jport1975

I am trying to stay at the three meal a day, half cup size per meal limit that my doctor gave me, but the past few days I have been eating more then that limit, or actually eating more then three times. I am not stuffing myself, but I am eating maybe four or five meals per day. The size of intake is between a half cup and and whole cup poer each meal, I am eating to be full, but I do get hungry faster between meals. I dont get my first fill until Tuesday and I just want to tell the doctor i NEED real restriction. Is this normal?

I have been eating everything. you just need to make sure you are chewing everythying very well.

Dana, I was just banded 2/12/07 by dr raja in san antonio. I am doing really well after surgery. If you look up "the wish center" on google you will get the number. It is now called "Bridges" but is still listed under it's old name in the directory.

Do some of you snack after having the surgery done? if so what kind of snack and what is the portion size that you usually do?

I have to admit I am having some adjustment issues right now. maybe you all can tell me if it gets easier. For starters, is "drymouth" every morning the way it is when you get banded? Is hydration always going to be as tough as it is right now or will it get easier? what happens when you work out and want to drink Water to cool off? Is sipping really going to help? I guess the drinking aspect is the biggest surprise to me after surgery - it is actually harder to adjust to (for me at least) rather than the eating. Oh, it's nearly two weeks since the surgery and my body has dropped at least 28 pounds - that's a lot faster than I expected - is this normal after the surgery?

I had a week off from my desk job. I can tell you it did take me most of the second week to get back into the swing of things. I would say to avoid the slowness and adjustment issues at work, just take two weeks so you can relax and heal.

It's amazing how different each person doctor is advising them. I was on liquids for one week, and on mushy foods the second week, I am on the third week and can now eat solid foods again. I feel for you. that liquid diet is tough.

I ask this becuase I work in an office with people who got this procedure done years before I did and I see them on occasion drinking soda. I understand that the carbonation can inflate your stomach and cause a lot of pressure, so how are these people able to do it?

travelgirl, yes I sleep on my back, i have sleep apnea so i tend to snore quite a bit. i have the C-Pap machine, but since I dropped so much weight it's like the setting is too high for me. It's is actually too much air for me know and I have to get the thing reset. I end up wakin up about two times a night because of the dry mouth.

Wow! I can't say that I can relate to that but atleast they are gong to remove it now. just think you will be THAT much healthier when it is done AND you are banded! I just got banded on 2/12 it it working out grreat so far for me. So from that aspect, keep your head up, it will work out for you too. Just think, you have waited THIS long, what's a few more days. Good luck and I hope it goes well for you.

I considered this for three years before i finally decided to do it. I went to a nutritionist as well and lost some weight, but whenever something slipped in my life, i went right back to my weight and then some. I have no regrets about the decision i made. i know i will lose weight. you really DON'T feel as hungry as you might think for eating such tiny portions. I can tell you I am still adjusting, but having lost so much weight in just two weeks my body feels a lot of energy. That's something that has been missing for some time now. Take your time and do whats right for you. When you're ready you will know it. Also, even after I decided i was going to do it, I still had questions about whether it was right or not. I thought it through and told myself that I was tired of trying to lose weight and failing, tired of being controlled by my stomach, tired of being too tired for my family and freinds, and most of all tired of being judged on sight by people because of my weight. All that is what finally got me to realize I NEEDED this. I wouldnt go back on my decision at all. so no regrets from me on this. Like I said, take your time, when you are ready you will know it.

I dont know about the time you need before flying back. but you should be prepared to feel a lot of pain right after you wake up. the good thing is it goes away as you move around. atleast for me it did. they asked me to breathe deep several times a day to keep the lungs open and to prevent fluid from collecting, you dont want to get pneumonia [sp?] after surgery so i would suggest you take time each hour to take in deep breathes. if you have to cough they advised me to hold a pillow to my abdomen to keep from push to hard and getting jolted by pain. oh and you might want to go to Walgreens and get one of those abdominal wraps (just in case they dont give you one at the hospital in mexico) it really help to keep things in place so you can walk easier the first few hours. also as far as airport security goes, you need a passport now to fly in and out of the us, even if you are a citizen, so make sure you have that. I don't know if they are still making people dump liquids at airport security (I think they changed that to allow liquids bought INSIDE the airport) but if they havent then your pain killer (liquid form) may not make it through if you get it from mexico. it would be best to get your pain med rx filled before you leave so you can take it as soon as you get home. same goes for your heparin injections, you will want them ready to go to avoid blood clots.

I just got banded on 2/12. I had the same worries and pain. the pain itself is from the cuts made to get in and place the band, it may not FEEL like the pain is near the cuts, but your body is basically healing the scar from each cut, it pulls and streches. you should be doing breathing excerises every hour, breathe in deep for a few times so it can stretch your scars out and keep your lungs stong.

good lord 64 oz.! I was told to do 48 oz per day...given i was a 64 oz drinker before hand, but WOW...well thank you. this will be much easier for me knowing i CAN drink liquids normally, the food part has not been to bad lately. three meals 4 oz, i can do it. i have only allowed myself a "snack" like three times since the surgery, but other than that i feel pretty good. thank.

How long does it take for liquid to pass through your stomach? and is 4 - 6 ounces really the limit if you are sipping? I was advised to sip 1 ounce for every 10 minutes. is this what most of you do? is it easier after restriction?

thanks, good to know. is there a time limit on how long after a meal it would be ok to drink normally? I mean I dont plan on chugging or anything like that, i just dont want to worry about pushing food through before it goes through on it's own.

Hydration is tyhe biggest surprise to me after surgery. I find myself staying very thristy despite sipping the whole day. not to mention in the morning i wake up with "dry mouth." a lot of the swelling has gone down already and i think i get my first fill tomorow. I just want to see what other people who have had this done are doing.

So what kind of meals should i prepare for myself as i move into the solid food stage? I mean 4 ounces is so little I can't even imagine the types of meals I will have. can someone give me examples of what I will be eating and the portion sizes for each?

here's another question in regard to meals. My surgeon says to eat 30 minutes after i drink and then wait to drink again 30 minutes after i eat. Is this the way it is for everyone or is that this surgeons advice?

I just noticed Kelsy was banded on the same day I was was. How is it coming along for you Kelsy? MyKdsDad, how longt ago did you get banded? How long did it take you to get down to 256?? you realy want to get down to 130!? WOW! I can't even imagine being that weight.

I have had a lot of air in my stomach since surgery, gas from surgery, gas from food, etc. I was worried about the pressure it was causing, of course after surgery it takes a while for the body to start functionning again, so i finally was able to belch - as weird as that sounds i figure somebody who has had this done to them would understand it. I figure most of the swelling from surgery has gone down and it is allowing some room for this. Can you tell will i feel more presuure after I get my first fill?

So you can actually expand your band from drinking carbonates? I guess that explains why they don't seem to have lost much more weight this past year.

I had three days of liquid diet before surgery. I was at 305 thursday before the surgery, by the time i go to the hospital for surgery i weighed 296, after surgery I had on week of liquid diet again, Proteins, diluted juices/milk, this week is baby food type of stuff, next week i go on regular foods again...i have to talk to the dietician to see what my diet should consist of and what kind of meals i can have at 4 ounces. So is the "gulping" of liquids a problem because of swallowing air, or is it for anotherr reason?