ncgypsygirl

Thank you so much for the advice. I had an applesauce/cottage cheese mixture last night that kept the hunger pains away for about three hours, so that's much better. I have my post-op visit with the surgeon tomorrow, so I'm going to see if I can start on soft foods with a little more substance.

Thanks for the offer of free advice! I'll take you up on it. I'm 5 days post-op so I'm in the liquid stage - Protein Shakes, broths, sugar-free popsicles and pudding, and lite yogurt, along with liquids like Crystal Lite and Water are my options right now. With that said, I'm STARVING. And I'm not talking about head hunger...those gnawing pains and growls from my tummy are hunger. I'm curious to know how long after you were banded did you get to the 1200 calorie minimum? My Protein shakes have 15g protein, but only 70 calories each, so I may need to look for different shakes. Also, I'm already at about 60 ounces of liquids per day plus a popsicle and a little container of sf pudding. Is this too much too fast? My instructions from the doc say to sip slowly and increase as tolerated. But the hospital nutritionist told me that it would likely take several weeks to get to the point where I could handle 64 ounces of liquid and 60 grams of protein. I don't want to do any damage, but I also don't want to become dehydrated because I'm not getting enough liquids. And I don't think I'm drinking too much because I've had no reflux, no pain, etc....no indications that I'm overdoing it. I'm just worried because I seems to be taking in more than the nutritionist thought I would. I've left her (and the nurse at my surgeon's office) a voice mail, but no response yet. Any advice would be appreciated. PS - If it matters, I logged my intake for the past two days and I'm having about 350 cals/55g protein.

Hi Everyone! I haven't been on the boards in awhile, but I'm two days post-op (banded on 12/10) and I wanted to check in. I'm a little sore, a little hungry and a lot tired. Otherwise, no problems at all. Glad to hear everyone else is doing well.

Hello to everyone. I'm newly registered here (although I've been lurking for a month or so) and wanted to say hello. I've made the decision to go with the lap band and am submitting all the required forms to my doctor tomorrow. There's lots of inspirational info and a great deal of support here. I look forward to getting to know everyone as I start what I hope will be a life-changing process.

Lanakila, Wow, that is quick. And good to know as I have BCBS too, but a different plan. The bariatric coordinator at my doc's office told me that BCBS usually approves within 14 days, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the whole process goes quickly. Katrina

Hi! I'm in the Triad area, just between High Point and Greensboro. I'm glad to see that there are other NC gals here on the board. I'm planning to go with Dr. Kristin Earl at Central Carolina Surgery in Greensboro. I'm just getting the process started, so I haven't yet had my first doctor's appointment. Not sure how quickly I'll be able to have the surgery, but I'm hoping it will be by the end of the year. Good luck with yours later this month!!! I'd love to know about your experience thus far with the preparations...have you had to do a pre-op diet, jump through insurance company hoops...wait forever, etc. Any info would be appreciated.