kiz

I've been banded a year and at my sweet spot, and I can eat all those foods. (Occasionally rice seems expand before it goes through my band. I don't generally eat much rice anyway, because I'm only supposed to eat 1/2 cup meals, but I can eat it if I want to.)

Sometimes, I just want to refreshen my mouth after eating. Altoids makes a small wintergreen mint that's sugar-free that I really like. A Tic-Tac or some other small sugar free mint may help as well. It gets the saliva flowing a bit, so your mouth doesn't feel dry. Keeping very well hydrated between meals, as Joanie mentioned, is a huge help.

Susie, I'm so sorry you're not losing weight in addition to not being able to eat properly. That's certainly a double whammy. I hope that getting a slight unfill will help you get back on track with eating healthy and nourishing food again. Maybe you'll find that as you're able to add back solid foods, you'll begin to lose weight. At minimum, I hope the unfill reduces your restriction enough that you can eat a variety of foods again. Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

Glen...note to self, root beer is fine if you add ice cream. Must erase that piece of info from my brain. LOL!!

I take Centrum chewables, orange flavor, so that's good news for me. I started off with Flintstones chewables, and I thought they tasted nasty, but at the time, I didn't know there were adult varieties. Everyone's tastes is different, but I think the Centrum chewables are pretty good. I'm glad to hear your doctor recommends them too.

I'm sorry to hear that, Mary. I have a feeling, as overweight people, we often overlook symptoms of iron deficiencies and other similar illnesses, because we tend to attribute tiredness and pain to our weight. I hope you quickly get to the root of the problem, and that you're back on track for a band very soon.

That's wonderful, elgrad. I know going to support group meetings prior to my surgery helped me get over the jitters too. Talking face to face with others who were already banded, and some for several years, was such an inspiration. Best wishes for a successful surgery followed by a quick recovery.

One thing my doctor tells us is to not chew, chew, chew. He wants us at the optimal fill level that we can eat most foods (stringy celery, for instance, is not a band friendly food), chew well, but not pulverize, so that our food passes through the band, but not too quickly. Even at that level, some people still have problems with doughy breads, some meats, etc (for whatever reason, I can still eat most foods). For me, if I had to take teeny bites, over chew, eat a snail's pace, find myself getting stuck routinely, I would think that's counter productive to my band working efficiently. It's an individual decision and with your doctor's guidance, to what fill level you're comfortable with. So, this is the right place for me, but there's leeway for an individual to chose, and I love that about the band. If I couldn't eat most meats or chicken, I would want my fill level backed off a little.

Thanks for describing your band leak problem, melly, and how your doctor diagnosed it. It's really helpful. I agree with you, if I do ever have a band problem, that type of leak is the one I'd prefer. You haven't been banded long though. Did your doctor say how you happened to get a micro leak?

My doctor never talked to me about a goal weight either, but then again, I didn't bring up the subject. They just asked me what my goal was, and other than that, we didn't discuss it. I picked my goal based on a healthy BMI. It's about ten to fifteen pounds more than I weighed in college, but with my body build and my age, I think that would suit me. Once I get to my goal, I might try for another five pounds, but I want to see how my face holds up. I getting to the age that tiny wrinkles are starting to appear, and I've seen people who've lost a lot of weight age ten years in their face, and I don't have ten years to spare (lol). Even though I have 25 pounds to lose, my husband thinks I look fantastic and I'm feeling great, so depending on how things go, that next 25 might be my where I decide to stop.

LOL...I've never had trouble getting in my 1/2 cup meal either, regardless of when I've had my last drink. I'm not sure I buy the theory that the liquid in the pouch might lesson how much I can eat either. My personal demon is that if I get too hungry I tend to graze on junk food. I avoid liquids near meal time because I'm more concerned that if there's liquid in my pouch when I start to eat, it'll dilute my food and let it pass quickly. Even though my doctor says that water in my pouch might give me an artificial feeling of fullness, I'm more concerned that my food won't stick around long enough to signal my brain that 1/2 cup of food is dinner. :biggrin:

It sounds like you're not allowed protein shakes. If that's the case, you might want to ask if you can drink Isopure (looks like Gatorade). It have zero carbs, 40 grams protein, 160 cals per 20 ounces. It's a fruit flavored drink, and it comes in several flavors. I know The Vitamin Shoppe sells it, and I'm sure it can be found at similar stores. (Sorry about the bathroom problems. Hopefully, you'll start to feel better soon).

I'm guessing you're asking about post-op diet. For the first two weeks following surgery, besides Protein shakes, I was supposed to drink plenty of Water to stay hydrated. I could also have clear broths and sugar free Popsicles and Jello. Isopure also makes a clear fruit flavored Protein Drink that I buy at The Vitamin Shoppe. I'm sure there were lots of other clear liquids I could have as well (it's been awhile since my surgery), but hopefully, your doctor will have you talk to a nutritionist and give you a detailed list of foods that you can have, and when you should add soft foods to your diet. Doctors all have their different rules regarding this, so that will be what you should ultimately go by.

Great question. I really don't understand it either. chicken is one of my staple foods, and I fix it, usually baked, once a week. I've eaten it out many times too with no trouble. However, the only real icky stuck episode I had was with stringy tough chicken from a Chinese restaurant. I ordered the chicken and broccoli (takeout), and I kept eating when I knew with every core of my being things were not right. It was the first time I had gotten stuck, and I was naive enough to think I could just power through the dinner even though my body was begging me to stop. My chest felt tight, my nose started running, I sighed, hiccuped and then all hell broke loose..lol I slimed for a few minutes, grabbed some papaya enzyme chewables I had on hand (for just in case), and felt better after a few minutes. Thankfully, I was home.

Hello, and welcome to LBT. As far as fills, there's no standard answer. The first fill after surgery is usually 4 to 6 weeks, but after that, a lot depends on the doctor and you're body's response to the band. Some doctors give very small fills, while others are a bit more aggressive. Some give fills as you feel you need them (ex. not losing weight and able to eat larger portions), while others follow a stricter protocol of following the calendar (ex. fills every three months). This is one of the questions that you'll want to ask potential doctors.

I added my answers to your questions in red.

I have the Realize Band too, and occasionally I would have some port pain. I remember it happened once, after I was probably around four or five weeks post-op, during a long car ride and another time after stretching to feel my port. The Realize Band port is anchored by metal hooks not by stitches (unless your doctor anchored yours differently), so chances are you're just are sore from the trip and stretching.

I would probably stay away from the chicken just because you're still in the soft food stage, and you haven't had it solid. Some people have problems with chicken, and I would rather try a potential problem food at home first. On the other hand, since you're comfortable with ground beef, the chili sounds like a good option for you. Mashed potatoes and gravy would definitely be a soft food. BBQ beans would be soft option too. Since you're at 3 1/2 weeks, as long as you take your time and don't get distracted by conversation, I think you should do just fine.

Hi, and welcome to LBT. It sounds like you're getting off to a great start. It's always nice to get that first fill out of the way, so you know what to expect. Good luck!!

Michelle, thanks for letting us know how you're doing. I'm very glad you saw a doctor and got an unfill. Maybe that will all you need plus some time for your stomach to heal. I hope you get good news from your from your upper GI series.

You should go in for a fill. Sometimes, when you're getting close to a full band, but not quite, just a small fill helps. Personally, my band has more fill than normal. My doctor did it under fluoro with a pressure fill. Even at that, I'm only at my sweet spot. No pb's, sliming, indigestion, etc for me (not that I'm complaining, I'm very thankful), while others can't tolerate half as much saline fill as I have. We're all so different, and hopefully a little tweaking will get you to the point where you feel restriction. Also, from what I understand, you can expect a small amount of seepage of Fluid over time, so you might have more room for a fill than you think. Make sure your doctor pulls out the fluid that's in your band to check (if he doesn't regularly). Good luck, and let us know how you're doing.

Belle, did you call your surgeon to ask for a referral to a doctor in your new area? Moving was also a concern of mine, and I asked my doctor about how it would be handled during one of our pre-op meetings. He said that he would help me find a new doctor in the case of a move, and that it happens regularly.

Some pre-op diets are more restrictive than others. Also, I think it depends on what one classifies as a pre-op loss. I was self-pay and only had the two weeks to lose, but many who have WLS insurance are on a 6 month diet and may include that total in their loss. Some people just plain lose faster than others. Anyway, try not to get too hung up on the numbers, but I know it's hard. Good luck on your upcoming surgery!

No, kristi, it was not a mistake! I've had my band for a year, and it was absolutely the best decision I could have made to get me back in the game. I still want to lose about 25 lbs (give or take), and I'm still losing, but I can participate in so many activities now, that I didn't have the energy or endurance to do B.B. (before band). I can hike, I'm going snow skiing for the first time in ten years this winter (before I got so heavy I was an avid skier), I'm not mortified to be seen in my swimsuit, etc, but most of all, I feel much healthier and I know I've added years back to my life. I noticed this is your first post, tjr, and first off, congratulations on your baby. If there's anything you think we can help you with to get back on track with the band, please ask. You can start a new thread to give us some background info and why you think you're having problems. Granted, the band doesn't work for everyone, but I know there's a lot of knowledgeable and very helpful people here who would be more than happy to give you helping hand.

Hi Kentuckyblue, and welcome to LBT. I can't believe it's been a year since I had my lap band surgery. In the first days after my surgery, I tried to take it easy as much as possible, although I did go to a party (Water in hand) two days later. I don't have any young children, and I'm a SAHM, so I think being able to rest a lot and not worry about any heavy lifting helped me heal quickly. I also followed my doctors orders to a tee as far as diet, breathing exercises, and walking because I really wanted to avoid having any post-op problems. Good luck to you, and I hope you're feeling well.