2muchfun

Maybe? Getting a fill is no guarantee of weight loss. Losing fat will always be the result of eating fewer calories than you burn. Fills will make your band tighter and could give you more restriction/satiety. It's the satiety you want to find. With satiety you can eat less and eat less often. If you are eating healthy foods, you're probably eating fewer calories. It all adds up to losing fat. It took me 3 fills before I felt satiety and started to lose weight. Your results can and most likely will be different. tmf

Stay in touch here if you can. There's so much to learn and most of it you won't or can't understand until you're banded and months have passed by. Here's a link I found today that is inspirational. http://www.loveyourlapband.net/198481756

This is a long journey for most of us. 50 lbs in less than a year is awesome. Why haven't you gone back in for more fills? This is your responsibility. Don't allow excuses and rationalities to interfere with your journey. See your doctor and see your nutritionist. Soon!

If they love you, they'll support you. I know I would with my own children.

You're only 3 days post op. Most of us don't feel satiety until we get a few fills. Until then it's just another diet.

Hey, you can always try another diet? They work so well? Seriously, we see patients on here all the time with the same issues. It can last till 2 weeks post surgery but if you feel like you've tried everything else in the world, why not try this? But make sure you make the commitment. tmf

I don't see why not? If it has nsaids in it, that's probably not good for your stomach lining but as long as it's an occasional thing, why not? But, it would be best to check with your doctor?

Green zone is when your band is adjusted to the point that you feel satisfied with a cup or less of food for 4-5 hours and you should be losing 1-2 lbs a week.

If it's below your esophageal sphincter and in your pouch, stomach acids will dissolve it. If it's stuck in your esophagus, you should go the the ER. Can you drink water? If you can, try chewing on ice to make the swelling go down and stick to cold liquids for at least 24 hours. Or, go the the ER?

Credit card? At the minimum, have the saline removed, that's not too expensive?

I too studied and watched others go through WLS and it became obvious to me that my chances of losing weight permanently was going to continue to be 00%. I was 100% sure I would never go below 200 lbs again. 100% sure I would fail every diet I attempted. Some say 5% fail with the band and some say it's more like 50% fail. I knew this going in and I'd take a 50% shot at being healthy vs. a 00% shot all over again. What do you have to lose? You can always go back to dieting, but why not give yourself a better chance of leading that healthy life. tmf

I didn't have any restriction till fill #3. I lost 12 lbs the first 2 weeks post surgery and then nothing for the next 3.5 months. It's a long journey so keep bugging your doctor for fills till you feel something. It's not necessarily restriction you should look for, it's a feeling of satiety so you feel comfortable eating less food. It's just a diet till the band works it's magic. tmf

Quick story. 2 years ago, mean ole Dad made Pad Thai for me, wife and my two daughters. I had my head down chowing away and happened to look up and both daughters are rubbing ice cubes all over their lips. LOL I felt so bad. I thought I'd really cut back on the sriracha in my sauce but I guess the girls had other thoughts? Poor kids, they never let me forget how mean I was. tmf

In my refrigerator: Tabasco Sriracha Huy Fong Chili Garlic Tabatio I use sriracha a lot. My son puts it on most everything. He's till a weenie when it comes to my green chili stew though.

I have a different understanding of why nsaids are taboo. The drug itself causes the lining of the stomach to be more susceptible to ulcers by inhibiting prostaglandins which protect the lining of the stomach. It's not the physical presence of the pill or drug in the stomach, it's the body's reaction to the drug after it's absorbed and in the blood stream that can cause problems. I've seen many patients post here that their doc is OK with nsaids but my doctor isn't. I still take them once in a while when I have joint pain but I don't make it a habit. Your doc knows your body better than anyone here so it's always best to follow his/her directions? http://www.medicinenet.com/nonsteroidal_anti-inflammatory_drugs_and_ulcers/page3.htm

Nope, never had that problem.

Most likely your stomach is still swollen from the surgery and just a little food can cause this feeling. Give it an hour or so and it should break down and pass through.

I agree with Missy. If you do go for WLS it would seem like plication would be a smarter move than the band since you're a vegan? We rely heavily on animal Proteins to give us the satiety we need to avoid overeating. I'm sure as a vegan you could be successful with the band but it does require a lot of focus and commitment. At 30 BMI I sense this may not be the right step for you. Wise of you to seek the opinions of those who have gone before. tmf

Is the stomach pain all the time or just when you eat?

Good article. Wish I would have read it about 30 days after surgery but it's confirmation. What's really odd is, what the hell is that article doing on a boxing website? The link at the bottom goes to a URL that is for sale? Wonder how old it is? Oh well, thanks for the link. Good to know.

No regrets and it's much harder than I thought it would be. I was one of those who thought I'd be at my goal weight in 6 months. Ha! Not complaining at all. This is a life lesson for me and I'm older than dirt. tmf

Can't you consume protein shakes yet? That helped me a lot.

More photos please? I'm so jealous.

Pain meds can shut down your digestive system. They shut down my pyloric sphincter and nothing passes. So, I lasted one day on pain meds and just endured the pain(mild). Consuming lots of sodium and sugars can cause you to retain lots of fluids so don't fret what's happening now. It may be a month or more before you heal and can eat solid food. Then you can create your own lifestyle, your own exercise and fitness program. Until then your job is to heal because regardless of what you were told, this surgery can be very traumatic to your system. tmf

Nothing to be scared of. It's mostly just an hour or less of discomfort. And no, it's not like Peanut Butter stuck in your throat although I've never experienced that. The closest I can relate the feeling to is I've taken Tylenol/codeine before and codeine shuts down my digestive system to the point that my stomach won't pass any Fluid or food into my bowels. My pyloric sphincter simply closes and won't open. So, food gets stuck in my esophagus. It's a similar feeling but not exact.