philippians413

Sorry, can't help you there! I weigh obsessively. At least once a day. Maybe I should have my husband misplace my scale!:scared2:

I think we all struggle with this. But I think this is one area that the band is really helpful, at least for me. I can't binge anymore. I can make an unhealthy choice, but I can't eat too much of it. The band makes me stop. I don't know about you, but if 1600 calories is a bad day for me, it's a much better day than before I got the band. My dietician reminds me that this is not a diet. It's my life now. And it's not always going to look perfect in a journal entry in my food diary. But I'm making progress, and I'm definitely eating better than I was before I got the band. I'm not trying to justify you eating unhealthy, but you have to look at things long-term.

I can't give you advice, but I am really sorry this has happened. I think that's everyone's worst fear regarding the band. Hopefully it won't be as difficult this time, and you will heal fast. May I ask why you have to have it replaced? Did it slip?

I experienced the same thing. My port incision was inside my belly button, and it was very sore for the first week. I had a hernia repair too. It does get better and better every day. Get as much rest as you can, and I hope you feel better soon.

My doctor says 60-80 grams of protein a day. You could be getting too little iron. You may want to have your doctor check you for anemia. As for vitamins, my doctor requires us to take a bariatric vitamin. I didn't like the Bariatric Advantage samples that he gave me, so I ordered samples of Celebrate Vitamins - they are bariatric vitamins as well. The chewables are actually pretty yummy. And the vitamin for bandsters has iron in it, many vitamins don't. I would recommend you talk to your doctor. I don't think you should be that weak.

Good for him! As for the comments, incredible. It's sad to think that this is what the general populationg thinks about WLS. If only the statistics were out there - only 5% of obese people can lose weight and keep it off.

You're going to be fine. You definitely need a fill. And I think with the large bands you need lots more fills. I could eat absolutely anything - If I ate large bites of bread, I'd get stuck, but small bites were fine. I ate 4 pieces of french toast in a sitting, and was feeling pretty bummed out. I got my first fill last week. 6cc in an 11 cc band. I definitely wouldn't say that I'm at my "sweet spot" but I can tell a difference. I can feel my band telling me that if I don't stop soon I'm going to be regretting it. And it's not a matter of eating too fast. It's that the pouch is full, and if I keep forcing food in, I'm going to be stuck. I'm in the early stages of figuring this out - full feels different than it did before. And I understand what you mean about your family. I feel like I'm being scrutinized by those that know about the surgery. Friends ask me how much I've lost since the last time they asked me, and I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't lost any more. Who wants to be a failure at this?? Everyone knows it's our last resort. I had gained 3 pounds since my surgery and my fill. But in the last half week, I've lost 7 pounds. I think some of it is just water that for some reason I was holding, but I know I'm finally eating much less. It will come. This isn't like the bypass where it rolls off us right away, and I think we feel the pressure for that to happen because that's what people expect. But it will come. See when you can get a fill. It will take time, but you'll get to where you can't eat all you want. I hope you are encouraged a little.

I'm very new at this, and I'm having trouble understanding some of the sensations I'm experiencing. Can someone help? I had my first fill the other day. Before my first fill I had a couple of "stuck" episodes. Since my fill, I've been very, very careful not to get stuck. Last night I had sort of the same feeling, but it wasn't quite like being stuck. I had ate some lunchmeat. I started sliming, but I didn't have that intense pain that I have had when stuck. It was uncomfortable, but not the same. Tonight I was eating dinner, and I started to get that same uncomfortable feeling. I stopped eating, and it went away, no sliming. My husband suggested that maybe the sliming didn't just happen when you were full, but maybe when you had at too much. (I'm totally grossing him out by the way!) Can the sliming and pain happen when you have ate more than you are supposed to? Or is it only when you are stuck. I need to figure this out. Thanks for your help.

The xyphoid process is at the very bottom of the sternum/breastbone. My port is about 3 inches above my belly button and maybe slightly to the right. It seems like a good place, because I can sleep comfortably on my stomach.

I think it's normal. I had my first fill on Thursday. I had gained 3 pounds. They said not to worry, that many patients gained more. I wonder if the preop diet messes up the metabolism and then there's a rebound. I'm looking forward now after the fill to seeing the numbers drop again. Good luck - you will be glad you did this. Just give it some time!:wink2:

So, before you all laugh at me, I have a relatively high pain tolerance. I've had two children, had surgery a couple of times before... I'm not a total baby.:blushing: But I really have a thing about needles. I went in for my first fill. My doctor does the first fill under flouroscopy. He fills the band to capacity, then has you drink barium, and he pulls saline out of the band until the barium goes through. So he puts the needle in, which I shouldn't have looked at by the way, and I can feel him digging around for the port. He sprayed the skin with a freezing spray while he put the needle in, but I could feel it deep inside. He couldn't get the needle into the port, so he said he was going to have to get a bigger needle. (Not the right thing to say to me at that moment!) I started getting dizzy and had to sit down. I got up as soon as I could and he did it again... I was so dizzy, sweating, seeing stars. All I could think about was taking deep breaths. I didn't want to pass out there in the office. He had me drink the barium, I don't even know what it tasted like. Then it was over. I cannot believe I didn't fall over right there. He put 6cc in my 11cc band. That seems like a lot for a fill. Is that more than normal?

My dietician wants me to keep my carbs to less than 60 grams a day, and to have 60-80 grams of protein a day. I am really struggling with this. I feel like I'm always trying to grab something quick to eat, and it's so easy to eat quick carbs (cereal, toast, sandwich) while protein involves cooking. I have tried drinking protein shakes to get my protein in, but I don't think that is what the dietician intended. Less than 60 grams of carbs seems so impossible to me. A bowl of cereal and milk is almost 60 grams of carbs. Does anyone have any ideas as to how to reach this goal? I'm really getting sick of scrambled eggs and cottage cheese, and I can't see myself eating like this for the rest of my life. By the way, does anyone know the logic behind this? I grew up on the "Weight Watchers" mentality - keep your points below a certain amount and you will lose weight. I thought it was calories in vs. calories used. Can someone more knowledgable than me explain this? Thanks!

My doctor insists on Bariatric Vitamins. So I got some samples of both the Bariatric Advantage the Celebrate. I thought the Bariatric Advantage were nasty tasting and my mouth felt gritty for a while. The Celebrate ones taste pretty good, and they were more powdery than gritty. I can handle that though. It went down easier. They will send you free samples to try.

Narcotics do cause itching as a side effect. Try taking Benadryl, it really helps make the itching better. Do you have a rash? I was taking Lortab Elixar, and about the 3rd day I broke out in a huge rash all over my stomach. It was the pain medicine. The doctor said I probably was allergic to the dye in the medicine, because people usually aren't allergic to that particular medicine itself. Good luck!

Totally agree with the lip balm and slip on shoes. As to the debate of heating pad vs. ice packs - here is my experience. The first 2-3 days I had a lot of burning in the incision where the port is. I kept ice packs on that incision for about the first 3 days. It cooled the burn, and helped with the swelling. From that point on, I used a heating pad, it helped with the sore stomach muscles. I guess everyone is different. As for meals - my doctor only required 1 day of clear liquids, then puree for 2 weeks. I did ok with pureed fruits and veggies, pudding, etc; but I found it difficult to get the protein in. I refused to eat the Gerber meats... I wouldn't even give those to my kids. My dietician suggested pureed chicken salad. Pureed meat, even if you make it yourself, is pretty gross looking. The chicken salad didn't seem all that different from how it normally was, it even had a little bit of texture to it. I used lowfat mayonnaise and a recipe that didn't have a lot of carbs. Oh, and I also masked pureed meat in BBQ sauce. I found one that was lower in carbs and put a tsp in with pureed chicken or lean pork. Really helped it go down easier. Good luck with your surgery!