Corrigan

Leave it to Cindy to come up with the right answer!

This is going to sound funny, but there was a test developed by a Dr. Flanagan? called the "Cottage cheese test" that used cottage cheese and water to check the capacity of a Lap bander's pouch. You'll have to look it up on Google. it would give you an idea of whether your pouch had stretched. I don't think it's likely, but you never know. If you really want to get back on track, look up the 5 day pouch test. A lot of people who strayed, used it to restart their weight loss. I hope you get back where you want to be.

Kbme, There is a 5 day pouch test (look it up on Google) that some folks have used to get back on track, with some sucess. It doesn't cost anything and seems to work. Good luck and I hope you get where you want to go.

I was told, broth, Popsicles, sugar free jello and pudding, tea, protein powder drinks made with water (yuck) and sugar free, noncarbinated drinks were fine. I lost about 25 lbs. on that stuff. It wasn't very enjoyable but the doctor seemed happy with it. You're going to have to do lots of things you won't especially like, but in the long run it'll be worth it.

Hydrocodone is great for relieving pain, but you might try Tylenol now that the worst is over. It's the only OC pain reliever we're supposed to take. You might try Vitamin B12 sublingual (under the tongue) for unusual fatigue. It sure helped me. Don't try to do too much for a while, let your body heal. Best of luck, hang in there.

Hi Dan, it looks like you have a good surgeon and a good hospital so you'll probably have a easy time of it. Everyone undergoing this type of an operation is nervous to some degree You'll go into the prep room, be wheeled into the OR, everyone says hello and you wake up in the recovery room. It's just that easy. You'll have a bit of a sore throat from the intubation tube, but it goes away in a few days. Be sure to take PJs and slippers unless you want to walk down the hall with your butt showing. They'll have you up and walking a short while after you wake up. It prevents blood clots. I had no pain and went for a 2 mile walk the day after my release. Next year you'll be a hundred pounds lighter. Can't beat a deal like that. Good luck.

One of the members of this group announced, yesterday that she had lost 150 lbs. May others have lost 100 or more lbs. I've only been at this 5 weeks and have lost almost 50 lbs. I don't know anyone that underwent this surgery that wasn't at least a little nervous, but it isn't very difficult at all. I went into the prep room. laid on a bed, they wheeled me into the OR everyone said hello and I woke up in the recovery room, Just that easy. Relax, it's a snap. Good luck.

There's a whole section here on shakes. I like Costco's vanilla shake powder with peaches and mangos, but I'd think you could just experiment, put stuff you like in there, that's what we do.

You knew the band journey wasn't going to be easy, and this is just another obstacle. In the long run, you're responsible for everything that goes into your mouth. many of our spouses have a little insecurity, but we can't let that ruin our weight loss. My wife is an excellent cook and she brings some delicious things to eat, but it's up to me what I eat or don't eat. I don't mean to be harsh, but my telling you how sorry I feel for you isn't going to do the least bit of good. In the end, we're all in charge of our own bodies and what we end up weighing is up to us. Be strong, hold your head up and do what's best for you.

I can tell you what I was told. Your weight loss was probably just water because you were filled up for surgery to prevent dehydration. Your shoulder pain may be gas from surgery, and constipation is usually caused by not enough water in your diet at this stage. If you're taking your vitamins, your diet will give you enough nutrition and the lightheadedness is just your body healing. If you're feeling more fatigue than you think you should be, I was told to place a vitamin B12 tablet under my tongue (sublingual), You really should be following your diet. I know it's hard, but you need to heal and that takes a month, or so. If you really think your doctor doesn't know what he's talking about, maybe you need to talk to someone else. I know this seem harsh, but give yourself a chance. Of course chicken tastes better than protein shakes. but you could easily damage your new surgery, so please, for your own sake, go back to your diet and I hope you make a success of this, it's really up to you. Best of luck.

About two weeks, but I was pretty hungry for those two weeks!

Take your slippers, the little booties they give you don't stay on, and be sure to take your PJs. You don't want to be walking down the hallway with your IV stand, holding your gown closed in the back with your other hand, and above all relax, it's not that bad.

Stacie, almost all of us felt that way to some degree. You'll probably be tired to some extent, for two or three weeks. Try not to be too upset by it, it's normal. It does get much better. Just wait until you have to start buying smaller clothes, I guarantee it'll be worth it then. If you feel the fatigue is more than it should be, my nutritionist recommended a vitamin B12 tablet, dissolved under the tongue (sublingual). Give it all some time and Good luck.

Sorry, maybe the Lions? 5-0!

Chicken bouillon helped a lot, jello is a clear liquid, sugar free Popsicles work, tea is OK and crystal lite is good. You seem to have a good surgeon and things should go fine for you, Best of luck. Oh, don't forget your slippers and PJs and maybe some Chapstick.

My surgeon recommended vitamin B12 under the tongue (sublingual) for unusual fatigue. I took me about three weeks to get over surgery completely, don't try to do too much before you're healed. It does take time.

Cream of wheat, steel cut oats or any low sugar grain cereal will work. Tuna or almost any fish is OK. If you're on liquids, I got to like Costco protein powder with skim milk and mixed with an immersion blender and their chicken bouillon powder (I mixed protein isolate in it). There are a lot of other ideas here that make things a little easier.

I'll have to agree that you probably aren't ready for any weight loss surgery if you really feel that way. One thing to consider though, you probably don't have too much time before health problems begin, and you're young enough now that your skin may shrink back to it's original size if you lose weight soon. Granted your life style will definitely have to change. You probably should do as much research as you can, there's a lot of information available and try to make as informed a decision as you can and I hope you find what you want and best of luck to you.

You should probably speak to your doctor or nutritionist, but I've had a beer with dinner. The only problem is that the alcohol seems to affect me a lot faster than before surgery. Allow for the faster buzz and you'll probably be OK, and make sure to have a sober driver.

I've been banded a little over a month and can honestly say it was one of the best things I've ever done for my health. I only wish I'd done twenty years ago. It's the safest WLS, fewest complications and about the same weight loss after a year or two. My doctor directed me to a Center of Excellence and I had a great experience, excellent surgeon and a terrific staff. You need to do a little research, find a hospital with a good program and you're sure to have a good experience. After surgery, weight loss isn't automatic, you still have to work at it, but the band makes it much easier. Best of luck and I hope it all works out for you.

Congrats Cindy, couldn't happen to a better person.

Many of the negatives you've read are based on a study done in 1997 in Europe with a band substantially different than that used today. The Lap band does take a bit of discipline, but it makes the effort much easier. I've only been banded a little over a month, but my appetite is much less than it was before surgery. Other WLS surgeries cause faster weight loss initially, but after a year or two, they are about equal. What ever you decide, best of luck.

This whole adventure will be a test of your willpower. It gets a little easier, but will always be a test, but at this time next year it will all have been worth it.

I spent two weeks starving to death. There wasn't anything easy about it. I ate a lot of popsicles, chicken bouillon, Costco protein shakes and all of a sudden I was 25 lbs. lighter. My wife had me write down everything I put in my mouth, which kept me from eating anything other than what I was suppose to. There's no easy way to do it, but It'll be worth it in the long run. Best of luck.

I hate to speculate on things like that, but my port site was sensitive to touch for a few weeks. I'd try to keep things off it as much as possible and just watch for any signs of infection (not likely) you'll probably be fine in a week or two. you might try a cold compress, good luck.