Kalipso2

i think it's a good idea to get checked out by your doctor because i know how worried you probably are but chances are you're fine. like i said, i just got over the flu too (well bronchitis) and was getting sick from all the nose drainage into my stomach which then aggrevated my acid reflux. some people can't eat bananas because of the stringy parts of the fruit... it's not easily digested but everyone is different. i haven't been able to eat ground meat since my surgery 3 years ago and boy do i miss it!!!! hope everything checks out okay but in the meantime try sticking to liquids or mushy foods.

is the pain on the left side? sometimes if i eat too fast or don't chew enough, food gets stuck and it hurts in my back by my shoulder blade. the food isn't stuck enough to where i need to throw up but it takes awhile to go away.

my surgeon does require liquids the day of the fill and soft foods the following day. your stomach swells a little after a fill so its easier on the band and your stomach if you don't eat solid foods. you might feel more restriction during those 2 days because of the swelling so you decrease the odds of foods getting stuck if you take it easy those 2 days after a fill. don't get me wrong... i've eaten after fills and have been fine but there is always that risk of getting stuck.

it doesn't sound like your band has slipped. your stomach was probably swollen from the stomach virus and eating ground meat probably wasn't the best choice to eat right away because it's hard to digest. drink liquids for a day or two and then mushies for a day or two and your stomach should be less swollen by then!

wow, i never heard of the port being in the chest area... interesting. no, i didn't get to decide which band i was going to get or the placement of the port. my surgeon picked my band type and cc size after looking at my stomach during surgery. my port is to the right of my belly button and up about 2"

i weigh myself every morning... it helps keep me on track for that day. if i've stayed the say i can eat "normally". if i've gained a pound or 2, i watch what i eat that day. since i'm almost 3 years post-of, i don't see my surgeon very often. i haven't been to see him since April 2010. i'll probably make an appointment to see him April 2011 for a yearly check up. i've lost an additional 25 pounds during this past year after my surgeon didn't think i'd lose anything more!

i know exactly how you're feeling... i really do. since getting banded almost 3 years ago, every day has been a struggle. every meal is a struggle. i've done okay with losing the weight but after 3 years, i'm not at my goal yet. i'm close but it's been an uphill battle the entire time. i read about how easy the weight has fallen off for other people and that just hasn't been the case for me. at each meal i'm sad because i can't eat what i really want to be eating since my band doesn't allow pizza (or any bread) or ground meat. i have to stop eating before my brain is ready to stop eating so i feel cheated at the end of every meal. i know i need help but i've been in therapy before and it never helped me. i've thought about joining an Over Eaters Annonomous group but i don't know how accepting they'd be of a 148 pound woman who has had weight loss surgery. so, yes, there are other people out there who are going thru the same struggles you are!

i set my goal to the highest normal weight on the BMI chart. i'm 3 pounds away and i think i want to lose more. everyone thinks i'm good where i'm at but i want to be in the middle of the normal range so i have some pounds to play with. i've worked too hard the past 3 years to settle for anything less than being a normal weight. i went from obese to overweight.... i want to be normal!

the way i see it is if all you had to do was eat slowly until you were full, you wouldn't even need the lapband! i think i read somewhere that if a "normal" person gets full after 20 minutes of eating slowly but the band does much more than that for me! after the 2+ years of being banded, i know my body and my band so well that i can tell if i take one more bite i'll throw up. i don't understand why doctors don't want to tell their patients how much is in their band! seriously, this foreign object is inside ME, i deserve to know what's going on. i always ask how much fill is going in and what my total cc is. it's your right to know!

i don't know why but it does happen! i can weigh the same for a week but go down a size in jeans. it's frustrating, but the scale will eventually move!

wow... it was AGES ago when i took xenical but i remember the horrible side effect after eating a meal with too much fat. it was MESSY lol. while i agree with a pre-op diet, i don't agree with taking pills!

i didn't have the stomach flu but i had brochitis. my nose was draining into my stomach which was causing me to throw up. it was horrible! i hope you feel better!

i agree with Acadia... if you can't handle the protein shakes before surgery, how are you going to handle them AFTER surgery? you will be drinking shakes for a long time after surgery! most of us continue to drink them because its an easy way to get a lot of protein in at one time. if you don't like the shake you're drinking now, keep trying to find one that you do like!

i didn't have acid reflux until after i was banded so i had no idea why my throat was sore all the time. i never mentioned it to my surgeon either and he continued to give me fills. it wasn't until the sore throats turned to coughing that turned to waking up choking on my stomach acid that i decided to call my surgeon. here i was overfilled and he did a slight unfill which stopped the choking at night but i still have to take an over the counter acid reflux pill.

being almost 3 years post op.... i'm still losing weight! yes, i've been losing slowly but time flies, you know? it doesn't feel like its been 3 years! i went from a size 16 jeans (that were very tight and i refused to go up to an 18), i now wear a size 8 jeans that are getting baggy! you didn't gain weight overnight so you won't lose it overnight either. it will get easier, i promise.

if it's been 7 days since your fill, you should be able to eat normally. you should not be having pains while eating... unless you're eating too much, and it doesn't sound like you are. if you can hold off, don't throw up. try to walk the pain off. throwing up can cause your band to slip. honestly, it sounds like your band is too tight and you should call your doctor. you might need to have just a tiny unfill.

congratulations... this is the beginning of an emotional roller coaster so hang on tight : ) to me, i did a lot of reading before i went to a seminar so they didn't tell me much i didn't already know but i hope you get to meet with the doctor soon! have fun!

it sounds like you're doing great!! i know it's hard.... you definately sound like you need another fill. each surgeon is different with the timing. my surgeon was aggressive so i was able to go every 2 weeks. others want their patients go in every 4 weeks. i was a slow loser so i know how hard it is but keep your chin up... you'll get there!

technically, even after a fill you should be able to eat solid food but you shouldn't because of the swelling. the swelling isn't major like it was after surgery so if you can't eat solid foods by 3 days after a fill, you are too tight! surviving on liquids because your band is too tight it NOT the way to lose weight... i know because i lived that way for 3 months!

congratulations!! each time i fit into a smaller size i cry.... happy tears! i'm a s-l-o-w loser and it's been a long journey but almost 3 years later, i'm still losing. i'm 25 pounds lighter than my doctor told me i'd be!

try, try, try to stick to the doctor prescribed post-op diet!!! it's so vitally important to your health and the health of your band! i'm sure you knew coming into this that it was going to be hard but honestly, it's not going to get easier for awhile. just make sure you get back on track tomorrow! we ALL have been through the pureed stage and the mushie stage... you can do it!!!

i developed acid reflux after surgery... i know it's no fun!! i've been woken up by choking and it's scary. you can try taking an over the counter acid reflux medication like Prilosec but you might benefit from just a tiny unfill. you should call your surgeon!

they treat the seminars like you've never heard of weight loss surgery before. if you've done research here, you're already ahead of the game! they talk about the surgery itself, the complications that can occur, background on the surgeon, talk about eating habits, post-op patients are on hand to talk about their experiences...

i'm by NO means trying to discourage you... i just wish i had done more research. i was (am) a binge eater. i couldn't eat one of anything. having the surgery doesn't stop still wanting that. i always say its like having an angel (the band) on one shoulder and the devil (your brain) on the other shoulder. the angel will tell you you're full but the devil will tell you that the food is tasting SO good so don't stop eating. if you listen to the band, you'll lose weight. if you listen to the devil, you'll spend a lot of time throwing up. this is WAY more mental than i ever expected. with that being said, i'm almost 3 years post-op. i'm only a few pounds away from my goal weight and i'm skinny : )

please don't wait it out! call your doctor and go in for a slight unfill. you should have NO problems drinking liquids after a fill. even a slight unfill of .25cc could make all the difference!