Cocoabean

It sounds to me that you could be too tight. If only slider foods go down with ease, you might do better with a little less Fluid in your band to allow you to eat solids. This might help you to feel fuller for longer and get a grip on the appetite. My band is often tighter in the morning. My typical Breakfast is a couple of graham crackers with some Peanut Butter. It gets me some Protein without being hard to eat. It also holds me for a few hours. As for non-coffee or tea drinks. Maybe some broth or Soups. Or sugar-free cocoa? Best wishes! Denise

Love the stringy rubber cement reference. How true! Wow, grape juice would be messy if you missed the bucket. Urgh! Or do you drink the white juice? I have dove grey carpet. I can't imagine the mess..... I don't have any problem up-chucking, never have. I am thankful for that. I just hope that I am not too quick to go that route. I know vomitting is bad for us in band-land, but when I do it, there is very little heaving. Just an urp, a blop, and I feel much better. My rationalization is that by bringing it up fast, my stomach isn't roiling for hours trying to get the offending article down or up. I am facilitating the inevitable. Denise

[quote name=GraciesMom;1388360 Hi Denise' date=' Ok, the small world part is we also have a neighbor with a beautiful golden, and her name is Stella too. Also as for your screen name, that is my nickname for my 19 year old grandaughter. Her name is Destiny, and since she was a little baby I have called her "Destiny de Cocoa Beans", I even had a little ditty that I sang to her that I made up with that name. I am a nickname developer, and do it with everyone!:wub: She LOVES that name to this day, but I am not sure about the song ~Cheryl~ Hey Cheryl! Cocoa was our beloved chocolate labrador. His name morphed into Cocoabean, then Sweetbean, Sweetbeany, and so on. He was such a clown! We still miss him. (sniff) Now we have a yellow boy who has stolen our hearts. He is Butters aka Butterbean, Bubba, and Bubs. We, too, do the nicknames and work them into songs! I had to check to see if you were in Idaho. Stella's parents are there and she is named after her mother. She's such a doll. We are giving serious consideration to a golden girlie for our next poochie. I'd have a whole pack if I could, but our circumstances don't allow for it. Two would be the max and will most likely happen when I retire in a few years. For now, we have Butters, and Stella visits from across the street often. They are best buddies. Denise

GraciesMom--is Gracie the golden retriever? Love the name! Our neighbors have a golden, we suggested the name Gracie but they went with Stella, she's a peach :wub: Anway, on topic. After my weight loss stabilized a family memeber who has shared the weight battle with me and knew of my surgery said that she was glad she knew of it because while I was losing she might have worried that I was ill as it seemed I was losing so quickly and my body was changing so much from her perspective. Now, in fact, I really wasn't losing at a fast clip, I averaged a little less than a pound a week. But I did find it intersting. I think for many of us, we haven't been anywhere near a normal weight for so long that we look "sickly" or "too skinny" to people around us when we get anywhere near normal. I am still a few pounds above a normal BMI. So definitely not too skinny. But I have been warned about it! Too funny. I am still amazed when I hold up my size 10 jeans, and I have been wearing them for almost a year. They are soooo cute! Denise

Oh yes, hmarko, if you opt to drink something in quantities larger than sips, the reaction is generally immediate! I tried sipping pineapple juice early on, it didn't help me. I like a faster result. I have learned over time that when I get stuck, in order to feel better sooner, what goes down must come up. Ah, they joys of banded life. But still, one of the best decisions I have made. Denise

I was dying on the clear liquids! I totally feel your pain! My surgery was on a Friday and I got cleared for full liquids on Monday. There is hope! Denise

If he doesn't call you, you call him and ask. They might have a suggestion of something you can have that will sustain you better until you can move forward to mushies. Best wishes! Denise

My surgery was the second case of the day. So I got to go home that day. Had it been later, I would have stayed. I also would have stayed if there were any complications. Nothing was set in stone until the release papers were signed. At one point I wished I had stayed-I woke up during the night and the vicodin had worn off. I could not sit up. Had to wake the DH to get me some and help me get out of bed to use the bathroom. A mechanical bed would have been nice for that. Don't know what I would have done without someone to help. I guess I'd have lost weight quicker! :smile2:

Keep focus on the prize! You can make it! Also, keep the hope. I was pleasantly surprised, when my surgeon called to check on me a few days post-op, he was so pleased with my progress he let me move from liquids to mushies several days before I expected it! But really, don't do anything to risk vomitting or hurting yourself right now! Very important! It sucks, but you are worth it. Denise

The OP posted in an open forum a question about disability coverage. One's right to respond should not have anything to do with working in the industry. Some people here might have had a need to use disabilty coverage and had approval for 6 weeks of covearge due to medical need from complications or some such. This forum is designed for exchange of information and support. The OP took it one step further to say her desire to be off work had nothing to do with medical need but hatred of the job. Again in an open forum. Post in an open forum and you get what you get. She didn't ask for professional guidance from insurance folk nor for PM responses. My opinion is just a valid as anyone elses.

What bugs me the most about it is that there is no rhyme or reason to it. What I ate with no problem yesterday might get stuck today. It's especially frustrating when eating out. I try to pick things that will go down, but I can't count how many times I have taken one bite of something and gotten stuck. What a waste. If possible, I take it home, but it is darned annoying! Scottyd -- I hope your refill goes well. Fight the good fight with the hunger until then. You really want your stomach to heal so that the fill will go well and not cause new problems! Sorry you had to go through all this. I hated it when I was overfilled and trying to decide whether to get unfilled or not. Denise

Jacqui, Glad to see you are still posting! I took some time away. Nice to see long-term successes still around. Motivating to see many at different places along the journey. Denise

Me too! Denise

I also wanted to add, he cheers when I let loose a big burp. Burps are good when banded. It means the food is moving along and the banded purson is not stuck. Might not be ladylike, but it feels soooooo good! Thanks for being there for her! Denise

Worst PB ever for me---Newbies--this might gross you out..but it wasn't painful, just surprising!: This was just last week. I was in the middle of a slime episode where I was holding the paper towel up to my mouth. I was sliming a bit. Was going to spit it into the towel and burped at the same time. This jet propelled the slime and food into the towel. When it hit the towel it then shot backward and spread out all over my face! EEEWWW! That was a new one. Thought I had experienced everything in two years! NOT!!

The way I see it with keeping it private...which certainly is your choice. 1. You swear a person who needs to know to secrecy or tell them that they may tell one person. So they do, and swear that person to secrecy or give permission that they may tell one person. Yada yada...every one is in your business. 2. People see you have lost weight and comment. Many are curious as to how you do it. Some are interested for personal reasons. I am guilty of this. A person I sort of knew at work was losing weight, I asked how she did it, thinking maybe she had found the magic bullet. She confided after a moment's cosideration that she had gone through gastric bypass. I am sure she had gone through the same thought process of how to handle the situration. I am thankful she told me. She helped me to see that it was possible to me, also. So, for what it is worth, that's my thinking on the topic. I chose to be open...except for the two people I mentioned upthread. Denise

The honesty is refreshing, however. :biggrin: But I agree with the other poster, unless there are complications, this surgery doesn't rate 6 weeks off. I'd be surprised if a doctor would support it. I did 1 week of sick leave and half-time work/sick leave the second week. In my case, with no complications, my surgeon cleared me for work at one week, but said he would write me a note for two weeks. My boss did not require a note and would have let me take more if I wanted it. But it was my sick leave not disability. Best wishes in your recovery! Denise

This just cracked me up! Sorry to laugh at your expense, but it is laughing WITH you! We've all been there. Being overfilled is no fun. That is for sure. I was once, I could still get Water down, but that was all and it was a struggle. Don't mess with it. I also had a stuck episode that went on for 5 hours. Never knew the body could manufacture that much spit and slime. I called my surgeon the next morning just to check in about it. I didn't need an unfill after that one, just took it easy for a couple of days. It's all a learning process. As to the original topic, I do the same. One day I can eat half a cow the next day only soup or mushies. I asked my surgeon about it. He says that the stomach moves a bit up and down within the confines of the band. So you feel tighter or looser as this occurs. Also, as I watch my "normal weight" friends, they have days when they are more hungry and days when they are less. Just my thoughts on the topic! Denise

Not a Master Bander, either. I eat to my appetite. Breakfast is usually 2-3 graham crackers with a little Peanut Butter. lunch is either a half sandwich and salad or Pasta, soup, or frozen low-cal meal. dinner is salad and meat of some sort. I'll admit to occassional Snacks that aren't the best choice. But I like that about the band. I am free to make choices and have special treats. Denise

Oh, forgot to mention -- PB (productive burp) you don't have control over. You burp, and surprise! You have a mouth full of whatever just went down.

Best advice I can give -- as soon as you start to feel any discomfort stop eating until it goes away. If you ignore it and keep eating, you are in trouble. Can't say how many times I have done that. :biggrin: There is not always an immediate relief. One of my first stuck episodes went on for 5 hours. I never knew a body could manufacture so much liquid. I kept vomitting, but the offending item would not come up. After hours of torture, it finally cleared...that was the worst. A few things that have worked for me: Walk, walk, walk, and walk. The more you move, the less it hurts. Making weird faces seems to help, too. :tongue2: Hubby will rub my back to help me burp. Same principle as burping a baby. Mix a little baking soda in Water and drink it down. This will often bring it back up with very little heaving. Be near a sink or toilet when you do this. Sometimes I can just lean over the toilet and work my stomach muscles and bring it up. Last resort is a finger down the throat. Sometimes it will take more than one attempt to get the "cork" out of the bottleneck. But once it comes out, then the relief is immediate. After a bad episode, I take it easy for a day or two and stick with soft foods. My stomach can be sore for a while. I have problems with breads and dry meats. I pretty much avoid them these days. Best wishes on your journey. Denise

My husband does not have a weight problem and never has, so my struggle was never his. Things my husband does that I love... He'll say "chew, chew, chew" at the beginning of a meal to remind me, as I tend to eat too fast and take bites that are too big. He shares meals with me when we eat out. Saves money and calories! He can identify when I am getting something stuck before I can and will say, "you OK?" Never blames me if I get stuck, unless I blame myself first, and only then in a loving manner. Leaves me alone when stuck. Was right there with the pain meds after surgery. Things I hate: He used to tend to be the food police. He's worked hard to knock that off. When I was getting close to getting to a weight below his he decided to "teach me a lesson" about controlling food intake and started restricting his food and lost about 7 lbs in short order. Best wishes to both of you! Denise

My doc said no gum. It could get stuck if swallowed. Fortunately, I am not a gum chewer. Check with your doc to see what he or she says and ask why. Denise

I chose to be open about it. The only person close to me that I didn't tell is my mother-in-law, and that is because she would have made a huge production out of it, and would still be asking me if I am ok and rubbing my cheek in concern--2 years later. Some people assumed that I have done it on my own, since the loss was slow, and I didn't go out of my way to dispell them. But if asked how I did it, I tell the truth. There was one person at work for whom I had a vehement dislike. I did tell her it was smaller portions, which was not a lie. But there was no way I was going to go into it with her. She'd proceed to say whatever she wanted to about me to anyone who'd listen anyway, so there was no point in wasting my breath. She was one who didn't need to lose weight but was forever saying she needed to go on a diet. Or complained about how "fat" she was. Ugh! Anyway, my 2 cents worth. Denise

I was a very show loser. I didn't start to lose anything until 2 weeks post-op and then I averaged 0.5-1 lb. per week. Many don't lose anything until they start getting fills. Don't get discouraged. I remember being on here and seeing others lose way faster than I was. I'd get so annoyed! But you know what? I continued on, and now, I am down 60 lbs. I am about 5 lbs. away from a normal BMI. My blood pressure is normal, my blood sugar is normal! Just remember, this is not a race or a contest, you WILL succeed. Continue to heal and look forward to fills. Denise