Concern for a friend.

A good friend of mine had the band done in late September. I have to say that do now know much about the band except from what  I see at the hospital I work at. I had some reservations  but I fully supported her decision and was aware that many people out there had had good experiences. Also, she only needed to loose around 50 pounds so the band seems like the best option.

So now it has been around 4 months and as far as weigh loss is concerned, I believe she is going well. Around 35 pounds in 4 months is a great achievement. 

My main concern is that she has been ill here and there, some nausea, pain in her abdomen, and sometimes she feels pain when she takes a deep breath. These symptoms do go away within hours bur are certainly scary. I must say that I do not know her eating habits since the surgery cause i do not get to see her very often, but a couple of times i saw her food plate at work and it was things that i surely was not eating after my VSG. 

My question to you guys is what type of foods should a person with a band should be eating, what foods should a person avoid 4 moths out.??? And if anyone has had these symptoms. 

thanks for your help 

What Great friend you are!
Like all WLS , protein first, veggies then fruits.

No fibrous foods like broccoli, oranges with the skin,. We are to keep in mind a certain carb number ( differs from doctor to doctor) as does foods from person to person.

No bread or pasta as it tends to swell and cause us to I get "stuck".

I work with persons who hAve RNY, and she eats ****! She is still eating as if she never has surgery, and will be dumping and vomiting after eating foods that are really unhealthy. She has other serious eating issues going on. The other RNY who I know we'll too, has gained most if her weight back, eats at Wendy's drinks carbonated sodas etc... And there are others....

So with that said, she should be following good healthy rules. At 4 months out solid dense proteins. There are certain foods I can't eat, but that is me personally because my Band won't tolerate it. Like pineapple, and certain crackers ( not that we should be doing white carbs anyway).

Hope it helps, and be careful to not come across as a diet police, we have to learn certain things by our own stupid trials and errors.

Good luck,
Prek3

Thanks for your feedback. i hope that her her symptoms are nothing serious. 

You are right, with any surgery it is really up to us to make it work and stay as close as possible to that thing line we must walk to not only reach our goals but to live a healthy life. 

At 4 months i would get stuck on everything. At 4 years same thing....except I learned how to eat around it. Does she eat then leave her plate and about 20 min later go have another bite and do this for a while? I learned how to move stuff around on my plate too....to make it look like I ate and not to be questioned. And yes, I had these same symptoms. She is getting stuck on her food. This is not to sound mean lowbrass ...I hate the typing thing...bc you cannot hear my concern here. She knows she is getting stuck. She knows she should go to her doc. She is a big girl. Don't let what she puts on her plate to concern you. Unless you tell her what is really on your mind like "should you be eating that bread with the band...let alone any wls surgery?' Or the fact that she should have just gotten the VSG .....anything is better than this damn band. Good luck to her....she needs to go get some fill out.

Also , when a banded person throws up, they are suppose to do liquids for at least 24 - 48 hours! Protein shakes. no mushied no solids! When they don't they are irritating the stoma, and this cycle can occur again, even if they are eating appropriate foods, because their stoma is irritated. * vomiting is never good, can create a slip.

Maybe you could suggest going to a support group meeting together. See if she brings it up at the meeting. If she doesn't then you can innocently mention to the group or give her a nudge and say, " hey why don't you ask about the vomiting you are experiencing?".

Be careful in whatever approach tou should take with her. People are very sensitive when spmeone else is talking about our procedure that is not like their own.
Prek3

Thanks for the feedback ladies. Yes it is  a very sensitive issue. 

My first instinct is  to stay quiet, she is very capable, and is absolutely well informed. what makes me anxious is the fact that when all is said and done, we are all human and we react differently to health situations. that is why my main concern were her symptoms  cause as far as the food is concern i feel we all need to be left to make our own choice.  I would hate to take her nausea and pain attacks as "just part of the post-op/recuperation period"

thanks again for the pointers , i will diffidently suggest the liquids after a nausea attack so her stomach can have so relief. 

 

At 4 months out (at 4 weeks out) I was eating any food I wanted to, as tolerated.

that being said, I personally chose to not eat cake, cookies, candy, ice cream, etc.

i also refrained from bread and pasta 95% of the time .... I was eating protein first at every meal, and all types of veggies.

i never had  problems with broccoli or asparagus or other fibrous foods.  I had trouble with lettuce.

Tiny bites, well chewed and completely swallowed before the next bite were my big 3 rules.

We differ! At four months out I was eating a totally normal healthy diet, not avoiding any foods or counting anything.

By nausea do you mean feeling sick or actually bringing food back? We should not do the latter regularly although careless eating an make it happen. If is more than occasional, her band may be too tight.

Pain in the abdomen is a bit vague for me to comment but pain on breathing is wrong and needs checking out.

Kate.

I am the same as Kate.  Except for the post op period of course.  I have been able to eat what I want and don't have to avoid any foods.  I do avoid foods by choice.  Like breads and pastas...but I can eat them with no problems.  I don't know if this is a blessing or a cross I bare...the fact I can eat ANYTHING.   

I focus primarily on protein and complex carbs (meaning fruits and veggies).  I don't do crackers, chips, bread, cereal, cookies, cakes, ice cream, candies...except on a once in great while occasions.  Because those things move right through my band and can eat endless amounts of these things. 

The band is about choices and learning what we can tolerate.  I learned I can tolerate anything.

 

Probably the best thing you can do as a friend is to tell her that this is not a normal thing for a bandster 4 months out and that she should see her surgeon and find out what is causing it. Now, that being said as others have told you it can be as a result of many things. It could be as simple as her trying out foods that don't get along with her band. What I could eat at 4 months differed greatly from what I could eat 1 year out, the same as with VSG. It could also be something not so minor so that is where you as her friend can help. BTW, I am less than 5 months out from my revision to a sleeve and I occasionally have something get "stuck" and come back up so there is a learning curve for all wls and it can and does take time.

If she doesn't come to OH suggest she post here.

Good luck, Sue