Clynn

I cannot tell your more than I told Lexi without a specific question. Keep in mind this is a support forum so people will post here mostly when they are having problems. Those without problems are out there living their lives.

Your doctor is correct. The idea with keeping food in the pouch is that you feel full earlier and longer. By drinking during or shortly after eating you are just going to cause yourself to eat more, thus absorbing more fat and calories from the extra food you wouldn't be eating otherwise.

Forgive my nosiness but I'm a little confused. 50% of your stomach was removed, as in taken out and your stomach is now half what it used to be? Or was it the 50% that was swollen and now you're back to normal? Hope it's the latter and you're feeling better now. Whatever happened, it sounds like you owe your family big since they may have saved your life by getting you to the hospital.

No that is not normal. Talk to your doctor.

Good lesson. I asked my primary care physician for some anti-nausea meds and there were $10 with insurance.

Most people when they get back on solids but haven't yet had a fill can eat about the same as they could before getting banded. You will also probably start gaining back the weight you lost pre-op. If there's nothing in the band then it really isn't doing it at this point in time. That will begin to change after your first fill. If you're feeling ill after eating too much, try walking around instead of lying down. I find lying down just makes me feel worse. As time goes on your will learn to avoid eating that much or that fast. The next few months will be a period of adjust as your learn to live with your new stomach. Be open to making the necessary changes and you will do fine.

A blackish residue from the glue? Like a bruise? On top of the skin or under the skin? Does it wash off at all? Questions questions questions. The glue will fall off on it's own in time, it just takes a little while. When you're scrubbing be careful not to irritate your incisions, that might have more to do with your discolorations than the glue itself.

Keep in mind this is a support forum, so people tend to come here when they are having problems. That means you'll really hear one side of the story as people without problems tend not to post. Of course we're glad to hear from you and I personally will do my best to answer any questions you may have. That being said, if you are willing to make the sacrifices, keep up with your fills, and do the work necessary then Lap-Band is one of, if not the, most effective way to loose 50 pounds or more of excess body fat.

Welcome aboard! If you're feeling isolated you should get in touch with your local lap-band doctor to see if they know of any support groups in your area. They are immensely helpful and I highly recommend them!

Your question is a bit medically oriented and probably better suited for your doctor. Either your chiropractor or the doctor who did your banding should be able to handle this.

Your band has nothing to do with what you drink, nor does it have any power over what you drink. Your frustration is coming from the limits of your diet. But then, no one said it would be easy.

Don't worry about the 1/2 cup of food thing, especially since your band is empty. 90% of the time I've been banded, I've been able to eat more than 1/2 cup per sitting. As long as you don't consistently eat past the point you are full you shouldn't stretch your pouch. You're actually asking two different questions - calories and quantities. You can eat 2,000 calories worth of milkshake and that will be a much smaller quantity than 2,000 calories of lettuce and they will both affect your stomach differently. Adjust your caloric intake based on the amount of weight you lose. 1,200 calories per day seems to be the standard and is a good place to start. If you aren't losing any weight you can cut that down until you do. Just be vigilant that you are taking enough calories in to support you through the day without getting sick. Be aware also if you start losing too much weight. If I lose 5 or more pounds a week I start to feel ill, so if I go down 4 pounds in a week I'll add calories to control it. A very important thing to keep in mind is that your band has nothing in it yet, so it's not going to do you much good until your fill. You're also coming off a pretty serious crash diet, so your body is going to compensate when you get back on solids by holding on to every calorie. I suggest you not worry about your weight until your first fill, as most people gain weight and get VERY frustrated during this period.

It's not uncommon for someone to stretch their stomach. The first thing to try when that happens is a complete unfill and liquids which will allow the stomach to go back to its original shape. Don't know what happens if that doesn't work though. However, being able to feel your port is not an indication of a stretched pouch. I've been able to feel my port since a month or two after surgery and things are going fine. You may have just irritated your band from overeating. Since you've recognized that sugar is your weakness, I suggest you get all that crap out of your house, no exceptions. If you find you are compulsively overeating, then no amount of willpower is going to help you and you should get in touch with a therapist who is experienced in dealing with this type of eating disorder (and we ALL here have an eating disorder, that's why we got to this point). If you find yourself continuing to eat to the point which could cause you harm despite your best intentions, then worrying about a stretched pouch is like arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic - no matter how good a job you do, that ship is going down.

Curious - what is happening that causes you to feel your digestion has been weakened?

Pain around the port 1 week after surgery is normal. You've got a foreign body sitting under your skin that wasn't there a week ago, not to mention the incisions made during surgery. If it start oozing or gets feverish then that is cause for concern but the pain will lessen as time goes on.

If I got filled three weeks ago I might give it another week or two to make sure I was doing everything right and that my plateau was not due to to my cycle. No matter how good I am I don't loose weight that time of month. You talking about your boyfriend is a familiar complaint. My parents both got banded at the same time and my father is having an easier time of it than my mom. Before their first fill it seemed he had no restriction and was loosing all sorts of weight while for her the weight was coming off slower. Just how men are I guess. The lesson is don't worry about comparing yourself to other people because the rules are different for everyone. One final thought, there's a girl in my support group who gets a fill of .1 cc every month or two because that is what she's found works for her, so a month between fills is not unprecedented or going to do you any harm if that's what you need.

Some foods just cause me problems, like bread or pasta. Other times I just PB because I didn't chew enough. You're still new to it but as time goes on you'll learn to chew without thinking about it and become more sensitive to when foods are having trouble moving through so you can stop or slow down before you have to PB. The biggest epiphany I had with the band is that counting the number of fills and the time between fills was holding me back from getting the restriction I needed. I waited way too long before getting my fourth fill because I kept thinking that people with my sized band don't get more than three fills and therefore that's not possibly what the problem was. If you need a fill you need a fill and that is that. I don't drink so I can't really suggest anything that would not cause problems. Just watch out for sugar and high fructose corn syrup and try to make it an ever once and awhile thing.

Keep a food journal and count every calorie. You may be surprised where they are coming from. Stop drinking the beers, alcohol will ruin your metabolism and most drinks are filled with sugar. If you have no restriction most of the time then it it time for another fill or they did not fill you enough last time. Do you find you are eating the same foods when you PB? Chew Chew Chew and avoid foods that give you problems. You have to be willing to do the work and make the necessary lifestyle changes or the band isn't going to help things. It isn't magic.

Most people gain weight in the time between surgery and their first fill. You should be worried about healing and getting enough nutrition, not about how much you are loosing. 2 pounds a week is about perfect after a fill so relax, you're doing fine.

A slippage can cause vomiting but vomiting does not mean you have a slippage. You'll have to learn what causes you to get sick and avoid those foods and habits. From your post I can advise you to start by drinking plenty of water, eating slowly, and avoiding breads.

Sticking to your diet is more important than losing the weight. Just keep at it and even if you don't lose all the weight they'll still take you. The idea with the pre-op diet is to shrink the liver and make it easier for the doctor to work in there. If you're sticking to the diet then your liver is shrinking as necessary. Weight loss, especially with women, is dependent on many factors. If you're close to your menstrual cycle then your body is retaining fluids. Last week, my scale told me I'd gained five pounds overnight. Obviously fluid - not fat. So relax, stick to it and you'll do fine.

As you'll read from dozens of other posts, what you are experiencing is perfectly normal. You haven't had your fill yet so the band is not doing anything to help you. What's more, you've just come off of what equates to a crash diet and your body is compensating for what it's missed out on the last few weeks. Schedule your first fill, follow Atkins or South Beach or whatever, and RELAX. You're doing fine.

Could be a muscle thing, could be you're pulling on a stitch, could be ALOT of things. Since we're not doctors we won't be able to give you an accurate answer to your medical question. You should call the doctor who did your surgery, see what he has to say, and go from there.

Yup, the fills are what makes the band work. If you're not having restriction then it is time to get tightened. Don't be concerned about comparing yourself to other people in regards to how many fills you have gotten or how much they have put in there. Some people get small fills every couple of months because that is what works for them.

A single piece of cake at a wedding is nothing. I had a cookie this morning and I'm not concerned about it. There's a girl in my support group that has lost a whopping 250 pounds and one of her rules is that on Sundays she gets to eat whatever she wants. If she wants a whole pack of Oreos, she eats the Oreos and doesn't fret. The idea behind our attitudes is that if we feel like we're depriving ourselves, then we're going to rebel. Snowbird is right, the band at proper restriction will keep us from eating the entire cake, yet not take us out of the party. Moderation is the key to everything.