Pepper28

Ive gone from 206 to now 152-155........

It doesnt feel as good as skinny folk made it look when I was heavier.

While I do appreciate the decrease in # on the scale & the size 18 to 8-9 but I dont really feel skinny until I pull out old fat pics.

And its nothing like seeing the bones in my chest to really get me stoked!

Once the band is installed it may or may not be filled but the portion of the stomach where the band is now attached can become irritated & will swell shut.

Clear liquids, Soups, & jellos until the swelling subsides.

6 weeks in I was eating as if Id had no weightloss surgery at all.

@@Ricksgal_1996

I take that back, i felt the restriction at 7.5 but 7.9 was when my problems started with the night coughs and when the bubble over my band developed.

May want to ask nurse or doctor abt the itchy/scratchy throat.

As long as theres no bubble no vomitting no reflux no night coughs you should be fine.

Ricksgal_1996

Itchy soar throat isnt one of the too tight symptoms, (I could be wrong) however, my problems did begin when I was filled to 7.5 in my 10cc band. I also had the perfect restriction there and was hardly ever hungry.

My pouch had began to bubble over my band so they took .3 out so now im at 7.2 and I feel hardly any restriction at all now. (i was banded August 1, 2013)

I go back in 2 weeks to see if the bubble is gone then I can get my .3 added back.

@@Didisom1

I had to chew my birthcontrol pills the entire 2 months that i was too tight & theyre pretty tiny pills.< /p>

Only the xray & the Fluid they make u swallow will show a slip & how severe it may be.

But if ur vomitting, that moves your stomach through the band & thats how the slip begins.

food restriction is one thing but u'll know youre too tight, even if Water goes down fine, but if ur having night coughs, night vomitting, sliming even though u've not eaten nor drank anything, ur too tight.

Vomitting causes slips.

Ive had 1.0 removed due to the above i go back May 7th for another xray to see if my slight slip has corrected itself. Ive not vomitted since the 1.0 was taken out & even though Im sleeping thru the night I fear I may be regaining that lost weight in the interim.

It took 7 months & 8 fills to feel restriction but it was the 8th month & 9th fill when I was filled too tight & finally lost 23lbs in 2 months at 7.9cc's in a 10cc band.

Being too tight came with a liquid diet & night coughs & vomitting & terrible terrible reflux.

So be careful what u wish for. Its hard to live life throwing up Water & liquids at work at church & in the malls, & riding around with a spit cup.

I've since had 1.0 removed after an xray showed signs of a slip.

I go back May 7th to see if the slip has straightened itself out so that I can get at least .5 of that added back.

At 7.9cc's in a 10cc band I lost 23lbs in 2 months but it came along with coughing & reflux for the entire 8 weeks.

Went in & had an entire 1.0 removed they said my xray was showing signs of a slip. My band was originally positioned at 2:00 but the xray showed that its coiled around to 6:00 bcuz of the vomitting.

Now I feel absolutely NO restriction at all & I fear regaining the only 20lbs ive ever lost.

I go back May 7th for another xray to see if the band has returned to its original 2:00 position & also to see just how much Ive regained ????

@@duckydoom

Love your story!

I'll consider consulting with a nutritionist.

Amazing how only a .5 makes a huge difference.

Same for me...it was like an instant light switch between eating a cow and a .5 later on sugar free Jello and popsicles for weeks!

Just reading thru your post & I understand you're in a program at work which gives nutritional information to people who have not had wls?

I find that if I stick to only those foods that do not irritate my pouch and I comply with my band's eating program I do just fine.

My list of foods is exactly as yours. No meat, only the soft parts of the chicken, ground turkey, etc.

I do live on Protein shakes, Soups, and salads, sugar free jellos, oatmeal, mushies. And yes its a VERY VERY miserable life, a very different life from my pre-band life where I carried around 60 extra pounds on my knees and ankles baring most of the weight, but I've accepted it as my New Normal..

Will I be able to tolerate this for years on end? for the rest of my life?

I don't know. But its the sacrifice I'm willing to endure for the moment until I've gotten my weight under control.

And if removing my band means gaining weight....I'll try and ride it out for as long as I must...

@shondelrobert

Your band was merely "installed" last month. What they don't tell us in the consultation is that it could take months to get to the restriction level (sweet spot) where your hunger diminishes and your not able to consume the same volume of food at one sitting.

I'm 7 months in and countless fills later and I "think" I've finally made it.

It's been a long road. Some only take 1 fill, some 4, some 10...Restriction with lap band you have to sneak up on it, it isn't immediately out of surgery.

If I were you, I'd stick to chickens and meats and vegetables for now. Stay away from sliders and junk foods that you can eat a lot of because they're filled with the most calories and will cause weight gain.

Right now any weight loss will be from your very own will power and discipline.

Eat a teaspoon of sugar.

Not Equal, Not Splenda, but the real Emperial Sugar.

Stops those hiccups in their tracks!

I've been taking 5,000 Biotin daily for about 8-9yrs now. Does wonders for my nails.

For my hair it stopped shedding. It doesnt grow fast but at normal speed and also with a ton of greys. The texture comes out really course but unbreakable as I relax frequently and still minimal shedding so im able to retain fullness.

The worst side effect ive found so far is awful acne that i treat daily w/silicilic acid face washes and cremes.

Swallowing anything was pretty easy early on especially outta surgery.

Now im starting to feel the Fluid sit in my pouch and seap thru, forcing my gulps to become sips.

I think ur fine right now tho.

First I got those remarks about just dieting & exercising and if i allow my past to be the lesson that weight never stays off by my birthday ive gained it all back again.

Then after the weight didnt come off right away i got "you wasted your money"

6months in & 16lbs down im dying to get more of the weight off just to rub it in all their faces!

Which ever decision u make, just know it also means eating Hot Foods, Cold and Cold Foods, Hot!

Ive reheated my egg white omelete twice so far. I hate throwing away food especially when it was bought for me but i think its going in the trash now.

Also Soups, i have to pour exactly 4ozs into a bowl if not, the rests will get reheated until its not good to eat anymore.

Even all my Ice creams melt on me..i maybe scooping portions that are too large tho. Old habits die hard!

W/Lapband, 10lbs a month is a reach. Especially if the intestines arent rerouted like with sleeve and gastric. They get the benefits of having the small pouch like us AND a portion of the intestines that absorb calories taken out.

But with alot of working out & dieting it cld very well be possible.

Ive been "knowingly" (no bones about it) too tight for 1 week now. Im talking Night Coughs, sliming from drinking Water, unable to swallow spit.

This week alone ive lost my very FIRST 11lbs in 6 months.

I paid outta pocket & let me say again, my first 11lbs & Ive gotta be this miserable to do it???

Today is the 8th day w/this fill level & I feel a lot better. Im onto Soups & Protein shakes for now until this band's swelling subsides some more.

I walk walk walk the stuck pain away until the sliming stops & walking also forces the food or liquids thru. So does warm showers & heating pads until this thing loosens on its own.

Yes in the first 3-5 days after a fill ive had problems with cold liquids.

If im at work, i drink warm tea or coffee.

At home, i will lay a heating pad across my tummy/chest to get more things like Soups and mash potatoes grits or oatmeal down.

Also walking the food/liquid down or having someone pat u on the back or urself on the chest to shake the food down.

Imagine feeding a baby, after the feeding u burp the baby if u dont the baby burps it all back up if u dont get the food shaken down and allow it to just sit in the pouch & cause nausea.

(Just my philosophy)

Ive been getting night coughs for only a week now since my last fill bringing me to 7.9cc's in my 10cc band.

Ive slept in a recliner for the past 2 days and its taken that nasty nasty cough away.

Tonight I will also try not to eat 3hrs before bedtime to see if that works.

Ive got 2 neighbors w/the sleeve who complain about the exact same thing who also sleep in recliners.

Sleeves are non-adjustable, which makes me glad I chose lap band now.

I've been having these night coughs since my last fill a week ago.

I sleep in a recliner now so its not as bad as lying flat.

I have 2 sleeved neighbors who've got the same night cough issue.

Since the sleeve isnt adjustable theyre stuck w/this which sorta makes me happy that I chose lap band instead.

First thing I do when im stuck is unbutton my bra and my pants! So i really dont eat out anymore until I learn those foods that gives me problems.

I try to do the can Soups that u heat up and drink or a Protein shake during work hours and home is where i introduce new foods

But the pain is normally dead center of my chest. Sometimes I slime for an hour sometimes not.

But it does take my breath away its not anything u can get use to.

Way to go Sleevers!

Just realized Im in the wrong forum

U felt restricted in the beginning outta surgery because of the internal swelling. Now once it subsides, the band opens up & hunger returns.

This will continue until u've been filled to the proper fill level.

@debravasquez

And that, my friend, is the lapband in a nutshell.

Couldn't have summed it up better myself even down to the dieting woes!

Your observation of this weightloss procedure is correct.

@B-52

Interesting...wonder why bypass and sleeve patients loose more weight per month....

Gastric patients only absorb half of the calories eaten because the part of the intestine that absorb calories have been cut out along with the egg sized pouch. So they've got a double bonus!

Sleeve patients entire stomachs (not just the top portion like lap band) are cut into the shape of a long tube, much like a paper towel roll all the way down thru to the intestines

Lap Band on the other hand, all we have is the egg sized pouch, we still absorb 100% of the calories eaten.