RestlessMonkey

All I can tell you is stick to your preop and most importantly your post op diet scrupulously. Eat only what your doc approves! (I didn't realize how very important that was when I was in your place preop so long ago! LOL) As to things not tasting good, no one likes to eat things that they find unpalatable. I got so deathly sick of those sweet gicky EAS carb control advantEdge shakes I could've screamed but I figured that period wasn't about me enjoying my meals so much as losing the requisite liver fat preop and then healing post op. So hang in there; if you need to, call your surgeon's office on Monday and ask for some help. Good luck!

I responded to this in your "hello" thread in the "introductions" forum. Not that you won't get other answers, but mine is there.

No...peristalsis (digesting food) is very different. People don't (or most usually don't) FEEL the churning when digesting food. That stomach growling won't hurt your band; eating "a little" to prevent the growling WILL hurt your band. Hang in there, do what your doc says.

JMS that Water trick is a good one; I'll try to remember it. Because I have a terrible time when something is stuck. I am NOT a vomiter; I could never be bulemic because I say my digestive tract is a one way ride. I am 54 and preband vomited 5 times in my WHOLE life. (Yes I remember each one! LOL) So having something stuck and getting it to come UP is a nightmare for me. IF (ha, when!) I am foolish enough to get stuck again I'll remember that water trick.

Hang in there! At my last fill (5/7) I asked my doc what causes slips. He said that several things (including surgeon error and equipment failure, plus "who knows?" all can be factors) can cause it but MOST are caused by patients who 'advance the diet" too quickly. They either slip right away, or they slip down the road because if their band is sutured in, digestion (and the churning tummy that goes with it) can pop a stitch or two and set you up for a slip later on. SO! You are doing great to hang in there; just realize it can set you up for a great band experience! :tt2: And I remember your pain. I sat and held a can of refried Beans and cried. I felt like an idiot for doing that, so I cried even harder! BUT I didn't open them and eat them...You can make it through!

In the first place, it's kind of rude to board hop and diss people like this. Furthermore WW has BUNCHES of boards. Some are snarky, some are supportive. (I post there frequently) So please don't make all of them sound vicious and evil. You will find people everywhere (even HERE!) who don't think the lap band is a viable option and think it is an "easy" way out. And if it's just one person you're upset with, take it up with him/her. I know people can be hurtful and I'm not meaning to be unkind to you....but step back and look at the big picture. To say :OMG I cannot believe how horrible the WW boards are to Lap banders!!!! is being as unfair to them as that poster/one forum is being to you.

Hello and welcome. You should have had a BM by now. If you don't by Monday call your surgeon ASAP. Many times the post op pain meds can constipate you.

Post op pain varies widely; some have lots, some have virtually none, but most have some pain that is manageable with either the prescription drugs the doc gives, or OTC tylenol, and just taking it slow. If you have a good surgeon (like I was lucky to have!) you don't have as much issue with trapped gas that they pump into you, the gas that things like Gas-X don't touch because they aren't in your digestive tract and therefore gas x can't reach. (Gas X does help the burps though..that type of gas!) My pain was minor but I'm a firm believer in distraction. Using a pillow to "splint" or brace your incisions when you sit, stand, etc really helps a lot the first few days. AND stand/sit/sleep/walk as normally as possible from the start; you'll be less prone to adhesions and so on. The pain will pass, even if you do have it, but you may be one of the lucky ones (like me) who had little to no pain. I've actually had dental procedures that hurt more for longer.

Yep...go to the doc. Make payments, negotiate, whatever, but go to the doc. If you're indigent you may qualify for medicaid. But go. If it hurts all the time and you can't burp you may have some issues in there that need immediate attention.

I'd really check with the surgeon on this one. I am sure you want the band badly but I can tell you having something stuck is bad enough (as you know)...add to that a narrowed opening into your stomach and you are looking at many different POTENTIAL problems. Check with your surgeon; if s/he is well experienced, your issue may be dealt with (less fill, etc) Good luck; I think you're smart to address it now!

If you are in pain, and it's getting worse, call your Doc! Do it ASAP!

Left mouse click on your name "NANO" (over to the left, in white against blue background.) A dropdown menu will appear. From that, select the option "find more posts by nano". It will list your posts.

No issues. Some people think it hits them faster but it really is psychological. It DOES hit bypass patients more quickly because their digestive system is rerouted, but alcohol isn't any more or less dangerous for bandsters than for people without WLS, and you'll "process" it pretty much the same. I know that when I was younger and drank often I could drink A LOT and now I can't; so maybe some people who drink regularly stop for a few months while banding and then they are kind of out of the habit...but otherwise no issues. This is interesting, I think: I didn't read it through but believe it's a fairly accurate depiction of what happens when you drink: http://www.oregoncounseling.org/ArticlesPapers/Documents/ETOHBIOFx.htm

My ins has a 150 deductible and a 3000 "catastrophic cap" so my max would be 3150 if husband and I both had it, max would be 6300 worth it plus if we did it at start of ins year, then the rest of our medical for year would be covered at 100%, so it would be do-able.

Do you maybe mean MediCAL? as in California? You are safest to just contact them and ask! :glare:

If you've been "cheating" on a diet your doc gave you, then consider this a wake-up call. I cheated and lost the weight my way; my liver was still too thick and I came to in recovery with no band. So my awful lesson that I can share is "Do what your doc TELLS you. If he wanted you to have walnuts they'd be on the list!" Post op it is VITAL that you follow the instructions. My doctor yesterday told me the number ONE reason for band slippage is people cheating on their post op diets. So figure this is a lesson. Do what you're supposed to, if you don't lose then postpone the surgery (better than coming to without the band) and stick to your rules. It's worth it.

You are safest if you call and ask your doc what he wants HIS patients to do; they are all different!

i can tell you the AP band doesn't give you extra appetite control. I have an AP large and I am hungry with 6.5 cc's in the thing. So I don't blame you for being upset but don't think the newer one makes it easier to lose with the band, because it doesnt. There are less "side effects" down the road but the one you have was very safe and effective, so be mad but don't let it get you down.

I have no idea if it's normal or not; mine didn't hurt like that but we're all different! Just call your doc again tomorrow if s/he hasn't called you back. It's probably nothing or just healing etc but if it has hurt you for several days you don't want to ignore it

I don't have a bike but have heard from other plus sized people that they have gone to a bike shop and actually gotten, kind of, fitted for a bike? Exercise and bike riding are great ideas and a good bike can do wonders for you. Just pick a local bike shop and get some help! you might also google it. I just googled "bicycles for plus sized people" and this was the first site to pop up, but there are TONS of them http://plussize.lovetoknow.com/Bicycles_for_Large_Women Good luck!

Respectfully, can you get the breast reduction AFTER? I have large breasts (bigger than you!) but I know when I lose, THEY lose. If I had breast reduction now and then lost, i could end up very unhappy and needing ANOTHER surgery. I don't mean to be a downer and I know you are excited, but discuss the reduction and weight loss with more than one plastic surgeon, see if "before" is really the best time for it. Hopefully I'm wrong!

As the nurse told you, usually if you just stick with it and work it, it will resolve. You're doing the right thing; and people get them...we just don't realize that we scar internally almost like we scar on the outside, and when we scar, things can pucker and be tight.

Good luck! If she doesn't take Medicare, she may have a colleague who does. I asked my PCP and he had no clue!

Wow! That's terrible! As long as it's not hot, red, etc (ie no signs of inflammation and infection) then I guess you can keep waiting (but I'd call tomorrow and really demand some help!) Brace it with a pillow and take tylenol; that should help some with the pain. Where is your port? mine is to the left of my band, just lower than my left breast, and not in an area where digestive gas really impacts it. Depending on where yours is, it may be gas, or something else

You REALLY should find out about your insurance. It's possible that they'll pay more if you use a different surgeon/hospital/anesthetist etc. If you have a PPO they won't pay top dollar unless you use an in-network facility and in-network surgeons. HMO's are even more strict. Its your money; it's worth calling and wading through some paper if it will save you 11K!