Elisabethsew

Yikes! It sounds like that second fill was a nightmare and I hope you get some restriction with it. I am curious as to why the MD did not aspirate to see what amount was in there before he injected more. I hope you're not too sore.

It's natural to turn to the "comfort of food" when you're going through such a stressful time. After all, when we eat, we feel better and we don't anyone but ourselves. You recognize the problem so toss the cake in the garbage and empty the crap out and go and stock that house with healthy food. My prayers are with you and I hope all works out well in the health department.

You should being this to your MD's attention. It's not normal to have sustained shoulder pain like you describe.

I thought it might be helpful to share what changes you've made in your food preparation since being banded. For example, what snacks have you discovered work the best to satisfy your cravings? What do you do differently to improve the taste of food without making it fattening? I LOVE fish but frying it is not the best choice. I have found that baking the fish (especially salmon) is tasty but I enhance the flavor by squeezing some fresh orange juice over it. It's a nice change from lemon and it's even better if I let it marinade for 30 minutes. To make a snack last longer, I take a 60 calorie jello pudding cup (4 oz, FF, SF) and put it in the freezer. It tastes like a fudge pop and is especially good when it's hot outside. When cooking the lipton seasoned pasta noodles or rice, I leave out the butter and the milk and only use 2 cups of water. It truly tastes exactly the same and nobody in my family has noticed the change. They are eating healthier but they don't know it. So... what's everyone else doing to make healthy food tasty, etc?

Welcome and good luck on the first fill.

Julia, You'll be "puffy" for a few weeks and you'll see the scale move once the edema subsides. Make sure you get in the required protein for optimal healing and keep drinking the water. Since you have no fill, you don't have to worry about only drinking 4 oz at once. Just don't gulp it down.

I'm 2.5 months post-op and have had no complications. However, I have only had one fill and don't yet feel restriction so that might change. I'm sure there are others here who can offer valuable advice.

I'm glad to hear everything went well. It sounds like you're getting to be quite the expert at PS. LOL. Take care of yourself and let your body heal.

It sounds like you're overfilled. If this is happening when you're asleep, it's serious and you sound contact your MD. You probably need an endoscopy to get a diagnosis. In the meantime, try making lunch your biggest meal and switch to a lighter diet for dinner.

I ordered a new scale and it arrived today. It's digital also. I weighed myself on the old scale (surprised it actually worked... it's terminal, LOL) yesterday and the new one today and they are only a pound different. Obviously, I'm tossing the dying scale out and will use the new one as the official measure of my progress.

It's great you're getting your second fill so soon. I got my first one a week and a half ago and feel nothing but my MD won't give me another for 6 weeks... that's July 6. Let us know how the second fill goes.

You're doing great on your weight loss and that should be the deciding factor as to whether or not you're eating too much. My first fill did not produce restriction so I am be very careful about my choices until I go back on July 6 for a second fill. My surgeon says a cup of food is more the average so it sounds like you're working the program just fine.

I had a very small h. hernia that was repaired during surgery. It did not alter my post-op plans at all so you should do fine.

Test your scale's accuracy by weighing a 5 lb bag of sugar or a 10 pound work-out weight and you'll know which scale is the "true" one.

I had to laugh when I read your post because I said the same thing. The only way I knew I was banded was that I could feel the port. LOL. Like you, I felt no restriction and haven't experienced any of the side-effects that others write about. I had my first fill at exactly 8 weeks (the earliest my surgeon will do it) and really don't feel much differently. Some people here said it takes 2-3 fills before you feel restriction so hang in there.

I was not banded in Mexico but many here were. Do a search for those MDs and you'll find lots of information.

What about a mid-afternoon snack so that you're not so hungry at dinner? A "trick" that the dietician taught me is called "water loading" where you drink 16 oz of water, crystal light, etc., about 10-15 minutes before you eat your dinner. These seems to fill up the stomach and signal the brain that you're full before you over eat. When I do this, I am unable to fit in a snack after dinner.

Happy Anniversary and congratulations on becoming the person you always were.

MANY years ago, using placebos to treat patients was an acceptable practice. I can remember many MD orders that read, "Alternate Morphine Sulfate 4 mg IV with normal saline 4 mg IV every 4 hours." Since about 1990, that practice is now considered unethical and no longer practiced in the hospital setting. It's sad that some surgeons employ this technique and I'm glad you called the MD on the carpet for it, Sue.

You need to up your protein intake in order to get 60-80 grams a day. Ketosis is not a healthy state to stay in.

It sounds like your level of restriction is fine now. If you can only keep solids down for dinner, getting a fill would likely cause you problems.

COngratulations on your amazing progress.

Since the MD is doing your second fill you should be OK. Maybe you can have the fill early and then "hang out" for an hour or so to make sure you don't have the problem that you did last time? Just a thought... good luck.

You can DEFINITELY see a change... a lot less of you. Congratulations!

You should find out when the next open enrollment in the insurance plan is. Most companies offer this once a year or more. It might be possible to switch and get the operation paid for.