BonMag

I had the SAME thing, and still do on occasion. After my surgery it was SO bad that I was preparing myself mentally to have the band removed. One morning I woke-up in tears because it hurt so bad it felt like I couldn't breathe. My husband is a chiropractor and luckily knew how to "adjust" my stomach. He had me lay on my back and while breathing all of my air out, I press down on my stomach (right below left side rib cage). You breathe all the way out, press your stomach down (towards your feet, not towards your butt!) and towards your midline. Hold it down and take a few deep breaths. I still have to "adjust" my stomach on occasion. I hope this helps! Hang in there.

On the "lap-band chart of restriction", there are three zones; yellow, green, and red. One of the indications that you are in the "red zone", or over-filled, is poor weight loss. So, here's my question: why is there poor weight loss or even gains in the red zone? I am pretty sure I am over-filled at the moment because I basically can't eat. I have been this way for the past three days and I have actually GAINED two pounds. WHY!?!?!? This doesn't make sense to me AT ALL. It made sense to me to think that if someone is over-filled, they may stretch out their upper pouch while eating resulting in ultimately consuming more. BUT, if I am eating so little- and obviously NOT stretching out my pouch- why on earth am I not losing? :tt1: Weird. Just weird. I plan to go in to my doc's on Monday if my restriction hasn't loosened up some. Thanks for your help!

Thanks ladies! It's so nice to know that I am not the only one who has turned into a virtual freezer! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.......... Here's to some warmth. Here, here! :thumbup:

I was told by my surgeon's office that they say two weeks of liquids because they know realistically if they say two weeks, people will give it two days! And if they say two days, people will give it two hours. So- you'll be just fine if there are little tiny bits of food in your soup. As long as the food is passing through quickly without any pain or sensations of getting stuck, you're just fine with that. Congratulations!

I have read other bandsters say that when they start to feel like they can eat too much, and fear that their pouch has stretched, they do liquids only for two or three days. That way your pouch will have the chance to retract some. Try that and see if it helps at all. If it helps a little- give liquids a few more days. I know it won't be easy, but it beats putting all the weight back on. GOOD LUCK!!!:rolleyes2:

Hey guys. I had a horrible pain near my heart and as it turned it it was the band rubbing on my diaphragm. It was so terribly painful! I had a hernia repaired at the same time the band was placed and this resulted in extra swelling. So, when my stomach swelled, it pushed the band into the path of my diaphragm. It wouldn't hurt all the time, just most of the time and it started to feel like my innards were turning into raw meat! So, now when it starts to happen, I take some ibuprofen and my husband, who is a doctor, actually "adjusts" my stomach to move the band away from my diaphragm.

I am thinking about having my husband, who is a doctor, learn how do perform the adjustments. But, I want to make sure I am using the right needle. Do you know? :rolleyes2:

I also have a cold and have wondered if all this extra...well, yucky stuff going down has contributed to feeling too tight. I have A LOT of yucky stuff. Thanks so much guys for sharing your experiences! I am going to do liquids today and tomorrow and mushies on Sunday and see how I feel on Monday before calling my doctor. You guys rock!!!!! Thanks for making me feel better. :rolleyes2:

Have any of you suffered from bad chills since your surgery? I started having severe chills at night about two months ago. I have chills that run down my arms and legs and literally give me goose bumps. My hands and feet are freezing and even with an electric blanket, a feather down comforter, another blanket and another comforter.... it takes me about two hours to fall asleep because I am SO cold at night. I asked my surgeon about this two days ago and he said that he has heard of this before. He said that your body has to adjust to the weight loss and reestablish an equilibrium. He said it is like being comfortable under a 30 pound blanket and then all of a sudden throwing it off- you'll freeze. In addition to being cold, he also said that some people experience dizziness due to actual fat loss around the inner ear which throws off your balance until your body adjusts to the fat loss. Pretty interesting stuff, eh? I would love to know that I am not the only one who has gone from hot and sweaty all the time to skin of ice!

I have some experience with the WoW forum, and how addicting it can be. My husband used the WoW game to escape from reality when he was going through a depression. He actually found that giving up the game made him feel much better. He would make comments like, "Wow, look trees. Sunshine. There's a world out here." Maybe you need to step away from the computer and try to face your depression with some healthy eating and exercise. Eating right and exercising will make you feel better, and maybe you won't feel a need to "escape" anymore. You can do it!!!!!!

I went in two days ago to get a small fill because I wasn't feeling much restriction. My surgeon doesn't want to fill me too fast, so he suggested adding .5-1 cc at a time. I now have a total of around 5 ccs. After my fill I was able to drink fine and even had a slice of deli chicken that went down slowly, but fine. However, I haven't been able to eat (or barely drink) anything since then. I realize I am probably having a swelling response. I am afraid to go and get an un-fill only to have no restriction again. Ugh. I just don't know what to do! How long should I wait to see if the swelling goes down? Any personal experiences are greatly appreciated. THANKS SO MUCH!!!

I have lost & gained. I have lost my fear of being morbidly obese for the rest of my life. and I have gained hope. Hope that one day there will be a healthier, slimmer me.

I was banded one month ago today, and I can understand your frustration. BUT, and this is a BIG BUT, I know several people who have had the bypass. There are several reasons that I chose NOT to have the bypass based on their personal experiences. From what I have seen, besides the fact that with a bypass your poor organs are all mutilated and re-arranged, starvation is the mode of weight loss. Starvation is NOT healthy for you...at all. ALL of the individuals I know with the bypass have ALL had to have their gallbladders out, have constant food getting stuck issues, their hair is thinning and receding, they have severe acid reflux and ulcer issues, they have diarrhea all the time...and honestly, they all look really unhealthy. I know three people who are several years out from their bypasses, and their stomachs have stretched out and the weight has gone right back on. At least with the band, we can increase our restriction to help with our control, with them, if they stretch their stomachs out, they're screwed!:tongue2: Hang in there, remember how many people have been really successful with the lap band. Maybe you can talk to your doctor about taking something for your depression? If you felt better about things, it might be easier not to be so hard on yourself. WE CAN DO THIS!!!