How do you know if your band has slipped or if you are stretching your pouch? I know this is a general question but am I correct in thinking that as long as I don't have PB's and am not just pigging out then I am okay? I'm still on the post op diet and this week is creamy liquids, yogurt, protein drinks etc. I can't finish a protein drink like I could before surgery, which I'm thinking is good. If I'm feeling really full vs. just satisfied after a meal, is that a bad thing? Am I stretching my pouch or tempting my band to slip? I've had no PB's at all.
Please help with this. I'm newly banded and want to be successful.
I was wondering that as well I was banded last month but to my knowledge the only way you know is your able to eat alot more and not get that full feeling. By the way you descibed feeling after not having a whole drink your cant possibly have stretched it, But that was a major concern of mine but once I recieved my fill I knew that my band was working. Sorry I couldnt be more informative, Im newly banded as well.
PB is productive burp....its when the food comes back up and out.
CJ, I doubt your stretching your pouch, but, you might want to pay attention to what your pouch is telling you when your eating / drinking. Try to stop at the satisified feeling rather then full/stuffed feeling. If your hungry, eat, if your hungry 1 hr later, eat! Its safer to eat a little at a time, more frequently than to stuff everything down at once..... go slow. Be gentle on your innards as they are healing.
Thank you so much. This helps me. My girlfriend is SO protective and she's watching me like a hawk. Every time I have the slightest ache or pain, she'll ask if maybe I ate too much. UHG.... last night we agreed that I'll measure out my food so we can both see how much I'm eating... She's getting me all scared. I'm trying to eat as little as possible but then I try to wait until the next meal time and typically I'm just starving...not condusive at all to eating slowly, etc. Thanks for this board. Don't know how I'd get by without it.
You really shouldn't worry about weight loss at this point because you haven't had any fills yet. So at this point in the game for you, you just need to make sure you are getting the proper nutrition in. If that means eating 6 times a day, teeny amounts then do so. I wouldn't say eat 500 calorie protein drinks at each meal b/c then you will start to gain, but I think you understand what I'm trying to say. Don't let your girlfriend get you paranoid because thats not healthy either. 1/2 cup of cottage cheese will not keep you satisfied for 3 - 4 hours. Vitamins, protein and water are the three musts.
I think it is important, too, to remember something that a bandster told me and my surgeon agreed with:
"While slippage, esophageal dilation, pouch stretching and erosion all real complications with real risks, and we should be aware of them, the band is not that fragile nor are our stomachs."
It is highly unlikely that you will stretch your pouch while on liquids and mushies. It is also highly unlikely that you would stretch your pouch by overeating at one meal. Stretching the pouch takes a consistant behaviour of eating past your soft-stop and seriously stuffing yourself.
Most bandsters who are properly adjusted are unlikely to be able to eat that much consistently. If you are able to then you need to talk to your doctor.
Slippages do happen. Of course they do. But it is unlikely that they will happen to someone who has had no vomiting episodes and no productive burping or reflux.
The point of the Lap-Band is to allow you to eat.
If you haven't already read it I highly recommend the book, Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding : Achieving Permanent Weight Loss with Minimally Invasive Surgery by Jessie H. Ahroni Ph.D. A. R. N. P.
Jessie Ahroni is a Nurse Practitioner who does after care for Lap-Band patients. She is also a Lap-Band patient herself.
Her book is very informative, easy to read and just chock full of every bit of information a newly banded patient (or patient's friend/family member) needs.
If you're girlfriend is making you too paranoid to eat properly then she needs to adjust her attitude. The last thing you need during the healing phase is the food police. Especially if the food police don't possess adequate information about the Lap-Band, how it works, and what you should do after being banded.
You're not even two weeks out yet. You need to be concentrating on making sure you're getting adequate nutrition. You shouldn't even be thinking about are you "full" or not yet.
The truth is, before you start getting fills and find your "sweet spot" (or the first of many sweet spots as you lose weight) you will likely be hungry. You may not get full on smaller portions because you may not have any restriction.
The first 6 weeks is about healing and recovering from surgery. Then you move on to the stage that is about fills and weight loss.
And remember as great as these forums are if you really seriously believe you have a problem or you are concerned about slippage, erosion, stretching or anything else ... Call your doctor! The advice and support here is great but we're not doctors and we don't know what you doctor wants you to do.
Ya'll are awesome! Thank you so much for your support through your own experiences. This has helped me tremendously.
I just need to say that I'm a member of another message board for lap band folks, one that is actually busier than this forum and I got ZERO response to my questions / concerns. I just want to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.
It just helps so much to know that if you have a question, no matter what, someone will likely step up and help out.
Slip?
