ljuht115

Hello Everyone: I am doing pretty well today, still feel back pain under my diaphram on my port side if I sit or stand too long. I am coming close (next Wednesday) I purreed food to my diet in 1 oz increments at mea time with protein shakes in between, I havent quite hit bandster hell yet, but food is starting to smell really good. I only want one little slice of pizza, not four pieces!... I get my first fill on the 29th before i go on vacation and am very excited about this. I am in mourning some over my vacation because we always drink, eat like kings, play in the garden (I go to lopez island every year for the week of the 4th) etc... Do you think I could sneak a drink of wine in or something while I am on vacation??? I know some dr. say it is okay, but mine is very conservative and I truly respect all he has asked his patients to do as post surgery requirements.. has anyone tried to have a glass of anything yet here or there? And if so, how has it gone (at around week 6-7) ALSO Crab.... If I mush it up, would that be considered a puree/mushie? has anyone tried that at 6-8 wks post op yet as well??? I can't imagine going up and not being able to at least taste the freshly caught crab! At least I am on a loosing streak again. I attribute a lot of it to working as i am slammed and running around the office feeling like i have just ran a marathon. Still doing Terrible on exercise though. BUT - I did buy Dance Dance Revolution which I can hook up to my hubby's xbox 360. You put the pad on the floor and it has an excercise section on the video game to get a work out. Sounds funny but I think it will be more fun for me than walking - te he... Until later!!!!!

out there for us nw bandsters.. I am doing pretty well, still feel back pain under my diaphram on my port side if I sit or stand too long. This post has been really quiet. Is everyone okay - Newly banded people out there? I am coming close (next Wednesday) I purreed food to my diet in 1 oz increments, I havent quite hit bandster hell yet, but food is smelling really good. I only want one little slice of pizza, not four pieces!... I get my first fill on the 29th before i go on vacation and am very excited about this. I am mourning some over my vacation because we always drink, eat like kings, play in the garden (I go to lopez island every year) etc... Do you think I could sneak a drink of wine in or something while I am on vacation??? I know some dr. say it is okay, but mine is very conservative and I truly respect all he has asked his patients to do as post surgery requirements.. has anyone tried to have a glass of anything yet here or there? ALSO Crab.... If I mush it up, would that be considered a puree/mushie? has anyone tried that at 6-8 wks post op yet as well??? I am on a loosing streak again and loosing quite a bit this week. I attribute a lot of it to working as i am slammed and running around the office feeling like i have just ran a marathon. Still doing Terrible on exercise though. BUT - I did buy Dance Dance Revolution which I can hook up to my hubby's xbox 360. You put the pad on the floor and it has an excercise section to get a work out. Sounds funny but I think it will be more fun for me than walking - te he... Anyhow - All you northwesterners take care and please don't fade away. All your support has been invaluable to me!

Hi Wenjea - Thanks for the info - that helps a ton!!!! I start my puree in a week and cannot wait. I wonder if dr oh and dr srikanth have the same post op instructions cause mine say puree wks 5-6 an oz at a time per serving having the protein shakes in between... So I will get an oz of cream of wheat and that is it, the rest is protein drinks and liquids. I will double check my instructions... hmm Funny thing on the shoes and clothes deal. I was in "denial" a little about my weight gain so I am still fitting into stuff after all my weight loss, I am still somewhat bloated but I have at least 2 sizes down worth of clothes to wear before I have to go shopping (yes some of it is dated). Shoes are fitting loosely as well since I am loosing fat in my FEET. Jeez... Hope everyone is well...

Good evening everyone - Well went for my post op today and received approval to make an appt for my first fill on june 29th!!! I will be on vacation the entire week of July 4th so it is a perfect time to get a small restriction. Metalband - I am really sore tonight too - going to bed and resting - ditto on what sue11 said about working and sitting up all day. My dr said today it could take a few more weeks. i still feel the air stuck on my right side under my diaphram in my back! Does anyone have an answer on how long exactly it takes to get rid of ALL the gas and bloating???? All else is well healing wise. I continue to loose slowly but surely. (faster than I ever have before I guess).. legster - good job on the weight loss!!!!!!!! Gnite everyone..

Wenjea - what are you pureeing? I have 1 1/2 weeks or less to my puree stage. 1 oz per meal right? Are you just doing vegetables????

Hi there - liquid liquid and more liquid... everything I am is about drinking (unless I use the magic bullet to turn it into a shake consistency) is exactly that. I can get a 1/2 cup to 1 cup of something down at a time and do feel restriction. i.e. - Water and crystal light go right through the band, i feel no full sensation from that. just keeping myself hydrated is what that is for. second goal - too keep my caloric intake around 800 calories. (when I consume less my body goes into starvation mode and I don't loose weight. Remember - the first 6 weeks is for healing as well as not stretch the banded stomach pouch... (actually some of the recipe's from the dr.s office is for more than 1 cup by the time you add everything in and it is too much for me personally) toda's food intake: Breakfast - 1 chocolate Protein shake = 3 oz unsweetened soy milk, 2-3 oz water and the Protein powder. They want us to keep the shakes thick to help with the absorbtion of protein. I know my dr said 4 oz as well but it is too thick for me to get down but this has worked for me for weeks... SF/FF Jello with 1 tsp. SF cool whip = 50 cal 1/2 g. of fat SF/FF popsicle I am about to have some soup for now about 1/2 - 3/4 cup, then will have another protein shake around 6-7 pm for dinner with my mixer with fruit and sf white chocolate syrup included as well. This keeps me full for the rest of the night, the soy milk is wonderful mixed in to the Protein Shakes. This satisfies all my hunger cravings for the day. It is working for me ( I was banded on the same day) I am on a 4 week liquid diet. I am not sure if this answer your question, about a 1/2 cup vs 1 cup. Did you get instructions from your dr? Does this help??

Congrats on your weight loss - I was banded on the 23rd of May.. There is a thread just for people who were banded in May 2007 under the general discussion boards - go check that out and introduce yourself.... I have lost 23.2 lbs total, about 12 post op so far..

I did too. I went to every favorite restaurant that I had for lunches and dinner before my pre op - Do I regret it, not really, I am happy with my weight loss and my style of eating is going to change for the rest of my life so I gave myself the last supper syndrome and enjoyed while I could.

SIDE NOTE: You will be swollen for a few weeks (for me it is taking almost 3) and bruised - this is very normal.........

Good morning - You are doing all the right things. Don't worry. The first 6 weeks is for healing, not necesarilly weight loss. Everybody is different but just stick to your daily routine (keep the sodium down in the broths as much as possible), and kee0p walking. Ususally people gain weight after their surgery post op for a few days from all the IV liquids, etc... I don't know much about gatorade and propel, but my dr says to keep any meal under 6 grams of sugar (including liquids, they need to be watered dowm accordingly). Do those have hidden sugars or salt in them that could be result in water retention? Just a question. I stuck to water and crystal light (and still do) for my liquids... Good luck and let me know how it goes...

Hello MS Eddie Good question. I have noticed this past few days since I am on basically full liquids for 4-6 weeks out post surgery (wk 5-6 I get to introduce pureed food in one ounce increments per meal) that since I have been using the magic bullet to make my shakes for dinner only it satisfies me for the rest of the evening which is my weakest moment of the day. I was able to get a regular protein shake/drink (non bulletiezeed) down today with some broth/soup. Never fully recovered from this am. huh - tommorrow is another day!

Hello fellow bandsters.... OK - Today I woke up and made a protein shake. for breakfast (with the magic bullet) I put the right amount of ingredients in, blended it up, I was only able to get half of it down which means I didn't get all the calories I needed and protein in. I am 2 1/2 weeks out from surgery so I am not sure if I am still slightly swollen or not, but I WAS SOOOOO FULL. I only ate half of it. 2 hours later I managed to get a cup of soup down and am still stuffed. I don't think I have hit bandster hell yet, Maybe I just can't do shakes in the morning but they go down just fine for dinner. Will this fillness like this last? I am still stuffed and afraid that I won't get in the nutrition I need today. I suppose I can make up for it tomorrow, but I always try to get in at least 800 calories.. Port soreness still tender by the suture but getting better every day... Hope everyone is doing well today!!!

Well - I now have my magic bullet and LOVE it! It should make the last two weeks of just my protein drinks (NOW WITH FRUITS =-) go by fairly quickly. Did my business tour with my customer yesterday and boy was I pooped. Our warehouse tour was 2 hours alone in a 400,000 sq foot building. I would say I got my exercise. I was truly exhausted yesterday. I am kinda on a plateau - I have been bouncing between 1-2 lbs and hope to get off that plateau this weekend. Sue - I agree - I think we are on the same healing path. A co-worker told me her friend was banded and bounced back quickly. Sure is something that everyone is different, but my port paid keeps getting better each day. I hope everyone is well and good luck this weekend. My hubby and I have the same Bday which is today. Normally we go out for a real nice dinner, wine and cocktails. Instead we went and saw a movie =-) What a sport! Peace out!

Hello everyone - I have been off the forum for a few days - went back to work and it is draining me of all my energy out there. I just wrote a huge post on the may band post, poor people that have to read it but i felt I needed to get a lot out, dunno why. I still have another two weeks on my liquid diet but can now have yogurt, fruit etc blended in with my protein shakes. This has made them much tastier!!! I heard about this think called a magic bullet blender I am getting for my protein shakes, I guess they work really well. My port still hurts (more at night when I am tired) and I am tired tonite. Have to fly to reno for the day to tour so I will be walking ALL day. I am concerned I won't make it through the day but am bringing a bunch of protein mix to jelp me to get through the day. Anyway I just wanted to say hi to everyone since this forum is the only place everyone understands the why's and how come's I did what I did. I am exhausted.. take care everone amd I will be im touch!!!

Hello everyone - A few things to try and catch up..... PORT PAIN - I still have it when I bend over and twist around. Go figure that I keep dropping everything in sight so I have been practicing my leg lunges without the tummy muscles, the thighs are getting exercise. I am just two weeks yesterday post op. I am sleeping well on my back and my right side but cannot yet lay on my left. In the morning I feel really good and since I started work full time again on Monday, I am lasting about one hour more each day (today I was ok until about 4:00 or so)... I am hoping the port pain goes away cause i really want to wear jeans and I am still wearing all my clothes pre-everything. To date I have lost almost 22 lbs... About 12 pre-op and 10 post op which is almost 3/4 lb a day which I think is good. (I did cheat once on my 10 day pre op diet, had a sausage hot dog and popcorn). I felt horrible as well, BUT I just got up the next day and told myself, I have made this committment and will take it meal by meal and made it through the rest of the pre-op "cleanse". Remember to those of you still struggling (I saw a few posts earlier today) it is for your liver - not only will it help with the surgery, it will help with RECOVERY as well. AND you will feel a sense of accomplishment! I made sure and still do drink my protein drinks before I get too hungry, otherwise I am a mess. One thing I did do that wasn't really approved, cause I just didn't like the plain protein drinks is I found the UNSWEETENED Soy Milk, used about 2-3 oz of that, the rest water and it helped keep me full and now I really love the Champion Chocolate protein shakes! Another thing too keep in mind is the higher the BMI the faster the weight comes off. It is purely a ratio issue with numbers, percentage wise it usually works out the same. EXERCISE - I have been walking a little, not very much, but I do consider going back to work this my exercise right now. It is a desk job but with a lot of activity so i get up and down a lot and by the end of the day I am so exhausted and by back is so sore with my port hurting, I just come home and relax. Tomorrow I have to fly with a customer to Reno to tour our warehouse there and it is only about 400,000 square feet, plus the walking at the airports (it is a day trip) and I am concerned I won't make it an can see someome wheeling me back to my gate tomorrow night in a wheelchair. I figure that will cover me for the weekend. I packaged up four separate mini protein shake deals to take with me and will try and drink a lot of water as well ( I also suck at getting all my water down each day). I guess I felt like I had a lot to get out today - sorry for such a long post, I am just learning so much. At work and other places so many people are uneducated about the band and why I got it that I don't get a lot of support outside of this forum and my immediate family ( even some of my friends couldn't understand why I did this. I feel so much better already and would do it again tomorrow. So thank you all for listening!!! Regards - Laura

Good luck with your pre-op - It sounds really hard but once you put your mind to it, it will really go fast and give you a healthy jump start to your weight loss. I personally felt really good with my preop diet (the no sugar, liquor/wine, and adding vitamins and protein) really gave me a energy boost which I used as a mental positive for me. hopefully that doesn't sound too corny. I saw dr srikanth as well - (CALL THEM the day before the surgery, they do a great job but, see if you can find out where you are in the surgery cycle. ( I had to spend the night because I was postponed to the next morning). It all worked out as it should have but at least you can be prepared and bring a laptop to watch movies etc. They have wireless so you can even bring your laptop into pre-op where you might be for a while. These are things that helped me get through the day. Dr Srikanth is a great dr and my surgery went great. Good luck and keep on the posts - they helped me through some really difficult times and had so many wonderful pieces of advise (even if it wasn't for me personally) Oh - sidenote - (I finally went and got my nails put back on since they don't allow you to have them for surgery and my typing speed is finally back to normal!!!! Hopefully someday we can find some people on the eastside by renton to gather for walking and food ideas maybe once a month or so. I can't walk my dogs right now cause they are too big and miss it. Hope all is well ---

Hi Michelle - I too had shortness of breath on the third morning after my surgery. Did you get one of those breathing apparatuses to test your breathing at home to prevent pneumonia? Work on that and walk around. For me the problem was the gas and the pain in my shoulders. I called the dr and they made me to go the ER for a bunch of tests that came bac negative. if it does persist after some time (walking and breathing exercises) I would call your dr. office just to make sure everything is good. I hope this helps.... keep me posted.

Hi Sue an Wendy - Thank you for the information on my PM. Unfortunately I am in South Belllevue/Renton Highlands area and work during the week. BUMMER... Well - I can still enjoy all the posts by everyone. The helped me get through this even more than I thought they would. I woke up and weighed myself this am and gained back .06 oz =-(. Guess I shouldn't weight myself every day. Other than that i am healing well, port side is feeling better every day, I even slept on that side last night wth NO PAIN!!!! It is gorgeous outside today so I might try and find something easy to do like read a book!!! Take care everyone

question.. I was told that drinking is empty calories, but also have read on some of these posts that wine does help with digetion. I do plan on re-introducing wine and the occasional social drink back into my circle of life just as i would with all the other changes I am making in my life. Right now i am only 10 days post op so it is not even an option for me (nor do I miss it like I thought I would). MY MOTTO is moderation and smart choices for my life. Just be smart about those choices. Good luck!!!!! This is just my 2 cents worth..

Wenjea - How close are you to Renton and how often do y'all go walking? I would like to find some fellow local bandtster walkers for every once in a while. Once I am approved for weigt, I can take my mal pup walking again. Too much for me right now though.

hello - The preop testing procedure found a small hiatal hernia in me but it was too small for the dr to want to rid. it all depends, each situation is different...

I STARTED WEARING A REGULAR BRA DAY 8. NO SPORT BRA'S FOR ME TOO HARD TO GET ON AND OFF! My incision is about 2-3" below my left breast. Bra's just suck anyway you look at it.

Good evening everyone... Well, I am 9 days post op and went back to work today (surgery was the 23rd. It is a sit down job but is inside sales so it is high stress and you have to move and think very very quickly. Let's just say I was definitely a tortoise today. I worked for 6 hours and HAD to come home. I was exhausted and my port is still really really sore!!!!! I fell right to sleep for 3 hours. I think I am still healing and still a little swollen from the surgery on the 23rd, but it is so hard to tell. Just a really long hard day and I might have pushed it a little too much. I can't wait to be where some of you are where your port is not sore. I still can't sleep on my port side and it is still hard to bend over (I know so don't bend over right?)... he he.. Well - I went to see my dr a few days ago and said all was good so I am not too worried about any problems, I just think I got the luck of the draw with a long time heal for my port. I kinda sound like I am whining and probably am. I am certain my co-workers are tired of covering for me, but I will not make it a full day tomorrow, I can tell. I will try and do what I can but I think I overdid it with my port today. It is still pretty red and scabbing over so it is still sensitive to the touch/clothes (my port)... Anyone have any ideas or thoughts? ALSO anyone using hydrogen peroxide and neosporin on their scars? Also, I am having trouble getting all my liquids down. NOT because of my port, but because I am just not hungry or thirsty. I can get my protein shakes down easily and my broth. I need to drink more water... How is everyone else at this moving along? No weight loss for me from yesterday. Hope I am not hitting a plateau while still on liquids with an intake of 800 calories or less, my goodness.. Anyhow - hope you are all doing well the amazing bandsters!!!! Regards -

Renton here. Just found this site tonight and have already learned so much. My husband and I are both looking at the lapband. We are scheduled for a seminar w/the Franciscan Hospitial in Federal Way on June 7th. We are pretty excited to get the ball rolling. Hope everyone had a nice Memorial weekend. Hi Renton Here- I just was banded at st francis with Dr Srikanth. He is a wonderful surgeon and is part of the circle of excellence. I am on day 8 post op and so far this is my best day! Any questions - just private message me. http://www.LapBandTalk.com/images/smilies/clap2.gif

hello everyone, I am 8 days post op and put off oing back to work until tomorrow, the 31st. I am REALLY glad I took the extra day. I can actually make my own food, get my own stuff, get up and down (yes there is still some port pain, but if you are really careful, I can get up with minimal pain. I also noticed from yesterday as I started moving around that the back of my shoulderblade really hurt. My doctor said that since the port is attached to muscle, it takes some time to heal. I think I am feeling the muscle healing vs gas pains. No problem YET with my liquid diet. 2 3/4 weeks to go on it then i get mushies! I was told caffeine was dehydtrating. carbonation can strain your stomach. NO advil- alieve, only tylenol. I am going to take another nap now to improve my "recovery". OUCH on sneezing !!!!