Yvette1026

Not only liquid but fat....when you reach that stage that's when you KNOW it's working

I did lindora years ago... like jr high and then again in college years ago. When I was on it, it was a 3 day fast to jump start your metabolism and then drinks, lots and lots of powdered drinks/soups/etc.. anything you could "just add Water to." The chicken Soup one wasn't horrible... It's the same premise as some of the stricter pre-op diets, high Protein liquids, and more high protein liquids. I believe they have a plan where you do liquids and one meal a day as well if I remember right. The only thing that really sticks out to me about them is going into the office and seeing 20lbs of fat sitting on the bookshelf, SO gross. I think I was scarred for life lol

:thumbdown: The price tag on my surgery. Nevermind the $800 for my first fill...That my insurance doesn't seem to be covering all of.. Question though. If it's $150 for a fill with no insurance, how is it $800+ with insurance and I'm responsible for $186 of it. HUH WHAT??? :thumbup: :blink: I think I'm going to have to have a conversation with their billing department because one of these things is not like the other. Or how do you get the surgery cash for 15K yet my insurance is being charge $63,468.64???? How does that add up? I guess I should be ok with it and grateful it's going to my insurance and not me but REALLY?!??!! $63,468.64??!??!?!

Congrats, having hit this milestone recently I know first hand how good it feels! Congratulations

That's great! Congratulations...happy surgery day and I hope you experience rapid recovery and healing! God bless!

There's this period people around here tend to call "bandster hell" - I didn't experience this - but it's basically where you're banded and not necessarily losing, still hungry, etc.. I've found that high Protein foods and drinks/smoothies helped me avoid this. If you're eating your Proteins first and then moving on to veggies and starches you should stay fuller longer. The fills aren't how you lose the weight or really curb hunger, it's how you eat. The band just provides you the restriction needed to not overeat at one setting. It's a tool. If you're not making proper food choices you will gain weight, just the same as prior to surgery. If you've moved to soft foods early that's fine as long as you can tolerate them. But you must be careful as to what soft foods you're eating. If you're eating slider foods and softs such as mac n' cheese, ice cream and other things like that you will gain. I'm sure you know most of the above, just putting it out there incase you didn't or for anyone else who may not know.

Glad I could help!

Welcome! And I agree with what sclftn stated. Good luck!

Don't listen to everybody else, everyone is different. I had people telling me it was worse than childbirth. Not having experienced it yet, if that's "worse than childbirth" I'm popping out as many babies as I can lol.. But seriously the gas pain is usually bad for those who don't do as they're told walk, walk and walk some more. Lil' shoulder pain is normal as this seems to be where the gas settles. The burping to me is the worst part of the whole process. You should feel like you had a serious ab workout, and then just the bloated, burpy gas feelings. Severe pain, or even moderate pain wouldn't come to mind. You know how dr's always ask you "On a scale of 1 to 10 how bad is your pain???" I would say 1 to 1.5, at the very absolute worse between pain meds on day 1 and just waking up, I would say a 3. But again, everyone is different. I know my recovery seemed to be very rapid and painless compared to those who had surgery the same day as me. By day 3 I was off pain meds completely and back to normal for the most part. Day 4 I worked, I got tired easier and walking too far for too long was a lil' too much (thank goodness for those electric shopping carts) but other than that that's about the worst of it. Some tips: Surgery day-Day 1: Stay as upright as possible and get up and walk every hour. Even if it's just up and down your hallway. Ideally 200 steps per hour, but as many as you can do. I would suggest sleeping in a recliner and again staying as upright as possible to allow the gas to disburse. Gas-x strips are your friend, however be careful not to take to much as they, much like cold medicine, suppress and not cure what's wrong with you. Fill your lortab prescription before surgery and have it ready to go. I didnt' get nauseated or use any of the nausea medication. I just used the 3 day patch they put behind my ear in surgery. I had no nausea at all. Foodwise you probably won't feel like much. But be sure to get some ice chips, sip Water or have a sf popsicle or two. This will help with the internal swelling as well as keep you hydrated. Day 2: Pain meds, gas-x, stay up right and walk. You should get some broth, Jello or something in you today. Remember to take in water as well... Chances are you won't need the lortab by the end of today, so be sure to have some liquid tylenol on hand. Day 3: You're probably going to wake up hungry, again follow your dr's diet, get your Clear liquids in you and if you can stomach it an Isopure drink or something like that to get your Protein up. (I personally moved to mushies on day 3, but follow YOUR doctor's advice for YOU.) Repeat yesterday's diet of broth, jello, etc.. whatever your dr has instructed. You'll more than likely be able to get around easier, still be a bit burpy but use the gas-x as needed. Again stay as upright as possible and walk walk walk... I spent my first 3 days/nights in a recliner, not a bed. I did not lay down until the night of day 4. The pain medicine after the first day or so is mostly for the shoulder discomfort you'll have from the gas settling... as gross as it is, let it out.. too many gas-x strips as I said will suppress it and it needs to get out. The first 3 days is the worst of it...of course you'll read some horror stories on here but don't let that scare you. As I said everyone is different. Even thought we're all taking the same trip, our journeys are quiet different. This is THE BEST thing I have EVER done for myself. I'm 1 month post-op (had surgery 12/18/09) I've lost 22.8lbs and 7 inches in my waist since surgery and I couldn't be happier....If you include my pre-op weight loss I'm down just over 50lbs in 7 weeks and am 90lbs away from my dr's goal for me. I can't wait for you and everyone else to experience this and know how good it feels. Please don't let some anxiety or someone else's negative experience detour you from doing something so great for yourself. Just remember for every bad story you hear/read, there's 100+ great ones...

I just had my first fill on the 18th and I'm feeling the same as you, I have my next one on the 8th and I'm anxious for it. It's a mind over matter issue at this point.. keep up the good fight.. wait a full minute between bites, chew 30 times and you should get that full feeling again.

If it's not RLS I would say it's the rest of the anethesia getting out of your system. Everybody reacts differently to it. If you're not walking and flushing your system it's still in there and can take up to 6 weeks to be out completely.

Simple ones would be to make some chili or tender meats, mashed potatos, homemade mac n' cheese, etc... I'm not going to tell you to go off of your scheduled diet, but let's just say i was eating mushies on day 3, and soft meats and mashed potatoes within a week. But follow YOUR doctor's orders and do what's right for you and YOUR body. Chili and homemade soups would be very easy to mask... and would be allowed on your post-op diet. Depending on how daring you feel, you could make a casserole with brown rice or whole wheat Pasta.. if you bake it in liquid it'll puff up to as big as it's going to get and won't expand in your stoma/stomach. The same as if you were making risotto or spanish rice. You can also do tamales, masa doesn't puff up, it's corn meal, it's as big as it's going to get, fill it with soft meats and you'll be able to easily break away the masa and just eat the meat without raising suspicion. Breakfast for dinner, omlettes, etc... all very easy ways for you to stay on track without raising suspicion..

I think you would be fine. At my 1 mo -post-op they did "feel around" for my port to see how it was connected, etc.. (oddly enough they had me do crunches so they could feel it properly) so that may be the only down side to an ab workout yet, is if there were any issue with your port. But I highly doubt that so I would think you would be fine. I'm about to start P90X so if you don't see me online for a few days send help! LOL

You know.. on my instructions they didn't tell me to do a special diet at all... I did soup/liquid the first day and soft food the rest of the day (it was my excuse to eat ice cream) but I feel you on that. I had mine done and I want another one already... I have my next one Feb 8th... and I can't wait for it.

Congratulations! We're right on track with each other it seems, right around the same lose in weight and inches at 1 month post-op.

So I had a battle with the box of vegetable thins and the box one... *sigh* But I slept and SLEPT and SLEPT and could totally go back to sleep right now.. I think I'm in a carb coma.. I hadn't had simple carbs in SO long, it started with the bread on monday, then the bread on thursday, and now the crackers on monday/tuesday again. Every time I eat them I get SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sleepy. Guess that's a big hint to STOP eating them huh? Must become productive....

lol I love the "except at night" lol... I'm sure this is all hormonal and emotional... you don't even want to know what I ate over the course of the the last 24 hours... can we say crackers and slider food... Boy am I paying for it now..

You can do it! 14 weeks at 2lbs a week (the min of what we should be losing) is 28.... you can do it with EASE! Good luck and best wishes!

Congratulations!

My understanding is that the more weight you lose the looser your band gets which is why the need for fills. The stomach has fat in it too, as you lose, your stomach loses and the band loosens. When was your last fill? Are you within 2 weeks of it? If so you may just be feeling the effects of it... Orrrr the acid from that pineapple inflamed your stoma and esophagus and that's what caused today's issue. If it keeps up check in with your dr.

I've realized I'm struggling with emotional/hormonal eating... sigh - that's a whole'nother blog lol

yes ma'am it's normal it's the iv fluids and gas in your body, it's quite normal to gain up to 20lbs after surgery but usually you lose it all within the first week or so and continue to lose.

Yes I bought a box of wheat thins too.. they will remain unopened... the box of veggie thins is calling my name though.. I almost feel like I should eat them to get rid of them.

interesting... how each surgery is so different, I only have 3 incisions where you have 5 or 6, steri-strips vs. dermabond, etc.. very interesting.. Good luck to you! it's great that you put this up here for people to see, because it was the one question I had and couldn't really find consistent information on prior to my surgery... so this is great info.. Mederma and vitamin e will help with your scars... I used and use coconut oil and cocoabutter before and after the surgery, my surgeon said that's more than likely why I don't really have any scars. Just blessed

Where are you steri-strips? Did you take them off or did your surgeon not use them? By the time mine came off at week 3 I had almost no scars, 1 month and day post off my port incision is a little pink, but not really noticeable.