Hi everyone,

My name is Kat and I just had my LapBand fitted yesterday and I am pretty miserable right now. I can't lie flat on my back cause I feel a tight pain in my stomach. Nurses say it's normal and that I'll get better soon. Anyways I'm excited to start this journey! Any LapBand buddies? I'm sure I'll have a million questions in the next few days - tips are welcome [emoji4]

Hey Kat welcome to the losers bench!!! I am at 6 weeks now from my LapBand so i am only a few steps in front of you!

I am based in Australia (if that helps) and I am more than happy for you to reach out if you have any questions concerns or just want to vent as this is all a fresh learning experience for me! it took me 2 weeks to be able to lie on my left side (side of port) and maybe another week after that to lie on the front. It sort of just happened where i woke up and it wasn't causing any discomfort or pain!

What i can advise being so early on is

• walk walk walk keep moving if you can
• drink little and often, i promise you it gets better BUT it is a shock to the body from having had unrestricted drinks to then the shakes still unrestricted to now feeling like a shot worth is too much! so have chocolate milk, juices, flavoured waters etc anything to keep hydrated!
• it is normal to have gas pains if you are one who feels it!! heat / massaging the area helped me
• I promise you it all gets better!!
• TAKE A LAXATIVE AS SOON AS YOU CAN!!! the quicker you get something out the better you will feel stomach wise! and once it starts regulating it will be smooth sailing from there

Things that i found that were great for liquids was getting take away from vietnamese / chinese restaurants and keeping their stock for a few days! full of flavour and nutrients as always used with veg / meat broths!

don't get too caught up with the calories that you are having for the first few weeks with the liquids and puree stage as mentally you do need to have selection of things you can eat! but portion control will be the underlining issue for the life style change

Please don't hesitate to ask for anything else!!!

Hey Kat welcome to the losers bench!!! I am at 6 weeks now from my LapBand so i am only a few steps in front of you!

I am based in Australia (if that helps) and I am more than happy for you to reach out if you have any questions concerns or just want to vent as this is all a fresh learning experience for me! it took me 2 weeks to be able to lie on my left side (side of port) and maybe another week after that to lie on the front. It sort of just happened where i woke up and it wasn't causing any discomfort or pain!

What i can advise being so early on is

• walk walk walk keep moving if you can
• drink little and often, i promise you it gets better BUT it is a shock to the body from having had unrestricted drinks to then the shakes still unrestricted to now feeling like a shot worth is too much! so have chocolate milk, juices, flavoured waters etc anything to keep hydrated!
• it is normal to have gas pains if you are one who feels it!! heat / massaging the area helped me
• I promise you it all gets better!!
• TAKE A LAXATIVE AS SOON AS YOU CAN!!! the quicker you get something out the better you will feel stomach wise! and once it starts regulating it will be smooth sailing from there

Things that i found that were great for liquids was getting take away from vietnamese / chinese restaurants and keeping their stock for a few days! full of flavour and nutrients as always used with veg / meat broths!
don't get too caught up with the calories that you are having for the first few weeks with the liquids and puree stage as mentally you do need to have selection of things you can eat! but Portion Control will be the underlining issue for the life style change

Please don't hesitate to ask for anything else!!!

Thank you so much that is all very helpful [emoji173] i am walking lots and sipping liquids but I'm not feeling great..Stomach feels really tight [emoji25]

That was me! i felt like it was not worth it when i was in hospital i was there for 5 nights as my breathing with the band was not normal for me! (someone who takes full deep breaths was struggling to take more than a short one) but it got better over the weeks!!

The stomach will have so much swelling but making sure you move (like with the walking, breathing, talking) will help quicker with recovery! and every day will get so much better!!

3 minutes ago, Kat.94 said:

Thank you so much that is all very helpful i am walking lots and sipping liquids but I'm not feeling great..Stomach feels really tight

That was me! i felt like it was not worth it when i was in hospital i was there for 5 nights as my breathing with the band was not normal for me! (someone who takes full deep breaths was struggling to take more than a short one) but it got better over the weeks!!

The stomach will have so much swelling but making sure you move (like with the walking, breathing, talking) will help quicker with recovery! and every day will get so much better!!

Can i drink fizzy drinks, maybe a couple sips of coke to see if it helps with the bloating?

6 hours ago, Kat.94 said:

Can i drink fizzy drinks, maybe a couple sips of coke to see if it helps with the bloating?

it is recommended with the band that you don't touch anything carbonated (such as fizzy drinks) due to the gas in the drinks makes things worse. due to the holding bay / smaller section at the top the fizzy drinks can upset that part before getting to the stomach

the best way to help with the bloating will be the walking and the passing of the gas - i took laxatives for that as i was also days from having passed anything and that was the frustrating thing for me

I'll go for a walk tomorrow [emoji24] no fizzy drinks got it

WELCOME!

nice to see a few new faces! good luck to you!

Best of luck with your different lifestyle. It changed my life!
Despite some band-haters, many of us banders are long term and successful. For years and years.
We enjoy this section as we banders are clearly in the minority
And it is nice to have a small community around us for advice or telling us about new products.
Just like monkey said. We are welcome to newbies.

I have had my band since September 2007 and have had many ups and down.

I believed had I not had the band I would either be dead or over 400 lbs.

I have never reached my goal but have kept off over a hundred pounds during the majority of my journey.

I do a lot of walking and I agree no fizzy drinks.