RestlessMonkey

LAL I think you really should make an appt w/your surgeon and ask these questions. I know 84 pounds is great but it's almost too much...especially if you PB every day. You MAY be hurting your band, you may be fine, you may just need to learn to chew better, you may be overfilled...so much that a doc should really address with you. Since I was told that we should expect 1-2 pounds a week I think you're going at top speed. As long as you aren't really losing muscle instead of fat (getting enough Protein? taking a good multi?) then I am not in a position to really say it's too fast! But if you have to vomit or PB to do it, then something's wrong, from my perspective. Call your doc and discuss this with him/her! And here's a link to a tutor for the ticker: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f5/ticker-tutorial-pictures-41782/

Yeah ... no milk is a biggie. (gas issues, I'd guess) I couldn't even have protein shakes until week 2. But, you get through it.

What specifically do your post op instructions say? If week 2 is still Clear Liquids then I'd stick with the drained chicken noodle (or drained vegetable, for example) but if they say full liquids or creamy liquids, then as long as you BLEND the cream of chicken so it's smooth (through a straw) you'll be good. THe enchiladas will need to wait but believe me they'll still taste good...as long as they are very mushy (no chicken or beef unless you really blend them!) I just want you to kick ass!

I like to use the answer a question (esp a dumb question) with a question. You'd be AMAZED at how well it works. "You could exercise and lose that!" "I could? You know this how?" "You had surgery? " "Haven't you ever had surgery?" You weren't that big!!! "How big was I then?" LOL just a tactic I've used throughout my life. Works like a charm.

HANG IN THERE you wild chickie you. You only have 5 more days! I drained chicken noodle Soup (well, strained it and gave the noodles to my husband) and had that. I also took split pea soup and blended the devil out of it (week 2) and had it. If you are on full liquids or "creamy" Soups you can do that. You'll make it; you've come too far now to fall over the line! For my mushies I ate refried Beans and cheese (OMG I thought I'd die) and some cheese enchiladas mashed to mush....things like that. Mashed potatoes. I blended spaghetti and soups and had them (not together LOL) I got a little mini food processor in a stunning pink and used it to mash up lots of things.

YES go to your doc ASAP! You'll get dehydrated. You should NEVER EVER be unable to drink. That is dangerous for you...so not the point of the band. If they make you feel rushed, well, P on them if you get my drift.

YES! As you get restriction it becomes imperative that you take small bites and chew them well. If you do this, and STOP eating before you get to that "uh oh" stage (for me I get an "ok, one more bite and it's coming back up" feeling) you won't PB. Sliming goes along with PB'ing. PB happens when you are overfull or have eaten too quickly or too large a bite. SOME people PB when they try new foods. That doesn't happen to everyone though. So the caveat is it MAY happen to you a little when you try new things; but if that's true you can wait a few months and re-try them. Personally I've only had it happen when I "forgot" and ate too large a bite or didn't chew well (you learn REALLY fast from that! LOL) or if I forget and drink something while I'm eating (OUCH!) some lucky cautious souls never PB, some only do it a little and quickly learn, some prefer to be so tight that it is almost a (dangerous) way of life. You'll have more control over it than you realize.

Can't see mine either. I asked for a low profile port and my beloved tactful surgeon cleared his throat and said "Jeff, you need to realize that sometimes finding the port is a challenge for us surgeons when we try to do fills. When you've lost enough for it to be an issue I will GLADLY put in a low profile port for you. It will be my pleasure" LOL So maybe as you lose...but for most of us, not an issue.

I think you probably know best...if you want to get an unfill, do it. I usually have to BEG my doc for more, not get him to hold back! but either way, we have a say; the band is OURS bought and paid for. If you think it's too tight, it is.

There is no way on God's green earth (as my mother would've said) that I would let them cut up and sew closed my stomach, leaving it inside to produce acid in a closed system, and to cut out part of my small intestines and reroute them. Period. I know it works miracles for some people. I was fat but healthy; I just couldn't see my way clear to letting someone do that to me. I want something I have some control over (fill level) and can remove if needed. I'm almost 1 year out and love my band, have no issues, and would fight tooth and nail to keep it. Respectfully, (and I know there are bypassers on here I respect and wouldn't want to offend) my husband worked as an RN in a GI lab for years and a large portion of the patients were bypass patients...stomach issues, etc. I know the band can cause GERD and acid reflux so I don't want to pretend it is worry free...but what he saw were bypass patients. NOT band patients. HOWEVER....the lap band is not for everyone, just as bypass was not for me but helps many many people regain health and vitality. I suggest reading reading reading, going to a seminar or two or three, really looking at yourself and how you eat and what you need, and then deciding. Fortunately, there are several viable options out there.

My doc...it was totally to shrink the liver. Period. He wasn't really worried about "jump start the weight loss" because post op he feels is for healing, and many of his patients don't even really start to lose until 6 months out. See, they ARE all different! Mine was 3 weeks long but that is longer than usual; I was very obese and had a very large (not diseased thank God but I'm sure it would've been eventually) liver. Many of his patients have 2 weeks. I personally wouldn't do one unless your doc requires it, but then honestly I don't think a person can "get used" to torture, you just bear it. Going without food isn't something I think we ever really adapt to. Just my opinion. For example if i were, a la Paris Hilton, going to have to go to jail for a week, I wouldn't practice never leaving the house to get ready for it! LOL However, we all get to tweak it whatever way works for us!

did you ask the place that TOLD you it was stretched? can you go back to your doc and get a barium swallow (or whatever will show the size of the pouch) I've heard you can mostly shrink it back but would think you need medical guidance to do it and know it happens, if you get my drift.

My experience is much like "Makulafamy" in that I get a feeling of "ok one more bite will be over the top" and this happens amazingly soon. I have good restriction but can eat anything, that was my doc's goal (and mine) I didn't want the band to be punitive or to restrict me. I want to be in control. The band just helps with portions. I ate 2 oz of rib eye steak last night and was done. Full. For over 6 hours. There are some softer foods I can eat more of, and i do occasionally. Largely though I prefer to just eat steak or chicken, something that fills me up and keeps me full so that I don't think about food for hours. We're all different (I'm sure you hear that a lot but it's true! For example I CAN eat bread but I am at the sweet spot; some can't) but you will know. And as to slipping/erosion...if you are following your docs orders you're most likely ok. My doc told me cheating on the post op diet (eating too soon) is a major cause of slippage. Erosion, I don't think they know. YOU will know if something like that goes wrong though, as you learn to listen to and understand your new stomach configuration. Just trust in the process, check with your doc if you have an odd pain or other concerns, and hang in there!

I think for me the ONLY thing I didn't expect was how long it would take me to get restriction. My doc is rather conservative and I have a large band. Once the realization hit I adjusted and dealt with it, but for a while I was fretting that I was failing or something. Depending on your surgeon and his/her fill schedule, it may take you 6 months (or longer) post op to really get restricted and lose well without dieting. If that's the case you may diet or not as you see fit (I didn't want to for many reasons) but hang in there because once you are properly restricted (what they call here "the sweet spot" or what my doc calls "the green zone") you'll realize it was all worth it. So not knowing this wasn't fatal for me but it would've been nice if I'd realized it.

I agree. And I think sometimes Protein is like sunblock...there comes a point when the high numbers are pretty moot! LOL I don't know that our bodies really need huge dumps of protein at a time. My doc recommends 60g a day and that, for me, is do-able. More and I'd be chasing it all day. Good luck to you!

I didn't really start losing (banded 8/29) until my 5/7 fill. I've literally lost over 1/2 of my 60 pounds since then. Hang in there; this is a process. It will happen for you, just don't let it get you down. And people didn't really notice I'd lost until about 5 pounds ago. It takes a while, when we're larger, for a change to show. But it will! like another poster said, you should be feeling better, looser clothes etc. Just focus on that!

Good for you! Stay in touch; this really is a whole new lifestyle; a lot to learn! You're doing very very well!

Your surgeon may have a specific Protein s/he wants you to use; mine did. Well, he had specific guidelines and it was easiest to just pick the brand name he listed. Having said that, I believe there is a product called "beneprotein" (like benefiber) that can be added. There is also one I've read about here called "unjury" but I have no experience with it (as I said, my doc has his "druthers") but

What I ate 3 months post op (when I had no restriction) was exactly what I'd eaten before the surgery, I just ate less. For example, chick Fil A? (love those suckers). I am ashamed to admit that before surgery I'd eat 2 of them and a large waffle fry (wonder how I EVER got to 405 LOL) After banding I'd eat 1 chick fil a and maybe a few of my husband's waffle fries. Now that I am restricted and at the "sweet spot" (or what my doc calls the green zone) I could eat maybe 1/4 to 1/3 of a chick fil A (bread goes down ok) and maybe 1 or 2 waffle fries, if that. Right now I'm losing and doing a low carb thing because I feel better doing it and can stay full for HOURS on 2 oz of steak or chicken breast. So yes I'm one who could and did eat similarly pre op and post op. Now that I'm restricted and losing I'm choosing different foods but still am not calorie counting or weighing (I did weigh my steak once just out of curiosity). Some get restricted quickly and cut way back, some diet intentionally in the days before restriction happens, and some do like me and just let the change happen gradually. You get to do whatever works for you. I'm glad I followed my doc's advice, though, because I still CAN eat anything (bread, untoasted, etc) I get to choose, is all. The only thing I can't really have is carbonation (for me that means beer, not soda) I have had light beers (there is an ultra light that is only 64 cal) but I don't drink it like I did. Now it is a cautious undertaking, and I'm constantly doing a self-check to see if it's going down ok, is it hurting, etc. Not really worth it, IMO. But if I had to, say, give a champagne toast, I could do that without embarassment!

It's probably an adhesion (scar tissue forms, sometimes in places we don't especially WANT it). Why not give your surgeon's office a call? They should be able to gauge what it might be. If it IS an adhesion, keep moving and stretching, try to literally keep the skin from connecting (hope that isn't TMI). But I'm not sure that's what it is of course; your surgeon can tell you.

Exactly! LOL And you're right; it isn't hurting right now (cortisone shot=miracle drug) partly because I'm not wearing any shoes. Ah, the wild life. But I will need to be able to bounce and jump and so on, so that's another good reason to lose weight!

Texas, Oh Texas, all hail the mighty state!........(native here, a pure bred LOL)

Sure...happy I could help you! yes, in the healing phase all bets are off. It seems your doc moves you through the stages fairly quickly though, so it won't be long for you! Good luck!

Of course I picked an able skilled surgeon too. In fact Dr. Cavazos did NOT charge me for the first surgery because in all his years as a bariatric surgeon, I was the first to have too large a liver. To quote him "I tried but it was so thick, I got to the point where I feared I would lacerate it. I could've opened you up and placed the band the old way, but you had nursing school and the prolonged recovery would've given you trouble". So if your doc gives you a preop diet, follow it. If he doesn't, trust him.

You maybe should discuss this with your surgeon, because I know that PB'ing a lot isn't good for us, nor is being too tight (aside from the fact that you can't eat well, it can cause acid reflux among other things, and do you damage over time). A slight unfill may help you be able to eat more and actually boost your weight loss. Just something for you to think about and decide.