Acadia

I wasn't catheterized during my surgery, but mine was outpatient. You're only out for an hour or two then in recovery.

Clothes on, shoes and stockings off (for body fat percentage measurement). I actually wear nylons or tights so it's a bit of an ordeal.

Once your wounds are completely healed shut. For some people that could be two weeks, for others six weeks. You just don't want a venue for infection.

To help your scars heal alternate one day with extra virgin olive oil (reduces redness) and the next day with vitamin e (breaks down scar tissue). Mederma hasn't really been proven to work, it's actually the rubbing in of that product (scar tissue manipulation) that creates the healing (reduces keloiding or raised scars).

Single incision isn't really only one incision. It's often two or three. One main incision at the top of your navel - side to side around two inches - then a small incision around your liver about 1/4" and sometimes a dot in the center of your chest. The liver and dot are actually to hold your liver out of the way. The scars will fade eventually and won't really show up. They'll eventually look like scratches. And if you ever need your gallbladder out they can use the same navel incision but will make 1-2 new little 1/4" incisions in your upper abdomen. So you can always say they were all from that surgery. Though at that point you'll be so hot no one will even notice the little scratches

I drink the light myself, while you can do regular I wouldn't make it a habit. You're probably better to make a double portion of light than drink a single portion of regular. Simply because of the calories and additional sugars, etc. If you buy the mix yourself add 1/4-1 cup of light soy or almond milk (60 calories), it will add even more to the filling aspect than water with fewer calories and more protein than regular milk (and you won't taste the difference). Once you're on more solid liquids add in some silken tofu, makes it like a milk shake, thick and creamy, add some ice, perfect to fill you up and keep you on track. You won't taste the soy or tofu at all. The flavor of the protein powder will blend right in.

Wellbutrin (original or generic) can help ease depression, stop cravings, and help you lose weight so it's an ideal drug for someone struggling with those issues. I speak from experience saying it can and does work. But you can always eat around it. You need counseling at the same time to really get the most benefit. Even an over eaters anonymous group.

I hope you have a great recovery. Definitely ask your surgeon if s/he's willing to use dermal elevators instead of gas, it will cut down on the pain. I've found recovery was more painful for this surgery than for lap band, perhaps because the nerves were six months out from the previous surgery. Today I've had the joy of nerve regrowth zingers. Feels like being stabbed with a scalpel around 2.5" away from my navel incision. Horrible. You'll still need a relatively bland diet for a while after, and ready access to a bathroom, but according to friends who have had theirs out, that gets better.

My adventure with gallbladder issues started in March with chest pain right under my sternum. Chest pain so severe that, after 30 minutes of it, I drove myself to the ER. All the tests found nothing. Including two contrast CTs. The chest pain started like a dull pressure, like a c-clamp in my chest, then sweating, inability to take deep breaths, no positions were comfortable, felt like I needed to vomit and have a bowel movement (but neither actually happened), nausea, and it dissipated like it started. And I was left exhausted. I sat on my knees at the edge of my bed, with no pressure on my chest, rocking and counting through it. After the first I had several more, each varying from 10 minutes to 40 minutes of the most excruciating pain I have ever felt (I have an extraordinary and documented pain tolerance due to nerve damage so this scared me). All of my research said gallbladder so I knew what I was dealing with. Finally, when I went in for an unfill I mentioned it to my practitioner. She scheduled me for an ultrasound and HIDA test. If the US was positive no HIDA. The US was positive for stones and my surgeon said I needed to get in ASAP. If a gallbladder bursts it's like an appendix bursting, infection spreads and causes all sorts of issues. I couldn't schedule immediately without risking my job so I scheduled three weeks out. I was very careful to avoid fats, greasy food, dairy, sugars, etc. to not prompt another attack. I didn't eat much of those before this but the smallest amount could trigger an attack. Surgery was much like the Lap Band. They used the exact same navel incision and two small incisions in the upper abdomen. Surgery took about 90 minutes all done via lap. No unfill was necessary so I didn't start over with my band. Recovery had all the same issues, gas pain, abdominal pain, etc. With the addition of lower abdominal pain, extended gas issues (I'll explain those later), diarrhea (from extra bile in intestines), constipation (from pain meds), the need to go literally within minutes of eating, and lifestyle diet changes. GAS PAIN Note: gas pain comes because of two reasons 1) the gas they put in doesn't all come out and some will move around but more so, 2) the gas they put in goes in at room temp and dry, this acts much like a cold winter where you can burn your skin with a cold dry wind, the cells the gas comes in contact with actually die and send off nerve impulses and since your diaphragm (where a lot of cell death occurs) is connected to nerves that go through both your shoulders you get back and shoulder pain. How your Dr can prevent this is to use elevators instead of air, or if they insist on air, they can warm it up and humidify it in your body. This helps your body assimilate it without killing tissue. After the fact you can do this by using moist heat (a tube sock filled with 4-5 cups of dry rice, microwaved for 2 minutes will provide moist heat for around 1 hour). Gas x will not help. It helps air in your digestive system, it can't do anything for air in your tissues. DIET CHANGES While you could eat what you did before, you can still form gall stones in your liver and bile ducts so changing your eating is the best way to counteract that and prevent it. They can't take your liver out, at least not without a replacement. Avoid: dairy, fats, grease, liquor, alcohol, chocolate, sweets, any food that have fats or grease associated. Including cheese, some sweet breads, butter, Peanut Butter, etc. And if you eat something greasy or fatty, be near a bathroom. Food will literally go through you like you have never imagined. It's not a death sentence but will end any affair you have with fatty or greasy foods, even healthy fats. COMMON SURGERY Gallbladder removal is one of the most common surgeries currently. Likely due to the American diet. If you have pains you can't explain, and I'd you've had anything fatty or greasy that day, get checked out. An ultrasound can pick up the stones, a HIDA scan will show how Fluid is or isn't moving. For people with lap band your risk is increased. You're losing weight (caused gallstone formation), you're over weight, you likely had a gallstone forming diet prior to surgery, and you're mostly women (but men can suffer too). Overall, 20% of Lap Band patients need their gallbladder removed within 18 months of surgery. Know though, that 10% of people who have the surgery still have problems after the fact. So it's not always a cure all. Hopefully this helps someone get tested before they suffer like I did. And know that though the recovery sucks, it will help in the long run.

Hello Mattie

You're on the right track, you are aware about what you're doing, many people aren't and they mindlessly eat. I used to do that. And when I got the band I thought it was to restrict me from eating more but when I was too full (too much fill that is) it was horrendous. I was in my green zone of being satiated without realizing it and had 1 cc (my last fill) removed. Now that I know it's up to me to stop eating I'm losing again. I could sit and eat 4-5 cups of some foods. But now I won't. I drink a big glass of crystal light 15 minutes before a meal, eat my meal slowly, pausing after each bite (you learn to eat things cold), and I stop when I know I'm eating because it tastes good. There really is a difference between eating to be full and eating because it's good. I think you're at the point where, if you switch to whole grains and snack on Fiber dense fruit and/or Protein between meals, you'll start dropping again. Eat like your baby does, small meals every few hours. Since your baby is keeping a schedule it may help you keep a schedule. Eat after your baby does when your baby is content and won't mind you taking time for you.

I'm working to compete in a figure competition so my goal weight will likely fall around 125 lbs with a lot of work. I imagine I'll be fine around 140 though and my Dr would like me around 150.

You may not want to wear flip flops, look for slip on shoes instead. You can fall very easily in flip flops and you don't want to right after surgery.

For eating you won't be for a week or two. Get Jello (mix with 1 c Isopure clear Protein drink and 1 c hot Water to make a high protein snack), crystal light, Protein shakes you enjoy, broth, single serving Soup (tomato and such), yogurt, frozen fruit bars, milk (cow, soy, almond) things like that. That will tide you over the first 1-2 weeks. You likely will not want to leave the house the first 3-5 days. After that get heartier Soups you can blend smooth, milk, protein shakes still, veggies you can purée (try to avoid potatoes), apple sauce (sugar free), pudding (add protein powder), oatmeal, bananas, fruit you can blend, ice, hummus, other soft foods that don't need much chewing. That should tie you over through to week three. After that look for fruits, veggies, whole grain crackers, oatmeal, tofu, fish, soft meat if you eat meat, and everything above. Stay away from anything refined, white products (flour, sugar), cakes, candies, pastries, Pasta (except small and whole wheat), breads, fried foods, breading, etc.

Get an unfill. Having fluid take out, even a tiny bit, can mean the difference between your green zone and hell.

The only chewable I take is my multi and it's two One a Day sours. It's a sweet treat as well (sours are not very sour at all). Everything else I take are full size solid pills including: Vitamin D (Gelatin cap), calcium (solid pill), magnesium (solid pill), zinc (solid pill), cinnamon (gel cap), lysine (solid pill), omega-3 (large Fluid gel cap), prilosec OTC (solid pill), DHEA (solid pill), birth control (solid pill), allergy pill (solid pill), and B1 (gel cap). I take them all at night and all at once and I'm in my green zone (but will be scheduling a 0.25 cc fill in July).. You can take solid pills, you just have to experiment to see what works best. Keep a cup of hot tea near by to drink after taking them during your experimentation phase to dissolve them faster if they don't go through immediately. The only time I don't take mine all at once is after a fill, then I break solid pills in half (those that can be) and eliminate my Omega for a week. The band isn't about restriction. It's about helping you learn to eat when hungry and only until satiated and not eat the rest of the time.

For calcium I use the Citracel petites. They are the size of maybe two peas put end to end and very round like a little barrel. They would be perfect for blocking the stoma but I know if I can't take them, then I'm too tight.

I've never had issues with corn. Whole kernel or popped. It's one of my go to roughage foods. Try, as someone else said, creamed corn. Or regular corn without the meat.

Gasx only works for gas in your intestinal system, the pain you feel after surgery is from gas on your torso body cavity. Gas x won't touch it. Nor will pain medications. Walking, massaging, hot moist packs (fill a tube sock with dry riepce, about four cups,tie the end, microwave for two minutes and use as a compress). Walking will move it around and break it up a bit, massaging will break it up kore and work it into areas that can eliminate it. A hot moist pack will expand the gas and move it around and expand your tissues to allow them to accept it to get it out of your system. I had gas pain for four weeks after surgery and just had gallbladder surgery and it's almost four days with excruciating gas pain. Keep moving.

At two weeks you should be fine for anything but plank / pushups and crunches. For arms, lift weights, heavier the better. You don't Darry your groceries in ne item at a time so don't lift 5 lbs weights. Lift as heavy a weight as you can where you can only do 8-10 reps. Work with a trainer initially if you can. Otherwise, for body weight, do wall pushups, squats, lunges, jumping jacks (with a belly band), Jack knives, walking, running, leg lifts, etc. Look up military or body weight workouts. Fat will come off everywhere and you'll naturally tone everywhere.

Plus the search on this site really doesn't work well. I say ask the questions you need to. I have however found that searching google for 'lapbandtalk' and the words and/or phrase helps and finds posts whereas the built-in search doesn't, especially if you want to know something NOW and can't wait for replies.

You may have slipped the band up, you may have expanded the pouch, you may have moved around too much and disconnected the tubing causing your fill to leak out, you may have done all sorts of things. The only way to tell is to go to the dr and do a barium swallow under fluoroscopy. Do it now or suffer the next two weeks. An hour now seems like a smarter decision. And don't drink and don't eat crap food. You're just priming yourself for future incidents and ultimately failure. And I think you are aware of this, otherwise you wouldn't have posted. It will be fine but you need to get checked out and get back on track.

The band isn't supposed to provide restriction. It's supposed to provide a reminder to stop eating when you've had your 1-2 cups of food (amount depends on the food) and help you eat slower so your brain sees that you're full faster and will keep you feeling not hungry for 4-5 hours. Not hungry Is the key. You may still WANT to eat but if you're not hungry you shouldn't eat. When you are physically restricted then you run into issues with sliming, pbing, vomitting, nausea, overeating sliders, etc. Which can all lead to weight gain and band slippage. Are you eating more because you can or because you're hungry? If the former, then no amount of restriction will help. You'll still be able to eat sliders easily. Write down what you eat, measure your food out and stop eating after the 1-2 cups. It's a tool, like a hammer, it can't actually do the work for you, it's going to sit there until you learn how to use it correctly.

Any fiber drink mix should work and won't make your system work too hard. If it doesn't work, mix 1 L of water with 2 tsp natural sea salt. Dissolve the salt in hot water first then mix with a large quantity of cold water to make it easier. It will go through you FAST. Be near a toilet. And make sure you have around three hours because it can take a while to clear out completely.