bsellis

Thank you! And yes I called first thing Monday morning and went in to get an unfill. It was only getting worse and I started having really bad reflux while trying to sleep Sunday night. I had 1.5 of my 2 cc's removed. I feel great now. I guess I may just be sensitive or something. I guess everyone is different. The crazy thing is that I do feel restriction. I'm not hungry like I was before and get satisfied from smaller amounts than before. Of course this could change anytime. I was already scheduled for my second fill a week from today and my surgeon said to go ahead and come in. I think I will choose to get a very small fill like .5 or 1 cc if I need it. He did say that you could feel a little tighter but if it's tight and hasn't gotten better in 48 hours then an unfill is warrented. This is definitely a learning process!!

So when you say you're swollen for 3 weeks does that mean you just have to be careful what you eat and have some discomfort? Yeah I don't know the reasoning behind it but she said it's something the surgeon likes done on everyone's first fill. I figured if I'm not feeling better by Monday I'll call them. I know that some people have to stay on liquids longer after a fill and I'm fine with that but I would like to consume my liquids without the pain!!

I also had my first fill today and I couldn't fill anything at the port site. However, they like to fill the band completely up (10 cc's) and then remove fluid. She said they just do this on the first fill. Omgish it was not pleasant. Once it got to 10 cc's I got nauseated and a little dizzy. The dizziness was probably bc I was trying not to breath. She ended up leaving 2 cc's and I go back in 2 weeks and then 2 weeks after that for my 2nd and 3rd fills.

I'm a little over 4 weeks post op with no fills yet and I do about 800 calories a day. 100-200 for breakfast, 200-300 for lunch and 300-400 for dinner. I try to get 60 grams of protein and 40 minutes of cardio 5 times a week. I keep track of every single calorie I consume (even vitamins) and the weight continues to come off. I figure if you keep your calories low then you can't help but lose weight. Good luck!

So my last entry I was on my pre-op diet and now as of today I've had my band for 4 weeks! My first week post-op I did have some moments of 'what did I do to myself', but luckliy that passed. It has definitely been a learning experience and will continue to be one I'm sure. It's hard work but it's rewarding to see the pounds falling off. I'm up to walking about 2 1/2 miles 3-5 time per week. I'm eating 800 calories a day. I will say that I am looking forward to a fill. My appetite was non-existent at first but it has come back with a vengence. At this point I am having to use will power but that's ok because I know it's part of the process. I love the fact that I can eat a small portion and feel satisfied. I can finish my meal feeling good about myself instead of feeling guilty that I ate to much. It is an adjustment because I still get the 'head hunger'. For example, I made tacos the other night and that is one food I would stuff myself on. Instead of having a taco in a flour tortilla I made a small salad with shredded lettuce and had some refried beans on the side. Although I was satisfied my head was wanting to stuff myself silly on tacos. This is where I would fail at losing weight before the surgery. Before the surgery I would have gave in and stuffed myself on tacos. Now I know I can't unless I want to be sick or risk hurting my band. Oh yeah on a side note lettuce does not agree with me at all!! I will try it again sometime but it will be awhile. Ok back to the head hunger. I think the more I live this new healthy lifestyle the cravings and longings to pig out on my favorite foods will deminish. I think it will be like when I quit smoking almost 6 months ago. I remember even 2 months after I quit I would get these strong cravings for a cigarette. This has gotten better over time and will continue to get better. Now to the most frustrating part of this entire process (for me anyway)... the dreaded SCALE. I am just not getting along with my scale. I weighed 350 the morning of my surgery and 2 weeks out I weighed 329. Now it's been 2 weeks later and I'm still at 329, but in the last two weeks my clothes have continued to get loosier and I can tell I'm losing weight. The scale just isn't saying so. This is really frustrating. I tell myself I'm not going to weigh but I do it anyway. I think I might need to remove the scale from the bathroom and hide it for awhile. Yep, sounds like a good plan! I think as long as I'm counting my calories (thank you My Fitness Pal!), getting exercise in and can tell I'm losing then I don't need a stupid scale. It just brings me down to see the numbers staying the same. Ok one last thing. I haven't had anything sweet in at least 6 weeks but tonight I'm going to make some Chocolate Chip Cannoli Cups from a website I found called emilybites.com. She has some fabulous looking recipes that aren't loaded with fat, calories and carbs. Oh yeah, did I mention it is 63 calories per cannoli cup? Yummmm.. chocolate here I come!! Believe

This has become my favorite and I sometimes eat it for dinner. I spray a little Pam in a small skillet and cook some liquid egg whites with a pinch of salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. When it's almost done I add in some chopped up turkey lunchmeat (deli style) and add a pinch of shredded cheese. I don't always have time to cook breakfast but have plenty of time to eat once I get to work so this morning I sprayed Pam in a bowl and added about 1/3 cup of egg whites with the seasonings and microwaved it for 1 minute. I then put some lunchmeat on top followed by a slice of reduced fat cheese. I popped it into a container and the cheese was melted and it was still warm when I got to work.

Ok guys I'm trying to figure out what's going on with me. I'm about 3 1/2 weeks post op and was doing great over the weekend. I was told I could eat lettuce so I made a salad for dinner using shredded ice burg lettuce yesterday. I felt uncomfortable all night and continued to feel the same way this morning. It feels like really, really bad heartburn and really hurts to take a deep breath. I'm able to drink and eat although it hurts going down but it's staying down and not coming back up. I'm so uncomfortable at the moment I'm thinking I might need to stick with liquids until this passes. Is this what everyone refers to being 'stuck'?? Could I have just have irritated something??

I've been on soft foods for a week and half and have tolerated everything pretty well. I did have a hernia repair and my surgeon took me off the Prilosec but I've also noticed a little reflux at times. I'm still hurting so I think I'll call just to be safe. Thanks!!

I was banded August 9th and didn't really have issues with gas pain. I thought I was lucky and dodged it but 8 days post-op and my first day back to work I developed severe pain beneath my left rib. I took a lot of gas-x.. didn't work. I used the heating pad.. didn't work. I tried walking.. no luck there. I finally took 2 Tbsp of milk of magnesia and 30 minutes later I was pain free. Of course I did have some other unpleasent side effects but it was so worth it. Same thing happened the next day and again I tried gas-x, heating pad, and walking then finally doing the MOM. You'd think I would learn. I'm 2 weeks post-op today and feeling great.

Sounds like TMJ maybe? I would talk to your dentist. I was banded on Aug 9th and have had a flare up of my TMJ ever since. I know it's caused by me clenching my jaw which I will do if in pain or uncomfortable. I'll also do it when I'm under stress. I usually take an anti-inflammatory like Alieve but I heard we weren't suppose to take meds like that. Tylenol doesn't help me at all. I go to my post-op appointment in two days so I'll find out then I guess. You could also try an ice pack. That helps me. Good luck!

I'm newly banded and am still on full liquids. I had 1/3 cup of greek yogurt for breakfast yesterday and it kept me satisfied until lunch. I love yogurt but was told when I get on regular foods I don't need to eat it because it is a slider and won't keep me satisfied for long.

I was worried about this also because my hair is thin anyway. I take biotin supplements and use Nioxin shampoo/conditioner. They have a website that explains what it is if you google it. I'm only 8 days post-op but started it right before my surgery. I got it through my hairdresser for $25 a kit which will last one month. I really like that they have it for color treated hair also. Plus it smells good!! You can also get it through Amazon for about the same price but don't go with Walgreen's bc it's about $45. Hope this helps

I also wondered if this would work for me. I mean I really loved to eat. It made me happy and was comforting. I especially liked fast food. I have a history of losing and gaining. I tried dieting several times in the past 5 years and I would make it 2 or 3 days and then be so hungry I didn't care anymore and give up. So I gained and gained. Couldn't even yo-yo anymore. I got up to 364 lbs. Now I'm only 1 week post-op and already know I made the right decision. I'm down 32 pounds since my pre-op diet. The biggest difference I notice is that my life doesn't center around food like I felt it did before. I didn't realize how much control food had over me until now.

I'm newly banded and still on liquids but I was told you could get papaya enzyme that's chewable and it's suppose to help break down food. I picked some up at Walmart just in case.

Well I'm 5 days post op and feeling human again. My doctor said the strips on my cuts could come off today but even after several showers they don't want to come off. Can I let them fall off? Also, what is a normal calorie intake for right now. I was able to get in 170 calories yesterday which was huge for me. I'm going to try for more today. Thanks

I found the first three days the hardest. I haven't tried the muscle milk but the premier protein in chocolate is fantastic. I looked forward to my shakes!! You can do this!!

I've had problems with low blood sugar since I was a child and it causes me to get nauseous and shaky. Maybe try some low calorie gatorade. That should help. I have to be on clear liquids for a week and I'm really worried about my blood sugar. I stocked up on gatorade so I'll be prepared!!

I'm also worried about hair loss bc my hair is already really fine. Do you have to order this shampoo online or is there any store that carries it??

I'm on day 7 of my pre-op diet. The night before last I developed severe pain throughout my mid back. I did a lot of walking the day before so I thought this might be muscle pain. The pain reminded my of when I would have gallstone attacks but instead of just under the right shoulder blade it went across my entire back. Well now the back pain is gone but I have severe pain on my right side that goes under my ribs. It's a constant pain that hurts the most when I'm sitting down. I know the liver is in that location and I'm consuming bewteen 90-100 grams of protein a day right now. Has anyone else heard of anything like this? I hope I'm just being paranoid and it's a strained muscle. I'm going to the chiropractor today to get an adjustment. Maybe that will help.

Thanks guys. I did go to the doctor and he thinks it was severe muscle spasms. I get them in my low back and usually get a steroid shot but this close to surgery that is not an option. Pain is much better just really sore. I knew it wasn't my gallbladder bc I've had that removed and I had kidney stones back in January and although the pain was similar it was lower with the stones. 7 days left on pre-op diet and hoping for no more issues. I would rather deal with one thing at a time! Lol!!

Well I survived my first weekend with the pre-op diet. YAY!! I started on Thursday and it wasn't too bad. Friday I felt awful. I had a headache all day and no energy. Saturday was better. Still had a headache on and off but I was able to take a nap since I was off. My husband was off this weekend. He went to the store and I told him to get whatever he wanted for him and my daughter for their lunches and dinner. He came back with frozen pizzas, chips, cheez-its.. Really? I guess my first mistake was to send him shopping on his own. Lol! Sunday we went to the zoo. We stopped to eat lunch. I took some strawberry protein powder and lemonade crystal light powder. I mixed this with water in my shaker bottle. My husband and daughter had nachos and pizza. I drank my lunch. I did good though! No cheating!! We probably walked around for 4-5 hours so I got some exercise in. I had heard that the first 3 days are the hardest on the pre-op diet. I agree! This is getting easier and I feel better. I have pre-op testing and meet with a dietician Friday at the hospital and then a nutrition class at my surgeon's clinic. Here's to a four day work week!! 11 days until surgery!! I'm ready!! Believe

I had the same fears. Before I started the pre-op diet I wondered if I could even get through the first day of it. I'm on day 5 now and haven't cheated once. It seemed like the first 3 days were the hardest for sure. I did have moments where I thought I could just go in the kitchen and eat everything!! I want this surgery so bad though and I am going to follow all the rules!! The last thing I want is for them to open me up and not be able to do the surgery because my liver didn't shrink. This is what motivates me when I'm having a weak moment. You can do this!!

I quit 4 months ago after 22 yrs of smoking. I used the patch which I had tried before but I guess I was just ready this time. It helped that I came down with bronchitis the weekend I had planned to quit anyway. My biggest motivator is that I wanted this surgery. I was also having problems getting out of breath easily. What I found really funny is when I had my consult with my surgeon I told him I quit and he was asking me how I did it and was wanting advice bc he was a smoker!! He said he usually tells his patients to work on one thing at a time so he doesn't tell them to quit. Wish I would have known!! JK.. I love being a non-smoker!! My best advice is to keep in mind that a craving last no more than 3 minutes. When a craving hits just know that it will pass. The cravings will also decrease with time. I remember being a month out and still having cravings several times throughout the day. I thought I cannot go my whole life feeling like this. Fortunately it got better and I still get cravings (probably always will) but very seldom and it doesn't consume all my thoughts like it once did. Good luck!! You can do it!!

Try not to worry too much. It's not that bad. Just tell them you need a happy shot ASAP!! Then you won't care what's going on!!