Cocoabean

26 lbs in less than 2 months is wonderful weight loss! How much did your surgeon tell you that you can expect to lose? I was told 1-2 lbs per week, but I averaged less than 1 lb per week. Taking the 20 lbs during the 2 week post-op into account, you have done 1 lb per week. Once you find restriction, you will likely be able to get that to a bit faster rate. When you are sick, your body does what it wants to do. And getting IV fluids just pumps weight into you. Don't even look at the scale. What you list for meals doesn't sound like enough calories. Is this typical or just because you were sick? You should be taking in 1000-1200 a day. If you go much less than that, you will not lose much. Your body can go into starvation mode and hang onto every last calorie. Have you talked to your nutritionist about what might be a good program for you? Best wishes!

Hi Juliansmom, For me it was one of those I knew it when I had it moments. Sort of like my first slime episode was a "what the heck is all this goo? OOOOHHHHH" moments. I didn't get restriction until fill #2. For me it is: Feeling satisfied on a small portion, but not getting stuck, provided I have chewed well. A meal will last me 3-4 hours. I don't obsess over my next meal. food doesn't rule all my thoughts. Yes, I still have head hunger, but with physical hunger under control, I can better fight it. When I was overfilled, every meal was torture. Even yogurt was painful. I got stuck on string cheese and mashed potatoes. As a side note, one of the first foods I got stuck on was a banana. I didn't eat one agin for a year. Then I was fine with them. After my last fill, they bother me again.

Hey Everyone, I keep reading about using gas-x strips for the post-op shoulder pain due to the gas used to pump up the abdomen during surgery. I am curious how these would help, as they are designed to help gas inside the stomach not outside the stomach? I am 2 years post-op, so my question is theoretical at this point for me. But I cannot see how something for the digestive system would work for that pain. (Obviously I did not try them ) Thanks!

Were you dieting prior to starting the pre-op? This could make a difference. If you were already restricting intake and had already lost the water weight, you might not have had that to let go of once you began the shakes.

I did the medi-fast program. This is 5 of their shakes/soups/bars per day and one "lean and green" meal, which is a salad/veggie and lean meat meal. I did it for two weeks. I lost 8 lbs. I was not sick or dizzy, just hungry. I took my normal medications. However, your pre-op diet will be what your surgeon tells you to do. You don't want to change what you are told to do without his/her permission. It seems each doctor is different. They have their reasons for their choice of pre-op diets. Stick with what they tell you to do

I've never coughed or snorted during a stuck episode. Also I've never heard of an infection from stuck food? Anyone have any resources/information about this? When I get stuck I get pain/pressure just beneath my sternum. Then I get the slime. This is a thick mucous the body creates to facilitate the stuck item's removal. Either up or down. As the passage to your stomach is blocked, the slime has no where to go but up and out the mouth. Walking helps the pain and if it is not a bad episode, it will help the food move through. If it is a bad episode, I will gulp some Water down which will immediately trigger the item to come back up. It is not really vomitting, as I don't retch or gag. It just comes up and out and it is over. Before I learned this trick, an episode could last for a couple of hours. Now it is over in minutes. Once you find what works for you, a stuck episode isn't really that bad. It IS possible to get something stuck that won't clear. Then your stomach swells making things worse. In this case, you need medical intervention. The Fluid needs to be removed from the band so that the food can clear and the swelling go down. Then the fluid can be put back in. Denise

I cannot answer the SSI question. But the first place to start would be your primary care doctor who can make a referral. Denise

I wonder if part of the chew, chew, chew doesn't go back to gastric bypass patients. The new pouch created during that procedure doesn't grind food, thus it must be completely masticated to continue on it's way through the digestive process. However, I have swallowed half chewed items and lived to regret it. But I also don't chew my food to liquid. It is a fine art, and one that you will master with time. I have also had experiences when I swallowed something not fully chewed and thought I was done for, only to find it was fine. My surgeon doesn't have an issue with my having some liquids with food. I have also not noticed a difference in my satiety levels if I sip some liquids or not with meals. But I don't drink massive amounts, just a few sips to moisten my mouth. My surgeon does have an issue with drinking liquids with calories rather than eating the calories. Your surgeon may very well have different insrtructions and your mileage may vary. I confess that I have a little bit of milk with my dinner. It is a habit I can't seem to break, and my surgeon knows about it. We agreed to disagree. It is the only calorie containing liquid I consume, and about 8 oz a day. I can live with that. My surgeon doesn't even want me using Protein shakes. He wants all my calories to come in solid form. Except after fills, which at this point, happen rarely. You will find what works for you. This is what works for me. Denise

Interesting, Teacher07, thanks for the info.

I think you are your band are going to get along very well!! Denise

as long as your levels are monitored and controlled, you should have no issues.

Yes, especially if I drink Water in an attempt to get rid of the offending item. It goes down, and then just comes up again. Sort of a reverse of gravity. There is no heaving or retching involved. Just an urp! And out it comes. Denise

Hi Jennifer! I hope it helps! It's taken nearly two years of practice and I don't know how many stuck episodes to reach this point :thumbup: Funny for me, my mind has had to catch up with my stomach! My brain still thinks I don't have a band. I still feel as hungry as I did before the band. Ok, that isn't exactly it. My hunger still feels the same. When I am hungry, I feel like I can eat the same amount. I have to make an effort to not put the same amount of food on my plate. You mentioned a salad plate. That is a very good idea. I use a smaller plate whenever I can. It just limits the amount I can grab. Even thought intellectually I know I won't be able to eat the bigger quantity, if there is room on the plate, I want to fill it up. It is getting easier to not do so. But it takes a loooong time to retrain the brain. When I complained about this at a fill, my surgeon said, "well, it took you 43 years to learn to eat the way you have been, what makes you think you will learn these new habits over night?" Dang, was he ever right. But, I have done two cruises with my band. I have not felt deprived on either one. Sure, I had to be more selective on what I chose because there was not as much room, but that really isn't a bad thing. Denise

Hi Spaz, Something else to add to your practice, and maybe you do, but just didn't put it here. Take the bite, CHEW IT COMPLETELY and SWALLOW IT, then talk. Be sure you have fully chewed the item and swallowed it. I can't tell you how many times I have gotten myself into trouble by being in a hurry to say something. Momma said it is rude to talk with my mouth full, so I chew quickly and not thoroughly, swallow it to say something and, DANG-IT-ALL!!!! STUCK! It takes some getting used to, that is a fact! Denise

Hamburger was one of my worst ever stuck foods! It went on for over 5 hours! I spoke with my surgeon the next day. He said that even though it is ground it is very hard on the band due to the fact that it can have a lot of gristle in it and we don't get that chewed enough. I am still very cautious when I eat burger. It scares the tar out of me. I really like your idea of letting gravity help you! Denise

Oh! Bagels and I had a nasty break-up!! I can't eat chicken breast meat any longer either. But as it was aversion therapy, I don't really miss them much :thumbup: But I DO keep trying to eat sticky rice, like in sushi, sometimes its good...sometimes it isn't! Should probably stick with sashimi. But as my hubby says, "You can be taught, but you'll never learn!" I am down close to 80% of my excess weight (taken from my all time high). My surgeon said I could expect about 60-80% for my case. So, I am very happy with my results. Now, if I'd just put my mind into these last few lbs. I'd show him and make it 100% of my excess! HA! That would teach him! :tt1: Denise

Hi Poppyred, 5 lbs in one month is a great loss! Don't downplay it. 1-2 lbs a week is wonderful. During my active losing phase, I averaged less than a lb. per week, but I got most of the weight off! As to the sweet spot. Even if Barble is losing at good rate, she might still want a fill if she thinks she can get better restriction. She may be white knuckling through each day and getting the weight off totally with willpower. With the band that is not necessary. She can fine tune it. My comment on the $200k insurance. That is what her insurance was BILLED. Not the amount that changed hands perhaps. But the poster was speaking to what was BILLED and to her lifetime max. Her benefits might max out because of what the hospital billed her insurance. Even if they only paid $5k. That sucks. I got a copy of my bill, it was $43,000. My copay was $100. Self-pay would have been much less than $43k. It is something to be aware of. Many insurances have a lifetime cap.

There is another thread about the pre-op diet and Last Meal Syndrome. I wish someone had told me how "normally" I would still be able to eat after I found my sweet spot. I still eat many of my favorite foods. When I eat out, no one would watch me eating and think, "Wow, she must have had WLS, look at what/how she is eating." I have a good friend who is of average weight. She and I often eat similar things in similar portion sizes. Denise

If you are eating buddies, this could be a factor, also. But, you can assure him that you will still be able to go out. You will have to make different selections, or perhaps share Entrees with him. You can still enjoy cocktails at the lake. Alcohol contains calories with no nutritional value, thus you want to limit the intake, but it has no detrimental effect on the band. If you drink carbonated beverages, that may have to change. Fear of change itself can be huge. My hubby was not really supportive of the idea at first. Especially when I considered gastric bypass. That was just too scary for him, and the radical diet change was such that he could not/would not consider it. As he adjusted to the idea of the band, it became easier for him to deal with. I could not have done this if he had not supported it. He came to all the seminars and pre-op support groups with me, and also to many of my pre-op appointments with my surgeon. My surgeon actually requires this. I thought it was a great idea. He could ask questions and not just rely on me for information. He knew the answers were not slanted to my point of view. He was able to make his own informed decision. Now he is 100% supportive of me. Denise

Best wishes for tomorrow! Post when you can about how it went. We look forward to watching you be a loser! And you know, if the food police try to give you a ticket, you say, "isn't it great that I can have this and exercise moderation with my band? I love it!" Like Catherine (you look fantastic in those pics, by the way, Catherine!) I lost less than a pound a week, but I am getting there, and I feel great. Denise

That is a great one!! My DH will burp me when I am on the verge of a stuck episode! Denise

That is the gas they use to fill your abdomen during the surgery. It will dissipate with time. Walking helps a lot. Keep moving! In another week, you should be feeling MUCH better!! Denise

Yeah, right. "You're gonna do WHAT, with THAT?" Then I blink and see it is a really tiny thing. No, really, after the numbing stuff, which stings a tiny bit, I just feel a bit of pressure and a slight pop when the huber needle goes into the port and then all done! Drink some Water to be sure it isn't too tight and I am out the door. Denise

The principal divulged your personal medical information! This is a HUGE deal! At the very least, I'd have a conversation with him/her (I'll use the male pronoun). It was not his place to tell, nor his right. Would he have announced if you were having a colonoscopy? I think not. His heart may have been in the right place, or maybe not. It doesn't matter. Perhaps he was trying to explain your absence. It doesn't matter. All that should have been said is that "Shadst8 will be out for 2 weeks." As to the email. I would ask him to send it. Along with an apology, and stating that he should not have said anything about your condition and upcoming surgery during the staff meeting. He should request that the staff please respect your privacy as to your medical condition and not ask you questions about it. You have a right to be outraged! Denise

I have flown several times with no issue. I believe the port has a bit of metal on the back side of it. Should be simple enough to explain if the detector is set that sensitive. The detectors pick up metals is areas of the body, so if you are wearing bracelets, lift your arms going through, this will spread out the metal, making it less likely that you will cause a need for secondary search. I did a 3 month stint on jury duty after being banded, this was a comon solution when I set off the detectors at the courthouse. I always wear a heavy sterling silver bracelet. I would remove my watch but not the bracelet, so the guards would have me lift my arms. It worked every time. The band will not expand in flight as there is no air inside of it. It is all saline, so no worries there! I have never felt any changes. Denise