RestlessMonkey

Joanna, follow your surgeon's directions on when you can return to work. The literature I've read says up to 6 weeks; your doctor knows you and your health status way better than anyone here! AND if you are still oozing blood check with his office about an antibiotic to apply; I wouldn't use lotion to prevent scars unless/until he tells you it's ok! Sorry you had to have open surgery but once you heal, you'll be ready to roll!

Do what your surgeon tells you, that's what's best! Seriously; everyone and every surgeon is different; you need to follow his/her advice!

The shakes are always sweet! And while I rarely turned away a piece of cake w/buttercream icing, when I'm hungry I want FOOD not candy! I wish they could make them taste like real food!

Hollie, for one thing, you're young and young people heal faster. Once a person hits 30, things start to slow down. So you were lucky! I've learned to follow my surgeon's orders but then I'm 53 and don't recover from things like I did when i was your age!

It's funny how different each surgeon is, isn't it? Mine has a schedule of 2-weeks post op liquid, 2-weeks mushies, then on to "regular" food, and 1st fill at 6 weeks. They are all a little different....

If it's any consolation, I'm on a mostly liquid diet preop..and have been since 7/25. I didn't follow it properly for my 1st 8/11 surgery (although I DID lose 15 pounds) and had to go right back on it pending another try on 8/29. THEN I'll have 2 more weeks of liquids to face before I finally get (woohoo) mushies. So I truly feel your pain. All I can tell you that gets me through is that I did what I thought best the first few weeks and learned the VERY hard way that I DO NOT KNOW BEST for myself in this venue. I need to trust my surgeon. So, I'm doing what he told me. You are healing and it is so important to get off to a good start now! You've come so far, just hang in there. Mushie time will be before you know it!

Thanks Crystal! Don't worry about me knowing how to eat .... I've had nutrition classes as well as years of experience and brutal lectures from docs etc... And the 1st time he put me on this diet, I just "kind of" followed it. This time I'm doing it. I can do liquids for a while (shoot I did a liquid protein diet when I was 20 and lost 45 pounds) ... and I AM hungry but it won't kill me! The FAT could kill me. I keep telling myself that, anyway. I just want my liver to shrink, the darn thing. Then I can start on a high protien low fat modified carb diet and drop some weight! I've been (on my own) through 10 months of behavioral therapy, as well. My head's in the right place, especially once I got the wake up call of "listen to your surgeon and his capable staff" You are very sweet to worry about it!

Thanks for your quick answer. I'd almost be willing to postpone, just to get to live in Montana! LOL Come on down here to Texas; mine was approved 8/5 and surgery scheduled for 8/11!

Carly, it's none of my business....but I am a curious Monkey... why so long till your surgery?

Thanks Jodi! I'm sure I started out much larger than you...I think a lot of people who weigh 405 go for gastric bypass or some other type of surgery, if they go the surgery route. So I'm sure that's why my losses are so large! But hey I'm still glad it's gone! Thanks for the info. I'm worried about not chewing well, myself, although I'm not a fast eater. I also appreciate that you are pulling for me! OH and to the other poster (sorry forgot your screen name!) you can search for sliming (it's mentioned a lot) I kind of know what it is, but not well enough to explain it, just recognize it! LOL

JWRN...eat something fatty and disgustingly unhealthy for me, ok? Good luck. Those turkeys!

It's Aug 29. I'm under the gun because I'm a nursing student and have classes that I truly can't miss. State law requires that we attend a certain amt etc... I've lost 27 pounds since 7/25....over half that since 8/12 LOL So maybe it's my liver shrinking and not my brain! :thumbup: I know some/most of it is water, but still glad I'm not carrying it around any more! I see you were banded 5/30. How is it, 3 months (almost) out? How many fills have you had? Have you "slimed" or "PB'd" much? Is it hard to adjust? I can hardly wait until I'm through all this and doing the "work" part of it.

Jodi you're right! BUT the surgery wasn't cancelled...I went under, was on the table, and he couldn't get my liver out of the way without lacerating it. He's very skilled so I'm sure it was too big. I'm glad he DIDN'T lacerate it! SO this better work or I am in trouble.

Coolcrystal, I honestly HOPE the diet works since I've already been through surgery once and my liver was too large. If it isn't shrinking, I'll just be going under again for nothing. I do well and bounce back quickly but it isn't anything I want to do "for fun". I hope I can eat bread if I want it, or anything for that matter. The NP gave me that hope.

i don't know, I liked the old way better too!

The nurse practitioner at my surgeon's office (where I called about the gum) made me feel good today. I mentioned to her that I had gotten so hungry and couldn't "trick" myself by saying wait a few days and THEN you can eat...and she said this to me " It will be a while, but eventually the odds are that you will be able to eat everything you do now. The difference is you will need to chew it well, and you will be full with a lot less. Some people have things they can't ever eat, but some people have absolutely NO problems. Hang in there" Hope that helps you too with the "never eat again" feeling. I know I read this board and on the one hand it is helpful but on the other, every problem or "slime incident" or some such I think I will have...when what my NP said is more truthful. I may have one or 2 things I can't tolerate any more but then again, I may not. So keep your chin up! OH and if the doc gives you a preop diet, follow it!

I think I just misremembered your screen name. Sorry! and lord yes people are overeating like crazy...just search for it. I'm not because of not shrinking my liver properly the 1st time ....so this time it's all protein shakes and lean fish for me. oh, and water. and sugar free gum.

Sorry I got your name wrong, veriteri88! it's the hunger, I swear.....

Veriti88 good luck! I did call and ask and the NP at my surgeon's office said sugar free gum was ok. I have lost quite a bit of weight so SURELY my liver is shrinking. I sure understand about excited and scared. I'm past all that and into grimly determined..

LOL at 2tired. I think you just summed it up.

Hi Maggie! Thanks! My liver...my surgeon has me on an atkins-type very severe diet of 2-3 100 cal Protein shakes a day, 64 ounces of Water (at least) and a palm-sized piece of lean chicken turkey or fish, and some green veggies daily. That is it. no butter, no ketchup no breading no oil....you get my drift! I did go nutso and chew a piece of sugar free gum last night but "confessed" it today and they said that was ok! LOL Tricare standard will cost more than prime depending on how much you use it! We don't pay anything. We get our generic drugs fairly cheap (most are $3 per scrip). We have a $150 deductible we meet (it's just my husband and me, and we each must meet that deductible) and then Tricare compensates at 80% and we pay 20%. Tricare has a $3000 catastrophic cap so once we've paid 3k out of pocket, tricare reimburses the rest (in any year, of course) at 100%. Years we had little/no medical issues, tricare standard was cheaper. This year, prime would be cheaper but, as I've said, we don't care for the network doctor's prime restricts us to locally. It's a personal decision of course! I do feel lucky (for the 1st time!) to have tricare, though, after reading some of the horror stories people here have shared!

My doc's Nurse Practitioner today told me something that helped...she said "You should be able to eat just about anything you do now....it will take a while to heal, and you may have a food or two that bothers you, but you can have pretty much anything and will be satisifed/happy with a smaller portion". SO I remember that. I understand to be healthy I won't eat pizza weekly like I did, but....if at some point in the future I want pizza, odds are good I can eat it. I read all the issues people have and think I'm going to have ALL those issues, when in truth, we're all different. I may not be able to eat stringy red meat but may be able to eat bread, for example. This will help me be healthy and satisfied with less, but if I want an occasional splurge (like a birthday meal or some such) I can have it. That centers me and keeps me drinking the water and following my preop diet. I don't need to say BYE to all my beloved foods, just see 'ya later, and less of you!

He did the surgery. He said he really really tried; but my liver was so thick he was afraid he'd lacerate it trying to get it out of the way! So I've been "through" it...and I know what all of it is like except actually having the band! I came to in recovery dumb fat and happy! LOL and was told "we didn't place the band"...I burst into tears, as you can imagine. While truly deeply disappointed I was also mortified that I had not done what the surgeon told me to. I was so happy with my 10 pound weight loss....but the diet he has me on pulls fat from the liver first. (I've lost 27 now!) So do what your doc says! I learned the hard way! He felt bad for me (bless him!) and is doing the surgery around my school schedule...I'm definitely doing my part this time!

I'm Tricare standard, like Roustabout. Honestly, it took Tricare 2 days to approve me and the hospital has an insurance coordinator who assembled and handled it all for me! I guess I'm lucky! My internist told me 7/3 to get surgery, 7/10 I went to seminar, and after preop diet and psych eval and nutrition consult and some preop tests, I was scheduled for 8/11. My liver was too fatty and I am rescheduled for 8/25. My insurance has been wonderful through all this. We have the option of Tricare prime (we live in a large city) but don't care for most of the docs in that network. I guess I'm really lucky!

I know how you guys feel but let me be a horrible warning. I was told to do a liquid/protein diet for 3 weeks prior to my surgery. 2-3 protein shakes a day, and for supper "palm size" portion of lean chicken, turkey or fish and some green veggies. 64 ounces (at least) of water. That is IT. Nothing else. Well, I was hungry and wanted to say "goodbye" too. i dieted and managed to lose 10 pounds (started at 405) over that time. Guess what? My Aug 11 surgery date came, and he could NOT place the band because my liver was too fatty! Talk about misery and mortification! SO now I'm on another (almost) 3 weeks and I am following it TO THE LETTER. He rescheduled me for Aug 29th, and I'm hanginging there. No more "last meals" for me. I really feel your anguish. I sit here thinking "I may never have pizza/fried chicken/steak/warm fresh bread/you name it EVER again. I have to keep my eye on the prize and remember this is a choice I made for myself. So I am hanging tough. You guys on preop, be careful! It really hurts to wake up and know you didn't get banded.