aspenAvery

Hello all.... I am really confused and am just starting to do research on what this could be, what happened, and what to do about it. I was banded in May of this past year ('09) and as of September had lost about 8 pounds, 16 if you include the preop diet. I was hungry from day one and never seemed to be satisfied and eating a half a cup of food was no where near realistic for me. I laughed at them when they asked me if a half a cup was filling me up and thought that there is no way that anyone really only eats a half a cup of food 3 times a day. I was still eating what ever I wanted with no problems at all. It was as if they told me it was there but it really wasn't. They just kept telling me that I was doing great and that I needed a fill and that I needed to control my eating with will power and the weight would come off. Well, I got up to 7.6 cc's in a 10 cc band and was getting hungrier and hungrier with every fill. I was also having a lot of pain on my left side. Everytime I went in, they would tell me its just from having something foreign in my body and that it would eventually go away. In early October I went in to the clinic because I was in severe pain and figured it had to be my LAP-BAND®. They did a barium swallow and said that everything was fine.... no stretching, no blockage, that everything looked perfect that if I was still in pain to go to the ER. Well, I went to the ER that night which led to my most recent surgery just a few days ago on New Years Eve. In the mean time, in early December I went to the LAP-BAND® clinic wanting a fill because I was so hungry and eating all of the time.... the nurse discussed some things with me and we decided that since I would be having surgery in the next few weeks that it was best to take out a few cc's until after the surgery (she removed 2 cc's). They also asked me a ton of questions and the nurse deemed that my band was fine and there was no slippage, dilation, nothing. She said that I had nothing to worry about that I was doing fine and regardless of the 10 pounds I had gained she was not worried about a thing... she said after the new year we could get on track again. Well, I had laproscopic surgery, through my belly button on the 31st. When my surgeon came out to talk to me when I was done he told us that he looked around and that my LAP-BAND® was just hanging there, that it was not even attached to my stomach, it was just floating around in my abdomen. I was shocked but it seemed to explain a lot of how I've never felt any different with the LAP-BAND® except for the pain on my left side. My surgeon said that he took lots of pictures and wanted the name of my LAP-BAND® surgeon so that he could contact him personally. I have no idea where to even start with this. How did this happen? Could it be something that I did? Could it be a faulty band? Could it be the surgeon? Shouldn't they have seen that during the barium swallow test? I watched the swallow test and you could see the liquid go straight down and then jet out into my stomach.... did not hesitate, did not stop, did not fill up a tiny pouch above the stomach, just went straight through into my stomach. They said that was normal so I believed them. Any advice, answers, insight would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!!

Hello all.... I am really confused and am just starting to do research on what this could be, what happened, and what to do about it. I was banded in May of this past year ('09) and as of September had lost about 8 pounds, 16 if you include the preop diet. I was hungry from day one and never seemed to be satisfied and eating a half a cup of food was no where near realistic for me. I laughed at them when they asked me if a half a cup was filling me up and thought that there is no way that anyone really only eats a half a cup of food 3 times a day. I was still eating what ever I wanted with no problems at all. It was as if they told me it was there but it really wasn't. They just kept telling me that I was doing great and that I needed a fill and that I needed to control my eating with will power and the weight would come off. Well, I got up to 7.6 cc's in a 10 cc band and was getting hungrier and hungrier with every fill. I was also having a lot of pain on my left side. Everytime I went in, they would tell me its just from having something foreign in my body and that it would eventually go away. In early October I went in to the clinic because I was in severe pain and figured it had to be my lapband. They did a barium swallow and said that everything was fine.... no stretching, no blockage, that everything looked perfect that if I was still in pain to go to the ER. Well, I went to the ER that night which led to my most recent surgery just a few days ago on New Years Eve. In the mean time, in early December I went to the lapband clinic wanting a fill because I was so hungry and eating all of the time.... the nurse discussed some things with me and we decided that since I would be having surgery in the next few weeks that it was best to take out a few cc's until after the surgery (she removed 2 cc's). They also asked me a ton of questions and the nurse deemed that my band was fine and there was no slippage, dilation, nothing. She said that I had nothing to worry about that I was doing fine and regardless of the 10 pounds I had gained she was not worried about a thing... she said after the new year we could get on track again. Well, I had laproscopic surgery, through my belly button on the 31st. When my surgeon came out to talk to me when I was done he told us that he looked around and that my lapband was just hanging there, that it was not even attached to my stomach, it was just floating around in my abdomen. I was shocked but it seemed to explain a lot of how I've never felt any different with the lapband except for the pain on my left side. My surgeon said that he took lots of pictures and wanted the name of my lapband surgeon so that he could contact him personally. I have no idea where to even start with this. How did this happen? Could it be something that I did? Could it be a faulty band? Could it be the surgeon? Shouldn't they have seen that during the barium swallow test? I watched the swallow test and you could see the liquid go straight down and then jet out into my stomach.... did not hesitate, did not stop, did not fill up a tiny pouch above the stomach, just went straight through into my stomach. They said that was normal so I believed them. Any advice, answers, insight would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!!

Hello.... I was banded on May 5th and have my first fill tomorrow morning at 10:30. I was not given any pre-fill diet instructions and am wondering if I am able to eat or drink anything in the morning. I would love any advice on what has worked best for you! Thank you!

I was banded on May 5th and all 5 of my incisions itch like crazy. I went to my post op on Thursday and the doctor said that it is good and it is a sign of healing. Mine also have a lot of redness around them. She said that everything looked great and I was healing really well.

Did your doctor tell you 5 weeks? Or is that what you read on here? I was able to eat mushy foods starting my second week and eggs are on that list. Eggs are a soft food so you should be ok. Chicken is even on my soft foods list. I've heard of people being on liquids for two weeks and then onto mushy foods but not 5 weeks of liquids. If your doctor gave you a chart to follow then follow the chart and all should be well. Good luck and I wouldn't worry too much!

I'm confused about what I am supposed to be eating on soft foods. My list says chicken, tuna, ground beef on the soft foods lists. Is chicken a no-no? I have been eating it. I too have had the sharp pain under my ribs and below my left breast. At first I thought it was gas but I feel like it's been to long for the gas to still be in there. I am walking and thought I was eating like I am supposed to. I guess I should probably call the doctor on Monday.:grouphug:

I am watching it too! I was just banded a week ago. I got to start mushies today so I think I over did it on the mashed potatoes and am feeling horrible. I was just so excited to have something besides liquids. These guys look great. I couldn't do it with out the band and I am praying that I can with! Keep your head up and keep up the good work!

I was told to get one with at least 20 g of protein and less than 10 g of sugar. I went to GNC and the guys recommended Amplify. I got the Creamy Chocolate flavor. They let me taste it in the store and I was surprised that it wasn't completely gross. I blend it with fat free milk and a couple of frozen strawberries and it is really good. I think it would be really good with part of a frozen banana but I didn't want any more gas than I already had. The 32oz. bucket was about $35. It has 120 Calories, 2g of Fat, 20 g of protein, 4 carbs and 1g of sugar.

I had the same thing happen on Saturday night. I was fine and all of a sudden I broke out into a sweat and started feeling nauseated. I laid down hoping it would go away and nope it continued. I had dry heaves, nothing came up. Then I fell asleep and woke up a little later with the same problem. I just had surgery on Tuesday and am still on liquids. The only thing that I can think of is that my nightly medication didn't go down all the way. I am still on a capsule, which my doctor said was fine. So, I am not sure what happened. It was only twice so I don't think it was food poisoning or a virus.

I was banded on May 5th and I have had the same problem. If nothing by Monday I will call the doc to see if I can take a laxative, I don't think a stool softener is going to work for me since there is nothing to soften.... or it doesn't feel that way.

I was banded on Tuesday and had no gas pains until last night! I thought I was going to be one of the lucky ones but that is not the case. It is horrible now. I am bloated and feel like I have terrible, terrible heart burn. It is sitting right in the middle of my chest and back. I've tried walking, Gas X, heating pad. I am not sure what else to do but it's driving me crazy. So, yes it comes and it is not pleasant! Good luck!

I was told to do a low carb diet.... I am limited to 20 carbs a day. The nutritionist gave me a packet on the Atkins Diet and told me to follow that for the two weeks. There is a great link on here that helped me understand exactly what that does to shrink your liver. I would still contact your surgeon, but it might be a place to start while you are waiting. Good luck! http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f273/how-shrink-your-liver-increase-st-weight-loss-low-carb-pre-op-diet-65020/

That is my question.... How do you know how many points to eat? I don't think I would need to eat the total number of points for my weight.

I am scheduled for May 5th! :cool2:

Hello....That is who I have decided to go with... I was very skeptical at first of going through True Results, especially since I couldn't find a lot of information about the surgeon. I had this idea in my head that it was sort of a chop shop, like they get you in and out as quickly as possible and then drop you. My opinion has completely changed. I did some research here and through Google and the things that I did find on Dr. Esquivel were all positive. I also fell in love with the staff at the clinic. I also like the aftercare and support program that they offer. Everyone that I have encountered at the clinic has been really great and really helpful. They have answered all of my questions and taken as much time with me as I needed. I have scheduled surgery for May 5th and get to meet him on April 28th for my pre-op. At that time, if I do not like him or do not feel comfortable with him then I will cancel my surgery. I don't like the fact that I don't get to meet him until a week before the surgery but hopefully it will be ok. I would love to hear other peoples comments about him if you have them.

I know how you feel. I feel like this is the only option that I have and that I need help and can't do it on my own. I am 5'4 and 225 my BMI is 38.6 and I was approved for surgery. I am otherwise healthy, except for my weight. It depends on the doctor but at 40 I would think you would be able to get it. It may also depend on your insurance. I am self pay so that could have something to do with it. Good luck!

It is much quicker with self pay. I had my first consultation on March 25th and have my surgery scheduled for May 5th. I met with a physician who told me that I had to have a nutritional consult, a stress test, a sleep study and clearance from my psychiatrist. I could have scheduled it sooner but the sleep study is holding it up. They can't get me in until April 20th. My insurance is paying for all of the pre-surgery testing, they just will not pay for the surgery Good luck! I am very excited!

Hello, I am 5'4 and 225 pounds. I went for my first consultation yesterday and I did get several looks from the people in the office. I had one lady ask me when I had my surgery and how much I had lost.... I shyly told her this was my first visit. I could lose 100 pounds but feel that that will be too small for me but hope to get down to 150. I have high blood pressure and am at risk for diabetes. I want to stop it all before it gets worse. I am excited and nervous and can't wait to get the process started. Good luck!