RestlessMonkey

Great! You're on the way! thanks for the update!

Hang in there! It's a process, but it will happen for you too!

Rutiglius, I hope you don't mind if I use this example to clarify something? (If you do PM me and I'll pull the post if it will let me) You'll note she said "she learned her lesson about bread" Very smart...she didn't say she'd NEVER eat bread again. I think the point was she knew she would need to eat "consciously", paying attention to how fast, how well chewed, etc. And that's important I think because for a lot of people, being stuck is at least unpleasant and can be, if it's a "bad" incident, scary and painful. HOWEVER, unless you don't really LIKE the food that was stuck and don't mind never eating it, rather than avoiding it forever the smarter thing is to reassess WHY you're stuck. IF you ate too fast, or too large a bite, or didn't chew very well or got distracted by company or some other thing and didn't pay attention, then it's possible that you CAN eat that food if you "do it right". I've been BAD stuck on chicken to the point of thinking I had a heart attack. The problem was I didn't chew well enough. I KNEW when I swallowed it that I shouldn't have done so that soon. My doc says to give it a while and then try again if you think you might have made an operator error. So that's something to keep in mind too. A solitary stuck episode with a certain food doesn't mean NEVER. It may; but you need to do the work and figure out if it just didn't go, or if you just didn't follow the rules. I think that may be one reason I CAN eat anything; I'm not a medical miracle LOL but just had a great surgeon teach me a lot. So Rutiglius, at some point soon, as I think you meant you would, you'll re-try bread, chew well, small bites, and probably be fine. One "trick" I was taught about bread too is to alternate it with something of a different texture. That way it's not all in there where it can make a ball and stop things up! Toasting it also is helpful, I've heard. Remember it takes babies a while to learn to eat (when they are young and their little brains aren't all full of stuff) so give yourself a break when you are learning how to eat with the band. Allow for some missteps, but don't let them scare you.

For almost all of us, it doesn't happen until we get restricted. So unless your surgeon put a fill in your band during surgery (and by all means call and ask since it is a special worry of yours) you won't need to bother or worry about it as you progress through the stages post op. Then...it happens almost always due to operator error. We forget, or aren't used to restriction, or are distracted and either don't chew well, or don't take small bites, or eat too much. Sometimes it happens when we try a new food that doesn't sit well. The only other reason would be if you are TOO TIGHT, in which case you need to get some fill removed. I was banded 8/2008 and didn't have a PB episode until March of the next year, when I was pretty well restricted.

You're right; it seems like it's either feast or famine. So many people either trust their surgeons BLINDLY or totally disregard their advice, when in this, like many things, moderation is the key! You need to be able to trust your surgeon but ALWAYS ask why, if you don't understand the rationale or doubt what you're hearing. We older folks were taught to think that the doc=right hand of God, but most of us know better now. And good docs don't want that burden, IMHO! Even "arrogant" surgeons with poor bedside manners should answer questions, or send in someone who can and will. I think it's dangerous to be an uninformed consumer, especially of medical or health care!

Popcorn as far as I know is really only bad for people with diverticulitis. It MAY be causing gas but it doesn't have that much Fiber. You should probably check with your surgeon; it may be your gallbladder or some other issue. Just FYI I can eat popcorn fine and it doesn't give me the symptoms you describe.

You do know that many surgeons have a specific shake they prefer? or if not that, they have a range of cal/carb/protein/fat they want it to fall into. You should first find out from your doc or nutritionist if they have any guidelines they want you to follow. That's a great start.

Be sure to get your doc's guidelines on this...week 2 I was barely allowed protein shakes; drinking then would've been foolish and harmful for me, but not all are on the same post op plan. Let your surgeon guide you in this.

I would REALLY honestly see if I could find another surgeon. They aren't supposed to "punish you" (he's a surgeon and you are PAYING for the service; he's not your daddy or your mama!!!)

Well, for my diet, chicken is a "solid" and I wasn't supposed to eat that until week 6. Were you cleared per your doc to eat that? I ask because I know they are all different.

Of course lots of people feel that way and it's an obstacle to overcome. First let me remind you just how many people in our country are overweight. A HUGE percentage. I don't mean obese or morbidly obese, but overweight. Why is that? Are they all shiftless and lazy? Or, maybe, is losing weight hard? Secondly, remember that a SMALL percentage of people successfully lose weight, AND KEEP IT OFF, with exercise and diet alone. Again, if it were easy, or even generally a viable option, a large percentage of us would not be here. I don't know about you but I have attempted a huge portion of every diet known to man. I've done cabbage and grape fruit. In the seventies I did reconjugated Protein (I still have nightmares about that one) I've done Atkins, Jenny, WW (WW about 10 times) Richard's deal-a-meal...a thing called "Medical Weight control" for which I paid 1k in 1976... I even went through a year of behavioral therapy before I decided on the lap band. I have TRIED. You may not have done what I did, but odds are you've tried other things. Did they work? Did you keep it off? If not, are you weak, foolish, lazy? Are you "BAD"? or maybe, just maybe, is it that what you tried doesn't work? Lastly, say you needed a pacemaker. Although not happy about it, would you tell your cardiac specialist "OH NO. Other people don't need pacemakers. That is the WEAK way out. No thank you" Or would you be regretful that you need it but glad it's there, and GET IT INSTALLED? I think of the band as a pacemaker for my appetite. I'm not weak, lazy, useless, easily swayed, incapable. Neither is anyone else on here. We are brave. We had the courage to realize "what is conventional is not working for me. I want to be healthy. I'm going to gather up my gumption and move on this" I hope you consider what I've just written; it's as honest as I know how to be. We feel what we feel, but your basis, your reasoning, isn't sound. It's what you've probably HEARD, but that doesn't make it right,.

No I love my band. I didn't hit "the green zone" until May 7 and have lost about 2/3 of my total loss since that time. I have had no issues and LOVE my band; I wouldn't trade it for a million dollars. Although bypass and other options work well for many people, I researched and felt the band was right for me. I mulled it over for a long time and once I committed I've never looked back. It gives ME control for the first time in my life. My BAND doesn't control what I eat, my HORMONES don't control it, I do. It's exactly what I thought it would be and exactly what I wanted.

I have NEVER found 2 surgeons with the same set of "rules". I'm sure they must exist by law of averages, but I've never found them. Don't, please, make the mistake of reading something on here and thinking it applies to you. It can be overly harsh (like no drinking for a year, or NEVER having carbonation) or it can be overly lax (like "Sure it's fine to eat whatever you want by day 3 post op) ALWAYS ask your surgeon and/or nutritionist and follow the plan they have for you! :biggrin: And as my granny would say "Don't borrow trouble".

I don't think you need to be alarmed, but I think you're smart to ask. For all I know they'll just tell you to take gas x or something like it; we do, most of us, seem to generate more gas with the band (I'm sure it has to do with the new configuration) and your tightening happening so quickly just probably hasn't given your reconfigured digestive tract a chance to adapt. If you think of it, will you let me know what they say?

No I've never heard of it. Did he say why? I think that's going to make you more prone to slips but I'm just inferring that from what I know about the band. It needs to heal into place and that is vital to prevent slips. Plus it needs to heal properly as a hedge against erosion. Was he lacking in skill? What was wrong?

Did your doc tell you that you had to wait a year? IF not, from reading on here by now you should know "do what your doc says, not what you read on here" Call Monday and find out what his policy on alcohol is, and follow it.

I've NEVER heard of a doc intentionally overfilling a person. It's unkind at best. Yes the issues you describe happen to most people who are too tight and the "cure" is an unfill, the sooner the better. The point of the band is NOT to live on liquids. If I were you I'd probably try to find another surgeon actually. It sounds to me like he "punished" you for not losing. You need to address the issue promptly or you'll end up with a slip and esophageal erosion (which happens to anyone over time with uncontrolled GERD) Good luck.

You know yourself best. And I'm sure you are healing quickly but...if you are having the issues you describe something is wrong. Hopefully your doc can help you figure it out.

I'm the exact opposite. Sodas are fine, beer not so much. I wonder, though, if it's partly because of which we prefer? I rarely RARELY ever drank a soda. 8 ounces of coke was more than enough for me. If I have/had one I'd tend to sip because I don't really like them. Beer, on the other hand, is something I heartily enjoyed 2-3 times a year or so (I don't drink as much as I did in my younger wilder days) and I tended, at least for the first beer or too, to drink them with gusto. I wouldn't chug but there wasn't any dainty sipping going on either. PLUS...I drink my beer from the bottle. A soft drink, I'd pour over ice (and that removes some carbonation) So I think it's a function of how we drink as much as it is what we drink. My doc told me, at one year out, that now if it doesn't HURT I can drink carbonation (follow your docs orders) and I have found if I pour a beer into a glass and purposely pour it so it foams, it goes down easier. I miss drinking from the bottle ( I did love an icy bottle of cold shiner bock) but that way hurts too much still.

I don't know what to tell you. Firstly, that is KILLER aggressive, to be so filled so soon post op. Good grief by now you should just be moving into solids. Your body needed (needs) a chance to heal, for goodness sake. The initial period post op isn't really a "smart" time to try to lose. Personally (and this is personal, not medical) yes I think you are WAY too tight. You need to be able to eat Protein like chicken, beef, fish, turkey. The point of the band isn't to live on "softies". What kind of life is that? You need a variety in your diet. I think you need to talk to your surgeon and have an appt (or another one) with the nutritionist. This is lap band, not bypass. You don't have to lose 100 pounds in 3 months to be successful and while you don't have to be as ultra conservative with the fills as, say, my doc is, I think what has been done to you is imprudent. Get some removed, focus on learning how to eat (chew well, no drinking with meals, whatever "rules" you're given) and in a few weeks or a month add in if you find you are not losing 1-2 pounds a week. Give your body and yourself a break! No wonder you feel cruddy at night! :biggrin:

You obviously weren't well prepared; surgery is surgery and not everyone is ready to run a race the day afterward. If you'll read on here you'll find it takes many people a week or two (or more) to feel better and oddly the younger ones seem to have the most trouble (don't know your age but I can tell from your pic you probably are not 54 LOL If you are I want to know what you are drinking :biggrin: ) Anyway just follow your post op diet perfectly, walk as much as you can, take your pain meds if you need them, and give it time. Usually the port is sewn into the abdominal wall (with the realize band I believe it's clamped, not sewn) and that involves muscle. It will take it longer to heal. Just hang in there!

Thank you very much! It's hard to be patient but it will happen for you and you may find, like I did, that slower is better. I trusted my doc, although sometimes it was HARD! :biggrin: Hang in there!

It's called orthostatic hypotension and it sounds like they are doing what they need to, to check her out. It's a process, so don't worry. They are tracking it down; as long as you feel she has competent medical care, that they don't know yet isn't uncommon. Many things can cause changes in blood pressure; it's not often an easy diagnosis. I know you're worried, but give them a little time to figure it out! :biggrin: And odds are it isn't directly related to the band (not everything is, although we get the band and become so focused on it and the new lifestyle, we sometimes forget that not everything is "about" it) And yes, for us bandster who started out obese and on BP meds, if we lose weight and weight was causing the High blood pressure, and we don't taper off our meds, then our blood pressures are lowered too much and we get dizzy when we stand. Even that isn't directly BAND related, but that we are taking a medication we no longer need. That isn't the case with your MIL, but that is why you read about similar problems in "bandsters". Good luck!

Unforgettable, you crack me up. You are 1000% right as usual, but you crack me up! :biggrin:

Ok no good nurse would tell you to take an antibiotic left over from something else (superbacteria people! take ALL your antibiotics as prescribed) so she may be your friend but I'd quit asking her for medical advice. :biggrin: Her advice to you is outside the scope of nursing practice and just plain foolish, at the least. And if your doc chastises you or yells at you get another doc. You have an infection, it sounds like. You need a competent physician to diagnose it and prescribe whatever regimen she/he thinks will heal it. Don't ask your buddies, or your husband, and if your doc disses you get another. But get it checked out. If it IS nothing, well big deal. That's what doctors are there for.