Stella84

I had this problem but it wasn’t dehydration...must have been low electrolytes. I was drinking lots of water and water only. Adding a Gatorade zero/propel water daily did the trick!

I had never taken vitamins before with the lapband so it was hard to get used to, but I'm four months out from revision to RNY and just had all my labs come back perfect! Here are the two things that helped me be successful: 1. I got one of these pill organizers with multiple compartments for each day and fill it up every Sunday. Plus I have it sitting right where I see it every morning so I don't forget to take it to work. 2. I got a free app called Round. You set up the reminders and it's a bit of a nag if you don't tell it you took your pills! I'm sure there are others but I found this was easy to set up. hope this helps. Oh and also for calciums I prefer the bariatic advantage chews- chocolate. But I think everyone is different. Get a sampler pack before you buy a whole bag. You don't want to get a flavor you dread taking three times a day! I made that mistake with peanut butter and coconut. Finally I just gave them away at support group! Everyone else thought they were yummy!

My surgeon required me to see an eating disorder counselor prior to surgery due to my binge eating behaviors. The counselor recommended the book "intuitive eating" by elyse resch...which I am guessing is similar. It basically gets you in touch with your body and hunger sensations....the theory is binge eating is caused by restricting foods (diets). I am only 4 months post op, so To be honest I don't experience "hunger" but if/when it comes back I hope this helps me from slipping into old habits. I don't know if you have a similar issue? however it has definitely helped me realize I also just snack when bored (which can certainly defeat surgery!). I think this is a common problem. The $40 sounds worth it compared to a $150 per hour counselor(:

Today I wore my shirt tucked in for the first time in my life.

after reading this thread , I tried the xylimelts again and actually they did provide some relief at night ( I just didn't like how sweet they were). So I would recommend trying them.

I'm 3 months out and it's terrible and appears to be a common side effect although no surgeons seem to adddress it. When I mentioned it, the PA just lectured me on gettting enough water(even though I drink 100+ ounces). Thanks captain obvious! My dentist is however quite concerned. Dry mouth causes tooth decay. Dont skip your cleanings! He did give me a prescription fluoride toothpaste. I tried the biotin spray and xylimelts but no relief):

It may be too early for me to chime in but I had a revision from band to bypass in May. I had the band 13 years and went from 232 to (usually) the 140s. But when I had a complication (esophageal dysmotility) I was unfilled and (no surprise) gained about 45lbs in the 5-6 months until the revision. So new high weight was 185. Surgery weight was 177. It’s been 7 weeks and I have lost exactly 20 lbs to 157. So I cannot comment on long term effects... BUT One thing is that this is sooo much better than the band. I recently had the first meal out with my husband where I ate a “normal” amount and didn’t end up in the bathroom. Normal being a miso soup and a fish appetizer at a Japanese restaurant. With the band I would often have two bites and not be able to eat which was embarrassing and people would always ask why I wasn’t eating (or sneaking off to the bathroom). Small portions make me feel good and satisfied. Unlike the band where it was usually painful or uncomfortable. Hope this helps! S

Mushies get pretty boring so I made tuna with dill and Buffalo chicken (canned chicken). For veg I made sweet potato, spinach artichoke dip, beans and salsa all with added genepro. Then I portioned everything into 2 ounce containers to make sure not to overeat. Hope this helps!

Yes. I had surgery May 1. Had no pain to speak of (mild incision pain where my lapband port was removed) but just three days ago I started getting a stabbing pain just below the belly button. Did yours go away?

Sadly this same thing happened to me at the same hospital. I was also low BMI. The intake nurse did say something about my “Low” weight. I was annoyed but shrugged it off, BUT THEN....the Anesthesiologist came and and rudely asked me why I was doing the surgery with such a low BMI...I stuttered, lapband..complication..unfill...rapid weight regain etc. but yes NOT his business especially not 5 minutes before major surgery. It gets worse. He then starts lecturing me and tells me the success is up here (touching my head!) and not here (touching my stomach!) Now I was angry. But what to do? Ask for another anesthesiologist? Walk out? Luckily? The surgeon came in moments later and we went off to surgery. I made a formal complaint to the hospital.

That does sound great!!!...traveling always made my band mad): which was no bueno because I travel a lot for work! I have an overseas work trip/then vacation in a month which will have me about 7 weeks out from bypass. Hopefully will go as well for me!

Hi, I converted from lapband to bypass in one stage on Wednesday May 1. I spent 2 nights in hospital. I have a desk job and did some very light work from home the next Monday and Tuesday. I went back to the office Thursday for a half day (8 days later). But I was not very effective! In retrospect, I should have waited until the next Monday (12 days). It has now been 15 days and I don’t think I am quite 100%. I get tired quickly (maybe because the very low calories). But I have a flexible job and it’s ok that I didn’t come back 100%...if I don’t feel well I head home. So, if I didn’t have that luxury I would say I would have come back next Monday (19 days). Hope this helps. Stella

Friends- some advice - Follow the rules or else. It has been exactly 2 weeks since my surgery and I have been 100% compliant with the diet. When I transitioned to mushies (day 10), I made a bunch of different purées (tuna, buffalo chicken dip, beans and salsa, spinach artichoke, sweet potato, eggplant, mashed cauliflower, baked ricotta). I added gene pro to the veggies and packaged them in 3 ounce containers (except for the ricotta since I was using a slightly bigger container to bake in - 4 ounces). So things were going fine and I had no problems with drinking or mushies...UNTIL last night! I had eaten the ricotta twice before but added a bunch more tomato sauce and I think I ate it in two sittings or really slow. Last night I was out of tomato sauce and it was getting late so I ate almost the whole thing before I suddenly felt full...I was almost finished so I took another bite...BIG mistake. I was so uncomfortably full and bloated almost immediately. About an hour later I tried to go to sleep. I ended up throwing up about 6 times during the night (lasted 8 -9 hours). Plus had severe stomach cramping. It was awful and scary. So this is my warning. Mistake 1 - ricotta bake is not a mushy unless thinned with tomato sauce Mistake 2 - eating more than 3 ounces Mistake 3 - laying down only one hour after eating (I never noticed this rule but my plan says 2 hours). Hope this helps. Stella

I just converted on May 1.

hello, I was self pay revision from lapband to bypass. My BMI was around 32 (up from 25 when my lapband was unfilled 6 months earlier). The Dr (not my original lapband surgeon) who helped me when I had the complication and required a complete unfill would only take the band out and revise in two stages. I wanted to find a Dr to do it in one stage. So the surgeon I ultimately chose did make me do the psych eval (which was very easy). Also for me personally (because I mentioned my binge eating problems) insisted I also start seeing an eating disorder counselor. Also saw the nutritionist one time and had an ekg and bloodwork. During the appt I thought I wanted a sleeve, but because the damage the band caused to my esophagus he recommended bypass. At first I thought no way, but after thinking it through (and getting a third opinion!) I decided to do the bypass. My initial visit was March 11 and scheduled for surgery April 26 (but due to my conflict it was moved to May 1). Hope this helps Stella