mamasharones

This may be a weird question but I'm three days post op and had tons of gas but still haven't passed a bowel. Anyone know when that will happen. I'm getting a little bit worried! :help:

I was banded 12-28-06 and I've lost 10lbs. Unfortunately it wont be till next month when I get first fill.

I had a lot of gas pressure but it didn't seem to stem from my bowels, but the nurses after surgery told me that air gets into the abdomen cavity (to make room for their tools and such) so it takes a few days to get out. It was the worst the day of surgery, but I think after a few days it tends to go away. Good luck and congrats!

Caffeine tends to dehydrate your body, and since it's harder to get down a glass of water do to time, it's just not worth taking the time to dehydrate yourself (if that makes sense) I too was a slave to caffeine not with coffee but tea and soda. I had to give up the soda due to carbonation, so I have to have my tea....decaf

I'm a little over a week post op and I too was so scared about surgery I almost didn't go through with it. It happened when I walked into my hospital room and the nurses asked me to change into a gown. It hit me like a ton of bricks and it wasn't untill they gave me anti anxiety meds that I finally calmed down, then heading to the OR they had to give me the anesthegia in the hall way so that they didn't have to deal with my reaction the the OR lol. I'm glad I did it though. I didn't feel really hungry on the liquid diet but you really have to stick with it to the T. See the first couple of days I had a hard time eating and sleeping just because it seemed like I was supposed to take in so much that their wasn't enough time in the day to take it in...plus I'm a very nappy person. Then the by the third and fourth day I found myself getting better sleep but when I woke up I felt weak like I had to eat or I'd pass out. That's when I realized how important it was to keep the diet. I typically don't feel hungry unless I'm freakin starving and my body needs nutrition. But everyone is different. I also had the liquid diet for only a week and by the end of that week I had enough of liquids! As far as the kidney stones...I've never had one so I don't know what its like and frankly I hope that everything goes well for you! It doesn't sound fun. I hope I was helpful!

Gosh I wish I would have thought about it before surgery. My most painful incision is right where my jeans would lay on my waist line and I have one at the top dangerously close to my bra line (thank god for no wire bras!) I think it's a good idea.....I'm wearing maternity pants for now...but I only have one pair....and they have a stain :cry

Has anyone else had this surgeon? And if so, how did everything go, thoughts, comments, etc?

Thats funny that you brought up the cocktail dinnerware because I just bought some! I think it will be easier to break up food into small bites. I never thought about the nice dinnerware....I try novelty dinner ware. It's a great thought. Thanks for the idea

I totally understand how you're feeling. I'm 4 days out and having the same thoughts, Although my whole family isn't thin I grew up under harsh critizism of what I looked like and keep up to an unrealistic ideal of beauty my mom had for me. Some times things just happen for a reason and while my mind is plagued with ideas of "why did I let it go this far" or "Why can't I be like everyone else" I try to take the approach of coming to terms with the hand I was dealt and use this oppurtunity to prove to my self that I'm not failing but I can turn it all around and accomplish something that people struggle most their lives with. And having that feeling of accomplishment I believe is more important than what any scale says or what clothes I wear. It's hard, but belief in yourself and faith is key! Stay strong and remember you're in control now....you can't let it get you down. And the beautiful thing of all is that we can share our experiences here which may not seem like much but hearing you share your little bit hits home with me and it's nice to know some one out there understands and we're not all going at it alone. Good luck! And Keep posting!

I felt that gastric bypass was a drastic and it seemed to me that it was more for people over 350 pounds (since the weight comes off really fast post op I didn't think I needed that quick a change)...which I started at 280lbs (my own personal opinion). Plus being in my early twenties and my husband and I do plan on having children when we both finish with graduate school (about 4-5 years). I felt that cutting of the intestinal tract was also scary and knowing that I can contribute some self control felt that cutting into my gastrointestinal tract would pose too much a risk. Plus the actual procedure was less risky than the lap band I thought. Although in some ways GBS is rather low maintanence in the long run, not having to have fillings or withdrawls. I'm curious to see why people chose GBS rather than lap band. They each have their ups and downs. You just have to find one you're comfortable with.

a Week for me. And I can't wait.....just 3 more days! And it was the same for me. No nausea, or vomiting or feeling sick. I did have a incident of low blood pressure (and the vicodine I'm on also lowers blood pressure) and although I haven't felt hungry I've felt week. But the first couple days after the surgery I got poor sleep so the last two days i've been sleeping in really late so I think that was what lead to me being weak....sleeping and not eating. I'm back on track now making my diet the first priority!

Thanks ya'll for the support. it finally happened for me yesterday. I was so excited that my plumbing was still working. I will try to add more fiber to my diet!

This makes me feels so much better. I have had the gas but it hasn't been too bad....but it's nice when it comes out lol. I was thinking about adding some benefiber to my protein drinks so thanks for that suggestion. My doctor had me thinking it was going to happen the next day after surgery so when the two days passed I was getting scared. Thanks everyone!

Oh well that's great to hear....I figured since I wasn't taking much solids in I shouldn't be expecting much....Thanks for making me feel better!

My doctor said that a lot of the complications occur from people drinking soda pop and burping all the carbonation causes a lot of slippage. As for erosion, prescriptions like prednisone (steroids) thins out tissues and may cause erosions. Some things just can't be helped also! I did have a friend who was banded a little over a year ago, and started at a size 26 and is now a 10/12 and just had the band removed because she had food blockage and the opening was no bigger than the width of a pencil, and had gone so long with it that scar tissue had formed over the food. luckily, she had already reeped most of the benefits of the band and her doctor actually had told her to gain a few pounds.

My doctor did mention to me that there may be a period of frustration during which adjusting the right amount of saline in the band may take time and weight loss may not be occurring as quickly as expected. I think discussions with your doctor and a little more patience may be the key. Also liquid diets may have helped you prior to surgery but since liquids pass through the band so much easier, it may not make you feel as full and you may not lose weight that way either.

All the prescriptions I was given were in the form of liquids I didn't have meds pre op, but was prescribed anti blood clotting meds injections my husband does for me, transdermal patch for nausea, and liquid vicodine for pain.

I had surgery about 2 days ago and also had to do the 7 days liquid diet prior to surgery. There is a such thing as too much protein (protein poisoning) is rare but does happen (when people eat nothing but wild rabbits get protein poisoning) but as long as your still getting other nutrition such as a little bit of fat and little bit of sugars it shoudln't be a problem. Although you may consider saving that for after the surgery since serving sizes will be little, a high protein drink will give you more protein for the little servings. I think it's also important to note that the high protein liquid diet prior to surgery is to "shrink" your liver making the operation go more smoothly. Your liver stores glucose molecules in the form of glycogen. Glucose is used to fuel cells and provide energy for body processes. So what you're doing by cosuming high amounts of protein is allowing your body to use its stores of glucose and not from the food. (if that makes sense). But most importantly (since I'm not a doctor but I'm a cell and molecular biologist) I would always do what your doctor says for he knows your body and needs the best. Maybe you can just drink half the drink and mix with milk?