disneynut

Amourette - I feel your pain with struggling with mushies. I was doing great the first 3 weeks on liquids then mushies but the last couple of days before I moved to soft foods I don't think I could have taken one more serving of creamed Soup. I had to chew something or I think I would have gone mad so I had two small round crackers at night that I ate in super small bites. Have you tried refried Beans (low fat or fat free of course)? Chili, baked potatoes, butternut squash, hummas, cottage cheese, even canned peaches, they all turn to mush very quickly in your mouth. I think because you haven't gone back to work yet, your mind doesn't stop thinking about food. When do you get back to flying again? Keep up the good work - you're in the home stretch now!!!!!!

Hi April Bandits. I am doing well since my surgery on April 6th. I'm down about 30 pounds since mid-March and am feeling just fine. I am on regular foods now and don't have much restriction. I can eat anything right now, but I 98% of the time are doing just fine with no junk, just healthy, good food. I'm sorry that some of you are still on mushies but I had barbequed chicken with just a very small portion of macaroni salad for dinner not trying to rub it in, really I'm not). I go to my mom's for dinner 3 or 4 nights a week and she always makes something on those days that I can eat. I try to keep to the chicken and beef that is super tender and moist. I get my first fill on June 6th. I try to stay away from rice and Pasta but I can eat those with no problems right now. I went out to a nice Italian restaurant yesterday and had a very small and thin piece of bread which I chewed on forever. Only one person besides my family knows I have the band and I don't want to raise the red flag with them about eating. I have always eaten very slowly but I know right now I'm not eating slow enough or chewing enough. I had better practice again because once I get that fill, I will regret it if I don't change my ways. I had a donut last weekend because I really craved it and you know what, it really didn't do anything for me. I really don't miss the junk food or soda and I was a big root beer drinker. I haven't had a soda in almost 2 months. Now basically all I drink is Water.

LapBandit, My nutritionist tells me also to eat 6 times a day. It feels like I'm eating and drinking constantly but I am losing so I guess I am not going to complain! I believe this does keep the metabolism working. I try myself not to eat after 7 -7:30.

Hi Rainbow. Welcome to LBT. I am in Western Mass. too (Springfield) and I had my surgery with Dr. Fiallo at Baystate. How come you are going all the way to Boston? Good luck to you on your surgery. When are you having it?

Here's mine: 290/287/260:eek:/125 First fill scheduled June 6th. Everybody is doing so well. Can you believe how scared we all were just a month or so ago? Keep up the good work everyone!

Hi Kathy. Welcome to LBT. Good luck with your journey. This band is a great tool for me so far, but I'm new at this. I have lost 30 lbs. since I first met with my doctor in November, 2005. My pre-op weight is where I consider my starting point. I haven't had my first fill yet, that is scheduled for June 6th. I understand from reading here, that will be when the weight starts coming off. I hate dieting as well but with this band you still have to watch what you eat, you just won't eat a lot. I've always been a night snacker but since my surgery, I sometimes forget to eat and I don't believe I'm eating enough during the day. That seems quite ironic that as an obese woman that I'm not eating enough, doesn't it? But it is true. I'm so glad I went this route so far.

She's beautiful. Don't you just love puppies? Have fun with her - does she have a name yet? What breed?

So sorry to hear about your mother. I'll be thinking of both of you during this time. I have what is called a pituitary adenoma. I'm not sure if it's the same thing as you but it is a growth on the pituitary gland. My doctor told me that it is almost always a benign growth that can be controlled with medicine. I take Dostinex twice per week, get annual MRI's to see what it is doing in there (shrinking, growing, staying the same) and get bloodwork to check my prolactin levels. That is how they diagnosed me because my prolactin levels were extremely high (in the high triple digits and it's supposed to be 29 - yikes!) The prolactin levels cause your periods to stop completely as your body thinks you're pregnant or breastfeeding. I hope the doctor gives you good news once you have all your test results back. I know the pituitary adenoma is very common in women. Keep us up to date on your progress.

Tidge - Are you feeling any better?

Hi Kate. Welcome to LBT. Nice to have you aboard. There are so many nice people on here from all over the world. Good luck on your surgery. It will be here before you know it.

Deb - I know my nutritionist told me to eat constantly all day (not really but it sure seems like it). Breakfast first then after one hour 8 oz. water, then an hour later a snack of fruit or cheese, then more water, then lunch then more water after an hour, etc. It seems like every hour or two I'm supposed to have something per her timetable. Of course, I cannot seem to eat or drink that much either during the day so I'm sure I don't get enough. I am at 5 weeks post op and the only time I notice I'm hungry is around dinner time. The rest of the day, I don't seem to think much about it. I think you do need to add a snack or two during the day. Canned peaches in light syrup is a must for me and either yogurt or cheese are some of her suggestions. I hope this helps!

Ceparano, We have our first fills on the same day. Are you nervous, excited? I am a little bit of both. The needle doesn't scare me but being overfilled really does. I don't want to PB on anything!!! I am looking forward to seeing the scale move down, down, down though!

Alison- The same thing is happening to me. Scale hasn't moved (thank God it's not going up!) and I'm on regular everyday foods. I've scaled back my eating considerably but I can eat anything without problems. I just am being very careful because even though I can eat anything, I am fighting not to eat just anything. I'm not too worried because I think once we get our fills we should start seeing results.

Oops - sorry about the double post. Computer was not working (or so I thought)!

I will: 1. Go whitewater rafting. I've always wanted to do this but don't want to sink the raft. 2. Go to Disneyworld (my favorite place) and not worry if I'm going to fit in the seats on my favorite rides and wonder how on earth I'm going to get through their turnstiles without getting stuck and embarrassing myself. 3. Not worry about making a drs. appointment because I know they will weigh me. 4. Go horseback riding. 5. Go back to Hawaii and sit on the beach in my bathing suit and not wear a cover up. 6. Buy a bicycle and actually ride it. 7. Not worry about sitting next to someone who gives you the "look" (especially on a bus or plane) screw them! 8. Fit in a booth at a restaurant comfortably and order whatever I want without other diners staring at you. 9. Travel more with someone or without them. I want to see the world! 10. Breathe normally when I walk up even the smallest incline. No more huffing and puffing!!!!!!!!!!

I will: 1. Go whitewater rafting. I've always wanted to do this but don't want to sink the raft. 2. Go to Disneyworld (my favorite place) and not worry if I'm going to fit in the seats on my favorite rides and wonder how on earth I'm going to get through their turnstiles without getting stuck and embarrassing myself. 3. Not worry about making a drs. appointment because I know they will weigh me. 4. Go horseback riding. 5. Go back to Hawaii and sit on the beach in my bathing suit and not wear a cover up. 6. Buy a bicycle and actually ride it. 7. Not worry about sitting next to someone who gives you the "look" (especially on a bus or plane) screw them! 8. Fit in a booth at a restaurant comfortably and order whatever I want without other diners staring at you. 9. Travel more with someone or without them. I want to see the world! 10. Breath normally when I walk up even the smallest incline. No more huffing and puffing!!!!!!!!!!

Oops, sorry I didn't answer your first questions. I was banded on April 6, 2006. The first week was just getting over the pain of surgery. I had never had surgery so I was very fearful of the pain afterward. After the first night in the hospital, I came home and maybe took 2 or 3 doses of liquid tylenol even though my dr. prescribed Percoset. I slept on the couch for the first 4 nights because I couldn't get out of bed comfortably. The port pain is the worst pain because it's the largest incision and the port is sewed into the muscle. After maybe 9 or 10 days that pain was gone completely. It was a nuisance pain but not at all intolerable. I didn't feel like eating (or really drinking) much. I was only clear liquids for only one day and then I moved into heavier liquids, i.e. creamed soups, milk based protein drinks, broths. Only be the end of the second week did I really want real food. It was a joy to move to mushies in week 3. You will notice when you are recovering from surgery that if you watch tv, every 2 seconds there is a food commercial on! You'll do just fine. It was not as horrible as your mind imagines that it will be.

Congratulations and good luck. I'm sorry you don't have the support of your family. Why are they so dead set against this? Do they not know the benefits of losing weight? To give you an ultimatum like that! My family just wants me to be healthy and be around years to come. They were concerned about me having the surgery but know it's something that needs to be taken care of NOW! I know a lot of people think that you should be able to lose weight on your own - just walk away from the table, exercise more and on and on. If we could do this on our own, we wouldn't be in the position that we're in. I wish I could be strong enough to tough it out, but I know I'm not. I look at this as the same if someone needs a hearing aid or glasses, etc. These kinds of problems don't fix themselves why would getting help to get your weight under control not be the same thing? You have to think about your future. I know for me, if I didn't have this surgery, next year I'd be another 30 + pounds heavier and each year after that even more. I don't want to die a morbidly obese woman, I want to live, have fun, do things that I can't because of my size. I'm scared to get diabetes and go blind or lose a limb. I have always worried about getting into an accident and have the EMT's try to lift me up or out of a car. Now I am changing that and I'm doing it for me. I'm sorry for your family if they can't realize the benefits of lapbanding. Maybe they just don't understand the details and are just afraid for you.

Whitezgirl, Are you trying to reply to this thread regarding port pain or are you trying to start a new thread? If you want to reply to the port pain thread, you did just fine. Just click on reply, type your post and then hit submit reply.

Kayla Wow you do have a lot going on in your life. I was lucky as my dr. did not require a pre-op diet or lose any weight prior to surgery. I know from reading a lot of posts that some drs. require weight loss to shrink the liver prior to surgery as they have to move it out of the way to do the banding. That said, I use unflavored unjury Protein powder that you mix with milk. I added my own flavor (mostly low fat, low sugar chocolate syrup) but you can mix in your own fresh fruit as well. I think a 8 oz. serving with the milk has 28 grams of protein. It really is filling and quite good as well. I know it's hard to "eat" three of these per day but once you've made it through this, you'll have no problems with the post-op diet. When you are banded and get through the initial stages of liquids and mushies, food and eating do not consume your every thought, at least in my case it doesn't. I can go hours and then realize, geez I haven't had anything to eat and I'm not even hungry. It is truly a wonderful feeling not thinking about it. Then when I do get hungry, a 4 oz. cup of peaches and maybe a container of yogurt actually fills me up. Good luck to you whatever you decide to do. I know you can do this!!!

Jen - Good luck tomorrow and to a fast recovery. :clap2:

I had my surgery only a month ago and the port pain was the worst. I could only sleep sitting up or on the couch for several days. I could get in the bed but couldn't get out so I slept on the couch instead. My back killed me because I normally sleep on my side or on my stomach. Sleeping in one position all night was not pleasant. Do you notice that each day you are feeling just a bit better than the day before? Take your pain medicine and your gas x and walk around and you will feel loads better. I also doubted myself after surgery wondering what I had done to myself. Life will never be the same, I'll never be able to eat anything I like again, etc. but now that I have gotten through these last few weeks, I realize that life won't be the same as it was, it is getting better and better as the pounds come off! I can right now pretty much eat anything because I don't get my first fill until June 6th but I am eating so much less than before. Just think how you'll feel this summer carrying less weight, wearing shorts again (I haven't worn them in years in public), confidence growing because you look and feel so much better. Good luck and a swift recovery!

I raked the lawn of all the dead crabgrass and then I mowed it. After that I planted three blueberry bushes. Great exercise and I really like doing it. I would rather do the outside work (mowing, raking, weeding, trimming shrubs, gardening) than tackle housework.

1. I am at regular foods stage right now. 2. I don't have a favorite food, just trying to eat healthfully until I get my first fill on June 6th. 3. I miss pizza and Pasta. Haven't had any since surgery. Since I have no restriction until the fill, I plan on having some before then.

God, I hate acid reflux. Since I've been banded (a whole month), I haven't had any - love that. I know exactly how you feel about that nasty acid in your throat. Question though - why can't you eat watermelon with your band? I love watermelon and I lived on that in the summertime. I hope it won't be a no-no when I get filled next month!