Huggles1951

I was banded on Jan.10th and had my post-op appt.yesterday. I joined the Y in August and have been doing water aerobics and aqua jog 5 days a week since. Went up to the Fri before surgery. My Dr. told me yesterday I could start up again...YIPEE!!!!. So guess where I was today? In the pool doing aqua jog. Water exercise doesn't stress your joints like land based ones do and I can do a lot more in the water than I'd be able to otherwise. I too am starting the mushy diet now. Did a couple of forkfuls of tuna salad Tues. .... not a good choice..lol. I now know what stuck feels like. Good thing that wasn't a favorite food because I won't be revisiting it anytime soon. Making chili today I figure if it doesn't work too well I can freeze it and try another day. Hope your recovery is easy. Good luck.

My Dr. said there was Fluid in my band but I forgot to ask how much. I had my post op appt. with him yesterday and I have officially graduated to the mushy stage. I had a scrambled egg last evening when I got home and had to remind myself to go slow but no problem eating it. I do know more than one egg would have been too much. The Dr. said it may have been the dryness of the tuna or the consistency that caused my problem. He said wait awhile and try it again. I think it will be quite awhile before I try tuna again...lol. This is a major learning experience it seems. Oh well if I knew how to eat right I wouldn't be here right? My Dr. and I were thrilled to find I had lost 23 pounds since my surgery Jan 10th. Taking that in consideration who needs tuna...lol

I was banded Jan 10th and have been reading stuff on here to kind of get an idea what is normal and what to expect. I have my post-op appt. tomorrow and will be starting on mushy foods. I've been doing really good so far except for mild nausea and diarrhea last week and the opposite of diarrhea the last couple of days. So I decided to make some tuna salad for tomorrow when I start the mushy phase. Not one of my better plans...lol. After a month on liquids it really looked good. I looked at the soup can and looked at the tuna salad and I heard a little voice whisper "you're gonna eat it tomorrow anyway". I'm sure you can see where we're going here. I blinked and there was a fork full of tuna salad in my hand. Of course I ate it ( slowly ) but I ate it and another one too. Put it away and thought wow that wasn't bad. Sat down and that's when it hit. I felt like I'd swallowed a golf ball and it was stuck. Dang...ouch, owie, yuck. At least one of those forkfuls didn't make the cut. One burp was all it took. I'm thinking tuna salad was not a good choice to start out on. I guess I'm grateful I didn't throw up but....Dang.....lol.

I was on the phase 2 full liquids for 4 weeks - 2 weeks before surgery, 2 weeks after surgery now I move on to phase 3 mushy/pureed stuff. On my list is tuna, chicken, egg and seafood salads, cottage cheese, oatmeal,scrambled, poached and soft boiled eggs also lean lunchmeat baked fish and boiled chicken, mashed potatoes and refried beans and mushy veggies. I can also have anything from the liquid phase like s/f pudding and jello and popsicles. I think it was just the tuna that didn't agree with me or maybe too big a bite. Well this is a learning experience...lol. I really like the idea of using baby sized utensils and I'm going to get some. I always learn such great stuff on here. If it weren't for you guys I wouldn't have realized I was stuck and would have totally freaked out. Thanks guys.

I was banded on Jan 10th and I take Omeprazole a prescription like Prilosec. You're supposed to take it 1/2 hour before you eat. I take one capsule every morning when I wake up and have had no problem leaving it whole. I only have to take one capsule a day. My surgeon gives an RX to all his patients after their banding or bypass. The over the counter is not nearly as strong and effective and costs a fortune compared to the generic RX. You might want to discuss this with you Dr and maybe get an RX if you have coverage. Good luck with the problem.

:eek2: I was banded on the 10th and had what I found out by reading a lot of these posts were the expected gas problems and port soreness. Have been doing good getting better, losing weight etc. For some unknown reason I ended up with diarrhea wed. and yesterday I was feeling queasy and nauseous and and had the diarrhea again. Has anyone else had this happen a week after surgery? I have heard there is some kind of bug going around but I haven't been out around a lot of ppl. I haven't thrown up or anything just queasy and when I was out I picked up some liquid nausea medication just in case. I'm terrified of throwing up and having my band slip. Any insight or thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated. By the way I am still on my post-op liquid diet ( creamed soup etc.).

About 7 years ago my sister in law and the rest of her family talked her sister who had a lot of health issues related to her weight(about 450lbs) into having gastric bypass surgery. She had the surgery and ended up with complications right after she went home and she died. Needless to say they all feel guilty for having talked her into it. I have been battling the weight issue all my life and had control of it till I hit my 30's. Most of my now ex friends are diabetic and have health and mobility issues related to obesity. I did not want to end up diabetic or having to use an electric cart to do my shopping etc. but I couldn't succeed dieting on my own. I have never had major surgery and was terrified but I pressed on. Guess you can see why I chose the band. Quicker recover, less invasive etc. Well I had the surgery Jan. 10th and I'm doing great and losing weight. A little sore but you get the picture. Now we get to the problem. Since my brother died in 2005 I don't see my sister in law and my nephews as often. Usually for holidays and birthdays. These occasions of course all revolve around food. Well obviously I will not be able to eat like before so I'm sort of stuck on what to do. I'm afraid if I tell her I had surgery she will resent the fact that everything went good for me unlike her sister. I don't really want to lie. I guess it was rather cowardly but I figured if something went wrong with my surgery I wouldn't have to explain anything to anyone. I will be seeing her in Feb. and I really don't know how to handle this... any suggestions would be appreciated.

My sister in laws sister died from a blood clot the day after she was discharged from the hosp. I really appreciate all the feedback and support. This has been a difficult situation to work around. But I feel I owe myself the chance for better health. Thanks a bunch.

I'm so happy for you. I was banded January 10th and half of my weight was post op. I'm still on the liquid diet (creamed Soup, Protein shakes etc,) till the 26th. It's been so exciting to see the numbers change on the scale. It used to be so frustrating before. I don't get hungry very often and I hope that continues. Again congrats.

How long before you can feel comfortable exercising? I was banded on Jan 10th and for the six months prior to that I've been doing Water aerobics and aqua jogging 5 days a week. Since my surgery It's uncomfortable when I move the wrong way and I get pain near my port site. I know it's probably swollen and will take time. I was just wondering if anyone has an idea of how long I can expect the pain to last.

I just got my band Jan. 10th. Was kinda sore after surgery but not too bad. Stayed overnight and home the next day. My port site is a little sore especially if I turn wrong or move the wrong way but no big deal. What I was wondering is how long it takes to get rid of all the air/gas in your abdomen. I feel like I have enough air in there to fill the Goodyear blimp. So far gas X isn't making much difference. Any other suggestions?

I got liquid Vitamins and liquid calcium at Walgreens. I put the vitamins in my Protein shake and that seems to work ok.

My port site doesn't look too bad though there are still steri strips over it. The strips over my other 4 "holes" fell off after showering. They all look a little inflamed around the edges but I think that's normal at this stage. I figure using Neosporine, keeping them clean and just being patient is all one can do.

Every Dr. is different but mine said no alcohol for 18 months and no carbonated beverages at all. I wouldn't risk it. It seems a shame to have gone through the surgery and all the hoops you have to jump through to risk screwing it up so soon. Good luck with whatever you decide. I was banded on Jan. 10th and I'm sticking to the yucky liquid diet.

Maybe your Protein intake isn't high enough? My Dr. stressed protein and I've read a few posts of people who were stuck until they upped the protein. Also if you didn't exercise before you may be building muscle which weighs more than fat. With exercise you'll need more protein or your body is gonna think you're starving it and it'll hang on to every calorie it gets. Good luck.

I was just banded Jan.10th. Stayed overnight at the hospital and on the way home Tues. It hit me. I really did it. WOW. I was on a liquid diet for 2 weeks prior to surgery (protein shakes, creamed soup etc.) and I was hungry especially after water aerobics. Will be on liquids for the 2 weeks after surgery too. The good news is I'm not hungry . I imagine that might change later but I do have some fluid in my band already so who knows. I do a protein shake in the morning to make sure I get enough protein and I usually blend in a fruit like a banana so it's pretty thick. I can't just suck down thick stuff like I used to but I see no difference in the thinner liquids like V8 or crystal light. So far I'm sore and have the gas to deal with (feel like a Macy's parade balloon...lol ) Overall I am excited to be starting on my journey and I'm wishing all of us good luck.

I am so glad I'm on a liquid diet with some latitude. I imagine I'd be starving if I had to be on clear liquids till Friday. Hang in there, only a couple of more days.

Had mine on the 10th also. Don't know what kind of after diet your Dr has you on but I'm on a liquid diet for another 2 weeks. Protein drinks, creamed soups,sugar free jello and pudding and sugar free popsicles and crystal light. I'm hardly hungry at all. so far today had a protein shake with a couple frozen peaches pureed in and a 1/2 cup of soup. Can you do a protein shake? Could you maybe be thinking you should be hungry? I know head hunger versus real hunger has been a problem for a lot of us. I'm sure I'll be dealing with that eventually. Maybe your band has no fluid yet? The Dr.said mine has some but I won't have a fill for at least a month. Hope it all gets better for you. Maybe call the Dr's office and ask for advice. Good luck

On the way home last night found myself thinking OMG I actually did it. Had a couple of sips of broth and 2 shot glasses of crystal light in the hospital. When I saw my surgeon for discharge he asked if I noticed any difference with liquids. The answer was no. Not surprising with the amount of liquid I had. He said I could go back to creamed soups, sugar free pudding and particles again for the next two weeks. Actually sounds good after two days of clear liquids. Drove home in a blizzard so my friend and I stopped and got some soup to go. Came home put it in the blender and dove in I was so hungry. Should have ate it slower, found out a 1/2 cup is really enough but now I know what he means anyway.

The soup I had was cream of broccoli and I pureed it to make sure there were no lumps. I was just used to having the whole 1&1/2 cups. Obviously too much now. At least I'll be getting an idea of what constitutes enough I can see why my Dr. asked if I noticed a difference. I really didn't with the small amount of clear liquids I had in the hospital. I sure noticed with the cream of broccoli though. I expect it will be a learning experience for some time to come. Glad you're all here to help us newbies out

Just banded Monday. Had 2 weeks liquid diet which was pureed soups, crystal light , protein shakes, sugar free pudding and jello, also sugar free popsicles.. One day before surgery clear liquids broth, crystal light, popsicles. Clear liquids while in the hosp. then back to the liquid diet for another 2 weeks till I see the surgeon. He said I won't have a fill till at least 4 weeks and maybe not even then if I'm doing ok quantity and hunger wise. After the 2 week liquid and my appt. with him it'll be the mushy stage

I have been doing water aerobics for the past 6 months 5 days a week. I was just banded Monday and figured the exercise before would help with everything. I even went during my 2 week liquid diet...whew talk about hungry . Anyway I've lost like 25lbs since August. and not much till the liquid diet start. The trainers at the Y where I go all said the same thing that muscle weighs more than fat. I'm more toned ,less buoyant in the water and my clothes are looser so they must be right. So hang in there you probably have more muscle now.

I was surprised the level of pain wasn't worse and the gas for me wasn't too bad. Had the surgery at 7:30 Mon. morning spent the night and got to go home at 6pm last night. My friend had the bypass done Dec 7th and she was in Hosp. 4 days then had to go back in another 3 days a week later for a bug of some kind. I know she was in a lot more pain than I was and I didn't have any drains in like she did. I didn't use the pain pump too often. Sure didn't get much rest in the hospital so I'm glad I was only there overnight. Overall I don't feel too bad today. I can see I'll have to take it easy for at least a week....sigh.

I'm in Toledo,Ohio and I'm having mine done on the 10th too. Looking forward to it and scared too... yikes. Wishing all of us soon to be bandsters luck.