RLittman

Bug, I was not able to wear shorts/pants comfortably for about two weeks. I looked and felt about 5 months pregnant! When the swelling finally went down, everything went back to normal.

I did not return to exercise for at least 6 days after surgery. I did a little treadmill and recumbent bike. I listened to my body and stopped when I started to feel tired or sore. By day 11 post surgery, I was back to my full exercise routine.

go to general discussion and look for the August band crew posts - that where the rest of the August bandsters are!

Nooooooo! I was told that I could have tuna, salmon, ground meat or chicken, but even then I had to eat slowly and chew it to mush in my mouth. I started with baby foods and then pulsed chicken and beef in my processor until very fine. I still find tuna too dry to eat. quote=faybie]Robin, I have Dr. Spivak too and he told me the only meat that I could eat my first month after banding was fish while I was in the "mushy" phase. Did you not get that same instruction?

My family was so concerned about it that I caught them one night eating chocolate cake in the kitchen so I would not be tempted. I gave them all a big hug and had just a little taste of icing! Their eating does not bother me because once I'm fulled I am not interested in food.

Hey Sweetie, You are most welcome. We are all in this together and we have gone down this path before. What is it they say about the obese - our drug of choice is food and unfortunately everyone can see our addiction? After being overweight for most of my life, I want the chance to look and feel normal, and if this darn band is the way to do, then I am going to give it every chance I can. I am 46 and my bones can no longer carry this weight without damaging my knees and back. I just have to let this work and trust the process. I am making huge emotional and physical sacrifices right now to get this weight off. I never had scars on my body until this surgery nor underwent general anesthesia. But I had to go through with this. I want to learn from this experience as much as I can. I don't think I ever realized how good food made me feel. I never realized how quickly I ate. I never realized how much I ate when I was bored and not hungry. I never realized how little conversation I made at the table because I was too busy eating. Now I talk while everyone else eats. It has been an eye opening experience in just 2 weeks. This is no miracle and no one can claim this is the easy route to losing weight because it ain't. I'm as much focused on this as when I was dieting normally. So far the swelling acts as a reminder that I have a limit as to what I can consume. I want that reminder to hit me in the face every chance it can get! So go ahead and take a chance - give some food or drink up that you always had before. I say to myself you had 46 years of this or that food or drink- been there, done that! Make the most of this and you might find yourself changing in ways you never knew possible. Over the last 1 1/2 years, a friend has lost weight over 60 pounds and has about 30 to go. I see the glow in her eyes when folks praise her for the change - I want some of that glow. Go for that! Robin quote=Sweet Caroline]Robin ~ many thanks for taking the time to give me your view. You are only 2 days ahead of me, but you still offer valuable rationale. I appreciate it !!

Okay, here is my take on all this. I have stumbled a few times and tried things I should not. Boy, did I pay. Like with rice, it hurt like you know what and then I worried about band slippage. Then I ate too quickly a few times, and boy did I feel like the Titantic was stuck in my stomach. Then I ate too fast a few times, and I paid for that too. So what have I learned? I should use this fear to avoid eating and drinking what may or may not be harmful to me, and to avoid eating in a manner which could undo the good of the band. For example, I have drank Coke about everyday of my life up until a month ago. Have not had it, won't do it because the Dr. says NO. Why take a chance? Why not use that fear of what could happen to your advantage? Instead of testing the waters with NO-NOs, just don't test the waters! My goal through all of this is to lose weight now!!! Now did I swipe some chocolate icing off a cupcake yesterday? You bet. I knew it would slide right down, but I also knew I had had only 500-600 calories that day and that it wouldn't jeopardize my weight loss. I believe it is okay to moderately give into a craving, IF it does not hurt your band. Just like with real life dieting, you must find a balance in what you take in on a daily basis. I would suggest that you don't play with fire here. I know the next 3 weeks for me before my first fill will be challenging as my hunger increases, but it is also the time for a big learning curve, IF I am open to understanding how and why I eat the way I do. Follow the doctor's advice - that is why we all sought him or her out in the first place!!! Good luck!

Ladydi, good luck with tomorrow's surgery. Dr. Spivak is so reassuring during the pre-op. You will do great. See you on the other side. :clap2:

My doctor said I could remove the steristrips after two weeks. They easily peeled off but left a glue like residue. I did not rub this off for another week since I did not want to put pressure on the would sites. Sounds like this is another topic to raise with your doctor.

I felt no nausea after surgery but definitely had the cold/hot sweats. My nutritionist told me that this is our body undergoing ketosis because we are consuming purely protein and no carbs. It lifts after a few days. Clarityseeker (Jessica) - I am hungrier as well because the swelling has decreased. I can definitely take in more now than I could a week ago. I have eaten chicken, pasta, eggs, cheese, and sausage. Whatever I do eat though, I make sure I first chew to mush in my mouth. I have increased my liquid intake to compensate for this increased hunger. I still watch portion control and make sure I don't eat quickly - that is where it can become painful. I have a nasty sinus infection now which is making me very tired - Haven't had a chance to exercise in three days but my weight is the same. Lapband forum was definitely down. I felt so dejected and cut off!!!

I was banded August 2 and was feeling fine after 4-5 days. I have lost lots of inches and 21 pounds total with the pre-op diet and band placement. I will have my first fill in another 3 weeks. I am thrilled to have had this done and finally feel I have some control in my life.

Go to the last pages - p. 37 or so to find the latest posts on the August band thread. To find the latest in all posts, click new posts. To ask a question, either find the subject category you are interested and put a post in there or when you are in a thread such as August band crew, you can submit a reply to someone else post in which you can ask questions.

Ny first BM came 4 days after surgery - I took some Ex-lax to help. The next one came 4 days after that with the help Ex-lax. Then it came 2 days after that, and now it is regular.

Faybie, My clothes are definitely looser because I have lost fat not just water weight. I am down from a Womens' 16 to a Womens' 14 and from a XL shirt to a L shirt. I am also down a bra size from a 40DD to a 38DD. I was working out pre-surgery and returned to exercise about 5 days after surgery. My next size change should come around 195, about every 15 pounds for me.

Allie, I am 15 days out of surgery, and my port area stopped hurting around the 11th day out. It all heals slowly so give it some time. I can sleep on my stomach and bend over and touch my toes now without feeling the port site.

Faybie, My ticker is current as of today. I lost 7 pounds pre-op, and have lost 14 pounds since band placement on August 2nd.

Bug, I was quite surprised too that when I got home I found out I had gained 4 pounds - it was all from the swelling. About 3 days later, it was coming off at the rate of 2 pounds per day which is how I lost 10 pounds in about 5 days.

1. To update a ticker on the lapband forum, first go to Quick Link, then go to Edit Signature, cut or delete your current ticker and then hit the save signature button. Then go to the ticker factory, make your new ticker, copy the URL, go back to Lapband forum, hit Quick Link, go to Edit Signature, move your cursor to the spot in your signature area where you want the ticker to appear, then above the box you will see a row of icons, click the icon which allows you insert image or picture (it has a mountain with a small box in the corner), a little box will appear asking for the URL, paste the URL from the ticker factory there, and hit enter, your new ticker will appear. 2. To get a new ticker, go to Ticker factory, put in new weight, hit enter, and new ticker will appear with new URL You must do this each time you want to change the ticker in your signature area. I strongly suggest that you do Step 1 before Step 2. Each time I tried to delete the old ticker and then paste the new one, it would not allow me to paste the new URL. I had to delete the old ticker and save the changes first and then paste the new URL in.

Denise H.: Good luck on your surgery. I know you will do just fine if you keep a positive attitude. I found this forum to be so helpful on what to do/not to do, what to eat/not to eat. Read through as many different posts as you can before your surgery. It help me develop my own checklist of what to have on hand in terms of food, medical supplies,etc. Best of luck!:clap2:

For those of you who are feeling tired, a nutritionist friend of mine said to be sure to drink lots of Water and take in lots of Protein. I have at least 120 grams a day. I eat lo-fat mozarella sticks, yogurt, drink Isopure and add unjury to just about everything. Yesterday I was able to eat a small amount of chicken (about 1/4 of 1 small breast) and 5 pieces of cooked asparagus and felt full and fine. I chewed till the cows came home before I swallowed. I had a mid evening snack of popcorn which presented no problem. No hunger, pain, or gas, can sleep on my stomach, and have returned to full exercise. I take in around 800-900 calories per day.

Best of luck to all mid August Bandsters - you will be back to normal before you know, and it will be so worth the effort. Everyday I feel better and stronger. 11 days out and I have been back to regular exercise for almost 5 days, no pain whatsover for about 3 days, and feeling great. Don't fear the surgery - you are asleep for 30-40 minutes, will have an uncomfortable few hours after surgery, a little sore for a few days, and then be on the road to recovery to your new life. For those who are keeping track, during the lapband procedure Dr. Spivak found a 1/2 inch adenoma on my liver. After an MRI, it has been found to be totally benign and all other organs are in great condition! I feel like my life has been handed back to me on a platter!!!:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

Well, I have settled into mushy, soft food and am doing fine. No gas, belching or pain today whatsoever. For breakfast I had a nutritional liquid supplement with Unjury, for lunch I ate a very small amount of hamburger meat, about 1/2 hot dog (no bread), and some baked beans, some soft cheese, and for dinner another nutritional supplement with Unjury. Lots of water throughout the day to stay hydrated. I find I still have to sip a little water during meals. Old habits die hard. Very little hunger all day. I am discovering a different type of dining experience - eating no longer brings enjoyment. There is the initial thrill when the object hits my mouth - the taste is wonderful, but when you have to chew it 30 times, the thrill diminishes by the time you swallow it! I wait 20-30 seconds and take a second bite and go through the process again. Soon I am full and almost bored with the process. Eating is an act to give my body energy, but there is no high, no blood pressure rush, no thrill that comes from the tasting or swallowing. I stop to talk now during my meals which I never did before. As I talk, I notice that everyone around me is scarfing down their food at record pace! I notice who takes a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, even 5th cookie. Do we all realize how much we really consume? I feel like the car that sits idly as I fill up the tank with gas. Did I really live for that rush that eating gave me?

I was banded about a week ago, and yesterday I ate about 1 cup of white rice for dinner. What was I thinking? About an hour later, I hurt so bad that I took some Loritab and the pain went away for about 4 hours. Then it came back. So I took some more pain med and again, the pain went away for 4 hours. I swore right then and there I would never eat rice again. This morning, my stomach was sore as if I had a stomach ache. It lasted most of the day so I didn't eat until noon when I had some mashed potatoes. Finally my stomach felt right again around mid afternoon. For dinner I had some soft fish and everything has been okay since then. I guess the rice sat in my pouch and would not pass through. A word from one who would not listen to sound advice - don't eat rice during the mushy/soft food stage!

Is it safe to eat popcorn? Has anyone had problems with it?

Yesterday was the first day I felt normal. I can eat soft foods and have moved off the totally liquid diet. I have no gas, a little belching, and no pain except sensitivity around the port area. Can easily turn over, get off the couch, and have returned to regular exercise. I still cannot sleep on my stomach. The key is to keep moving, drink lots of water, and eat/drink protein if you feel weak. Unjury supplement was the key to getting sufficient protein when I was on a totally liquid diet. I have lost 11 pounds since surgery on August 2, 18 including the pre-op diet. Look up, life will get easier!