2muchfun

My Doc had me drink liquids the day before surgery. That's all. tmf

You eat junk on purpose? Look to the right and read SteveFrett's post. tmf

Your comments come as no surprise to me. I have been concerned since my first "stuck" episode along with sliming and PB'ing after my 3rd fill. I too still struggle with eating slower and taking smaller bites. I had .25 CCs removed a month ago due to excessive stuck episodes but still struggle with the stuck episodes along with PB'ing. Your comments come as a shot across my bow and I'm so glad you posted. I'm getting better at this eating thing, but it's a slow learning curve for me and all newbies and long term bandsters should heed your warning. If there is a list of reasons we eat too fast I'd like to add distraction as one of my major causes. I had my grandkids here for 5 days and the distraction caused me to get stuck every day once or twice. Thanks again and I'll pay much closer attention now. tmf

I agree with Jen. Need more info? You should fill out your profile so we won't have to ask in the future? If you lost 7 lbs, you lost about 5-6 lbs of Water. Or, you ran a 10K race every day and consumed only 1000 calories. It's not unusual for a new patient to lose 15-20 lbs the first month of being banded or in pre-op dieting. tmf

Meow, if you click on her picture you can see her profile and surgery date. Re: hungry..When the swelling subsides after surgery the band won't be offering any restriction until you get a fill or two. At this point you are really on your own. As B-52 says it: Until there's restriction...It's just another diet. tmf

I went to work the next day but I work from home. If I had to go to an office I'd say 3-4 days tops. But I was still groggy for about a week from all the meds they pump into your body. Anesthesia, antibiotics, saline etc. tmf

I aint braggin, but my doc let me have mushies 4 days out and soft foods 8 days out. It's his regular routine and after reading so many posts just like this one, I love my doc. tmf

I ran across this comment on another post or site? Anyway, I often wish I were so thoughtful and could express how I'm feeling as well as this guy did. "Sometimes to get where you want to go, you have to do what you are afraid to do. You must be brave and push forward. Miracles occur when you give as much attention and energy to your dreams as you do to your fears. In my case, the most fearful thing I had to do in order to succeed with my band wasn't switching to skim milk, surviving a liquid diet, or giving up bread. The most fearful thing was giving up my emotional attachment to food. In the nearly 5 years since I was banded, I've made a lot of progress with that, but the attachment is still there. It forms one of the innermost layers of my turtle shell. Working on that layer will probably be a lifetime job for me. At times I'm not even sure I truly want to get rid of it altogether. At times I'm afraid that if I shed my shell completely, I won't be able to survive. On the other hand, I seem to be doing fine without that thick old b***h layer. So I'm going to pay attention to my dreams rather than my fears and pray for a miracle. And why not? It can't hurt to try!" tmf

5 Day Pouch Test http://www.5daypouchtest.com/ Check it out. Could be the way to narrow down your options? tmf

Well, you're splitting hairs here. Yes, sipping is recommended. Gulping, no. But I can gulp and I'm in the green zone. Too bad you didn't post this sooner. The support group meets at N Suburban in Thornton tonight. Kelly Elliott is the moderator and she's incredible. She's my nutritionist and is the same for 4 doctors. You don't say when you got filled? Who filled you? Johnell? Call his office in the morning. You may be filled too much. What foods are hurting you? Getting a fill requires that you learn how to eat with each new fill. It trained me to keep eating smaller and smaller bites and to chew a lot more. tmf

Yup! You're a failure! You must be the only person who's ever cheated on the band. So disappointing since all the other posters here have never cheated and always eat what we're supposed to eat. Might as well give up now. I think I hear a caramel fudge drumstick calling my name, gotta go! LOL, JK, Lighten up, it's one day out of the rest of your life. You'll have more of these(unless you're a perfect bandster) but call that RN up and demand a fill. tmf

There was this chinese restaurant in Boulder Co that had some kind of special where if you bring in 8 or more people, order this house special, they would start bringing out platters of food. Each platter was different. They would keep bringing different platters out until we didn't finish one. Then the party was over. I just recall eating from 7-10 different platters plus a mound of rice and Soup. OMG, it was so good but I remember going home and could hardly breath. And I was thin at that time. Probably close to my goal weight now. Oh, the good ole days. tmf

Seems like 1200-1400 is my magic caloric intake number. tmf

I suppose we're all different but for me, it was a "stuck" feeling. That would be after a few bites of food I would feel pressure in my diaphragm area that could be mildly painful. Usually there would be slime(thick saliva) associated with a bad stuck episode. I also feel a lump in my lower throat or the bottom of my esophogus. This feeling should go away in 10-30 minutes. I can't eat or drink anymore until the pouch massages the food through the band. You should know that restriction is a good thing but it's not the real goal. The real goal is satiety with less food. Restriction is simply a red flag that we have eaten too much or to slow down. Restriction is a signal and when you learn how to use it, you can become satisfied with less food. Satiety is the goal. tmf

If he's only placed 100 bands he wouldn't qualify as a surgeon for me. Maybe his inexperience with the band is why he has to adjust so many? tmf

E gads, I just bought some workout DVDs from Groupon. Shawn T's Rockin Body. 7 Videos of people dancing. I hate dancing. I thought the videos were going to be from his insanity program. They suck big time. Sorry, I just had to vent. I look forward to someone posting something useful, and not like my diatribe. tmf

Are you sipping or gulping? If it hurts to sip, call your doc. tmf

Your post makes me wonder about an appropriate age for obese people to have bariatric surgery? I don't think I would have been mentally ready for such a huge change at 19. Seems like most people would have to go through years and years of being uncomfortable, unhealthy and unattractive before they came to know that they needed help? Not saying you're any of those un's but I think most of us viewed ourselves that way. It's disheartening to see someone give up so soon and of course, we don't know your entire history, but you were pushing 300 lbs before the surgery. What's next? I wish you well and I suppose you can always come back to the band or any other surgery if your own dietary methods don't pan out. Good luck to you. tmf

That's funny. Seems like most of the posts I read are about people who aren't losing and hate their band. OMG..Am I one of those half glass empty guys? 6 months from now you will look back and think how naive you were(if you're anything like me). You'll be losing weight and singing praises to the band god. But there will be some bumps and bruises along the way. tmf

I've read where some people feel the difference sometimes 2 weeks post fill. I felt mine immediately, or should I say I felt my 3rd-6th immediately. The first 2 nada. I was pushy with the appt desk. I insisted on coming in 3 weeks out since I was in bandster hell and needed a fill that gave me restriction. tmf

Your thought process is so foreign to me? I just never thought about failure. Never even considered eating around the band. Oh, I sometimes get so hungry I might open a can of Soup and suck it down but it's always around 200 calories. I guess I just wanted this more than some. I dreamed about it. Fantasized about being thin again. For me, my kids, grandkids, wife, it means my life to me. I don't know where one finds the strength or commitment to make this work but if you really want it, you'll find it. You won't find it from others, it's got to be you. tmf

Relax! You're normal. We all had to go back on a diet about 2 weeks out. You're in "Bandster Hell" and will be till you get a fill that gives you enough restriction. And you are not supposed to be losing weight just yet. You're still in the healing phase. Lower your expectations. I know the seminars, nutrtionists and docs gleem over the post surgery phase so we all go into this thinking the band starts working immediately. Not true. This phase really sucks. But, it's necessary. It's like learning to walk. You fall down enough so you finally learn how to keep your balance and avoid those hard falls. This will be a time for you to learn much about yourself, how to eat with the band and what to eat. There is a 3-6 month learning curve and you're just entering lapband 101. Until there's restriction, it's just another diet...B-52 tmf

That's a tough question since we all lose weight at different paces. And, some of us have mondo lbs to lose so the first 50 may go unnoticed. I guess I never paid attention to what others said, but for me, I noticed after I had lost 26 lbs. My best friend told me he thought I still looked like I had a big gut and thought it would be gone by now. A-Hole! But that's what guys say to each other. tmf

LOL..Yes you are awesome. Aint it great? On a different subject, I love the way we pose for these pictures. I've got a bunch where I set the camera on timer and ran in front of the camera. I look like I just killed my parents. And I can't manage a smile to save my butt. You did well with the pictures, you're no Ansel Adams but I'd post mine if I looked as good as you. tmf

It took me 4 months before I started to feel any restriction. And then another 2 months before I found the green zone. You are normal. This happens to many of us but you need to push your doctor for more fills till you get enough restriction. BTW- 40 lbs is awesome. You should be doing the happy dance? tmf