mcb2009

Oh Bobbie, That just sucks! I'm so sorry this has happened. Fingers crossed they sort it out and that you recover quickly and are able to get back on track. Thinking of you my friend. Mary

Hi everyone, I've been struggling and to be honest avoiding this forum because I was in "avoidance" mode. I was banded on July 6th and didn't get a fill until August 24. I have a 14cc band - and I now have had 4 fills. On Monday I was given .5mL and now am up to 7mL and am definately feeling restriction. I'm still on a liquid diet until tomorrow and then soft foods only. I had a bit of a scare a couple of weeks ago with really bad chest tightness and pain radiating up my neck. It seemed to come on after eating and so initially I thought it was reflux but I've had bad reflux in the past and the pain wasn't the same. My family doctor thought it was likely paricarditis (swelling of sac around heart - caused by a virus)...who knows. The pain was relieved with lots of advil and losec to protect my stomach from the advil. When I saw the surgeon on Monday she read me the riot act because I have been eating bread. Oh god...she ranted on and on about the fact that I should not have been eating bread. I dont' recall getting that message...I was told that it may be difficult to eat bread but the only thing I was told to absolutely avoid is carbonated drinks. Anyway...long winded message but I realize I need to pay more attention to "working the band" and not just sit back idly with the hope that the band will magically melt away the pounds. My weight loss has stalled over the past month and I'm hoping that his latest fill will kick start the loss. Cheers, Mary

Hi everyone, I was banded on July 6 with a 14mL band...had to wait about 7 weeks post-op for my first fill of 4 mL. Since then I've had an additional 3 fills...1mL, 1mL and yesterday .5mL. I'm really feeling restriction now which is odd considering she only put in .5mL. Has anyone out there experienced something similar? That is, getting a small fill but noticing a big difference in restriction? I'm on liquids for 2 days and tomorrow start soft food. I'm getting liquids down but I feel this constand pressure in my neck/throat area which I'm sure is from the band. I'm now wondering if it is too tight and I need to get a small de-fill? Or stick with it for a few days and wait and see what happens. What do you think? Mary

Hey Texas Mommy: I had a very similar experience. I was banded on July 6 and had my first fill on Aug. 24. I have a 14cc band and got 4cc. No zylocaine and only one puncture - she too had my lie down flat, put my hands above my head, do a crunch and voila - it was all done. She didn't think I would have any restriction and I didn't. I was instructed to go on a 2 days of liquid followed by one day of pureed food. I had my second fill this Wednesday (Sep 2) and got another 1.5cc - still no restriction. The surgeon and the nutritionist at the clinic said that it may take 3-4 fills before I feel a restriction. The surgeon at our clinic likes to go very slowly and give patients the time to adjust to the new way of eating. I think I may have a slight restriction because I am eating less and in less than 2 weeks I've finally started to lose again. I'm down 6 lbs in less than 2 weeks so I'm happy! I'm scheduled for my next fill in 2 weeks. Mary

Hey Bobbi, I was banded the day before you and I also have a noticable lump over the port side. Otherwise swelling has all but gone - just the lump over my right side. I'm feeling OK but not enjoying my mother-in-laws cooking. ahhhh...oh well...I only have 2 more days of mushies before I move on to soft regular food. Hope you are well. Cheers, Mary

Hi there, I will be just about 3 weeks post-op when I travel to Ireland (from Toronto) for vacation (8 hr flight). The team at the clinic said no problems at all. Just take my Protein powder with me. The good thing is that when I arrive in Ireland I start the pureed diet for one week and then during the second week I can start on soft food (oh ya!!!). The surgeon at my clinic does not put any saline in the band so I was told that once I've healed there will be no restriction. I was given the 14cc band too...not sure why? Geez...even with band surgery I needed the "plus-size" band! Ahhhhhh! Maybe that's a good thing though - not sure. I don't see the surgeon until late August but I'm going to ask what her criteria is for choosing the 10cc vs the 14cc band. Anyone out there know? Good luck on your flight. Mary

Hi Arb, I'm nearly 2 weeks post-op and for the first week I was sore and so gasy that I too was only able to drink small amounts. I don't recall that I felt "restricted" but I know that I could only drink 1/4 - 1/2 cup of any liquid at one time. Over the first week when everything started to settle down I was able to drink more at a time - albeit, slowly. You will have some swelling which should begin to decrease with each day. If you are worried, give your clinic/surgeon a call to check. Good luck and a speedy recovery to you. Mary

If I were in your shoes I would have lied. Kindness, compassion, encouragment and motivation by acknowledgin her loss is what may help her to keep going. I also agree with some of the other posters that she may have lost those pounds and it may not be obvious. Even what she was wearing could have had an affect on how she looked. Mary

Darlin...go easy! If you are really hungry try a nice rich Soup like lentle or minestrone (put it through a blender first though). You don't want to have gone through all of this and have complications because of a few pieces of bread...its just not worth it. Be creative with the fluids...nice juice...do a blended smoothie with some fresh strawberries and low-fat yogurt. Hang in there. Mary...post-op day 5

Jodi...wow...gotta say, your stats are very impressive! Way to go!:frown:

Hi gang, Well, its day 5 post-op for me and I'm now starting to feel almost normal again. :-) For the past nights I have slept quite well on both sides, although my left side is probably a bit more comfortable. Today I started the full liquid diet which means I can have real Soup...yippee...I'm off the broths. For lunch today I'm going to have cream of chicken soup...who knew I could get so excited over cream of chicken soup. Oh...am I'm down 5 lbs since Monday morning...not bad since I was up 5 lbs the day after surgery because of all of the Fluid during the surgery. I'm now officially down 20 lbs and all of this in less than one month. So, I'm off to a good start and am looking forward to getting back to work next week. How is everyone else doing this fine Saturday morning? Actually...not to fine in Ontario...we have a rip roaring thunder storm coming in...I love these big storms! Take it easy all... Cheers, Mary

Like many others here...mine is slightly right of centre, above bb and below bra line.

Hi guys, I was banded on July 6 and yes, its been a rough week. But, this morning I woke up and am feeling much better. I haven't noticed either of you in the July 2009 bandster forum? Check it out and you will be connected to all of us who have had the surgery so far and those whose surgeries are coming up. You are not alone. Everyday gets better. Cheers, Mary

Hi all, I'm probably posting a bit early here since my surgery was on Monday...but I thought I'd chime in with my experience to date. I had my surgery first thing Monday morning and was home by 1:30pm. I've been able to sleep in my bed but until last night had a very restless sleep and had some difficulty turning around. Last night I slept so much better - much easier on my right side than my left. Getting up this morning was much easier too. I've been on a clear liquid diet only this week and now I can honestly say that I'm very hungry. My stomach has started growling and I'm extremely anxious for my "full liquid" diet to start tomorrow. Then I get to have Soup...oh ya! I haven't bothered counting calories because they would be so low that I would be a bit scared. I've had quite bad gas pains since Monday - very unpleasant and quite similar to what I experienced after I got my gall bladder out. It seems to be a bit better today but my left shoulder is still aching. Hopefully, it will be better tomorrow. I hope everyone is doing OK...hang in there...this too shall pass! Mary

Thanks slpcat...that's what I was hoping. Glad to hear your sister is still working the band and is successful. That's what I hope for us all. Cheers, Mary