drehn88

I'm almost 4 months post op and I have pain in my port more times than not (the way I slept, standing too long, etc.). I talked to my NP about it and she said it was normal. It's stitched to your ab muscle which gets used all the time. I would still talk to your doctor about it.

I am going to toot my own horn because I can so that here and u all get it! Soo I have been very happy with my success and so proud of myself for putting in the work to get the weight off and as a result I spent the entire summer at the community pool with my kids. I never thought u would catch me in a bathing suit again much less galavanting around the local pool!!! My kids had an awesome summer that I actually participated in! And to top it off I went down the Water slide today! They have been asking me to go all summer but I was afraid I was too big! I'm not! And I did it! They were sooo happy to do that together and I couldn't be more proud of myself! Looking forward to so many more proud moments!

This is my post fill diet...eat regular diet but be extra careful. It is very obvious all doctors have different opinions on what is best. I highly doubt you did any damage considering my doctor has no restrictions and I haven't had any problems and my band looks great.

I have been reading a lot over the past several weeks about newbies getting fills. The question should always be, do I really need another fill?
Many people are searching for the "green zone" and having that perfect "restriction."
I will tell you from my personal experience that I don't know if there is a "green zone," but I do feel that you should not feel restriction. What you should notice is that with the band you should be able to eat less and feel satisfied. You MUST be committed to eating a smaller portion (most say 2-3 ounces of Protein, 1/3 c of veggies and 1/3 c of good carb for your meals) and extensive exercise. After eating that 1 to 1 1/2 c of food you should be satisfied, NOT full. And this satisfaction should last around 4 hours give or take. Everyone is different! For the first 8-10 months, I was never hungry. I just ate because I was raised to eat at certain times and that was a very hard habit to break. But I did it and you can make the necessary changes too. It is mind over matter!
It doesn't mean drink your meals and expect to have a "full" feeling! If it can slide through your new pouch, it is not going to satisfy you. The nerve endings in your new pouch are what give you that satisfied feeling. If you are letting the slider food go through to your old stomach, you are eating no different then you did before you were banded. And you WILL be able to eat more than you should.
Log your food so you really know what you are eating and exercise as many days a week as you can. Do a little to start. Once you start losing weight you will feel better and be able to exercise more. That is the whole point of weight loss and is key to the success of losing with the band.
This is just my personal experience and hope it helps others. Be smart, be safe with your band so you can live a longer, healthier life with your band.
I was able to get to my goal weight of 165 after 14 months of hard work losing 165 pounds. It can be done and it doesn't have to take a million fills and getting too tight. I had one fill.
Good luck to all you newbies and welcome to the losers club.

Not sure if this is the EXACT recipe, but it's the one I use and I LOVE it. It is a lifesaver after fills or when you need to baby your band.
1/4 c low fat cottage cheese
1/4 c spaghetti sauce
1/4 c shredded mozzarella
Optional Parmesan cheese 2 Tbsp (I think because I don't use it)
Mix cottage cheese and spaghetti sauce and microwave for about 30 seconds or to desired hotness. Sprinkle cheese on top and microwave about 30 seconds more.

I went to McDonalds last night with my hubby and our four kids for dinner since we had to go to my oldest kids open house at school. I was feeling slightly worried that I would see them eating their burgers, nuggets and fries and it would make me sad. I ordered an unsweetened tea and a fruit and yogurt parfait. I didn't eat the blueberries and mushed the heck out of the strawberries. I know that the yogurt isn't fat free or anything but I felt so proud if myself that I was completely ok with what I was eating and did not even contemplate trying to mush up a French fry in my mouth to eat one. I took my time and finished my yogurt at the same time as everyone else was finishing their food. I left with my unsweetened tea in my hand and felt so proud of myself. I am only 11days out but to me that was a big accomplishment. One thing I was afraid of is going out to eat and not being able to eat what the rest of my family was eating and feeling left out. I'm so happy I didn't feel this way even with my husband sitting right in front of me eating a double quarter pounder and fries lol. It's the small things like this that will keep me happy and motivated to reach my goal....I am so happy I found this place to share these things with with people who understand these small things. You guys rock!!!!

Well I lost 30 pounds since may 30th

You could do the 5 day pouch test to jump start your band again. I don't know the link, but you can google 5 day pouch test.

My dr. doesn't go that slow, but from what I read on LBT small fills are the BEST way to go. While it may take longer to hit green, once you do you won't get overfilled and start having issues. I think your doc is doing the right thing (as long as it's not costing you an arm and a leg).

I just saw someone on fb that takes cottage cheese and adds PB2 (powdered Peanut Butter you can buy at health food stores) and sf chocolate pudding mix. Not sure how that will taste, but it will have a lot of Protein.< /p>

Maybe the 2 pounds was Water weight during your pouch test. Gaining back 2 after losing 10 in a short amount of time isn't bad at all. Glad for you!

My dr. doesn't go that slow, but from what I read on LBT small fills are the BEST way to go. While it may take longer to hit green, once you do you won't get overfilled and start having issues. I think your doc is doing the right thing (as long as it's not costing you an arm and a leg).

Me too!!

When I overeat I get left shoulder pain about 10 minutes AFTER I stop eating. Unfortunately it doesn't happen immediately so it's not a "soft stop" that makes me stop eating. That's why you have to be really in tune with your level of satisfied (or measure a half cup religiously). It takes a few times to figure it out. Since my 2nd fill I've had this "lump in my throat" feeling in the middle of my chest a couple of times. It lasts for over a day. I'm wondering if this also happened because I overate or maybe ate too big of bites and caused some swelling. When this happens I baby my band with liquids or mushies for the next couple of meals. I'm trying to learn my signals so I can prevent those things from happening.

If you think I'm an Internet bully then you might want to log off now...
PS - I'm not the one calling you names and acting like a drunk chick in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

You look great! Congrats!

Hey fellow Texan and teacher! I'm in Rockwall, so close. I also had Dr Marsden. Sounds like you are doing great with your weight loss. Keep it up!

That's an amazing loss! Congrats! I had 1 cc added to the original 3.5 from surgery. Since you didn't get as much at surgery I think 1.5 is probably a good amount for you. Be careful with introducing foods. For about a week after my fill, one day I could handle most anything then the next day I had to be very cautious.

Sounds pretty smart to me!

It could be that i had a stick then didn't go on liquids and just ate regularly...which could have kept the swelling which made me feel tighter than normal. Which caused another stick...etc. Sounds like a cycle i need to break although i haven had a stick in about a week and an feeling less tight than i did when i made the original Post.

There you go Luka! The best way to deal with getting stuck is to revert to liquids so your stoma can heal. Continuing to irritate your stoma can actually damage it in the long run.

Hey! I was banded May 6. I've had one fill (total 4.5 cc in 10 cc band) and I've lost 36 pounds. My weight loss has stalled for the last couple weeks. I don't think it's a fill problem but a food choice problem. I haven't been getting 60 grams of Protein so that means too many carbs. I've decided to buckle down this week and do low carb. I'm certain this will get the scale moving in the right direction. I haven't PB'd or vomited, but I'm starting to wonder if the "full" feeling in the middle of my chest sometimes is considered a stuck episode. I'm always able to drink with this feeling so I'm not sure what it is.

I had surgery about the same time as you and I've just recently been shedding A LOT more hair. I take Biotin, but I think this was inevitable.

Here are a couple other things I ate during the mushy stage. I'm a picky eater so it was hard to find things.
Egg salad...hard boiled eggs, miracle whip, and a squirt of mustard. I mashed up the eggs because I've heard they can get stuck. Ate it with no problems.
Nonfat plain Greek yogurt (Cobani, Fage, Dannon)...I hate the taste of yogurt, especially Greek. I put in Mio (liquid flavoring) and it tastes great. Mio has no calories or artificial junk. You could also mix in a tbsp of Peanut Butter (extra protein) and a tsp or two of Stevia sweetner instead of the Mio.

Here are a couple other things I ate during the mushy stage. I'm a picky eater so it was hard to find things.
Egg salad...hard boiled eggs, miracle whip, and a squirt of mustard. I mashed up the eggs because I've heard they can get stuck. Ate it with no problems.
Nonfat plain Greek yogurt (Cobani, Fage, Dannon)...I hate the taste of yogurt, especially Greek. I put in Mio (liquid flavoring) and it tastes great. Mio has no calories or artificial junk. You could also mix in a tbsp of Peanut Butter (extra protein) and a tsp or two of Stevia sweetner instead of the Mio.