MtnCat

I had my surgery at Mercy Hospital on May 29th (Dr. Gersin - he is in the same practice with Dr. Kuwada). Unfortunately, I have been struggling to lose any weight - I didn't feel any restriction at all until I was at 6cc in a 10cc band. But, I have lost over 6 lbs since I finally felt restriction with the band - so hopefully I am now on the way. In fact, I had to have an unfill at my last appt. because I was having so much heartburn. Hopefully, it won't affect my weight loss.

I was out three weeks and needed that much time. I have a hard time with anesthesia so it usually takes me awhile to get my energy back after having any type of surgery. Everyone is different. There is absolutely no way I could have gone back to work in less than a week. I was still sleeping probably 18 hours a day at that time.

Wow!! I must be super lucky because I had no shoulder pain at all. Maybe the Gods were smiling on me though.....I have a bone spur in my shoulder and have to get occasional cortisone shots.....so a painful shoulder was the LAST thing I would need. I have never heard of "breathing into an IS" either.

Have you contacted your surgeon's office yet? It sounds like you need an increased dosage in the pain meds.

I totally understand. I felt the same way exactly before my surgery. And I still struggle with depression at times because I don't really enjoy eating like I did in the past. My band is pretty restricted now so eating is almost painful. It's definitely a committment that you have to make and stick with it.

Good luck with it. The surgery isn't bad at all. And the Pre-op diet is the worst part of it all. I think I lost about 10 lbs that week.

I had my third fill in my Realize band last week, going from 5cc to 6cc. The first 24 hours were miserable...I could only drink a little water at time and definitely no food. I can now drink without any problem but it hurts to eat almost everything. The only way I can describe this pain is to say that as soon as a take a bite and swallow I get a major feeling of heartburn. I have been practically living on Tums the last week. There are a few foods that I can eat ok without this major heartburn, but not much. Is it possible that I may need an unfill? I had very little restriction up until this last fill and now it seems way too much. I have another appointment with the doctor in 1 1/2 weeks. Should I wait until then and give it more time? Has anyone else had a problem like this?

Yeah, don't give up. I didn't feel any restriction at all until I had 6cc in my 10cc band. It was very frustrating for me too.....but hang in there.

Yes, I get the hiccups right after I eat or drink anything. Thankfully, I never burp.

Wow!! Your success in losing weight is VERY impressive. Please don't let the stress of this situation cause you to relapse. As others have suggested, get your Mom and go to a support group and/or counseling. That is the biggest treat you can give yourself at this time. What many people don't realize is that overeating is an addiction, just like alcoholism or drug addiction. And it is much worse in many ways - you can stop drinking and stop using drugs but you need to eat to survive. As the child of an alcoholic I grew up escaping the stress of family life with food. My father has been sober for 24 years now - but I am still struggling with my addiction to food. It has taken me years of counseling and group therapy to get to the point where I was ready to make the committment to lose weight. You have come way too far to relapse now. You are almost at your goal.

Yes, I had horrible acid reflux prior to surgery. They fixed the hernia during surgery and now I am completely off of the Nexium.

I felt the same way. I was banded on May 29th and actually was GAINING weight. I had my 3rd fill about 1 1/2 weeks ago and I now have restriction for the first time. I have lost about 5 lbs since this last fill. So, don't give up...it just takes awhile for them to get the fill in the bad set at the right level.

Ohhhh noooo. I didn't even know that this could happen until my last appointment. My port has evidently flipped up on it's side....hopefully, it doesn't turn all the way over. Yes, let us know how it goes at the hospital.

Excellent post. I also felt much disappointment that I was GAINING weight after surgery. I also saw all of these tickers that showed a lot of weight loss in the first couple of months after surgery. I felt like I was some kind of failure. However, I only achieved restriction at my last fill which was 1 1/2 weeks ago. Now, the weight is starting to fall off again. So, don't get discouraged if you start out slowly....you may be one of those that takes awhile to get the appropriate amount of fill in your band before you start losing.

Congratulations!!! You are doing much better than me. I was banded on 5/29 and still have only lost 20 lbs, including the pre-op diet. My problem was that after the swelling went down from surgery I had NO restriction at all and started eating way too much again. I just had my 3rd fill 1 1/2 weeks ago and finally feel restriction, almost too much now. But, at least the scale is starting to slide down again....instead of going up like it was for a few weeks.

Yeah, I can't eat mashed potatoes or bread either. And it is a little difficult to swallow liquid too. I can eat any kind of grilled fish as long as I only eat a bite or two of it. But beef and chicken are totally out of the question. I haven't been able to drink my Protein shakes since I had this last fill. I really don't like them and to suffer when drinking them is too much to ask. I think I am going to ask to have a little of the fill removed next week unless this is very much improved. I at least want to be able to drink in peace.

Thanks everyone. I will wait until my next scheduled doctor's appt. to see if this eases up a little. I want to be restricted and not eat as much as I did in the past. But I don't want every bite to be pain filled either.

Yes, they also found a medium sized hernia when my endoscopy was done. The doctor closed it with a stitch during the surgery. He said that it was only a minor procedure. ....it wasn't a big deal at all.

Your problem may be the diet coke. In my nutrition classes they told us that you absolutely MUST give up carbonated beverages after surgery. The carbonation can make the pouch expand. In fact, they said that of the people who gain the weight back, most of them had started drinking carbonated beverages again. I don't think that I would like your doctor very much. Ridicule is the last thing you need.

Be patient and don't give up. I had two fills and felt very little restriction and was pretty disappointed. Last week I had my third fill (went from 5cc to 6cc in a Realize 10 band) and it was a MAJOR difference. The first day I could barely keep water down and food was impossible. It has been one week now and I can eat only small amounts of food and I have to eat very, very slowly. I have lost about 3 lbs this last week. So, you probably just haven't reached your "sweet spot" yet.

My doctor recommends that you only drink liquids and eat soft foods the day of the fill. After my first two fills I kind of ignored that advice because I felt fine and was able to eat normally. However, the last fill was really tight and I got sick after trying to eat just a little Soup. I think that if you feel ok and Water is going down fine, just take it slow and see if you can keep small amounts of food down. Don't overdo it or you will be truly miserable for awhile. Everyone reacts to fills differently, and in my case I reacted differently from one fill to the next.

My surgeon also does the fills in the office that I go to. However, my first fill visit was pretty comical. Before I got there I was super nervous about the whole process. Of all things the surgeon had a young doctor with him that day that he was training. So, he got to "practice" on me. The young doctor said afterwards that my eyes got as wide as saucers just before he put the needle in the port. Thankfully, he did fine and all went well.

I don't burp but I always do have the ridiculously loud hiccups. My poor cats sometimes jump a foot when I start up with those things.

I just had my third fill last week (Aug. 27th). I went from 5 ccs to 6 ccs in a 10 cc band. Until this last fill I thought something was wrong because I was feeling very little restriction and had been gaining weight. However, with that last fill I think I may be at my sweet spot. At first I could barely drink water and got deathly sick after taking three sips of soup. I called the Dr's office and they said to just drink clear liquids the rest of the day. By the next morning I was Ok...but I can only eat very small amounts of food. And I have lost 2 lbs since the latest fill. Hopefully, this continues.