thebandedman

Hi, I had a two week liquid diet before surgery and was off from work for a week after surgery. I can work from home so I did that the second week after surgery. I had minimal pain after surgery and my recovery has gone well. I get to start back on solid foods in one day. Select a good surgeon, a center of excellence facility if possible, follow the instructions given to you and you should be fine. I have a blog and posts on YouTube you can check for details about my experience. Good luck to you. TBM

I was not hungry for days after surgery. On the 4th day the shoulder pain increased and on the 5th day the shoulder pain was at its worst. Rest, take your meds, heating pad on the shoulder helped me a bunch. In a few days you will be feeling better but still take it easy and heal. TBM

Hmmmm I can't click on my ticker to update it like before. Wonder if it's me or something associated with the website change. TBM

I had a fasting blood sugar of 98 this morning without any diabetic medicine. A great NSV for me. TBM

I am very pleased with the results of my surgery on 10/25/2011 and I'm doing well. I just started my second week of blended/mushie food. Check out my blog and/or videos (see signature below) for information on my lapband experience. TBM

Speaking for myself I've lost weight many times only to gain it back plus a little extra. I had too many lifestyle diseases related to being overweight. I could no longer do the same thing expecting a different outcome. The lapband is the tool that will help me keep the weigh off so that all the effort of diet and exercise will not be wasted. I'm 3 weeks post-op and and feeling so good, I'm down 35 pounds, and can see my body shrinking and rearranging itself. My lifestyle diseases have gone away and/or in normal ranges now. The worst pain I had after surgery was shoulder pain and that lasted about a day and a half. I'm surprised each day by how little food it takes to keep my hunger under control and that I don't have to eat my entire serving at each meal to feel satisfied. I hope me and the the other bandsters have long term success with the lapband. If you decide to get a lapband find a good doctor, a center of excellence facility, and follow your doctor's instructions. TBM

Good luck with your surgery and recovery. TBM

So far my mushie diet includes: Tuna salad chicken Salad (homemade from boiled chicken) Ground Gyro meat and Tzaziki Sauce (homemade meat, then food processor it, homemade sauce) Ground Beef with Pasta sauce or salsa (cook 90/10 ground beef then food processor it) Cream of Wheat Scrambled egg Grapefruit (peeled, membrane removed, puree) Cottage cheese with Diced Pears Peanut Butter Vegetables (incorporated into the Tuna Salad, Chicken Salad, added to the Gyro and Ground Beef) The above keeps me full and gives me some variety. Just remember to keep it moist and mushie, not to dry. TBM

Hi Matt, I posted a video on YouTube about by post-op prep, check it out. I also suggest getting a heating pad, it made my shoulder feel much better. TBM

I have nice pair of dress shoes I bought this summer and they are too big now, they slip off my feet. Guess that's a NSV but will need to buy new shoes too . TBM

3 miles is great! I plan to start the couch to 5K program at the first of the year. I should be healed enough by then to bounce my stomach while jogging . Not to worry I'll have my compression shirt on when I jog. If all goes well I'll be ready to run a 5K in April. TBM

I was banded 10/25/2011 and I have lost 11 pounds. TBM

Congrats! TBM

I updated my medical directives and my will before surgery. I did not want any headaches for my wife in case something happened during surgery or immediately afterwards. Peace of mind on my part and of course I'm still here . It's good to have those documents in order when you have a family. TBM

Hi I have a blog and I'm also posting videos on YouTube. See the info for both in my signature. TBM

Excellent, be proud! TBM

Congrats, enjoy your victory . TBM

Take a breath and try to relax. Look over the documents the doctor's office gave you or ask a friend to help you look them over. Those documents should have up to six weeks of instructions on what to do, when to do it, what to eat, and when to eat it. Every doctor is different so you need to do what your doctor told you. A heating pad helps with the shoulder pain. TBM

Welcome to the Bandsters family. Make sure you have a heating pad and Gas-X strips at home to help with shoulder pain. TBM

My fourth day after surgery 10/29 was what I call Gassy Saturday. It was rough, I was expelling gas all day, my poor wife suffered. I think the dog and cat went into hiding. I was taking GAS-X strips and had the heating pad on my shoulder switched on high when I was in the recliner. The shoulder pain is wicked, I had almost no pain from the surgery. By bedtime I was worn down, wife said I looked like a hunchback. Saturday was the first time I took a full dose of my prescribed pain medicine so I could sleep. By some miracle the shoulder pain and other gas went away Sunday. Both returned Monday but at a lesser degree. So far this has been the only rough patch on my new lap band journey. Hope we all say goodbye to the shoulder pain sooner than later. Someone said doing arm circles helps but the heating pad was the best physical relief for me. Last resort is liquid tylenol or your pain medicine. TBM

My fourth day after surgery was what I call Gassy Saturday. It was rough, I was expelling gas all day, my poor wife suffered. I think the dog and cat went into hiding. I was taking GAS-X strips and had the heating pad on my shoulder switched on high when I was in the recliner. The shoulder pain is wicked, I had almost no pain from the surgery. By bedtime I was worn down, wife said I looked like a hunchback. Saturday was the first time I took a full dose of my prescribed pain medicine so I could sleep. By some miracle the shoulder pain and other gas went away Sunday. Both returned Monday but at a lesser degree. So far this has been the only rough patch on my new lap band journey. Hope we all say goodbye to the shoulder pain sooner than later. TBM

Hi, I was banded 10/25/11 and have been doing pretty good. I can walk a mile, sit, and stand without discomfort. I'm not very hungry. Getting about 600 calories a day, 70ish grams Protein a day average. Saturday I had lots of gas and the shoulder pain was intense. Heating pad and gas-x strips help but I ended up taking a dose of my pain med at bedtime. Lots of gas release today but the shoulder is pain free. Just follow you doctors instructions and you should be fine. TBM TheBandedMan is on YouTube

Excellent article. TBM

I was banded on the 25th and I've been feeling great. I prepared for surgery as best as I could and must of had a good doctor and surgical team. I've had a bit of shoulder gas pain but walking and gas-x strips seem to help a bunch. No pain from incisions and I try not to mess with them. If I do feel some tightness on my chest after sitting for a bit or napping I take half a dose of my pain medicine. I'm trying to get my Protein in but am not very hungry yet. A couple of sips or bites of Jello and I'm full. I hope the other new bandsters get to feeling better soon. TBM

I'm scheduled for surgery at 6:30 Tuesday morning. Excited and nervous at the same time. I plan to get to the gym after work today, pack my pre-op items, and confirm I have my post-op items in the house ready for use. I'm looking forward to having this tool to help me reach and maintain my goal weight. Best wishes to others having surgery this week . TBM