donna12

thank you all for the well wishes and suggestions. I feel worse this morning, so stopped up and my cough is worse. I am headed to the dr for hopefully to get something for the cough. I will be on mushies and soft foods as I certainly don't want to get stuck. Thanks again. Donna

sounds like to me you might be dehydrated, up your water intake, try sipping all day. Also I got extremely constipated from the anesthesia and pain meds and didn't go for 5 days and that made me nauseated, just a thought. Hope you feel better soon. It does get better!

I awoke this morning fighting off a stuffy nose, sore throat and cough and has progressively gotten worse in the day and now the night. Really coughing now and stuffed up. Am I mistaken or misread somewhere but doesn't the drainage tighten the band? I promise not to spread germs.

Pattigirl I didn't mean to leave you out of the mix, your suggestions are awesome!

heed the warning of taking small tiny bites and chewing well as I am still learning!!! I am 4 months post op and Carolinagirl and Missy have both listened to me not to mention Floridays too, all of these women have given me great advice. I have been stuck on several occassions and it's not fun nor pretty. It's rather gross and can be very painful depending on what you ate. I don't know what it is but I guess I am more mindful in a restaurant because it has never happened out always at home, thank God! I too am a Water junkie but I sip all day long. Good luck, you can do it! Donna

Summerrain, I did take mine one time at dinner and it like kept me up at night, almost like it gave me energy so I really don't want to do that again. I really don't find myself tight in the mornings and usually eat Cereal, Fiber one bar, egg and toast but like I said by the time my hour is up I have forgotten to take my vitamins and then I look up and it's 3 or 4 o'clock and my stomach is empty again. I will try and do better as I need these vitamins very badly I know! Like many of you have suggested setting an alarm on my phone will probably do me good. Thanks for all your suggestions and comments. Donna

thanks. I normally eat something for breakfast instead of a shake tho.

I am the world's worst about remembering to take my Vitamins because I am under the impression they need to be taken with food so by the time I remember I've eaten and then can't drink for an hour and then I forget. I have a multi vit., Calcium, Vitamin D because I'm dificient in that, Biotin. When do you take yours and do you take it on an empty stomach first thing in the morning? Thanks

I ended up calling my doctor, he's on call 24/7 and he's a real joker, you just gotta know him, he's such a sweetie, anyway, when he called me back from me leaving my message that I got stuck, threw up and my port was extremely sore, I answered the phone "hello, he said yes dear, I cracked up then he laughed and said it was normal and explained as you all have done that I have a muscle there and it may have pulled on that muscle. I told him I was so sorry to have bothered him on fall break with his kids and family and after hours and he replied "no problem, he loves his job and if I didn't feel any better in a few days to give him a call back". Don't get me wrong, he is professional when you go in but then again he will just sit there and shoot the breeze with you too and chit chat like you old friends. Doesn't make you feel like you're just money to him. I am still learning even tho I'm 4 months post op and yes you all are right, the microwave isn't my friend, hot tea maybe but not food. The left overs I had done was left over baked pork and I tried microwaving it just a min. and well guess it was too dry. signed: still learning my band Donna

ok, now I hurt at my port area, could I have pulled something when I threw up, I did actually throw up today, not PB'ing. Do you affect your port like that?

I liked the Isuopure grape and that was the only flavor I liked and yes they are clear like kool-aid and packed with protein!

for lunch today I microwaved left over pork that had been baked and it made it too dry, needless to say I got stuck, not a bad episode but did PB several times. I took tiny bites and chewed well but I could tell it was too dry and I shouldn't have eaten it, dang it I knew better, when will I learn!

sorry crocheting, not knitting.

wished I lived near you so you could teach me how to knit and then we could learn Spanish together, I know enough to get into trouble...lol. I've had 3 yrs of it but do not speak it fluently, wish I could.

don't feel alone, we are all here for you. No, I'm not from PA, KY actually. I had my mom taking care of me while I was recuperating and of course my Dachshund keeping me company. I do hope you have family support or friends you can count on to help you. I did lots of walking around the house to get rid of gas pains and of course to keep from getting blood clots but on the otherhand I rested too. I'm 4 mos post op and it's the best thing I've ever done for myself, wish I had done it yrs ago. Best of luck to you.

I'm 46, been divorced a yr and half so for my new lease on life I'm hoping to remarry some day and oh the weightloss success I want to zipline, always wanted to do that and there's a weight limit and I'm hoping to do that someday. Giving myself a year to a year and half for that goal. Here's to our new futures!!!

OMG, I've never even thought about this until this thread and I had my surgery 4 months ago, yup I was butt naked. My doctor is cute too but you know he told me, he loves helping people and his greatest gift is seeing results, seeing us happy and healthy for the first time in our lives. I told him this last week when I went in for a fill, "thank you for saving my life, I was dying a slow death and eating myself to death". He just smiled, patted me on the knee and said "you just gave me the greatest gift, that's why I love this job". I can remember being rolled into OR and all those people in there, mostly women and the last thing I said, of course I was loopy, I said "are ya'll nervous", bahahaha and I was out! Don't sweat it, it's a small price to pay for the big picture, your life, healthy and happy. I'll keep you in my prayers.

thanks all for your concerns and suggestions. Yes mayasgram I will do hot liquids and try to give this a healing time. I know it wasn't intended to punish me, the dr's orders, all I was saying is, I stay thirsty all of the time and that I needed something to drink pretty much all day. Off to sip hot tea.

oh how funny, I didn't know you were in Australia, wow. I'm in Kentucky/Tennessee border, near Nashville, Tennessee, home of country music. and yes you better get to cooking dinner...lol and I better get to bed, it's 1:30 a.m. here. I'm a night owl though. Thanks again. Donna

I am 4 months post op and would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Wish I had done it yrs ago. I'm still learning my band. What I mean by that is, you have to really chew your food, chew it to smitherines, chew it to liquid form or you will have a stuck episode and believe me you don't want that, been there too many times, it's painful and gross. You have to take your time eating so if you are in a restaurant, please take your time eating, take tiny bites and chew chew chew. As far as alcohol, I don't drink but personally if I did, I think I would want to put delicious food in my mouth for calories than a drink. This is a lifestyle change, eating healthy, not drinking while you eat and waiting up to an hour for some people after you eat to drink. Some dr's say only 30 mins my dr says an hr and then I can drink. As far as recovery, it wasn't bad. You may have a pre-op all liquid diet for 2 weeks, piece of cake, you can do it! Insurance, I had BCBS at the time and since my BMI was over 50 I didn't have to do the 6 month diet before surgery, they waived that, therefore from the time of my first appt to surgery was very quick. You can call your ins company and ask if they cover lap band surgery and what are the requirements as others have stated above. I started out day of surgery June 13th, 2012 weighing 294 and this morning I weighed 255, so yes I'm happy I did it. Good luck.

thanks summerrain for one being up so late and two for replying. I just stuck a couple of protein shakes in the frige for tomorrow and will have to go to GNC tomorrow to buy some more as that is all I had on hand. I just never imagined from PB'ing that I would hurt so bad. wow. It literally aches. Thanks again.

I posted last night and got lots of suggestions but nothing helps. Sunday around 5:30 pm I gave in to a craving and ate 10 Kettle potatoe chips, thought I chewed really well, didn't feel stuck, been there several times since surgery June 13th, still learning of course but didn't feel stuck but all of the sudden felt sick to my stomach and had to go the bathroom, I started salivating, sliming, then some of it came back up, guess you would call it PB'ing. This went on for an hour, several times I went to the bathroom and chunks of it came back up, sorry for the graphics but I need relief. I did not strain like when you vomit, it just slipped right up and out it came. I am extremely sore in between my breasts in my chest area like I've done 1000 crunches or sit ups, almost like I can feel my band, it's weird. I've gone light on food today,meaning kept it soft. I did call the dr this morning and talked to his nurse, lo and behold she didn't even know what PB'ing was sheesh, so I just came right out and told her I vomited. She told me to sip on hot liquids all day and soft foods. Now with that being said, I did not do the hot liquids all day or I would have been dehydrated by now, I stay thirsty all of the time but I did let my bottled water get room temp to drink each time all day long. My mom says give it time, but I know my body, this feels funny, like there is something wrong, maybe I'm just scared. My surgeon is in surgery on Wednesday's so if I give it all day tomorrow I can't see him until Thurs and then not sure if I can see him then as he stays booked on those days seeing his patients, however he's pretty good about working you in, in an emergency case. On my other post from last night someone said that the kettle chips are hard and probably did get stuck and maybe I just didn't know it, maybe so but sure didn't feel like a stuck episode as I've had my share of those. What do ya'll think, I'm hitting the panic button right now.

Anyone else can jump in please, but PB'ing is called a productive burp. It's when you get food stuck in your stoma and it wants to come back up and you feel like you have to burp. For me, I slime, salivate, gross I know and then finally it just kind of all comes up, kind of vomiting in a sense but not straining like when you really vomit, it just slides right up, does this make sense?

I called the dr/surgeon this morning and talked to his nurse (don't like her) she didn't even know what PB'ing was or productive burp so I just said then vomited but I didn't do that really, I didn't strain, it just came up like in a burp. Anyway, she just shrugged it off and said oh you probably got stuck and for me to do liquids and soft foods for today which I've done but I am in so much pain in my chest right smack dab in the middle like I've done a 1000 crunches almost like I can feel my band, its weird. Guess I will let it go for a couple of days and call again if it continues. It annoys me to call in and talk to her, she is so rude. I love my surgeon tho and his other staff members.

Thanks elcee, I sure thought I chewed but guess not. Sure didn't feel like a traditional "stuck" feeling if there is such a thing. ha. I still am in so much pain in my chest this evening.