hokiemama

Hello fellow November bansters. I was banded on November 15th. I have lost 12 lbs. since the surgery, 18 total. I went back to work 8 days after being banded, but it was only for a day and a half because we were off for Thanksgiving. The first two weeks were worse than I thought they would be, in a sense of pain and discomfort. Week 3 (now), I'm feeling no pain. I still have to bend over slowly and cannot sleep on my left side for more than 30 minutes though. I'm on soft/mushy until next week and then I can start on solids. I'm scheduled for my first fill on 12/9/10. So far, I have stayed satisfied with protein shakes and 4 oz. of mushy food. I had my 2 week appointment yesterday and the surgeon said I will start getting hungry soon because the swelling will be gone. He seems to be more agressive with fills to help prevent any weight gain. I'm nervous about having my first fill next Thursday. I hope it all goes smoothly! Good luck to all of you and Congrats on your weight loss so far!

You may also need to see your regular doctor to make sure that you don't have strep or other throat infection. I just saw that you are on your second week post op. I'm thinking throat pain from the surgery shouldn't still be that bad. Just a thought.

It's so interesting how different each surgeon is. My surgeon and nutritionist said I could never take Ibuprofen again (or other NSAIDS). They said it would cause ulcers in the stomach pouch and to only take Tylenol. I see that other surgeons say it is okay. That's frustrating that there is so much inconsistency. I wonder if Chloroseptic spray or throat lozenges would help. I also found sugar-free 25 calorie Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate. Sipping on something warm always helps (maybe chicken broth). It's always better to call your surgeon's office and see what they can recommend though.

I was banded on 11/15/10 and I would agree that you should be careful. Every surgeon has different time frames for certain foods, but most that I have seen on here all have at least one week on liquids post surgery. Mine was one week on liquids then 2 weeks on soft/mushy. I am only allowed tuna and chicken (finely chopped) as far as meats go. I don't think the only reason for gradually adding more harsh foods is to see if you can tolerate them, but also to let your stomach heal. If your stomach has to do a lot of breaking down of food, it could cause problems with your band since everything has not healed and is swollen. I am scheduled for my first fill on 12/9/10, which is not quite 4 weeks post op. That's the earliest I have seen. I would suggest calling your surgeon and let him know what's going on. These first few weeks are very critical in everything healing properly and staying in place. Good luck! I'm sure it will get better. Hang in there.

I was banded 11/15/10 and I am finally feeling "almost" normal. You will get there. I was also surprised at how horrible I felt. I actually thought I would be able to go shopping by the end of the first week. NOT! It was much worse than I thought, but thankfully, each day gets a little better. I hate to exercise, but my surgeon said to take a minimum of 10 minute walks 4 times per day. It sucked to get out and do that while holding my side, but it actually made me feel better each time. It helped with gas and soreness in my back from sitting too long. I sipped broth, Protein shakes, and liquid Jello. Fat Free cream of chicken Soup (strained) seemed yummy after all those thin liquids. As for soft/mushy which is what I am on now, I live off canned tuna and chicken. I put the tuna in the food chopper with pickle juice and f.f. mayo. Chicken add some fat free gravy and blend with food chopper. They are both easy for me to get down and a good source of protein. Hang in there! It will get much better and it will be worth it!! There's so much proof of that on here.

I was banded on November 15th and am scheduled for my first band fill on December 9th. I was thinking I would not have my first fill until later, maybe January. I am not getting hungry between meals yet. I'm wondering if I should cancel the fill and wait a little longer. I don't want to wait "too long" and take the chance of gaining weight. When are you having your first fill?

Welcome! Congrats on your weight loss! I am newly banded as well. I had my surgery on November 15th. I am down 18 lbs. and feel good as well. I am scheduled for my first fill on December 9th. This forum is great so far in answering my many questions. The support is important as well. Best of luck!

I was banded on Nov. 15th and I am finally feeling "normal" again! The first week was hard. The pain in my stomach muscles were terrible. I had to sleep in a recliner because it hurt to lay all the way down in the bend. I thought I had made a mistake. Now, just 2 weeks later, no problems. Only a little tugging in my stomach when I bend. Otherwise, no pain and able to eat soft/mushy foods. 64oz. of fluid is hard to get in without surgery, much less when you've just had a band put around your stomach. Take it slow. It WILL get better!! Warm chicken broth and then reduced fat cream of chicken soup (with chicken chuncks picked out) were so tasty to me after only protein shakes and water. Hang in there!

Buy a food chopper/processor. ($15.00 at Wal-mart). I was banded 2 weeks ago and am on soft/mushy. The main thing I have been eating is blended up tuna fish. If you add some pickle juice to it, it gets moist. I also put a little bit of fat-free mayo. It's soft and mushy and 21 grams of protein. With the food chopper, you can blend up practically anything and it tastes the same. Just a different texture. I even blended some turkey with a little gravy for Thanksgiving.

Thanks! I don't know why I didn't stop to think that I should be measuring liquids. I have counted them towards my daily fluid intake and with soups, have made sure I'm staying within fat/calorie range (mostly broth, tomato soup, and fat free cream of chicken). I have just been drinking the full shakes and eating about half the can of soup, but probably more than 4 oz. Geez. I was trying to be so careful!