katl97

Hi There! I just signed up on the site today. I was banded June 9, 2010. I am just surfing around and checking things out. It is nice to have a place to go to talk and listen to others!! Thanks~

Hey Liz! Do y'all have Cream Wheat over there? You can eat that. You should be on full liquids for the next two weeks - sugar free pudding, yogurt, shakes, smoothies. When I got really hungry I took and made a pot of mashed potatoes, added a ton of skim milk, a little cheddar cheese and some bacon bits. I made loaded mashed potatoe soup. When I got to the bacon I just took it out of the bowl - I added it for flavor. If you get a sweet hankering and the pudding doesn't shake it, try sugar free ice cream or popsicles. As for the yogurt I have been eating the Greek yogurt it is really thick and it goes down ok, you shouldn't have to Water it down. The biggest thing I have found is that I try everything out first with a baby spoonful. If it goes down ok, I take a little bit bigger bite. But the first two weeks, I used my toddler's spoons LOL!! I was scared to death I would throw up!! Make sure you get the 60-70 grams of Protein a day. It will stop you from being hungry. If you need to you can buy those SlimFast shakes. Try not to eat more than 12 or so grams of protein at a time that way your body can process and use it. I do that and usually don't get hungry for a couple hours, then I eat about 10-12 more grams etc. So I eat 6 small things a day. Usually oatmeal with milk for Breakfast, shake, lunch is 1/2c yogurt or cottage cheese, shake, dinner, shake. I get about 60 a day. I hope all that helps LOL!! Now that you are totally overwhelmed - Sorry I babble!! Good Luck!!

Surgery went great!! Couldn't have asked for a better surgeon and team. All my gas pain is gone and I am starting my exercise routine tomorrow :scared2: I am really excited about this! Thanks All for posting in!!

It sounds like you are a social smoker. All I can tell you is that any kind of inhalation into your lungs other than oxygen is damaging to the tissue in one way or another. If it was me personally I would kick it all together (I am a reformed pack a day smoker who quit 4 years ago) so I know how nice it is to go out and have a beer and a smoke. However, the damage it does is really bad. If you are having surgery the best thing you can do is clean your body up the best you can so you can have a quick and uncomplicated recovery. Have you talked to the doc about this? I really wish you the best of luck! Please post and let us know what you decide!

Hi Liz! I was banded on June 9th and had the same issues. It is gas. AS the previous post stated, walk, walk, walk. Move your arms around. Also, deep breath. It is going to hurt like the devil, but it helps. After a week I was in little to no pain. Just breathe in as deep as you can, about five times and hour. Walk every couple of hours, and by walk I mean around the house, down the driveway, just little bits. As for the constipation, did you have a lot of pain medicine? Are you still taking pain meds? Pain meds constipate. Drink lots of Water and eat lots of yougurt. I really hope you start feeling better soon!! Congratulations on getting banded!! Good Luck!! ~Kelly

Hey, Congratulations first off on taking this step!! It's huge. I was banded on June 9, so I am new to site. The advice I would give you is to stop all together. The reason is becuase smoking can cause blood clots after surgery, it lowers your immune response making you more susceptible to infection, and it creates difficulty for your lungs to perfuse the oxygen you breathe because they are all caked with tar. Also, after surgery you have a lot of gas in your thoracic cavity and it makes it hard to take a deep breath, (this is why they give yuo that funky little breathing device to use. It helps expand your lungs). If you smoke it makes it even harder to take those deep breaths. The ABSOLUTE most IMPORTANT thing you can do is stop smoking. Don't forget to get up and walk, deep breathe and cough. It is the only way to work the gas out of your body. Good Luck!!:smile: