5.0junkie

I have no experience with the sleeve and have only been banded a few days so I have no real room to talk. However, I'll speak on my friends behalf. I have four friends that have had sleeve and three that have been banded. The banders did not follow the rules and actually weigh more now than they did before their surgery. They cuss the band anytime they can because its the bands fault. In NO way is it their fault. Two of my sleeve friends were sleeves early this year. They look great, have lost 140lbs between the two of them and love life. They have no complications and regret no getting sleeved sooner. My other two sleeve friends however love their sleeve so much they hate it. They can't stop losing weight and are now so skinny they are unhealthy. They now have the complete opposite issue as they used to. They have to eat and stuff themselves to try and gain weight. They literally work everyday to try and be healthy but the sleeve almost seems to counteract everything they do. The one thing that settled the score for me was the staples in the sleeve. Just couldn't stand the thought of those being in there forever and having half my stomach removed. At this point I'd much rather have scar tissue than half a stomach.

That's great news. Being scared to eat could not have been fun at all. Congrats on the progression and just keep taking those baby steps

You wanna know what the worst part about the surgery is??? The part that's in your head! If you can handle an iv then the rest is simple cause they will have you on some really good stuff once the iv goes in. Just relax and think about the new you that's waiting right around the corner. Good luck!

If your familiar with yoga at all, try the happy baby pose. Works wonders! And of course walk walk walk

Welcome to the other side!! I think the biggest thing you can do for yourself is have a good balance of rest and activity. I was banded Thursday and spent my weekend doing laundry, cooking for the kiddoes, got some time in on the treadmill and watched every red box movie I could. Being up definitely helped with the gas pains and resting definitely helped with everything else. I was back in full action today with no real issues. Just stay hydrated and don't force anything. Follow your surgeon and dietician orders and you'll breeze through. Get you a nice mixture of cold and warm liquids and just enjoy yourself. One more thing, get some mirilax and get things moving. That was a life saver!!! Congrats and good luck

I had to have an upper GI before my surgery to check for hernias. Got to drink the barium milkshake and all! My surgeon would have sworn by my symptoms that I had one but the GI proved other wise and there were no surprises when I was banded. From what I can tell not everyone is required to have the GI. If you are worried Bout it just ask for one and then you'll know.

How's the eating going?

Hope everyone is doing well and tomorrow brings an even better day. I never had to use a heating pad but warm broth sure did help. I'm five days out and haven't had really any pain today except for my bruising around my port. I had to go up and down several stairs and it messed with me some. I screwed up today though. Worked all day and went from 1 to 5:30 with nothing to drink or eat. Spent the day in the heat and have never had it effect me as much as it did today. Could tell my blood sugar got low and lost energy fast. Learned a valuable lesson. Definitely need to stay hydrated and nourished. Got home and got some juice and could almost feel the rejuvenation with every sip.

I just want to say to Bk, thank you for your honesty. Seems like so many people tend to bash the band first and not take any responsibility for slippage or any other issues.

What could the white spots on the liver be? Fingers crossed for good results on that one. I went store yesterday to buy some milk of mag and it just looked nasty sitting there. Ended up picking up some unflavored mirilax instead. It just sounded better than mint or cherry milk of mag. Lets just say I think that's the best thing I could have done for myself. Aside from being tired this morning and feeling like I was kicked in the stomach a couple of days ago I'm feeling almost normal. I have lost my surgery weight, I gained 4 lbs of fluid and swelling, and am actually down from 318 the day I started my 10 day pre op to 302 this morning. How are y'all doing with weight and swelling?

Have you checked your incisions to make sure nothing separated? Can't imagine how that felt. I would say if your incisions haven't split and you're not excessively bleeding I wouldn't stress about it. Have a nice pain med induced sleep and call the doc in the morning.

Congratulations to all the September 2013 bandsters!! After today there will be no more

I'm not doing a chewable vitamin. I use a liquid that's provided by the company I get my shakes from. I can say I haven't felt week at all just tired. Actually went to work today and didn't have any real problems. The stairs weren't too fun and sitting upright was uncomfortable. Have y'all been able to get things down? More so than just 4 small bites? I actually had two shakes today and a yogurt. Drank some G2 and that seemed to revitalize me.

It has been somewhat difficult to get the gas out so there's room for other things like water. So I know what you mean. I haven't really had nausea at all but I've been drinking in moderation. When I over did it and drank too fast I did have some nausea. I was back at work today but couldn't sit for very long so I was up most of the day. Tomorrow will be a breeze. You can do it!

Two more! If you like Chinese get your favorite egg drop soup, add in a little soy sauce and pepper. Cook some crockpot chicken in teriyaki sauce and pineapple juice. Tear it apart till its really fine or can even purée if you need to. Tasteeeee! For several years Arby's sold a roast beef sandwich as an All American Burger. All it was was roast beef with Lawrys salt and steak seasoning and a slice of cheese. So you miss your cheeseburger??? Follow that mentality. Crockpot chicken again or ground Turkey, puréed if needed, cook in a little beef broth, throw in some steak seasoning and Lawrys salt, maybe a little onion powder, melt some cheddar on top and close your eyes. Just picture a fresh off the grill, dripping in juice cheeseburger with every bite!!!

Seems like one can always think of stuff to make until it comes time to do it then you draw a blank. A friend of mine owns a restaurant and gave me several mushy ideas. One being really diced up or blended turkey breast then mixed with BBQ sauce. Throw in a little mashed potato and you've got a nice meal. Another was chili of course but you can also do baked beans with finally ground turkey. Throw in your favorite spices and that's one awesome meal full of flavor. If you like Mexican take refried beans, throw a little salsa on top on some crockpot chicken so its super soft. Cover it with a little finely grated cheddar of your choice and you've got another awesome mushy meal. I've got more on a list but ill have to find it. Biggest thing I can think of is using spices. They are fat free calorie free typically and add an abundance of flavor.

As far as the cough goes I've heard a bunch of other people say they had that. Just keep the cough drops going and it will get better

I'm great so far. No cough but I did have to have a breathing treatment when I was waking up from surgery. That may have helped prevent a cough. I've just been taking it easy and have focused on being up and about not just laying around. Being up seems to really help me feel better. I haven't had any major issues other than getting out of bed and driving in the truck today. Being upright just didn't feel right. I've just been dealing mainly with staying hydrated. Seems difficult to just sip sip sip then sip some more. Cooking for the kiddoes gets more and more difficult in that the simplest thing smells soooo delicious especially when I'm drinking my shake while cooking!!!

I was banded on the 26th as well! Welcome to the other side!!! I'd love to join your journey with you as we can all use a buddy.

Is tortillas on anyone's list of cant eat or is that something you can?

Has anyone tried baby food? My dietician recommended Gerber during the mushy phase. Haven't tried them yet but seems like I remember them being good when I fed them to my son!

Nothing to be scared about. Think of it as you've had the stomach flu for days. When you start feeling better you don't just jump off and eat a steak and loaded potato. No, you drink Gatorade and broth then maybe add some saltines then maybe add a little something else until you know your not going to be sick again. Same scenario with band and even more so with your hernia. Take it slow. Thin your shakes down, thin your yogurt down, thin your pudding down. If you don't have issues with Popsicles and Jello than dont be afraid to try thicker stuff. I over did it yesterday with my shake. Never threw up but could tell I over did it. I mixed it too thick and my body told me so. I just felt kinda puny for a couple of hours. Mixed another this morning, thinner of course, and never had an issue. Actually ready for another. Keep things in moderation too. Maybe only have two to four ounces. Don't drink a whole eight ounce shake. I ate a pudding cup yesterday and it took me 4 hours for one cup. Every bite was delicious and was like a little treat everytime I went back for more.

How are you getting in your 100 grams? I'm struggling to get in half of my 110 at this point.

Has anyone experienced or heard of a slippage during the early stages of being on liquids or mushies only? Just curious how hard or easy it is to screw this phase up.

I'm a 26th bandster too! Congrats on being on the other side. Still dealing with gas pains but it comes and goes. Just being up and moving seems to help the most. Good luck!