Summerrain

Woot looking great, well done!!!

I'm sorry you're feeling down. Your weight loss so far is an amazing achievement!!! When I used to think about how much I had to loose I'd get so down about it. I'm not looking at the huge amount, I am working with small goals (10 kilos at a time) once that 10 kilos is out the way I concentrate on the next 10 kilos. Hope your feeling better by now and keep up the great work!

I can't sleep on my back either because on my back. The first few nights I slept with a lot of pillows behind me to keep me in a semi sitting position. The second morning when I woke I found I was on my side with pillows under my tummy for support and that was comfy. So yes if you can manage to get on your side use pillows to support, by the third night I was sleeping partially face down but with a pillow under my right so I wasn't flat on my tummy. I had coughing for over a week too, it was from irritation from the tubes they put down your throat, it will settle but if you are concerned call your surgeon. It hurt like heck to cough.

This subject comes up so often and as you can see there are different rules from each surgeon. This is one of the things my surgeon discussed with me on my first post op follow up visit. I can drink whilst eating BUT I need to follow the one minute rule, bite, chew, swallow, wait a minute (or two) till the food is squeezed past the band, sip wait a minute ( or two) etc. If you drink before your food has been squeezed through the band then the liquid will turn the food into a liquid consistency and it won't be the right texture as its squeezed through the band and will act like a slider food. I have been drinking with every meal since I started my solids, I do follow the wait one minute rule and have not had any issues and still drop weight every single week. Some bandsters can drink with meals others can't even if they follow the rule between bites and sips. I guess in the end the best thing is find what works for you as an individual. I will add that the no drinking rule was what my surgeon used to advise his patients but after conducting studies on this subject they found it was fine to do provided you followed the wait one minute rule. Cheers!

The pre op diet is tough, I did it for a month. The reason for it is to shrink your liver as much as possible so your surgeon has less risk of having to move it out of the way and causing damage. Some surgeons won't operate if your liver hasn't shrunk enough others still will. That's a question you'll have to ask him. As hard as it is give it your best then some, it's so worth it because good weightloss comes with it too. I lost a total on 10 kilos in that month ( just over 22 lbs). Wishing you willpower!!

I also was one of the lucky ones with not much pain except the first few nights sleeping. Only took one painkiller when my shoulder was sore but that didn't work, I found moving around helped me more. I was cooking and keeping the house clean from day one and it was a week before I was brave enough to go out. So more than anything I felt discomfort but then again I have a very high pain threshold.

Actually the size of the bite size mis73 posted is what my dietician showed me is the right size. Some days when I let myself get too hungry I want to be like a cave woman and dive in head first and take the biggest bite of food, lol. But I know if I don't want to get stuck, pb or abuse my band my pieces of food need to be that small especially now that I have good restriction and am in the green zone. I've pb, d twice in the three months I've been banded and it hurt like hell and never want to do it again. I also figure that if I make it second nature to keep to that tiny piece then I don't risk getting stuck or pbing in a public situation. Some can take bigger bites and they are still fine, personally bigger bites hurt for me and I do want to eat pain free with my band.

Welcome to the otherside and fingers crossed the heaving settles quickly for you!! Each day does get better just hang in there.

Congrats and I wish you a smooth recovery!

It's your birthday, enjoy a small piece of whatever you desire. Happy birthday for tomorrow!!!

I had a fill on Tuesday which put me in the green zone and I had chicken with salad for dinner tonight and it went down fine. I did cut it up into pieces as small as a finger nail and chewed really well. It was the thigh part which I had cooked last night but still moist enough. Before I cook my chicken I also tenderize it and find its a lot softer.

Kime nothing is off limits. If you have that craving indulge it BUT have just a small amount if whatever you need to satisfy that craving. I used to have a wicked sweet tooth but since being banded its pretty much disappeared but I do from time to time get my chocolate cravings. I have just a small piece and I'm happy. Pre banding I would have devoured a whole block of chocolate and then some. Being banded now is about making the healthy food choices and also having a treat from time to time.

Ok I'll read that about the hormones and yes the band is an amazing little tool that does some wonderful things if we use it right. Well I can stop scratching my head. I've learnt something new. Had never heard of this hormone before.

Ok mis73 you have me scratching my head on the hormone thing. Please know I'm not picking on you I'm genuinely confused about the hormone statement as this is the first I have heard about the band regulating hunger hormones. This is my understanding of how the band works. We are given fills to give us the right amount of restriction where the band is placed over the nerves at the top of our stomachs ( cant remember the medical term) that send signals to our brain to say that we are no longer hungry. If we follow the band rules and eat the right textured foods that are squeezed past the band then those nerves are constantly sending messages to the brain to say hey down there you are no longer hungry, time to put that food away and this happens around the twenty minute mark and that's why we are also told to stop eating at twenty minutes. Now if we eat our Protein first as instructed it takes the body longer to digest so you shouldn't be hungry till at least four or five hours later (also we know all the other reasons why protein first so I'm not going to go into that). Now the pouch you are referring to will safely hold no more than one or two tablespoons if food at a time. If we take a bite of food, chew it properly then swallow it should take your esophagus muscles a minute or two to squeeze the food past the band. After twenty minutes or less with some people they get the message that they are no longer hungry (satiety). If we stop eating as soon as we get that signal then you won't be full but you will be sated. If we continue to eat then we will get that revolting bloated over full feeling that we were accustomed to prior to banding. When we have the right amount if restriction that works by squeezing those nerves at the top of your stomach constantly and sending the messages to your brain to say we are not hungry. Once we loose that restriction this process isn't working efficiently and that's why we get top up fills. Professor Paul O'Brien has a very informative film on you tube explaining how it all works with a cut away of the esophagus and stomach to show how the band works. Other doctors probably have similar videos too if you search you tube. Mis73 what you posted from that doctor is everything that has been explained to me. Nothing has ever been mentioned about hunger hormones and that us the part that us confusing me.

Mmmmmm Nutella, it's so deliciously wicked, I'm drooling just thinking about it, lol. Nutella is a chocolate hazelnut spread and so damn good.

Lol I was going to say the same thing. Happy giggling!

You poor thing, what you are feeling is very normal. Yes keep busy, it's a good distraction. Take a deep breath and you'll be fine. Best wishes to you!!

Hi there, sorry to hear what you're going through. I'd say if you've had long term stress it's catching up to you in the form of pannick attacks and may just be coincidental that its happening at the time you've been banded. Are you also stressing over the band? If so that's just adding to your stress levels. I'm glad you're seeing your doctor about this and he/ she will help sort it out. One thing I can say though stress isn't good for your band, I find when I get days of stress I get really tight and can hardly eat anything till my stress settles down. My doctor also told me she won't give a fill if you are suffering from constant stress because of how it affects the band. Hopefully your doc can help you out and you it sorted it out quickly. Keep us posted!

Congrats and welcome to the other side. I really didn't have strong pain, but then I have a very high pain threshold. I remember being in pain when getting in and out of bed and trying to get comfy once in bed was hard. I did use pillows to keep me propped up. By the third night I was sleeping on my side with a pillow under my tummy for support which helped a lot, by the end of the week I was sleeping on my tummy again. You're doing the right things by walking as much as you can and rest, don't overdo things and you'll be fine. Rest, walk and sip!

Yes hang in there it takes a few fills to get to where you need to get too. I have found that I feel no different after each fill until a few days later or a week. In saying that my last fill I felt a difference right away and that's because I've hit the green zone. We need to have patience with this band.

Some doctors add fluid, others don't. I had 4ml put in my band on day of surgery and because of that and small fills every two weeks from three weeks post op I've hit the green zone in just under three months. Yay!

What everyone said above, stay hydrated and follow your doctors instructions. Not sure if you've had the shoulder pain yet but when I would get that pain I found that walking helped and also laying flat on my back in bed for ten minutes and deep breathing helped. Best of luck as you recover!