diva

I am getting hungry!!!! And the wierd part is that I am on mushies but tuna salad (with lots of mayo) felt stuck-no pb or anything but I stopped eating it right away. It felt stuck for the rest of the day. But it went away and I ate dinner but am def. losing that restricted feeling of the surgery swelling I had before. Everything else is great-incisions getting itchy! LOL! If that tuna didn't bother me and I didn't have the incisions I wouldn't even know anything had been done to me. I know from reading I have to wait till I am filled which is in 3 more weeks! My most heartfelt good wishes go out to everyone being banded this week!!!!!! Good luck!

It was mentioned in a thread here on LBT. Are you supposed to get one after surgery? Do you use if for????? Thanks!!!!

Congratulations!!!! I am so glad I found LBT, you are a terrific moderator and shining bandster success. You've helped me more than you know. Thank you and congrats again!!!

Good luck to everyone soon to be banded!!!! I cannot believe we are all doing so well. Don't worry about weighing yourself till about 2 weeks after surgery 'cause you are so bloated with gas. Just relax and let yourself heal. I am losing that feeling of restriction that comes from swelling so I am now hungrier in a shorter period of time. Being on mushies helps. I am nervous that I might make the pouch bigger. Scheduled for my first fill in about 2 1/2 weeks. Incisions are healing up great. No more liquid tylenol. No more gas swelling. I am so proud of all of us.

Very big brother-they certainly trolled for our emails

Diva Girl (nice name btw! LOL!) is right about Isopure clear zero carb in the glass bottle-Its all I drank the first 2 days and its got 40 grams of protein in a bottle. I also cleaned myself out pre-surgery. My doc did not order this but based on what I read on this board and the fact that it certainly could not hurt -I was on full liquids for 3 days before and the night before I did a Fleet enema. (not quite as explosive). I have had a slight lower backache but no gas pain at all - none. And my husband said I looked like I was pregnant with twins when he saw me in recovery. Remember this is a suggestion and not doc ordered. Also- Anyone experiencing any dry heaves or nausea call your doc asap!!!! no kidding around. immediatly even if it is the middle of the night-call your doc The last thing you want to do is vomit-the very last thing. Call your doc! And btw just my humble opinion but when you have major surgery the last thing you should drink is wine when you are on a liquid diet. You could harm yourself esp if you are taking pain meds like percocet. You will be kind of weak and may be light headed. Couple that with wine and you could put yourself at some risk. Good luck everyone!!!!!!!

Oh Carol I just love your sig line-I always forget to tell you. I am a huge pear. I have always tried to use my butt for good not evil!!! LOL Also- You have given me lots of hope-giving up Pasta completely would be really hard for me. It is so ingrained in my family's celebrations and my culture. As for restaurants when I was trying to lose weight pre-surgery I would scope out the menus online and make my decision ahead of time. The choices are probably going to be more limiting now that I'm actually banded but pre-reading if you can may help. I'm interested in reading the rest of the responses.

Bravo is right!!!!!!! OMG I wish I could have seen that donkey's face. You are my official hero today. Congrats on the NSV's! I think thats terrific. I understand completely about the pre-planning military approach-I have to do that with my DH. You are wonderful!!!!

Newsho has a sig line in her posts that intriques me every single time I read one of her posts. I hope Newsho doesn't mind me borrowing it (thank you Newsho!!!:scared: )-it just get me everytime. I am a native New York city girl and I lived in the deep south, Florida vacation land and now New England. I love to travel and have been all over the US and to Europe. But I haven't traveled to I wonder how the "Normal Size Land" in a very long time. How will be to me? and for me? and to me? I think about it and wonder "will I feel so different?" "aren't I the same person inside no matter the weight?" "am I so invisible even though I am so big?" "how wierd will it be?" Any thoughts? It is:

We got percocet which we cut in 4 pieces. It works like a charm and goes down in the quarter pieces fine. They make you loopy and ube sleepy though. But they were a miracle on the first 3 days then I took a half for sleep on the 4th night. Then just liquid tylenol. Glad to see you all back!

I had my post op appt today and i can go on mushies!!!!! whee!!!!!!!!!! Doing great, no pain to speak of. Still get tired, am exhausted today after the trip into Boston. Am healing great per the doc. Next appt is 4 weeks to see if I want or need a fill and to put me officially on real food! Good luck to everyone still be be banded in August!!!! May we all heal quickly and safely.

OMG! Some of these are hysterical! But...they all reinforce my decision to tell my husband and nobody else!

Sandy keep posting. This is one of the most awesome group of people on the net. It will get better with your meds and if you keep seeing a good therapist. You aren't in this alone and you should feel comfortable with your therapist. The wellbutrin worked really well for me, zoloft did not but everyone is different. Don' forget never cut or crush this pill since it is time released (XL). Check with your surgeon for a tiny unfill if you are still too tight-may be the band and not the meds. Can't hurt to ask. You go girl-we are behind you 100%!

Hee hee hee-She called me "a nice lady". Thanks Time to Love Me! Nice to see you-sounds like you are doing great. Yep I was "band in boston". There a quite a few of us here. Tommygirl-are you going to a Boston hospital? You can write me. If not Boston well, here's my take on the support groups & wls surgeons- Boston or otherwise. I found that the surgeons and psychologists kind of push the gastric bypass because those patients lose weight so much faster and I think they are trying to cover their own butts. In other words they are trying to give us the clear picture so we won't be dissapointed or worse. But once you stand your ground and let them know you've dont your homework they are very supportive. That said. I had to complete a closed (no more than 15 people committed to attending this same session week after week nobody else could attend) 6 week behavior mod group which had both band and bypass patients in it. This had a psycholigist facilitator so...unlike an open forum she controlled the set up. She point blank laid down the ground rules: no cell phones, show up on time and no surgery is better and everybody accepts everybody else's surgery choice. It worked but there must have been some issues in the past if that has to be one of the rules. It is different in the open support forums that anyone can attend-its just human nature. Bypass patients get defensive about their choice, like they made an stupid choice when they could have had a safer band. And the band patients are defensive because they see the bypass patients zoom pass them in losing weight while being a little condescending about the more dangerous bypass surgery. My hospital has now solved this by seperating the two open support forums. But there are still some forums that will always be mixed like exercise or an introduction. It can be unfortunate because there some people who haven't made up their minds yet or some people who get disgusted and don't make a choice at all. There is no easy answer. Just the nature of people defending a scary decision and complete life change. You may want to formally discuss your feelings with one of the docs (esp a psych if there is one). If you're not satisfied then see if there is another group in your area to choose from. It might have been just the group that happened to there since its not always the same people like it is with a closed group. Its a hard choice but once you make it you deserve all the support you can get.

Good luck to you all! Be kind to yourself, let yourself heal. I went back to work yesterday and was pretty tired by the end of the day. But otherwise incisions are healing nicely. No gas pain. Post op doc appt tomorrow. Maybe I'll get to eat mushies without another week of full liquids!!! You all will do great! I am proud to be a member of the August 2006 Band Crew!!!!!

I was surprised to see that I felt worse on day 3 and 4 than I did on the day of surgery. I had anticipated being off from Friday to Wed and returning back to work on Thurs. No way. It depends on a lot of factors but it isn't a race. You are having surgery and there will be a certain amount of pain. I was lucky enough not to suffer from gas pain. If you can take the entire week off than do so. If you really feel better than go back earlier but don't plan on it. Let yourself heal. And listen to your own body.

Congratulations August Band sister!!!!!!!

Caroline-glad to see another Boston bander! Today is 10 days out and what a difference! I doing fine with liquid extra strength tylenol. But I still have a lot of percocet left (I took a half of one the night before and that was the end of that). I never had any gas pain except for a chronic lower back ache not really pain. I can't tell you why no gas pain except that I did an enema (maybe too much info LOL) the night before. This was not something my doc asked me to do. But after reading all the threads I could here on LBT since Feb. I just gave it a shot. It certainly couldn't hurt and at the very least would help with constipation. I have my doc follow up apt this week and I'll ask about the gas pain. I still get tired much more quickly than before-a combo of the anasthesia, the physical trauma of surgery and not much food. I took all last week off and am going back to a desk job tomorrow. I am very glad I took the whole week. It is very wierd about the different food requirements-and kind of annoying. I had 2 days of clear liquids and now have 2-3 weeks of "full" liquids (CIB's, slim fasts) which includes cream soups with no fat milk or water, scrambled eggs, jello, puddings and cottage cheese. I really really want to chew something. eeeek!!! Of course I am swollen and not filled but the band is working, I am most def "full". We'll see what happens after I graduate to real food again. The protein requirement is the hardest. I can't say enough about Isopure clear zero carb drinks, comes in a glass bottle and has 40 grams of protein with potassium. I sip it all day long like crystal light. In fact I took my pain pills with it and sipped on it the very first day coming home from the hospital. Love and luck and easy surgery to you all!!!!!! We can do this because we are the August bandster club!

I felt the same way. I didn't have a specific liquid pre diet but I was supposed to lose 10% of my weight pre-surgery. It was a real pain and I didn't exactly make it. I almost told myself to give strict dieting one more chance. But then I kept thinking if I had actually gotten the band when I first started looking into it (around a year and half ago) I would probably have lost at least 50 pounds! BTW, please don't take up smoking again. It can really hinder the healing process and its hard enough to heal. Wishing you all the luck and love and peace I can.

I don't mean while eating. I mean when you are really thirsty and you take a bottle of water and just chug it down. Can you still do that when you are banded? Ever?

If you want to keep it to yourself than its none of their business. If you don't have your gallbladder and they don't know that-tell them you are having your gallbladder out. Or "girl surgery" or its a girl thing will always work. If they press you esp the women and ask if its an actual hysterectomy-just skirt it-"not sure yet till they take a look" or "hope not" and change the subject.

Nervous Nellie and Catey, I'm 8 days out and I understand completely. One of the things that helped me a lot in the first 3 days was sipping Isopure clear zero carb protein drinks-they come in a glass bottle and have 40 grams of protein plus calcium and potassium. They do not taste bad at all. I hate powdery drinks and sip sip sip of these made me feel like I was accomplishing putting some protein (therefore healing) in me. I got blue (still do) I never had surgery before and cried alot. I go back to work on Monday but got antsy all week. We are such multi taskers that we feel wierd doing nothing. Also, it is hard to read that some people bounced back quicker or easier than others. Your pillow is your friend, I walked around with it pressed on my tummy, sometimes slept with a small one till 2 days ago. Try and relax-you will feel better day by day. I promise. I am proud of you and me-I was scared witless and here we are on the other side. Love to you both

Hi Scribby, Hang in there-if you mean nausea when you say sick (in addition to pain) I would call your doc asap so he can get you some anti-nausea meds. It will be a big relief to you. Then maybe you can take some pain meds. It may also be your pain meds that might make you nauseous. I am fine with the percocet but my husband gets sick when he takes them. Please call your doc to ease your suffering a bit. I def underestimated the pain involved. Everyone is so different. Some bounce back so quick its amazing, others need to go more slowly. You need to baby yourself. I hope you are feeling a little bit better very very soon.

Oh wow I am so glad! I'm sitting here nodding off waiting for you to answer before I go to bed. If you call them let us know what they said-for some reason I am craving toast with butter. Maybe because its crunchy and I am swimming in my meals? Dunno. I am just thankful you didn't throw up! Please feel better very soon. I am going to sleep now before I get into any more trouble.

Congratulations!!!! That is great news. You are my hero. I am a lousy week out of surgery and it seems like such a long road. I am so happy for you! You should be very very proud