Kwalla_girl

I find veggies the hardest to eat. I have to be verry careful, remove the skin and avoid anything stringy.

Hello Lisa, My port is also sideways, and sticks out quite a bit. Apparently Dr. Yau doesn’t anchor the port any longer and flipping can happen. My fills are really easy as long as I remember to tell Nancy which side it’s flipped too. The esthetic aspect doesn’t bother me yet. Dr. Yau said he can reposition the port at any time. But I think I’ll wait until I reach my goal weight and worry about it then.

I would love to meet all of you. Please count me in.

Don't expect to much of your first fill. It's better to take it slow rather that be overfilled. I've had three fills and one defill so far. I'm not sure I hit my "sweet spot" yet. I can still eat a little more than I should and pretty much anything, but I am loosing weight and that's what's important. If I find I plateau then I will go in for sure.

Mine comes from my dog's name: Kwalla. Yes, I know it is spelled incorrectly but she was a rescue and that was her original name. Never really saw a need to change it. She's just fine as she is.

1. Stick to the Post-op diet 2. Maintain current weight (losing would be a bonus) 3. Walk a min. 30 min every day. I think I'll stop here and give myself a chance.

Hello LeslieLee. I find myself burping as well. It was worse in the beginning, today only one:clap2:. And you are right it hurts like a bitch. Hopefully they will become rarer for you as well. Do you have any problems hiccuping? For me it hurts worse than burping.

Hello Everyone, I was banded on May 31st, but I just found this thread. I have no swelling at any of my incisions but I do have swelling of the gas. I am on liquids for 14 days and puree foods for another 14. My doctor has told me that until you have your fills, the band has no restriction. The restriction we feel after the surgery is the swelling of the stomach. As the stomach heals and the swelling goes down we can eat more and more and we will go hungry. My goal so is to maintain until I have my fills. Everything I lose will be a bonus. The surgery was very easy for me, some pain but no other problems. The bed rest however, and trying to turn without moving too much, has triggered Sciatica pain today. I’ve never had pain this bad before. I find I can not eat more than ½ a cup of liquid at a time, so I try to eat <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:time Hour="17" Minute="55">5 to 6</st1:time> time a day. It is getting better however. Thank you everyone for letting me whine. :myscared:

I am a recovering Pepsi addict as well (diet pepsi in fact). I used to drink it every morning instead of cofee. I haven't had one since I started my pre-op diet. I sure do miss it. But with all the gas pains I'm having right now, I don't think I'll ever touch it again. Now I only have my carb addiction to deal with :myscared:. Good luck to you and your husband.

I was banded on May 31st and my diet is as follows: Day of Surgery only Water 4 days - Clear Liquids - about 1 1/2 cup per meal - broth or consomme - apple grape or cranberry juice - electrolyte drink - 1 clear sugar free unsweetened popsicle as a snack 10 days - full liquids - 3/4 cup per meal - milk - pudding or yogurt - strained cream soup - Jello - unsweetened juice - blended Protein shake 14 days - pureed foods - 3/4 cup per meal - cottage cheese - hot cereal - minced canned tuna - pureed mashed sweet potatoes or rice - pureed Beans, chicken, carrots, fruit - or anything else you can puree slowly introduce solids after the 14 days puree are up.

.....On the banded side, that is. I had my surgery at 10 this morning. I've slept most of the day and only woke up every hour or so to walk around. No serious pain so far, just some gas pain. I swear I can feel some air bubbles move around.....maybe it's my imagination. Otherwise feeling well. A bit of nausea, but liquid gravol took care of that. I feel good today....the first day of the rest of my life. I loved Dr. Yau's speech before the surgery. Especially about not feeling guilty or ashamed for needing the band, and likening it to a pair of glasses. I know it will get hard from time to time, but I am so glad I did this and I can't wait for tomorrow to come.

I’ll start by thanking all of you for your well wishes. And yes the gas pains are a real treat. I’ve been in a bit more pain yesterday and today (once the anesthesia wore off), but a Demerol made everything better:D. I managed to do a little bit of shopping and a short walk with the dog. Well it’s more like the dog walked me since I was walking way to slow for her. The gas pain is giving me some trouble (hopefully it won’t last for much longer) and I can barely eat half a cup of liquids at one meal so I am trying to eat less more often. I cooked some delicious vegetable and chicken broth and after the 2 weeks of CC & Y, I feel like I am in heaven. Miranda, keep your eye on the prize, keeping in mind why I am subjecting myself to two weeks of torture as well as my eye on the scale got me through the CC & Y diet. If you are really having trouble you might want to contact the clinic and speak to Jill. She’ll give you some alternatives. Either way I’m sure you will get through this. Good luck.:clap2:

Good Luck LeslieLee. Let us know how you're doing whenever you can

No, I was never told about the Low carb vanilla protein shakes, however I do suggest that you contact the clinic and speak to Jill if you are not sure. I think I’ll call them myself on Monday as I’ve thrown up a couple of times this weekend and broke out in weird spots. I think I need to give cottage cheese a break. All’s good though. Seeing the scale move keeps me going, and to tell you the truth this is not the worst diet I’ve tried. Three days to go.

Thank you for your response Yoda. I think you are right. I'm going to lower the intesity and just try to go for my 45 minutes. And I will definetly take it slow after the surgery. I'll just start by walking the dog and work my way up

I want to reasure you Miranda, that it does get easier. I am also going to TLBC. I was told only cottage cheese, yogurt and milk. I also spoke to Jill the nutritionist, and she said I can have a piece of skinless chicken breast boiled or broiled if I must only. I'm not sure if you attended the preop seminar yet, but Jill did tell everyone to give her a call if you are having trouble with the preop diet and she will suggest some alternatives. Hope this helps and good luck.

Something amazing has happened in the last couple of days. I am not hungry and the cravings are gone. I have struggled through the beginning of my pre-op diet and I can’t believe how easy the last couple of days have been. I could eat cottage cheese forever. Mr. Yoda was right it does get easier. I am still anxious of the weekend…sunshine…bbq….to much time on my hands…I hope I don’t slip.:faint: There is one issue that is concerning me. I am having a hard time when I exercise. I get dizzy and nauseous, even though I have not increased my intensity and I have decreased the weights. I’m wondering if it is the diet or the recent weight loss, or maybe I’m overly concerned.(I can get quite whiny) :think

Hmmm... A slight exaggeration maybe. I can not believe I am having such a hard time with this diet. I haven’t cheated yet, but I am in a constant state of craving. The long weekend didn’t help. Just one whiff of that BBQ smell, and I felt like I could die for a taste:hungry: . I went grocery shopping on Saturday at Dominion; had to by more CC &Y. I must have lurked around the ready made food section for about 10 minutes, walking up and down the aisle while trying to convince myself that, No I did not want that Penne A la Vodka, or Veal Parmesan. I finally left the store with my Cottage Cheese:clap2: , but that was the last time I’ll go shopping for groceries until after the surgery. The first four days were not bad…. I used to love Yogurt and CC, but I am having a horrible time today. I feel hungry all the time….I can’t wait until night comes and I can go to bed and sleep, hopefully forgetting all about food for a while. Ten more days to go.

Wow. Mr. Yoda, that is an amazing post. I have one day left till my pre-op diet and I am already terrified that I will fail. That I won’t be able to last for 2 weeks. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. It was inspiring and gave me hope.

Saw your pictures Woodys. Congratulations! You look amazing. And so fast. Not even a year since you got the lap band. I hope to get the same results. Good luck to you and your husband and keep us posted

Hello All I have been lurking on the forum for a while now, and I decided it’s time to introduce myself. I’ll be taking the “plunge” on May 31st with Dr. Yau. This forum has been a great tool in helping me make my decision to get the band and in deciding which doctor to choose. Thank you all for sharing your experiences. I’m sure I’ll need lots of support in the coming months and it’s very reassuring to know there is such a large group out there who knows what I am going through and will put up with my whining.

Thank you all for replying. Yoda, I would be so happy to show your progress a year from now. I have seen the pictures you posted and the transformation is amazing. Congratulations and good luck going forward. LeslieLee, I agree. It’s going to be great to have someone who is going through the same things as me. And lots of people to let me know that: No one has yet died from too much CC & or other concerns that are sure to come up.:heh:

Both Toronto clinics will refer you to companies that specialize in loans for medical procedures. It is fairly easy to get a loan with them, sometimes taking even less than 1 hour to get approval; however I’ve found the interest they charge fairly high. I am also borrowing for my procedure, and chose to go to my bank and get a personal loan. I was able to get it at prime rate for two years. I hope this helps. Good luck!