PrettyThick1

Yes, all of that is normal. I am 5 weeks out and it is still a bit hard there. Depending on how heavy you were, you may or may not feel your port. It is nothing to be concerned about as long as there is no rash or drainage coming from the incision, you shouldn't worry.

Small victory - I'm noticing the inches are reducing even faster than the pounds are and in light of that, I've raised my goal weight by 15lbs. I don't need to lose as much as I thought I did and looking at my new ticker has me very excited...I'm getting there faster than I expected. When I tell people how much further I have to go their reaction was .."Oh nooooo, you don't need to lose that much more" and I think I agree with them. I'm not in a skinny girl frame of mind and as long as I have a close to normal BMI, I'm going to be satisfied. So...here's to 37 more lbs, may they melt away as fast as the first 27 did!

Do you eat regular bacon and regular sausage?

I don't think you should have any solids for a few days. The first couple of days should be liquids only, then mushies on day 3. Be careful in the days to come, I made that mistake and I almost messed myself up. The day of the fill isn't bad, but be careful...

Girl you have nothing to worry about. I've had surgery a few times and the best part of it is being put to sleep! La-la land is no place to fear, at all...I like it. LOL It's easy to see how Michael Jackson became addicted to it, seriously. Now, happy thoughts...enjoy the process because when you get home and the hospital drugs wear off, you'll wish you had more. LOL

How do you know the difference between PB'ing and vomiting?

If your band has slipped, how did you know?

I just read somewhere that if you PB or vomit within 6 weeks of your surgery, your band will slip. I don't think I've vomited because whatever I spit up didn't feel like it went all the way down. Please share what you can about PB'ing and Vomiting - I don't know how to tell the difference. And...if doing either of those will cause a slip within the first 6 weeks. Thank you!!!

Yes, thanks for asking! I feel much better today and have been able to eat a normal amount without any adverse effects!!! I'm eating much more slowly and definitely not drinking before or during a meal. Maybe my last fill just needed to settle down. But it is definitely better than yesterday!!!

Thanks for your replies! My protein shake is going down well now. I think I may have been drinking too fast, drinking too soon before meals and I know I sip during meals - all 3 are big no-no's. So I'm going to follow doctor's orders and ride this thing out!

I was banded with 3cc's and had another 1cc added 3 weeks after surgery. I felt no restriction and was hungry after that and my doctor added another .5. That's when the problems started - but I know what's wrong. I'm drinking too soon before a meal and sometimes during a meal. I'm going to do right though, I don't want to hurt myself or get unfilled yet. No drinking while eating...I'm learning that really quickly and it's not just because it washes the food down too quickly!

Hi CG: I made an appointment for an unfill just a few minutes ago. But now that I think about it, I have been drinking Water too soon before a meal and sometimes I've been drinking while eating. I'm going to try to do things the right way for a few days and see what happens. I'm doing well with my Protein shake today and if I have to go strictly liquids for a few weeks that's what I'll do. I'll keep you posted.

Ivy...I think part of my problem is drinking while eating and drinking too soon before eating a meal. I hate to get an unfill and I think I'm going to try to do things the right way before going in for an unfill. What do you think? My Protein shake is going down okay now.

Have no fears...insurance won't take that long to approve you. Now, excercising patience to surgery day will be a challenge, especially when the pre-process moves quickly. I remember those days, it felt like an eternity!

Well, I've decided to get an unfill. I just tried to drink a Protein shake and it's not happening. I hate to do this because I'm worried it's going to set me back and I'll be hungry all the time again. I'm so disappointed, I need restriction or else I'm going to put the weight back on. I tried to ride it out, but I'm miserable. If you've had to get an unfill, did it set you back? I'm so sad.

Thank you for showing that you care...even though you thought I was upset with you. That shows true character and I like that!!! I'm the same way, so that makes us buds now.

Thanks Ivy. I don't hold grudges, sometimes I get a bit hot headed and if I hurt your feelings or offended you with a prior post, I do apologize. Any positve advice is always welcomed and I will take your suggestion seriously.

It flushes the food through your system too fast and in my case if I've been drinking before I eat, the food will not go down and you'll vomit or PB. I'm in bandster hell right now - I think I'm too tight, but even a slight unfill will leave me hungry all day. Sigh. Every day is a learning experience and what works today, might not work tomorrow.

I think my band might be too full. I can hardly keep anything down and I spit up just about everything. How long can this go on without me causing a slip? It's more of a PB with lots of slime, it doesn't feel like it's quite going down so I don't think that's a vomit. Plus it always happens with the first 2 or 3 bites of food. I'm going strictly liquids for a while, but I'm so sick of Protein shakes I almost gag when I start to drink them. Any advice will be appreciated. I don't want to get unfilled, because I'll go back to being hungry all the time again. Please help!

What you are experiencing is completely normal. You're still swollen and there is still trapped gas from your procedure. You'll feel much differently a few days from now.

I think your workouts might be the culprit. I've read that high intensity excercise can be counterproductive at this stage of the game, that's why surgeons suggest just walking. A 30 minute walk does far more for you than strength training or other strenuous activities. Try swimming, pilates, yoga...but nothing that requires you to increase your heart rate too much. Some of us get a bit overzealous and want to see reductions so badly that we actually make our bodies work against us. Less is more right now. Leave the "workouts" alone until you start toning, right now you just need to burn fat and walking is enough to do that with the way you're eating. Stay in touch!

Begin again. Adopt the behaviors of a newly banded person - liquids for a week or two, mushies and then lots of fish and poultry. Having the band already is your biggest bonus. You know what you have to do and it can be done. Don't be discouraged...we are waiting to hear your success stories soon!

You're lucky...my band will not tolerate boiled eggs. Epic fail!

YUMMY!!!!

Oh dear! Why are you depriving yourself with such a limited diet? You've got to get creative, there are LOTS of things you can have for lunch! My doctor gave me a "cook book", just start preparing meals and freezing them since it's so hard to prepare small portions. I live on Lean Cuisine (I leave the Pasta, rice and other carb-rich items in the tray) the Protein included is the perfect amount for us. For example yesterday, I had the Lemon Pepper fish meal - I scraped off the coating on the fish, left the rice pilaf and ate the broccoli - it went down easy and kept me full for 4 hours. Today I am having the BBQ chicken, I will leave the potatoes and only eat the chicken and carrots. I also buy already prepared Tyson chicken breasts and keep them at work. The portion sizes are exactly what is required for a serving of protein for us. Girl, you better start finding new things or you're not going to be as successful as you otherwise would. Even worse, it could cause you to make poor food choices before long. Get out there and make it happen!!!