RestlessMonkey

It's normal and you're just freaking out. This is a time for healing, not weight loss. Hang in there. The lap band is a process, not a quick fix. You're fine and right on schedule! :smile2:

I am speechless! (A true rarity! LOL) I can't believe it....a 2? I think I'd need to be resuscitated!! That is so great! Sounds like you are doing marvelously! Now that I have good restriction, I'm losing well. Love the band and feel I can keep this up forever (unlike diets) I've missed seeing your posts; so glad to know you are thriving!

I got that you can't eat sweets and had to grieve the loss of your "friend". :smile2: Now I get that you meant nothing changes if nothing changes (inside). That is very true.

That's the ticket! :smile2:

Hey how are you! I agree...real food. Works for me. Probably not for everyone though! And I like the healthier things because they keep me full longer! :crying:

Most people don't sit around laughing and cheerful when they are hungry and many of us were hungry post op. I came to in recovery starved. What I did was 1. husband didn't eat around me, no cooking smells or food prep in house 2. I distracted myself by doing things 3. I remembered how crappy I felt when i didn't get the band because I cheated; that made it easier to just tell myself NO and hang in there 4. one time I sat and held a can of refried beans and CRIED because I was hungry. BUT I DID NOT eat them. It passes. The bottom line is...we just tough it out.

Just a head's up...dont' spend money on foods (like the "clear protein") until you are sure you can have it post op. Some of us can't have ANY protein for the first week or two and some have a specific protein drink preferred by the surgeon. :smile2:

Ask your surgeon; however I don't think you'll be ready to work on Monday. He's the best source, though, for that info

Not to be contentious, but this isn't true. Since May 7 I've lost 44 pounds or so...and I have on occasion had potato chips, tostado chips, Mexican food, a candy bar, and a piece of cake. NOT in the same day. Not even in the same week. But ... you have to use moderation. That's the key...not abstinence, but moderation. At least, for most of us. There may be some who can't have one...but there are at least as many of us where if you tell us we CAN'T have something then we MUST have it. An occasional indulgence (for me, part of my meal, never a snack) can make the whole thing work for many of us.

Lap band surgery is SURGERY. There will be some pain. HOW much and how long it lasts depends on many factors. You should discuss this with your surgeon.

Yes 2 days is too long to go without being able to at least drink water. You'll get dehydrated and end up in the ER. We can go MUCH longer without food than we can without water. If you can get 64 oz of water down per day you can wait until Monday. If not, call someone now and get an unfill.

Actually 15 min of sun twice a week or so is enough! :smile2: And my D is low too (I avoid the sun) so my doc said to take D3. I take vitamins anyway so 1 more pill is no biggie. But sun on your hands and face will help your body produce D.

It may very well be gas. Do you have some gas-x? 12 days is a little early for some of us for mushies...but if your doc says it, you're good there. However if you've been on liquids for a while and are now eating "food"...your stomach and intestines are probably having a party down there and you're producing gas. If you try Gas X and it doesn't help, call your surgeon. :smile2: Don't let it panic you...you'll be fine.

I know you cut out a lot of your post, Paige...did you get an answer? It's not an uncommon question, HOW can the band help. I won't address it if you feel you've figured it out.

jgurl I HATED that on-Q thing! My husband removed it about 5 minutes after we got home the day of my surgery! I thought it was vile! :crying: It bothered me way more than any post op pain (I didn't have much) funny how different we all are, isn't it?

Our stomach (and intestines if I recall my physiology) produces enzymes. Different ones aid in digestion of different foods. For example, papain (which is the enzyme in "papaya) aids in digestion of Protein. Cellulase digests vegetable matter etc. However foods in our pouch aren't where digestion can occur (and it only works on "dead" food, not on us, so you don't have to worry) So Papaya can help break down food that's stuck so it can go on through the pouch! Glad it helped you! :crying: Hope the rest of your vacation is worry free.

I don't see why not. I had 2 lap band surgeries in August about 19 days apart, and I was much older and heavier than you. As long as you don't have other issues that would preclude surgery, your gall bladder removal shouldn't stop your banding surgery.

Are you staying overnight or just "inpatient"? I got to go home the same day. My "must have" was my "softlips" (stuff for my lips) because they give you an anticholinergic that really dries you out. That stuff was a godsend.

Unfortunately chips, Cookies, candy, ice cream, cake...are SLIDERS. This means they go through the band. To stop them you have to be so tight that it is almost impossible to get Water or your own spit down. That's why they say you have to choose healthy foods, why they say the band is just a tool, not a "solution". You have to use the tool for it to work. Sad, but true. I just don't have candy, chips, ice cream, etc in the house. It's easier to make the healthy choices when that's all there is to choose from! I do occasionally indulge in them, though...usually as a treat when we are eating out, etc. If not, I get a serving and toss the rest. :crying:

WHY was it unfilled? (you said leave it unfilled....why was it unfilled to begin with? I am not just nosy; it may pertain!) and yes if the papaya enzyme is going to help (get one formulated with other enzymes...words like cellulase, ok?) it will help within about 10 minutes. Keep in mind if you've been stuck this long you will be sore and swollen.

Your doc is the one to clarify what he meant (we can't read his mind) but if you drink and eat the odds are that what has been stretched is your pouch. If you aren't ready to STOP drinking and eating, don't get refilled. Stretching the pouch, if caught early enough and before things are too dire, can usually be fixed by doing an unfill and letting it relax back down to it's old size (stomach material is VERY elastic) BUT if you don't quit "cheating" it will just stretch out again. If stretched out too much it can require band removal, I think. So chill out, quit drinking and eating, don't overeat, and you'll be great!

Have you tried papaya enzyme? (get it at a drugstore or large grocery store) If it helps then you know to just do liquids for 48 hours to allow the internal swelling to subside. If that doesn't help, I think a trip to the ER. And did you have problems with this type of thing before the vacation? I only ask because, at least as far as I know, it is uncommon to "unfill" a patient for vacation and usually unfilled people, especially 3 years post op, don't have any trouble eating. So if you had issues before, you may have a slip. Only your physician or an x-ray/barium swallow etc could tell; we aren't really the best ones to ask if you have a slip, and/or if you can make it for 4 weeks as you are. That being said; I hope the enzymes help you and you feel better and can continue your vacation safely.

I had my gallbladder removed in 2003. It was NBD. Better than the attacks. Rapid weight loss is often the culprit.

If you are in doubt and it isn't getting better, call your banding doc and ask. Probably it's just residual from the fill, but your doc is the authority.

I see. Then if it is excluded from your policy, fighting it won't do you any good. An exclusion means you aren't paying (or your employer or whomever) for that type of coverage. Fighting it will just waste your time. Good luck if you decide to finance it! :crying: