Long2BFree

Yeah for you! Regardless of what your mind says, 20 pounds (never to be seen again) since May 13th is AWESOME and doesn't seem that slow to me. Keep up the good work?

I was told that I could drive once I was off of pain meds an they were out of my system. I can tell you that I drove 6 days post op and that was too soon. I was still somewhat weak and didn't have lots of energy.

I was told that aspirin was a no-no with the band. It's too harsh on the stomach.

It is okay to drink the same Protein shakes that you drank before surgery but the grumbling isn't from feeling hunger. It's hard to describe... it's more like something that has to happen to you to understand it.

I'm glad to hear that you went to the doctor and are getting things checked out. It is best to get some answers. If you don't already know, prednisone will cause a temporary weight gain so don't be alarmed if you don't lose while on it.

I haven't decided on anything for when I get to goal, but when I get 75# off I want to go to Disneyland. I grew up 12 miles from Disneyland and would go 2 or 3 times a year. Since I've been overweight I haven't gone because I was afraid that I wouldn't fit on the rides. Hopefully I'll be going at Christmas time for my birthday!

You will be fine. I was nervous too and I've had six other surgeries. When I woke up in recovery my mouth was extremely dry and I had a sore throat. The nurse gave me a sponge swab to suck on for hydration. The sore throat when away after 8 hours or so. I didn't have any nausea, but I attribute that to my doctor ordering three different meds to control it. If you get nauseated easily, make sure you mention that before surgery so you are given something to prevent it. How wonderful that you have such a supportive family!

It sounds like tomato soup is to thick for your tummy to handle at this point. Remember to take very small sip and wait several minutes before taking another one. You might only be able to handle about a tablespoon of liquid at this time becaue of the swelling. The growling is normal. I'm 14 days post op and still have it going on but it's not because I'm hungry.

Blood clots are possible after surgery and in fact, someone posted a few weeks ago that she got one and got to the doctor in time to resolve it. My doctor sent me home from the hospital with he following instructions.... Call the surgeon immediatedly if: Fever 100.5 or above Chest pain and/or shortness of breath Nausea and/or vomitting that last more than 12 hours Pain, redness, and/or swelling in your legs Urine output less than four times in 24 hours Increased pain and/or pus-like drainage from your wounds Pain that is unrelieved by pain medication __________________

This puts up a red flag for me. I think you should be calling your doctor.

My surgeon didn't tell me that fills were covered but I had to ask. Thankfully my insurance will pay for them 100%.

Kathy, I'm glad that everything is okay and all is going well for you!

I just started the mushy stage and am wondering how I'm supposed to get all 70 gms of Protein in at this stage? I'm so used to drinking the shakes to get the protein and knew I could control my calorie intake but how do I do that with food without stretching my pouch? I really struggle with forcing myself to eat especially since I'm not really hungry. Any advice would be appreciated.

I had those feeling before surgery but not after, though I'm sure many do. Don't live in fear. Follow your doctor's guidelines and mostly like you won't have any problems.

Are you able to have SF popscicles and Jello. I find that really helped me.

I had my surgery on a Thursday and my husband and daughter were only with me during the night time. I did fine on my own except when I needed to call my daughter's boyfriend the following Saturday to drive me to the emergency room for an unrelated band problem.

Yes, it is common and is caused by the gas they pump into you and sometimes when a nerve in pinched in the diaphram. In addition to what you are doing some say that a heating pad and/or an ice pack helps give some relief. My pain went away around day 8 or 9.

Before I had my hystorectomy, if I lost weight fast I would start early and have heavier cycles. So yes, what your doctor has said makes sense to me.

I use chewable children's Vitamins that I got from costco. I take two of them a day. I also just ordered some Gummy Vitamins that I purchased online from Costco. They are called Vitafusin Multi Vites that taste really good. We were instructed not to take time-released vitamins no matter which ones we chose.

As badly as you want this I wouldn't do it after you posted that you don't know how you would pay the $8000. Going into debt is never a good idea when you don't know how you are going to pay it. It creates more problems in the long run.

Why not get a unfill and try it? If you find you can't control your weight then get filled again. BTW, you've done an amazing job at losing! That is a fast weight loss.

My surgeon/nutritionist doesn't encourage caffeine. It is a stimulant but also is acidy which causes irritation in the stomach which can also cause problems with the band. As far as non-dairy creamer, it adds a lot of empty calories so you would want to be careful with that. If I remember correctly it also has hydrogenated oil in it which I try to avoid because it can clog your arteries.

I was required to lose 5% of my weight before getting to see the surgeon. The nutritionist put me on 5 low carb shakes per day and one low cal meal ranging between 300-400 calories. I at Lean Cuisine or WW frozen meals. I drank the SF Low Carb shakes. I lost more than 5% of my weight doing this diet. The day before surgery was nothing but Clear liquids, though I did that for 3-days prior because I wanted to make sure my liver would be small enough to not get in the way.

Because of the amount of weight I have to lose I find that it takes more pounds to lose before I lose a size. Once I get closer to my goal weight it will take less pounds lost to get the dress sizes down.

It doesn't look too bad to me either. I would personally steer away from the snack items and have fruit instead for the nutrition value. I'm not sure you are getting enough Protein in.