liannatx

Greenize, I hope you are feeling okay today. I was banded by Dr Sanchez on Oct 27 and was very pleased with the hospital, staff, guest house, etc... Hang in there, the first few days are the roughest.

I definitely want a tummy tuck, and think I might get away with a mini TT. 229 is my high weight and I have never had children so I think I will just have the loose skin to worry about. The only other thing I would want is the breast lift and depending on how much they shrink maybe a small implant, just to keep the tops perky and rounded. Currently in 40DDD, and alot of that is tons of fat making them still look full and round, who knows where they will go without all the extra fat. But as long as they still look okay in good underwired bras and swimsuits I might pass up the boob job part altogether. (but then again they do the TT and breast lift/augmentation at the same time, a big money saver! so who knows)

If you can have watery mashed potatoes you should be able to handle thinned soups, did he say anything about soups? I survived the full liquids stage by pureeing and straining cream of mushroom and creamy broccoli soup. They have more nutritional value than mashed potatoes, and should be no harder to digest.

Congratulations on the 20 Lbs! Maybe you can have some cream of turkey soup, lol!

GORGEOUS, and nice dress too!

I dont know what to say but listen to your doctors advice. The fact that it is not red and there is no fever is good. Just a thought, I thought I was one of the lucky ones the first few days to not have any gas pains......it hit several days out. It may also be referred pain from the surgery, I have heard that can hit under the left rib cage. Where is your port? Hope you get past this soon.

Glad to hear you are having an easy recovery! Congratulations on being banded!

I tried to eat a bite of a bisquit, my first try on something like that since banding, and chewed it to practically liquid and the second bite was torture. It was not going down. I made the mistake of trying to take a sip of chocolate milk hoping to wash it down,,, it made it much worse. I had to leave my classroom 3 times to go spit up mouthfuls of slime. Final trip to the restroom finally had the bisquit come up with the slime. Instant relief. I stuck to soup for lunch and dinner, wont be trying bread of any kind for some time. It really sucked because I am just starting to enjoy mushies and softer foods, sure would like a piece of toast with my oatmeal, lol!

I have also tried most of these recipes from my lowcarb diet days. The mock fried rice and egg muffins are my favorite! I also like to make the mock mashed potatoes like a stuffed potato, with cheese, chives, fatfree sour cream or cream cheese, and reduced fat bacon bits......yummy! Thanks for sharing these recipes!

I didnt have any depression at all. I had a very rough time of it physically the first 3 days or so but after the 4th day I was at about 80% feeling fine. I teach 6th grade and was banded on a Thursday and returned to work the very next Thursday. I think I actually felt better getting makeup on, dressed nice, and getting back out in the real world. It makes me feel rotten to lay around the house in sweats/gown all day. I did have "what the hell have I done" moments the first 2-3 days, but I expected them and wasnt very concerned.

I did chewables also.......they actually taste good too!

I really want a glass of wine. Not the whole bottle, just one glass. My husband and I typically go out to eat and/or meet with friends 2 or 3 times a week. I am tired of sitting there with a glass of Water. I could nurse a glass of Chardonnay or Merlot for at least an hour! I can understand the no beer thing, and also understand alcohol having empty calories. From the healing band standpoint wouldnt the wine just go straight through to my stomach? The only information I can find in my info packet is: "You must also avoid alcoholic drinks, not only are they very caloric but they irritate your stomach. In time you might be able to drink a glass of wine, but it should be done sparingly and with moderation" How much time is 'in time' lol?

Well I had my 1st PB and slime today. I am in the end of mushies week right now and starting to incorporate some real food in slowly. I thought I would try one of the cinnamon raisin bisquits my students had for breakfast. The first bite I thought "oh this might be a mistake" because it just felt too heavy or thick in my stomach. I will definitely go with my instincts next time, because I went ahead and tood a second bite. BIG MISTAKE! I chewed it to practically liquid stage and when I swallowed it hit my stoma like a rock. It literally made my eyes water, it was that painful. It wouldnt come up and it couldnt go down. The slime stuff is not like spit. It is like thick tasteless bile, like mucus. And I spit several mouthfuls of this up before I finally spit up the cinnamon bisquit, and more after. The bisquit coming up was not like throwing up at all. It was more like a baby spitting up. It just came back up in its semi liquid state. And I felt almost instant relief when it did, felt sore for a while though. I think I will be one of the ones that cant handle soft breads. I did learn to listen to that very first red flag that my body sends.

I am on mushy right now. I love the fat free cottage cheese with some mashed peaches. Refried beans thinned and topped with fatfree sour cream and grated cheese. Any soup pureed is good.... bean and bacon, broccoli and cheese, cream of chicken. Yogurt makes an excellent base for smoothies/shakes, just add some protien powder and whatever sounds good. I havent had any problems with the mushy foods, and I try to avoid things with too much sugar and fat due to insulin issues. I would stay away from the bread, why fill up on such empty calories anyway?

I cant wait for this to get some replies. I have no information to share with you, but I am also interested in details and facts from someone who has 'been there and done that'. I am already saving and plan on having a mini tummy tuck. And let us know how yours goes!!

I have no idea why you would be feeling more hunger after your fill, maybe you just expected MORE restriction and the lack of it is playing with your mind?!!! I really replied because I wanted to say hello because I am also an elementary teacher, 6th grade! We have many parallels going here. I was also born in 1966, married and also have no kids!!!! And yes I am also insulin resistant, but take Actos, and got the PCOS going too. I am 5'4" and at 221 right now. I thought it was strange to see how close our stats were without commenting!

There is no chance it is your gallbladder is there? Gallbladder attacks can cause pain between the shoulders and in the left shoulder. I am only concerned because you are 4 weeks post op and that sounds pretty severe to still be gas pains. It wouldnt hurt to see your regular doctor and make sure everything is okay.

I will be 2 weeks out on Thursday. I know that exercising is out of the question so soon but was wondering when I could ride my Recumbant bike. It seems no more strenuous than walking, which is okay to do. Or does it use ab muscles or something I dont know about?

I actually think you need SOME calories, lol, and that even Gatorade is fine. This is not a time for worrying about weight loss but a time for your body to get over surgery and for your stomach to heal allowing those stitches to really anchor your band. All the things dcox listed are great and sip on lots of water. It really passes fast. About the time you start getting really hungry and sick of liquids it will be time to move on to mushies. I should add that there is a clear liquid protien drink called Isopure, you can get them at GNC. I really felt better drinking an Isopure and some Propel/and-or/Gatorade daily, just knowing my body was still getting some of the nutrients it needed to help with a speedy recovery. It is reassuring to hear how others got through the liquid phase, but remember that your dietician will give you ideas and guidelines that your doctor wants you to follow.

Dont get on diet pills. You chose the band because it will help you lose in a slower healthy fashion. Have some patience and wait to see how you feel after your first fill. Hang in there!

I agree you need to get some Gas-X to manage the gas. I had terrible pain with the need to burp, but feeling like there was not enough space for the air to come up. Gas-X and walking are all I know that may relieve it. It may also help to take some childrens Tynelol Liquid, both for the pain and the anti-inflamatory properties it has. You mentioned that you "can't eat....get sick at the thought of food".......you should be having nothing but tiny slow sips of liquids. What did you mean by that? I hope you arent trying to eat real food or even mushies yet!

Ive suffered acid reflux off and on for years and it is very common to have problems with it when in a prone position. I have never been told that aspiration pneumonia was something to worry about as a result of it, but it IS painful, interupts sleep, and it can irritate the esophogus. It can cause actual damage to the esophogus over long term episodes. Ask your doc if you can take acid blockers. I ended up having great results with OTC prilosec. Since you havent had a recent fill its very doubtful that you are too tight, it's probably related to diet or caffiene as previous poster mentioned. Check with doctor at next appt to rule out any band related cause and see what he recommends to help keep that acid production down (and in your stomach where it belongs!) .

I usually dream in color and have very detailed dreams. Details like what is playing on the radio in the background, what people are wearing, the setting, smells, etc... I also wake myself up laughing!!! or talking!!! But the oddest thing about my dreams is that I am always thin in them. ALWAYS. I am the right age in them but still look around 130 lbs or so. No matter how much weight I gain over the years in my dreams my weight has never changed. I have wondered many many many times what that means. Is it a case self-denial, a positive body image, self-esteem, or just the way I still see my image of my self in my thoughts? I know I am always shocked when I see a picture of myself to see that I am this size, so maybe I just have some denial over my true body image. It still always strikes me as strange that I am thin in my dreams......time to work on making it a reality anyway.

I suffer seasonal allergies and was told to take good ole Childrens Benadryl Allergy, it is a liquid also which eliminates the whole pill issue altogether.

Well, I tried a couple of sips of protien shake Monday morning and that triggered another bout of spitting up foam for 3 hours, and then I couldnt get a sip of anything to stay down all day. Having a horrid pain like air wants to come UP and cant. Pain was nonrelenting, and had no fluids all day so I went to e.r. last night around 10. I was in e.r. for 2 hours when someone finally came and took me to get stomach x-rays. I said "I am going to get x-rays and I havent seen or spoken to a dr. yet?". Got back in my waiting room and waited another hour. Doctor finally came in (looked about 28 with diamond studs in both ears and gelled spiky hair?) and did a brief talk and then said 'well, lets get some exrays'. Did he forget he already ordered them? Was he unaware I had already been here for 2 hours and already had x-rays taken? I sat there another hour with only one interuption, a nurse looking in to ask if anyone had been in yet and got vitals. Doctor finally came back in at 2:30. dr., "well the xrays dont show any obstructions or etc...." glitter, "I dont think there's anything like that wrong, I have been battling this swellling since surgery. I think I just need some anti-inflamatory medication and some fluids" dr., "I dont hear much gurgling in your bowels, which leads me to think this a reaction your body is having to the trauma of the surgery" (wtf? duh?) dr. , " You havent had a bowel movement in 4 days? I want to run a blah blah blah(?) scan on your bowels" glitter, "I am sure my bowels are not gurgling because I have had nothing to eat in 5 days, I am not even having hunger pangs to cause gurgling. I really dont want a blah blah(?) scan, I just want something to help relieve this pain and inflamation and I obviously cant take anything orally right now, which is why I am at the e.r." dr., "well, I really want to run a blah blah(?) scan on your bowels, you can refuse this test if you want to, but I won't proceed any further without it" glitter "so are you telling me that after sitting in here in pain for 4 hours over a swollen stoma that you are not going to give me anything unless I go through some basically pointless tests? Because we both know that the banding is causing this swelling. I really dont want the expense of further tests run." dr. "like i said, you can refuse the scan" So I did. I just got up and walked out. And now I am back home, tireder and more miserable than ever. The only good thing is that I slept from about 4 to 7 and woke up and was able to sip about 4 oz. of warm broth. I am really upset over my treatment at the e.r. Shouldn't the probable dehydration and/or elecrolyte balance at least have warranted an i.v.? Was I treated wrongly or am I just tired, pained, and overly sensitive right now?