Aelfwynn

Hi everyone, I had the band put in on July 24 at TLBC in Toronto, so I'm a few weeks into recovery. I'm in the pureed stage, so lots of cottage cheese and non-strained Soups for me. I'm 6'1 and started at about 347 lbs. I've lost about 25 lbs so far (thanks to the pre-op and post-op diet), and I've probably got about another 100 to go before I'm at goal. I'm happy I've done it (even though I'm getting hungrier as the swelling goes down each day!), and I'm looking forward to getting my first fill on September 3.

My doctor recommended chewable or liquid Gravol for the first few days, and I took it at regular intervals (following the package) every time I took my pain medication. I didn't even wait to feel nauseated (just like I didn't wait to be in pain to take the demerol). The pain medication was more gross because it had to be ground up, but the chewable Gravol was just fine. After a couple of days I found that I was nauseous because I was dehydrated, so I took more of the pedia-lite that my doctor had recommended. I love the freezies. I'd recommend stocking up on the chewable gravol and the pedia-lite if you're worried about nausea post-op. As for PB'ing, well, I haven't had my fill yet, so I can't help you there. But I'm reassured that it won't be as bad as we think.

Hi there, I'm in my third week post-op, and it really does get better. I was told to do clear fluids for the first six days, and then full fluids (i.e. your tomato soup or soup with 'no lumps, bumps, or chunks') for a week after. I drank broth and juice for the clear liquid phase. I also really enjoyed having 'pedia-lite' freezies. It's important to have something with electro-lites (sp?) in it, though gatorade has a lot of sugar. I forced myself to walk up and down the hallway (apartment building) for the first couple of days, and I even did a couple of flights of stairs with each walk. The nurse advised the stairs, and I found that all my gas pain was gone in a couple of days. The problem is that my muscles cramped up horribly after that because I wasn't properly hydrated, but this got better when I drank more and took more of the pedia-lite (and gastralyte). Your pharmacist should be able to help your mom find it if you don't have any. So I'd recommend exercise, but make sure you're properly hydrated (and rub a535 helped too). Good luck! And remember, it does get better.