michelle lowrey

Hey do any of you have slight discomfort when your stomach is empty?

Boy eating just is not as fun as it use to be. Now it's more like a chore. Anybody else feel the same way.. Don't get me wrong I would not change the band for anything, but I really did not understand how much I truley enjoyed eating until it literaly takes 45 minutes to eat pratically nothing. Food's cold just not as enjoyable as before. O well I guess now it wont be as inportant for me to eat like it was before. Planning each meal 10 hours in advance so I could build up to eating it.

It's so funny to hear that just about everyone else is loosing hair 2. I have very thick hair and I was noticing more then normal loss, but was not really worried until I reached back one day for a poney tail and noticed that it was going to be a thin poney. I freaked out and decided to get on the Protein Bars. I have noticed a big difference in the amount of Hair loss since then. I try to have atleast 1per day. Usually mid morning when I get hungry again. Then I have a later lunch.

I have just had my fill since my unfill for bad behavior in june. Things are going much better. The weight loss has picked back up, and I too have wondered just how much was I stuffing into my clothes. It is amazing at how much I've lost and they are just now getting comfortable or little baggy.. Work is putting ina gym with showers and it should be ready at the end of october. I'm hoping this helps me out with the excersing. It seems like everyone is doing well and Congrats to everone on awsome weight loss.

Hello Amazing Bandsters Looks like everyone is doing well. I have not been on in a while so I wanted to check in to see how everone was doing. I think it might be time for me to get another fill. Don't know about yall, but I tend to get a little discouraged. Then I will check the scale and it moves down. All of my clothes fit comfortably now so I must have been really squeezing into them. I can honestly say that I feel better now then I have in a long time.

You do get some restriction depending on how aggressive your Doc or tech is. In houston at True Results they are pretty aggressive with the fills so all should do good who gets fills there. I had lunch at 11am today and was just starting to get hungry again around 3:30 or 4. Had dinner about 7pm and still feel pretty full on 2-3 bites of salad, 2 ounces of chicken, 3 bites of potatoes. I'll be good til morning. I still have a problem getting the signal of full or satisfied. About an hour to 1 1/2 hours after i eat I feel fuller then while eating. Anyway Good Luck to all who are getting their fills. Please be careful of what you eat afterwards Everything will still go down good, but causes problems once it gets in your new pouch.

Well I went to the doc Friday for my 1st visit since surgery and It did not go so well. My weight loss was good and I thought everything was great until I asked him for a little bit more of a fill. I had my first fill a week ago friday. I was not feeling good restriction and the nurse could not give me as much as she wanted bc I was feeling faint. So I figured no prob right. Well I guess I made my first big mistake with the band. After suregery you can eat just about anything before you get to your fill. Well after your fill everything still goes down just as easly so please don't fall into the bread trap like I did. I had 1 peice of bread on sunday and through out the week I had 3 breakfast taco's. Thought this could not hurt, I mean 3 breakfast taco's were 1 meal their own not 3 seperate meals. Well None of the new fill would take. The barrium did not move and showed that I had already dialated my pouch. I have been back on liquids for 4 days again trying to get my pouch to go back to normal. My point is please don't make the same mistakes. Like they said this is way to early in the banding to already be dealing with this and it's not healty at anytime bc this is what make's the slippage possible. This little bit of bread products did this in 1 week. I can go back to mushies mid day tommorow according to hubby. Anyway please follow all the rules after your fill and if you do them now it will be easier after the fill. needless to saY I could not get my fill again and I have to go back in 6 weeks for a fill and recheck.

Slackaction Thats usually when I know to stop as well. I don't feel bad afterwards. IF the food starts coming back I know I have had enough. I have never thrown up and I have only felt that I've overdone it maybe once. I'm going to see the Doc again tomorrow so I plan on asking him about this.

I have the small ap as well and found out that I already had 4cc's put in at the time of surgery. I guess thats why I was almost able to go 3 weeks with awesome restriction. I now have 6cc. I bet your right it's just a little irriated and swollen. I hope your right anyway. keep me posted on your progress as well.

Lizrbit Welcome and congrats on the new band.

Hey have any of you all had any discomfort after eating that will last a while. I had a Cereal bar for a mid morning snack and I did not chew my last bite well I guess and it hurt a little going down. For a while after i had some discomfort and then i felt better and had my lunch Smartone. Now I have had the discomfort ever since. Not bad pain felt like it did right after surgery. I'm thinking maybe inflamed or something. Surely not a slippage already. I have not vomited 1 time nor is my stomach really upset. Only that feeling when your hungery, but not eating. I decided to go the rest of the day on liquids and see how I feel in the morning. I'm really worried though. I have a doc's appointment of Friday and if things have not changed by then I will speak to him about it.

Anyone experience anything similiar?

Kenneth I was thinking the same thing. I had my 1st fill on Friday. 2cc to make a total of 6cc since surgery. I have not had any additional resrtiction. I was prepared to tell my doc friday that I need another 2 cc. Maybe I to will wait on the expressing of more cc'c. I wonder why it takes a few days to kick in?

Your right I have to keep telling myself that as well. I guess that's why we have this great place to come and encourage each other.

I know what you are talking about! I can definitely screw up by listening to my body and not listening to my body!

I can almost eat anything if I am not adjusted properly or just having too much liquid with meal or after, and sadly things like wedding cake slide right down when a nice piece of broccolli won't! So if I listen to my body I will overeat at those times or eat improperly...and the more sugars you eat the more you want and that is no wive's tale.

Secondly, I get no warning signs when I have overeaten or eaten the wrong thing. I have never had a second of nausea. I just suddenly wish I could throw up! It is a feeling like nothing I can describe and a few times I have even asperated...is that the spelling? In other words, the food affected my breathing.

On that note, I may not feel too bad while I am eating it but I get back and side pains later, sometimes for days. I have also caused enough irritation, like after a broccoli incident on Mother's Day, that I can taste blood and it feels like I have been adjusted again for a few days. Interesting not there is I gain 3-5 pds during those screw ups because everything is rushing to the irritated site to fix it and its swollen. You'd think once would be enough to stop the choices but I have lost 40 pds not my free will.

The answer...and it's hard for people like me...use visual Portion Control. You know what you are supposed to consume. Great I can eat almost a whole sandwich before wishing I could breathe and find myself hanging upside down for relief or before realizing I have not lost in 2 wks...but should I? NO! So, again I remind my self...It is a tool, not the cure. It all begins and ends with me, the tool user.

DBAguy How funny I started a new job as well on the 4th of the month. I call it my new body and new life change. All at once. A New life.. Good luck on your new venture and your masters.

I sincerely hope everything goes extremely well - I am new at this also, and I believe that everyone, regardless of age or experience, has things to learn. In the midst of starting this weight loss journey, I'm also starting a new job and am 1/3 of the way through my second masters program, so learning is a lifetime approach for me.

Never intending to lecture - guess I need to learn how to relay information and thoughts without lecturing.

best of luck to all -

Thanks Chickie and DBAGuy for your comments. I think you both have excellent points. I'm very excited about my new beginning. DBA I will let you know how the fill works when I get it. Chickie I have been thinking all along what you said about the not hurting after eating then it should be ok. Sometimes however my where my scars are will feel pressure, but no pain. I do have to learn to eat alot slower. I have tried the putting the fork down, but I keep forgetting. I am however pretty good at the chewing thing. It's nice to get info from someone who has lost 190 pounds so I know it is possible to loose my 115 pounds. Thank you both. I'll get back with you both soon on progress

Hopefully someone who has been through this before will give us some insight then. I just hope I'm not messing anything up. I heard of to many stories where people have stretched their pouches out and I really don't want that to happen.

I don't know about anyone else, but I had my surgery on may 18th and I'm to the point where I can really put away some food. Not like I could before, but more then the 6-8 ounces I was told I'd be aboe to eat. I orderd a chicken salad last night and almost ate the whole thing before I knew it. My body did not have a problem with the food and I stopped myself and had them take the plate away, but is this normal before your 1st fill. HOW DO YOU KNOW when you haveeaten to much for your pouch does it hurt? do you pb or what?

Said a Prayer for you Wenjea!! You can Do It and so can all the Amazing Bandsters!!!

Plateaus stink!!! My weight is stuck and I feel like it will never move again. Things are going down so easy that I keep nibbling on things I shouldn't. Tonight while I was waiting for my daughter to get back from her fast pitch game on the bus, I ate a ritz cracker. The first one went down just fine, so did the 2nd one, but the third one stuck pretty good for a couple of hours! I hate that I'm even trying it. I just can't imagine two more weeks of shakes and clear liquids before my first fill. If I had this much willpower then I wuoldn't of needed a band!

Now for the thing I did right today . . . . I walked for two miles. I'm desperately trying to get the scale to move again. Maybe if all of you could pray for me that would help. Thanks for being here.

Kacee I had a friend go see Spamalot last weekend and they said it was awsome!! Have a Great time and my surgery was on the 18th and Ive been taking ton's of tylenol and wearing gacho pants ever since. In the afternoon the Bra thing really becomes a bother but in goes more tylenol. It really helps that issue. Now I'm taking motrin which last longer. Good Luck and Have Fun!!

For you May banders... how long did it take for you to be able to wear a bra again? I am 10 days post op. I tried to wear a sport bra back to work on Tuesday and it was a no go....probably because I sit all day and my front was "scrunched up"....didn't HURT the incisions, but felt a lot of pressure and uncomfortable (stripped it off in Walgreens parking lot on the way to work....I'm sure it was a good show). I've been wearing my "fat pants" leggings and scrub shirts all week. Going to see "Spamalot" downtown Friday night and would like to be able to wear "real clothes". I wonder if a "real bra" would be better than a sport bra since the sport bra comes down farther (actually closer to the port area)....

Just wanted to let you all know that I have been there and I was recently banded on the 18th. The pain is very minimal and the diet is not that bad bc your stomach is swollen so you don't want to eat anyway. I went back to work within days and one of the Doc's around here did a woman 77. She did real well. The hardest part in training your brain to say I'm through eating. Overeating even on liquids puts pressure on your incisions that is a little uncomfortable. It really was not near as bad as you think of a surgery being. It has been the best decision I have ever made and I would do it again in a heart beat

Okay I am going to try to ask this again because I have also posted it on two different threads and no one will reply :confused:

How long was it when the swelling and pain in your port area went away? I am a week post op it feels fine in the morning and as the day goes on it gets worse. I am tired of hurting, I just want it to get back to normal. I am sorry I am having a pitty party for myself today and no one cares.

Sorry RagdollX19 I also responded but just learned how to actually quote on this thing. I was banded on the 18th. Still have not really pain but discomfort throughout the day especially if I drink to quickly or eat a little to much. The tylenol really helps with this discomfort though. I have been back at work since the 22nd and still have periods where I need to stretch and move around to help stay comfortable. Especially where my bra rubbs on one of the incisions from my tummy pushing it up when I sit. Hopefully this will soon pass. It is not unbearable though if you are in unbearable pain I would definatly call the Doc and have him check you out.

Hey I really feel all your pain on the eating thing.. Cottage cheese seems to go a long ways as well as putting fruit in your Protein Shakes. Beans Beans and more beans helps but also has side effects. GAS X I so know the unconfort feeling of having 1 bite to many. I'm still not good at telling when I should stop though. I can't believe that even my 3yr old is eating way more then I. It's not normal to have anything left on the plate or in the bowel. I have started using a small spoon for serving my beans and etc. I have also noticed that the mini serving of cottage cheese is just enough to last 4-5 hours. Can't believe it. It has 11 grms of Protein though. Pretty good for the size. You all who could actually follow the preop diets you Rock!! I could not. So I have only lost the Water weight10-12 pounds. But I know that with the portions being consumed the weight will magically fall of next month. Resist the urge of stepping on the scale but once a week. I know it's hard but it will help with the your morale. EVery One Keep up the Good work... I also feel you on the whole Hamburger thing.. Moderation and most likely one bite is all you will be able to eat.. Husband banded last month eats the little one every now and again. Only gets down half with no bread

According to my doc you would be ready for a fill. My Doc told me ot come in at 3weeks for a fill. To aide in not gaining weight. I'm on mushies as well and can't believe how much I eat less. Actually I don't really get full, I just quit after a few bites bc I'm scared to feel miserable and don't really know when enough is enough.. It is quite a different full feeling.. I have a hard time leaving that much food still in the bowl or on the plate as well. I started only puting very little to try and trick my brain.. It helps til I go to clean the Kitchen.. Being addicted to food is much harder to break then other addictions I think, but I've never had other addictions to try and break. This was the one goingto kill me..

I hope everyone is doing well. I'm 19 days PO and 2 days ago starting to feel SO HUNGRY! Is there anyone else like this???

I'm on the mushies stage but feel like I could eat anything. Does anyone have any advise?

Now I know what they mean by "bandsters he--" during this fase? Of course the last thing I want to do is gain any of the weight I've lost so far... I'm afraid to even get on the scale.< /p>

It took I guess 3 or 4 days for my swelling to go down. I felt PG for several days..

I think thats the band I received last week.. My doctor said that it had just become available in the last couple of weeks for placement in the US. Less likely to slip. I know if I drink anything very quickly I get the tight feeling and when I become satisified my tummy where my inceisions are ache a little. My husband said that was normal for him as well so I'm not worrying about it. I'm so excited that everyone seems to be handling the surgery well. I could not believe how quick the recovery process was.. Although I have not been able to work a full day yet.. I'm probably just milking it though.

I finally ate a pudding and a snowcone. So I'm good for a couple of hours. I think tonight I'm going to try blending a Soup and eating it. I forgot about being able to do that. Maybe that will help and last a while. Can't wait til next week when I can add oatmeal and should be able to add cottage cheese then too. It's really had when your hunger comes on.. My doc said that I could have my fill 3 weeks from surgery date. I hear that that helps tons..

Melissa O who was your Doc? Thanks for the insight that's what I was hoping for..