lynmcg

Have to let off a bit of frustration. Last week my family and I attended my son's graduation in Florida. I knew going on this vacation that making the right food choices was going to be a bit of a challenge and I think I did fairly well. Things weren't to bad until, as the week went on, it got hotter everyday, 90s and higher. I found that even with a 35 lb. weight loss I still struggled with the heat and dehydration, I was just so frustrated I could have screamed, I truly felt as if I was holding everyone else back from having a good time because I couldn't hack it. I did consume alot of Water during the day and couldn't figure out way I was dehydrated, the med doctor at Epcot told me my blood pressure was low; which is unusal for me and my electrolytes were way off so, after a couple of bottles of gatorade I was good to go. After some careful thinking I realized a had been eating mostly salads and NOT enough Protein which I think may have been my problem. Believe me, when they say to eat your Proteins, they mean it. I really think if I had eaten correctly, I may have had more energy to enjoy myself. Maybe next year I'll have the energy to hoof it around the parks with know problems? Thanks for letting me vent! PS: I get my first fill tomorrow, I'm nervous yet excited.

Thanks for the info everyone. I must admit, I'm glad to be back at home where it's a lot cooler.

can anyone tell me how the lap band can slip if it is sutured in place? Does it slip up instead of down? just wondering?

I was banded on March 12th and I'm headed down to Florida on May 3rd for a week. I talked with my doctor about my first fill and wether I should have it before I leave or after. She agreed it would be better if I wait until after I get back just in case I had discomfort with it. The bad part about that is I can pretty much eat whatever I want with the exception of poultry and breads. So now I need to pay extra attention to what I eat on vacation and not go crazy. Salads will probably be on the menu minus the chicken.

Thanks for the info. How do you know when it slips, does it hurt or just feel weird?

HI, I also had this problem. I think it took around 3 weeks for my system to settle down. When I first tried on my pants I was so discouraged I could have cried. Two weeks later I figured what the heck I'll give it another try and see what happens. Well, they fit with a little room to spare. Thank God. So, be patient and it will happen for you also. Best of Luck to you.

I think the hardest part was cooking for my teenage boys while I was on my pre op and post op liquid diet for two weeks. It was the most difficult thing I've ever had to do. I love to cook and the smells were killing me. I now eat my meal first then I cook for the boys and my husband. It's still a struggle everyday, some days worse than others. I just try to focus on losing the weight and the clothes I'll finally be able to wear and it usually helps me stay in control.

I'm almost 2 weeks post op and I realize things are probably still in the healing phase, but I have a terrible pain when I bend forward. It almost feels like something is pinching with a slight burning sensation inside and it's located on my left side. I really don't want to push the panic button or anything, but it's starting to annoy the heck out of me. Does anyone here know what this could be? I know I should call my doc but thought I'd ask on here first.

Hi, I've lost a total of 27 lbs, which isn't much just yet but enough to make me turn up my thermostat. I was always hot and just like everyone else I was turning down the thermostat all the time. Now I use a blanket when watching TV and I wear a long sleeved shirt now around the house. Go figure?

Hi everyone, I was reading some of the posts here about how chicken seems to be everyone's nightmare. Since I'm not quite on the mushies yet, I was wondering if anyone could fill me in on what foods gave them the most problems. Example: pasta, veggies, toast, eggs, meats and such. Reason I'm asking is my son graduates from college beginning of May and our entire family is heading down to Daytona for the graduation for 1 week. I'm going to be just at my 6-week post op, so I was wondering what to avoid eating so I don't run into a PB in front of the entire family. Thanks

Hi, I agree with you. My husband and I have the diet system and although we lost, the amount of fresh food you have to buy and prepare was a bit over the top for us. I understand it needing to be fresh, but when you are busy it's a little hard to prepare and on the wallet.

Has anyone on here had trouble with diarreha after surgery and how come the pants I wore right before surgery fit and now that I'm down 24 lbs. there to tight? How strange is that? :sneaky: Does every doctor have a different post op diet for their patient's because as I read alot of the threads here everyone seems to be able to consume creamy broths and yogurt right after surgery? I'm still only able to have clear liquids, clear broths, jello and my protein shakes for about 2-3 weeks, then I can graduate to creamy soups and semi-solid mushies. I would kill to be able to have a creamy soup, but I don't want to screw up the doc's orders. Any info would be appreciated.

call your doctor! You shouldn't be vomiting.

Your having what I call the "what ifs" gitters. What if this happens, what if that happens. Everything will be fine. Blood clots shouldn't be a problem if they give you your heparin shots. When I was in the hospital they were giving me heparin shots a least twice a day to prevent problems. I think I had a total of four. I know it sounds scary and I can't blame you for being nervous but it really is a fairly easy surgery. I had more pain when I had my knee operated on than I did with the lap band. Hang in there and focus on your children to take your mind off of things. Best of luck to you.

Hi, I agree with everyone. toothbrush, chapstick, pillow for ride home, slip on shoes, undies, brush and maybe a cell phone? I stayed overnight and your very sleepy for the most part so you'll probably not need much else. Good Luck.

Thanks everyone for your help. I called my nutrionist like Alyson said and she told me to also get the glycerna. I guess I have a lactose intolerance I didn't know I had? boy that stuff is expensive. Guess I'll give it a try and see what happens.

Hi, I've already had my surgery 1 week ago. All I can tell you is to take it one day at a time.... really. That's what got me through the tough parts of the liquid diet. Try to keep busy so you don't have much time to think about it. After you surgery just make sure you listen to your doc and nurses and everything will be fine. Good Luck.

Hi, Best of luck to you. I'm sure you'll do fine. The only thing I can tell you is to make sure you have a loose pair of pants or sweats for the ride home. You'll be somewhat bloated as I was, so the important thing is comfort for your belly.

I agree with you. I just had my surgery on march 12th and I vowed to myself I would follow the doc's orders. I figured they know what their talking about, so just do it. I not trying to say it hasn't been a battle, I have been craving pizza something awful but clear liquids will have to be my pizza for now. Actually, I scared to mess up my surgery but I'm trying to look at it as a challenge. If I can hang on until mushies I'm doing good.

My surgery was March 12th at Falulkner Hospital, Boston. The first thing I'll say is how great the Faulkner Hospital was. I had never been there before except for my preop visit, but everyone there was so nice and understanding and my surgeon Dr. Ashley Vernon is the best. Since living on the Cape we had to get up around 4:30 a.m. for the 1 1/2 hour drive. We had to be there a 6:00 and made it on time. From the time we arrived everything went like clockwork. Admitting to the preop area for a weigh in and changing of clothes and medication updates. It all seemed to go so fast. Before I knew it I was on my stretcher meeting all the doctors and nurses involved with my surgery. First the nurse starts the IV line which went fine because she numbed it up first. How great is that? They then put on the anti nausea patch and explained that I should not touch it with my hands. I really don't remember everything in detail because it was a very busy fast paced place, the next thing I knew I was on my way down the corridor and into the surgery room. They must have given me something to relax me because I only remember it being cold and bright and having to scoot over to the table. I think they kept telling me to scoot my head higher on the table but I can't swear to that? Well, that's all I remember until I woke up hours later in recovery. I think people were talking to me in recovery but I can't remember for the life of me. I'm also guessing on time here because I wasn't aware of to much. I do, however, remember touching my stomach and thought to myself WOW I feel like I'm 7 months pregnant. My stomach was huge from all the gas they pump into you for surgery. Now I was off to my room because my doctor likes her patients to stay overnite. I must say I was glad I was there but I also longed for my own bed. My husband was with me for awhile but it had been a long day for him and I was out-of-it anyway. So I told him go home and get a good nights sleep. The night was kind of rough, I hated sleeping on my back and the incisions were bothering me. Sometime during the night I started to feel very nauseous so they came in and tried a few different drugs to help. I ended up on morphine but only clicked the button when I absolutely needed it. The nurses were so kind and patient, I did feel bad though because I needed to get up to use the bathroom every 2 hours or so and they will not let you walk there by yourself. Ice chips quickly became my friend because the anesthesia makes you mouth extremely dry!!!! The next morning I was scheduled for my x-ray to see how the band looked, this is where I finally met my LAP band friend Alyson. We both had the same doctor and she had her surgery right after mine. We talked for awhile while waiting for our turn in the x-ray room. The x-ray went fine except for the stuff you need to drink, AWFUL is all I have to say about that. The technition was extremely polite and told me that my band was a bit different than usual because most patient's band are on a slight angle on the stomach and mine was completely horizontal. What that means I'm not sure. I guess I'll ask the doctor in a few weeks. So, back up to my room and now they bring in the tray with your stage 2 liquids, shake, tea and jello. If you can tolerate the stage 2 you are able to go home. I couldn't wait to go home, I did end up sleeping the entire 2 hours home but it felt good. So that was my story. I do thank the person who put this thread on here because reading all of these stories helped to put my mind at ease the day of my surgery. Good luck to everyone.

Hi Alyson, how are you feeling now? I'm glad that you called the doctor and got the fluids you needed to feel better. It's been pretty good for me so far. It seems that the gas pains are finally kicking in now. I have hopes of taking a shower today, I'm thinking maybe the hot water on my back will help with the gas pains? How are you doing with the liquids? do you want to here something really weird? Today while reading some posts here on this site I came across one talking about the nausea patch behind the ear. Well, It talked about the pupils of your eyes being different sizes because of the nausea patch..........I took a look and my right pupil is way smaller than the left eye. Never noticed it before. I'm not sure if I should call or not? Anyway, take care and take it real slow. O.k.?

I can't believe I just read this message because as was sitting here reading everything I decided to look at my eyes. My right eye pupil is way smaller than my left eye. At first I thought I was seeing things? Thankyou for posting this. I had surgery on the 12th and just took off the patch the other day. Nothing to worry about, right?

Hi Alyson, So sorry to hear your not feeling well. Instead of trying to drink maybe 1/2 or a 1/3 of your drink try sipping it. It took me about and hour to just finish 1/2 of my protein shake. I'm still wondering if I'm drinking enough? I was so glad to have met you Friday....that drink was the worst thing I have ever tasted, I thought I was going to lose everything when they finished. YUCK!!!! Take Care and I'm thinking of you often.

I've been on my liquid diet for 13 days and lost most of my weight the first week. Now that I'm in the final stretch the weight loss seems to have leveled off. My surgery is on the 12th, so I'm hoping my doctor is still happy with what I've lost so far. Honestly, this diet has been the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, one day I'm doing great and the next I'm craving everything in site. Good luck with your surgery and try to stay focused on the diet and not the scale.

I'm starting my second week on my preop diet and I'm hanging in there. Barely! My problem, cooking for the family. Just smelling the food makes me crazy hungry. I try to do my cooking just after having my shake so I don't feel so hungry, but it isn't helping. Has this happened to anyone else and how do you deal with it? Oh, and yes I've been drinking my waters and crystal lights but they only help for a short time........... can't wait until March 12th. arghhhhh:crying::cursing: