RestlessMonkey

It's so very individual! I've had 3 surgeries (gallbladder and 2 lap bands) and each one was honestly a breeze. I came to quickly in recovery, had minimal pain, recovered quickly. That's sadly not true for everyone but it was for me. IMHO the more you know about the band, the more you've mulled it over, the less likely you are to have depression. I guess that's true because I wanted the band for years...when I finally got it I honestly never had a moment's regret, sorrow, sadness, etc. Some do, though. Not me. I was ready for it. I've never thought of food as a friend, however. In fact I aptly describe it as a hated master who kept me on a short leash. So the band has meant freedom to me, not loss. People who feel differently, of course, have a different reaction!

Hi Jaci and welcome! there are bunches of stories all over this site; you'll surely find what you're looking for! Good luck!

I'm glad to see you got good answers to this. There is NO food that will hurt the band... We might hurt it if we progress too soon on our post op diets (our stomachs churn) or if we continually eat something that gets stuck...but that old band is on the outside and immune to most of this. I don't think that's exactly how you meant it though... If you can eat celery there's no reason band-related why you shouldn't and in fat most of us need about 28 g of fiber A DAY. When you consider that one "dose" of benefiber only has 3 g, you begin to see a problem! That's one reason I incorporate things like high fiber tortillas and Fiber One cereal into my diet. :smile2: What stretches the pouch is overeating, as far as I know. I've heard "drinking while you eat" does that but I'm not so sure about that (there are 2 openings in the pouch; that liquid is more likely to come back up before it goes sideways and stretches the pouch, IMHO) so you don't really need to worry about a specific food hurting it. Now if you eat too much celery then you're going to have trouble!

I can see how maybe an anti-inflammatory would help, where tylenol wouldn't. And again, to be honest, unless you have stomach problems, as long as it goes on THROUGH the stoma, a dose occasionally shouldn't hurt. It's repeated use that causes issues. The problem is progressive. I don't mean this to countermand ANY doc's orders but to put it in perspective. NSAIDS aren't poison, any more than any other drug. But used over time, they can cause erosion. For example my doc told me I can take motrin "because I know you'll be careful". So for Mimilou, a little children's motrin tonight isn't going to cause her any more trouble than she already has, and it might help her.

From what I've read, ghrelin levels are normal in women with PCOS who are not overweight, or are overweight but don't have any insulin-resistance issues....so I'd think that banding or bypass can only help the disease, but I think its a little easier to loose initially with bypass. (i don't have the disease). Besides anecdotal evidence, your doc can probably help you. There are many conditions (like being post-menopausal, which I AM) that can make it harder to lose weight, but it still comes off! :smile2:

Eggs have about 6 gm of protein each, beef and chicken close to 10 gm per ounce; in light of this I find I don't need to supplement much. I learned in my nutrition class it's always best to eat the food rather than take the supplement so I try to get my protein in the natural way. I don't worry about calories; done enough cal counting to last me the rest of my life.

Each doc is different; mine is adamant about no Snacks so that "meal before the meal" thing wouldn't fly for me. What I did is this: i cut my food up before I sat down, in smaller bites than usual. I sat down and thought "now concentrate". I ate alone the first few times. I took a bite and chewed it well, then kept on. I counted once; to get to the proper texture is about 40 chews. NO I don't count each time; but I'm easily bored so I counted a couple times for "entertainment". I'd swallow, then sit for about 10-15 seconds and see how it "felt". If all was good, I'd have another bite. Etc. Until...I started to think...hmm one more and it may not go and then I quit. I PB'd like 2 days in a row when I finally got restriction. It was mechanics (PBs almost always are) not "too tight". Give yourself a chance to master the basics better. You may have practiced them before but there's still a learning curve.

I think you're learning. I went through that for a day or two. Don't give in to the "slider" stuff (shake, cottage cheese)...just CHEW the devil out of whatever you have. You'll learn! :smile2:

I never wait 3 minutes and this is the first I ever heard of that requirement. I chew well, and eat slowly...but thank god am not expected to time each bite. I wouldn't do it!

It takes it a while for most of us. I am pretty sturdy and slept on my left (port) side 1st night, etc and I still occasionally get a twinge there. It's minor...more like an "awareness" than a pain. They are sewn into the muscle in our abdomens (for most of us...realize I think are attached differently) and it takes muscle a while to recover, I think.

I don't count calories or weigh unless I'm curious...I have obsessed over food enough in my life. I'm done with that. I know what's healthy and what isn't, what has more fat, more carbs, what has less...generally. Finally for me I don't give a rat's rear if my meal has 200 calories or 250... LOL I just eat, choose healthy, and generally lose. Can you beat that? :biggrin: Some like the accountability of the cal count etc...but I've been there/done that.

Ok if it goes on through the "stoma" then while it isn't GOOD to take on an empty stomach, to be honest once probably won't do you any harm whatsoever. And I ask about the Water because I've just recently learned dehydrated person = tight band. That explains a LOT of schizo band activity. If you don't get 64 oz a day, you run a risk of the band tightening up on you. I don't know if that might be your issue or not....but just in case I'm throwing it out there. Off to cell phone store w/husband but hope you feel better quickly!

Until you got too tight, are you getting in your 64 oz of water daily, do you mind me asking? (again I don't mean to hijack your thread to Jacqui; just want to help if I can)

Mimi...Suzanne is right; you might want to call your surgeon. I haven't seen Jachut on lately..but that doesn't mean she hasn't been around. I am assuming she gave you some kind of "insider tip" and you have questions? I know you shouldn't take ibuprofen on an empty stomach, whether it's liquid or not. And if you are so tight that you are vomiting liquids and take it, it can just sit above your pouch and do you some harm. Give your doc a buzz, ok? I know Jachut is VERY sharp and knowledgable; has lots of good tips. But you maybe shouldn't take the time to wait for an answer from her this time... You know yourself best of course.

Keeping in mind that the band was FDA approved in 2003....I am guessing it will be either Jack (the moderator) or Jachut ... I THINK they've both had their bands since '04 or '05 but I'm just guessing. If it were a contest, I'd bet on Jack..but don't know if his band is original etc.

just saw this! Congratulations; I am sure you are VERY excited by now! let us know how it goes, OK? :biggrin:

I just had a check up and asked my surgeon about carbonation and he and your surgeon apparently are of like minds....he said the big issue is pain/gas...and if it doesn't bother me to go for it. :biggrin: No stretching the pouch or any of that horror. Unfortunately it still hurts me a little but not like it did so maybe I'm adapting. And I belch all the time too...but my beer belches have more KICK than I want. I think that will diminish as I continue to adapt. I hope!

Good luck! I have to warn you...I had to drink DOUBLE the mag citrate to get any "action" (and no I don't usually have bowel issues! LOL) I guess it's because I had been on a really strict diet for about 3 weeks preop anyway; there wasn't much to move through! I had been braced for "action" and that was a big non-event! :biggrin: It isn't GOOD but it isn't that bad either. I've heard of worse. Good luck! Tomorrow this time you'll be a bandster!

Osteoarthritis never goes away; it's chronic and there's no cure for it (yet).... but losing a good chunk of weight should help it be more manageable! The joint degenerates and losing weight doesn't make it grow back :biggrin:

Thank goodness I can eat any bread product and the low carb/high fiber tortillas are a staple of my diet (it's hard to get enough fiber in when you're a bandster) :biggrin: Love my surgeon and my band.

Funny I think my doc does "pressure fills" in my AP band without fluoro. He can always pretty well gage how restricted I'll be; he says he can tell by the resistance he feels when he fills me. Gotta love a good surgeon.

I have to say (about the bra) for me it kept the "girls" away from my surgical sites and was MUCH more comfortable than going without one! And it didn't (and still doesn't) touch any area that was cut....so thank GOD I had mine! It helped! We're all different....

Yes it is. Are you eating according to your surgeon's schedule (they are all different, of course; at 2.5 weeks I was on mushies) as long as you aren't eating foods you aren't cleared for yet, odds are this is gas. Try some gas x strips or chewables and see if that doesn't help. If it doesn't, or if it gets worse, check with your doc. I still get a pain in that area very occasionally but it goes away quickly.

Therapy. No kidding. I went for a year before the band, still go to her occasionally if I find myself eating for no good reason (and the ONLY good reason to eat is hunger. disasters don't count) I found mine when I googled "behavioral therapists specializing in eating disorders in San Antonio, TX" I kid you not. Good luck.

I didn't have any! NO kidding I was "borderline" everything. Now I am anticipating not being "borderline" any more. So looking at it one way, I was marginal and now I'm not any more! Although I have to say if someone were chasing me, although I have run short distances, I still think my best bet would be to just sit on them.