ebar822

This may sound like a weird question, but if someone could answer it it would really put my mind at ease. I had a band revision surgery on 2/27 and am feeling a little bit paranoid every step of the way through this... but in any case, here's my question. When you drink thin liquids (like Water, tea, etc.) about how many seconds before you hear the gurgling sound...meaning it's going through the band? Mine takes about 3-4 seconds and I'm just wondering if that's too long. Thanks!

Just want to make sure this is normal because I can't seem to get a grip on normalcy right now! lol... When drinking thin liquids like Water, tea, or broth, I swallow and then about 3-4 seconds later I hear a gurgling sound which tells me it is passing through the band. I know the gurgling sound is normal, but I am concerned about how long it's taking. Is that taking too long, or is that normal?

Fat-free ricotta with one packet of splenda and a splash of vanilla extract. mix it up and enjoy...tastes just like italian cannoli cream!

Thank you for your concern :thumbup: I think I am feeling better today. By last night I think I was just panicking which was making it worse. I called the office around 4:30 to speak with a nurse and they were closed so I paged the on-call doctor... I ended up speaking with one of the nurses who works in the office and he said it sounds like it was just probably too soon for me to move to mushies...not my fault, but maybe because of the scar tissue they had to go through with the revision surgery, that I just needed some extra time to heal. He said it sounded like I irritated it and it was just swollen. The fact that water was going down was good he said. He told me to go on liquids for the weekend and to go into the office if I wasn't feeling better on Monday. I said I think I feel better because now I am not sure! it's definitely not as uncomfortable going down, which is good, but then again I still feel like it's taking quite a long time for the water to pass through...and I hear it when it goes through. I think that might still be the swelling he was talking about...so I am on tea, broth, and vitamin water until further notice but that's totally fine with me as long as I feel better soon. Thanks for all of your replies guys :w00t:

Today I am exactly 2 weeks post op... Last night I went to visit my mom and she made brussel sprouts (which i'd never had before...) she knew I was on mushies and said I could eat these since I can eat mashed potatoes because they mashed easily with a fork. So I mashed one and noticed the outside leaves weren't mashing but the inside was. I had a bite of the inside, which truly was mashed up, and felt like it just didn't go down right. I of course didn't eat the rest of it. I went home, waited a half hour and began drinking some propel but it still felt weird, like there was something there. I drank a whole bottle of propel before going to bed. When I woke up, it still felt like there was something there. Even drinking this morning, it just feels like there's a small blockage, even though I do feel the Water going down to my larger stomach. This afternoon I called NYU and told them about the situation and Tammy, the girl who answered the phone, said that a leaf is probably still there because it didn't get mashed up (and also told me I should not have eaten that...) and to just keep myself on liquids until it goes down. She didn't seem oh-so-concerned, but I really am so nervous now. Just having the slipped band before i know what it feels like and this almost feels similar. I am so scared now. Has anyone else had something kind of stick there for a day or so but then it passed?? I haven't thrown up or anything so i am hoping that maybe i'm just a little swollen still and that as the swelling goes down it will pass through. Also, I just feel like I ahve to say this. I have never cheated. I am so strict with myself about this whole post-op diet because i am petrified I would do something wrong. I wouldn't have eaten a brussel sprout if I was going to cheat, you know? I didn't think I was doing anything wrong! It mashed with a fork so i thought it would be acceptable :scared2: Please tell me this has happened to someone else and turned out okay...

I'm on day 2 of mushies and I am feeling so much better today (not perfect, but definitely better)... I am really feeling motivated and I want to get to the gym and get back into a routine. How long should I wait?

There isn't anything wrong with eating spicy food...The only thing you need to remember is that the food sits in your pouch longer so if you're eating this, try not to eat it in large amounts if you have issues with acid reflux or anything like that. If you don't have these issues, then it shouldn't be a problem!

That happened to me for the first few days, but as I began upping my protein shakes to 2 per day (or as close to that as I can get...i usually end up with 1.5) I am now back to regular. I am now 9 days out if that helps...

I discovered a few weeks ago that I had a band slip because I couldn't keep any food down...so I went in and sure enough that's what it was. They scheduled me right away to reposition the band. Believe me, the thought crossed my mind that I should just take it out and do this on my own...and I was upset that I had to go through another surgery, and what if this happened again, etc, etc, etc...but in the end I just told myself that without this band, I would STILL be hovering near 400 pounds and so if it took a 2nd surgery to get this thing working again and help me to knock off the weight, then that's what's going to have to happen. I wish you the best of luck with your revision surgery process...everything will work out great. I am feeling better today...it's just the littlest things and I begin freaking out...lol...

That's wonderful!!! Congratulations!!!!

Thanks guys! I just want everything to go perfect this time around...I think I'm going to take it very easy on mushies for the first 4-5 days just to make sure I'm not pushing it and then I'll get into the tuna salad, etc. Until then, sf/ff pudding and thinned out/pureed soups are going to have to cut it... Thanks again!

When I went for my post-op on Thursday, the NP told me I could begin mushies on Tuesday, which would be 10 days from my surgery date. He said to do 10 days of mushies and then to start regular foods... Is this standard? For some reason I remember doing 14/14 and reading the board it seems like that's the norm. Has anyone else done 10 and 10? Thank you!

This is my second time around (revision surgery)...and I still can't help being paranoid! I've had 2 esophograms since surgery (one day after - standard, and one a week after, also standard for revision surgery), and both were perfect. Yet I drink and I think that it's not going down the way it should. I know it has to be all in my head but I am just so nervous! How could anything have gone wrong? I'm 8 days out and have had only water, broth, and thinned out carnation instant breakfast...

I really think if you are vomiting then you need to go in and speak with your doctor. Also, they say to have absolutely no food/liquid for 4 hours after vomiting and then to go on liquids for an entire day afterwards to compensate for swelling. But if you are vomiting regularly it is too tight and vomiting WILL LEAD to a slipped band....do not make a habit of vomiting... Good luck!

I know it's hard but please try your best to adhere to your doctor's orders...right now your stomach is very sensitive and the band is only being held in place by a few stitches. the reason for liquids is that your stomach can heal without having to churn and digest anything... any solids you put in there...even fluffy eggs...might hurt the chances of you healing perfectly. what's a few more days....you've started this journey for a new life. and the pounds are melting off, i'm sure...just try to be strong

I had to do the procedure as a "direct admit/emergency" for insurance purposes so it should be fine...fingers crossed...but I'll let you know otherwise when the bills start rolling in. As of right now I'm only expecting to pay the $300 deductible that BCBS requires. As far as the stitches are concerned, I know they put stitches to hold it in place for the first month or so, but those eventually dissolve...what holds the band in place are the adhesions that your body makes to it. Apparantly your stomach grows around the band and that's what keeps it in place--not the initial stitches. That's why we have to be so careful the first month with only liquids and mushies to make sure we don't move anything so our body has a chance to adhere. I am not sure why the adhesions didn't prevent what happened to me...I can only hope it doesn't happen again...

I am taking half of a carnation instant breakfast drink and thinning it out with fat free milk. All together I am drinking 11 ounces at a time. Is this too much?

Hey everyone, I was initially banded in 12/07 and at the time I weighed 386 pounds. It's now 14 months later and I was down over 100 pounds when I discovered that I couldn't keep anything down. I went in for an esophogram and there it was--a slipped band. They wanted me in for surgery very quickly to remedy it. In the meantime they took all of the Fluid out of it so I could eat and drink. I had my revision surgery on Friday, 2/27...it was much like the first surgery. He basically had to fix the position of the band...so he went in through the same incisions (the big incision that he initially used to put the band in wasn't completely reopened, just a small incision there this time). The recovery hasn't been half as bad as the first time...but it's still rough at times. I guess I just want to offer some advice to you guys. This is an amazing tool, a tool that has helped me to lose 100 pounds so far...and I am still very overweight and still need to lose at least another 100 pounds. I am confident this band will help me do it, but we all need to be aware of the fact that it is a tool, a foreign body in our systems...and according to my surgeon, Dr. Fielding (one of the top three specialists in the country), this happens in 1 in 50 cases. When you think about it, that's really a lot. I asked him if it was anything I did, and he said that because I lost so much weight the layer of fat around my stomach got thinner and caused the band to loosen. That coupled with eating and digesting, the normal motion your stomach makes when it digests, caused the slipped band. Thinking back, I didn't pay attention to the signs. I thought it was "normal." A few months ago I was able to eat more. I was focused though, and I ate healthy, so I didn't think anything of it. Now I realize my band became loose and therefore opened up more... And then about 2 months after that it became tighter...and it took me longer to digest. And I thought, oh, just normal for the band...I'm losing weight it must be fine. Please don't do that. Get everything checked out. You don't want to end up having surgery again... and I met some girls who had the same procedure as me done on Friday, some of whom because they didn't follow the rules... I won't lie, I sometimes sipped carbonated soda. And drinking while eating, it was a tough habit to break. I definitely didn't do it often, but who knows if these things could have contributed to what happened to me? All I know is I feel like I've been given another opportunity to start over and I am going to take full advantage of it. And I am going to make sure that I listen to my body. When something changes on its own i am going to have it checked out because it's NOT normal. Don't talk yourself out of things the way I did....all it's going to do is make you end up back in the OR. I'm not trying to scare anyone...I want you to be excited. I am half the person I was...and I can't wait to divide myself again! And I NEVER would have done it without this band. I can sit in an airplane seat now, or in a theater seat, and I feel more normal. I feel myself emerging from inside...I was so shy and withdrawn when I was close to 400 pounds. I know many of you feel the same! But never take it for granted. Always listen to your body and do what's best by it...even if it's difficult sometimes. Best of luck to all of you...I wish you all the best new journey your life will ever lead you in.

I had my band revision surgery on the 27th and for the first two days i was feeling pretty good actually...and then yesterday I started to feel a whole lot of gas pain. I was walking around, using the heating pad, taking gas-x and drinking chamomile but nothing seemed to help....what do you know? I got my period this morning! I already feel slightly better...and I know that I just have to hang in there because within a few days we are all going to feel fine. Hang in there everyone!! Elisa

I had my initial surgery in 12/07 and I don't remember this happening...but I just had a revision surgery a few days ago and have been experiencing these same symptoms. I'll be honest though, I'm not going to push it. I am staying on very thin liquids all week...even if that continues happening. It's worth it to make sure I heal correctly, you know??

Personally I liked the Carnation Instant Breakfast with no sugar added. Also get yourself some fat free milk to thin it out...both are rich in Protein so having that every day will keep you strong. I also bought myself some chicken stock...and actually I got some chicken broth from the Chinese restaurant (only broth, nothing else in it). Also, get yourself some of your favorite tea. All of the broth and tea really helps with the swelling i think, and also with the gas you're going to have. For that, you should also have a heating pad. Also buy some Gas-X for the bloating, and have your Vitamins on hand--they will help with healing. Other than that, I wish you a speedy recovery!!

Hey everyone, It's been a while since I've been on here. I was banded on 12/20/07 and am currently down 48 pounds...and I feel good but I still just don't feel like I have restriction. Please tell me what I'm going through is normal! Until my last fill, I hadn't had one PB episode...then I got the fill and ate a piece of chicken too fast and finally learned what that horrible term actually meant. Since then, I have noticed that if I eat something too quickly, or if I don't chew it enough, then I have a similar episode...BUT...I can pretty much eat anything else in any quantity I want as long as I eat slowly and chew. I know that I should just stop when I'm full and most of the time I do, but the thing is that I just don't get what restriction is...all I know is that I can feel everything passing down, and so therefore I can keep continuing to eat...unless of course I eat something too fast and it gets stuck. What does this mean? Does anyone else have a similar story?

I am a teacher and even though I don't have kids, just working and then doing an after-school program on top of it makes me exhausted by the end of the day. But we need to make time for ourselves because it's the only way we're going to get this done. I go to the gym every Saturday and Sunday, and I do a workout dvd at home 3 other days during the week. I really love the biggest loser dvd workouts and I feel soooo worked out when I finish them. It's a lot easier to stick a dvd in and work out while you're at home...definitely easier than getting dressed and out to the gym, but it's exercise and you'll be moving and you will see the difference.

This woman at work told me that she is so happy for me because she thinks I'm going to be so gorgeous after all of this is said and done. And I just couldn't help but think, god, do you realize how bad that sounds? But all I could do was smile and say thank you though my brain was reeling. Whatever, they don't know what it's like and I don't think they mean anything bad by it. It's inconsiderate, but it's hard to empathize when you truly cannot relate.

My doctor said that you need to wait 4-6 weeks post op. You have a lot of internal stitches and you can pull them or even worse if you lift anything more than 5-10 pounds. Just keep doing the walking/cardio until a few more weeks passes.