RestlessMonkey

The weight I lost so far I lost preop and the first weeks post op. (Don't want to set you up for disappointment) I just now at fill #3 am feeling restriction and eating less. I COULD diet (some do) but for me, I've done that for years. It doesn't work. I didn't get the band to count calories and measure each bite. I've dieted successfully many times and gained back every ounce I fought off, and then some. SO I plan for the band to gradually reduce how much I can eat and it's working. This way (again, this is just for me! others have their best ways to work it! :confused: ) food is no longer an obsession for me. I am not thinking "what can I eat? when can I eat it? how MUCH can I eat? If we go out to eat, CAN i eat? will I gain if I have something too salty? If I have Soup will I gain? Will this blow my diet?" I am FREE forever of that! LOL I still have liquids and then mushies after fills (one day of each per my doc) but that's EASY compared to a bleak life of dieting, which is what I faced before the band. Anyway sorry I digress! But yes I have done well, even at that. The band is wonderful. And I lost a little over christmas which is miraculous. As for the liver shrink diet, do what your doc tells you. no reason to torture yourself with it (it is hard! LOL) before you have to. not everyone has a large liver. I was VERY fat (405 and 5'5") and older...53...which I'm sure contributed. I realized eventually that's why some people don't NEED to do one, or can do a shorter one. Not everyone needs to eat 600 cal with little/no carbs or fat for 3 weeks before their surgery!

I want to second the "can't tell you had surgery" too...if not for my small scars (and the fact that I saw it on x-ray LOL) I wouldn't think I really had it either. I do burp a little more, but that is getting better as I adapt to the band.

It's normal! I'm at 3 fills and just now "feeling" it, A LITTLE! My surgeon says 4 fills or more is normal..and maintaining or a small gain is perfectly acceptable to him until we get that restriction, he wants us to heal and work on his band rules (like no snacking) etc.

What a great post! And what a smart, wonderful family you have! (maybe they get it from their daddy?) Thanks so much for sharing this!

I think it's funny how different the docs are, especially when we're all trying to "do the right thing" My doc forbids snacking but says we can have shakes for a meal if we want, as long as we realize they don't utilize the band and that satiated feeling we're supposed to be aiming for!

I'm the horrible warning that cheated on her preop diet because of other people here saying they did and got away with it (and I'm sure they were being honest and trying to help, by the way...not intentionally harming a soul!) so I figured I could too. Lost 15 pounds on my 3 week diet and BAM no band the 1st time my liver was still too large. So I followed diet PERFECTLY for 2.5 more weeks and lost 17 MORE pounds (I was floored) and then got band successfully. SO a slice of ham and some champagne is really unlikely to derail you! But do what your doc tells you. Some people, it's not so important. Some, it is. They don't really know until they open you up, and you most likely will be one of the lucky ones that didn't really need much of a preop diet. But for the people out there like me who did need it? I can't tell you how awful it is to come to in recovery thinking "I got the band yay new life" and be told "Your liver was too BIG for the band to be placed". That is just vile.

Best to ask your surgeon what they check for. They took 5 vials from me; they checked all kinds of things. Liver thyroid kidneys cholesterol triglycerides blood sugar WBC, RBC, platelets, etc etc etc.

I DO understand. That panicky overeat/diet/overeat thing is one thing I'm trying to leave in the past; that's why I am NOT dieting. Just watching it. I CAN eat a grilled cheese, but honestly before I could eat 3. I am "watching" it. I haven't had a grilled cheese in a while because I am eating less, so I'm trying to be more healthy. You might try that, instead of continuing the yo yo diet thing, and the bingeing after a disappointment! :Yawn:

I don't know if I count since I'm still a work in progress, but I lost 32 pounds preop and 9.4 during the 2 weeks of liquids post op. Then, from Week 3 (around 9/12 until 11/13) I gained back 22 pounds. (Fill 1 happened in there...no restriction. On 11/13 I got my 2nd fill. Then, through Thanksgiving and a LOT of stress and pre-christmas, I gained ONLY 1/2 POUND by 12/18. I was ecstatic. Got fill #3 on 12/18 and since then OVER CHRISTMAS I have lost 5.5 pounds of the 22.5 I had gained. I now am up "only" 17 and feeling the restriction. Although I'm not in the zone yet, I am getting full faster. YAY I am NOT dieting. I am not counting points, calories, or carbs. I am trying really hard to not snack, and to eat my protein first. My husband wants to do Atkins for a while so I may start that with him on Sunday but won't obsess over it. But I have not done ANY diet since I finished my 6 weeks post op to heal. And by week 3 I was eating mushies, but good amounts. So I'd say that considering with fill #3 in the days since 12/18, including Christmas (which we do celebrate) I've lost 5 pounds, yes you can gain before you get restriction and still be successful. I'll be honest with you...I've done WW off and on quite a bit. I gave it a last great try. Your reaction to the gain (which happens to lots of people on WW...usually when you gain one week if you've been on the plan, then yuou drop a bunch the next), the eating until you gained 5 pounds, is why I personally won't diet with the band. I want food to be in the background and on diet plans I weigh and count and fret and worry and plan. I love my band.

I haven't been banded that long but I can tell you from the small amount of restriction I have that I feel it was the perfect choice for me, and I started with a VERY high BMI. Good luck choosing which surgery you want; they both have their pros and their cons.

I agree, ask your nutritionist. Your special needs are honestly beyond the scope of this forum, and since you're breastfeeding, it might not be the best time for you to start strict austere diet.

If you don't cough up what's in your lungs, you'll get pneumonia and end up back in the hospital. I don't mean to chide you; it's just that is one of the FIRST things we learn in nursing school. Hold a pillow over your abdomen and cough and keep your lungs clear. Also, walking helps a LOT with the gas, and that's probably what's causing you such pain. My surgeon just had us on liquids for the first week; so you're lucky you get those shakes! The Protein helps in healing and keeping your energy up. Make sure you get your Water in, too. You'll feel better if you walk and cough and stay well hydrated. Also if you're taking an opiod (like lortab) watch to make sure you don't get constipated...by day 3 or 4 you should go; if you don't go by next Monday, call your doc. It gets better; lots of people have felt just like you and gone on to have great band success.

Tylenol isn't an NSAID...it doesn't impact inflammation...just pain, fever. It's safe to take. Please check with your surgeon about NSAIDS though. Some surgeons will give patients who need them (like patients with RA for example) directions on how specifically to take them to minimize danger to the band. If your meds are working you don't want to mess with them too much! And FYI I can take pills just fine; many people can, at least for a while. You won't know what works for you, pill-size wise, until you're "there"! :laugh:

Something I did was have some good movies and a couple books lined up for entertainment...but I felt so good it was more "life as usual" than a sick day or two! I can't take lortab/vicodin/hydrocodone because it makes me vomit, so make sure you tell your doc if you've had it in the past and it causes nausea! :laugh: And maybe you won't have to sip your water, if you aren't too swollen or inflammed. That part scared me so I was happy to discover I could drink normally (and that is ok...liquids flow through easily if you aren't inflammed or restricted so you don't have to worry about stretching your pouch unless you REALLY chug it down)

I have a multi I love and fortunately I can still take pills. I do supplement with calcium (per my surgeon, although my multi has the MDR of calcium in it) and for the calcium I talke Citrical Petites.

Are you taking any blood pressure medication?

One BIGGIE is have some kind of soothing lip balm (soft lips or some such) for post op care because they give you drugs to dry up your secretions and your lips are REALLY dry afterward. So is your mouth etc but the lips especially bothered me. And liquid tylenol!

I'm sorry you're in such a bad place financially, but I really think that unless you just want to pretend you don't have the band and do a program like weight watchers, you really need to go get checked to make sure you're still in good shape (no stretching, no slippage etc) and get a fill (or two). You spent time at least, and possibly money, to GET the band; now you need to maintain it. Otherwise, just a formal diet is my best plan. They don't work for me, at least not long term, but maybe one could work for you for a few months and then maybe the funds would be there for your medical care! Good luck!

You're asking questions to which the answers vary greatly, depending on variables like who your surgeon is, how you handle pain, how physically fit you are, and on and on. No one can answer for you; you have to just live through it. There is a section here called "surgery day stories"...search for that thread. It can give you OODLES of answers. You'll see they are all a little different. For me? I had very little pain each time. I did not stay overnight at the hospital, although I could have, had I or my surgeon seen the need. I slept on my left side (the side where my port is) the first night, and on my stomach the second. I slept in my own bed from the first night. I took exactly two doses of the prescription pain medication my doctor gave me; otherwise I took liquid tylenol a couple of times. I didn't do this to be brave or to tough it out; I did this because I didn't feel bad. I was able to go back to nursing school on the tuesday after my friday surgery. I think they figure you're pretty healed by 6 weeks. I could lift more than 15 pounds by day 3. I could drive by day 2, which is also when I could shower. I ate the post op plan my doctor prescribed which began with only Clear liquids (water and broth) and progressed to all food by week 6. This allowed my band, my stitches, and so on to heal internally. I drank 16 ounces of Water BEFORE I left the hospital. I was never nauseated. I had minor soreness and gas pain which was alleviated when got up and moved (around the house, around the block) and a pillow braced over my surgical sites helped me feel secure when standing up, or when in bed, during the first 2 days post op. For my great experience, you'll find people with the exact opposite...pain, nausea, vomiting, longer hospital stays, gas pain for a week or two, out of work for 2 weeks or more, crying, misery, no hunger, etc. It's really very very individual! AND...I wasn't especially physically fit for my surgery, either. When something hurts, I screech! LOL This just didn't cause me that much pain. I have had gum surgery that was worse. But not everyone is that way. In fact, I had really bad sciatica and since going under for the surgery, it hasn't bothered me since! Must've been some WONDERFUl muscle relaxants! LOL I went under easy, woke up fast and feeling good, and have had a good experience all around.

PB= productive burp...as when food gets stuck above your pouch or above your band...won't go down (for whatever reason....too full? didn't chew well?) so it has to come back up. Usually no stomach bile is associated. It hurts because your esophagus really spasms to eject it. I haven't ever done it and hope I never do. Sliming is concurrent and is LOTS of saliva that the body produces in a desperate attempt to lubricate the offending bolus of food, hoping it will GO somewhere! :wink2: You CAN slime and not PB, but I think if you PB, there's usually some slime involved. Lovely, huh?

I thought the point of the band was that we could eat normal food, but in smaller portions, and be ok...but of course pasta can be problematic because it can swell! Or maybe I'm just lucky that I can still eat small portions of bread and pasta! On the plus side, a very very little of that would've made me full really fast! :wink2: Sorry she changed the menu on you, though. I think that was kind of rude of her, to make a point of asking you and then do something totally different! Do you think she did it to be mean, or just unthinking? Glad you got through it!

I say probably...call your doctor and ask him for guidance!

I know my doctor wouldn't....he refuses to do a fill any less than 4 weeks apart. (I know because I begged/whined/pleaded to get one at 3 weeks!) Of course, many surgeons are more aggressive, but I've never heard of one doing it at less than 2 weeks apart, so I think you'd be smart to call and make sure!

An upper GI is just a test where you swallow barium and they x-ray it as it goes down. I had it because I have a large hernia. Doc wanted to make sure I wasn't aspirating or anything. It's not uncommon for docs to require one preop. I also had an abdominal ultrasound, chest x-ray, blood drawn, and an ecg before the surgery. I got the lap band. My first surgery, when my surgeon tried to place the band (I was out, on the table, in the OR) my liver was too large for him to move it out of the way! (I had a 3 week preop diet to shrink it but, honestly, read on here other people who cheated and got the band so I figured I'd be ok too. I was WRONG! I lost 15 pounds during that 3 week diet but I didn't do it right) SO after 2.5 MORE weeks and doing exactly what my surgeon said, i got the lap band on 8/29. I would honestly NEVER have vertically banded gastroplasty (VBG) Way way way way too many issues with that. I don't want the sleeve, either. I just don't want my insides cut up. To me that seems like I'm willing to punish myself or something. I like my band (which I consider a pacemaker for my appetite) just fine thank you! Oh and my liver wasn't/isn't diseased...no impaired funcion etc. Just was too thick the first time for him to shove it out of the way without either opening me up (thank God he didn't) or risking lacerating it. It's not too common an occurence, but it does happen. Unfortunately!

Poodles you really really need to do what YOUR doc tells you because we are all different. Mine, for example, only wanted us to have Clear Liquids the first week...no Protein shakes at all. So I had Water and broth. Period. We "could" have SF popsicles but I didn't want them. I wanted food, not a sweet treat. (that's just me though) Week 2 he added in Protein Shakes (praise be. that kept me alive! LOL) I had absolutely NO problem drinking liquid although I did burp a good bit. I didn't chug it, but I could get it down fine. So I didn't need to keep it on hand and sip sip sip etc. What did your doctor tell YOU to do?