::tracy::

i get chest pain when i am hungry. I am now 9 months post op ... it seems to be something that somedays doesn't bother me too much and others it is terrible pain. food fixes it though. It is kind of weird experiencing all these new niggles and sensations ...

Hey, great story. i love hearing peoples successes ... all too often we can get caught up in what is not going right. However i do have to say ... you men ... you make me so jealous at the rate you lose weight!!! Haha ... good on you!! i have to stay i am so pleaed with my own journey so far. i am over half way to goal in 7 months ... can not complain at that. i just invested in a punch bag, pink boxing gloves, dumbbells and resistance bands ... this is to add to my already full on cardio work outs ... lean muscle burns fat!! i love the new me!!

i had quite a while off as i was banded just before xmas and had holidays in there. However i could have gone back after 10 days i guess. i had planned on going back after 6 but it didn't work out as i still had the little staples in my tummy and they were uncomfy ... once they were out though, i felt alot more comfortable. Just see what happens, take it easy. The other thing that can prevent an early return is of course ... liquids in ... liquids out. i haven't read all the posts to see if anyone has mentioned it ... but i know it was a problem for me. I never went too far from the bathroom!!

i think you are doing great too. i cheated a little, i had a salad on my birthday which was a few days before my surgery. try not to stress, the stress will be more harmful than the noodles!! all the best with your surgery, let us know how you get on. it is a tough road to travel, but totally worth it!! i would do it all again if i had to. i feel amazing!! *hugs*

i don't get shoulder pain however i know that that pain is referred from pressure, Fluid, air ... whatever on the diaphragm. Makes sense ... especially the eating too much

There is not alot of nutrition in those. i am much the same, i tend to go to what is easy after a fill and feel pretty rotten, but i try to get in some Optifast or even some kind of fruit smoothies ... something like that. Of course you have to do what your surgeon says, however looking at that list i would guess the sickness is coming from lack of nutrition during that time. Our ketones increase ... which is an awesome sign of fat burning ... however elevated ketones can make us feel sick!!

what kind of fluids are you drinking? perhaps it is low blood sugar that is making you feel unwell? Thats my immediate thought given you feel better once you eat.

i gave up before my pre-op diet ... sadly i have started again ... 6 months later .... i will give up again ... but disappointing. As far as surgery, yeah, you really have to think about if you want to be in the best shape for it and for the recovery.

Well i am over half way now. I am so pleased with my results so far. Certainly lots of hard work, but totally worth it. Sorry to blow my own trumpet ... but i am sooooooo happy!! i must to some before and after pics

i confess ... i am a gum swallower!! i have been all my life! If it goes in my mouth and i chew it, i swallow it. i don't even think about it ... i just do it. This is the reason i have not chewed gum since i have been banded ... actually no ... once i did but then i remembered i have a band and i spat it out before it was even fully chewed. i envy those who can chew with no problem and without fear of swallowing ... i do like gum. i am very much a mints girl now ...

i planned on going back after 5 days but my surgeon said no i had to wait a week and then it was only going to be a couple of days until my xmas break ... so i had a good month or so off. YES ... liquids in ... liquids out. My experiences were numerous in those first few weeks post op. Buy some sanitary liners and go to the bathroom often! All the best!

i noticed no difference after my first fill either, it wasn't until my second did i get any restriction. And for some it is the third or forth. As for stretching it out ... this is my thought ... when i eat too much now ... i feel it, i feel the food hasn't gone through and it hurts! I would say if you are getting no pain/discomfort the food is moving through and if you are not "pigging out" then i would say there is little risk of stretching the pouch. i totally understand your frustrations ... you have spent all this money and you now want it to start working now. Don't be too rushed though ... it can take time to find your "sweet spot". Time and time again i read in these forums people worried that this might happen or that might happen ... in reality there are a minimal amount that this happens too. Of course none of us want to be that minority however I don't think it is worthy of too much concern or worry. If you follow the instructions of your surgeon, you treat your band nicely, listen to niggles and pains ... then there is little more we can do. We are all so individual with the band, put the same band in a 100 people and you get 100 different experiences. Use others experiences as a guide, not an absolute on how it should work for you. All the best for your fill on the 9th! hugs

yes agreed ... it is a blessing in disguse!! IT used to be the time of the month i put weight on ... now ... it is when i lose the most ... just to the fact eating is so ... challenging!! i do think i am at my sweet spot though ... i am losing about 1kg (2.2pounds) per week ... perhaps a touch more ... it is all sweet otherwise!

no, it is not too tight. i see my surgeon regularly and he is quite happy where it is at. you were quite correct in your assumption, i as making reference to tightness/restriction ... not food choices. My food choices are quite limited now as i can not tolerate meat for the most part, bread ... all the usuals. Again the food types that came with no surprise to the surgeon or myself for that matter. i have only had two fills, i am at about 4.5 or 5 ... something like that ... not sure to be honest. i am certainly not looking for another fill, i have been at this since feb ... so if i think i was too tight it would have become evident before now. i will discuss it with my surgeon today anyways ... thanks

walk walk walk my worst pain after was back pain from how i was positioned for my surgery ... i had some hyperextension of my lower back. That lasted for weeks. It all comes right though.

i have good and bad days with food ... it almost seems to cycle through the month and i think i now see a pattern emerging ... i was wondering if anyone else has experienced the same. I am sure leading up to menstruation that it seems i feel tighter and have more episodes of PB's. Also too, if i am tired or run down ... and especially if i am stressed the same thing happens. Does anyone experience the same of similar?

I have lost 56 pounds (pounds sounds so much better than kgs!!) I have to say i am pleased with my results so far. When i first had my surgery done i decided i wanted to lose 77 pounds by xmas ... at this rate, that will be well achieved by that date. i went shopping today, brought some lovely new clothes (well i go shopping often now) however as i was trying them on i was so certain that the sizing must have been wrong haha ... it was like ... there is no way i should fit this size! Great feeling!!!

the symptoms you are suggesting don't seem to be anything related to the band. like someone suggested, i think you need to see a pulmonary specialist or something of the like. it is all too easy to blame the band, they are right .... be patient, don't panic, let it settle and then reassess. you need to trust the surgeon. If the hospital is saying your O2 saturation is satisfactory, then that is what it will be ... if it wasn't ... you would still be there now, until it is.

this is a great thread, but i think it would be quite good to see a poll on percentage of weight lost to date. haha ... if i was not so technologically retarded i would do it myself. my weight loss as a percentage is 20%. Thats alot.

I hear what you are saying, but i would be willing to bet that there are deeper issues aside from spanking that has caused a divide between children and parents that would not see your siblings want to be there to take care of your father as he passed on. I certainly don't mean to say you are not telling the truth, but spanking alone should not cause a rift like that. Beatings from a father perhaps ... a few light smack on the bottom with an open hand, no. As i have said earlier, i was spanked a few times as a child but those memories fade in comparison to the awesome times i had with my mother, the loving and caring times. I have never felt resentful for being spanked, because i knew my mom loved me.

Thats awesome Jennie, i now buy stuff a size too small so i ensure i will fit it soon, to be fair though, clothes aren't lasting more than one or two months for me, then they are starting to get loose. Expensive but exciting!! Hi aurbie, i love your story. It reminds me so much of my hubby, he doesn't quite do the shopping thing, but when i get home from the mall i have to model everything i have purchased, especially when i go to the underwear store!! When i purchase underwear now, i buy matching bra and knickers. i certainly don't look like a supermodel in them ... but hubby's reaction ... i think he thinks i am now ... oh i love his rose coloured glasses when it comes to me. i had a good empty out of my drawers and wardrobe two nights ago, my hubby took great pleasure in phoning his sister, who is a "bigger" woman too, to ask her if she would like to try on the clothes that are now to big for me. His sister is a strange one, everyone else i know has commented on my weight loss, as it is quite significant now ... 20kg (44 pounds), she always looks me up and down but she hasn't mentioned one single word. Jealousy is a terrible thing.

i agree with you fully. i am not a parent myself and i wonder what type of discipline i would use. i have plenty of friends that have children who are good parents but use smacking as and when required. i think there is a place for smacking, to me smacking is not about hurting your child physically ... it is about enforcing a message ... that a behaviour or action is not acceptable. Growing up i was very rarely smacked but when i was, i knew my mother meant business. It never did me any harm and if i had my own children i would do the same ... perhaps if this surgery works out for me, i will have my own.

in New Zealand (where i live) it is illegal to spank your children. i believe it is wrong to take away the choices of parents. The anti-smacking law has divided the country. in my opinion ... spanking/smacking is not the same as beating/abusing. This law will not stop the abusers, it has the potential of making criminals out of decent people, because they use smacking as they feel necessary.

hang in there Jayme ... the end of liquids is in sight. It is so frustrating i know. Just remember, this time is about healing and resting your tummy after the trauma it has been through. Stick with the Protein shakes ... they are packed with nutrition and that is what is required when you are healing. I love my liquid meals now ... haha ... it is like an about face turn after 6 weeks of Protein Shakes and soups ... i thought i would never touch them again. i have been super lucky in that i haven't really felt hungry at all since banding (20 weeks ago) ... i get what i could describe as a psychological hunger where i think i need to eat, but that can be eliminated by other activities ... exercise, TV, reading this website. Wait until you get to the hair loss stage ... haha ... then you have something to worry about!! that has caused me more worry than anything else of late!

joycreated, i am pleased you have had a little more success with lunch today. It is such a slow process learning how your own band works for you. We are all different and what is normal and tolerated for one person is not ok for the next. i think as long as you are losing within that healthy range, you are not deficient in nutrients and you feel well, i think you are doing ok. Or at least that is my opinion. my surgeon is not overly concerned about the difficulties i am having, i have talked to him about it ... last time i actually took hubby with me so the surgeon could talk to him too. It was a beneficial visit, i don't feel so stressed about the not so good days, i have stopped worrying about whether i have slipped or whatever. While forums like this a great and it is awesome to share experiences i think you can get caught up in what other people can eat or not eat and i found myself thinking i was abnormal. i take what i read with a grain of salt because we are all so different. Healthy weight loss and nutrition are my guidelines! It is such a big lifestyle change and some days it is really tough and frustrating when i just can not get what i want to eat down. If i have had one stuck/vomit ... whatever ... i find the next time will usually be not to long afterwards ... so i know that i need to have a light meal ... soup or whatever. For me it is just about being patient ... and not over doing it ... not getting stressed about it ... and not worrying continually about things going wrong. Just before my last visit to the surgeon i worked myself into such a state that i couldn't even drink Water without vomiting. As soon as i went back to the surgeon and he reassured me that i was ok, i went back to liquids for a few days, then since then i have been working back up to meals. As i said earlier, i now know that morning food is not good for me so i reserve that meal as being a Protein shake ... i avoid the foods that make me sick .. breads, red meat, rice and such foods .. and if i do have them, i just take it super slow, teeny bites and i listen to the niggles and pains i feel. i am very lucky in that from the day i was banded i have not felt hungry as such, sometimes i get a grumbly tummy, telling me to eat ... and of course there is the psychological hunger ... where i think i need to eat. i am no lapband expert ... but i know what works for me ... and accept i am going to have less than pleasant days with food. It is only food though ... Food is Fuel ... that is what i keep telling myself.