shortgal

Lack of weight loss and a big appetite (hunger) are generally indicators that a fill is needed. But what you are eating and exact amounts should be tracked to discuss with the Dr's office. Are you eating soft slider foods that goes through your pouch? Or are you eating solid Protein? Do you wait one hour after eating before drinking? do you automatically eat the same portions you ate before banding or do you eat a smaller portion? These are the things I would discuss with the Dr's office and then you'll know if a fill is in order.

Yup, I was hungry too at about the two week mark. I might have had more swelling due to a hernia repair with band surgery up to that point. I just decided to eat the same way I did when i was on a diet. I did not want to gain weight during this time and ended up losing weight. I ate what my surgeon told me but I logged my calories and made sure I got enough Protein by tracking that as well. I was on so many diets before, I figured one more time wouldn't hurt and I might as well put all the things I learned on all those diets to good use. I also used the time, to practice band rules, of not drinking for one hour and small bites etc. Now that I have more restriction, those habits are useful. It's tough going until your fills start, we've all been there.

See, it's very funny how we all think the band is not working yet we've all lost weight. I'm willing to bet for most of us, this is the most weight we''ve lost in the least amount of time from every other diet we've tried. For me, I have never lost this much weight, in a little over three months.. ever! And this time it has been the easiet time. Yet I thought my band wasn;t working because I didn't have enough fill. I still don't think I have enough fill, but I have learned that my band is working. Maybe it's more like getting to goal weight at 40 miles an hour instead of 60 miles and hour, but I'm getting there and I'm not feeling deprived, I don't get stuck, I dont PB. It just took time for my brain time to figure that out. I don't know if I want my band at 60 miles an hour, if it means food gets stuck or I PB, maybe 50 MPH is good enough.

My Dr ( in the US) does not make me wait two months for a fill. I discuss with the PA or nurse, the amount of food I can eat at one meal, how long that meal keeps me satisfied and decide if a fill is needed. I have made appts as close as 10 days apart and gotten fills at both of those appts. Not all US Dr's are bad, not all are good. Not all Mexican Dr's are bad, not all are good. But checking the saline in the band at each visit, seems reasonable and simple to do and can reveal a problem early. If this Dr. has not had many bands leak, it's could be just a step he started to skip, thinking the extra step is not often needed.

I copy and pasted the actual ticker onto my signature and then hit "save signature". when I tried to copy and paste all that http// stuff, it didn;t work. thanks, you have a great night,too!

You say you stop eating even tho you could eat more. Me, too. Would you have done taht before being banded? I mean, Stop even tho you could eat more. Because once I realized that I was able to stop, I realized the band was helping me a little, but just not completely. It will get better once you start getting fills!

did you bookmark the weight loss ticker page? Go to it and sing in with password, you then change the date and enter your new weight in pounds box. It should automatically update on forum. that's how I do mine. congrats on 26 pounds! I'm not sure I would label my restriction "good" but maybe "ok". I could use a alittle more, but I like to go slow with fills and sneak up on restriction becasue i don;t want to be too tight. I feel more "tightness" than stuck and I would not use the word pain. Just more like a tightness between my breasts. After a fill, with liquids two days and soft food, two days, i then gradually try firmer foods, so it can take 5 or 6 days, to figure out how good the restriction is. The pouch is meant to hold solid food for us to feel full, so until I try a few meals of good solid protein, I'm not sure how long I will feel full. Also, some people feel more tightness in the a.m. and then loosens as the day progresses. That hasn't happened to me.

I'm staying on plan today becasue I might as well have a big finish to the day. I was busy and in the car most of the day and didn't have time to eat more than an Atkins bar, one bottle of water and 1/4 bottle of Isopure. Going to enjoy dinner!

You feel bloated, because you are. They pump gas into the belly to inflate the area to have room to work. The gas has no where to go, after, it justs takes time to get rid of it. Walk around the house, take small sips of whatever drink your Dr. recommended. Stay hydrated. First four days were my toughest, got much better by day five. I could only tolerate about 1 to 2 oz. of drink at a time. Remember you had surgery. The incisions might look small, but they worked inside your belly, you have sutures holding the band and port etc. It will get better.

Stay on liquids for a couple days. I feel swelling for about two days after a fill and then it relaxes. My Dr. advises two day of full liquids and then two days of soft food for that reason. Then gradually try firmer protein. Once you get stuck, it's best to have liquids for the rest of the day, so the esophogus can heal. Until the swelling goes down, it is hard to tell how much restriction you have. Just go slow, drink very slowly, small sips. If you're not doing better tomorrow call the Dr.

Happened to me, too! Abnormal Ekg and I was sent for pet scan. I was so nervous my surgery would be cancelled. Turns out I have a normal "abnormality" if that makes sense. Anyway, surgery went as planned.

I would like to know if the Dr. (or whoever does your fills), do they just add saline at a fill or do they withdraw what's in there already and then add? That is an easy way to measure for leaks. I do think your band is working for you. you say you can't gulp and it slows your eating down. Those seem improvements to me. I'm unclear why banded people are unhappy, when they are able to eat all foods. What is wrong with being able to eat steak and chicken. Those are solid Protein that should stay in your pouch and help hunger. If you get to the point where bread or pizza don;t go down, maybe you won't be able to get chicken down. I think being able to eat pizza and choosing not to, is one of the things we have to do to help our band work, just like we have to choose not to drink for one hour after eating. Our band can't decide to do that for us. Before I got some restriction, I thought I was using only willpower, too. But any previous attempts to lose weight did not produce the same results, so I had to rethink that and realized the band WAS helping me, just not enough, yet. But it was my head that needed to catch up to my band. And tho' I have better restriction, that is still true. I can feel full and actually recognize that I feel full, but still feel like I am craving something. It also took me some time for my brain to understand the "new" feeling of "full". It's not the same old lower belly fullness. Sliming and PB's, to me, would be a sign that my band is working, but that my brain is not understanding the signal. I would first investigate a possible leak, to relieve my mind of that issue. And then I would begin to stop worrying and calm down and start letting my brain and band catch up. Slowly, eat a portion of solid protein. Stop. do not drink for one hour and wait 20 mins and assess your level of hunger and look for signals. Is there a little tightness in your chest, that says your pouch is full? Now, time how long the slight tightness stays in your chest. I hope some of this helps becasue I struggle with the same issues, but I really believe my brain is mixed up, not my band.

To get Ticker: Click on anyone's ticker to get to the site. Create your ticker. bookmark the web page. Copy the actual ticker ( ignore the instructions that say copy and paste the long wordy part) and paste it on your signature on the forum. Go to the "Edit signature" on the upper right portion of the forum page. Be sure to hit the 'save" button below. To update you ticker just go to the web page that you bookmarked and enter your password, update it and it will automatically change on the forum pages! There's the directions, if you want to make one. You should show it, your weight loss is incredible. Now I wish I had to do the pre-op liquid diet, I would be at least 10 more pounds down. Oh well! You are doing great Chris! No problem with the chowder soup, (your only a few days from full liquids anyway) sounds like you're doing the best you can. That's all we can do. The next few weeks can be easier and harder. Remember your band is not tight yet, so after initial swelling goes down, you might get hungry. Do your best to stay on post op diet stages, as your stomach and sutures around the band are still healing. Lots of protein will keep you satisfied longer. Good to hear from you!

LuluC. I had planned to ask for .5cc, but I was pretty full after dinner the night before the fill, so I thought maybe my last fill was kicking in a little late. so we decided on .25 cc instead. I am still able to eat at least a cup of food, but I do stay full in between most meals, especially after dinner. Maybe because the food is more solid at dinner than say Cereal I had for b'fast. It was high Protein cereal ( Kashi). But what normal b'fast food is as solid as meat? oatmeal, no, cereal, no, eggs, no, yogurt, no. But I did not eat between b'fast and lunch, just didn't feel as full as after dinner. I really want to be able to eat solid food (without getting stuck or PB'ing) so I don't want a fill that doesn't allow me to do that. Next appt is 3/20. I guess I'll figure out how much I need if any, by then. I might just go to the 7.5 spot, which will be only .25 more than now. Do you get stuck now with this last fill? Can you eat beef or apples? How much in quantity would you say you can eat at a meal?

I eat Pasta if it's in a frozen dinner, like lean cuisine, becasue the whole meal is calorie controlled anyway. I am not having trouble getting stuck. I do have to slow down to eat and I can still eat an apple with the skin, but it takes me at least 20 mins to eat it. I can still eat chicken, shrimp, haven't tried beef since last fill, but it was fine before that. I had four shrimp, a salmon cake and a small salad for dinner. I am definitely still full 1.75 hours later. I seem to be more full after dinner than after b'fast, but b'fast was cereal, ( high Protein Kashi) so maybe it's just the softer texture of cereal that doesn't keep me full as long. I guess I'm just still trying to figure things out now that I do have some restriction. But I'm eating more than 1/2 c of food. I'm ok with that. My calories are around 1000 to 1200 per day.

great post jnbwilds. I fought for months (over seven) to get approval and couldn't, so I totally don't understand it and actually have a fear something will go wrong with my band and it would have to be removed. I would be devastated! I think the thought of the permanence of the band, the surgery/anesthesia itself and the post op diet have worn her down. I'm sure the Dr. will know what to do.

Ahh! so you thought you were being judged. Exactly the point. But we all do it. We judge the homeless... why don't they get a job? We judge the drug addict.... just stop doing drugs! We judge how people dress? How they wear their hair. I think it's just part of being human. Rare is the person, that doesn;t make a judgement about another. And how about this one: well, I'm fat, but not as fat as THAT person! Kinda of funny, when you think about it. A fat person judging a fatter person? I wonder tho', why is your "favorable moon surgery date" more important than the surgeon's favorable moon surgery date" or the anesthesiologist's. I would think I'd want to be sure THEY are having a favorable day, more than me. Why isn't that important? Just curious?

That was a good line! I guess I'm paying Long distance rates to send my prayers, worth every penny! What wonderful prayers and support from everyone, it has to make a difference. Boots on and kicking!

Maybe your husband can build his own car instead of buying one? Or mow the lawn with a rotary cutter with no power? Oh, does he prefer to take the easy way and use a power mower or buy a ready made car? Does he grow his own food or buy it the easy way at the supermarket? It's just that we've been taught that there is no easy way to lose weight and we all have to diet and exercise. Well lap band involves some effort on our part but for me, it has been the easiest way that I have ever lost weight, if you can call surgery easy. I doubt it will be as easy to keep it off, but I at least know I feel I have a fighting chance. do you do everything your family tells you to do? I know it's hard without their support, but maybe they'll come around if you take a stronger stance and let them know, you know what's best for you. Remember, some of their opposition could be they are worried about the risks of surgery. Understandable, but it is your risk. And if you are willing to take it, then they need to understand, it means that much to you.

Ha! It's going to take years of plastic surgery to get this old body ready for a swimsuit calendar or a bikini. good Luck sharona, your day is quickly approaching.

Gotta agree with Jack on the eating part. I am so relieved that something is stopping me from overeating. I hated what food was doing to me and yet I couldn't get control for long enough to make a difference. I know I will battle food forever. I don't kid myself that I have won the war. First I can only concentrate on getting rid of the extra weight and then I will have to find the strength for the second biggest battle of my life.... keeping it off. With my new super power weapon, the band, I hope to be victorious.

Congratulations Mrs..... you are about to give birth to a big ball of gas! LOL. do you also have the gurgling, growling? Yup, sounds normal to me. My stomach still makes noises!

Thirty pounds and already getting more out of life. Imagine when the other half goes? Did someone say Broadway? Knock 'em out tonight! Suck in all the applause, you deserve it.

Yes, I was not hungry either. Could barely get my required Protein drink in the first few days. Dr' told me that might happen, just try to increase the amount each day until I was getting it all in. And that's what happened! You have swelling from the surgery, it will go down and some hunger will return. Funny thing is, then you'll be worried about that! Ironic huh? we do this to get rid of hunger, we worry when we don;t have hunger, we get it back and think "oh no", I'm hungry. All part of the early band phases. Normal and will pass with time. Just try to stay hydrated and Liquid Protein is your friend.

I can't believe they paid for hers and didn't pay for mine even though I was covered and over 40 BMI. I just lacked the proof that I was overweight for the last 5 years. Heck I was overweight since I was 10 years old! But the proof , as they required it, was lacking! I'm guessing there was no 6 month supervised diet required either, that might have solved it before surgery.