woodguy

Besides the calorie problem with alcohol is the affect it can have on those with acid reflux problems. A year after surgery and down almost sixty pounds I started drinking Tequila and Crystal light lemonade more frequently. About the the same time I started having more problems with reflux. Finally I remembered pre-surgery advice from a doctor that alcohol relaxes the sphincter (sp?) and contributes to acid reflux. I quit drinking - no more reflux problems. And now the weight is starting to drop again - who'd a thunk it.

Hey Boboleo, I was at 5'11" and 255 lbs - right at a 35 BMI when I was approved for surgery 1 1/2 years ago. I've been stuck right at 200 lbs for the past nine months but am pretty happy with the results. The restriction let's me hold my weight while not being hungry all the time. I eat about 3/4 cup of food at a time - but not always good choices. Would I recommend the surgery for someone at 35 BMI - sure would! I'd probably be at 270 by now and be a lot less healthy. Is it an easy way out - not a chance!

I've been on Mirapex for about three years. It works well for me with no side effects. My wife reminds me if I forget to take my "jumpin' around pill" at night. I also no longer sit and bounce my knee all day.

I learned this from another poster when I was having terrible shoulder pain. Get on your hands and knees. Chin on the ground with your butt high in the air. I go a bit further and kneel on an ottoman and put my head all the way on the ground. It supposedly gives a route to get the bubbles away from the inflamed area. All I know is it works like magic – normally I’ve got relief in about a minute. I know it sounds silly nut you’ve got nothing to lose!

I've read many conflicting things about how much volume of food you should eat after banding. I'm at 3 weeks post-op today and eating mushies. My doctor's literature talked of not eating more than 2 oz every 15 minutes. It suggests a meal of 2 T of cream of wheat and 2 T of fruit as a Breakfast. Can that be right? If weight loss is not a goal until after banding, I'd have to graze at that pace nonstop 24/7 to get in enough calories to gain weight! I read other stuff of bandsters normally eating 1 cup total at a meal. That seems reasonable. For lunch, I'm planning a 1/2 cup pureed BBQ beef and 1/2 cup mashed potatoes. Breakfast was 1/2 cup scrambled eggbeaters with 3 oz chopped smoked turkey mixed in. About 10 am I had a 6 oz SF/FF yogurt as a snack. Does this sound about right? What did you all find about the volume of food you ate post-op. How long did you take to finish that amount. I don't want to damage the pouch and want to heal properly but am confused. :help:

I know this sounds crazy but it mostly works. Get on hands and knees - butt high in the air, chin on the ground. I go so far as to kneel on an ottoman and put my forehead on the ground below. The pain normally goes away in less than a minute or two. Supposedly get the bubbles away from the painful spot inside. My thanks to Deanna for posting this before - it has been a huge help for me.

You may have more issues with shoulder pain. It is pretty common to have it when the doctor works on the crura area. I'm 2 1/2 weeks out and still having frequent bouts of sharp pain.

mgh1965, The shoulde pain is a real drag. I had to go home early from work Friday. I learned atrick from Deanna(shrinking violet) on the pre/post board though. It helps a lotwith the shoulder pain. Get on hands and knees. Butt high, chin on the ground. I take it a step further by kneeling on an ottoman with my nose on the ground. Supposedly it gets gas bubbles away from the diaphram (sp?) which relieves the pain (most times) in about a minute. I know it sounds idiotic but it has helped me a lot.

Hey James, I was banded on the 8th and am able to drink more than I ever thought I would too. I down a protein shake in a minute and then a bowl of soup, maybe some jello... The instructions looked more like eating that over three hours, one ounce at a time. I've never had any trouble getting or keeping the liquid diet down. I've been eating about 1000 to 1200 calories a day with about 100 grams of protein. Not feeling terribly hungry at this level. Hust wish i could get rid of the shoulder pain. It's getting really old...

http://www.core.monash.org/assets/documents/research-papers/2005-52.pdf I found a study (linked) that shows over 60% of new bandsters have shoulder pain at one week. The study is an interesting read. Most troubling for me was a finding that nearly 50% of those who had hiatal hernia repair at the same time as getting banded had significant shoulder pain at 5 weeks post-op! I had a large hiatal hernia repaired along with the band last Tuesday and am still experiencing excruciating pain. Today even hydrocodone wasn't cutting the pain level.

Banded today at 7:30 am- everything went quite well. My hiatal hernia turned out to be the size of a baseball - Doc said more than half my stomach was in my chest! That was repaired with a stitches and a tissue graft to close the hole. I felt really great after the surgery with no pain meds from 1:30 until 8pm. I'm having some discomfort in my shoulder now due to gas -so says the pretty nurse. I've been amazed how easy the whole day as been- I expected much more pain or discomfort. It's mostly just felt like you do in the morning if you've overworked a bit. So far so good.

OK, I'm positive that mine is the worst out there. Two weeks of the "skim milk diet" As much skim milk as I want in ten minutes three times a day with another glass at bedtime. Sugarfree drinks at other times. Nothing else. Period.I've "cheated" and added a scoop of protein powder twice a day. Down 10 pounds after one week. Surgery next Tuesday.

Hello everyone, First time posting here but have been reading for a few weeks. I'm scheduled for LapBand on May 8th in Vancouver WA. It's been a quick process, unlike some unlucky folks - I first went to a seminar on March 7th and received approval on Monday. I'm was borderline on BMI (36) but have apnea, high cholesterol and GERD. Also have a large hiatal hernia that will get fixed at the same time. Starting weight of 260, I'm down about 10 lbs today (mostly Water I imagine) Plan to get below 175. It's been helpful reading all of your experiences. Great inspiration. Thanks