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I had Lap-Band Surgery four weeks ago. It seems like eternity since I started this journey. I am up to eating mushy/solid foods with broth. I am eating much less now since the food is staying in the pouch.

About every other day or so, I forget to chew something, even a tiny little squishy turkey meatball the size of a small olive, something gets stuck and it hurts so bad I feel like I want to pass out. Insofar I have managed to prevent doing this in public by not eating anywhere public or unsafe. The first few times I got something stuck, I spent the rest of the day in bed, just wrecked.

I had a scare a few weeks ago when I thought I had a port infection and ended up spending five hours at the urgent care in the middle of a flu explosion. Turned out I was just pretty constipated and it was pressing on my port side.

It is hard going through this alone. I had to fight with my doctor to accept I could not mentally handle a gastric bypass and that I wanted the Lap Band. My provider hardly does them anymore because I feel (after much thought and watching them) they don't think fat people can control themselves enough to handle a lap-band anymore. They also cost 20,000 dollars less.

I fought the gastric bypass because I did not want to be crippled for the rest of my life and all the people in my support group looked thin, but they also looked sick too, with thinning hair, and ashen skin. A good example is none of the people in our support group even have a Lap-Band. I also had a simple thought that I am in my 30s and that in the span of my life something better will come along if the Lap-Band is not totally effective for me. I want to be able to take advantage of that w/o half my stomach cut out.

So there was a lot of angst in the process. I had to keep reminding everyone I was getting a Lap-Band right up to the anesthesiologist who STILL thought I was getting a Gastric Bypass. I had this sick sense that if I had not kept repeating that to every single health care person, I would have woken up five hours later with half my stomach gone.

So I am impatient. I want to get on with this. I went swimming for the first time in 12 years last week. I am walking. I also feel a bit off, I take meds for my depression and they still haven't stabilized since I take chewable now. I have yet to break the 300 barrier and I want to badly!

Eating was really hard. I stuck to soymilk and yogurt, then purreed Soups and unsweetened smoothies. I've still been eating Soup mostly and I find soup goes right through me so I can eat 15 oz of unchunky soup. However when I eat something dense like chili or oatmeal, I can eat 4-10oz of it. I'd think I want a band adjust ment but many things still keep getting stuck so I can't imagine the hole getting smaller at this point. It is most hard to remember early in the morning because I used to sleep eat too.

Should I have a fill? I feel like making the hole smaller might make things worse?

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I am still pre-op but I would talk to your surgeon and see what he says.

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Welcome, cloud.

After reading your story I would recommend you work on the band rules before getting a fill. Small bits, chewing to mush and waiting a minute between bits. It sounds like you might be eating too big a bit too fast and not chewing enough. This would cause food to get stuck.

Good luck on your journey.

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I agree with Ajs post....

for me learning to chew lots and slow down was the key to winning !!!

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
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    • KimBaxleyWilson

      Three months and four days ago... I was in Costa Rica having a life changing surgery! Yesterday we had a followup visit with Dr. Esmeral via video chat and this morning my middle number changed.  I'm down 47lbs and two pants sizes. I can wear a Large tshirt for the first time in like... 14 years! Woot!! Everything is going great. I have zero regrets. I went down to the riverwalk with a friend and walked 2 miles on Monday without even getting fatigued. And no more snoring or chugging pickle juice for crazy leg cramps! I need to go to the gym more... I'm making new shirts next week so that will motivate me. LOL But I'm also just not as TIRED all the time! I have a LONG way to go...but seeing the progress on the scales and in the mirror is a huge motivator!! Thank you all for cheering me on and supporting me!!
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      https://alluniqueguide.com/java-burn-coffee-reviews/
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