HeatherO

I did not have a preop diet, only no eating after dinner time the day before. The day of surgery was only Water. If you have a diet of liquids, it is pretty easy to find Jello, apple juice, etc in Mexico. Please remember that if you are flying and you decide to bring some liquid items with you, you will need to put it into checked baggage and not carry on. They will confiscate anything above 3.4 ounces that is not in one quart sized sandwich baggie.

I had surgery on a Friday and was working the following Tuesday. It was rough not because of pain, only being tired and lethargic. I quickly recovered and was able to work without issue. I have a desk job so not much standing involved. By 3 weeks out I think I would have been fine for any job as long as there was not heavy lifting.

Doing abdominals such as situps with exercise did cause me to have some port soreness. However, it went away over time. I dont feel this soreness anymore but it may be because I worked through it and continued with abdominal exercises anyway. Some doctors say absolutely no caffeine. Mine says coffee is a free food that I can have as long as I am not adding a lot of additional sugar. So I think it varies. However, I personally feel that reasonable consumption of occasional caffeine is OK.

Great post! The first section would make a great article :0). #1 - Isopure Protein drinks helped me to feel better right away. It was hard to drink them, they taste a little different, but the extra protein made me feel human again. #2 - The worst of your discomfort should be finished and it will get continuously better from here. #3 - I waited maybe 1.5 weeks. By 2 weeks out it was fairly regular again. #4 - I started exercising again at 4 weeks out . . . but it was really hard. I was actively exercising before banding, and I usually do a vigorous, intense workout daily. The first few times at the gym in my step class after banding were really hard. I was so tired and I had to go very easy which is very unusual for me. It was like I didnt have any endurance at all. 2 weeks later and I was like normal again. #5 - Headaches were bad. Part of it was the caffeine. Once I started upping the protein and staying away from carbs it really helped. One thing to note, Tylenol never helped my headachess. I think I must be immune to the Tylenol version of pain relief . . . it did nothing for me. #6 - I was nauseous also . . . terribly so even though I never vomited. The crazy thing was that Water was making me nauseous and I had to drink a ton of it. There is nothing worse than feeling you have to vomit and being deathly afraid of doing so. I went to WalMart and found a product called Nausene chewables. You can chew them until they are liquified and they work almost instantly. They were like a lifesaver for me. On a side note, I never finished the box . . . after I started taking them when needed, my nausea got to be less and less until it dissappeared. I also found that I did not feel as sick if I did not drink very cold liquids. Thanks for sharing your post. I did not think I needed much support either but this website is a little addicting. :0)

Protein supplements are helpful the first month or two after surgery or if your diet is so restricted so that it is the best means to get in adequate protein. My doctor has a different opinion regarding shakes then some of what I have been reading on this forum. Other than initial healing after surgery or post fills, she said I should be getting protein from food and not shakes. I had been drinking a shake for breakfast daily on weekdays and she told me I should stop. I asked why. She said because the purpose of the band is to prevent overeating and give you a sense of fullness in between meals. The shake goes through your system too quickly and can contribute to taking in too many calories in the day, specially if you are hungry a couple of hours after you ingest the shake. I gave it some thought and I think she is right about this. It may not be the same for everyone, but for me I stay full all the time when I am eating Proteins.

Definitely contract your doctor. You need to have some tests done. It may or may not be band related but only tests by your doctor will give you the answer. Are you able to eat normally (the usual way you do as a bandster)? Do liquids go down OK?

I hear ya . . . I have been going through the same thing. I have found that lately I have been cravvvviiiinnnggg milk. It is really strange for me but it seeems as though the craving is so strong it is more a body craving then just a head craving. I just make sure I drink it out of a small teacup (if I get a big mug I will be sure to drink it all). Perhaps our bodies are trying to tell us something??? Calcium and Vitamin D are great as long as we are not taking in too many calories.

It only took me two but I asked for aggressive fills and my first was under flouroscopy. Some people say they can go up to 10 fills before they find the right spot. I think the most important thing is to keep an open dialogue with your doctor regarding your fill needs.

My doctor told me but I had to ask. She said that it really doesnt matter how much is inside since we are all different and our bodies will know if we have the right amount . . . I still wanted a number. She gave it to me but asked why I needed it. I laughed when I realized why I needed it, I need to post on the website how much I have in my fills and just to track my progress.

Very beautifully stated. It surprised me as well, not to be hungry but to ache with hunger :0). I just think it goes to show we are on the right track.

What are you eating every day? How many calories, how much Protein, are you eating a lot of carbohydrates, are you taking a Vitamin supplement daily? I can tell you that what I am eating has a lot to do with my energy level. Diet may not be the full answer but it may possibly shed some light on the fatigue. A few small changes can sometimes increase energy and weight loss at the same time. Exercising an hour every day will definitely make a difference as well. It may seem counter-intuitive in that if you are tired, exercise shouldn't make you less tired . . . but it does indeed seem to work that way.

Speaking of insecurities in the bedroom (since this is the powder room and we can say what we want) . . . my DH says that since banding our "special time" is so much better than ever before. I was really embarrassed because I was always soooo self conscious and I thought it was a reference to being overweight. I had always assumed that even though he has always told me I am beautiful, how can he be satisfied with me when he has the body of an athlete and I . . . well, um, don't. He saw from my expression that I was embarrassed. He then went on to say that the reason it is infinitely better now has nothing to do with my size. He said that I was always hiding myself, covering as much as possible, lights out completely and had no confidence before . . . now I express myself. When he said this to me, it really made light bulbs go off for me. My weight was not the issue even though I thought it was everything, my feelings and insecurities about the weight weighed me down physically and emotionally more than I ever could have imagined. I guess I am still learning more every day through this journey . . . and I still have a ways to go :sad:

Having an agenda is a good start. Perhaps just making a list of topics you would like to cover and setting aside an amount of time to discuss. Topics could be eating habits, emotional eating, support systems, etc. An idea for the way to start the meeting is to go in a circle and have everyone introduce themselves and just talk a little bit about how they are doing, what is going on in their lives, etc. This could be a standard part of the agenda as a springboard into other topics/discussions. When there are only a few people to start, it can be really flexible and may not be much more than a structured chat. It is one of those things that grows and solidifies as it happens.

It is normal with certain foods. Just chew well, that is the most important thing. I would only worry if it is a really intense pain that happens all the time and you are still chewing well.

I am happy everything went so well for you. I went abroad for my surgery and had a wonderful experience as well. By the way, hate to ask, but where is Bruno? :0) I am not sure I have heard of it before.

Sounds like you could really use another fill . . . unless you are indeed pregnant :0). If you are not pregnant, you should go in as soon as possible to get the next fill so you can get the most out of the period before your fills are no longer free. If you are pregnant, I have read a lot of the pregnancy threads and the band seems to help most of us bandsters keep from gaining huge amounts during the pregnancy. It also seems like people get right back on track with a fill post delivery. You may find that even if the timing was not what you may have wanted so soon after surgery, you may end up with a much better pregnancy than if you had not been banded. When you are at good restriction, the band doesn't allow you to just do your own thing and forget about the rest (unless you are eating slider foods). Good luck to you and please let us know how things are going.

I agree with everyone else, you probably need more Protein. Are you following your doctors recommendations for protein/calorie intake daily? My doctor said anything below 800 calories and 60 grams of protein is way too low after the initial liquid stage. I have now found that I need 1000-1200 calories a day to feel good and continue losing weight (I stopped losing at 800-1000 a day because my metabolism slowed, I also didn't feel that great). Now would be a great time to start really tracking your protein/caloric intake. fitday.com or the daily plate websites give you free tools to track your daily intake. Follow your doctors guidelines, but if they are not very specific, after a lot of reading it seems like most of us start off similarly with at least 800 calories or 60 grams of protein as the daily minimum.

Don't be too harsh on yourself and try not to feel too much guilt about what happened. I think almost all of us have had some sort of binge behavior at one time or another before we reached any real restriction after we were off liquids/mushies and onto regular food. This is a vulnerable time because we are still int he stage of relearning the behaviors that caused our weight issues in the first place. The most important thing is not that you had the binge, but how you choose to move forward from here. So it happened, you survived it . . . now its time to move on and get back on track. Someone suggested that you eat healthy foods instead of turning to Cookies, cake, candybars, etc. I agree 100% and have found this to be an effective tool for myself. How often do any of us struggling with weight control issues binge on carrots, celery, broccoli, etc??? Almost never because they are filling and healthy and you don't have the same blood sugar responses. I have found both pre and post banding that I have a carb addiction. If I eat something sweet, give me another half hour of so and I will have a HUGE craving to have something else sweet. Part of it is the blood sugar response. Now I choose not to eat these things and I don't allow my thoughts to dwell on them. Avoid highly processed carbs at all costs, especially those things laden with sugar and fat. These things slip right through the band even when you have good restriction. The band can not help you if you eat the wrong foods. If you really desire something sweet, have some fruit so that you can get some health benefits from it. Talk to your doctor about more aggressive fills as well. Perhaps you can shorten the time to the next fill. Most of us do not experience much restriction with the first fill. Last but not least, most of us here deal with some form of emotional eating and binge behavior that got us here in the first place. Read as much as you can about this behavior and ways that people have found to successfully combat it. A little information gathering, soul searching and behavior modification techniques can do wonders in finding ways to move away from self sabotaging eating behaviors.

I love raw veggies, they taste great and are so good for you. I was having a lot of problems at first as well. I can never just eat a handful of carrots alone but enjoy them very much with other things near. I learned that I can eat them if I eat them with something else. A little cottage cheese is healthy and goes a long way. I have just learned to incorporate them in a way that they have something a little softer near. I might alternate bites and everything goes down OK this way. Cucumbers with the skin peeled partially ( i usually peel stripes out of the skin) are wonderful and they go down really well. Tomatoes and green pepper work ok as well. Some fruits are also a problem with me. Sometimes I will eat apples with a little vanilla yogurt near and that works good even when apples alone don't always go down pleasantly.

Please post more often :0). It is wonderful to hear from you. I still battle emotional eating but it is definitely getting better as time goes on. I have started to learn to turn to other things, like exercise, to get me through. How long were you unfilled after the virus? Did you gain much?

I am not sure about a doctor near Waco, but I would begin looking online for bariatric surgeons in the area as a start. I saw that you have had a 75 pound loss so far which looks wonderful. Can you give us a little more information regarding the situation? Why doesn't your doctor want to remove the band? What kind of complications are you having? Does the doctor think your complications have been resolved or should not be too serious in the future?

I have heard of it happening before. If you continue to feel a complete lack of restriction, definitely give your doctor a call. You may be able to test your restriction by eating a very small amount of something that typically doesnt go down well for you, perhaps a little bread.

There are risks to eating too soon. Digesting foods causes movement in the stomach. Liquids require relatively no movement with solid Proteins requiring the most. The diet progression from liquids to solids is in place to allow your stomach to heal completely before there is too much movement. Not allowing your stomach to heal completely before testing it with solid foods can lead to slippage and possible band removal down the road. You may be fully capable of eating solid foods now in small amounts, but you may be risking the future health of your band. Most of us have eaten a little more than we should have during the early stages at least once. The most important thing is to get back on track. It was a special day yesterday and you were a little off plan, today is a brand new day to go back on plan and be successful. Don't forget, this is only a short period and you will be on to normal foods in no time. :0)

I don't think it is possible for you to run out of room for fillings. It is possible to fill the band until you are completely blocked and not even Water will get through. I don't think you have to worry about it. If you are hungry, why not just get another fill to make it easier on yourself and help the weight to come off a little faster or more steady? They always tell me the best gauge of whether you need another fill is that you are not losing 1-2 pounds per week and are getting physically hungry (not head hungry) between meals.

What a bummer. They should at least be able to schedule you a little earlier than the 30th considering they cancelled on you. Perhaps you can call them back and ask to be put on a cancellation/waiting list.