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i add half a banana to mine and it seems to be no problem. i put it in a blender though. also, try adding a little bit of pudding. it makes the shake taste SO much better. what kind of Protein are you using at the moment? i would suggest going to walmart, getting jillian michaels whey protein. you get a tub for 10 bucks and its pretty good. do you add Water or milk when you mix it? heres what we do jillian michaels vanilla whey protein + ice + milk + pudding + half a banana = some good stuff!

i'm 18 years old, & i'm a senior in high school. i was banded on Tuesday the 5th, home Wednesday the 6th, and i returned to school Monday the 11th. honestly, i felt worse at home than i did when i was around other people. it also helped me to focus on other things besides my hunger. you should be able to return to school within a week, i don't see why that would be any problem as long as you recover quickly enough. you're young, so you should be good. as for Protein shakes, yes i have one or two a day depending on how much protein i had gotten for that day. [typically, a Protein shake, a yogurt, and a milk at lunch will fulfill my protein requirement] my mom makes the shakes for me, but we use jillian michaels [that mean ass trainer from the biggest loser] whey protein. i prefer the vanilla to the chocolate. to that we use milk instead of Water, so you get even MORE protein in one shot, and we also add a little bit of pudding [it really really helps the flavor] and in the mornings, i get half a banana. i am driving. i have no problem driving at all. at first it was a bit difficult, but that only lasted the very first time i got behind the wheel. i'm serious when i tell you that i feel just like i did before the surgery, probably better. it IS going to be hard though not being able to eat. when my family is making dinner its so hard. because you WANT to eat the food, but you can't because your stomach needs to heal and it is so frustrating. i would suggest getting yoplait for when you're on the yogurt stage because they have such a variety of flavor that you really don't get bored. my favorite is cinnamon roll and it is delicious. i get the dessert flavors because it tastes more like a meal then lol. feel free to ask any questions! i'm more than happy to answer.

yeah that is perfectly normal. i went up and down after the surgery. typically, i felt alright in the mornings and then would kind of decline and then i would feel really good at night. the first couple days after my surgery at home were the hardest. i was sleep deprived, hungry and in pain. not a good combo. i promise you it gets better. i am sitting here about a week and a half post surgery and i feel GREAT. i feel just like i did before the surgery. the only thing is i am hungry. my surgeon is pretty strict with the post op diet [2 weeks liquids, 2 weeks full liquids, 2 weeks soft food, then move to solid foods] so i dont know how you will feel in that department. i do believe that whatever they give you for pain, you should try to take the least amount of. i took mine for about 2-3 days and then switched to nights, and then went off of it completely. liquid tylenol helps a TON. as for the back pain, i had that as well so you are not alone. that lasted about 3-4 days and would flare up at night. it helped to sleep in a recliner instead of my bed because i was way too temped to turn on my side and that was a bit painful i'm afraid, but alas i've been sleeping in my bed again so as with all post op troubles, that too will fade. congratulations on your banding!

typically 2 weeks should do it. construction workers can return to work after 2 weeks, so i believe that you should be safe. i'm currently in a certified nursing assistant program, but i do perform all labs on actual people and i am returning after only one week post op. just make sure that after your surgery you get a ton of Protein, rest, and fluids. anything that can help your recovery.

alright so i was just banded on tuesday the 5th. i don't feel too bad, i'm just TIRED. sleeping is such a hassle. i barely slept in the hospital. this whole sleeping on my back thing is not getting it done. last night was my first night home, and i slept most of the night (from 10 to 5:30) in my own bed, but at 5:30 i woke up and my back was killing me. all i wanted to do was roll over on my side, so i called my mom and had her come help me out of bed and move me to the couch recliner. so now here i am, about 20 mins into taking my pain meds and my back still hurts. so heres the big problem; i go back to school (only half days) on monday the 10th. if i keep lacking sleep, i'm never going to make it. how did you sleep? how long did it take before you were able to comfortably sleep through the night? did anything help comfort wise?

i think i'm more paranoid for my own good. i'm worried that every little discomfort and ache is a sign that something is going wrong with my band. i'm terrified that i'm gonna mess this up somehow by turning the wrong way. blach. it helps that my mom did the surgery a few months ago, but yanno its just hard to get used to the idea that something is inside of you. it's hard to believe that its not gonna burst from my stomach anytime soon.

no, i doubt they would require you to lose another 10% of your weight if you have already done it. that would be excessive. they probably are making sure that you diet so your liver is not too large during the operation [this would require it to be an open surgery, as opposed to a laparoscopic] as for quitting smoking, they do that because during the surgery and, shortly after, you are intubated and a machine is breathing for you. if you are still smoking when you have your surgery, breathing afterwords will be very very difficult, and very painful. your lungs need to be in the best possible condition. & yes they expand your stomach with gas during the surgery, so that it is easier for the surgeon to see what he is doing. for fills, at least with my surgeon its about 6-8 weeks after the surgery, and then you go in every month to 6 weeks after that, after the first 2 years you go in every 3 months. gradually, as you have the band you go in less and less for fills because you have found your sweet spot by then.

i have a bmi over 50. it's about a 58-58. i was just banded on the 5th, and already i have lost 10 pounds, so i would have to disagree with your surgeon. when i went to my seminar, and talked with my surgeon he said that those with more weight to lose generally do so faster than those who have a less significant amount to get rid of.

hmm, i don't get to start softs until a month out, but things like mashed potatoes, mac and cheese [although its fattening] vegetables. you could even make a Soup. as long as you chew your food very thoroughly you shouldnt have a problem.

hey, i was banded on tuesday as well! congrats! the gas pain goes away much faster if you walk. i walked walked walked, and my gas pain was only really present at night. as for bms, i haven't had any out of the ordinary since i have been on liquids. but when i was in the hospital, the nurse told me that its nothing to worry about and that its normal.

how much is too much to drink at one time? i just don't want to drink too much water and not have all of it go down and then have an issue.

yeah i'm on lortab or something, which is a hydrocodone/acetaminophen liquid. so its a pretty hardcore thing

thanks everyone for replying another thing thats worrying me at the moment... i don't feel full on nauseous, but its kind of a mix of being dizzy, a little nauseous, and tired. is that because i haven't been eating that stays in the band? and then taking pain meds on an empty stomach?

i stayed over night, and aside from the fact that i had to, i was glad that i did. i was able to get any questions answered about whether i was healing right or not, and a few doctors would come in periodically and see how i was doing. it was really reassuring, rather then being at home and wondering. it was also really important because right after surgery, you are swollen and have to take small sips of Water, which results in a lack of fluids so being hooked up to an iv not only allowed me to get enough fluids, but it allowed my pain meds to be administered, as well as antibiotics. when i stayed, they had you walk every couple of hours, which was more than fine because i didn't want to sit still for very long. they had you walk to help reduce the risk of a blood clot, and to get some of that gas in your tummy broken up sooner. all in all i've got to say that i am glad i stayed over night. i almost wish i would have stayed an extra night.

i was banded on the 5th so i'm a january 10 bander.

I'm getting banded during christmas break of this year, and it's my senior year, & well I was wondering what the typical recovery time is in regards to returning to school. I will be doing a tech program that works with my school and getting my CNA, and the program says that you can't have a certain amount of absences otherwise, you don't get a chance to take the test to get your license. Did anyone else have their surgery while they were in school? I just don't know what to do. My surgery is around the 27th, and winter break ends the 1st! Help please!

ugh, at least though i know what to expect right! i can't do it over christmas break because they don't do any surgeries around that time because of the holidays [my birthday falls two days after christmas] but i can do it beginning of january. when i talked to the school they said that i am most likely eligible for homeward bound. which will allow me to go to tech to take my cna class, and then i can go home and after school a teacher will come to my house and teach me math, gov and english for the two weeks or so. how are you feeling now? & we have so much in common xD

I have to be honest I am FREAKING out about the psych eval. Honestly it has to be one of the scariest moments in my life. It all comes down to this, and a doctor saying yes or no could change my life. It has really taken an effect on me the past couple of days, and I was hoping someone could tell me how they felt doing the pysch eval and what types of questions they were asked. thanks!

that doesn't sound bad at all! today my doctor was asking me questions like where i see myself with the lapband, why i want it, and how fast i want to see results. things like that, it was a little nervewracking because i was worried i was going to say the wrong thing, but i was as honest as i could be and he agreed to write the letter! hopefully i can leave tomorrow with a big sigh of relief.

hey everyone! thanks for all your responses you honestly eased my nerves! now my pysch eval isnt until tomorrow but i just wanted to let everyone know i went to the doctor today and he is writing my letter for surgery, and i also was diagnosed with pcop eeeek. which explains a lot of things going on with me! my mom is also now getting the surgery. she's getting it before me though i believe, because she doesn't have an age requirement to meet and when she does all her stuff, she can have her surgery within like 2-4 weeks after it all.

hey everyone! thanks for your feedback! i really appreciate it. i go to talk to my counselor/ principal monday morning about what they want me to do. i absolutely must go to my cna class, otherwise i wont get my cna license, so i think i will go to the class and then go home afterwords for the rest of my classes [math, english, gov] i will update everyone once i talk to my school!

Well haha we have some things in common. First of all, our name and our lapband situation, with school and everything. I can't speak from a lapbander perspective, BUT, I don't regret the decision to get banded on my 18th birthday [which is this december] I would rather make this decision young, because either way if something goes wrong and it has to be removed, I'm still young, and if not, I get to live a long happy life, that I've always wanted to live. Today I went to the county fair, and there is this one ride, and its a tight squeeze going in, but when it came my turn to get in, I coudn't climb in, first of all because it was up to my breasts, and I do not have that much arm strength to pull myself up, and secondly because it was a very TIGHT squeeze and I was SO embarrassed, but that made me realize that this time next year not only will I be healthier but I won't have to deal with everyone staring and laughing at me. More or less, every single day I cherish my decision more and more... hope I helped somewhat. Good luck!

Well, I won't be doing anything seriously physical, its just thats around the second semester when the CNA classes switch to working at the elderly home. :/