Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Let Me Fill You In...

Yesterday was a great day! I had an appointment with my surgeon to get my first "fill" for my lap band. Originally scheduled for January 10, I had to reschedule my appointment due to Snowpocalypse 2011. Many people have asked me to explain this process to them, so here goes...

The lap band is a plastic band that fastens around your stomach. The inside lining of that band is a silicon "balloon." The band then has a silicon vessel that leads to a port, which is situated above your belly button area. When the doctor gives you a "fill," he uses a huber needle (very thin needle) to inject saline into your port and fill your band.
The lap band is placed on the upper portion of the stomach.

When saline is injected and the silicone ballon expands, the upper part of your stomach stays full for a longer period of time. Food, over time, drops through the banded opening and is digested normally. Doctors band the upper portion of your stomach because this is where all of the nerves are that tell your brain you are full.

I will start off having monthly fills. As time goes on, I'll have fills based upon my weight loss progression. Eventually, I'll get to a point where I'll only need a fill once a year.

Getting the band filled helps with food resctriction, as well. I will not be able to eat as much because my upper stomach will get full quicker and stay full longer. There are certain foods that don't pass through the band as easily, such as tough meat, bread, and rice. It's a great deal of work learning what your body can and cannot digest. Every person and every band is different. The one consensus I've gathered is that Mexican food passes through the band easily, which is great because that's my favorite types of food!

 
If I overeat or eat something that does not digest well, it can feel like the food is stuck in my esophagus and cause me to vomit what I've just eaten. I've, for the most part, been eating tilapia and boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I have to get creative because eating fish and chicken every day can get pretty boring, pretty fast. I'll eventually do a post showcasing some of my concoctions so you all can see some of the healthier food items I've learned to prepare.

2 comments:

  1. What a great post! I now feel like I completely understand the lap band process - the pictures were helpful lol - and can't wait for the next update. I especially can't wait to see what healthy recipes you come up with!

    But if I may offer a suggestion: since this is a countdown to a slimmer you, you should start each post with an update on how much you've lost since you last posted. It'll be inspiration to others and even yourself!

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  2. @Dwaun: Thanks for the feedback. I decided to not post the weights for these past couple of posts because I've been hovering. I'm back on my workout regimen now, so hopefully, the pounds will begin to fall off more quickly!

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