lifeisjustbeginning2011

Aye....that sounds miserable I was so turned off by anything food related or drinks that I ended up (for the first 3 days) putting juice and crushed ice in a cup with a large medicine dropper in it. This way I didn't have to move my sore belly to sit up for drinks, I just squirted some in my mouth every time I thought of it. I'm 2 wks post op today and I'm finally able to drink about 24 oz in a day, which is good. Finally getting some energy back Hang in there!

congrats to the newest bandsters!! :) come join us in the post op "July Bandsters" :) It's getting kinda lonely!

Down 25 pounds so far Lost 16 on the 1 week pre-op diet and the rest since surgery two weeks ago. So, 25 pounds in three weeks. I'm happy, but not watching the scale too much. I have to keep washing my jeans and drying them on high - I have a bad case of droopy a$$ in my current pair. I'm not complaining though

My doctor's office gave me a Lap Band Post-op kit and it had some brochures that were very helpful. In book # 2 (Living Healthier Ever After), it states that you should: -only eat three meals a day, -never have anything in between the meals -no liquids -pouch can only hold 1/4 cup of food (or 2 oz) I've heard different things from patients on here, but I guess I'm taking this as the final word. So, for lunch, only 1/4 cup of food. I had a pretty good lunch, just under 200 calories and at the 1/4 c limit. Pureed chicken, salsa and unflavored soy protein powder with 1/2 slice cheese and a dessert of 1/2 of a snack cup of chocolate putting with a tablespoon of powdered peanut butter. YUMMY! I'm going to try really hard to stick to what Allergan (Lap Band maker) recommends and track when I finish my meal and how long it takes for my tummy to growl again. I figure this is the only way I'm going to be able to tell the doc exactly how full I feel. Sheesh....this Lap Band stuff is a science! Amy

You're only 7 days post op Relax.....make sure to be up and walking around for at least 5-10 minutes of every hour you're awake. You had three different surgeries, your body is adjusting to a whole lot right now.

Have you tried pureed chicken yet? I mixed an ounce with a tablespoon of pureed salsa yesterday and YUM!!! The spicy kick hit the spot. I bought the "carving board" chicken pieces in the deli section. Mmmmmm. Still have yet to add any veggies - I'm guessing that salsa doesn't count. LOL!!

Talk with your doc, but crush the antidepressants if you need to. Missing those or reducing your dose over the course of a week will show for sure. I was scared to take pills and I crushed for the first few days, but now I realize that I can break them into several small pills and they go down just fine. There's no magic answer to the emotional eating - I'm pursuing a counselor that specializes in bariatrics. The surgery was the easiest part so far - the rest is seriously hard work. Hang in there!

If you scroll to the bottom of this page, there are several additional forums that you might find helpful in making your decision. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/

Good luck to everyone tomorrow and Friday! :) I'm thinking bout ya'll.

YES!! My instructions say no more than 2 days. I went 5 days without one, but get some stuff at the pharmacy to get things moving again or you're going to be very uncomfortable if you aren't already!

Here's where I am in the process: -I'm private pay -I've narrowed down my search to three places: WLIA (drs orris & barros), Dr. Simpson, Dr. Blackstone -I'm having the surgery in the next 60 days -I've got a whole bunch of protein samples on the way and once I have them I'm ready to start the pre-surg diet -I'm scheduling the pre-surg medical tests (I have insurance) -I'm building a support system (just an occasional support group will not be enough), trying to find a private counselor and personal trainer that are experienced in weight loss surg I'm looking for bandsters or pre-bandsters that would like to share information, resources, possibly get together, etc. Post here or drop me an email: lifeisjustbeginning2011@yahoo.com I'm Amy, 33 years old Hope to hear from some of you.....I know you're out there.

My link There's an explanation of what you see when you click on the picture. Enjoy! I'm all proud of my upper GI. LOL

sure - I'd be happy to send it to you. it will come from lifeisjustbeginning2011@yahoo.com.

Support group is tomorrow night at True Results Hope to see you guys there!

Still trying samples of the multivitamins that I received via mail for free (Celebrate and Bariatric Advantage). However, for calcium, I use Reviva liquid (Costco and Sam's). It is sour blueberry flavored. YUM. I take 1 oz in the am and 1 oz in the PM. If you don't have a Costco card, you can buy online and pay a little bit more ($1.50) and you can still get it. My Sam's only carries it every once and a while, so I had to go for Costco.

Yes, yes, and yes! I didn't want to eat anything for days. Protein shakes were too much for me - I probably went 3 days living on watered down juice and gatorade. And you know what? I'm still alive. Your tummy went though a big change and you've gotta listen to it. Keep walking (I moved my arms in the air while walking and it helped), make sure to stay hydrated, and rest. It is really important not to force anything down - if you feel full, stop and take another bite in 20 minutes. It gets better, April. PROMISE!

Personally, I would wait until you get back. Better to risk gaining a pound or two then to put your life at risk or feel very uncomfortable when away from home. I made my first fill appointment for a Monday, so that I have all week to get used to it and go back if I need to. My doc office (and many) don't do fills on Fridays for that reason alone. Play it safe, sister.

I put the picture on my refrigerator! Talk about a good reminder! LOL Thanks for the feedback - I thought it was so neat to actually see what was inside!

Drumroll, please! If you want to see the picture of your lapband, just ask your doc for a copy! After all, its YOUR body! So cool!! My link

My link

Yay April! Thanks for checking in Walk walk walk walk walk! Even when you feel like you can't...walk walk walk walk. I made myself get up every hour (except while sleeping) to make some laps around the living room. Take those pain meds for a few days and you'll be surprised how quickly you don't need them. So glad to hear all went well. Amy

holy cow - my personal opinion is that your body is telling you that you're doing too much! At my post op today, I was told no exercise (other than short walks) for a month post op because the stomach is still very swollen. not sure mowing the grass when you're 1 1/2 weeks post op is a good idea, but I'm glad that you're feeling well enough to do so....but be careful, ok?

Post-op appointment went fine today. Spent about 30 minutes talking to the nutritionist, saw the surgeon to show off my incisions, had a barium swallow to make sure the band was placed correctly and there were no holes, all good news. I got a little gift package thing that has a 1 minute timer, measuring cups and a DVD to watch. There's also a post-op literature packet from lapband with an emergency card to put a wallet. All of my steri-strips are off now, but man is the skin irritated where the adhesive was - and super itchy. I'll post some pictures on my blog. I asked for my own picture of the lapband inside of me and the doc happily printed out an extra for me. I'll put that on the blog, too. Amy

My first support group is on Thursday. I'm looking forward to it. I went to several support groups pre-op when I was trying to decide on where I would have the surgery, but not this one (True Results). I'm hoping that there is someone close to my age (33). I also have my post op appointment today with the surgeon. Hopefully the GI system allows me to leave the house today. LOL!

I'm using myfitnesspal.com to track everything I eat and it is really helpful. Hang in there. I think we've lost some of our July post-ops, unfortunately. I really need the support that we have here. Come back often and lets cheer each other on. We can do this!!