chrisdirects

My husband and I are avid wine drinkers- we have about 4 cases from different wineries up and down the east coast in our basement- but I've given up on it, at least temporarily, until I'm well past the healing stage and my weight loss is well underway. Even then, I'm going to try it at home first, so if I have some kind of unexpected reaction, it won't be out in public. Christine

I'm now at a point where I have to put away my scale for awhile. Despite everything I'm trying to do to adhere to my surgeon's recommendations since they put me on purees this past Monday, I'm showing a gain (not a big one, certainly) on the scale...this morning, I was in tears, terrified of eating anything at all. I had so been enjoying, during my month of preop Medifast and the week of Clear liquids only after surgery, seeing that scale go down every day. Right now, getting on the scale is scary, and disappointing. If I were making bad choices, or eating over portion, or not exercising, then, I would have a reason to say, OK, you're doing this to yourself. In absence of those negative behaviors, though, I've just ended up frightened and unhappy. I'm hoping against hope that this is just temporary...but another 2+ weeks until I go in for my first fill is a long time to feel this way. :wink2: Christine

Hi, all, It's hard to believe I am already 2 weeks postop. I feel pretty good...a little tired from time to time, but otherwise, in good shape. Of course, now that I'm on purees, that amazing every-day-is-a-good-scale-day period has vanished into thin air, which has been very frustrating, to say the least. Oh, yes, I had been told it would probably happen, but I guess I was hoping to be the exception. This will take enormous patience and care until I get to my sweet spot, I can see that. :frown: My first fill is scheduled for the 31st. Ah well, this too shall pass. Best, Christine

Mimi, you're going to do great!! Betsy's list is a good one...I would add a couple of things you might want to consider: A heating pad- very comforting at night, I found. Some Crystal Light dry mix- you'll be taking in a fair bit of Water, so this makes it tastier...and is allowed on Clear liquids SF Jello- also allowed for clear liquids. Good books, if you like to read :frown: I used a front-close bra for the first week or so, so I didn't irritate my incisions getting the darn thing on. Slip-in shoes/slippers, so you don't have to bend over getting in them. Good luck with your surgery, hon! Christine

I had to smile when I read through these posts...of all the studies I had to have done preop (and there were many!), the most surrealistic of them all was that sleep study, which for some reason I can't fathom now, I scheduled for Halloween night. It was like something out of Star Trek. The personnel at the hospital couldn't have been nicer...but it was totally odd, being all wired up, and then being told to go to sleep, like I could really do that on command, lol! And, of course, the reassuring concept that someone was watching me by video through the whole thing...yes, very restful :frown: Fortunately, my apnea was so mild, they didn't even wake me for the split titration. It was their opinion that what little I do experience would be taken care of by the weight loss alone. My ex had HORRIBLE apnea...I would sit awake at night and poke him to get him to breathe...scary stuff. Oh, well, one more unique experience to tell about! Best to all! Christine

Welcome to Banderland...so glad your surgery went well! Some people have post-surgery nausea as part of an aftereffect from the anesthesia...I was told that if I had that going on, I should ask for antinausea meds, but I ended up not having to. If the nausea continues to bother you, let your surgeon know- they have meds to help you with that. If your pain meds have codeine in it, you may be reacting to that a bit as well. I only needed mine at night for 3-4 days, then gave it up. Don't be afraid to sip Water in very small amounts, and walk around as much as you possibly can. It's going to feel odd at first, due to the swelling from the surgery, but it will all pass. Today was 2 weeks out for me, and except for some residual tiredness, I feel fine. Hang in there!! Christine

Welcome, newbie! The "normal" progression for reintroducing foods after banding is Clear Liquids, full liquids, purees, softs, and solids. How long we stay at each stage is not our decision, but rather, up to your surgeon. I've heard some scary stories out here of people who have advanced their diet too fast, too far, and ended up in trouble. I'm 2 weeks post today; as of Monday, I will have completed 1 week of the 2 weeks puree stage. Certainly, the purees have beat the liquids only stage by a mile, but my volume of actual food is still very limited, and I'm doing a lot of Protein supplementation with shakes. My sincere advice to you is, before you attempt to go out to dinner, you ought to have a conversation with your nutritionist and/or surgeon to define from THEIR viewpoint what you should be eating at this stage. That doesn't mean necessarily that you won't be able to go, but rather than risk you becoming ill while you're out, some professional advice would probably serve you well. Good luck! Christine

Good morning, all, I will be 2 weeks postop as of tomorrow. During the first week, when I was on liquids, I saw a really good weight loss (and sheesh, no wonder, I wasn't taking anything in!). The surgeon moved me onto purees on Monday, which I was happy about, but now the scale won't move, and I'm terrified of undoing all the good stuff that has happened so far. It's frustrating, because I'm meeting my Protein goals, the calories are relatively low (about 1000 a day), and I'm exercising daily- by all rights, the &*^%* scale should reflect that. It's really upsetting and frustrating. I guess I got spoiled seeing the weight loss before and immediately after surgery, so now that it's stopped, I'm unhappy. :thumbup: Adding to my frustration is that I've had to resume my Metformin, although I've noted that my fasting sugars have been about 20 points lower than they had been prior to starting my preop diet. My blood pressure meds have been reduced by half, so that's progress in that direction as well. I'm to go back to my surgeon on the 31st, and perhaps get my first fill. I guess this is what everyone calls bandster hell. Is there anything I can do? Thanks, Christine

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone. It's not the surgeon's fault, nor the nutritionist...it's just me, the gal who was in the loo when patience was being handed out. I just have to hang in there. Christine

Now, see, I hadn't been thinking about this before, but you all now have me started :ohmy: I am definitely loving the eternity band concept as a final reward!!! For an interim reward at 50 pounds, I'm going to buy myself a bicycle...by that time, I'm probably going to be close to my move to Florida, where there are lots of beautiful bike paths. At 75 pounds, I'm going to buy myself a new spotting scope...I'm a birdwatching nut, and having one of these is a big plus...my training husband took the old one when he left :thumbup: Best, Christine

That's terrific news!! It's still early days for me, with my first fill more than 2 weeks away, but I'm really looking forward to being able to send this kind of post. Congratulations! Christine

I was able to handle some broccoli the other day, but to be honest, it was steamed to the point where I could puree it with my fork. In my P.B. (pre-band) days, I would have NEVER eaten it that soft...always preferred a little crunch. Eeesh, what an experience you had! Sounds like, much to your credit, you handled the whole thing with a lot of grace- if that had been me, it probably would have resembled a scene right out of The Exorcist. I'm trying to develop a liking for V-8 juice, so I can get in a little extra veggie credit without worry. I was never a tomato juice fan, so I'm having to doctor the stuff up with lemon juice and hot sauce to make it work...and I'm thinking of adding it to my cooking as well. Christine

I have some growling too, but not loud enough for anyone to notice but me, so I ignore it...some of it is gas/air moving around. RE: the bloating...it takes a bit for this to subside...I'm still a little bloated at almost 2 weeks postop, but much, much less than I had been in the beginning. The more you get up and walk, the faster you'll be rid of it. Best, Christine

Welcome, britbrit! My insurance required a 6 month history of medically supervised weight loss, which I did through my surgeon's office. He required a whole battery of tests prior to the surgery, including abdominal ultrasound, upper GI series, pulmonary studies, a sleep study, doppler exams of my lower legs, echocardiogram, psych eval, etc., etc. So, I was glad to have the 6 months to get all that squared away. Once all of that was completed and turned in to the insurance, it took them about a month for the approval...I was banded the following week. As to work, because I have an extremely long commute (2+ hours in each direction), I arranged to work at home for a month so I could get past the first nutrition stages. I first put in actual work time 5 days after the surgery. It's definitely a journey, and one that is different for each person. There are a lot of emotions tied into it...but if you have the courage and conviction to hang tight when the road gets bumpy, the rewards are many. It is not a panacea, nor a quick fix, and there are things that you have to sacrifice to get results. Some of those things are temporary, others, permanent. My best wishes to you! Christine

Check out the Bariatric Eating website- they have lots of options for Protein supplementation. Everything I've gotten from them so far has been really good. It's REALLY important that you get things that have the best quality protein- whey or soy isolates. Some of those "bullets" are based on Gelatin protein, which is nowhere near as bioavailable. I was given very specific instructions as to what and how much to eat at each stage...I'd get back in touch with your nutritionist if you haven't been given that information as yet. I wasn't given a calorie count per se, but I was told that I needed to get 70-89 grams per day of protein post-op. I'm using the tools on the Allergan Lap Band site to keep track. Hope that helps- good luck! Christine

Hey, Bull, I have to admit, I got all the exotic stuff by ordering my own assortment off the Medifast website, rather than to do the preset box of stuff. I totally agree with you about the Nutrisystem...I had done that years ago, and some of the things were just nasty...I particularly remember tuna fish salad in a can that even my cat wouldn't eat, lol! Christine

I can definitely relate to how you all are feeling. After having gone through months of preoperative workups of all kinds, I was doing beautifully...until the night before I went to the hospital, when my poor husband had to sheperd me through a total meltdown. I wasn't scared of anything in particular, I was simply SCARED. The following day, I did some work and had a long talk with a dear friend about totally unrelated topics while waiting to leave for the hospital, to keep my mind focused on something else. Once I got there, and things began to happen, suddenly, my fear lifted, and I went through the process with no qualms whatsoever. Let me share something that my psychiatrist said at my consult...she told me that the people she REALLY worries about are those that exhibit no fear...because they are either damming up a lot of emotion inside them, OR they don't have a healthy respect for what they are about to do. Neither of those things are good. Remember that our society tends to play up the bad things, rather than Celebrate the good. So, although all of the things you've read/heard about can and do happen, for the vast majority, the surgery process goes well, and, with time, commitment, and a bit of sweat, they reach their goals. Take heart- we're all pulling for you! Christine

I was on Medifast for a month preop, and did really well, weight-wise. Mostly, I stuck with the Soups, the hot cocoa, the scrambled eggs (surprisingly good- try them with a little parmesan cheese and chives mixed in!!), the pretzels, the little puffy things, and the bars. I'm now using some of those things again postop to keep my Protein intake high. Hang in there- they have enough choices available so that you don't have to eat what you don't like. Good luck! Christine

Beans are one of the foods that are gas-generating by the nature of the carbs they contain. Beano works on this beautifully...you need to take it with the very first mouthful for it to be really effective. Good luck! Christine

Definitely, I would try the unjury Protein...I've had good luck mixing the unflavored with all kinds of things so far, both warm and cold. The chicken Soup flavor is good, too. I would suggest visiting the Bariatric Eating website- there are LOTS of options available made up of the most bioavailable Proteins (look for either whey isolate or soy)...unfortunately, those bullets with "whey" in the title are NOT made from the best whey protein. They have free shipping for orders over a certain amount (I think it's $75). I've been very pleased with all of the products I've gotten from them so far. Hope this helps! Christine

If you go out and register on Allergan's Lap Band site for a "Personal Lap Band Journey", they have great tools available for tracking exercise, health data (like blood sugars), doctor's appointments, and food intake. I've been very happy with it so far! Christine

I was banded on 2/26, and started to log telecommute hours the following Wednesday; started 8 hour days last Friday. I've opted to work from home for the rest of March in order to get stabilized in my new eating routines. To be honest, I have a 2 hour each way commute by public transportation, and I'm not quite ready to start THAT rat race again- so, since my company is up for it, I'm taking advantage of more time with my husband and some extra rest! Good luck! Christine

Greetings, Bandwife, What a nightmare for you and your family...I can understand why you have the emotions you do. I'm sure, given the same circumstances, I would, too. I'm no expert, certainly, but I thought of something that you might mention as a possibility to your nutritionist, if you haven't already...if solids, even soft ones, are giving your husband so much trouble, would it make sense to walk backwards on the food path, i.e., back to purees, see what he might tolerate on those for a couple of weeks, and then very slowly advance his foods again through softs, one food at a time? I know it sounds like a major step in the wrong direction, but maybe it would give his GI tract a rest, and he'd have better luck moving forward later on. The Bariatric Eating website has lots of choices that would fit into a pureed list, while still giving him the Protein support he needs. Just as another thought...I was on Medifast for a month prior to surgery, and have just moved to purees as of Monday...all during this time, I was cooking for my husband, and preparing things for him that I knew I couldn't eat myself. If there's really something you want your family to have, and your husband's not up to eating it just now, perhaps that shouldn't stop you from making it for them. It could very well be that your husband may never tolerate bagels, or steak, or other things (I think those foods give a lot of bandsters trouble over time, because of their texture, etc.). My theory is, just because I can't eat it, doesn't mean my spouse should give it up forever as well. Sending you and your husband lots of positive, healing energy- Best, Christine

Hi, Chloe, I would give your surgeon a call, and let him/her know what happened, and what you've experienced. They have been through all kinds of scenarios, and will know how to handle this for you. If they are concerned, perhaps they will send you for an x-ray to check your band. A couple of days ago, I was seated in a chair and bent over while twisting at the waist. I thought I had felt my band move, and my anxiety level went through the roof. When I spoke to my surgeon, he said not to worry, that the band was firmly sutured in place- it would take more than that to dislodge it. Take heart, hon, you're probably just fine, but do make that call, if only to put your mind at rest. Good luck! Christine

Greetings, Michelle, I just wanted you to know that you have yet another bandster friend out here pulling for you. I can't say that I've cheated, either pre- or post-surgery. Not that I'm any kind of a saint, but I just want so badly to do as much as possible from my end to get to a good result, knowing full well that there are certain things I don't have any power over. I will say that I don't sit next to my husband right now as we are eating, so that I'm not tempted by what he's having, some of which is off-limits to me at the moment. That won't always be the case, of course. I do still make him meals, though, and so far, that hasn't been a problem. I have no doubts whatsoever that you'll get back on track, and that you'll be glad in yourself for doing so. Hugs to you! Christine