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I came home with a prescription pain reliever and a On-Q PainBuster ball that kept the surgical area completely numb for 24 hours. When the ball is empties, you simply pull the catheter out. A plastic tipped catheter was inserted just above the port site while I was under sedation, and there's a small ball that it held in a fanny pack that holds the meds. It gave me total numbness in the area, so I ended up only taking a few of the vicodin I was given. I went straight to liquid adult formula Tylenol on the third day.

That's a long wait tomorrow, but as long as you can take clear liquids tomorrow, you might get through the day without feeling too hungry. The anticipation of the surgery and all the pre-op procedures might take your mind off food.

Sorry, Suzanne, they didn't mention the name of the doctor, just that he was a plastic surgeon. Also, unfortunately the meetings are on Mondays (2nd Mon of the month) at 7:00 - 8:30, so it doesn't sound doable for you. I hope you figure out your heartburn issue, and that it's something easy to deal with. I'd be really bummed about getting an unfill now too. I know what you mean about finding that perfect level of restriction. Once you have it, you don't want to mess around with it.

Congratulations, and best wishes for your surgery tomorrow!!

Do you think you need an fill? It sounds like a little tweaking could get you back on track.

Hi Suzanne, I don't think you usually come to the St. Mary's lap band support group meetings, but just in case you're interested, a plastic surgeon is scheduled to speak at the October meeting.

I was self-pay, and an overnight stay would have cost me about $5,000, so I was definitely leaning toward outpatient when I was making my decision. The question about having inpatient or outpatient lap band surgery came up in one of my pre-op classes. The nurse said that with lap band surgery, unless you experienced complications, she felt it was better to go home for two reasons. One, because people generally rest better in their own home. Two, because hospitals have sick people and germs, and you're better off recovering at home to avoid them. I live close enough to the hospital, that had a complication arose, my husband could get me back there easy enough. Of course, having someone that can help you those first few days of recovery is important too. So, I don't think there's a rigid right or wrong answer, and you should go with you're most comfortable. I chose to go the out-patient route, and it was the right decsion for me, thankfully.

I had restriction after most fills, I got them monthly and at least once after two weeks, but it wasn't until my last fill of 0.5cc that I really knew it was "the one". My doctor wants us to eat only 1/2 cup meals, and up until this last fill, I generally tried to stop at 1/2 cup, but I didn't feel a true sense of satiety and I would get hungry relatively quickly. Now, when I eat 1/2 cup, I feel that feeling of satisfaction and it lasts for over four hours most meals. Also, if I ate much more than 1/2 cup, I'd feel tight and over-full. The closer you get to good restriction, the less fill you need to make huge changes. You may end up being like me and need to push the limit, but chances are, you won't. My doctor only has a few patients with the Realize Band that needed to go over 9cc to get good restriction.

Don't despair. I have the 9cc Realize band and it wasn't until I got more than 9cc that I had true lasting restriction. I think I've read that most people get good restriction with the band I have at around 7.5cc, but I was stubborn..lol I was worried each time my restriction seemed to almost disappear, but my final fill was "the fill" that stayed with me. I have what I consider perfect restriction now and it hasn't changed a bit in two months.

There can be a little seepage of saline over time from the band, also, you could just be in need of fill due to your weight loss. You should be careful about eating and causing yourself pain, but I think now you just need a fill. To test yourself, try eating the amount of food your doctor has recommended for a meal (mine is 1/2 cup, but yours may be different). Make sure you start with solid Protein, like chicken, followed by a firm vegetable like broccoli. If you can eat it without pain (without chewing it to a pasty mush) and you find yourself hungry within a couple of hours, you probably only need a fill.

I've been banded for a year, and have what I consider perfect restriction. The only foods I always stay away from are stingy veggies (ex. celery, asparagus stalks). I can eat pizza, Pasta, lean steak, bread, popcorn, shrimp to name a few items people often think will be off the menu once they reach good restriction. I only eat 1/2 cup meals, so I'm not eating large amounts of any food. I also don't chew much more than normal, but I am cautious when something doesn't chew up well, (TMI alert, I've slyly - at least I hope - spit out a piece of steak into my napkin on occasion when it doesn't chew up well), and while I take smaller bites than I used to, they're not baby bites. I refer to them as ladylike bites..lol With this level of restriction, I can pretty much eat anything I want, but 1/2 cup meals keep me satisfied for several hours..generally 4+. I also can't put milk on my Cereal. I only tried it once, and it went down very painfully. I eat 1/2 cup dry Khashi w/ Protein & Fiber every day..but dry.

Not for me, I had two days liquids/two days soft foods, but I've seen plenty of people that their doctors tell them to take it easy after a fill, but they didn't have any specific food restrictions. On the other hand, I've read other people say they are on liquids for a full week after a fill.

If we we made perfect food choices 100% of the time, we wouldn't need a band. You had a minor bump after a one month making huge changes in your life (plus your pre-op diet). I also think that adding some extra calories every once in a while shakes up our metabolism. Consider yours shook..lol Honestly, you've been doing great, so forgive yourself the Red Lobster binge.

Elcee's right, you'll get lots of different answers to this question. My doctor leaves a 4 oz pouch above the band, and his goal is for his patients to eat 1/2 cup meals, three times/day, one snack, and to not get hungry between meals. He wants us to measure, and if we start to feel hungry in less than three to four hours, or if we find we're eating much more than 1/2 cup, then it's time for a fill. He doesn't want us to chew our food to death either. We should be eating pretty normally. Also, if after 20 minutes, we haven't finished our meal, we're supposed to stop eating...that's never been a problem for me. I feel like I have perfect restriction for me, and I eat normal foods, at a little slower pace, and in much smaller portions.

I'm sorry you're having the food issue, but sometimes just a tiny unfill makes all the difference. You should be having most meals without discomfort, let alone sliming and pain. It sounds like you're really very close to that point, whereas I was just a bit under before hitting the sweet spot, you're a bit over. Hopefully, tomorrow you'll feel a lot better.

I had the same thing happen to me with a popped stitch through the glue on the incision. Not to worry though, they're self dissolving stitches. If it starts to bug you, be sure and ask the doctor, or whoever you see to clip it for you. Mine got snagged on my clothes, so I had it snipped. I hope the gas pains are subsiding by now. It seems the gas pains are often worse than the surgery itself. Let me know how you're getting along when you get a chance.

I felt restriction along the way after almost every fill, but it was fleeting. It was when I got my last fill at about 10 months that I knew it was the "one". The other fills gave me restriction for a few weeks but then the feeling of satiety after meals started to diminish, but this time it took. It's been a little over two months now, and it feels the restriction feels the same today as it did two months ago. It's also a stronger feeling of staying satisfied between meals then I ever had prior to this past fill.

I'm sorry, I'm not from your area, but you will get plenty of online support on LBT. Most of us have been in the same palce as you or will be soon. I'm glad you were able to get you insurance to work. I was self-pay, but even at that, my band has been worth every single penny. You need to get exact instructions from your doctor as to the amount of time and what you can eat (or drink) on both your pre-op and post-op diets. As you read the boards, you'll see that there are as many different diet recommendations as there are doctors. Carnation sugar free shakes was one of the Protein drinks on my plan (with an added 1/4 cup of powdered skim milk to boost the protein), but I had a few other choices as well. I was also allowed one small "meal", veggies and a fruit. Some doctors are stricter than others, so it's important to follow your own doctor's advice. The first couple days were by far the hardest for me. I think my system needed to adjust to the lack of carbs and calories, but it did get better. I drank a boat load of green tea and Water too. Good luck, and I hope you're able to connect with some other banders in your area.

I've had the same thing happen to me with the Realize Band. I think part of the issue is it's a low pressure band, which makes it more difficult to draw out all the saline (at least that's what I was told) by a nurse. I was convinced I had a leak, because I didn't get good restriction until my fill amount was well over 9cc (I have the 9cc band), coupled with the inability for the doctor to retrieve all the Fluid he had given me. My last two fills were under fluoro, and during the first of those two, it was obvious that my band was giving my restriction, but I just needed more to reach an ideal level of satiety. My last fill was called a pressure fill under fluoro. The doctor hooked a gauge up to the the fill needle to measure the pressure of my band. It was high, but not off the chart, and he said he had a few other patients who needed that level to get good restriction. My last fill was .5cc, and although I stopped counting, and that was probably about 11cc total in my 9cc band. That was the fill that did the trick. I have amazing restriction. I can still eat just about any type of food, no pb'ing, reflux, etc, but with 1/2 cup meals I stay satisfied 4+ hours. I rarely feel hungry in between meals, and when I do, a drink takes care of it. That's what I was counting on with the band.

Hi Nancy, and welcome. A Tums should be fine, I even use them as a calcium supplement in a pinch. When were you banded? It sounds like it was recent. Be sure to check the instructions you received from your doctor, because we all get different rules. I hope you're feeling better soon.

Almost anyone who has significant weight to lose and has started a new diet loses several pounds the first week of a diet. You've been doing this for several months, so it's not surprising you didn't get that initial exciting loss. Don't feel disheartened. Good luck here on out.

I wonder how you ended up with a swollen lip. Once, I was having surgery and the nurse said I fought them putting in the breathing tube (whatever that meant). It sounds like you put up a fight, but the breathing tube got the last punch. Other than icing it, I don't anything else to do, except wait for it to go down. It must be pretty annoying to deal with. I hope you ended up getting some sleep. I anticipated being awake the first night, but I ended up sleeping like crazy, only waking up once (laying on my port side at that). I got up and walked a little because I was worried about forming blood clots (I'm a worrier, as you know..lol), but went right back to sleep.

Congratulations, Traveldadddy!! My band has been a modern miracle for me too, so I share your enthusiasm.

So sorry to hear you had such a bad episode. I know it had to be painful. It's very unlikely you did any permanent damage just one time of being stuck. Sam's advice on how to handle the swelling is what I would do too. Also, if you don't have it, buy some papaya enzyme (chewable pills). Papaya naturally breaks down Protein, and when I've had a hard time with a particularly tough piece of chicken it worked wonders. Although, I've very rarely had any problems with meat, after the chicken incident, I have those papaya pills with me all the time, and I've used them a few times when a meat I've eaten felt tight going down. Mine came from Trader Joe's, but I think you can find them at Vitamin shops, and maybe even Walmart or online. They're inexpensive, and if they work for you (if you ever get stuck on meat again), they're worth every penny and more. I hope you feel better soon.

Welcome to LBT, Katie, and congratulations on your surgery. You're probably experiencing those symptoms due to the swelling from your surgery. It should ease up fairly quickly. After a couple of days I moved from the prescription meds to liquid Tylenol for adults. If you feel like you can tolerate going off the stronger pain medication, maybe you would tolerate the liquid Tylenol better.