Vala

I am due to get a fill on the 5th of Oct. and will probably go ahead with it. I had not lost anything with my last two fills, stayed exactly the same. I have never had any issues with the band being too tight. I can still eat plenty. That makes me think that one more fill might help keep me from getting out of control with pg weight. I really don't want to end up with gestational diabetes or any other complications related to being obese.

I was diagnosed with PCOS last fall, banded in Feb. I lost weight slowly but steadily. My cycles came back after surgery and I was declared free of PCOS in June. I never had cysts but my endo said that I still had PCOS. Well, last week I was feeling like crap, tired, cranky and my boobs really hurt. Not aunt flo either. I took the test and it came back positive. It seems that I am currently 6 weeks pregnant. Shock, that is all I can say! I really did not expect it to happen. Talked with my doc about things. He wants me to keep what fills I have in my band and aim to not gain any weight. That will be interesting. Have any of you had luck doing that?

Maybe we should post some favorite drink recipes that do not have carbonated beverages. If you do want to have an adult beverage every now and again sea breezes are a good summer option. I also enjoy long island iced teas. They have a splash of coke but that is just for color, not enough to make it fizzy. I will confess to drinking beer - I got what was on tap since it has less carbonation that way.

I had my first fill today - 3ccs. Liquids are going down and I ate about a little brunswick stew for dinner. I had stalled out on my loss and I was starting to eat a little more each week. It was good timing for a fill. I just hope it makes a difference.

I drink coffee without issues. Here is the interesting thing - my nutritionist told me that caffeine is really not a big deal. She said that more recent studies on caffeine being a diuretic have shown that the effect is negligible if anything. She told me that because pf this, caffeinated drinks do count toward my daily H2O intake. SWEET!

That is so cool! I am 5'4" too! Good luck! We will have to compare notes! On another note - My post op diet has been going MUCH better than I thought. Last week decided to try for a bit more "real food" I am supposed to be on the pureed stage until the end of next week. I have been doing some experimenting and have discovered that I can eat anything. There is a trick to it. I take tiny bites and chew them thoroughly. While I am chewing, I swallow little bits at a time rather than the whole chewed up mouthful at once. Kinda like sipping but with food instead of liquids. I am also drinking Water or tea while I eat to help it go down. SIDENOTE: Drinking water while you eat does not cause your pouch to swell. The reason they tell you not to do it is because more food can go through the band (think of liquid as food lube). This means that you would be able to take more food in as it is not all staying in the pouch. OK - back to my original point: Soooo, this during the past week I have had eggs, cottage cheese, ribeye, baked fish, a little bite of a pita chip, baked Beans, cole slaw and a little bit of BBQ rib. I had very tiny quantities of each even though I was drinking while eating, roughly 2-3oz at a time but I was very satisfied. I did not get hungry after eating for at least 5 hours. I stepped it up a little because I was doing a great deal of manual labor this past week (sawing, dragging limbs, walking 5+ miles a day). I felt like having some real food in my system fueled me up better and helped me keep up with my helpers.

These soups are fantastic and smooooth. I have been eating them since the start of week 2 post op with no problems. There are plenty of different flavors to choose from which is also nice. Pacific Natural Foods

From what I understand, if your band slipped nothing would be going down. I would not worry. I knew someone that slipped their band. They were vomiting constantly and were heading into starvation mode fast.

I really enjoy plain ole water, especially when I am at work. Usually if I want to spice it up I will squeeze a lemon or lime wedge in it. Sometimes I do find myself wanting something with flavor so instead of adding artificial stuff to water I will add some 100% organic fruit juice. I will mix it about 60% water and 40% juice and it tastes wonderful.

I have to say that I think the surgeons who expect people to stay on clear liquid diets for more than 3 days post surgery need their heads examined. I tried and I too was feeling very weak and everything was going straight through me. I was not getting the basic nutrients I needed. I went ahead and added shakes and CIBs and never had an issue. You guys saw the post op diet I posted earlier in this thread. It is NOT healthy in my opinion (especially after experiencing it). You need Protein to heal and staying on clear liquids for 2 weeks is not going to give you what you need. I think a cup of chicken broth only has a couple of grams of protein. I think Mr. Rice's Doc has it right. Listen to what your body is telling you. If you are hungry and weak and the liquids are going down fine, step it up a little and try something with more substance. You will be amazed at how full you feel.

I have been doing really well so far, I have my post op diet and I understand what the purpose of it is. That being said, I am using it as a guideline rather than a hard and fast rule. I am also listening to my body and doing what feels right. I ended up adding protein shakes and carnation instant breakfasts into my liquid diet 1 week after surgery. Those were keeping me pretty full until the end of last week. I started getting hungry more quickly between "meals" so I decided to try some pre-made creamy soups. They went down fine and a cup would hold me longer than a protein shake. Yesterday I had some scrambled egg and it was fine too. My husband shared a couple of tiny bites of steak (the size of my pinkie nail) with me last night and they were most yummy. Foods with a bit more cohesion to them (a step up from liquid) are staying me longer than liquids now. I attribute that to the swelling having gone down. If I stayed on a liquid diet, I would be taking in more calories than I am eating the softer foods. So, it is a no brainer for me to step it up a little as long as it is going down OK. Tomorrow will be the start of what my post op diet is calling the pureed stage (two weeks post op). For the most part Iwill be following it. I will be eating scrambled eggs, yogurt and mashed potatoes among other things. If I start getting hungry, I will move up to mushy foods. I keep in mind that those diets are written boilerplate and do not take into account individuals and their bodies. I find I fare better if I listen to my body.

I was supposed to be on Clear Liquids for two weeks but I was not feeling healthy and had no energy. I went ahead and started having carnation instant breakfasts (normal ones) twice a day and one Protein shake a day. I also have some chicken or veggie broth. I drink diluted white grape juice, tea, coffee and Water. So far so good. I have not felt hungry or weak. I plan to get creative with soups next week. Can't wait to get some fresh veggies and get to cooking!