hope2bhealthy

with the pudding, you can thin it out with skim milk, making it a liquid. you still get the good flavor.

i've only been banded for 2 weeks, but i get a little twinge in my port every time i bend down or even sit down. it didn't start happening until about 4 or 5 days ago, about the time i could actually feel the band. when i bend down, it kind of feels like a little pop. i don't know if this is what you are describing, but i know it freaks me out, too. hopefully someone else will come on and say that it's normal.

as far as i know, this is the procedure that they use now. they didn't always anchor it to the stomach, but they do now because it keeps the band in place.

i'm wondering if you've tried something like yoga or pilates? pilates will work your core in a more focused, exercise-y way, while yoga will hold you in stances that will work on your core, as well as your balance and stamina. if you haven't ever done yoga, you might not think it is much of a workout, but your muscles will definitely feel it, and you will sweat! doing a different workout like this might be what your body needs to get it out of your rut.

i went this last summer to several six flags, and at a size 22-24, i fit in almost everyride. one ride i had to sit in the big seat, but i fit in all the other rollercoasters, though some were just barely.

so everyone who cheats a little is a "gigantic pig who can't control themself"? that seems way harsh.

chelsey - be happy that you CAN burp. i think i've only burped 3 times in the last 2 weeks, even when the gas was HORRIBLE. burping won't hurt your band. belch away!

the best advice would be just to take your pain medicine so the gas doesn't hurt so much, take it easy so you can recuperate, and sip your liquids slowly so you don't get too full too fast. you just had major surgery, so of course you're hurting. even those of us who were up and moving about really quickly had pain. i'm 2 weeks post op, and i have a little port pain still, especially if i dont bend down in the special way (1 leg in back in the air while holding my side), but i just take a couple of tylenol everyday and i'm good. just give yourself a little time, and don't feel bad about taking the good pain meds. that's all that worked for the gas for me. and then one day, you wake up, and there's no gas, and you're hungry so you eat something, and you have some energy, and you step on the scale and you've lost 10 lbs, and all of a sudden you'll know that it's worth it. but at 2 days, you shouldn't judge it, because you are at the bottom of the barrel. look up instead.

sorry about my presumptious comment, because it seems to have disturbed a few people. i think the point is that every doctor has a different diet that they think their patients should stick to. mine, for example, only had me on clear liquids the day of the surgery, then i am on full liquids for 6 WEEKS, then mushies for 2 weeks, then (after 2 months) will finally be allowed to eat solid food. This is much stricter than most plans, and is made even more difficult by the fact that I am starving and am fully capable of handling regular food. (I know this because I cheat, but if I had most other doctors, I wouldn't be cheating). On the other hand, it seems that most docs make you wait 1.5 - 2 months for your first fill, and my doc fills every two weeks starting at week 2. so the point is, some are overly cautious (i would be too if i could get sued) and some aren't, but they probably all have their reasons. some people can tolerate solid food a week after their surgery (like me) and some can't. hence, regular food "as tolerated". that doesn't mean that you can't or shouldn't go slowly. but it also doesn't mean that your doctor hasn't done HIS homework. More likely, he understands that many people start cheating about this time because their swelling has gone down and they are hungry, and he figures that so many people are cheating and doing ok, that it really probably is ok to eat solid food this early, as long as you are doing it smartly and going slowly. and if he sanctions it, he's more likely going to get a call from someone who has a problem because they ate solid food, because they won't think that he's going to yell at them.

i think it's a little presumptious of you to think that your doctor doesn't know what he's doing. they have to go through a LOT of surgeries before they are certified to do them on their own, so even though he may be "new", he still knows what he is doing. if you would rather not go straight to solid food, then don't, but don't think you know more than your doctor. and mushies ARE normal food.

on liquids, you're going to have diarrhea, because what you're eating is liquid. once you go to full liquids, you'll have normal stool sometimes, and sometimes, not, but it will get better. go ahead and move to the full liquids.

is she sure that her port is in a different place. it is usually under the large incision.

i think if you couldnt eat jello, you probably couldnt handle a protein drink either. i'd stick to the clear liquids, then move onto full liquids when your doc says to.

my doctors orders were not to drive for at least 2 days after i stopped my good narcotic loopy pain meds. i didn't stick to that because i still sometimes take them at night, but i was just careful not to drive anytime after i'd taken the meds. i think i drove first 3 days post op because i had to get some tylenol (so i wouldn't have to take the loopy pain meds) and gas x. you'll just have to see how you are feeling and how often you are taking loopy meds. i'm sure it's different for everyone.

so, i'm about a week behind you, but i know exactly how you are feeling. i find that if i drink a slimfast or atkins shake, i am absolutely starving 2-3 hours later. not just hungry, but ready to eat my shoe. however, if i make my own Protein shake for breakfast, i'm good. example: i'll make a shake with a banana, some peach drinkable yogurt (kefir brand), a scoop of Protein powder, and some mootopia skim milk. this comes in between 300-400 cals (and lots and lots of protein), but i usually am not hungry for 4 or 5 hours, at least, and then i'm not starving. for lunch i can get away with some tomato Soup (i like the campbells sippy cup ones), and by dinner, i'm hungry, but not so much that i do something stupid. if i start off with a canned Protein Shake, i tend to do stupid things, like eat a piece of pizza 8 days post op. (which was yummy but not worth the guilt) hope this helps.

i tried jello the evening of my surgery. i took one bite and thought i might hurl. i would wait a day or two and then try again. just stick with liquids the first day. a sugarfree popsicle is better than jello anyhow.

i'm just curious...Is there any possibility that your saline pouch on your band got a hole in it, and the saline leaked out? When you told your doc you had great restriction, then it all went away, did he even consider this? Is it unlikely BUT possible that your band can spring a leak?

Actually, Tylenol is what we are supposed to take because it is NOT damaging to your stomach. Ibuprofen and NSAIDS like Aleve ARE damaging to your stomach, and should not be taken without your docs approval. Tylenol can be damaging to your LIVER if you take considerably more than the label says, but it doesn't hurt the stomach.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f178/gas-pains-57370/ we had a thread about gas pains going just a few days ago. this will tell you what worked for other people, etc.

so, i'm sure there are some that would say don't eat the ice cream, practice will power. maybe that is a really good answer. but isn't the point of the band to teach us how to eat healthy for life? i think having a 1/2 cup of ice cream is ok, because that is a normal portion. its 120 cals of ice cream instead of 800. i've had ice cream a few times, but i'm perfectly happy just having 1/4-1/2 cup, where 2 weeks ago i would have had 1/2 the box. it's reasonable, as long as you see it as a treat after an otherwise healthy day, and you don't let it compromise your weight loss by over-indulging.

so funny, because i just reread my discharge instructions to see if they said anything about the steri-strips, and they didn't. i am occasionally a bit OCD, and today I picked at my strips all day long, until I finally pulled them all off tonight. I started with the little ones, and when they seemed to be healed up tight, i said what the hell and pulled the big one off. I'm glad to know that others had their strips fall off in the same time frame as I pulled mine. I haven't taken many showers, so maybe that's the difference. If the loose edges are bothering you (like they definitely were me), just trim them off with scissors.

yes, it's normal to start feeling hungry. i got hungry about 2 or 3 days post op. as your swelling goes down, you'll probably find you get hungrier, more often, at least until your first fill.

i'm pretty sure gum is on my doctor's list of things to give up forever, so there must be a good reason not to chew it. i'm not a gum person, so no prob for me. but, oh, the straws!!....

yes, herbal tea counts as water.

i can think of several reasons off the top of my head why they would tell you to dilute the juice. 1) if they tell you you can drink full juice all the time as much as you want, some people might drink a lot of juice. some people hate Water. so if juice is about 150 cals a cup, then you'll take in a lot of calories just from that. 2) they are trying to keep you on a high Protein, low carb regimen (juice is all carbs). this is the best way for you to not only lose weight, but also to make the most of your calories by taking in more protein. this is how you will eat for the rest of your life, so you might as well start now. 3) no matter how much everyone says that the first few weeks are for healing, not weight-loss, most people would be pretty upset if they lost nothing in the first few weeks. it would be discouraging. 500-700 cals a day is plenty to keep you feeling great, but also for you to lose weight. and i find it very difficult even to hit that mark on most days and i'm on full liquids. 4) once you are on full liquids or are eating, you won't be drinking juice unless it is sugar-free or diet. so maybe it would be difficult to tell you to drink all the yummy juice you want now, then take it away from you in a week. you'll know that it's fine for your tummy, and you might be tempted to cheat. then one thing leads to another and you can't figure out why the band isn't working for you.