ausamerican33

Hot water or tea, after your stomach has calmed down. And then liquids for a few days. My last fill was only .5 of a cc - and it has made a HUGE difference. Just one bite too much or of the wrong thing sends me to the restroom to spit up mucous - gross. I'm just living with it, though. I'v only lost 18 lbs since my surgery in May 2010, so I figure the band if finally doing it's job. The whole process is a never-ending learning cycle. I hope things settle down for you.

It took me a good couple months before I could sleep on my stomach again - it even took me a while to be able to sleep on my left side.

I got my first fill a week and a half ago - it def. makes a difference!!

I think when the surgeon gets inside of you - he or she can tell which band will be better suited for your unique anatomy. That's what my doc said. He said he'd use the lapband if that was my first choice, but I "gave him permission" so to speak - really just respect his expertise - in his decision as to which band would fit me the best.

I just got my first fill a week ago. I found out I already had 3 ccs in my 10 cc band - didn't even know that! They added 2 ccs. I felt almost the same the first 2 days, but just not hungry, and stuck to liquids. However, it was like the swelling was a delayed reaction - it hit on day 3. I think it *may* be subsiding today - but I def. feel different! Have to eat VERY slowly, and only a little, and no hard food yet. It's all a learning curve!

I got banded May 1st, and have had the exact same issues as you. No restriction plus bad old habits that are hard to break. I lost 10 lbs right after surgery, and then only 1/2 a lb since then. It was a serious battle of willpower and trying to give up and give in. I didn't make great choices, but was able to NOT gain wt - that, to me, was an accomplishment. And I upped my exercise and lost 2 inches off my waist - my doc was happy. So, I got my first fill last Tuesday and OMG now THIS is what a lapband feels like!! Holy smoke, what a difference. And may I add, not really in a pleasant way. But it sure does make you stop eating. The last few days have been tough. The good news - I'm really not that hungry. :thumbup: Hang in there - you'll get through it!! :Banane20:

Steffi - I have a stitch poking out from one of my incisions, too! It drives me nuts! I cut it short, and have tried to gently pull it out, but it won't come out. And it sure doesn't seem disolvable, like it is supposed to be. Wierd!! I haven't lost any wt. in 3 weeks now. Just holding steady. For the most part, eating very healthy food, and increasing my exercise. But really, I feel almost like I have no band in. The only thing that bugs me to eat is strips of pepper. The skin, after about an hour, I think glugs up my stomach and I feel a bit nauseous. But if I cut it into diced bits, it's fine. No pain whatsoever now - yay! Go for a checkup and prob. first fill in 8 days.

I am right there with you. I'm having a very, very hard time giving up my old habits. I am reading a great book from the library that is giving me some insight into myself, and helping me understand the correct food choices, and why. Sugar and white flour addiction, is the base theory of the book. If sugar in any form is in the top 4 ingredients - don't eat it. The book is called "Why Can't I Stop Eating: Recongnizing, Understanding, and Overcoming Food Addiction." By Debbie Danowski and Pedro Lazaro, M.D. I've been trying to cut out the sugar and start their eating plan. I'm also reading several books by Joel Furham - Eat for Life, etc. Really good reading, and it's made me take a hard look at not only what I eat, but what my kids and husband eat. They are going to die when they hear this.... but I think I'm going to tell them we are not going to buy any food if sugar is in the top 4 ingredients. It shall be a very interesting conversation!!

You got banded an hour ago and you are already coherent enough to post? WOW!! I was very out of it the whole day. :confused: Congrats!!!!

I hope your surgery went well! How you had the band removed the first time? I had my band put in May 5th. The surgery/recovery sure wasn't fun - but it's the changing of my eating habits that is proving to be harder than anything else.

I go in for my next appt June 15, and I'll get a fill then if I need it. I'm pretty sure I do - I feel like I can eat anything, and I'm quite hungry. I've been really trying to make good food choices - but old habits die a VERY slow death. I'm reading a great book on overeating, and I'm hoping that some self-discovery and motivation will help me. I worry about stretching my pouch, too. I can basically eat normal meals. The only meal that takes a while - have to go slow and chew well - is breakfast. After that - everything basically feels like it did before surgery. I guess the upside of that is that I have no yucky side effects? IDK. I'm not sore any more - at 4 weeks post op - and back to my normal exercise. My son is a competitive swimmer, so I am up at 4:15am taking him to the pool. I used to sit in the car and sleep, but now I get out and walk loops around the parking lot. Many, many loops. :smile2: It's boring, but it's 45 minutes at a good paced walk. I dream of one day being able to add running to it. Right now - I lost 12 lbs, and have gained back 3 in the last week and a half, despite upping my exercise. Or maybe because of it - adding muscle? IDK. I'm just trying to keep my chin up and try to maintain a healthy attitude. My focus right now is if sugar is in the first 4 ingredients - I'm not to eat it. Also - tons of veggies, and protein from beans and legumes, fish, eggs, and bit of lean meat occasionally. Lots of fruit. I find that if I have some juicy berries with my meal, it has quenched my thirst, b/c I've found it very hard not to eat with meals. A couple juicy strawberries or blueberries instead of drinking has been my saving grace for my dry mouth.

Good luck today, Bellaisgreat!! I go in for my next appt June 15, and I'll get a fill then if I need it. I'm pretty sure I do - I feel like I can eat anything, and I'm quite hungry. I've been really trying to make good food choices - but old habits die a VERY slow death. I'm reading a great book on overeating, and I'm hoping that some self-discovery and motivation will help me. I worry about stretching my pouch, too. I can basically eat normal meals. The only meal that takes a while - have to go slow and chew well - is breakfast. After that - everything basically feels like it did before surgery. I guess the upside of that is that I have no yucky side effects? IDK. I'm not sore any more - at 4 weeks post op - and back to my normal exercise. My son is a competitive swimmer, so I am up at 4:15am taking him to the pool. I used to sit in the car and sleep, but now I get out and walk loops around the parking lot. Many, many loops. :confused: It's boring, but it's 45 minutes at a good paced walk. I dream of one day being able to add running to it. Right now - I lost 12 lbs, and have gained back 3 in the last week and a half, despite upping my exercise. Or maybe because of it - adding muscle? IDK. I'm just trying to keep my chin up and try to maintain a healthy attitude. My focus right now is if sugar is in the first 4 ingredients - I'm not to eat it. Also - tons of veggies, and protein from beans and legumes, fish, eggs, and bit of lean meat occasionally. Lots of fruit. I find that if I have some juicy berries with my meal, it has quenched my thirst, b/c I've found it very hard not to eat with meals. A couple juicy strawberries or blueberries instead of drinking has been my saving grace for my dry mouth. How's everyone else doing??

I'm a couple weeks out now. Trust me - it gets better, every day. Try to take it easy, and get lots of sleep at night. I swear there was a significant difference every time I woke up in the morning. Pain is hard to cope with. I'm still getting some port pain, but it has subsided tremendously. There are lots of ups and downs with ANY surgery. Healing happens in time. And I went from no hunger whatsoever to feeling STARVING - crazy! Everything is a learning curve - just be patient and kind to yourself.

Holy smokes, Jon!! 50 lbs!!!! That's amazing - well done!! In two months?! My hat is off to you, my friend! I was banded May 5th, and I'm quite proud of my 11 pound loss. :thumbup::laugh: Today is the first day I actually almost feel - knock on wood - normal again. No port site pain, just a bit of pain on my waist on the left (which has been the case all along - I have an incision there that bruised alot). I'm on soft foods (hard for me to define soft foods - aren't they all soft once you chew them??). I had some wheat thins and tuna salad yesterday - bliss!!! Kinda weird - my upper stomach - banded part - feels full after about a cup of food. Get that feeling in my chest and back that tells me to stop eating. But the rest of my stomach is still growling hungry and saying feed me! for about 20 minutes. I guess until that little bit of food filters down, I'm still hungry. Wrestling with the conflicting messages. And not drinking after eating is oh so very hard. I usually have a hot cup of tea after lunch - and it's killing me not having it. :thumbup: Gotta work on that one.

I can finally sleep comfortably - yay!!! Went for my follow-up appt - he said I'm doing great. Still sore around the port - apparently he did a new procedure where the port is attached to mesh, and then the mesh attached to the muscle, very close to my ribcage. He said it is a much more painful recovery (now ya tell me!) but it keeps the port from flipping. I can now start real foods - yippee!! I had 1 week full liquids, 1 week mushies, now 3 weeks soft foods, and then the lapband diet after that. He said not to drink my calories, and start to get in the habit of not drinking with my meals, unless I get that "glugged" feeling like I got with mashed potatoes. :w00t: Exercise 5 days a week, but still no lifting, and stop if it hurts at all. I've lost 9 pounds - yay!! My pants are looser, and I'm loving it!! Occasional problems with burping, esp. if I'm in the car and can't stand up straight and get it out. Otherwise - I'm a very happy camper/bandster!

BetsyB - your posts are always so informative - I love reading them. Thank you for sharing! :redface: I was banded May 5th. At first I wasn't hungry, but now I'm STARVING. I'm guessing this is the bandster hell people describe? I'm on purees, but of course, they don't fill me up for long. I can easily eat 1 egg, 2 egg whites, .5 oz of cheese - all pureed with a dash of milk, and a greek yogurt. That's 300 cal. for breakfast. That'll last me a couple hours, but come afternoon, I'm hungry soon after I eat my lunch, snack, etc. Yesterday I clocked up 1600 cal. Pre-band, I would've been very happy with that. Post band - it sounds like alot of cal. And of course the scales instantly jumped up 2 lbs this morning. Argh. My doc said don't calorie count at this stage.... but I feel I have to, to not go out of control. Anyway - I knew my main battle would be the mental one, and I guess that self-prophecy is coming true. Got sidetracked - really just wanted to thank everyone for such great info!!

Glad your surgery went well!! I was banded May 5th - still having a hard time getting comfortable sleeping at night - it feels like my port just digs into my ribcage - I sure hope this feeling will pass!!

Glad to hear you are doing well, Angie!! I had my band put on May 5th - so.... 9 days ago. Every day I feel better and better. Feel like I've got most of my energy back today - yippee! I'm finding the pureed foods easy to do - I'm barely getting any hunger. :w00t: So far - this is very easy!! And you are quite right about comparing wt loss - everybody is an individual. So far - I've lost 8 lbs. It's a step in the right direction! I've started calorie counting for the past 2 days - because even on pureed foods... it can add up quickly. 1100 calories yesterday, and so far 607 today - it's 5pm. And I tried on a pair of pants that were too small, and they fit!!! That made me VERY happy! I've had no nausea, and just feel full when I'm full. I did try a mocha frappe from McDs the other day - that made me feel a bit ill - won't do that again anytime soon. :laugh: I was really worried about the surgery - but I'm feeling just great about it now.

Even though I'm very happily married.... I sure miss being ogled a bit by the guys. :w00t:

Ohhh - just thinking about trying to get on all 4s and do that move, makes me cringe!!! Yowtch!!!!!! I'm doing simethicone (gas x), but still feeling the pain. But I am burping and *tooting* a fair bit more today. Let's hope it's on it's way OUT!

On a similar note, I was wondering about fiber pills and the band. My doc said I'd probably be pretty *ahem* blocked up from the anesthesia, pain meds ,etc. So I took some fiber capsules, and cut them open, and mixed them with juice. I waited until they expanded until I drank them. They seemed to go down okay. Does anyone else have any recommendations about taking fiber? I also bought the Special K protein/fiber water mixes, but they are so super sweet, they make me gag.

I need to lose a 50 lb bag of chicken feed, and my toddler. That sure as heck puts in in perspective!!!! Thanks for the creativity and motivation!!

Wow! That sure was a blessing in disguise. Did they send the tumor to be biopied? Did they remove all of it? Were they still able to do the lapband?

Dblex - I had my surgery on the fifth, too. I been doing mainly clear liquids, and have just made a homemade veggie lentil soup, and added a can of ff evaporated milk to it, and strained it very well. I can have a few sips, and then feel full. Otherwise, I've just been sipping all day.

Iwokeupfat - it sounds like everything went smoothly! So far, so well, for all of the May bandsters, I think!