Be prepared to spend A LOT of time over the toilet. Be prepared to constantly feel the "golf ball" in your esophagus after you eat. Be prepared NOT to be able to eat in front of people you havent told about the band. Be prepared to be afraid of eating ANYTHING non mushie in fear of throwing it up. Be prepared to teach yourself to eat VERY VERY slowly. Be prepared to kiss bread goodbye.

The first 6 weeks is easy, once you get your fill...thats when you will play the "get to know your band" game. Its very finicky. It loves liquids, hates bread. Forget about steak, even chicken has problems going through.

You will have that "stuck" feeling a lot, after the stuck feeling, you will salivate profusely and then everything you ate comes up.

The only thing I can eat now is Soup...any kind of soup, but most everything else I have tried I have thrown up.

I'm 2 weeks post 1st fill..and I know i'm not too tight, since I watched the whole thing on fluoroscopy.....this is just how life is with the band.

Any many other people that I know that have this band say the same thing. Things get stuck often..and are also afraid of trying new foods in public.

I am not complaining, I am happy with my decision to get it placed.. I mean, vanity is priority #1...but these above facts DO NOT get mentioned often in this forum....at least I really havent read about it.

Hi,

Goodluck with your journey.

I cannot feel the band at all - ever. I can't feel the port line either, I sometimes think the body is a remarkable thing :eek:

Thank you. I also wanted to know if 1.you feel the port.

2.when you get the pain that everybody talks about, how bad is the pain. -Thank You, Elisa

Thank you. I also wanted to know if 1.you feel the port.

2.when you get the pain that everybody talks about, how bad is the pain. -Thank You, Elisa

Elisa

You can feel your port under your skin when you look for it - but just sitting here no I don't feel it. Your port site is what usually hurts the longest after surgery - I think about 2 week you can have a little discomfort at the port site - I never took any pain meds after I left the hospital.

As to the other pain everyone talks about - I guess you mean the gas pains - I had a bad attack on day 2 in my right shoulder but I was still in the hospital so the pain shot fixed it - but after I got home I just took the gasx strips and it took care of the gas.. They say walking & heating pad helps too.. But never really had too much pain once I got home..

Hope this answered your questions.. If you have more just ask..

Thank you. The pain that I ment was when you eat food and it gets stuck. People said there is a pain. I just wondered how bad is the pain and how fast it goes away. Thank You for answering so many questions. I keep going back and forth between the bypass and the lap band. I am leaning toward the lap band. I have youg kids and I don't know if I want to take the risks.Elisa

One time I forgot I had the band, I was starving and got a bite of garlic bread from my hubby. I ate it (inhaled) like I used to do, and oh, my! It hurt! I just sipped a little water and waited, and finally (about a minute) it passed on through. :phanvan It feels like a fist right behind your breast bone. Needless to say, I don't forget about my band any more!

Thank you. The pain that I ment was when you eat food and it gets stuck. People said there is a pain. I just wondered how bad is the pain and how fast it goes away. Thank You for answering so many questions. I keep going back and forth between the bypass and the lap band. I am leaning toward the lap band. I have youg kids and I don't know if I want to take the risks.Elisa

Elisa - that pain will happen if you eat too fast (which for most of us has always been a problem) or don't chew well - it sorta feels like you swallowed a ping pong ball that won't go down - it sorta hurts but not real pain for me.. you do forget sometimes and eat too fast - and it will happen - then you say oh ya I have a lapband..

I chose my band as it is less invasive - you don't have the whole malnurtion issue that you do with bypass - you might not lose the weight as fast but at the end of 2 yrs they say our weight lost is the same - but imho what really is the key to lossing weight - is healthy food choices and exercise.

Thank you, thank you!!! I wish I would have read your post sooner. I throwup 2-20 times per day and have felt extremely conscious about pb at the dinner table and keeping it in my mouth until I can reach a toilet.

Thank you, thank you!!! I wish I would have read your post sooner. I throwup 2-20 times per day and have felt extremely conscious about pb at the dinner table and keeping it in my mouth until I can reach a toilet.

Kobdish

You should NOTbe pbing 2-20 times a day!!!! This is very bad for your band- you can cause your band to slip.

You need to eat slowly - tiny bites and chew chew chew.

You don't state if you have had a fill or what - but if yu have - i suggest if the above doesn't work that you get a little taken out.

Kobdish

You should NOTbe pbing 2-20 times a day!!!! This is very bad for your band- you can cause your band to slip.

You need to eat slowly - tiny bites and chew chew chew.

You don't state if you have had a fill or what - but if yu have - i suggest if the above doesn't work that you get a little taken out.

Yup, I was about to say the same thing: it's likely either you're not chewing enough or your band is too tight. She's a fickle beast; hope you can get her under control!

Yup, I was about to say the same thing: it's likely either you're not chewing enough or your band is too tight. She's a fickle beast; hope you can get her under control!

Gadgetlady

I don't think kobish is a real person - they were just banded on 2/20 and was eating right afterwards - got a fill on 3/10 (2 weeks later) and ate 3 pieces of pizza saying no restriction- but here they are pbing 2-20 time a day???

Something is fishy in demark!!!! Or i smell a weazle = whatda ya think??

I haven't read all the posts yet, but man are you an unhappy woman...but I feel you a little bit, you are pissed off at the world that you cannot pig out like you used to, I know I'll be, but I'm getting therapy for it, b/c I"m angry at something else, not food. I"m angry that I am different that others and I HATE that I'm FAT, but I'm going to finally do something about it, and thats that. No matter what the consequences are, I gotta do this. You might have been under the assumption that you could eat what you want but only less....sorry charlie, not always the case? Did you do your homework before surgery, a b/c if you did and you read all the neg. things that could possibly happen, you might not have done it.....so why did you do it? To still be so unhappy, you say you are happy b/c of the weight loss, but c'mon you don't come on here like some raving lunatic trying to scare us all, don't kid yourself you are still unhappy for the same reasons that made you FAT in the first place, START DEALING WITH THEM! Get an UNFILL and see if that helps, Jesus Christ stop ridiculing all of us and shit or get off the pot already!

BTW< I was posting to the original poster, I kinda regret posting anything all all, but MAN oh Man, she got to me! Sorry about the rant ladies and gents, I didn't mean to offend anyone!

BTW< I was posting to the original poster, I kinda regret posting anything all all, but MAN oh Man, she got to me! Sorry about the rant ladies and gents, I didn't mean to offend anyone!

Ya you came off a little harsh imho - I truly beleive in tough band love and will call you out on your excuses. but the operative word is love.

not rude or mean...

You are going to learn the more that you are on this site that there are alot of people who get banded to lose weight but don't follow the rules and then cry the blues (alot think it's the magic cure to their issues with food) - but you really can't go around telling people to shit or get off the pot.

Everyone learns things in different manners - some are slow learners, some are fast - and we really can't judge others. If I read a post where some one isn't following the rule - I may call them on it - but sometime I just have to ignore it cuz they piss me off. I can only control me and no one else - I try to help others but just like with any other addict - you can't help someone if they don't want to help themself first...

You are like everyone else on this board- you are not alone in your fatness - this whole frickin board is full of fat people -Heck most of the world is fat - so you don't have to attack we are just like you -

She wasn't great at expressing her opinion - but it was that her opinion - and we each are intittled to ours - and you have the right to dissagrees - but imho it should be with some respect not attacks - also you didn't notice this was originally posted in Aug I think and she hasn't been on line since.

Good Luck on your journey - one thing I can say - with your passion you should do excellent with your band :tongue:

Gee, I'm sure sorry you have had this experience. I know that until we KNOW how the band works we may have a few pb experiences, etc. I have read on the boards that some folks do have problems, but you make it sound like EVERYONE has them and is covering them up! How many people do you actually KNOW who has had the band? I don't mean on the boards. I mean, met, talked to, compared notes with? I know 4. One just had the surgery 2 months ago, one 3 years ago, me and the other between those times, so I think we are a pretty good cross section. One has had 4 fills, I have had 3, so we are all experienced with our fills, too. We can all eat almost anything (most not bread or pasta, but SO WHAT). We just have to chew, and take tiny bites. If you are going out to eat with people that are watching THAT closely what/how YOU eat, they must be REALLY nosey! Do you pay that much attention to their eating habits? I had a slime episode once in a restaurant and just excused myself, went in the bathroom and spit! I also take a lot of my meal home with me every time. No biggie! If anyone asks, I'd just say my husband loves left overs. Sounds to me like you are too tight and should talk to your doc. My doc has me drink water DURING the fill. When it STOPS going down, he backs off a tiny bit, has me drink more to be sure it goes down OK. No fluoro. Two of my friends have their fills under fluro and their doc does it differently. Good luck to you. I hope you develop a better relationship with your band.

Edited April 5, 200818 yr by grammylew

I have never thrown up or felt anything that you describe. I have no problems eating bread the only food I don't eat is roast beef (too dense). I am sorry you are having problems but this is not the norm. You have to go to your DR. something is wrong.