Ms Yackie

That's not what I wanted to hear, but thanks for getting back to me so quickly, Jeanie!

Hi! Does anybody know how long after your surgery before you can go swimming and get your strips wet? Thanks!

For those of you who are yet to be banded...my doctor actually wrote up all of my prescriptions for liquid vicodin, nausea patches, and heprin shots ahead of time, and gave them to me at my pre-op appt. It worked out really well, because I was able to fill them and have them at home before I even went for surgery. Just a suggestion for your doctor...

Hi Dini - My Dr. also said that I can not drink a half an hour before, during, or a half an hour after I eat. It's probably one of the hardest steps of all!

Hi Celeste, I have had the CPAP machine for about 3 years now, and wouldn't sleep a night without it. It does take awhile to get used to, but afterwards you are so thankful that you have it. Also - I am 6 days post-op from having my band placed in, and I am still "dreaming" of foods all the time. I know that I can't have it though, so I don't let it torment me. I however, was the type of person to not cheat on my pre-op diet, or anything that my doctor asked me to do, and so far this process has been okay. Also - I've lost 10lbs in the last six days, so that has really helped keep me motivated as well. Best of luck!

Hi All - Yayayayayayayay!!! After I had my surgery, my doctor told me not to be surprised if I left the hospital weighing 10-15lbs heavier than when I came in, due to the amount of IV and gas that they put in me. Fortunately, I was only about 7 lbs heavier, and it was coming off very slowly, until today. I am FINALLY under the 330 mark and I am sooo excited! Bye bye 330's...NEVER again! Down a total of...39lbs!

Hi All - My original surgery was scheduled for June 29th with the original VG band. After finding information on the AP band I decided to call my doctor and ask if that was something that they were using. They told me they didn't know much about it, and were probably not going to be getting it anytime soon. Apparently after my discussion with them, they sent their head nurse to a conference strictly on the AP band. By the time that I went for my 2 week pre-op appointment, my doctor and nurse had done so much research on the AP band, they said they had them on order, but they would not be available to them until July 16th. I re-scheduled my surgery for July 20th. The best part is - they didn't charge me anymore for the AP band than they did for the regular band. My surgery went extremely well, and I am soooo happy that I decided to postpone my surgery for the newer, better model. I was the first person that my doctor had ever used this band on, which freightened my DH a bit, but didn't make me at all nervous. Apparently my doctor and nurse were so excited about my new band that they filled it, and unfilled while they were operating on me. They wanted to make sure that there weren't any leaks - which I am incredibly thankful for. I am so happy with my large AP band - I'm just so glad that I decided to wait. My advise is to have your doctor check into it, and perhaps attend a seminar that will help them in making their decision to get the new band. Good luck to all no matter which band you get!

Hi Chim, I love Big Medicine as well. It's good to see that they were able to fix their sister/daughter's problem with a quick 2 min unfill procedure. Thank goodness I opted for the band!

Hi Icy - It's not necessarily mushy's - it's just the next step beyond clear liquid. He had me on clear liquid's (anything that you can see through) until the 3rd day, and then you could try things like a smooth shake, or some creamy soup. I agree though - I think it was too early. I went back to broth for dinner and water for snack and dessert. MMMM! LoL! The funny part is that I am still not hungry, I'm just doing this for nutritional purposes. I think I will stick to clear liquids for atleast a week, and then possibly bump it up to muscle milk. I certainly don't want to feel like that again. That was yucky!

Hi Chim, I know that I haven't been drinking as much today as I usually do. Right now I am laying in bed, chatting with you, watching Big Medicine on TLC and drinking water. I hope this helps. Thanks for your input!

Hi All - I am so happy to have found this message board. You all are so welcoming and wonderful. I have a question... I am 3 days post-op, and was able to start the mushy stage today. All I had was a muscle milk shake and a half a cup of creamy soup. A little while later I started feeling really great, and ended up going to the grocery store with my DH. I was hardly able to make it home before I started feeling incredibly sick, and I thought I was going to throw up about 6 times. :think Needless to say, I belched a couple of really big, painful times, laid down in bed for about an hour and then I felt better. I guess my question is - do you think I tried to do the mushy stage too early, or do you think I could possibly be a little dehydrated? It's a catch 22 because you don't want to eat or drink too much - but you can't eat or drink too little either. Thanks for any help you can offer!

Mornin'! I am 3 days post-op, and today is my anniversary! My hubby and I met online and are now celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary. Anyway - today I can go from the clear liquid stage to the mushy stage, and I am sooo excited about it. There is a wonderful Protein shake that gets you plenty of protein, and tastes great as well. It's called "Muscle Milk" and it comes in lots of yummy flavors. The flavors that I have at home right now are banana Creme (which is currently my favorite), Rootbeer Float, Cookies and Cream and Caramel Pecan Swirl. In my magic bullet (which is now my best friend, btw) I mix in a 1/3 cup of ice, 1 scoop mucle milk and 6 oz. of fat free milk. Let me tell you that I am NOT a milk drinker, but this stuff is yummy. The banana creme tastes just like a banana milkshake! The hardest part is remembering to drink it slow enough, because it is THAT good! If Muscle Milk is something that you are interested in purchasing, I would either purchase it online at supplementwarehouse.com or at Super supplements. It's about double the price if you get it at GNC. On my pre-op diet, I had a shake for Breakfast, a shake for lunch and then something small for dinner. Such as a 3 oz piece of chicken or fish, and raw veggies with no dip. It definitely helped me to go down 36 lbs before surgery. And the best part - I never felt like I was starving! It is almost 2 am here, and I'm feeling a bit itchy and sore. I feel sorry for my DH because I am still not able to get out of bed by myself. He came up with a great idea that has really helped. We have cordless phones in which you can page the other phone. He keeps one, and I keep the other, and when I need him, I just page him. He comes running...even at 2 am. He's a keeper! Do any of you have the new AP band? My original surgery was scheduled for June 29th, and I postponed it until July 20th, because my Dr's office didn't receive the new AP band until July 16th. After doing a bunch of research, I definitely wanted to get the newer band. I ended up being the 1st patient that my doctor ever placed an AP band in. I think the Dr. and my nurse were more excited about the new band than I was! LoL! This whole experience has definitely been one of the best. I could never have imagined it to go so well. I am just extremely thankful to God for taking such good care of me, and I hope He does the same for all of you who are being banded real soon. Good luck!

Lynette - thank you for the kind welcome! I am from Seattle, Wa. and had my surgery done at Valley Medical with Dr. Alperovich. It was such a wonderful experience. The doctor's and nurses went well above the call of duty, and took excellent care of me! I would recommend them 100 times!

Hi Everyone, I am brand new to this site, and I was banded on Friday, July 20th. I'm feeling a little sore around my port area, but other than that, I'm doing great. I was able to lose 36 lbs before going into surgery, so I'm looking forward to seeing a lot more melt away now that the surgery is done. I am so happy to find such a wonderful site/support group. Looking forward to hearing how everyone else is doing!