Tamie2169

Hi, My doctor had me on an all Protein diet about 10 days prior to surgery. So any meat I wanted, eggs, some cheese, sugar free jellos/puddings and popsicles, and all the Protein drinks I could get down. I didn't starve by any means and the only time I was on liquids was for a week after surgery. I only have 75 lbs to lose and have lost approximately 15 in the first 3 weeks after surgery. (Don't expect to lose a whole lot, if any the 6 weeks you are out of surgery. This is a time for healing and NOT concentrating on losing weight in the least. I was happy to lose some, but I'm not obessed about it yet. I only know I've lost because when I went for my 2nd week post-op appointment I got on their scale and was down!) I agree that each doctor is different and I've seen a lot of people say they were on nothing but liquids for two weeks prior and then two weeks after surgery. To be honest I am so glad that I did NOT have to do that as well. I think sometimes it has to do with the amount of weight everyone has to lose too. Since we are below the 100 lbs to lose, then maybe that's why they don't want us to lose a ton before the surgery? I don't know, and I haven't asked the surgeon. I was banded on September 1st and am doing quite well now. Did have a few issues that first week with horrible gas pains and neck and shoulder pain as well. Am on regular foods 3 weeks out and not having any issues, nor is there any restriction what so ever. I just make sure that I am eating healthy foods and making good choices and watching the portions that I eat. Sometimes I do feel real hungry and then I make sure I go get some Water to drink because it's been hard to get the full amount of liquids that they wanted (64 ounces a day) Just remember to ask your doctors lots and lots of questions. When you're done with the surgery and you're at home recovering and think of more questions call the doctor. They are paid to answer your questions and to put your mind at ease. Do not just sit there and wonder, ask ask ask and get the answers. Good luck

I was told that coffee was fine but to make it decaf, because the goal was to get rid of all caffeinated drinks, period. I like the taste of coffee and never used it for the caffeine anyway, so having decaf was what I already drank so it was no big deal. But I've heard that when you give up caffeine you can have horrible headaches and stuff so watch out. I don't drink caffeine and haven't in several years so that was never the issue for me. So, good luck and go have your decaf coffee!

I was told NOT to use a straw, period. It can cause gas issues, so stop using one if you are. What you should really be doing is calling and speaking with your doctor or nutritionist. Tell them what is happening and how you feel. They might better explain why they want you on liquids longer, or release you to go ahead on the pureed foods that you are already eating. I called my doctor when I was 6 days out of surgery and was told to go ahead and bump up my food time table and onto pureed foods I went one day early. To be perfectly honest on day 5 I felt horribly hungry, stomach was growling on and off all day long and I was grumpier than all get out! My husband asked me what my problem was and I told him that I honestly felt like I could've eaten a horse! He reminded me of what the doctor said and told me to call them the next day if it was still happening. It was the best advise I had gotten, and so everytime I have a question.....no matter how small.....I call the doctor's office and bug the heck out of them. That's what you paid for, so do it!

My pre-op diet was pure protein anything (any meat), protein shakes, sugar free jello/puddings, and sugar free popsicles. Usually your doctor gives you a list of what and when you can eat after the surgery. For me the first week after surgery was protein shakes, the sugar free items mentioned above, plus clear broths such as chicken broth, vegetable broth, and beef broth. The 2nd week was pureed foods, so soups that you can puree in a blender, scrambled eggs mashed real well, vegetable juices, fruit juices, apple sauce (not sweetened), oatmeal, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams (all mashed well or blended), low fat cottage cheese, yogurt, blended meats (tuna, fish, chicken, hamburger), and baby foods stages 1 or 2. The 3rd week was soft foods, so no more blending of items and could add soft fruits, steamed vegetables. By the 4th week it's back to normal foods but make sure you are only eating 3 oz of protein (with EVERY meal) and about a cup of vegables, having some fruit for snacks inbetween my meals. I've only really been about able to eat only a cup of food all together, not a cup of vegetables at all. I do try and get some fruit in there at some point during the day. And I'm still having issues with getting in all the protein that is recommended. Sometimes I'd just rather eat the vegetables and not any protein at all, but I guess that's not good for ya and you need the protein to help with the healing process and for weight loss and feeling full and such. Still working the program, and just following the doctors orders. See your nutritionalist and they should be able to give you a list and helpful guidelines on what to follow for after surgery. I've seen so many different posts out here, but the best bet is just to follow the doctors orders and go from there. Good luck

Hi, Every person is different for when they start to feel better. I slept propted up for 3 days and then slowly laid in a more normal position and the next week went by. By the end of the second week I almost felt NORMAL, as in before I had the surgery. No pain in any incision, could eat anything I wanted but in very small portions. Just make sure that you walk and walk and walk because that really does the trick for the gas issues. Good luck and you'll feel better quicker than you think

My doctor told me 3 oz for the protein, and then 1 cup for the vegetables.....Not to weigh any of the food. Was told this should be able what I eat until I get down to maintenance and then it will go up some but not much.

I'm surprised your doctor has not told you that the 6 weeks after your surgery is NOT for losing weight. You should NOT get on the scale, and just try to relax and heal. I was banded on September 1st. Yes, I have lost some weight, but it finally stopped. I am on soft foods and finally can eat pretty much anything I want, but am getting fuller way faster than ever before. When I saw the doctor and nutritionalists they both said this time is NOT to focus on losing weight in the least, and that some people even gain some weight during this period, especially when you go back onto regular foods. Both of them said to concentrate on listening to my body, paying attention to the signals of feeling full, to eat healthy foods and not junk, start exercising (only 30-45 minutes and can only lift up to 20 lbs for the next 4 weeks + doctor said to only exercise 3-4 times a week and no more) Healthy food and exericse and health is what this time if for, and time for the body to re-adjust and get ready for the weight loss to come. Good luck and stop driving yourself NUTS

I was banded on September 1st. I only had one week pre-op protein diet. Now it's day 14 and I do feel better. Heading on to soft foods this week. Did pureed foods last week, so I really glad to be starting to eat more regular foods. I have had some horrible neck and shoulder pain, and the doctor does feel that it was brought on by either too much liquid or too cold liquid, so beware out there that when they sip all day long, that is exactly what they mean. No chug a lug going on, just sip sip sip. I'm finally starting to actually feel hungry and food is starting to taste better. Little did I know that by being banded it can change the way food tastes. The gas is still an issue. And I'm not talking about the gas from the surgery itself, but just plain body gas. All I do, all day long is either pass gas, or burp and burp and burp. I sure do hope that goes away soon! I know I'm not getting near enough protein or liquids in. The doctor recommended that I get at least 60 grams of protein a day with 64 ounces of water a day. I don't think I've gotten but about 30 ounces of water down, and maybe only around 30 or so for the protein as well. The protein shakes were a problem and they tasted horrible. I got the protein shakes from the doctors office because they recommended them because they have 20 grams of protein but also 6 grames of fiber per serving. It was flavorless powder and they told me I could add any suger free product to the shake to make any flavor I wanted. However, anything really cold and the shoulder and neck pain rear it's ugly head!! I ended up in the ER because the pain was so horrible that I couldn't breath or talk or anything other than experience this horrible pain. It finally went away, after they ran test after test and said nothing was wrong. Doctor stated it was probably the Vagus nerve acting up from either all the gas, muscle spasms from the stomache that cause the band to rub that nerve and cause the pain to be on the left shoulder and neck. Believe me I do NOT want tha pain again, and do everything I can to make sure it does not happen. I only eat about every 4-5 hours because if I try and eat any sooner the pain comes back. I am losing weight, and am happy about that, but do realize that the first 6 weeks are for healing and NOT losing weight. If I continue to lose weight then great, and wonderful but that's not my first goal at this point. My first goal is to make sure that my incisions are healing nicely and I can start to eat more regular foods without any issues. I am going to my doctors today and hopefully will be cleared to start back to the gym. Now that would be great, and walking on the treadmill is going to really help with the issues of having no energy at all! Most days I feel like I coul take a nap in the middle of the day, and if it wasn't for the fact that I work a mid-day shift I would take a nap too.

I originally had scheduled to be off 5 days for the surgery. It was performed on Thursday September 1st, and I was going to go back into work the next Wednesday. However, when I went into work on Wednesday I felt horrible, which was a little strange considering the day before I had felt fine. I work in an office and just sit at a desk all day long. I ended up in the ER for the horrible neck and shoulder pain that just showed up out of the blue the day I went back to work. Doctor said that I could've been pushing it with trying to drink too much or something. So I really ended up being off 7 days before I went back to work my saturday shift and then I was off for my weekend of 2 days. (I'm off on Sunday's and Mondays.) I know that everyone is different, so really you should just learn to listen to your own body. But walking is the key, walk and walk and walk as much as you can. And for you women out there, walking with your bra on can be a challenge. That very small camera incision was right on the bra line so everytime I put on that darn thing on it drives me crazy! It just rubs on that and it does not feel pleasant. Doctor told me to put a bandaid to help the bra not rub on it so much. Gas X that dissolves on your tongue was only slightly helpful, it was the walking that was the key!

I'm going in for my first post-op today. It's been officially two weeks since I had the surgery. I am now starting on regular foods as of today, but to be honest am a little afrid to eat regular considering everytime I try to eat anything substantial I get horrible neck and shoulder pain. UGH, but I'm trying to be careful and only eating 1/2 a cup of food every 4-5 hours is the only way to NOT get the neck and back pain for me. It was great to hear the wonderful news for you. I am hoping my doctors releases me to go to the gym, even if it's to just walk on the treadmill so I can start doing some exercise a bit. That would be wonderful news for me.

I was told you absolutely can NOT be on birth control 4 weeks out of surgery. The reason I was told to stay off of birth control was because it can cause issues with blood clotting for the surgery. I was told it would be fine to resume the birth control pills as soon as the surgery was over and I started my period. I am only 2 weeks out of surgery and just started back on the birth control pills. Also, I was told by my doctor that a lot of women get pregnant either before or right after the surgery because they don't take enough precautions with birth control when they have sex. I was told that if I wanted to have sex before the birth control pills are back in my system for over a month to make sure my husband wore a condom everytime, PERIOD! I know that you are wanting to get pregnant, but aren't you going to wait until some of the weight comes off? Why are you having surgery if you are trying and planning on getting pregnant any time soon? If I would've told that to my doctor he would NOT have done the surgery. The surgery is for us to get control of our weight and get down to a healthy BMI and weight for us, not to try and have a child right away. Maybe you should rethink the whole idea of having a child anytime soon and just concentrate on one thing at a time!

Wow, I was surprised to hear about all the liquid pre-op diets out there. My doctor put me on an all protein diet. Meaning eat all the meat I wanted and protein shakes and nothing else. Of I forgot, he told me I could eat eggs too. So I would eat eggs for breakfast, and meat and protein shakes all day long. I was only on this about 9 days before surgery. I did not have to go on a all day liquid diet the day before the surgery. I know the diet is to help your liver shrink and be ready for the surgery. I had the surgery done on September 1st and am currently eating only pureed foods. Starting tomorrow I get to start ground meats like finely cooked and chopped beefs and poultry with soft fruits and wholy cooked vegetables as well. I am highly looking forward to some of those foods tomorrow. The pureed foods is for the birds and I had to go OFF the protein shakes the first week after surgery because they were causing way too much gas! It was horrible. Walk, wak, walk after surgery and make sure you sleep as much as possible to gain your strength back. I still feel very tired all day long and it's been almost 2 weeks since the surgey was performed!!

I was told by my doctor that the first 6 weeks after surgery are for healing period, NOT weight loss. If I lose some then (which I have) then that's great, but not to expect anything at all or even to gain a few before my first fill. I'm not worried about the weight, just worried about not getting any shoulder or neck pain. I've had it twice and the first time it was so bad that I ended up in the ER for it. NEVER again do I want that pain. Remember this is a journey, not a race. I am in it for the long hall, not the short term goal of losing it so fast that my skin hangs on me! I'll be happy to lose 30 lbs by Christmas and be a happy camper for it. I have yet to be released for the gym, but am hoping to be released for the gym tomorrow when I see my doctor. Just try and do the best you can and the weight will come off when you are eating healthy foods!

Hi, I was just wondering what the average amount of food is that you eat after being banded? I've been told by my doctor that you can only eat about 1/2 a cup of food at one time and not to try and eat anymore than that. Ok, if that's the case how in the world do you get in enough calories, Protein and such during the day? I've been only able to eat about every 4-5 hours, not ever 3 that they are recommending. The gas is still an issue and causing problems with left shoulder and neck pain. If I try and eat anything more or more frequently the pain is so intense that I can't stand it. Yet, I've read about how you guys are eating all kinds of foods and no problem. How much of this food are you eating? 3 bites and you're done? I thought the band was a tool to help us control our portions, not to make it where you couldn't eat food period! I'm a little concerned on what is happening to my body and being so darn tired all day long! I feel like I could crawl back into bed everytime I get out of it!

Thanks for all the advice guys. I do have an appointment to see my doctor this coming wednesday. I am going to ask about the 1/2 cup rule that he has in all his paperwork that he gave me. I just thought it was a little strange to say only eat 1/2 cup of food for 3 meals a day and nothing else. I couldn't imagine getting enough of anything with that small a portion. But I have to admit, when I tried to eat a little more than 1/2 a cup I found out that left should and neck pain to flair it's ugly HEAD! I was not happy about that and the doctor said I probably ate too much and needed to stop what I was doing! I absolutely know that I am not getting anywhere near the 60 grams of protein, let along hardly any water at all. The protein shakes are a problem since they give me horrible gas and I"m not sure if it's because of the milk or not! The doctor told me to lay off the protein shakes and try to get my protein in through other means. However, I am only on pureed foods so its hard to get 60 grams of protein unless I eat only yogurt and cottage cheese all day long. Not something I'd like to continue for 4 more days. I was hopeing for a little bit more of a variety by now! UGH....sorry I do realize that I sound like I'm complainging. I am continuining to lose weight, and I like this but not the way it feels like I'm losing it through starvation and wonder what is going to happen when and if I actually get to eat regular again! OH boy.

I was banded on September 1st. Told to wait 3 days to take a shower. My incisions were taped and I too stood under the shower primarily with my back to the Water. The doctor said do NOT scrub the incisions just gently wash the stomach area with a little bit of soap and water and then pat dry. The most important things was to make sure that I did look at the incisions a lot to make sure they are healing properly. It has been over a week now and I still have the tape on my incisions, even though it is starting to come off. I'm not really worried about it. I felt great when I take a shower, but was concerned about facing the spray for I didn't want to put undue pressue or anything on my incisions. I've only faced the water once and feel kind of wierd when the water hits my stomach area. I'm sure it will get better, but don't worry you'll feel great that you can clean up and feel a bit normal again

Hi everyone. I was banded a little over a week ago. I was told to make sure that I try and get at least 60 grams of protein a day, and to primarily do this with the protein shakes. I find that the protein shakes are giving me a LOT of gas, which in turns is causing other issues like intense shoulder and neck pain. Is there any other ideas on how to get all this protein in? I am only on pureed foods, but I did notice that 1/2 cup of cottage cheese has about 15 grams of protein in it. I guess I could be eating that all day long. Does anyone else have any ideas for me? Is anyone else finding that the protein shakes are causing issues too? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Well interesting idea. I never though of adding the cottage cheese to the soups and blending them together. I might do that tomorrow and see how it goes. Thanks for the advice.

Im only one and a half week out of surgery. I have already had 2 horribly, painful days where the left shoulder and neck pain was so bad that my doctor suggested going to the ER. Went to the ER and they ran all kinds of tests. Said everything was normal and nothing wrong with me. When I saw the doctor the very next day he did state that the pain usually does happen from either too much gas in the stomach causing squeezing and issues where the band gets moved around a lot, or eating too much which can cause the band to be placed in stress rubbing again or hitting that nere that is extremely close to where the bad is located. The doctor checked my port and made sure that there was absolutely NO air or saline in my band. In less than 2 days after seeing the doctor I've had severe pain again today. I was at work, again when it happened. I had only had a yogurt for breakfast, half a banana about 3 hours later, and then oatmeal about 2 hours after that. I had NOT had anything to drink and the pain started an HOUR after I had eaten the oatmeal. I have been in pain all afternoon and was AFRAID to eat or drink anything. Finally I did have about a 1/2 cup of vegetable soup (pureed) and a tiny swallow of water. I am terrified of that PAIN and do NOT want it to show its ugly head again. The doctor did tell me that it should not last more than 30-45 minutes at a time (try 6 hours today!), and that it should only happen in the early stages of recovery. It should NOT be a common occurance and to let him know what was happening. I have my post-op appointment with my doctor scheduled this coming wednesday and I am going to be very proactive about this issue. For now I know that I am not eating enough, getting enough protein (maybe 30 grams a day if that) and am very concerned that if I eat or drink hardly anything at all the pain starts back up. I have no idea on what to do about this issue! Any ideas out there fellow bandsters?

I was at work yesterday when the pain showed up out of the blue. I was just sitting at my desk, talking on the phone, when I felt like the most horrible pain was raidiating up my left shoulder and neck area. I tried to rub it away, but it kept getting worse. It was HORRIBLE . I had not eaten or had anything to drink in about an hour and a half when it started. It lasted approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes of the most intense pain immaginable. I did call my doctor. He told me to go to the ER and have it checked out. Went, and they found absolulutely nothing wrong. They ran test after test and made me feel as if te pain was in my head. I read that this pain should be taken seriously and not like it's just some kind of issue with the band. That we should speak up each and everytime it happens to our doctors, because it should NOT be happeing all the time. I am going to call my doctor again and ask the what the issue is. I do NOT want to feel that ever again, and hope it never returns.

My doctor told me to bring my blood pressure cuff and my breathing tool, which he gave me at his office. (sorry can't remember the proper terminology for the breathing item) Since you won't be at the hospital for long, just don't worry because I'm sure you'll do your best. Wear clothes that are NOT tight and can be slipped on and off. Other than that, you'll be fine. Good luck

I'm only one week out and all of the sudden should pain last night, which so happens was the first night of eating pureed foods. I thought, oh my this can NOT be happening. I am not sure what to do either and will be calling my doctor to see what or if there is anything to do about it. Everything I've read on this site just mentions that usually it means you are too full of what you just ate. Yesterday was the first time I felt full after eating and finally the gas was stopping. Now I'm really worried because I do NOT want that pain back. It sure did make it hard to sleep. I will definitely let you know what my doctor says today.

I was banded on Septembe 1st. I totally expected the issuues of feeling somewhat bloated and gassey, but really I feel that all I do all day long is burp and pass gas. When is this going to stop? And what about the diarrhea? I swear I sit on the toilet for hours on end and feel so weak. I was going to go back to work today but felt so tired and just so full of gas I wondered how I could be around all my co-workers when I have to pass gas every 10 minutes, let alone the issues of running to the toilet every other minute! This is just not cool. Any advise out there? Will it be better when tomorrow I start eating blended foods? HELP!

Well I spoke with my doctor and he recommended the GAS X strips and have started them right away. He also told me to go ahead and start on the pureed foods, so I had a banana, oatmeal, and eggs (each several hours a part from each other). Now I'm having what I feel like is swelling in one foot and slightly up the calf, but not very far up at all. I wonder if it's from not being hydrated enough or something eles? UGH....sometimes it's down with one thing and then on to another. I will be calling the doctors first things in the morning if the leg is still feeling funny. This actually happened before the surgery as well, so that's why I don't think it's a clot, but one never knows. Any ideas out there?

I inject myself with insulin twice a day. Just stay away from your incisions and you should be fine.