2beskinny

Awww...your husband is a sweety :cursing: Smusch :wub: I walked around like crazy the 1st 2 days and thought I was rid of the gas...for about 24 hours...then it seemed to come back despite all my activity...I hope it doesnt in your case, but don't be alarmed if it reappears. My doc told me today that the same thing happened with him (he is banded, too!). Not too bad, just a pain in the neck (literally) to deal with :drool:

My doc says ok to mashed potatos (although they fill you up so make sure you get your Protein in!) and no to eggs...weird. I just figured I'd wait to get to the full soft stage (can chew again as long as it's soft...no raw, cruncy foods yet)for eggs. I went for my post op visit today and they told me to go ahead and start soft stage (5 days early). It has been heaven...I feel like a kid in a candy store deciding what I want to eat :cursing: I've stuck to mostly protein today - had tuna salad, turkey breast with gravy, yogurt, and some fake crab legs. What a pleasant surpise to my day! Hang in there CMfan...you'll get there...I think I remember that our surgeries were same day! Hope you are doing well :wub:

Wow - I could have written that myself! I am also 46, have been married for 23 years and hubby has never had any issues with weight. He loves me very much, wanted to make sure I was have the surgery for me, not for him. He was great after surgery, too. Sometimes I just need to talk about it with him as he is one of the very few that know about my surgery. I will say it is nice to finally share my weight struggles with him and be open about it. I used to always avoid the subject like the plague and it usually ended in an argument (me being unreasonable with him when he would only try and help). It was kind of funny in the hospital on surgery day, doc asked me what my weight was on that morning in front of him and I said, "nurse wrote it down, you have to look it up...I never say my weight in front of my husband....ha! Doc thought that was funny! I really have never (to this day) told him how much I weigh - I will some day when I weigh less than him :scared2:

Congrats, Molly :scared2: I had my post-op appointment today, can't believe it's been 10 days! While I can't exactly say that the time has "flown" by, everyday is better and better than the next You will be amazed at how much better you feel by the one week mark. The gas is still getting to me a bit, can still feel the darn shoulder pain, but it's certainly not like day one. More annoying than anything. I have started to have these HUGE long burps and let me tell you, it feels great! My nut actually advanced me a bit early to the soft stage today - real food! Whohooo! I am a little nervous though with so many more "options." Now the hardest part begins

On the homepage of Lapbandtalk.com, scroll down till you see the heading of Main Lapband Discussions, well I forgot exactly what it says, but there is a section in that forum that is all sucess stories!

Protein is the macronutrient that takes the body the longest to metabolize (i.e., convert to sugar - ummm, a better word is energy :ohmy:. Keeping up with an adequate protein level should help stablilize your blood sugar, but you may indeed still need to "hit the juice" to quickly counteract an episode of low blood sugar. My soon to be 18 year old son has had Type I Diabetes since he was 10 months old I know a lot about keeping blood sugars up!

Wow, Valjean, 100 pounds!!!! You are absolutely inspirational!

After my therapy session this morning with myself (well, it's really going on all the time in my head), I was contemplating the power of positive thoughts. In one of my many weight loss pursuits, I read a lot about the need to change the running dialog in your head to positive versus negative. I worked very hard at that in the past, but always returned to the same defeatest attitude and thoughts. Now, I realize that I am on a one-week post-op high, but I am so excited and feel like I have done something that I know I can be successful with for my happiness! Yes, I may miss some foods (a little) and I know I am winding my way through the post-op diets, but it occurred to me how positive my conversations with myself are I don't have the, "oh, just eat it, your going to gain it all back anyway," mentality. This is such a huge step we all have/will take(n) and I believe a lot of the power of the band is hope...which translates to positive thoughts and positive outcomes. Just wanted to share :ohmy:

Best of luck, T10! It will all be behind you before you know it! The physical pain is not that bad - you will do great! Stay positive!

I had surgery on 7/19 (one week ago, whohoo!) and still have the shoulder pain. It is getting less frequent, but still bothersome. Seems like when I have a burp (just a normal one not the PB that folks have sometimes) I feel pain in my left shoulder right next to my neck. I know it's very common, just hangs around longer for some. If that's my only complaint - I'm thrilled

My doc says no coffee for 2 months post-op, no alcohol for 4 months post op. As with my pregnancies, I can live without the alcohol, but coffee...that's a tough one. I know caffeine is an appetite stimulant, but I swear, for me it is not!!! A cup of coffee can really take my mind of hunger for a while. I started my pre-op diet today and switched to de-caf. The last month or so I limited myself to one cup per day so I'm hoping the headaches will not be too bad. I'm curious to know if other people received similar doctor's orders regarding caffeine...

As I am sitting here eating my pureed chili in my white pants (not something I would recommend), I was wondering if some folks who are further along in this process could tell some of us newbies how long until your true hunger returned after surgery? I do feel a little hungry sometimes (6 days post-op) but it is quickly resolved with just a little bit. I know it's not true restriction right now, but how long did it take to get really hungry and not be satisfied with just a little bit of food? Thanks for posting!

Congrats to us, Medic! I only had to do clear liquids for 24 hours, then 2weeks of pureed foods, then soft foods for 2 weeks, then regular. They told me the biggest difference between the soft stage and regular stage is raw, crunchy things and grilled meats. I'm hanging in there with the pureed stage - kinda boring, but MUCH better than pre-op, ha! I am only down about 2.5 pounds since surgery, but I lost 16 on the pre-op diet so I didn't expect to get another big loss in a short period of time. I'm sure I'm still a bit puffy from surgery, although my port site swelling has really gone down today. I'm getting about 50-60 grams of protein a day, mostly low carb slimfast, cottage cheese pureed with some pineapple juice (I like that a lot!) pureed chili, and an occasional yogurt or pudding. Last night was my husband's b-day and I had lobster bisque - it was awesome, but I felt so full! I also had a few bites of some crab cakes with some tarter sauce. It went down fine, but I started freaking myself out about it since it was not technically pureed and I stopped. I'll go back next week for those :smile2: Let me know how your diet and weight loss is going!

Don't beat yourself up so much! That's part of the OLD you We will all have our times of regression - it's what we do after a set back that will set us apart from the pack. I can't imagine you did any damage. One of the reasons you were able to eat too much was because you don't have restriction and nothing stays in your pouch yet. Yes - if lots of food was able to "sit" in your pouch, I could see where it might stretch. However, it all passed right through to your big stomach which is why you were able to eat more! Better days ahead - forgive yourself!

Congrats, Dave! It will all be over before you know it. The pre-op diet SUCKS - no sugar coating it. However, I should say, some people seems to be allowed to follow more of a reasonable weight loss diet (low carb) and have an easier time. Mine was all medifast supplements and they were terrible for the most part. "Medicine for your body" was my mantra for 2 weeks! I did lost 16 pounds - not complaining about that, of course Good luck during the diet and hope all goes well with your surgery! So glad I'm on the healing side of things now :thumbup: :w00t: :smile2:

Try and minimize the time you spend feeling guilty about this. We all go through it, but at the end of the day - it's about choosing what's best for us and how to stop the insanity of weight contolling our lives! I wrestled for months about the decision. Went through the roller coaster of emotions (I'm sure I'm not done yet!). I also have not told many people...only husband, sister and parents. I was fortunate enough to have insurance, however, I was fully prepared to self-pay if that's what was necessary. I use this site frequently for information and support vs. talking to live people about it. I may one day feel differently, but I have a lot of pride and don't feel comfortable not knowing what people's reactions will be. I probably overthink it a bit, but I did this for me and me only. I do not want to have to educate others about something that took me months to fully learn about. Trust in your judgment that you are making the right decision for you!

Congrats! I had my surgery on 7/19...everyday keeps getting better! There are a couple of threads on here with your surgery date (or close to it)...I would advise reading and posting to them - good stuff!

Is anyone else experiencing painful (moderate) burps? I feel like burping should be good, but I get a bit of discomfort under my ribs each time. Kinda sucks, but certainly bearable. Also this stabbing shoulder pain that seems to keep coming out of nowhere is driving me crazy! On a high note, riding in the car does not hurt my belly anymore. My port site is the only thing that appears to be tender. I sneezed a couple of times today...OUCH! Can't wait to feel normal again - every day is closer, though! To answer another's question (sorry I didn't remember your screen name before I started typing my reply!) I don't not have any bruising. I think I am definitely swollen at the port site, though - seems to stick out more than the rest of my stomach. I went #2 yesterday - that was a relief and not painful at all. OK - TMI, but seems to be a shared concern post-surgery so I though I'd share I seem to be getting a little more interested in food. I pureed some Mexican leftovers that my family had for dinner (chicken, Beans, guac, sour cream) the first few bites were OK, then it just seemed to gross to eat. That has been my experience with everything I've tried to "make." I think I'm better off sticking with slimfast, Yogurt, pudding and cream soups! Tomorrow is my husband's b-day - we are going out to eat to one of my favorite restaurants. I am so excited to have some Lobster Bisque! I'm sure I could use the calories at this point...I'm not getting many in right now. Happy Healing everyone:thumbup:

Hi All! I guess I can post to this group, too - was banded on July 19 - whoooohoooo! Soooo glad it's behind me! I was nervous, scared, excited - the spectrum of emotions that we all feel. Surgery day went well. My anesthesiologist was so great at keeping me calm - he joked the whole way, which did me a lot of good! He even joked about my pregnancy test coming back positive - now that IS funny (I'm 46, have 3 teenage sons and a husband who had a vasectomy 13 years ago . I'm doing great - pretty textbook case so far. I had to do a 2 week pre-op and lost 16 pounds - hated the diet, loved the loss! I'm down a few more after surgery (although I'm not focused on the weight right now - just healing and getting healthy and strong again!) Every day I wake up one step closer to my goal and it feels great. No more of the maddness over weight that used to be my life. I'm very excited!:biggrin:

Good for you, SueMagoo! I think I remember you from other postings, too (I'm really not trying to rhyme everything!). What was your reason for needed another band? I would love it if you could post the reader's digest version again on this thread if you don't mind :biggrin: How are you feeling these days? Are you on clear/full liquids? I think it shows incredible commitment on your part to have this done 2x! How far into your journey were you when you found out you had to have it removed? We are about the same age (I'm 46). Looking forward to your reply

My date was the 19th! Am doing well also :biggrin: My biggest complaint is that my shoulder pain was gone by day 2 and now is back as of yesterday. I am dressed and going to walk my street this morning, hoping that helps. I am off all pain meds and am on pureed foods as of 24 hours after the surgery. I am using protein powder shakes and low carb slimfast to get most of my protein in, although I have experimented with some "real" food pureed concoctions! Most of them have tasted pretty good, although I really don't have an appetite to speak of. If I do feel a little hungry, a few sips of something is all I need. My back is also very sore. I think it's because of all the babying I am doing to my stomach right now! My incisions are starting to get a little itchy - a good sign that they are healing well. I only have steri-strips on which fall off on their own. Good luck to both of you - keep posting to this thread so we can keep track of each other!

Congrats to you! It must feel "onederful!":lol:

The shoulder pain was definitely the worst for me. Today is 3rd day later and my stomach is only a bit sore - I can get up and down from/into a lying flat position by myself. I'm no taking the pain meds anymore - just some tylenol. I thought my shoulder pain was gone, but it has appeared again today...bummer. Oh well, it's more of a nuisance at this point. Overall, I am pleased with the recovery - it has been better than I thought it would be! I would say 4 for my abdomen and 5 for the shoulder (first day). Today I'm about at a 2 overall. I still get nervous to cough and look for my pillow Going to get a manicure tomorrow!:biggrin:

My doc has patients on Clear Liquids for 24 hours, then pureed foods for 2 weeks, then mushies for 2 weeks. I was having a little fun experimenting with what could be pureed. Everything I made was the consistency of a cream soup and I only had a very little bit of it due to my lack of hunger. I am using low carb slim fast to get most of my Protein in. I think I'm doing fine! Everyone's doctors have different instructions after surgery...it's important to stick to what YOUR doctor tells you - a common theme here on LBT!

OMG - I always think the same thing when I feel gas like that...brings a smile to my face and then I laugh at myself and say "good thing I'm not worried about being pregnant, cuz that feels like a baby-kick!" :thumbup: