kiz

Hi Sassy. Welcome to LBT. I've seen a few people say their surgeons keep them on liquids for up to four weeks post-op. I was on mushies starting at two weeks, but I think I could have managed with full liquids if I was allowed to use some of the great Protein shake recipes I've seen on this site. Are you allowed to add bananas, Greek yogurt and various other fruits to your shakes (if you're even drinking them)? There are some recipes that sound pretty filling. Also, I would rely heavily on blended black bean Soup (if you're allowed the consistency that can pass through a straw). I also read a Salsa pumpkin Soup recipe that sounded like it could be whipped up to whatever consistency you're allowed to have by adding more broth. I believe it contained corn, which I would leave out at your stage of healing. There's a whole nutrition and recipe forum here on LBT that might give you some ideas. Good luck, and hang in there!!

That's very encouraging news, abby!! It sounds like you have to ball rolling and that there's a good possibility you're going to be a New Year's Band Baby!! Wishing you the best of luck.

Congratulations on your fantastic weight loss, your new active lifestyle, and your engagement!! Whew, what a year you've had. I'm sure your story will be very inspirational not only to anyone considering WLS, but also to everyone who is on this journey with you. Thanks for sharing.

Congratulations Jerry, you big loser! :Yawn: You can really see the difference in your progression pictures. You must be feeling terrific.

kayoyak: If the eggs were stuck, you would probably be in pain and you wouldn't be able to drink liquids easily. Your drinks be coming back up or going down slowly and painfully. Different doctors have different protocols on when you can start mushie foods, and it seems most start us on soft foods at two weeks. A few go a little earlier and some go later, and I always feel it's best to follow your own doctor's orders, especially post-op while your stomach is healing. At least you're pretty close to your two weeks, and I sure wouldn't push it again, especially after the day of worry you've had.

Hi Ariel, and welcome to LBT. A fill or adjustment is when saline is injected into your band through a port that is surgically implanted, usually in your abdomen during your band surgery. The more saline that is injected, the tighter the band, and the more restriction you feel. Usually, when you get your band you don't get your first fill until six weeks after surgery, although a few doctors will do one earlier, and some give a small first fill during surgery. Here's a link to a post that describes the procedure. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f219/what-fill-procedure-like-58243/

I am so sorry the scale didn't match the non scale victories you've experienced. For some reason, we just want validation from that stupid scale that we're losing. Obviously, you're losing fat, or you wouldn't be going down in sizes. It doesn't sound like you've gone too far off your diet that you need to worry. One of the most important things is to watch those carbs pre op. You're so close now, and you've worked your butt off on that liquid diet, so don't be hard on yourself about this temporary set back. Just put that doctor's appointment behind you, and go strong to the finish. Good luck, and come to LBT when you need to let off steam.

Some doctors are more strict about length of time between fills, but it wouldn't hurt to call to see if you can get in earlier (unless you know for a fact you can't). It took me several fills - up to the point that I had around 11cc in a 9cc Realize Band to get optimal restriction. At least once, I went back after two weeks for another fill, when it was clear I didn't have good enough restriction. The doctor did that fill under fluoro just to check things out, and my band was fine, and I just needed a booster. Until you find you have good restriction, my advice would be to religiously measure your meals - if your doctor has a set amount of food you're allowed to eat at a given meal, and if you find you have to add an extra meal because you're hungry, do that, rather than overfilling your pouch. Also, don't get discouraged if you have good restriction and it goes away after a couple of weeks or so. Initially, you may feel like you have good restriction because of swelling and from stomach fat, which as you lose it, causes your band to loosen. I was convinced my band was leaking because I kept losing restriction, when looking back, now I know it was pretty normal to lose it after a period of time until you finally lose that stomach fat. Once you're closing in on your sweet spot, often it takes just a tiny adjustment get you there, or if you overshoot, to get you back.

Noura, check with your surgeon's office to see if there's a support group in your area (being that you're in Chicago, I would think you'd have some options). The support group I attend in VA always has several people that are just there for info, and now the doctors have made it a requirement for all prebandsters to attend at least one meeting.

My kids are teens, so maybe this is a thing of the past but check the tot's dept at a dept store (Target, Walmart, etc) or Babies R Us for a warming plate. Back when my kids were little, you could buy the ones that had a small reservoir under the plate for hot Water. That way, your food should stay warm, but you're not tethered to an electric cord.

My son was away college, but I told him that I was having the lap band surgery, etc. He came home for a visit about six weeks later. After he saw me, he took my husband aside and asked him if I was losing weight. He had fogotten all about my surgery. Boys, you gotta love'em..:thumbdown:..lol But other than telling my kids, I was like you. The only local people I told were my husband, kids, and my hairdresser (she's good at keeping things in the vault..:thumbup:). After a few months, when the weight loss was very noticeable, and friends started commenting on it, I told them about my surgery. I just didn't want any scrutiny at the get go. I think for some, it's a motivator, but for me, not so much. Kristi, I would have also been very upset if someone announced my surgery to a group like that. I think the advice LollyMoe gave you on how to handle it is perfect.

I don't mind you asking at all, but it's a hard question for me to answer. I had my surgery right after my final and third child was born over 15 years ago, and with each pregnancy I put on more weight. It had been a steady incline set in motion after my first pregnancy. My best answer is that I had been gaining weight for five years at that point, and I didn't notice a marked increase of weight gain after my gb surgery, but I continued to gain weight over the years. There's plenty of over weight to obese people in my family, but only my mom and I had to have our gall bladders removed. This is not scientific, but in all honesty, I don't believe losing your gall bladder will in any way affect your weight loss.

My gb surgery was pre banding, but I can answer for the second part. Nope, no extra meds except fiber. Many bandsters need additional fiber, so I don't know if that's due to me not having a gb or just par for the course. Pre-banding, I never had to add fiber suppliments though. I take a regular multivitamin/mineral like most other banders, and after a year, all my bloodwork came back normal. I noticed very little difference in my digestion after the gb surgery except that I was just a tad more sensitive to higher fat foods. That's not an issue now, since I rarely have those high fat foods, and if I do have something, it's such a small amount that it doesn't affect me.

I don't want you to misunderstand, because I might not have been clear, I wasn't suggesting you cut out carbs. Bad carbs...reduce (not eliminate) the intake. Good carbs (veggies/fiber)...increase.

I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this: Prebanding, I remember being absolutely miserable some/most evenings. Rings so tight I had to wet my fingers or soap them to get them off, pants so tight I had to unsnap the top button for relief, etc. Recently, I started checking my weight at night before I went to bed, and then first thing in the morning, because I no longer feel bloated in the evening, and I started wondering if it would be reflected in am/pm weight fluxuations. It used to be that I could count on a four or five pound weight loss from evening to morning, but since I started checking, I find that I'm only losing a pound, if that. Not that I wouldn't love to easily sleep off five pounds (lol), but it just makes me realize how much healthier I am now, and I still need to lose another 20+ lbs. Salt has been naturally cut down in my diet because I'm not eating process foods on a routine basis. I'm not snacking on junk from seven to eleven, and of course, my meal sizes are very small now. It's really a great feeling to go to bed, and not feel bloated, and I'm sure I'm sleeping so much better now. :thumbdown:

Not that you should give yourself carte blanche to overindulge, (and I know you don't expect it), but for me, the first few months was 75% me and 25% band, but as I started closing in my sweet spot the ratio switched and now my band has taken over the majority of the work. I can't overstate how much my band has helped me control my food weaknesses because of the wonderful satiety I have now.

Creed, you've gotten a lot of good advice. May I just add that you should consider measuring your food. It's very common for those of us who are obese to under estimate the portions we are eating. I wasn't a big meal eater, but I snacked and grazed all day long...a tiny bite of this and a smidgen of that...and here I am with a band. Also, I know you don't eat ice cream every week, but the best way to stop eating it altogether, except under controlled conditions is to keep it out of your house. That way, when you really feel the urge, you have to make an effort to get it, and then it's a small cup or cone rather than a quart. For me, drastically cutting down on "bad" carbs (which I got in junk food mostly) and really upping my intake of Fiber and veggies has almost eliminated all mysugar cravings. I've had my band for over a year, so this didn't happen overnight.

You're right, at least for me. I didn't notice this was asked in the Canada forum until now. :thumbdown: I try to pay attention to which forum a question is asked in before I post a reply, and this one totally slipped by me. Sorry about that.

It's true, as others have said, Mickey, that those foods are sliders. They have a consistency that slips right through the band, especially when you have little restriction - although, sadly, those foods almost always go down easier. Chances are, the chicken skin stuck like one of those clingy stickers rather than being too dense to go through your stoma. Two things will help you, I think. The first is getting to a fill level that you get good satiety (without choking) on good solid meals. One stuck incident isn't an indication that you're too restricted. There's a bit of learning that goes with the band. Secondly, keep those slider junk foods out of your house, at least for now. I'm a little over a year out of surgery, and I've had my pitfalls. My worse was this summer when we took my son and a few of his friends on a trip, and TWO families sent brownies. Of all junk food, that's my cat nip. While the teenagers ate a brownie here and there, I kept cutting pieces off until we had two pans of brownie bites..lol (smaller pieces = fewer calories). When you find yourself hungry, have nutritious Snacks at your fingertips. Those terrible cravings do subside (probably not 100%) over time. chips, snickers, and your other triggers, shouldn't be in your house. If you want an occasional Frosty (for instance), and it won't trigger a binge, have a small one or split one with somebody. Of course, you may be different, but for me, it helps to know I can have an occasional "treat", but the more time I put between eating junk foods, the less I tend to even think of them. Make it an effort to get your hands on high white carb/high calorie/non nutritious foods. Also, keep some good alternative foods around for those times you want something "decadent". Fat free hot chocolate, FF chocolate pudding, SF chocolate Protein shakes, etc (obviously, my biggest trigger is chocolate lol). A great crunch food for me is Khashi or Fiber One Cereal. Good luck, and I hope you can get a fill today, and that your cold is better. I'm sure there's a few that have never fallen off the band wagon, but I bet it's in the minority.

I'm glad your dietitian listened to you and responded with a sensible plan that fits your needs. I was wondering how a high protein diet could possibly be *less* nutritious for someone who truly can't tolerate the shakes. Good luck with your upcoming surgery, and I'm sure you're going to do great!

I second l2l's advice. To help lessen any swelling and in the likely chance you're a bit overfilled, you should stick to liquids until you talk to your doctor.

A woman that works at Trader Joe's told me that too, but I looked for them there, and they didn't have them. It's so hit or miss with those stores, but it's always a surprise at what you might find. On the up side, I bought several pairs of shoes, jeans, slacks, and several tops and sweaters..lol Pre-band, I was in a size 18, and just barely, at that. Now, I wear a 12 and a too tight 10 (but I'm on my way :thumbup:), and shopping is sooooo much fun. It used to be I would just pray I found something in my size, and now, I have so many choices.

I'm gald to hear your fill went so well!! :thumbup:

I was self pay (not at one of the clinics you mentioned), and we had the option to buy an extended warranty, and it was pretty expensive. It's been over a year, but I think the initial warranty that the surgeon provided for us was very short. I'm pretty sure it was six months, but it might have been a year. That's definitely something you should check with your doctor's office.

World Market carries them where I live.