RestlessMonkey

When I came to in recovery I was hungry and thirsty. I have never had one moment's restriction yet. I would almost think I didn't even HAVE a band but I've seen it. SO be grateful for any post op restriction you have! :grouphug:

I don't have any restriction yet and assume if you were banded 9/8 that you don't either. Until you have sufficient fill and your band is tight food flows through into your lower stomach much like it did before you got the band. Just be patient and keep practicing the "bandster rules", and get fills as often as your surgeon suggests.

Hang in there. Honestly? I'm 5'5", weighed 405 at 53 years old and have never been depressed. If you have some issues with that, maybe it's a good thing they caught it? AND he said 5-20%. I agree, 5% is do-able. I lost more than that on the preop liver shrink diet I was on. You really don't want to go through the pain, time and expense of surgery and not be successful; no one would. If you need to prove to them you CAN change the way you eat, then do that. Many have insurance hoops to jump through; just consider this a different hoop. I understand your frustration but let it just make you more determined.

Just do what your doctor says. Seriously, different measuring tapes, how tight you HOLD the tape, WHO holds the tape, WHERE you place the tape....all impact the measurement. Unless you're a professional seamstress who has measured thousands of stomachs, the odds are that inch is just a variance based on something besides your size. Please don't obsess over it and trust your physician. I understand the desire to measure yourself but don't do it too often. Post op I'm warning you you'll be up due to fluids etc...you'll fret again! Maybe you should make a pact with yourself to wait until Feb 1 to measure again! :grouphug:

Did you try rubbing it? It makes sense that it hurts when you eat (stretches stomach and impacts the diaphragm) or when you exercise (deeper and/or faster breathing of course involves your diaphragm) Icy/hot patches probably won't work, especially since the heating pad didn't. Seriously just try rubbing it to release the muscle cramp.

Just do what YOUR doctor tells YOU, when the time comes.

I agree with HeatherO (she has been there, done that!) You should be able to swallow liquids smoothly. Don't wait until you are dehydrated and it's a trip to the ER. Call your surgeon and see what he says; a slight unfill won't put you back to zero but if you wait you risk having a complete unfill or worse. Please call them!

I agree....too tight. Good restriction is supposed to allow you to eat most foods, but to become sated with a small amount, and to not be hungry again for up to 5-6 hours. You are NOT supposed to slime all the time. Exercising won't make the slime go away. Please call your doc tomorrow; this site is riddled with people who didn't want to get an unfill and end up with erosion or worse. Take care of yourself.

Call your doc 1st thing tomorrow!! Don't wait until his office is closed for Thanksgiving. You need to get it checked; he will be the one to tell if you need to worry or not!

It's dangerous to be too restricted. Call your surgeon tomorrow and get a small unfill so you won't be stuck in an ER over the holidays. You shouldn't have to struggle to get liquids down.

When my doctor told me I could move to solids. Don't cheat; it can hurt you in the long run! I was allowed to move to "soft" solids (like baked fish) at week 5.

As you can see, it depends. It was about 1 month TOTAL for me from the seminar to surgery. It could've been sooner but because of my size I had to do a preop diet for 3 weeks to shrink my liver.

They vary .... my psych eval I answered about 300 questions from the MMPI test, then had a brief (15 minute) discussion w/a psychologist about addiction, drinking, illegal drug use, my childhood, etc. Nutritionist was even less problematic; she told me I'd need to eat Protein, I told her I could lose weight but always got bored, that was it! While they do vary, the gist is they want to make sure you can follow a band diet and aren't likely to freak out,. or turn to gambling, alcohol, or some other obsessive behavior to replace food. Just be honest and you'll be fine.

The only reason I did it was to shrink my liver. and then the "regular" preop diet for a day or so....to "prep" for the surgery! :wub: Different docs require different diets (if any) of different durations! :wub:

As far as I know there's no latex in the band. Just make sure any time they ask if you have an allergy you say "YES ... LATEX" and you'll be fine!

You have to do what's right for you and that requires educating yourself about both procedures. There are good books out on lap band (and so, I'm sure, on RNY procedures too) and the seminar I went to was very informative and balanced with each procedure presented. My surgeon also spent a good 45 minutes just answering our questions. I'd suggest you get more info before you panic. AND...if you can diet and exercise and lose, don't get WLS of any type! I couldn't, but some people can. Finally, PLEASE remember than on a web site like this, by it's very nature, people usually post here BECAUSE they are having problems. People who are issue-free are out living their lives and losing weight. Erosion and slippage rates are very low, around 3% I think. Many bandsters NEVER PB, or they do it once then know what it feels like and avoid the "stuffed" feeling. It's a learning curve but you don't HAVE to go through the rest of your life irking up restaurant food etc! LOL You just need more info, I think.

Audreym got some great info! Usually post op like this the shoulder and neck pain is "referred" pain...it's actually our diaphragms that are sore! (odd, huh?) Mine hurt when I breathed deeply, like after exertion. Oddly what took care of mine in a snap was my husband rubbing my neck and shoulders, a la massage therapist. It really took only about 30 seconds and POOF the pain was gone. You want to be really careful using heating pads and sleeping on them etc...you can hurt yourself that way. AND if the pain is referred pain from the diaphragm, Gas X won't do a thing for it. Gas X only works to break up gas in your stomach. It will improve as you heal. Mine bothered me off and on until about week 3-4. Just have someone give you a neck massage the next time it acts up and see if that helps you! AND thanks Audreym but I'm not a health pro yet...still a nursing student! Hope to have my BSN and be an RN in May 09. My husband is an RN w/25 years experience so I use him for info when I'm not sure about something! Good luck; that shoulder pain hurt like the dickens until I hit on the idea of having my husband rub it to relax the cramped muscle. I was amazed at how quickly and how well that worked for me. Hope it works for you guys, too!

I have a suggestion. If you broke your leg, you wouldn't expect candy to heal it, would you? Well...you have emotional issues in your life that you are "treating" with candy and food. It isn't going to help those, either. I suggest finding a good therapist you trust and "click" with and treating the problem with something that will help you through. Overeating and not exercising are not ever going to do one good thing for you.

I haven't been through that but I can only suggest, since you know what's causing your lack of weight loss....to STOP drinking when you eat. PERIOD. do it for 1 week and see how you feel. Also maybe a little behavioral therapy would help you. You're the only one who can work your band, you know. 30 kg isn't a bad loss. I personally would tell you quit comparing yourself to others, quit drinking with your meals, and get on with it! LOL You know what and how .... only you, I'd think, can answer why not. good luck! Whatever happens, 30 kgs is a good loss.

You need to call your surgeon and ask about this.

I suggest you ask your surgeon to be sure. I'd say no prior to surgery because of the effect on your lungs. Post op....no clue. Your doc should know.

Perhaps things are different in Australia, but I was educated that restriction would take a while. I was banded 8/29 and until i have sufficient "fill" there WILL NOT be restriction. My Surgeon does fills slowly and I have 3 cc's in a 14 cc band. He told me it could take up to 6 MONTHS before I feel restriction and really start to lose. I think maybe (?) you and your husband have some unrealistic expectations about the band. You WILL be hungry until the restriction forms pouch that keeps food up at the top of your stomach for long enough to trigger the "I'm full now" hormones that signal your body "FULL NOW". Until you have that restriction it is as if you do NOT have a band. It isn't bypass surgery where you drop 100 pounds in 6 months (or such...whatever the statistics are!) The lap band is slow and steady. If 2 years out you haven't lost a good chunk, THEN you can panic! Until then, give it (and yourself) a chance.

Only a person who doesn't know about this surgery and the aftercare would be foolish enough to call it a quick fix. As to the other; while I'm fairly new (banded 8/29) my doctor has told me that most of his patients can eat anything they ever did. SOME have issues with things like white bread (gums up) and stringy red meat (who likes that anyway?) He is filling me very slowly and says I shouldn't ever have issues. My opinion is this: I NEVER ate a burger fries and a shake and wished I could have 3 of each. In other words, I ate until I was full and satisfied. As I get restricted, the amount that makes me satisfied is less. Am I, next year, gonna whine because I am "satisfied" with a Jr. Burger, a few fries, and pass on the shake? I don't think so! LOL Different bandsters have different post op lifestyles (well, duh! Just like the real world! LOL) so how you use your tool is up to you. You can "diet" and count calories, or eat what your family eats but just eat less. You will be in control. You will maybe still grapple with "head" hunger (some feel the band helps with that, others don't) but the physiologic hunger will no longer be an issue if you eat according to your doc's rules (Ie for me: no liquids 15 min before, during, or 15 after surgery, Protein first then veggies then fruit THEN grains/breads/pastas...small bites, chew 20-30 times...each doc is a little different) SO No don't miss food yet and don't ever plan to. I can't ever have carbonated beverages and may miss beer but didn't drink but 1-2 a year so I think I can deal. Rarely had soft drinks so I don't miss them either. And the bit about going out? Someone told me once "it's about the people, not the food". If I don't like the people enough to stick to band eating while going out with them (in other words, if the food is the draw) then I don't need to "go out" with them anyway. If it's people I love and/or enjoy, then eating a little less is no big deal. Hope that helps.

If you are recovering well and have no issues post op (ie severe nausea, and so on) AND you have someone at home to help you, there's no real reason to stay in the hospital. My doc requires a post op barium swallow test to make sure we can get liquids down. Other than that, he keeps some in and sends some home. I've gone home the same day for my gallbladder surgery, and both times for my lap band surgery (1st surgery my liver was too fatty) and I was fine. So unless you have had prior surgeries and KNOW you'll have issues, don't base your decision on the overnight stay.

You can become allergic to something at any time so just because you were taking things preop doesn't preclude an allergic reaction. I say monitor it very closely and call your surgeon on Monday. Itching where you say isn't "normal". The dry lips and mouth are normal for a while post op (they give you something to dry you up) IF you develop more symptoms (swelling, itching in more areas) or difficulty breathing call 911 or get to an ER ASAP. I am NOT a pro! (student! LOL) but it isn't normal to itch everywhere like that (esp around your lips) so you need to keep an eye on it!