La_madam

Gas X & Walking.. You will have lots of gas and swelling from surgery so take it easy, theheating pad is a good thing to have handy for your tummy when it is sore. I also took adult strength liquid tylenol for the pain and it worked great. Congratulations I'm glad you are home and everything went well for you....Update us on how you are doing when you feel up to it

Becky, you look fantastic! What a difference in those 2 pics. 80 lbs is awesome! And you all say Iam an inspiration..Uh.. Becky is the inspiration, banded 2 months after me, weighed less then me and has lost more then me..Unbelieveable Becky, and you barely have any fill or do you have any at all? You are one determined disciplined woman. As Paula said " What is your secret"?

Lisa Start your phone calls again at night..You can call me anytime. It worked last time didn't it?

Way to go all of you losers

Klyeigh..how in the heck did you find that on E-Bay?

I agree Teresa, since my last fill I have been afraid to eat bread, rice, or pasta, so I have been sticking to protein and veggies..something's working

Bobby when you go in for a fill, if you Dr. does his fill under flouro it will give him an indication fo erosion, since with erosion the barium flows over the band instead of through it like it would with no eorsion. Erosion has no ryme or reason, I haveseen the most model bandsters have erosion. It is a very rare occurance. We all worry about it, you are not alone...I'm sure everything is fine and maybe all you need is a little fill wich iswhy you feel no restriction.

This thread started on July 19th, a little over 6 motnhs ago, my starting weight on that day was 229 as of this morning 189, that is 40 lbs..Amazing!!! I love this challenge

Eli You can have carbs but it is reccomended that you eat your protein first, then veggies, the fruits and then if you have room your carbs..by the time you get to your carbs you are usually full. Sounds like you need to sit your Dr. down and have a heart to heart with him or find yourself a new Dr. How much of a fill do you have now?

Dr. Martinez told me this past week that there is a dead space in the band that they fill first right before your first fill while they have the port accessed I know for a fact in my dead space I have .4 cc's which in all actuality would make me have 2.9 but you do not count the dead spcae as part of your fill for restriction,or a part of the 4 ccs your band will hold..this must be the pocket you are talking about Shelly.

Angela I have a pill baby and I am also a pill baby so it does happen I do not think your Dr. will put you under if you are pregnant..just my opinion Everything happens for a reason Angela I truly believe that Best of Luck to you

Monday 1/24 189 -2 lbs for me this week, I love my new fill

Nancy, you are exactly right the air is right below the band. I get it all the time honestly you are not alone, my pouch is fine not stretched one bit. Today I drank so much water and I must say it really cut down on the air and gas..I'm still gassy but it is not nearly as band or as painful as yesterday or days before that. It does not matter what I eat, but no straws and gum and lots of water does help! I have the opposite problem I can not burp so mine comes out the other end but in the mean time all that extra air that would normally come out in a burp doesnt so it just stirs around in my tummy all day long..another pattern I have noticed with this gas is , it does not start until the late afternoon everyday at around 3 ish and last until I go to sleep..strangest thing, but I the weight loss is great so I live with it and as long as I know nothing is wrong I'm dealin with it Hang in there Nancy, you are not alone .

Emmy, refired beans are great during the mushy stage...hummus is also good too, avocado is also good with a little salt & pepper. For a sweet tooth try mixing peanut butter with Ricotta cheese, sounds gross but is delicious.

Angela I agree with Paula take a home test , sometimes stress can make your period late and we know how an upcoming surgery can stress us out. Plus have you been on any pre op diet becasue that can delay it too..before you cancel your surgery , take a home testto be sure, you have a week so do not panic yet

Julie, you are normal of course it is normal to feel hungry with only liquids..some of the grawling you are feeling could also be gas..it gets better as you progrees to mushys then solids..

I asked my doctor about this very thing on Monday when I was there for my fill I do not know if many of you know but the band acts as a one way vlave which iswhy so many of us have trapped gas and burp more often then pre band...I was told also that most of us who are now banded become air swallowers since we have to concentrate on such smaller bites and chew so well. Drinking with straws and chewing gum both do not help it..I have eliminated the gum and the straws since Monday and am doing better..One other thing I have focused on this week is really really drinking alot of Water and it has helped immensely..I have trapped painful gas every day but this week has been alot better for me..Nancy your analogy of the one way valve helped me alot this is why I asked my Dr. about it on Monday and Ortiz talks about it in his book

You can do this.. theday is almost over and tomorrow is your day! Think of today as the beginning of the new you ..hang in there

Lots of Love coming your way Lauren..we all will be thinking of you

Hi Aimee Welcome...what a fantastic job you have done so far withyour weight loss. I know what you mean about the bandsters group , I feel the same way about most of those Yahoo groups, this is why I have chosen to stay right herewith all of these loving caring supportive people. You will be happy you did too:)

Julie every doctor has different post op instructions. I was on clear liquids for 2 weeks post op..at day 8 I was allowed to add skim milk and day 10 I was allowed protein drinks. At 3 weeks post op I was on full liquids and weeks 4-6 I was on mushy foods. Did your Dr. give you any post op instructions to follow as far as diet? Your body feeling tired is alot from the anasthesia and the whole surgery itself. Lack of calories will also make you feel week and tired. It is normal and iot does get better each day..you will notice a huge difference once you are able to add some protein shakes to your liquid regimen...hang in there

Mo, how much of a fill do you have? You said you were banded on Nov 9th 2004 and have had 3 fills so far? It could be that you are filled just a tad too tight. As little as having .2 cc's removed can make a huge difference. Also people do not understand that when you PB and do not do liquids for 24 hrs it is a vicious cycle. Once you PB your esophagus is irritated and swollen so the next solid food you eat the same thing can happen your esophagus needs a rest and time for the swelling to go down.. this could be why it keeps happening, maybe do liquids for a day or 2 and then resumme solids and see if that helps. I know from experience trust me. The other thing is, the less you PB the better off you will be and the longer your band lasts. Pbing often is a major factor in band slippage. My nieghboor PBed 3-4 times a week and her band slipped now she has no band and is gaining weight back rapidly...What food are you choosing? I have had 3 fills and this fill I can not do any rice or breads or pasta NO WAY! I get the pain in my chest. So I just eliminate those foods ..Sometimes the food will go through the band but you still will have the slime and foamy white stuff..your esophagus goes thorugh one hell of a work out trying to get that food either out or through the band..there is a thread on Esophagitis from me here , if you do a search it is very helpful..Good Luck, if this continues to happen even after restinf your esophagus Iwould cal lyour Dr. maybe you just need a slight bit of your fill removed...

Pati, sounds great I am glad you have it all worked out. I hope your fills go very smothly for you. As long as you are happy with your decision that is all that matters right? Good Luck

Leg Cramps are from a lack of potassium..try orange juice it has lots of potassium and the V8 is loaded with potassium too...I had the same thing first 2 weeks post op. They get better

Hi G Dr. Ren is an excellent doctor she too has just come out with a book I believe itis called Living with the Lap Band or something like that. Congratulations and best of luck to you