Leepers

Ever since my first fill on Tuesday, I have started hiccuping when I get hungry. Usually about 5 hours after I eat. Every now and then, hungry or not, I just hiccup for no reason. It's not a series of hiccups. Just one usually. Maybe two. I tried to do a search but everyone else was talking about hiccups during or right after eating. Has anyone else had this happen? It's not really a problem or anything I just wonder if it may be a precursor to reflux or something.

I totally know what you're going through. I had my first fill on Tuesday. I didn't get a headache, but the liquid diet? I had a rough time. I thought I was gonna be all zen-like like I was for the preop diet. The preop diet I did great. But not after this fill. The doc wanted me to do full liquids for the rest of Tuesday and all day Wednesday and then back to solids. Well, I made it through Tuesday. But by Wednesday night, I was not so strong. I had some foods that would be considered mushies. On top of that, I find that since the fill, I feel a little less restricted than I did before it. I don't have any idea why. I'm just gonna try to stick with my new way of eating and watch my portions too.

I was allowed to restart my Metformin two days after surgery. It is a very large pill that can't be crushed. I take it with a drink of water and make sure I wait a bit before swallowing anything else. So far, no problems.

This is one I saw here on this forum. I made it and it was so delicious because I was so ready for anything that resembled real food. Refried Beans mixed with ricotta cheese. Heat and top with fat free mozzarella and a dollop of fat free sour cream. Yummy!

You know how sometimes you hurt yourself and have pain but you just deal with it and move on? That's how I deal with hunger. And I find that if I redirect my attention that after a while it goes away. You can do this. And you'll love yourself more for having made it.

I sweat enough as it is! This gym thankfully doesn't have mirrors. It does have a dark room with a giant screen that plays a movie if you'd rather do that, but I like my music.

Here is a breakdown of how I spent my 60 minutes today at the new gym we joined: 1 minute- deciding if I wanted to use the treadmill in the giant room with all of the exercise bunnies 2 minutes-picking out the treadmill and wondering where to put my sweatshirt I had taken off 1 minute- thinking I looked really new to this 1 minute- sneaking glances at the other people, noticing all the old people that were there and realizing that I was the fattest person there 45 minutes- walking on the treadmill While on the treadmill: 20 minutes- wondering how many people behind me were staring at my fat butt and hoping my pants weren't riding up the crack of my a$$. 5 minutes- doing fat girl adjustments to my clothes to make sure my belly wasn't hanging out 1 minute- trying to sneak glances to see how fast other people were walking 19 minutes- feeling good about my performance and listening to Pandora 80's Cardio Channel to get my groove on 5 minutes- trying out an elliptical machine for the first time. thinking wtf? this does not feel natural. 5 minutes- waiting for my hubby to finish his stuff and checking out the group classes and deciding we need to go to the beginning yoga class tonight. Really, it was great. I've been walking on my treadmill at home so I'm not totally out of shape. I must say that the presence of other people does motivate me to do better. I walked for 45 minutes at 3.0 to 3.4 mph. I felt good about my work out. Mostly I was happy that my husband and I went to the gym together. I have dreamed of this moment for years. That someday, he would become interested in something other than the television and we could do it together. I'm happy.

That's what I'm thinking. Especially since I already felt some restriction even from the unfilled band. I don't go back for 5 weeks.

B52, he did say that it only ended up being a little over 2cc. I never thought of it as being like working your way down instead of up. I did Ok with fluids yesterday. You're right though, that I should be careful. I like my doc and he's been doing this a long time, so I do trust him (and I work with doctors every day so I know how different they can be.) Thankfully, since I come here and read every day, I will recognize symptoms of too tight band.

This forum attracts people of all ages and education levels. I had never used a forum before so I never really knew the "rules" or etiquette. Some people are just not computer savvy at all. I agree people should be more patient. I'm new to the lapband and I enjoy coming here every day. I can see how the same old questions get tiring but I do my best to answer questions from people newer than me.

Coach, best wishes for your fill tomorrow. Being on full liquids today has been a lot harder than I thought it would be. Lots of tummy rumbling.

I know that I like to read other people's experiences. You can learn a lot as long as we remember that everyone's surgeon does it differently and to always follow what yours wants you to do.

I have 10cc Allergan band. It was a curious experience. I think that's how he and all his partners do the fill. I believe they feel it cuts out a lot of the guessing. I'm wondering if, when I need another fill, they will do it the same way or start adding smaller amounts. He did tell me that they are "more agressive" with their fills, but 2cc doesn't sound crazy. I think he just meant they weren't gonna add tiny amounts.

My first fill was today at 0940 and it went great! My totally good looking surgeon (looks just like Chris O'Donnell) (not my type, but who doesn't appreciate a pretty face?) came in, he was happy I had lost 8 pounds since my last visit 3 weeks ago. He asked me a few questions about how much I was eating and if I was hungry between meals and we decided to go ahead and do a fill. Side note: I was told not to eat any solid foods for 3 hours before my fill. I laid on the table with a pillow under my back. He felt around on my stomach and then had me put my hands behind my head and do a crunch. He said I was gonna feel a pinch and inserted the needle. It stung a bit, but not bad. Then he said, "OK, I'm in your port. Now here's the fun part." Then he had me sit up, with the needle sticking out of my belly (no pain) and turn to sit on the edge of the table. He handed me a cup of Water. He said that he had filled my band completely and he wanted me to take normal size drinks of water until I felt it in my throat. Then he said he would take out the saline and when I felt the feeling in my throat go away, to tell him. I started drinking the water and after about 4-5 drinks, I felt like I had a huge bubble in my throat. He then drew out the Fluid and when the bubble left he stopped. Then he had me take more sips of water until I felt that each drink went completely through with no discomfort or sluggishness. It was about 2-3 drinks until that happened. And then we were done. I asked him if he would tell me how much fluid was in the band and I could tell he really didn't want to. He said he didn't think it was good to compare yourself to others on the internet/forums because people have different size and brands of bands. I told him I totally realized that,but that since I'm a nurse, I'm naturally curious. (I couldn't give a darn what's in there as long as it does it's job.) So he told me it was a little over 2cc's. Then we discussed my diet to follow the fill. For the rest of today and all of tomorrow I am to do full liquids. Then back to solids while exercising caution. And there ya go! Easy peasy Japaneesy. I had to go to work after the appaointment and didn't drink anything till like 230p. I drank a Protein shake. I did fine. Sometimes I think I'm overly obsessed with every feeling and I kinda felt that if I didn't wait a bit between drinks, I would kinda feel the liquid in my espohagus. I don't think it's a sign of being too tight. I'm going to take it as a sign that I REALLY need to eat smaller bites and wait between bites. All of that stuff I've been trying to practice since surgery.....now is the time to really do it!

My surgeon gave me an exact list of what I was allowed to have. The only soup I could have was tomato soup and it counted as a juice for the day. Did they give you a print out or anything yet? If not, I'd call and ask them to email it to you. Be sure to follow their directions. Every doctor is different.

Wether or not Grandma wants you to do this, you MUST do what YOU want to do. I find that a lot of us spend time worrying about what other people will think about our decisions and choices. But guess what? No one is sitting around worrying about what you think about THEIR decisions or choices. This is your life. You only have one. Don't pass up an opprtunity to be healthy and live a better life!

Tomorrow I will be five weeks postop. I feel great. I'm doing great. Got my first fill today. My appetite changed just from having the band even with no Fluid in it. Some people say it doesn't restrict them at all and they're still going out and eating a 6" sub and a bag of chips. I say DONT DO THAT. Learn to stop eating when you're not hungry. Don't wait till you're full. You don't need that much food. And eat healthier than that. Also, don't be afraid to try foods. Everyone is different. I had a lady at work who had an unsucessful lapband experience who keeps trying to tell me, don't eat this, don't eat that. I just ignore her. I've been able to eat what I want. Reheated (dry) chicken did give me a couple of stuck episodes but I recognized it immediately (because I'm on here every day) and stopped eating. I have not PB'ed or slimed. And I don't plan on it. I have practiced every day, eating slower, chewing my food. Not to say that eating too fast hasn't given me some discomfort sometimes. You will do great! Come here for support. Watch what you eat. Eat smaller, longer, and healthier and you will be a lapband success. Best wishes on your surgery!

Just keep jumping through their hoops until you get to the goal. I'm not sure what the heck a sleep study has to do with getting lapband but if that's what they want! I would ask the people at the sleep study place how long it will take them to send the report to your pulmonologist. Then when that time is up, call the pulmonologist's office and ask them how long till they give clearance for surgery. Don't be afraid to be on their ass. Doctors are human and plenty of them procrastinate. Best wishes on your journey.

Sorry, my phone won't let me edit. I don't mean that protein shakes aren't doing you any good. I meant they aren't doing good at keeping you satisfied.

I agree with Terry. Protein shakes aren't doing you any good. My surgeon specifically said to stop them and eat solid foods. Yogurt is even a slider too. Eat slower, chew your bites. It will take you longer to eat and you will become satisfied. You don't want to have a feeling of being full. Just the feeling of not hungry. Do a protein bar in place of the shake but watch the calories too. Best wishes!

Hi Tracy! I came over for a little visit from the Lapband Forums. But we all want the same thing, right? I'd like to suggest the MyFitnessPal app. You can download it on your phone. You can search every food or even snap a pic of the bar code and it will all show up. Just choose your portion and it puts it all on there for you. I love it. It really helps me watch my calories. I know the lap band should keep me from eating as much, but if what I'm eating is crap, then I'm not gonna lose weight. Best wishes to you! Keep at it, you still have a very impressive weight loss.

I have a theory (completely NOT backed by scientific evidence) that when that band goes in, it changes the whole pressure system of your esophagus and stomach. I theorize that the smaller opening does not allow gas to go up and escape as a burp. (I never burp since surgery unless it's while I'm eating and even then they're small). So the gas stays in your stomach and the only way out is through the intestines. Now, I have always been a "gassier" person. And now, I am just a lean, mean, tootin' machine. But, since I've been eating healthier, they seem to stink less. So my husband is over in his chair breathing in huge amounts of methane and he's none for the wiser. And also, the reintroduction of real food after the cleansing of a liquid diet probably helps create more gas too. Watch out after surgery too. liquids in means liquids out and sometimes what you may think is a toot.....well, you can imagine. Was this whole response TMI? lol.

Oh, FOR SURE! I look at the items in people's carts too. And it's weird. I just feel so bad for them. I want to go up and say, "You don't need that stuff! Free yourself! Get WLS! Any kind of WLS!" I guess ever since I got the band and the hubby and I did a complete overaul of the way we eat, I even seem to notice overweight people more. I wonder what their story is. How they got the way they are. And really I just want to help them. But haha, I can't. Can you imagine a stranger walking up to you and wanting to discuss your weight? I also notice when people have Protein shakes and I want to ask them if they're having/had WLS. I'm a nut. One time, I went to the Kroger I always go to and there's this one cashier who's always a little annoyingly chatty. Well, I emptied my cart onto the belt. You can imagine, Frozen pizzas, chips, ice cream, sodas. She said, "You must have a teenager at home!" O..M..G..I didn't know if I wanted to die in shame or give her a good mind-your-own-dang-business tongue lashing.

Yay T-Bear! You posted your before pic! I love it. I was looking at myself in the mirror in my workout clothes today. From the front I look OK,, but then I turned to the side and I thought, I look like a giant potato with stick arms and legs. I almost took a pic to post. I should have. Maybe next time. Oh- and I meant to tell you that I do the same thing about the "pre-diabetes." I just refuse to acknowledge that it IS DIABETIC. And I'm a nurse. I should be ashamed. The things we do make ourselves feel better. lol.

The Ensure High Protein I found at Walgreens. They have them on sale every now and then.