qtney1

Hello, everyone..I was just checking in. Had my surgery on September 30th and I am doing really good with the exception of throat pain. Did anyone else experience this? I must say, I had such a great operation day at New Hope Bariatrics. Dr. Malley and his team took such good care of me while I was there.

My doctor's office said for gas pain, just makes sure it has simethicone (sp?) 40 in it....I've also been walking like no other (just being up, around, and out), so that may be helping to keep it at bay. I do find at night, when I am laying in bed with the hubby, that i can't stop tooting, though **blushing**

Feeling pretty good, so far. I have been doing a lot of walking and being up and around...I hope I'm not overdoing it! But, I'm not really having any gas pains at all, so I guess that is good. I have also been sipping a lot of water and G2. The only real complaint that I have is my throat! I called the doctor's office this morning and spoke with a nurse who told me it is normal to have throat pain after surgery, due to the tube. As long as there isn't a temperature, I should be better in a few days. thank goodness for pain meds! My incisions are doing okay, too. It doesn't hurt as bad to go to the bathroom or get up from a chair. Or, sleep, for that matter. last night was MUCH better sleepwise! I do miss food, though. I don't really have hunger pangs, to speak of. When I get a little hunger feeling, I have a thin protein shake and I am better for awhile. Thankfully, the doctor said I can have those and soups in addition to the clear liquids. That is nice. I went to the store today to pick up some food with my husband that I can puree this next week. I am so excited for that! I miss actual flavors! haha! How is everyone else doing who has been banded recently?

Eeeek! How long until you go back to protein shakes? My doctor is allowing me to have them (thank goodness) as long as I make them thin. I'm glad you are moving around better today!

....was TODAY! I arrived at the surgery center at 6:30 am. They had me changed, did the last minute testing, started my IV, and got me all hooked up. After a blood thinner shot and some Pepcid in the IV, I was almost ready to go. They put these things on my legs, too, that fill with air and release to keep the risk of blood clots down. About 8:20, they gave me some medicine to relax me (loved it) then wheeled me into the OR. As they were hooking me up, they put an oxygen mask on and told me to take deep breaths. After about 5, I was OUT. Next thing I remember is the nurse pulling something out of my throat and thinking I must have thrown up...lol. but, the nurse just said, "You are just waking up...it is all done with." They gave me some pain meds and let me relax. I must say, the next two hours, I was miserable. Not because I was hurting, but because I was hooked up to everything and couldn't get comfortable..plus, trying to wake up. Once that passed, i was fine. And, it really wasn't bad. The woman in the room next to me I could hear was having a hard time, saying she couldn't breathe over and over. yikes! what a feeling! My dad said he had the same feeling after being put under for his heart surgery so I'm guessing it's a side effect from being put under. But, even now, as I sit here typing, I am only a bit sore, not sleepy, and just going about my 'relaxation schedule', as the kids are with parents! It's actually a mini vaca....lol When I did my barium swallow at 11:30, it was soooo cool to see it go down the tube! I'm a geek :-) Even cooler was the Gatorade G2 they gave me after. I was soooooo thirsty! By noon, I was given my breathing apparatus and discharged. The husband stopped, filled my anti nausea and Lortab meds, picked me up some Gatorade G2 (the ONLY thing I failed to get at the store pre surgery), and stayed with me. All afternoon, I have been taking my meds, drinking (albeit slowly) lots of Gatorade and water. My surgeon said I am good to have water, protein shakes, Crystal Light, Gatorade, Water, Juice, Popsicles, Soup (any kind without "chunks"), Jello, etc. While not real hungry at all, I did take in some yummy tomato soup. Looking at the soup that has sat in my pantry forever looked far more appealing than my protein shakes...lol. However, tomorrow, I will force some protein shakes down so I can get some real nourishment. On Monday, I can move up to pureed food, pudding, etc until I meet with the doc again on Friday. I can not say enough about Dr. Malley (KC area), New Hope Bariatrics, and the WONDERFUL nurses and staff. They are greater than I ever thought possible. I received the best treatment from there than I have ever had anywhere. I do have one question for you bansters, though, if you are somehow still reading this novel.....when does gas pain start?

Thank you, everyone for the great responses! janet, that is inspiration that you have given to me. Band_Groupie, I know from reading some of your posts that you have done wonderfully, too! WELCOME to your new life, Malasis. It definitely started for me during preop. Thank you for the well wishes, Janet. And I have been trying to get up, walk, and sip my water. I have gas coming out..lol..but I don't feel any gas inside yet. I have been taking generic Mylanta since last night and it seems to be warding off anything. Gas pain has to be the worst!

I just had my surgery yesterday, so I can't tell you what I do long term, but I do this: The preop diet forces you to look at food differently. The first few days were very hard, but once I started losing weight and watching what I put in my body, I had an "aha" moment. And, trust me, I loved my food! I keep track of everything I take in on sparkpeople. com and also keep track of my fitness on there. You just key in the weight you want to be and your goal date and it lets you know how many calories you can have per day to get there. During the pre op time, I just focused on cleaning, instead of watching tv with snacks. I also picked up tutu making and researching different things I can make to keep me busy after the kids go to sleep. Best of luck to you in your journey. You will do great!

Whoo hoo! Glad to hear you are doing great! I had mine today and it's pretty good so far!

My surgeon's office said that they call in medicine for the nausea. And, if there is an overfill, they will get you right in to take fluid out. Worst case scenario, they have trained emergency room personnel at a local hospital to take fluid out of a band.

I'm so ready for tomorrow. I have a slight head cold that is exiting my body, so I need to contact the surgeon's office to make sure everything is kosher. I haven't taken any Claritin since yesterday, so hopefully it's still all good. The liquids are going to be tough today, but I'll take it hour by hour. Nothing but chicken broth, Sprite Zero, and sugar free popsicles are what I've chosen for my clear liquids today. I forgot to make jello but DANG (!), I can hardly stand it anymore! I stepped on the scale this morning. BTW, the scale is my new best friend because it starts my day of positively...It read 308.2 this morning. I swear, I think I saw the scale actually smile at me. This time, almost two weeks ago, I was hovering around 326. **Smile**

Best of luck to you two being banded tomorrow. I will be there right along with you. I'm so nervous but can't wait! Best wishes!

Good luck to you, Mrsbure...I will be right there with ya....At the surgery center at 6:30 and surgery time is 9:00am

Yum! That chili recipe sounded great! If any of you have found any good recipes to last you through the pureed food stage, please let me know. I would like to be able to get some protein in my body in a yummy fashion :-)

Best wishes on your surgery today!!

Best of luck on your surgery day!

I like #1...super cute!

Good luck on the surgery! I go in Thursday and am very excited!

Mine is 2 protein shakes and either a Lean Cuisine or a lean protein/steamed veggies for dinner. I can have as much jello, Crystal Light, broth, sugar free popsicles, etc as I want. I can also have a can of diet pop/day for two weeks. They want to keep it high protein, low carb/calorie. My surgeon's office says it is to shrink the liver. Tomorrow I have to have only clear fluids then surgery is Thursday. My surgeon's office say they have those with apple body types to do all liquids two weeks before and those with pear body types to do the diet I'm doing.

Thursday is the day and it is coming quick. I will be soooo glad to be banded and get eased back on to food for meals again, although, I think I will keep up with the protein shakes for breakfasts. I had a class I had to take at my surgeon's office Friday. They have such great support up there! They went over everything with the lap band, why they want you to shrink the liver (I had no idea those with 'apple' body shapes seem to have larger livers compared to 'pear' shapes--thus the difference in pre op diets!), what you can have/when you can have it, etc. The nurses are all on call 24/7 and encourage phone calls for anything. The nurse who gave the presentation said sometimes, when you get 'stuck' for the first time, it can be scary and they want to be there to reassure and give tips. It was nice to hear nurses who are actually wanting to be there for you. My surgeon's office also does a support group once/month, meetings with a dietician in a group setting once/month. They even offer bootcamp--which is 2 hours, 3x/week, for 6 weeks where you meet with a personal trainer at the gym, workout, and then meet with a nutritionist....all free. I can't wait to be healed up and do that! Anyhoo, I am getting more nervous the closer that it gets but really wanting to get this done and over with. It's amazing how much I miss just having even healthy food. I would have killed something over the peaches sitting in my fridge for the kids! The sugars and carbs are very much missed. I do pretty well with the protein shakes in the morning and for lunch. I haven't had any soup and have cut out the jello now, too. For dinner, I usually have a Lean Cuisine or another small, healthy meal. The other night, I made hobo stew with lean hamburger, sliced carrots, onion, potatoes, mushrooms, corn, basil, and V8. It was actually very good. A cup of that and a small side salad with mushrooms and a small amount of fat free dressing made a good meal. Well, onward I go towards the countdown. I truly can't wait.

I have nooooo idea what I would do without having a meal a day. It is what has saved me! My last day for actual food at a meal is tomorrow. Then, wednesday is clear liquids only...no protein shakes :-( Luckily, although is sucks, I think I can do it for a day :-) As far as getting stuck, she didn't go too in depth on it. She did say if something were to get stuck, and it will at some point, to try to drink warm water and warm liquids. She said sometimes that will make it go down. Hopefully, I can stick with the "eat slow, chew, and small bites" mantra. Good luck on your surgery Wednesday! You will have to let me know how everything goes and we can swap notes when I get done Thursday :-)

I am getting banded on Friday, September 30th. Can't wait to join you all in bandster land!

I haven't had the surgery yet (date is Thursday), but I met with my surgeon's office on Friday. In their packet that we went over, they said they have had patients who still have gas pains after taking Gas X, but seem to do much better after taking Mylanta or a generic version. As long as it has 40mg Simethicone, it should be effective. You may just try switching it up to see what works best for you. Good luck!