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6 weeks after bypass, my post-op nurse thought I too ad a stricture and encouraged me to drink warm lemonade to help digestion.An endoscopy showed that my suture lines were ulcerated and acids like lemonade were the worst thing I could have done. I had a Picc line placed 6 weeks ago and have not taken anything by mouth since, Another endoscopy will be scheduled for the end of September. Hoping for healing, so that I can learn to start eating again .Best of luck to you on your journey.

So I had an EGD this morning because they thought I had a stricture, 6 weeks post-op. No stricture, which is great, but I have an ulcer, and possibly a hiatal hernia. I say possibly because the doc didn't tell my husband about that, but it's on the paperwork they gave him. So who knows. I'm also dealing with a nonfunctioning gallbladder that's started making me nauseated 24-7. So it's not been a great few weeks. I'm posting here because I literally haven't been able to get answers from any doctor or nurse. My surgeon's office closed right as I got out of the hospital, and a message for the "on-call" doc ended up with the office receptionist calling me back. So no help from anyone until Monday. I just don't know how this will affect how I need to eat? Does anyone have any experience with this? I'd appreciate it!

Well I was banded 6/28/2007 I started off great. In fact with in the first two weeks I lost twenty pounds. Then I was able to eat and I had a slight gain. So I had my first adjustment and lost a couple of pounds but I still felt no restriction. Then a month later I had another and explained to my surgent that I was switching jobs and would be with out insurance for a couple of months but would follow up once I had medical coverage. Well then the holidays came and I was able to eat anything and everything and feeling depressed about it. To make betters worse the new job I took had horriable insurance and I was able to see my surgent untill yesterday 2/12/08 and the last time I was there was 9/2007. Well I gained twenty pounds back! I wasnt true to myself or this process and I do take responsabilty for my down fall however I was so affraid of my surgents responce that I brook down in tears when he came into the room. He said he wasnt suprised since I havent had an adjustment in so long and the first two I had where small ones. We had a good talk and he told me its not to late to get back on track. Unfortunaltly I am switching jobs again to something better with better coverage but I will be with out health coverage for a couple of months again. When I first started reading other post on this page it have me hope to know I wasnt alone. I hope my story will do the same for some one else. I had a big reality check! But most of all it made me realize I had this surgery for a reason and put a lot of money, time and hard work to have it and I wont to continue well. So here I am back to square one BUT I am determined to do it now and do it right!:biggrin:

Today is my six month anniversary....six whole months ago to this hour I was recovering in a bed in the surgery suite....wondering what the future would hold. I had my six month checkup yesterday, and although on one hand I am proud as hell of my accomplishment, it is truly sad that it had to get to the point that it did and took surgical intervention to turn around. In the last six months, I have lost a total of 142 pounds. I finally went out two weeks ago and bought all new clothes because the pants I had were a good 8 inches too big around the waist. I am almost at the haflway point and realize it is going to get harder as time goes on and I get closer to goal, but I have sustained a lifestyle change and it is second nature now. I will say, as a celebration..and this is really the first time in six months I have done this....I had a small DQ blizzard last night to reward myself....it was truthfully very sweet tasting and the aftertaste was nasty. I don't think I will be doing that again...at least not for another six months. The scale is a good thing to see, but it was never about the scale for me. In the last six months, I have came off my diabetes medicine completely and have also went from two to one blood pressure medicine....hopefully to be off the second one in the next two months. Life is good.....life it hard and enjoy it folks! dab

LOL! I already have that droopy skin! It gets droopier and droopier each week. Mine is much worse than yours would ever be! I do have to make better choices.

Hi all...... Everyday I include the following throughout the day: -Chai Latte (Non Fat)--if I have it in the morning, I include vanilla Protein powder. But, I too have a Starbuck's habit.....I have at least 4 Vente Non-fat Chai Latte's a week from there -2 Kellogg's Special K Iced Tea Protein Water Mix (mix it in my water)--sip throughout the day (adds 10 grams of protein) -2 Yoplait Plus Yogurts Here's todays menu Breakfast: 2 Oz of 50% Reduced Fat Cabot cheese Fuze Slenderize fruit juice Snack: Yoplait Yogurt 10 almonds Lunch: Scoop of tuna salad FF Jello chocolate pudding Snack: South Beach High Protein Cereal bar Dinner: Tossed Salad with Salmon & Feta Snack: Yoplait yogurt I do try to vary my menus so I can't give an exact day-to-day menu. But, I try to get in "normal" foods that my family is eating. Judi

Lise, Depending on the band you have, the manufacturer recommends waiting 6 weeks for the first fill. If your Dr. is willing to do a fill at 5 weeks consider yourself lucky. But just know that it can take several fills before you have any significant restriction to speak of. I didn't have any real restriction until my 3rd fill. I now have 5cc's in a 10cc APS band. Hope this helps.

My doctor has me wait 2 weeks in between fills. I would definitely move your fill up. I too have a 4cc band. I don't get restriction until I hit 3 ccs. Good luck.

I've had 3 fills (one at surgery, one in October and one this past Wednesday)...I go in today for an unfill as I now can't get any liquids down. I am currently at 3.5cc in a 10cc band...the doc plans to take out .5cc and I hope that is enough. 2.5cc was great for me for almost 2 months. I have lost 56.8 pounds since 7/25 but the last 6 have been in this last week of being entirely too tight. Happy to see the loss, but not the way it came. If you are interested in my progress through time, take a peek here http://www.digital-drama.com/blog/life-with-a-lap-band/ Also, are you exercising? I fully contribute my great (in my eyes) loss to that.

Hello jmperry, I started my journey last fall at 316 lbs. and my doctor told me the same thing that I really should get the bypass. I am 35 years old and did not want that. I told him that I did not want the bypass and wanted the band my mind was made up. He said ok but that the band only guaranteed 40% weight loss over 4 years as where the bypass guaranteed 85% in two years and that it would be hard work to get the weight off. I told him that I was willing to do the work and that I know I could do it. Well one year after my band was in three weeks ago I went in for a yearly check up and he was shocked. I have lost 143 lbs. in one year. It is possible to do it with the band however it was ALOT of hard work I worked out alot and watched my diet. The band is not a fix like the bypass it is a tool. I am here to tell you at our weight it can be done but it is hard work and you need to be dedicated. If you know you can do it then go for it the mind is very powerful once it is set. :thumbup: Good luck, Rae

MissK! Don't beat yourself up. While you shouldn't be consuming empty calories and junk food, I personally believe that if your band is tight enough you will not gain weight... you might not lose it, but I think weight gain is a sign of a band that is too loose. If it had been 4 months since your last appointment, I would bet money that you were in need of another fill... you lose restriction as you lose weight! I hope things are better now and that you're back on track. I finally started losing weight and I am steadily, but also very slowly losing weight at about a pound a week.

hi dragonflygirl. yea my surgery went great for me. i had mine at 9:00a, took about 45 mins. then i went back to the room, had some water, ice chips, and jello. no nausea or pain at all. they gave me lots a morphine lol. and i was discharged by 1:00p that day, just a few hours. so it went beautifully. i only started feelin the pain the next day, my stomach was really sore. gas pains werent too bad either. had it mostly in the shoulder. i felt much better after the 3rd day and was out driving and at my friends house. so im a week out today and feel normal, except for a little pain by the port in my stomach, its very minor though. more like discomfort than pain. but as for the catheter..no i did not have one. the only prep i got was some heparin the blood thinner to prevent blod clots right before surgery and that was it. good luck to u and hope to hear all about ur journey!!

I had a week of clear liquids preop....it wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be. The protein drinks kept the hunger at bay and jello filled in the gaps when I really wanted something to "eat". The 'upside' of the liquid phase for me was that it gave me such a strong sense of empowerment, that I really was in control of my destiny! Just keep reminding yourself that in the grand scheme of things it is a pretty short period of time!

I am experienced with a slipped band. It slipped down to my small intestines and my surgeon said it was the worst slippage he had ever seen. My first symptom was not being able to keep anything down. Then I began to vomit black bile. They performed a complete unfill Christmas Eve 2005 thinking that it would reposition itself. I was hospitalized with the flu on New Year's Eve with a temp of 105 and vomitting, coughing, etc. My local hopsital released me too soon and Jan 6th I was hospitalized again with severe bronchitis and respiratory failure. By the end of January I believed I was better and went back to my surgeon for a small fill. The first thing I noticed was that everything soured on my stomach and I had severe reflux. I could only eat a few sips of soup. Then I began vomitting again. Within 2 weeks my band had slipped to the point of emergency life-saving surgery. I went to my surgeon on a Thursday afternoon. He did a complete unfill and suspected a slippage and ordered an upper GI for the first available appointment which was the following Monday. I left his office and began vomitting clear slime. I called his office for anti-nausea medication and he was hesitant to prescribe it but did so after my insistance. He told me to go the ER if I continued to vomit but I laid on the bathroom floor all night (trying to save money) and vomitted and had dry heaves and major stomach pain radiating through to my back and shoulder blades. Friday morning at 8:00 A.M. I called his office and told them I could not keep down 1 drop of water and was continuously vomitting slime, black bile or having dry heaves. They performed an emergency upper GI which confirmed the slippage and I was rushed into surgery. He told my family in the best case scenario I would be out of surgery in 30-45 minutes. In the worst case scenario I would be out of surgery in 1 to 1.5 hours. I was in surgery 3.5 hours. Apparently it created lesions all along my stomach down to my intestines and the lesions had to be repaired as well. He saved my band and repositioned it. My first lapband surgery was performed in Mexico and I'm not knocking Mexico or its surgeons. I had a wonderful experience in Mexico and was treated like a queen. I have no regrets but I have ended up paying for surgery twice (self-pay) and no, I cannot afford it. My US surgeon thinks that it was mounted too low to begin with and the illnesses with vomitting and coughing herniated my stomach above the band which caused the band to slip. The US surgeon positioned the band between 2 or 3 arteries, veins or something and wrapped it with mesh to prevent slippage in the future. I'm not a medical person so I don't really know what is located near or around the stomach. It is also stitched in several places including something near the diaphram (?? spelling) so I hiccup quite frequently after eating. He does this with all of his surgeries, not just mine. He took special care to try and prevent any future slippage and I am grateful. Hiccupping is a small price to pay for peace of mind. So even though the surgery in the US costs approximately $16K - $19K I would have come out cheaper having it done here to begin with. But again I have no regrets or anything negative to say about Mexico. We all do what we have to do. Everything is going great now but I've learned not to ignore any type of sinus drainage or nausea and to have the symptoms treated immediately. My M.D. is learning with me and knows to treat any minor illness of mine agressively and quickly... Antibiotics, anti-nausea, antihistamines all prescription strength. No questions asked. It is my fervent wish that none of you go through the experience of a slipped band.

Thanks, BabyJessica. I joined this group and posted in the hopes that I can spread the word to get medical treatment quickly for vomitting, nausea, coughing or sinus drainage. I was so anxious to lose weight that I did not want an unfill unless absolutely necessary. I know better now and urge all of you to seek medical attention, no matter how minor you think your symptoms are. I also still find myself asking my surgeon to give me a larger fill because I am losing only 1-2 lbs a week. He is adamant and does not budge, thank God!!! He says as long as I am losing weight, I do not need a fill. He is right, of course. Naturally, when I start to leave his office, I am irritated and then he does something nice like tells the cashier, not to charge me for the visit. What an Angel of a surgeon I have. I am blessed beyond belief!! Wishing you all continued good health.

It's hard to follow the doctors orders when you are hungry. I'm on my 8th day of post-op and I'm going crazy. I'm suppose to be on a modified liquid diet for 3 weeks. Which includes protein shakes, jello, yogurt, cottage cheese, watered down oatmeal etc. I found I needed something this morning or I was going to go crazy. I decided to make some instant potato and I watered it down a bit until it was like a cream of wheat consistency added S&P and butter and I can't believe how good it tasted! I felt the same way after I ate it...what did I do, did I just blow it? But I felt fine afterwards and I'm still full even though I only had about a 1/3 of a cup.

I was told four weeks. Wow there is no absolute rules hehe. Better check with ur dr

It's 9pm, had a good dinner but the demon cravings are creeping in the dark recesses of my mind, taunting me. telling me I didnt eat that much today I need a munch, a little salt, a little sweet, a little chocolate, a little crunch. I go to the frig, what is edible without much effort?? carrots - naw no flavor, sugur free Jello? well only as a last resort. Protein drink? YUK! ---cheese stick! yum! 2 bites and its a distant memory.....The demons are in full swing now twisting my stomach in knots, gotta find something, gotta find something. I'm NOT really hungry cupboard doors are flying open - close - open again did I miss something, gotta eat, no, YES!...STOP!.... BUT wait!.... AHA! in the pantry a half a bag of chips! not a wise choice, but hey I can eat just one chip and I will be OK. You all know the rest of this story, and the remorse and guilt. to bad there isn't a morning after pill for overeating. Yes the demons are always there waiting in the shadows for your guard to drop a fraction of an inch and they jump in and attack. My band is right now like a dull sword. I can beat them with it but to hack and slice them out I need it sharpened, I need the sweet spot. 2nd fill is next week, with one fill I have 5cc's and no significant restriction. I guess that is why it's called bandster HELL. battle ON! we will win the war! it's a process it's a process it's a process it's a process it's a process it's a process it's a process it's a process

Mine came 3 days after surgery. Stuck around for over a week. Sleeved 6/4/13

I just had 2 ccs taken out that was put in 6 weeks ago. wasn't to thrilled about having it all out. my question is do I need to go on liquids then to soft? or I'm I good to go on solids?

Any suggestions to get past a plateau? Its only been 2 weeks but I need to get the scale moving! I stay between 800-1000 calories per say 97% of the time. I track via lose it and get my 10k steps in

I have my first fill this week, and I want to know what to expect with Dr. Cobourn's office. Do the nurses do the fills? Is there barium involved? Is there floro? what can I expect?

I have a vg band which was put in Sept 07. A week ago, we realized it "slipped" and I need to go in for a revision surgery. My doc has taken out the 8cc's out of my 10 cc band. My new surgery date is Nov 5th. I am a little concerned that if my band slipped once, it may slip again? We think it was caused from a bout of vomitting (all night long), but doc says no one knows for sure. I have visited the gastric sleeve site, and it did intrigue me. But I don't have time to do all the research my doc is on vacation all week and my surgery is a week from tomorrow! :thumbup: So I would love to hear some success stories of people who are rebanded with the lapband! Bring it on!

I'm an elementary teacher and i went back after 2 weeks off.

Everyone is different I went back to work at one month post. But I know I could have went back to my desk job at 2 weeks maybe even 1, but I was off during the summer and enjoyed the time with my daughter that I never have .::SurgeryDate 7/25/12::.