I haven’t posted in a while. I’ve been having some personal problems unrelated to the band, but it seems everything has cleared up.
I seem to be kind of an odd case. Don’t assume my situation is/will be identical to yours, by any means. Here’s the story…
Week 1 and 2 post band were the best. SOOOO tight, so not-hungry, and losing weight like crazy. From Week 3 until yesterday (the beginning of Week 8), I was miserable. I believe this is what so many bandsters call bandster hell. It wasn’t painful, wasn’t awkward, it was just… well… not there. I wasn’t tight, wasn’t full, and put back on 3 pounds in that period. I was hungry all the time.
On June the 5<SUP>th</SUP> at 1:40PM (3 days shy of 1 month post-op), my first fill was attempted. For 20 minutes, I was poked and prodded at. My port was inaccessible due to swelling from my surgery. I was devastated. And hungry.
On June the 19<SUP>th</SUP> at 3:20PM (6 weeks post-op), I had a 2cc fill in a primed, but not filled, 14cc band. This had no effect whatsoever on my appetite. I bled like a stuck pug for about 2 hours after the fill and it was a 6 or 7 on a pain scale of 1-10. I was not happy.
Yesterday, July the 7<SUP>th</SUP> at 2:40PM (1 day shy of 8 weeks post-op), I had a 3cc fill to bring me to a total of 5cc in a 14cc band. Today, I feel less hungry. I am not where I want to be (back in that Week 1 and 2 kind of tight feeling), but, it takes less to fill me up now and I stay full much longer. I am scheduled for another fill on July the 21<SUP>st</SUP>, where we will move to 8cc.
As of this point, I have not thrown up, I have not PBed, I have had no pain whatsoever, and I have not had any gas since Week 3. I am eating what I like to eat. Healthy food that tastes yummy in moderation. From Week 3 until today, I was extremely depressed and discouraged about the band. ALMOST, not quite, but ALMOST wishing I had bypass. Now, I love the band again. The difference of a lil fluid, huh?
My food staples: Turkey burgers, broccoli and cauliflower with parmesan cheese, sliced roast turkey (deli style), cheese sticks, salad, oatmeal, Wyler’s 0 calorie water flavor packs, and 100 calorie snack packs.
Food I’ve eaten with no problem that I shouldn’t have eaten: Pizza, Hamburgers, Chicken Fingers, Graham Crackers, Biscotti, Flat Bread, and Pretzels.
In one way, I’m glad I can still eat these foods socially and when the cravings are bad. The new moderation of this fill will help me even when I do eat those foods to limit my in take.
My point of this post is to document my experiences. If you are feeling the depressed, discouraged, hating-the-band feeling post-surgery for no other reason than it’s "not working," as I did, it gets better. It’s still going to take me self-control and moderation, but today, it’s much easier than it has been since Week 1 or 2. It will only get better once I get to my goal fluid of 8cc.
Good luck bandsters/future bandsters!
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