jensmallwood

It can't hurt to go back to liquids.... I'd go back to full liquids until your stomach stops aching (even if it's longer than 1 day), then progress through like you're doing the 5 day pouch test... I hope you feel better soon!

Sal- I STRONGLY recommend that you stick to full liquids for as long as your doctor tells you to. It's not about what will-or-won't go down... it's about letting your stomach heal. It can't heal if it has to work. It's swollen and needs to rest. I also couldn't wait to get through with the liquid stage-- a warm scrambled egg never tasted so good. But I still can't have any real solids-- I have to blend everything up to the consistency of apple sauce for the next two weeks. Then real solids. If you move forward too fast, you may cause a problem. My doctor's office said that it is only liquid if you can drink it through a straw-- tuna fish, mashed potatoes don't count there. (In my 2nd stage, I still have to blend up my tuna fish.) I know it sucks-- I did get some chewing gum in my second week. It may cause some gas, but it wasn't a problem for me (I was just a little burpy-- very ladylike! :wink2: I'm sure you can suck it up for a little while! (not trying to be mean, or anything... just heal well.) Edited to add: I would call your doctor's office and ask exactly how long they want you to stay on liquids. Maybe they only want 1 week and you could move on to mushies/blended foods. (You can blend any solids-- I had blended turkey meatloaf for dinner.)

Oh!! All that stressing, and for nothing! I'm glad for you. I had a bit of "last supper syndrome" but not too bad. I didn't really pig out or anything... just had some things that I would be most likely to have problems with. I did have steak a few times in the last few weeks-- and I went to the BEST steak place in town. And I brought much of it home in a doggy bag anyway and just savoured it over the next few days. Hopefully I'll be able to eat steak again, but just in case... :wink2:

I just ordered a "sample pack" from bariatriceating.com though I haven't received it. One good option is to by the unjury unflavored Protein powder. You can add it to anything you like and are allowed to have-- Soup (if it's not *too* hot), milk, juice, ... I've even added it to creamed soup. It truly does not add ANY flavor and it doesn't seem to thicken, either. It's good whey isolate-- which is the best. 20g of protein per scoop, and 80 calories. No other ingredients besides the whey isolate. I also like the Myoplex Lite (by EAS)-- they are, I think, 15 g protein per, and at first tasted a little medicinal to me, but now I don't even notice it. They are low fat... I don't see aspartame on the label, but clearly you should check before you buy. Sometimes you can find samples of stuff at GNC... I *believe* they also have a return policy if you don't like it you can return it. But obviously check with them... that might have been only a local thing.

I also had that blood thinner injection pain, which was MUCH lower than my incisions. It was a small spot, though. But it was sore (more sore than I expected). It also COULD be gas-- remember, the gas isn't in your stomach/bowels-- it's in your abdominal cavity. Mine moved around quite a bit in different areas of my abdomen, and felt like pressure. If you're really concerned... definitely call your doctor's office- they probably have an answering service that will connect you to the doctor or to a nurse-- whoever is on call-- and you shouldn't feel like you're bothering them- they expect it when they are on call.

I was on clear fluids only the day of surgery- I was on full liquids for the next two weeks-- including juice, milk, Protein drinks, strained creamed Soups (I chose ones without actual cream in them, though). And Jello (I hate jello). Basically only things you can drink through a straw. Now I'm on a blended diet for two weeks. Hopefully your doctor gave you an outline of what you can/can't eat-- every doctor is slightly different.

You can also add ballet squats (squats done with legs in a plie position - toes and knees turned out)- add free weights if desired. Side lying leg lifts -bottom leg for inner thigh- are tried and true.

Congratulations! Several years ago (when I was in great shape) I started running- doing a program similar to the C25K program. I signed up for my first 5K right away, and I did really well. I was sloooooow, but I ran the whole thing. The funny thing is that it was a university event, and so there were tons of young 19 year old college students doing it-- and many of them weren't runners at all. But they were young and fit. There was one guy who'd run really fast, pass me (doin' my 12 min/miles), then he'd get tired and have to walk. While he was walking, I'd pass him, still going slow. Then he'd speed back up again and pass me again. We kept doing this for 3 miles. Finally, in the last stretch, I was determined that I was gonna beat this guy to the finish. Alas, it wasn't to happen.... but I *DO* take solace in that fact that I was able to run the whole way, and at nearly twice his age, finish right behind the young studmuffin. :frown: You'll do great!! Just remember-- it's easy to go out too fast from the finish.... try to resist "keeping up with the pack" at first, and just find your pace. After you're about halfway through more or less (adrenalin alone will get you this far) pick someone just ahead of you and make them your "rabbit." Try to keep up, or see if you can gain on them a little at a time. I like to try to make it a game. I'm planning on starting to run again soon, maybe when I get back on solid foods. I'm planning on the C25K as well. Good luck!!!

Nice job! 18 pounds in a month is great.

Congratulations! What an awesome story-- and you look great!

Any day now you should be able to get down plenty of liquids. I just finished my 2 week liquid phase, and during the first 4 days, I just didn't want to drink... I think much of it was due to the swelling around my stomach. By day 5 I felt MUCH better.... able to drink as much as I want. So hopefully that turning point will be right around the corner for you!!

I am still on mushies... so have no real guidance to give. BUT- I question the whole use of 'ounces' as the measure... since it's a measure of weight and not volume. I mean, 8 oz of spinach is a giant bagful (several cups), whereas 8 oz of meat is a whole other thing. I like the idea of how many CUPS of food better- as it's a measure of volume. Sorry to get all technical..... :blushing:

I'm down 10 pounds, officially, starting mushies tomorrow and scheduled my first fill for four weeks from now. I'm a happy girl right now!!! :blushing:

There are some good books out there, too, if you want information more succinctly than replies on the internet. I recommend (though I hate the titles of these books), The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery by Margaret Furtado and Joseph Ewing. It's got good info and isn't ONLY about the band, but it is very comprehensive. I'm sorry that your doctor isn't giving you good information. That's a shame, and I recommend that you recommend to his office that they should start doing that.

Hot tea works wonders for me... especially if I add a tiny bit of sweetener. Feels like I'm having "something" if that makes any sense at all. Other than that... I think a planned snack is a good idea-- and some low or fat free cottage cheese with maybe a little fruit is great-- low fat, high Protein. I don't think that having A snack is a problem. It's when it becomes constant grazing that it's a problem.

Oh... I know it's hard not to worry (we wouldn't be human if we didn't...) but everyone is right- the risks of other every-day things we do are far greater than this surgery. And the risks of obesity are in the newspapers and on the news everyday. If you're really concerned... talk to your surgeon about the statistics. How many patients has he or she seen have problems with blood clots? My surgeon has seen exactly one patient get blood clots. AND it was a patient who had *had* problems with blood clots already in his life. (and he didn't die anyway.) So find out the facts if you need to.

Congratulations!! I can't wait until I can eat real food and "test out" my band! (still on liquids).

You'll get there! I've heard (read) that it can be a matter of .2 or .3 ccs that make the difference. Will your doctor see you before 4/2 to add a little more? You may need to be insistent, or stubborn, or whatever term you like best. (Pesky, PITA...) In the meantime, how can you tweak your diet? Are you drinking any calories instead of eating them? Can you make any different choices in that area until you get restriction?

Just like the other surgery stories say, you REALLY will not remember anything between them putting the mask on your face and waking up in recovery. You won't remember the intubation or the extubation or anything. (The breathing tube was the part I was most worried about-- I didn't want to be awake for ANY of that. And I wasn't.) And they give you a little something to make the worry go away before they wheel you into the OR. :thumbup: My pain was pretty minimal- not even my incisions hurt very much. I had a sore throat, and a sore shoulder that evening, but after that just a gassy tummy and some nausea one day (solved with meds). Do you have someone to hold your hand before surgery?

Congratulations!! That's awesome!

Holy cow- that's cool-- I'm gonna hang out with you with that kind of luck!:biggrin: BusyMom- Congratulations! That's awesome! Try to find a way to make all the publicity work for you-- as accountability, as support, or whatever works. It's so exciting.

I don't know about mints.... you'll have to ask your doc... (I was lucky and didn't have to do a pre-op diet). Everyone is different, but I was pretty good immediately after surgery. I was given one Lortab (a pill, nonetheless), but no morphine or anything in my IV. They kept checking on me to see how my pain was, but I was fine. A little hard to move around at first, but frankly I think I have a high tolerance for pain. I was very sleepy due to the anaesthesia- and I really enjoyed my 2 hour nap when I got home. But others have had a lot more incision pain than me. My biggest complaint the day of surgery was a sore throat from the intubation, and a sore shoulder from the CO2 they use during the surgery. Both of those are common.

Welcome, Belinda- and congrats on beginning your Lap-Band journey!! This is a great place to ask questions and see successes. When you get a chance, go look at the "general discussion" forum-- there's a "sticky" thread at the top of before and after pictures. VERY motivational!

Welcome, Melissa!! Glad you found LBT. It's a great place to ask questions and meet people who DO understand.

Congratulations! Sounds like you really got the ball rolling, there! Have a fantastic week!