kimk1999

Yes I found it difficult too. I even poked fun at the nurse - after my 3 month of pre-op diet per insurance with appetite suppressants they change me to this low cal pre op diet with no appetite suppressants was just cruel!! Knowing that this pre-op diet helped with a smoother surgery helped to keep me on track. Sometimes I would add extra Water (maybe 2oz) to my Protein shakes to help me feel fuller. I drank a TON of water too to try to feel full. Good luck!!

First of all - right now in Florida - it's still 100% illegal, not even medical use. I've never touched it or hung out with people that did it. Yes I was a up tight nerd in high school and then again in college but that's a different story. I think that people will smoke it regardless of legal status. People drank when it was illegal - between under age drinking and prohibition era drinking. Unfortunately prohibition lead to moonshine and if that isn't done right there are really bad consequences. I say make pot legal. Let the government regulate it, tax it, etc. I think it's less toxic to the body than cigarettes. Make similar laws regarding drinking apply to pot - DUI, workmans comp, etc. Also, I think this should free up a lot of our jails for marijuana related crimes. If police don't have to worry about pot, they can focus on bigger issues and save the taxpayer some money.

Heating pad on the left shoulder and ice pack on the incisions/port area. Definitely take the pain meds. I liked the gas-x chewables cherry flavor. The strips didn't help me. Also, read the instructions. I kept trying to take one but it said 1-2. When I started taking 2 at a time (not exceeding the recommended dosage), it helped more. Walking, walking and more walking helped as well. Hope you're starting to feel better. I think it took me about a week to finally get the shoulder pain to go away and a few more days before the port site to not scream at me if I moved wrong.

I haven't had a fill yet, but if suggest to be better safe than sorry. I haven't heard of anyone complain of the left arm too mostly just the left shoulder. Play it safe and get a doctor eval. Hope you feel better soon!

Wow wonderful job! You'll be at your goal weight before you know it! Congratulations on this difficult journey.

Oooh - grilled nuggets from Chick-fil-a? That sounds very good and I'm looking forward to trying that as an option. For me, I like the security of having some Water there just in case I start to choke. For my 16th birthday my mom got choked on some seed or something where my dad had to give her the heimlich maneuver. She had water and it didn't really help, but ever since then, it's been a fear that I'll choke without something to drink. Granted there are others drinking at the table that I could take, but I'd still prefer to have something just in case. Crazy paranoia, but also makes things less awkward than the no-drink issue. lol

Yeah, I don't want to be a guinea pig for a new procedure. That's part of why I like the band option. They went through my belly button so the scar is hidden. The band has been around for a very long time for long term studies. I have a pretty good idea as to what I've gotten myself into. I have a decent understanding of the success rates 10 years out, mortality, weight regain, revisions, etc. Good luck on your research.

I wanted my fiancé to attend pre-surgery appts with me, but something always popped up. He said that he'd attend the next ones but the next ones have been post-surgery. He's supportive but relies on me to tell him what I can/cannot have. He's is the primary cook in the kitchen and so I really wished he went to the pre-op nutrition visit. He likes to take care of me by bringing me something when he's bringing him something and that's part of how I got to the size that I got. If he's was having a beer, he would be nice and bring me one. Yes, I could say no, but hey that was an opened beer . I'm not blaming him at all for my weight. He's getting on board with what I need now as it's been just 2.5 weeks since surgery and I have real restrictions. I'm a bit worried about how things will be once I progress past the mushy phase. Like Swampyspouse was suggesting - I wish that it was obligatory for him to attend certain appts.

I was banded Dec 16th a and first fill isn't until 1/27. My only lasting pain at this point and it's not that bad is sometimes my port site hurts. If I move wrong or whatever it'll remind me to take it easy. My doc said that's normal as the ab muscles are still healing / getting used to it.

I'm a Dec bandster as well. Sounds like you're really off to a great start. For me: 12/16 was surgery date. 12/30 was 1st follow up and I lost 8 lbs! I don't receive my first fill till 6 weeks out 1/27 .

I'm right there with you Leepers. Congrats on the soft food stage. My dr. diet is 2 weeks liquids, 2 weeks pureed and then I can transition to soft foods. I'm in the first week of pureed, stacked that with a cold for the past week and now it's that 'tom' for me. Luckily I'm not really that hungry yet, but it's creeping in there quicker than it was last week (meals are not lasting as long). I just have bad cravings for crunchy salty foods and/or sweet foods right now. Boy do I miss texture in foods. I'm trying to drink more fluids to keep the hunger at bay. Also, my doc & nut recommended to not drink with eating and to wait at least 30 mins but better 60 mins to drink after eating. That will keep food up there longer and not flush it through. They suggested to set a timer on my phone to help out.

My doctor's booklet has me with 5-6 small meals/snacks throughout the day. As long as I don't drink after eating, I'm not hungry that often, but I try to drink a Protein shake or two to ensure I get my protein counts up there. I agree with the others - follow your doc first and then do what you need to do. You didn't state if you were hungry in between meals or not. If you are not hungry, your nutritionist might have suggested subbing the meal for the shake to increase your protein and calorie count.

Also, what sweetener is in your protein shakes? I know aspartame and some of the other artificial sweeteners tend to trigger headaches and even migraines sometimes.

I hope you find out what's going on. Try new docs and stick with the pro-biotics.

Do you have something consistent every day? I cannot tolerate anything with egg yolks - scrambled whole eggs, mayo, most creamy salad dressings, various sauces at restaurants, etc - it will go right through me. I've avoided the flu shot for years. What about lactose (any milk or cheese) intolerance? Also, if I take zinc (typically in a multivitamin) I feel extremely nauseous. It was very difficult to find a Multivitamin without zinc and I can not take Zycam. Have you seen a nutritionist that could help you isolate what you're eating vs. timing of symptoms? My GI doc stated that there's no way that eggs could have that effect on me. It's that when I eat an egg containing item (say some great creamy sauce at a restaurant on my chicken) within 30 mins I'm running to the bathroom. The GI doc said things don't work that fast, but they do with me when I've eaten eggs. I've only had the band for about 2.5 weeks. I had diarrhea since I've had the band, but it was the whole liquids in = liquids out. I've started the pureed/mushy/blended diet and I was hoping that since it was more solid food that things would firm up, but I have not been lucky yet. If you know you don't have a lactose issue, have you tried yogurt to get a healthy bacteria levels? Maybe stick with the Activia specifically or some organic stuff with the proper good bacteria added? As someone else suggested, have you been tested for colitis? My fiancé has random stomach spasms quite often with diarrhea. No band. He was finally diagnosed with mild colitis. He takes a pill every day and things are much better. Have you done the different diets (gluten free) for 2 whole weeks without cheating to determine if that's a trigger? If your GI doc won't help, do you have the option to try another? I'm not sure of another doc to try but maybe your primary could refer you to some other speciality. 3 years is a long time to have this problem and to worry about dehydration let alone the embarrassment and uncomfortable feelings.

I finally started the z-pack yesterday and I'm starting to feel better too. I still have a bad cough but it's getting better. Terrible headache today though . I think it depends on your specific surgeon if they use barium or ultrasound for the first fill. Glad you're feeling better.

First of all congratulations!! I'm happy for you. Getting pregnant is one of my main reasons that I got the band... Fertility issues, etc doc said I need to lose weight... Anyways, surgeon should be notified ASAP. If you're not vomiting they may not take out any fills but you need to make sure you're getting enough nutrients for the baby. You might need a slight unfill so you can eat more. I'd still suggest an ob doc for at least the pregnancy part (monitor yours and the baby's health) and then use a midwife for the delivery. Good luck and keep me posted.

As I'm sitting here watching some of the NY Times Square events of the evening, I would like to wish Happy New Years to all my fellow online friends. Newly banded of two weeks ago, 2014 will be a great year. Stay safe and have a Happy New Year

I was super nervous and anxious as well. I have anxiety bad and I had approval from the hospital for me to take an anti-anxiety med prior to surgery. That helped me out that morning. All in all it went well. It's natural to be nervous. As long as you researched your surgeon you should have nothing to worry about.

I was so looking forward to this mushy phase, but my first attempt was way too dry and essentially a paste. I could barely eat any of it. Day 2 has gone much better. I had scrambled eggs, with ham and cheese. (The ham was finely diced). Tonight we had what I would call chicken cordon bleu (official title Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Ham and Cheese) but without the breadcrumbs. Actually both were from a recipe I found in a book called Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery by Patt Levine and Michele Bontempo-Saray. This book offers good healthy recipes and ways to prepare it for various stages (puree or whatever) and even for band, gastric bypass, BPD-DS, or 'others'. The others are the rest of your family not on the restricted diet. They have a lot more variety than ham and cheese stuff but that's just what spoke to me today.

I'm still too new to the band, so I don't have personal experience, but in the binder from my surgeon they do suggest drinking hot/warm tea or something like that to help soothe the area and help flush things down. This was one of the suggestions to do prior to calling them.

I'm kimk1999

Sorry, no experience with tricare, but do you have the option of seeing a different pcp? My original pcp suggested something similar before going through wls... I changed my pcp and had great support.

I used my heaviest from earlier this summer and what prompted me to go down this path of weight loss surgery.

I'm two weeks post op and separately miss just carbonated water. That was my go-to water of choice. My surgeon and nutritionist (tied to the doctors office) are both against carbonation of any sort.