~amy~

Just stopping by to offer prayers for a successful surgery today!! Good luck!

Kathy - You're one day ahead of me - I also over did it the other day...housework was getting out of hand.....and then paid dearly for it later! I was sore and worn OUT for hours!! When do you start mushies? My doc has me waiting until the 25th!!

Aw MAN! You're a braver soul than I was. I didn't attempt a night out until my 9th day pre-op. It was UNBEARABLE! I cried all the way home because I was starving, and everybody else had the NERVE to eat in front of me...hey, I didn't say I was a totally rational person on that diet. Forget one day at a time - you have to literally take that diet one second at a time. I can't tell you how many times I almost cheated but made myself stop. The biggest motivator for me was knowing that my surgeon would definitely be able to tell if I had cheated. And that would eat me alive. My surgeon allowed me a small garden salad (no cheese, etc) in place of one of the 3 Slim Fasts I was having. I was also supposed to have a Protein shake, but I couldn't tolerate them, so I skipped them most of the time....not good for the energy levels. I would definitely stick to the plan YOUR doctor gave you though - he knows what size liver is normal for the plan he has devised - if yours is bigger than what he wants, or if you haven't lost enough weight before surgery, your surgery may get postponed - and that would SUPER SUCK! Hang in there!!! I'm 7 days post op, and I've lost about 30 lbs already - 25 of that was pre-op!! You can do this!! Good luck!

Sorry - I just reread your original post and realized I didn't answer your question. As far as a sample liquid / mushie diet plan, here's the one my docs office gave me...Hope this helps shed some light: First day post op: Room Temp water; in the evening, broth, boullion. 2nd - 3rd day: Clear liquids (warm - not hot/cold)- Water, broth, boullion, clear Soups strained (broth only) 4th -14th day: Clear or Full Liquids (4 - 6 oz, 6 times a day): Skim Milk, Slim Fast, Broths, SF Carnation Instant Breakfast, SF Popsicles, Low-Fat strained creamy soups - thinned, 100 % juice (limit 4 oz a day)...I like V8 Low Sodium Soups. You have to strain them well and thin them out though. Week 3: pureed Textured Foods, scrambled eggs, SF/Low Fat puddings, FF Yogurt - smooth/no fruit bits, Hot Cereals - thinned (Cream of Wheat,etc), Applesauce, Low Fat Creamy Soups. Week 4: Mushies - Soft Canned Veggies, Soft Canned Fruits, Tuna or chicken salad. Consume water between meals, waiting 1 hour after each meal. Week 5: Transition to Solid Foods - Slowly add 2 oz Protein and 1 -2 oz of veggies 3 - 4 times a day. Baked Potato-no skin, macaroni noodles, sliced meats, raw fruits/veggies (as tolerated). Avoid stringy, fibrous foods and non-tender cuts of meats. Avoid white bread, popcorn, coconut. Must chew all foods at least 30 times. Do not drink liquids with meals.

I'm 6 days post op, and am not supposed to have yogurt or similar foods until next week, but since I discovered that I probably have Thrush, I went ahead and made a smoothie using the Light Key Lime Pie yogurt and enough skim milk to thin it down to a soupy consistency. It was AMAZING!! I was excited to get something that had a little bit of flavor without that funky aftertaste of the protein/slim fast shakes! YUMM-O!! If you give it a try, lemme know what you think! :biggrin:

I was banded on the same day as you. I sent you a friend request. You can also email me if you want - amy0776@aol.com. I'd be happy to be your buddy throughout our journey! :biggrin:

Good luck!!!! Prayers for a successful beginning to the NEW YOU!! :biggrin:

I'm only 6 days post op, so take this with a grain of salt - but I just had to intercept that last comment you made. Please remember that this is YOUR journey - NOT your doctors. If he gives you a little talking-to or some suggestions for doing better - even a challenge to do better next time......that's one thing. But if he makes you feel like a child or belittles you for not losing enough - go elsewhere. We overweight folks have had our share of bullies, and there's no room for them in our support system - ESPECIALLY if you're paying them!! Surround yourself with positivity - not negativity! Hopefully, your doctor (and staff) will prove to be supportive instead of combative. Just my 2 cents!! :thumbup: Good luck! :biggrin:

And here we go again. Someone DARES to stand up and disagree with the annointed one and he gets torn to shreds. Joe the Plumber is a working class guy - who was concerned enough (and obviously naive enough to think that Freedom of Speech applied to everybody - rich or poor) to ask a dang question! Guess that'll show all of us working and middle class folks to stand up and disagree!! Shame on us!! What is this country coming to? Oh, that's right - a socialist one. Great.

Deleted my previous message b/c I didn't realize this forum had an Off-topic/Debate thread - apologies. For the record, can I just say, AMEN PATTY!!!!!!! Obama is killing our nation - and doesn't seem to care in the slightest. I think he knows he's a screw up and he just can't figure out how to fix the mistakes he's already made. He's playing defense now, and he knows it. Which is why the Dems are playing school yard bully against every person who says they're a conservative. I think Liberals calling Conservatives hypocrites is a LOT like the pot calling the kettle black. It's soooo stupid!! Just an idiotic thing to say! Politicians are by nature, hypocrites! ALL of them! We need a total overhaul of gov't in my opinion. And I about ROTFLOL last night when I saw where a certain highly respected Dem was also photographed with notes written on her hand!! Wonder if the Dems are hypocrites for attacking Sarah Palin for the same offense? Hmmm???? Wonder if Robert Gibbs will mock Diane Feinstein in the next White House Press Briefing? Something tells me they'll turn their heads again and choose to ignore that too...because they're all so elite and high and mighty, you know. Personally, I find this thread absolutely hysterical!! LIBERALS calling CONSERVATIVES hypocrites - stop it!! It hurts to laugh too hard!!

Hiya! #1. Surgery date? 2-10-10!!! Woo hoo!! #2. State you live in? Texas #3. Doctor/Surgery Center? Dr. Ron Hekier / Precision Surgery / Wadley Hospital #4. Insurance or self pay? Insurance (90% -Thank God!) #5. Age and height: 33 yo / 5'6 #6. Current weight and goal weight? High Weight: 263 / Day of Surgery Weight: 240 / Goal Weight 140 #7. What was your deciding factor for having this surgery? I'm missing out on life - I spent most of my 20's being over 200 lbs. I don't want my 30's to be a repeat. #7. Do you have the support of family and friends? Before the surgery - my hubs was the only one NOT supporting me. But since the surgery, he has been a GODSEND, and I thank God every day that he has chosen to be with me on this! #8. Concerns and questions? Why there were two #7s!!! LOL....Seriously? I'm a little concerned about the complications and life span of the band. I don't want to be 60 years old having to endure a painful removal surgery. Prayers for health and success for all of us!! :biggrin:

Thanks! At least it's good to know that other folks have experienced this and that I'm not abnormal (well, at least not completely!) :biggrin:

Thank you so much!! I am a little OCD, so letting the housework go this long has just about killed me. I'm trying not to overdo it, because the last thing I want is another surgery! I'm 6 days post op, and other than feeling gassy, bloated, tired, and sore - I'm doing great (...except the hiccups are awful!!!) I appreciate you starting this thread and for keeping up with it for this long! It is surely to be helpful to me! :biggrin: I plan on going to the next support group meeting at Wadley to meet more Texarkana area bandsters! Prayers for health and success for all of us! :thumbup:

Texarkana Bandster here! I'm 6 days post op - had the procedure done at Wadley - coulnd't have been happier with the service!! Much better than the Surgery Center. I've had 2 procedures done at the Surgery Center, and while the facility is newer, it treats you like cattle being herded in and out. I had reservations about doing the procedure at Wadley because I'd never been there before, but my insurance would only pay them, so that's where I had to go. It was a wonderful experience start to finish - everyone was sooo nice, and even sent me a get well card afterwards. PLUS - they give you a private little room with a bathroom connecting to the pre-op area. Your family members have a recliner, a tv, phone, and a private space to stay while you're in surgery. They called my hubs every 30 minutes to update him on my progress. Everyone calls you by your name - and will take time to TALK to you. The Surgery Center was nothing like that. They stick your family members in a huge waitring room with everyone else - the doc comes out to let your fam know how the procedure went, and then in no time, they're shoving you out the door. (I had a tubal ligation there, and a foot surgery.) I can't remember one person's name, and I know they never took the time to remember mine. Hope this helps! :biggrin:

I was banded the day before you, and I'm experiencing the EXACT same toleration problems, although I haven't had a temp. I had to do a liquid diet 2 weeks pre-op, and I wasn't able to tolerate Protein shakes then either. As for the pooper issue - it's been 13 days now for me since I've had....an experience. I haven't talked to the doc yet - so I'm glad to know this is normal. My doc advised that I could start having very thinned out creamy Soups on the 4th day post op, so you may ask yours if you could start doing something similar since you can't get any protein down. V8 makes a few soups - they're in cartons, and most of them are already strained pretty well. Of course you have to strain them AGAIN and add some chicken broth or milk to thin them, but they are HEAVEN after only having Water for 3 days. The Garden Vegetable variety has 5g of protein per serving - which isn't great, but it's better than the 1 or 2 grams in other soups. Just a thought.

I know this is an old thread, but I was wondering if anyone ever figured out a good solution for the hiccups here. Mine are spaced about 20 minutes apart - so the keys thing and holding my breath doesn't really help. They're so hard and painful, I'm afraid I'm going to slip my band.

Yep - I was on liquids for 2 weeks prior to surgery. Not fun! But it at least prepared me for after surgery. They told me to expect to gain about 5 lbs in the 4th or 5th week post op- about the time that I can start having mushies. For now, I'm just really thirsty. My mouth feels like the Sahara - and if the hiccups don't slip my band, I'll be lucky. Today is not a good day - my stomach is sore from hiccuping last night - I didn't sleep well at all. I tried to add you to my friend list, but it wouldn't let me. You can certainly email me if you need to vent. amy0776@aol.com Good Luck! :biggrin: Hope you feel better soon!!

I'm with a previous poster - could be a lot of different things. Have your thyroid levels checked for sure. I happen to have hypothyroidism, and I know that I am barely able to crawl out of bed when my levels are off. And anything can make your levels shift - like weight gain, or weight loss. It makes sense that with your new eating habits that your metabolism would work a little differently, so you may want to have it checked. If you're already taking something for a thyroid issue, you should have your levels checked again anyway - because I just learned from my pharmacist (the doctor never mentioned it) that this surgery affects the absorption of that medication. I've also been through the reno process, and let me tell ya, nothing wears a body out like renovations! Take care of yourself!!

I was banded on Feb. 10, 2010...so I'm not far ahead of you. I can tell you that you just described me to a tee. NO energy - not able have anything but 3 or 4 sips of water throughout the entire DAY. I don't know how some of these people say that they feel great and are going back to work!! I can't imagine! I homeschool our son, and I'm tired after the first hour. It's crazy. I'm shaky, gassy, and I get the hiccups (painful!!) if I try to take more than my usual 3 or 4 sips of water in a few hours. I haven't started questioning the band yet - but only because I've already lost 28 lbs. Hang in there and let me know if you need a buddy!

Gee...I'm having the exact opposite problem. I haven't had a BM in 12 days!!! I'm 5 days post op. I'm afraid that I'm dehydrated - my mouth is very dry, and the few sips of water that I've been able to tolerate aren't really enough to add any benefiber to. I'm so thirsty, but if I drink anymore than a sip or two at a time, I get the hiccups - which are VERY painful. Any suggestions?

Well, actually, when you do the math, it's 4 weeks of liquids. 2 weeks on pre-op, and 2 weeks on post op. I think the pre-op is more difficult b/c there's no restriction or pain yet. But the best thing about it is that it taught me that I'm not going to shrivel up and die just because I'm not eating something every couple of hours. Eat to live...not live to eat. :smile: Prayers and hugs to all who are on liquids right now! :smile:

I am also 4 days post op, and I am allowed to have Water, broth, skim milk, slim fast shakes and thinned creamy soups. The difference with me, though, is that I don't feel hungry. I'm doing all I can just to get a bottle of water down each day. I've had 3 sips of a slim fast now as I type, and it's painful to me. I do feel weak, but definitely not hungry. You may want to talk to your doc...could it be that your band has slipped and it's too high for you to feel any restriction? Hope this helps - Good luck!! :smile: