kiz

I just caught the last 15 minutes of the show, but I thought Alexandra looked great with her 60 lb weight loss. Yay for her, and I'm glad she's has more confidence in herself.

Kimo, even the most lenient post-op diets I've seen generally call for staying on a two week liquid diet. You have stitches that are holding your band in place, and you do not want your stomach churning to digest solid food. The scary thing is that you can't see if you're doing damage, and often it doesn't show up until later when your band slips. You have to stop with the solid foods. Call your doctor, and tell him what's going on. You're not going to be his first patient who feels like he's starving on this post-op diet, and maybe he'll have some good suggestions to help you get through this healing period with your band stitches intact. I do agree with BonMag that you shouldn't beat yourself up over it. What's done is done. There are people who cheat on the post-op diet, but of all times not to cheat, this is it. Good luck, and believe me, we know this period can be rough, but you have to be strong.

Good advice! I'm glad you brought up an emergency unfill. I had forgotten that was an option. My NP had mentioned that as well. Not that anyone would want to be in the position of having to go to the doctor with a stomach bug, but at least it's an option. The H1N1 virus is causing vomiting in some people. I've already gotten my seasonal flu shot, and I'm very anxious for the H1N1 vaccine to be released.

I asked the NP at my last appointment about this very thing. We're not supposed to drink anything 1/2 hour prior to eating. She said that it can take that long for the pouch to completely drain, and they want to make sure we're getting our 1/2 cup meal, (I go to a practice that is big on measuring), and they don't want us having a false sense of fullness due to having liquid in our pouch. I also think some foods pass through more quickly when combined with liquids. It really depends on what I'm eating. Personally, I'm sure my pouch empties out much faster than 1/2 hour after drinking, but I do stop liquids at least fifteen minutes before a meal. If I'm out to eat, I will sip on Water up to my food being served, but unless I was behind on my water intake, I don't drink more than maybe 1/4 glass. I can drink during meals without pain (I can't drink milk on Cereal though). I almost never drink with meals unless it's to sip water or wine (rarely) when out to dinner. I don't order any other type of drink, because unless it's a nice glass of wine, it's not worth the temptation or the cost to me. I definitely know I can eat more of most foods if I drink during a meal, so I don't make a habit of it. For me, I do think it mixes with my food and helps it to pass more quickly.

I think most of us have concerns about a stomach bug. Talk to your doctor about his recommendations in case you ever come down with one. The NP in my doctor's office said a 24 hour bug shouldn't harm the band but anything over that, they'd want to call in a prescription med to my pharmacy to settle things down. I was going out of the country last spring so I got a prescription med to take with me. Thankfully, I didn't need it, but I was glad I had it just in case. Some lap banders keep a prescription med on hand in the event of a stomach ailment.

1. Especially at this stage, when you learning to eat much smaller meals and when your band may not be holding your food for any significant time, it's very smart to measure, imo. The biggest indicator at this stage - if you're measuring -that you have little restriction is the quick return of hunger after a meal. So, often, it's not so much people are overeating or choosing foods that are not on their approved list that lets them know they have very little or no restriction, it's the quick return of hunger after eating that they're battling at this stage. That's not to say that some people aren't overeating, but it's not always the case. About two weeks before I had my first fill, I began getting hungry between meals. My doctor wanted me to be sure I kept my meals smaller than one cup and that my snack was more of a heavy Protein rather than something snackish like a SF Popsicle. 2, Unless it's a very thick soup, I would consider it a liquid with calories. Depending on how tight your band is at this point, if it's not a real thick soup, it's going to go through like any other liquid. A broth based soup would be more like a liquid, but the soup you're eating sounds like a soft food to me. Hopefully, you have instructions from your doctor, but I was supposed to have 1/2 cup meals, even during the soft food stage. *You're doing a great job and being very careful about you meals. It'll pay off in the long run.

I'm so happy to hear that you're feeling better. Enjoy the creamy soups too!!

Maria, you're going through what many bandsters lovingly call "bandsters hell" (if you do a search for the term you'll get many hits). Most likely have very little, if any, fill in your band. Bandsters go through this period with varying degrees of hunger, but if you have very little swelling, the fluids that you're taking are going straight through the banded area. The doctor wants you on fluids now because your stitches are healing and if you eat solid food the digestion process will cause your stomach to churn and that coupled with the possibility of eating something that could get stuck might lead to possible serious problems down the line. Band slippage being one. If the hunger becomes unbearable, call your doctor. He might suggest an added protein shake, or something to that effect. Two weeks is pretty typical to stay on fluids. If you feel tempted to munch on something try to focus on those stitches and how important it is to let them heal for your longterm health and success with the band. Good luck.

Are you trying to qualify for insurance or are you self-pay? I was self-pay and didn't need the co-morbidities to qualify for the surgery, and I was under 40 bmi. Maybe it depends on the doctor though. Now, if you're trying to qualify for insurance, I believe most are pretty strict about the qualification requirements.

I didn't have to do any prep like that. Just food and liquid restrictions prior to surgery. Check with your doctor, and maybe you'll be lucky and he doesn't require it. If he does ask his patients to do the prep, maybe an exception can be made if it's going to make you sick, at least it never hurts to ask.

I've taken several flights since I've been banded, and after I've had good restriction, and never felt any noticeable change in the tightness of my band. Some people have said they feel tighter and have trouble eating and drinking though.

I had my surgery a year ago, but it seems like I can remember a feeling of tightness in my chest occasionally for a day or two after surgery. Let me tell you, stuck hurts. Since you're able to drink your liquids just fine, I think you just have some after surgery swelling which is very normal. If you start to feel pain or have trouble getting fluids down, by all means, call your doctor. To feel reassured call anyway. This board is great for general information, but call your doctor if you feel the least bit unsure of anything.

No problem. I just hope someone who has had this problem reads your post and can offer you some suggestions. My first thought would be to ease off on the restriction a bit, but it sounds like that's really not the issue since you don't feel very restricted during the day. I think a poster named "Cleo's Mom" had similar issues at night. You might want to try sending her a PM.

They break down Protein. The pills are chewable and they actually taste pretty good. It's not something you'd want to ever use routinely because it's not good for you to eat food that tends to make you feel stuck, and you want your food to stay in your upper pouch area for awhile to signal your brain that you're full. However, especially during the learning phase, it was a big help for me. Other people have suggested pineapple juice in a pinch too.

I'm answering so your post so it will bump back up to the top of the page. I know there are banders who have experienced this problem and hopefully someone will be able to give you advice.

I have very good restriction, and I can still eat those foods. As far as steak, it has to be lean, and I have to be careful not to swallow a big half-chewed bite, and I can only eat around 3 or 4 oz. Everyone is different though. I've had to have several cc of saline to get to good restriction, whereas others have trouble even with Water with a much looser band. You would want to be well healed from your surgery before trying steak or any iffy band food (and with your doctor's okay), but if you take it slowly, it's not a given it'll be off your diet. Also, I don't these often, and I can't even remember that last time I felt a Protein food was going down rough, but I always have Papaya chewable pills just in case. (I have Papaya pineapple chewables from Trader Joes, but I think you can get these just about anywhere that sells Vitamins and supplements including Walmart or off the internet). Good luck with your surgery!

:sad: Love your thread title!! My husband had gotten into the habit of eating very fast. He's on the road often, and sometimes has little time to eat. I've told him to slow it down, but now that I have to eat much slower, he's finally listening, at least when he's with me. Either out of forming new healthier eating habits or by negative reinforcement, you will lose those nicknames. :mad:

I had my surgery a year ago, and I'm still numb right under the large incision where the port's located. I noticed it after someone else mentioned it. The only way I can tell it's numb is when I scratch the skin in that area, and right around the incision, I have no sensation of my skin being scratched. I asked the NP about it, and she said some people don't get the feeling back. I think it's a good thing, because my fills are completely painless.

Also, I wanted to add that it does get much easier to beat those cravings after you reach a good fill level. It may not happen the first, second, or even seventh fill (I probably hold some kind of record, but I stopped counting..lol), but each fill helped, and the sweet spot is heaven. It's amazing how easy it is to forget about eating when your stomach isn't sending you those feed me NOW signals.

Do you feel like you're getting enough food with one boiled egg? I just looked it up, and it takes four jumbo eggs to make a cup. You might want to consider adding fruit or high Fiber toast if you can tolerate a bit more food, and if it's okay'ed by your doctor at this point after your surgery. (I have to be very mindful about getting enough fiber in, so I eat 1/2 cup of dry Go Lean Cereal every morning. It has both fiber and Protein, and it keeps me satisfied until lunch time). You have to work out the diet that's right for you and your doctor's recommendations, but you may be eating too little, which will lead to those cravings. Congratulations on beating that urge to snack mid morning though!!

There are plenty of threads listing menus, food ideas, etc, but I think you need to make a list of what you're eating and talk to your doctor. He might recommend a nutritionist to help you get on track. My doctor doesn't want us to chew our food to death or stick to soft foods, because at that point, you're interfering with the effectiveness of the band. If you can't eat the food your doctor advises, and it sounds like you can't, then he should be able to determine how much saline to remove. Sometimes, just a small amount is all it takes. Also, if you can have a fill under fluoroscopy, he can see how quickly - or not - the barium is going through. In my support group meetings, a couple of people said they had to mix the barium with cottage cheese (maybe yogurt) to get an accurate reading of their band flow. Sounds yucky, and it probably is, but if I were having trouble eating, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

I think it's different for every individual. My first fill was scheduled for six weeks out, and if memory serves me, it was around four weeks that I started getting my hunger back. I upped my meal intake from 1/2 cup to almost one cup 3x/day, and made sure my snack was a good solid protein (per doctor's recommendation). I've read that others were hungry right off the bat though.

Hi everyone. It's great to see so many familiar names. I've not been on LBT for quite awhile, so it's been wonderful to catch up on all my September bandmates. It's strange to see new September banders and realize they're '09s. Boy, in a lot of ways this year has flown by. I've kind of lost count of the number fill I've had. I was religiously keeping track of the number and the amount of saline I was getting each time. I kind of freaked out for awhile because they could never pull out as much as they were putting in, and I haven't had real tight restriction, so I kept thinking...leak. My doctor kept assuring me I was doing great, and had no worries. Me, I worried..lol I lost steadily until a few months ago, and then I plateaued and gained back a few pounds. I didn't get all bent out of shape and defeated like I would have pre-band though...pats self on back. My problem was that I would feel good restriction for a short time after each fill, but it would go away after a couple of weeks. I got into the habit of snacking between meals. I had a pressure fill under fluoro a month ago (my doctor only does these with the Realize Band), and it showed that I was pretty much topped out, but that he could add a bit to bring my pressure up to somewhere in the 40s (I think that was the number, and I really don't know what that means as far as band fill tightness, but I do know that I have much more saline than the 9cc my band is supposed to hold). He said the band was in a good position, I was tight, but that he's had a few patients that needed that kind of tightness to feel proper restriction. Well, that was the magic fill for me. For the first time, I'm eating three 1/2 cup solid meals and one healthy snack and not getting hungry. I'm not having cravings, and I've been able to end the snacking cycle. My plateau has been kicked to the curb. Even at this level of tightness, I can still eat just about anything without problems. It's amazing to me that people have trouble swallowing fluids with such a lessor amount of fill, but that just goes to show me that the band has to be tailored to each individual. I feel very fortunate not to have pb/sliming/acid reflux issues after reading some of the problems others have had. I've lost 50 lbs and would like to lose 30 more. However, I'm thrilled at where I'm at now. I feel great. I'm active again. I feel normal.

This is quite an interesting backstory... Biggest Loser Drug Scandal

Melodystar, you have a very positive attitude. Props to you!! Thanks for explaining the procedure in such detail. I hope all goes well during your surgery. Best wishes!!