DonnaMP

I'm different...I don't have a list of "forbidden foods"...I haven't exercised at all. Pretty much haven't changed anything except the foods that get stuck. I'm down 105 lbs...I have about 30 to go. My attitude is I'm banded, not dead. "bad" foods aren't gonna disappear just because I never knew what moderation was. Now, I do. I'm not even at perfect restriction...whatever that is. I'll get to it eventually. For now, I'm enjoying the new me.

Childrens' liquid Advil...my Target and Walgreens still has liquid Tylenol for adults.

Probably just a little tight from flying. Go back to liquids/mushies for a day and see if that helped. Doubt your band slipped

If nothing, even water stays down. If you're very very sick to your stomach...have it checked out.

Is it the tubing or the port itself? Everyone that I know thats banded has a port that protrudes at least some. Yeah its gross...sometimes you can even see it thru your shirt. To me its not worth another surgery to get it fixed or get the new low profile port.

I think every banded person has fallen off. I'm 18 months out, have regained 8 lbs in the last 2 months and ya know what? Thats ok...I'm banded, not dead. Junk food is always going to be around, I just have to find a way to deal with, and avoidance isn't the way. Everything in moderation. Life DOES get in the way. Jobs go to crap, new bosses are jerks, no time for the gym, etc etc etc. Give yourself a break and just remember that each day you wake up is a do-over. I'll get my 8 lbs off and you'll get yours off.

My United Healthcare paid all but $35 co-pay for the first visit. When I go for a fill, I pay $35.

I believe you need more than 40 grams of protein a day. At least 70

Very normal. You might not lose anything else until you get restriction, which could take a few fills. This is the time you're healing so just concentrate on healing and moving thru the liquid-mushy-soft-regular phase

You should call the dr...could be many different things altho its *probably* gas and bloating from the liquid diet. I ended up just stopping the liqiuds it got so bad. But it wouldn't hurt to call them as it could be appendix, gallbladder, any number of things. For me, I just couldn't tolerate liquids anymore, I had such severe abdominal pain from the artificial sweeteners, and that in turn cause severe diarrhea.

I ended up having to use Boost High Protein, I couldn't stand the artificial sweetners in the rest of them. GNC has an unflavored whey protein that can be mixed in liquids.

Until you get to restriction which could take a while, its like you don't have a band. Some people get there quicker than others. Like the straw thing...it doesn't bother some people. I've always used a straw, my surgeon said theres nothing wrong with it after the first few weeks.

Thats a pretty aggressive first fill but you might need just another 1/2 to 1 cc. But throwing up isn't a normal part of the band. So, pay real close attention to what you're eating and when...and make time to chew really well. Eating in a hurry gets me EVERY time and I'm 18 months out.

What you're feeling is what we call "first bite syndrome"...when the first bite tries to kill you. Not everyone has is but I know a lot who do. Plan your first bite and just protein...small bite, chew really well and then put the fork down and walk away for a few minutes. Its normal to have 4-5 fills before you really get to restriction. Even with the first fill your band could be tighter in the mornings than any other time of day.

My surgeon left my band empty at surgery, got the first fill 8 weeks later. I'm not up to 6.5cc's in a 10cc band. The way I've determined if I need a fill is if I can eat bread/bun...if I'm hungry sooner than 4-5 hrs after eating...if I'm just not satisfied after eating. Up to you I guess. Depends on how tight you want to be. Due to other surgeries etc in the past 6 months I've had 3 unfills and had to work back up to even a little restriction. Right now, I barely have any restriction at all most of the time but in the mornings I can't eat anything so...depends on what you want to feel like I guess. I've lost 107 lbs in a year so...

Your band is sewn to muscles

Hospitals sometimes require you to remove them, no nailpolish and no jewelry...for your own safety

Be careful about setting yourself up for failure by making an unconscious list of food that you "never eat again". There aren't really any foods on a list of that sort. Some things are harder to get down than others but small bites are ok. Good luck

I'm not being critical but the deal with the band is that you HAVE to take small bites and chew well. You have to learn what foods will always get stuck. For me and a lot of others, anything stringy will get stuck, whether its meat or vegetables or cheese. Good luck with the sleeve tho.

For me, its not the same feeling as a big plate of food. Yes, my stomach is full and I'm technically not hungry anymore but sometimes MY HEAD tells me I'm still hungry...that I can't be full already. I've never been one to stick to 1/2 a cup a food and my surgeon says thats not really the idea of the band. I have restriction to a point, but I never feel like I want to throw up. Throwing up is not a normal part of having the band. I'm a 17 months out, down 105 lbs and have never thrown up. I learned very quickly what gets stuck and now I avoid those foods because the pain and agony isn't worth the taste. You have to learn to battle the head hunger, thats the worst part. I don't know of anyone with the band that only has 1/2 cup of food. In the beginning maybe, but certainly not a year out. My surgeon keeps a reminder on the wall that its a 1/2 cup of CHEWED food...not whole food.

I carry a cup with water around with me 24/7...I drink only from a straw. Each to their own on that one I guess.

GNC has an unflavored whey protein powder you can mix into things...just not anything hot because it clumps. Its very high in protein. If you don't mind the sweet taste of artificial sweeteners you can do protein shots. Benefiber also makes a protein powder thats called BeneProtein that I use. Its only 6grams of protein per scoop but you can mix it into anything, even something hot. I've found that the easiest protein comes from cheese and its 6 grams per little one oz slice of block cheese. I can't stand the texture of yogurt so those are out for me. With a cup of milk, a package of Carnation Breakfast Essentials and a scoop of protein powder, I can get about 20 grams for breakfast.

Its gas pain...windmills with your arms and walk, walk, walk. When you're sitting, put a heating pad on your back and alternate with it on your chest. GasX and/or MOM. Mine lasted for about 2 weeks...thought I was having a heart attack

Yeah, everyone experiences it. Its what happens unfortunately. Just getting the band doesn't mean much until you get restriction which could be months from now depending on how aggressive your surgeon is with fills. I can only get one every 6-8 weeks. So for the first two months, I was starving all the time. Thought that after a fill it would be better...didn't really get any better until I had 5cc's in my band, which took a while. Solid food does help, but basically its mind over matter some days.

Don't know about anyone else but I didn't have the sheer willpower to simply do it on my own. The pre-op diet was basically "forced"...I knew I had no choice but to do it. I'm still struggling with the band and I've over a year out. Some days I hate the thing. It works, I've lost 105 lbs...the first 100 is pretty easy even with no exercise at all. Now...I'm fighting for every ounce lost. If I could have done it on my own, I would've been sucessful on one of the bazillion times I tried. For me, I need that gut wrenching pain in the center of my chest when I've taken one bite too much.