Vangirl

I had my surgery with Dr. Ortiz at the OCC in Tijuana, Mexico. I stayed one night in the clinic, and the next night at the hotel, and flew home the following day. No problems with travelling. I had a four-hour wait in San Diego airport, which gave me plenty of opportunity to walk around. Great experience overall, I'd recommend OCC to anyone. I plan to post a long blog or entry about the whole thing so people know what it was like. Today's pain sucks though, worse than yesterday. Although today I didn't take any painkillers, and haven't walked much so maybe that's the reason. I hurt all over!

I'm so glad to know I'm not alone in feeling all this pain (although sorry to hear others are going through it). Today is day 4 post-op, and I feel worse than I did yesterday, almost as bad as day 1! Everything hurts! The gas, my stomach, my back, and my chest. It even hurts when I drink water! Also, my lungs hurt when I breathe, and I think that's because of the effects of the general anesthesia. I've been doing inhalation exercises on a special apparatus to help with that. I am just hoping I'll get better soon. This pain sucks!

Don't forget to take slip on shoes or non-slip socks. The number one thing not to forget is lip balm. You will thank your lucky stars you have it after surgery!!! Also, gas-x strips will help. Good Luck!!

My pre-op diet consisted of a slimfast shake in the morning and a lean cuisine/smart ones meal for lunch and another one for dinner. I was told if I needed something more I could have a salad with only green veggies(lettuce, spinach, celery, cucumbers, asparagus) and had to use those spray dressings (YUCK!!!-I hated those) I was also allowed one sugar free jello or sugar free pudding per day. I was not allowed any caffeine or soda. I could use Splenda to sweeten decaf tea and I could have Crystal Lite and water. It worked for me. I lost 19 lbs pre-op. Good luck to you!!!

I'm on Day 4, and while I've experienced the blessing of having little to no hunger, I'm worried that I'm not getting enough nutrients and Water. Is there a minimum amount of water we should be drinking post-op? And liquid intake? I've also been terribly constipated, which I'm sure is contributing to this horrid gas pain that many people seem to experience after the surgery. Has anyone had experience with benefibre? I'm afraid to take anything because the few times I overdid it on liquids, I experienced such pain in my chest that I thought I'd cause the band to slip.

I'm on Day 4 and feel like I've been hit by a truck! When stationary, I am fine, but when getting up from a sitting position, it hurts like crazy. But I totally agree with what the others have said here, to keep walking. Although there wre times when I'd have loved to just lie in bed and sleep, I'd force myself to keep walking as much as I was able, while allowing myself regular periods of rest. It's a balance between keeping moving and not overdoing it, and it can be tricky finding that balance, especially if you're (like me) used to a sedentary lifestyle. Walking helps to move the gas around and I find once I've started walking, it can feel better than sitting. I'm going to now take a hot shower, as someone else on here has suggested. A heating pad or hot Water bottle also helps with the gas pain.

Quick update. Pain is better from yesterday. Was able to drive myself home, luggage and all. Will post more later. Thank god for those Mexican pain pills!

I admit I am surprised at the amount of pain I'm still feeling, but I'm trying to remind myself everyone is different. The nurse yesterday brought me a hot Water bottle that really helped with the shoulder pain I was having. I'm at the hotel now, and will be travelling back home tomorrow. I'm wondering about the paranoia though. I had a half-bowl of broth for dinner and then drank a glass of water shortly afterward, and boy am I paying for it! It hurts, and the pressure hasn't gone away for almost an hour now. So I start to have thoughts of am I stretching/wrecking the band from drinking too much liquid after the surgery. I just hope it's me being all paranoid and everything, that this is a normal thing to happen as I get used to the band, and used to the new me, with a new stomach and new way of eating/drinking. I'm really looking forward to this pain going away and feeling like my normal self again.

So as some of you know, my surgery is scheduled for this coming Wednesday (Nov. 26). The pre-op diet has been hellish and the weight loss slow, but I was able to drop to just 1.8lbs away from my pre-op weight loss goal with one week to go. Then last Thursday morning, I had a sudden bout of nausea and nearly vomited all of my morning meds and Vitamins. It came out of nowhere and was preceded by the increased salivation that some people have reported having after the band. In addition, I was having the runs and general upset stomach. I emailed my nutritionist, who told me to change my diet to probiotic yoghurt, lean Protein, and fruit, which of course was a blessing after the three weeks of pre-op diet. So I've been eating that since Friday, which helped with the nausea and diarrhea, but now I have Water retention and constipation! And also some heartburn. I took some metamucil tablets yesterday and today, which has unsettled my stomach again. With the change in diet and water retention, my weight went up and down, and now I am back to the same weight I was on Wednesday (1.8lbs away from my goal). The nutritionist also told me that I might have a virus, and I have been feeling like I'm fighting something. I've taken echinacea and Vitamin C just in case. So it's been quite a roller coaster for my stomach, and I've been feeling discouraged. I'd really hate to have the surgery postponed because of not reaching my weight loss goal (or gaining weight!) or because something (e.g. getting sick) is making my stomach act up. It sucks that this happened so close to the surgery date. I guess I'll know by tomorrow whether it's a go or not, as I'm scheduled to fly out on Tuesday. -Vangirl

Thanks Doddie! Historically I have shunned scales and diets just for this reason. Because I know myself and I will obsessively look at the scale and count every calorie and drive myself nuts in the process. The only reason I bought a scale in the first place is when I started the pre-op diet and *had* to keep track of my weight loss. This is definitely going to be an ongoing emotional journey for me, not just a physical one. I do tend to get discouraged and frustrated when I see little progress for a lot of hard work. The difference this time is the band is not going to let me give up and overeat. Basically I have to keep at it and make it a lifetime process, and so I'm trying to look at it that way, not so much as a miracle quick fix, which, based on my experience with the pre-op diet alone, it is not going to be. But I have more hopefulness that this will work better for me than anything else I've done. That's why I'm doing it, and I suspect why others have done it. It's been wonderful to hear and read others' progress. The thing that clinched my own decision to get the band is that despite the differences in everyone's experiences, not a single person said that they regretted getting it. I thought that was a very powerful statement. Anyhoo, gotta run and get ready for my journey tomorrow. Will keep you all posted on my progress. -Vangirl

I spoke with the nutritionist this morning, and I'm good to go for surgery on Wed. So unless something drastic happens between now and then, it'll be happening. Sadly I have only lost .4 lbs since Wednesday, but oh well. My weight loss on the pre-op diet has been so slow, compared to what I've read here from others' experiences, but I'm starting to feel resigned around this. I guess that's how my body is, it just doesn't want to let it go so easily. But most importantly, I'm feeling a lot better and don't have that feeling of fighting off a cold anymore. I did have a particular pre-op weight loss goal because my BMI is high and they wanted to get it down to 50. Hopefully whatever weight I did lose on the pre-op diet has done the trick re: shrinking my liver.

I noticed the same thing. My sense of smell had definitely increased, and I couldn't go into a mall or other public place with food vendours without being affected.

I've been on the pre-op diet for a little over three weeks, and have one more week to go. I've stuck to it faithfully with no cheating whatsoever, but it has been extremely difficult from day one. Headaches, lightheadedness, weakness, and exhaustion, to name a few. I've also recently been having increased diarrhea and stomach pain from the feeling of emptiness in the stomach. Anyway, this morning, I woke up with more of that sour/empty painful feeling in my stomach than usual, and went to have my usual morning medications and daily vitamin/mineral supplements, along with two glasses of Water (there were a lot of pills/supplements, so that amount of water was necessary, and quite typical for me). Anyway, shortly afterward, I had the urge to go to the washroom (my second bout of diarrhea that morning), and at the same time I'm sitting on the john, I suddenly noticed increased saliva and an urge to throw up. I began mentally telling myself, "don't throw up, don't throw up", but my stomach started dry-heaving involuntarily a couple of times. It was through sheer willpower that I managed keep it all down, and the urge to vomit eventually subsided, though the upset-stomach feeling is still there to a small extent. It's very rare for me to throw up, so that really freaked me out. I'm not sick with the flu and haven't eaten anything that would give me food poisoning (and I know it wasn't food poisoning, because I've had it before). I feel like I need to eat to put something into my poor empty stomach, but I've been so faithful to the pre-op diet and don't want to go off it. I'm also afraid of this being a sign of things to come after the band. What if I'm nauseous and vomiting after the band? Has anyone else experienced this? Is this normal or something I should be concerned about? Please help! Thanks! -Vangirl

I've stopped taking my morning vitamins first thing in the morning. Now having my Breakfast first. Thankfully things have settled down considerably since Thursday. It's good to know I'm not the only one's who's experienced this, as it kind of scared me.

My surgery is next Wednesday (the 26th) so I don't have a lot of time to get back onto the liquid pre-op diet. :drool: Fortunately my nutritionist has been in regular email contact with me with advice on what to eat and has copied the mails to the surgeon. I just hope that the recent change in the pre-op diet doesn't result in my regaining the weight I've lost on the pre-op diet so far. Or that I have some sort of stomach virus or something. I hope this goes away soon. I want to have the surgery as planned and everything going smoothly.

Thanks, Patricia, I will definitely post on my progress with the surgery. I'm glad to hear you were ok, though sorry to hear your husband is still having effects from his car accident. It can be very tough, and you don't always know your limits until you hit them. We were worried when you didn't show, so I'm glad to know things are ok.

That's really interesting, because the modified diet I'm on has increased protein in the form of chicken breasts and probiotic yoghurt. I really hope things get better soon because my surgery is in five days, and I don't want it postponed!

That's a really good point. My stomach, in usual circumstances, tends to be sensitive to ibuprofen, but obviously not to the point of vomiting (more like upset stomach, diarrhea). I didn't take any pain medications this morning, but perhaps the combination of all the pills and supplements I took at the same time was too much for my stomach to handle on an empty stomach. Fortunately my nutritionist replied to my email this evening itself with some new food instructions, which I will follow (yay, real food now!). Hopefully this will help, otherwise she suggested it might be a virus. I really hope it's not because I want to have the surgery! Thanks for all the help and support! It really helps to get advice from those who have been there.

I agree, this isn't a flu, and usually other symptoms develop before that. It's just diarrhea and nausea/almost-vomiting. I'm not as concerned about the diarrhea (I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome and haven't had a normal BM in years), but vomiting is extremely unusual for me. I really hope it's just that my stomach needs food in it and is starting to feel too acidic from an extreme diet for three weeks. It's definitely been torturous from the time I started, but I stuck to it because I had a lot of pre-op weight to lose and didn't want to risk having to postpone my surgery. It's really tough because I can't really get any medical advice at this point, and I'm torn between staying on the pre-op diet and listening to my body and putting some solid food in my stomach.

I posted this on another forum, and you're the second person to tell me that this isn't normal and I should see my dr. I'm now getting scared because my surgery is next Wednesday (the 26th), and I actually can't get into see my dr. before then, as he only works Wed/Thurs. I've emailed the nutritionist who gave me the pre-op diet, and hopefully she'll give me some information that will help me. The idea that I might have developed an ulcer from my stomach being so hungry and empty for three weeks definitely scares me. I still feel that sour/acidic feeling even now, although thankfully no urge to vomit again. My feeling is that my stomach needs something in it, it's like it's eating itself or something.

Funny, I was just about to post something on this topic. I have my surgery scheduled for next Wednesday, and am close enough to my pre-op weight loss goal, that I've been thinking it can't hurt to cheat just once. Just one last meal before I am banded and can no longer eat the way I do now. I keep thinking about pizza, and just wanting to have one meal of my favourite foods. But of course I'm afraid. What if that one time I give myself makes me put on 5 lbs and messes things up? Is this a realistic fear? I can't remember the last time I have thought so much about food and been so sensitive to the smells and sights of food around me. *sigh*

I'm planning to come to the meeting, but might be a bit late. I finish work at around 6:15pm, and can't predict what traffic will be like driving through downtown and getting onto Lions Gate bridge. Can't wait to meet everyone again, and get banded myself. This pre-op diet has been horror, but I'm determined to stay the course, as everyone has said that it will get better.

I've been on my pre-op diet since Oct. 29, and I have 9 more days to go (my surgery is on Nov. 26). So four weeks on the diet in total. It's taken everything I have in me not to cheat. Pizza is my greatest weakness too. All I can think about is ordering a pizza, just once can't hurt. I can't even walk into a mall without getting triggered by the sights and smells of food in the various bakeries, shops, and food court. It's horrible. I swear the only thing that's keeping me motivated is the knowledge that I need to lose the weight before the surgery. There is so much at stake. Don't worry about slipping once. Just get back on your diet again. You've gotten this far, and you'll continue to keep going.

This was my thinking as well. From his website and his CV which he has posted online, my feeling is that he cares about his reputation. It doesn't make sense that someone who is frequently in the media would just ignore a patient. Not to take anything away from the patient's experience, but there is always two sides to a story, and any media angle on it has to be taken with a grain of salt.