RestlessMonkey

You should've called your doc and in fact if he has an after-hours number you should do it now. There is a reason for the gradual post op diet; our stomachs churn when we eat to aid in digestion. That churning action, before our bands are well healed into place, can cause a slip.

Especially since you felt pain and still feel it, you need to call your doc and let him either tell you what to take, or get you in for tests to see if your band is still ok.

Welcome and good luck! :wink:

I've heard of it; not from diet soda (although I was told that was one of the the big reasons we weren't supposed to have carbonation; pouch problems) but for other reasons. Stay away from that stuff and I hope you'll save your band! Good luck.

Soup shouldn't get stuck though. Maybe a home made stew, for instance; but most Soups have mushie soft veggies etc in them.

Why were you unfilled and when/how much refilled?

Liquid doesn't help the food pass through MY band. Not a bit. In fact if I drink while I'm eating, I'm either in pain, or in for a PB.

And in fact while my doc said to wait 15 min after a meal to drink, usually I wait longer because I'm not thirsty.

Almost everyone has a problem food (or two) they can't eat. I'm fortunate (or not, depending LOL) I can eat anything. White bread? I SCOFF at white bread. Burp? I can out burp ANYONE. And carbonation? at my 1 year check up my beloved surgeon told me that if I was careful and it didn't hurt me any, i could indulge in moderation!

As usual, the Nut. is an NUT. :laugh:

Perhaps I shall refrain from making any posts related to band life as I don't have a band and therefore cannot possibly relate. I shall instead drink my Diet Coke, burp, and drink some more. I will drink with my all-bread evening meal tonight as well.

Great practice! :laugh:

Most docs require 64 oz a day from the start. Sil's doc is in the minority; and yes you can dehydrate quickly. Not all of us need to "sip" either. If you aren't swollen and don't have fill, it's safe to drink normally. Check with your doc (he may have filled you during surgery) but even at my sweet spot I can drink Water normally and most can too. you don't chug it, but it goes through just fine. So you don't need to be paranoid and constantly sip all day long unless you want to do that, honestly.

Again, call your doc if you doubt. But I was told to proceed carefully but stay hydrated. As I've often said my doc let them give me Water in the hospital before I was released for home (fairly soon post op) and I drank a good 20-30 ounces in the first hour they let me. Not all day, the first hour. No I'm not superwoman either.

But water goes through just fine.

Nope. Nary a doubt. But then, I'd wanted it since 2003 when it was first approved over here. By the time it all worked out I was ecstatic.

You do have to work it for it to work. If you don't want it, don't get it. Seriously. If you've researched, read, informed yourself and still think "Uh, no"...then, well, listen to yourself.

If you are frightened because it is unknown and you need to know more, then get cracking!

The band has worked for me pretty much exactly like I thought it would. I can eat anything, but way less. I am in the driver's seat and have to make good choices even now or I don't lose. I don't vomit at restaurants, I feel great. I love my band.

It's like getting married; don't do it unless you feel like it's gonna last.

I agree, ask. Mine felt it was safer just in case, but that's why we pay them the big bucks; to make calls like this! :laugh:

HOWEVER, unless you have some restriction you are probably ok, although that still is a bit too much IMHO.

Post op until you get restriction 1. stoma between your upper and lower stomach is fairly "wide open" and it doesn't restrict things much, so you can eat "more" food because it is going on through to your lower stomach and 2. until you get restriction you won't get satiety on a cup or less of food.< /p>

Further, there needs to generally be a pattern of overeating to cause the stretching, not one wild meal here or there.

Having said that (see I think you get a pass this time) use this to educate yourself. WHY did you do that? Do you need some therapy to help you with head hunger? It's not smart, it's not healthy to overeat once we have the band (I mean, it never is but now you may do extra damage) so try to use this to inform and educate yourself.

It depends on your surgeon. I didn't have to do an enema but I had to drink mag. citrate. And I'd been on an eternal preop diet. It took over 3 bottles to get me to go. It was gross, but i did it. i wanted the band VERY badly.

What unforgettable said.

Plus, you won't lose.

Stretching the pouch means an unfill for a time, and/or band removal.

I hear you. I "met" good restriction on May 8 2009. :laugh:

Insurance is a business, not an altruistic endeavor. They need to make money or they close. Period. And it isn't generally in their interest to pay for WLS when employers change policies frequently to keep costs down (because most employers also have to goal of making money. No one starts a business saying "I want to do this so I can buy great ins. for my employees")

well i was told by my doc that after week one you need Protein, and with the Unjury you can add it to chicken broth so you can still stay on your clear liquid. How long did they say that you had to be on that clear liquid diet? ?????...........I'm on clear for 3 days then full liquids for 11days then move to purees and so forth.....

Each person has a post op diet given to them by his/her surgeon to maximize healing, let the band heal in place, etc. So if your surgeon told you that on day 8 you need to add in protein, YOU need to do that! Totally!

However the OP was 4th day post op (not 8) AND...regardless the OP needs to do what his/her doc tells him to! If there is 1 thing I learned from perusing these boards it's that each doc tweaks things his or her own way. That's as it should be; they have different skills, different eductations, different "educated opinions" and even different client bases.

So what you do is what you're supposed to. (if you were banded 9/9 then you don't want protein yet) The OP should do as he/she is guided by his/her surgeon.

You definately need protein..........try Unjury unflavored Protein powders...........You can add them to Anything

No, you don't. At least not during a week or two during post op when you are healing. What you "need" is to follow your doc's advice. Not being pissy, either.

My doc said NO PROTEIN week 1. He's the pro; I the patient. I did what he said.

If you don't trust your doc to guide you through the pre- and post-op healing phases, don't trust him to band you.

Poolgirl I am definitely human! You know I am! I try not to make mistakes but am not perfect, not by a long shot (how boring perfection must be! Not that I'll ever know) and you are right. If you get a medical professional who "knows it all", odds are they don't. LOL

But liquid doesn't push things through for me; it just pushes against my pouch and hurts. When I'm eating, that is.

I guess.

Logically:

we aren't supposed to "drink meals" (like Protein shakes) because fluids move on through easily. The point of the band is delay in food reaching the lower stomach and delay in digestion (via portion control) thereby triggering feelings of satiety with much less food. Bites that go through easily (like slider foods) negate the band.

SO...eating pea sized bites of food means it will go on through to the lower part of your stomach much faster. If that would promote weight loss (eating pea sized food) then you don't need the band because if it's small enough to go on through, the band isn't doing anything (like with liquids and sliders)

I feel telling people "pea sized" is negligent and maybe even unkind. Many "disregard" the rules but what about people who really try to follow them?

She should say "start with pea sized and then work your way up to a bite you feel comfortable with". THAT I'd agree to! But for many of us pea sized bites, besides being a pain in the fork, would negate the satiety action of the band and set us up for failure.

Pea sized? I think that's bogus. I've had my band a year, lose well, rarely get stuck, and the only thing pea sized that I eat is peas.

I know I always say "do what your doc tells you" but that's kind of assinine, IMHO. I agree that I couldn't chew well a bite that little.

Remember you don't want it to bounce on through immediately; it's supposed to sit up in the pouch for a little while to give you the feeling of satiety and then slowly go on through to the rest of your stomach. So the point isn't to eat such minute amounts that each bite goes through immediately. That would negate the benefits of the band.

I say do that till you get the mechanics down (if you want) and then relax a little. And no I'm not a nutritionist, but unless the nut. has a band, I do have experience on my side. (and logic, apparently! LOL)

Really call your surgeon, especially if you took a pill and did NOT feel that pain before but have felt it since.

You may be swollen and hurt yourself a little (like scraped your esophagus) OR you may have a fill in there and need to REALLY watch it.

Call your doc to be sure, before the weekend.

Only if you strain it. When you're on full liquids you don't want anything that isn't liquid. I was told it would have to go through a straw and I've had that Soup at hand; it would definitely clog a straw.

You can call and ask your surgeon to be sure but I'd say NO.

A soup I really enjoyed on full liquids was campbell's split pea with bacon. I ran it through my food processor with about 3/4 can of Water then heated. It was liquid, would go through a straw (I tested it) and delicious (unless you HATE peas!)

The noodles in chicken noodle, even soup and hand, don't really blend well.

If you strain or process other "cream of" Soups, like potato, I think they are ok.

I disagree. Until there is a better treatment for obesity, isurance companies will essentially be forced to cover WLS, because it works. (and a major company just dropped the 6-month diet requirement for their approval of WLS, essentially making it EASIER to get, not harder) The lengthening waiting list doesn't mean insurance companies will drop coverage, it means there is a shortage of docs trained to do the surgery, or an overage of patients needing/wanting the surgery! That shows an increase in demand or a need for more supply. With surgeries like the lap band, people like me who would never have had RNY bypass are now getting surgery and losing weight and getting healthier. It will only increase, and insurance will step up to pay, until/unless they find a way to treat it with pharmacotherapeutic agents.

Thank you all for you well wishes. I did not stay over night I was home by 9:00 pm.

I do have a feeling like something is stuck in my chest kinda like Water went down the wrong pipe. Its high in my chest just above the the staple line. Is this normal?

You're probably just swollen from the surgery but since you're facing a weekend, call your surgeon's office just to be sure!

Some docs put fill in during surgery (I think it's cruel, but that's JMO!) and if that's the case, you may need special handling! :laugh:

Good luck!

Since everyone is different with what they can actually eat. My nutritionist has told me of many cases where individuals can't tolerate ANY meat items...It is just too much to chew and break down enough. Is it just the chicken that gets or feels "stuck"?? Good luck

I think it is likely your nutritionist is overstating it by saying "many" cases. I was told most of my surgeons patients can eat anything but some have a problem with stringy red meat or bread. Most bandsters can eat some meat; and if for example you can't eat steak you should be able to eat ground meat.

Who would have a surgery that totally shut out a major source of Protein? One can embrace a vegan lifestyle but most of us don't get the band hoping it will be the meat police.

I know I can't eat chicken SKIN unless it's really crispy but it's no harder to chew a piece of chicken or steak than it is, say, to eat many fresh veggies or an apple.

I think most of us just really don't chew well enough. Some things I've found I have to chew up to 40 times; for some, it may not be worth it. But that doesn't mean you CANT eat the item, just that you don't want to go to the trouble.