ChewysTee

I feel your pain! My total liquid diet was only supposed to be 2 weeks and it was tough for me too. I posted the below under the thread "Mashed Potatoes", but maybe it will belp you a little... I was banded on April 28th and I have been very fortunate not to have many negative effects. The hardest part for me was that I still felt hungry on the liquid diet and I missed my old high calorie friends (a lot). The sugar free popsicles, Jell-o, yogurt, and occasional sugar free pudding helped a little, but I'm not a big sweets fan so the desire for food with a little substance was hard for me. Eight days after surgery, my doctor gave me the OK to try some mashed potatoes and it hit the spot better than I would have thought or had hoped. I've experimented by adding a little sour cream and sprinkling a little parm cheese for "dinner" and so far I've managed to get away with it. The acid test was a trip to the Phillies game where the aroma of hot dogs and crab fries had the lure of a mermaid, but a bowl of mashed potatoes before the game helped me get through it all. So, if you're like me, try some instand mashed potatoes (small portions first and ALWAYS eat slowly) and hopefully you'll get the same relief. I know everyone is different, but it's working for me. I lost 6 before surgery, and 15 since my surgery. Good luck guys. I hope this helps someone out there. Just be careful and eat slowly! Chewy

I was banded on April 28th and I have been very fortunate not to have many negative effects. The hardest part for me was that I still felt hungry on the liquid diet and I missed my old high calorie friends (a lot). The sugar free popsicles, Jell-o, yogurt, and occasional sugar free pudding helped a little, but I'm not a big sweets fan so the desire for food with a little substance was hard for me. Eight days after surgery, my doctor gave me the OK to try some mashed potatoes and it hit the spot better than I would have thought or had hoped. I've experimented by adding a little sour cream and sprinkling a little parm cheese for "dinner" and so far I've managed to get away with it. The acid test was a trip to the Phillies game where the aroma of hot dogs and crab fries had the lure of a mermaid, but a bowl of mashed potatoes before the game helped me get through it all. So, if you're like me, try some instand mashed potatoes (small portions first and ALWAYS eat slowly) and hopefully you'll get the same relief. I know everyone is different, but it's working for me. I lost 6 before surgery, and 15 since my surgery. Good luck guys. I hope this helps someone out there. Just be careful and eat slowly! Chewy

I was banded last Wednesday 4/28 and I felt great ... until tonight. I got a little too confident and growing very tired of broth and popsicles, so I had a bowl of Cream of Mushroom made with skim milk. It tasted great but about 20 minutes later I had an episode of discomfort that felt like a combination or heartburn, nausea, and constipation. It lasted about an hour, but even now about 3 hours later I still don't feel very well. I don't know if it was what I ate or how fast I ate it, but either way I learned a big lesson tonight. After this, I will have more respect for the information I've been given and I will never be stupid enough to think that for some reason it doesn't apply to me. From now on I will eat much slower and stick to the clear fluids, popsicles, and yogurt until my doctor tells me otherwise. This was natures way of telling me that no matter how well I'm doing and no matter how good I feel, that I must not forget that my body went through trauma last week and if I don't let myself heal properly and make my own recovery rules, then I will pay ... big time. This was the first thing since my surgery that made me miserable, but I have to admit it was my own fault and I asked for it by thinking I was in charge over my body. Whew. I wish I knew then what I know so well now. :thumbdown:

I was banded on April 28th and I've been getting by mostly on broth, low/non fat yogurt, sugar free popsicles, sugar free Jello, and Fruit2O bottled Water. I'm healing nicely but I seem to be increasingly hungry (I can't complain as I knew this would happen). So yesterday I had a small glass of skim milk with a little sugar free, Splenda enhanced french vanilla syrup added. It tasted like a fine wine! I then went to the market and bought some of the high Protein Boost drinks which really helped my hunger pains, and some fat free/sugar free chocolate pudding. The all liquid is tough but I understand why it's necessary. Walking through the market was very difficult as all the smells and views of old favorite haunted me. I strongly recommend making a list and asking a friend or relative to make the market run for you. I also recommend keeping busy during the day instead of walking near the kitchen or being around when another family member is cooking up something that smells wonderful. Being out of the range of cooking food aromas will be helpful. Trust me! My first post-op check up isn't until this Friday (9 days post surgery) and I'm hoping for a little good news. I'm hoping to get the OK to start some semi-solids like mashed potatoes, or maybe even a scrambled egg. Anything with a little texture will be a great dish! Having said all this, I'm not complaining. I'm down 20 lbs. since my first pre-op weigh in, and 14 since my surgery. I know this pace won't continue, but thankfully it's helping me stay focused for now. I feel very lucky that I haven't had as many struggles as others, but I'm convinced that we're all here doing the right thing. Hang in there everyone and remember this isn't another fad diet temporary fix. This is a change of a lifetime. We're gonna make it!

This may qualify as one of the most selfish, if not silliest questions on this board, but it's one I need to ask. I just had my Lap-Band® surgery 3 days ago and frankly I feel pretty good. Much better than I expected really. Anyway, I know it's very early but I have hopes for a relatively quick recovery. One other part of my life that is important (at least to me anyway) is a passion for the game of golf. I truly love the game and the friends with whom I share the game. In just 5 weeks time I have a trip to Pinehurst (a kinda golf Mecca) with a group of friends where we are scheduled to play just 18 holes a day for 3 days using motorized golf carts (not walking carrying any golf bags so fairly low stress). The way I feel right now I feel like I'll be good to go in 5 weeks, but I certainly don't want to take any stupid risks. For those of you who have lived through the first few months, do you think I have a good chance to play in 5 weeks or is it a dumb move to even try? I'm 52 years old and have my first post-op follow-up next Friday, so of course I'll discuss it with my surgeon, but I'm wondering if anyone out there has a similar experience post-op either with golf or any other activity. Thanks! :thumbup:

All good stuff. Thanks guys. I just had my surgery on Wednesday and my biggest complaint is that I've been pretty hungry on just broth and popsicles. Today I bought some of the high Protein chocolate flavored Boost drinks and it seemed to hit the spot. I think I should drink it slower, but I finally feel like I'm not hungry. The hard part was walking through the market smelling and looking at all my old favorites. It's hard to take now, but I know it will get better!

Thanks! Right after I posted the question my wife said she heard the nurse tell me it was OK to take the Patches off after a day or so. The percocets must have really had me stoned! I didn't even remember she was in the room! Anyway, I just took a shower then took off the patches, leaving just the steri-strips and I feel 100% better. The patches were pulling on my skin and were getting uncomfortable. I feel great now. Thanks and good luck to all my Lap-band friends! :thumbup:

My doctor and my nurse both told me before I left the hospital when it was OK to take off the Patches that cover my incisions, but the percocets were well kicked in and I just don't remember. I do remember they said to just let the steri-strips fall away on their own, but I forget what they said about the patches. Today is Saturday and my surgery was this past Wednesday, so I think it's OK but I'm not sure. I'd call my surgeon to ask if it wasn't a weekend.

I was banded on the 28th too. I've been lucky enough not to have any real bad side effects, or at least none that I did not expect. Hang in there though since everyone is different. I had a bit of a sore throat from the tube they snake down your throat during the surgery, and some of the gas discomfort they told me may happen, but other than being fairly hungry while I heal and wait for a fill, I feel OK. I've had a lot of Water in the hospital (a 1 night stay) and the Fruit2O water since then so I've passed a lot of Fluid. I am slightly constipated, but considering that I haven't eaten solid food in 4 days I'm not shocked. I did go for a casual, slow, few block walk with my wife the day after surgery and I think that helped me feel better too. A short walk may help you feel a bit better too. I'm committed to the Lap-Ban (I guess I'd better be at this point!) and I'll just take it a day at a time. Before my surgery I was of course overweight, but I also had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, and was dangerously close to becoming diabetic. I'm hoping that the Lap-Band® will help me reduce all this and get rid of the meds I'm on for blood pressure and cholesterol. I know it won't be easy, but I'm tired of having so little energy all the time and worrying about my health. I simply have to do something to take control. I pray I have made the right decision and Lap-Band® changes my life. I lost 6 pounds before the surgery, and surprisingly 5 more since the surgery. Probably a lot of water, but mentally it's nice to see something less when I step on the scale.

mumof2boys - You are truly an inspiration! I am a 53 year old male and I'm "celebrating" just my 3 day bandiversary. So far, so good and I feel much better than I thought I would after just 3 days. I know not to count on it, but so far I'm already down 6 lbs. The only draw back so far is that I have been getting some hunger pains with just liquids allowed so far, but once I heal a bit more, take on a little more real food, and have a band fill, I'm confident even these minor discomforts will go away or be less frequent. I have to say that from your photos you look fantastic and it makes me very hopeful that I can follow in your footsteps. Thanks for posting them!:thumbup: