RestlessMonkey

Straws can just increase your gas because you swallow air with them. Immediately post op I didn't use them; now I do again, from time to time, with no noticeable ill effect. And ask your surgeon if in doubt but as long as you're healed (and in 6 months you should be) there wouldn't be any problem with any roller coaster, unless they nauseate you and make you vomit violently or some such.

I can't think of any reason why you couldn't do those things, unless they nauseate you and make you vomit. If you have good restriction, I would wait for a bit after eating to ride, just "in case", but otherwise, go have fun!

I used the shakes my doc had me use for my preop diet. I fortunately had no trouble drinking liquids. Thank goodness!

You don't need to apologize or anything! I just wanted you to get the info you asked for and that area is full of insurance-related posts. I assumed you were new and unfamiliar with the site. It has taken me a while to get the hang of navigating! But there's no "wrong"...just some forums have more of a certain type of info, is all!

Since you're shouting out to people with your insurance, you might want to move this to the "Insurance and Financing" forum...you should get some hits that way! Good luck.

Your pain is probably caused by 2 things...trapped gas, and referred pain from your diaphragm (that's the shoulder pain) What helped my shoulder was having someone massage my neck and shoulders. The trapped gas...will resolve with walking walking walking! You'll get the hang of things! Just take your pain meds and walk and drink your water and hang in there. You'll feel better soon!

It's probably trapped gas. Walking helps! Although fairly non-invasive, Laprascopic surgery is still major surgery. Your insides were moved around and jostled, your liver was moved, and so on. Plus you were pumped full of gas to make the surgery easier to perform. It would be odd if you DIDN"T feel odd! So don't worry, just walk, drink your Water, take the pain med your doc prescribed (either prescription or OTC as you need) and it will get better! :tounge_smile: And of course a pillow to hold over your incisions helps brace the muscles and reduce pain when you're moving around. It helped me even when just sitting!

You need to follow the diet your surgeon gives you. Mine, for example, said ONLY clear liquids for the first week, and that meant NO PROTEIN. I did fine. I wasn't HAPPY (!) but I did fine. Once I could have protein he had suggestions on which to use. Your safest course is to do what your surgeon and nutritionist recommend. :tounge_smile:

You keep posting this question; I fear maybe your answer isn't to be found here. They both have pros and cons; this is mostly a lap band forum so most people here have chosen that route. I suggest you pick the surgery you want most since you'll have to live with it. One thing I do when making a hard decision with seemingly equal plusses and minuses: I roll a dice and say "evens is A, odds is B" and make it best 2 out of 3. When I get my answer, if I'm good with it, so be it. If I think "AW no I wanted the other" then I STILL have an answer! Seems frivolous, but it is your call which surgery is best for you; we can't decide for you and probably don't have any info about either that you don't already have since you've researched. Good luck to you!

Check with your surgeon. You can't really "tell" if it is stretched or not but your surgeon can. To answer your question, it won't "shrink" back. If it is truly stretched (and that does happen...that's one way Gastric bypass patients can regain weight...their clipped "tiny tummy" expands) to the point of band failure, corrective surgery may be needed. That would be up to you and your surgeon, but don't borrow trouble. Your surgeon is the source of info for this!

Was getting the fill traumatic? The doc had a hard time accessing my port the first time (it was flipped) and I was a little sore for a few days afterward but nothing like what you describe.

"The band" is a large subject for such a small device...what specifically are you frightened about?

I would say that's not a problem but a blessing! :tongue_smilie: I "came to" in recovery, starving and thirsty! It should go away slowly as your stomach heals and any swelling goes down. Until then, enjoy it! :tongue:

In Lap Band surgery, a device (lap band or realize band) is placed (usually laparoscopically, hence the name "lap" band) down a few inches from the top of your stomach, creating a pouch and effectively dividing your stomach into two parts, the larger lower part, and the much smaller upper part. ONCE YOU ARE RESTRICTED! food will pass slowly through the upper part into the lower part (that hole or opening is the stoma, and it is made smaller or larger by fills and "unfills" in your band..) Because of the way we are structured, food sitting in that pouch at the top of the stomach triggers our bodies (hormonally etc) to think OK I"M FULL NOW YAY and we remain satiatied for up to 5-6 hours. If you don't have enough restriction, you can eat too much, still be hungry, and struggle to lose. If you are TOO restricted, food comes back up and people often gain because things like milkshakes and potato chips go down more easily than healthy stuff. It is important to get the right amount of fill, and that amount can change as you lose weight etc, so follow up care is as important as getting the band initially. That's it in a nutshell. The device can be removed and over 90% of the time (it's a high number but I don't remember it exactly) stomachs return to normal. There can be band slipping and erosion but that's rare and can be minimalized by following your surgeons rules on eating post op. People who are banded often have to chew food much better and watch what they eat (no wolfing anything down) because of that restriction and small "stoma", but many people can AND DO eat as they used to, just in drastically smaller quantities. Head or emotional hunger, if it's something you struggle with, will still be there and will need to be dealt with. The band, however, will take care of physiological hunger It is a slow process and often doesn't give the quick drastic weight loss that other forms of lap band surgery provide.

Ticker questions are pretty common; I don't remember how I did mine but here's instructions I bookmarked for questions like these! Hope they help.....no one has ever said..... http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f5/ticker-tutorial-pictures-41782/

You need to call your doctor. It could be many things...low potassium, or a blood clot for example. Please call your doc right away and see what he says!

No one here can tell you if you should or should not get the lap band. It can help a person lose weight, it can be "eaten around" if the person cheats by picking the wrong foods, not following up with fills, etc. NO bariatric surgery, however, is 100% fool proof! Have you tried dieting and exercise? You need to exercise with the band, you know....so you'll need to get your asthma under control. Call your insurance provider and see if it covers lap band surgery; that would be a good first step. If so, find out which surgeons and then go to a seminar. They are usually very informative and can answer a bunch of questions, and bring to mind a bunch more! Lap band is a life style change; it's a big step. But, being fat is hard to live with, too! It may be a good option for you; only you will be able to decide once you start finding out more about it! :laugh:

YES you should be concerned! If you can, call your surgeon and find out what he advises you to take. Do it NOW, don't wait until Monday! If you can't get your surgeon, call a pharmacist, explain the band procedure, and find out what they recommend. Good luck.

As usual I think KGloverii hit it on the head...WHY did your doc push bypass, and why did you agree to it? Unless there is a sound medical reason for you to get one over the other, then pick the surgery you're comfortable with. No matter how we might think, it IS elective surgery. Don't ever have elective surgery unless YOU want it. If you really can't decide, get a "second opinion" by going to a different seminar.

You need to check with your surgeon. You'll probably feel fine and won't be taking the "heavy duty" pain killers any more (although a caveat...some few people do have longer recoveries) BUT....there may a problem with being sedentary for that long. Depending on your health situation, your surgeon may want you to get out and walk around like 10 minutes every hour or something, to prevent clots etc. If your surgeon clears you, I'm sure you'll feel up to it!

I know the feeling! But at least you are sticking to your liquids! You should be proud; it's hard to do, but so important! :laugh:

I've read it before and always thought it was funny! Of course, I'm 53...I can relate. I don't want to go out encased in plastic, I want to get every last drop out of life and be "ready' to go. That's the way I always took it.

YES YES YES!!!:laugh: I don't know why we're led to believe carbs are "refined flour and sugar" and are wicked and we'll blow up and die if we eat them! YIKES! Veggies have carbs. Even eggs have carbs in them. I also agree, check with your nutritionist (although if she's the one who thinks white bread is the only source of carbs, maybe you need another! LOL) Mine told us Pasta was fine as long as we didn't eat it al dente...because al dente pasta does continue to absorb liquid (leave it in a pot of liquid on the stove if you think it doesn't!) and can swell and stretch the pouch. White bread is a no no only because it tends to wad up (roll a piece up in your hand) If you toast it, it doesn't do that. OR if you eat it in small bites with something of a different texture, you may be able to eat it that way! But carbs are not inherently bad and in fact we need a balanced diet post band just as much as we did preband.

Becky I'm so glad to see this post! I have been slowly gaining back, not losing like you (you are really rocking!) but was happy that this last time I'd only gained 1/2 pound in the last 6 weeks! Now with my 3rd fill (just 4.5 cc's in a 14 cc band) I feel much like you do...just not hungry. It is amazing and wonderful! I'm so pleased to read how well you're doing! :laugh:

Don't worry. If you think about it you'll realize it's ok unless you chugged a bunch.... the stoma (hole) between your "new pouch" and your "old stomach" isn't restricted (think about the size of a nickel or quarter) so, like it does through a garden hose, liquids just flow on through. DONT eat though! :laugh: You're doing well; stick to your doc's post op instructions And, it gets better. Hang in there!