thinin10

Ditto..after the 1st couple days I was hungry all the time. I finally just got to where I'm not at about day 10- getting used to being hungry I think. I went from 1/2c of watery soup to 1/2-3/4c of stout soup like uber thick homeade split bean and black bean. It worked- they are full of protien and fiber. I also drank a LOT of tea. I did the flavored herbals like haute chocolate ( a roobios and gingerbread spice. They were warm and great with a bit of milk and sweetener. They made me feel like I was eating a treat. I use agave necter in them too. It's some calories(like honey)but I read that unlike other sugars - you have no insulin response to it which then does not spike your hunger. I also started putting 2T of wheat germ in my more runny soups and told myself they were pulverized crackers! I also put wheat germ in my yougurt and make sure my yogurt is greek yogurt(thicker and 2x the protien as regular). It does help to fill you up, the fiber and bulk and it's good for you. I saw the nutritionist today for my 2 wk. f/up and she gave me a big thumbs up on continuing that. I assumed , however, that since I had bariatric vitimens I paid good coin for that they had in them all that I needed-[ WRONG. I am going to have to really watch that too. It does get easier every day though! I had to go to the store for my groceries for the week...$32.00- how kewl is THAT! And I got all high end organtic foods even! :tt1:

I hear ya on the emotions. My husband had to leave 1 week post op for me (9/2 surg.) for an out of state job for 2 months and I live WAY out of the city so too far on a work night to see freinds. I've been feeling a bit blue and getting out to work out and such but I'm not feeling very engaged in things and am sure it's being alone and also maybe a bit anti climatic on the surgery. It's this huge anticpated event and even though logically I did not expect an immediate change... maybe somehow I thought I would feel different? I go back to work the day after tommorow and I do think being around people will help. I have a stressful job too but I am putting some little Zen inspired notes around my cube to keep me from letting it both get to me and also to make sure I don't get sucked into 10 hour days right away. Do you have an inperson support group as well? I have 1 but it's late and far so not home til 9pm when I go so have not made it the last 2 months but I'm making that a priority. There is only 1 other lapband person in my group but it still helps.:mad2:

Hi: I was banded 9/2 so great to see a group that is in the same boat as me by way of a time line. I was down 5# 6 days post op for my 1st appt. and of course they said nothing after I got off the scale so I have no way of knowing if that's good or bad? Any feedback. I did not have the racking pain I'm reading about but had some gas pain that kept settling into my left shoulder/ neck area that was not always pleasant. That lasted til about 1-2 days ago.:mad2:

I did the same thing.. I began to 2nd guess myself. My Dr. office did not help. ... they push the bypass way more due to quick and more sign. numbers. My dr.explained it to me this way... the bypass is a "set it and forget it". Your body lets you know if it's too much, too fatty etc. - you also tend to lose your hunger for up to a year. the band requires a lot more personal involvment and commitment. He said the folks that do good on the band to GREAT..and the ones that don't- do very poorly. The numbers you are therefore seeing are an avg. of that so.. the ones that do good, lose like the bypass, just not quit as fast. I believe most of the numbers at a 3-5 year avg too. It would be interesting to see how those numbers differ at the 10 year mark. I like the "do over" of the fills if I "slip". It really comes down to what you feel is right for you since only you can answer that question of commitment, lifestyle etc. Good luck. It's scary. I"m nearly 2 weeks post op and I still have days I wonder if I took the right road. I am going to do my darnest to be one of the good examples though and I think joinging this support group is the 1st in many steps to doing that. Are you logging your food and excersise,water intake etc. It may help you determine a course based on habits. I use the livestrong site, the daily plate..Keeps me brutally honest about what I ate when etc. It helped me determine if I was grazing alot and to work on changing that preop. :mad2:

Good luck Kristi-You'll do great! Are you same day surgery? Travel:What does the biotene mouth spray do?

Kudos sogoesit! You're made of tougher stuff than me.. If I hadn't already called the dr. office weeping before.. I would be calling now to kick some butt on whomever gave me that bad info! If you've got that kind of willpower... you're going to be SO successful! So how long were most of you out of work and any rough ideas on avg. wt. loss the 1st 2 weeks... say for anybody with 125+ to lose? :mad2:

I didn't have to do an essay per se but did have to do a 1 paragraph blurb like that. I think they just want to make sure your expectations are realistic.... that you don't expect to be a super model,or that the surgery will fix your relationship etc.

I've been to 2 diff. surgeons before having it done (ins. issues) and they are all very different from what I experienced and the postings I've seen. The only sure common denominator was seeing a bariatric psychologist and I am not sure but think that's always 2-3 sessions with an MMPI to be done. Then the dr's want you to lose wt. to shrink up your liver so various amounts and styles. Mine ultimate surg.office was just to lose it before surg. on my own, no liquid diet but a lot of dr.s will do a liquid diet for a time before surg. to accomplish the same thing. I'd count on 3 months for the whole process. Mine took 9.

I haven't kept it a secret but almost wish I had except for close friends and family. My opinion- it's none of their business. As far as your jealous freinds..again, my opinion but you need to surround yourself with every positive thing to can to achieve success and if they're not going to be part of the solution, then they will part of the ongoing problem. They can still be friends of course... but until you've got your "sea legs", I would try to find more supportive people. Jealous people tend to be the ones that think this is a quick fix and required no personal work or sacrifice.. SO far from the truth!

I like the EAS as well. The myloplex is great-ready made shakes in the store in the lite version and then in powder form as well thru costco or gnc. good flavor and loaded with all the minerals, vitamins , fiber and 3 types of complete protien. I compared,shopped and searched a lot before surg. and I like it the best for all reasons.

I had my surg. on 9/2 at 7:30am and was out by 12:30pm. I was sore but ok. They rousted me 1/2 hr.after surg.and had me stand up and I was not ready yet... so onto oxygen for 2 hrs. but then I came around and not saying I felt great. But I had a 1.5 hr. trip home and did it sitting up and alert and did not even need any pain meds or a nap til about 8:00 that nite. I was doing 1/2 hr. on the recumbent bike at the gym on day 8. I was only the 2nd person here to have the surg.same day and the other girl left within 1/2 hr. of me (sooner if you can believe it). I was a bit nervous about leaving after trying to stand up too soon but after that fear receeded, I realized I was fine. The hospital might have protocols that won't allow it though. I walked into the surgery room too and jumped up on that crucifix shaped table.. now THAT was very sureal feeling! Good Luck. Too me it felt a bit more than a gallbladder surgery- not too bad. Get yourself a pair of nite tight high waisted panties to wear- it helps. I got some spanx since I was told they were great but they are a bit much for me...I like just a plain pair of tight panties (Not a full girtle- those are brutal to get on and off).

I saw a bariatric psychologist named Janice Maidman and she's in St. Louis Park, off 50th and hwy. 100. She's got her own practice and she was wonderful (I had a bad one before that too that did nothing but talk about who I should vote for!!! Talk to your doctor about your ability to eat large quantities. Know too that you will be hungry.. I"m hungry all the time and am just getting used to it now. Try to find something that keeps you occupied and hard to eat doing at the same time. Excersise is optimum but try even quilting or scrapbooking, painting... something that keeps your hands full and your mind occupied. Good Luck! This tread is not very active either. I have gone onto the main site for this - sans the MN part. I'm trying to get a MN thread going but got on there today and lots of great support and info. from around the country.

Yes,after fast and significant wt. loss it's very common. Mine set my panceas off and it was a nitemare. The surgery though,was a cakewalk. It was outpatient(as my band was as well) and I felt SO much better afterwards. I was out of work 2 weeks and frankly could probably have been back sooner. I am only out 2 weeks for the band though too and that is late this week and I feel ready physically. My work days with commute and work out are 12 hr.days though so I know I'll drop like a stone at night when I get home! Do any of you swim? How soon before you were back in a pool if so?

Hi Christy! The smoking is a HUGE accomplishment...don't underestimate that! I got denied a few times so ended up starting my workouts before surg.when frankly I had no intention of doing so til post op. Glad I did. I joined a YMCA, started with water areobics( I love to swim)and it's painless and you don't noticably sweat! I added about20 mins.of the machines 2 days a week in addition to the pool and quickly-and amazingly,progressed to 10 miles on land and 2 by water 3-4 days per week plus 2-3 days of water aerobics. I have my husband going with me on the weekends. I love it. I think the wonderful retired women I met in class helped. They were warm, welcoming,non judgemental...and I am missed when not there. Try not to set a huge goal. try for 20 minsw. 2-3x per week doing something you enjoy, swimming, dancing OR join a class with your kids if you have them... there are some fun family classes out there. My husbands ins. reimburses us for part of our membership too as an added bonus... something to check into. You know the old adage,... the longest journey begins with the 1st step... sure true for me and have to force myself to get moving each day... I love doing it but I need to push myself to get up and going. It's been way worse since surgery too.

:tongue:HI, I'm in Mn. and banded on 9/2 and I too am very surprised to hear all these long durations of clear liquids. I was only on them the day of surgery - after surgery and then on just liquids with a strick regime of protien shake intake for calcium and nutrictition and that is hard.. My heart goes out to you. I think the more "solid" liquids have helped me heal up. They did my surg.at 7:30 am.. they woke me up at a bit after 9 and had me up. I was out of the hospital by12:30! I have a "no exceptions" return to work at 2 weeks and was released to work out at day 7 - so by day 8 I was doing 1/2 hour on the bike at the club. My scars are almost all healed up already and getting up and out has helped. I get a bit shaky now even though and can't imagine doing it without protein and nutrition. I"m doing about 50-60g of protien per day. My new goal is to get my fiber intake up. I am hungry though and it's a very concerted effort every day not to eat more than the diet allows. I'm averaging about 7-800 calories per day pre excersise and am down a bit over 8# so far.. Not huge wt. loss but steady and I feel good. I am nervous since I know I could eat a lot more if I did not force myself not too.... a bit scared about rtw since my days get long and stressfull... but plan to make myself a priority.