Topdownbug

Judy - I sure do have a VW Beetle - she's a New Beetle Convertible - so her license plate says 'TOP DOWN'. We are close in Band dates, we're also close in age. .. and ... my name is also Judy :clap2: No chance you live in Ohio is there ?

Thanks Sue! I have stuck religiously to the post op diet ... drink, drink, drink, drink. Good thing this stuff tastes good. Carnation instant Breakfast and ProtiDiet, lots of Water and some milke along with my Vitamins, etc. I'm doing well and feeling stronger every day. I appreciate your comments! I'll be waiting ...

I'm not freaking out or anything, but it's been 12 days since I ate anything other than Protein drinks and Water. When I left the house for my surgery on the 16th I had lost 7 pounds on the pre-op diet. When I got home I was five pounds higher!! Now, five days since surgery and 12 days with no food at all, I am still only down by four pounds from beginning my pre-op diet. Summary - I've only lost 4 pounds in 12 days with no food?? Is this normal? When will the scales reflect my low cal/low carb/high protein diet ? I know this all takes time, but ordinarily (prior to surgery) if I didn't eat much for a couple days 2 or 3 pounds would be gone... just like that! (snapping fingers)

Hunter I had almost no pain after the surgery. I asked for one pill the night of the surgery (which helped me to rest) and since then I've had a total of 4 extra strength tylenol. I've had a couple other similar (gall bladder, hernia) surgeries and had very little pain from those either. I think I'm just lucky. My biggest problem was on day one and two lots of gurgling when I was trying to swallow my drinks. That went away yesterday so I'm feeling pretty darn normal except I get tired and weak easily if I try to do too much physically. I hope all goes well for you .. you're getting there ! Judy

Oh MLS - I'm so sorry you got sick after surgery. One of my co-workers came to work with a terrible cold for two weeks before my surgery and I wanted to strangle him and say STAY HOME IF YOU'RE SICK!!! Luckily I didn't catch his germs. I guess at least you'll stay put and get plenty of rest, which you need even if you weren't sick. Good luck and keep us posted. My surgery was the 16th too!

Green - how much did you lose and how long did it take? Honestly, I'm quite happy with my life now (w/out weight loss surgery) but I know I could enjoy much more of life's joys if I had more stamina and energy. That's my main reason for wanting to lose weight. I have a great life - now it'll be even greater. I can see how someone who is counting on WLS to change them from sad to happy might have to have some counseling and help.

Someone just said 'isn't it great to move around without all that weight?'. I know this is crazy, but I've only lost about 16 pounds (including pre surgery) and I feel like I'm 'light'! Its hard to describe but I know the rest of you know what I mean. It's like I can get places and do things without feeling like I'm dragging another person along. And that's with only 16 pounds gone !!! I can't wait to see what 30 and 50 and 75 feel like !! Congrats to all of us. We are truly courageous people to do this for our health and our loved ones. Happy Saturday Judy

Saintluver I breezed through the first two days aftery my Oct 16th surgery, but woke up on day three feeling dizzy and nauseous. I sipped on a Protein drink and started to feel better, but every time I went for a few hours without drinking something the nausea returned. I called the Dr and he said probably low blood sugar. He said keep eating(drinking) as often as possible - not just the Water - and try to get some carbs at night before bed to tide me over until morning. I am sticking with the Carnation Instant breakfasts since they seem to have some sugar in them and they chase away the dizziness. He also called in a prescription for me though - just in case. I read that getting sick and especially if you throw up - takes a long time to recover from that in the early days. Try some more carbs would be my advice (from my Dr) Good luck Judy

Judy H Yes - only an hour and as luck would have it - I drive a Beetle (sometimes a speeding one). Thus my name "Top Down Bug" (she's a flasher - sometimes puts her convertible top down). So your surgery was in June? How are you doing? Would love to hear about your progress and experiences. You're 4 months ahead of me so you are surely settled into the new lifestyle now. Keep in touch. Hunter - surgery with Dr Myers was just fine. He's such a great guy as I know many doctors are. He gives us all his personal cell phone number and answers it day or night (unless he's in surgery I suppose). I had a little nausea yesterday and was worried about it so I gave him a call. He called in a prescription right away and told me my blood sugar was probably getting low. I'm going to have a few more carbs today and see if it doesn't help. Haven't gotten to the pharmacy yet to pick up the prescription. How are you doing Hunter?

What's PB ing?

Judy H - I'm from just up the road a bit - in Mansfield. Have you been banded yet? You are close to my age and location so it might be fun to track our progress together. Judy (the other one) :bounce:

Sue - I only had to do the pre-op for six days and that was rough. I actually 'cheated' a bit. I had a piece of that liv-active cheese a couple times and got a grilled chicken sandwich from McDonalds - threw away everything but the chicken and nibbled on that for a few hours one night. It really helped. Made me feel like a human. I really got pretty weak by the end. Good luck to you! I'm four days since banding and now its hard to get enough stuff in me. Fluids/protein/vitamins/biotin/blood thinner injections - I actually made a checklist so I wouldn't forget anything important.

Thanks for the replies. I didn't finish the eggs because I took a nap and then woke up nauseous. I called the Dr about the nausea since I've been doing so well up to today and he said its probably just really low blood sugar and I should be sure to try to eat/drink as much as possible. He also called in a prescription for me for the nausea .. he's a great guy!

One of the things on my list to eat that will help me get my protein in is scrambled egg beaters (pureed in a blender). I'm sort of confused. I cook the eggs - then puree them.. will they be drinking consistency or just thin? I think I'm missing something here ??

Thanks! I cooked them up and am smooshing them into oblivion with my fork.. then taking tiny bites and making sure everything is pretty smooth before I swallow. I hope this works ok. I'm having a little bit of nausea and I'm trying to get plenty of Protein and fluids to ward off any problems. Thanks again for your advice

Just a bit off topic, but as a newly banded - still sipping fluids all day long- member of this forum, I have a question. Those of you who are eating too much because you haven't had your first fill yet, do you mean you are actually able to eat like you did before the band? I'm just curious because just the idea of chewing something and swallowing it and not feeling like someone put a golfball in my chest sounds so great right now.... I'm all for the GOALS idea too! I just don't know yet what's realistic since I'm still dragging around my hospital weight gain! What's UP with that anyway ?? Good morning .. and TGIF! Judy

Great advice Melissa. I did get really scared a few days before my surgery from some (what I call ) horror stories I read on here. I told myself - don't read any more now - unless you really want to think about backing out. I continued to read but only encouraging stories. I guess I'm still like that. I'll take the good with the bad, but I don't want to sit and worry about every single complication that might arise. I want to focus on healing and soon on getting thinner and healthier! Glad to hear you're still doing well Melissa. I am too - but worried about Water and Protein. Geez - I never had to **think** this much about food before. Are you having any 'gurgles'... like when you drink something it takes a while to actually get down ? Judy

I did pretty well on the pre-op plan, although I did have a few 'real food' items. I got pretty weak a couple times and knew I needed more than just the powdered mix w/water, so I actually ate part of a scrambled egg, a couple pieces of cheese and some grilled chicken (over the course of the six days...not all at the same time). After surgery I asked the Dr and his assistant how my liver was and they said it was fine. I'm glad I didn't push the 'cheating' too far, but I sure knew my body needed it at the times I did it. I'm on day three since the surgery and am awake at 3 a.m. with a little touch of nausea for the first time. I think I need to get more fluids in me - I'm supposed to have 64 oz and even though they said that might not be possible, I think I only took in about 40 yesterday. So I'm sipping Water and posting on here until I can get back to sleep. :notagree Good luck to all of you/us! This is truly an adventure for anyone who undertakes it.

I agree. I'm only two days out from my surgery and I'm feeling fine. Other than being tired and frustrated trying to get all this Protein and liquid in me, I'm pretty much back to normal. BUT... remember we're all different and while this part might be easier for me, I may not do so well with another phase of this. I guess the best thing is to expect the worst, hope for the best and whatever it is .. it is. And as someone said, eventually all the pain will be gone. I hope it is gone soon for you !! Judy

Hi Sue! Welcome! We are about the same age. My name is Judy and I am turning 58 this weekend. I got banded two days ago and so far - so good. Good luck and please keep us all posted! Judy

Yeah - that's sort of the same feeling I have. Slow moving stuff. My only worry is that it takes so long to get that stuff in and I have to get that 60 grams of protein. ... so much to remember. I'm glad I'm home until Monday. Maybe I'll get into some kind of routine with this. I don't want to go back to work and blow my whole eating/drinking schedule. I try to take all the meds/etc first thing in the morning so I only have to concentrate on fluids and protein for now. Any other suggestions?

Congrats to you !! I started at about the same weight as you. Lost about 9 during the pre-op diet, so just got banded on Tues Oct 16th. Your progress is an inspiration for me! Let me ask you and anyone else a question. For the first few days or more after surgery did you have a lot of 'bubbles'? Like when I take sips of my Protein Drink, about 5 min later it sort of bubbles up. ..like a burp. I mean nothing is actually coming back up, or getting stuck, but it's sort of like a slow drain. I'm hoping this is temporary because its sort of annoying, but maybe its just something I have to get used to? Again .. Congrats!!

Hi Ginny I am a 57 (for three more days) year old professional woman who is divorced. This decision was 100% my own, although my children and my niece, who is like my third child, sure have been happy that I decided to have it. My ex hubby had the gastric bypass two years ago and even though he had about every complication possible, he is much healthier and happier now. I know they want that for me too. I have about 100 pounds to lose, and have lost 15 from the pre-op already. I haven't really told anyone at work yet. They just know I had to have some 'minor surgery'. I know what you mean though - having been married for a long time, I sure miss that nice perspective from a male who cares about me. I do have some good male friends and some former 'lovers' who like me the way I am, so no pressure from them one way or another. That left the decision to me, but every time I get a glimpse of myself in a mirror or a photo.. I got more depressed. So, I've been banded for a whole two days now! No expert on anything for sure, but I'd say especially if you can get your kids support and encouragement, go for it! I'm not saying I'd have decided differently without my kids support but I know they are only wanting what's best for me and I sure don't want them having to take care of me as I get older and with all this weight even less healthy. I'm also a grandma - and I can't wait till I don't have to tell my grandson that I can't get down on the floor with him. (Its usually a real problem getting back up). I'd love to keep in touch with you as you progress through your decision making. Judy

Tairah Thanks for the great post! Its always great to hear the positive stories. Its great to have a place for people who are having problems or questions, but its also good to hear about the ones who are breezing right through the process too! Keep up the good work and keep us posted. Twenty -two pounds in about six weeks? Sounds good to me!! Judy

Congrats Heidi! It took me a while but I found your post on the other topic. I think I'm the 'mom' of this group since I'm older, but we still have plenty in common now so it'll be fun to keep up to date with you guys. Let's all check back in by Friday or Sat to see how things are a few days out, ok? I don't feel too bad this morning. I have a lot of reflux so I think I might take a pepcid today. Otherwise, I'm looking forward to a day full of rest and planning for my nutrition for the next few weeks. take care ladies! Judy