girlinnyc

last week (end of last week)--pretty much a disaster. ate too much, ate too fast---no pb's--but a lot of discomfort--and not feeling good at all. ugh. was on a business trip--and it was VERY stressful. also, i think, some of the dreaded GAS PAIN. either that--or heart attack symptoms. either way--very uncomfortable, very unhappy. probably had to do with erratic diet and not being AT ALL in control of what I had to eat--or when i got to eat it. it is MOST DIFFICULT being in situations like that. as of today--back on track. i hope. so far, so good.

also, i packed optifast--there was a refrigerator in hotel...so i could have it cold. that was good for breakfast. i only want that for bfast now--don't feel like i can eat anything else in the morning! so take some with you! i put it in my packed luggage, in plastic.

hi--i'm back. i think you'll be fine--get someone to help you with luggage if you need to. I was fine with mine--my suitcase weighed 40lbs on the way home--and i could pick it up off the luggage thing. also, i had a LIGHT carryon. got a guy to help me put it in the overhead bin. eating was a problem. didn't want to tell anyone about the surgery, so just picked the mushiest food possible--but still, i ate too much, and felt ill--so i was definitely not in the kind of "controlled environment" as i am here--where i can get what i need/want (soup, yogurt), when i need/want it. if you can get what you NEED to eat--then you're ahead of the game. i didn't do well eating-wise. i was VERY glad to get home. next time, instead of milk of mag.--try the peri-colace. i found it worked very well for me. took 2 pills one night--and eventually--it worked.

yes, yes===it's very normal--it's only FRIDAY--please DO take your pain medication--that's what it's there for--it will make you feel MUCH better. drink an Optifast shake or slimfast--you need protein--that may be why you're lightheaded. or--if you usually drink coffee--and you're not drinking it now--you might have a caffeine withdrawal headache. try some diet iced tea. but take the pain medication--you're only on the 2nd day after surgery! make yourself comfortable--Better Living Through Medicine--that's my motto! best wishes, girlin nyc

i am traveling--this is week 3. i am in houston. i just ate WAY too much for lunch and feel overstuffed and uncomfortable. ugh. you can't really overfill pouch on Clear Liquids. drink, drink, drink. don't make yourself SICK with drinking--just make sure you're well hydrated. i have been eating things i shouldn't--not exactly all mushy--but regular food--trying to chew it up REALLY well until it's liquid before swallowing. it's been a whole new experience eating as slowly as i have been eating. yes, my stomach was growling a lot until this week. it's much better now. i think it has to do with only eating liquids--and maybe healing from the surgery. i also had occasional light burps, and hiccups. the stomach growling is a little less now--although i can't hear anything in it now--it's TOO DAMN STUFFED WITH food. ugh ugh ugh. bad. at least i don't feel like THROWING UP--then again...maybe that would be good. (no, it wouldn't) anybody else wanna jump in and discuss week 3?? please do!

i was on liquids for 2 whole weeks. now i'm supposed to be on mushy foods (for 2 wks) --and i've had very soft food--but i haven't put it through a blender or anything. i still have shakes for Breakfast, and sometimes for dinner. i've had thick Soups and some very very well-cooked chicken---and i've even had things i shouldn't have--and all has gone down with no problems. keep working on the liquids--just keep some by your side and sip, sip, sip. if you are sleeping 6 hrs and then another 6 hrs--have someone wake you up (if you're sleeping during the day) at 3 hr intervals--get up--take something to drink. you just have to force yourself to drink. you don't want to get dehydrated--that is bad for your system. i also took (for an indelicate subject) some peri-colace (over the counter at the drugstore)--you might want to look into that after 7-10 days. i FINALLY feel very normal--this is almost 3 wks later. the feeling of "something inside me" has gone away--that's good too (unless it is that the band just FELL OFF MY STOMACH and is resting on some other organ and not doing anything--i swear that i can eat ANYTHING now...) keep taking those pain drugs as long as you need them. i'm totally a believer in being COMFORTABLE.

ok--march is coming! don't worry!! good luck on stress test!

i had a "long QT" s omething or other--which is an abnormality of the heart rhythm that showed up on my EKG--i went to my cardiologist who determined that taking effexor (anti-depressant) was probably the cause of this. he gave me clearance--and the anesthesiologist was very conscientious about interviewing me before the surgery and telling me that he would use a different anti-nausea drug mixed in with the anesthesia, as the one most typically used would be bad for the "long QT" issue--and all went very well. you probably need a cardiologist exam and referral for the surgery. talk to your surgeon. hope all goes well. regards, girlin nyc

yes, you NEED to be drinking a lot--try iced tea, cranberry juice, v-8--really anything (except acidic juice--like orange, grapefruit)... as for sleepy--you're RECOVERING--you're supposed to be sleepy!! sleep!! it's good for healing. take the painkiller--feel comfortable -- and sleep. i slept most of the first week. i loved it! i'm doing well with band so far--my first fill will be 2/21. i am on "mushy" food. i have to admit--i haven't had much MUSHY food--mostly i just take very soft regular food (mac and cheese, or soup with stuff in it) and chew it up really well. for lunch today--went to chinese restaurant and had chicken chow fun--very soft noodles and little pieces of chicken. chewed it up--no problem--only ate about 1/3 of the plate!! big change for me!!

i would say take PAINKILLER--it will definitely help! and hooray on being able to move around in bed more comfortably. EVERY DAY NOW, from here out, will be easier and easier. i am AMAZED at how things work now--so much better--and i feel FULL when i eat a LITTLE, where i used to SCARF DOWN THE WHOLE PLATE and think to myself "is that all there is????!!!" i had some lingering pain where, i think, the band is around my stomach--today, all of a sudden, it is much improved---life gets better by the day!! don't worry about where your pain is coming from--take the dr. prescribed meds--that's what you have them for!! :mad:

yes, that's exactly why i just had it done--I'VE TRIED EVERYTHING ELSE--and even if it works--it's not PERMANENT. i'm hoping this PERMANENT reminder inside me helps me to ALWAYS modulate and regulate what I'm eating. so far, so good. write me w/ any questions you have. best wishes, girlin nyc

i had one week off. didn't tell anyone what i was doing (just vague "surgery"). i sit at a desk most of the time and i was fine--no problems. liquid diet after surgery was fine too--optifast shakes and Soup at lunch. lots of diet ice tea and water---you won't be very hungry anyway! good luck! girlin nyc

would it be possible for you to travel to get it done? i highly recommend my dr. in ny--george fielding at NYU--and i don't see why medicare wouldn't pay for it -- if medically required. There's always mexico--people here have good things to say about that as well. best wishes, girlin nyc

it's very possible it's just a cyst---see the dr. first--and do what he/she advises--and hopefully it's a minor thing! best wishes, girlin nyc

one night--and i WANTED to stay overnight. didn't want husband to have to be the full-time nurse right after surgery. also, my surgery wasn't until late in the day--so i couldn't have gone home anyway. was walking the hall at 2:30 am because i couldn't sleep, and had MILD gas pain. left the next morning at 10:30 a.m. tip: get a pain pill before you leave the hospital next day--it's MUCH easier on you for the ride home. EVERYONE on my floor did--i'm glad i did too, and i only had about a 20 min commute back home.

yes, i had the 2 wk liquid diet--with an additional permission of 2 cups of vegetables (raw or cooked, no fats, no potatoes, peas, corn) each day. i stuck to optifast shakes (bought at my dr's office) and diet iced tea, and ate the vegetables (lots of broccoli for 2 days), then onto some vegetable soup---by the 5th day---i was fine on optifast--i really lost my appetite. the first day or 2 were HARD. but i adjusted--and you can too! when does your diet start?

keep sipping away on something. i found diet iced tea or diet lemonade very refreshing. the 3rd day after surgery--i finally dragged myself out of bed==and down the block to get my nails done. felt MUCH better. you will too! you have definitely done the right thing--wait till your clothes are looser and you can get around easier--life is going to improve--quickly!

Mary, I think most of the people who get banded do it because they have dieted before, successfully--but then gained the weight back because ____ fill in the blank. the band, as i understand it (and i am VERY NEW to it) will allow your food intake to hit the "hunger satisfaction" nerves in your stomach--on much less food. also, you learn, by trial and error--what you can tolerate. if you have sloppy eating habits after you get the band--there will be unpleasant consequences (PB's, slime, etc). you learn a whole new way of eating--and you don't feel HUNGER the same way you do without it. did your DH go to the seminar with you? maybe he should attend one, to see what it's all about. my DH is very much in favor of this for me--he is helping me with my food, (before and after surgery) and is cheering me on. it's important to have a good support system. even my sister--who is usually too busy to be concerned--cooked me something "mushy"--now that i have reached that stage. i think, as i feel my way through each new day now, that i have a whole new response to food--MUCH less fills me up--and i haven't gotten my fill yet--but i am still recovering--and i am much less interested in some of the things i used to aimlessly and thoughtlessly throw in my mouth--i CAN'T do that now--unless i want to suffer--WHICH I DON'T. yes, i still have to exercise and diet--but this is going to make that lifelong need--somewhat easier. that's what other people here have said and that's what i'm hoping to be true for me as well. (not to mention--looking and feeling better--and getting rid of some of the many meds i am on for various co-morbidities--only gets worse as you get older--i can definitely tell you that) write me with any questions. regards, girlin nyc

you don't have to tell anyone anything--just eat what you're supposed to eat and say you had some "stomach flu" and you're eating lightly. no one really cares--they're not going to notice. i went to a business party 10 days after surgery--had 1 little diet coke (just to hold) and no one noticed that i didn't eat any food. when i first went out to a restaurant--i looked through the menu to see what i could have--there's always soup--and iced tea--that'll fill you right up! good luck! girlin nyc

in another day or so--you'll be feeling like a new person! you can still have Optifast shakes--so have some of that for some Protein. diet iced tea, and things like that are good. TAKE YOUR PAIN MEDICATION!! don't get uncomfortable--better to stay ahead of the pain--then try to get over it once it comes. you're not HUNGRY are you? i wasn't hungry at all for at least 4 days after surgery. just take it easy--you're recovering!! congratulations! best wishes, girlin nyc

how high IS your BMI??

if you're not better tomorrow--go back and see dr. how many pills have you taken? is this a 5 day pack of 1 pill a day? definitely see dr. right away if no improvement by tomorrow. best wishes, girlin nyc

eating "mushy" food--haven't had a problem yet. not sure if i'm sticking exactly to the "letter of the law" as i haven't actually chopped anything up in a cuisinart or blender. have chosen soft foods, chewed them up well--and hoped for the best. so far, so good. i'm sticking to soup at lunch. don't want to bring a PB (especially my first) on myself at work...still--i know myself, my old, old habits of eating REALLY FAST--have to be tamed and retrained. ugh. very hard to do. paying more attention to what i'm eating and how fast--than i have in years. decades, actually. i still think i feel the band--or whatever--inside my ribcage. or else it's just very sore. not sure. whenever i have been sitting or lying awhile--then get up--i can feel the stiffness, soreness, or is it the BAND, inside me. not happy about this. hope this feeling will go away some day. willing to give it time--but not forever. my incisions are healing pretty well. black and blue around my midsection is fading too. my work clothes are not as tight as they were. this is good. nothing is falling off me, tho. not throwing out clothes by the hefty bagful yet. and not going shopping yet either. :cry i am looking forward to trip to mexico in 3 wks. i hope i can eat solid food successfully by then. i'm a little worried about how i will eat there--altho, will have a kitchen. if necessary--will cook every damn thing myself. and taking optifast shakes with me (note to self--buy more optifast). that's it--a boring entry. nothing going on. no news is good news. :bathbaby:

eating "mushy" food--haven't had a problem yet. not sure if i'm sticking exactly to the "letter of the law" as i haven't actually chopped anything up in a cuisinart or blender. have chosen soft foods, chewed them up well--and hoped for the best. so far, so good. i'm sticking to soup at lunch. don't want to bring a PB (especially my first) on myself at work...still--i know myself, my old, old habits of eating REALLY FAST--have to be tamed and retrained. ugh. very hard to do. paying more attention to what i'm eating and how fast--than i have in years. decades, actually. i still think i feel the band--or whatever--inside my ribcage. or else it's just very sore. not sure. whenever i have been sitting or lying awhile--then get up--i can feel the stiffness, soreness, or is it the BAND, inside me. not happy about this. hope this feeling will go away some day. willing to give it time--but not forever. my incisions are healing pretty well. black and blue around my midsection is fading too. my work clothes are not as tight as they were. this is good. nothing is falling off me, tho. not throwing out clothes by the hefty bagful yet. and not going shopping yet either. :cry i am looking forward to trip to mexico in 3 wks. i hope i can eat solid food successfully by then. i'm a little worried about how i will eat there--altho, will have a kitchen. if necessary--will cook every damn thing myself. and taking optifast shakes with me (note to self--buy more optifast). that's it--a boring entry. nothing going on. no news is good news. :scared:

janet, i honestly got VERY hungry after a week on clear liquids--i kind of "graduated myself" to thicker Soups....and was much happier, particularly because i went back to work the 2nd week and HAD to have something to keep my stomach from growling (and feeling really MISERABLY hungry). had no problems with the thick Soup for lunch, and still sipping on clear liquids (diet snapple--my new best friend) a lot of the time. do you "feel" your band? i swear i FEEL something in my insides--maybe it's still just sore...anybody have any "feelings" inside--above the ribcage? Good luck with transitioning to thicker liquids--eat slow--and it's a snap! girlin nyc