MammaJamma42

Oh, and another thing my doctor's office had recommended - I took 2 tsp of milk of magnesia those first few days. She said that the pain meds can cause constipation, which also causes gas, and it must have helped because I don't think I had as much gas as some people do.

Everything Lisa said - I chewed on lots of Gas-x, sipped water, and tried to walk a lot. I didn't have gas terribly bad though, so I was lucky. I mostly sat in a recliner that first couple of days (between times of walking around the house). I will also say that popsicles were my saving grace - they were very soothing to me then!

I had to sleep in a recliner the first night. The second night, I slept in bed on my right side and held a body pillow, and did okay. It does get better pretty quickly. I think I used one of those gel ice packs on the port site too, and that helped a bunch!

I'm only 4 weeks post-op, so I'm definitely not an expert, but I gotta agree with Hazel on this one. Her logic makes sense to me. If you can afford it, and if it will make you healthier (mentally and physically), and help you maintain long-term weight loss, then go for it, and finally feel good about yourself!

That's awesome mpmtz! 36 pounds!! I had my surgery with plication on 7/19, but I'm only down about 24 pounds so far. Can't wait for my first fill on Monday!

I go for my first fill next Monday, the 19th, and I can't wait! I have started having more and more hunger and feel like I'm eating more too. Weight loss has really slowed down. This Thursday will be 4 weeks since my surgery. Ready to really get going again. I have no idea how much he will put in my band though.

I'm doing about the same, Lisa. In fact, I doubt that I'm eating a whole cup because I just can't hold that much. I also have a protein shake every morning for breakfast, and between the protein powder that I use and the protein in the milk, I get 42 grams of protein just from that. I am averaging around 70 grams of protein per day. Maybe I'm not drinking enough water. The only time I ever have a snack is mid to late afternoon when I'll have a Dannon fit-n-light greek yogurt, and that is 80 calories (and 12 grams of protein). But, the scale still isn't budging. I don't think I've even lost a pound over the last week!

Ugh!! That sounds horrible!! Hopefully you'll adjust to it soon and won't feel so miserable!

LOL!! Same here! I'll let you know!

Surgery was 7/18, First fill is scheduled for 8/19.

Oh no - that does NOT sound good! I can't really drink anything very fast either - have to kind of sip. And I agree - I think I have some restriction too because I just can't eat very much, really only a fraction of what I used to eat, which is why I think it's kind of discouraging that the scale isn't moving very quickly right now! I was just reading on one of the nutrition boards on here, and someone else had posted about the same thing and several people commented that this is actually pretty common and it's because your body is still healing from the surgery. I guess it takes your body 6-8 weeks to heal completely, and after that first fill, then the weight loss will really kick in. I sure hope so! We just have to hang in there. We can do this!

Yeah, I don't have any fluid in my band either, so maybe that's my problem. I do get hungry, but I'm still not eating much, so I feel like I should be losing more weight! Can't wait for that first fill! Thanks for the response - at least I know I'm not alone!

I'm really glad I made the decision too, but I must say, I'm getting just a little discouraged! I lost about 8 pounds during the pre-op phase, and then another 12 pounds or so during the first 10 days after my surgery. Since then, which has been almost two weeks ago, I've only lost a couple more pounds. I'm tracking everything I eat, and I'm not overeating. I'm not having trouble with things getting stuck, haven't thrown up, or had any other issues. I'm just getting discouraged that the scale isn't moving now. When I saw my doctor on 7/29 for my post-op appointment, he gave me a goal of losing 4 pounds before my next visit with him, which is 8/19 (when I will get my first fill), and at the time I thought that was going to be a breeze at the rate I was going. Now I'm not so sure! I haven't lost that 4 pounds yet, maybe 2? I know from past experience with other weight loss plans, even Weight Watchers, I'm able to lose at least 2 pounds a week if I really stick to the plan, and that's usually eating much more than I'm eating now. Anybody know if this is normal?

My doctor actually recommended ibuprofen with my pain med (liquid Lortab). He said it would help the most with the port incision pain. I'm wondering why all your doctors have said no NSAIDS? Is it because of ulcer risks? The Lortab/ibuprofen combo was a huge relief to me those first couple of days!

I had the lap band with plication surgery on 7/18/13, and I'm feeling great! I have had a lot of hunger pangs though, which was quite a surprise to me. I am on full liquids for two weeks following my surgery, but that includes soups that have been blended in the blender. Looking forward to mushies on Thursday though! I haven't had trouble with anything so far. Went to my post-op appointment yesterday, and I'm down about 20 pounds from when I started the liquid diet on 7/8. I really wanted the plication too, so I hope it helps a lot! It's nice to see other people on here who have had the same procedure. Thanks for starting this topic!

Popsicles were my lifesaver during the first couple of days! I had the regular ones (not sugar-free) because I wasn't getting any other calories. I think the coolness helped too, and they tasted amazing to me!

I actually woke up from surgery with hunger pains - strangest thing! Although, if you think about it, I hadn't had anything to eat since the evening before my surgery, so usually you would be hungry when you wake up. I guess I hadn't done enough research to learn that you still have hunger hormones with lap-band surgery (and you don't with gastric bypass or gastric sleeve). I know that once we get to eat solids again, we shouldn't feel hunger if we're doing it correctly because that food will sit in the pouch for quite a while and make you feel full. At least that's the way I understand it all. I couldn't even get any Protein shake down the first couple of days though - mostly sipped on some of that light cranberry juice (50 calories per 8 oz., so at least I was getting something), popsicles and Water. Popsicles were my saving grace! It really does get better quickly though.

Yep - gets better every day! Just hang in there!

I posted this on the pre-surgery July lap-banders thread and decided I should probably post it here too. I had my surgery last Thursday 7/18, and am feeling great now! Was kind of sore and bloated feeling the first couple of days (in spite of taking lots of Gas-x and walking around), but didn't have very much pain at all in my shoulders from the gas. Also didn't have any nausea when I woke up from surgery, which was a VERY pleasant surprise! I always wake up nauseated from surgery. I've lost 11 pounds in the week and a day since I had my surgery, which is very motivating! I have to say, the biggest surprise for me has been the hunger. I didn't realize I'd still be hungry a lot, especially in the first few days when I could hardly get anything down. I have 6 more days of full liquid diet, and am looking forward to moving on to the soft foods! Good luck to any remaining surgeries this month! Hope all goes well for everyone!

Had my surgery last Thursday 7/18, and am feeling great now! Was kind of sore and bloated feeling the first couple of days (in spite of taking lots of Gas-x and walking around), but didn't have very much pain at all in my shoulders from the gas. Also didn't have any nausea when I woke up from surgery, which was a VERY pleasant surprise! I've always woken up nauseated from surgery. I've lost 11 pounds in the week and a day since I had my surgery, which is very motivating! I have to say, the biggest surprise for me has been the hunger. I didn't realize I'd still be hungry a lot, especially in the first few days when I could hardly get anything down. I have 6 more days of full liquid diet, and am looking forward to moving on to the soft foods! Good luck to any remaining surgeries this month! Hope all goes well for everyone!

Wow, Lisa - that is awesome!! What encouraging news to hear! I will definitely do all of that. I've heard how awful the gas is, so I'm glad to know that it is possible to avoid it. I sure hope I can do the same!

Hey mzz - nice to "meet" you! I'm so glad to hear you're nervous too. I have been nervous all week. I was SOOOO nervous on Monday, and then they cancelled it, so now I get to be nervous until tomorrow morning. What time is your surgery tomorrow? My doctor requires a two-week pre-op full liquid diet (meaning you can have protein shakes, milk, low-fat cream soups, etc.), but I've only been on that since 7/8/13.

Thanks, Lisa! I will definitely keep y'all posted. So it looks as if you've already had your surgery and all is going well? Congrats! I hope that I can say the same very soon! Staying positive!!