u4leigh

Ooooops sorry! I am having some awesome strawberry sugar free Jello right now, and it is every bit as tasty! I would tell a very close dear friend or relative the truth before saying it is ALL attributable to my change in habits... but most people wouldn't ask me any follow up questions after answering that I was low carbing and exercising. I also don't care if folks are gossiping about their curiosity as to whether or not I had WLS... If they are that kind of person, I'll bet they gossip even more when I fit in skinny jeans! Fortunately, for the folks who point blank as - "hey- heard you were out on leave for surgery... what happened... what's wrong?" (yep- some folks will go there), I just tell them I had a big whopping hiatal hernia repaired and follow with wondering if they want to hear about my last gyno visit as well!

When people compliment my hair color, I don't offer up which version of Miss Clairol it was. :-) I refuse to feel like a fraud, because I made the decision, had the surgery, paid for it, and am suffering through the changes that have to be made. I say I'm low carbing and moving more, and that's the truth! I am doing those things partly because I had this surgery and vowed to make it work. I know a few people who were banded and live on cake and ice cream, and no one is complimenting their weight loss!

I think my experience was surgeon-specific... and having expectations that someone who weighs much more than I do should have to start off the journey. At my one week follow-up, I had lost only 4.5lbs, and you'd think I'd been chugging maple syrup during those 7 days. I do not care to be compared to other patients, nor do I like being made out to be a liar of sorts... or told I shouldn't have bothered with the surgery if I didn't plan on changing. Heck - I went in there thinking "woo hoo! 4.5lbs and I only need to lose 50-60 total" and came out all kinds of upset and pee-o'ed. I worked through all of that though and am now down exactly 10lbs since surgery with my 3 week follow up tomorrow. Bring on the criticism doc... I can handle it, get my fill, and walk right back out. :-)

How was your recovery? I had a "huge" hiatal hernia as well, but was walking around driving, etc, in about 3 days. My surgery was on a Monday and I was back at work the following week. The only problem was with the referred pain from the abdomen full of gas and anesthesia, which is worse than with band alone, simply because you are out a good deal longer, etc. My serious nausea only lasted a day or two. How soon did you go back to work? Working from home on day three and back to the office 1 week. Do you follow a low carb diet? I am a full fledged low-carber... and swear by the science... incidentally, I am a scientist :-) Have you had to have any fills in your band? my first fill tomorrow morning! 2/17 first fill... surgery 1/23... it seems a little quick... How is your hunger level? I don't count calories (calories supplied by carbs vs Protein vs fat are used differently, so total calories in and total calories used/out isn't actually physiologically true, but I'd estimate 1000-1200/day). I won't lie - I am hungry, but even with a BMI on the lower end of WLS eligible, I was a BIG eater before... I'm learning to deal with it. I did not previously drink much water/beverage throughout the day, but since I've adopted the habit with sugar free drinks like Crystal Light, I find I'm not really hungry between planned meals as much. How much can you eat before you feel "full" a typical meal for me right now on soft foods is an egg, mixed with a tiny bit of cream, whipped together, add a little feta (garlic/herb), and fry like an omelette. That's pretty satisfying. For lunch today I had two slices of deli turkey meat with a little mustard and a string cheese. My biggest problem is wanting to drink right after eating, which I have experienced is a BIG TIME NO NO!

Way to go! I never thought being so "normal" would sound so appealing!

After the liquid and mushy stages, avoid sloppy foods like ice cream and mashed potatoes and gravy and tasty tidbits like chocolate candies and frosting. They go through too easily and aren't nearly as rewarding as seeing an extra pound come off on the scale. You can cheat the band, purposely or without realizing it!

I have good health insurance but didn't qualify, so I self paid. If you belong to a credit union, see about a line of credit you can borrow and make payments on... I took out a title loan at my credit union against the suv I owned outright and received a very low rate, just like financing the truck all over again. So now it's like I have a car payment for my WLS. If you don't belong to one, joining one is very simple these days.

Way to go! I haven't been burping, but I have the strangest hiccups that appear out of nowhere, and they don't seem to be related to when I ate or drank something. I haven't started back on veggies or anything like that yet. I believe I read somewhere it was more common due to the small stomach pouch being full. I sure don't feel full, but I feel a big hiccup like I was hit by a truck!

Haha! That's pretty funny! We ARE the losing team! Congrats on beginning your journey. Just rest and stay hydrated for now!

liquid benedryl actually helps a bit with settling your stomach the first few days... phenergan is a life saver, and I suspect your doc will give you a few or Rx to go home with. You'll have to crush them, but mix with a little sugar free fruit drink, and it's no problem. I mowed through some sugar free popcicles and like the EAS Advantage rich dark chocolate shake ~$5 for 4 at most groceries and Target. When tired of sweet/fruity, I had some beef consomme or salty chicken broth. Sugar free Jello is a life saver. I'm going to admit it... I even made tiny jello shot cups with my liquid lortab. I graduated from college almost 15 years ago, but it was still pretty fun! My surgery was gastric plication and lap band, so I was under for a while, and the gas pain was a killer! It's a referred pain in the shoulders area, since it's coming from near your upper stomach and diaphragm after your abdomen was full of gas. It's the same principal as your left arm hurting when you're having a heart attack. I went back/forth between walking around the house and curling up under a big pile of blankets. I kept a damp cloth near for nausea which seemed to help knock it out quickly. Keep sipping something even if you're not thirsty or don't want anything. I was home alone for the first few days but my bff kept texting drink and meds and walk reminders. It actually helped that someone remembered I was alive but suffering, even if I wanted to throw the phone every time it woke me up!

I only went down 2.5 in the first week, and I had plication on top of being banded! Don't even think about the weight loss for a few weeks, and BAM! It WILL start to happen! liquids doesn't necessarily mean weight loss... right now you're doing it to heal! take care!

I had a lap band and plication surgery on 1/23/2012. During my pre-op appointment, I was 196lbs and 194 the day of surgery. When I went for my 1wk check-up, I was still 191.5lbs and was completely admonished, as if I should never have wasted the time/money on the surgery. It was horrible! The surgeon suggested it was not possible that I could have lost only 4.5lbs and that I must be consuming tons of sugary drinks. Truthfully, I cheated once with some ice cream, on one day. Other than that I had liquids only and fewer than 30g carbs per day. Due to the plication, it just was not possible that I could really have eaten yet. It's now day 19, and I'm 189.6lbs. I have had only low carb protein shakes (110-160 calories each), some string cheese, egg omelettes w/ cheese, and soft lean meats. Regardless, I feel incredibly hungry, all the time. It's horrible! I don't even want to go for my next appointment on 2/17/12 for the first fill, because I haven't lost any weight! I actually lost way more weight pre-op (Jan 4 - Jan 23 I lost 10lbs). The surgeon told me the other patient who had surgery the same day as me had lost 22lbs and that I should have lost at least 15lbs... by the first appointment? I completely subscribe to his insistance that low carb is the way to lose, but I'm miserable, and the scale isn't moving. I've written down everything to look for hidden carbs/calories, but I was writing down my intake prior to heading into this adventure, and I am taking in only 20-30% as much as i was before coming up with the hairbrain idea to have WLS and pay for it, etc. Help? I think I've made a huge mistake...

Nice to see posts from folks who are doing so great! Maybe I need a ticker - everyone's is inspiring the way the little icons are shifted to the right direction! I have been trying to view myself through the eyes of the surgeon and not just consider him an arse based on my first few contacts. Having been a self-pay patient, I sailed right through... pretty much showed up, got on a scale, started scheduling appointments. Of course he spent a good amount of time with me during the first visit, but it was relatively rehearsed, and I likely tuned out. My other two meetings were in groups, which I guess has benefits, or not. I've seen/heard other sing the praises of this doctor, but each patient does need to be treated independently. The only baggage I'm carrying is shaped like a doughnut around my midsection that I'm going to shrink! I would encourage all newbies to take a turn at this forum. I never realized how supportive a web group could be, and didn't sign up until after my surgery was done, although I had poked around reading posts for a while.

@ readytogoforit - I too seem to obsess about not getting enough return on my investment, when it seems I am being soooo good compared to my previous eating habits! Your progress looks great though - more than halfway there!!!

Make yourself your number one priority! I even had friends and relatives question my decision, simply because, "you won't be able to have nachos and beer and ice cream"... as if that makes for a healthy meal! I love food, and have even planned whole vacations around eating, so now I've turned that into figuring out what kind of incredibly tasty things I can have in small amounts. When I do return to going out with friends or having meals with relatives, I'm looking forward to some compliments on my new look! They don't have to walk around in my body. I hope to be able to sip wine and munch on small tasty things while others enjoy stuffing themselves, not change my habits to rabbit food! It's almost like an adventure in tapas!

I am only 3 weeks banded and do not have any restriction issues with liquids... can easily drink the 11oz packaged protein shakes. I only had trouble the first few days due to the gas from surgery, and now I actually feel much better if I have several 8-12oz drinks (all sugar free or protein shakes that are low carb) per day in addition to one small meal. It's great that you want to drink water, to stay hydrated, and it also helps you feel less hungry. I also like sugar free popcicles and jello to feel like I've had something and shouldn't be hungry.

getting your liver ready is all about removing the stored sugars in the liver that hold onto water and keep your liver fatty... as long as you follow the rules and stay away from high carb foods, your liver will be fine!

you're doing great! keep it up! Maybe you could convince him to try to be a little more low-carb around the house... That might help you stay away from sweets at least...

Thanks for the truth and a few laughs! How true it is that I didn't get fat overnight! One benefit to being a slow loser, no one really suspects I had weight loss surgery! Good points as well regarding my salt intake, and I could pick up the pace with my walking! I have to keep my cool with the doc regarding his demeaning attitude, as I could get totally lose my temper, which is even bigger than my muffin top! It's very good to know there are folks having different kinds of struggles, but in a better mood today, I hope to keep reading here and finding people having success over time. I'm going to start thinking in terms of percent of my extra weight lost, instead of numbers of pounds or total body percent. Scientific studies always present the data in terms of EWL... if I need to lose 70lbs, 7lbs is 10% of it, and darn good!

Thanks so much! It's the plication aspect (stomach reduced in size by 85%) that is supposedly why I should have lost so much in the first 2 to 3 weeks, but I simply have not. Good for you for not having too much fill... if I had decent will power, I would have chosen band only. Thanks again!

I had the band and plication on Jan 23, 2012, and it was my first procedure... not a revision or new LWS. So far, though, I've been really disappointed.

I was self-pay in Northeast Florida and was able to get a loan from my credit union to pay... the entire total was $14,200...