Done

Mine took a bit longer..about a week and a half. It gets better every day :-)

Hi there, I found that because I had a great deal of gas pain, the heating pad worked extremely well relieving that pain, as I used it on the front as well. I found the gas-x didn't work for me. Re: the protein powder, I have three different types - a sweeter soy vanilla, an unflavored brand, and the beneprotein powder (the expensive one). I use the beneprotein in soups as it is tasteless, and the sweet one in yogurts. I'm still on liquids so I need that extra boost of protein. I needed some stool softeners as it took about a week for my bowels to start working again. Also a little pillow was very helpful as I held it against my tummy/port area to help with the pain while walking (and protecting it when I was in bed with my three and five year olds jumping around! :-) ) Peppermint tea was a GODSEND to me! It's interesting to see what everybody else uses. I think it depends on how that person recovers from the surgery, their pain levels, etc. Good thread!

I didn't read through all of the posts, and I'm new at this band thing, b ut just off the top of my head I thought have you eaten these foods before? Have you tried introducing only one food at a time? I am currently reading the book by Muhammed Ali's daughter, and the surgeon (who brought the band into the states for the clinical trials) said that things like bread can go into a big sticky ball in the pouch, blocking the exit. Maybe that could be the problem? Not necessarily the food you ate at the time, but something you ate earlier that was still in your pouch? Just a thought..hope this helps. :wink:

Maybe hide your scale for a while? Get back on track and don't weigh yourself for two weeks. Measure yourself and go by those measurements rather than the water weight. You can do this! You have already done so well, this is just a tiny bump in the road. :wink:

Oh honey, I know how you feel. Hang in there! You can do this. It's called life, we all have good and bad days. Tomorrow is a better day :-)

I like to think that if there is such a thing as starvation mode, then wouldn't an aneroxic be overweight? :-)

I wonder why the surgeons don't "deflate" us somehow before they close us up? I wonder if there is a medical person on the board that could answer this. hmmmmmm....

Well, to be honest, .................... WARNING, TMI I woke up with "ROBERTA, YOUR SURGERY IS OVER" and a nurse sticking a suppository up my you-know-what!!! (hey! exit only!!). I don't recover well from anesthetic. I've been under the knife about seven times and I guess this is just the way my body handles the medication. I was very much out of it. I didn't have a "fun" stoned feeling, you know, "wow man, I feel goooooooodddd zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz" (god it's been YEARS since I felt like that! HA HAAA). First thing I felt was the pain around my sternum from where the port was placed. Soon after my chest started hurting...intense pressure and pain under my ribcage......it hurt to breathe .. they sat me up which helped a bit, but it didn't go away so they gave me some percocet (spelling??). It was quite painful until after the meds kicked in. The chest pain was really something. The port incision felt very raw. The narcotics made me breathe really shallow so I was in and out of consciousness and remember telling myself to not forget to breathe. I would say it took a good four hours post-op for me to be able to stand up on my own. The chest pains were reduced by about 50% by sitting and standing up. Then of course that night I got all hyper, just like my anesthesiologist warned me (something about the mixture of the anesthetic and another med they give to patients before they go under causes hyperactivity). Felt great, no pain. HTH

Sounds normal to me. Hang in there! You are doing a fabulous job!

Thank you so very much for sharing your story. I look to stories like yours for inspiration when times are tough.

No suggestions, just wanted to pass along some hugs to you. :eek:

Wow, that was mean.

I have hashimotos thyroiditis (autoimmune disease where the antibodies kill the thyroid) and I'm losing weight with my band. Appreciate the band as there are millions of other obese people without the privilege of using it. ETA: somebody flamed me so I'm toning it down a bit.

AMAZING! You have done so well! You must feel absolutely wonderful.

I have my first pre-op appointment this Thursday, which will be about two weeks since my surgery date. My original appointment was last week but I had no sitter for my two daughters. I don't even get my first fill on that date!!!! I have to wait longer! I AM SO FRIGGIN HUNGRY. I HAVE NOOOOOOO RESTRICTION WHATSOEVER. I HATE, HATE, HATE, HATE, HATE THIS. I HATE reading how others have lost weight because I am so frickin pissed that I am not there yet. I feel like I am being tortured right now. I am on liquids and my god it is just KILLING ME. I mean, really, how much longer can I live on Soup & broth? I DON'T know how much broth/soup to eat, sometimes I can eat a cup, sometimes more, how do I know if it is staying in the pouch or just draining out? I worry CONSTANTLY that I am stretching my pouch somewhat. I wish I could physically SEE inside of myself whenever I eat to see how the food moves through my pouch and band. The mfr says to eat three meals a day, no Snacks. My nutritionist states 3-6 meals per day. My surgeon says three teacups, and also requires one month of clear fluids that would end up being roughly 900 calories FOR A MONTH - yes, consuming less than 100 calories PER DAY. (I lasted a week, then went on to thin soup, so I am up to about 800-1200 cals per day). Other people are eating real food after a week. WHAT GIVES? WHO DO YOU TRUST? How can one person be forced to starve just because her surgeon says so, while others are able to eat pretty much whatever they want a week post-op???? I am SO bitchy and crabby right now. Unbelievable. I mean I haven't been this crabby in MONTHS! (and no, it isn't my TOTM, I had my baby machine yanked out after baby #2)

Oh gosh I feel so bad for you!!!! I hope it starts to work for you soon. BIG HUGS.

OMG thanks for making me almost pee my pants!! Thanks for the good laugh

He smokes? I had no idea. I have had one smoke since my surgery date.

I see him tomorrow...I will be having the rocket-fuel xray in the morning and I see him afterwards. I wonder if he will give me my first fill that same day. I hope so.

I know that, I read it was a time for healing, but then I read of people losing drastic amounts of weight in the first month, mainly due to malnutrition due to starvation (which is what my surgeon recommends, broth for one month), or who knows, something else. I know it's only been less than two weeks, but the feelings are still there, since I haven't seen the scale move in a week. The first few days were miraculous, I would wake up and the scale would be down 2, 3 lbs. Now, nothing. I know it wasn't realistic because I couldn't live on broth alone after the first week. I'm reading Mohammed Ali's daughter's book on the band, I'm actually finding it very helpful right now. I have battled depression for years, so these feelings are nothing new to me. I'm just glad I have this board to vent to! You are all great.

Thanks Squishee :-) :-)

I just read recently that the whole "8 glasses a day" recommendation is actually incorrect. I think the article stated something like consuming that amount of Water a day including that which comes from food, tea, etc. etc.

Subscribe to the before/after pics thread. There are people constantly putting their pics up there to motivate others. :rofl:

You can't change what you have done in the past, you can change what you do in the future, in the now. Don't beat yourself up over it, we are all human, and I think 3/4 of the people on this board have cheated but just don't own up to it.

AND, I'd also like to add another bitch, since I introduced the Soups into my diet, increasing my calories to an approximate *WHOPPING* 1000 cals per day, MY WEIGHT HASN'T BUDGED. GRRR!!!