOP weighing yourself daily. You will go crazy doing that. Once maybe twice a week is good. Yes you may gain a bit during post op time now that you will be going back to solid food. Now is the time though to start changing your diet from the high calorie junk to nutrient dense foods that are good for you. Get away from calories from liquids like pop and sugary drinks. Keep bad carbs to zero and good carbs to a minimum. Eat good protients first then your carbs. You'll be fine dont worry to much. This time you are in is called bandster hell for a reason. get on the track now and stay on it this will work if you relax and work with it. Small sets backs will happen too so don't wory be happy. Your on the road to freedom now.

Well Heather here is my take on this. You must do what you need to do, not what your family agrees with. To be honest I never told my friends and my wife was not real crazy about it either. This is a solo adventure. Others will say that you need support and psycologists. I personally disagree. Support is a very good added bonus by not the be all and end all of this journey. The psycologist part is something I personally do not feel is all that value added. You can lie to them to get the answer you want so not a real fool proof way to get good results. My surgeon also feels this way. The best advice i can give you is follow your heart. Know where you are in your mind today and where you want to be tomorrow. Remember this is no weight watchers. It is real surgery with the possibilty of tremendous gains or failures. These will depend soley on you. It is not a plug and play devise. You must work for it I do not tell most people because i do not want to hear all the negativity that is likely to come. Our society feels you must be weak to go this far for weight loss. Fo me it has worked well so far. I also made sure it was my last resort not my first. Good luck which ever way you go.

Awsome write up. I have been banded for just 5 weeks now and have only just learned my soft stop. HiccupsLOL. You are absolutely right though that we must pay very close attention to our limits. Good luck with the next step in your journey

Don't forget your body just had a very traumatic experience. Won't likely be long and you will swing to the opposite direction. Drink your water and should be fine

Maybe this will helpyou feell better. When i got home from surgery i was only able to drink 1 500ml bottle of water in a 24 hour period. Had to take very tiny sips. This lasted for almost 3 days until the internal swelling started to go down. Took chewable gravol for nausea and chewed it up to dust basically a let id disovle on my mouth.

Could it just be anxiety?

Went in to Dr.Cobourn today for my 4 week check up. SHould have been 2 week but work schedule prevented that. Anyway down 12lbs since install of band and all is well. Nurse asked me how i was doing with hunger and i said starting to get hungry between meals now. We figured that i was just into the yellow zone. So she recommended my first fill. Now I will be honest from all the you tube and folks on here describing the fils as the ultimate in pain I was nervous. Fact is that I have had flu shots hurt more. It is nothing but a tiny sting no biggy at all. I will say it was kind of cool really. I could actually feel the suction as she extracted the existing fluid. There was 3.5cc in from surgery and she added 0.5cc to my 10cc band. We are opting for the slow ramp up in fils. This to me makes a great deal of scense. She gave me a cup of water and made sure that it goes down with no concern. Said to continue with current eating just be aware of changes. No soft food required like I have read some of you have had to do. All in all a very easy experience. Now for lunch.

I had slight sore throat. It is from the tube they insert during surgery. They have to send down a tube that has a balloon on it to locate the proper position for the band. I believe they alos put in a breathing tube while your asleep. Some nice tea with honey will help

Tanya Watch these you tube videos from one of the founding doctors in lap band design. There are sevral videos in his series. You will get a lot of answers from him. You will also understand exactly how the band works. Helped me a lot. This link is only part one you will find the rest of them from there.

gas ex strips worked well and walking outside around the block. The rolling shoulders also helped me. Took around 5 days to go away.