kiz

You should stay on liquids for at least a couple of days. Not every doctor recommends that, but it seems most do, and since you already know you're having trouble with soft foods, I think you would benefit from that schedule. Many people have swelling after a fill, and pb'ing can make it worse. Also, for whatever reason, many banders have trouble with eggs, so you might fall into that category too. Don't try soft foods until you can keep Water and Protein shakes down okay. However, if you find that you can't get your water and Protein Shakes down you need to go back asap for an unfill. You can become dehydrated very quickly. I would stay on liquids for a couple of days, soft foods for a couple of days, and then, as long as soft foods are going down okay, move to solids. If you find you can't move to solids within one or at the most two weeks, go back in then for an unfill. Don't wait eight weeks. You're setting yourself up for trouble if you keep a too tight band.

I've only ever taken a Centrum (or store brand) chewable multi vitamin/multi mineral vitamin, liquid B12, calcium and vitamin D drops in the winter months. I've had my band for a year and just got my annual blood work done, and it all came back normal.

My surgeries were reversed too. Laparscopic gall bladder surgery years ago and laparscopic band surgery last year. It wasn't even a concern to have a second lap surgery. My scars from my gall bladder surgery are tiny. I can't imagine one affecting the other. Also, they can't give you anything for the pain? I cannot believe they won't give you something to take during an attack. The pain was unbelievable during an attack, and my doctor gave me a prescription med to take. The good news is the recovery was quick for me. I had a newborn that I was nursing, so no handing off baby during feedings, and I got along just fine. If your prone to vomiting after anesthesia ask for a patch (I think it's for motion sickness) and a shot (not sure what was in it) to reduce stomach upset after surgery. I got sick the first two times I had anesthesia. For my band surgery I was given a patch and shots after surgery, and I was barely queasy.

It sounds like your last fill might have been a bit too much. You didn't say when you got your last fill, but if it was more than week or two, any swelling should be gone by now, and you should be able to handle solid meals. If it's only been a few days, it may just be swelling.

It sounds odd that the doctor thinks he may have a leak if it's only because he doesn't feel restriction. It seems the doctor would check the Fluid level rather than just let him worry. In the 9cc Realize Band, I've read that 7 to 7.5 cc is the level that most people feel great restriction. I have 11 cc in my 9 cc band, so I would have probably been like your friend with 6.4 cc in a 11 cc band. Believe me, I became concerned that I had a leak too, but my doctor assured me that I didn't, and that I'd eventually get good restriction. It turned out that he was right, thankfully.

Definitely too soon to tell. I did go back within two weeks for an additional fill when I felt next little to no restriction. They did that one under fluoro just to check my band out, and it was fine, and they pumped me up a little more. Sometimes, it takes up to two weeks to feel a fill for some reason, but at the point I went back in two weeks, I wasn't even close to good restriction. Also, a better indicator of how well you're doing with restriction will come when you go back on solid meals.

Not unless it's a requirement from either your surgeon or your insurance. People with your BMI and higher have the surgery all the time. Sometimes there's a six month supervised diet required by insurance companies and many doctors require a pre-surgery liver shrinking diet, but it varies from physician to physician. I've also read where people have been asked to lose 10% of the weight they need to lose, but I'm not sure if that's doctor or insurance directed. You just need to check with your surgeon to get all the details.

No, that's new to me. Sounds like a promising alternative when you can't good restriction with a normal saline fill. I had to have my band overfilled to reach restriction, so if I ever have problems keeping restriction in the future, I'll be sure to ask my doctor about this. Thanks.

"The important thing is to learn the signs, so you can stop eating in time. Its a real learning experience." That's the best advice of all. I know right away that I feel tightness (pain of sorts), or runny nose, or a bit of mucus comes up. When I had my pb, I had all of these, yet I took another bite. That's not to say, unfortunately, you can't get stuck without any warning at all. Based on your experience, hmarko, I don't think I'd try the hot Water unless I felt like nothing was going to move one way or the other. I hope not to get that stuck. But having water spew out everywhere or being in a terribly painful situation and after trying the papaya, walking, stretching, I'd try the water too. It's good to have several weapons in our arsenal. I got my papaya/pineapple chewables at Trader Joes. But like Pad said, you can find them at various Vitamin shops, and I've heard Walmart too. They're inexpensive, and they taste pretty good too.

Janet, do you know if your doctor put a fill in your band during surgery? It sounds like you're too tight if you're having trouble with a pretty soft meat like fish at this stage. If you're getting hungry quickly between meals, it might be because you're still mostly eating soft foods because of your band tightness rather than a need for a fill. Be sure and let your doctor know about your trouble at your appointment.

I guess the hot Water did bring it up, but it doesn't sound like the best way to do it unless you're really under distress and like you said, not in public. The time I had a pb was on Chinese chicken and broccoli. I didn't listen to my body's signals, and I was getting plenty, and kept eating. Lesson learned, that's for sure. For a Protein stuck episode, try chewable papaya enzyme. It doesn't work for everyone, but once, when I thought I was going to have a pb, it worked like a charm. A few other times, I was starting to get that tight feeling when eating meat, and it made the feeling go away immediately.

I think is should be a rare event. I got somewhat stuck a few weeks ago, but it was my fault. We were on the road, made a quick stop, and I tried to eat too fast. I've only been stuck (not pb'ing stuck, a little slime and tightness for a minute) a handful of times over the last year, and part of it was a learning curve with the band. I've only had one pb, and that was a few months after I was banded. I've been at my sweet spot for a little over a two months. For me, the sweet spot is that I can eat the meal amount my doctor prescribes, good solid Proteins and veggies, and stay satisfied 4+ hours.

If you're self pay, there's a good chance you only need a 35 bmi and no worries about co-morbidities. You'll just have to check with your surgeon to know for sure. It's generally insurance plans that have all the additional requirements. Good luck!!! (That's wonderful that you're mom is doing this for you.)

It could mean a leak, but it's very normal to lose restriction, so most probably not. I had the same thing over several fills. The restriction would last two to four weeks. I think most of my restriction was coming from swelling from the fill because of how quickly my restrictions seemed to fade. Now, the restriction didn't fade to nothing, and each fill I could tell I had a little more. It wasn't until my last fill that I got long lasting restriction. It's been well over two months now, and I'm still have the same great level of restriction. Initially, you are also losing fat stores around your stomach too, so as you lose pounds the band naturally loosens.

I went to a party two days after my surgery. It was a going away party for our friends' son who was leaving for Marine boot camp, and we'd known their son since he was nine, so I really wanted to go. I wore a loose fitting dress, brought some bottled water, and was fine. I forgot to take my Tylenol before I went, so I did end feeling a little achy. At that time, only my husband and kids knew I had the surgery, and nobody noticed that I was sipping water and staying away from the food. I told them about four months later when it became obvious I was losing weight. However, I was lucky that I felt so good, so fast.

There's a new Realize Band that is an 11 cc band, I believe. I have the 9 cc band too. I had to get an overfill to get good restriction. I have 11 cc in my band that was put in under fluoro while the doctor was measuring my pressure. From what I've been told, my Realize Band patients get good results at 7 to 7.5 cc, but we're all different. So, when there's some that find good restriction with little or no saline, there's others, that have to have extra. I'm doing absolutely great now. No pb's, reflux, etc. Just be careful about eating too big of meals just because you can. You don't want to overfill your 4 oz pouch. Once you get close to good restriction, just a small fill (my last was .5 cc) can get you there.

Boy, I can understand wanting to avoid DC traffic at all costs. I know that pb'ing can cause band irritation which could lead to swelling which causes a vicious cycle. If you stayed on fluids only for 48 hours, maybe your band would loosen a little if you do have swelling. Then start with soft foods again for two days before trying solid foods. If that doesn't work, you really shouldn't try to wait this out longer. My doctor also says at the most wait two weeks. You don't want to risk future complications from having a too tight band. Even if you have to go back in for a tiny unfill, I'd want to let my stomach rest a day or two on fluids just to make sure any swelling has subsided. However, if you can't get fluids down at this point, you need to get back into see your doctor, even if it means fighting that beltway traffic nightmare.

1. Not at all. Heck, you might consider it a plus, as sometimes the gall bladder goes on the fritz after major weight loss. I had to have mine removed several years ago too, and it wasn't a factor in getting my band. 2. Sorry, I don't know about the B12 deficiency. (p.s. Welcome to LBT)

There's throwing up with stomach acids like with a stomach virus, and then there's what some banders call a PB (productive burp). That's when just the offending food comes back up in pretty much the same condition as it went down. Regardless, I don't think one time would cause a slip. I've talked to my doctor about what I should do if I ended up with a stomach virus with vomiting. He said if it last more than 24 hours to come in for an unfill. I also have a prescription medication to hopefully prevent vomiting.

I have 11 cc in a 9 cc Realize Band. My last fill was 0.5 cc over two months ago, and it has brought me to my perfect restriction level. My last couple of fills were done under fluoro, since I had gone over 9 cc without getting long lasting restriction. My doctor also measure my band pressure with a gauge during my last fill. He said he had a few other patients that had to go to this level of fill to get good restriction. I haven't lost a bit of restriction with this last fill over time. I've lost a little over 50 lbs and need to lose a little over 20 more. I really don't anticipate needing anymore saline to get me to goal, and I don't think he would give me more, unless I lost some fill over time, as sometimes happens.

I'm very glad you've thoroughly researched the band and the aftercare needed. I was self-pay too, and even though I have a local doctor, I couldn't help but be concerned about potential problems. I've had my band for a year, and I've had no complications. I also take very good care of my band. You're smart to include an overnight stay after fills in your plans. I know lots of people have successful surgeries in Mexico and speak highly of the care they've received. I hope you get some good recommendations for clinics there. Do you have any in mind?

One option you could look into for after care is Fill Centers USA. There's a couple locations about 70 miles from the city you've listed under your screen name. That's not ideal, but it could be worse. Good luck!! Here's a link to their web site. Fill Centers USA - Lap Band Fill - Lap Band Support - Lap Band Post Surgery - Weight Loss Surgery - Fill Center USA - LapBand Adjustments - Bariatric Surgery - LapBand Fill

Do you have after care for fills and other potential band issues that may come up? I don't want to be a downer, but it's important that you have access to a doctor who can treat you in case of a problem and just the general band care, especially during the first year. I was lucky to never need a unfill, but it took approximately 8 fills (I actually stop counting) to get to great restriction. You might be lucky and get in two or so, but there's really no telling until you start getting fills.

"2 slimfast one protein drink and sugar free jello" Okay..gotcha. Without a coma, it was apparent you meant 2 slimfast shakes plus one protein drink. That's better, but still not a lot, especially for a period of two weeks. If you you can't exist on that diet (hey, I don't think I could either, at least w/o b****ing a lot), call your doctor to see if you can add on a high protein healthy food like tuna or chicken breast. You're flushing your system of carbs not trying to starve yourself. Like someone else mentioned, the first two days were by far the roughest for me. (My pre-op diet was two low carb high Protein Shakes, healthy low sugar veggies (not corn, potatoes, etc), one small fruit, and 4 oz of low fat meat on two slices of low fat whole wheat bread. Not saying that you should change without your doc's approval, but I can understand how you'd be feeling sick on your liquid diet.)

I would stay on liquids, and call your doctor. You may have been given a fill during surgery which has made you too tight. Maybe there's still residual swelling, but it seems kind of long for that. I know I had no trouble going to mushies at two weeks, but it could be a matter of how quickly each of us heals. I wouldn't continue with the soft foods until you talk to your doctor though.