HeatherO

It is good to take it easy in the morning as well. Start with liquids and work your way up slowly. Once you get sick you can have a little stomach swelling that may cause you to get sick again on something that usually doesn't give you a problem.

I had one day 3 and it was awfulll.

Thanks :0). With any luck the baby will be uninhibited and flash us the answer to the question. I also plan on drinking a big old glass of orange juice right before. I also noticed from your blog that you called him "Tigger" until you knew he was a boy, lol. Somehow Tigger doesn't have a very feminine ring to it. :thumbup:

I really wish there was an objective study out there that shows the long term effects of having different post-op diet regimens in the early stages of banding. Inamed and Johnson & Johnson have performed studies but they have conservative post-op diet plans that give patients plenty of time on the liquid phases to allow adequate healing/scarring to take place to truly set the band. Manufacturers have gotten their bands approved for placement in the US, individuals doctors don't have small trials showing how they compete with each other based on differences of opinion . . . only their records will show if they are successful or not. It is true that there are doctors out there that give you a few days at different stages and progress you as quickly as you want to go . . . if your doctor happens to be one of these, then I would caution you to find out how many bands the doctor has placed, how long the doctor has been placing bands, where they trained and what is the long-term success rate of their banded patients. Compare that with the statistics from the manufacturers studies to see if they are up to par (but don't forget that a small number of patients that have not been banded for very long is no comparison to the manufacturers studies). Band manufacturers have come up with standardized post operative plans for a reason based on research approved by the FDA in the US that goes through strenuous testing in clinical trials. As in any profession there are both good doctors and bad doctors as we see all too frequently in the news. For my own health and future, I took a more conservative approach that fit the manufacturer guidelines, and would have done so even if my doctor suggested that I don't have to follow them. A doctor will never fault you for taking a more conservative approach if you are meeting your basic dietary needs, but to be more aggressive is to be non-compliant. Why would I do this . . . because I am the one who has to live with this band and hope it helps me to overcome obesity. I want to succeed, and I want everyone else out there to succeed with banding because I understand why we got banded in the first place. I have no problem at all giving a little extra time to not so pleasant food options if I know that I could take off this weight and keep it off. I wouldn't want an overly aggressive doctor to risk the band that I have in my body . . . because I am the one who must live in this body. We can argue all day about differences between the doctors plans, manufacturers plans, who is uppity or not about wanting to follow one plan or another. However, in the end . . . we still all want to be successful with the band and we are really not so much different from each other.

LOL, I just had a similar experience. My husband is Turkish and his family is both here in the US and in Turkey. We went to Turkey to visit about a month ago and visited his brother's house for dinner one night. His brothers wife was so shocked that I look so different (no-one knows about the band or even realized that I had lost so much weight) she actually brought out the scale, in the living room in front of both of his brothers, his other brothers wife, children and we had a weigh-a-thon. I could not help but blush down to my toes. I would never weigh myself in front of anybody, let alone extended family. So in my head I am thinking "are you out of your mind???" all that came out of my mouth was "uhhh . . . ok." I would have completely refused had I not lost the weight. So we all did it and I found out that I wasn't even the heaviest woman there . . . and no one is heavy at all in the family so i was rather surprised, lol. Anyway, that would have been really rude here . . . but it wasn't there, it was all in good fun and no big deal. In some cultures, invasive questions are the norm but there is no ill intent, we are just conservative here in some ways. His family has always been really close and accepting of me no matter what . . . really I feel rather spoiled when I am with them, lol. Is it rude to ask about weight in chinese culture or just the norm?

I was just browsing through everyones weight tickers . . . and all I can say is that we have done awesome as a group. What a difference almost a year has made!!! WOW0X7, your pictures are amazing. If only you could have seen those pictures as you were contemplating surgery, lol. Banding works and it is the best thing I ever did for myself. I never would have believed I would be where I am today weight-wise. Even after banding I wasn't quite convinced, but now I have no doubts. I love my band and the new lease on life it has given me!!!

Restriction will hit you like a ton of bricks once you get close to your sweet spot - but until then you may not feel much of anything. At 6.8 cc's I felt nothing. At 8.3 I was right at my perfect sweet spot. You may just have a little further to go until you feel right.

All restrictions were raised for me on anything by the 4th week out . . . and that is about where you are now. It sounds like it shouldn't be a problem as long as you are up for it and are cautious about pressure to incision sites.

I agree completely with coltonwade/Mindy. It seems unusual and risky to be experimenting with things like a chicken leg this early on . . . and getting sick at two weeks out when you are still in the early stages of healing just makes me feel stronger that it is way too early. Getting sick just shows that your stomach is not ready for chicken in that form. It is important after getting stuck that you go on liquids for a couple of days. This helps to relieve any swelling that might cause you to become sick again in the near future. Chicken is one of those fickle foods that many of us just can't tolerate well at all on occasion . . . even if we are far out into our banding journey. Most of my episodes of pb'ing were on chicken.

I always experience more stuck/pb episodes after a fill because I get used to what I can eat . . . and then have to relearn with each fill because it is a little different. If you eat too fast, or too much, you can have relatively little restriction but still get stuck and pb. It is even possible that you need another fill but just have to get back to the slow eating and "chew to goo" practices.

I get a pain in my chest as well if I overeat and it takes some time to subside. Drinking too soon can make it worse as well (I am already full and the drinking just adds a little additional pressure until it subsides). I know in my case it is definitely related to eating. You may be having the same exact issue and it is not uncommon at all for bandsters. It is good that you called your doctor just in case and will follow-up, but you are probably just fine.

I would give your nutritionists office a call to see what they suggest. They should also have given you some kind of generalized nutritional guidelines in your paperwork as well. Most of us move on to full liquids at this stage such as cream soups without chunks, but not quite on to mushies yet.

In another week or two she will feel so much better. Tell her just to hang in there a little while longer.

My doctor only said wait until you feel up to it, just be gentle. I think we waited about a week or so.

I drink out of a straw quite a bit. It wasnt good in the beginning of banding when trapped gas was uncomfortable. Now it is no big deal for non-carbonated beverages. I think some people are more sensitive to straws then others. As long as your doctor hasn't forbidden it, your body will tell you if it is OK or not.

I only took off a Friday and a Monday (surgery was on Friday). This worked fine but I was really tired on Tuesday and Wednesday. Aftercare is just like a normal doctors visit if you don't have to travel too far. Many clinics can also schedule some evening/weekend hours depending on who is doing the banding. It really doesn't require much time at all if you schedule it well.

Definitely call your doctor as soon as possible. You might want to try an antacid in the mean time and go back to liquids. It might be something minor, but you never want to risk that it is something more serious. Any significant pain should be reported to your doctor immediately.

Soups and salads work well. Soups go down easily and you can eat them OK as long as they arent too chunky. A salad with chicken or something on it works good because there is usually not a ton of chicken on it and you can pick out the Proteins and eat some of the salad without looking like you aren't eating anything. Pasta, potatoes and breads can put you in an uncomfortable situation and should be avoided in public unless you know you can tolerate them. They fill your pouch fast, don't go anywhere quickly and can give you 10-20 minutes of pb hell if you are not careful (not easy to explain if people don't know you are banded and you spent half of your meal in the restroom). I really love a good steak but I just can't eat very much of it. I always order Water - because I can't really drink it very much and people don't notice it. I drink before the meal, but never during or after.

This was also my first mushy meal. I added a little chicken broth to it to make it a little less thick. I think it was the best thing I have ever eaten in my life . . . because I was sooo ready for food that wasn't broth or sugar free liquids, lol. I don't eat refried beans now, but those first few bites were truly like heaven, lol. I agree completely.

I was lucky, I never need numbed and never feel anything more than the initial pinch and I am good to go. I did have one fill where the nurse missed the port 2 or 3 times and was "digging" to find it. She then went on to say that she was surprised that my port is an inch below my big incision scar (isn't that why you feel for it first??). I was sore for a couple of days after that but that was the only occasion. I was always told that the signs that you need a fill are 1) You are not losing 1-2 pounds a week on average; 2) You are getting hungry between meals; 3) You can eat more than a cup at a sitting.

One more thing I want to mention. There will always be people out there that say you will be fine, it is no big deal to fall off your post-op diet plan or that they did the same and they are doing ok. Everyone has different opinions and that is normal. If you look over time you will see that there are countless threads on this same subject. Most of the people who say it is no problem are not very far out from banding. Those of us who have achieved long term success all tend to be of the same opinion regarding early compliance leading to eventual success. I wish you the best of luck . . . and just remember it is only a brief time period. It will only be a short time until you can eat anything and know you are safe doing so.

jodi620, bandfun4me and jachut said it all . . . you need to get back on plan and as soon as possible if you want to make this a success. Damage done during this early stage may not show up for months down the road. Why risk your band now? If you care for your health, your band and want to achieve eventual success . . . follow the plan. What is a couple weeks of difficulty compared to a lifetime of success??? How would you feel if you lose your band to severe slippage sometime next year and you know that you did not give it your best to make it work? Give it your all now over the next couple of weeks and you can feel confident that you did your best and are ensuring your success.

I went with my husband, but I think I could have done it alone if I had too. It was nicer to have someone with me to break the monotony . . . although I did sleep alot. There were others there that same day that were alone. I paid $7,500 and they picked me up at the airport. I stayed in the hospital for 3 nights, but you could stay for 2 and have a free night at the hotel. It was just easy and convenient to stay at the hospital so we stayed, the room was decent and food and meds were provided. Fills are $100 each and includes fluoro. Altogether it was a good economic choice. I could find cheaper rates but I was happy with this doctor's experience and the hospital information so that is why I chose this route.

Thanks. My band is partially filled to 4cc's which is fairly open. My usualy sweet spot is 7.3 cc's but I am much too tight at that level pregnant. I am finding post pregnancy that I have some restriction at 4 cc's but I had no restriction before at 6.5 cc's. I was surprised by mhom much pregnancy would affect band tightness, I wasn't really expecting a difference until I was much further along.

I won't know the gender until about 20 days later on January 12th. I hope the baby is cooperative, lol. My husband doesn't want to know early, but there is just no way on earth I am willing to wait if I can have the answer, lol. I know many people expecting babies next year also, everyone is having a boy. What is up with that???? Does it run in cycles, lol. I am kind of hoping for a girl, but a boy is just fine. My husband is absolutely convinced it is a girl . . . he said he had a dream, lol.