mrsgriffin2u

I literally gag everytime I think about a Protein shake. The bullets have been okay for me, but more than anything, I drink the Slim Fast Low Carb drinks. They aren't that bad and they really got me thru the liquid phase post-op. If you can't get it down out of the can, try shot glasses. For some reason, drinking it slowly and a little at a time really helped me. Don't confuse this with the High Protein Slim Fast. It has less protein, more carbs, and I believe more sugar. I hate milkshakes and that's part of the problem, but the protein taste is disgusting. Mixing the bullets with Crystal Light has helped, because drinking them straight has too much of an intense protein flavor for me. I've begged for a chewable version of protein and everyone laughs at me - so I KNOW where you're coming from. Also, if you like milk, the Publix brand skim has 9g per cup (as opposed to 8g I've seen in other brands). That helps too! Now that i'm on solids, if I really need to get in some protein and can't get a shake down, I will eat a Pure Protein Bar. They're about $6/box at Walmart and they have 20-23g of protein. The taste really isn't bad, but it does have more sugar I believe. Good luck! :biggrin:

Ladies, Just wanted to let you know that the surgery went great. My surgeon really placed all incisions very well and none of them interfere with my bra's. Right now I'm wearing non-underwire, but that's only because of the pressure. They do not irritate the incisions. The pressure from the wire is kind of too much, so while I'm out of work, I just wear a regular bra. I look forward to my underwire soon though. My bra's no longer fit me, so I'm off to Cacique soon to purchase some more. Thanks for all the replies! :wink2:

Hey there... I was just banded 7/2 and have not had any fills yet. I can answer your question though... YES! My band already reacts to stress. I'm going thru some personal issues and when I get upset I can barely do liquids. As silly as it is (I'm an emotional person)- even emotional t.v. shows makes my band tighter. I guess it's because I become emotional so easily, even if it's not noticable on the outside. Sorry if I sound crazy, but I thought I'd let you know that it's very possible. Congrats on meeting your goal and your tremendous weight loss. I can only hope to be so successful! :wink2: Amanda

It's very true about being knocked out so quickly. Everyone's different, but I didn't even get to a number. I was expecting them to ask me to count, but as soon as that mask touched my face I was out like a light! :biggrin: They didn't even give me a chance to get nervous. I also don't remember getting moved from the operating table to the gurny. That was done prior to me waking up. They woke me up while I was still in the OR and then as soon as I opened my eyes they began rolling me to recovery. NO nausea was awesome. I explaiend that was one of my biggest fears (vomitting) and they put so much anti-nausea medicine in me it was rediculous. They also gave me a presciption for some for a whole week after surgery. GREAT STUFF! Good luck to all! :biggrin:

Everyone's Dr.'s instructions are very different. I am like you and could have cream based Soups on Day 2 going forward. I'm not a tomato soup fan, but what you may want to do is cook it w/more liquid than normal, put it in a shot glass (if you have one) and sip on it very slowly. For 5 days after surgery I couldn't get anything more than one shot glass full at a time. I'm by NO means telling you to take a shot the old fashioned way. LOL! Just sip on it. It's a small portion and that helped me control it very well. It will get better and I graduated from the shot glass method after about one week. I was banded 7/2. Hope this helps and best wishes for a speedy recovery! :biggrin:

Thank you all so much for your support. Since my post I have managed to get in all of my required Protein and do not feel near as dehydrated. I started my period and I feel SUPER tight (no fills) so I've decreased everything for a few days. It's all just a learning curve and now that I know how to get my protein in - even without the shakes, I feel a lot better. Again, thank you all SO much for your support through this difficult, yet rewarding, journey.

I had my surgery July 2nd and everything has gone fairly well. I had a lot more pain than expected and my appetite was pretty much null and void until about 4-5 days ago. I struggled to even drink Water. I know this is bad, but I haven't been able to even get in a fraction of the Protein I should. Protein shakes do not sit well on my stomach (didn't even before surgery) and I've been scared to get sick. My supplements upset my stomach as well. I know this is all because of the lack of food I have sitting on my stomach. My mom (who has come into town to help me recover) is trying to get me to eat (soft icecream - yes I caved for a spoonful, cream of wheat, a little mashed potato) all foods I know I shouldn't have. I've also been eating thin Soup, pureed chili b/c I'm on mushies, and some Protein drinks. I'm eating maybe 1/4 of a cup at a time and get scared to go any further. I hiccup and to me that's a sign to stop. I don't have "pressure" or a full feeling. I'm just struggling really hard with a set "diet" that the surgeon has given me. It's wrong - I know. I need advice and help, maybe even strength to get thru this. I've lost 10 lbs post op, totaling 44 lbs since I started my 6 month pre-op program with my PCP. Please - any suggestions, support, or even criticism would be helpful. Thanks! :ohmy:

Do any of you feel tighter while on your period? I was banded on 7/2 and have had no fills to date. My first fill is 8/15. I started my period two days ago and today I have felt extremely tight. I've had some restriction during the entire recovery process, but today I can barely get down mushies. There's no PB'ing or sliming, because I'm not letting myself get that far, but it does feel weird (not bad or painful, just weird). Is this what true restriction feels like? Just curious! Thanks. :wink2:

A lot of people are allowed to have Saltine crackers during mushies because they break down really well. You may want to ask your doctor first, but if you have some saltines w/soup or with the light Laughing Cow cheese that come in really small wedges that may help. I find them VERY yummy and they take all of my cravings away. Publix carries whole graine saltines that are a little more healthy as well. The cheese will add a little Protein to your diet and and it's extremely soft. Hope this helps! I have two more days until I go to solids and I can't wait! Good luck! :glare:

Hi there! I'm in Murfreesboro and I also had my surgery July 2nd by Dr. George Eckles. Hope all is going well for you! :biggrin:

Well, I have to say that I was trimming my yard with a light weedeater (less than 7 lbs) and now my rib cage hurts even worse. I didn't even get 5 minutes in. I definitely have to call the surgeon tomorrow because I'm worried. To me, I shouldn't be hurting. I can't even think about exercising because of the pain. I also stopped losing weight. I lost 10 lbs in the first week and have stopped all together. UGH!

I'm not quite sure, but my surgeon specifically told me to take them (preferrably in liquid form). I'd call and atleast ask. I highly recommend SPANX. They sell them at Lane Bryant (highly recommended by Oprah) and they're comfortable. Just make sure, whatever you get, that it comes up under your breasts. That way it's not putting pressure from the waistband right on your incisions. That may cause even more pain. :seeya:

Oh boy! I definitely know what you're referring to and I have had it since my surgery on 7/2. My surgeon has said it is completely normal b/c that's where they went in the "deepest" during surgery. Some people are bothered by it and some aren't. Unfortunately, it seems like we're in that group. It can be very painful, but wearing a girdle or compression garment helps. Mine definitely has gotten better, but I've been told I can feel it for months. Mine has kind of traveled to under my left breast/ribcage. It's a burning/pulling sensation. IB Profen/Motrin helps a lot with the pain, so I highly recommend that. Hope this helps! :seeya:

If it's the pain, I can tell you that everyone is different. The pain will soon go away and you begin to forget what you experienced. I experienced more pain than most and now I'm up doing almost everything that I did prior to surgery. Luckily, I have a great job and have taken 5 weeks off with Short Term Disability, paid. It's great because sitting at a computer for more than 30 mins begins to hurt and that's pretty much my job. The one thing I would recommend doing, if you are an emotional eater, is to really address that prior to surgery. I thought I had, but I can tell you that's been more difficult than the pain for me. It's hard to see everyone around me eat good food. I just have to remember it's not good for them and I'm trying to get healthy. My life has revolved around food since day one and I'm just having to re-learn how to deal with food. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! :ohmy:

You definitely are right, however, it doesn't make it much easier. I completely understand that we have done this to lose weight and get healthty. I did this to end the cycle of overweight people in my family and start changing the diet in my household. My husband has almost done a 180 since my surgery and is going back to his old habits we've worked so hard to break in the last 6 months. He is also very overweight. It's almost as if he is rebelling against what I'm doing. And while it's difficult to see him do that to himself, it's also difficult for me to see/smell what he is eating. It's like an alcoholic going into a bar who has quit drinking. It's a good thing that they have stopped drinking, but it doesn't take that pain away when they're around other people who drink. The hardest part is an alcoholic can usually distance themselves from alcohol, but we have to be around food for the rest of our life. For some of us, our willpower is still not at 100% and that's something we will struggle with, but conquer! I guess my point is, we don't expect others to not eat around us. That's not what she was getting at, she was just expressing a feeling of what a lot of us are going thru - getting over the emotional tie we have to the food that got us this way. You are right though and made very valid points. Thanks! :ohmy:

Thanks, the potassium thing is definitely a great point. Lapbandmexico - I am happy with my band, but I have to admit, I'm still in that healing stage and still am not 100% about it. Everyone tells me that will go away and that the "What the heck did I just do to myself" feeling will subside soon. What about you?

I feel the exact same way right now. This has been so hard emotionally! Right after my surgery, my mom was in town to help, so my husband and mom made nice dinners every night. Then I went to Illinois with family to recover and they had a family gathering every night, which centered around food. I explained to them, as I teared up out of jealousy, that this proves why I needed this surgery. Our family focuses so much on food (we're all overweight) and I wanted to be the first to break that cycle. Good luck. I can tell you that each day gets easier, but I still battle with my addiction to food. I don't know if that will ever change, but I sure hope so! :ohmy:

I have the same exact issue and I'm in week 3 of recovery. Mine has set me back a lot because my job is to sit at a computer all day at a call center. People think that's easy because it's not physical, but it's worse that standing around with this burning sensation. I was really worried about it (I was not warned about this feeling from the Dr.) and they said it was completely normal. Mine has gotten a little better each day, unless I over-do it, but I still feel it several times a day. Wearing a girdle or some type of compression garment helps a lot. SPANX are a God-send for me and they really help. Somehow it gives you more support. Good luck!

Ya know... I started having small spasms in my right calf muscle... Only started happening after surgery. Everyone around me thinks I'm crazy because I keep saying "I hope it's not a blood clot." It's not swollen and it doesn't hurt. It just keeps spasming. Is this what you're referring to?

I have the exact same pain. Did you ever find out what this is? If so, please let me know. Thanks!

This shows how everyone is different. I had surgery July 2nd and I did have difficulty with getting up/down from the toilet as well as wiping. I wiped myself, but it was painful. I actually tried to keep motrin in me prior to gonig to bathroom, because that seemed to help. At times, it took me several minutes and some tears. My mom and husband helped me get up/down (same with in/out of the shower). The difficult part was this tremendous pain in my left abdomen area, which some people don't even experience. Everyone is so different though. Hopefully this will not be the case. I went to recover at my grandparents house and it was much better. My grandfather is in a wheelchair so he has the high toilets with a bar to help for support. MUCH BETTER! Hope this helps! Good luck.

I just had my surgery July 2nd and I've had that problem since day 3! I have it with Water, Protein, and now any mushies that I eat. Trust me, I eat/drink real slow and it doesn't seem to help. I also have one big hiccup and then I feel all better... weird! My mom (who came into town to help me recover) makes fun of me and says it's just like having to burp a baby. Makes sense I guess... I'm eating like a baby! Hope it gets better for you, but it seems like this may be sticking with me for awhile!

Hey all, Just wanted to let you know that the pain is getting a little better. Today was a little rougher than the last few days, but it's tolerable. Now I can say it's not "pain" as much as discomfort. I wanted to let you all know because last week the pain was so bad I asked my mom to shoot me! Still needed my mommy! LOL! She laughed and I looked her dead in the eye and told her I wasn't kidding. It gets better. I promise. It is still there, but more tolerable. I've only taken 2 IB Profen in the last 3 days. :embaressed_smile: That's an accomplishment in my opinion. My 2 week check-up was yesterday and the surgeon said everything I'm experiencing is NORMAL, fortunately for some, they just don't experience this pain. I feel for you all, trust me! Good luck in your new life! :huh2:

Hi Amy! Thanks for your response. I can tell you that the pain is slowly but surely getting a little better each day. Some days are worse than others. There's still no way I can go to work yet (I've been approved for 4-6 weeks for recovery), but I can atleast walk now. It seems to now be worse when I sit down for an extended amount of time. How are you feeling now? Amanda