La_madam

I have not drank during a meal yet. I'm 1 month post op. What helps me best is when I sit down to eat I make sure I have no drink in front of me..when I want to drink and see no drink there it reminds me of why I'm not drinking during meals. I was told by my doctor no drinking 1/2 hour before or after a meal and no drinking during a meal. I do however water load between meals which helps me get my water in and fills me up.

Thanks Denise I will get those after my Flinstones run out...

I love my coffee butright after my surgery I had no desire for it at all. It took me atleast 2 weeks before I had the desire to want to drink it again. Now I dirnk 2 cups in the morning with some powder cream and 1 packet of splenda. As far as my Diet Pepsi, I used to drink 2 a day and I have not had any in a monh I have really learned to enjoy my Water ice cold , it fills me up between meals and it has done wonders for my complexion :cool: I was told by my doctor NO more carbination but I really do not miss it at all. I drink crystal light when I'm tired of the water it gives me a different taste but yet I'm still getting my water in. As far as Pre Op diet my doctor only roccomends it if you are over a certain weight or have over a certain BMI...I was fortunate to not have either so a pre op diet was not necessary for me. After my surgery for 3 weeks I live on Jello popsicles chicken broth water gatorade oranje juice with no pulp. I never thouight I would make it 3 weeks on liquids but I did and I am down 21 pounds in just a month most of the weight loss in the first 3 weeks. Michelle 4/6/04 Dr ortiz 265/244/160ish

I was on Clear Liquids for 3 weeks according to my doctor and his nutritionalist. I was allowed skim milk and day 8 and Protein drinks on day 10. I ate alot of Jello, popsicles and chicken broth. My doctor told me to do 2 chewable flinstone vitamims a day for my Vitamins. They taste good and work well for me. I was also told 60 grams of protein a day for a woman so I drank the Pure Protein Drinks in a can they have 35 grams of protein. I also drank the atkins advantage protein drinks they tasted best to me out of all of the ones I tried and the had 21 grams of proetine I believe. Congratulations on your band I hope all goes well for you. Michelle

Atkins Advantage is great tasting . I love the chocolate flavor . Each drink has 21 grams of Protein. Another good one is Pure Protein (vanilla flavor) it has 35 grams per drink . I have tried carb solutions and Yuck I hated the after taste and another one I tried was the designer whey Protein powder mix Yuck!. I like the convenienve of just having them in the can in the fridge ready for me to grab whenever needed. Dr Ortiz has his patients eating 60 grams of protein a day. Every Dr. is different though. Michelle 265/244/160ish Dr Ortiz 4/6/04

My period was suppose to arrive the week after my surgery and there it was a week after surgery just like clock work, the only thing I noticed different about mine was it was very light with minimal cramping which I can asssume it was like that from surgery and the fact I only had liquids in my system no junk food or chocolate like normal pre band months! My doctor did tell me my cycle "could" be irregular the first month after surgery due to the surgery and possibly months after due to the wieght loss. We wil lsee how this month goes which is suppose to arrive early next week. Michelle

I had my surgery in Mexico with Dr Ortiz who also uses the Oasis Hospital. The hospital is small but very nice.It is all done in pink, the rooms hallways linens bathrooms but it is nice. The nurses there are awesome. They all speak perfect english and they wait on you hand and foot.I never needed to ring my nurses button once. You will find your care there will be better then here in the US. If you are taking someone with you just know that the hospital cafeteria is all vegetarian. There is no meat! My hubby is a huge meat eater. I new this ahead of time so we brought some Snacks with us for my hubby. There is also a Domino's pizza close by that he walked to one night to get pizza. I hope this info helps Best of Luck to you Michelle 4/6/04 265/244.5/160ish Dr Ortiz

Hey Delarla I hope everything went well in Mexico for you. I can't wait to hear all about your experience..I will give you a call over the weekend or you can call me if you are up to it. Michelle 4/6/04 265/244.5/160ish -20.5 Dr Ortiz

During my mushy stage I ate oatmeal, cream of wheat, yogurt , cottage cheese , softly scrambled eggs and my most favorite Rosarita refried Beans. I also ate Anderson's Split Pea Soup and once I had mashed potatoes for my birthday dinner. I had no problems with any of those foods. Everyone is different though. Good Luck Michelle 4/6/04 265/245/160ish Dr Ortiz

I have had a pain in my lower left side next to my belly button sort of like a side ache like you used to get when you were a kid when you ran too hard. It is not unbearable but sometimes more noticable then other times and other times I don't feel it at all. I'm not very concerned with it. I'm only 4 weeks post op today so I could just be a slow healer. If it persists and gets worse I would call the doctor. I called my doctor and he told me it could be trapped gas or just from my port incision he told me if it gets worse to call him back and go see him. Michelle 4/6/04 Dr Ortiz 265/245/160ish 5'7

What is your BMI? My doctor only reccomends a proteind diet pre op if your BMI is over 50, He says it helps shrink the size of the liver to make is easier for him to manuver in there. I was fortunate to not have to do a pre op Protein diet. Every doctor is different though. If you want this bad enough like I did, you will do it just fine! We are all hear to offer support during the difficult times. Michelle

I had the same concern as you do.. I thought there was no way I could just live on Clear liquids for 2 weeks but I did and it was very easy. You will be amazed at how not hungry you are after the surgery and maybe for the fisrt week post op. The 2nd week got a little tougher for me but as I saw the pounds drop off it just kept me motivated to keep doing the clear liquids. I did not want to jeopardize my band by not following my doctors instructions. I was allowed skim milk on day 8 post op and Protein drinks on day 10 post op but basically on liquids for 3 weeks. I drank gatorade, orange juice no puld, lots of Water chicken broth, vegetable broth, and I ate lots of Jello and popsicles. Once I got to day 10 post op I was able to have the Protein Drinks and those helped very much.Trust me you will do just fine..you will be amazed at how well you can do the liquid stage. Michelle 4/6/04 265/245/160ish Dr Ortiz

I have treid Carb Solutions, Pure Protein, Designer whey Protein and Atkins Advantage. By far the best of all of those to me was the Atkins Advantage chocolate. It tastes jut like thick chocolate milk and yes 4 of them run anywhere between 8-10 dollars depending where you buy the Wal Mart is the cheapest so far. Michelle 265/245/160ish 4/6/04 Dr Ortiz

Hi Congratulations on being banded..I'm newly banded myself. I was banded on April 6th. I was on clear liguids for well over 2 weeks and during that time I drank gatorade, oranje juice, chicken broth , all juices, Jello and popsicles. My doctor didnt want me to have Protein drinks until the10th day post op. Every doctor is different with their own diet to follow but you might want to try the jello and popsicles even though they are considered a clear luquids I felt like I was eating and it kept me from getting bored with just liquids. Michelle 4/6/04 Dr. Ortiz 265/245/160ish

Have you ever considered going to Mexico for your surgery? My insurance denied me and I had to self pay. The only way that I could afford it was to go to Mexico. There are many wonderful, capable and experienced doctors in Mexico who will do the surgery for 1/3 of the price then what it what cost you to self pay in the united states. Also the docotr I used you can get financing with a very reputable loan company (capital one) I had to finance a small portion of my surgery and my interest rate is not to high and my monthly payments are very affordable. It is something to consider. If I can be of any help with information about my doctor in Mexico please feel free to contact me Good Luck, Michelle 4/06/04 265/245/160ish Dr. Ortiz

I would call your doctor and let him know that you have been throwing up. I was not able to have Protein drinks until my 10 th day post op. I was strictly on Clear liquids for a good 14 days post op. My doctor would not release me if Iwas even feeling like I was going to throw up. Every doctor is different but to ease your mind I would call the doctor. To me this does not seem normal. Michelle

Delarla I had the same fear of not being able to do 2 weeks of clear liquids becasue I thought I would starve to death but all I can say is I was so totally not hungry for the first 2 weeks after my surgery. The liquid phase was a piece of cake. I'm into my 4th week post op and I'm starting on soft foods and to be honest I'm still not very hungry. Its truly amazing how it works! I have lost over 20 pounds since my surgery on April 6th 2004. I weighed 265 and am now under 245. Dont worry you will do just fine. Best of Luck to you... Michelle Dr Ortiz 4/06/04

I have the same pain but it is on my left side .if is the same feeling as a side ache like if I ran too hard. I had surgery April 6th

I was banded on April 6th and I also experienced the gas in my diaphram. I felt like I had to burp but couldn't..it has now been 12 days since surgery and everyday gets better and better. I have lost 14 pounds and could not be happier. Gas X did not work for me. My gas did not start until I was home from the hospital 3 days after my surgery. Now I'm able to burp, not as well as before being banded but I get relief. Michelle

You can do it, trust me I have been a smoker for 15 + years now but guess what..ever since my surgery on Tuesday April 6th I have had NO desire whatsoever to smoke, I have not even thought about it or missed it actually my husband who is a heavy smoker, his cigarette smopke and lingering odor now makes me nauseaus..

Hi I had my surgery on Tuesday APril 6th with Dr. Ortiz and I have the exact same feeling in my diaphram. I'm the only one out of the group of us who had surgery the same day that is experiencing this so I was a little nervous. Some others have told me it is the band and the tightness of it originally being in place..so do'nt worry you are not the only one and my Dr. said it was normal and nothing to worry about Michelle