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Choose the path that fits today. We’ll take you to the most useful discussions.
- GLP-1 medication Zepbound, Wegovy, access, side effects, progress, and support.
- Before surgery Compare procedures, plan ahead, and get honest pre-op answers.
- Post-op Recovery, food stages, symptoms, and support.
- Long-term Regain, labs, habits, and life after the honeymoon.
- Revision Explore revision options, complications, and next steps.
Everything posted by Katy517
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Anyone have overnight stay day of surgery?
I had no co-morbidities or other health issues and also had to stay overnight. It's the standard for my surgeon.
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How much fluid for your first fill...and how much do you have now?
I have had a 14 cc Allergan lap band since 4/15/10. There was no fluid added at the time of surgery. I received my first fill on 5/26/10 and it was 6.5 cc. I am now at 10.8 cc and do have restriction.
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How can you tell if you were overfilled?
I just went through this situation as I was apparently overfilled during my last adjustment. I couldn't keep any foods down at all and even water seemed to get lodged in my chest cavity. It was painful. I kept thinking things would settle down, but after 9 days finally went in for another adjustment and was unfilled .2 cc. What a difference. Will now be on liquids for two days and hopefully all will be right with my band.
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My first note
It works. I had the same fears that the small amounts of food wouldn't provide sufficient nutrition and that I would be weak as a result. For me, following the dietary guidelines and filling up first on healthy proteins has been a key ingredient of my success so far. Good luck.
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How can you tell if you were overfilled?
I find that if I don't chew completely enough or try to eat the wrong foods too fast - like meats that are either too well done or too rare - can cause major problems especially after a recent adjustment. Chest pains included. How are you doing with Water and other liquids? Are they going down OK? How much time has passed since the last fill? I see many recommendations here regarding slight unfills to alleviate such problems so wouldn't rule that out. Good luck.
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Bye Bye 300's
Congratulations! That's an achievement that you should be very proud of.
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10 days since surgery. How did most of you feel by then?
At 10 days post-op I was feeling ravenous for some solid food. My post-op diet directive was six full weeks of full liquids only (I gave in and ate real food at 39 days) and all I could think of was chewing. I had some post-op complications and they had cleared up for the most part at about the 10 day mark so not feeling weak and sick made me all that much hungrier.
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Link for showing "My Posts?"
You can click on your user name and then on 'find more posts by Dave_NW' to get a quick listing of all your recent posts.
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Finally on the right track....
I am confident that things will be different for you now that you've had an adjustment and the band will be working with you now. Just keep in mind how well you've done on your own while waiting for your band to be the tool it is intended to be. Hang in there and stay motivated. You've come this far and gotten through two surgeries. This is the easy part compared to what you've already gone through. Good luck and let me know if you ever need to talk about all this. You're in my thoughts and prayers.
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Agnonizing stomach/back pain. Went to ER
Would definitely be interesting to know the outcome, but doubt we'll get an update. Shrinkerbell hasn't logged on here since 8/26/09 and this was the last post made.
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Need ideas!!!!!!!
Not sure why the band plus exercise along with a nutritious diet wouldn't be resulting in weight loss over the long run. How long have you been at this plateau? How long since your last adjustment? Do you have restriction? What do you eat and drink on a typical day? What does your doctor say? So far, whenever I complain of hitting a plateau my doc recommends an adjustment.
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1st Fill - No Restriction, HELP
Everybody and everybody's band experience is different so it's hard to say what is normal. I know though that I didn't have restriction after my first fill (or my second for that matter) and had to rely a lot on myself and just making good food choices during that period prior to my band really making a difference. Exercise and activity helped a great deal to keep my mind focussed and not give in to overeating. Have you contacted your doctor to see if you can get your 2nd fill any sooner? I got mine approximately three weeks after the first. Good luck.
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im starving!!!
Blended low-cal yogurt was allowed post-op for me and I found that to be the most satisfying thing that I was permitted to have. Other options on my post-op all liquid diet were diluted clear sugar-free juices, skim milk, pureed soups, broths, sugar-free puddings and sugar-free popcicles.
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Christmas Challenge
I made it to my OneDerland goal ahead of schedule in the original Christmas challenge http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/anyone-interested-christmas-challenge-117098/. Am now setting a new Christmas goal of 190 for this one. Good luck to all.
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Finally on the right track....
I can really empathize. My surgery was in April 2010 and I also had complications from a really bad hematoma at the port incision. My port stuck out a whole lot too and caused a lot of pain. I was complaining to the surgeon within two days of surgery. My hematoma finally healed up though while the pain did not. Turns out that the point at which my port was attached was rubbing on a nerve and that was causing the pain. In my experience it wasn't hard to get the insurance company to approve a port revision, but it was difficult to convince my surgeon that it was needed. I think he finally got sick of hearing me complain so much and gave in. After four months I had surgery to relocate the original port. It still sticks out, I still feel it and it's sometimes uncomfortable, but nothing like the pain that I had before. I was able to get two adjustments though between the original surgery and the revision so continued to lose weight and the band was working to provide restriction. I wish you the best.
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Where is your port?
Mid-left under my lowest rib.
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What time do you have your last "meal"??
I typically eat my last meal prior to 8:00 pm and then have a cup of hot herbal tea just before bed time.
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What food do you miss the most???
I think that I miss beer more than any particular food. Sigh...
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Surgery date 12/17 !!!but eating more than ever :(
I didn't receive my pre-op diet until one week prior to my surgery. Mine consisted of five days of clear liquids only so it wasn't quite like 'you can eat anything that's liquid'. I was allowed diluted clear juices like apple and white grape, sugar free popcicles and low-sodium broths. The diet is meant to shrink the liver in preparation for surgery. I lost twelve pounds during those five days on clear liquids and think that it jump-started my post-surgery weightloss efforts to a large degree.
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Loud noises but NOT a newbie!
My stomach makes a lot of loud gurgling noises too and I've realized that they occur primarily when I'm really hungry. Once I satisfy the physical hunger the gurgling ceases only to be followed in ~4 hours or so by more noisemaking. My hunch is that they never really existed prior to the band because I never before really allowed myself to become physically hungry. I was pretty much always sated or overly full prior to banding.
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So here is a question, are you rewarding yourself at your goals?
Nothing so far of any magnitude and definitely not purchasing any clothing. I'm wearing old things that are new again and enjoying that. I'm hoping to hit 185 by the new year and that will put me in 'overweight' BMI range rather than 'obese'. If I make that goal will probably do something special to celebrate new year's and the milestone like a concert.
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2 days after surgery... having hard time getting shakes down
This was my experience immediately post-op too. Walking helped tremendously. Everything was done in slow motion too - both the walking and ingesting of fluids.
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Calling all veteran lapbanders... 5 years or more
You're welcome and yes. I've lost steadily since my April 2010 surgery and am down 80 pounds. The key for me has been body awareness - something that I really never before concentrated on. In fact, I think that I pretty much ignored my body's signals prior to being banded and gave into far too many emotional indulgences. I now try to pay attention to my body and what it really needs in terms of nourishment and exercise and that has worked well for me.
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Calling all veteran lapbanders... 5 years or more
Pretty sure Jacqui is meaning 'using the lap band in addition to behavior modification and a bit of honestly with yourself works really well.' I'm not a 'veteran' bander, but would agree with that sentiment 100%. Have had my share of problems too, a post-op port infection and port revision surgery four months post-op. As far as which forum this thread was posted in, might be a good idea to ask a site moderator to move it to a more appropriate forum where you will hopefully get more feedback. Good luck.
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Restriction after a fill
This hasn't been my experience and in fact I have the most restriction right after my adjustments.