Journey482

Wonder why all my posts read like a novelette. I can't seem to say anything in just a few lines.

So today is two weeks post banding for me. I am on liquids until my postop check tomorrow. For the first week I didn't feel hungry at all, and didn't take in probably more than 600 calories a day, if that - and not enough protein, I know. Starting about day eight I started feeling hungry late at night. I've worked to keep my protein at 60-65 in the past few days, but I really just want to CHEW something. So I know every doctor and every bander is different, but how long out is it when you usually get your first fill, on average? I had assumed it might be tomorrow, but now I wonder. And after the first banding, I won't have much restriction - it's still will power for the most part? That's fine with me, honestly, but... I am having a guy friend visiting for a week in mid May, and I wondered about how I'd explain not eating, or getting sick if I eat. Maybe I don't need to worry about that? I don't want to OVER eat, but it would be nice if I could go to dinner and eat sensibly without worrying I would "out" myself with my surgery or - even worse - get stuck and throw up!

There's not a dang thing I can say better than it's been said here. I didn't tell my son, because I didn't want my ex to know, plus everysinglepersoninthecounty! Other than that, I have one friend who knows, and the rest of my family (cousins, aunts, sister), who are very supportive. If you're stubborn like me, this will be just one more reason to show your stuff and stick with it. Especially after you've lost a bit and are down a couple sizes, if they comment about what you eat, just tell 'em: "I know, isn't it GREAT! I have learned how to eat and STILL lose weight!!" Then glance knowingly at their love handles or big butt, furrow your brow with concern, make a little "you poor thing" sigh, and turn away... lol.

First of all, can someone tell me how to join the March Bandsters group? I am day 13 (banded 03/16/10), have my first postop check this coming Wednesday. I am out of work for three weeks, but only because I can't go back until after my postop check, and I think they messed up (YAY) and scheduled that two weeks after surgery. I was down 23 pounds from first consultation in December to surgery date; not so much now, on clear liquids for two weeks. Hopefully Wednesday I'll move to "mushies." (another YAY!) The only gas issues I've had are when I actually have a bowel movement and then it's like... O M G. But between bathroom visits (which are maybe once or twice a day), no gas, no gas pain. I've had the itchy incisions as well, which has been about the worst complaint so far. I am SO ready to chew something, I fantasize about gnawing on a T-bone steak! With the liquids, I have no restrictions at all. I can drink a protein drink right down like always; two cups of bouillon, no problem; a whole bowl of Jell-O. The only thing that makes me feel remotely full is bouillon. It isn't that I'm hungry - although after the first week, I did have some hunger pangs; it's more that I can take in as much liquid as I ever did (I was a big drinker, I'd have a pot of coffee every morning, and a 2-liter Pepsi-One EVERY DAY). Should I be worried about this? Not sure if I get a fill at my first postop visit or not. Reading everyone's problems and seeing the encouraging responses is so great. Right now I'm mostly upbeat (a bit upset over not losing more postop, but not truly "down"), but I know I'll plateau or crave something down the line and you all will be here for me. Thank you!!

Thank you all so much! I guess when I saw the person who was concerned because they had lost about 3 lb. a day since banding, I thought, WHOA, and I got nothin' happening here!! I know I need to increase my calories. Being a life-long dieter, I know how your body shuts down and stops burning calories if your intake goes too low for too long. In fact at the information session, I asked the doctor how you handle that. In the past when I've been successful, if I hit a plateau I could bump up my calories for a day or two, go back to the stricter regimen and drop 5 lb. in a day. The NP working with my doctor said the liquids help boost weight loss initially (and I guess that helps boost morale), so I haven't had that really. I'm on day 11 now, and have only felt hunger pangs for the past three days or so. Before that, I never felt hungry. Thanks again, everybody. I'm looking forward to the next months and watching us all shrink!

This is day 8 post banding. I am on a two-week liquid diet: Protein shakes, juices (low cal or diet), bouillion (5 calories), and a small low-sugar applesauce for my crushed meds daily. As of this morning, I weigh EXACTLY what I did when I came home from the hospital. Not one pound lost. I work as a medical transcriptionist, off work until postop check in a week, so just by virtue of not sitting at work for 10 hrs a day, I am moving more than usual. I have taken the dog for walks, done more laundry in the past week than I have in the past 2 months (lol) up and down stairs, driven to the store, done all my usual stuff and then some. My calorie intake is well below what the NP for my doc said it should be; she suggested 800-1000 a day, I'm probably closer to 600. I am having trouble with the protein because the whey powder I have feels "slimey," so I'm going to get something new later. I've been drinking Slim-Fast, Atkins or EAS for the protein, which is higher in carbs than the whey powder, but I only have two of those a day. Could my whole problem be that? Or am I drinking too many juices, even though I got diet (5 cal/serving) or low-cal (50 cal/serving)?? I'm also drinking Crystal Light. I am DISTRAUGHT, let me tell you. I need some insight and encouragement!!

I've wondered about this myself. I haven't had my first fill yet, I'm 12 days post banding. For the first week I never felt a hunger pang. On about day 8, I started feeling hungry late at night, but it eventually goes away without eating anything. I'm so used to overeating, it's going to be weird to not be able to overeat without dire consequences. I hope I can figure out when I'm full.

Oh don't tell me this!! I'm only 8 days out and if I could just CLAW at my stomach, I'd feel so much better! I had a rotten case of poison ivy last fall and got the equivalent of clear calamine anti-itch lotion. I've been putting it on regularly and it helps, although doesn't last a really long time. I still have some Dermabond on the incision sites, and some sticky residue from band-aids, so that is making it worse. I had no idea it would last for weeks, yikes!

I am not a really good person to respond to this, since I'm only 8 days out... but I can't imagine that banding is different than any other aspect of life - you have ups, and you have downs. I've kind of thought all along that I'd never have "real food" again, but from reading what people say (some as new with their bands as I am), there is real food in my future! My aunt actually said to me, as I went into this, "but even on holidays, you'll never be able to overeat again, have you thought about that?" To ME that is a good thing, not a negative. I'll leave it to someone more experienced to comment on when and if you can eat whatever you want (within portion sizes), or if there are always things you can't do. When you feel low because you can't eat the way you used to, well, that's why you did this in the first place, remember? And if you ate the way you used to, you wouldn't have lost 46 pounds; and you may feel even more down if you overate and watched the pounds go up than you do now! I'll keep you in my thoughts. Good luck.

Do you ever wonder how you got to the weight that sent you to a surgeon's office? I'm 52, and nutrition facts today aren't what they were when I was a kid. My grandmother knew back then that food was "fuel" for our bodies; she advocated Breakfast as the important meal of the day. But "fuel" meant whatever kept you going - high calories, high fat, whatever hit the spot; as long as it wasn't a true "dessert," it was all "nutrition." So I remember white bread with mayonnaise and American cheese. Or just a mayonnaise sandwich (good ol' Duke's mayo on white bread) or relish sandwich (again, Duke's sandwish relish on white bread). I remember being given a sliced apple for a snack, with a bowl of sugar to dip each slice in! Cereal was cereal. It was a breakfast food and therefore "healthy." No matter how much sugar or how few Vitamins or Fiber each bowl had, it had to be good for you, right? It was "food." And that whole milk poured on top (with an extra spoon or so of sugar) - well it was MILK, wasn't it? We ALL know how healthy milk is for you! There were always lots of vegetables, but coated with butter or - even better - fried (okra, potatoes, squash)!! Grandma was always busy, helping raise younger brothers and sisters, then her own kids, then pitching in for us grandkids... she never had a weight problem (she got to about 120 late in life, and complained about feeling "bloated" all the time!). As she got older, being an avid reader, she became more aware of what nutrition really meant. Having helped raise us all, though, and on a limited budget - my grandad was the sole breadwinner, and there were always a bunch of us around - a mayonnaise sandwich was, 40 years ago, a decent snack. We were never hungry, and that was the main goal. Do we even need to discuss the "clean your plate, there are hungry children in <fill in country> who would love to have that food"?? I was a good little plate cleaner! :thumbup: Oh, and one more thing. I was a skinny little thing until I hit 2nd grade and had my tonsils out. My school pictures between 2nd and 3rd grade look like two different little girls: skinny little 2nd grader with thin arms and clavicles showing (that's actually a goal of mine now - to see my clavicles again!), to the 3rd grader - a chunky thing with a round face and nary a bone visible anywhere! A cousin my age was the cheerleader type in school, got her tonsils out a year or so after high school graduation, and the weight started piling on. I actually told my dietitian my "tonsillectomy made me fat" theory, and she said it's surprising how many people have said that same thing! So if you have your tonsils, KEEP THEM!! So... how did YOU get here?

My surgeon says with the band, "average" is about 50 or so pounds the first year, and up to 100 by the end of the second year (compared to the 100 in the first year you might get with bypass). So as far as my doc's thinking, you're right on target. And as he says, weight-loss professionals advocate "slow but steady," which is what you get with the band. I personally chose banding because I want to get nutrition from what goes into my mouth. I think that's a huge lesson banding gives you: as my grandmother used to say, food is fuel for your body. I rarely ate because I was truly hungry, and didn't stop when I was full. I ate because I know chocolate cake tastes really good, and there was always room for it even after a huge meal. Now that there are limitations on my intake, I will have to think about what my body needs, and not what my taste buds want. You sound like you're doing great, and maybe your doctor just need a heads-up on his bedside manner. We all have bad days, they are no different; but kudos to you for bringing it to his behavior to the forefront instead of suffering in silence. Doctors are people too, and we are paying their salaries, after all!

Caffeine, you are right on target with so many of your statements, and I too love the "connection between brain and stomach." I 've never had that! From my initial consultation on 12/2/09 until the surgery on 3/16/10, I was down 23 pounds (this through the holidays, football playoffs and Super Bowl! quite a coup for me). As of now - not a dang pound lost since banding 8 days ago. BUT as I think about it, I've used bouillion as a filler - low cal, and HOT (which I am missing a lot), but maybe the sodium is killing me so I'm off that for a few days. You're doing great if you're already on "food" so soon, and still losing. We need to eliminate the phrase "cheating on my diet" from our lives. There are plenty of healthy, thinner people out there who have regular meals and even dessert, but know when to stop. So I need the band to help me learn that lesson (or unlearn all the bad lessions I was taught, like "clean your plate"); so be it. Congrats to you on your success so far, and I hope to see you around these forums for a long time coming, with both of us headed towards the healthy body and lifestyle we deserve.

I did have a saline IV for 24 hrs, and maybe the bouillion isn't helping; it has a lot of sodium. Maybe I'll leave that off, but honestly it's been so nice to have something HOT, I almost feel like I'm eating. Okay, no more bouillion for a few days and we'll see. ARRGGH.

I didn't measure before surgery. I was surprised that they didn't take a "before" picture, but I had my sister take one before we left the hospital that morning. I know I'm not messing up here - at least I think I know it. But to see posts of people down 2-3 pounds a day for several days immediately following surgery (and yes I know we're all different, but still) and me to have done nothin' is making me nuts. I do not want to get discouraged this fast. I'm not really discouraged yet, and people like you will keep me going, I know. Thank you so much.

I am on day 8 post banding, and I am on liquids for two weeks. Starting at week three, I get pureed foods. I get true solids at week five. As an aside here, will someone let me know how you all get that cool stuff after your comments - the tickers and such? I made a ticker, but don't know how to make it show up on my profile or with my comments. Thanks!

Oh my gosh, CONGRATULATIONS!! I am one week out, I'd love to think that by the end of this year I'd be that close to my goal!! You are truly an inspiration, 100 pounds in 8 months - my doctor acted like that's almost unheard of with lap vs bypass. Tell us your secrets!

Thank you all so much for your insight! I'm so new at this. You're all right about one thing: each person needs to have their own goals for their own reasons. I, too, want to do normal clothes shopping, not always wish I had a table instead of a booth at a restaurant, not feel pain and out of breath after walking a bit. So for me, right now, I'm going to stick to my 190 goal. About seven years ago I did a self-imposed exercise regimen and diet, and lost about 75 pounds in six months. I got a bad case of bronchitis, couldn't walk my usual 3-4 miles a day, and when I recovered I just never went back, and the weight started piling back on. But I had gotten to about 240 at that point - that's heavy for a woman, but I was newly divorced, started actually dating, would go out and have requests to dance or for my phone number, and never scared a man off with my weight, apparently. It was WONDERFUL! I am one of those people apparently who can "carry it well." (lol) So for me to get below 200 would be amazing. I did ask my surgeon at the information session if the weight loss could be faster if you were diligent about exercise and "behaving" and he said absolutely! So right now, I'm focusing on eating what I should, exercising, and seeing how hard - or easy - this all feels. I just know psychologically I already feel better. People who see me might just see someone as overweight; I know the progress I've made and the steps I've taken, even if they don't, so I feel GOOD about me for a change!

I had my first doctor appointment on Dec 4, 2009. Got the psych eval, visited with the dietitian, everything was done by the end of December. Then the waiting game started. Going back in the first part of January 2010, I had lost 3 pounds (this during the holidays, mind you!). Two weeks later, I was down another 5, so a total of 8 pounds before I even had a surgery date. Then the phone started ringing, insurance was settled, and my surgery date was set for March 16, 2010. I had kind of started easing my way into the "liver shrink" a week before I had to, so when I started the two weeks that were required, I was ready. The liver shrink my doctor uses is a Slim Fast for Breakfast, one for lunch, and then a Healthy Choice (or equivalent - I chose HC because it was a full meal with entree, vegetable and DESSERT! lol). I cheated a little - strangely enough, being a sweets' freak, I didn't crave them at all. I wanted tomato Soup and salad. So a couple nights I swapped out the HC dinner for tomato soup and HUGE salad. I guess knowing the bulk of a salad would prevent me from having one for a long time, that was what I wanted. So on the day of surgery I was down 23 pounds from my first visit in December. My surgery was on Tuesay, 03/16/10. I planned to come home that night, but the radiologist couldn't do the swallow study until the next morning, so I ended up staying overnight. I was a little sore; the binder helped immensely. I got up twice the night of surgery and walked, and the next morning convinced the nurses I could make it on my own, so I was cut loose. One thing that THRILLED me was hearing that I was on the "small side for a bariatric patient." I never thought I'd be on the small side of any group, anywhere! My doctor had ordered a bariatric room for me (reinforced toilet, bed with a trapeze, etc.), and the nurse from the floor called back and said I didn't qualify, I needed to go to a regular room! RED LETTER DAY FOR ME, I wasn't big enough for special treatment! lol... I kept telling everyone who said that how much I loved them! I'm now on postop day five, have lost about another 5 pounds, and I'm happy with the way things are going. I have two weeks of liquids postop, then can start with pureed stuff. Right now I just want to CHEW something, but I'm not going to mess this up.

I think you're doing exactly the right thing - research before you make a decision. My lap band was done last Tuesday, 03/16/10, laparoscopically. Getting ready is important; losing as much as you can ahead of time makes the whole process easier, and shows the surgeon (and any nay-sayers) that you are serious. I am off work until I see my doctor postop, which is on Wednesday, 03/31. Figured I may as well take the rest of that week, so I'm off a total of three weeks. I have TONS of sick time, though, so I'm happy to finally use some of it. I'm driving and walking the dog, laundry, doing all the normal day to day stuff. Basically the only reason I'm off is because they said "do not return to work until after postop visit" and they set that for two weeks out! I'm sure returning to school wouldn't be an issue. I used Lortab elixir the first night home just because I couldn't get comfortable in bed, and haven't used anything since. There is virtually no pain, just some discomfort. I'd love to gnaw a steak, but I'm on liquids until postop check, then start pureed foods. My whole process, from intial consultation to surgery, was a little over three months. I had the consultation in December, saw the psychiatrist, dietitian, luckily didn't need any of the extra stuff other people are mentioning. The first of January, everything was ready to submit to insurance, and they approved it pretty quickly. (I have Anthem BCBS too.) Then it was just getting the appointments with the surgeon set up in time to start the "liver shrink" diet for two weeks so I could make his next available slot. My surgeon's office says allow three months from first consultation to surgery, and they were pretty much on target with it. I don't know about the followup fills; people are right, that's an expense you don't want to get stuck with suddenly - to have a band and not be able to afford to have it accessed and inflated would be a huge downer. I have three months of followup visits with no co-pay, but I guess that doesn't mean the surgeon won't file individual claims for them. My suggestion would be talk to several doctors' offices and see what they consider an average wait time from consultation to surgery. Having a whole year sounds like it's plenty of time to me. Best of luck to you!!

Sixty days does seem like a longggg time. I had a two-week "liver shrink" diet that was two Slim-Fasts a day with a Healthy Choice (or equivalent - I chose Healthy Choice because you got a whole meal including dessert) for dinner. I did swap out the Healthy Choice dinner for tomato soup and HUGE salad a couple nights. As strange as it seems, I am a sweets freak, but I absolutely craved soup and salad. I guess knowing it would be a long time before I could have a huge salad again, I was determined to try it. I admire your determination, and if nothing else this will prove to your doctor and everyone around you that you are serious in this venture you've undertaken. Kudos to you!