JazzyJude

Well, STOP with gulping air and swallowing it. For some it's easy to belch or pass gas with this method and for some it doesn't work. It doesn't work for me and it sounds as though it doesn't work for you either. Also, it's not from the lack of carbonated drinks either, unless you had one? I am not a licensed medical personnel but normally, if you are dinking liquids and inhaling air at the same time, you've got air bubbles in you. If you are blending your drinks with a blender or similiar equipment, you are drinking the 'air fluffs' you've made now in your body. If you drink through a straw, changes are you are also inhaling air into your stomach. I am not sure how far post op you are and if you still have gas bubbles as well. I suggest if you have tried Gas X (2 strips at a time) and it's not helping, or you've kept moving and not doing prolong sitting in one spot, call your dr for assistance for your concerns. Good luck and keep us posted...am interested to hear what they say about this.

Shelby ~ no question is silly if you don't know it, you silly girl! LOL I tried it for the first time about a month ago and was totally surprised in the taste. It's creamier and real good. You will really need to taste it. They have pint size, so you won't waste any and if you don't like it 'straight up', mix it in your foods or cereal. Enjoy!

Shelby, for the extra calcium, I occasionally have the Tums...they are great calcium supplements!

It sounds like you do. If you are using more willpower than bandpower, it's time for a fill.

Hi Karen! Glad to see you made it thus far. You have a different post op diet than the OCC patients and I am not sure if you are on mushy, soft, or solid-solid foods? Check with your paperwork to see what stage on the solid foods you are on and if you have any questions or concerns, call your dr's office to get some clarifications. Don't guess as you don't want to risk your band. For the OCC bandsters, we do the 7 days 'clear liquids', which is mostly broth and protein water. Day 8 to 21, we are on the 'creamy soups', which is mostly creamed textured soups and then starting day 22, we go on solid foods with eating 1/3 of what we use to eat. In my case, it's 1/2 cup of proteins (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, cheese, beans), 1/4 cup of veggie/fruit, and 1/4 cup of grain/starches (rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, cereal) per meal, 3 meals a day and about 1200 calories a day. For hunger pangs ~ I switch off between the chewable Fiber Choice for Weight Manangement (Strawberry) and the Metamucil capsules, daily ~ one at 10am and one between 3 - 4pm. I don't get hungry by sticking with this time frame. Hope this helps you and Welcome to Bandland!

Excessive belching and gas can happen at any time for anyone, whether we are banded or not. There are many reasons for becoming gassy, such as eating foods that don't agree with you, not properly combining foods, or gulping air while you are eating, but mostly the vast majority of gas is produced by bacteria in your gut. Here's a few others ~ habitual air swallowing, a mouth breather, chewing gum, emotional stress, food allergy or tolerances, diary products, eating beans, certain veggies, just to name a few. Each person reacts differently with any of the above. You can monitor by journaling to see what is causing you to do either or both. If you have and questions or concerns on this, please contact your doctor for sure. Hope this helps...

Sweetheart ~ you are hitting a broad subject that is difficult to answer, to be precise. Your body and my body are different and so we require or need certain vitamins and supplements to continue to stay healthy on a daily basis. So, what you don't 'eat' you need to supplement with a pill, per se. I love talking about vitamins, minerals, and supplements. It's interesting as to how you benefit from them and how best to get them in your system. Obviously, eating is the best way but there is no way, as a bandster, you could eat enough food to reach your own daily requirement without overeating. Here are some quick tips to consider to getting the right vitamins: > Eat a healthy diet ~ A multivitamin will provide some insurance against deficiencies so choose a daily diet rich in proteins, veggies, fruits, whole grains, nuts and healthy oils but go easy in red meat and unhealthy fats. > Choose a daily multivitamin ~ A daily multivitamin is an inexpensive way to get in your nutrients, to fill in the gap what you don't eat ~ take one every day. > Think about Vitamin D ~ Not only is it great for bone health as well as getting some extra vitamin D but studies shows it can help lower the risk of colon and breast cancer. To me, this is a good thing! I am trying to get between 1,000 to 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day, which on some days I may need to take a vitamin D pill, in addition to my multivitamin, to meet my requirement benefits. > Don't do mega doses ~ Normally you would avoid mega-dose vitamins and mega-fortified foods. Now higher doses of vitamin E may help to prevent heart disease, but most multivitamin have enough to have health benefits. In addition, a regular multivitamin also have enough folic acid, so you should avoid foods that have high amounts of folic acid added to them (such as beans, poultry, tuna, mushrooms, oranges, asparagus, broccoli, spinach, bananas, strawberries, and cantaloupes to name a few). Vitamin D is an exception, as many people need more than the required daily amount. > Avoid “super” supplements ~ Save your money for healthy food choices and a good vacation. That being said, don’t be 'swayed' into buying those TV infomercials products about their wild health claims on their health supplements. If they sound too good to be true, you can be sure they are. Besides, you can most probably get the same thing at your drug store at a cheaper price. Hope this helps...

ANOTHER suggestion/option I am going to do is switch off between my chewable multivitamin and the gummy multivitamin. The gummy one I think would help aid in the 'chewing' to relieve the aches and tiredness. I'll let you know...

That is awesome!! Yes, be firm and stay with the creamy soups until day 22, when you can start with solid. Yes, YOU CAN DO THIS! Congrats and WTG!! HOO RAH!!!

Lisa said it all really. Each person's body is different and you may require a higher dosage of one thing, whereas I don't need it. As like Lisa, I would 'eat' as much vitamins I can and the rest would be in vitamins and supplements and the brand I like. I totally agree that if you haven't been taking any vitamins or supplements up til now, at least get a good multivitamin you would take once a day. Dr. Miranda at OCC suggested taking the chewable Centrium Multivitamin during the preop and so on, which I am currently using ~ but I am going to switch back and forth with a gummy multivitamins because it's a slight change in variations of ingredients I personally need more of AND also, it would help me to prevent any tiredness/achyness in my jaw/teeth should I have any. Good link references Lisa provided...browse through and take the time to read the labels to suit your needs. Hope this helps...

Glad to see you are researching and are satisfied with the meeting. It is important to know the ins and outs of any surgeries and the aftercare, which is very important for your success. It was nice to know that he would except patients from "elsewhere", no matter where, from surgeons he trusts. He sees the importance and the need for aftercare but also the expertise from a surgeon who does good work. Excellent research and worth the drive for peace of mind. Good luck with your decision.

Congrats and Welcome to Bandland too Eclipse! Oh yes, soy milk is fine...

Dr. O says to start regular food from the soup stage. Like Shelby says, check your paperwork from OCC to make sure you have the most current info to follow through. Time changes and you don't want to get misinformed, especially if OCC have improved something to our benefit. On my first day, I had an egg omelet with bacon and cheese and salsa for breakfast, pinto beans and cheese for lunch, and I believe I had chicken for dinner with veggie. It's really what you want to have just make sure you use protion control. Choose your food wisely and make sure you get all your proteins in for the day. REALLY chew your food good and practice makes perfect if you cut your food into smaller pieces to prevent food getting stuck and starting experiencing PBing and sliming, which I haven't experience yet. I started a dime size to see how I handled it. Eat slowly but don't drag out your meal time. You should be able to eat your food in 20 minutes. Like Shelby says, you will be fine. All the best...

Kristy ~ you are NOT alone on this and it's perfectly normal. Goodness, all my life, I never had anyone tell me that I can only have so much food specifically as 1/2 cup of this and 1/4 cup of that. Since 10 months post op, I've been training myself to only have 1/3 of what I use to eat verses to what I can eat physically, is a constant challenge for me mentally. I am new and soon enough, it will be second nature to KNOW how much I can really eat since being banded. But I am doing good as when I went for my 2nd fill, I found out I was not eating enough food! HA! Imagine that! I thought I'd never hear that! But to continue to lose, I needed to up my protein intake. You will find it much easier if you serve your food at first on a smaller plate, so you don't see any wasted space, like what you would see if food served on a adult dinner plate. This helped me tremendously. As for your port, that is normal too. Everyone is different. I have to really push down and move around to find it. Others have their port much closer to the surface so you can feel it. So this is really an individual thing and it's normal. I also read as you lose, your port moves/changes position because your stomach has shrunk, at which that time you may have it moved elsewhere to prevent it protruding.

Hi leahsmom, Like CindyLou, I too had 'practice' by keeping the regular drinks separate from when I had my soups. READ your paperwork you've received from your doctor/nutritionist at the time of your surgery. They have specific guidelines you should follow and may have changed since I've been there in October. Here is the guideline I had from OCC: For the first 21 days post op, effectionally known as 'Bandster Hell', you don't have to worry about how much you are drinking, as you are pretty much 'drinking' all the time, whether it's broth, water, tea, drinkable yogurt, protein shakes, creamy soups, etc. Also there is no calorie counting during this time. Stage 3, the 'creamy soup' (stage 1, preop diet and stage 2, the 7 days of 'clear liquid') is from day 8 thru 21. The creamy soup stage is where you would continue drinking your protein water, Crystal Lite, tea, etc, and having 1/2 cups of creamy soups, as many time you want during the day. Meaning, drink a 1/2 cup now and then have some water, then if you are still hungry, have another 1/2 cup of same soup or a different kind. You are still healing from surgery and the warmth of the soup would help you plus satisfy you throughout the day, as it is just a little bit thicker than broth. Remember, during this creamy soup stage, if you can't drink it through a straw, you can't have it. Soup is to have no lumps or chuncks and there is NO blending either by using a blender, Magic Bullet, juicer, or a food processor. Reason being is the air "fluffs" in the products and you'd be drinking air bubbles, which causes gas bubbles...which we don't need any more than we already had from surgery! Hope this helps a bit...good luck!

Lisa - excellent post...thanks for the information. I've listened to you and the others before on this issue and one time you mentioned about ice chips, which I've done and it saved me a couple of times when I had SUPER hot food, both temperature hot and as well, spicy hot. I just took about (5) chips and that was good. Lisa and Dawns said it all...drinks 'slide' your foods down and your old stomach has the food you just ate with your drink and then your newly upper stomach is empty. I personally drink about 20 min before I eat. When I first started, after my meal, I used my kitchen timer AND a visual of a clock (sometimes my cell phone) and wait for the required 'one hour' before I could have a drink. Lisa also pointed out to keep the drinks away while eating ~ VERY important~ I am 10 weeks post op and now, truthfully, I drink enouggh during the day to not want it during my meals. Also, it's a mential thing too ~ you KNOW you will have a drink eventually, just an hour later...so this relaxes my mind and I keep track on the time and go forward from there. Don't beat yourself over this...in time you will get this down pat and it will be second nature to you. Hang in there babe!

Cara ~ GREAT info from your granddad. I found I wasn't having enough proteins and found that chewing gum helped relieved me ~ but only for this reason would I chew gum. FYI ~ Chewing gum can contribute to gas pains. When you chew gum, you swallow more often and some of what you're swallowing is air. In addition, artificial sweeteners such as sorbitol that is found in some gums, can give you gas. For this reason, I would only chew gum if my teeth hurts from lack of protein intake and in my humble opinion, I would also wait until I finished the first 21 days post op as not to mixed in with the gas issues from the surgery itself. Thanks for the post Cara!

Hi Angela ~ this is totally normal. Remember, you just had major surgery and like all other surgeries, comes along with the unusual meds we don't normally take. Now every person's body is different and reacts different to a lot of options. Most people use either the Metamucil or Benefiber. But if the MOM works for you, go for it! I, too, use Benefiber ~ either the chewable Orange-Creme flavored tablets and/or the unflavored powder to put in my drinks. Be consistent in taking a product daily and your 'rotor rooter' problem will be taken care of. Hope this helps you...

Your welcome Kristy! I just thought it was important to know that you must have the right portion of food for you and your body BUT, don't go overboard. At the same token, it's important to have time to relax and heal the first (3) months before you go for any strengenous/hard core exercises, which I KNOW me, would want to do right off. I need to be patience about this whole new journey and do it slow and steady to make this weight loss a successful one for me.

Julie ~ Congrats on your loss...this inspires others! Yes, everyone loses at their own pace and you are doing yours at your pace, which I am finding out, slow is good too. I, too, would love to see your before and after pictures, to see the huge difference ~ they are so inspiring and also so that YOU can marvel at your weight loss too!

Hi Dawn! Yes, try to make sure you get between 1000 to 1200 calories a day. If you do hard core exercises, to increase to 1500. Also, let me clarify too. I was not having enough PROTEINS...to increase from 3 oz to 4 oz, which is 1/2 cup. I was doing anywhere between 2 - 3 oz (1/4 to 1/3 cup). So, with the exercises I was doing, I didn't have enough to burn the calories nor balance out my metabolism, which put me on a plateau. The key, of course, is the protein intake and to have between 60 to 90 grams a day...and I was barely doing 60grams. Hope this helps you!

Kim! Hang in there kiddo! It will happen, there's no doubt about it...just prolonged. Keep focusing forward babe...YOU CAN DO THIS! Don't stress out on this to make it even worst than it can be...just relax and be positive. Drink lots of liquids to help Aunt Flo and your bloating should cease quite a bit. Here's crossing my fingers for a good fill Friday!

Hi Sharon ~ Dana and I were banded 2 days apart and we both went through the same thing. We didn't have enough proteins in our diet and when we upped it, it made a huge difference. Yes, you would be fuller quicker and sooner than you did previously, as this is your first fill AND you got a large fill. My first one was 1cc and my 2nd was .6 ~ but this is for MY body. By OCC's general standard fill rule, you are on full liquids (like the 'creamy soups' stage) for 3 days, then you start your solid foods. You should eat only 3 meals are day and porportion your food accordingly, with the most being proteins. Dr. Acosta gave me my 2nd fill Saturday and he said I was NOT eating enough, so I am upping my proteins to 1/2 cup per meal, instead of the normal 1/4 to 1/3 cup. If ever in doubt, contact Dr. Miranda, our nutritionist. This is what I do if I have a question or concern. Keep us posted...

Hi Everyone! I had my 2nd fill Saturday and it was a great experience, again! Dr. Acosta had done my fill and he gave me a .6cc fill. That is a total of 1.6 fill in my 4cc band. Dr. Acosta, like Dr. So, was very good in explaining what he was doing before he was going to do it. Again, no numbing rub or shot before he stuck me with a needle and to be honest, I didn't really feel anything except the 'pressure' of him going in. Since I knew how it felt the first time, I wasn't nervous at all. Again, he did the same thing Dr. So did on my first fill. He placed his fingers where my port was and spread apart to make my skin taunt and then announced he was going to insert the needle and that was it. He wrapped the sanitary cloth around the needle and proceeded the process with drinking the 'strawberry margarita'. It was still cool to see on the screen, my stomach and watching the fluids go down! I know I had the option to have a free blind fill or pay for the fluoro. I like the assurance to know my band is good and it was conforting for me. I asked a few questions and here's what he said: > Since I had to wait between 6 to 8 weeks for my first fill and then wait at least 4 weeks for my 2nd fill, how long do I wait for the next and future fills? He said when you feel you can no longer control your portion control and/or you've lost the willpower completely. He suggests when you feel the least bit more hungry, or you continue to eat more than you normally eat, try drinking water. If you still are hungry after 30 minutes later, then it's time to schedule your next fill. > How long should I go on full liquids? 3 days, then start solids, staring with softer foods and then progress to harder foods such as steak (this is OCC's general standard rules). > How much food should I be eating, per meal? You should be eating NO MORE than 1/3 portion of what you use to eat. (So, for me, the general food guideline was not enough for me this time around - see below). He asked me several questions on how I was doing, what I am eating, exercising, etc. I told him I felt like I was either gaining or plateauing. He asked how much have I've lost and I told him and he said my body hasn't caught up with my weight loss and I need time for my body to adjust and catch up, and for me to be patience. When I mentioned my portion size (2-3 oz proteins, 1/4 cup veggie/fruit, and 1/4 cups grain/starches, he was surprised. He says that I am NOT eating enough food - period. He says I am eating the right food (thank goodness) but not enough of it. So, I am upping my protein to 1/2 cup (4 oz) to see if that would make a difference. Also, of late, I've not been drinking ALL of my water either (I must be on the holiday mode?!?!). And this would make my weight plateau also. AND, I've not been holding myself accountable with the DAILY exercises as well. But I knew all of this and I told myself I was not going to go real strict during the Christmas and New Year holiday festival, etc. This was my decision. Jan 8 is my 3 months bandiversary and it is THEN, when I can mentally go full force with my weight loss. I just can't focus on it right now and don't want the pressure of it either. Just going to go slow and be alert and stay on track as much as possible. Today marks day 3 after my fill Saturday and I am really just full on liquids. Listening to the experienced, I am having hot chocolate in the mornings to 'loosen' my band entry for easing entering into my old stomach and not feel super, duper tight. It's working so far. I heard Kimmy did liquids for 7 days, but I am going to go for 5 days, which would put me to Wed, Christmas Eve and will join my family for our Christmas tradition of festivities and then go completely on solid on Christmas Day. So, here's to a good fill for awhile... ((HUGS!))

Dana, band buddy ~ you said it all and appreciate your post. I agree with everyone ~ we don't care what the other's say but ultimately it's our own decision and our own success to claim with the help with Dr Ortiz and his staff and, of course, Mama Ortiz! You hit it right when you say OCC is "home" and Mama Ortiz brought that 'home feeling' by being there for me as well. In fact, to be honest, I never felt once to feel as though I was a 'patient' there. I was more or less a 'guest' and felt as though a friend had helped me fixed my issue (the band surgery). MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone and a BLESSED NEW YEAR to each and every one of us. May YOUR dreams come true for 2009! us back and forth. Feliz Navidad un bendito Ano m Nuevo!! ((HUGS!)) Jude