adagray

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." -The Dalai Lama

I would pass. If you get something w/a cough or that could make your tummy queasy, you will be miserable. I got a little dry cough about 5 days post-op and it hurt soooo bad every time I coughed. Luckily, I got over it fast taking extra vitamins and cough syrup.

I was allowed to eat almost anything 4 days post-op. The only exclusions are red meat and starches for the first month. I can have any other Proteins, fruits, and vegies (cooked only - no salad yet). And, I'm told to avoid juices, alcohol, and other 'slider' type foods that go right through the band and contain calories. So, I ate cottage cheese, deli meat, cheese, chicken, and broccoli all on my 4th day post-op without problem... chewing a lot, of course. My theory on why different docs take it slower is that it takes a lot of teaching and working w/a patient to have them fully understand how to eat properly w/the band. I had six months of working w/a nutritionist to learn new habits that will work w/the band. Of course, this counted as my 'diet' required by insurance, but it really was not traditional dieting at all. It was more psychological training and focused on forming habits that are specific to the band. My surgeon also required a 5 hour pre-op class, 3 hour post-op class, attendance of at least one support meeting, etc. to make sure the rules were not just explained once, but repeated over and over so there is no confusion about anything or any chance that we could forget what we are supposed to do. I think a lot of surgeons just cannot commit this much to education so they just have you take it slow instead. If you think about it, its a lot easier to just tell your patients to drink shakes and blend stuff up than to actually teach them how to eat. And, if you aren't actually eating, you won't ever get anything stuck so you'll never have a problem eating and you won't ever need to call your surgeon's office either.

I was banded about the same time as you, but I was allowed to start eating real food at 4 days post-op so that may make a difference. I feel like I'm running at about 80% right now. I have learned that the more I pick stuff up off the ground or stoop and reach, then the faster I get tired (and my port site starts to ache). So, I've been either asking my kids or husband to do as much of this stuff for me as possible or if I see something on the floor, I just leave it. LOL Anything I can do at waist level standing up does not wear me out as fast. So, I ask my husband to get the clothes out of the dryer and bring them to me, then I fold them, then I ask him to put them away. If I need a roll of paper towels from under the sink, I ask one of my kids to crawl down there to get it for me. I've been making them dustbuster under their own chairs now too and have them get me tupperware when I need it too because it is on the lowest shelf in my kitchen. OK, but another thing that makes a big difference to me is just taking breaks when I need them (force yourself to sit down and recharge throughout the day) and force yourself to go to bed early and get a full night's sleep (8+ hours). My hardest days were the days when I shortchanged my sleep. I think sleep is the time when your body heals the most.

Its from the IV fluids and swelling. In my pre-op class, they told us to expect a gain of 10-20 pounds immediately following surgery. Mine was 10 and its taken about a week to get rid of that water weight. Just drink as much fluids as you can because that is what will help get rid of it.

In my post-op education class, they told us the gurgling and growling is just because your intestines and stomach are no longer continuously stuffed full of food all the time. The air and emptiness makes the sounds. And, they said that instead of thinking to yourself that means I'm hungry, you should think to yourself 'good, I am losing weight!'. I know that sounds corny, but it works for me. And, the gurgling/growling I felt right after surgery was not true hunger for me. I was on not just clear liquids, but almost no calories (no juice or shakes) for 4 days and was not truly hungry until the 4th day. I did have to separate out the 'head hunger' from 'physical hunger', though. In my mind, I thought I would not be able to survive that long with no food or real calories. I could only have broth, herbal tea, diet jello, and water.

ITA w/Jachut. The way I understand it, proper restriction is when you feel satiated w/a small amount of solid food and stay satiated until your next mealtime (so you don't need to snack). Of course, this assumes you are not eating slider foods or drinking your calories in shakes and juices. And, losing 1-2 pounds per week (although who would complain if you lost more LOL). I think a lot of people think they will use the band as a type of aversion therapy by making themselves so tight that they physically can not get down certain foods. But, that's really not how the band is intended to work. I think maybe a lot of us are just used to the idea that losing weight has to be painful or self-punishing in some way, but once adjusted properly, it should not be this way w/the band.

Good for you! Yes, getting up and walking a lot I think is the most important thing. I was doing great in the hospital, then got lazy when I got home cause nobody was telling me to walk. LOL When I got shooting pains in my shoulder a couple days later, I got my butt in gear and started walking 10 min on the treadmill every hour and everything got better really fast from there. :->

I had my post-op appointment this morning and I happened to ask why most surgeon's require that their patients go through a long process of being on a liquid diet before introducing back normal foods. I'm not posting this on the main board because I think it would annoy a lot of people, but I thought you would find the information useful since you are already introducing real food (and getting scolded for it!). Melissa (who is Dr. Blackstone's assistant surgeon) told me that most programs require a long liquid diet because they don't have the support staff to answer a lot of questions about food or to deal w/problems that occur when their patients eat food. In other words, if the patient only drinks shakes, they will never get any food stuck, they will never have any problems w/food, etc... because they aren't EATING food. So, this keeps their call volume down. She said that otherwise there is no reason to be so cautious about introducing food. Anyway, so for what its worth, that's her opinion on the matter. If you are curious the details of my post-op restrictions for the first month, I can eat any protein except red meat (chicken, fish, egg, soy products, cottage cheese, yogurt, reduced fat cheese-in moderation). Any cooked vegetables (except potato, peas, corn). Any fruit (but peel it first). No starches (bread, pasta, rice, etc.). This is just for the first month. Then, you can add back in a small amount of starch and red meat. There are other rules... like don't drink while you eat or after you eat for at least 30 minutes (helps the food stick longer in your pouch). And, don't drink calories (no shakes, juice, etc.) because these are considered 'sliders'. And, make protein your main priority (60-80 grams). Anyway, I'm just giving you this info cause I know you were questioning their advice to be on liquids only. Personally, I would be so annoyed if I was told to be on liquids for so long when liquids just slide right through the band. And, you have to learn to chew at some point anyway. I would think its easier to learn this now when we have the least amount of restriction (before we get any fills). Anyway, sorry you got scolded. I think you are doing great!

But, you will be able to lick a spoonful of frosting from the bowl (just not the whole bowl) and eat a cookie (just not a dozen) and you will savor it more. Also, one thing that the psychologist said to me when I went in for my eval that really stuck w/me... I told him that when I was on diets before that I felt like I was I damper on everyone else's fun. For example, my husband would want to take me and the kids out for ice cream and I would either find an excuse not to go or sit there and not have any. And, then I would resent the diet for making me 'not fun'. He said he wasn't concerned about that at all because I will start doing new fun things (active things) w/my family that they will probably appreciate even more. That got me thinking about all the active things they do (or that my husband would like to do) that I don't participate in because it just seems like 'work' at this weight. Sooooo, I am rambling, but I think you will find things you love to do even more than lick frosting or eat cookie dough from your kitchenaid. Are there any activities that you used to like when you didn't weigh as much that you just don't do anymore... riding a bike, hiking, gardening, dancing? Every time you think about how hard it will be to change your eating habits, try to think of the new things you'll be able to do once the weight starts coming off. :->

I know I overdid it, but how can I help myself when it is so close to Christmas. I had my post-op class yesterday morning. There were really only two topics... A psychologist came in to discuss the difference between head hunger, real hunger, how to rate your hunger, etc. Then, a dietician came in to discuss the rules around our eating for the first month. It was all good! And, I was feeling good so decided to stop at Costco on the way home for some stuff I need for Christmas Eve and Christmas. My parents are flying in tonight. Not staying with us, but I am hosting all day in my home on Christmas Eve and Christmas so there is a ton of meal planning and food that I need for everyone. Well, I got some of what I needed at Costco, but they were out of fresh turkeys that were big enough for what I need so I stopped at Safeway on the way home. Originally, I had planned to just get the stuff that they might run out of and then send my husband back for the rest. But, I was there and it just seemed easier to get it all done. By the time I got home, it was 2pm and I was STARVING! I had not eaten since 8:30am and all I had then was cottage cheese. So, I took two pieces of turkey deli meat, put a little cheese in each one, rolled it up, and microwaved it. Then, proceeded to eat it AS I put the groceries away. I chewed very well, but this is so NOT what they mean by 'mindful eating'. LOL Oh well, live and learn. I know this is something I have to work on... I tend to go go go until I am about to colapse. It worked out OK this time, but the reason they don't want you to do that is you can end up eating too fast or grabbing something unhealthy because you are just out-of-your-mind with hunger. OK, so by now my incision are killing me. All that shopping meant a lot of stooping, reaching, and lifting took a lot out of me. So, I laid down for awhile. After awhile, my husband came in and offered to take the kids out for dinner so I could rest some more. Great! But, did I rest? Nooooooo, I immediately got up and wrapped the presents I got for him and presents for my parents. More stooping, reaching, and lifting to get the presents out of their hiding places and get the wrapping stuff out of the box that was on the floor. I never realized how much I am picking stuff up off the floor!!! So, by the end of all that I was REALLY wiped out! Last night was a torturous night sleep. I had still been taking the Lortab every night. I love anything that makes me drowsy at night. :cursing: But, I decided it was time to be done with this, so I didn't take it. And, boy did I have trouble falling asleep and I kept waking up w/an annoying dry little cough. The most annoying thing about this cough is that it REALLY hurts my port site every time I cough. So, instead of just a little cough, roll over and go back to sleep. I cough, have sharp burning pain that completely wakes me up, try to roll over (woops, cannot do that yet), and then lay there obsessing about how I am gonna get any sleep w/this cough. I took cough drops, drank water, etc., but the annoying little cough kept coming back. Ugh! :scared2: So, hence, why I am up earlier than needed... to put an end to that torture. I have my post-op check-up this morning where they check my bandages, etc. and will ask if I can take benadryl to help me sleep now. This is what I normally take when I have trouble and my PCP says that is fine, but I want to make sure it is OK for my pouch first. Oh, one other thing I wanted to mention is I seem to have developed an unhealthy addiction to the scale already. My water weight is finally coming off and I am seeing some lower numbers. I know from past dieting on WW that I should not be checking the scale all the time, though. It is giving me that diet/weigh-in/obsessing mentality. I might need to get rid of it!

I know I overdid it, but how can I help myself when it is so close to Christmas. I had my post-op class yesterday morning. There were really only two topics... A psychologist came in to discuss the difference between head hunger, real hunger, how to rate your hunger, etc. Then, a dietician came in to discuss the rules around our eating for the first month. It was all good! And, I was feeling good so decided to stop at Costco on the way home for some stuff I need for Christmas Eve and Christmas. My parents are flying in tonight. Not staying with us, but I am hosting all day in my home on Christmas Eve and Christmas so there is a ton of meal planning and food that I need for everyone. Well, I got some of what I needed at Costco, but they were out of fresh turkeys that were big enough for what I need so I stopped at Safeway on the way home. Originally, I had planned to just get the stuff that they might run out of and then send my husband back for the rest. But, I was there and it just seemed easier to get it all done. By the time I got home, it was 2pm and I was STARVING! I had not eaten since 8:30am and all I had then was cottage cheese. So, I took two pieces of turkey deli meat, put a little cheese in each one, rolled it up, and microwaved it. Then, proceeded to eat it AS I put the groceries away. I chewed very well, but this is so NOT what they mean by 'mindful eating'. LOL Oh well, live and learn. I know this is something I have to work on... I tend to go go go until I am about to colapse. It worked out OK this time, but the reason they don't want you to do that is you can end up eating too fast or grabbing something unhealthy because you are just out-of-your-mind with hunger. OK, so by now my incision are killing me. All that shopping meant a lot of stooping, reaching, and lifting took a lot out of me. So, I laid down for awhile. After awhile, my husband came in and offered to take the kids out for dinner so I could rest some more. Great! But, did I rest? Nooooooo, I immediately got up and wrapped the presents I got for him and presents for my parents. More stooping, reaching, and lifting to get the presents out of their hiding places and get the wrapping stuff out of the box that was on the floor. I never realized how much I am picking stuff up off the floor!!! So, by the end of all that I was REALLY wiped out! Last night was a torturous night sleep. I had still been taking the Lortab every night. I love anything that makes me drowsy at night. But, I decided it was time to be done with this, so I didn't take it. And, boy did I have trouble falling asleep and I kept waking up w/an annoying dry little cough. The most annoying thing about this cough is that it REALLY hurts my port site every time I cough. So, instead of just a little cough, roll over and go back to sleep. I cough, have sharp burning pain that completely wakes me up, try to roll over (woops, cannot do that yet), and then lay there obsessing about how I am gonna get any sleep w/this cough. I took cough drops, drank water, etc., but the annoying little cough kept coming back. Ugh! :thumbup: So, hence, why I am up earlier than needed... to put an end to that torture. I have my post-op check-up this morning where they check my bandages, etc. and will ask if I can take benadryl to help me sleep now. This is what I normally take when I have trouble and my PCP says that is fine, but I want to make sure it is OK for my pouch first. Oh, one other thing I wanted to mention is I seem to have developed an unhealthy addiction to the scale already. My water weight is finally coming off and I am seeing some lower numbers. I know from past dieting on WW that I should not be checking the scale all the time, though. It is giving me that diet/weigh-in/obsessing mentality. I might need to get rid of it!

Just want to let you know that in the post-op class I had today, they said this is normal. And, I've had the same thing and so did the lady sitting next to me. Mine is slowly getting more solid. Sorry, more TMI!!! :tongue:

I am 5 days post op so right behind you. I haven't had the feeling like I want this thing out of me. I know I REALLY need it, but there have been moments where this recovery has been more challenging than I anticipated. On the 3rd day post-op, I woke up w/the most intense pain in my shoulder. I had already had shoulder pain, but not THIS bad. I had to wake up my husband to set up the heating pad for me and get me my lortab. After that episode, I did more research online as to how to get rid of this gas once and for all. Everything I read said walk, walk, walk, so I upped my walking to 10 minutes walking (slow) on the treadmill EVERY hour. I also read that the lortab makes your bowels sluggish so I tried to get by using just tylenol and the heating pad for my shoulder pain. Really, the heating pad works faster than the lortab when your shoulder gets really sore. And, the walking seemed to reduce the shoulder pain as well. By the end of the day, I had passed a lot of gas and had my first BM as well. By the next day (yesterday), I was feeling pretty good. And, today, I feel like I'm at 90%... my incisions still hurt when I use my stomach muscles, but that is pretty much it. I had a post-op class this morning at 9am and went to costco and Safeway afterwards for Christmas dinner fixings (got home at 2pm). So, that was a pretty full day. Anyway, so step up your walking and get off that Lortab as much as you can. I took children's tylenol chewable for awhile, but most of the time, I don't even need that anymore.

I love your Turkmas tradition and your writing. Very funny! I think its great that you were able to try a little of almost everything so you didn't have to feel left out.

You are doing great! Yesterday was my first day of really feeling good and I think I overdid it too. I didn't run errands, but I did more around the house and was feeling pretty worn out by the end of the day. Today is the first day I have to put on real pants. Luckily, I have some jeans that are loose and stretchy. I have a 3 hour post-op class at the hospital. I think it is mainly to meet w/the dieticians and talk about what we have eaten so far and how to deal w/any challenges in the first month. We do it as a group, same group that I did my pre-op class with, so it will be fun to see how everyone is doing. Anyway, you are doing great! Congrats to you!!!

OK, I know it is temporary because I am only 4 days post-op so as soon as the swelling goes down, it will probably be gone. But, for now, I am enjoying it. Today was my first day I could eat food. I had cottage cheese and smoked salmon for breakfast. I felt satisfied, but didn't really feel full or what I would consider restriction. I could've eaten more, but stopped. But, for lunch I took two pieces of turkey lunchmeat and rolled each piece around a little bit of cheese, then microwaved it. After eating these, I definitely felt full (not uncomfortable, but definitely done) and they were not big at all. My doctor was right that the more 'solid' the food is, the more full you feel and for a long time. I'm so happy! I don't know why, but I expected that I would not feel any restriction until maybe a few fills. It was just hard for me to imagine being truly satisfied on so little. Oh, and bonus, I already met my protein requirement for the day (70 grams) and haven't even ate dinner yet. I am doing good!!! :cursing:

OK, I know it is temporary because I am only 4 days post-op so as soon as the swelling goes down, it will probably be gone. But, for now, I am enjoying it. Today was my first day I could eat food. I had cottage cheese and smoked salmon for breakfast. I felt satisfied, but didn't really feel full or what I would consider restriction. I could've eaten more, but stopped. But, for lunch I took two pieces of turkey lunchmeat and rolled each piece around a little bit of cheese, then microwaved it. After eating these, I definitely felt full (not uncomfortable, but definitely done) and they were not big at all. My doctor was right that the more 'solid' the food is, the more full you feel and for a long time. I'm so happy! I don't know why, but I expected that I would not feel any restriction until maybe a few fills. It was just hard for me to imagine being truly satisfied on so little. Oh, and bonus, I already met my protein requirement for the day (70 grams) and haven't even ate dinner yet. I am doing good!!!

In my pre-op education, we were told to expect about a 10 pound GAIN from all the fluid they pump into you while you are in the hospital and because of the swelling. I'm so glad they told me that so I did not freak out. Cause, sure enough, I did have a 10 pound gain and it is only starting to go away now and I was banded on 12/17. I'm sure once we have healed, our diligence will show on the scale. If it helps any, my doctor told me my only job this month is to heal and to not worry about the scale... that we would work on the scale AFTER my first fill.

Your diet is making me crave peanut butter!!! LOL I agree w/everyone else about finding a new doctor. Your doctor is not competent or supportive at all. I would think any change would be better than your doctor. If I couldn't find a better bariatric doctor, I would follow nutritional advice on here or from a book (like WLS for Dummies) and go to Fill Centers USA if I had to before I'd use a doctor that was just making me feel bad and guilty about everything and not helping me.

If you follow the rules and exercise almost every day, you will do much better than any of the averages would tell you. My surgeon's office does a TON of bands and they say w/the band, the people who lose all their excess weight are the ones who really follow the rules AND really get into exercise.

I was only allowed broth, herbal tea, diet jello, and water four the first four days. Today, I am allowed almost anything I want to eat (no mushy stage), but I am supposed to limit it to three meals per day, eat for no longer than 20 minutes, and no liquid w/meals or for 1/2 hour before or after. And, I am not allowed red meat or starches. But, basically everything else I am allowed to try. So far, I had cottage cheese, smoked salmon, and some soy milk... trying to focus on protein first. For lunch, I think I will have some good deli meat I bought and some soup. For dinner, I may test myself w/some chicken to see if I can tolerate that yet. I really want to make paella for Christmas Eve dinner and don't want my first time eating chicken to be in front of a big group (just in case it doesn't work out). Oh, even though I don't have a mushy stage, I've been warned to cut everything into dime sized bites and chew chew chew. So, basically, by the time it gets to my tummy it is mushy.

When do you get to eat some food? My stomach was seriously hungry last night and sore. Luckily, my doc said I could start food today. After the first serving of cottage cheese, my stomach feels so much better. I think the walking has helped the most, though. Force yourself to get out and walk or if you don't/can't walk outside, try to do Wii Fit if you have that or see if you can rent a walking video (like Walk Away The Pounds') from the library. I'm lucky I have a treadmill at home. And, I'm lucky it still works even though I haven't used it in a couple years. LOL

Hmmmmm, not sure who you are talking about, but this shouldn't be a problem for anyone long-term on the band because we can eat. I think the only people who may have said they can't be around people eating are those who are on a pre-op or post-op diet that does not allow them to eat. And, I guess if that's the case, I don't see anything wrong with doing whatever you need temporarily to get through these difficult pre- and post-op diets. I was lucky to not have much of any pre- or post-op diet EXCEPT I was not allowed to eat from noon the day before my surgery to four days after my surgery. And, personally, I did not hang around my family while they were eating or cook for them during this time. Why would I torture myself like that? And, my husband is an able-bodied man who is off of work and can take care of food for himself and the kids for a few days and I'm not the least bit ashamed to ask him to help me in this way. Lord knows, I have cooked many many many gourmet meals for all of them and will again in the future. I think one of the biggest mistakes anyone could make is to NOT ask for the help you need or to have the self-esteem to believe you are worth it. My mother had the same mentality you have for most of her life. If her kids wanted some crap in the house, well, then she certainly would never deny us over HER problem. And, although I think this makes her a great martyr, I don't think it was necessarily the best thing she could've done for her family. It made it incredibly difficult for her to stay on any diet and ultimately she developed type 2 diabetes (needing insulin), dangerously high bp & cholesterol, and well as very limited physical function. And, her own daughter (me) is morbidly obese as well w/similar conditions. I'm thinking it would've been better for the whole family if she put her foot down and made us all eat healthy. But, I don't fault my mother. She was doing what she really believed to be the right thing to do... to treat her obesity as HER problem. I just don't see it that way. The problem of obesity for one member of the family, I believe should be treated as a problem for the whole family. If you love your family (and we all do), we are in this as a team and I need to ask my family for support and they need to support me. Of course, this needs to be negotiated in a way that works for everyone, but that doesn't mean that I just push down all my needs and feeling and not ask for help. That is not what is ultimately going to help me succeed, and if I fail, the whole family fails. OK, I'll get off my soapbox now. I just wanted to give the other point of view because it really saddens my heart that my mo m felt the way you are recommending almost her whole life and it really just ended up hurting her in so many ways. I am happy to say that 2 years ago she got the lapband herself, though, and has started standing up for what she wants and needs to succeed at it.

I also got banded on the 17th and I have felt bloated and gassy ever since. Yesterday, I actually woke up w/such bad sharp shoulder pains that I was shaking and crying. It hurt soooooo bad. I had to wake up my husband so he could get the heating pad set up for me and measure out my pain medication for me. Well, that scared me enough to realize I really need to get walking a lot more. This is what they kept telling me after surgery and I was good while in the hospital, but put it off when I got home. Yesterday, I started walking for 10 minutes every hour on the treadmill (slowly) and it has helped TREMENDOUSLY! I didn't need ANY pain med this morning and I am passing a lot more gas and feel a lot more comfortable. As for burping and farting, consider each one a blessing because this is what will help get all the gas OUT of your body so you can start feeling back to normal. When I first started farting, my husband was like 'Whhhhaaaaattt???' and I told him to just deal w/it because every time I fart, I feel a little better. LOL